Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Old movie

 


“That’s an old movie – you can tell by the cell phones they’re using.”

– Leonard Blumfeld (© 2024)

Note
This was said by a relatively young person (born in 1986). Makes me feel downright ancient because old movies to me are still those that were made in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. They definitely used rotary phones in those days – if any.

Thursday, January 19, 2023

This song will make u feel sad even if you have nothing to be sad about ...


2019), based on a true story (murder of Susan Smith by FBI agent Mark Putnam in 1989) - it is the song playing at the end of the movie.

Friday, April 8, 2022

All the Old Knives - brief film review

 


A brand new spy movie just out on Amazon Prime – All the Old Knives (USA 2022, directed by Janus Metz Pedersen), based on the eponymous novel by Olen Steinhauer (2015).

Couldn’t say anything bad about this movie. Filming and acting – the stars include Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton, Laurence Fishburne und Jonathan Pryce – are competent, and the plot, convoluted and meandering between past and present as it is, ultimately makes sense and keeps up the suspense. However, the film is more a somber, ponderous drama – with some sex and nudity thrown in for good measure – about the consequences of a highjacking gone wrong in the past than an action-packed thriller.

Product placement is quite obvious – I wonder how much a particular car brand had to pay for everyone to drive shiny new vehicles with the three-pronged star.

Would I recommend watching this film? It’s all right, but there’s no need to rush and get Amazon Prime just to see it. It strikes me as one of the many that come and go without leaving much of an impression.

– Leonard Blumfeld (© 2022)

Saturday, September 4, 2021

Desperate heroine

 


Film still from the Tamil thriller Aadai (2019), which can be streamed on Amazon Prime.

Despite the trite synopsis (something like "A young woman finds herself naked in an empty building after a night of hard partying"), this gripping film starring Amala Paul has some surprising depth, twists and turns and even a message.

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Baghdad Central: We Leave Tomorrow

 


Still picture from the British crime thriller series Baghdad Central (2020), based on the novel by Elliott Colla from 2014. 

The gripping and beautifully filmed series follows Iraqi policeman Muhsin al-Khafaji (shown in the screenshot above, played by Waleed Zuaiter) as he searches for his missing daughter in dysfunctional Baghdad. The series is set in Iraq in 2003 in the aftermath of the Second Gulf War.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Love for Sale 2

Della Dartyan in a still picture from Love for Sale 2

Love for Sale 2 is a 2019 Indonesian film directed by Andibachtiar Yusuf starring Della Dartyan (shown in photo), Adipati Dolken and Ratna Riantiarno.

Probably the one and only Indonesian movie I've ever seen. Considering that I don't speak the language and had to go by the (sometimes atrocious) English subtitles, I probably missed out on a lot. 

Being more of a character study, the film moves slowly and therefore takes patience. Even though there is budding romance between Ican (Dolken) and Arini (Dartyan), the hired girl Ican has introduced to his family because he is tired of his mother's wedding plans for him, this film is more focused on portraying a number of family members and other characters in a realistic manner.

Would I recommend watching this film? Yes. However, those who expect a racy love story due to the title will definitely be disappointed.

Monday, December 2, 2019

The Zoya Factor

Sonam Kapoor in The Zoya Factor

Never thought I'd watch another cricket movie after Lagaan (2001) but then stumbled across The Zoya Factor on Netflix last night. It's funny, has an original love story and features excellent comical acting by the star, versatile Sonam Kapoor. No need to be a sports buff to enjoy this (de)light(ful) comedy!

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Paul, Apostle of Christ (2018)

A solemn solid bore.
(4-word movie review)

This refers to the 2018 movie Paul, Apostle of Christ written and directed by Andrew Hyatt and starring James Faulkner as Saint Paul and Jim Caviezel as Saint Luke. Could not bring myself to sit through this, presented by Sky in time for Easter 2019, for more than the first 20 minutes. Only die-hard Bible drama lovers might get something out of this.

Friday, January 11, 2019

The eventful afternoon haiku

Fell asleep watching
Sherlock Holmes’ private life – not
a single thing missed

– Leonard Blumfled (© 2019)

Note
Razor edge of time reporting from the real life front. The movie (The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, 1970), even though directed by Billy Wilder, who has made great films, is only worth a few yawns ... or sleeping through part of it.

Friday, December 21, 2018

Spinning Man (2018)

A "thriller" that leaves you hanging rather than spinning, wondering what might have happened between the various gaps in storytelling ... some weird psychological / philosophical game between cop (Pierce Brosnan, has done better) and suspect (Guy Pearce, meandering between lost and nasty and utterly unconvincing as a professor his young students are supposed to lust after) ... all about the truth we somehow never get to know in a satisfactory manner in this time waster.
Refers to Spinning Man (2018), directed by Simon Kaijser and starring Pierce Brosnan, Guy Pearce and Minnie Driver. 

Sunday, September 23, 2018

The Con Is On (2018)

“An unfunny comedy about assorted murderous, scamming, drug and booze consuming sleazoids; it may work if you consider it to be a far-fetched satire on the scummy oligarchs that are currently in charge of some major countries.”
Refers to the 2018 movie The Con Is On, directed by James Oakley and starring Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Alice Eve, Sofía Vergara and Maggie Q. Anyone can safely skip this one without missing anything worthwhile.


