Retrospective:Andrei Tarkovsky

The Steamroller And The Violin(1961)->8.5/10

Ivan's Childhood(1962)-10/10->An evocative and poetic journey,upped by ingenious editing and camerawork and of course the performance by Kolya Burlyayev.

Andrey Rublyov(1966)-10/10->Slow,poetic and complex,this story of a struggling painter which loses every drop of faith because of the political system in Russia is an astonishing epic,which stands it's ground as one of the best films ever made due to Tarkovski's imaginative and sturdy direction,the beautiful images and the fantastic subject.

Solyaris(1972)-8/10->Even though it is too contemplative,Solyaris is a smart SF which raises many questions about our existence and succeeds in answering the most.Also,the unpredictable ending is very good.

The Mirror(1975)-7/10->Although the narrative is incoherent and disjointed,The Mirror still is a beautiful film with much to offer to Tarkovsky's fans.

Stalker(1979)-9/10->Stalker,a SF with poetic connotations,stands out with its somber atmosphere,Tarkovsky's vision of the future(the impressive production design being made by him) and original story.Not his best work,but it still is terrific.

Tempo Di Viaggio(1983)-8/10->A very interesting documentary due to Tarkovsky usual style seen even in a documentary and the insightful look in his mind.

Nostalghia(1983)-4/10->There are some intelligent scenes and the film is beautiful in imagery,but Nostalghia suffers from a dull script and a boring and frankly,annoying pace.

The Sacrifice(1986)-7.5/10->While the visuals remain the same (as poetic as ever),Tarkovsky makes his story more accessible,a very unusual thing for him.Other than that,Josephson gives a terrific performance and Tarkovsky does revisit many of his themes on life and he delivers them,but with less cinematic punch.

23-29 December

Monty Python's Life Of Brian(1979)-9/10->Like all the films made by Monty Python,it's profane,poignant,satirical and hilarious.Also,this is quite an original take on the story of the birth of Jesus.

Defendor(2009)-4/10->Although Harrelson does a good job and it is funny,but Stebbings never seems to know how to set the right tone and it is too modest for its premise.

Carnage(2011)-7/10->The performances are top-notch and Polanski's direction remains as valuable as ever,but the film can't seem to shake off the feeling that it was made for a stage,not a camera.

Contagion(2011)-5/10->Even though the performances are fantastic and so are the soundtrack and the cinematography,Contagion lacks substance and credibility.

Moneyball(2011)-7/10->Although it lacks focus and it's overlong,Moneyball still is a touching and interesting (even for people who aren't interested in the sport) film featuring Pitt's best performance since Inglorious Basterds.

Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol(2011)-5/10->It might very well done(from a technical point of view) and entertaining,but it suffers from an aberrant plot and unintentionally humourous moments.

The Trial Of Joan Of Arc(1962)-7/10->Even though the subject is overly undermined,Bresson makes an impressive effort turning this into a smart nutshell.

Dekalog(1989)-8.5/10->Even though oftenly,exceeding in melodrama and bland dialogue,Dekalog remains a very thoughtful,poetic and unfliching film about life due to Kieslowski's attention not only to the esthetics of the images,but also his characters's every single emotional peer.

A Short Film About Killing(1988)-9/10->Whilst the premise might not be too original,Kieslowski brings his own trademark to it,discussing morals under some a cover of beautiful camerawork portraying a miserable world.

Three Colors:Blue(1993)-6/10->This is overly ambitious,but not original and Kieslowski's thorough character study formula seen in his previous films,seems to disappear,the director paying attention,mostly to the imagery.But,the film is quite powerful and beautiful,due to Binoche's performance and the camerawork.

Three Colors:White(1994)-4/10->The acting might be good and the imagery is (as always in a Kieslowski film) beautiful,but the middle part of the trilogy suffers from Kieslowski's mistake of trying to combine an emotional story with unfunny humor.Also,the film suffers from a bland narrative and absence of engagement.

Three Colors:Red(1994)-6.5/10->Much more passionate and vivid than the other two films in the trilogy,this is an appropiate ending to the trilogy which represents the inferior work of an otherwise great director.

Camera Buff(1979)-8/10->Very up-close and personal,Camera Buff is a interesting commentary on the freedom of speech and also a great character study,backed up by a strong performance by Stuhr.

16 December 2011 - 13 January 2012 (SHORTS)

Caught In The Rain(1914)->7/10

Laughing Gas(1914)->4/10

A Submarine Pirate(1915)->5/10

Cupid's Rival(1917)->3/10

The Metamorphosis Of Mr. Samsa(1978)->7/10

The Metamorphosis(1975)->8/10

16-22 December

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 any oppressor.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975(2011)-7/10->What The Black Power Mixtape lacks in coherence,it makes up for it in unique archive imagery and smart commentary.

