rassezeus Reviews

The Song of Bernadette (1943)

Bernadette's prayer

[10/10 · 2 October 2020]

"O Jesus, give me I pray ... the bread of humility, the bread of obedience, the bread of charity, the bread of strength to break my will, and make it one with yours, the bread of patience to bear the pain my heart endures, the bread to see you and you alone in all things and always!"

"I put my hope in you, Lord. Be my house of refuge because you are my strength."

"He is sufficient for me ... Jesus alone for wealth."

Atonement (2007)

Left me speechless and almost crying

[9/10 · 14 September 2020]

I love everything about this film. The cinematography, score, plot, acting - everything. Saoirse, Keira and James just absolutely nail their roles, making their characters relatable, vulnerable and, most importantly, real. The plot is wonderfully adapted and doesn't get boring even once.

Also, the Dunkirk scene was a masterpiece. They're only few films which, I think, capture the emotions going through that young mans mind, who sees 300 000 of his fellow Englishmen desperately waiting for a boat to take them home. This is definitely one of them

Saying this again, I never cry while watching movies, but this one almost broke me. If I'd had a significant other next to me, I'd probably be balling my eyes out. Stories about losing your loved ones hit me so freaking hard.

Definitely will read the book later!

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Just a wonderful period piece

[9/10 · 12 September 2020]

I originally came to watch this movie to admire Keira, but accidentally got hooked into the story and characters. I've always been a sucker for historical dramas and this one just stunned me. Amazing cinematography and well written plot. Keira's characters might be one of the most likeable ones in cinema. Great performance!

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

My mind is really switching sides.

[8/10 · 2 September 2020]

As I have stated previously, I freaking hated musical movies. But I've been making exceptions here and there watching couple of musical movies. And my mind is really changing. I've started to like these things.

The Phantom of the Opera is a really good novel and I was excited to watch this movie. And wasn't disappointed. The plot stayed true to the novel and the characters were portrayed well. Also, opera has always been one of the guilty pleasures and soundtrack made me appreciate opera even more.

Overall, pretty enjoyable piece of cinema.

The Two Popes (2019)

An Argentine and a German walk into the Apostolic Palace.......

[9/10 · 28 August 2020]

Despite not being a Catholic, I've always like the popes. They have always been, with a few exceptions, wonderful people just wanting good for everyone. This film summed all that up very nicely. Two very different people finding common ground and finding an connection through faith. For the agnostic, like myself, this might sound cringe or little strange, but watch it before you judge. As they say, "thou shalt not rate a film before watching it".

Argentina didn't deserve to lose the 2014 WC final.

Joker (I) (2019)

Disappointing

[6/10 · 24 August 2020]

The screenplay is really good, and I mean really good. But Arthur Fleck as a character is completely garbage. As a villain, he's not that good. In my opinion, a good villain is supposed to be always on the map and work with carefully constructed plan to achieve his evil-doings. Fleck is just extremely mentally unstable person, who does not have any plan. Just pure anger from "society".

The clown riots also bothered me a lot. They portray as violent protests and complete mayhem are valid ways to improve conditions in your city. I know it's a film, but I think that it's a dangerous message. Martin Luther King didn't burn cars or destroy businesses and did pretty well.

6/10, good screenplay, bad protagonist.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Disapponiting

[5/10 · 21 August 2020]

Just read the damn book. This film completely fails to catch the feel and tone of the novel. Playing electronic music over an 1920s party scene - yeah, that ain't it chief. DiCaprio is decent tho.

On the Riviera (1951)

Just Kaye things

[8/10 · 18 August 2020]

Only Danny Kaye can pull of a double role while keeping both characters interesting and different.

The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

Unique film

[8/10 · 15 August 2020]

I had high hopes because of.... Rita Hayworth. Got kinda disappointed, but it's still a good film. It has one of the most unique stories and plots of all time. I mean, what can you expect from a guy who directed Citizen Kane.

And Rita Hayworth is still cute af.

Basic Instinct (1992)

Why all the hate?

[9/10 · 4 August 2020]

Honestly I don't get it why some many critics and film enthusiasts don't enjoy this. It's an amazing thriller with a great plot. And it has Sharon Stone, how couldn't someone like this.

Lost in Translation (2003)

Just wow.

[10/10 · 30 July 2020]

Probably everyone laughed at Sofia Coppola after the abomination that was her The Godfather III performance, but Lost in Translation threw everything out of the window.

