For some strange reason the French trailer made me want to watch the movie much more than the original Finnish one. 😉 Maybe Finnish cinema is finally taking over the world?
Tag Archives: movies
Recommended movie: Okuribito
This is probably the best movie I’ve seen all year, and certainly one whose American trailer doesn’t do any justice to. The most endearing, human (& humane) way of portraying death as a part of life I have seen in a movie screen. No wonder it won the Oscar last year.
If you find it somewhere (I stumbled on it on Canal +) watch it. Absolutely unforgettable.
Recommended movie: My sister’s keeper
15 years ago this movie would have been a sci-fi piece. Now it’s “just” a contemporary drama with great acting and a very interesting plot.
Recommended movie: The Blind Side
I lost my interest in American football ever since the Buffalo Bills lost consecutive Superbowls when I was a teen in the 90’s, but I’ve always appreciated the tactical complexities of any game or sport I more or less understand (which is exactly my problem with hockey as I’m not familiar with the tactical variants involved). I’m not a fan of sports movies either, as they’re usually cliched, tacky and generally drab.
This is not such a movie. Based on the unlikely true story of Michael Oher, currently an NFL pro with the Baltimore Ravens, it has brain, brawn and a lot of heart. The social context (inner-city poverty, class lines and racial separation in the American south) binds the plot together and the acting is very, very good. No wonder Sandra Bullock won an Oscar with this one (yes, the same actress who was driving a bus in panic in Speed with Keanu Reeves all those years ago). Listening to her speaking in a southern drawl is a delight.
Recommended movie: Inception
I’ve never been a big fan of Leonardo Di Caprio’s work, but this movie is basically Matrix for the 2010’s. Christopher Nolan (the man behind the last two Batman movies) shows again why he’s regarded as one of the best directors in the business for his mastery of both action sequences and the mental processes that take characters there.
The movie industry is killing itself with regionalisation
I love watching movies, especially at home. I have a Sony full-HD TV & home theatre system at home and am planning to get a compatible Blu-Ray player of the same brand at some point. My efforts to go HD with my movie collection have hit a snag, however: I don’t buy all my movies in Europe so I need multi-region players. Sony doesn’t seem to sell multi-region Blu-Ray players, only DVD players.
Why wouldn’t I get all my stuff here? Simple, they don’t sell many Mexican or Asian movies here, and for Disney movies especially I like Mexican dubbing, just as for anime I prefer Finnish dubbing instead. I don’t download movies nor buy pirated goods, so am especially annoyed by all the warnings in the movies I buy every time I play them.
Why would the movie industry punish me by treating me like a delinquent instead of a customer? Why can’t enjoy media I pay for? Don’t they understand I’m a paying customer asking for a product, if they would only provide it to me?
Recommended movie: Tropa de Élite
A very controversial Brazilian film following the very violent exploits of Rio de Janeiro military police special forces, it reminded me a lot of situations I’m familiar with as a fellow Latin American.
Apologies for embedding the Brazilian Portuguese trailer to those of you who might not understand the language, but the English one is ridiculous, corny, and gives you completely the wrong idea about the pace, style and atmosphere of the movie.
Recommended movie: Indigènes (Days of Glory)
Finally had the chance to watch this French-Belgian-Moroccan co-production, and wasn’t disappointed. The film tells the story of a contingent of North Africans who fight for the liberation of France in the Second World War. The plot and psychological environment is quite interesting as they are quite patriotic for a homeland they have never seen (a scene of them singing the Marseillaise and the Song of the Africans is quite stinging), but are still treated like second-class citizens.
It is very refreshing to watch a WWII movie that doesn’t follow the typical American conventions, that’s for sure, even if I really like Saving Private Ryan.
Recommended movie: Up
I watched this movie on a plane recently and was very pleasantly surprised. Without giving away the essence of the plot, I can say that the first 5 minutes are the best, most touching opening sequence I have seen in a movie in the past 5 years at least.
Recommended movie: Mala Moskwa (Little Moscow)
I watched this Polish movie on TV last night, that deals with the time of the Soviet military presence in Poland and their impact on the lives of 4 people. While I will not divulge the plot, it was very dramatic but what really caught my eye was the political and historical background of the whole movie, from the 60’s to the present day.