6-12 July

Satan's Brew(1976)-10/10->Probably one of the strangest films ever made,Satan's Brew is a bat-shit crazy masterpiece,unusual from Fassbinder's usual.To label it as a dark comedy,would be little.

The Third Generation(1979)-8/10->It is episodic,often confusing and non-accessible,but Fassbinder has made a strange film about terrorism,with dark humor to underline his point of view.

The Marriage Of Maria Braun(1979)-8/10->A very different film for Fassbinder,not only in style,but also in approach,it contains some of his usual elements,but here he seems to have become a bit more dull because he mostly sticks to the rules,even though the irony,the profanity and the sex are still present.Fascinating central performance from Schygulla and also very intimate as a character study from Fassbinder,who usually prefers to keep his distance from his characters.

Dragonslayer(2011)-6.5/10->Although it has no clear narrative structure,Dragonslayer is an engaging,interesting and wonderfully shot film about a skater's life and just how shitty it got at a certain point

Himizu(2011)-9/10->It is a bit exaggerated in some moments,but Himizu is a harsh and dark look at the morals of human beings and why do they keep on living,depicting the story of troubled teenager after a big tsunami,Sono using this event to make the film even more tragic.Heartbreaking performances from Sometani and Nikaido.

Zero Killed(2012)-4/10->Zero Killed has a good premise and Kosakowski has succeeded in opening human psychology a bit,but not enough and after a half hour the film gets awfully repetitive.

Strictly Ballroom(1992)-5/10->It is funny and the acting is good,but Strictly Ballroom lacks coherence and the story is predictable and formulaic.

Porfirio(2011)-7.5/10->A slow,but powerful film,Porfirio takes an unknown subject and turns into a part-fiction and part-documentary film.The fiction is art,the documentary is insightful.

Clockers(1995)-5.5/10->Lee has directed a strong cast and he tells a compelling story,but he never focuses enough on his characters' personality and their problems.

The Doors(1991)-5/10->Kilmer gives a terrific performance,there are some great,but episodic performances from MacLachlan,Glover and Madsen,the cinematography is inspired and it mostly nails the atmosphere of those times and the band,but The Doors has problems with the coherence of the story,its overlongitude and the scenes that just don't have their place in there.

30 June-5 July

Fear Eats The Soul(1974)-9/10->Fassbinder mixes two very controversate subjects,into one story.The result?A sweet and sour love story,in which the director once again proves his unabashed love for his characters.

Extraterrestrial(2011)-5/10->Extraterrestrial starts off well,but the plot becomes too convoluted to be interesting.Also,like its characters it makes promises it can't keep.

Blow-Up(1966)-10/10->Clearly one of the best thrillers ever made,Antonioni's film is a complex portrayal of a photographer's mentality,who is brilliantly played by David Hemmings.Also,the film is a sheer delight to watch,because of the way Antonioni leaves little clues about his main character everywhere,but the audience must dedicate their full attention.

A Burning Hot Summer(2011)-3/10->Good moments are rare in this meandering and mostly wooden acted drama.Beautifully shot though.

Last Days(2005)-7.5/10->Different from Van Sant's previous work,Last Days is not only a film about what was going on in Cobain's head in his last days,but also what goes on in everyone's head,during tough times.The cinematography and the sound collapse beautifully.

The State Of Things(1982)-3/10->It has a good premise and like all Wenders movies the cinematography is spellbinding,but the film is a pretentious drag and it never shows any insight on the hardship of making a film.

The King Of Comedy(1982)-8.5/10->Even though it's effectively creepy The King Of Comedy is an underrated masterpiece.Funny,ambitious and with DeNiro at the top of his game as a likeable psychopath,it mostly works.

Casino(1995)-6.5/10->Sure,it's overlong and the actors don't give fantastic performances,but that is because they don't get much to work with from the beginning,but it is an insightful look at casinos and how they work,and also,it is a succesful representation of violence,vices and the power of money.

The Prefab People(1982)-7/10->Filmed as a documentary,The Prefab People is a tough and realistic film about the everyday life of two married people.Wonderfully acted,but like most Tarr films,plot-less.

Almanac Of Fall(1984)-8/10->Except for the constant,but usual (from Tarr) lack of a coherent plot,Almanac Of Fall is a beautifully shot,but bleak and slow film about relationships that just won't work.

Damnation(1988)-10/10->A bleak and masterful film about the human condition,it might not appeal to everyone,but to those who it will,it will probably remain on their minds for quite some time.Heavyweight cinema.

22-28 June

35 Rhums(2008)-10/10->A slow but masterful drama,35 Rhums is a very unusual film about an usual subject,which benefits from a fantastic performance by Descas.Claire Denis at her finest.

