You wouldn't think that a story about gay wrestlers would be interesting or even serious but think again...This short film is full of symbolisms, feelings, ideas,emotions with such a small amount of dialogue. First the landscapes and overall the light play a big role in showing the mood of the characters and how lost they are in their inappropriate love, so trapped into their respective life and relationships; both will suffer a loss that will act as a catalyst and change their destiny. The symbol could look a bit naive :one of the guy digs tunnels and the day he pierced the hole and sees the outside, is the time he decides what he needs to do next....but it worked for me. Compared to the rest of the story, the ending could appear unrealistic but if you develop any compassion for the characters, you will like it.
Reviews
10 Reviews
Scen 3: Daniel och Alex
(2008)
what is the point to the story, is there one?
8 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A gay invites his straight to a dinner at his place, they drink a lot, do silly things,then the straight man wants to know what it is to be gay, more like how fun is gay sex. First something that puts you off in the movie is that it is rather poorly filmed, it probably costed 100 dollars to make, the lighting is horrible and the camera movements so shaky that sometimes you don't know what you are seeing... The story development could be interesting but it is like both protagonists stay on their ideas and there is neither an evolution nor a conclusion. Both actors are not amateurish, but the script and the technical works behind are not good enough to make that short film interesting.
The Idiot Returns
(1999)
watching life through an icy window
4 June 2008
The main character, the so-called Idiot goes back into life and his family, after being isolated and (mis)treated in an asylum.There too good or too naive he finds himself in the middle of people too busy with their lives,loves and sex affairs, but his fresh and unique approach about things is going to change them and make them decisions, that they wouldn't do otherwise.Nothing really special is happening in this movie, the story is thin, but the Czech atmosphere, the good looking and efficient actors and nice personality of the main guy make it really attaching with that little twist to show it differently,...... like watching life going by through an icy window.I bought that DVD in Prague without knowing anything and was pleasantly surprised, it reminds me of a certain European cinema, with some more experience the director could be doing some really interesting things. The music, repetitive but brings an atmosphere to the movie.
Special
(2006)
magic with minor defaults
6 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I just saw SPECIAL!, at the BIFFF (Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film), it is a good film. A guy trapped in his everyday life as a low class police agent and his passion for Comic books and their super heroes. Depressed (or completely manic depressive) we see the story through his eyes and his voice explains what happens, under medical advise, he tries a new medication that supposes to cure his mental problems but in fact enhances his super powers ( flying or more like levitation, telepathy, intangibility,...) or so it seems until we see what other characters notice; meaning nothing... or the hero walking to a wall,banging on it, falling on the floor then getting up after some minutes with a broken nose and sure that he went through it and back. The scene could be hilarious, it is just funny, not because it doesn't work but more because it does work:
it is so well done that you are with the main character: embarrassed for him; that kind of sweet and sour humour, dark comedy. It follows the "classic rules" of a comic book (hero discovers his powers, hero battles small crimes and experiments, hero in love, hero and his main nemesis). Like that, this movie is "just on the edge", it walks the thin line between comedy and drama, action and fantasy and it is working most of the time. Then you wonder how it will end,such a delicate treatment needs an appropriate ending; I wont say anything about that, just that after an hour, the movie is still good but loses it originality and repeats a bit itself ...the end is OK but not as good as the rest of the film.
For me all that prevents the motion picture to score better. I just mentioned the small details that are negative because the rest of the movie (and most of it) is great, low key and low budget but clearly the directors knew that and didn't try to do stuff that wouldn't work on screen. The positive points : the acting mainly Michael Rapaport, the screenplay and the music.
it is so well done that you are with the main character: embarrassed for him; that kind of sweet and sour humour, dark comedy. It follows the "classic rules" of a comic book (hero discovers his powers, hero battles small crimes and experiments, hero in love, hero and his main nemesis). Like that, this movie is "just on the edge", it walks the thin line between comedy and drama, action and fantasy and it is working most of the time. Then you wonder how it will end,such a delicate treatment needs an appropriate ending; I wont say anything about that, just that after an hour, the movie is still good but loses it originality and repeats a bit itself ...the end is OK but not as good as the rest of the film.
For me all that prevents the motion picture to score better. I just mentioned the small details that are negative because the rest of the movie (and most of it) is great, low key and low budget but clearly the directors knew that and didn't try to do stuff that wouldn't work on screen. The positive points : the acting mainly Michael Rapaport, the screenplay and the music.
