Change Your Image
Novirasputin
Reviews
Master i Margarita (2005)
Excellent tribute to the book by Bulgakov
OK i read this book and was curious to see the movie to see what they would.
I had seen many Russian series before this and was generally unimpressed as i think they spent all the money on the cars and not anything else.
Furthermore Goblin and a few other reviewers and critics i read were generally so so on it.
So i was incredibly surprised to find how well they pulled this off. Its not an issue of "accuracy" (even though an acquaintances mother who is a teacher of literature in Russia and read this 20 times cover to cover was very satisfied) it is an issue of originality. The black and white to color switches, the acting, the actors, the music i found it really well done as well it should be since it is so well loved in Russia.
Really they put in the effort and i was generally pleased with the result. Again not due to "accuracy" or inaccuracy, as that is impossible to do with certain films but with the originality and what i thought was quality film making.
Btw, when Kot Begemot turned into the guy who plays Stira in ShtrafBat, my jaw dropped seeing as that was the person with the "cat eyes" who i pictured when i read Master and Bulgakov described him.
10 stars is an understatement.
Urod (1993)
An "Eccentric Comedy", about a person that is born fully grown, and with the ability to mimic anything he hears,reads, or sees. With Joanna Stingray and Nikita Vysotskii.
Very good film from Russia, that i picked up awhile ago. The only reason i got it was because i recognized the actors, Nikita Vysotskii (Vladimir Vysotskii's son) and Joanna Stingray(only know her because she was friends with Victor Tsoy). Anyways the plot is kind of simple to follow, and the jokes don't fall far behind, but still very funny. "Urod"(Vysotskii) is a baby that is born as a full grown adult (The mom just has a big stomach ). He has an uncanny ability to mimic anything he reads or sees, which is why the police think he might be dangerous (by this time he has escaped from the hospital) since he might read a book about nuclear bombs. So anything Urod will read or see he will mimic, and that is what the writers use to full effect and where most of the jokes are. Acting is top notch, because the actors make the eccentricities believable no matter how strange they would seem in the real world. Definitely recommended