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Monday, October 30, 2017

One Week and a Day (2016) Israel

Losing the loved one and getting lost in the life.






Original title:
Shavua ve Yom (Hebrew)


Genre:
Comedy, Drama.


Length:
Approximately 4-minute read.


Review:
     The plot says it is a serious subject, but the film was fun. Not fun as you would laugh out loud, though that's how the characters behaves. As seen the whole film, I thought it was similar to the 'Sweet Bean'. Not thematically, but the characteristically. They did not balance on that, because clearly that was not an intention. It's only I saw that, which should have been explored much better possible way.

     You might wonder what is that! Actually, it was three generations. A kid, a young man and a pretty close to be an old man. But it was that old man's tale. That's how it all begins and ends too. He had lost his son and now it is a week of mourning time. At the end of the formal, that's where our tale begins by avoiding the emotional parts. A good initiation.

     Seems he is approaching a different tactic to cope with the loss. Suddenly his behaviour has changed. Not being polite with everyone around him, particularly his neighbour couple with a reason. But their young son joins him, together they set to break the rules and do some crazy stuffs. At the last moment, a kid joins them and it all turns out their greatest day of adventure. All the fun has an ending, so how does it concludes was told with a little dramatic.

 The fact that you can't see it does not mean it does not exist. You're just not open minded enough. 

     I have seen many films about coping with the deaths. Some of them were unique, some were not. This was a familiar one, except all the events were set in a different atmosphere, like culture and society. It is people's nature, tend to do opposite when they are not ready for it or forced to do. This father did not intentionally took that alternative route. It was a chain of events, he just sailed from one to another, only to realise where and how far he had come.

     More or less, like a self-discovery. Rediscovering the life to live for. Some time emotions take us to unexpected destinations. But once it was released, the reality eyes open, to look forward in the remaining life. So this film was not an ideal film for everybody who are in the same situation. But it gives a different opinion. I liked the actors, all the main ones. The music was so good. It was one of the main ingredients of the film, made everything look better. Particularly in the transition sections between the events and the characters.

     Don't remember what was my last Hebrew film, but it was a good one, had a nice time. The developments, how the plots were extended is not going to satisfy all who watches the film. Because some viewers might expect a totally fun, with or without logic. But some look for the value it teaches, morale, message et cetera. Frankly, this film was none of those. But it was also all of those with less highlighting them. Better than the average, and below the awesomeness, surely a worthy film that some people would find it good.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
World's Greatest Dada, The Son's Room, The Water Diviner, Collateral Beauty.


External link(s):



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Friday, October 27, 2017

The Farthest (2017) USA, Ireland

Into the vast space, the man's first exploration!






Genre:
Documentary, History.


Length:
Approximately 6-minute read.


Review:
     From the Irish editor turned documentary filmmaker will take you on an interstellar journey. I am not talking about the scripted feature films with plenty of pleasant visuals. This is real. The real life human effort to see and learn about the universe. It was the first of its kind attempted, and so far only attempt. The film reveals many secrets that you might have not heard before in any space documentaries you have seen. What's special about it is the releasing on the 40th anniversary since the launch of the rockets.

     Well, there are real footages. But not exactly the real ones. Originally they are stills. The spacecraft took a series of picture, those received pictures were put together and formed into the video clips. Or you could say they ran it fast, so it looked like a video. Black and white to colourised, they have done a pretty nice work on that. Though there were many CGI works too for our better understanding what's going on. Like when the spacecraft travelling in the space, you can't send another one to keep picturing it from a pretty close distance like in the filmmaking what a cameraman does with the actors. That's how you would see the voyager's journey here.

     Like any documentaries, this too was a series of interview based film. That would never change for this genre. There were no Brian Cox or Neil DeGrasse Tyson to narrate the space story. But Carl Sagan himself was present with his 80s, 90s press conference footages that are given regarding the latest Voyager's breakthrough. And many people who worked on the project given some precious information and their experience being one of the first to witness the historical pictures. It is a must to observe their expressions, the story that came straight from the source, stunningly.

     The year was 1977. The man was already been on the Moon. The next attempt should have been the Mars. But that's another NASA story. They wanted beyond that, to see the actual universe. The technology was pretty good, though nothing like the present generation. But the great feast is, it was nearly half a century old attempt with outdated technology, yet round the year, every day, hour, minute, never it have ever had taken a rest. Travelling at the speed of 10 miles per second, it took 35 years to get out of out solar system bubble.