Friday, October 20, 2017

The 1970s movie title haiku

Dame in a car with
oversized sunglasses and
a loaded shotgun

– Leonard Blumfeld (© 1977)

Note
Movies with similar titles came out in the 1970s in Europe. The dating of the copyright is in synch with the thought and inspiration, not the actual time of writing, which is good old 2017. Picture the sunglasses as similar to those Jackie O. would wear.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

The Face of an Angel

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WQOPipBdsr4/movieposter.jpg

(a movie one-liner)

A pretentious, bloated piece of not much lost in search of who knows what, just like its cocaine-snorting hero.

Notes
This is about the British film The Face of an Angel (2014), directed by Michael Winterbottom and starring Daniel Brühl, Kate Beckinsale, Valerio Mastandrea and others. It is called a psychological thriller by Wikipedia. However, the thrills are few and far between, and the psychology is mysterious to non-existent. Dante's Beatrice crops up all over as some sort of far-fetched leitmotiv. Only the director and script writer may know why. But hey, it's Italian and Italian world literature and the movie is set in Dante country. If you want to get some relevant information about the real-world murder mystery (Meredith Kercher case of 2007) this is based on, look elsewhere.

Monday, February 27, 2017

Gods of Egypt



(Another movie one-liner)

An overblown piece of Hollywood fantacrap with shitloads of tiring special effects – don't waste your time and money on this one.

– Leonard Blumfeld

Note
Refers to the 2016 film Gods of Egypt, directed by Alex Proyas and starring Gerard Butler – darkened somewhat to look particularly sinister – and a slew of other ethnically incorrect white actors. If you want to find out something worthwhile about ancient Egypt or Egyptian deities, give this bore a miss and visit your local library.

Monday, February 6, 2017

The Hateful Eight

(One-line movie quickshots)

A lengthy exercise in Tarantinoism - no need to waste your time on that one.

- Leonard Blumfeld

Note
This quickshot refers to the 2015 film The Hateful Eight, directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh and others. Go ahead and watch if you get off on cruelty, gore, etc.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

The Netflix haiku

Pick a movie – watch –
loading – watch some more – loading –
stopped – OK – was that it?


– Leonard Blumfeld (© 2016)

Note
A reality haiku about trying to watch various movies on Netflix. I hope other people have better connections and get to watch entire films.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

An excerpt from an interview with Anna K., actress

“I hate smoking, especially Lucky Strikes.
And I hate kissing – or worse –, especially old lechers like [name omitted], my so-called romantic partner in my most recent film.
Ha!
Both make me vomit, and that’s not a good thing to do in front of the camera.”

– Leonard Blumfeld (© 2015)

Disclaimer
Some names have been shortened or suppressed to avoid legal issues.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Roja

Watched Mani Ratnam's Roja from 1992 again after a long time. Enjoyed it immensely (despite its obvious flaws). Fabulous music by A. R. Rahman.


Saturday, April 3, 2010

Raaz

(राज़) 

Laughing, I ran away from Manoj.
He’d won a kiss from the spinning bottle –
but I felt like making him work a little
before consenting.

From the clearing I went into the evenly
planted pine rows, hiding from Manoj
behind one. I heard him shout, run by,
went round the tree to avoid discovery.

He shouted about the mansion
at the end of the forest, I peeked
and saw it. Not to go in there,
he said, that it was forbidden.

It drew me. I waited for Manoj
to rejoin our friends, who were
singing and laughing in the distance,
and then went closer, to the black

iron fence. The place looked
deserted except for vivid reflections
in the windows. Flashes of people
and violent changes in temper.

A breath of air struck my neck,
as from somebody close by.
I turned, and there was no-one.
Eery, I thought, and noticed

that daylight had clouded over.
Now there was sooty dark
and a shiver as from an impending
storm. Not to worry, I told myself,

you simply walk back. But my
friends’ merry noises were gone.
I walked and again felt a breath
in my back, longer this time,

more forceful, as if from giant
lungs. And there was noise
to it, the suppressed roar
an immense animal would make.

I stood and turned – not a thing –
turned and resumed walking.
Roar and cold air, an impatient
howl. I turned and saw –

– Johannes Beilharz (© 2010)

This is a rather free retelling of what I remember of the beginning of Raaz (Secret), a Hindi horror film from 2002, which, very quickly and successfully, sets up a scary atmosphere with very simple means, so that this fits in very well with Napowrimo #3, Scared yet?.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Treasures from Brick Lane

Among the treasures I brought back from an excursion to London's Brick Lane – a street full of Bengali/Bangladeshi restaurants and stores – were six Bangladeshi films on DVD and Monica Ali's 2003 novel Brick Lane (now also a movie).

For several years now I've mostly picked books to read that were about a matter I wanted to read about – an interesting biography, personal fate, specific geographical or historical setting.

Brick Lane fits all four categories, is beautifully written and has a deeply human story to tell. I might write about it again once I've made more progress.

Dollhouse by director Morshedul Islam is set in 1971, when Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) was fighting for independence from Pakistan. Rehana, a young woman from Dhaka, comes to the village to seek refuge from the war-ravaged capital city. Essentially a happy, bubbly girl, she displays strange reversals of mood. The film gradually reveals her secret in a series of flashbacks.

A beautifully photographed film that stems from a time zone so different from our hectic one. A domain in which it is possible to feel the significance of every moment, the flow of time. I wish I knew Bengali to fully appreciate this soft-spoken gem of cinema.