Reviews within a breath
Feel free to add a review, ideally one should be able to speak it outloud with taking only one breath. Try it before you post!
- Almodovar films have their own page.
Die Geschichte vom weinenden Kamel (The story of a weeping camel) 7/10
Good Film, Bit slow in places but very beautifully shot. Allegedly filmed as it happened, I think if I watched it again I would still enjoy it. Still confused about the ending. Cameltastic, i give it 7 yurts out of 10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373861/
- Haven't seen this film but a film from the same directors 'Die Höhle des gelben Hundes' is excellent in it's beautiful portrayal of rural Mongolian life. (8/10)
Spun 7/10
Very good film, though probably not one to watch with parents, due to fairly graphic sex scenes. The pace changes alot, fast cuts and lots happening give it an exciting feel at some points and a slower more delicate feel at others. The characters are wonderfully exagerated stereotypes. Definitly worth watching.
- Lots of young actors, lots and lots of drugs, one of my favourite actors John Leguizamo and cool cut away cartoon scenes showing explicit sex. (7/10)
Worth watching a couple of times... "gritty"
101 Reykjavik 9/10
Worth watching more than once, a lot more than once. Hilarious, icelandic, wierd.
Baise Moi 8/10
Great acting, soundtrack, story, ultra violence, quite a bit of sex, maybe overdone, worth watching more than once. Check out the cinematography, excellent directoring.
- Worth watching once, but it's sex and ultra violence for the sake of sex and ultra violence. Baise moi means Fuck Me and the sexual acts in the film are not simulated. (6/10)
Sonnenallee 7/10
In German, and no English subtitles anywhere. Interesting alternative story to the GDR. Perhaps a little too Rolling Stones orientated
Based on a real experiment done in a prison where some volunteers are selected to be guards and others to be prisoners.
Dogsday: The shocking intertwined tales of different Austrians living in Wiener Neustadt, a commuter town near Vienna. A taste of real Austrian culture. Not for the fainthearted.
A tale from Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Elfried Jelinek. The utter disgust that lies in the heart of this bitter Austrian woman is displayed candidly in this French language film from an Austrian director. Sexually perverse and pessimistic to the extreme: questionable whether it will make you hate men or women more.
- Isabelle Huppert excels as a classical musician with a seedy second life. (8/10)
Filantropica 8/10
Romanian film, surreal, beggars, dogs, a school teacher seeks to impress a hot chick, plot twists a plenty.
Elephant (by Gus Van Sant) 10/10
walk, walk, walk, walk, bang, bang, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk some more, bang, laugh, teacher, bang, bang, bang, bang, hot girl, bang, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, THE END
- Most of the shots in the film are very long and will follow a character around a Columbine like high school with the characters encountering each other from different viewpoints. (9.5/10)
Elephant (by Alan Clarke) 3/10
walk walk walk BANG BANG walk walk walk BANG BANG walk BANG walk walk walk walk walk BANG walk THE END.
- I thought it was more walk BANG walk BANG walk BANG walk BANG walk BANG. THE END. (5/10)
The Wild Dogs 6/10
Canadian film set in Bucharest about the time of the dog cull. Good film, very sensationalist though, nothing special in the cinematography. PS. Bucharest isn't just beggars, hookers, corrupt politicians and dogs (even though it may seem like it at times).
Moodlaadé 5/10
Film set in Burkina Faso. Four young girls seek protection from being genitally mutilated. Uproar in village. Killing, burning, Islam. Not bad, but could have been better. Most of the characters were believable. Could have done with some more in depth characterisation of some of the roles.
Audition 5/10
Some interesting cinematography, but in general bad direction and story telling. Dude loses his wife and holds an audition for a new wife. Supposedly horror. Some "eww" parts, but too disjointed to be really frightening.
