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Review: Funny Games U.S. (2007)

“Funny Games U.S.” is a thriller remake by by Michael Haneke (who also made the original) starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet. A family settles into their new home, but things take an ugly turn when two psychopathic, articulate, young men take them hostage.

The plot is not really anything unheard of; an innocent person/family is held hostage by a sadistic killer who systematically abuses and terrorizes his victims for his own twisted pleasure, while the victim tries to run away. Horror and thriller movies love this kind of storyline, however “Funny Games” takes it to another level, when it comes to showing the audience a much more realistic rundown on how something like this could actually go down. And that’s what makes the film nerve-wracking and intense - it’s eerie and realistic portrayal of victim and victimizer.

Haneke starts the film with classical music and some beautiful, peaceful shots of this posh neighborhood where the family is going to stay for a few days. The parents play a game - guess the song. The family meet their neighbors/friends, accompanied by two boys, and greet them, little do they know, the boys in white would soon visit them as well. They set up the boat, so they can go fishing later. The family immediately notices that something is strange about the neighbors behavior and the boys in white, their dog keeps on barking at them as well.

The camera often stays still on one shot, while things are happening. You want to see what else is going around the shots but the director decides how much and when you get to see it. He’s sort of playing with us too. Sometimes you wonder, whether those benign scenes have a deeper meaning or will be important later on in the film, basically foreshadowing things.

Watts as Ann is the most suspicious one in the family and doesn’t quite trust the boys in white, while Roth, who plays George, stays mellow. I should also mention Devon Gearhart, who plays the son Georgie. One of the boys comes over to borrow eggs and really gets on Ann’s nerves by being super clumsy. While the other boy invites himself over and borrows her golf clubs, with which he kills the dog off-screen (the barking suddenly stops). Eventually Ann has enough of the intruders and tells them to leave. It’s a really long sequence setting up the pace for whats to come.

Things escalate when the boys refuse to leave without the eggs, which at this point is obviously not what they came over for. A physical fight erupts and the family is taken hostage in their own home, while they’re still pleading for the boys to just leave them alone. However their sadistic game has just begun. I could go into details of the horror and torture they put the family through, but I don’t see the point of that. Just know that it’s mentally and physically exhausting. What they make the family do to each other is, from a psychological point of view, interesting and probably what motivates the boys in white - how far can we go with this? If you can’t watch those type of films, “Funny Games” is not for you.

The acting is great, especially by Naomi Watts and Michael Pitt, so is the writing and directing, but I’d still recommend watching the original German version from 1997 by Michael Haneke first. I’m not sure why he thought it was necessary to remake his film, but thanks to the huge similarities between the movies, some scenes were recreated shot by shot, it’s an interesting way to compare how one can make the same movie twice and have so many people prefer one version over the other. You will probably be biased and prefer one over the other too.

Trailer:

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Review: James Dean (2001)

"James Dean” is a biopic starring James Franco, Michael Moriarty, Enrico Colantoni and Valentina Cervi. Not only does Franco look like Dean, he managed to show us the inner conflicts he had with himself, the bad relationship with his father, his love to Pier Angeli and how he became the rising star in film.

This is a made for TV movie and often feels that way. The cinematography, editing, music and the lighting is subpar so don’t expect a masterpiece, but James Dean delivered a great performance which earned him his first Golden Globe.

The movie tells the James Dean story in a linear fashion, starting with his childhood and progressing through his tumultuous (and short) Hollywood career until his untimely death. Although James Dean made only 3 movies (East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant), he was able to make waves along with Marlon Brando and surely would’ve made many more powerful movies if he hadn’t passed away.

This film is showing us a glimpse into his life and what we see is rather tragic. He had a bad childhood, a desperate need for approval from his father, was sexually harassed when he tried to become an actor, fell in love with a girl whose mother couldn’t stand him etc. But of course there were also good things, his friendship with Elia Kazan for example. If you’re a James Dean fan, you’ll like this one for sure.

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Review: My Girl (1991)

Vada is surrounded by death. Her mother is dead, and her father runs a funeral parlor. She also has a best friend who is ‘allergic to everything’. “My Girl” is a precious coming of age movie starring Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin, Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd.

“My Girl” really shines thanks to the two kid stars Culkin and Chlumsky. Their pure innocence and chemistry is really good. Vada’s mother died two days after she was born and her father runs a funeral home inside their own home. This has turned the little girl into a  hypochondriac. The only person who really get her is her best freind Thomas, who wants to marry her in case Vada is no longer in her teacher. It’s pretty cute puppy love. They go biking together and takl about life, as if they know anything about life yet.

After her dad meets a new woman who works as cosmetologist at the parlor, Vada gets jealous and tries to separate the two with childish antics and little success. Her grandma has Alzheimer’s but can still deliver some old hit songs, well at the most inappropriate times. The movie really has a charming setting and as you watch those kids grow up over the summer, you are reminded of your own childhood.

