Legend:
-
 :
Best of the crop. I usually pick 5 movies at the end of the year to receive
this mark. By clicking on the icon you get to the list of the selected movies
for this year.
 :
Films I really recommend. I am not so much choosy, so quite a few movies
receive this mark.
 :
Films that you should really avoid. I am rather tolerant, so not very many
movies get awarded with it.
-
Va savoir
(27 December)
- The story started too slowly and in the first half an hour I even disliked
the movie because it only concentrated on the melodramatic and boring
sufferings of the main female character but later the pace of events
speeded up, other (more interesting) characters and conflicts came into the
picture. Finally, this turns out to be an enjoyable French comedy.
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
(22 December)
- A lot of special effects, acceptable acting and a rather shallow story.
OK, but not that special. Still, I would expect more from a movie with a
huge budget and a lot of hype...
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Balanta
(15 December)
- The second Pintilie movie seen on
Duna TV and even better than the first
one: a great movie! This is the Romanian version of
Underground, or perhaps I should
I say the opposite, since Balanta is actually an earlier piece. The
fast-paced, furious story packed with bitter irony and surrealistic moments
(well, the closer you live to the country, the less surrealistic they are:
comments from people living in Ceausescu's Romania state that the film
has nothing "unreal" in it) captures the essence of one of the darker
dictatorships of the former Communist Bloc, where the harshness of
oppression is softened only by the corruption of the society. Just like
Kusturica in Underground, Pintilie presents a very critical picture of the
society but at the same time he clearly shows his sympathy towards his
suffering but talented and charming nation. All in all: stunning pictures,
perfect acting and shocking scenes combine in Balanta for a perfect
piece of cinema.
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O Vara de neuitat
(4 December)
- An exceptional occasion to include a film that I saw on TV and
an exceptional movie that deserves exceptional treatment!
I came across this film by browsing through the daily program of
Duna TV. I remember that one of
Lucian Pintilie's movies (the Balanta)
was presented in the cinemas in the early 90s (I missed it then).
I also remember having read an article about this film
a couple of years later but it was never actually presented in
Hungary. So, I was happily sitting in front of my TV set Wednesday night
and I was not disappointed at the end of the movie: Pintilie is a great
director and this is a great movie!
Apart from the always charming local colours of movies from 'exotic'
countries, there are two interesting layers of the story, at least for me:
- the first is
the historical aspect, i.e. the way Pintilie presents Romania in the early
20s. These are the first years of the so-called Great-Romania (Romania
captured huge territories from its neighbours during WWI) and the story is
set in Southern Dobrogea, an area taken away from Bulgaria. The film shows
a corrupt and cruel Rumanian army killing innocent Bulgarian peasants
during their fights against the raiding "Komitachies" (Bulgarian partisans).
As the enlargement of Romania is a sacred moment in the country's history,
I imagine that it was a brave and unpopular act from Pintilie to direct
a movie that shows the other side of the coin. Countries in Central Europe
and the Balkans have their national myths (Great Romania, Great Hungary,
Great Serbia, etc.) and destroying these myths is a very difficult but
necessary task if these nations want to advance to an Utopian world
of peaceful cooperation that would be actually the only way to make
the region a bit wealthier and happier.
- The other aspect of the story is the eternal moral conflict between
personal ethics and dirty politics. What to do when your internal moral
values are confronted with the sheer interests of politics? What to
do if you are an army officer and you are instructed to capture innocent
peasants and kill them to revenge for soldiers killed in an ambush?
The film shows no hope: although you personally can decide not to murder
the innocent people, there will always be others who volunteer to
take your place and do the dirty job. An individual can only lose in
such situation and our only hope is that we will never have to face
such decisions.
-
Sĺnger frĺn andra vĺningen
(25 November)
- I saw this movie earlier this year and it made such an impression on me
that I wanted to see it again. The time has come and I found the movie
as strong as for the first time: an extremely depressing account of the
fundamentally wrong way modern society has taken. Visually the film
is extremely innovative and consistent: it manages to build up a
surrealistic, but yet very real world. Perhaps
Brazil
was another rare example of such a talented and unique vision that is
strange and fantastic but it conveys something fundamental about our own
world at the same time.
