My First Movie Diary (30/08/04-->15/09/04)

30/08/2004:

1. Taxi Driver

Finally, I have seen one of Scorsese's most popular movies. And well, it's just great. Lets beginn with the actors: Robert De Niro has never been so convincing, Cybill Shepherd is the perfect acting-partner for De Niro and also the rest of the cast is wonderful: Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel and Martin Scorsese in his little cameo. The atmosphere of New York is well given and really absorbes the spectator.
Actors: 9
Direction: 9
Entertainment: 8,5
Screenplay: 8,5
Technical POV: 8
Artistic POV: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Story: 8
Characters (evolution, development): 8,5
Very personal opinion: 8,5
Final Result: 85/100 --> very good

2. Easy Rider

And another classic: Dennis Hopper first work as director. Again here is everything convincing: the actors (Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Karen Black and of course the brilliant Jack Nicholson), the songs (here you can also find a few classics), the cinematography (catching wonderful pictures of the beautiful landscape), etc.
Actors: 8,5
Direction: 8,5
Entertainment: 8
Screenplay: 8,5
Technical POV: 7,5
Artistic POV: 9
Atmosphere: 8,5
Story: 8
Characters (evolution, development): 8,5
Very personal opinion: 8,5
Final Result: 83,5/100 --> very good

31/08/2004:

3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

I expected a good western, and I got one of the best I have ever seen. The films is obviously inspired by Arthur Penn's 'Bonnie and Clyde', but is also very humourous. Above all the actors are very likeable and convincing. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are the best screen couple since Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The screenplay is truly brilliant and the dialogues witty.
Actors: 9
Direction: 8
Entertainment: 8,5
Screenplay: 9
Technical POV: 8
Artistic POV: 8,5
Atmosphere: 7,5
Story: 8
Characters (evolution, development): 8
Very personal opinion: 8,5
Final Result: 83/100 --> very good

4. Requiem for a Dream

I saw the film for the second time within a few days. This movie has got everything a film needs. The screenplay is probably the best of the last five years, the score is terrific and the actors are amazing. Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans and Jennifer Connelly are always convincing and credible. But it's above all Ellen Burstyn who makes this film so shocking and moving. Her performance is breathtaking and probably the best I have ever seen. That she didn't get an Academy Award for this is incomprehensible to me. Director Darren Aronofsky reallly didn't want to spare the spectators: the film is shocking and very harsh to see. An unforgettable experience.
Actors: 10
Direction: 10
Entertainment: 9
Screenplay: 10
Technical POV: 8,5
Artistic POV: 9,5
Atmosphere: 9,5
Story: 8,5
Characters (evolution, development): 10
Very personal opinion: 10
Final Result: 95/100 --> excellent

Jan Svonkmajer's shorts

Introduction: The Austrian TV channel 3-sat showed seven shorts by Jan Svonkmajer. These are real action movies, but the actors are very strange, because they are like plasticine. Svankmajer often analyses communism, human behaviour and manners. N.B.: Possible spoilers!!!!

5. The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia

Runtime: 10 minutes, Year: 1990
In an original and for some reason funny way, Svankmajer critisizes Stalinism. Stalin and his fellows are compared to skulls. Humans (out of plasticine) are made (or formed) on a production line. Stalin's fellows are born out of Stalin's skull like babys. Seems strange and confusing? Actually, it IS strange and confusing, but that makes the film even more fascinating.
Visual Design: 18/20
Artistic POV: 18/20
Direction: 18/20
Ideas: 17/20
Motives: 17/20
Final Result: 88/100 --> very good

6. Food/ Jídlo

Runtime: 18 minutes, Year: 1990
The second short is the best of them all: Funny, intelligent, visually brilliant, original, inspiring. Svankmajer analyses here people's manners while eating. The short is composed of three episodes: In the first, two men are sitting at a table. One of them is like a robot, and the other one takes his food out of him. Weird? Yes. In the second one, again two men (the one is rich, the other one poor) are sitting around a table. The plates in front of them are empty. The waiter doesn't serve them. So, they begin to eat their clothes, their plates, their chairs, the table, etc. Finally they have eaten everything around them and then...no, I won't tell you. In the third episode, people are sitting at a table and eating parts of their body: their hand, their leg, their breasts, ... This sounds once again very strange, but it is fascinating.
Visual Design: 19/20
Artistic POV: 19/20
Direction: 19/20
Ideas: 20/20
Motives: 14/20
Final Result: 93/100 --> great