And then something tragic happens and Vada has to learn to accept the hurt of life. The movie pays full respect to her loss; there isn't a hasty and emotional ending, but a conclusion that shows how Vada makes her accommodation with loss - and a scene within which a deep truth is spoken.

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Review: Jarhead (2005)

An impressive war movie by Sam Mendes, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard and Lucas Black. The Gulf War breaks out in the early 1990′s and we follow US Marines from the beginning till the end of the war.

Anthony Swofford (Gyllenhaal) enlists to join the Marines, he becomes a sniper and joins other soldiers in Saudi Arabia after war breaks out in 1990. We follow the men, that includes Sgt. Sykes, D.I. Fitch, Alan Troy and Chris Kruger, for  175 days. On most days the men are just bored and try to find ways to prank each other. On other days, the danger feels very real and you almost panic because of what could happen in the next moment.

The movie feels realistic for the most part, probably because the story is based on Anthony Swofford’s autobiography “Jarhead” (that's what the Marines call themselves because of their shaved skulls). What I found interesting is that the men exist in a country they don't understand and fight against an enemy they can't see. War really is a pointless, horrific shit show and this movie is not hiding that fact.

The cinematography is excellent, the dessert looks beautiful but never ending. The bombings, the burning oil, the horses, it’s really well shot. The soldiers are either bored or have to fear for their life, there is no in between. The culture shock is severe and the locals don’t want them there, ‘protecting’ them. Many think the US is the enemy and the more time goes by, the less do the soldiers understand why they are even in that dessert fighting for the freedom of people, who hate them.

I should mention, that the film borrows quite a bit from "Full Metal Jacket".  For example when Anthony has to endure verbal abuse from his drill sergeant or the absurdity of the training ritual. The movie drags a bit towards the end, but the ride is absolutely worth it. You get a spectacular war movie with some light and some heavy moments as well as great performances across the board.

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Review: Gran Torino (2008)

Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring himself as old, bitter, Korean War vet Walt Kowalski, who can’t get along with either his kids or his neighbors. When his neighbor Thao, a young Hmong teenager tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth.

I remember not liking Eastwood’s various growl sounds he makes when he plays a grumpy character, well he makes them even more in this film. Walt Kowalski is a former Ford employee and Korean War vet, who drives a Gran Torino. He’s old unsociable, racist, and he doesn’t seem to get along with anyone since his wife died. 

Many of his old neighbors moved to better neighborhoods and several immigrants such as Hmongs moved there instead. Walt doesn't like them and insults them with racial slurs. However, one boy named Thao tries to steal his Gran Torino one day, Walt stops him then protects him from the gang who is bullying him and his friends, which in turn makes him a hero for the neighbors.

Thao’s family is trying to thank Walt and it seems that things are slowly changing for Walt, since he finally found people he cares about and who care about him again. He even teaches Thao about cars. The gang that was harassing the boy isn’t stopping because of one old white man though, so everyone has to continue to watch their backs. Unfortunately Thao’s sister Sue gets beat up and raped by some gang members and Walt promises to take revenge, because in his head, he’s the only one who can help. But also because the family is too scared to go to the police.

While there were many elements in this film I didn’t like, I can’t say it wasn’t a realistic portrait of and old, bitter war vet who hates everyone. “Gran Torino” is one of his Clint Eastwood’s better movies. The sacrifices he makes for this Asian family were a bit surprising but I guess Clint needed his white savior redemption arc.

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Review: Not Another Teen Movie (2001)

“Not Another Teen Movie” is starring Chris Evans in his debut role, Chyler Leigh, Jaime Pressly and Eric Christian Olsen. Spoofing a few well known teen movies from the past years, this film sometimes succeeds but most times disappoints with too raunchy comedy.

For context, in the late 90′s there was a boom for teen movies and seemingly every year dozens of them were being produced. Those movies were pretty formulaic since the 80′s, so this film used the formula and their unrealistic plot points, such as the most popular boy at school falling for the weird girl etc. and gives us a wacky comedy.

It’s nice to see someone making fun of the all the clichés: the nerdy girl turning into the hot girl by taking off her glasses, stereotyped characters that would never be friends but somehow are, the best friend in love with the other friend who’s in love with the popular kid, token black guy, none of the actors actually are teenagers, etc. you get the point. This film is definitely funnier if you know those teen movies they are spoofing like “She’s All That”, “Cruel Intentions” or “Pretty in Pink”.

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Review: Indecent Proposal (1993)

Based on Jack Engelhard’s novel “Indecent Proposal”, starring Robert Redford, Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson. Director Adrian Lyne, who also gave us movies like Fatal Attraction, Nine 1/2 Weeks, Lolita or Flashdance, did a good (not great) job, in showing us the power of money and love.

The young married couple David and Diana dream of having their own house. But recession is making it hard for them. He works as architect and she is a real-estate broker. To buy their dream house they need money, so they go to Las Vegas in hope to win big (what could fo wrong, right?).