-
Hukkle
(24 November)
- The life of a small and poor Transdanubian village is presented in "the
movie of noises". Dead and live matter, plants, animals and human beings
are all shown as part of a greater unity. Noise is everything here: wind and
water, cars and carriages, pigs, cats and moles, human activities like
preparing food in the kitchen or the beat of sewing machines in a workshop
are all equally important in the well composed symphony of noises.
As a consequence, human actors do not speak: more precisely they
occasionally do but we cannot hear what they say and their speech is just
part of the noise. As the wonderfully photographed scenes advance in a
slow pace, a dark and sad human ballad unfolds. The seemingly
idyllic pictures hide a sick and hopeless local society where men are
mostly useless and unemployed, where wifes poison their husband (and
accidentally others) and where all this is accepted as a fact of life.
The story ends with the desperate expression of the local policeman who
- although he is aware of all this - cannot decide what to do as
practically all women (including his mother) is involved in the murders.
This is indeed a very strong movie, especially if you consider that it is
the debut of a young director. The style, the visual and musical language
is innovative and captures the viewer. I am not sure that the extreme story
(the series of the murders) is really in place, perhaps a simpler, more
down-to-earth story would have been a better choice, although
I accept that the contrast of the dark and shocking story and
the idyllic pictures adds extra and needed spice to the film.
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Finn filmhét
(14-20 November)
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Joki
(17 November)
- The Finnish version of
Short Cuts, set in the
small rural town of Äänekoski. The episodes present a kaleidoscope of
the eternal events, problems and emotions of human life: joy and love,
deception and disillusionment, hopelessness and death. I was particularly
impressed by two episodes. The first is the story of the young waitress,
who tries to stir up a romance for his co-workers: she radiates an
overwhelming joy of love and life. The other episode presents and old man
dying in a hospital and his wife trying to help him die with dignity.
Particularly striking is the way the old couple have to fight their way
against the humiliating practices of the hospital and their loneliness
contrasted with the "routines" of the hospital crew (despite the signs of
occasional empathy). Compared with Altman's classic, this movie
is perhaps less professional, but it is definitely a great piece of art.
-
Minä ja Morrison
(16 November)
- This movie is a mixture of a love story, a drug dealer thriller and
The Doors. I don't think
this is the ideal mixture (at least not for this movie), but the acting
is quite good and it has managed to make the film acceptable. I liked the
sympathetic way the main characters were presented and I also liked that
- despite all the sympathy - the story convincingly showed that the
way taken by them is a dead-end street.
-
The Royal Tenenbaums
(3 November)
- A funny and enjoyable comedy. A tale about "family values" and about
the fact that fame, talent and wealth does not guarantee happiness; a good
family can.
-
Zéro de conduite
(28 October)
- A classic piece by Jean Vigo. Son of an anarchist (and very much an
anarchist in his views himself), Jean Vigo directed this move to express
his views about society. The story is based on his childhood memories: the
suppressive world of a boarding school causes a "revolution" among the pupils.
Perhaps the most striking element of this movie is how its style supports its
message. Simple but somehow chaotic/anarchic structure and simple but somehow
very expressive scenes underline Vigo's anarchic views.
-
Reign of Fire
(21 October)
- Well, this is just an average Hollywood chewing gum. If you like the genre
(a mixture of fantasy and the "few survivals in a post-apocalyptic future"
type) then it is reasonable stuff, or at least reasonable visual
effects. If you don't like the genre, then you will probably hate the stupid
plot and the poor acting.
-
Titanic filmfest
(10-20 October)
-
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Raye makhfi
(19 October)
- Another great Iranian movie! The story is this time about how
global changes (like a democratic system) are received in a remote
backward place where traditions rule and things have not changed for
centuries. The film presents the illusions of the city girl (who is in
charge of collecting votes on a remote island on the election day) with
a lot of mild humour and empathy. At the same time it shows that
despite her disappointing experience, she (or rather her respectable
determination) has some albeit very little effect. The movie has the
usual strength of Iranian film-making: beautiful photography plus simple
but powerful storytelling.
-
Italiensk for begyndere
(14 October)
- Great movie! The 12th Dogma movie
is indeed one of the best of the crop! Playing similar tunes to
Mifunes sidste sang, the story is
about people whose life seems meaningless and harsh, but still they
can find happiness by sharing these seemingly meaningless lives with each
other.
