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Reviews
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Disgusting, predictable, and biased
Quentin Tarantino seems to have some weird kind of obsession with black people and making them the almost divine heroes of the films, no matter How disgusting things they do and how many people they kill and torture. The black guys always seem to be killing as many white folks as possible and standing alive the last. Anyone and everyone will get killed and tortured and defamed in the most brutal and defamatory ways, except the black guy. Even women. The ending is once again so predictable it was just boring. Also certain things the "almost-divine hero" of the film did (to a white guy, of course) are just so disgusting, gross and defamatory, that they literally make me want to throw up. Yet this
black guy is somehow depicted as the hero of the film and the "good guy". This is racial bias at its extreme form. The film is some of the most disgusting pieces of crap I have ever seen. There was some nice acting in the film, though, as well as scenery.
Django Unchained (2012)
Extremely violent, unrealistic, & predictable
The film is very violent, which makes it kind of disgusting to watch. Also it's very unrealistic. In reality, during that period of time, a black man that arrogant and aggressive would definitely have been shot already several times, especially after shooting countless white people. Also the ending is the most predictable and obvious thing that could happen in a movie like this. No surprise whatsoever. The main character is just so unlikeable you would like to vomit.
The only reason I gave 2 stars instead of just 1, is that the film does give an interesting glimpse of the Southern Dixie life of the 19th century, with the plantations, slaves and their masters, towns and other living conditions, the culture and habits of the time, the racial (and economical) classes, and the general way of living in that period (to the extent it can be seen reliable). I really enjoy the culture and history of the Confederate States and films depicting that. Thankfully this film does provide some of that too, so I didn't completely waste my time.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
A most captivating and surprising movie
This movie really managed to captivate me until the end. It is one of the movies you just can't walk away from until it finishes. It is definitely one of the most surprising, captivating, suspenseful, and entertaining thrillers one has ever seen. The plot is very intriguing since the very beginning, and thickens remarkably as the story goes on, keeping you just thirsting for more. And things definitely won't turn out the way you would have expected - very surprising and unusual turns will take place.
For the most part, the acting is very professional and enjoyable. Some characters and scenes, however, feel too exaggerated or otherwise artificial, which makes the overall experience suffer to some extent.
A Hologram for the King (2016)
Kind of pointless, disorganized, and unsatisfying
This movie is watchable, but I didn't quite get its point. It provides some interesting insight into Arab culture and the meeting of the two very different cultures, which I did enjoy to some extent. (Even though you could have easily feasted on that subject a lot more, particularly on the huge wealth and richness of so many Saudis which can surely be better seen in everyday life in the city areas there.) However, it's kind of frustrating and tiresome when there seems to be no clear storyline and as a viewer you feel kind of lost or even bored most of the time. Waiting for something exciting and satisfying which just won't happen. There are some interesting plot turns and then some which mostly just make you confused. The tempo of the movie is quite slow. Some parts of the movie just feel too predictable/artificial. It has some high quality acting, from Tom Hanks (of course) and some other actors as well. It was also nice to see some fresh, fairly unknown faces in the cast, as a lot of Arab/Middle Eastern actors are being used, who aren't really known in the West. Some characters, on the other hand, felt too caricaturic and forced, and the acting and/or directing in these instances was not so professional. In the end, the viewer is left wondering, what actually happened in the film? What was the actual point and moral of the story? Where did it all come to and what was the conclusion? At least I couldn't quite figure those things out. So I guess unsatisfying might be the closest single word to describe the overall experience.
Jin ling shi san chai (2011)
A very touching and surprising story
On many levels. It begins kind of slowly, but before you know it, the plot starts to tighten at an increasing speed and then you simply just can't walk away before you have seen the whole movie until the end. It discusses so many aspects of human life on so many levels and all will unexpectedly touch and awaken some of your deepest emotions. This movie will definitely surprise you. However, this movie will definitely be too harsh for more sensitive viewers, as it does definitely contain some very brutal and shocking scenes and events.
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Kind of missed the point
It is a movie where there is a lot going on all the time, and it's even a bit hard to keep up with everything all the time. However, it was kind of hard to figure out the point of the movie.
I enjoyed the setups & costumes a lot, though.
Maybe directing and the manuscript - not so much.
