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Castle Rock: Romans (2018)
It's not the place, it's us
Even though the majority of viewers share the same opinion - that the season's finale was lousy compared to the rest of the episodes, I totally disagree. One must see the whole show as a one piece, not just simply compare one episode to another, because everything is closely connected, every detail has meaning. For example, the kid's actions or self revelations in the finale. I really can't fathom why some of the fans are disappointed. I liked the narration in the end where black Henry says that locations aren't at fault for some peoples' actions. Everyone answers for themselves. I think the main message of this season is that you can't kill evil, you can just try to keep it at bay or tamed. Like the immortal kid in the cage.
First Reformed (2017)
A new form of praying
If you have lost your faith in good cinema, seek no more. You surely know Hozier's Take me to church? Well, here it is Toller's (read Schrader's) imagination of a holy place. Even if you don't care about the environment, you must have someone you care for, and this is what this movie's about. Till some time ago, I had very little understanding for the environment activists. Especially for the ones which were labeled to behave like fanatics. I wanted my home, my city, and my country clean of course, but only for aesthetics's purposes. My mind has changed thankfully, but I still have a lot to learn and to reform. As the movie title, we all have to reform, even if it is too late. No matter what your religion is - the message is universal and applies to all types of human solidarity and coexistence. Conserving the planet, no matter how hard and big deprivations await, is the core to every struggle for being good. You want gender , racial, religious equality-then you first must have a place to live to fight the battle. This movie just couldn't do more justice to the cause of environmental preserving. I love how it calls for the religious leaders to step in, where the politic ones chose not to. How it throws light over the numerous establishments which still allow the presence and growth of criminal deviations of the corporations. Mindblowing dialogues (even if you are not religious or ecologist - you'll love them), excellent cinematography and superb acting, are just great addition to the wonderful script. It feels like european cinema. I just can't understand the bad reviews in this section. Please watch this film. I hope that it will inspire you to change, as it did for me, more than any documentary or news I've seen on this topic - which only an astonishing piece of art can achieve - that is, not only to entertain the viewer, but to make him or her contemplate on the subject, and want to make a change.
Thelma (2017)
Great directorial movie gene in the Trier family
Well, I certainly didn't have an intention to watch this film as it looked like a horror/erotic movie from description and trailers, but in the end the positive reviews won, and so, I must admit that it hasn't been in vain. The photography is awesome and storytelling is good, although I feel there was a vast space needing to be filled with more substance but instead the film's tended toward more mystery, and less toward casting light over the right questions. The most profound thing for me were the parents' actions. The comparison to other cases in the past wrongfully labeled or the insight to the epilepsy or epilepsy-like symptoms were a great parallel and insights in the others' struggles. It totally gives another perspective in the matter. This movie is the reason why I'm watching everything I can get my hands on next from the director Trier. (I saw that he's related to the big Lars). Maybe it's not fair to make comparisons between both, but I felt a lot of similar energy to this product, as with other works of Lars.
Wind River (2017)
Native Americans victims of administrative knot
Sheridan is a great filmmaker. He just feels so personal to me, and has this quiet way of storytelling, leaving subtle clues to the viewers. As with the other films of his, this one is accompanied with picturesque scenery which paints the mood faithfully. The cold weather resembles the movie's atmosphere and the characters, with exception of the FBI agent played by one of the Olsen twins, (which I must admit surprises positively here), are all down to Earth people, very natural and carry themselves with great authenticity.
To be honest, the plot line is excellent, but the way it is given, does it for me. Because there are other much more dynamic narratives, but all in all, worse interpreted.
The most thought provoking thing to take with me after the ending, is the really absurd law system that applies to the Native Americans reservations, that is, which considers crimes done or involving non-Natives. Look it up, it is really absurd, as it doesn't make any sense and really affects Native Americans'lives.
What makes a movie great, it's not just the acting, the story etc., and is what Sheridan's films have all in common, is that as well with Sicario and Hell or High Water, Wind River is very much based on actual events, but most of all, it gives the viewer something to think about, long after the movie has ended. The stories are real, they are not happening in the distant future, they are here, now, affecting somebody.
Locke (2013)
Destination isn't important. Journey is.
I expected a lot more from this movie. I love Tom, and the plot is good, but the final product lacks something. I caught myself doing other stuff, while the film went on, and I don't normally do that. I guess it's the setting. For more that an hour, we are confined in one vehicle - this is where everything happens. It's a bit boring, and the director couldn't or wouldn't find a way to enrich the scene more, as if the intention was for the viewer to concentrate on the dialogues only. But for a lot of instances, the conversations are boring. We don't have beautiful scenery to feast upon. We get to know Locke's qualities through conversations as good worker and responsible person, a lot more than we need to. The reason for me then, to write this review was the need to say that for everyone who had the experience to be or witness intimately the presence of the child like Locke was or fathered, then this movie hits a spot. But then, it is decided for most of the movie's duration what the verdict of the main protagonist's actions is, and we are not in suspense what he will do (the green color of the traffic light in the beginning of the movie, which is the same color of the shirt Locke's father wore - the trigger of everything), we already know, so I expected a journey with doubts and self examinations, a real journey to one's self.
Wolf (2013)
Wolf hunt
Not sure is it because of the black and white display, but everything feels stronger thanks to the lack of colors with this film. Although I found a lot of similarities with the french picture "The Prophet" (young emigrant trouble maker with origins from one of the North African countries, climbing his way through the hardships of the criminal world to the top) , the dutch production successfully held my attention long time afterwards. The main character Majid, whose problems arise from all sides, isn't doing well. He recently got out of jail, his brother is dying of cancer, his father disowns him, his girlfriend has stains on her fidelity record, and as the cherry on the top, the Turkish mafia reaches out to him. But his biggest problem, is himself. He has a temper, as well as a talent for fighting. But two scenes cross my mind when I think it - the one when his girlfriend asks him "How does it feel to be that violent?" and when he crosses paths with the wolf in the forest, and chooses not to shoot it. It is very curious that such violent person will let the wild animal live. I like to think that the movie ending depicts the forest event. This lonesome creature, who depends on entirely on instinct and didn't have anyone guarding his back, through sheer power of will, has kept his own.