-
Musa
(12 October)
- A high-budget historic adventure movie from Korea. I like the genre,
and I liked this film, too. The script has an unmistakable eastern flavour
(slow-paced story, moderately displayed emotions). A warning for sensitive
persons: the fighting scenes are quite naturalistic (involving lot of
tomato juice). In summary: probably not the best of the kind, but it is
worth seeing, especially if you like the genre.
-
Le Peuple Migrateur
(1 October)
- A movie about migratory birds. Wonderful photography is the most positive
thing that can be said about this movie. This is in fact enough: the
breathtaking views make it worth spending two hours of your time.
Otherwise the movie is dull. It is not a documentary, i.e. it does
not aim to widen your knowledge about migratory birds. It is like an
artistic glance at the world of those creatures that fly thousands of
kilometers. However, an artistic movie needs a good script (a "story", if
you like) which is missing here: apart from a few touchy episodes, the whole
film is really just a chaotic sequence of otherwise beatiful views of
flying birds.
-
About a boy
(28 September)
- Hugh Grant in a far from original role of a far from original story (see
Nine months).
Still, this is an acceptable movie.
-
Minority Report
(15 September)
- P. K. Dick is a popular scifi author in Hollywood (see
Impostor or the cult-movie
Blade Runner). Spielberg
turned this story into a blockbuster. Spectacular, well acted and exciting
movie (with a few embarrassing flaws in the story), although probably there
is more valuable philosophical content in the original story. The Hungarian
dubbing (or rather the translation) is of poor quality, unfortunately.
-
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
(14 September)
- The latest Woody Allen style (like in
Small time crooks): easy comedy spiced
with typical "woodyallenish" turns and gags.
-
Bend it like Beckham
(8 September)
- Yet another British comedy, this time with Indian flavours,
the closest relative being East is East.
The story is based on patterns from old American teen-movies: the talented
heroine struggles her way through the sea of problems to reach a nice happy
ending, like winning some local championship, getting a marvelous scholarship
offer from a respected West Coast university and of course finding her love
as well. Despite the dull and calculable story, the movie is enjoyable, due
to the funny yet sympatethic way the Indian family is presented.
-
Gosford Park
(6 September)
- Altman is a great director and this movie is the latest proof for this.
This time he managed the merge his fashionable
Short Cuts style with the
best British movie traditions. Slow paced story giving way to excellent
acting and subtle gags. The story is perhaps a bit shallow, but this should
not prevent anyone from seeing this masterpiece!
-
Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang)
(26 August)
- A mixture of two genres: a strange story about a hitman retiring and
a strange story about love and responsibility. On the one hand, this movie
comes from the
Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
type featuring funny characters from the London underworld, on
the other hand it is a "find your happiness by loving some people around
you" film. My conservative side heavily objects the mixture of these two
genres, but I have to admit that it is an enjoyable and sometimes touching
movie.
-
Astérix and Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre
(25 August)
- I had my Gallywood week: nice gags and excellent dialogs (thanks to the
brilliant Hungarian translation!) make this movie enjoyable, despite the
somewhat shallow story.
-
Wasabi
(22 August)
- Well, Jean Reno has played better roles in better movies...
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Blow Dry
(19 August)
- Yet another British small-town comedy. Although these movies are made
"off the conveyor belt", i.e. they offer no originality, I still like
these down-to-earth stories.
-
The Luzhin Defence
(13 August)
- Well-written story, well-played movie, although it was perhaps too
predictable and it did not move me too much.
-
Time Machine
(5 August)
- Sort of enjoyable, even though I felt that the whole thing was kind of
uninteresting: H.G.Wells deserves a better movie than this one.
-
Der Schuh des Manitu
(29 July)
- A lot of hilarious gags, but a very shallow story and a lot of
repetition. 30-40 minutes would have been the ideal length for this movie.