Brokeback Mountain
(2005)
pretty good movie,wonderful characters but no masterpiece here
27 February 2006
These comments are my analysis of the movie and its different scenes so SPOILER WARNING..........
we saw brokeback mountain, yesterday mhhhhh....I was probably expecting too much after all the hype around it well it is a good movie, but far from the masterpiece everybody declare... it is probably more 'revolutionary" for the American public as it is a gay cowboy story... Not a lot of the emotional moments touched me...is it Oscar material? definitely for the performance of Heath Ledger (Ennis Del Mar) but for the director, not sure.I think there are problems with the direction and edition of the movie, or maybe not problems but things that I don't like : the way Ennis learned about Jacks death, there is no emotion there...a shame ... now analyzing both personalities: jack clearly "is" gay, he is hungry for feelings and sex and as Ennis doesn't give him enough , he goes elsewhere to find them (male whore in Mexico, cheating on his wife with another woman and maybe even the bearded character,...) Ennis clearly has difficulty in showing and accepting any feelings for jack or other people (his wife, the barmaid,his daughter,..) so all his life he is like waiting for someone, something .The best scene for (emotionnally speaking) is when they met again years after their first encounter. Ennis waiting nervously playing with his laughter, his happy smile seeing his friend again (rare for him) and the kisses and hugs that they can't restrain....
we saw brokeback mountain, yesterday mhhhhh....I was probably expecting too much after all the hype around it well it is a good movie, but far from the masterpiece everybody declare... it is probably more 'revolutionary" for the American public as it is a gay cowboy story... Not a lot of the emotional moments touched me...is it Oscar material? definitely for the performance of Heath Ledger (Ennis Del Mar) but for the director, not sure.I think there are problems with the direction and edition of the movie, or maybe not problems but things that I don't like : the way Ennis learned about Jacks death, there is no emotion there...a shame ... now analyzing both personalities: jack clearly "is" gay, he is hungry for feelings and sex and as Ennis doesn't give him enough , he goes elsewhere to find them (male whore in Mexico, cheating on his wife with another woman and maybe even the bearded character,...) Ennis clearly has difficulty in showing and accepting any feelings for jack or other people (his wife, the barmaid,his daughter,..) so all his life he is like waiting for someone, something .The best scene for (emotionnally speaking) is when they met again years after their first encounter. Ennis waiting nervously playing with his laughter, his happy smile seeing his friend again (rare for him) and the kisses and hugs that they can't restrain....
the between the 2 genre doesn't work
21 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I saw the movie in world premiere at the Brussels Fantasy Film Festival, everybody here knows the story about the canned version and replacement, I haven't seen R Harlin's version so I can't compare. The feeling before the movie, was because the fans were so shocked we have to like Schrader's version, well it is hard to do that. Let's skip the sfx that couldn't be finished in post production.First it appears to long and tedious sometimes, OK if we put on the side the editing problem (let's say he couldn't work on that either).The best moments are schrader's moments, psychological tension, the prelude piece and the ....SPOILER..... massacre of the children in the school...for the rest u go from unrealistic situations (the beggar is possessed,violent but the priest leaves the nurse alone to go and get his book, helloooooooooo) to yawning and stupid (the final battle completely uneventful).I saw it once thats good, but I wont see it again...always Not a good sign for me
The Invisible
(2002)
a new original take on fantasy classic
20 March 2003
Without revealing too much or nothing at all, let's just say that the theme is a big classic of the fantasy cinema but we are presented here with a completely new twist and it works so wonderfully; with no money the director chose another road and it's amazing; I saw it at the Brussels fantasy film festival and I should have congratulate the director; and to add even more pleasure to the vision of this movie , we don't have a Hollywood-feel-good-everybody is happy ending, thats so good and different!
The Gathering
(2002)
good idea but....
20 March 2003
as it is a fantasy movie, revealing too many secrets can be a bad thing; let's just say that the original idea is quite good but the treatment is so classic, following the usual traps of that kind of movie; a disappointment.
eXistenZ
(1999)
game and organic
27 October 2002
A bit "the movie in the movie" case, or as the theme is virtual game here, which is the reality or even more frightening which reality is the "real" one.As any Cronenberg there are organic things, like the pod and that wonderful idea:the organic gun, a weapon made of bones and tissues that shoots teeth. If there are some slower moments, the sets, designs and ideas are there with some thoughts of revolution. Can be not liked because the way the movie is happening is quite unusual and sometimes disturbing, but it's definitely worth it.
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