BEAUTIFUL AND PHILOSOPHICAL

Kim Ki-Duk is one of those „visually orgasmic” directors, and his trademark production and „empty” shots become clearer than ever in a philosophical and highly symbollic Korean folk tale „Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring”.

The script itself is painstakingly slow, but the message of forgiveness and purity in life is pretty straightforward. Set upon a floating raft temple on a lake, it wouldn't deviate much from its original location, as the story itself. Every shot will drag the best out of the magical scenery and changes through the seasons, trailing the evolution of the main character along that way. The ending will be highly symbollic, leaving the average viewer dazzled and somewhat saturated with hidden messages.

„Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring” is a PhD in production and camera for movie directors and a beautifully filmed tale for everyone else.

SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING – 7/10

FOTO: justgoodvibe.com

FINNISH BLOODY RECONCILIATION

FOTO: static.kinokopilka.tv

One of the first war conflicts on the European soil prior to Second World war is the short, but bloody dispute between pro-Nazi Finland and communist Russia that succeeded in hiding from the mainstream cinema of both countries up until „The winter war”.

Although modest in resources and orientated towards artsy flicks, Finnish cinema brought us a fairly successful war story about freshly drafted Finnish infantry that engage Russians in the icy forests and meadows devoured by artillery and tanks on both sides.

„The Winter war” is a solid war flick, with some unexpected dramatic and bloody scenes, but not much depth to the story to go along.

THE WINTER WAR - 5/10

SLOW, BUT BORING

FOTO: filmireland.net

When a movie wins „Palme D’or” at Cannes film festival, it is natural to have big expectations from it. Turkish ”Winter sleep” came with the highest ratings and had it all on paper: stark Anadolian landscape as a backdrop and the tale about cultural differences between genders and economical classes in modern Turkish society. It had it all, but it blew it.

To be quite frank, ”Winter sleep” has an incredibly dull script, consisting of nothing but endless dialogues leading nowhere. And it lasts for almost three hours, tormenting the viewer with repeating camera swapping characters. And to be very precise, this isn’t a philosophical movie.

”Winter sleep” is just a plain boring movie. 

WINTER SLEEP - 1/10

FAILED SCANDINAVIAN NOIR

Desolation, brutality, dark humor. Basic ingredients of every successful Scandinavian noir thriller, when skillfully mixed together.

„In the order of disappearance” has all the above mentioned, but not in the right amount and scale. Brutal crime is there, motif of father’s (Stellan Skarsgard) revenge as well. Humor is where the script tends to deviate into banality, only to totally collapse after the appearance of the Serbian mobsters led by Bruno Ganz and Sergej Trifunović.

From then on and all the way to the tragicomic finale, „In the order of disappearance” is just begging you to „disappear it” from your hard drive/player due to its shallow and caricature unfolding and acting.

Heavy failure, despite the great atmosphere of desolated Norwegian snowy landscape.

IN THE ORDER OF DISSAPEARANCE - 3/10