cheattila Reviews

Sorcerer (1977)

A victim of the Skywalkers

[9/10 · 8 June 2013]

In 1977 there was a turn in New Hollywood: George Lucas' epic space fantasy tale had been released and taught the audience to escape from the problems of the real world to a faraway Galaxy. Star Wars has become a franchise, and several great movies has been forgotten, including William Friedkin's adaption of Clouzot's thriller, Wages of Fear.

Although, it was a box-office failure and knocked the famous movie-brat of French Connection and The Exorcist off the saddle, it is a very complex and unforgettable movie. There are only anti-heroes in it. The main characters are purely human, not good Jedi knight or evil Sith lords. They are all filthy, they are only after money. But at the time of crisis they have to cooperate. Unless, they are stuck and they won't get their money.

Friedkin's movie has a great atmosphere. It builds slowly (even a little bit too slowly at the beginning), but it serves a greater good: this way it could catch our attention and pulls us to the world of the story.

Furthermore, Sorcerer was still a part of the Hollywood Renaissance movement, so it is very ambiguous movie. It criticizes the society of the 70s. It represents Americans and Europeans as filthy outcasts, who see the Third World only as the source of money and power. And Sorcerer sentences this attitude to death. Therefore, it is no wonder that the audience of the forced optimism of the late 70s did not like this perspective. They wanted to forget the traumas of the past. They wanted an other Galaxy instead of the mud of the rain forests. They wanted Star Wars instead of Sorcerer. Fortunately, real film fans could enjoy Friedkin's achievement in spite of its box office failure.

My Dog Killer (2013)

Not pointless, but the movie which has a very strong point

[10/10 · 12 April 2013]

I agree with the previous critic in that opinion which states it is not an original storytelling movie. However, I always question the legitimacy of classical storytelling movies. It is a mainstream tradition, but if there were only mainstream movies, Earth and film culture would be a very boring place.

Luckily, this Slovak film follows the modernist tradition, and tells its story objectively in semi-documentary/minimalist style. It is about a very important theme, which is not a new one, but sadly a permanent one. We can say that it is the 'Slovakian History X'. Racism and Neo-Nazism have several forms. This film shows us a very unique one. There are no real villains or good people. There are only victims of an ideology. However, the only innocent entity is the title character, the dog. Every single person is guilty somehow. The mother because of her affair which deformed their elder son's life. Of course, the racist skinheads who hate the Roma people. And the gypsies, because several of them cannot live their life according to the norms and laws. But the film doesn't give penalty to anyone. It stays at the objective perspective.

So, this is a very serious movie, which does not tell its story dramatically as mainstream conventional films, but it follows the Roman New Wave's realist style. And the My Dog Killer is brutal, however it does not show any violent scenes or blood. The facts and the knowledge, the little information puzzles meet at the end of the movie, which is same as the beginning: the dog plays with its trophy as nothing has happened. But in us, everything have changed.

Odjuret (2011)

Underrated and forgotten Swedish masterpiece

[10/10 · 11 March 2013]

If you are patient, this movie will knock you out. It is like a good brandy or a glass of wine: it will affect you slowly. This film will possess you with its atmosphere and mood. If you let it.

I think Odjuret catches the problem of our time and of the late 20th / early 21st century. The chaotic world which you cannot control. The country which is beautiful on the one hand, but consumes you and keep you from human relationships and possibilities on the other hand. These youths are without goals or imaginations about the future. For them there is no future, it is certain from the beginning to the very end.

And this movies is great because it catches not a particular problem of a country (by the way: who would think that Sweden is so unbearable?), but a universal one which concerns every young people nowadays from Sweden through my homeland to Japan.

Lányok (2007)

Underrated and unknown gem

[7/10 · 19 December 2012]

Although it is a very important social-critical movie, there are so few people who know it. Anna Faur analyzes the real Hungarian reality which is often be blurred by other commercial and so-called "hipster" Hungarian filmmakers. She shows us the truth: the individuals, the relationships and the former sacred, now abnormal family are in crisis. There aren't any real protagonists or antagonists here. The players are purely humans. Humans from nowadays societies. Because the problem is universal. The modern or postmodern societies consist of these mad people who don't have any goals in life but the aggression, consumerism and nihilism fill their lives. This leads to the well known murder of a cab driver. However, we know the facts but we don't expect the right person to be killed. So the director makes a twist at the end of the plot - which is very inventive.

So I advise yo to watch this film because there are fine actors in it (Kornél Mundruczó is very funny in his role as a bum taxi driver, as well the main characters are excellent of course). The only problem with this film is the topic I think. It is so annoying to see the reality of not just Hungary, but the modern societies as well that you feel watching this movie makes you puke. So you must watch 'Lányok', but you may not want to see it twice time per year because your life energy fades away.

Eragon (2006)

Poor copy of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars

[4/10 · 10 December 2007]

When I had heard first about Paolini and his "great" book, I thought it could not be successful. But it has been... I don't understand that. Because of it's success there must be a movie based on the book. "Great"! The story was boring and contained several schemes. The young boy who are the chosen? No! Not again!!! I think Eragon is the mixture of Frodo and Luke Skywalker - mixture of their worst attributes. Sapphira? Oh, yeah! A Dragon who mustn't be killed. Such an individual mark of this bad film. Jeremy Irons and Malkovich could have saved this movie but their acting were as poor as the other freak and amateur actors. I think because of the director's poverty. When will the movie-maker guys be able to understand that making a copy of other movies not a sin. But that's it when they can't sell it as an exciting film and they cannot bring any own idea in it. That's the problem with Eragon. And I'm not talking about only the movie... 4/10, because it's not an Uwe Boll-movie.

