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oanaDARIE
Reviews
RRRrrrr!!! (2004)
Pour les connoisseurs...
This was my first Alain Chabat movie, but one in a very long list of absurd humor comedies that I've seen... So, I'd call myself quite a "connoisseur" in that field. The title seemed ... promising... and the film itself turned out to be even better!
I'd have to agree with whomever commented before saying that it resembles the Monty Python type of humor, which it does, very much so, actually... Take the starting scene, for instance, in which the Voice Over tells the dramatic story of a certain American battalion which fought heroically on the 973rd hill in Vietnam (whatever that means!!!) while gun fire and bombs are heard in the background... he then announces that this film DOESN'T tell that story!!!
I would only recommend RRRrrr to those who enjoy absurd humor and who have good knowledge of French. Otherwize, you'd end up not getting half the jokes in the film!!! The most relevant example in this case would be the "Nous sommes a l'Age de Pierre" joke... In no other language would that make any sense or be funny!!!
The fact that Gerard Depardieu is playing in this film is clearly out of marketing reasons. I'm sure that a lot of people went to see RRRrrr because it had an "Alain Chabat" label, but I bet even more went for Gerard Depardieu!
This film brings a fresh, fun look to Stoneage movies, in a quite "Mel Brooks"-ish way (but without the singing and dancing)... dealing with a wide range of absurdities from "Why would any human kill another human?" to... being in a Carrefour (anyone's nightmare!!!).
It's remarkable how Alain Chabat masters lighting in this film... one second the mood is pessimistic, dark, gruesome (when talking about the murder) and the next second - with no cuts! - it's sunny and bright and everybody quits the investigation and hits the playground for a match of beach volleyball!!! (one has to see to believe!)
Well, I wouldn't want to spoil the fun of this movie, so my next comment will be WATCH IT... It holds a L.O.G.G.
Duminica la ora 6 (1966)
An underground revolution, love and sacrifice.
This is a movie that deserves more than 6 lines of comment after having seen it! ... or, better said, not only six which are so void of content and vague. So, here I am, doing this film a little justice:
The plot... In the pre-communist era, the socialist movement is closely monitored by the Romanian police, who would stop at nothing to acquire the information leading to the silencing of these outlaws. At a time like this, Radu, a sort of "James Bond" figure, but without the glamour and in more of a "1984" tone, falls in love with the dazzling Anca, also a member of the movement. He indulges in this affair against the good advice of the underground and against his own better judgment, thus endangering both their lives.
It's a lovely dramatic story which follows two youngsters whose beliefs in the revolution are shaken by the increasing love they have for one another. Nonetheless, they accomplish their duties.
One could argue that this film contains a lot of pro-communist allusions, which is absolutely true and, in the context, absolutely natural. The two main characters are turned into real martyrs of the socialist struggle (not to mention that Radu - Dan Nutu - looks very much like Nicolae Ceausescu in his young socialist revolution days... or at least, the way he was depicted by the artists of the time) Regardless, they couldn't have cast a better actor: Dan Nutu's performance is genuine, true and lacks the theatrical accent which cripples most Romanian productions.
Pintilie is a master in his league: he builds the suspense admirably by cross-cutting between Radu's vivid, turmoiling and painful memories of what had happened to Anca on that dreadful Sunday at 6 am and the events that led to it. The film is well balanced and the story flows naturally; it's simply well written.
There are, of course, also down sides (that's why I couldn't give it a full 10), like the quality of film used, which is bellow 1965 world-wide standards and makes it fairly difficult to watch at times. Nonetheless, with due effort, seeing this film is definitely time well spent. There's also a lack of attention to details like coupling sounds from one scene to another, the absence of sounds which are expected (like the dropping of some wooden items on a table, or steps on pavement etc), faulty synchronization between dialogs on film and those added in post production and other little details of the likes. (but, then again, films which are internationally renowned as being landmark masterpieces have that problem too... see Visconti's Il Gattopardo)... So, I'll give Pintilie full merit for a well done movie!!!
It's definitely a notable Romanian film from the Communist era. Sure, the story flatters the political system of those days, but that shouldn't be regarded as a negative, but rather a good thing: it also entraps the social context of the year 1965 and what Romanian cinematographers had to do to keep on doing film. On an international and universal scale of values, this film should be regarded as a great movie about love, the power of conviction and sacrifice...
Aislados (2005)
The raw side of Ibiza
Three guys in a villa, two of which talk about - so to speak - cualquiera... and no, I don't mean the director's first movie, which is entitled just that!!!... I mean, two guys talking about anything and fundamentally nothing... no smashed windows, no flying with super-velocity, no confrontations with 100 opponents... just a real day, in the lives of two real people.
It sure has something in common with "Clerks", but I must say that the actors play so genuinely, so truly, with none of those theatrical accents the guys in Clerks sometimes have, that it's easy to presume you're actually with them... (there's always THAT geek in the group who does nothing else but laugh... and that's who you end up being!... They might be bored, but you're having a ball!!!)
The topics of discussion are clearly universal: Computer games, DVD's, "what if you were gay", food, teenage crushes, which films get awards in festivals... the french (any kind of publicity is good publicity!)...
It's delightful to watch, even if you aren't at all familiar with the Ibiza environment. But if you are, don't expect glamorous villas, curvy chicks in Burberry bikini and outrageous yachts!...
Maybe in Aislados part two, since word has it there's going to be one!