Letterboxd — Your life in film

This film should have been great. It had a great idea behind it, it contained a few outstanding absurd scenes, and the performances were really good. What it lacked though was a story. It wasn't enough to follow two really idiosyncratic characters in a mental institution just doing their thing for the full 90 minutes or so. I was reminded of Castaway on the Moon that also focused on two oddball characters who don't even talk to one another and…

For the first 30 minutes I had no clue what was going on. Not sure anyone did. Then at one point I became frustrated. Carruth wasn't throwing any bones at all, and he must know that people are going to try to make sense of what they are seeing, but there was no sense to be had. That turned to anger. Why do film-makers think their own little game of playing hide and seek is worthy of being put to…

Take out your Kleenex for this one. If you read nothing at all about it you will be in for a very nice ride (don't read the IMDB blurb). It is an evenly paced love story without too much drama, really. It is all about the moments; the details. When Su-jin meets Cheol-su for the first time in a fantastic scene reminiscent of the Oscar winning short The Lunch Date you know the basics of what you need to know…

Oldboy has twists upon twists upon yet another layer of twists. That makes it totally engrossing, especially in the first hour or so when we have no clue why Dae-su is in the position he's in. When he wonders where he is, why and who is behind it, we are right there with him.

It is when the story shifts to Dae-su's revenge that it loses a little steam. It is still very engaging, but a bit too muddled. Park…

The great thing about Star Trek is how quickly it throws you into the middle of a crisis and how the pacing doesn't let up. There is no wasted space, no wasted script, no wasted visual. This continues after the opening credits, where the pace slows down a little as it must in order to introduce the characters, but even here there is always movement, action, something going on. Everyone is introduced while engaging in some action, and everything everyone…

What an odd film. I really don't know what to say about it. It is incredibly boring yet engaging at the same time. I nearly fell asleep more than once but something about it kept me awake. The story is perhaps too simple and yet captivating in a strange way. The pace is unbearably slow and yet quite beautiful. At times I could swear that Refn was trying to emulate Malick, but without the depth. At times I would roll…

Part of the 30 countries festival. The Netherlands

A dark twisted absurd comedy that could have been right up my alley and almost was until it turned into a really bad Carry-on movie, or perhaps more accurately a bad episode of some terrible British slapstick sketch comedy.

Abel is weird. He's 31, lives with his parents and will not leave the house. His mother licks his face and comes very close to liking her son a bit too much. His…

Part of the 30 countries festival. UK

The beginning of The Third Man is so fantastically good (is that even a word?) that I was immediately giddy and excited and as hooked as I can ever be. That gumshoe narration was just the best. Ever.

I was thoroughly engaged with this story, but then something happened. Somewhere along the way, I don't know when and I don't know why, I lost some of my enthusiasm. It turned into a regular…

Part of the 30 countries festival. Brazil

If House of Sand is one thing, it is beautiful. Set in the State of Maranhão Brazil, the white deserts are as gorgeous as they are unforgiving. Funny thing is that I knew exactly where we were with the first shot of the film because Mark Ruffalo had just mentioned the white deserts of Brazil in last night's film My Life Without Me. Never underestimate what you can learn from movies!

Director Andrucha…

Part of the 30 countries festival. Germany

If you like Delicatessen, City of Lost Children, Brazil and The Saddest Music in the World, you will love Tuvalu. It is almost like director Veit Helmer was channelling bits of all four films, from the look and feel of Delicatessen, the lovely focus on mechanical structures and pipes from City of Lost Children and Brazil, and the uniquely bizarre characterization of Saddest Music in the World.

I must confess that I am…