Change Your Image
villamondial
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
The Green Hornet (2011)
light entertainment - but terrible dialogues
What do you expect? Light entertainment? That's what you got. --- This is a movie, which is clearly not taking itself very seriously, but rather take some superheroes, comic, action and trash movies of the last decade and mix it to a surprisingly entertaining "flick". Some of the car chasing scenes ares boring, but some action scenes are innovative.
In the very best moments, the relationship between the two main actors (The "Green- Hornet"- Team (!)) could remind of the Closeau-Cato relationship - and, of course that's what they are aiming at... Yet, it falls short to deliver, because the acting of Seth Rogen gets lost in some immature "Hangover"-imitation...
Definitely only 2-3 stars ? *** for the dialogues. Way too much "Hey, Dude - this is awesome" - style, which may just satisfy the average suburban teenager - but it is too exaggerated. I would have even preferred a Terminator-style muteness compared to that jabbering flow of nonsense from the main character.
Nevertheless, most of the well-filled movie-theater in Berlin has been laughing throughout the film.
Cleaner (2007)
wasted end
It starts really interesting - the story develops around the main character, who runs a "cleaning business", specialized in cleaning up crime scenes. As a former cop, he runs into some strange situation, when one job does suddenly "offically vanish". Furthermore, he discovers some relation to an investigation into police corruption. His "Columbo Feeling" is justified, the deeper he gets into the background of the story. The good actors (Jackson, Ed Harris, Eva Mendes) play in an suspenseful story with some twists --- but only up to the last 25 minutes. (up to here 7 of 10 stars). SPOILER:::: Suddenly the movie looses its touch and in the end there is a completely unnecessary shoot-out, involving the 14-year old daughter, a betrayal of friendship and a not justified righteousness out of the character development... why not having Cutler giving up his investigation for the sake of the friendship? or having the daughter discovering some facts? or ... many possible much better story finishes are imaginable... a truly wasted ending!
King Kong (2005)
a little lost in special effects
Peter Jackson "has done it again" and created an impressive masterpiece out of the old story of King Kong (you know, crew discovers island and Large ape, Gorilla falls in Love with blond woman, etc....). The Gorilla is shockingly real, his expressions of joy and sadness believable and consequently most of the audience will feel compassionately "with" the animal. The story is well told and especially in the first half of the film, Jackson takes its time to introduce characters and develop a very nice pace. However, he lost my top rating in the middle of the movie. The idea with the dinosaurs was nice, but the hunt was just too long and in the end there were too much disgusting "huge animals"... The real story got a little lost. And then - after all the long hunt (whatever happened to the natives, actually?), the capture of Kong seems less exciting. The rest of the movie afterwards is too short. Suddenly they are in New York -the famous Empire Building scene is delivered masterfully. However, HOW did the crew, who last too many people on the island, manage to capture Kong? Whatever happened to Jimmy, the captain an the rest of the crew? After developing the characters nicely in the first 2/3 of the film, why not bringing their stories to conclusion, too? I thought the end was weak, too. Carl Denham (Jack Black) looking at Kong, grumbling one sentence and leaving? Anyhow, it is worth seeing. 7 of 10 stars.
Panj é asr (2003)
moving docu-style drama
This movie will be very moving, if you can sit still and take the opportunity to be drawn into the disturbing situation of a destroyed Kabul after 25 years of war. The story of Noqreh who dreams of becoming president while hiding her school attendance from her conservative father is very intense. Togehter with the sister-in-law and her sick child, Noqreh and her father are looking for a place to live in the ruins, they briefly stay in a crashed airplane and the bombed parliament building, before leaving the city for a more traditional country side... The camera observes, taking its time to capture the essence of the moments and the characters, including a staged debate between the two presidential candidates in the girl school. While the women start discovering some freedom (sun-umbrellas; dressing shoes), the men are struggling with keeping their faith in the new realities and everybody -including truck loads of returning refugees from Pakistan - is only trying to survive. At the moment, when a few helicopters flying over the head of the traveling family and they look up, I realized how deeply drawn I was into the movie and its very sad reality - so out of place seemed this modern technological machine compared to the mule-drawn carriage in a harsh landscape. Highly recommended, if you like Rohmer, Tarkowski or Mambety - 9 out of 10 stars!
L'extraordinaire destin de Madame Brouette (2002)
Colombo meets Guelwaar
A murder investigation frames the background for narrating the story of Madame Brouette (Rokhaya Niang) - a strong woman, who is dedicated to make a living for herself and her daughter in some poor neighbourhood in Dakar, Senengal. Flash-backs are developing the events which lead to the murder of the police man Naago, who was also her boyfriend and lover. Neighbours comment on her life and her good character - did she really murder Naago or was it maybe "London Pipe", a crook and local gangster? Director Moussa Sene Absa used first time actors (e.g. Naago is played by Aboubacar Sadikh Ba, a school teacher), but they all are playing their part very well. Absa likes to give his movies a specific color - which are yellow and orange in this film - and uses it to increase the beauty of the natural settings. Even though "Inspector Colombo" is only a funny & incapable character in this film, pace and storyline of "Madame Brouette" also remind of the famous detective series. On another thought, famous Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene used a similar style of telling the life of the main character in flashbacks in his movie "Guelwaar". --- I saw this film at the Tribeca Film Festival 2003, where it was part of the official selection. I give it 8 of 10 stars. Watch it, when you have a chance - villamondial for World Culture Group.
