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Reviews
Scream 4 (2011)
They Have Managed to Make a Decent Movie After All!
I was a huge Scream fan in the 90ies, so when Scream 4 was released I didn't even go to the movie-theater to see it, since I was 100% sure it was bad. Bought it on DVD out of curiosity recently & was pleasantly surprised. Wes Craven & Kevin Williamson have managed to make a very decent sequel after all! Although I'm still convinced they should have left Scream a trilogy, the idea of playing with the "remake" theme seems to be the best possible solution for Scream 4. Not only the idea was quite good the execution is great either given the circumstances. Not only the film evokes nostalgic feelings it presents a nice satire on the modern youth and the internet culture. Although Scream 4 is possibly the best thriller I've seen since My Bloody Valentine 3D, I'm still not able to suppress the feeling of how much worse it is than the original movies from the trilogy, compared even to Scream 3. Scream 4 actually has lots of advantages compared to various other sequels: smart idea, original cast from the previous movies, the new cast is not bad either, good acting, suspense, some good jokes... What it lacks though is the atmosphere of the first 3 movies, though some vibe is still there, it is not the same anymore. Well, maybe that was one of the director's ideas, I don't know. But the movie has left me somewhat sad with the feeling that nothing stay the same anymore, even my favorite franchise of my youth. Only after watching Scream 4 I've come to realize how much do I really miss the 90ies, when everything was a little bit more honest & real.
Other Voices (2000)
The Best Movie Ever!
I have seen this movie occasionally on a cable channel & immediately ordered a copy on DVD. I have to highlight, that "Other Voices" is a very deep movie with several layers of understanding enclosed in little details. The movie is not just "weird" or simply "funny", it's not only about marriage troubles & self-absorption and loneliness of people. It's also about the unnaturalness of the living environment in a huge megalopolis, the senselessness of corporate jobs, the inevitability of social collapse to mention a few. Every single character in the movie, and unfortunately this is a very realistic part of it, is a lonely, unhappy and emotionally crippled person. The whole atmosphere, the inner energy of the film is very pressing. I would say, "Other Voices" is even more of current interest than it was back in 2000. Though the film is very intriguing, easy to watch & at times absolutely hilarious - it is at the same time very sad. It demands digging deeper into things, paying attention to the dialogs and little details, which at times turn out to be very profound. Just like this very impressive part, when John (Campbell Scott) tries to get in the nightclub in order to grab some beer there and the bouncer tells him he's not on the list, to which John replies something like that he's got "Henry f***ing Kissinger waiting in the car. Are you telling me Kissinger is not on the list?" In the meantime the satanically looking band in the club is playing a rather creepy heavy metal song with the following refrain "Insect instead of Jesus". This scene is very important in the movie, which brings up the problems of meaningless corporatism, death of family, break down of social communications, street riots, etc.