Emilia has written 10 reviews for films rated ★★★★½ .

  • Nothing Like a Dame

    Nothing Like a Dame

    ★★★★½

    Four Dames talking about their lives and memories.

    The documentary is not perfect. All the camera crew fussing and pitching these titans random topics to talk about... for a great documentary you don't need all that. You just take a bit more time and let them talk freely. Maybe show them a bit more of some old archived footage from their former years and just watch the magic happen.

    AND there was too much talk about Lawrence Olivier. When I'm…

  • Cléo from 5 to 7

    Cléo from 5 to 7

    ★★★★½

    French New Wave and the great Agnès Varda! This is probably the most known and loved work by her, and it's easy to see why.

    We follow the beautiful singer Cléo minute by minute as she waits anxiously her biopsy results, fearing for the worst.

    This film packs so much novelty for that time's cinema. Not only the illusion of uninterrupted minute-to-minute documentation of Cléo's afternoon, but also the ingenious camerawork, i.e. the impressionistic shots of people from POV perspective.…

  • Citizen Kane

    Citizen Kane

    ★★★★½

    This film is a rare combination of ingenuity, symbolism, timeless wisdom about wealth and how it doesn't lead to happiness, childhood trauma, trash journalism, and the all-mighty American dream.

    Citizen Kane is based on a true-ish story of a newspaper mogul who, despite his incredible wealth, seems to be unable to love and find happiness.

    Great acting, especially from the director Welles himself. The lighting and the decor of the film are clearly inspired by German expressionist cinema, which makes…

  • The Killing of a Sacred Deer

    The Killing of a Sacred Deer

    ★★★★½

    A heart surgeon takes a fatherless youngster under his wing with unexpected consequences.

    This film will stay with me for a while. Creepy music and incredible sound design. Unsettling dialogue. Weird characters. Terrific acting from everybody involved. Visually beautiful and meticulous.

    I'm not sure this counts as a horror movie (it's more like a psychological thriller) but it's more horror than I've had for a while. And on a deeper level. The stuff of nightmares.

    The director, Yorgos Lanthimos, seems…

  • The Handmaiden

    The Handmaiden

    ★★★★½

    This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

    South Korean erotic psychological thriller directed by the great Park Chan-wook. That's all you need to know. Anything beyond that is just spoilers.

    The film is played in three acts but this is anything but evident since the beginning. The intrigue starts off as the basic story of rags to riches by cheating. Then a love triangle gets added. Some funny korean-style humor. You think you have it all figured out and start thinking about what to eat after the…

  • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

    Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

    ★★★★½

    Oh this movie surprised me! Everybody says it's great but I didn't expect a near perfect animation!

    Very funny, full of colour and action, interesting characters, surprisingly inventive story. What is there not to love? The superhero lore can be explored in full without any physical limitations. The animation is stylised and even, may I say, artistic!

    Adults can enjoy this as much as kids. I'm speechless. I want more of whatever this is. Good thing there's a sequel coming in 2022.

  • David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

    David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

    ★★★★½

    I just can't believe Sir David Attenborough is 94 years old. As sharp, clear and well-spoken as ever, he explains how during his lifetime the nature has been all but destroyed. The second part of the film concentrates on how to fix it.

    I have to admit that I am biased when it comes to this documentary. It just takes Attenborough's voice and I'm instantly catapulted back to my childhood Saturday nights when all my family watched his documentaries on…

  • Come and See

    Come and See

    ★★★★½

    This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

    "Come and see" tells about the horrors done by Nazis in Belarus through the eyes of a boy named Flyora.

    Many consider this to be the best war movie ever shot, and I thoroughly understand why. Instead of battles and victories, it shows the suffering of the ordinary people.

    What makes the movie so special? Beautiful cinematography. The touches of surrealism. The gut-wrenching fear and chaos that's so realistic that you can just feel it. One of the greatest teen-acting…

  • Youth

    Youth

    ★★★★½

    Wow what a beautiful film!

    I wanted to see the film already when it came out, but somehow always managed to miss the opportunities to do so. The synopsis given by most of the critiques I read back then emphasized heavily that it's a story about two old geezers in a spa/hotel so maybe it was a bit of a turn-off? Sure, the main plot was basically that, but the movie is also so much more, don't be fooled by…

  • Moonlight

    Moonlight

    ★★★★½

    A beautiful story about a boy becoming a man in three chapters. The pressure and expectations from family and the surrounding culture don't make it easy when you're trying to live life the way that's most real to you. The lingering shots of the characters faces let the incredible acting shine through.

    I've never seen it all told so well from a male perspective. Belief in humanity and high quality cinema restored.