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mrdinapoli
Reviews
Werk ohne Autor (2018)
Wonderful Movie
I enjoyed this movie so much, that I felt compelled to write a review. It is not my typical type movie - 3 hrs long and completely in German and Russian with subtitles. In addition, it is primarily a German made movie - written and directed in Germany and with German actors. However, despite the length, subtitles, and likely cultural differences, this movie works on all levels and is a feast for the mind, heart and eyes. The story, directing and editing are superb. The main actors and actresses are wonderful and robust with excellent acting and expressions, and being able to purvey their emotions and feelings perfectly. The main characters make you smile and love them for whom they are, even despite some of their drastic personal flaws. The scenery and music are equally beautiful. The initial scenes provide a background to the main characters and story, and deepen the sadness and pain felt as the movie presents the "Nazi genetic purification" acts near the beginning of the movie. They are presented very "cleanly," but can be felt with such emotion due to the earlier character build up and the way the scenes were presented and acted - perfect to bring out emotional impact - not too much nor too little. There is some nudity in the film, but it is done in a very tasteful way that adds to the movie and characters to help the viewer understand the characters and feelings, as well as to understand the progression and basis behind the painter's (the primary character's) artistic journey. In brief, this movie is supposedly based on the life of Gerhard Richter, a German painter who developed his own unique style of painting, which appear as photographs which have been blurred by brushing over the still wet images, and often placed with overlapping images. I will not go into more detail about the movie or artistic history, as it has been covered elsewhere. However, I do strongly recommend this movie. It is a wonderful loosely based historical drama that draws you in, makes you care about the characters, and elicits many emotions in the viewer. All of the characters are substantial in depth and provide excellent performances, making it easy to understand and feel for them despite the subtitles and cultural differences. You must start at the beginning or some details and feelings will be lost. However, once I started the movie, I could not stop. I have seen it twice, two days in a row, and enjoyed it immensely both times.
Alien (1979)
STILL THE BEST
Alien is an un-aging classic, and is one of the, if not the best, Sci-Fi and horror movies of all time - possibly even one of the best of all movies of all time. I saw this movie when it first came out - I was 14 yr old, and had to sneak a peak when my parents were asleep. A great and scary movie because it was so realistic and believable. I have seen it many times since, and am watching it now (Sept 2019), a full 40 YEARS later. Even after a significant science-based education and seeing many Sci-Fi films over the years, I am amazed at the realism and sense of horror and fear that it still conveys, even despite its age. The technology and special effects still appear current and up to date, and the acting is superb. This is not a story of good vs evil, but instead a story of survival against an unknown creature, with the crew using limited resources and no available help. The sense of desolation, fear, and struggle for survival will still strike the viewer.
Much of the success of this film is attributable to Ridley Scott and the special effects and creature developers for this movie, but some is due to the lack of CGI available at the time. The creature (in all its forms) looks real because it is real - it was made of real materials, puppets, and a person inside a suit (doesn't sound glamorous, but has to be seen to be believed); the crew is believable because they are not superheroes, but instead hardworking crew members trying to make a living (initially), and eventually trying to just survive at any cost - acting is excellent and believable; the technology is done just right, and is a secondary player not emphasized in the film, so it does not appear dated; the ships are incredibly well-done, and utilize shapes and equipment which appear realistic, and also appear used and lived-in, with dents and dirt that make them believable; the story is a true classic with several twists and turns, however it stays focused without getting lost in distractions and secondary stories.
At the time, many of the ideas and themes of this film were truly original, and have since been borrowed upon. Part of the reason this movie is so successful is that it builds suspense with a clever story which was slowly unrolled, allowing the viewer to digest it and suspense to build. Further, you can follow the story and action because the scenes were created in real time with real people and real props. The difficulty I have with the new generation of CGI films is that there appears to be a push to do and show things "just to show what they are capable of." The CGI then becomes the focus of the film, instead of the acting and story. Further, with each new movie trying to out-due the other, CGI is crammed into all scenes at an indigestible density. For me, there is so much detail and motion going on in a dense CGI scene (much more than would be affordable and possible with real props), that the purpose of the scene and the activity get difficult to follow, and become diluted. Once the newer generations of CGI techs and producers become less compelled to flood Sci-Fi scenes with "everything they've got," I hope they can mix a good story and good acting with subtle and believable CGI to create truly great films reminiscent of this masterpiece.
For those that have never seen the original "Alien," please drop everything and see it now - it is that good and you will be surprised. Don't worry about it's age - it doesn't matter; and don't let the sequels throw you off - this one is a true masterpiece! (Although, the second film -Aliens - was also excellent and worth watching.) For those that haven't seen Alien in a while, it's worth watching again. In fact, introduce a friend to a true great film so they know to expect in Sci-Fi films.
Last Seen in Idaho (2018)
Short & Sweet Review: Skip it-Class C at best
Short & Sweet Review: I rarely write reviews, but felt compelled to do so for this. This movie was a waste of time - Class C at best (I'm not sure if it goes lower). Advice: Try to find something else to watch or do - even if this movie is free on TV, and it is cold and overcast outside. I should have tried harder to find something to do, but I was intrigued by some of the other reviews I read so I stuck with it to the bitter end. In summary, the acting is poor, the plot is poor, the special effects are poor, the end is predictable (somewhat) despite other reviews, there are many loose ends, and the story leaves you not caring about what happens to any of the characters.