Now I really should get started on that review of the film "Nachttocht", or on the other film "Gutta boys"...or on the rare Russian movie... 4 months ago
Now relaxing, soon I should write the review of "Nachttocht". Or maybe tomorrow or the day after that, I need a vacation! 4 months ago
Now watching the Dutch film "Nachttocht", seems pretty good! 4 months ago
Yeah...! finally got home from work! now having coffee wondering what next film I will watch and review....hm??? 4 months ago
Plot: Two boys about 13 years old are about to have a very unusual summer, starting when a mysterious stranger one summerday arrives in their small southern town. The stranger Eli Cottonmouth is played brilliantly by Will Patton. With him is a miniature set of houses and other things, that attract the villagers so much that they soon want to have their own miniature model of their own town just in time for an upcoming anniversary. The two friends Phillip and Jackson are not very impressed and think that there is something odd going on, until they are approached by Eli who wants them to be his assistants in the project. Throughout the film the story is told by the now grown up Phillip by interspersed scenes where Phillip is returning to his hometown many years later. The thrill and excitement is gradually raised from the beginning and makes you want to see more until the climax and the end. At the same time, there are no real surprises, but one. Up to that point the story is well balanced. But then, without spoiling the story, comes the end that you have been waiting for, and if you then have to think twice before you think you can understand the meaning of it, its not a good ending. I would give the story 3 stars out of 5.
Cinematography: I liked the colorshifting in the film, that goes from the rather bright colors when you are shown the actual story, to the bleak blue-greyish colors in the scenes with the returning Phillip. The cinematography is much better than you could imagine for being the directors first film. But there are some things that could have been much better. For example there are very few variations in the camera, people and buildings are shown in exactly the same way throughout the film, with hardly no playing with different camera angles or zooming into details. Therefore cinematographically I would give the film 2 stars out of 5.
Cast: The two boys who are playing the main roles are very talented I think. Sometimes it´s easy to forget how talented cast can take a mediocre story to the stars just by playing so good. The boys together with Will Patton and the rest of the excellent cast are making this film worth watching. I would give the cast in general 4 stars out of 5.
Summary: This is a film with a resemblance to some Stephen King stories, and it´s the first film by a young director, and also with a young camera man and in respect to that it´s a great first attempt. However there are many other coming of age films with much greater stories and much better camera work. But with this brilliant cast I would give the film in total 3 stars out of 5, which means that I can recommend it. And I´m sure the director Mark Freiburger will come up with more and better films in the near future!
Take a look at this post about the Russian vocal group Volshebniki Dvora. There is also a short music video clip with a performance of this talented group.
Name: You Are Not Alone
Original name: Du Er Ikke Alene
Director: Ernst Johansen, Lasse Nielsen
Country of origin: Denmark
Year of release: 1978
Cast: Anders Agensö (Bo), Peter Bjerg (Kim), Ove Sprogöe (Headmaster, Kim´s father), Elin Reimer (Kim´s mother)
Genre: Drama IMDb-link
This Danish movie was released in 1978, and is dealing with the subject of love between two teenage boys at a boarding school somewhere in Denmark. For being released in the 70s perhaps it´s not that controversial at all, but in many countries this film would probably have been considered so. It´s rather amazing how the story in this movie now about 30 years later still works. The picture quality in the DVD-release (2006, TLA Releasing) is also excellent and the cast is brilliant, not least Ove Sprogöe who is playing the role of the conservative headmaster. The directors have here really managed to create a picture of the vast gap between the adult world and the teenagers world, of which the adults know very little (and not make any effort to know more about either). Even if the focus is on the boys´love, this an honest and nicely told story that could well be generalised for the lives of every teenager. I think this movie should be shown in the schools as part of the education. It would have been interesting to get a comment from a teenager who has watched this film. The name of the film is in itself a central part of many teenagers mind, since many teenagers are thinking that they are alone, not just considering this special friendship but in general. Therefore I think this topic can be generalised to many other subjects that are troubling teenagers when growing up into the adult world. This is a true coming of age-movie, a classic, and a must see.
Hailed by John Lennon as a work of a genius, this movie is still a piece of art according to me. Filled with surreal images of violence, sexuality and biting political commentary, this is thought by many critics to be the height of the Spanish avant-garde filmmaking. The story takes place in the end of the Spanish civil war, with the main focus on the young boy Fando (Mahdi Chaouch), whose father was arrested during the war. Through the eyes of Fando we are following his troubles with his father´s absence and his mother´s possible betrayal. Interspersed with the normal photo there are numerous dreamlike sections where the daydreams of Fando take place. This is the debut film by the Spanish playwright Fernando Arrabal.
Some like mainstream films, other like rare films. I like them both, but the rare and more complex films are often the winners in the long run. Rare films are mostly made in Europe or Russia, sometimes in other parts of Asia, but seldom in the United States (why?). What is then a rare film? For me it´s a film that makes an effort to deliver something more than the usual stuff. It could be that the story deals with difficult subjects or with ordinary subjects in an unusual way, or that the director has used some innovative or special technology in making the cinematography. Rare films are naturally more hard to find since they seldom reach the broader audience. For a collector like me, rarity also makes it much more fun, than if everyone can buy the item at any local store.
The next film I will review is one of those more rare ones, perhaps you´ve heard of it, perhaps you´ve not. In either way you are welcome to leave a comment of the review. Since comments for some reason are pretty rare, you now know that I´ll be happy to get one from you!
Do you know from what other rare movies these screenshots below come from? Who will be first with the right answer? I´m waiting for your guess!
The movie ”Hotel for dogs” has just started to run at the theatres in Sweden, and had its official release on January 16 in the United States. So far the response has been varied, with a median score of about 5 out of 10 in several listings. I don´t know anything yet about the reactions in Sweden. The movie is based on a novel by Lois Duncan with the same name. The story is, in summary, about two orphans, a girl and her little brother who in order to hide their ownership to their dog ”Friday” secretely turn an abandoned building into a hotel for ”Friday” and other stray dogs. Perhaps it´s a kind of analogy to the orphan kids here. Of course the story is highly unlikely and some also say that there are gaps in the story as well. But I guess this is not meant to be a reality drama, just a fun movie for kids and adults with an open mind. When I´ve seen it myself I will give a comment on what I think of it. The main characters, the two orphan siblings, are played by Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin. Down below are some pictures from the film and of Jake T.Austin and an official trailer. I haven´t heard of Jake before, but as you can see in his filmography he has already participated in some other productions.
Director: Mark Freiburger