-
Taking sides
(26 July)
- Art vs. politics; the ethical dilemmas of talented artists when
politics approaches them; this has always been István Szabó's favourite
topic. Already the Oscar-winner Mephisto featured a talented actor selling
his soul to the Nazis. This time the story is based on real-life events:
while most of his colleagues fled the country, Wilhelm Furtwängler,
this truly exceptional conductor stayed in Germany during the Nazi era and
continued his career with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. This
"collaboration" provoked strong accusations after the war. The film is the
story of the investigation by the American post-war authorities to decide
whether the accusations of collaboration are valid. The film presents two
ethical answers. The first one is stated by the American officer
(played excellently by Harvey Keitel), who believes that Furtwängler is
morally guilty, as he accepted a shining career from the Nazi's hand. The
second answer is presented by Furtwängler himself who tries to defend himself
by stating that in order to help (by "help" he both meant practical assistance
- as he did save many Jews during the war - and a spiritual message - as he
claimed that his music maintained the inner good in his nation's soul even in
the time of Evil) he had to compromise with the Nazis, but he never really
collaborated with them. The film itself (despite its title) does not take
side, although it seems to sympathize with Furtwängler as an artist and
generally presents the American officer as an ignorant and illiterate person.
However, as the investigation proceeds, this aggressive and obnoxious person
asks questions that are very hard to answer: is it acceptable to make such a
compromise with a regime that kills 6 million Jews? Is it really so that
Furtwängler made the compromise with the idea of helping people in need? Or
rather, did he make it to advance his career? The film has triggered exciting
conversations with my friends who have differing opinions. I think these
lengthy talks are the best proof that this is an excellent film and
it has achieved its aim. The story has several layers (I particularly liked
the way differences of American and German cultures are presented), the
characters are exciting and well played: if you like thought-provoking movies,
go for this one!
(Read more about
Furtwängler's story!)
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MIB 2
(20 July)
- Enjoyable, mostly due to its gags and its parodistic style.
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Intimacy
(13 July)
- This had been an award-winning movie in Berlin, but I still disliked it.
I felt the sex scenes were both unreal and unnecessary, used only as a selling
factor: if those scenes were cut out, the movie would actually benefit from
it, as acting was quite OK and after the initial run of sex scenes had died
out, I even started to accept the story a bit.
-
101 Reykjavik
(7 July)
- A far from original story that successfully builds on its exotic bonus (I
mean, who would miss a movie from Iceland...): it belongs to the Scandinavian
subsection of Trainspotting-class movies, the closest relative being probably
Naken from Sweden). It offers good music and some good
unconventional scenes about the wild Icelandic nightlife.
Enjoyable and recommended, after all.
-
Iris
(2 July)
- This is the tragic story of a real-life person,
Iris Murdoch
(see also some info here)
She was a famous British novelist and philosopher (by not
knowing her before seeing this movie I just prove yet another time
my lack of knowledge in contemporary literature and philosophy) who suffered
in Alzheimer disease in her last years. Played perfectly by heavy-weight
British actors, the movie presents mostly these years: Alzheimer is an
extraordinarily tragic disease, especially for someone whose life is devoted
to using mainly her brain. And it is especially painful for others to see
someone who used to have the most brilliant and sparkling ideas before
to get into a mentally disoriented state.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(30 June)
- A rare occasion for me to see a film again. (In cinema, at least; I do
watch old movies on TV quite frequently.) On an empty Sunday afternoon (my
girlfriend had to work) I decided to exploit the cheap offer of the cinema
near my office. This time I actually liked the movie better than the first
time and I decided to award it with the "recommended" mark.
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Na, végre itt a nyár!
(29 June)
- This is supposed to be an easy summer comedy for kids. Hungarian
film-makers set the standard for this genre very high in the 70's and 80's.
This movie is a rather weak attempt to repeate the success of those
classic pieces. The script is particularly weak.
-
Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite
(23 June)
- The start is promising but in the end this turns out to be an enjoyable
but average comedy.
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Traffic
(22 June)
- An unusual look at drog traffic between Mexico and the US. Although
the film seemingly concentrates on the traditional and hopeless war between
drog kartells and the police, it suggests that drog use is based on the crisis
in the society and in the families. The solution (if any) must also come
from the society and the families trying to prevent the hopeless situations
in which people turn to drogs: building a baseball ground or listening to
what your daughter says may be more important than eliminating a drog
kartell. The film is extremely well done: small stories build up the bigger
picture, the characters look real characters (played extremely well), and
I very much liked the photography.
