naurimas-1 Reviews

Palazzo Vecchio: Una storia di arte e di potere (2018 TV Movie)

Documentary aboy the palace

[8/10 · 23 May 2021]

A short documentary about the palance of Florence, its history and the family of Medici.

Many interesting insights about the rooms.

Worth watching and refelecting.

Kaubojus (2020)

Lifestyle of a cowboy

[8/10 · 21 December 2020]

The documentary about the life of a man who copies the lifestyle of a cowboy in a Lithuanian village.

The philosophy of a man, the lifestyle and the care for the disabled son is shown.

It is interesting to see how the difficult life of a man leads to the lifestyle of a cowboy.

Kings' Shift (2016)

Drama on Christmas events

[8/10 · 11 October 2017]

Psychological drama on unusual events during Christmas at the hospital.

The drama is full of suspense and hidden messages ideas on different heroes.

The story has unusual twists revealing that the main hero, police officer is the one with real values and braveness.

Gogol. Nachalo (2017)

Horror story

[8/10 · 3 October 2017]

The attempt to interpret life of the Russian writer Gogol paying attention to clerk's adventures in Russia, central Ukraine.

The plot is interesting, full of suspense related to mysterious and mystic murders.

The episodes of the film are related to jumps in time and links to dreams of the film's main hero.

Many humorous episodes related to Russian and Ukrainian lifestyle of the 19th century.

8/10

Naisiu vasara (2009– )

TV series about life of Naisiai village

[5/10 · 10 July 2016]

TV series reveals life, problems of ordinary people in Naisiai village in Lithuania.

The essence of love, daily conflicts of countryside lifestyle are shown in vivid colours. Love triangles are shown in an unexpected way to reveal human drama elements.

Some episodes remind soap opera elements, but mostly fresh Eastern European simplicity of characters, conflicts is explored.

TV series is a must to watch and understand countryside life of the Baltic states (Latvia and Lithuania).

This Lithuanian film is a necessity to watch in order to understand lifestyle of Lithuanians.

Rams (2015)

The film about rams, brotherhood

[8/10 · 5 June 2016]

The film is about cruel life of ram breeders in Iceland. The life is cruel due to coldness of feelings, conflicts over ram breeding and lonelines of existence. The director has shown that lack of communication creates alienation for people of the small village, conflicts for brothers. The following themes are explored: human relationship, the way of solving problems in the family and the sacrifice for your favorite activity. The plot is interesting to watch, though it has been developed slowly. The vast landscapes of the country, windy days are shown. The end of the film is unusual and quite sad. The soundtrack of the film is quite sad and melancholic.

Ganc qadinin kisisi (1988)

Intellectual drama

[8/10 · 20 October 2014]

The intellectual drama is about the unusual lifestyle of professor. The presence of the young actress changes his life and he seeks some changes. On the one hand, the change is the reflection of the spirit of the young person coming from his grandfather's intellectual ideas about great personalities. On the other hand, the idea is to use special medicine from rhinoceros to be young again. The plan is fulfilled but the changes are unusual and better for the family, but not the love adventures of professor.

The film is worth watching. However, the development of the plot is quite melancholic in some episodes.

The Soviet Story (2008)

Documentary about crimes of Communism, Nazism

[9/10 · 12 December 2008]

Watching this documentary will provide many interesting insights into history of the Soviet Union as well as the Nazi Germany through analysis of the documents, ideas of historians, memories of witnesses.

Firstly, it should be noted that the documentary focuses on the critical discussion of mass killings, concentration practiced by the Soviet secret state. It is shown while citing K. Marx and Fr. Engels why the soviet leaders (Lenin, later Stalin) killed people, set up concentration camps seeking to establish their own authority.

Secondly, the makers of the documentary revealed how the Nazi government used experience, some ideological ideas of K. Marx, and shocking experience of Lenin, NKVD to set up killing machine of Jews and other people of Germany.

Thirdly, there has been shown how the Soviet officials and the Nazi government collaborated before World War II in order to improve killing machine mechanism and annex territories of free states in Europe. Later, the shocking crimes of the Soviet state has been shown in the Baltic countries.

Finally, the film-makers have revealed shocking legacy dealing with justification of the communism crimes in some social groups of politicians in Russia.

In conclusion, watching this documentary will form critical approach towards similarities of Communism and Nazism.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

Great French musical about passionate love

[10/10 · 26 July 2008]

This French musical is about tragic love between young people and interesting ideas about changes in one's life after passionate, but tragic love affair.

Well, this French musical unlike American musicals "My Fair Lady", "West Side Story", "Oklahoma", "Chicago" (2002), "The Phantom of the Opera (2004)" will undoubtedly make the viewer think more deeply about passionate love and true-to life situations, catharsis of the musical due to many aspects in setting, language, and plot.