The Story Of Adele H(1975)-8/10->Robinson and Adjani both give terrific performances and Truffaut's direction is great,but the rest of the acting is really stale.

Camille Claudel(1988)-6/10->Although Adjani does an excellent job,the cinematography is beautiful and Nuytten succeeds in reacreating that specific era,Camille Claudel is an overly meandering and overly melodramatic film.

Fatal(2010)-6/10->Fatal is a bit more than an average comedy,because it is sort of compelling and hilarious.But,other than that it's really formulaic and cliched.

Nackt(2002)-6.5/10->It might fall flat in certain moments because its slightly amateur-ish writing,but the acting and the complexity of the characters make this worth a watch.

Niko And The Way To The Stars(2008)-2/10->A re-hash of other great movies and characters, the only good thing about NATWTTS being the animation.

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

The Inbetweeners Movie(2011)-6/10->Even though it's overly repetitive and not as compelling as it could be,The Inbetweeners Movie is still a lot of fun and hilarious.

Les Choristes(2004)-7/10->While not being too original or unpredictable,Les Choristes features some good performances from Jugnot and the children and it is a powerful movie.

La Dolce Vita(1960)-10/10->With a power-house performance from Mastroianni,plenty of iconic scenes and Fellini at the top of his game,La Dolce Vita is a masterpiece about the bitterness of the so-called "sweet life".

Duck Soup(1933)-8/10->Although the absurd portrayed in the film is fantastic and the humor is like nothing you've ever seen before,but the film's narrative line is completely disjointed.

Fight Club(1999)-9/10->The solid acting,the unique atmosphere,the tension which Fincher so competently builds up and the smart script make Fight Club one of the best films of the late 90's.

11 November-15 December (Shorts)

So,this is a new thing.I guess it will be a monthly thing,seeing that I see very few short films.I will update this post when I see some more.In time,I will try to attach some three-word reviews to them(not that the reviews for the feature-films are very long).Until then,enjoy!

Deus Irae(2010)->7/10

Danny Boy(2010)->5/10

To My Mother And Father(2010)->4/10

Night Fishing(2010)->7/10

All Flowers In Time(2010)->8/10

The Death Of An Insect(2010)->6/10

Old Man And The Lady(2009)->7/10

The Illustrated City(2010)->9/10

How To Pick Berries(2010)->8/10

Stagecoach(2010)->4/10

Onni(2010)->7/10

Save The Rhinoceros(2011)->6/10

The Scoop(2010)->5/10

Sweet Mov(i)e(2010)->5/10

The Duffers(2010)->8/10

Berik(2010)->8/10

Little Children,Big Words(2010)->8/10

Incident By A Bank(2009)->9/10

Derby(2010)->8/10

Jessi(2010)->6/10

The Wolves(2010)->10/10

The Unliving(2010)->7/10

Silent River(2010)->7/10

The Wholly Family(2010)->8/10

La Gran Carrera(2010)->4/10

Entr'Acte(1924)->8/10

Paris Qui Dort(1925)->7/10

We Will Be Happy One Day(2011)->7/10

9-15 December

Moon(2009)-6/10->Rockwell gives a great performance and the visuals are spectacular,but Moon gets rather dull and formulaic in the last half hour.

Martha Marcy May Marlene(2011)-7/10->While lacking originality and a bit of strength in Durkin's directing,the film still benefits from fantastic performances(especially from new-comer Elizabeth Olsen and Hawkes) and a haunting,smart,psychological story.

La Regle Du Jeu(1939)-10/10->With impecable direction and writing from Renoir,this honest and harsh social commentary wins over the audience through its original look at the French bourgeoise.Also,the satire is almost literally,delicious.

La Grande Illusion(1937)-10/10->Probably one of the first and the greatest escape movies ever made,La Grande Illusion benefits from an unforgettable performance by Stroheim and Renoir's simple directing style which "reeks" of honest and veritable cinema.

Laura(1944)-8/10->Even though it borrows heavily from Rebecca(1940),Laura still is a competent film noir,due to Preminger's subtle direction and Tierney's performance.

A Nous La Liberte(1931)-8/10->With great wit and satire,Clair reaches Chaplin-like comedic genius,but he also makes his film stand for its important political message.

