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mkat
Reviews
Quando sei nato non puoi più nasconderti (2005)
haunting and truthful
A really interesting movie about a problem all too prevalent today.
Anyone who has children can not help being moved (to tears possibly) when the parents who believe their boy has drowned find out otherwise. I thought this was an immensely powerful scene and the use of the mobile phone and the home video playing in the background was really effective.
The director pits this pivotal event of the first half of the film against what happens to the other children in the second half. Without giving too much away, we see a privileged boy trying to help those who are less fortunate than he, yet he discovers that good will and determination are not always enough to save those who circumstances don't ensure a safe and prosperous life.
Bravo to the director for making a movie that contains joy and sadness, depicts a very real problem accurately, and shows two very different transitions from the innocence of youth to the knowledge that the world is not always a pretty place, even for kids.
London (2005)
Smash your head against a wall instead
I rarely comment on movies on IMDb, but I just can't help it here. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. But wait, I'll admit that Statham is a decent actor. He's entertaining at least. But everything else here is terrible. Rich, beautiful, drug-addled, self-obsessed losers going on about how difficult life is - between lines of blow. Not a single one of these characters is even mildly admirable. I kept watching because I thought the movie would take an ugly but necessary turn and the main character would pull a Lynch move and smash someone's skull open - now that would have been fitting given the personalities portrayed here. We could have at least had an OD to make the movie realistic. Instead we get more superficial garbage spouted from the mouths of spoiled supermodels. Who identifies with these people? And who goes on a coke binge, drinks a bottle of tequila, and goes home and has great sex? Another thing - why would Statham's character's wife marry him in the first place if he couldn't get it up? See? And self discovery? What did the hero discover? That he was an a*#&#E to begin with and still an a#(*$(E at the finish?
Kenedi se vraca kuci (2003)
Roma deportations
The documentary follows the lives of several Roma, two in particular, who have been deported from Germany to Belgrade, and inserted into economic and social situations totally alien to their previous experience. They complain of having all money and valuables confiscated upon arrival, but this is never confirmed, as the film is not investigative, and focuses solely on the Roma characters. There is no narrative or music, and the director lets the characters deliver whatever messages the film conveys through their conversations and facial expressions.
The two main characters both have very sympathetic stories. The first to be introduced has lost much in being deported, but has managed to buy a car and uses it to earn his livelihood. Hard-working and seemingly a good person, this guy is an example of how many advanced democracies' immigration policies need serious revision (not only Germany's). The second is a young man who has been separated from his parents, and is searching for them in the Roma community around Belgrade, with Kenedi's help. He has spent his entire life in Germany, is obviously bright and well educated, but can't communicate effectively in the local languages. What will happen to this young man, who obviously has a lot of potential?
Interesting for even the casual viewer, fascinating for those interested in Roma affairs or the legacy of the former Yugoslavia. I caught this late night on the Polish cable channel called Kultura. I would love to see the follow-up.
Flirting with Disaster (1996)
Really bad
I was attracted by the cast, and the story started out promisingly. However, that's where the good ends with this film. I checked this movie out of the public library (for free...) and I can unhesitatingly state that I was ripped off! Okay, that's probably a bit too harsh, but there's absolutely nothing above average about this film. All of the characters, with the exception of Arquette's, are ridiculous caricatures. This would normally be okay, except for the fact that the jokes are rarely funny. Alda and Tomlin briefly showed signs of rescuing the film (which is why I continued to watch) but they just aren't in the movie for a long enough time.
I admittedly have not watched anything else by this director and haven't seen everything by Woody Allen, but I felt that Flirting... should have included some kind of gushing "thank you" to Woody somewhere in the credits.
The types of characters and their accompanying lines were obviously inspired by Woody (but his are usually comedic). In sum, we have 90 minutes of several unlikeable, non-humorous, bozos running around the country.
Twin Town (1997)
This film is poor.
This film, as a whole, is poor. Things begin well enough, though, with two brothers meandering through life. They like to steal cars, get high, and ask each other pointless questions, some of which are actually funny. Their world is in shambles. They have no friends, their hometown is a dump, and their family is a rather pathetic lot, even if they're presented in a positive light. All of this makes the brothers' oblivion to the world somehow attractive. The other characters in the film are equally ridiculous - corrupt cops, karaoke nuts, and vulgar nouveau riche types. It's fun to laugh when the brothers' pranks catch these folks off guard.
However, the film takes an ugly, brutal, and somewhat sadistic turn. Jokes develop into murder, and comedic situations into depictions of suffering. In principle, I don't have anything against murder or violence in films, but these elements spoiled this particular film. In addition, only a small percentage of the jokes are funny to begin with, and you must have a very discerning ear to sift through the strong Welsh accent. The box cover bragged of a tie to Trainspotting (I can't remember how). The film is nothing like Trainspotting.