jozsefbiro Reviews

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Woody Allen and his crew enjoying a free trip to Barcelona

[7/10 · 30 May 2009]

The Spanish National Tourist Office, The Agency for Tourism in Catalonia, The Antoni Gaudi Association and Woody Allen proudly presents Vicky Christina Barcelona, the latest promotional movie targeted for the US market. The list of Golden Sponsors for this movie is the following: The Vacation Department of Hollywood Trade Union, The Macho Lover Guild, The Love-seeking American Girls Club, The Society of Idiotic But Wealthy American Husbands and finally the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Stereotypes.

So the story goes that Woody and his crew got bored in foggy Albion and aspired to warmer climate for a while. They also got allies, as the Spanish contingent in Hollywood wanted a free trip home. They quickly assembled a script, managed to convince some film managers (also just considering a Spanish vacation) and soon they started the shooting in the warm, sunny and lovable city of Barcelona. They also included a few excursions into the script, just to prevent getting bored in the same city for such a long time. Everyone enjoyed staying there, the siesta, the excellent wine, the tourist attractions, the friendly locals, the possibility of flirting and everything. In the end, somehow they even managed to put the film together.

And it's not that bad, after all. The story passes as an easy-going comedy: the main line is that two American girls spend some time in Spain and have affairs with a charming Spanish womanizer. This is an ideal story for single female audience, but obviously alienates young and wealthy Gringos: unfortunately they are presented as boring idiots. Not exactly an ideal program to take your girlfriend out on Valentine-Day. Luckily, with non-US male audience the problem is absent, for they can easily identify themselves as the Latin womanizer and can also practice their anti-yankee sentiments.

The movie is saved by the fairly good cast and the usual Woody Allen irony. A little bit everyone plays his or her parody, which gives just enough spice to the otherwise rather calculable story.

Woody Allen has made much better movies than this one. Still, this is far more enjoyable than the the latest Adam Sandler or Ben Stiller effort or anything else Hollywood nowadays releases under the comedy tag.

A nyomozó (2008)

A well-done European art movie.

[7/10 · 2 January 2009]

Gigor Attila's first movie is a well-done European art movie.

Let me first explain what I mean by using the term "European art movie": these are (mostly, though not exclusively) European movies that differ significantly from Hollywood movies in style (slow-paced story, less action, more atmosphere, more realistic characters, more emphasis in social or individual problems, a bit more experimenting e.g. with the photography, with the story, etc.). However, although the stylistic differences might give you the illusion of real value, these movies are basically as empty as their Hollywood counterparts: no message, no catharsis. Just pure entertainment, albeit for a different audience: instead of teenagers drinking coke in McDonalds looking for action and special visual effects, it is more for university students drinking green tea in a tea-house, looking for the aforementioned stylistic elements.

So, this is the field where this movie tries to make an impression. And it succeeds, mostly. There is an excellent start and some interesting characters (a lonely, shy and quite weird anatomist and his wannabe girlfriend). There is a relatively good story with some unexpected twists (experienced viewer may guess them, though). And finally, there is the obligatory "artistic" element, this time taken from Woody Allen (at least I saw similar ideas in his movies): in some points the movie gets surreal by showing the main character's thoughts and dreams: these are probably the best parts of the film. Of course this is not a perfect movie, there are a few inconsistencies in the script, but in summary it is an enjoyable piece. That is, if you like the genre.

Caramel (2007)

Ideal mix of eternal female dilemmas and local flavours

[8/10 · 28 December 2008]

A French-Lebanese movie. The style (and apparently some of the money) comes from the French: this movie could have been directed by Eric Rohmer or Agnes Jaoui. The story is Lebanese, although it gives an ideal mix of eternal dilemmas and local flavours. The eternal dilemmas are the various female roles and conflicts which you can experience everywhere in the world. The local flavours are provided by the Lebanese environment, which is excitingly mixed itself. It is a country torn by civil wars, as we know from the press, but looks much more peaceful in this movie. Christians and Muslims, Arabs and French-speaking coexist in a natural although perhaps a bit tense manner (proven by the strong presence of the military and the police). Still, the story concentrates on how women face love, loneliness and aging. These are eternal issues but the local patriarchist society gives much less freedom for women in coping with them than in the west. This is mildly criticized by director Nadine Labaki (also playing one of the main roles of the movie) in this refreshing and interesting film.

Children of Men (2006)

A creative blend of what we have now and what we could have tomorrow

[9/10 · 14 January 2008]

Something is wrong. Humankind is heading to a catastrophe. Whether it is WWIII or some climatic catastrophe due to global warming or both, that we do not know. But something is wrong, that's for sure. At least this is how many people feel and this movie is just another sign of that wide-spread feeling.

