Drama > 5 GBP to 10 GBP Drama > Oscar

If you see one film in your life...this is it

Advantages: Gritty, dark and realistic.. you feel like you are there
Disadvantages: It is one of the few films I wished that could have been longer than three hours

There are some things in life you will always remember and I think this film is one of those things. I went to see it originally in the opening week of its cinematic release. I had heard about this film and was very interested to see it because I have a huge interest in the holocaust and what led to it happening. I knew before I went who some of the actors cast were and I also knew that it was a film lasting for three hours. The film gripped me lice ...
...lit...to it gradually changing into black and white. I was absorbed with the power of the nazis and the futility of existence for the Jews. What this film portrays so well is the need in capitalism for exploitation. The nazis, although intent on killing every jew, still believe that they should get the most out of them before they die. they feed them minimal calories and expect them to work round the clock, you hear them talking about this at different ...

excelsior81 31.07.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Schindler's List (DVD)

The King of Fellini Films

Advantages: autobiographical, symbolic, surreal, heavy, dramatic, italian
Disadvantages: none at all

...film is loosely based on Fellini's own life and fast times in 1950s Rome. Marcello Mastroianni portrays Guido who is desperately trying to get his film finished, but has no idea how to end it. Throughout the film, Fellini uses (and creates) some of cinema history's most amazing images through techniques like flashbacks, slow dissolves and the shadowplay should have won it's own award. This film also marks a change in the style of film Fellini himself ...
...of his career. Gone are the Neorealistic masterpieces of his younger years "I Vitelloni" "Il Bidone" and "Nights of Cabiria" were all amazing films, but to watch 8 1/2 you wouldn't believe its by the same man. Fellini began heavily visual films after this movie, and went to some extremes with this as well ( see "Satyricon"). This is one of those movies that anyone interested in the true masterworks that changed the face of world cinema should not ...

snag2772 22.05.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Fellini's 8 1/2 (DVD)

"And like that... he's gone,"

Advantages: Intelligent plot, especially the ending
Disadvantages: One bad casting decision, Slow paced at times

...blown away. To sum the plot up without giving too much away, a group of assorted criminals (and one ex-criminal) are herded up in connection with a robbery and end up grouping together to do some jobs. The key to this film is perspective and how brilliantly the director manages to manipulate it to create a compelling thriller. The plot is exciting and filled with twists - truly gripping stuff. The final sequence is where the film really reaches it's ...
...deep enough to be believable. The way they react with each other feels natural and they make it all the more enjoyable to watch. After it had finished, I immediately wanted to watch it again. Not because the plot was so complicated that I didn't understand the first time but because it was almost as though the world I had glimpsed the first time had not been enough and I was coming back for more. I also wanted to try and spot the clues which I could ...

SmilingBuddha 19.10.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Usual Suspects (DVD)

The Godfather Part II - an incredible follow-up to the first film

Advantages: Another superb film
Disadvantages: Slow in parts

The Godfather II is the second part of the Godfather trilogy. This film sees Michael in charge of the Corleone family having taken over from his father Vito. Running parallel to Michael's rise to power and reign over his father's mafia empire is the story of Vito first coming to America as a boy from Sicily and his rise through the crime ranks. The arrival on the young Vito in America gives a background to the character portrayed by Marlon Brando. ...
...insistence on family being the most important thing. Watching how he has struggled as an outsider to create his reputation as a man on honour makes you realise that this is a legacy that must be passed on and that 'the family' must stay together. This film goes further than the first in exploring the idea of loyalty to 'the family' and the corrupting influence of power. Michael physically seems old beyond his years and Al Pacino puts in an astounding ...

jesperado77 25.03.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Godfather Part II (DVD)

Almodóvar‘s Masterpiece

Advantages: Powerful. poignant, moving, funny
Disadvantages: None that I could find

...but promises to tell him all when they get home. However, as Huma leaves the theatre and Esteban runs after her for an autograph he is tragically and shockingly run over and killed. Manuela is devastated and she reads in Esteban’s notebook how much he wanted to know his father. So Manuela sets off to Barcelona to find Esteban’s father and tell him about the son he never knew. On arrival in Barcelona Manuela chances upon an old friend Agrado (Antonia ...
...not acting as mothers. Nearly all of the characters in the film are women, except Esteban who dies early in the film and Agrado and Lola who act and behave like women. Without men to interfere Almodovar freely explores the interactions between this fascinating set of “females”. The result is a highly emotional and richly woven tapestry. The performances are masterful. Cecilia Roth is excellent as the strong willed Manuela who though devastated by ...

buzios 20.09.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of All About My Mother (DVD)