Sillyreviews Reviews

The Farewell (I) (2019)

A touching comedy

[8/10 · 19 May 2024]

The farewell, is something else. In a good way.

This film is centred around a woman in her 30's who lives in New York and her grandma who lives in China. As the grandma is diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer her family decides not to tell her. They plan a fake wedding so everyone can come together for one last time. While most of the family doesn't want the main character to join, she decides to go to China anyway.

This is a touching story with hints of comedy, which makes it feel warm and breathable. You can see the pain that the main character is experiencing and seems to almost infect the rest of the family further into the film. But at other times you laugh about a silly joke or just about something that happened. The relationship between the grandma and the main character is lovely portrayed, it doesn't feel like they are acting but feel genuine which adds another dimension into the story.

My favourite part of the film is how they did the music. It caught my attention right from the start. The music picks with the timing and scenes is perfect, in almost every way. It makes it more cinematic and emotional. A lot of the time those scenes in other films feel like they just need a bridge between two scenes, but in this film it enriches it and are outright beautiful moments by themselves.

The cinematography is pretty good but not something special I would say. This basic cinematography for a film like this.

Overall I would definitely recommend this film. It will take u on a lovely, sad and comedic journey. A journey you don't want to miss.

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023)

Nothing new...

[5/10 · 1 May 2024]

Humanist vampire is nothing new and dull.

This film is about a vampire who doesn't want to kill. Although her surroundings try to force her to do so, as killing would be the only way that she would survive. One day she meets a boy who is willing to sacrifice himself, from there on the story continues.

This film is being advertised as a comedy film, I wish I laughed but I didn't at all. Overal the jokes are dull, just like the story. It isn't exciting and feels very much cliche, although that is maybe because it is a vampire themed film after all. The acting was good, especially the acting of the two main characters, who you could really feel for. The emotions they are going through and seeing how they feel stuck, not knowing how to get out until they meet each other. Those scenes about their desperation with only them in them made the film worth a 8 but the rest of the story pretty much dragged it all down. If the rest of the scenes were as good as those couple of scenes it would have been worth a recommendation, even more than that. But unfortunately that isn't the case.

In the end I wouldn't recommend this film, only if you are bored you it is worth to consider it.

Sick of Myself (2022)

An absurd story

[7/10 · 15 April 2024]

Good acting, good story but almost too absurd.

This film is about Signe a 20 something year old from Oslo that craves attention in a way that is ridiculous and outright dangerous. She and her boyfriend are both obsessed with attention, competing continuously with who can get more, not even sharing an ounce of happiness for the succeses that the other might have. But Signe takes it to a level much further than her boyfriend and is even willing to risk her own health for it.

This absurd film is memorable. It is funny at some points but mostly absurd, an absurdity that i cannot even explain. You will feel disgusted, shocked and ask yourself why is she doing this to herself, you will know the answer but it will still be hard to wrap your head around it.

But after all it is an interesting film, as it dives into a person that isn't seen that often, especially a person that takes it so far. With good acting and with pretty good timing except for the end when it feels like it stops without a real ending. The cinematography was nice and with an overall nice vibe. The film was confusing at times, as it was hard to tell the difference between the scenes that were Signes dreams and the reality that she was actually living in. Which made it harder to focus on the story and film.

Overal this is a good film that is worth a watch, and something you won't see again soon.

There's Still Tomorrow (2023)

Comedy and seriousness blended into one

[9/10 · 10 April 2024]

This is the best film I have seen so far in 2024. The cinematography is amazing, the jokes are on point, and the topic makes it interesting.

This film takes place in Rome, a couple of years after World War 2. It is about a woman who is married to an abusive husband and that lives in a deeply misogynistic and unequal world. And how she goes and other women go about that.

The film is filled with comedy, which makes it easier and more attention grabbing, while not losing the seriousness of the topic and being drawn into the world that she lives in. You can feel for the character seeing the hardships that she goes through, which sometimes can make you almost feel sick to your stomach. Which is then followed by a comedic scene about the misogynistic world where she lives in.

The balance between comedy and seriousness is very good. The seriousness is put into the comedy but in a way that you can laugh about it, although it might be a painful and awkward laugh.