In this dark antiutopian sci-fi humankind loses its fertility completely, the reason is not known: no children are born any more. Britain is falling into military dictatorship under the pressure of terrorist groups and the huge influx of refugees, while the rest of the world is already in chaos. This is the setting of this movie and it may sound boring. But the film is everything but boring. It shows a creative blend of what we have now and what we could have tomorrow. And it conveys the hopeless feeling that this is what we are heading to. A powerful and worrying vision.

BTW, Alfonso Cuaron is a great director to watch to. I first saw his Sólo con tu pareja, a great and insightful comedy. Then he directed the best Harry Potter (The prisoner of Azkaban). And now this, the most remarkable of his movies, so far.

Overnight (2007)

Strange but enjoyable blend: slow paced story about a dynamic profession

[7/10 · 14 January 2008]

The third film by Török Ferenc after Moszkva tér and Szezon. These actually form a trilogy, presenting the life of the contemporary young generations of Hungary. This time Török focuses on the life style of young and wealthy stock market brokers. Quite interesting to see how the slow paced story and the similarly slow paced camera motion manages to convey an otherwise very dynamic lifestyle but somewhat surprisingly this seems to work in the end. I would say that the story is a bit too simple but the photography is beautiful and it really conveys the uniform environment of the perhaps most globalized profession in the globalized world.

I also like other details: small interactions and gestures tell you more about the typical relationship of the brokers with other people (although these relationships are mostly restricted to taxi drivers, waiters and the security personnel of the office buildings...). There are unfortunately less well done details in the film, too: the taxi driver who does not know the city and does not even know how to read a map or the assumption that blowing up a big parabolic antenna would make all mobile phones in a continent useless. These unreal details and stupid mistakes spoil the movie. Despite these, it is still much better than most of the crap you can see in the cinemas nowadays.

Where the Truth Lies (2005)

Where the roots of mass media lie

[8/10 · 14 January 2008]

When this movie was presented in Hungary, I briefly reviewed the story and some of the critics and decided that it was not for me, despite being an Egoyan movie and despite receiving good comments. Then, during a visit to Helsinki I had a three hours empty slot on my last day and decided to go to a cinema. This movie was practically the only available option and I decided to go for it. I did not regret it.

This is a story about the fifties and the beginning of the era of mass media. Stars are already made by television but the society still maintains its old pre-60s conservatism, at least on the surface. The main characters are a duo of entertainers who are on top of their career. There is no limit for them and they behave accordingly: having girls in every town, sometimes beating up people they dislike, using drugs and so on. All of this without consequences: they are superstars and the media machinery ensures that their superstar status is not disturbed.

However, once they make a mistake (involving a dead girl found in their hotel room) and although their career is not broken immediately, the case still destroys their personal relationship and eventually leads to the break of the duo and a decline of their careers. While the story is still not something very close to me (and thus my initial assessment of not wanting to see it was more or less right) I have to admit that it is very well directed and acted and its atmosphere will probably have a longer term effect on me.

Also, what it tells you about the darker side of mass media and stardom is exciting, even though it shows the effect not on the ordinary people but on the stars themselves.

Szabadság, szerelem (2006)

Easy and enjoyable presentation of historic event

[6/10 · 14 January 2008]

Well, this is the Hollywood style movie about the Hungarian '56 revolution. Correct story and correct acting, but nothing revolutionary ;-). Still, I would say we occasionally need such popular, spectacular but easy films about major events of our history. They touch the people' heart (especially the younger generations) and convey an important message about our history and our nation: namely that there are events in our history we should be proud of. This is especially important in a country where lot of the people are indifferent or even cynical about our national identity and heritage. (And to make things worse, lot of other people are overly proud of it, but that's another problem...)

The Lives of Others (2006)

A great movie about mediocrity, thoroughness, morality and power.

[9/10 · 14 January 2008]

Mediocrity, thoroughness, morality, power. These words come into my mind after seeing this very German movie, which is otherwise also a great movie. It has a great atmosphere, giving back the grey world of the DDR: grey buildings, grey Trabants and Wartburgs, grey people, a country ruled by mediocrity even in its colours.

Nevertheless, a thorough world: the Stasi thoroughly maintains the files about the many suspects, the agents thoroughly install the bugs in their flats and thoroughly watch them. (Later in the unified Germany they thoroughly maintain the very same files and make them open for everyone. A thorough nation, the Germans.)

But the Germans also value morality and this is also evident in the movie. The moral awakening causes the otherwise conformist writer to challenge the Communist power and the very same moral attitude causes the much less typical and much less anticipated awakening of the Stasi agent watching the writer. The latter transformation is clearly more exciting, as the grey, mediocre, thorough and lonely Stasi agent, the loyal servant realizes the real nature of the Communist power during the observation of the writer and her wife. In the end he also challenges this power in his own humble way.

