title

title
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts

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):



WCA geolocation:
Right now we're in

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Big Bad Wolves (2013) Israel

Wolves in a pack hunting for a beast-sheep.





Genre:
Crime, Thriller.


Tagline:
"Some men are created evil."


Original title:
Mi Mefahed Mezeev Hara (Hebrew)


What's in:
On-topic, Off-topic, Spoilers, Dialogues.


Length:
Approximately 4-minute read.


Review:
     The first thing I remembered was, 'Save the Green Planet', but it was a crime-thriller, not a fantasy-sci-fi. Tough guys in the leather jackets, guns in the one hand and cigars in the other, that's what I imagined when Tarantino favoured it. But this film was slightly not an aggressive like too violent. The screenplay was disturbed frequently when it begins to engage on the nervous side. Hence it makes you say 'just missed', sometime disappointedly. Anyway, no one told me it was a dark comedy, I took it as a surprise and somewhat enjoyed it.

     It was on the serious subject, but not the presentation. Keeps everything lightly, especially conceals the dark side of truth for the final twist. For us, as the viewers, the prediction is two ways, either 'he did' it or 'he didn't' like taking a side. Film length was good with a moderate pace. There's no place for the characters to unroll with the proper introductions, including not even the opening event on which the whole film stands. From the beginning itself the writer wanted to save it for the final revelation. That's not smart, that's afraid of leaving hints.

 Maniacs are afraid of maniacs.

      Kind of similar to Hollywood's 'Prisoners'. Well, almost matches, except the characters and places. A good movie, but not that good. Well attempted, I am sure many would love this film. The narration is about kidnapping a guy on the suspicion of crime for a secret interrogation. It hauls in the remaining till advance to the crucial end part. In the mean time, the torturing techniques and the suspense hold our position.

     Because of Tarantino's nod, it's an easy 'go for it', well, mostly for his fanbase. I say consider it and decide yourself after the watch, don't believe, not even me. To me it was the great opportunity missed to dominate, especially having a powerful title and theme. Still, I don't reckon it is a bad or worst movie, but surely one of the year's top 50 or maybe 25.

     The movie was as I thought. The story and my anticipation were on the parallel track aiming the same direction. At least I was occupied, but the issue was, it did not go above my expectation to surprise me with some interesting elements. It flunks, like trying to fill the new wine in an old bottle with the old label and description in it. Stylish, but attempted to be too clever was the let down by the slimmest margin. On the other hand, as coming from the Israeli, it is exceptional.



Similar movies:
The Hunt, Devil's Knot, Prisoners, Save the Green Planet, Gone Baby Gone.


Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


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


External link(s):
HTML tutorial  HTML tutorial  HTML tutorial  HTML tutorial

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The Congress (2013) France | Israel

The world is changing very fast. Are you ready to sail along...?



Animation (2D) | Drama | Fantasy | Science Fiction

Original title:
Le Congrès (French)


Review:
     An Israel-French co-productioned English language movie. The movie was both live action and animation which divides into two equal parts in the 2 hour movie. The movie chronicles the tale of an actress who travels different medium of the world during her second half of the life. The actress role was played by Robin Wright as herself.

     Actually, it was better than I expected. It opens with a plain drama about a middle aged actress who suffers from the lack of offers to play in the movies. She has to agree with whatever the proposal comes her way for the sake of the future of her career. And that is the end of live action, then the screenplay begins to turn into an animation which illustrated similar to the movie 'Inception'. In a dream like world, everything can be possible with a creative mind. After becoming old the actress sails into the cartoon world for some reason, but meets a guy in a chaos created by the rebels. What follows next is possibly driven to the confusion between reality and the fictional world.

     In the history of world cinema there are plenty of movies we can find where live action and animation collides. This movie was such a concept with extraordinary flavours. Some people did not like the movie mainly for the style of animations that rendered in it, but I was pleased. They did not go for 3D animation, for cast and storyline like this it would have cost a lot which won't earn back in the distribution market. The whole movie to present in live action, people would have complained about copying the idea of 'Inception'. So I feel as it is, it was so cool and clever. You should understand it properly to get the point of the movie the writer and director trying to say. Veritably, it was a fine adaptation from a novel by the visionary sci-fi writer.



Similar movies:
Inception, Mr. Nobody, Spirited Away, The Fountain, Children Who Chase Lost Voices


Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


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

The Congress (2013) on IMDb


Friday, January 10, 2014

Zaytoun (2012) Israel

Inside the enemy line a different outlook of an enemy.



Adventure | Drama | Thriller | War

Review:
     Well intended small storied movie with backdrop of war between Israel and Lebanon. Well cast and shot in exotic places. From the Hollywood actor of 'Brake' fame and the director of 'Lemon Tree' joined hands together for this project. A couple of years ago I saw 'Lemon Tree', this director is really a master rendering movies with complicated theme. From characters to concept and emotions it was well balanced. The second half is what gives more depth in human emotions than the conflict between two people. Definitely it is not a masterpiece, but where it takes place and what it deals were much reasonable to praise.

     It is set in 1982 in war torn Lebanon. An Israeli pilot Yoni, who crash land in Beirut is taken captive by Palestine Liberation Organization. There he meets a 12 year old boy Fahed whose father was recently killed in an Israeli air strike. He knows that he's not him, but the boy raged with full of anger to take revenge. For the reason he must give up it and should cope with the prisoner to fulfil his father's wish. So they make a deal before teaming up and try to escape from there. The rest of the story is a journey that happens on the road to their freedom.

     The title represents an olive plant that carried all the time by the boy in the movie. As it an Arabic title of an Israeli movie, various languages spoken throughout. For me everything was just same because I was depended on a subtitle. The movie won my heart for the reason that the main two characters considered as enemies to each other, but the time being they begin to understand. Theirs journey on a dangerous path against all the human created boundary was really touched me. Better than I expected, kinda partially rare movie should be recognised in vastly.



Similar movies:
Where do we go Now?, Lemon Tree, The Syrian Bridge


Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


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

Zaytoun (2012) on IMDb


  • Tween: From age between 7 to 12
  • Teen: From age between 13 to 19
  • Adult: From age above 20
  • Ignore: Not worth watching
  • Bad: Not good but watchable
  • Average: 50-50, choice is always yours
  • Good: great certainly not masterpiece
  • Excellent: A must see, Masterpiece