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Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
cataclysmic failure
When this movie was posted, I eagerly waited for it, thinking "Ridley Scott, of Gladiator and so many good movies fame, plus the exodus, challenging -as some of the movie teasers said in France- Cecil B de Mille epics, plus 3 D, that might be something". I was right: it is something of a failure.... It is not that it is not sticking to the Bible says, as some would say and have said here. Finding the roots of what is considered by many as a legend is not so stupid an idea....
Everyone who has followed the Israelis new historians, the archeologists' findings, know there is a minima a great part of exaggeration (as there is in the Iliad, as an example. Just visit Jericho and wonder where the walls of the city were..... It is not entirely stupid, either, to try to find an explanation for the crossing of the Red Sea, albeit depicting the lake Menzala, or other explanation, would have been better...... It is simply that, except perhaps the 3D, which in fact does not bring much to the film -the flies sequence reminded me of "the day the earth stood still" -, nothing really works...... It is neither faithful to the bible neither to history. The Battle of quadesh is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible, nor does anything in it nor in the Egyptian archives -which are pretty detailed, as well as depicted- is there anything stating that Moses was there (in fact, Moses is not quoted anywhere there). The battle itself started by an hittit attack, and the Egyptians first lost their camping site which was partly looted....Here we are presented with a spectacular all out chariot attack by the Egyptians....... This is perhaps the best part of the movie, however, for afterwards it becomes boring..... Nothing works....Aaron .... is there for what ? he does not, nor does Moses, confront Pharaohs and Pharaohs Magicians....The flaming bush is ridiculous. The idea to present GOD (or is it an angel?) as a young kid does not fit at all , especially if he "seeks a general" and let Moses conducts first a ridiculous guerilla (Moses = Che Guevara, may be ???. I am a total atheist (of Marxist lineage, in addition), but if you make an epic involving something as important as GOD for the Hebrews, it has to be palatable and believable. In fact, one does wonder if the authors do not want to suggest that Moses just has visions coming from his psyche, until, of course, the plagues come...... The plagues themselves are ridiculous. One wonders why is there no warning from Moses to the Pharaoh, nor is there the regular recall "let my people go", since anyway Moses enters the palace almost by (nightly, it seems ) burglary. To suggest that the blood from the bites from the crocodiles attacking the feluca would be enough to turn all the Nile into red or blood polluted water is utterly laughable.... etc... etc.... one could spend hours about the scenario....... The worst is to come : Moses carves himself the 10 commandments, of which we ignore the contents......... Nowhere is there mention of the gold calf, nor of the column of fire (if you depict miracles instead of making a full atheist peplum movie, depict THEM ALL). The passover plague is ridiculous........ etc... etc.... The worst is that it is almost boring.... I nearly felt asleep The deception was enormous.... Well, believers, atheist, nephiest, or whatever, go to see again Cecil B de Mille pompous epic, it necessary, but NOT this one . I wasted 13 euros ....
Mommy (2014)
tabernacle !!!!!
I just saw this movie tonight at the monthly "Positif" avant-première ! the movie was so good that despite a "urgent prostate problem" to be medical (I am Md....) I stayed stuck to my seat till the end... The movie is not to be seen by faint people, for it contains a few hard sequences, which are absolutely necessary to depict the gravity of the problem Diane is encountering with her son. 99 % of the people will have no problems with that. Another "problem" is the language. It is in "full Quebecois", and despite having been many times to Quebec, la Malbaie, and other places, I found the French subtitles .... very useful..... to say the least. But it has to stay like that : it gives the full cultural flavor to this movie. I just wonder how it will sound for English speaking only people with English subtitles. You might lose a full dimension. Well , this is a brilliant cast, and the 3 main characters are both wonderfully playing and directed. The story itself is poignant. At one brief moment, I was almost lead to think there was a happy end ...but , no, this was a dream, and return to earth from the moon was heart breaking..... I will not spoil the developments, but again, I emphasize, this is not a relaxing movie. But it will catch you entangled from the very first minutes to the dramatic end...... Masterpiece ....
Kis Uykusu (2014)
remarkable in every aspect
I had the chance to see tonight this movie in "Positif" (a french, highly rated, cinema review) "avant Première". When I made the usual reservation for Positif readers/ subscriber, the reservation told me (and it is listed in the invitation) "we remind you that this movie lasts 3h and 16 minutes....". Unusual....
I was aware of that, but , as Michel Ciment pointed out, in his introduction, there are 1h 30 minutes movies which seem to last 4 hours....
and here, "on ne voit pas le temps passer" un-consciously used the title of a song by Jean Ferrat).
