Reviews

Ever since the credits started rolling last night after GONE GIRL, my mind couldn't stop thinking about the film. Not just about how great it is and what an amazing job Fincher has done, because what Fincher has actually done is beyond amazing. It's radical, it's sublime and it's powerful. By the way, I am not just talking about the film.

Back in 2006, M Night Shyamalan was super hot, just like Fincher is today. With that said his 2006 film "Lady In The Water" was a miss. Not because the movie was bad, it was actually pretty awful, but rather because he was too blunt about making a movie as bad as that. The plot was ridiculous, spewing mockery of pretty much everything the studio system has been looking to make – the monsters, the unbelievable plot lines that were supposed to be buried behind major visual effects and set pieces shots. You watched "Lady In The Water" and were thinking "WTF IS THIS" every five minutes, one minute at time. And then you probably walked out. Or stayed, because just like Howard Stern would do it, Shyamalan would keep your hopes up while you sat thru the muck and waited for that amazing twist or a plot line to reveal itself.

But wait a second. Why am I talking about Shyamalan and "Lady In The Water"? 2 years ago, David Fincher took upon himself to re-create "Girl With A Dragon Tattoo" remake, as we know it. We also know that people didn't respond to it too well. Despite the fact the series has been extremely popular in the US, it still felt that the market has been over-saturated with hard covers and paperbacks of the book as well as DVDs of the Millennium Trilogy all around the country. Arguably, every library has been selling off it's excess copies of those books and you could find them virtually in every thrift store for 50 cents a piece.

Fincher knew what he was doing. He knew he had a super famous book on hand, a book that was probably even more so famous because of the EU films. And yet, he took it upon himself to make the film. Don't you think for a second that there wasn't a pile of scripts every studio in town would have killed for Fincher to direct for them. He wanted to direct "Girl". And he has. And not too many cared. And it probably affected him in more ways than one.

"Gone Girl", to me, is Fincher's brilliantly masked "Lady In The Water". It's a movie that was created to f*ck with your head, senses, morale, the language of film you thought you understood and overall commentary of the pop culture and the shape it's in today. I am only guessing, but the wizardry of "f*ck you" in "Gone Girl" is astounding just as it is mind boggling.

Stanley Kubrick's life has been in danger after making "Clockwork Orange" and why? Because he caused you … manipulated you … made you relate to and sympathize with a sociopath in that film. He made you feel bad for him, he pretty much manipulated an emotion out of you that simply resembles what (and pardon my political parallel) the media is trying to evoke in you when they talk about Hammas and the Gaza strip, by showing you crying women instead of crazy radicals who are killing themselves on camera. Fincher basically held nothing back. He introduced a whole new level of "f*cked up" masking it as "the new norm". And how can you blame him? Which were the most popular books-turned-movies of late? And I mean, MEGA successful franchise type books-turned-movies? "The Hunger Games" is one. A futuristic utopia where children must kill each other. "50 Shades Of Grey", a whole new level of ungodly trashosphere about love parading as BDSM and then you had … "Gone Girl". In other words, if you want to write a book and ensure it's a huge bestseller, make sure it revolves around hyper reality of blood. Whatever it is. Cut people, rape people, tie people. Seems like it will hit. And that is why Fincher parades "Gone Girl" as "just a close and loyal adaptation of the book". But then he makes you laugh where it isn't really funny. He shoots intense scenes and makes you laugh. He f*cks with your cinematic sensibility and makes you laugh when you should be crying. And he does it so well that it can make you sick and you wont know why.

I thought Fincher wanted to expose more than just a social commentary on extraordinary power of the news and media overall and how the smallest of stories can be turned into an unprecedented sensation. I simply think that Fincher, hurt and bothered after being pretty much rejected by the masses for doing "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", decided to give birth to another "Girl", so f*cked up and yet so perfectly so that no matter what crime he were to commit on screen, and how dark it were to be, he would know that the audience would eat it up it even more-so. And that is probably more disturbing than the film itself. And something tells me Fincher's intent has been achieved that way.