They go to Vegas and things actually are working out nicely, they win a bunch of money and celebrate. A billionaire named John Gage (Redford) has his eyes on Diana since he saw her earlier at a store inside the casino. She was trying on dresses knowing she couldn’t afford them, so Gage offered to buy them for her, to which she said, that the dress might be on sale but she wasn’t, basically shooting down his advances.

The next day the couple loses all their money at the roulette table again. Gage is playing poker on the other side, the two watch him play and Gage asks if he could borrow his wife for luck. Diana walks over to him and he ends up losing. Then he asks her for one more game at a dice table, where he bets $1 million and wins. He invites them to his party where Gage and Diana talk about money and love, and how you can’t buy people and real affection. Gage ends up offering the couple a million dollars for a night with Diana, to prove his point.

David can’t believe this incident proposal and says no, but both of them can’t sleep that night and end up discussing what they could do with all that money. After Diana agrees to it, since they really what that house, they sign a contract, Gage and Diana fly by helicopter to his yacht and spend the night together. David regrets the deal but it’s too late.

The couple gets their money but Gage already bought their dream house and the two are devastated. Their marriage is falling apart because of trust issues and jealousy. Gage comes back into the picture and tries to get Diana to leave her husband and stay with him, since he really fell in love with her, which kinda works. But then we get another plot twist I’d rather not give it away. It’s a fun and entertaining movie if you don’t take it too seriously, and attempts to answer the question, whether you can actually buy love.

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Review: Atonement (2007)

Film adaption of Ian McEwan’s novel “Atonement”, starring Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan, James McAvoy, Juno Temple, Brenda Blethyn and Benedict Cumberbatch. Robbie Turner works for the Tallis family, he starts a relationship with one of the daughters but then is accused of a horrible crime which he didn’t commit by the sister.

The film consists of three parts that are linked by flashbacks. They take place in an English country estate in the mid-1930s, in London and in the Franco-Belgian war zone in 1939-1940 during the Second World War, and in a television studio in the late 1990s.

Part one starts with Briony Tallis writing a novel and watching her sister Cecilia and the gardener Robbie fight outside the window. At least that’s what she believes. The audience then gets to see Cecilia’s perspective of what actually happened, and Robbie was in reality being clumsy. He accidentally breaks Cecilia's vase, a piece of it falls in the well. She tries to get the shard back but of course gets her clothes wet. You can see her underwear, Robbie being embarrassed looks away and apologizes, while Cecilia quickly walks away.

Later we meet Leon and his friend Paul Marshall, who is flirting with Lola the young cousin of the sisters. Robbie writes a letter to Cecilia apologizing for his mishap. But in another letter he writes his sexual desires for Cecilia. Only the first, official version is intended for Cecilia. By mistake he puts the second version in the envelope and hands it to Briony to deliver it to her sister. Briony, curious because of the situation observed at the well, opens the envelope and reads the letter and thinks Robbie is dangerous. After Cecilia gets the letter, she and Robbie talk, confess their love to each other in the library and have sex, which Briony sees.

In the evening two kids are missing and Paul Marshall suggests to look for them with search parties. Briony also searches the area with a lamp. Here she finds Lola having sex with a man who runs away, declaring she does not know who attacked her. After the family calls the police, Briony lies to them and accuses Robbie as perpetrator, whom she surely recognized. Cecilia tells the police that they must not believe everything her sister tells them. As Robbie returns with the twins he found during the search, he is arrested and driven away.

In part two Robbie gets the option to either stay in prison or go to war, he decides to become a soldier. In France he is separated from his troop and makes his way with two comrades to the coast of Dunkirk. Cecilia and her sister work as nurses, Cecilia still believes Robbie is innocent and Briony is starting to realize what grave mistake she had committed. We get a flashback of what Briony really saw that night and it was Paul Marshall who had sex with Lola, who later get married. Briony apologies to the couple, but neither Cecilia nor Robbie are prepared to forgive her. Robbie demands that she write the true story to her parents, and in an act of atonement she eventually does. That’s in the third part.

“Atonement” impressed me with the beautiful cinematography, unfortunately not that many movies take time for so many details. Of course the story is good, and so was the acting, especially Ronan as young Briony. However, the movie dragged a bit too much in certain scenes (especially the war scenes), plus they tried to jampack everything towards the lackluster end.

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Review: Little Children (2006)

“Little Children” is a 2006 American drama directed by Todd Field, based on Tom Perrotta’s novel. It stars Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley, Noah Emmerich, and Phyllis Somerville. What happens when adults start behaving like children?

“Little Children” deserves a place as one of the best movies of the 2000s decade. A wonderful piece of cinema with great acting, outstanding cinematography and of course a wonderful script. Throughout the movie there is a narrator voice popping out every now and then, reminding us that Little Children was originally a novel, but I believe even people that dislike narrations in movies will not be too bothered by it. It ads a nice vibe to the storytelling.