 It's a pretty small spacecraft, and it's a pretty big universe. 

     Each phase of the Voyager's journey was breathtaking. It targeted the last four planets of our solar system. Started off with big brother, Jupiter. It was just a passing by and having a close look at the gas giant. Also spied at all of its moons. Then the Saturn, the guy with an icy ring. I really learnt lots about them. Particularly being first visual evidence of such phenomena.

     Then came the surprise. I never knew Uranus, as well as Neptune has rings. Being a space geek, I disappointed myself there. Then they said, this guy is not a photogenic. Yep, he was not. He was too plain. But its moons were another surprise. Like the scared villains from the western films. Particularly, Miranda. Maybe my favourite moon from all of our solar system for being so different. Especially it reminded me 'The Little Prince'. Going to the final guy, Neptune, everybody got emotional, for it is being the final stop.

     That was the last of our solar system. But I anticipated something about Pluto, the dwarf guy. These all happened like less than 20 years, but what came after was only an empty space within our solar system. Like it took next 15 years to exit the bandwidth of our sun. But what I guess is that there would have been some planets beyond Pluto in the ancient time, which some time later had escaped from the Sun's gravity to become the rogue planets. Because they were too far from the Sun and those empty spaces would not have been there without any reason. Is not it?

     The man is not on board, but his creation reached farthest. Now travelling between the stars, nobody knows what comes next. But the Voyager still in touch with the Earth with low signal. I have known about this project since my teenage. But till now I never knew there were two Voyagers. That took me by a surprise. I have known about the on board music, map, human anatomical structure et cetera. It is obviously to make contact with other intelligence in the universe.

     The Voyagers will travel thousands of years into deep space. From all, nobody knows or can predict the result of such unique space project the human has ever conducted. I think there's a possible that this documentary would feature in the upcoming Oscars. I'll be definitely happy for that. It is about the NASA's achievements. The Americans would be proud of it. But the world has too. After all, we're all the human's of the Earth. A must see documentary film by everyone.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Cosmos: A Space Odyssey, When We Left the Earth, Hubble, Life of a Universe.


External link(s):



WCA geolocation:
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Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Heal the Living (2016) France, Belgium

In the world of medical revolution.






Original title:
Réparer les Vivants (French)


Genre:
Drama.


Length:
Approximately 6-minute read.


Review:
     Based on the novel of the same name, this French film was unique in many ways. Firstly, it was an awareness film. An awareness about the organ donations. In this medical revolution world, all we need is a little support. A support to our own species who are suffering. Not to waste our precious organs after the death. But it's not all about the deaths, the natural death. There are many reasons for death to happen, but not always the organs are the reason. So it can be transplanted to live on in another body, giving a chance of life. Sometimes, there were sentiments involved. Not because of the love and care shown to those particular persons by their family and friends, but because of unexpected event puts them into such position, where they all can only hope for something miracle.

     It was like hundred minute long film, but for every 10-15 minutes, it changes focus from people to places and situations. So there's no one particular character the film to follow entirely. All were pieces of the individual's story that in a way connected. This surely a much need film. Because of the story design, especially being organ transplant/donation related theme, they wanted to avoid the emotions as much as possible. Since it's always happy at one side and sad on the other, which might discourage the idea of what this film trying to highlight.

     A teenager who met with an accident in now treated in the hospital. But it is not a good news for his beloved ones. Literally, he's dead, though kept alive by machines. This is not those kind of coma, we have had seen in the films. The parents have to make a quick decision about what the doctors had suggested to them that is to donate the organs to whom needed them most. On the other side of the tale, a middle aged woman with heart trouble has her own opinion about heart transplant. But she needs to be there for her two young sons. In the meantime, with all the developments, the narration heads to the final segment, where tense moments arise till the final scene.

 Maybe my time has come. My heart will stop. That's nature. 

     I'm surprised that recently I've watched tons of films directed by women. It's really a good sign. Because stories from women's perspective can flourish in the coming generation, similar to the equal rights revolution happed a century ago in the western world. Considering that, it was a bit late to pick up the pace in filmdom. Not all the directresses make romantic or commercial chic films. Take Kathryn Bigelow as an example, she makes lots better men films than many male filmmakers today. This one was a gender neutral films. I've never seen other flicks from this maker, but seems she's young and very potential, that I want her to make a big entry into Hollywood as well.