-
Badkonake sefid
(9 June)
- Someone had obviously purchased Panahi's all movies in a package, as this film is
already the third presented in a row. The first one was Dayereh,
which I liked very much for its simple but very powerful and somewhat symbolic way
of story-telling. Then came the second movie
Ayneh, which I was
(and I am still) planning to see; however, in the meantime Badkonake sefid also arrived
and we decided to go for this movie first. It is very similar to Dayereh: the story is
again set to Tehran and theway of story-telling is also the same. There are differences,
however; Dayereh is a story rather critical to Iranian society and rather hopeless
in its ending. Badkonake sefid is more optimistic: its message seems to be that people are
basically helpful and good. It also emphasizes that people should pay more
attention to each other and perhaps trust each other more than they do.
-
Ice Age
(6 June)
- A nice piece from the new genre of computer animated movies: strong in visual effects
and gags. The Hungarian dubbing is also frenetic. The story is a bit too much predictable,
but this movie is still worth the ticket.
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Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
(2 June)
- Episode II lived up to my expectations: it was a spectacular movie
with wonderful visual effects. The story is somewhat better than in Episode I,
too.
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Vidocq
(28 May)
- Yet another "Galliwood" movie, with all the typical French pluses and
minuses. On the plus side, it is more original than most Hollywood movies: I
particularly like the spectacular, original and surrealistic photography
(powerfully blended with digital computer animation). On the negative side,
the story is perhaps a bit dull and incoherent; though it is still more
inventive than most stories from the same genre. In overall, this is an
enjoyable piece. It would deserve much more attention (and financial success)
than it actually receives, but "Galliwood" suffers from the lack of effective
marketing infrastructure.
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uristen@menny.hu
(27 May)
- This is an earlier movie from the creators of
Legkisebb film a legnagyobb magyarról. I actually
saw them both this time: as the former is 22 minutes and the latter is 28
they were combined into one screening. Uristen@menny.hu has the same fresh
humour so I enjoyed it as much as the other. The story this time is about God
dropping the key of Heaven and searching for it in Budapest. He meets various
strange and funny characters. No one really believes that he is God
despite the various miracles he produces, except a lunatic. Finally, after
buying a television set and some beer to make life in Heaven more enjoyable he
brings back the lunatic with him. The story is simple but the gags are
hilarious: my favourite is when a salesman-like member of a religious sect
wants to sell him a modernized version of the bible claiming that "This is
God 5.1 and it runs under Windows".
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In the bedroom
(24 May)
- This is a story about how an unexpected tragedy can destroy
a family's life and how people can (or cannot) cope with such tragedies.
The film shows that even in the seemingly most idyllic
environment (like a "small town somewhere in the backyards of the US")
society fails to help people in their hours of need. The feeling of
injustice and the power of money is (for me) the most striking motif
of this powerful, well-acted and slow-paced story.
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Mulholland Drive
(19 May)
- I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about David Lynch movies.
On the one hand I appreciate his talent: he is a master of
thrilling and enigmatic stories (a new Hitchcock, indeed!) and his films are
perfect pieces in almost every respect of moviemaking. On the other hand I
have to admit that his stories (and Mulholland Drive is not an exception) are
too enigmatic to me. Often I would need more than one viewing to reach a
comfortable level of understanding and I usually don't have the
time/motivation to pay another visit. The "blame" is partly on my laziness
and partly on the fact that I don't think the topic of these movies are "deep"
enough to justify another visit.
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8 femmes
(6 May)
- This looked a promising French movie featuring famous actresses but the
story was weaker than I expected so in overall the movie does not stand out
from the crowd.
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The Scorpion King
(27 April)
- This is a mediocre (or worse) adventure-action movie with a calculable
story, rather weak acting and (on the positive side) enjoyable visual effects.
After three more serious movies I needed to see some easy stuff and
I got what I wanted: don't expect this movie to exercise your brain-cells and
you will not be disappointed.
-
Hídember
(20 April)
- The most expensive Hungarian movie ever, budgeted from a special
state found: this raised some political criticism before its
premiere, as it showed the government's ignorance towards the
"democratic" channels of film-sponsorship. The film will probably benefit
financially from this controversy, as people seem to fill the cinemas, which
is a rare phenomenon for local movies. The relatively huge amount of money
was needed as this is a costume movie about the life of the "Greatest
Hungarian" count Széchenyi István who lived in the XIX. century and
contributed a lot towards the development of the nation
in the first half of the century.
The movie is spectacular and acting is rather good, too. Unfortunately the
story is probably too much encyclopedical, and the viewer sometimes cannot
follow what is happening and why. Instead of trying to show all aspects of his
eventful life, the writers should have concentrated on a limited subject.