The story, or maybe I should say stories, play in a small town where Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson and Jennifer Connelly find themselves in a whirlwind affair and Jackie Earle Haley’s character, a registered sex offender, is causing an uproar. The suburbs are quiet, peaceful and normal on the outside, but behind closed doors marriages are falling apart, affairs begin and a disgraced ex-police officer is hunting a sex offender. The title of the film is rather ambiguous and can be interpreted in different ways, since it’s the adults in this movie, that are acting out like little children, but also the kids who need to be protected from the adults around them.

Sarah and Brad are both married, but not happy. She’s not happy because her husband is more interested in other women he finds online, he’s unhappy because his wife wants him to become a lawyer and climb up the social ladder, a dream he would rather give up. Both of them meet in a park, where Sarah is somewhat treated as an outcast by the other moms, but once Brad shows up with his son and notices Sarah things start to change for the better. Eventually the two become friends then start a delicate affair, using their own kids as an excuse to go on dates at the public pool in town. Of course both have to lie and keep up the illusion, but Brad’s wife, played by Jennifer Connelly, is starting to notice a change in her husband.

Besides Sarah and Brad, the other main plot of the movie is about the registered sex offender Ronnie, who got out of prison and is living with his elderly mom. The entire neighborhood feels uncomfortable with him around, especially after he shows up at the public pool, where a lot of children are playing. On the forefront of the revolt against Ronnie is Larry, played by Noah Emmerich, who takes things too far on more than one occasion. We get a glimpse of why Ronnie was arrested, we get a glimpse of how his mother is trying to help him get better, we get a glimpse of how Ronnie is suffering from his own demons and we get a glimpse of how parents feel responsible even for the the worst things their adult children do. Everything is told with few words but strong imagery.

Little Children is a story of kids turned adults, who are shaped by society and have to figure out how to fit in. They have children and must decide what’s best for them. We are confronted with a mother, who loves her child, even though she knows he’s attracted to young girls. We see how a mother and a father forget for a moment, but still, forget that their kids have to come before their own desire to start a new life. At times suffocating and at times liberating, Little Children does a great job showcasing fleshed out characters, that feel real and vulnerable. The color pallet that director Todd Field cleverly used is either vibrant green, red, blue or so dark you can barely see what is happening in those suburbian shadows. I loved every minute of this unfortunately rarely mentioned gem of cinema.

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Review: American Beauty (1999)

“American Beauty”, written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes, at first glance seems like an odd drama, since the story revolves around a middle aged dad, played by Kevin Spacey, who falls for his daughter’s friend, played by Mena Suvari. But soon we find out, what else is going on in the suburbs of America. Also starring Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper and Peter Gallagher.

The movie begins with a self-filmed videotape of Lester’s daughter Jane, proclaiming that her father is a creep and should be dead. The boy behind the camera suggests to kill him for her, to which she agrees.

Cut to the real beginning of the film, Lester (Spacey) is narrating for us. Showing us his boring neighborhood where every house looks the same, his gay neighbors, his wife Carolyn (Bening) and her red roses, and his teenage daughter (Torch). He is being very honest with us and describing how he and his wife aren’t happy anymore and we get the sense that Lester is in a midlife-crisis.

The family have a terrible dinner together, Lester is complaining about his job, Jane is bored of her father and the two start arguing about how they no longer talk. At the same time they’re being filmed by a boy, who is creepily watching them outside the window. We then see Carolyn the next day trying to sell a house, since that’s her job, but failing and having a breakdown. The color red is very prominent throughout the film. It’s almost everywhere, in form of the roses, in clothing, or in the background.

Jane’s parents drive to her school to watch a basketball game, she and her friends are cheerleaders. There Lester can’t believe his eyes. Next to Jane is this pretty young girl, who he instantly falls for and starts to fantasize about. In his deluded dream sequence, she’s seducing him with her dance and then red roses burst out of her chest. The whole scene makes you a little uncomfortable. Lester asks Jane to bring Angela for dinner and acts all nervous like a teenager himself, who is trying to ask out his crush. Jane is visibly embarrassed, while Angela thinks her dad is cute.

Angela is talking to Jane and explaining her philosophies, one of them is that there is nothing worse in life than being ordinary. Outside the house we meet the creeper again, he just moved in next door and seems to have taken an interest in Jane, who is somewhat flattered. Lester on the other hand is trying to call Angela the next day, he finds her number in Jane’s red notebook, seemingly losing control over his rational thinking.

We get to know the creep’s family. The military dad (Chris Cooper) is a typical old fashioned conservative, hating everything that is liberal, hating his gay neighbors, and probably hating himself, drawing a parallel to Lester and his family. He demands respect from his wife (Allison Janney), who is obviously going through some mental issues herself, and his son, who calls him Sir. Turns out the creepy guy goes to Jane’s school, he introduces himself as Ricky. Angela knows him and thinks he’s insane. Ricky ignores Angela for the most part, something she’s not used to.

