Change Your Image
damalfieri
Reviews
Roma (2004)
Intense
Few times in my life I have seen such an intense drama. Intense in the dialogues, superb in acting. The life as it is, not an idealized bit of it, as in conventional films. Characters are deep, well developed, they don't act the standards, but seem to be much more "human" than in conventional stories. Almost every scene is a virtuoso acting near-monologue. But you have rests, including the whole Chopin nocturne's filmed in a way that, only with the actor's expressions, something is still happening into the characters, and the story doesn't suffer for such a long quiet time. Yoy can save a lot of dialogs as a treasure. OK, it is not as much as an archetype of filming language. OK, it is nearly theater. But only nearly. I cannot imagine me enjoying all of the subtleties in actor's faces from so far, in a theater. A tasty drama, full of good philosophy about life, love and feelings, expressed trough complex characters and scenes. Too bad for those who find it "slow" or "overlong"... in my opinion, they just didn't catch it. To me is seemed pretty dense, full of things... I couldn't stick out until the end. I didn't like it. Just the last minute. But it is my opinion. All the rest is more than enough to make the movie a masterpiece. In my opinion.
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Haha,,,
Again, how many people saying this is such a bad movie... I haven't read all the messages, of curse, but I read nothing about the art direction. A great work, for a commercial - standard movie, in creating a barroque and decadent future - yes, it was many years after Blade Runner, but still, all the secondary characters, veichles, extras etc. were built with care (in art-direction terms)... a lot of work. Not a very low budget movie, and if it is, well, I would say "well done". Computer fantasy are dull, OK. But the premonition of a virtual-reality based computer is OK, in itself. The final virtual battle is just a bubble of visual effects, but... everyone I saw are. As in many science-fiction movies, one knows that "in the book, there were much more things". But it happens to most movies: The Lord of the Rings in the first place. And Star Wars, despite all, is just a very simple story, remade from a lot more (ah, how I would like an Asimov's Empire movie!). And few say they are bad because of that.
Here comes the spoiler: Johnny recovers his childhood memories at the end, and someone asked how could it be. It is funny. When I first saw the movie, I assumed that he was the son of the corporation's founder, the woman that was "in the computer", that helps him to decode the information providing the missing image. This is a normal filmic way to express things: when possible, use visual instead of dialog. So, in the process, she "dies" but gives Johnny his childhood memories (he is shown to be born in a very, very rich family, with a blonde mother that could very well be this woman).
Now, the funny thing is maybe it is NOT the author's idea, but it gives coherence to the entire film.
The problem is nobody / nothing confirms this. But it is so common to see how movies don't "explain" things, that it didn't surprise me.
I just enjoyed the right dose of originality, action, and, yes, Reeves' acting. People who criticize him don't take into account the crisis under the bridge, that was at least OK, and, on the contrary, don't mention the movements he makes in order to re asset himself after the overload, in the very beginning... that can be easily seen as ridiculous. As an actor, to perform such "ta-chi like" movements is a risk, and I respect that (even if them DID seem kind of ridiculous to me!).
By the other side, we admired a lot of "stone face" characters, like Reno in his wonderful "the assassin", to mention a single example among thousands, without complaining...
So take it easy. Don't expect great philosophy and coherence, and enjoy.
8½ (1963)
Incredible
I can understand this is not a film for everyone. Maybe I am Italian, so I can see in it all the Italian (and not only Italian) cultural conflicts, way of being and act, much more easily than other users. Maybe I studied it deeply, so I can see all the subtle (or not so subtle) metaphors in it. And I can understand how people that goes to the movies in order to see absurd fight scenes and "a lot of action", or happy ending's love stories can find it boring. But I cannot accept people saying it is "junk", or "crap", etc. etc. Who are them? You can criticize. You can call it "self indulgent". But only for the camera and photography work, it deserves a high note. Even if you are so closed-minded you cannot see all the rest. Or maybe you live in a word without religion, without unfaithful marriages, without existential questions, without moral ore creative conflicts. My compliments.
Bliss (1997)
Waiting...
I think this is an unusual "inner growing" movie. It runs away from "easy, commercial topics" about sex, comedy and violence. Too bad for the money: good intentions (even if you consider them accomplished or not) must be rewarded, no matter if they make money or not. A lot of easy trash consumers will find it boring, or ridiculous. Few very experienced sexologists and psychologist will find it "naive". But sensitive people will find it at least inspiring, full of good willing. I applaud the director, because he dared to make a definitely non-commercial movie about sex. A serious movie, very honest. In my opinion, a must. I would like the director (or anyone else) to make more movies like this one, and the producers to give money to make them. OK, Balthazar is too much like the "perfect guru", incredibly steady and "I always say the right thing in the right moment". But the director balances this at the end, or at least tries to do it. OK, the husband falls too quickly for a standard occidental man into a reasonable mood, but... too often, in "normal" films, the characters act the natural, instinctive way, instead that in a mature way. The film is about people acting in a civilized, adult way. And, if that have the risk to be unbelievable, on the other side I like it. Men are not animals, it is time for movies (and books) to consider interesting characters like this. Sorry for my poor English!