One World Romania: 6th Edition

The Punk Syndrome (2012)-8/10-> The Punk Syndrome is a film which is strong enough to erase every prejudice that the viewer has about the subject matter. Great work.

The Mayor (2012)-7.5/10-> Luckily for the filmmakers, the character and his stories are fascinating, and most of the film's grade is thanks to that, but a part of that is also because of the good cinematography.

Anatomy Of A Departure (2012)-5/10-> It starts off well and stylistically it's terrific, but after 30 minutes or so, the characters start getting quite repetitive and boring.

Matthew's Laws (2012)-10/10-> Matthew's Laws is a heartbreaking and interesting case study, in which a director shows us his personal experience, making the viewer get attached to Matthew in under 80 minutes. An achievement in documentary.

Call Me Kuchu (2012)-7.5/10-> Call Me Kuchu is a fine documentary about a mostly unknown subject about the courage of a few people fighting against bigotism and homophobia.

Sofia's Last Ambulance (2012)-7/10-> Sofia's Last Ambulance discusses some very important themes, but the line between documentary and fiction here seems a bit thin to me.

Anton's Right Here (2012)-8/10-> A very tough film, Anton's Right Here shows the pain of the disease and how it can affect those around the suffering, without retaining any detail of Anton's sad world.

15-21 February

The Fifth Gospel Of Kaspar Hauser (2013)-7/10-> Probably the most original take (but not the best) on the classic legend, a haunting portrayal of a mysterious character's psychology, this might be this year's Post Tenebras Lux, a film which most people didn't fully understand. And this is also the case here and I admit I didn't fully understand this one either, though I consider both films that they have offered the viewer more than meets the eye.

No (2012)-5/10-> Amusing, sometimes powerful and the commercials are pure genius, but No has some sort of annoying Hollywood touch to it, which Larrain's previous films didn't have, rendering the director unable to treat his subject with the cynism that "Tony Manero" and "Post Mortem" had.

Sans Toit Ni Loi (1985)-7.5/10-> A bit too episodic, Varda's bleak and strong film about a drifter (brilliantly interpreted by Sandrine Bonnaire), is beautiful. 

The Misfortunates (2009)-6.5/10-> Although predictable and not particulary positive (something I thought that would never bother me), The Misfortunates is misfortunately flawed even though this is an above average sweet and sour comedy.

Room 237 (2012)-5/10-> Although it shows some mind-blowing theories, it never seems to embrace only one of them especially and so, the film ends up being quite indecisive.

Nordvest (2013)-10/10-> No objections come in mind here really, Nordvest is fantastic, raw filmmaking at its' finest.

The Beaches Of Agnes (2008)-7/10-> The first half is great, but after that The Beaches Of Agnes gets boring and it starts to be more about Jacques Demy than about Agnes Varda.

R (2010)-8/10-> A bit faulty towards the end, but R brings out the horrors of prison unlike many prison themed films and the central performance is riveting.

Rocker (2013)-7/10-> Rocker is quite slow and the performance by Chiorean is sometimes a bit overdone, but otherwise Rocker might very well become a Romanian cult classic in 10 years or so. 

4-10 January

Le Grand Soir (2012)-7/10-> Completely insane and refreshingly humourous, Le Grand Soir might be a bit uneven, but otherwise it's a nice experience.

The Paperboy (2012)-3/10-> It's not a tribute to anything, it's just a mix of southern trash and sick sexual fantasies. The imagery is nice, despite the content.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)-8/10-> Much more suspenseful and well written than The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty is actually one of the best American films I've seen this year. Also, Chastain shines throughout.

The Impossible (2012)-5/10-> The acting is pretty strong, but The Impossible tries too hard to be compelling and ends up being really corny.

Seven Psychopaths (2012)-8.5/10-> Seven Psychopaths is powerful and complex cinema, although it might not look like it. Its' main strength is as always with McDonagh its' script with his witty dialogues and coherent and smart storytelling, but the ensemble cast is also fantastic.

Django Unchained (2012)-7/10-> The first 45 minutes are great and also the last 45 minutes, but that leaves us with 75 minutes, which of course are necessary for the story to stick well, but they are too long and somewhat aimless. 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)-6/10-> Not as bad as I was expecting it to be, The Hobbit is an entertaining, funny and sometimes powerful film. Although, I think, Jackson has wasted all the material from the book in this here first part of the announced trilogy.

A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles Swan III (2012)-3/10-> The plot is great, but this is a failed Wes Anderson movie attempt, non-humourous, boring and uninspired.

Smokin Aces (2012)-4/10-> Smokin Aces is a lot of fun and the cast is big enough to hold it up in some moments, but its' story is too incoherent and the twists are too often.

21 December 2012- 3 January 2013

The Imposter (2012)-7/10-> An OK made documentary, but sometimes the viewer can't be too certain about the veridicity of the story.

Flight (2012)-7/10-> Flight is overlong and predictable, but Washington's capturing performance and the good script make this one of the best American movies I've seen in quite some time.

Dredd (2012)-6.5/10-> Not only entertaining, but also impressively stylized, Dredd is a full-on B movie. But it works.

Cloud Atlas (2012)-4/10-> Cloud Atlas is an achievement of some sort, but its' narrative is too sprawled and the acting is uneven and flawed.

Frankenweenie (2012)-6/10-> Not bad, but it's the usual kind of treatment we get from Burton.

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (2012)-8/10-> A fascinating insight of a fascinating artist, funny, dramatic and compelling.

GoldenEye (1995)-5.5/10-> Your typical James Bond vehicle, entertaining, but overlong and sometimes dumb. Bean and Janssen do a great job, though.

Liberal Arts (2012)-7.5/10-> Not as complex as it could be, but Liberal Arts is a sweet and smart film, with ace performances from Josh Radnor and Richard Jenkins.

Lincoln (2012)-4/10-> Incredibly formulaic and really really long, Lincoln gets saved by the good performances from most of the cast.

Life Of Pi (2012)-4/10-> Visually incredible, even though most of it is CGI, but Life Of Pi is mostly disgusting and boring religious propaganda.

This Is 40 (2012)-6/10-> Quite funny, but This Is 40 is overlong and very uneven.

John Dies At The End (2012)-6/10-> To call this movie original would be an understatement, but the special effects are a bit flawed and false.

Skyfall (2012)-7.5/10-> The latest installment in the Bond series is one of the best ever made, the Craig serie going in deeper into Bond's origins and life.

Hit And Run (2012)-3/10-> Not funny and not fun, Hit And Run has a few acceptable moments, but moments can't hold up a film.

Red Hook Summer (2012)-1.5/10-> Spike Lee's ultimate worst: bad acting, bad storytelling, bad music, bad everything and everywhere.