The film tells the story of a middle-aged washed up actor named Bob. Bob is going through a crisis. He takes a high-paying gig in Japan to promote whiskey, but hates it. The wants to do plays and movie, not commercials. Bob is a lost soul, trying to figure out his marriage, career and life. He meets Charlotte, a young woman trying to figure out the same things. They have a romantic relationship and spend time wobbling around in Tokyo. Time runs out and Bob leaves for home, leaving Charlotte crying.

Bob and Charlotte are one the most relatable characters in cinema. Bob feels so much like the one older friend who servers as your personal psychiatrist and who gives great life advice. Charlotte is the one girl who everyone thinks is kinda slow and senseless, but is actually just very young and naive. She's the one girl who goes to law-school and just aces everything, while remaining humble and nice.

And finally, the soundtrack. Every film which includes Happy End, the Beatles of Japan, cannot be a bad one. Jesus, the soundtrack might be one of the greatest.

Sofia Coppola deserved her Academy Award for Original Screenplay. She's a very good writer and storyteller. Following her father's footsteps with great pride!

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Revolutionary film for me with great historical elements

[10/10 · 30 July 2020]

I was 11 years old when I saw this movie for the first time. My father decided to show it to me because "you liked the first one". My first reaction was "yay, another fun action movie featuring my favorite movie hero". Turns out my father probably tried to scare the everloving out of me. (Who does that to their kid btw?)

Temple of Doom is one of the darkest movie you'll encounter. It deals such themes like child-slavery, extreme poverty, gangsters and cults. It features a supposed kali-worshipping-child-killing-human-sacrificing cult, operating inside the catacombs of the Pankot Palace in India. This cult did not exist in the real world, but the Thuggees we're a real thing in the 19th century India. They we're just your everyday gangsters who robbed and killed tourists. Yes, they worshipped Kali, but didn't sacrifice anyone for her. This history later fascinated me later.

Temple of Doom changed my life and made me watch other, very dark films.

La La Land (2016)

Did a full 180

[10/10 · 16 July 2020]

For all my life I've hated musical and romantic films. I just couldn't stand the cheese and overused I-IV-V-VI songs repeated through the movies. I got 30 minutes into Mamma Mia! and had stop before my urge to jump out of the window is too high.

But La La Land threw all of this out of the window. Damien Chazelle had clearly learned his lesson from Whiplash and it showed. The two main protagonists are really interesting and their chemistry is almost too real-feeling. Chazelle's storytelling is extremely easy to follow and enjoyable. Plot isn't too predictable and the ending almost made me cry.

I could write a book about the soundtrack, but I'll just say that my playlist got a few new additions after watching the film. One of the best soundtracks of all time, in my humble opinion.

La La Land deserves all of the appreciation which it has received and will be in the future considered a classic.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Misunderstood masterpiece by the man himself

[9/10 · 24 June 2020]

This was the second Kubrick movie I saw and, to be honest, I've never felt more confused after a film. Absolutely a fascinating movie!

The Godfather Part III (1990)

This is how you end a trilogy!

[9/10 · 23 June 2020]

I've said it once in the past and I'll say it once more. Movies don't make me cry.

BUT, the ending made me tear up a little bit.

Anyone who knows me, I have a soft spot for children and don't want anything bad happening to them - that's why Travis Bickle wasn't THAT bad of a person :D. Even if the kid might be 20 years-old they're still someone's children. Seeing your own daughter murdered in front of you was just too much for me.

The Godfather III is just a masterpiece and should be watched by every film enthusiast.

Schindler's List (1993)

Prepare your tissues

[8/10 · 17 June 2020]

I don't cry while watching movies, but this one almost broke me. Spielberg is an genius and really knows how to capture your emotions. One of the greatest movies ever!

The Irishman (2019)

Scorsese does it again

[9/10 · 16 June 2020]

You can never go wrong with Scorsese movies, and The Irishman shows you why. Hands down one of the best movies made in the 21st century.

Elizabeth (1998)

Very good idea, mediocre execution

[8/10 · 15 June 2020]

"The Virgin Queen" has been subjected to many different art forms over the centuries. Great acts, songs and paintings have been made in honor of the greatest woman monarch ever lived. As a massive history-nerd, I was pleased to came across this movie and was super excited to watch it.