The Young Victoria (2009)
A pure and touching story of love & depiction of its time
A very touching, heartfelt, pure, and innocent story of love, how it grows and flourishes beautifully when it is let grow in peace and not being pushed. Also a very iconic and stunning depiction of the time and the upper class - I absolutely loved the settings & landscapes, costumes, make-up & hair styles, etc.
V for Vendetta (2005)
Nice storyline, poor acting
The movie has a nice and sort of a catchy storyline. However, the poor acting - or directing, or both - makes you almost cringe at times. Especially that of Portman. The movie is kind of corny most of the time. However, the plot builds up nicely towards the end and you kind of do want to see how it ends. Some things are left in the air in the end that should be revealed to the watcher. This movie manages to surprise and entertain you to some extent. However, if only the screenplay would be more realistic, you would really emphathise it a lot more & feel like it was actually happening, just like you should feel when watching a good movie.
The Tourist (2010)
Waited for it to end
One of my friends wanted to watch this at our evening together and so we did. I must admit, most of the time I just felt the movie was very boring. It seemed to be moving forward very slowly & be pretty predictable. Also I don't know if it attempted to feature real action and thriller components or otherwise appear as really dramatic, but instead I found it quite clumsy, comical, surreal, and kind of forced most of the time. The plot thickened a bit towards the end and made me want to watch it slight more than the first 3/4 or 4/5 of the movie. The final ending was a bit surprising, which saved a bit of what was left to save. You can watch this movie if you really don't know what to watch or have absolutely anything else to watch. Also of course if you're a huge Angelina Jolie and/or Johnny Depp fan, then I guess this is a must watch for you.
The settings, stagings, and costumes pleased the eye quite nicely, so esthetically it was very pleasant to watch & even gave me some traveling ideas/inspirations.
Togo (2019)
A touching true story
This is a touching true story of the friendship between a dog and his master. They face some unimaginable challenges & overcome obstacles together. The dog also has a very special character, which is definitely not the easiest and simplest one. It all comes down to the situation where a lot needs to be put at risk for the greater good. Here the friendship and trust between the dog and the musher, as well as the character, skills, and determination of both are being seriously measured & put into a test of a lifetime.
Rocketman (2019)
Contains something I didn't want to see
The film is very overwhelming & exaggerating. Those are things I often certainly enjoy and enjoyed in this film too. So it is mostly very enjoyable and pleasing to the eye to watch - your eye will have a lot to watch. It naturally has the majestic moments in the huge concert arenas as you might expect in this kind of film, too. It brings up important aspects of the difficulties John faced in his childhood home - as here too, often from the most difficult & challenging of homes & families can arise the best and most virtuous of talents. Seeking for acceptance not found in the basic structures of life - your childhood family and the people surrounding you the closest - can sometimes lead one into greatest heights of achievements.
I think I would have liked this movie more as a "real life movie" featuring the songs in an ordinary way, instead of a musical. I'm not a huge fan of musicals anyway.
What I didn't want and need to see, however, was the abundant gay sex and even gay orgies. I could have looked them up from that kind of sites should I want to - not in a movie meant for everyone to see. Mainly for this reason I only give 3 stars.
The Queen's Gambit (2020)
Predictable but entertaining
The series is entertaining and makes you always want to watch the next episode until you have finished it. For the most part, the plot twists are kind of predictable, but you will also run into some surprises. The main character is noticeably ugly; something yli don't see that often. Even though intelligent, she is also extremely annoying in many ways. She steals, lies, is a drug addict (and steals them too on various occasions), proud, arrogant, and loose. I can't help the feeling this series does its best to glorify drug abuse, loose sexual relationships and on-the-spot one night stands, and (the main character being a girl) making it all about getting all the men's attention and being surrounded by men and their attention & admiration at all times. However, this series will provide you entertainment for hours and there was also a touching moment which actually did make me cry.
The Infiltrator (2016)
Full action until the very end
This movie has almost everything. It is full of action and unexpected plot turns as to keep you captivated until the very end. You get to take a sneak peek into the world of drug trafficking and money laundering, and you will see both sides of that world - the glamorous side with the glory and an abundance of everything, as well as the dirty side where any person's life isn't worth that much in the end and blood will be easily shed. In this world, however, true friendship and loyalty also exist - all human beings are human beings in the end. True and kind of unexpected friendship can also sometimes cross many kinds of boundaries and can exist between people from different worlds.
