I almost skipped this film due to some bad reviews I read about it, and therefore was surprised to find that it is quite enjoyable and interesting. Acting is great, especially Tovey Russel's performance which I found excellent in spite of a somewhat exaggerated character script. I admit the subject treatment is a bit outdated, and the script is more suitable for chamber theater than for a film. But still, this is a very good gay flick.
Reviews
6 Reviews
Swiss Army Man
(2016)
I was so bored and disgusted I skipped to the end
23 December 2016
Pretentious, vulgar, not smart and not funny. I was really looking forward to this film, and was so disappointed. Being so bored and disgusted by it, I hoped there would be some surprise towards the end so i skipped to the end of the film, only to discover it is exactly what I anticipated it to be, and still very boring. I recommend you avoid this film at all cost. Although it might appeal to some teen audiences who like black humor based on farting, vomiting and hugging corpses. I gave it a 1 out of 10. I think it's the worst film I've watched in quite some time. The actors are probably good but you really can't tell due to the awful script.
Interstellar
(2014)
Spectacular unbelievable nonsense
21 November 2014
The film is spectacular and starts off really nice and promises to be very interesting. But once the spaceship leaves the ground, the movie deteriorates rapidly, and as it progresses it becomes so unbelievable and ludicrous, that I left the theater quite annoyed and very disappointed. I didn't like most of the characters. They are clichés, and none made me sympathetic to their cause or character. The robot is also extremely familiar and it's design is ludicrous, trying to be both advanced and ancient at the same time. I really likes other films by the Nolan brothers, but it seems they don't give their scripts as much attention as they used to. A disappointment.
Mary and Max
(2009)
So excellent, that I couldn't recommend it more!
21 August 2009
It's hard to describe just how excellent this film is. The story is great, both very funny and touching. The art-design and animation are a delight, thoughtful, very rich in details, and very consistent in style. The music is great. The storyline and direction... I can't find a bad word to say, except that the story drags a little half- way through, but then picks itself up again toward the end. Truly, a must-see. If you like adult animation, this is definitely for you. I agree with those comparing it to Aardman films, Waltz with Bashir and Persepolis, but this movie's animation is so professional, that only Aardman truly compares.
A gem of a movie, to be watched over and over again
14 October 2005
Gotta Have Heart, or as it was originally named in Hebrew: 'A Husband with a Heart' (Ba'al Ba'al Lev), was originally produced for Channel 2 of the Israeli Television, as a stand-alone film in a series named: 'Short stories about Love'. This film immediately stood out among the many other excellent films in the series, both due to its gay theme, as well as its campy and fantasy-like style.
The film relates to a classic Jewish musical: 'Kunilemel', telling the story of mixed identities of two identical twins, one an orthodox Jew and the other a secular. The two songs included in 'Ba'al Ba'al Lev' (as well as its title) are borrowed from 'Kunilemel': one dealing with the identity conflicts of its main character, the other with the marriage fantasies of its heroine, looking for 'a husband with a heart'.
The use of music has always played an important role in Fox's movies. This is demonstrated in his first short movie, 'After', where the original score was composed by Yehuda Poliker, an out-of-the-closet gay, one of the most successful and admired musicians in Israel, and the theme song 'Wave, Carry Me' sang by the Israeli mega-star Hava Alberstein (in Hebrew: 'Sa'eni Gal', Gal being the first name of Fox's spouse, Gal Uchovsky, credited for writing / screenplay in Ba'al Ba'al Lev and Walk on Water). In later films (Yossi and Jagger, Walk on Water) Fox has been working with Ivri Lider, another out-of-the-closet gay, a very successful young Israeli musician.
Watching this film several times by now, I still find it a rare gem. It is colourful, campy and fun to watch, and yet manages to entail intelligent notions. But most of all, it is highly touching, and like other Eytan Fox movies, this film leaves you with a tear in the corner of your eye. But unlike other Fox movies, in Ba'al Ba'al Lev this tear is accompanied by a huge smile that walks with you for several days after.
The film relates to a classic Jewish musical: 'Kunilemel', telling the story of mixed identities of two identical twins, one an orthodox Jew and the other a secular. The two songs included in 'Ba'al Ba'al Lev' (as well as its title) are borrowed from 'Kunilemel': one dealing with the identity conflicts of its main character, the other with the marriage fantasies of its heroine, looking for 'a husband with a heart'.
The use of music has always played an important role in Fox's movies. This is demonstrated in his first short movie, 'After', where the original score was composed by Yehuda Poliker, an out-of-the-closet gay, one of the most successful and admired musicians in Israel, and the theme song 'Wave, Carry Me' sang by the Israeli mega-star Hava Alberstein (in Hebrew: 'Sa'eni Gal', Gal being the first name of Fox's spouse, Gal Uchovsky, credited for writing / screenplay in Ba'al Ba'al Lev and Walk on Water). In later films (Yossi and Jagger, Walk on Water) Fox has been working with Ivri Lider, another out-of-the-closet gay, a very successful young Israeli musician.
Watching this film several times by now, I still find it a rare gem. It is colourful, campy and fun to watch, and yet manages to entail intelligent notions. But most of all, it is highly touching, and like other Eytan Fox movies, this film leaves you with a tear in the corner of your eye. But unlike other Fox movies, in Ba'al Ba'al Lev this tear is accompanied by a huge smile that walks with you for several days after.
Time Off
(1990)
Excellent, moving and precise gay flick
25 December 2004
Stumbling accidentally upon this charming little film in a student film festival in the early 90's, I had the rare pleasure of watching it without any prior idea what it's about. Being closeted at the time, it made an enormous impact on me back then.
The plot focuses on the tense interactions between a young soldier and his supervising commander in an Israeli army combat unit. The unit receives an afternoon leave ("after") in Jerusalem, before going up to Lebanon on a combat mission, and the film tells the story of this leave's events.
Watching it again lately, I still found it highly moving: compact, precise and very well directed and played. I still think it is one of the best gay films I have ever watched. I'm sure it is not easy to come by, but it's highly worth the effort. A must see!
The plot focuses on the tense interactions between a young soldier and his supervising commander in an Israeli army combat unit. The unit receives an afternoon leave ("after") in Jerusalem, before going up to Lebanon on a combat mission, and the film tells the story of this leave's events.
Watching it again lately, I still found it highly moving: compact, precise and very well directed and played. I still think it is one of the best gay films I have ever watched. I'm sure it is not easy to come by, but it's highly worth the effort. A must see!
Tell Your Friends