- Cheese wire to the shins - Korean film which shows a nice guy with son meet a seemingly nice girl who turns out not to be so great. (7/10)
Nói albínói (Noi the Albino) 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0351461/
Cool film set in Iceland. Slow going, but not too slow, very interesting. Hot chick, great cinematography.
Slick tale of a young, brilliant but also rebellious boy facing up to the realities of life. Slow, yet draws you in with the subtle humour and excellent acting. Tómas Lemarquis plays a very expressive Nói perfectly and Elín Hansdóttir is totally hot in the cutest way. 8/10
Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) 7/10
Beautifully shot. Probably worth knowing some of the history before watching it, some of the stuff seemed a bit far fetched. Story moves predictably, no surprises, but really worth seeing for the visuals. Set in Brazil in 1910, about a family feud.
Piedras (Stones) 8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0310001/
MAGNOLIA CON ZAPATOS. Great film, if a bit gay shoes. Same idea, loads of interconnected stories. Nicely shot, great acting.
Adam & Paul 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419420/
Shit its grim in Dublin. A day in the life of two skag heads in Dublin. Some nice camera work, some good acting, some not so good acting (some parts almost seem like a school production). Worth seeing if only for the grimness.
Lisbela E O Prisioneiro 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367975/
Ok film, full of stereotypes, the sassy conman, the hard-nosed assassin, limp-wristed groom, cops etc. Lisbela digs movies and falls in love with a conman with hilarious consequences.
Lost In La Mancha 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308514/
Documentary about trying to make the film of Don Quixote, nothing wrong with it, but thats all it is, a documentary, Gilligan is great as is Depp (you see him do a few scenes). The film would have been awesome, shame it didn't get made.
- Great documentary about the difficulties ever big directors can have. (7/10)
Veronica Guerin 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312549/
True story. Guerin is a journalist investigating drug dealers in 90's Dublin. They don't like this. Blanchett is rad as usual, some good supporting roles, but ultimately a bit shallow.
Taxi Driver 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/
Iconic. Some fantastic camera work, the mirror scene is great. Must not be missed if only for the influence on contemporary cinema. De Niro plays the part amazingly and more than makes up for some of the other actors.
- One of the best movies ever made - a vet driven to 'cleanup' the city he lives in. (10/10)
Ghost Dog - Way of the Samurai 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165798/
Pretty funny film. Black samurai. Hip-to-the-hop. Stereotyped italians and pigeons. See it if you get the chance if only for the rapping italian.
- Cool film with plenty of lines from Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai. Plus cameo from RZA. (7/10)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 7/10
Pretty story of love lost and love regained. Neat, tidy. Some _beautiful_ cinematography, the beach is fantastic. The plot screws around a bit but it all comes right in the end. Nice camera work too.
- Interesting film - if you like this then check out Adaptation and Being John Malkovich. (8/10)
La Pelota vasca. La piel contra la piedra (Basque Ball) 8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382898/
Fun documentary about the Basque country, focusing on ETA and the political and cultural situation. Beautiful countryside, some outtakes from other documentaries/films. May be biased, I can't tell.
Dead Man 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112817/
Very pretty cinematography, some fantastic still shots. Confusing story, but that isn't the point, the atmosphere is perfect. Enjoy.
- Very surreal film with excellent cinematography from Robby Müller ('Paris, Texas', Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Ghost Dog). Real cool dialogue too. (9/10)
Happiness 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147612/
Cool little tale, very harsh at times, brilliant characterisation. Things just go from worse to worse to worst. Not particularly special, but worth a watch nevertheless. Very lengthy.
Buffalo 66 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118789/
Odd little number, dude kidnaps a girl from ballet class and gets her to pretend to be his girlfriend with hilarious and not-so-hilarious consequences. Some cool camera work, but ultimately there is something missing.
Welcome to the Doll House 5/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114906/
Another Solondz work, again, strong characterisation, basic camera work. Story follows the life of a girl who just can't get along.
El Mar 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0220631/
Film follows the life of three friends in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. Interesting story, odd ending. Nothing special, but worth a watch.
