Here we go again, Glazer's introductory black screen again, so right from the start it will be another film of his where the main sense put into operation will not be mainly sight but rather hearing. In fact, shortly thereafter we will understand that the constant annoying noise in the background is none other than the new incinerator, self-cooling and efficient. We hear the incessant crying of a newborn who lacks the healthy affection of a mother who is too busy choosing a heating system suitable for the cold Nordic winter, the best furs, perfumes, finding hidden diamonds. She wants to go to Italy, to that SPA, now she is a classy woman, an important woman, she is the queen of Auschwitz, that's what Rudy calls her while she cheats with poisonous blood and while together with her children she suffers burns caused by a strange ash transported in large quantities from the idyllic river, where on its quiet banks you can relax, fish and sunbathe. We could continue endlessly in this absurd juxtaposition of an atrocious historical moment for humanity and we also sense that this constant absurdity is inherent in that sequel. Another train has arrived, we hear some shots, dogs barking, soldiers shouting at anguished people, we feel their suffering penetrating our soul, other shots while the screen has now turned red. Grimm's fairy tales, letters from prisoners that pierce the spirit, a surreal black and white negative shows little Brigitte, subterfuge, spreading sweets in the work camps on nights with flashes similar to Dante's infernos. I find the correct choice to tell this horror by giving priority to the auditory background since no cinematic image will ever be able to define and give justice to the reality that happened there, to the over 5 million people who unfortunately passed through there, just a stone's throw away, beyond the wall of the little family's flower garden genetically perfect... Thanks Glazer. Unforgettable.
Reviews
18 Reviews
9/11: One Day in America
(2021)
Realistic way
4 October 2021
I was thirty when it happened. I remember witnessing the terrible tragedy in front of the TV through the media information. The enormous scale of this catastrophe and the influence of the media subsequently pushed me towards confused and gloomy reflections. After seeing this extraordinary document I can better perceive the terrible atmosphere of that day in a different and realistic way. The direct audio and first-person testimonials, have completely catapulted me into the World Trade Center making me breathe the dust and debris. The acts of heroism and the misfortune of those who were really on the spot sparked an anguish never felt before in the depths of my soul. I cried with my son for the duration of this very sad piece of human history. R. I. P. Angels.
Another shattered glass
25 February 2021
This time to break is the screen of an ultra-modern tablet of total monitoring that a teenage girl smashes in the head of a mother who does not want to understand her own business. I don't argue that this should be an example for other teenagers but, let's face it, he deserved it!
Nomadland
(2020)
Modern ethical
2 January 2021
The personal state of mind when watching a movie is also important in determining the positive or negative experience about it. The advice for this work of authorship is that of a serene approach without expecting more than it is. Nomadland could be translated as nowhere where the opposite is everywhere. The reference therefore involves people who no longer have their own land, their own house forced to survive a continuous pilgrimage. This phenomenon occurs not only in those corners of the earth where per capita incomes cause hunger and misery to suffer, but it also occurs in those places painted as happy islands. The exploration of this territory highlights the conditions relating to the attainment of this status such as the loss of family support or a job, terminal illnesses and counter-current thoughts, contradicting modern ethical standards. At the helm of this analysis we have a talented young emerging director assisted by an excellent and veteran actress as usual in a complete state of grace who describe this martyrdom revealing the most intimate side of these unfortunate lives but at the same time endowed with immense generosity arousing in this way strong emotions mixed with anger for the absurd impotence and indifference of the current Western society towards them. A film with excellent photography, beautiful editing and a sensitive soundtrack. Current and recommended.
Soul
(2020)
Pete Docter surpasses himself
26 December 2020
Soul is not just a simple literal term as it preserves a transcendental content connected with the pure essence of life. Soul is not just a specific type of sound since the connections to it concern a multitude of musical genres. Starting from the metaphor and analyzing the Pixar trope, it generates yet another masterpiece with a unique and sublime visual impact. The depth of the writing, the sensational animation techniques, the sublime aesthetic design and of course the soundtrack elevates this film to the maximum. Pete Docter surpasses himself in the representation of the graphic style and reaches its peak by brilliantly painting a powerful message full of passion towards life and the achievement of one's dreams. The highly inspired Foxx and Fay are also magnetic. Having seen the wonderful Wolfwalkers before I thought that to win the Oscar Soul it would have to be perfect in every respect. Well, it seems that this condition has occurred and as has already happened in the recent past, the unfortunate Cartoon Saloon team will find on its way an unparalleled and unattainable artistic expression from my point of view.
