Hearat Shulayim

English Title: Footnote

Joseph Cedar, Israel, 20011, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas

Comment:

It took me all these time to comment in this film because my fellow companions watching this film didn't like it as much as I did.
Yes, It's not as good as I thought it would be. The trailers tricked me on that! I just thought that with such a great subject how can you missed to create a good film! Maybe they messed up the edition? You must say that the script was good... the idea was brilliant! and the actors were good. But yes, they were tones of information that didn't end anywhere! and, in fact, the film didn't end anywhere either!! (that end guys!! that end!! uuggrr!!) However, I still like it a lot. I enjoyed the drama and the general development. 

Monsieur Lazhar

English Title: Monsieur Lazhar

Philippe Falardeau, Canada, 2011, imdb

Review: 4.5 Uchuvas

Comment:

From time to time, when I see good films, I don't like making large comments on them. Why? because I have always said that going to watch a film without knowing much about it, it's so much better!! I will only say that is gently and delicate; with great actors and a good script. It's a tough subject that manage to let you go through it without pain.

La Doppia Ora

English Title: The Double Hour

Giuseppe Capotondi, Italy, 2009, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas

Comment:

The script's idea is so so so good!! I really don't know what happened!! Everything was very intriguing, confusing, suspenseful and suddenly you have everything there ... even the end!!! What a waste!!! It's worth watching anyway! Acting is great! Music is very nice! an scrip... really good if they would have gotten a few more months to work on ;)
(btw, first time director)

Castaway to the Moon

English Title: Castaway to the Moon

Hae-jun Lee, South Korea, 2009, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas

Comment:

As usual with South Korean's films, when I started watching this, I was deadly scare! Scare to see my 5th South Korean film as, with them, you never know how bizarre they can be!!  Although I went back to see the list of the other 4 films I've seen and the only one that it's really REALLY something is "Old Boy" the other ones are nicely bizarre.
Anyway, Castaway has some good, funny, bizarre moments but, unfortunately, few cheesy ones that kill the film for me. It's very disappointing that there are still directors that want to have that Hollywood little, predictable touch that makes a great film a blockbuster one! This is the case for this film. Everything was going fine until the last 15 minutes.  The script was good (although wilson's "lookalike" is unforgivable!), the actors were fine too. You guys have a go... still is a well spend time.

Bolivia

English Title: Bolivia

Adrian Caetano, Argentina+Netherlands, 2001, imdb

Review: 1.5 Uchuvas

Comment:

When I saw the name of the film, it cough my attention. Then I read the wrong storyline in netflix (I realized it was wrong when I finished watching the film) and thought it will be interesting. Then, when the film started, I was about to leave it as, at first, I didn't see the need of the black and white shoots. At the end turns out to be a boring film, bad acting, bad cinematography and so on.... Not worth watching in a million years. For my super big surprise it won a prize at Canes!! and UK and Spain!! why? I really don't know...

Amintiri din epoca de aur

English Title: Tales from the Golden Age

Hanno Hofer+others, Romania+France, 2009, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas

Comment:

I haven't cried (for laughing so much) in a film for such a long time that, this is why Im giving so many Uchuvas to this film! The film is good... the concept is really good! they really are short "tales" about a communist party in Romania in the late 80's. Not only those tales were good... some how, and not for being Romanian or Easter European at all, I felt identify with the people in every "tale". 

Fish Tank

English Title: Fish Tank

Andrea Arnold, UK, 2009, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas

Comment:

The script is quite good. It's a tough and rough history. Unexpected development, which was quite good. Acting was good as well. I really don't know why it didn't got me more... but it's a good film to watch.  I just realized that it's the same director as Red Road and yes... they are quite in the same line.  Como diriamos en mi familia: pero que bonita familia!!

Meduzot

English Title: Jellyfish

Shira Geffen, Israel+others, 2007, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas

Comment:
It's kind of a weird feeling after watching this film. It is, indeed, very sad but some how it's not THAT depressing considering that none of the 4 stories is slightly happy. The actors weren't that good but the stories were nicely sad, nicely told and well edited (although sometimes the sequence should have been longer... well, from my humble point of view).

Jodaeiye Nader az Simin

English Title: A Separation

Asghar Farhadi, Iran, 20011, imdb

Review: 4.5 Uchuvas

Comment:

A lot of things needs to be good for a film to be... good;  without any doubt acting make a good film a great film! Every single character of this movie was very well performed! the little kid was really credible! she reminds me tons Children of Heaven... same gestures, same drops, same smiles, same giggles... cute, cute, cute! I loved the first scene... there, you can seen the quality of actors the movie have. The script was really strong! not only the main theme but everything around it: culture, religion, family.  At some point I felt the film was a bit long but then I thought what part could be re-adjusted and I didn't find any.

