etorsten-1 Reviews

Amsterdam (2022)

Historical not 100% accurate

[5/10 · 11 December 2022]

I don't want to write that much about the film with a real star cast (Robert De Niro, Zoe Saldana, Rami Male, Christian Bale, John David Washington and Margot Robbie, etc.), but it didn't exactly thrill me.

However, it is not really bad and in many of the scenes also very entertaining.

Spoilers: What really bothered me, however, are historical inaccuracies. Parts of the film take place in 1932 and are already discussed using the plural of the dictators (meaning Mussolini and Hitler).

However, Hitler and his followers came to power only at the beginning of 1933.

The scriptwriters and all the other participants could have paid more attention to such details.

Undine (2020)

The old myth of Undine

[9/10 · 24 October 2022]

Undine carries a heavy secret and a curse that she can't seem to escape. Undine (Paula Beer) is young, but has an ancient, mythical name.

In the myth, she lives in a forest lake, a beautiful virgin nymph.

A man who steps on the shore of the lake and calls her name, to whom she becomes his wife. If the man betrays love, he must die - Undine will kill him.

The Undine in the film is light and clever and strong-minded.

A story by Christian Petzold newly filmed with the two great actors Franz Rogowski and the beautiful Paula Beer, with Berlin as the main location.

Petzold demonstrates once again why his films (Wolfsburg, Barbara, Phoenix, Transit, etc.) are worth seeing!

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

The best movie of the year?

[9/10 · 2 October 2022]

After some time and many recommendations, I have finally seen the film and now understand why it is so positively received.

Well, the film is very emotional, its concept is absolutely bizarre, it plays with several genres and above all it is also crazy, even a bit punk.

Ah, and Michelle Yeah is simply fantastic!

And when do we see crazy things anymore?

You see, too rarely.

But it's also, above all, a family drama that focuses on a mother's relationship with her daughter in an incredible way.

And the film is a great philosophical work about how to be your best self.

So, it's worth seeing.

Go and watch it in a movie theatre.

La civil (2021)

Outstanding performance of Arcelia Ramirez

[8/10 · 13 October 2021]

Very interesting film that addresses a topic that is important not only in Mexico, but also in Central America and other regions of the world: The kidnapping of children and young people and the resulting despair of the parents. The helplessness, as the parents cannot trust anyone, especially the police and other state authorities.

At this point, the outstanding performance of the leading actress stands out: Arcelia Ramírez

She plays the mother who, out of sheer desperation, starts to take matters into her own hands and sets out to find her kidnapped daughter.

The film accompanies them on this painful odyssey.

For the kind of acting she does, she definitely deserves recognition in the form of awards!

Briefly summarized: The film is worth seeing for many reasons.

Tenet (2020)

Why Christopher Nolan fails substantially with "Tenet"

[6/10 · 27 December 2020]

This film shows how a director can completely overreach himself because he believes in his own apparent genius.

Christopher Nolan, in my opinion, fails colossally and throws the whole story completely into the sand.

I would like to mention a few reasons for this here: 1. The characters remain unapproachable in a certain way and you simply can't develop an emotional connection to them as a viewer. There is simply not enough emotion to identify with the main character(s). 2) The female lead is practically reduced to her love for her son and thus severely limited in character. Basically, this is even misogynistic! 3. The story is not able to explain the effect of time travel really well. On the most part, it remains with hints of content, which is not enough for such a story. 4. Nolan de facto shows time travel and uses revolving doors, through which the protagonists (always only) switch to the past. If these are time machines, then I kind of have to laugh. 5. The resolution of one of the core questions (who is the blond companion of the main character?) comes at the very end. Well, it's just illogical, since the main character, played by John David Washington, never really asks. What a nonsense!

And so Nolan gives away an insane amount of potential, which he could have used differently. The great score by Ludwig Göransson and the sometimes very exciting action scenes help the film at least partially.

So everyone should decide for themselves if it's worth investing two and a half hours of their time in this so hyped film.