„JUST” A GOOD EFFORT

A whole movie shot in a single cut?

A masterful feat in directing (Sebastian Schipper) and a exhausting task for the actors. And where are the screenwriters in that?

The answer is, pretty much nowhere.

„Victoria” is a highly unconvincing story about a young Spanish girl Victoria and her night in Berlin spent in a company of four street lowlives that takes a dramatically wrong turn during a breaking and entering that would leave you wondering whether the entire flick could have been significantly shorter.

„Victoria” is a huge directing accomplishment and nothing more than that.

VICTORIA - 5/10

FOTO: filmint.nu

TOO CORNY

Love traingle is one of the most frequent motifs in the romantic drama genre. There are all sorts of those traingles, but Koreans tend to sharpen their edges a bit. Especially when you mix a young artist, an Interpol agent and a professional hitman in a story about the unrequited love.

However, Korean wouldn't have earned their reputation without some tragical twists, but sadly, leaving the rest of the script to roll in a mud of deja vus, common places and really, really tacky outcomes.

„Daisy” can be watched even by a non-demanding European romantic drama lover.

DAISY - 3/10

FOTO: hancinema.net

TRULY HUMANE

Argentinian dramas are slow. Like very slow. Like very, very slow. Sometimes, this can bother you („Secret in their eyes”, „The Aura”), but sometimes it just hits the spot perfectly.

Story about a terminally ill Julian (constantly persuasive Ricardo Darin) and his quest for a new home for his dog (Truman) is one of those latter cases. That journey will lead him and his faithful friend Tomas (Javier Camara) through a whirlwind of tears and laughs, tackling the most difficult movie subject of all (death) with a refreshing ease and elegance.

„Truman” is a huge refreshement to the genre and a solid and unpretentious little dark comedy-drama that restores your faith in life.

TRUMAN - 7/10

FOTO: acttwomagazine.com

NOTHING NEW

Love stories are all the same in their nutshells. The emotion is there, but so is the reason that disables that emotion to flourish. Korean love stories tend to have slightly sharper and more unexpected reason that keeps two people from living happily ever after.

„Always” has the physical disability of the girl (blindness) and the dark past for the boy (ex-boxer and criminal) to add to the plot, but that's it. Everything else, the revenge, the comeback and even the slightly different ending is sort of a deja vu.

„Always” may come as a little surprise for the fans of romantic drama, but not for everyone else as well.

ALWAYS - 4/10

FOTO: hancinema.net

FORCE OF EMPTINESS

Being slow is one of trademarks of indie production and there's nothing wrong with that. But being empty alongside being slow is a major crime in movie industry.

„Force Majeure” is on of those painstakingly slow and completely empty stories about forgiveness and redemption inside a four member family that survives a minor avalanche on a winter holiday in the Alps. It does have the beginning, but it lacks any development and resolution.

„Force Majeure” isn't just a bad indie flick, it is a bad movie overall.

FORCE MAJEURE - 1/10

FOTO: 3.bp.blogspot.com

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

GOOD CONCEPT, SOLID MOVIE

Far Eastern movie creators tend to cover stories that are appaling and hardly imaginable for the Europeans and people from North America. Two high school girls that dream of going to Europe will work hard for their dream to come true. Jae-Young  is a soft hearted hooker, while Yeo-jin is distrustful pimp.

Their lives will take a U-turn when the hoooker dies, leaving a pimp girl on a road of repentance, while her father (a criminal inspector) picks up his daughter's trail of prostitution.

Tragedy is looming all the way, and it will happen towards the end of the movie, in a traditional Korean way, altough not nearly as brutal as in some of the better dramas coming from that country.

„Samaritan girl” has a great concept, but somewhat expected development and conclusion.

SAMARITAN GIRL - 6/10

FOTO: amazonaws.com

A MEANINGFUL TORTURE

There are several worldwide acknowleged movie directors that tend to molest their viewers. Most of them (Lars von Trier, Paul Thomas Anderson, late Terrence Mallick) do that without any serious intentions and purpose.

Kim Ki-Duk is one of those fanatically resilient movie directors that don't give up from their vision from start 'till the end of his flicks, but do that for a reason.

„Pieta” is one of those stories, revolving around the extortionist that mutilates people who can not repay their debts for insurance. When confronted with his long gone mother, the thug will be put to test of humanity. Kim Ki-Duk won't, staying forever faithful to the claustrophobic depicition of the Seoul's handicrafters lives on the verge of economical extinction and gory scenes of the mutilations themsleves. Along that path of brutality, all of the aspects and possible scenarios will be covered and explained thoroughly. The very end will be in the fashion of true Korean thriller masters, enthroning Kim Ki-Duk as one of the best modern movie directors in the world.

„Pieta” will make you sick, twist your heart inside out and play with your mind along its way.

PIETA - 8/10

FOTO: viewofthearts.files.wordpress.com

EXOTIC, BUT UNFINISHED

Although it nominally comes from Canadian film industry, „Atanrjuat: The Fast runner” is after all, a full-blooded Eskimo movie.

Now, that's some exotic cinematography!

The subject isn't that peculiar at all, based around one of the oldest motives for crime and murder: greed. On the other hand, the plot and especially the outcome of the script itself isn't something Caucasians are used to.

„Atanrjuat: The Fast runner” is a solid insight into the obscure culture and landscapes, and nothing more than that.

ATANRJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER - 4/10

FOTO: tasteofcinema.com

EFFECTIVE AND MOVING

There is no better documentary than real life, and the story about a little Nasal's family life in the Mongolian desert intertwined with local folk beleifs is just that.
Real life. Real emotions.

Real, living actors. With real, living problems.

Overall rhythm is painstakingly slow, but awards its viewer towards the very end, giving the meaning and strong symbolism to the entire script.

„The cave of the yellow dog” is an excellent documentary with drama elements for the entire family.

THE CAVE OF THE YELLOW DOG - 7/10

FOTO: slantmagazine.com