Category Archives: movies

stir-fry in the sauna (Film: Mestari Cheng – Mika Kaurismäki, 2019)

‘Mestari Cheng‘, the film of the Finnish director Mika Kaurismäki (yes, his brother …), which opened last night at the local cinematheque the Nordic film festival, is one of those films for which as a spectator you cannot refrain from … Continue reading

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nasty times (Film: Flesh + Blood – Paul Verhoeven, 1985)

Paul Verhoeven‘s films leave indifferent few of the spectators who dare to watch them. The combination of violence and eroticism that characterizes them has been around for 40 years and is a mark of most of the Dutch director’s films. … Continue reading

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melodic drama (film: Judy – Renée Zellweger, 2019)

There is in ‘Judy‘, the film directed by Rupert Goold, a scene that could be worth an Oscar. Renée Zellweger who plays a Judy Garland beyond the peak of her artistic career, prematurely aged and overwhelmed with personal problems, climbs … Continue reading

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surprising Renoir (documentary: Exhibition on Screen: Renoir – Reviled and Revered – Phil Grabsky, 2016)

We have the chance to see the films from the ‘Exhibition on Screen’ series at our local cinematheque. Yesterday we had the pleasure not only of watching the documentary ‘Exhibition on Screen: Renoir – Reviled and Revered‘, but also of … Continue reading

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camera passion (Film: Amator – Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1979)

Political scientists and historians have been debating for four decades why Poland was the first country in Eastern Europe to begin the process of breaking away from the communist bloc. The first of these causes, quite rightly, is the ascension … Continue reading

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a dark Joker (Film: Joker – Joaquin Phoenix, 2019)

Todd Phillips‘ ‘Joker‘ surprised me. It was something completely different than what I expected from watching the trailers and reading the reviews written by those who saw the film before me. Apparently the film would belong to a genre that … Continue reading

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end of the wave (Film: Sieranevada – Cristi Puiu, 2016)

With a delay of three years I managed to see Cristi Puiu‘s ‘Sieranevada‘, a film that I had read and heard much about. Three years are certainly not enough for a ‘historical’ perspective but they are enough to better place … Continue reading

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an instant classic of the genre (Film: Metallica & San Francisco Symphony – S&M2 – Metallica, 2019)

Our local cinematheque took part in the worldwide launch of the film of the June 2019 “S&M2” concert of Metallica together the San Francisco Philharmonic Orchestra this weekend. So I had the opportunity to be among the first viewers of … Continue reading

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John & especially Yoko (film: John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky – Michael Epstein, 2018)

The documentary ‘John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky‘ can be considered as a post-trauma movie. The Beatles fans who are today at or near retirement age were experiencing a traumatic period 50 years ago. The internal conflicts between the … Continue reading

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crumbling of an epoch (Film: L’heure d’été – Olivier Assayas, 2008)

I chose to see ‘L’heure d’ete‘ (film released in the English space with the title ‘Summer Hours’) especially for Juliette Binoche, an actress I greatly appreciate, and for director Olivier Assayas. Binoche does not have as consistent a role in … Continue reading

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