Eragon (2006 Video Game)

Game? Is there anyone who calls it a game?

[1/10 · 10 December 2007]

I've been playing video games since 1991, so I met several titles - good and bad, too. But there hasn't been such a worst and ugly game like this. Oh, I was wrong: it's not a game. It's a marketing product what's made to promote the Book and the bad movie. And I hate when "brilliant" people try to 'steal' the money of people using a famous product. After it let's see the game itself! I cannot play with it... Why? Because there were so many bugs. For Example Eragon stacked in a bridge, and I could not make him moving. The levels (how dare they make levels in the 21th century???) were linear, the enemies were stupid (stupid? A piece of sh*t has got more intelligence. ), the fighting and 'rpg' system were boring. If someone want to play a little before bed I advise he/she to buy LotR: RotK game. So forget it! It's not a game. If you hit yourself with a scourge it can be much more fun than Eragon 'game'. 1/10

Ifjú szívvel (1953)

Is this film a communist gimmick or a revolting satire?

[4/10 · 26 November 2007]

I have a course at the University about Hungarian films (from the beginning to 1957) so I HAVE TO watch this movie. Unfortunately... Let's start where it begins: we are in 1953 at the top of the Hungarian communist terror. But we can see that the people are very happy and they only live to work, work, and work. The half part of this movie shows us just the ugly communist songs mixed with the traditional folklore culture of our nation, Hungary. It's a shame at least to me. In fact there are no story. There are scenes where ironic people are trying to be funny - but they haven't got any success. ...dramatically in 2007 when we know the muck side of Communist regime and know that Mathias Rákosi and Stalin were the worst part of our and the European history. But the characters of this film are happy and they are free. At least they seemed free to me. But I knew and know the truth. Actually, it is a fact this film is a gimmick at first sight but I could catch some revolting moment or move. They were short and little but they WERE there. So I'm not sure that Peter Bacso on of our most respected directors had made a total gimmick. I believe he made a "red dress" for the truth film so he could made it through the censors. Maybe... Let's see the acting. Kálmán Latabár played well he showed his form from the 30's and 40's Hungarian film. He danced, too so the image of Latabár was correctly there. The other actors were poor I think. We saw that Sinkovits, Bessenyei or Benkő had just started their carriers. Imre Soós was very "funny". When he tried to be serious we laughed, when he tried to be funny we felt disturbance. The working mania was humiliating for our, Hungarians. There could be a romantic story between Soós and the main woman actor but the idea of work made them asexual... At least there could be any watchable moment with it...

So I can't believe that such great actors like Sinkovits, Bessenyei, Benkő could have been act in an ugly gimmick movie like this... However I miss it and it's a true gimmick my vote is true, too. 4/10

300 (2006)

One of the best action and fantasy movie I've ever seen.

[8/10 · 4 April 2007]

July, 2006. I saw the trailer of this movie first time, and I was kicked by lightning. I had started to wait for the full version and I was excited what could the director of the Dawn of the Dead make from the Frank Miller comic. I watched it a week ago and I'm not sorry for that! It was fantastic as I waited! The fantasy motives didn't bother me it's not a historical film. Heroic battles, heroic war cries, comic-feeling like in Sin City, "few against many"... everything I can like in a movie. OK, there were movie stock phrases in it, but is there anyone who can show me a movie from Hollywood in which there aren't any "I have seen it before?"-motive? It's created a statue to the three hundred, who died 2500 years ago. Yes, don't forget, there are historical basics in 300 in spite of the fantasy monsters. There great "job" for the Greek culture comes to us by this movie and that's the thing that makes 300 more than a "B action film" I think. Okay, I can say like the haters of this film: there were too much action and battle in it at the middle of the film and the story disappeared a bit. But I could have understand the main story was the battle and the events were played at Thermophylai. The pictures were well constructed too, and they gave 300 a perfect comic style. We have a feeling that we're reading Frank Miller's fine writing!

The only thing that was a stick in my eyes is the movie's end-game. It was too tragic and I didn't feel the heroism which was in the death of the 300 soldiers.

So, I think 300 has become on of my favorite movies next to Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. If I have a chance I'll buy it on DVD and I'll watch it several times! XD

Saw (2004)

One of the Best horror movies

[10/10 · 16 January 2007]

I was sceptic, when I had heard about this movie. I thought, it'll be a commerce film from a no-name director. But after seeing it I have changed my opinion.

The story was very exciting and frightening. At a first view it could be simple, but after the exposition you'll be surprised. The montage made this part of the movie perfect. We won't understand first who is the mysterious killer (so, we could not too that he is a killer, because we couldn't decide), what is he doing and why. But going deeper and deeper into the events we are going to understand the substances... ...to wreck every theory we made in the end XD. At the last pictures of the film I lost my mind and send my brain against the wall XD. It was magnificent turning point! But the story is one thing... And the form is other. Beautiful and horrible scenes at the absolutely good meaning. The montage was like as in the movies of Master Eisenstein. The schnitts were the souls of Saw. If they weren't here this film would not be that is now.

Sor I was fully persuaded and I can advise every horror-fan who didn't see the Saw (fun) to watch it as soon as possible.