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Sleeping Beauty (2011)
Yasunari, sorry
The idea for a non-penetration brothel, a house of sleeping beauties is taken from the short story "House of sleeping beauties" (Nemureru Bijo) by Kawabata Yasunari and brought upside down, bowels out and head over heels, keeping only the overly sleepy mood of contemplation (here: self- contemplation). The point of view switches radically from the old man (book) to the sleeping girl (movie). So far, so good. The idea was more than fine, the book - okay, but the movie was a true disappointment. Why, though? First, it lacks a true intrigue. And I'm so sorry to say that the only thing that kept me more or less awake while struggling to watch this, was the sight of Emily Browning more or less naked. Perhaps they told her to act sedated during the whole movie, so that the viewer could see some sense in the title (because in more half the film Lucy, her heroine sells her body in various ways, none of which includes the slightest hint of sleep, but nonetheless her nipples show way more emotion and development than her face). That very same larger half of the movie seems to act like a poor cinematographic justification for prostitution, which sadly is not so cinematographic, even with the eyeswideshuttish scenes of erotic silver service or overly theatrical and profound blackouts between scenes, or even the final frame that serves as an unexpected (yet not unsuspected) ending. The movie is void of character development or a visible concept or anything, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The book was the same: the contemplation, the sensual but not erotic stuff and the all- pervading impression that human beings are immanently messed up. It's not exactly the inspiration to make you go out of the cinema with pulse over 100 and the strong desire to change your life and the world, but it could have triggered some thoughts and emotions if it weren't for:
The dialogue: there were a few lines that worked extremely well (Lucy's first conversation with Birdmann for example, which was a gleam of brilliance) and there were some other good moments, but few worked well enough to help the viewer understand what's happening (if anything at all).
The acting: Except for Clara and perhaps Sophie, the rest of the female acting was cut down to a plain showoff of numb young flesh, which might have been intended as creepy and conceptual, but works more like a great bore.
The lack of soundtrack: a few tones here and there, to wake the audience? The closeup frames: as badly composed, plain and boring as a closeup can get. And more, and more. Since writing about it is almost as tiresome as watching, here are the few things I actually liked:
1.Said Birdmann conversation and a certain strong-spirited muesli.
2. Clara talking to the bearded man. 3. First and third nights as a sleeping beauty.
4. Coin-flipping dialogue
5.First frame.
6. Sophie talking with her hair unbound.
7. Nipples and lipstick (please, note that I mention nipples again only because I like the number 7)
Beowulf (2007)
simply hilarious
i couldn't even watch the whole thing on HBO - i was too tired to waste my time any longer. most negative comments complain about "not following the storyline of the poem". well, I haven't read the poem. and the movie still is a great disappointment. the plot and the dialogues are far worse than the version from 1999 with Cristophe Lambert (a movie with a 3,6 rating and deserving it) the only good thing about the whole experience: a few touching lines from Grendel. Beowulf himself was so damn hilarious. And naked. Almost all the time. For no obvious reason. The "shadow" covering his genitals - common means to hide inappropriate sights in anime for example, is frustratingly misplaced in a realistic 3D. If they were so ashamed, why not give him a pair of viking pants. The dialogues were incredibly lame and funny, like they were written (and performed) by nerdy 13-year-old gamers trying to burlesque Manowar. Grendel's mum was also hilarious. I still can't imagine why in the world did Angelina say "yes" to take part in this. Or Antony Hopkins. Or Malkovich or any of the other great (and not so great) actors starring in that ridiculous excuse for an epic movie. Anyway, I was talking about Grendel's mum. So... alright, she was ridiculous (and 3D-made Angelina doesn't have even half of the sex appeal of the normal ms. Jolie.) She had high heels, alright. Coming out of her bare feet. Can you possibly imagine just how funny that looks? Anyway, soon after the appearance of the gold-painted reptile known as "Grendel's Mother" my patience was exhausted and I switched the channel... If something grand and really worth watching happened afterwards: than I beg forgiveness for writing this... But, honestly, I really doubt that.
The Invisible (2007)
Romance of the Absurd or The Absurd of a Romance
This is probably the first time I absolutely agree with the IMDb rating.
I recommend "The Invisible" to people who like dark romance, dark poetry, school violence. I totally recommend it to people who like ghost stories, for this is probably one of the best ghost concepts I've ever seen. And the most romantic too. I do not recommend it though to those who value logic a lot and also to advanced fans of psychological movies. Because this film often does not make much sense. It started very well and Nick's poem was really something. But somewhere after the 25th minute the absurd things started to pop up. (A weird fact about movies with supernatural elements: often the "supernatural" events make more sense than the normal ones.) The irrational behavior of many characters continued until the very end and spoiled the otherwise amazing atmosphere. For example: the dam scene. Why the hell did the cops call to stop the dam water AFTER it had almost drowned Nick?!!? They knew they don't have enough time, they had the phone... I mean, hey! Suspense is a good thing, but there are better ways to achieve it. I must also add Nick's survival to the "supernatural" part of the movie... Anyway, I really wanted to start with the good things and there are many of them. First of all, the idea was fantastic. This is a remake, as I read in some of the other comments so it's not too original, but it's still great! There is so much of "Sleeping with ghosts" (for non-music-lovers - this is an album by Placebo) in it, especially the scenes in the school between Annie and the ghost of Nick. That was absolutely beautiful. The whole development of their relationship was truly touching and is the sole, but absolute reason for (me) liking this movie. This and the poem. And the absolutely beautiful actress who performed Annie. And "Weak and Powerless", so well entwined in the scene. And the last scene (with the remote control plane): that was both the absolutely best way of sending message to the dead and one of the most interesting ways of making friends with a kid. ... Hey, there are quite a lot of good things about that movie after all. The last "minus": a predictable end. But hey, predictable does not necessarily mean bad. One thing for the atmosphere: is it my eyes, or the not-so cheerful-movies of the last say three years are usually tinted in green/blue/gray -ish? It looks good, I admit. The ending credits showed another visual interpretation, though (warm). 'Twas good.
House M.D.: Joy (2008)
Joy and Sorrow - a great mixture, House-style
A truly atmospheric episode, it automatically became one of my favourites. The first scenes are like a a tribute to psycho thrillers. Even the colours adhere to the mood. And the House vs. Cuddy tension, although predictable, managed to shake me. He is cruel! Really, since the end of Season 4, House has become even more of a misanthrope. Which makes the episodes more moving, sad and.. fun. Of course, all is merged with moments of pure joy, the contrast makes the experience better. The episode title can be either ironic or... not really. For it is clearly about joy, though it's filled with sorrow. The additional characters, however, were flat and somewhat banal. (Especially that pregnant girl. Touching, but predictable. We've already seen that story on TV.) Which, in that particular case, is not such a bad thing, for these characters are like... let me use a metaphor... the raw, basic colours used as a background to outline the portrait of the main characters/ to convert the main suggestion more clearly. Like in old movie posters. Meaning: the episode is not too elaborated or too multi-layered. But it is elegant and influential. I absolutely loved it. And if you're in the right, dark mood, you will too.