Wolfy(2009)-6/10->Wolfy is lighter than Sigarev's latest,Living,but it still is a poetic and beautiful film,because of the endearing story and the cinematography.

Crumb(1994)-6.5/10->Excepting the constant,but uncalled for,interventions of Crumb's work,the film is a vivid and strange portrayal,not only of the artist,but also his very intriguing family.

Memories Of Murder(2003)-6/10->Memories Of Murder is beautifully shot and Song gives a terrific performance as always,but Memories Of Murder feels much more conventional than the other work of director Joon-ho Bong.

Raging Bull(1980)-9/10->Raging Bull is a powerful film about an unlikable person,which is played by De Niro who gives the best performance in his career.

Hiroshima Mon Amour(1959)-7/10->It's often meandering and it there is too much dialogue,but it is wonderfully acted and Resnais tells this story beautifully.

The Devil Probably(1977)-10/10->The Devil Probably is another gripping and shaking masterpiece by Bresson,in which he uses,as usual,his characters,as doomed persons,which cannot escape their terrible fate.Terrifying film about suicide and spirituality.

Caravaggio(1986)-7/10->Jarman's storytelling is confusing,but otherwise Caravaggio is an insightful and original take on the painter's life.

Fucking Amal(1998)-3/10->Fucking Amal is a stupid and uninteresting film,filled with bad acting,no matter how authentic it feels.

1-7 June

Clerks(1994)-7.5/10->Clerks's smart and humorous script helps the movie overlook the seemingly bland premise.

Clerks II(2006)-5/10->Clerks II is not as original as the first one and even though it uses the same form of raunchy humor and it hits some good notes,but it never captures the freshness and smartness of the first one.

Loving Without Reason(2012)-6.5/10->The story is pretty basic and so are the characters,but LaFosse makes it emotional without forcing it and the acting is fantastic,especially the one from Dequenne.

Tony Manero(2008)-7/10->Tony Manero is a dark and odd look at Pinochet's regime and the way films influence people.Also,it features a lot of dark humor,which mostly works.

Prospero's Books(1999)-4/10->Prospero's Books is too chaotic and too derivative from it's source material to work,the photography being the best thing,which is done stunningly.

Hemingway & Gellhorn(2012)-1/10->Hemingway & Gellhorn has a bad script,wooden acting and technically,it's horribly made.Also,it lasts two hours and a half.Unbelievably excruciating.

Mother And Son(1997)-8/10->Mother And Son is a heartbreaking poem about the strange relationship between a mother and her son.

Moloch(1999)-6.5/10->Moloch is well written and acted,but it has moments of incoherence and it never thoroughly explores the connection between the two main characters. There is an exploration,but it is very basically done,it disappoints.

Taurus(2001)-6/10->Brilliantly photographed,Taurus is a slow,but intriguing portrayal of Lenin.Amiably acted.

25-31 May

Father Of Invention(2011)-3/10->You might grin at some parts and Spacey does a good job as always,but the humor is mostly stale and the story is formulaic and predictable.

julien donkey-boy(1999)-8/10->Korine's unique blend of his own style and the Dogme-95 one,make this one of his strangest films up-to-date,but also one of his best,like Gummo.

Iron Sky(2012)-5.5/10->Iron Sky is a fun and dumb,unpredictable film,in which the humor and satire usually works.

Involuntary(2008)-7/10->Involuntary is episodic and random,but Ostlund does succeed in making what he wanted:a harsh,but also darkly funny portrait of everyday Swedish life.

Slacker(1991)-2/10->Slacker is a meandering and pseudo-philosophical catastrophy of a film,probably one of the worst debuts ever made by one of the most important directors of independent American cinema.

Transilvania International Film Festival:11th Edition -> 1-10 June

Party Monster(2003)-7/10->It succeeds in re-creating the characters and Culkin pulls off a fantastic performance,but this doesn't quite match the depth of the directors's previous film,a documentary on the same subject.

Symbol(2009)-9/10->It has a really creative premise,it provides some sort of food-for-thought and the cinematography is quite beautiful,but the director's storytelling techniques are a bit questionable.Also,it's one of the funniest films I've ever seen.

Oslo,31 August(2011)-10/10->A powerful and gut-wrenching film,which benefits from Anders Danielsen Lie's performance,a smart script and mesmerizing cinematography.

Crulic:The Way To Beyond(2011)-4/10->Ivanov is spot-on as Crulic and the animation is fairly impressive,but it starts off messy,it ends up utterly incoherent and it tries too hard to be a poetic melodrama,even though there are some hilarious moments.

