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Reviews
La battaglia dell'ultimo panzer (1969)
Surprisingly serious low-budget war movie
"La Battaglia dell'ultimo panzer" is about a German panzer crew caught behind the American lines in France in 1944. The production values of the movie are very low; the anachronisms and errors concerning equipment and uniforms are actually quite obvious. Nevertheless, the plot is quite intelligent. This is a surprisingly serious war movie and much more reflective than most WW II war movies of the period (such as 'Where Eagles Dare' or 'Kelly's Heroes', or the countless Italian rip-offs of these more 'lighthearted' war thrillers.)
This is mainly because the characters, and in particular the German soldiers, are more than just the kind of cardboard cliches one expects from this type of low-budget movie. Especially the main character, a German lieutenant and commander of the crew, played by Stelvio Rosi, is a surprisingly three dimensional character. While he presents himself as a hardline nazi believer at first, we later see that the horrors of war affect him deeply in an unexpected moment and the final scenes of the movie have a very bitter lesson in store for him. Civilians and their different ways of dealing with the occupation also have a place, giving some surprising nuances which most war movies (including the technically infinitely superior, but plot-wise arguably inferior 'Saving Private Ryan') lack.
The acting is middle-of the road. None of the (quite unknown) actors are really bad, but none really stands out. 8/10 for some of the writing, 2/10 for the production values
Habit (1995)
worthwhile
A straightforward, yet engaging plot, a dense atmosphere and a very good performance by Fessenden make this movie worth seeing. The actress portraying Anna does a terrible job though, which is particularly regrettable given that her role should have been the most enigmatic.
Scarface (1983)
Some more cliches, anyone?
Al Pacino gives a good performance in a movie cursed by cliches. Once you understand the principle of the movie (pack as much graphic cheapness in it as possible) it gets kind of boring. Then again, a lot of unintended comic is produced (eg -SPOILER- when Tony's sister tells him that she had just gotten married to Manolo - right after Tony shot the latter - what a coincidence! How, like, totally tragic!!)
All in all, a truly pathetic movie, which kind of diminished my respect for Al Pacino's judgment a big deal. I mean, what's the point of a brilliant performance in a movie with such a catastrophe of a plot?
My advice: As with any film with which Oliver Stone is associated, watch this movie as a comedy.
Europa (1991)
Nightmarish, stylish, boring - SPOILER
Ok, ok, enough already. Just watched this movie and it gave me a f***ing headache. This time, Mr. von Trier has really overdone that artsy-stylish-oh-so-existentialist-decline-of- Central-Europe kind of thing of his. At the end, when the main protagonist dies, you just shrug your shoulders. What's the point? You didn't care about any of the characters anyway.
The cinematography: So it's dark and gloomy, and sometimes there's this weird technicolor. Oh well.
What it all comes down to is that this movie is (surprisingly) unoriginal, even uninspired in my humble opinion. All right, maybe you can call it kafkaesque. Never liked Kafka anyway for that matter.
In the end, a bottle of Vodka can give you much more delusion and visual effects than this film ever hoped to achieve. Plus, it can make you just as depressed if you drink it alone.
Cop Land (1997)
See it for Stallone
Another movie that proves that in the American dream, the pursuit of happiness is intimately related to the usage of firearms. Stallone does a great job, he's arguably the best in an excellent cast (looks like Keitel, Liotta and de Niro primarily needed some money, though.) The film is in the tradition of High Noon and Taxi Driver: The loser stands up against a corrupt world... Not bad, but not really good either.
Wonder Boys (2000)
Annoying.
This is what happens when writers write about writers writing. A pointless story, whiny characters who immerse themselves in self-pity. Perpetuating stereotypes. Are you supposed to sympathise with the main characters? I just found them annoying.
Sidste time (1995)
Good horror movie
I remember watching this movie in Berlin in 1995. I can't recall too many details, but I do remember that I was pleasantly surprised. It's a quite violent horror thriller that has a sufficiently intelligent plot along with the right amount of weirdness to really scare you. Sure beats all the American mainstream teenie-horror flicks that have been pouring out lately. This movies is a good example of the rising Danish film culture, it can hold its stake against "Nightwatch". See it if you get the chance!