BLOODEN BOTTLE NECK
3 August 2020
I love the horror genre especially for the great difficulty of obtaining a good final result. Well this movie did it. One of the most disturbing I have ever seen, there are all the elements that modern horror should contain. The brilliant writing still very current despite the date of its release, the good use of color, the decisive hand of the direction and the performances of the cast are of the highest level. Especially enchanting is the main role played by Wang, in a state of grace. He is formidable for the duration of the film, in which he sports a body language of other times, almost like in the times of silent film. The facial expressions of the protagonist, the wide eyes and his movements in the carnage will remain indelible for a long time in your mind. The linear temporal narration of the film culminating in the final flashback is another good point in favor of this film. Furthermore, this small masterpiece contains brilliant ideas during the very bloody scenes, the blood that splashes, the slaughter of the bodies, the tortures are presented in a particular way and some tracking shots in the massacre sets are superb. I will never forget the broken half bottle that spouts blood stuck in the neck of one of the many victims. Super Horror.
Dog of Fortune
(1979)
10/10
23 July 2020
Excellent, impossible to forget. In addition to a well-built script full of twists and turns, the film features an excellent, perfectly characterized cast, good cinematography and a soundtrack with perfect jazz funk fusion rhythms. The mix of political intrigue with the attached police investigations combined with the daring adventures of an exceptional and never domine dog, as the nature of the species wants, is very interesting and original. Japanese cinema manages numerous times to give the viewer fantastic moments, I personally loved Antarctica (1983) and then Woman in the dunes (1964), Kuroneko (1968), Onibaba (1964), Kwaidan (1964). Cure (1997) The Twilight Samurai (2002), Little Forest: (2014) (2015), One Cut of the Dead (2017) and many others such as the classics of Kurosawa, Kitano, Mike, Ozu, precisely Kobayashi, animation Myazaki and numerous manga, including the samurai sagas of Ogami and Zatoichi. This film, as far as I'm concerned, is therefore one of the best ever seen in the filmography so far seen of the Japanese country, which is why I attributed a full 10/10 to it.
1945
(2017)
I cried for them
29 January 2020
A very powerful and moving drama. A perfect illustration of human greed. The cinematography of Ferenc Török's team is technically perfect, the authoritative script, well-made costumes and the highly suggestive musical outline. A description of how the infamities perpetrated in the course of life are paid at a high price, on the one hand the devastated Jewish people and on the other those who wanted to take advantage in the bloody period of the war and the territory of none of the material possessions without any mercy. In conclusion, everyone pays, without exception, those who have lost their loved ones in the death camps and those who have lost them for their cruelty. The movements of the camera, the perspectives, the points of view and the objects in the frame are of high school and the film is shot in a beautiful and very clean black and white. The ending is masterful and I think that in my mind the images of the black smoke of the train that can be combined with the lives killed in the crematoria of the Nazi prison camps will never be erased, I cried for them. Magnificent work of art.
The She-Butterfly
(1973 TV Movie)
Tradition and folklore not to be missed!
10 October 2019
I had already reviewed other beautiful films like: Kozijat rog (1972) and Vuk samotnjak (1972) from the Balkans and somehow linked to this film, this is another one that my personal praise deserves. Another great film coming from the Balkans. A horror film based on the purest folkloric tradition of those countries. The setting is fantastic, the mountain landscape is portrayed so perfectly that it seems to breathe the air. The sound work is masterful both for the live recording and for the work done during the editing phase. The hand of the director is sure and well directed the talented protagonists during the scenes. The leading actress has a disarming beauty and seems wrapped in a halo of magnetism. The writing of the good Milovan Glisic is well adapted by the same director Djordje Kadijevic for this TV show. A simple and nice story that in a fairytale way transports us into the darkness of horror and into the sphere of vampirism. A rarity that is a must see for lovers of the genre and will leave them satisfied. Original!
The Laplace's Demon
(2017)
This makes me feel proud to be Italian!
28 September 2019
I write from Italy and I do it proudly after witnessing this good Italian product. Certainly you can breathe the air of the most famous films played by Karloff in the glorious past years and this script cannot be compared to those wonderful masterpieces. Nevertheless I can say that overall the film of this film has many points in its favor: the well-represented Gothic style, the cleanliness of the images helped by CGI, the play of light and shadow and the wonderful work on sound surrounded by beautiful music. still make it a great product. The suspense is not lacking, not even the mystery and the viewer is kept with the right tension for the duration. Certainly the interpretations are not those of the American sacred monsters and some holes in writing are noted, as well as the lack of special effects. All in all my assessment of this little gem remains high and makes me feel proud to be Italian.
Wonder of wonders!