Swimming Pool

English Title: Swimming Pool

Francois Ozon, UK + others, 2003, imdb

Review: 1.5 Uchuvas

Comment:

If you want to waste your time, watch this. If you want to get bored in the first 1.5 hours and then get disappointed with the last 10 minutes, watch this. I was about to turn it off but I really can't... I only have stopped watching one film in my life and this film was way to close to be the second one.  To be honest, doesn't deserve any review at all. Im going to bed.

En ganske snill mann

English Title: A somewhat Gentle Man

Hans Petter Moland, Norway, 2010, imdb

Review: 3.0 Uchuvas

Comment:

It's a nice, soft film. It's the kind of films you want to see when there is nothing else to do in life and you want just to relax a bit. I guess I like it because no matter how sad the situation is, the film is kind of funny.

East is East

English Title: East is East

Damien O'Donnell, UK, 2009, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas

Comment:

Another UK film and, as most of the time with British films, I like it a lot! I remembered that I watched it a long time ago. I was pleased to find it (without looking for it) as it's really worth it! What I like the most about the film, apart from the subject which is very powerful, was the acting. Every single character make its statement in the film! Every single character is very very very well performed! 

The disappearance of Alice Creed

English Title: The Disappearance of Alice Creed

J Blakeson, Englad, 2009, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas

Comment:

So, finally, a British film to start this year!!! How I love this films!! I was in between 4 and 3.5 Uchuvas but looking at the 4 Uchuvas films that I have posted, it wouldn't be fair to give 4 to this one. That being said, I like a lot the film! It's a suspenseful film that really gets your attention from the first 4 minutes, which by the way, are the best 4 minutes in the whole film as they really prepared you for what you are about to see.  The way the film evolves is very intriguing and stressful! Two of the only three characters in the film (yes, only three people appear on the screen!!!) are not thaaat good but as the script is quite good, you just forbid a bit that part.

Code Inconnu: Recit incomplet de divers voyages

English Title: Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys

Michael Haneke, France+others, 2000, imdb

Review: 3.0 Uchuvas

Comment:

Anohter Haneke film this week.... and Mmm... no, I didn't like it... and I now openly confess that I don't like Juliette Binoche either.  I feel that Binoche is just too over acted. I did love her performance in Chocolate but other than that I can't remember any other film that I like her... maybe "Blue". Anyway, she's not the only one there and well... the film was much more than her performance. It's not a boring film as the stories are nice but as an overall i think it's a film you can live without watching it.  

La Pianiste

English Title: The Piano Teacher

Michael Haneke, France+others, 2001, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas

Comment:

I saw it last night and if I had reviewed it by then, I would have put much less Uchuvas as I don't like films with gross scenes but with Haneke you just need to be prepared for anything! The teacher is just incredible! the character couldn't have been more well performed! The scenarios where just perfect selected... the music, the color, the costumes were just perfect to create a stressful and dramatic film.  However, from Haneke, The white ribbon is the best one so far (by far!)

Pequenas Voces

English Title: Little voices

Jairo Carrillo, Colombia, 2010, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas

Comment:

Of course I have to start posting with this film!!!! Of course I have to start posting with a 5 Uchuvas film and what a better way to do it than with a Colombian film!

So, I saw little voices last year in a MOMA festival. I read from before that the film was getting a lot of great feedbacks from festivals around the globe. I was very surprised when I arrived at MOMA and they gave me 3D glasses!! Well, the film is the first Colombian film in 3D! What is funny about the 3D is that the images in the film are drawings in 2d! so... I really don't know how they managed to do such a great job!

There are a few things that are great in this film:
The edition is neat! It's jus perfect! They manage to bring you to very difference moods through out the film. It's really impressive how they make you laugh and two minutes later you are about to cry and two minutes later you are stress and then you are just optimistic!
The animation is also impressive! the way they converted some kids' drawings into living characters and to top in 3d images, is really nice.

I don't like long posting, so I'll leave it here.  "Someone" is crying in the background and I need to attend ;)

Starting 2012 with more postings!! I haven't forgoten you Uchuva!!

Starting 2012 with more postings!! I haven't forgoten you Uchuva!!

After a long long while, recently arriving from my long vacations in Colombia, without a job, with not so much movies seen in 2011 (maybe 5 if so!), and with my beautiful baby sleeping in my next room, I'll try to recover some of the stuff I use to do ... one of them is posting here! So, let's start 2012 with new energy that helps me walk in this movie world again!