The setting, the plot the language are French style, so it means you can expect passionate twists, suspense and intrigue. Also the music does create interesting mix of jazz, instrumental and classical tunes, which are merged with the spoken language of the characters.

The characters of the movie reveal tragic social changes in lives due to different social status (mechanic, the daughter of the lone mother, the jeweler who had tragic love affair, the ill old woman). On the one hand it looks that the love affair of the mechanic and young daughter is romantic, bears resemblance to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet story, but on the other hand it is shown that young people do not have patience to fight for their love ignoring social status, money. Because of that it is shown that young people suffer.

The work of the film director, and other people is interesting to watch because of different camera angles, very colorful interior of the houses, and atypical for the French or American musical end of the love story.

A musical worth watching and thinking about the message.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Great songs, sunny days and suspense of the musical

[8/10 · 18 July 2008]

Watching this movie will undoubtedly give the happy feelings of Europop and Disco songs of ABBA, some expectations, suspense about love stories of the screen and the sunny mood of the land of Greece.

The musical was made using songs of ABBA about the "flower power", joy of life, loss and discovery of love. The songs are sung by different characters and sometimes repeated several times, especially at the beginning and at the end of the movie. Also the songs have been humorously improvised not only for the stag party, the hen party, the marriage ceremony at the church, but also while reflecting the situation of the unmarried mother, who had many passionate love affairs, her friends: the serial divorced lady, the lady who describes herself as the loner. The songs of the male characters, the former fellows of the "flower power" (the rich owner of the yacht, the banker and the architect) also are about search for love. Fortunately, not always the songs deal with the search for Mr Right or Miss Right, but also happy moments of life.

The generation gap ideas coming from the single mother, her daughter, her former lovers, the ladies who have not been successful in love are given in a humorous way.

Besides that, the sunny days in the land of Greece of this movie will make the days of winter, spring or autumn happier due to songs, plot, suspense.

A musical worth watching.

99 Francs (2007)

Interesting French film about advertising business

[7/10 · 16 July 2008]

Watching this film will give some critical ideas about consumerism, dirty ideas of ad business, also lifestyle of people working in advertising business in France. The ideas are different from all full of humor American TV series about advertisers (e.g. "I Dream of Jeannie" and others). The ideas are different, though there are many elements of black humor, criticism of machos' vices, The critical idea is the didactic message of the film. The film reminds that people would not die of hunger if more money are spent not for creating ads to increase turnover, also true critical insights about consumerism, the idea that advertising in many cases sell only dreams for some time.

The plot of the film is also full of visual experiments, some elements of animated cartoons, some repeated episodes which get more meaning at the end of the movie. Also the end of the film obviously make the viewer think more deeply about the nature of the change of the human being discarding commercial things.

It is worth to spend time watching this French film full of experiments and critical ideas about consumerism.

The book of Begbeider and the film are truly two different things, which add more ideas about critical insights about consumerism, advertising business.

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

Documentary revealing climate change

[9/10 · 21 October 2007]

This American documentary is interesting to watch and think about problems of climate change and the possibility to change it.

The lecture with slides of Al Gore is interesting to listen to, though in some episodes words coming from the vocabulary of ecologists do create minutes of the viewer's bore. However, it is in many cases avoided with the humorous remarks. The narrator (Al Gore) even uses satyric cartoon disclosing the problem of climate change solution.

From time to time in some episodes one can get the feeling that the narrator is the lone soldier on the battle for climate change, the politician who suffered a lot and lost the elections.

Therefore, one should remember the additional footage in which Al Gore discusses the additional facts dealing with climate change (in the DVD edition for the UK).

Therefore, one should remember the nine errors noticed by the High Court in the UK as discussed in the articles of the newspapers (The Times of October 10, 2007 and others) to get the real vision of the climate change problem.

Nevertheless, the documentary is really an interesting to watch, re-watch and think about your actions how to avoid climate change, Your possible actions are explained at the end of the movie with the clear, concise text and reference to the website.

Undoubtedly, this documentary adds new ideas to the context of climate change awareness all over the world.

Undoubtedly, it does shape and will shape the ideas of people about climate change...

Kwaidan (1964)

Mystic stories of Japanese life and good moral

[10/10 · 21 October 2007]

I cherished hopes to experience the touch with the Japanese culture (music, lifestyle) and mystic things when I bought the DVD.

The film was interesting to watch and think about because it tells 4 interesting mystic stories covering Japanese life of the Middle ages and later periods.

The plots of the stories have the intrigue aspects and the moral teaching good things. The moral about true love to the lady, wisdom in the good words, passionate feeling about art and many other ideas.

The soundtrack is interesting to listen, because the Japanese national instruments were used.

The sounds of the biwa (the Japanese lute) and the words of the song about sad battle with many deaths, do provide mystic feeling and some time for reflections about passionate feeling of music associated with the life of musician.