Best Intentions(2011)-10/10->http://moviereviewsbymarcsolomon.blogspot.com/2011/10/movie-reviewbest-intentions2011.html

Sleeping Beauty(2011)-3/10->Even though,it's a great idea,Sleeping Beauty ultimately fails in giving us a conclusion,Browning is terrible and it just turns out utterly grotesque.

Dreileben:Beats Being Dead(2011)-7/10->It's a very strange love story,that doesn't really hold back,with good acting and some beautiful cinematography,but the ending is very unnecessary,confusing and unsatisfying.

Dreileben:Don't Follow Me Around(2011)-6/10->It's interesting to watch the main story and the actual crime story weave together and the acting is good,but as its predecessor it has huge problems with its ending and it sort of loses the viewer's interest in the last 20 minutes.

Dreileben:One Minute Of Darkness(2011)-5/10->Even though,this finally takes it's criminal character and develops it a lot,it switches to another one in the end for no particular reason and does almost nothing with it.Could have been a great ending to this very bizarre trilogy.

Mildred Pierce(2011)-6/10->It's quite faithful to the original,Winslet gives a terrific performance and it brings some sort of soothing nostalgia,but Mildred Pierce gets really slow and boring by the end.

The Shining(1980)-8/10->Some moments might be confusing,some might be ridiculous and it takes out a lot of parts from King's novel,but it brings out the essential in the source material,Nicholson gives an unforgettable,genuinely mad performance and Kubrick builds a fantastic atmosphere,by combining the score with effective scares and some elegance.

Michael(2011)-9/10->Schleinzer borrows most of his elements from Haneke's films:the characters,the pace,the bleakness and the conclusion,which "wrecks" its characters.Consider it to be an homage,for he brings some originality to the well-known style and it grasps the essence of it.

Vorbitor(2011)-9/10->With an inspired premise and two smart directors,Vorbitor is an original documentary and probably,one of the best Romanian films of 2011.Also,besides it being an emotional and insightful documentary,it's quite humourous from time to time.

This Is Not A Film(2011)-10/10->A powerful introspection into a director's interminable struggles,This Is Not A Film is a subtle rebellious message towards the oppression in Iran.

Tyrannosaur(2011)-8/10->A gripping,dark and brutal character-study,with A-class performances from the leads,especially the one from Mullan.

Vampyr(1932)-10/10->A perfect vampire film,Vampyr has all the elements:the eerie atmosphere,the strange side-characters and the surprisingly well-done effects.Also,the film benefits from a strong narrative,great editing and poetic and beautiful imagery.

Hugo(2011)-5/10->It is well acted and it expresses its love for cinema,but Hugo is quite puerile and poorly written for a film by one of American's greatest film directors.

Fear And Desire(1953)-6/10->It has Kubrick written all over it and the camerawork is beautiful,but the script is mostly a mess.

Spartacus(1960)-2/10->Spartacus is too incoherent and ridiculous and the cast gives wooden performances.The only amiable thing is the cinematography.Kubrick's worst.

Dr. Strangelove or How I Stopped Worrying and Love The Bomb(1964)-8/10->Kubrick has made a biting satire which captures the strangeness that was the Cold War.

Headhunters(2011)-6/10->Headhunters is a smart and engaging action movie,that is also quite original.

The Ambassador(2011)-4/10->The Ambassador is obviously fake and the main character is unlikable,but the story and the outcome are interesting.

Alps(2011)-6/10->The acting and the script are good,but still Alps has some meandering and incoherent moments.Anyway,much better than Dogtooth.

Bonsai(2011)-5.5/10->Although the editing is fantastically done,the film suffers from too many jump-cuts,thus making the narrative of the film to be very fragmented.

The Delay(2012)-4/10->A dark and tedious film about old age,The Delay is a failed copy of De Sica's masterpiece,Umberto D..

Chapiteau Show(2011)-10/10->Chapiteau Show takes its seemingly simple four stories,connects them through the medium of the circus,and turns them into a surrealistic,emotional and humoristic ride.

Monsieur Lazhar(2011)-4/10->Monsieur Lazhar is a failed attempt to overcome the 2008 terrific teacher-student relation exploration,Entre Les Murs,because it is too discreet to exert its full potential.Still,impecably acted.

Las Acacias(2011)-8/10->Las Acacias is a slow,beautiful and intimate portrait of a relationship which grows more and more close,in the end,blooming into love.

Bestiaire(2012)-2/10->Bestiaire is beautifully shot,but spare your money for the ticket,because you can just go to the zoo and watch animals there.You'll have a more rewarding experience.That's how tedious it is.

