As a movie about war and romance during WW2, this is surprising in a way. I find no fault with the acting and how the movie is shot. From that point of view, it is good and even more than that. But one must ask the question, what is the whole point of this story? Is it to show how people's feelings are affected by war and uncertainty? Or how love wins in the end? This is open to interpretation. I enjoyed watching this film, all the time waiting for something decisive to happen. Yet, little happened. The film ends with a question mark. As a film about the uncertainty of emotion it is a success. But that is nothing new, indeed a very old and unsurprising theme. One wonders what is the basic purpose here. But as mentioned earlier the acting is good and convincing.
Reviews
27 Reviews
The Vatican Affair
(1968)
Interesting old movie
16 March 2024
It is not fair to compare this movie to much later or modern action movies. The Italian touch makes for a plot that is far from superficial. I enjoyed this movie from the late sixties. It is interesting to see how an European approach differs from the way Hollywood would have done it. There are details of plot and acting that could never have appeared in an American film from this time. There is a certain sophistication in the directors' approach. The roles are never overplayed, but underplaying adds to the undercurrent of excitement and realism. The setting in Rome does much to enhance the air and atmosphere of the 60's. The music scores are very good and in harmony with the whole plot. There is an element here of genuine artistry not often found in mainstream movies of our day.
Blast of Silence
(1961)
Interesting and worth watching
5 December 2023
Enjoyable scenes of 1961 city street life as a background for a plot that is well acted and interesting. The pace is a bit slow if you like fast action. This is not an outstanding movie in any sense, but it has a story that is more realistic than some other hitman films. At the beginning you wonder if this movie is about a series of hits or just one hit. It turns out to be the latter. The acting is convincing, but then the roles do not require much more than to reflect genuine people against the stress of the hitman who knows he must follow a regular procedure. The overall design of the movie is unusual in that it has an announcer explaining the hitman's thoughts, and this is well done.
World in My Corner
(1956)
Curiously flat but still watchable
29 September 2023
What strikes me is that despite every opportunity, the director never managed to give this movie that extra something that would have made it better. As for why that happened one can only speculate. A lack of interest and engagement comes to mind. It even looks like the director was going through the motions without the aim of telling this story in a grand manner. The result is a watchable but pretty predictable movie that never really catches on. Was he directing this film as a tedious task he did not really want to do? The acting is not very convincing, and a feeling of boredom creeps in. The actors sure had more potential, and some boxing scenes are pretty good, but that does not help the movie get the perspective and level it needs. Just compare it to the Rocky movies and you see what I mean.
Derrick
(1974–1998)
Derrick is well worth watching
1 August 2023
These episodes had a large following and even now decades later they have withstood the test of time well. The script and storyline are well done. Apart from their quality as detective fiction, these episodes are interesting as they provide a step back in time for those who remember the 70's and the 80's. They provide an interesting mirror of those days. Tens of thousands of people watch this today on a regular basis. When I look back to that time life was more simple, no internet, only house telephones and color TV was a new luxury. Most people were even happy with radio and a b/w television. Many episodes are exciting with a good plot, and a few even outstanding.
The Lighthouse
(I) (2019)
Interesting but a bit slow
7 November 2021
It is refreshing when a movie is produced in b/w to create a sense of horror and mystery and of the past. The producers get my praise for that. However, this movie suffers from being drawn out and long-winding. The amount of violence is not necessary and does not make the characters more credible. It is as if the director repeatedly tries to break through a barrier but never really gets where he wants to be headed. There are good scenes and the cast tries its best, but what remains is a rather unconvincing, albeit a bit entertaining, attempt to produce a horror movie. I suspect the cause of this is in the script and the planning because in terms of environment and actors this movie has all that is needed as good acting and background material. It is well worth watching if you do not expect too much from it.
Kid Monk Baroni
(1952)
A movie with a message
28 August 2021
This movie has aged well. It is realistic and has a message of good conquering evil. The acting is mostly average, sometimes good. The optimism and a belief in honesty in the fight against evil is the main message. It is well worth watching and is enjoyable, although a bit old fashioned.