The story should also be instructive for us Hungarians, as it shows an example of how a nation should handle its dark past. The Germans already did a fairly impressive "brainwash" after WWII to reach a catharsis on the sinful Nazi past and they did a similarly impressive moral confrontation in the 90's with their Communist past and the Stasi. I envy them, because we Hungarians have failed in this. The Germans consistently opened all the Stasi files, and allowed everyone to go and see who had been watched and who had been the agents and the informers.

In Hungary, this did not happen. What happened instead was that many of the informers became prominent politicians (other professions exposed to the public like artists, journalists, church officials were/are also heavily "infected") and the files were used to blackmail them, or to get rid of them in a few occasions. Not exactly the right way to purify the society. And the society is indeed far from being purified: they just do not really care if it turns out that some prominent person was an informer back in the Communist era. So, when such files come to the public, the former agent just says some weak excuses ("I was forced into this" and " I always tried to defend the people around me" and "I never wrote anything harmful", etc.) and then everything continues as before.

This was what happened to Oscar-winner film director István Szabó whose story is particularly striking. An article was published in a weekly uncovering the fact that he was an informer back in the early 60's. His personal post-scandal behaviour is a typical example of trying to get away with feeble excuses. The reaction of the society was an example of accepting these cheap excuses without criticism, just because Szabó was an otherwise famous, talented and popular person, a "nice" guy.

And this is a pity: Szabó is one of the few informers who could have stood up and confess his "sins" without losing his authenticity, because Szabó the artist has done the confession. His best films showed how the power can corrupt talented but weak persons, how one can lose one's integrity. He got his Oscar for exploring this very topic in Mephisto, (and he got Oscar nominations for two other similar movies with Brandauer). And then he did confront this issue even more explicitly in Taking sides, too. And he did it in the right way, exposing all the complexity and all the moral issues. So, it is indeed a pity he could not do it in the right way in his personal life. And it is indeed a pity that we Hungarians could not do it the right way. The Germans did.

Dallas Pashamende (2005)

shocking images of the gypsy ghetto

[8/10 · 26 November 2005]

Great movie with great performances! Even the story (the usual weak point of Hungarian movies) managed to capture me, although in retrospect it seems rather calculable and builds too much on usual clichés. The major strength of the movie is its atmosphere, built up by the shocking images of the gypsy ghetto and the amateur (well, they seem so real that I think they give themselves) cast. Also, roma communities are known for their lively and dominantly happy "southern" character, despite the poor conditions they live in: this is also shown here. I am sure that it takes more than this movie to make progress in emancipating the Romas of Central and Eastern Europe, but this movie certainly raises your understanding of these exploited people living "ganz unten".

The Barbarian Invasions (2003)

strong social message

[9/10 · 26 November 2005]

I saw a Canadian movie titled "Le Déclin de l'empire américain", about 18 years ago. I can hardly recall the story, I only remember that it was a typical French conversational movie, a'la Eric Rohmer: a couple of friends gathered for a dinner at a lakeside house and chat about their adventures (mostly sexual), their emotions, thoughts and wishes. The title added special spice as its "political" nature conflicted with the seemingly unrelated, peaceful and personal atmosphere, at least at first sight. To be honest, I cannot remember whether I managed to understand the "message" of this second layer, I must have dedicated some time to think about it, but the result - if any - is hiding in some dark corners of my brain. Still, despite all the fading details, I do remember that it was amongst the best movies I had ever seen. So, I was eager to see the new "20 years after" part of the story, when I learned that 'Les Invasions Barbares' is based on the that earlier gem I praise so much. I will now praise the new part as well: the story is less idyllic as it is about the death of one of the characters of the former story. The film presents not only how his family and his friends support him and try to make him pass away in an "ideal" way, but it also gives a much more critical picture about society: the only way for a human being to die in this ideal way is to have someone with a lot of money and a lot of determination to create the conditions. Otherwise people are put into run-down hospitals and left with some strangers (other people dying, maybe) in a crowded room. I would say that the first part twenty years ago was stronger in the "conversational" part and in presenting personal relationships: this new movie was somewhat schematic, as it could not really go beyond clichés in presenting how the people react to the coming death of their close friend. However, the social message was much stronger this time. A corrupt society and a neglected health-care system is presented in a society ruled exclusively by money. This is a somewhat usual message of Central-European movies, but it is quite shocking to see it in the "heart of the empire". (Well, obviously Canada is not so much the "heart of the empire", but it is generally considered a happy and rich country by us "poor" Hungarians used to a corrupt society and a neglected health-care system...)

