ALL HAIL OVE!

„Oscars” 2017 were 100% political, and no movie, however good, couldn't take a sniff of a „golden boy” if it didn't deal with African-American human rights or if it wasn't anti-Trump. Ashgar Farhadi's „Salesman” took the statue for the best foreign language movie only due to the fact that it was made by a man from a country on the Trump's refugee-ban list. And by doing so, it inflicted a huge injustice to the best movie of 2016 made in a non-English language.

„A man called Ove” and Rolf Lassgard are everything that Casey Affleck and „Manchester by the sea” aren't. A great and heavy drama about a seriously damaged man that managed to defeat life and everything it tossed at him. And did it in a severely amusing manner, creating one of the most likeable characters on the big screen in the past couple of years. Ending will be heart-throbbing, but also very positive, making the entire flick even more everlasting.

„A man called Ove” is the best foreign language movie of 2016, and the second one overall, being left behind only by „Lion”.

A MAN CALLED OVE – 9/10

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CONSISTENTLY EMBARASSING

German contender for this year's „Oscar” for best foreign language movie was a sort of a peculiar mix of comedy and drama, telling the semi-serious story about a caring father that desires to bring some humor into his daughter's busy and harsh business life in Bucharest.

„Toni Erdmann” will be done in a genuine European manner, with slow tempo and long shots creating the needed atmosphere of nuisance and embarrassment for the main character. Humor will step in to wake the viewer up when down tempo takes over, but the show will definitely be stolen by the ruthless representation of the Romanian society in transition between utter poverty and the scavanger multinational companies.

However, the overall result will stop somewhere in between, not rewarding the viewer after 160 minutes of movie with something fruitful and finished.

„Toni Erdmann” is a solid European flick, but nothing more than that.

TONI ERDMANN – 6/10

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„OSCARS” SO BLACK

Politically correct stories are one of the greatest cancers eating out modern day US cinema. With liberal and left-wing lobby on Hollywood's helm, cinematographers are really tempted to choose only certain stories in order to harvest the rewards.

„Moonlight” is one of those stories, revolving around the young gay African-American, living in a ghetto and being raised by a junkie mother. Sexual and racial inequity with some addiction issues and you have a huge „oscar” winner looming. It doesn't matter that the story basically doesn't exist, nor that all the nominated roles are well below the average. You are a socially active flick and therefore represent the „wet dream” of liberal mainstream media and critics.

Not everything is empty here, though. There will be some grim atmosphere, some good cinematography and solid acting by young Sanders, but that's it.

„Moonlight” will reap this year's „oscars” and it will do UNDESERVEDLY.

MOONLIGHT – 4/10

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EMOTIONAL DESTROYER

Behind every great movie in the history is the script, the story. And what story can be more moving than the one based on real life characters and a huge problem that devours the single largest population on Earth, one that lives in India.

Child abandonment is one of the most tragic subjects the movie can tackle, so only the best ones will be recognized as the immortal ones. Australian „Lion” is one of those immortal flicks that will carve its way into your brain and soul so deeply that you will end up weeping while you're watching little Saroo's journey to hell and back.

With impeccable scenario, it was time for the masters of trade to step in and routinely deliver the final product. If you can say that always reliable Nicole Kidman is the „Jack of all trades”, Dev Patel will definitely steal the show in his first serious role on the big screen as a grown up. But, that's not all, since the real stars of this emotional earthquake of a movie will be two rookies, director Garth Davis and young Sunny Pawar. Add some great music and cinematography along the way and you will get something trully outstanding for today's standards.

„Lion” is, without any doubt, THE BEST movie of 2016 and should harvest the „oscars” in every major cathegory it was nominated.

LION – 10/10

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PRETENTIOUS AND HORRIBLY ACTED

Movies dealing with some of the most difficult subjects in life like the loss of children are, at their core, pretentious to their bone. Hence, their representation must be nothing short of a masterpiece. Otherwise, they will be just a series of utterly boring and empty attempts to reach the viewer via quasi-indie production style long cuts and hand-in camera.

„Manchester by the sea” is one of those ambitious heavy dramas written for one man. Although solid and sound in its foundation, every heavy turn of the script will be just blatantly rejected and ignored by Casey Affleck, making him, without any doubt, the worst actor in modern day Hollywood.

Everything else, including the outcome and the remainder of the cast will follow Casey's lead into the abyss.

„Manchester by the sea” is by far, the most overrated movie of the year, lead by the worst actor of modern day Hollywood.

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA – 3/10

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SEMI-SUCCESSFUL

American indie cinematography often deals with left-wing liberal subjects and so does „Captain Fantastic”, an unusual story about the single father that raise, educate and prepare for life his six children in the wilderness of western USA.

Although the movie revolves around Viggo Mortensen, he fails to deliver some remarkable acting, so the kids step in and steal the show. Script will tend to get more serious in the second part of the movie, trying really hard to raise some important questions about childcare, education and life itself. However, just like Viggo, the script will be only semi-successful in that task, leaving the viewer hanging out to dry at the (hippie-style) ending.

„Captain Fantastic” tries to be a bigger movie than it is, despite not being a bad movie at all.

 

 

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC – 5/10

 

 

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DANISH BLOWAWAY

 

Danish contender for the „Oscar” for Best foreign language movie brings us a brutal and relentless story about the German POW that are forced to clean the beaches of Denmark after the World War Two. Most of those prisoners were very young, so the tragedy of this dangerous job thickens as the story unfolds.

As for the cast, there are two opposites, pictured in the boys   commander, Sergeant Rasmussen (Rolland Moller) and his fellow Danish officers. Cast is reflected by the two opposite attitudes towards the kids, so some heavy drama is guaranteed. The pace and the outbursts of explosives and characters will pick up, leading the drenched out viewer towards the end and much needed redemption.

„Land of mine” is not your typical war drama. „Land of mine” is a true European style real life drama.

 

 

LAND OF MINE – 8/10

 

 

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