Change Your Image
Olhado
Reviews
Sideways (2004)
Awful with a capital "What Was I Thinking"
I go to a movie every two to two-and-a-half days and in all my life this is the SECOND movie I have ever walked out on.
I cannot put my finger on why it was so bad... perhaps I just didn't get it.
Perhaps something really stunning happens in the last couple of reels.... but I was gone by then. All I can say is AVOID like the proverbial....
I quite like Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen but as for the rest it must have been a poor year.
Suffice to say - not my kind of movie.
Pelísky (1999)
Powerful and human drama
Watching this movie at the Wellington International Film Festival, surrounded by emotional ex-patriot Czechs is an experience I will always remember and treasure.
The film details life during the Prague Spring, leading up to the Russian invasion. The humor is very Czech, and splendidly so. The ending reminded me of exactly why the Politician is the lowest form of life on the planet.
Go see this movie wherever and whenever you can.
Hamam (1997)
Slow at times, but basically satisfying.
The atmospheric music and excerpts from "Madame's Letters" help to give the film an exotic Turkish feel (well to me anyway).
Knowing the basic plot, I was expecting the outcome of the Francesco / Marta / Mehmet encounter, but it was still quite well handled.
The ending was a bit of a wrench, and I wasn't quite expecting it to come out that way, so full marks in that respect.
Worth looking out for.
Die Zärtlichkeit der Wölfe (1973)
Good of its kind
I really wanted to like this film more than I eventually did. The plot just wasn't handled well enough to give me that extra thrill.
It probably didn't help that I watched Fritz Lang's "M" the night before.
Rather a waste of Fassbinder's talents.
Scarfies (1999)
Don't miss it!
Filed in "Tropical Dunedin" on New Zealand's South Island.
A bunch of hapless students get themselves into the mire when they appropriate a crop of "weed".
We were part of the "test audience" on a warm summer evening here in Wellington. Although the film was still in post production, it showed some brilliance in parts. Well worth a look.
Perdita Durango (1997)
Violent and poignant
I'd never liked Rosie Perez in any movie until this one. She brought just the right amount of "tart with a heart" to the role.
Overall the movie wasn't as violent as I'd been led to believe, and I suppose that's partly why I liked it so much.
Give it a go!
När alla vet (1995)
A missed opportunity, perhaps.
Only our friends in Scandinavia and Holland handle the topic of sexuality so well. I would have liked this film more if one or both of "the parents" had been somewhat more negative, making the film more realistic.
If you liked this one, try "Doing Time On Maple Drive", an American attempt at a similar plot, but I have to say, with more depth.
Anata-ga suki desu, dai suki desu (1994)
Short and gritty. Worth the effort.
This is a relatively short film, running time 58 minutes. Shows a fairly gritty side of Japan. The basic plot is very simple and, to be honest, not very well developed.
I found it more interesting to see the living conditions and scenery, as well as seeing how much of my basic Japanese I remembered, rather than for the plot itself.
Overall the film is short enough to make it worth the effort of viewing.
Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992)
Thought provoking drama.
Firstly I should say that this film shows how well Jim Carrey can act when he's not in "manic" mode. He has only recently come close in "The Truman Show".
I went literally around the world before I found this film on video, having searched for five years. I am so glad that I succeeded.
For once in a movie I actually felt sorry for the people that I was meant to feel sorry for, quite a directorial achievement. Carrey's "best man" speech led everyone down the wrong track, expecting a self pitying outcome, only to be twisted into a noble speech right at the end.
This is one film that is well worth the effort of tracking it down.
Music from Another Room (1998)
Sweet and Harmless
This was a perfectly sweet film, without the usual American / Hollywood over-the-top treatment.
Other than the waste of Brenda Blethyn the cast were well balanced and just about believable.
This one really is a movie you can take a date to.
Very Bad Things (1998)
What a dire movie.
Ok perhaps I'm a dinosaur, but this has to rate as one of the worst three films that I have ever seen. Only "Nighthawks" and "Cincinnati Kid" rate worse in my view.
I am not particularly averse to violence in a movie, but in this film it just does not make any sense at all. Add to that the constant bellowing of dialogue and weak storyline results in my poor opinion of it.
Apt Pupil (1998)
Sir Ian McKellen does "Evil" brilliantly.
I was not incredibly impressed with the ending, but there were enough plot twists to keep my interest going.
Sir Ian does a great impression of Evil, and Brad Renfro shows great promise.