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edithjeroen
Reviews
Bolivia (1999)
A Jim Jarmusch setting in Argentina
In a small bar/restaurant, at a corner in Buenos Aires Argentina, a Bolivian immigrant finds a job as a cook. His experiences and those of the locals in the bar are used by the director to tell us a story about life of working class people in nowaday Argentina. The film is almost entirely shot in the bar. The scenery, discussions in the bar, and development of the drama have a Jarmusch like quality.
The film won the critics-price in the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Highly recommended!
Memento (2000)
Ingenious game with time, trust and expectations
Memento makes me regret not having seen Following (his previous film) - yet.
Memento is a very clever thriller about a man without a short term memory, who tries to find and kill the killer of his wife. It's also a film about trust. What should you trust; your subjective memory, or the proof of evidence you photographed and put down on paper? Since, the main actor doesn't have a short term memory, the last thing is what he relies on.
The film is shown backwards. Not that people walk balkwards, but they start with the last scene, play it, move back to the second last scene, and this way go back to the beginning.
Starting at the end, is starting at the moment that his wife's killer is killed. But how did he find out that this was the killer. Especially without a short term memory which makes him forget everything that happened since his wife's death. And how did he get his injury. And who are all the people he meets on the way? You will find out (will you) at the end (or is it the beginning?) of the movie. You hope at least.
The best part of the movie is the first half, where you just watch with amazement that the movie really works! And that the puzzle that is shown in the beginning is at the same time unravelled, but also getting more complex.
The second half of the movie, just discover that things are not as simple as they seem. And you ask yourself: do I still get it or not. I won't tell you the end, but it left me and others in complete confusement. And outside, unlocking our bikes, I could see many people with a puzzled look on their face wondering what really happened? I guess you do have to see it twice (like many of the reviews said) to find out if the puzzle fits, and if it does, how it fits.
Very worthwhile seeing!
Wo hu cang long (2000)
Good, but disappointing as well
After seeing many strange phantasy, martial arts and other bizarre films from Asia, I was really looking forward to seeing Crouching Tiger. The first of its kind in years to become a box office hit in both the US, and Europe. How could it go wrong, especially with Chow Yun Fat in the lead?
Well, it doesn't go wrong, but unfortunately it doesn't live up to it's expectations as well. First of all: There really are many many much better similar films from Hong Kong. Second of all: I got a little bit tired with all the explanations that were given for the action. Ang Lee must have really presumed that none of the viewers had ever seen a martial arts film. And finally: Chow Yun Fat is still as charismatic as ever, but somehow he doesn't reach the level, that he did in (for instance) his John Woo films.
The best part of the film are the female leads. Both actresses are great! And of course, the action-scenes were good as well. But, I would recommend (for instance) a film like Heroic Trio (with a much smaller budget, BUT with Maggie Cheung) any time!
The Running Man (1987)
Forget "I'll be back". Remember "He had to split"
Years ago, I thought Arnie was just one of those brainless actors that could only make brainless action movies.
Until I saw the running man.
It's a sci-fi story that has strong and obvious connection with a (just a bit better, which is a compliment for the Running Man) classic like "Escape from New York". A sarcastic and sombre view on the future U.S.A., where innocent prisoners like Arnie, are hunted down in the tv show "The Running Man" by people with chainsaws and flame trowers. Arnie has always been famous for the words "I'll be back", but the line of this movie (after his rendez vous with the guy with the chainsaw) definitely is "He had to split".
Recommended!
Ôdishon (1999)
A bizarre new view on how to use acupuncture-needles
Every year at the Rotterdam film festival, you see at least one film that you know you're going to remember for a long long time. Seeing Audition in the sold out Luxor-theater(with over 1000 people) was definitely this years highlight. A gruesome, fascinating, horrible, bizarre and brilliant paranoid nightmare.
Of course you don't know about that in the first half of the film!
The film starts as a strange story about a man trying to find a new wife by setting up a fake audition for a movie. Strangely enough it works, and a romantic story unfolds. But watching the film something seems to be wrong. And when a big sack starts moving in the girls house, you know that trouble is coming.
I won't tell you what happens (watch the movie!). But during the screening in the Rotterdam filmfestival a big part of the audience left during the screening in compete panic, climbing over the chairs, shouting "let me out". The people that saw the whole film will for sure never have acupuncture again, or look at piano wires in the same way. But the experience was worth it.
What a movie!