kazan-bandi Reviews

The Corporal and Others (1965)

A Legend. Best wartime-comedy (and best Hungarian movie) ever!

[10/10 · 22 April 2007]

This is a legendary movie in Hungary, maybe the best and most famous movie ever made here. It is a wartime comedy set in the chaotic times of WWII, 1945. The German are escaping, falling back from Hungary, and the Russian are coming in with great numbers. The "little heroes" of the movie are different people, mostly escaped soldiers, whose only goal is to survive the war - and possibly not without any money. But there are a lot of powers in the chaos of the war in Hungary: the escaping German army, who don't care anything about Hungarian losses; the Hungarian army, for whom these people are fugitives and have to be condemned to death; the special Hungarian fascist forces (called "nyilas" because the Hungarian fascist leader was called Nyilasi); and of course the Soviet army, who they didn't know a lot about because of the propaganda. This movie, despite the many historical informations and interesting facts, is a real European kind of wartime comedy, a bit sad, a bit bitter, but utterly funny and exciting. The movie tells about the hopes and adventures of single ordinary men in the war who are brave and witty but do not want to fight. It reminds the viewer to Svejk, the famous Czech book, and Where eagles dare, the spy-story, because there is a lot of pretending here as well, the heroes trying to act like a Communist when they meet the Soviet force, and trying to act like a real Fasicts among the German and so on. The movie is interesting because the historical set, and even more interesting, knowing that it was made during the Socialism in Hungary, when Sovietunio was not really to criticize. So the German are made more fun of, but there are lots of jokes with the Russian as well!

And a little info for those who are interested: when Hitler came into Hungary with his army to make sure that every command of his will be done even when he was losing the battles and it was not so shiny to be with German in the war anymore, in the occupied countries little political armed forces were formed of only real Fascist people. In Hungary, they were called "nyilas". These people are easy to spot (in the movie) because they wear ed arm-bands with a four-headed arrow. (For example the fat man with the mustache who is collecting young people from a village in the movie.) The mad politician Hitler put "in charge" in Hungary after he came in with force was called Szálasi. Here you can find a pi cs about Szálasi and another about that armband: http://www.holokausztmagyarorszagon.hu/index.php?section=2&type=pi cs&chapter=7_1_4 A wartime-comedy-adventure gem with very-very clever and a little sad and ironic humor. And the main actor called Sinkovics Imre is also brilliant (best Hungarian actor ever IMHO!!!).

No Mercy for the Rude (2006)

A flawless and highly underrated movie! - Watch it if you're into Asian movies!

[8/10 · 21 March 2007]

Why is this movie so underrated, I can't understand. It is a superb film: it is very cool, but ironic on itself at the same time, letting every people enjoy it (the ones who are not keen on the coolness itself only, too). It has a good sense of humor, sometimes nice, sometimes dark, sometimes grotesque humor. It has excellent action scenes, but not much enough to be boring. It is dramatic, but just as much as necessary. Of course, there are lots of similarities to movies like Bittersweet Life or A Dirty Carnival or Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. But it doesn't matter, because inside the texture of the movie - or should I say the "world of the movie" - everything fits perfectly: I daresay that No Mercy is maybe even more coherent and "harmonic" than Lady Vengeace (which is also an excellent movie) and because of this - better. Maybe if this is among the first Asian movies you see you'll find it weird how they change between the funny and light and bloody and dramatic (and so on) scenes, but if you're into Asian movies (Korean in the first place, because they have a distinctive aura), watch this by all means!

Blessing Bell (2002)

The ZEN in the form of a movie

[10/10 · 25 December 2006]

I think it's a shame how underrated this movie is. Its slow pace, little conversation, even less action and not specific topic doesn't make it easy to understand and "digest", especially not for people who are not used to art movies, but nobody should call this a bad or boring movie just because he didn't understand it.

SABU, director of masterpieces like Drive, Postman blues, Monday or Unlucky Monkey, didn't use so much of his famous dark, absurd and grotesque humor and of very sad and dramatic scenes either (which are typical for his other movies). This movie is very balanced, very harmonic, very peaceful. Susumu Terajima, who has small roles in other Sabu movies, is the main character here. I love him and his style and his very minimal but professional and essential acting makes the movie even better.

The story is about a man who goes to work, finds that the factory is closed down, therefore goes and wanders around for a day and a night, then goes back home. Some interesting things happen to him during this, but not very much compared to the time he spends sitting or walking or just standing and staring.

So what's this all about? No action, very little humor, very little drama, but why did someone make a movie like this? The answer is that it's REALLY very important that the movie is slow paced and only a few things happen. The main character says nothing during the 95% of the movie! He just observes, and then, if necessary, acts. He doesn't judge, doesn't interfere. He gains some money from someone who doesn't need it then he loses it. So what. He have had it and now he doesn't have it, and that's all. Accepting everything. That's the zen philosophy. Looking at the world as it is, looking at the pure form, at the real meaning of things. There is some scenes connected with sins and jealousy and money and sickness and death and love, but it's kept very simple. It's all about life but it's not direct at all, the thinking part is up to you, the viewer, nothing is explained, and that's why it works so wonderful and also why so many people don't understand it.

Very much worth seeing if you're into art movies or if you're keen on Sabu and if you're interested in Zen.

The Great Yokai War (1968)

Funny fantasy-horror with a weird atmosphere

[9/10 · 3 January 2006]

Yokai Daisenso is a peculiar funny movie about an old vampire and the brave Japanese monsters. The vampire is woken up by treasure hunters, goes to Japan, kills a wealthy man and takes his form. But he needs fresh blood regularly and the Japanese monsters who live peacefully there, not disturbing the people, unite forces and fight the vampire. This movie is recommended for the lovers of the weird, funny movies and everybody who likes the old horror movies. Yokai Daisenso is not entirely a horror movie, because it's not only funny because it's old but it also contains ironic elements, for example the Japanese monsters look up the existence of a vampire (who came from Afrika) in a picture book which contains every ordinary Japanese monster/ghost. I give it 9 points out of 10 with the comment that people who - after reading this - know that they wouldn't like this movie, shouldn't watch and vote it.