Category: 5 stars

Not films, but jewels. I’ve had great pleasure watching each and every one of these films. Most of them made me think about something I’d probably not otherwise. They opened my eyes. They changed me. Or, at the very least, they provided a heck of entertainment. I’ve watched most of these more than once. I have many of them on DVD or some other media. I probably want to watch them all again some time.

True Grit

Without waiting for local cinemas to catch up with the rest of the world, I got my hands on a copy of “True Grit” – a new movie by Coen brothers, of who I am a big fan.

Every film they do is different from every other, and is a masterpiece of its own.  “True Grit” follows the pattern.  It is a western, with beautiful and authentic cinematics, colorful characters, excellent acting, and simple, yet unique story telling.  The story itself is simple and straightforward – there are no twists as such.  But it tells the story of people with character, courage, and will.  It tells the story of the days that have long past, yet which is applicable to modern days.  It shows people who lived in a very different world, yet were so similar to us.

A 5 out of 5 from me and a recommendation for home collection – you’ll want to see it this movie more than once.

Weeds

Everything has pros and cons, including such things as being sick and staying at home.  One of the benefits of such a situation is loads of time.  Being sick means you can’t really work productively or focus at length on any more or less complicated issue.  But you might just have enough brain power to watch TV series in bed.

It’s a been a while now that I’ve heard plenty of good about “Weeds“, but somehow I didn’t have the time or will to start watching yet another TV series that is on the air for several years.  Now seemed like a good time.  So I got myself all six seasons.  I got hooked from the first episode, which appeared like very light, entertaining comedy, with a pro-legalize twist to it.  What followed was way more than that.

All six seasons are done to the same level of quality, which is quite rare.  There is entertainment and fun to it.  But there are also characters that I couldn’t help but want to follow.  And there was even more than that.  Under an almost grotesque story setup, hidden is a very broad view of the drug problem in our society.  The story takes the characters through all sorts of situations, involving starting and expanding a drug business, ethics, society, legal and financial issues involved, government control, drug business relations with other crimes, corruption, and even a diverse exploration of how the problem varies between three different countries and states.  Without being too documentary or focusing too much on any specific issue, these TV episodes show how broad the problem is and how many areas it covers.

I wasn’t thinking much about all that while watching episode after episode. Maybe I was still too sick for that.  Or maybe I just didn’t have the full picture.  But once I finished with all six seasons, I can’t stop but think about it.

Despite your interest in drugs and legalization issues, I strongly recommend this show.  It is funny.  It is social.  It is about family.  It is about the current state of economy.  It is kind and considering.  And it tries to show the world from slightly different perspective without pushing a lot of agendas.   My rating is 5 out of 5.  Well done.  Can’t wait for seasons 7.

Fargo

A few days ago I watched “Fargo” once again.  I saw it before, but couldn’t help falling asleep somewhere in the middle.  Thanks to many pints of beer beforehand.  This time though I was hooked and watch it through. And I really enjoyed it.

Like most other Coen brothers’ films, this movie is funny and sad, easy to watch, but with something to think about.  It is an atmospheric masterpiece with splendid visuals.  The soundtrack is great as well.   Lots of good acting.  And somehow, while having very simplistic appearances an slow pace, this film feels rich and enriching.

5 out of 5, highly recommended.

The Town

I went to see “The Town” in the movies on weekend.  Too bad my experience was spoiled by the total failure of surround sound in the cinema and by a power cut due to the thunderstorm, two minutes before the end of the movie.  But I still liked the movie so much that I downloaded a copy and watched it in the comfort of my own home (really, are there any other options left?).

Before I say anything else, I have to do a disclosure.  I am biased here.  Crime is one of my favorite movie genres in general, and bank robberies, con artists, and heist schemes are among my top interests in movies.

With that, I am now free to say how awesome this movie was.  First of all, it’s a great story with great characters.  Not particularly original, but still great.  It got a slightly screwed up ending, but by now we should be probably get used to them anyway.  Still.  There is plenty to see – action, acting, drama, tough guys, car chases, gun fights, hot girls, Boston accent, and more.

Overall, I’ll give it a 5 out of 5.  But you still remember, that I’m biased, right?

Red

Being a big fan of action comedies, I’ve been waiting for this one – “Red“.  Thanks to a whole bunch of trailers on YouTube, I knew pretty early that I’d love this film.  And indeed I did.

It’s exactly what it promised to be, and even a bit more – funny, action packed, with brilliant cast, and so on and so forth.  Even the story is not totally stupid, like in most action films.   And it gives you something to think about.  Even though that’s really not the point of the film.  The point is entertainment, and the movie tackles that in a great way.

Overall, a 5 out of 5.  I had a blast.