Downfall (2004)

a precise account of how the madness ruled

[9/10 · 26 November 2005]

Bruno Ganz is perfect as Hitler! This fact alone would make the movie worth seeing, but there is more than that. It as a precise account of how the madness ruled in the last days of Hitler reign: how he let the country suffer and when he realized that inevitable end, how he said that Germans did deserve the fall. The film showed a lot of futile deaths: ten year old recruits falling in the streets of Berlin fighting against the Russians, deserters shot by Gestapo patrols. It also showed Hitler's power over the people who still obeyed him and many of them also followed his example and committed suicide in the last days. Perhaps the most shocking was Frau Gobbels, who murdered her six children, saying that it was not worth living in a world without Nazism. All in all, the film was shocking and it gave you a strong warning: beware fanatic dictators!

The Oak (1992)

Romanian version of Underground, a must!

[10/10 · 16 December 2002]

The second Pintilie movie I have seen recently (thanks to Duna TV) and even better than the previous one (O Vara de neuitat): a great movie indeed! This is the Romanian version of Kusturica's 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.

Hukkle (2002)

speechless movie to make you speechless

[9/10 · 25 November 2002]

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 wives 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.

In summary, this is in the "must" category. If you have a chance, go and see it!

Joki (2001)

touching kaleidoscope of eternal human events and emotions

[9/10 · 18 November 2002]

The Finnish version of Robert Altman's "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.

Taking Sides (2001)

thought provoking story, delicate showmanship and excellent acting

[9/10 · 27 July 2002]

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. His "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!

The Bridgeman (2002)

chaotic script destroys this promising movie

[6/10 · 29 May 2002]

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.

Vidocq (2001)

original photography, mediocre story: in overall quite enjoyable

[7/10 · 29 May 2002]

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.

The Circle (2000)

a powerful, moving film: excellent script and good acting

[9/10 · 15 April 2002]

After seeing some excellent Iranian movies last year, I hurried to see this film and I was not disappointed after the screening: it is less poetic than the earlier ones but its simple, excellent 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 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 conveyed to the viewer not only via the story itself: the photography, the close-ups and the cutting powerfully strengthens it.

Naken (2000)

not very original but enjoyable comedy (not for prudes, though)

[7/10 · 10 March 2002]

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 Sånger från andra våningen (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.

Ének a csodaszarvasról (2002)

creative animation, but dull "story"

[4/10 · 22 February 2002]

I was thinking about giving this movie a 1 mark (the worst), 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.

Songs from the Second Floor (2000)

wonderful and touching movie about the misery of human life

[10/10 · 8 January 2002]

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".

Sacra Corona (2001)

the script is extremely weak and so is acting

[2/10 · 6 January 2002]

This movie was created by the financial support of the Hungarian government as part of the various celebrations of 1000 years of Hungarian statehood. This is a very respectable act, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to create an enjoyable movie. This is indeed a pity, as it could have been a very memorable costume movie. The script is based on true events of XI. century Hungarian history: the story of King László I. whose coronation closed the long chaotic interregnum after István's (the founder of the state) death and consolidated Hungary's position as a strong Christian Kingdom in medieval Europe. This story is full of battles, politics, conspiracy, hate and love. It could have been the basis for a script as exciting and deep as a Shakespeare tragedy. Unfortunately the script-writer was not able to come up with anything usable: the script is extremely weak. So is the acting, although I don't want to blame the actors too much, as it is quite hard to act well in a story falling apart. It seems that the creators of this movie were concentrationg too much on celebrating and on telling us lessons, instead of creating a good movie.

Yady, ili vsemirnaya istoriya otravleniy (2001)

strong sarcastic humour and imaginative surrealism

[7/10 · 6 January 2002]

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.

How Harry Became a Tree (2001)

striking motif of self-destruction

[8/10 · 6 January 2002]

A story capturing my mind: although most of the audience in the cinema were laughing a lot and the two user comments I found in IMDB both claimed it was a funny movie, I found it rather sad. It is about the anger of a man who cannot handle his personal tragedies and decides to challenge the most powerful man in the village with no reason. The events eventually lead to an inevitable tragedy. The striking motif of self-destruction in this movie is similar to the one that exists in the Balkan and beautifully presented in some Kusturica movies, so despite the Irish environment, the director's (Goran Paskaljevic from Serbia) origin is clearly felt.

Belphegor: Phantom of the Louvre (2001)

disappointing

[3/10 · 6 January 2002]

Even Sophie Marceau's presence and the few (very few) good French gags are unable to save this otherwise slow and boring movie! A disappointment. The story is weak and so is acting. This movie was advertised as the French version of The Mummy, but the Mummy has at least spectacular and enjoyable effects...