Ghost Ship
(2002)
A missed opportunity
4 May 2021
Imagine a group of paper pushers locked up in offices trying to imagine how a ghost story focusing on a ship would turn out. With limited imagination they would devise something like this. The movie suffers from a bad plot, lose ends and rather cheap horror and startle effects. There are occasional moments in this film but they are feew and far between. Considering the opportunity to turn out a genuine horror story, this flopped. In retrospect, making the movie much better would not necessarily have cost much extra. Just a better manuscript and more gifted and serious actors.
Hereafter
(2010)
Alright but not by much
1 May 2021
Overall this movie fails in being convincing and it is not so entertaining either. The story shifts between three people and this is a bit confusing in the beginning. As for quality and realism of the scenes, this is all first class and no cost or effort spared. The weak aspect is the plot and the somewhat unlikely set of circumstances that, upon converging, are to be the focus of the movie. This theme has been done to death a long time ago, and one has a feeling neither the director nor the producers really liked what they were doing. The main conclusion of the movie is neither pursued nor explored. The story of three unrelated people is simply too complicated, a tale of two people in more depth would have fared better.
Sleepers
(1996)
Could be better
1 May 2021
It is strange to see how this excellent story is turned into a long winding and at times a bit boring movie. The action is too slow and far apart. It is worth watching though, but somehow the movie does not strike home in the way it could have. The cast could have done better and the director too.
The Game
(1997)
A monument to...
20 April 2021
Well done, excellent. However, this movie is a monument to consumerism. People with money bored to death, their solution being paying a company for alleviating their boredom. Without knowing it, the producers have made a movie that is a memorial to this done-to-death theme. The movie lets nobody down, the actors do what is expected of them and etc. But it leaves a dismal tone as its message is not something I symphatize with.
I Care a Lot
(2020)
A good idea but...
19 April 2021
This is done on the level of a TV production. The acting could be better and the directing too. There is a pervasive veneer of superficiality not becoming to a movie that obviously cost a lot to produce. It is worth watching, though. The storyline is interesting and entertaining to a degree. But I am sure the producers could have done better to make this look like a real convincing drama. I would not be surprised if it turned out that several people here had a TV career background. Their mistake was they never changed horses when they started to work in the movie business.
Maudie
(2016)
A must see movie
14 June 2020
The artistic and realistic presentation in this film is wonderful. Only very rarely does a film of this superb quality appear. A movie like this could not have been made by Hollywood. The fine mixing of art, emotion and uniqueness in this movie makes it stand out and it will find its place secured for decades to come.
Fracture
(2007)
Good but...
29 February 2020
Despite an intriguing plot and a full set of everything money could buy to make it impressive, this movie has two drawbacks. The first is the plot, which can hardly be called very original. The second thing is this reminds me more of a good tv movie than anything else. Hopkins is his usual self. One gets the idea he is getting tired. Well acted by everybody but the real spark is somehow missing.
The Diamond Fleece
(1992 TV Movie)
Good
20 August 2019
I enjoyed watching this movie. The plot is good and the acting also. Many movies have been based on a similar theme but this is better than most. Not fanciful but normal somehow and with surprising twists. Well worth watching and more than that.
Turn the River
(2007)
A treat
13 July 2019
This is the kind of movie with a deep emotional undertone and display of character that you don't see very often these days. Far from being superficial, this movie has more to it than 90 percent of stuff produced. Acting, setup and direction is all supreme. The director gives his characters time to develop, so you really feel you know them. But this is not a movie for those looking for a lot of action or violence, which is only applied when appropriate here.
The Open House
(2018)
Missing the goal
2 May 2019
This movie is more like a TV production than a real movie. Many things go wrong here. Acting is not up to par. The director also fails to create other than low levels of suspense at the best. Several scenes look unrealistic and as a whole the movie is not convincing. Actors show minimal facial expression. The storyline has been done to death many years ago. The best part of this movie is the song by Shannon and the clams.
Red Sparrow
(2018)
Good movie
27 September 2018
This movie should be watched twice for full appreciation. One of the better movies I have watched this year. It is better than most spy movies of later year. It is definitely different and more realistic than Bond and LeCarre. The music by Edward Grieg is exquisite and does much to enhance the scenes where it appears. This movie will go down in history as a classic.
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