7. Meat Love

Runtime: 1 minute(!), Year: 1988
A very short film, and the 'plot' is simple: two steaks are loving each other like humans. Perhaps a little bit too short...
Visual Design: 16/20
Artistic POV: 18/20
Direction: 18/20
Ideas: 10/20
Motives: 14/20
Final Result: 76/100 --> good

8. Another Kind of Love

Runtime: 4 minutes, Year: 1988
Really another kind of love: the love of two busts, and the love of a man and a painted woman. VERY strange, but interesting...
Visual Design: 15/20
Artistic POV: 15/20
Direction: 15/20
Ideas: 13/20
Motives: 12/20
Final Result: 70/100 --> good

9. Flora

Runtime: 1/2 minute, Year: 1989
This film is VERY short, definetly too short. It's nearly impossible to recognize anything within a few seconds.
Visual Design: 7/20
Artistic POV: 6/20
Direction: 8/20
Ideas: 5/20
Motives: 0/20
Final Result: 26/100 --> awful

10. Dimensions of Dialogue

Runtime: 11 minutes, Year: 1982
This short is again composed of three little episodes. The first one is about objective dialogues. You can see two skull-like objects (a cross-section) composed of many, different things. Skull #1 opens its mouth and eats the other one. Then it vomits and another skull appears. This skull eats its creator, and so on. Finally two human skulls appear.
The second episode is about passionate dialogues. There you can see a (plasticine) man and a (plasticine) woman, loving and then killing each other.
The third one is about tiring dialogues. Two busts are looking at each other. Then bust #1 opens its mouth and a tooth-brush comes out. Bust #2 opens its mouth too and toothpaste comes out. The paste is put on the brush and then both disappear again in the mouths of the busts. The same for butter and a slice of bread, a pencil and a sharpener, a shoe and a shoelace. But then the busts are changing their position and the chaos beginns: the paste is put on the shoe, the butter on the pencil, and so on. Bizarre and fascinating.
Visual Design: 19/20
Artistic POV: 17,5/20
Direction: 18,5/20
Ideas: 19/20
Motives: 16/20
Final Result: 90/100 --> great

11. A Game with Stones

Runtime: 10 minutes, Year: 1965
Svankmajer shows here different pictures composed of white and black stones falling out of a clock. Lots of good ideas, although it's a little bit tiring.
Visual Design: 13/20
Artistic POV: 17/20
Direction: 14/20
Ideas: 20/20
Motives: 5/20
Final Result: 69/100 --> OK

02/09/2004:

12. Rear Window

I have seen this film so many times and now watched it once more. It's Hitchcock's best thriller. Go and watch this masterpiece, if you haven't yet seen it. You won't be disappointed.
Actors: 10
Direction: 10
Entertainment: 9
Screenplay: 9,5
Technical POV: 8
Artistic POV: 10
Atmosphere: 9,5
Story: 9
Characters (evolution, development): 10
Very personal opinion: 10
Final Result: 95/100 --> excellent

03/09/2004:

13. The Usual Suspects

An almost intelligent thriller with an excellent Kevin Spacey and the best end I have seen since 'The Sixth Sense'.
Actors: 8,5
Direction: 8,5
Entertainment: 8,5
Screenplay: 9
Technical POV: 8,5
Artistic POV: 8,5
Atmosphere: 7
Story: 8,5
Characters (evolution, development): 7
Very personal opinion: 8,5
Final Result: 82,5/100 --> very good

14. Harold and Maude

An excellent comedy with two brilliant leading actors: Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort. This film just makes happy.
Actors: 9,5
Direction: 8,5
Entertainment: 8,5
Screenplay: 8
Technical POV: 6
Artistic POV: 7,5
Atmosphere: 7
Story: 8,5
Characters (evolution, development): 9
Very personal opinion: 8
Final Result: 80,5/100 --> very good

04/09/2004:

15. Once Upon a Time in America

This is now the second time I have seen this epic movie and it still remains one of the best movies ever. Leone managed to make a film of nearly four hours that never becomes boring or repetitive. Apart from the brilliant direction, the actors are amazing, above all Robert De Niro (in his best role I have seen till today) and James Woods (ditto). That this movie wasn't even nominated for an Academy Award is annoying, VERY annoying...
Actors: 9,5
Direction: 10
Entertainment: 8
Screenplay: 9
Technical POV: 9
Artistic POV: 8,5
Atmosphere: 9
Story: 8,5
Characters (evolution, development): 9,5
Very personal opinion: 9
Final Result: 90/100 --> great

