Babel (2006)

      Alejandro González Iñárritu is also the director of 2003 movie '21 Grams' (which I could not bring myself to watch yet, even if I hear good things about it). I liked Babel. It is clean and it has great pacing. I liked most of all the way the stories move in the plot, the fact that even if loosely connected the three stories are given different weight. There is some sort of a central story (with Brad Pitt in it) but I watched with even more interest the story from Japan which is almost not connected by solid links to the rest but mainly by a whole atmosphere. The characters in all the story share something else than things and family or social relationships.      The moral of the whole thing has been criticised to be a little too obvious but the movie is done so well that I couldn't care less. One issue that can be discussed is why would you cast known actors in a movie where they can hinder the message if the moral is supposed to be the one stated above. Surely, I can perfectly imagine this film completely with unknown actors. On the other hand, one can say that this is exactly the point: (film)stars are connected to the rest in the same way. And 'American citizens' are in any case a type of star nowadays so it might be that Americans as a people are connected to Muslims and Japanese. In any case, this movie is much more about the whole world then about particular actors.      When you watch this one also listen to its music. Gustavo Santaolalla wrote the music as well for 21 Grams and for Amores perros (2000) and this would probably be another good reason to check out these movies.

Touch of Evil (1958)

An Orson Welles film-noir (people say one of the last of this genre) which did not impress me much. The movie is noir indeed, so much so that it seems the screen is tuned up to maximum contrast: no soft tones only cutting shadows, the day light has nothing smooth in it, there is almost no transition from light to dark. I did watch again the seemingly famous tracking shot at the beginning and I do think it pays to see it but the rest I would not watch another time. Charlton Heston is not doing a good job in his acting a Mexican(does he look Mexican at all to you?!) policeman. I only became aware of his resemblance to Sergiu Nicolaescu(S.N. is a dinosaur of Romanian cinema). Orson Welles himself does a much better job impersonating the corrupt and generally finished cop. He drinks, he smokes continuously and does not seen the ever shower. In a word he is disgustingly ugly. When the camera looks up at him, which happens almost always, I feel he is invading my personal space - always too close.

Any Given Sunday (1999)

      I have no idea what american football is but I am sure it could not be as great as this movie shows it. I watched it a few years ago for the first time and many times after that and always my  hair will get up ... the music, the crazy editting, the cast  (except the girls) are just fantastic.       Here's some names: Oliver Stone is directing, Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, James Woods,  Jammie Fox.  It is clearly one of the most energetic movies I have ever seen and it attempts to extract great things out of football. Overall it is a great experience and if you do not know the movie yet - go get it and watch it twice. It worths mach more than many of the movies on this list.

Pan´s Labyrinth

This sad, brutal and mystical story is taking place 1944 in the north of spain, directly after Francos victory. Ofélia, a littel girl, arrives with her pregnant mother at the place where her stepfather got the order to fight the republic rebellions. She starts to dream herself away from the unbearable reality into a world, where fantastic creatures are searching for the lost soul of the princess, Ofélia. But she has to prove that she didn´t change after the long time she was living among the human beings. Ofélia has to go through three tests. So while the horror of war goes on for the girl the fantasy becomes more and more part of her real life. This movie is a dark and powerful. Somehow it is very close to the characters, to their fears, wishes, or hopes. The stepfather that punishes rebellions with a cold satisfaction, the mother that suffers because of the pregnancy, the brave servant Mercedes. Watch it.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004)

This movie is Mary McGuckian's adaptation of Thornton Wilder's novel ( I noticed I have so if you want to read it...). Cast includes impressive names: F. Murray Abraham, Kathy Bates, Gabriel Byrne, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel. This time the names do not help: the movie is not a thrilling experience, I would argue also because of the great actors. The movie gave me the impression that it could be good but I find this version wrongly paced and the acting out of rhythm. The 2004 version is the last one with the first made in 1929. I would be curious to see the other versions as the story has static...dynamism hard to find around these days and full of unexplored resources. 'The Bridge of San Luis Rey' won the Goya award in 2005 for the Best Costum Design.

The wind that shakes the barley (2006)

I don't understand why Loach spends the movie with people killing each other in blind feuds if his point apparently is to show violence doesn't solve the problem. The plot is so schematic that I can't find another point to it. (The English are senselessly and cruelly killing an Irish guy, the thus founded IRA group breaks apart after the 1921 peace treaty and the previously good guys start killing each other, too.) You leave the movie thinking "violence is bad" and searching for something to smash.

X2 or Xmen 2 (2003)

One thing I learned from this film: even in the year the action takes places, even in a school for (presumably progressive) mutants...well... bier is NOT allowed in school. Meaning in the kitchen. - Logan (the guy with special steel claws coming out from the back of his hands) asks for a bier and a student (able the cool-freeze stuff) is utterly surprised, This is a school, said he implying 'you won't find bier miles around, and I realize neither the school nor the teenager are European. I liked the transformations and the fights, as well as the way various 'powers' combined. Most of all, the Magneto demonstration as well as his assistant transformations. PS: Is it possible that Jean simply died? This smells like a followup. Indeed...in 2006

Borat! (2006)

"Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". I have something against slapstick comedies but this one is particularly brainless. There is nothing funny in it except for drunken high school teens or people remembering that mindless period of their life. I could not find any line or situation worth mentioning. I am not especially against Jews jokes unless they are really tasteless and completely predictable like the rest of the 'jokes' in the movie. It definitely was a waste of time to watch it.

Hartia va fi albastra (2006)

"Yeah, another movie about the '89 Revolution, what else is there left to say?" i've been told. Actually there is. And it's not a matter of historical facts but of human emotions, of the impact the revolution, as well as the communist era had on people. It's abou the confusion, the hope, the uncertainty and the enthusiasm of those days. I simply loved it, especially the dialogue which, in my opinion used to be one of the greatest drawbacks of Romanian films. Unlike other similar movies (where characters talked either too formally or too slangy), the dialogue in this movie is very realistic. One small comment on the set design: the shabbiness of Dr. Andronescu's house is not at all plausible, even (or better, especially) for communist Romania.

Underworld (2003)

There is a war between vampires and werewolves, there are beautiful women between vampires (it seems women, or beautiful women cannot be werewolves) and they are all immortal. Relatively immortal. Do you know what kills vampires? Light? Well, it is actually the UV rays in the light. I know this because the Lycans (Werewolves) developed some UV bullets to kill vampires. The 'treatment' for werewolves is silver - so you know, just in case. The movie doesn't have an unbelievable plot or anything but it is clean and it has a nice mystery atmosphere. I also liked the nice cars, the empty, sort of medieval city - generally the mixing of modern technique and ancient books in wood-and-silver covering. The movie successfully ignored humans - it made me believe that, even if there might be humans around, a completely parallel history with that specific rhythm and problems, where days (as daylight) are negligible and where full moon is a significant thing. Talking about 'possible worlds' - I found this believable.