Big Man Japan(2007)-5/10->Big Man Japan would've been better as a short film,seeing that only the fighting scenes and the creatures are original,because the rest of the story is confusing and boring.

Cafe De Flore(2011)-7/10->The narrative is incoherent at times,but Cafe De Flore is emotional,without being cheesy or formulaic,and very well acted.

Scabbard Samurai(2011)-7/10->Scabbard Samurai is another original and crazy film from actor/director Hitoshi Matsumoto.

Klip(2012)-8/10->Klip is an intimate and brutal look at adolescence and the growth of sexuality in that period of time.The editing and the acting are very good.

Thursday Till Sunday(2012)-5/10->The director  never gives the characters enough space to develop,thus the characters seem very one-sided and bland.Otherwise,their fate is unpredictable.

Without(2011)-7/10->A strange and unpredictable film,Jackson's debut speaks very widely and intelligently about solitude.Also,Jensen gives a top-notch performance.

The Other Side Of Sleep(2011)-4/10->It has a good premise and Campbell-Hughes is good,but Daly never makes the most of its' premise and never completely explores the fine line between reality and fantasy.Half of what it could have been.

The Exchange(2011)-8/10->Some might regard the film and the main character as absent-minded,but Kolirin's latest succeeds in putting us in the same state of mind as the character and just make us contemplate on how change affects us and the ones around us.

Either Way(2011)-6.5/10->Either Way is a fun and simple comedy,very nicely shot and told. It also has a great soundtrack.

Iron Sky(2012)-5.5/10->Iron Sky is a fun and dumb,unpredictable film,in which the humor and satire usually works.

Chasing Rainbows(2012)-4/10->Titieni gives a great performance and the film is beautifully shot,but the main actress is bad and the film is boring.

Just The Wind(2012)-10/10->Just The Wind is a powerful and impecably directed film,which makes the audience uncomfortable,not showing us anything shocking until the end.

Turn Me On,Goddammit!(2011)-3/10->Full of tasteless and strange humor,TMOG is a meandering and formulaic film.

Turn Off The Lights(2012)-5/10->It is very well-done as a documentary,but the narrative structure is confusing.

Twilight Portrait(2011)-6.5/10->Twilight Portrait is a tough film and the main character has no motivation for what it does,but the film is well acted and smart.

End Of The Night(2011)-4/10->It has some moments which are worthy of a Kitano film,but otherwise,the film is dull.

Killing Time(2012)-6/10->Killing Time is a competent melange of Tarantino wit and violence,and Romanian cinema,but Florin Piersic Jr. works much better just as a director and script-writer than an actor.

Stone Wedding(1972)-7/10->One of the segments chooses to be poetic,letting the cinematography build the story and the other one is lightweight,which bases itself more on humor and storytelling.

Of Snails And Men(2012)-7/10->Of Snails And Men is a smart comedy,which is very well written and the acting is mostly superb.

Elles(2011)-4/10->Elles is boring and unoriginal,never giving the audience enough insight on the subject or bringing something new to it.The only things which up the movie are Binoche's and Demoustier's performances and the cinematography.

18-24 May

Klip(2012)-8/10->Klip is an intimate and brutal look at adolescence and the growth of sexuality in that period of time.The editing and the acting are very good.

Thursday Till Sunday(2012)-5/10->The director  never gives the characters enough space to develop,thus the characters seem very one-sided and bland.Otherwise,their fate is unpredictable.

Import/Export(2007)-10/10->Import/Export is a bleak and tough film about life,never expressed from an optimistic point of view and the camerawork only helps the film get more bleak by showing us beautiful,yet miserable paintings.Raw,yet brilliant work.

Without(2011)-7/10->A strange and unpredictable film,Jackson's debut speaks very widely and intelligently about solitude.Also,Jensen gives a top-notch performance.

Sous Le Soleil De Satan(1987)-7/10->It treats religion very conventionally,but Depardieu gives a strong performance and Pialat knows how to keep the audience tensionate about the priest's beliefs.

The Other Side Of Sleep(2011)-4/10->It has a good premise and Campbell-Hughes is good,but Daly never makes the most of its' premise and never completely explores the fine line between reality and fantasy.Half of what it could have been.

The Exchange(2011)-8/10->Some might regard the film and the main character as absent-minded,but Kolirin's latest succeeds in putting us in the same state of mind as the character and just make us contemplate on how change affects us and the ones around us.

Either Way(2011)-6.5/10->Either Way is a fun and simple comedy,very nicely shot and told. It also has a great soundtrack.

My Joy(2010)-6/10->My Joy is often incoherent,but the beautiful cinematography and the bleak poetry of the story help the viewer overlook its' flaws.