Movie reviews

BEAUTIFUL DISASTER

Recommended. OK, the girl is a poker champion, the guy is a master fighter and they both meet at college. I was skeptical. But the movie is light, funny, hilarious at times, raunchy but teenage-appropriate, with strong female and male leads and an instruction how to start a relationship. I did laugh out loud several times and that rarely happens. I loved the scene where he's despairing and says he's brought a "stray", to which his flatmate remarks: "it's (name), our neighbour's cat".

14. LGBT+ FILM FESTIVAL

GAY LOVE AFFAIRS (SHORTS)

The 6 short films were: 

FADO MENOR

Nearly walked out. Awfully slow and no idea what it was about. 

¿Y SI UN DIA YA NO ESTOY? (EVEN IF SOME DAY I'M GONE?)

Nearly walked out. Awfully slow.

LES DIEUX DU SUPERMARCHE (GODS OF THE SUPERMARKET)

Watchable. Engaging documentary form. Jezus on the cross as a sex fantasy is a peculiarity of the gay genre. It wouldn't have crossed my mind.

STAY

Watchable. The only film in the set with a consistent story and fully comprehensible. 

LE VARIABILI DIPENDENTI (THE DEPENDENT VARIABLES)

Nearly walked out. Awfully slow and no idea what it was about. 

LES MALADIES EXTRAVAGANTES  (THE EXTRAVAGANT ILLNESSES)

Nearly walked out. Awfully slow and no idea what it was about. 

EISMAYER

Recommended. Movies based on actual events tend to be the best. This full-length Austrian military-based film is one of them. It's a comedy drama. Or maybe a tragicomedy because the guy's got cancer. But that's not the most important. It's a situation comedy about two people meeting and falling in love against all odds. Delightful banter between the two protagonists guarantees lots of fun.

To me this is predominantly a festival of movies about love and it has a wonderful atmosphere. Additional events varied, some were great, I danced and had fun, not all were to my taste, but each was to someone's taste. 

VANSKABTE LAND/VOLADA LAND (GODLAND)

Switched off. It's slow and uneventful. Even when someone drowns, the characters' relationship before was so lacklustre you don't care.

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.

LES TROIS MOUSQUETAIRES: - D'ARTAGNAN (THE THREE MUSKETEERS: D'ARTAGNAN)

Recommended. The royal palace was set at the Louvre at the time and the movie was shot right there. While historical places abound, it's all filmed on cloudy or rainy and muddy background. Still, the queen's lace looks so sturdy, you can bet on historical accuracy. Eva Green's figure is spine-tingling as the villain. Mark Harris is quite convincing as Buckingham. The action, puzzling from the opening, is gripping as you gradually realise who is who and discover their purpose. The first scene is unusual and more modernly scripted than usually in the genre, with d'Artagnan digging himself out of a grave. The rest is more traditional in style. Part one leaves you with suspense. There's a mid-credit. 

LA LIGNE (THE LINE)

Watchable. A woman finds herself in strife with her mother and, to some extent, with the rest of family and friends. She's brought up short by law and the family literally painting a blue line.

The opening scene is ludicrous: aggression in slow-mo and with slow-paced classical music. The rest is a typical French drama - slow and with music of varying quality. Exaggerated acting, not only by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, implausible characters mar it further. Verbal aggression within the family quickly makes it clear how things must have escalated. Ensuing ravages and behaviours aren't explained but, with exaggerated expression of all four actresses and mundane developments, I didn't feel much like guessing the underlying psychological processes. Basically, the story unfolds with quite clumsy scenes. Lacklustre on the whole.

حورية (HOURIA)

Watchable. An Algerian drama where two dancers' stories are a ruse to present a vast array of social and combined political issues of the country. What you get to see is a group of incredibly strong women struggling with adversities and you get to hear their back stories illustrating their homeland problems. Unfortunately those stories are told, verbally, rarely and sketchily shown. Dance scenes rely more on camerawork and editing than on the women's skills, especially the bellydance doesn't not look professional, rather like an actress acting dancing than a dancer doing the dance. I loved the leaning against the wall instruction scene instead - a little gem.

늑대사냥 (PROJECT WOLF HUNTING)

Recommended. The movie's like "Universal Soldier" taken a level higher - flesh and blood of the transformation, never as neat and clean as in American flicks. Of course it's the Japanese who are guilty of creating the monster. The flick has a dynamic, consistent plot and is expectedly shockingly brutal. It's so gory that after an hour of bloodshed I had the impression I could smell the gore. Top-notch make-up and visual effects ensure it's all riveting. You need to watch closely - constant back stories or twists of action are lucid but you need to keep up with the pace of the plot. The movie's Korean, you know.

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.