25 September 2019
Fantastic animated film. It rarely happens to come across such rare beauty films, so I feel really lucky to have witnessed this vision. Dafoe's classic writing reaches its highest cinematic level from my point of view here. The authors have created something magical that will remain in the history of this art. I imagine, seen and considered in what era proodotto was, the immense effort to finish such a job. The stop motion animation I believe has never been taken care of as in this case, the only one that could approach such quality in this technique could be Nick Park. This incredible film enters every child's imagination as a well-aimed arrow. From the first frames you are transported to something unique and the fantastic adventure of the famous sailor takes on so real contours that for what I have seen so far on this topic it has no equal. The right proportions, the flora and fauna masterfully executed, the characterization of the characters, the friendship of a dog and subsequently with the parrot and the native Friday is exemplary. In addition, the film touches very high points in some scenes such as: the shipwreck, the rainy season, the indigenous dance in the rite of cannibalism and many others are truly unforgettable. For almost the entire duration you forget to watch an animated film, it's all so real that you seem to experience this wonderful adventure with the protagonists. I could stay here to praise this production indefinitely. Thanks for this to Stanislav Látal.
The Color Out of Space
(2010)
Slow burning but great movie
24 September 2019
Although the script is not entirely original but taken from a Lovecraft script, the work of directing and photography make this product excellent. The film on which hovers a veil of mystery along its entire length attracts the viewer hypnotically through the inclined and caledoscopic eye of the camera. Interesting the chemical and geological elements present as well as the psychological cues analyzed by the director, depression, madness and catalepsy are optimally interpreted by the protagonists. Perhaps the only slightly out of tune is the slow pace and the absence of twists that subdue slightly. Beautiful use of black and white and excellent stereophony as well as good music. A strongly recommended film.
Another South Korean film not to be missed!
4 June 2019
Wonderful! I write in this film but my thought and praise concerns all contemporary South Korean cinema. The mastery of the screenplay shown over the last 30 years is truly commendable and has given new life and freshness to this wonderful art, which in the rest of the planet was now fossilized. So good are the Asians who with great courage, moving away from the usual clichés, have managed to pull themselves out of a quagmire that has become vicious.
This film is an example of it, like the countless masterpieces created and produced in these decades.
The sensitivity of the writing in an action and violent film like this is the usual trademark of the Koreans who introduce and develop the characters, both good and bad, characterizing them in a sweet and often moving way, this in absolute their best value.
After all, as usual, the film is intense, formidable rhythm, clean photography and well-constructed post-modern scenographies.
In short, another South Korean film not to be missed!
Vuk samotnjak
(1972)
This time it's the boy who gets the bullet for the dog
28 May 2019
Fabulous adventure and compelling story make up this rushing masterpiece of the dog / man genre. The simplicity of the story with its ancestral contours perfectly frames the Yugoslav mountain community of the 70s. The animal-man friendship leans towards the boy who arrives to the extreme to save the "beast" so feared by local folklore. Work for the heart that will cheer the spectators.
TOP!
20 May 2019
If in the first two episodes a sort of storyline could be seen, that of personal revenge in the first and of the rules of the caste in the second, but here everything is replaced by pure adrenaline and formidable action without any sort of plot, only a memorable countdown . All this makes this film one of the most beautiful of its kind, the struggles, the chases, the shootings, the martial arts are conducted with absolute mastery surrounded by truly fantastic scenery. Reeves is handed over for the umpteenth time to the Olympus of cinema. TOP!
Shéhérazade
(2018)
A jewel of modern neo-realism!
15 May 2019
I write while I'm moved after seeing this great movie. A jewel of modern neo-realism very well done, editing, photography, dialogues and above all the performance of the young protagonist are really excellent. The gangster story in the first two acts is really tense, moreover full of desolation and misery. The surprising and courageous ending, on the other hand, tightens the heart and leaves room for true love against all expectations, against the will of all, at the high price of suffering the consequent repercussions. A redemption that proves to be the only way out. the salvation that projects the boy to mutation, to adult transformation.
Seconds
(1966)
Ode to John
16 June 2018
John Frankenheimer hallucinated sci-fi thriller director I had the pleasure of meeting at Hotel Imperiale Cipriani in Venice in September 1998 where he presented Ronin. Professionally I took care of the transport of his luggage (8 giant trunks) to Los Angeles, while he and his wife would leave for Japan. I have not seen many of his films but after watching this masterpiece I think I will continue with his filmography. I thought of him as a very classic director of action films, detective films, Hollywood and spectacular instead here from all the essence of a very high artistic, visionary, symbolic and introspective ability of which I did not imagine minimally with juxtapositions to German expressionism and tributes to pagan art. Hudson gives the best of himself in a performance of yesteryear, while the whole film is still very topical today compared to the time of creation, especially in the scene of the wine festival. Superlative film of which I recommend the vision to the most experienced. Masterly photography. View version in original audio in blu ray quality 1080p probably a restoration and I believe not cut from the censorship. 9
Don't Breathe
(2016)
Sam Raimi's hand
20 April 2017
Shocking Thriller where suspense can almost touch, a breathless movie. Great rhythm, amazing screenplay, use of highlights and shadows as well as the color palette used by wise photography. A few dialogues and a lot of action. Sam Raimi's hand in production can be seen here. Good cast.
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