At a party, Ricky meets Lester and his wife. Lester smokes some pot with Ricky and acts like a teenager again. Jane and Angela are at home, when the parents come back. Angela starts flirting with him and Lester takes the bait, his Lolita complex kicks, we witness his delusional fantasies, Jane gets embarrassed. Rinse and repeat. We get an interesting picture though, Lester likes the hypersexual teen straight out of a picture-book, a dream girl for every regular American that makes him feel young again, while Ricky likes the troubled Jane. Ricky himself is often hiding behind his camera, observing everyone around him, but is not capable of being honest with his dad at all, who is abusing him and his mother.

Lester eventually feels empowered by this new life energy Angela and Ricky give him, he quits his job, works out, finds out his wife is cheating on him and eventually starts to get with Angela. Once he actually gets her into bed, he quickly realizes that Angela is a virgin. She’s not this vixen he was fantasizing about, but a little insecure girl, just like his daughter. Once the image of her, the American beauty, shatters, he finally backs off. Ricky on the other hand starts dating Jane, they have an innocent young love, which Lester is very happy about, since all he wants is for Jane to be happy. Ricky’s father however has been suspecting that Ricky is having an affair with Lester, since they’ve been spending so much time together and he filmed Lester naked, that opens a whole new can of worms.

You know how sometimes it only takes a minute to know by heart, whether you’re going to like a movie? “American Beauty” is one of those movies for me. No matter how many times I re-watch the film, I never find myself bored or unmoved by the story. I guess it’s because the characters still ring true even in today's society. The closet homophobes, the unhappy couple that has been married for too long, teenagers thinking they’re all grown up even though there is still so much to learn about life etc. “American Beauty” has a great script, great acting, and some very memorable scenes, which make it a classic worth watching. It won best picture, script, director, cinematography and actor at the Oscars, not many movies have achieved an all kill like that, but in this case it’s well deserved.

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Review: The Virgin Suicides (1999)

“The Virgin Suicides” directed by Sofia Coppola is based on Jeffrey Eugenides novel by the same name. The story is about the five Lisbon sisters who are sheltered by their strict parents and end up committing suicide. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, James Woods and Kathleen Turner.

Michigan in the 1970′s, Coppola uses natural light and colors in such beautiful way, every scene looks picture perfect. We meet the youngest Lisbon daughter of five, who is recovering from a suicide attempt at the hospital. The five girls are Cecilia (13), Lux (14), Bonnie (15), Mary (16), and Therese (17). The movie is narrated by some neighborhood boy, who is watching/stalking the girls and wondering about the mysterious family. The suburbs are boring and gossip travels fast.

While the very religious parents try their best to cheer up the girl, they realize that perhaps they’ve been too strict with their daughters and should let go of some of their rules. They throw Cecilia a party and invite the neighborhood boys, but the little depressed girl attempts suicide again and succeeds this time. The family is devastated.

The boys get their hands on Cecilia’s diary and find out more about the sisters that way. Yes, it’s an invasion of privacy, yes the boys are creeps. The whole neighborhood is talking and speculating about why Cecilia committed suicide. Even the news start picking up the topic of young people killing themselves, without being able to figure out what’s really going on in their heads.

School starts again, Lux (Dunst) is one of the most popular girls at school and every guy wants to get with her. As for the boys, Trip (Hartnett) is the womanizer, who could get any girl he wanted. It was only a matter of time till he had his eyes on Lux. Lux also liked him a lot. After talking with her parents, he was able to score her as date for the homecoming dance, under the condition that all sister went together.

We finally see the girls happy and talk like teenagers. Just enjoying themselves, be nervous and exited. The dance is lovely and the music very 70s. Lux and Trip are even voted Homecoming King and Queen, then sneak out and have sex at the football field.

Since Trip is a juvenile asshole, he sleeps with Lux and then pretty much ditches her. He loses interest, once he tries the forbidden fruit. She comes home the next morning by taxi and gets yelled at by her parents. All girls get taken out of school, get grounded and have to stay inside the house for a few weeks.

Lux had to destroy her music records as punishment under tears, but the mother was too upset to negotiate. She took full control of her daughters lives and made them miserable, forgetting it was that attitude that made her youngest commit suicide. In her head, she was acting out of love. The girls seem to get more and more depressed. Just sitting at home, reading magazines, not even getting out of their pajamas anymore. The father also slowly goes crazy, talking to plants and zoning out more than usual.

However, Lux continued to defy her mom by secretly making out with boys on the rooftop. The creepy neighborhood boys were watching her through a telescope. One day the sisters decide to get in contact with the boys. They tell the Lisbon girls what goes on in the outside world, call them and play music over the phone, and eventually hatch a plan to meet at their house one night. Little did the boys know, that the sisters real intention was to die that night.

I was too young to really understand “The Virgin Suicides” when it first came out, but even after re-watching the film I have to admit, I’m still not sure what caused all girls to kill themselves. We find out through the sisters, who should be enjoying themselves in the prime of their lives, what depression can do to you. Is it only depression that caused them to die though? A dysfunctional family perhaps? Because their youngest sister died? Is it societal expectations combined with the restrictions that come with it? The fact, that the single source of interaction with anyone outside was cut off? I feel like there must be more to it, but the movie and the book leave us guessing. We are left confused, just like the creepy neighborhood boys. In a way I believe, the Lisbon girls tried to punish the boys, by making them witness their death. Why? Because even till the end, the boys are not capable of not sexualizing them and being invasive towards them. This was their revenge.

