holigor Reviews

The Matrix (1999)

disappointing

[6/10 · 30 November 1999]

I wanted to see this movie for a long time. Ads that claimed it to be a movie of 21th century.

Now, I've seen it at last and it did not live to the expectations. The movie is made to show visual effects but all they had to show was in the ads already, so nothing new. Plot is absent, idea is ridiculous (feed humans to use the body as the batteries, less efficient energy production cannot be thought of). OK, it can be seen once but it does not deserve a place in the top 250.

Comparison with The Phantom Menace is natural here. And not in favor of The Matrix.

The Godfather (1972)

there is a mystery about this film

[8/10 · 27 September 1999]

Being without doubt a quality movie (good plot, good acting, good directing) it is mysterious however why it is considered by many people to be the best ever made. The origin of this mystery needs some exploration.

I think that technically the film is pretty well made although not without a flaw. I knew the great Nino Rota's melody long before I saw this movie and I was amazed how it was wasted in the film. Just an intermezzo??? And horribly performed...

I can suggest two reasons for the too high rating. 1. Americans adore their Mafia. And the film appeals to the desire of a simple man to imagine himself a deadly hero. That would explain also why it does not touch me too much. 2. The film was innovative in the time it appeared in manner I don't understand. Perhaps there were some cinematographic tricks that were revolutionary at the time and used in every other film since (that would explain why we do not see them).

Godfather II impressed me much more because it goes against the first of the mentioned above reasons. No romanticism of the vengeance, no protection of the family any more. I think it was very courageous to show the bare face of Mafia in the country that adored it. Deadly businessmen of the Godfather II are really horrifying.

I cannot comment on suggestion number 2. But it any case that reason can have only historical significance.

My rating for the film is 8 of 10.

Obyknovennoe chudo (1965)

One of about 15 Russian films that were good

[9/10 · 24 September 1999]

This is a wonderful fairy love story.

Magician met a young strong bear in the forest and turned him into a man. It is not easy to be a man so the bear asked magician to undo the magic. Well, says the magician, you will turn into a bear if a princess kisses you...

"Have you thought about the princess" yells magician's wife.

The Bear meets a lovely Princess and falls in love. The princess falls in love too.

How dare you not to kiss a girl?

Le Bal (1983)

Awesome, history of 20th century France as the history of a dancing

[10/10 · 17 September 1999]

J'ai été enchanté.

Ironically this film was nominated for the Oscar as the best foreign language film. It is not a foreign language film, it is a film without language, no spoken word. Everything that is worth to be told is told with music and dance. We see the history of the 20th century France as the history of a dancing. Times change and the dance changes with time. So the problems that people face change. Decay of the aristocracy, German occupation, youth revolution of 68, racial conflicts, everything can be seen on this dancing as well as the love, aspirations, despair, hatred.

The film is one of my personal best 25.

8½ (1963)

It is incredible, but 8 1/2 is labeled as drama. Maestro Fellini would love that

[10/10 · 3 July 1999]

I like this film, it is one of my favorites. I remember how when I saw it for the first time the smile did not quit my face from the moment the man was brought down to earth with a lasso to the final buffoonery of life.

I could not imagine in fact that this was considered to be drama.

Fellini himself said that he always wanted to make comedies and being given the freedom he made the best of these.