The Pianist (2002)
outstanding & exceptional
Truly worth its two Oscars for Polanski (director) and Brody (best actor), this movie is a very intense, but intimate portrait of one person's survival between 1939 and 1945 - definitely better than "Schindler's List", "A beautiful life" and other films playing during this uniquely cruel times. (9 of 10 stars)
O Testamento do Senhor Napumoceno (1997)
beautiful & human
This movie has more than its beautiful scenery - the Cape Verdan islands. Featuring a great acting cast and a 3-minute performance of world music star Cesaria Evora, the film tells the story of a local business man who disinherits his nephew and leaves his money and estate to his daughter, he never officially recognized. His life story is told by himself on tapes he left her and through her questions to everybody, he knew. It is a romantic story, describing the main character with gentle humour. The few (discrete)love scenes remotely reminded me of some french movies.
The slow pace of the film is common to outstanding European and African directors - yes African (Cape Verde is close to Senegal) - think of Ousmane Sembene and Wim Wenders, add a few humorous touches and enjoy the human side of cinema. 8 out of 10!
Xi yang jing (2000)
the movie is ok, but...
... the acting by Mr. Wallace is really terrible. Being the only foreigner in this Chinese movie, the role could have been a master performance by an experienced actor or new talent. However, the acting is so bad, that it disturbs the otherwise quite nicely flowing story about how the movies came to China.
Musíme si pomáhat (2000)
humanity greatly filmed
What a wonderful movie! We enjoyed the true signs of humanity throughout the movie. It is refreshing to see, how the struggle, just to survive during the cruel WWII is filmed in such a true but understanding way. And instead of revenge in the end, which would only follow a boring "good vs. evil" plot, people not only forgive each other, they FEEL, that they actually always will somehow belong together. In the end, David Wiener, who was 2 years hidden in a small closet space says about Mr. Prohaska, the Nazi-collaborator "He was a decent man", because he never denounced on his friends. Divided we fall. A big congratulations to the director & the script - details and traces always find a fitting match later in the movie. And for once we have liked the various camera effects. A different kind of film material enhances in some scenes their surreal existence, supporting the distorted view of the protagonists in this human drama.
A highly recommended WWII drama, which is higher rated from us than "Holocaust" or "Schindler's list".
Crna machka, beli machor (1998)
lighthearted comedy
What a wonderful comedy. As sad and serious "Time of the Gypsies" is, as lighthearted and entertaining is this story about a father and a son and their struggles to live their life. It is an entertaining film and a really good Kusturica-feature. 7 Stars.
Ressources humaines (1999)
well done docu-drama
A well-done docu-drama by Laurent Cantet. It reminded us a lot of "Norma Rae", without the "American" touch, meaning a well-settled, calm reality film. The story about the young trainee coming back to his home-town, working in the same factory where his father worked for 30 years is filmed in a "true" manner. The actors seem to be real workers (and many are). The conflict of the son, who suddenly works close the the boss, above his father, is well told and well acted. The father is still standing at a machine, doing monotonuos movements with his hand - a type of work, which inhumanity Charles Chaplin already commented on with "Modern Times". The story leads to a climax, when the workers start to strike, after it was discovered that 12 people (including the father) will get fired. But we will have no happy ending or fake solution. The son will go back to Paris, having learned a few lessons of life and the workers will continue to strike.
La patinoire (1998)
cute little comedy
While not the most elaborated story we liked this movie. Its a light entertaining film and it never pretends to be more than just a little comedy. Event though the director uses mostly only cliches for the characters, the movie is consequent in its style. Slapstick with a very cool French tone and quite funny. Oh, yes -the story: a film crew uses an ice hockey game as the backdrop for a love story. 95% of the movie shows the film crew and the Lithuanian ice hockey players and the American Hollywood star and the ice rink manager who dreams of his famous past as ice-dancer on location - the ice rink.
Vercingétorix (2001)
missed opportunity
What a waste of the great story of the heroic Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls half a century BC. He was educated as a druid (like Merlin taught young Artus), united the rivaling clans in todays France and lead them to victory against the mighty Roman general Julius Caesar. A decisive battle at Alesia was lost only due to the rivalry of the clan leaders and Vercingetorix had to surrender to Caesar, who brought him in triumph back to Rome.
But the film misses completely the opportunity to become a Bertolucci or Kurosawa style epic. Terrible editing. no continuity. jumps between day & night... The actors perform on 20% of their capacity - Max von Sydow as the old druid and especially Klaus-Maria Brandauer as Caesar could have been fantastic, if the director Jacques Dorfman would have known how to lead them. Even Christopher Lambert as Vercingetorix could have had finally a good role again. Alas, the movie remains flat and disturbing in its amateur-like production.
Don't buy it! Don't go to the cinema! if you want, RENT it and study the mistakes...