Sunday, June 26, 2011

The Saga of Biorn (2011)

Biôrn, an old Viking, is determined to reach Valhalla, the warrior's afterlife full of excessive drinking and debauchery. To gain entry he has to die honorably in battle, but he discovers that the right death isn't so easy. A very funny short animation. Enjoy!


The Saga Of Biorn from The Animation Workshop on Vimeo.

The Rules of the Game - Tom Daley (2009)

What a clever short film. Based on the story of a young man cheated by his wife three months before their wedding, now he plans the perfect strategy to payback both her and his best man. 
Also you can have the one man show from actor Christopher Harper.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Caterpillar (2010)

A difficult film. A story about a man who becomes a war hero. But the cost will be very high as he deprived of his arms and legs lost in battle in mainland China, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, in 1940. Lieutenant Kurokawa is now dismembered and his wife freaks out with him. He used to treat her bad and now the roles have changed. But she still has to take care of him, in order to honor the Emperor and the country in setting an example for all by fulfilling her duty. But how much can she last? And when Kurokawa starts thinking of his crimes during the war, he will lost his mind and he will try to suicide. A strong film that depends on the characters and the human values. Along with a great performance of Shinobu Terajima at the role of Kurokawa's wife, Shigeko.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Kick-Ass (2010)

You could say Dave Lizewski is a nerd spending his time reading comic books with friends. His dream is to be a super hero. As a matter of fact, he has powers. Being invisible to girls. So he decides to put a mask along with a green uniform and start his heroic attempts to help people. Soon he will taste pain but he won't quit. During a fight with a local gang, he will meet another younger hero, the Hit Girl. She is a cold blood killer though she is only about eleven years old. This is a result of her special training by her father, an ex cop who now is also a super hero, named Big Daddy. They both are after Frank D'Amico, the powerful drug lord of the city who is responsible for the death of Big Daddy's wife and his removal from the police force. Now it is time for vengeance. This is entertainment for sure. A great production based on a real comic book on the best way!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Skjult aka Hidden (2009)

Kai Koss is a man who returns at his hometown after nineteen whole years. His memories being there are not very cheerful. His mother used to torture him and he is being satisfied that she finally died. But the nightmares start again and he becomes a paranoid. His fate was connected with another boy, Peter who had also suffered by his mother. He thinks he is still alive and responsible for several killings happening around his old house. An old friend being the local serif believes him and tries to help him. But coincidences point Kai as the killer and his place will
be very difficult soon. How is he going to react? An interesting thriller from Norway with good acting and lots of suspense. Sometimes maybe it was more blurry than it should be but it finally delivered horror as well.

The Squid and the Whale (2005)

This is a good film approaching family matters. Frank and Walt, two young brothers witness their parents divorce and they have to realize living with that option. Walt as a teenager sees on his father a hero but his smaller bro prefers his mother. Frank who is younger discovers his sexuality, becomes agressive and starts drinking around. Their dad is so miserable at the time his ex wife dates with her kids tennis instructor, Ivan. She also cheated dad with lots of guys due to his to his irresponsibility to stand by her as a husband. Things are going to be more complicated when Lily, a student's of dad, wants to stay with him. We have some excellent performances on a bold story, dedicated to the meaning of relationships, love and eventually life. A bittersweet film that I liked very much!

Fucking doll from hell!!!

It could be Chucky, the satanic doll from Child's Play (1988). Instead of that, it was an awful toy to just terrorize your kid. Creepy as hell!

Black Swan (2010)

Mission accomplished once more for one of my favorite directors, Darren Aronofsky. Welcome to his distorted and dark as hell universe, where a ballet dancer, Nina who lives and works in New York tries to be the best, the one and only. Competition is tough. There is no space for looser. She has to give all her efforts to gain the place of  'Swan Queen' at the new show. But she has to find her inner voice leading her to the triumph or the fall. Her ordinary life will give place to a puzzle where her mind games confuse her. A new dancer will come and Nina feels the unknown stranger as an enemy who threats her place. What about her mother who still treats her as a child? Natalie Portman won the Oscar due to this amazing performance showing off two different sides of a woman who gets paranoid slowly. A complete psychological thriller that you have to see for sure! RECOMMENDED!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Kunsten å tenke negativt aka The Art of Negative Thinking (2006)

Geiss is a disabled person living on a wheel chair. But his real problem is about his character. He is cynical, miserable and always in a bad mood. His wife tries to help him and supports him but her patience soon lasts. So she decides to ask for help from a self-help guru and her group. But this is not the right time for Geiss to listen to somebody's advices so he will be very aggressive to anyone who entered his house. Can someone who has quote life, start being an optimist or everything is going to blow? A bittersweet film that makes you smile or cry, it depends on which side of life you belong! This was the debut film for the Norwegian film director Bård Breien. A dark comedy that is worth seeing!




Monday, June 6, 2011

Zerkalo aka The Mirror (1975)

This was an experience of visionary cinema. We can see the last pictures in front of the eyes of a man who is going to die. He used to have a special relationship with his mother and this traumatic experience followed him along his whole life. It ruined his relationship with his wife. He was seeing his mother at her face and this was catalytic for his emotions towards her. The film contains surreal pictures and continuous flashbacks blending his childhood and the present time together. The story interweaves reflections about Russian history and society. The colors are amazing, the editing and the photography just incredible. The whole result is a film that speaks in your heart and in your mind. I always admired Russian director Andrey Tarkovskiy and his great works!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Chaos - Nikos Grammatikos (1993)

Two guys meet in the train during a trip. The first one sitting there is a cool guy believing at the forms of chaos, a rebel of life. The second one follows the rules absolutely. Two different characters, two opposite opinions. The discussion between them will be a subject for the role of fate in our lives. Can we change our fate actually? Great idea and execution from Greek director Grammatikos with a beautiful soundtrack!

Part 1



Part 2

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Chronopolis - Piotr Kamler (1982)

Some months after I posted Une Mission Ephémère (1993) from the great animator Kamler, it was about time to post something else from his works. Chronopolis is about a fabulous city, lost in space where strange pharaoh-like immortals kill the monotony of their deathless state by fabricating time, represented by enigmatic, morphing white balls. Enjoy his amazing style!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Palette Dansante

Do you like old cars and especially Beetles? I adore them. Have a look at this old and strange commercial about them. Surrealism is here. Fantasy too. A painter who lives in a fantastic world sees colors of her palette transform to seven cars. And then every car tells us its story. A fairy tale that relaxes our souls and drives us through Beetle's imaginative roads. Excellent!

Blind date - Happy Tree Friends

Another episode from the extraordinary Happy Tree Friends seasons that are specialized in splatter animations along funny situations. Bloody as always and with a twisted sense of humor, this episode is about love and how to find it. But a wrong date can lead to a massacre!