By the way, the soundtrack is one of my favorite parts of the film, the story and acting is good, but without the music this movie would lose good 50% of its charm, so whoever picked those songs - well done!

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Review: Alien (1979)

“Alien” is often called one of the greatest sci-fi thrillers of all time and certainly raised the bar. Directed by Ridley Scott, starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. A group of scientists goes on an expedition to space, where they find an usual creature.

One thing "Alien” nailed is the suspenseful soundtrack (by Jerry Goldsmith), right from the beginning as we follow the spaceship with the camera, the music is chilling, nothing happened yet, but you know something is going to happen soon.

We watch the crew wake up, have breakfast, joke around then get to work. For a movie form the late 70s the visual effects look pretty good, (film won an Oscar for that). They build a realistic looking spaceship and I’m sure some people from NASA helped the writers with space lingo, because most of what they say seems to make sense (but I’m not a scientist so what do I know). All of this worldbuilding is important because you want to engage the audience as much as possible. If everything looks fake from the get-go you’ll have an issue.

The crew notices that something is going on with the spaceship (which they refer to as mother). There was a transmission but they can’t tell whether it’s from a human or something foreign, something with intelligence. They fly to the planet where the signals come from and crash their ship, which forces them to wait there stranded until repairs are done.

A few people from the team decide to take a closer look at what the rocky planet has to offer, and woops they find a mysterious egg. Actually hundreds of them, they landed in a nest. Whatever is inside the egg attacks one of the scientists and after they bring him back to the ship. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is worried that whatever attacked him could attack the rest of them. While Ash (Ian Holm) is eager to find out more about this creature, which he describes as perfect organism. He’s the annoying one risking everything in the name of science.

After the ship is fixed, they finally leave the planet but it will take them another 10 months until they reach earth. The Alien that attacked Kane seems to have died and Kane wakes up. He acts pretty normal, but then suddenly gets ill and starts choking. Out of his belly the alien they believed to be dead bursts out, leaving the whole crew in shock and fear. Now they are on a mission to kill that thing, before it kills them. But unfortunately for them, that baby alien grows up and gets stronger and smarter by the minute, proving how much more superior it is to them.

“Alien” really is a terrific sci-fi thriller that scares you just by making you believe an imminent threat hides in every corner. There is a hostility in the air, it’s suffocating and exiting at the same time. The cinematography and how Ridley Scott is capable of creating so much danger with so little effort is impressive. After that threat does comes to life, you are left wondering how the crew is going to get out of this alive. So many tropes were born thanks to this film. I highly recommend the movie if you haven’t seen it yet. There is also a sequel and prequel out.

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Review: Dogma (1999)

"Dogma” was written and directed by Kevin Smith, starring Kevin Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Selma Hayek, Chris Rock and Alan Rickman. Damon and Affleck really did a lot of projects together in the 90s, this strange little satire about religion was one of them.

“Dogma” starts with the head of the catholic church in New Jersey, played by the hilarious and famous atheist George Carlin, presenting a new fun Jesus, to better the image of the church - so you know where this film is going.

We meet Bartleby and Loki (played by Affleck and Damon), two fallen angels who were sent on Earth as punishment, trying to find a way back to earth. The new Catholicism Wow! campaign with fun Jesus in Jersey is where they hope to be able to repent for their sins, die, and go back to heaven.

Next we meet the demon Azrael (Jason Lee) and his minions who are running around killing people. As well as Bethany and the angel Metatron (Fiorentino and Rickman), who’s explaining to her that angels are real and what her mission will be. The writing is really well done, taking the words of the bible and trying to realistically explain them in rational way (which if you read the bible is almost impossible).

Bethany’s mission is a holy crusade, she shall go to New Jersey and stop two angels from re-entering heaven, especially Loki. His backstory is that he quit his job as angel of death and showed god the middle finger, because he didn’t want to kill in the name of god anymore. That’s why god kicked Loki and his friend out and never allowed them back into paradise. Metatron wants to keep it that way, hence the crusade. However, Azrael wants to help Loki and Bartleby to get back into heaven, so that he can mess with god and the universe.

To help Bethany with her mission Rufus, Serendipity, Jay and Silent Bob arrive, an apostle who fell naked from ski, a stripping muse, and two prophets, who want to sleep with Bethany. Now everyone is on their way to Jersey, while Loki is enjoying himself killing people who have sinned (I guess it’s in his nature). Who will succeed? What’s the moral of this tale? Watch and figure it out yourself pal.

The movie is over 2 hours long, it could have done with 30 minutes less. I enjoyed the throwbacks to old bible stories and all the characters we meet. I also like that the movie took the piss out of religion in a rather clever way, without being too disrespectful about it. It was more an approach of, okay what if God is real and he did all those things to people (the flood, the 10 plagues, allowing wars etc.) what kind of god would do that? Anyways, I found the movie fun but too long.

