dascalu_mihai Reviews

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

A pale copy of the original

[5/10 · 29 December 2021]

The Matrix brand dilutes every time a new sequel occurs.

The film is a salad of symbols and visual themes, nonsensically mixed, sprinkled with moments of action explanation, meant to provide an epic reference to what you see and realize, as the film unfolds, how absurd, illogical and ridiculous everything is.

Unfortunately, Warner's desire to make money turns a symbol of modern cinema into a caricature.

Not to mention the multi-racial cast. Everything is politically correct and it feels like a marketing tuned product for a global audience, nothing creative and original. Endless regurgitation of cinematic recipes and nothing more...

Miami Bici (2020)

Utterly atrocious!

[1/10 · 6 June 2021]

Bad acting, stupid stereotypes, shallow and improbable.story! Waste of time for viewers and a shame for Romanian cinema!

The Chalet (2017–2018)

Yaaaaawn!

[6/10 · 25 April 2019]

(after watching first 2 eps.) Faaar too slow burning. The action takes forever to get things as exciting as they should be for a 2018 thriller / mystery flick. My eyes got tired with the director moving the camera up and down, left to right (my parents frame better their vacation videos on the boat). The cast is comprised of 10 dozens of actors acting from average to slightly good, everyone looks much the same, no one stands out. I almost forgot who is who, why, what's their name, what did they do in the childhood time frame and why is the character interesting altogether. I takes like forever for people to get killed in this Agatha Christie-esque "Ten Little Indiands" feelalike. I think the French made "The Chalet" to prove they can get a Hollywood classic thriller recipe in an European artie guies. They didn't get it right. I think Netflix put the series in the roster in order to cover that viewer demographic that feels more cultured and educated than the average and wants to move past watching the mundane, commercial series Netflix currently offers. But I guess this demographic is actually made by people who never read anything but Facebook posts and 20 words reviews. On the pro side, the setting, scenery, village and decors are worth watching. French Alps are amazing! (after watching the whole series) OK, it got some thrills... Still, story is quite far-fetched...

The House That Jack Built (2018)

Ultimate "sophistication" in serial killer psycology...

[7/10 · 18 January 2019]

...immersed dark humor, religious allegories, hystorical destruction and art symbols spuced up with the ubiquitous von Trier-esque gore... Watch it if you have the stomach!

Roma (2018)

Emotional and strickingly real

[9/10 · 15 December 2018]

A 70s period family story that masterfully melts together dramas of the upper class and the servants, women and men, all in the social microcosm of a Mexican family and macrocosm of the political turmoil of the era.

Transit (I) (2018)

Intricate, unexpected story

[7/10 · 25 November 2018]

What I liked: the intertwined and unexpected developments of this love triangle (or square?) of WW2 refugees in Marseille... ingeniously "teleported" in the current days. What I didn't like: the somehow uncertain adaptation to a story of seemingly current events...

Last Year at Marienbad (1961)

Masterpiece

[10/10 · 22 November 2018]

I love, love, love this movie and I could watch it over and over again. After letting go trying to understand rationally the plot and the whole story of the movie I was imersed in this dreamy state of visual wonder gracefully put together by Resnais. Setup, decor, costumes, makeup, light, shadow, artworks, landscaping, indoors, outdoors and so on - everythings adds up to this wonder and higher state of retro-coolness!

Moromete Family: On the Edge of Time (2018)

Charming nostalgia

[9/10 · 16 November 2018]

Based on a famous novel of Romanian writer Marin Preda, is full of fine linguistic humor and mirrors very well a disturbed and ravished post-WW2 peasant society, torn between right and wrong, the vanity of the young and backward-looking of the elderly, old and new, moral and immoral and between two antagonistic political regimes. The black-and-white (how else) picture adds up to the nostalgia and historical feel of otherwise a pure social drama.

Touch Me Not (I) (2018)

Cinematic atrocity

[4/10 · 16 November 2018]

I am such a fan an supporter of contemporary Romanian cinema but this is below any expectation. I felt almost asleep countess times during this film and wondered why doctors don't prescribe this movie instead of sleeping pills. It's an artsy, indie wanna be movie, full of long abstract framing and too thought out scenery; feels like everything is not genuine and bad acting is ominous; far-fetched emotions and relations between characters; the story lacks any truthfulness and is not intriguing at all I would put in the bucket of contemporary cinema that implies that shocking issues and nudity would automatically make a movie artsy and festival-ready...

Climax (I) (2018)

Cheap thrills

[5/10 · 16 November 2018]

Had many expectations before watching this "art" movie... However, I was left dumbstruck with the "salad" of shocker put all together in such a mainstream movie going for an arthouse movie. Tackles and puts in your face too many taboos and (still?) controversial issues such as homosexuality, abortion, rape, incest, drugs and so on. Lacks an intriguing story in my opinion. Visual mambo-jumbo and musical hysteria! Watch it if you don't have anything else better to do... Such a pity the soundtrack is so cool and rich in 70s and 80s electro and disco hits and wasted on such a flick!

Cold War (2018)

Polish BW greatness

[8/10 · 30 October 2018]

Adds up another great picture to the wall of fame of great Polish lyrical BW cinema inspired by the 60s.

Enchanting image, great actors, however a bit ilogical love story

Girl (II) (2018)

Tear jerking and emotional

[8/10 · 30 October 2018]

Straigh, gay or trans, everybody should watch this flick so that we get this transphobia out of the current topics and see people as human beings.

Beautifully narrated and visually impressive, shocking even at some point.