My expectations did not change when I remember the private view at the University in 2005.

I did hope to remember the comments of the American professor, a good specialist of religion and anthropology who told about this movie for a large audience from Siauliai University (the city of Siauliai, the Republic of Lithuania) after the private view with professors and students.

I was surprised to find the small booklet with the text of the stories told in this film and additional comments on the film.

A good film, a must to have in your collection of DVD films...

Vaikai is Amerikos viesbucio (1990)

Movie about the Lithuanian teenagers of the 1970s

[10/10 · 25 December 2006]

The movie is interesting to watch as it shows the young teenagers of the soviet Lithuania in the 1970s who cherish ideas of hippies, dream of Woodstock, Rolling Stones and try to avoid bad things brought by the Soviet system.

The teenagers manage to have different lifestyle, stand for the ideas of the independent Lithuania, and freedom to listen and avoid traps of the KGB.

The teenagers manage to organize similar event as Woodstock in Lithuania.

Besides that in this movie you will hear good Lithuanian intellectual rock music and will follow interesting love story of the young Lithuanian and the Jewish girl...

See this movie and you will understand more about the struggle of the young Lithuanians against the USSR, more about the power of rock music against the regime, mainstream attitudes...

Piter FM (2006)

Romantic story about love

[8/10 · 1 July 2006]

The Russian romantic comedy which takes place in Saint Petersburg is worthwhile to watch.

Well, firstly, because in the movie the interesting story in development of love between two young Russians is told. The man feels abandoned because his former girlfriend is marrying. And the pretty radio presenter who has found out that it was not good to marry the man from childhood. Thus, the story of people who suffer from tragic love stories from the past try to build relationship is told.

Secondly, the relationship between the woman and the man is based on strange incidents with the mobile phone.

And thirdly, the Russian humor in the movie does help to get some funny moments. It is funny to hear the German speaking with the Russian accent or listen to some witty dialogues between the Russian policemen, or just young people who get in conflicts with their boss.

Well, the Russian comedy will give you some ideas to think about romantic love and funny moments of the modern Russian life.

Ghetto (2005)

Drama about theater during war

[10/10 · 21 April 2006]

The activities of the Jewish theater are depicted in an interesting way in the brutal environment. It is shown how the people learn to appreciate theater, forget problems and enjoy art which brings spiritual calmness.

At the same time you can see the struggle and sad things of the Jewish nation in the ghetto and struggle against the Nazis.

The passionate, but one-sided love story between the Nazis officer and the actress, singer of the ghetto is interesting to see and reflect upon.

I liked about this movie was an interesting love story between the Nazi officer who loves the Jewish actress, singer of the ghetto.

The movie was based on the script of the famous Jewish play writer Joshua Sobol.

Again, the title of the movie is Ghetto (2006).

It is coming to Europe, during the last week of April it will be shown in the UK, later in Netherlands. I hope you will see this movie.

It is somewhat similar as Spielberg's "Schindler's list" because of the episodes when the German saves many Jews.

Also it partially reminds of Roman Polanski "Pianist", because in this movie, the German officer tries to preserve music during the painful time of war.

Inside Mecca (2003 TV Movie)

True to life stories of Muslims about hajj

[8/10 · 15 August 2005]

This documentary made by National Geographic is interesting, true to life and informative. The plot is based on the stories of 3 people traveling to Mecca to perform hajj. Preparations, troubles and religious insights of the Muslim professor from the States, black journalist from South Africa, and the businessman from Indonesia are disclosed during their journey to Mecca and their actions in Mecca. It was interesting to find some facts about the city, religious rituals. Racial problem. In one episode the black man even in Mecca suffers because of his color in Mecca in the tent of his countrymen, therefore he decides to leave it. Also it was interesting to see satellite photos, religious Western paintings associated with famous religious figures associated with Mecca, also comments by the religious which were used in this movie.

Brezhnev (2005– )

Insights about stagnation

[8/10 · 18 June 2005]

Honestly, this film which I managed to see on DVD does depict the last days of the leader of the USSR. However it should be noted that Breznev is also shown as the old man who is tormented by some memories from his past, starting from the times of Lenin, Stalin and Kruschev. This film helped me to understand some historical moments(impact of economic policy of Lenin, industrialization, blind following the principles of the Soviet Communist party).

It is disappointing that the positive deeds of the leader are shown (there were some episodes which imply relationship of "Gensek" with ordinary people when he helps for the poor man seeking justice or ladies in the shop). The director could have reminded of the negative aspects of political status created by Breznev. The interesting choice is the selection of some melodious Russian songs which are sung by the main actor of the film. Also the funny stories about Breznev. The love story between Breznev and nurse is not convincing, the director could have depicted the shady actions of the daughter of Breznev... 8 stars out of ten...