16. Mystic River

A film I really wanted to see, and now have seen. And I'm NOT disappointed. Above all, the actors are great: Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laura Linney and Marcia Gay Harden. Definetly one of the best movies of 2003.
Actors: 9,5
Direction: 9
Entertainment: 8
Screenplay: 8
Technical POV: 7
Artistic POV: 8,5
Atmosphere: 7,5
Story: 8
Characters (evolution, development): 9
Very personal opinion: 8,5
Final Result: 83/100 --> very good

05/09/2004:

17. Unforgiven

In this good western, Clint Eastwood shows again that he is great in front of, but also behind the cameras. Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman were also convincing.
Actors: 9
Direction: 8
Entertainment: 8
Screenplay: 7,5
Technical POV: 7
Artistic POV: 7,5
Atmosphere: 8
Story: 7
Characters (evolution, development): 8,5
Very personal opinion: 8
Final Result: 78,5/100 --> good

07/09/2004:

18. The Elephant Man

A deeply humane work by David Lynch with five marvellous actors: John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller and Anne Bancroft. A must-see.
Actors: 9,5
Direction: 9
Entertainment: 8,5
Screenplay: 8,5
Technical POV: 8
Artistic POV: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Story: 8,5
Characters (evolution, development): 9,5
Very personal opinion: 9
Final Result: 88,5/100 --> very good

08/09/2004:

19. The Shawshank Redemption

Finally I have seen it. The actors, above all of course Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, are great and make this film so heart-warming.
Actors: 9
Direction: 7,5
Entertainment: 8
Screenplay: 7
Technical POV: 8
Artistic POV: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Story: 8
Characters (evolution, development): 8
Very personal opinion: 7,5
Final Result: 79/100 --> good

11/09/2004:

20. The Ice Storm

A slow film that never becomes boring, probably because of its brilliant actors: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Jamey Sheridan.
Actors: 9,5
Direction: 8
Entertainment: 7,5
Screenplay: 8
Technical POV: 8
Artistic POV: 9
Atmosphere: 7
Story: 8
Characters (evolution, development): 9
Very personal opinion: 7,5
Final Result: 81,5/100 --> very good

21. A Fish Called Wanda

I really don't know how often I have seen this excellent comedy, but I never get tired of it. It will forever be one of my favourites.
Actors: 10
Direction: 10
Entertainment: 10
Screenplay: 10
Technical POV: 9
Artistic POV: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Story: 9
Characters (evolution, development): 10
Very personal opinion: 10
Final Result: 96/100 --> excellent

12/09/04:

22. Inspector Gadget

Just one word to describe the whole film, its actors, the gags, the story: awful.
Actors: 1
Direction: 0
Entertainment: 2
Screenplay: 1
Technical POV: 4
Artistic POV: 1
Atmosphere: 2
Story: 2
Characters (evolution, development): 1
Very personal opinion: 0
Final Result: 14/100 --> awful

23. The Big Sleep(1946)

An excellent film noir with witty dialogues and an astonishing Humphrey Bogart who gives here one of the best performances ever and plays one of the coolest heroes of the film history.
Actors: 9,5
Direction: 9
Entertainment: 8
Screenplay: 8
Technical POV: 6
Artistic POV: 8,5
Atmosphere: 8,5
Story: 7,5
Characters (evolution, development): 8
Very personal opinion: 8,5
Final Result: 81,5/100 --> very good

13/09/04:

24. Goodfellas

After the brilliant 'Taxi Driver', I expected very much before seeing this film. And frankly I am really disappointed. The actors, above all Robert De Niro, are convincing, but the film is boring and repetitive. The first 45 minutes are really interesting, but then the movie becomes tedious.
Actors: 8
Direction: 6
Entertainment: 6
Screenplay: 7
Technical POV: 7
Artistic POV: 6
Atmosphere: 6
Story: 5
Characters (evolution, development): 5
Very personal opinion: 5
Final Result: 61/100 --> average

15/09/04:

25. Quiz Show

A truly excellent mixture of satire and drama with excellent actors, above all the charismatic Rob Morrow.
Actors: 9
Direction: 8,5
Entertainment: 8
Screenplay: 8
Technical POV: 7,5
Artistic POV: 8
Atmosphere: 7,5
Story: 8
Characters (evolution, development): 8
Very personal opinion: 8,5
Final Result: 81/100 --> very good

26. The Black Cat

A rather silly film, but it is worth a watch, because you have two horror icons at the same time on the screen: Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. The 'gag' at the end is witty, even though there is absolutly no spirit in the whole plot.
Actors: 6
Direction: 5
Entertainment: 6,5
Screenplay: 4,5
Technical POV: 5,5
Artistic POV: 4,5
Atmosphere: 6,5
Story: 2
Characters (evolution, development): 4,5
Very personal opinion: 5
Final Result: 50/100 --> average