Change Your Image
nirmaata
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka (2023)
Nice visuals but a very questionable storyline
As expected, the movie delivers in terms of visual aspects. The colors of the real and fantasy world bring the picturesque landscapes to life.
This however is all to positively say about this movie. Everything else is beyond expectations, and it is sad to see that such a movie has been released by this renowned studio.
Let me start with the plot. Are you out of your mind man? The main character is Mojito, a little boy who has just lost his mother in the war. What does Mojito's daddy do? He marries the mother's younger sister and gets her pregnant! And then he forces Mojito to call his aunt mother. And the best part about this is that nobody in this movie gives a damn about this apparently incestuous family situation.
Mojitos aunt / new mother is a caring woman and gives the little boy all the love she has. When she disappears in fantasy world and Mojito tries to bring her back to reality, she turns into a crazy woman and tells him straight into his face that he is the worst thing that could happen to her. At the end of the movie when everyone is saved, Mojito does not seem to care about this incident and welcomes her without hesitation as the wonderful loving aunt / new mother she is on the surface.
Honestly, this entire family situation alone was so questionable that it distracted from the rest of the plot. I could not care less about any other theme, be it war, nature, loss or hope. The key message I got from this movie is that very married woman should keep their sisters away from their husband.
Napoleon (2023)
Missing a satisfying experience
I felt empty, unsuccessful, disappointed and sad after the movie ended. Perhaps these are the emotions that the audience should feel, but it is not a good feeling. Throughout the entire movie, the pacing seemed rushed, but so again, was Napoleon's ascent to glory.
All in all, there were several moments which were missing in this movie. For one, and perhaps the most annoying, a more captivating emotional connection. Maybe Josephine's affair should have received more attention. Maybe Napoleon's expressed emotions of feeling betrayed were too weakly portrayed. Sure, he was enraged for a moment when he read the news, but this rage did not carry over to subsequent scenes. The same goes for the scene where he finally held his heir in his arms. Once little Napoleon was crying his heart out, this achievement received a hard storyline cut. Or perhaps his love for his country should have been shown in a more direct way.
For another, the side characters appeared interchangeable, although the roles they portrayed were highly complex. I cared little whether Napoleon was sharing his drink with the emperor of Russia, Austria or anyone else.
And just like the movie did not really have a proper ending, that's how this review will.
Kaguya-hime no monogatari (2013)
A simple tale with a deep meaning illustrated elegantly with a watercolor painting style
Servus from Austria. Watched the movie on Netflix, German dubbed.
Overall impression:
A beautiful fairy tale that keeps the audience engaged throughout the movie with exciting twists, questionable decisions or humorous events.
Story arc: 9/10
A story about growing up in a foster family with challenges that are illuminated from both the perspective of the child and foster parents. Thanks to magical forces that accelerate the growth of the child, the pacing of the story does not decline and allows the introduction of new events on a constant basis. What makes this story so powerful is how the primary building blocks of storytelling, including love and hate, adventure and tranquility, desire and regret, and oppression and opportunity, are carefully interwoven.
Entertainment: 9/10
The many adventures spread across the child's lifetime provide a collection of stories with a wide variety of flavors. Several key scenes stick in one's mind and leave the audience with a desperate need for discussion.
Characters: 8/10
The main characters were well-crafted. Each character discovers their own set of conflicts they need to fight and solve. Potential for more depth could have been explored with the four wealthy suitors.
Originality: 5/10
The story's ideas are reflected in a range of classical works. Turandot in the world of opera, Cindarella in the realm of fairy tales and Pride and Prejudice in the world of novels are just a few examples of stories that bear strong similarities.
Visuals: 9/10
Perhaps one of its most differentiating assets is its style of illustration. The watercolored style conveys a strong sense of love for each scene.
Sound design: 9/10
The melodies are unique and are easily recognizable.
Sommer in Wien (2015)
Great movie that reflects the many shades of Viennese attitudes
Servus from Austria. Watched the movie in the theater. Original version.
Overall impression:
This is an enjoyable movie that keeps the audience continuously engaged. The main characters have strong personalities and the way they harmonize despite their differences creates a captivating dynamic that adds depth to the storyline.
Story arc: 9/10
The main theme of this movie revolves around how Viennese locals spend their summers. Various side stories are skillfully interweaved that entertainingly connect to the central theme. At its core, the film celebrates the unwavering commitment of an instrument refurbisher to preserving the legacy of old-fashioned craftsmanship.
Entertainment: 8/10
The stories of the main characters, the transition scenes that connect each story arc with each other, and the way the stories unfold are all a true joy to watch.
Characters: 7/10
Each character had their own views of the world, and the director did a great to give all of them their own stage.
Originality: 8/10
A true modern classic of Austrian film-making in my opinion. I would definitely watch the movie again.
Visuals: 7/10
The settings were great and people who have visited Vienna will recognize quite a few places.
Sound design: 6/10
Sound design was solid.
Scary Movie 5 (2013)
Unbelievably weak parody
Servus from Austria. Watched the movie at home. German dubbed.
Overall impression: Absolutely terrible, sketches were predictable and lacked originality
Story arc: 1/10 There is not much about the story to say. The plot is not coherent, which is an obvious downside of this series anyway.