     The details in the film were astonishing. I usually not good at bloods. I avoid hospitals till it becomes a must. What I saw in the final quarter of the film was totally something. Like something I watched in a health channel. Of course it was staged, but very realistic presentation or you could say the demonstration was breathtaking. A few weeks ago in one of my reviews I've mentioned a doctor turned director made a film about his former profession. That was a simple rural based drama. The outside struggle. But this one, take us to the deep into the doctors' the other side of the world. I meant the surgery. I have seen many films like this, but none of them were edgy as this one. A perfect ending for such a film too.

     So, the film might be a bit under-rated, but it was a much better film than many of the recent ones. It might be under-noticed, but that's because of lack of interest in such themed film among common people. Definitely not because of anything defect in the film. The critics have given thumbs up, so do I. But remember that the film has a story, not entirely about what mostly I've mentioned in most of other paragraphs. So expect less from it and be patience for its slow narration. There's nothing like what I've enjoyed you would enjoy it too. Just give it a try, it is totally worth.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Rust and Bone, My Sister's Keeper, Never Let Me Go, Seven Pounds, 21 Grams.


External link(s):



WCA geolocation:
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Saturday, October 21, 2017

The Student (2016) Russia

When a thin line drawn between the two concepts.






Original title:
(M)uchenik (Russian)


Genre:
Drama.


Length:
Approximately 5-minute read.


Review:
     It is hard to describe this film. A challenging film to make as well. Not like an expensive film with huge cast and graphics. It's a simple drama, a drama that draws a line between two different theories the humans have adapted and followed in the present world. So when a film drags religious as its prime topic, most of those kind of films never received well in the past, says the history. I don't know this film met with any kind of controversy, but all I know is it brought in a wrong religion to tell the story.

     I'm not against such kind of concept. But this film was one of those annoying one. It's neither preaching religious nor against. That does not mean a well balanced narration. No, it's not. If you are a believer, you might think it is making some false claims. If you are a nonbeliever, that's a test for your temper. There are many scenes where it could have taken a turn like a normal cliched film does, but it did not go those ways. Just headed randomly, dragged the runtime of the film to nearly two hours.

     The story follows the high school boy Venya, who recently have started to read the Bible. Living with his mother, they have never into the religious stuff. Now he thinks he found his belief, but that does not it, he begins to impact everyone, everything around him. Because of him the school loses its privileges in many sectors. Suddenly he becomes a villain to many eyes, but there's one big backing for him all the way. Then the rivalry between him and the biology teacher heats up. How far it goes and how it all ends told in the remaining parts.

 I wish he collected stamps or jerked off all the time. 

     Venya's belief in the 2000 year old book reminded me a real person in my life. He almost trusts everything he reads from the books, which were printed decades ago. The science is updated every day. When a book got printed and in the meantime to reach the people, a new theories have already been proven. That's what I argue with him all the time that he's late and learnt old ones. Two millenniums ago, there was no democracy. This religious book made people to follow uniform rules around the world. Now the time is different, where these old texts do not make logic, excluding the moral values it teaches us. So, like saying, don't believe in everything you read is perfectly aplpies here.

     The film was adapted from a German play. The entire film shot in a month of time. Most of the cast were first time in front of the camera. There's no complaint about the filmmaking. From cinematography to acting, dialogues, direction, music, all were top class. But you know, the story had not compromised in any one particular path among the two topics it dealt with. Like it keeps poking in the viewer's eyes by not giving what they want. That makes it a one time watchable film. Because, for such storyline and its such ending, who would go back for a second view.

     I have waited till the final for some real twist in the tale! It did come, but totally disappointed the way it went on to conclude. But there were a few sub-topics like gay, (school) politics et cetera. Remember, it is a Russian film where the filmmakers have so many restrictions to use the contents. So I understand the way the film had been made. Even though, just an above average film in my opinion. Definitely it is not a bad film. You could like it better than me, but I'm not sure of that. At least it was unique, and what most of the modern Russian films dared to expose the social issues the nation is facing. I won't favour it, but you should not ignore it too. Do some research on it and decide yourself to try it.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Stations of the Cross, Electrick Children, Paradise Faith, There Will be Blood, The Mist.


External link(s):



WCA geolocation:
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