The movie starts with a scene, where three protestant are brought to executing. It's the year 1554 and soon the Wyatt's rebellion breaks out. It seems to be spring or early summer, which is not particularly historically accurate, because the rebellion started around the late winter months. But by far the most annoying thing about this movie was its ending. The movie ends on a scene where Elizabeth announces her marriage to the people of England, symbolizing her loyalty to the throne. It's around the year 1571. After that, starts the "golden age" of England. The British Empire becomes the powerhouse of Europe, dominating their neighbors economically, militarily and Elizabethan theatre becomes world famous. Elizabeth defeats the "undefeatable" Spanish Armada and secures her position as a reputable world leader, while ending Spanish world domination. NONE of these events are even mentioned in this movie, which is very boring and disappointing.

Overall, the movie is pretty decent, but too focused on the insides of the English court.

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Brothers In Arms - Kubrick does it the best

[9/10 · 10 June 2020]

If you're interested to make a realistic movie about a war, this is the way to do it. As a big history nerd, I appreciate all the small, historically correct, details - like '68 Tet Offensive or Parris Island drill instructors being total dicks.

Highly recommended, probably the best movie from the 80s.

The Unknown Soldier (2017)

Well executed adaption of a classic novel.

[8/10 · 9 June 2020]

Tuntematon Sotilas (or Sotaromaani, if you're not a pleb) is one of the most famous novels in Finland. It has been made into a movie three times, and this one definitely beat the others. Louhimies greatly captures of overall feel of the novel and the things these brave men went through during the Continuation War. Characters are portrayed almost identical how the novel portrays them. Staying authentic to the novel wins a lot of points for me and this movie does it very well. There are some minor differences, but they do not change the plot or effect it in a major way.

Definitely one of the best movies that Finnish movie industry can offer you. If you have a change, there's a great 5 part series, adding even more to the movie, on Yle Areena.

1984 (1984)

Stays true to the book

[7/10 · 29 May 2020]

1984 is one of the greatest pieces of literature ever and, frankly, probably my favorite book.

This movie stays very on-line with the original book, while making some changes, which I quite enjoyed. Definitely the greatest movie adaptation of the classic novel.

Walk the Line (2005)

Relatively alright line to walk

[8/10 · 26 April 2020]

Walk the Line by James Mangold is a biographical film about one of the greatest songwriters of all time; Johnny Cash. It premiered on the 4th of September 2005 and grossed over 180 million dollars worldwide. As a big Cash fan, I thought the movie was pretty good, but I had few issues.

Let's start with the good things. The film is based in the 50s and 60s, and they pulled it off well. As a history lover, I appreciate the small details in people's speech and actions, which give you a good presentation how life was like in the 1960s. Casual racism, wives getting tossed around and only getting fined for carrying 600 pills were key elements in the 60s, so those things present in this movie made it enjoyable from a historical perspective.

I also must talk about the soundtrack. It consisted mainly of Cash's own songs, but also had songs from Bob Dylan and Willie Johnson. It might be on of the greatest movie soundtracks of all time. Correct songs were chosen to correct scenes, and they gave more depth to these moments. The best part might probably be, that the actors sang the songs themselves.

But some things weren't right. In general, it was hard to follow the timeline in the movie, because sometimes the movie would just skip a few years without telling the viewer. Dialog got really confusing and hard to follow during scenes, because of the horrible Southern accent that the actors were doing. It was truly awful and made no real contribution to the movie. Also, there were some historical inaccuracies; Cash did not start his Folsom Prison gig with Cocaine Blues, but with Folsom Prison Blues. I might be nitpicky, but these really bothered me.

Despite all these things, I really enjoyed the movie. It gave a good perspective on Johnny Cash's life and all the things he went through. Even after 17 years after Cash's death, he still influences lots of people and this movie really tells you why.

Marriage Story (2019)

Was skeptical at first.

[9/10 · 15 February 2020]

I'm not a big fan of rom-coms/rom-dramas, but this was great. Charlie and Nicole were great characters and I feel some people can really relate to them. Personally, I didn't like the plot that much because it left too much things open. But I will credit Baumbach for not using the "and they got back together plot" because those get boring after awhile.

9/10 coming from a non rom-drama man.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Still a classic

[9/10 · 1 February 2020]

Even thought the story might be 2nd grade-level and the songs might be sleightly out of key at times, it's still one my favorite movies of all time.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

One of the best movies of all time!

[10/10 · 12 June 2019]

Pulp Fiction was my first Tarantino I ever saw and was instantly hooked to them. The "reverse" storytelling, use of language and the extreme (altought sometimes meaby overusage) of violence made me a huge Tarantino fan.

Pulp Fiction has everything that a crime/drama movie needs. Interesting characters, different settings and very VERY hooking story.

I highly recommend you to watch this movie!