Bad Teacher(2011)-5/10->Even though Diaz gives a good performance and the premise is great,it's formulaic,it lets down its premise and it isn't as funny as you might expect it to be.

Pickpocket(1959)-10/10->Pickpocket features tight and realistic imagery,a great performance from LaSalle,but the thing that shines the most here is Bresson's masterful and subtle direction,which makes this character study so much more interesting,by combining strong narrative with scenes about the poetry of stealing.Cinematographic perfection.

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.

2-8 December

Paranoid Park(2007)-8/10->Paranoid Park's narrative might be a bit disjointed (even though it's one of the things it relies most on),but Nevins pulls off a great performance and Van Sant yet again captures the pros and cons of being a teenager in this intriguing,bold,low-key and intelligent film.Also,Doyle's cinematography shines as always.

50/50(2011)-8/10->Even though it's utterly predictable,Levine masterfully combines dark humor with touching scenes,backed up by a terrific soundtrack,great performances from Levitt and Kendrick and an usual,but still good,one from Rogen.

The Ides Of March(2011)-5/10->It's very well acted and it is unexpectedly self-confident,but this is an average political drama that doesn't bring anything new and it fails as a thriller.

Madame de...(1953)-10/10->Madame de... is a sumptuous and slow,but engaging melodrama,which benefits from a stunning performance from Danielle Darrieux,the brilliant script and Ophuls's rich direction.

Punch-Drunk Love(2002)-9/10->This is an odd and unforgettable experience,due to Sandler's opulent performance,the tasteful humor and Anderson's smart direction.

Warrior(2011)-6/10->Even though Warrior is overly-clicheic and unoriginal,the performances from Edgerton,Hardy and Nolte are notable,it is a bit emotional and the fighting scenes are spectacular.

House(1977)-9/10->Not making much sense is House's main perk,that,the visuals and the effects.Other than that,there's not much that can be said about the film.

Face/Off(1997)-7/10->An elegantly violent and overly-stylized cat-and-mouse game,with great performances from Cage and Travolta,but it does run out of steam eventually (it could have been better running under 100 minutes) and the ending feels really sloppy.

Chico & Rita(2010)-7/10->It falls into a lot of clichees and it sometimes hits the wrong note,but the visuals are fantastic and so is the soundtrack and in the end it's a sweet little film.

Colour Me Kubrick(2005)-4.5/10->The movie benefits from a hilarious performance from Malkovich,the premise is absolutely fascinating,but this offers us no insight whatsoever on Kubrick and the man who tried to be him and it becomes fairly tedious after some time.

L.A. Confidential(1997)-9/10->With perfect acting,smart twists and a distinguishable 50's cool,L.A. Confidential is a great film and it would have been terrific without his ending,which is a big letdown.

Le Quattro Volte(2010)-10/10->This is a documentary which aims to study life. It succeeds not only that,but it also tells somewhat of a compelling story through the imagery.A slow and profound observation.

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane(2006)-5/10->It isn't very original and it certaintly isn't a good film,but ATBLML is an entertaining slasher-flick.And it has some good twists.

Like Crazy(2011)-6/10->Felicity Jones gives a great performance,the characters are very expressive and it feels more intimate than the usual love stories in films,but it is too scattered and story is treated a bit too shallow.

Me,Myself & Irene(2000)-5/10->The first half is funny and engaging,but the second half is tedious and the jokes become tiresome.

Love Is The Devil(1998)-8/10->Whilst not being too insightful on Bacon's life and who he was,Love Is The Devil is one of his paintings. Visceral,raw,grotesque,mad,grim,disturbing and much,much more.Also,Jacobi is spot-on as Bacon.

Man With A Movie Camera(1929)-10/10->A quaint and fascinating film,with inventive cinematography,great editing and plenty of intelligent allegories.Truly,a hidden gem.

People On Sunday(1930)-8/10->Even though the concept might seem conventional to some,People On Sunday is a film with excellent performances(even though the people are unprofessional actors),some beautiful shots and it's quite evocative for a film with such a simple premise. A reminiscent of a lost era.Too bad that almost a quarter of the movie was lost.

Take Me Home Tonight(2011)-5/10->Some parts are funny and the acting is amiable,but this is unoriginal and it fails to recreate the feelings great movies about teens gave us.

Dylan Dog:Dead Of Night(2011)-2.5/10->The effects are well made and Routh gives an OK performance,but the rest of the acting is terrible and there are no scares or laughs,so it fails at being a comedy and a horror film.

Kevin Hart:Laugh At My Pain(2011)-6/10->It isn't a real movie,it's a show,but it still is hilarious.