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Reviews
Gamers (2006)
Lame "comedy" exploiting gamer chlichées. Don't waste your time!
I picked up this movie in the hope it would be similar to the hilarious "The Gamers" by Dead Gentlemen Productions (which is highly recommendable, by the way). Boy, what a disappointment! The movie is shot in this fake documentary style made famous by the office but it fails to deliver. The reason is partly the stiff acting but mostly the writing and directing. True, it can be funny to use every singe cliché there is about role playing games, but here it is done in such a way that it becomes extremely predictable. Already at the beginning of each scene you know what the "joke" will be about. But maybe the biggest problem is that everything is depicted way over the top. There is no subtlety in this movie, if there would be captions "LAUGH NOW" or a cheap 80s-style fake-laughter track it would not make much difference. With some scenes you can't help to think "Yea, I get why they thought this would be funny" but the way it is executed takes all momentum out of the possible joke.
Eastern Promises (2007)
Excellent movie! Keeps you thinking...
I did not know anything about this movie when I went to saw it, so at first I was puzzled to where it was heading. When I left the theater, I did not know what to make of it in the first place, however, it kept me thinking. The more I think about it, the more I grow to like it! As said already in other comments, it works so well on many levels! The story seemed to develop rather slow and predictable on the one hand and a bit constructed on the other (mainly Anna's actions). However, the reason to watch this movie is not it's story! Directing and acting is superb! The movie feels at times a bit slow, because it lives from it subtleties. Many events and issues are pointed at, but few are shown explicitly. If you watch it as "just another mobster-flick" and do not pay attention to the details, you are sure to miss essential aspects of the movie, because it is precisely not just another mobster-flick, it's a thrilling drama!
The way the characters develop during the movie is excellent and compelling. If you have not seen it, got to the cinema and watch it, don't wait for the DVD, it's made for the big screen! Be warned, if you expect fast-pace or excessive action you will be disappointed. In my impression, those who think this film is mediocre seem to have missed some crucial elements.
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I agree, Anna and her family are rather plain and naive. However, that's what they are supposed to be, ordinary people!
With Semyon it becomes very quickly obvious that there is something rotten, but every action reveals a bit more of his evil soul. Armin Müller-Stahl successfully transforms from "nice" uncle to personified horror!
Nikolai comes first of as the archetype ruthless mobster hit-man or cleaner and his character is truly frightening. Through the course of the film, it is very carefully shown that he is actually the good guy. However, his motivations and sincerity remain unclear until the conversation with the police officer, which is great! It makes the plot-twist even more radical, suddenly everything falls into place! If the character would have shown his inner doubts and conflicts more openly during the first part of the movie, the movie would not have built up such a terrifying atmosphere. He is the perfect tragic hero, who does the best as he can but still is torn apart from his love to serve the grater good. Thereby, the film achieves to create a certain warm feeling that the good has won, but avoids the cheesiness of a Hollywood-like happy ending. The question how far different means and sacrifices can be justified in order to reach a certain end remains of course crucial in this context.
The biggest problem I had with Kirill, because he was pretty obnoxious and seemed to be depicted over the top. However, as his personal problems are revealed during the course of the film (early death of his mother, lack of recognition from his father, denial of his own homosexuality, alcoholism), it to falls into place and makes much more sense.
I am not a big film geek, but Easter Promises is one of the few films which raise my desire to watch them again.
Lammbock (2001)
A great movie!
I think that Lammbock is one of the best movies ever about dope. If you don't like dope you will likely think that the dialogues are boring and the film is lame - if you have ever liked cannabis, you will laugh loudly about the funny dialogues and the great humor. No, I am not saying that you would have to be stoned to see this movie, this movie is just one of the very few realistic drug-movies. Well, the story isn't realistic, but the atmosphere is. I think that is it, what makes this movie so great, it has managed to catch the atmosphere like it would be in a real smoke-inn. In most cannabis-related movies (i.e. saving grace, cheech&chong, half-baked) , the effects of this drug are pretty unrealistic, the users are described as stupid, brain-amputated, mumbo-jumbo-bubbling monkeys and many of those have this "drugs are bad"-morality. Not so in Lammbock. The users are normal people, some are crashed, most aren't, and they behave pretty much like real, pot smoking people (well not WHAT they do, but HOW they do it). The acting is just great! Lammbock is free of morality and thats good - I want to watch comedy to be entertained, not to be educated. Well, there are some scenes I didn't like either (i.e. how they treated the forest-worker), but that's not the humor of the whole movie and it doesn't spoil the film! This movie gave me back my faith in German comedy!