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Reviews
Cike Nie Yin Niang (2015)
Masterpiece!
We all have different tastes in film. In my case (despite some beautiful moments) I was very disappointed by Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Yet The Assassin is the greatest new movie that I have seen for a very long time! This film has spectacular visuals! The landscapes, set designs and costumes are amongst the most beautiful I have ever seen! Story - it is difficult to follow. I really want to re-watch when it is released on Bluray. Complex stories reward multiple viewings.
Characters - I found them to be brilliant particularly The Assassin (Shu Qi). I thought she brought a real earnestness and profound sense of depth to the character - someone who plays with life and death and I really believed that she did!She is a deadly assassin with a very human character.
Fight scenes - choreographed martial art scenes are very difficult to pull off. When they go on for too long they seem to lose their edge and a sense of the ridiculous comes in usually. Here the scenes are intense and short and very believable (for me). I have always longed for a martial arts film that has real impact (physically and emotionally) and I got that here.
I think a lot of viewers are used to and like films that are packed with action - that is fine. This is not their kind of film. But for those who are patient enough to let a film just hypnotise you this is a really great film.
Music - I love the ominous drum sound that adds so much tension to the story. In the scene where Tian is with his concubine and he discusses Shu Qi the flute music that subtly plays is beautifully emotional.
There is one scene that I found somewhat unsatisfactory - when she meets the other swordswoman in the birch forest. It seemed like something was edited out of the film that may have explained what the significance of that encounter was.
It is very rare for me to give a film 10 stars that I have only seen once but I feel this deserves it.
I do agree that it is not everyone's kind of film. Interestingly it has a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Il deserto dei tartari (1976)
Marvellous Film Experience
I just saw this film a few days ago and it had a very strong impact on me. I was extremely impressed by Zurlini's "Girl with a suitcase" and "violent Summer" (The excellent NoShame release - grab it if you do not already have it!)but this film is the work of a very mature director.
Zurlini has the confidence to slow everything down. The camera-work is stunning (the location in Iran is breathtaking, magical). The acting is extraordinary - this film is a meeting place for some great actors. There is often little dialogue and so we feel accutely the presence that these actors have - Gassman, Perrin, Trintignant, Gemma, Von Syndow etc. For me so much of the film is about the feeling that is created not the specifics of the storyline. The actors have a wonderful sincerity - a lot of eye contact demonstrates the closeness that these people feel at a human level.
The story - I have not read the novel therefore I do not claim to have any clear idea of the exact message but for me the film is about the feeling it creates. It made me reflect. Not so much on understanding the meaning but on the characters themselves and the various emotions we have as humans.
I did however feel that the pace and feeling of the film changes after Perrin is sent back to the fort after his request for a transfer is declined. A lot of the peacefulness of the film goes and a more agitated atmosphere prevails.
Nothing is made clear - mystery prevails. The final shot of the approaching horsemen is unforgettable. Morricone's score is top-rate.
Altogether an extraordinary work - images, characters and acting that that left a strong impression on me. I am very curious to see more Zurlini.
I have the Italian DVD of this film. I am very tempted to buy the NoShame DVD for the quality of their releases and the extras.
Blade Runner (1982)
Extraordinary Achievement
I first saw this film a few years ago and really liked it. I saw it again in the cinema a few weeks ago and was really blown away this time. I have certainly matured and so have a new outlook on the film. Perhaps the remastering of the film adds also to the experience. I went out and bought the DVD which also contains the Dangerous Days documentary.
This is a true cinematic experience - sound, visual, story. Rarely has a world been so vivedly portrayed. The detail and visual beauty is simply astounding. Dangerous Days tells of the work that went into it and I appreciate the film even more as a result. The era before special effects - the "magic lantern" (David Lynch) quality that comes from non-computerised effects.
Fascinating story - one of the critics on the Dangeous Days documentary speaks of the message - don't be a slave/replicant who simply follows orders. I get a very different message from the film - wherever there is life (any sort of life) there are feelings. We cannot create something in order to use and manipulate it - everything has feelings and must be respected. Roy Batty has been created to be used selfishly by humans - a fighting machine. at the end we see that everything living has feelings. He feels and clings on to life like we all do! Human selfishness is the theme I get from the film. Humans abusing life! The love scene between Deckard and Rachael seems very contrived to me. His aggressiveness is unappealing and makes no sense to me in the story. The documentary sheds some light on this.
Dangerous Days is very interesting An extraordinary film and achievement. Some of the emotion could be a bit deeper but instead of looking at what the film has not let me remember the outstanding achievement that the film is.
Altovaya sonata. Dmitriy Shostakovich (1981)
excellent
This is a very special documentary on Shostakovich. Firstly Sokhurov is a film director and it shows - he has put together some beautiful images within an unusual structure. The film uses the last summer of Shostakovich's life and particularly some details of the composition of the Viola Sonata as a reference point to which the film returns several times. Thus he mixes the chronology of the composer's life. The film reveals some wonderful examples which illustrate Shostakovich's nature. The film had a turbulent history - made in 1980, just 5 years after the composer's death, the film was "arrested" by the KGB and Sokhurov hid a version of the film which was released in the 1990s. It must be stressed the film is not an A-Z of the composer's life - it does not mention "Lady Macbeth" nor the 13th Symphony (2 extremely important events in the composer's career). Perhaps these events could not be discussed in 1980 USSR. However it is a wonderful film and it's narrative reminded of Tarkovky's "The Mirror". I recommend this over the "Shostakovich against Stalin" documentary - Sokhurov has given us a masterpiece of filmaking on the subject of a great composer. I wish everyone could see this film.