The cinematography is of world class, every shot is beautiful. No shot feels wrong or wrongly timed and every shot could be a picture in its own right almost. The black and white makes that only makes that more apparent.

I would highly recommend you to watch this film. You wont regret it, it is one of the best ways to fill 2 hours of your day even when you are busy.

Joyland (2022)

The tragedy called life

[7/10 · 18 February 2024]

Joyland is a deep, emotional and quite sad film. The moments of happiness are quite often also wrapped in pain and guilt and the sad moments take the lead in the whole story.

Joyland is a film about a Pakistani man that finds a job as a background dancer in an erotic theatre. The main dancer is trans, who you can see struggles with how she is perceived in society as "not a real woman". The two fall in love which causes problems between the man and his wife. Who live with the father, brother, wife in-law (and their kids), of the man. Who are more conservative.

This film shows the struggles of people who fall out of order in the traditional Pakistani society. Women who want to work although they are married, trans people who are not perceived as the gender they embody no matter what they do and men who don't fit in the masculine stereotype set out by society.

The cinematography and ambience is great in this film. The reason why I gave it a 7 ( although more of an 7,5) was because at times the story felt somewhat slow and boring in a sense, although quite some stuff was happening. I would say over all you should absolutely watch this beautiful film, it will bring you in touch with a world you probably haven't seen before.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

If it was shorter it would be better

[6/10 · 14 February 2024]

This film is long. Too long.

In the first two hours not much happened, at least it felt like not a lot happened. It was lacking the personal struggle that Oppenheimer probably felt with making the bomb and the other scientists. It felt like it was almost a Wikipedia page with no real emotions, about the struggle that it was. The music that was used through out the film felt not fitting and badly timed, which made it harder to get immersed into the film.

Oppenheimer is a film about a scientist who was the inventor of the first atomic bomb, the bombs that were used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It follows the life of Oppenheimer from his years in university to the time more than 10 years after the bomb.

The last hour was the best it finally starts to get interesting with things happening and not it just dragging on. The acting was also great it made it believable that it was set in that time and that the actors were the actual people they portrayed.

I would say it is not worth it to watch it. If it was an hour shorter or so I would recommend it, but it isn't worth it to waste 3 hours of your life on it.

Side note: There is no Dutch in this film although they claim it is spoken.

Tore (2023– )

Beautiful but painful

[8/10 · 7 January 2024]

Tore hits you right in the heart. It takes you to the ups and mostly downs that happen.

Tore is about a guy named tore that is 27 years old and still lives with his dad. He barely has any life experience and almost lives through his best friend. Suddenly his dad dies and the base is gone for him, he suddenly needs find who he is and deal with his grief. Which goes messy to say the least.

The pain, emotions and confusing is grabbing you through the screen. The acting makes the story that is already amazing even better. The acting is believable and really makes you feel for the characters, for all of them.

You should absolutely watch it. Although it can be emotionally draining it is absolutely worth it. So go watch I would say!

How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022)

The reality that is nearby

[8/10 · 7 January 2024]

The film is beautiful cinematically. The story and the cinematography go hand in hand with this film and seem like they fit one another like how africa and south america were once connected.

The film is about a couple of climate activists that find each other on accident and through already known connections they decide to blow up a pipeline to disrupt the fossil fuel industry.

The story of this film is amazing, the depth of the characters and the story is incredible. The story makes you think about what is an acceptable action to take in the crisis that we are currently in. And if blowing up a pipeline is an act of self defence or if it is is something else. The reason of the characters why they do it is brought forward in a nice way but can be unclear sometimes. Not why they do it but when the story goes back to explain why they do it.

It is an absolute must watch for everyone. It highlights beautifully the case for why to do it but also why it should be reconsidered and if it is ethical. The truth is this film is forward of its time as we are just waiting for it to happen. I would absolutely recommend it!

Perfect Days (2023)

A calming film with a lot of potential

[5/10 · 6 January 2024]

It is a special film, nothing like I have seen before. In a good and bad way. The music, vibe and even the message that you can find in the film is simply amazing. Something that works beautifully together. But one special element goes totally wrong the events and pacing.