The Good Liar (2019)
Will captivate you until the very end
This is one of the movies that will captivate you very tightly on your couch until you have watched it until the very end. It proceeds somehow very predictably, but somehow the plot is still built very interestingly from beginning to end and is full of surprises and unexpected turns. As you might guess, the plot thickens towards the end. The reason I gave this movie 8 stars instead of 9 is that it's quite violent, and I myself am not a fan of unnecessary violence in movies in general.
Munich (2005)
A necessity
This is one of the movies that simply needed to be done. And one of the best men to direct it was namely Steven Spielberg.
It has a lot of action, a lot of drama. Moments of great joy, happiness & connection - and moments of utmost despair, pain, anger, isolation, loneliness and grief.
The movie has a lot going on all the time - maybe even a bit too much. This is one of the reasons I only gave it 8 stars. At some points, it is even a bit hard to keep up with everything going on. In addition, it feels like most characters look very similar to each other, also having almost identical outfits with each other, etc. Places/cities where the events take place, also change at a quite fast pace, and this creates a little confusion to me.
However, I must admit that the storyline is very captivating & intriguing, and it really keeps you grabbed until the very end of the movie. Some very unexpected things & turns take place when you least expect them, and this is what will keep you hooked until the very end. Not even nearly everything will go as planned, or as you would expect. Enemies will come your way in most unexpected occasions, and not everything you trusted or thought you knew was what you assumed. People can turn out to be something totally different than what you thought. Good friends will always stand by your side, no matter what. But you can also lose friends along the way very unexpectedly.
The directing and acting in the movie are just phenomenal.
Another reason for only giving 8 stars was, that there is no way Mossad / Israeli agents would ever be so unprofessional in real life. At points they are very confused, clumsy, fighting with each other, and acting in every manner very unprofessionally. In real life, we all know this would never be the case.
Not least importantly, this movie talks about the universal, ever-present, ultimate hate that the Jewish nation and state have faced as long as they have existed. If not participating in the terror & murder, the ones not committing it - the rest of the world - will just stand by silent watching & enabling the hatred, murder, & terror to happen. It is actually hertbreaking. It also talks about the ever-present expectations Jews and Israel face and always have faced - to not revenge any form or extent of evil or defend themselves, no matter what happened; to always turn the other cheek; to always respond to evil, hatred & murder with goodness and compliance; to be the only "good Christian" & rigteous instance in the world. This movie talks about the fact that this just simply cannot always be the case & just won't always work. And also doesn't have to.
Lída Baarová (2016)
Intriguing depiction of the time
First of all, I just can't understand the 5.8 star rating of this movie. In my opinion it should be considerably more. The movie is very intriguing & captivating. You can't finish it until you see what happens next, and then after that. In my opinion - the movie kind of has everything. The movie is a deep depiction of how life and human relationships are not always so black and white. They can take very unexpected turns in many ways and lead you to very unexpected situations. It tells about achieving a huge success and it tells about losing practically everything. It tells about how situations can change very quickly & unexpectedly, one way or another. And not least importantly, it paints once again a very truthful picture of the unspeakable, horrendous, murderous hatred of the Nazis towards Jews - something we must never forget about.
Churchill (2017)
Historically and humanely enlightening
As you might expect, the film proceeded in quite a slow tempo. However, the things and possible outcomes it discusses, had a huge impact on the lives and future of both individuals, nations, and the entire world. It is historically educating and informative, too, which I also always like in a movie - you will get some insight into history and real-life events that took place, in the form of an entertaining film. It's a good film for quiet and peaceful nights at home, by yourself, with a partner or friend, or in a small group. However, for people seeking more action, like more things going on at a faster tempo, this is probs not the best option. Also I found the other film about Churchill - The Darkest Hour - even more capturing, cultivated and somehow better.
Christmas on the Square (2020)
The plot thinckens towards the end
I love Dolly. I don't particularly like Christmas movies in general. To be honest, this wasn't my favorite movie - it was too sugar coated and boring to watch for the most part. The songs are also kind of forgettable, after watching the movie, I can't actually remember even one of the melodies. And there was a LOT of this very mediocre music to fill the space. However, when the movie was approaching the end, the plot took some very touching and heartfelt turns, which actually made me cry. So if you decide to give this film a shot, just be sure to watch it until the very end, however clumsy the beginning might feel. It really surprised me positively towards the end, even up to tears, which was the last thing I expected to happen, based on the most part of the movie. PS. I love you Dolly, just keep being you.