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Review: Frida (2002)

A biography of artist Frida Kahlo beautifully directed by Julie Taymor. “Frida” stars Selma Hayek as the troubled painter, who also acted as producer of the film, and Alfred Molina, who was almost unrecognizable as Frida’s husband Diego Rivera. If you’re a fan of Kahlo, this one is a must-see.

The movie starts with Frida’s blue house and how she is being carried around in her bed unable to move. Then we get a flashback of her as young girl in the 1920′s and how everything started. Frida is watching Rivera seduce his model while painting her (though he’s married). He is a painter whose work she admires a lot. During a bus ride to school an accident occurs, which leaves Frida almost paralyzed. As horrific as the accident is, the scene is shot very artistic. Her rehabilitation is successful and she learns to walk and paint again.

Every now and then her paintings come to life and the whole camera work is so creative and out of the box that you can only be impressed. Her famous selfportraits and the stories connected to them are pretty interesting too. Soon she meets Rivera again. They have similar ideologies, like communism, and get married. However, he can’t help himself and starts cheating again. Frida tolerates his unfaithfulness until he sleeps with her sister. That’s when she divorces him. Only to marry him again a year later.

The couple takes the art world by storm with their fresh ideas. They go to New York. Frida explores her sexuality. She has a miscarriage. Her pain from the back injury plus depression is starting to haunt her. All those emotions and experiences are being processed by Frida through her paintings.

Back in Mexico Diego is losing his mojo, while Frida becomes a star, like he predicted she would. Unfortunately her life is short. Frida Kahlo lived a bold life, she was uncompromising as artist and advocated for a political and sexual revolution.

If you make a movie about an important artists like that, who became an icon for not only Mexico but a whole generation of female artists, you better make it good. Julie Taymor luckily did her best in showcasing Frida’s art, her private life, the crazy marriage, her bisexuality, and she showed her convictions without being too sentimental about it. Selma Hayek probably did her best acting work and deserved her Oscar nomination for the role.

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Review: Raise the Red Lantern/Da hong deng long gao gao gua (1991)

China, 1920. One master, four wives. A film based on Su Tong’s novel directed by Yimou Zhang, starring Li Gong, Jingwu Ma, Cuifen Cao and Saifei He. "Raise the Red Lantern” is not only a visual treat but overlays a much deeper story of China in myriad aspects.

Gong Li plays Songlian, the young girl who is more or less forced to marry a rich man since she can’t continue her studies. “Da hong deng long gao gao gua” means to raise the red lantern and is referring to the tradition of the house,  which Songlian is marrying into. The master of the house already has three wives, the first and oldest Yuru, the second and sneaky one Zhuoyun, and lastly the pretty singer Meishan. Songlian meets her sister wives but the reception is cold. She doesn’t follow proper customs and angers some of her sisters.

The husband chooses which wife he wants to spend the night with by raising the red lantern over her house (each women has a separate house she lives in, as well as a maid). Her husband is exited to have a new young wife, but soon realizes that Songlian is a little different from the other wives. She’s more educated but also jealous that her husband is spending time with the third and second wife, which builds a tension and rivalry in the family. Her husband, whose face is never shown, finds her difficult and starts prioritizing the older wives.

When a wife is picked, one of the maids has to massage her feet with a wooden instrument. This process can be heard throughout all the halls and is almost like a status symbol. It’s really all the wives have. Either you get picked by the master or you are left alone. The oldest wife doesn’t care about the little games the wives play anymore, to get the masters attention. She and wife nr.3 already gave birth to sons, while the 2nd wife gave birth to a “useless” daughter. The pressure is on the 4th wife to also get pregnant.

One day Songlian finds out that her husband is having an affair with her little maid and since she can’t punish her husband for it, she punishes the girl instead. By giving her more work to do or humiliating her. The third wife takes Songlian under her wing and tries to tell her, that she needs to cheer up and keep the master happy. She also warns her of the 2nd wife, who tried to poison her when she was pregnant with her son. Then Songlian finds out, that the third wife is having an affair with the family's doctor.

Songlian thinks of how she could get on the master’s good side again, so she fakes her pregnancy. However, her maid finds out about the lie and exposes Songlian. Her punishment is severe. All of her lanterns are covered with black cloths and she is left embarrassed. And again, she lets her anger out on her maid by forcing her stay outside in the cold winter for the whole night. Her maid dies shortly after. We can see that Songlian feels bad about it and realized what kind of woman she’s turning into. She’s becoming cold hearted and lonely. She’s starting to get depressed and then starts drinking. While drunk she tells the 2nd wife about the 3rd wife’s affair. Without realizing what that will cost wife nr. 3.

In the middle of the night, the master’s guards take the third wife to the roof, where she is killed. Songlian witnesses the ordeal and has a nervous breakdown. On one side she feels guilt for exposing Meishan’s secrete (and indirectly causing her maid to die), on the other hand she’s going mad because no one wants to believe her. This isolating environment where you are stripped of all you power is too much for her.