Entertainment: 2/10 I watched this movie to have a laugh, which I honestly did have at one or the other moment. But apart from these rare rays of hope the movie left me frustrated.
Characters: 2/10 The acting was as bad as it could get in this movie franchise. Acting comedic scenes felt forced.
Originality: 1/10 Since this is the fifth part of the scary movie series, there are not much new elements to discover.
Visuals: 2/10 The visual effects appeared cheap overall.
Sound design: 4/10 Sound effects were alright in my opinion. They were never off.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Got a headache after an hour
Servus from Austria. Watched the movie in the theater. German dubbed.
Overall impression:
Okay to watch but not really a masterpiece in my view. Turned into a marathon due to its length and unspectacular peaks.
Story arc: 4/10
There is just as much flesh to the plot as the story requires, but not more. It just tells enough about Oppenheimer's private life, about his political involvement, about his scientific involvement and about his program involvement but not more. It felt more like a relief rather than a fascinating eureka moment when they finally built the bomb. And those black and white flashbacks led to a side plot finale which left me wondering - so what?
Entertainment: 2/10
I have honestly found the chit chat amongst the theatre audience at times more entertaining than the movie itself. There were no real emotional moments one could invest themselves in. The ethical question of building a weapon so powerful was not discussed in any notable depth. And when the bomb dropped - well there was an explosion.
Characters: 5/10
That Italian science guy was a great character to watch. So was Oppenheimer, although there were no scenes that would make me think that this was extraordinary acting.
Originality: 3/10
There are quite a number of beautiful mind references in the reviews and to no real surprise. The stories are similarly told.
Visuals: 5/10
The abstract snapshots were easy on the eye but the rest of the visuals were unspectacular.
Sound design: 5/10
With the solid visuals came a solid sound design.
Escape from Pretoria (2020)
Harry Potter looking for freedom
Servus from Austria. Watched the movie in the original version.
Overall impression:
Exciting jail escape movie in a realistic environment. Lacks scenes that depict the truly harsh conditions of inmates.
Story arc: 5/10
Getting a sentence for political crimes in South Africa is the solid theme of the movie. The story itself follows a straight path. There were no really surprising elements to the story that would make the audience jump from their chairs.
Entertainment: 7/10
The escape scenes were well acted and kept me on my toes. Already at the start of the movie, the events caught my attention and kept me engaged for the most part until the end.
Characters: 6/10
The main characters were well portrayed by the actors and bore close resemblance to their real-life counterparts. The policemen tried to appear threatening, but ultimately were a touch less evil than one would expect. The other inmates added good support to character development.
Originality: 2/10
If you have seen Shawshank Redemption or any other prison break movie, then you will not be too impressed.
Visuals: 6/10
The depicted world the movie tries to suck you in but ultimately did not feel as dark and gritty as it ought to be. The cells themselves did not look too shabby and even the food in jail looked alright.
Sound design: 7/10
The music was well composed to add tension where necessary.
Beast (2022)
When poachers get poached
Servus from Austria. Watched the movie in a theatre, German dubbed.
Overall impression:
Beautiful safari scenery, straightforward plot, if not taken seriously then actually quite fun to watch.
Story arc: 3/10
Not much to say about the story but transparent and mainly concentrating on building the final man vs beast showdown. Side stories did not feel enganging.
Entertainment: 7/10
The action scenes were good to watch, with the tension building well from time to time. The lion was well simulated. The moments that should touch the audience's heart were lackluster however and the lack of any genuine comedic efforts left a noticeable emptiness.
Characters: 2/10
I could not form any connection with the characters whatsoever. While they did perform well, their characters simply did not have enough substance to tell a tale.
Originality: 1/10
As expected, there were no mentionable elements that have not been shown in one way or another in other films of this genre.
Visuals: 9/10
It cannot be denied that the audience is taken for a wild safari ride across a visually appealing landscape.
Sound design: 4/10
If we are talking about the sound then naturally the primary topic to be discussed should be the lion's roar - which was far from scary.
The Creator (2023)
Laying the basis for a new hype
Servus from Austria. Watched the movie in a theatre, German dubbed.
Overall impression:
Nice-looking sci-fi world, bland plot, but nonetheless engaging storytelling. Felt a little bit weird to watch in light of the current real-world conflicts.
Story arc: 5/10
Solid storyline that lacked surprising twists. Allows people who seek an enjoyable movie experience to follow with ease.
Entertainment: 6/10
Dramatic emotional scenes were for the most part underwhelming. Action scenes were well portrayed in general but lacked brutality and suffered from the Star Wars droid syndrome, with shots being fired anywhere else but in the direction of the target. Comedic elements were added where appropriate and left some memorable pictures in my head.
Characters: 8/10
Characters were very well portrayed by the actors. Relationships felt real. Individual intentions of each character made sense.
Originality: 4/10
A lot of elements in the movie seemed familiar and were inspired from a variety of other sci-fi and action movies. The AI theme was not explored in depth but gives a follow-up movie or spin-offs the chance to do so. Lack of truly innovative sci-fi tech.
Visuals: 9/10
What I liked most about the movie. Beautiful scenes and well-designed customes.
Sound design: 9/10
Sound effects were satisfying. Movie lacks a recognizable melody.