Two Lovers and a Bear (2016)
Walking on a thin ice
Despite being located in extremely cold,northern, and pretty harsh weather conditions, the story of the movie itself feels quite warm at the same time. We are given a narrative which the environment makes it rather picturesque but its setting might have been anywhere and could apply to anyone. The message of the movie is too profound - you can find it in almost every religious containing material, or even in those self-improvement books, but it does not sound cheesy. Not at all, on the contrary it feels as a new discovery, although, we, the viewers knew it all along perhaps in another meaning. As much as I try to depict it the way the film deserves, i can't really grasp it - nor should I, the movie tends to defend its message astonishingly. Try to be happy. Shit happens. Sometimes it is done to you, sometimes you are responsible for it. But no matter the circumstances, you will never lose your ground as long as you are guided by your heart. You may be disappointed by the outcome of your doings, but it's better to be disappointed by trying something you love or believe in. The two main characters are doing just that. Going right into the blizzard caused by nature, they are confronting directly their inner demons - both of them are hunted by their past. They are not without flaws, they do stupidities but their love for each other redeems them. The movie is great, even with the Romeo & Juliette ending. I especially liked the last few scenes, the shot where their frozen selves, are always holding together flying in the sky, embraced. The bear is the perfect supernatural diversion of the movie. It's not in any way forced or out of place, it fits perfect in the movie. The guy, Roman, talks to bears, he says, but it's the same bear all the time. At first I thought it's his conscience speaking, but then the other characters saw it, confirming its existence. Maybe it is his love for Lucy, his sacrifice (he doesn't want to go back south, he does it for her), his past unfortunate events that chased him out of his home, that he is chosen to be spoken to by the wild life - seven nation army couldn't hold him back. One of the first lines in the opening is the admiration of Jack White who contributes to the celebratory mood when tragedy is avoided with his big hit in the background, and it is also mentioned that if you only stop and listen, your spirits will talk to you. While drunk and scared when told she was leaving, while digging their future grave to get away from the storm, the bear always appeared, saying only truth. At first, when I saw it, I thought this was another version of "Lovers of the Arctic circle" - an amazing movie, telling of two lovers both striving to get to the Arctic, where the sun doesn't set in summer, where time doesn't exist. Something similar taken from another excellent book author Murakami, is used in this film - the same thing told in the movie ending, that time only exists as the heart percieves it.
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
"Enjoy the absurdity of our world"
I set up my own account especially for this film. I have never even rated or reviewed anything on IMDb before. It is not that this is the best movie there is, it just made me, the viewer, to write what I feel about it. Hardly for me to think that a former fashion designer would be the reason for me to break the silence. Just as Gyllenhaal's character says when asked what had driven him so much to write: "I guess it is a way of keeping things alive". Well, I never would have thought that Ford had what the great ones had. You cannot be neglected with this film. It is said that artists tend to represent themselves, or tell stories about themselves in their art, but no big ego emerges from the feeling of the film. I am not talking about the way Ford rejected the possibility for his own clothing line to be used in the movie, but for the way the viewer, or I at least, got the impression that not in the least was I ever put in the second place – in every scene taken care of, being given little gifts, may it be a perfect sky and landscape cinematography, may it be thought provoking conversation of the characters that makes you reflect about yourself. Some movies only take your mind of everything temporarily, or give homework to your thought, but it really does rarely happen to be able to take something great from them. It is truly a great gift to make the perceiver of your art to be willing to change something about themselves. Not just to purely enjoy or be entertained.
Since one of the first scenes, where we see Adams' character standing in her home, behind boxes labeled "Fragile", I knew that I was in the mercy of a great storyteller. This, and a whole list of other beautiful non-verbal scenes are the strength this film gets its beauty from. Later we see an enormous painting of Re-ven-ge, and as the main heroine, we too become aware of the plot that is about to take place. As an unhappy, high society woman gets out of nowhere, after almost two decades, a violent and depressing book from her former husband, the tone of the movie is definitely set. Even though, she has hurt him immensely in the past, the book is dedicated to her, and its author had the decency before printing to send its work to the same person who didn't think enough of him or believed in his talent to write. What's interesting, is that Adams character is not happy in the present (she's become her greatest fear and worry, a snob, closed, lonely woman, too distracted from the real world, i.e. like her mother), nor she was in the past, when she was enjoying the love of the good and romantic author of the now sad novel in front of her. We don't get to see the former husband in the present. We don't know if he's happy or completely lost in sorrow or pain, we only get to see his work. And his work is amazing. Even the once rigorous critic of his writing, his former wife, now is captivated by his book. The reason may be, that her husband only because of the pain she caused him, was capable through his sorrow to give birth to his well worthy art.
Ford says in the movie to take care of the people who love us, to nurture that love, since it is not for granted. The main message of the film is powerful, but for me, those short and beautiful dialogues made the trick. For example, the scenes with Michael Sheen and Andrea Riseborough, are the best part of the film for me. The dilemmas of having a gay loyal husband or a straight unfaithful one, or the guilt that eats up the well-to-do high society members for being too lost of touch with the reality of the world. "What right do I have to be unhappy? I have everything," one of them asks. "I feel ungrateful for being unhappy." Far more experienced directors have failed to capture internal turmoils and philosophical journeys as the Ford's second child have. For everyone that desires to be pierced by beauty, I recommend this film.