This movie has it all, betrayal, conflict and tragedy. The artistic use of color is breathtaking. The backdrop is a huge mansion with cold, gray walls almost looking like a quiet fortress. The white snow turns blue at night. The red lanterns are the only vibrant thing in the film, aside from a few outfits. Either the lanterns are shining beautifully or are covered up in black fabric. This can be seen as a metaphor for the women, do as you’re told and you’ll shine, if not you will become invisible. The director made clever choices in showing how dispensable the women are and that the only thing that matters at this house are the males. I wish we could have learned more about the other wives, I guess the book dives deeper in that area, but we get the picture of suppressed women in a society that treats them as second class citizens. These women marry and are no longer free. They turn on each other and become more and more miserable.

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Review: Love Story (1970)

A film adaption of Erich Segal’s novel “Love Story” by Arthur Hiller, starring Ali MacGraw, Ryan O’Neal and John Marley. The movie’s premise is simple: the typical boy meets girl love story, with the cliché rich boy, poor girl angle. But I think its simplicity is what makes it work.

We meet Oliver, a Harvard law student, monologuing about his dead wife. I immediately have to roll my eyes because this scene is so cliché, especially with the dramatic classic music in the background, but then I realize that it was "Love Story” that made that whole scene a popular cliché to begin with. Who was the love of his life? The music student Jennifer.

Flashback. Both of them meet at a library and start bickering. They can’t deny the strong chemistry they have although their personalities couldn’t be more different. She cares about art and is a smartass, he plays ice hockey and feels under immense pressure because of his father. The two fall in love and start dating.

At one point I got a little tired of the lovey-dovey scenes, it’s dragging too much and their lives at college aren’t that interesting (dragging out a scene happens quite often in the film). Fast forward, Oliver wants Jennifer to meet his parents because he wants to get married. It goes as as expected. Badly. His father thinks he picked Jennie because he’s rebelling, and Jennifer believes that to some degree too. The rift between him and his parents gets worse and Oliver is starting to get hotheaded, trying to rush the wedding and all.

After Jennifer's father gives his blessing the two get an unconventional wedding and move in together. They have their first fight over Oliver not wanting to talk to his father but then Christmas comes along and all is well again. He graduates from Harvard and she wants to get pregnant. After the doctor tells Oliver that his wife can’t have children because she’s sick and will die unless she starts treatments, the movie takes a dark turn. Unfortunately there is no real happy ending and we are left simply with a love story that was as short as it was passionate.

The cinematography and the story telling is very 70s. With fading shots, subpar audio, old fashioned clothes and customs etc. but there really is something about this couple and the deep love they feel for each other that makes you root for them. The memorable and slightly annoying music is by Francis Lai and won an Oscar, if you watch the trailer below I’m sure you’ll recognize the piano melody from somewhere.

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Review: Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1979)

“Die Ehe der Maria Braun” also known as “The Marriage Of Maria Braun” is a Rainer Werner Fassbinder film starring Hanna Schygulla as Maria. We follow the life of a young German woman after the end of WWII and the people around her trying to deal with what is shaping up to become the new Germany.

The film starts with a scene showing Maria getting married to a German soldier on the last day of the war in Berlin. Her husband doesn’t return from war and she’s struggling to fend for herself. After she meets an American soldier, who offers his help, her life takes a turn. She starts working at a bar for American GI’s and even after she hears from a fellow soldier that her husband Hermann has died, she wants to believe in his return.

She sleeps with a black GI (George Eagles), he teaches Maria English and she comes close to bearing his child. Then her husband (played by Klaus Löwitsch) reappears, they start a fight and a murder occurs. Maria kills the GI but Herman takes the rap so she can be safe. She aborts the baby and tells Herman that she will wait for him. After the trial Maria is on her own again and needs a job.

During a train ride, she meets Karl a German businessman (Ivan Desny) and he hires her, since he likes her attitude and her English skills. She becomes his sometimes mistress and rising star in the company. Maria will do whatever it takes to be successful, but in her head she’ll always be married to Herman.

Maria visits her husband in prison every now and then. She tells him about her boss Karl and that she’s having an affair with him, but reassures Herman, that she only loves him and wants to earn money for their future together. Karl however is falling deeper and deeper in love with Maria and decides to make an immoral proposal to the husband. He tells Herman, if he leaves Maria at least till the day he dies, he will give Maria and Herman his company. Herman agrees to the deal. Maria finds out that Herman left Germany after he got out of prison and becomes heartbroken. She transforms into a ruthless person who doesn’t care about anything but money. Losing herself in her job, to the dismay of the people around her.

I guess you could say that all Maria wanted was her husband’s love, but her circumstances forced her to wake up from that dream, become a working woman during the 40s and 50s in Germany, like many other women after the war and depend on herself. “Die Ehe der Maria Braun” is a bleak film, yet an interesting take on the life of women after WW2.