David Fincher has proved himself to be the utmost talented and arguably "perfect" director. He can do whatever he wants with hundreds of millions of people as long as they fall under the spell of his films in film theaters, living rooms and bedrooms around the globe. But something also tells me that he got really mad. And that he couldn't take it anymore. And then he made "Gone Girl". And I won't be surprised if it's success will hunt Fincher for years to come.

Seems like the science of fiction is back, with a bang of such power it shutters your reality and redefines it into something new and unknown. Never before have I seen such raw power, a story that delivers a massive social commentary while gently drawing parallels between humans and aliens. Never have I been so thankful and yet troubled, disturbed and yet satisfied.

I have never been so comfortable within my own skin to award a 10 to film without a blink of an eye ever before.

Beyond the eye-popping and super realistic visual effects that knock your socks off, beyond the action sequences that keep you on the edge of your seat, beyond brilliant acting by the lead Sharlto Copley in his acting debut (!!!!!!!), the movie first and foremost comes to utilize the given cinematic tools to deliver - the story. A story that makes you think, at that!

From brilliant 29 year old prodigy director Neill Blomkamp, "District 9" is a story of the people and the people who rule them, set in the wasteland of the world - Johannesburg, South Africa. The setting has been chosen not only because it is the director's hometown, but also because Johannesburg is one of the most dangerous cities in the world to be living in. Clearly, the aliens had no better place to get stuck upon.

Without a single consideration of the rules of political correctness, Blomkamp dives in and takes us along, into "Schindler's List" all over again, smothered with good intentions. "We came with peace", "We mean well" finds a different meaning all too sudden and as an audience you are forced to find your "good guys" to vouch for.

"District 9" is a perfect Academy movie, and I hope to see it in it's lists with at least 4 nominations.

I want Neill to go far...as far as humanly possible, so we would enjoy more of his thought provoking and incredibly powerful visual storytelling without a grain of cover-up or fear of polit. incorrectness.

10/10!

For these of my friends who I showed these others reviews I ever wrote, this may come off as an odd one only because this time it's nothing that I want to laugh about or point out necessarily in a review. Those previous ones have been written as a result of a sporadic burst of thought, which I would sometimes experience after watching a good film that would excite me. With "Atonement" its such a different case.

To my dear friend Alon Rosenblum, I wrote :

"I watched "Atonement" yesterday, just before the Oscars. When I reach back into that experience, while writing this, i get tears rolling in my eyes......I cried at the end....I cried on my way out of the theater....I cried in the car on my way back. And then I yelled, much later, because the movie didn't get its BEST FILM award.

I had 2 favorites last year that stood out, PAN'S LABYRINTH and THE LIVES OF OTHERS.

This year' its "Atonement", and there is no movie standing close to this amazing vision and pain that has been transferred thru images and sound directly into my soul. " And that couldn't even touch the tip of the iceberg of what and how I felt.

"Atonement" could not fit into my regular burst of desire to write because that movie took my hand and walked a path with me to remember. I couldn't lock onto one particular moment and devour it with words. Over 2 weeks later, at 12:30am of Saturday I felt like I should make an attempt to write a review I longed to write since watching the film itself.

It is a sad reality in the film world these days how rare truly good films come about. Either because of the abundance of available technology that sprung out in the last years which allowed too many painters too unpolished and yet ready to paint on the canvas...or be that the ones who forgot what movies are about, lost in their accounting and fame. However it is not of a surprise to me that this gem came out of England, the land of pristine acting and humble actors, the land of Harry Potter and tea at 5. A movie so human, real and touching to the core of everyone on all levels alike.

If you, dear reader, look at other reviews people wrote on IMDb, you may notice one similarity. People who hate it and people who love it, alike, will not stop talking about it for numerous paragraphs.

"Atonement" is a story of many things and people. I think, from human standpoint, its a story about a person, Briony Tallis, who never knew how to stop creating worlds for herself in her writing as well as life. It amazed me, personally, how she never EVER changed throughout her entire life until the very end. How she had to replace and justify the false ending of her book, an action of which devoured her alive even after the book has been complete. A girl and woman alike, so trapped in their own world that the gravity of truth never applies. Briony turns into a study whereas she is a human being or a character in a book she needs to keep writing in order to live and therefore has the freedom to write her own reality.