And, indeed, this is true. Very few "important" events happen in the film, but the degradation of the relation between the two main characters takes place little step by little step, and each dialogue is captivating, while the cast (all the cast) is wonderfully playing. Some scenes are surprising by their underneath violence (how a gift turns out to be an insult , and how the outrage is returned, is a flabbergasting sequence) The location in Anatolia, the winter atmosphere, and the remarkable photography adds a piece of charm to the film. At the end, you will remember that it all started by a little stone thrown at a car.... and wonder how you were so much immediately entrapped by the intrigue, so much that it could have lasted as long as the mother and the whore, another lengthy movie, you would not have complained.
I do not want to spoil you by describing the plot, but it brings so many reflections about society, aging of a relationship, and a couple, that ... you will want to see it again (which I will certainly do when it is theater released in August). It is an absolute masterpiece, and likely the best film of the decade......(and of course Ceylon best so fat) Go to see it !
Gravity (2013)
excellent space survival money, BUT NOT scientifically accurate
The movie itself is excellent, and so far, with the exception of Avatar, it is the only one which really justifies 3D. From the very beginning , very close to IMAX shuttle films, which I have seen in Paris and the National Air and space museum, the movie is breathtaking.The visual and sound (I will come to that) are absolutely flabbergasting,and the efforts to recreate weightlessness conditions are astonishing: compare the single "floating pen" in 2001 with the amount of debris hovering inside the ISS, and you will realize what I mean. I must admit I was totally captured by the race for survival of Sandra Bullock. Yet: The shuttle was reformed (alas) in July 2011, if I am right, Tiangong 1 was launched September 2011....Besides, the Tiangong we see in the film is more like Tiangong 3 than Tiangong 1.....so far, I am not aware of a additional Shenzou left over on Tiangong. The Tiangon we see is also more like the still to be launched Tiangong 3 than the present Tiangong ..... ISS and Hubble are on two different orbits The concept that an MMU (or MMU like vehicle, which is the case here) would be able to make a straight on voyage from shuttle (anchored to Hubble) to ISS does not stand. The same applies (even more ) for the retrorockets of Soyuz aiming it at the Tiangong. A rendez-vous needs a lot of maneuvers, even more if you need to change orbits, as would be the case (ISS and Tiangong are,I repeat, on different orbits) The debris should NOT elicit noise outside the ISS, in space (that is paradoxically most frightening). Tiangong is not a mere copy of Soyuz by many respects. It is unlikely, given changes in electronics, etc...that one could have the same functions on exactly the same buttons. Shenzou are,as was/ is Soyuz, not equipped to float..;(this was the case for some ZOND, you know, the vessel which was intended by the Soviets to circle the moon with humans before Apollo 8, but only carried animals, Brejnev refusing Leonov to go with a vessel which did not appear safe enough after failures). Thus, the Shenzhou should have sinked immediately after earthing in the sea (or a lake ??) ETC..... But.... is that really that important ? Is gunfight at OK corral the exact rendition of the real thing ? certainly not...Yet ....it is a classic what excited me in that move is that it is "accurate enough" to make you believe in what happens....And in that respect , i certainly delivers One minor point : as for Avatar, I am not sure that even a very large LED 3D TV will give you later on the same effects as a big screen. For my sake, I watched it upon director's recommendation in the Pathe Wepler, and this was breathtaking
Eastern Promises (2007)
breathtaking
Cronenberg first film in London will both scare you by its violence in some sequences,the first one being rather incredible, and then leave you stunned by the plot, the suspense being incredibly tense, marveled by the acting of every single player (with special mentions to Vincent Cassel and Naomi Watts), but will also rise profound moral questions about evil and good. The way the actors are directed is incredible, the camera is incredibly rendering London and a "glauque" atmosphere, with every shot being marvelously composed; As the plot thickens you will stay breathless till the end, and you will remember this film for long. Detailing the film plot will spoil the suspense, but one can only say : DO NOT MISS IT
Mystic River (2003)
masterpiece
i have seen this movie as a preview yesterday in france the cast is absolutely superb, the plot as thick and dark as you may wish; the movie leaves you breathless, and keeps the tension from the very first minutes the photo is incredibly beautiful, and the camera masterfully directed one of the best 20 movies in my lifetime, perhaps even top 10 to detail the plot would be a mistake : there is suspense from the very start but what is the most incredible are the characters, and the way the cast renders them sean penn is unbelievable, but so are the others special mention to tim robbins one small warning: do not go there if you are depressed