Forbrydelsens element (1984)
Nightmarish, beautiful, haunting
The plots follows the descent of a reactivated ex-cop, Fisher, into a killer's mind, using a method he has been taught by his old teacher, Osborne. The backdrop of the story is Europe in an unspecified future and after an unnamed catastrophe that let the continent fall in a perpetual darkness, an apocalyptic, anarchic gloominess. More and more, Fisher becomes like the killer as he gets increasingly fascinated with the strangely complex set-up of the murders...
Ultimately, this is a film about moral corruption and cultural decline of the western world. In the tradition of cultural pessimism from the beginning of the century, it paints a gruesome picture of a world devoid of decency and morale. "I want you to screw God into me.", these words spoken by Kim, a hooker Fisher picks up during his travels, are maybe the best expression of the ultimate loss of any metaphysical sense of belonging.
The style of the movie reflects this gloominess beautifully.
There are dark and gruesome nightmares you had that linger on in your mind and strangely, sometimes in your waking hours, you wish you'd get back to taste the sweet despair again... This movie is one of them.
Eye of the Beholder (1999)
waste of time
Surreal? Unpredictable? Ha. I should have believed the New York Times: The simple statement "ludicrous" describes this artifact of uninspired commercialism best. The characters are ridiculously artificial, the plot is incoherent and utterly illogical (and that's not the same as "surreal") There is not a even a hint of a justification of McGregor's character's fascination with Joanna Elis, little technical gimmicks and some techno tunes are supposed to create a surreal atmosphere, but fail miserably, etc pp. I'll stop here, let the rest be silence...
Dark City (1998)
piece of crap - except for the looks
A truly great looking movie, paying homage to Metropolis and Nosferatu. One of the most conventional and unimaginative scripts I've ever had to endure and truly weak acting make this film a waste of time, I am sorry to say. Avoid it and and rather watch Blade Runner one more time.
8MM (1999)
A sick movie, but for all the wrong reasons
The most disturbing thing about this movie is its morale: There are really bad guys out there, and killing them doesn't make the world a good place, but at least a better one. Hey, it's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it. Now, THAT is scary.
Idi i smotri (1985)
most disturbing film about war crimes ever
A very impressive film, and in my opinion the most emotionally disturbing film about Nazi war crimes during WW2. There is no moment of relief from the horrors of the war, no concessions where made as to ease the shock the viewer finds himself in throughout the whole movie. There is no greasy Hollywood sentimentality in this movie, it is even less propagandistic than your average Holocaust/War Blockbuster such as Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan etc. [There are though some maybe somewhat unfair scenes, f.ex. when the Waffen-SS soldiers start playing a Bavarian yodl-song when the killing of the inhabitants of the village starts. That is going too far.] All in all, a movie definitely worth watching, but hard to take.
The Evil Dead (1981)
Angst and Estrangement
Forget about the scenes of grueling violence, the dismemberment of heavily bleeding zombies, the ultra-rapid decay of undead bodies at dawn - these are just the usual horror-flick gimmicks. What makes this movie a stunningly accomplished oeuvre is the powerful representation of existential angst - the estrangement of the individual from its environment, the epiphany of becoming aware of the fundamental gap between nature and the individual man, shown in incredibly powerful images in the last half an hour of the movie, when Ash feels that the house (being a symbol of his "soul") is surrounded by an unseen, totally incomprehensible, yet omnipotent "evil" (the "absurd") : Everything has changed, nothing is as it was before, there is nothing familiar anymore, nothing to hold on to - this is the exposition of the feeling of the absurd in Camus' sense. Being restricted to a very small setting and cast of actors which gives the movie nearly the feeling of a play, the whole conception of the archaically simple plot is directed towards this last moment of total estrangement. I am very well aware that probably, Raimi just wanted to shoot an entertaining horror flick, but what he (probably unintentionally) accomplished is one of the most powerful displays of angst and estrangement in film history.
Lola rennt (1998)
Lola rennt, or the postmodern disease
Lola rennt, or the postmodern disease... Excellent actors, good shooting, but the movie definitely lacks a proper storyline and is proud of that. How could it happen that the absence of a decent plot has turned from a flaw into a virtue? 8 points