-
Idioterne
(19 April)
- The probably most controversial Dogma95 movie
so far. And the most successful one, even though I liked the two other
Dogma movies much better than this one. To start with a "minor" issue,
I noticed (disapprovingly) that the movie (although it is the
flagship of Dogma95) breaks some of its very rules: there are at least two
scenes where music is not produced as part of the settings.
To continue with the content, the movie managed to wake controversial
feelings in me. The story is about a group of people who
"play Idiots" so that they confront the society's hipocrisy about
mentally ill people. I am not sure I understand their motives but I feel that
they are wrong. Probably I am too much conformist and I don't think that
going against the majority in a provocative and extremist way is the right
thing. I am not sure I understand the director's motives: my guess is that
he wanted to raise the question and let the viewer take side. However, I feel
he himself should have taken side and I feel it was hypocritical not to do so.
-
Dayereh
(14 April)
- After last year's discovery of Iranian movies,
I hurried to see this movie. I was not disappointed after the screening:
this movie is less poetic than the earlier ones but its simple story
gives a very powerful account of women's life in Iran. This is a sad and
rather hopeless life that starts with the unwelcome birth of baby girls,
continues with the many abandoned girl children and culminates with the
limited options and freedom women have in their life. We can watch not only
how the tragedies of the the main female characters are unfolding but we
can also see the humiliating way women are treated by men in their everyday
life. I don't want to fall into the usual ignorant Western attitude towards
Islamic societies, but this movie was made by Iranians, so it seems that even
in Iran there are some people who think that something is wrong with the
social status of women in their society.
I also want to stress that the more I think of this movie, the more I
like its film-making as well: the acting is excellent, the script is
perfect (and even fast-paced, if you don't expect car races or fist
fights as a proof of fast-pacedness...), every scene adds something
new to the story. The film's message is conyeyed to the viewer not only
via the story itself: the photography, the close-ups and the cutting
powerfully strengthens it.
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Legkisebb film a legnagyobb magyarról, avagy ha nincs kéz, nincs csoki
(8 April)
- Unfortunately this film is enjoyable only for Hungarians: it is a fresh
low-budget parody with mordant political gags about the current situation
in Hungarian film-making. If you plan to see
Hídember, you should not miss this one, either!
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The Shipping News
(7 April)
- Yet another Hollywood movie that conveys the message that
everyone can become successful and everyone can find happiness, even in a
small village at the end of the world. A rather banal message, but the movie
is still enjoyable, thanks to the good actors and the exotic location.
-
The most fertile man in Ireland
(6 April)
- Yet another Irish comedy. Not really original, but enjoyable.
-
Le petit poucet
(1 April)
- A not very impressing adaptation of a classic tale. Got quite bored while
watching it.
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Impostor (22 March)
- Most value in this movie comes from the original story by P. K. Dick.
Unfortunately Dick's story is a short novel, too short for a full-length
movie. Sci-fi fanatics (like myself) will go to see the movie anyway, but
if you are not one of us, you should avoid this movie.
-
Cradle will rock
(16 March)
- A very well directed and played movie about the 30s in America.
Based on "mostly true" stories it focuses on the chances of
artistic freedom in the post-Depression era when leftist sentiments mix
with pre-McCarthyan tendencies.
-
An American Rhapsody
(15 March)
- A touching story about how painful the adaptation can be to the American
lifestyle for a family escaping from Communist Hungary. Or rather, how
painful is when you loose your contact with your roots. It is a good movie,
although I think the story or perhaps the acting is a bit shallow and does
not make the viewer understand the motivations of the characters and the
real reasons of changes.
-
Naken
(9 March)
- Swedish movies are usually a rare phenomenon in Hungarian cinemas, so I
was pleased to see that Naken is already the second one this year.
Although it is very far behind the recent Sĺnger frĺn
andra vĺningen (which is a magical movie!), it is still an
enjoyable comedy. Originality is not the keyword here: the whole story is a
Swedish remake of Groundhog Day
and many of the gags are also taken from other movies. (However, it is anyway
hard to show anything new in film-making and this is not really expected from
a lightweight comedy.) The reason I liked this movie is that despite of all
the copying there is more originality left in it than in a usual Hollywood
comedy. Perhaps this is due to the fact that naked men are shown in a
natural way (imagine how much work would be invested in a prudish Hollywood
movie to cut the "thing" out), perhaps this is just the "exotic bonus" of
movies made outside the mainstream movie-making countries: I liked the
"Swedish taste" (or what I thought to be the "Swedish taste"). Obviously this
excentric movie is not the best way to look into Swedish society, but in some
scenes you still get a glimpse of it.