Stranger Than Paradise 8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088184/
Jim Jarmusch is a legend. Excellent cinematography and really well done story. Trademark Jarmusch scene switching, plus the Chick is hot.
The Woodsman 5/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361127/
Paedo trying to make it good, the part is played well by Kevin Bacon, but ultimately a shallow affair.
The Machinist 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361862/
Christian Bale totally excels himself in this film. The story isn't entirely unique, but its different enough to work.
- Further proof that Christian Bale is one of the most dedicated and talented actors around today. (7/10)
Torremolinos 73 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0339806/
La Ardilla roja (The red squirrel) 3/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106305/
Interesting idea for a story, especially towards the end, but it needed a different script, actors (with the possible exception of the female lead) and director.
Before Night Falls 6/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247196/
Biopic of a cuban poet. Interesting, Johnny Depp is fantastic as usual.
Carandiru 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293007/
Set in the notorious brazilian jail around the time of the storming. Fascinating story, well done.
The Edukators 7/10
Some really nice cinematography, overexposed shots, music. some of the acting is a bit amateurish though)
The Believer 8/10
Excellent film, good camera work, but secondary to the plot. Interesting story about a Nazi Jew, worth watching.
Gypo 6/10
Dogme film, so nicely shot, "authentic". Good acting, but let down by some dubious assertions. Immigration and bigotry.
Volver 7/10
Great Almodovar film. Not his best, but certainly worth a watch. A few really nice shots.
Dead Mans Shoes 8/10
Gritty thriller. Camera work is nothing special but the story is interesting. Guy returns from the army to take revenge on people who tortured his brother.
Irreversible 9/10
Shot with Noe's interesting long shots that make you feel the action. Has the most affecting beating scenes in my opinion. Man beats man's head to pulp with fire extinguisher - think Bruce Willis hitting the Yellow Bastard in Sin City but more realistic and dragged over at least 2 minutes.
Festen 9/10
Dogme 95 film about a birthday celebration (the title) in which the son reveals to the family what he thinks is the reason behind his sisters recent suicide. Dark and very well written.
Abre los ojos 9/10
Excellent film. There is a remake as Vanilla Sky, but watch this one. Penelope Cruz is fantastic, as are the others. Guy finds girl. Guy gets in car crash, etc. Unexpected ending.
On the lookout for
If you find one of these, put the location below it, e.g. rental shop, emule, bitorrent etc.
The Acid House
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122515/
rental shop(LoveFilm.com)
Büyük adam küçük ask (Big Man, Little Love)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298780/
Myrkrahöfðinginn (Witchcraft)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0236524/
Óskabörn þjóðarinnar (Plan B)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268776/
Gadael Lenin
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106984/
Μετέωρο βήμα του πελαργού, Το (The Suspended Step of the Stork)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102439/
Sin Ton Ni Sonia
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367046/
Letter to Brezhnev
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089477/
Daens
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104046/
Utopía
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367193/
Yin shi nan nu
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111797/
Shiqi sui de dan che
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276501/
Die Geschichte vom weinenden Kamel (The story of a weeping camel) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373861/ Globla Video - Aberystwyth
Yadon ilaheyya (Divine Intervention)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274428/
Det nya landet (The new country)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0188350/
Афганский излом (Afghan Breakdown)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098990/
Walk on Water
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352994/
Following
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154506/
- From the director of Memento you meet a guy who has a hobby of following people down streets and back to their house and occasionally into their house without the person knowing.
Gerry
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302674/
La Jetee
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056119/
Tarnation
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390538/
Dead Ringers
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094964/
- As you would expect another strange film from David Cronenburg, twin gynecologists played by Jeremy Irons have differences that lead to them meeting and sharing a women.
The War Zone
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141974/
À bout de souffle (Breathless)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053472/
Le Mepris
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057345/
Manneken Pis
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113767/
The Unbelievable Truth