It may not be for Cecilia and Robbie who were in love and wanted to be together, not the atrocities of war, not the death. It's nothing else to me, but the power of one's imagination and the fruit it bears.

Lost in her writing/life, the older Briony still voices out her concerns about the decisions she made for her sister and Robbie and their lives, writing them into a picture perfect home on the beach and shaving Robbie's facial hair as well as wrinkles and age off. One can't really say if she is in denial. Its only the shocking revelation of her secrets she kept and choices she made since young age, that make your hair stand still. And its even scarier when you see her old and same.

I cried and cried and didn't know why, at the end of the film. Was it because of the spectacular poetic acting by the entire cast without an exception. Was it because of the masterful hand of the director who created a movie so beautiful and strong. The music? Or the sadness, for Briony Tallis and her miserable life of a character-turned-ghost only because the real Briony never let herself exist outside of her own writing.

I would love to praise everyone involved, above to below the line, The Working Title and Focus Features, Joe Wright, the absolutely phenomenal performances by James McAvoy and Keira Knightley who maybe taught us what having a relationship with a character on screen is really about.

Personally, this year's Academy Awards lost their clout of being a judge of good and bad. It seemed like the traditional academy voters were replaced at the last moment by people who only like the cocktails, but not watching the nominated films.

"Atonement" is the only film who can claim its title as "BEST FILM OF THE YEAR" and it remains to be, only because there was not a single day passing by when its name or plot did not come to my mind.

Exhilarating, Exceptional, Powerful and Unforgettable.

"Atonement"

It's just such a joy to have watched this intriguing project. So refreshing and educating. Not only to a filmmaker, who can learn what can be achieved in 5 minutes of screen time, but also as audience, who may not be so ready for so much love in such short time.

20 short films about love in Paris are all unique, but some of them, as expected, stand out. I thought the Tom Tykwer (Natalie Portman) segment was the best, although the mimes made me smile inside just the same.

I clicked on "spoilers" option for this review bus alas...what you read is a spoiler enough. Just watch it. Don't read what I write, but watch the movie instead.

And smile.

A filmmaker friend and fellow has recommended I watch this film. I have never seen any of previous works of Takeshi Ketano before, however heard about him plenty. Let me tell you, what a journey this movie has been for me.

First of all, everyone speaks of the aesthetics of DOLLS, which I completely agree with. The movie is perfectly crafted even though at times it seems like a cat jumped on the AVID keyboard and created a few jump cuts by an accident, which was really cool. Obviously, under Ketano's precise eye, nothing is a mistake.

The visuals of this film tell the story, not the words. Its a first film of a kind where you can completely shut the sound off and get the story nonetheless. With an amazing craft, Kitano explores silence, by that focusing your attention into whats on the canvas. At times, you can freeze frame and just look at the picture as if its a painting. Kitano goes into an exploration of human psyche on such deep levels that sometimes I felt like I was finding out new things about myself. Choosing themes carefully, he delivers a story about human beings and their emotions and what these emotions do to the human beings. At times, looking at us as if we are microbes under Kitano's camera-easque eye of a microscope, he adds elements into life as if on Petri's dish and sees what grows out of it, knowing that some "microbes" won't stand the chance of surviving the newly added obstacles.

Just like Japanese poetry, the movie doesn't make sense at times, and yet remains purely a joy of a visual sight. Also, I was truly touched and amazed by the connection with the color red. He connects to the meaning of the rope, which is limitation and humiliation, and by coloring other objects in red he suggests that those elements are "a rope" to some of the characters just the same. The lady who waits for her boyfriend to come back wears a red hat, and she is bound to waiting for him forever. Also, the red takes over the character of the mute girlfriend of the main character, and eventually she all dresses in red, by that becoming even more of a DOLL than she was before. She surrenders herself to the "slavery" of the rope and it grows into her.

In the end, I think this movie is not about one thing in particular, but more of a David Lynch approach to storytelling. Its in the abstract formulas which you can not comprehend fully, but certainly get the idea. Its in the depth of our minds where the subconscious would have to translate the pictures we see into personal meanings to ourselves.

DOLLS is an intellectual paradigm, a true cinema, a MUST to watch.

Thank you Tony for your wonderful suggestion! 9/10