-
Monsters, Inc.
(2 March)
- An enjoyable comedy.
-
Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain
(26 February)
- A non-conventional story about the search for happiness. A remarkable
movie, I liked its sour-sweet style, even though I tend to think it was
mostly used as a "selling factor".
-
Valami Amerika
(23 February)
- A Hungarian comedy of acceptable quality. Predictable story, but funny
gags. Good entertainment.
-
Spy Game
(22 February)
- High quality Hollywood movie: fast paced, exciting. Good entertainment.
-
Ének a csodaszarvasról
(21 February)
- I was thinking about giving this movie a
sign,
but after some consideration I decided not to: I appreciate the creativeness
of some of the animations, even though I think the story (as so often in
Hungarian movies) extremely weak. In fact, there is no story, there are
loosely coupled episodes that are supposed to remind us proud Hungarians
not to forget our roots. I do remember my roots, so I don't need the reminder.
I would need something else: a film that is more than just a lightweight
history lesson; a film that presents our history in a non-schematic, powerful
way. This is not that movie.
-
Cookie's Fortune
(4 February)
- A recent Altman movie. Good as always. Frenetic as always. A slow paced
small town crime story with hilarious characters. Go for it!
-
De l'amour
(30 January)
- Although this movie features some excellent actors and has some
remarkably strong scenes, I felt the story - especially the ending - was
a bit weak.
-
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(19 January)
- A film you can't miss. Extremely spectacular, rather well played and
correctly follows the original story (at least so others say, I have to
admit that I can't remember too much of it, probably because I read it
15 years ago...). Despite all of this, I decided not to give it the
"recommended" mark (it won't hurt the huge marketing success of the movie
too much: people still crowd at the cinemas and it is advisable to reserve
tickets in advance), because somehow the movie did not move me as much as
I expected. I felt it was OK: good entertainment for one evening, but nothing
more.
-
High fidelity
(13 January)
- Enjoyable comedy about how men in their late 20s or early 30s start to
think about their relationships and realize that they do not want to protect
their "freedom" any more. Spiced with good pop music!
-
Sĺnger frĺn andra vĺningen
(6 January)
- Go and see it! This film makes you probably sad and depressed, but it is
a wonderful and touching movie about the misery of human life: the ultimate
loneliness and hopelessness, which we do not like to think of, but have to
face. As the film is based on poetry (by the to me unknown Cesar Vallejo),
it does not have a straightforward story. Rather, it is a collection of
scenes that all move you at an emotional level, as you see the vulnerability
of all the people. The film is moving from reality towards surrealism,
although you could see the strong surrealistic pictures as the real and
hidden nature of our society, which fails to offer any help to these eternal
problems. I should probably go to see this movie again so that I could grasp
more from its symbolism, enjoy its excellent and unique film-making, and last
but not least to feel it again. This film does not give you hope, but perhaps
it makes you more sympathetic to other people, let them be alcoholics,
immigrants, old, stupid, mentally ill or just simple "boring philistines".
-
Yady, ili vsemirnaya istoriya otravlenij
(5 January)
- I saw this movie on the Russian Film Week which is fortunately becoming a
regular yearly event. Otherwise we do not have too many chances to see Russian
movies in Hungary. Although most of my countrymen do not really mind this
("we had enough Soviet movies earlier" they claim) but I do, because the few
Russian movies I have seen since the changes have all been excellent and so is
this movie. The starting scene was fantastic and it raised my expectations to
a level that the rest of the movie was not able to reach. Still, in overall
this is a very imaginative movie with a lot of extremely funny gags. Its
humour is typically sarcastic and its surrealism is rather imaginative.
(Russians - their literature and their films - have always been strong in
these...) If you can tolerate slow-paced movies then you will enjoy this one,
assuming that you have a chance to see it in your local cinema.
See the list of movies I liked best in
2002!
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Pension Szivárvány [DON'T GO THERE!]