The film is about about a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo and his very simpel everyday life. The events that happen in this film are not major but are very human, which makes it nice. But the events are so little and small that they catch our attention for a second but that attention quickly fades away again because of how drawn out they are.

The pace of this film is extremely slow and with extremely slow I mean I have never seen such a slow film. I wish more happened in it and that the events were less small. Because the constant repetition of his life becomes annoying after a couple times. And boring. You wait for something to happen but nothing really does unfortunately.

Although this film has a lot of potential, the pacing was terrible and the slowness of the film is what made it in a way good but also annoying and terrible. If you want to watch a relaxing film and almost have a meditation session, watch it! But if you dont want to spend 2 hours on that or just wanna see pretty views of Tokyo search for a walk or drive tour it will give it you too but just less cinematic.

Heartstopper (2022– )

Season one is the first course and season two is a full on dinner.

[9/10 · 8 August 2023]

The first season is good. The cuteness and good chemistry between the cast makes the show really enjoyable. But the second season feels like another universe in the best way possible. You can feel how much the cast has grown and how that uplifted the characters even more. The first season is all about the journey of self discovery for Nick and Charlie who are front and center in the season. How Nick goes through the process of discovering his sexuality -which was done amazingly -, how Charlie gets out of an abusive relationship and how they connect with one another. The rest of the cast is there but they are really more sidelined which changes in the second season where they discover the relationships between each other and find out who they are. And where the relationship between Nick and Charlie is explored even more combined with their separate characters.

Season two is much more mature, where season one can feel at point a bit too "childish" that doesn't happen at any moment in season two. The characters are getting more in depth and it feels sometimes a bit more serious although the cuteness is never far away. The vibe is carried out better in season two which makes you feel like you are closer to the characters compared to season one.

This show is really good. The representation that is finally out on a screen for all different types of queer people is captured in this show. And the story always keeps to be uplifting in some way, even in the hard times which is not often with queer media. I do need to say that it can be yearning to watch it, it feels like you are unfortunately watching something that doesn't seem to happen too often and that every queer person young and old wish they had or hoped they have. But it is also hopeful, that something like this is finally up and available for a big audience.

I would definitely recommend it if you want to watch a happy queer story, that quite accurately deals with the issues young queer people go through.

Close (I) (2022)

Beautiful but tragic

[8/10 · 3 June 2023]

If you have suicidal thoughts or anything like that, I would reconsider watching this film as it touches the subject a lot.

When I started watching this film I expected something totally different. It took me by surprise not pleasantly I would say but also not unpleasantly. It was a very good film, the actors were absolutely amazing, especially Remi and Leo who acted spectacularly for their age.

The story isn't necessarily brought to you through words but mostly through the emotions that the characters show and how they act, the dialogue adds to the story but isn't the main show. That makes this film really special. And makes it more impactful, because even though they don't say much you can feel their pain, happiness and all the other emotions right through the screen. When they smiled I smiled, when they cried or teared up I teared up. The emotions hit you right in your heart which I find really special.

I would absolutely recommend anyone to watch this film but also take sometimes for it because it is really heavy.

Anything's Possible (2022)

A nice portrayal of love

[7/10 · 19 April 2023]

It is an average coming of age film but it does has something different that almost brought me to tears. GOOD TRANS REPRESENTATION. Something that you don't see very often and especially not in these very American coming of age teen films. To give a short summary without any spoilers. It is about a young trans girl in her senior year of high school who tries to get on with her life after coming out which is a reason why she wants to move away. In all of this she falls in love with a boy who also likes her and accepts her for who she is. This film does a good job of showing that trans people deserve love and are love worthy. That transphobia is prevalent in todays society, but that despite that the world seems like it is against you (as a trans person) there will still be people who will love you for who you are and all of your beauty. If it is romantically, platonically or anything. If you are down about the current state of trans rights, if you are young and trans or if you know someone who is trans then absolutely watch this film because it will possibly bring you to tears but in a beautiful and loving way.

When You Finish Saving the World (2022)

A good film if you want to pass some time

[6/10 · 27 March 2023]

Nothing was very spectacular about this film. Numerous films like this one has already been made, maybe not with same story but absolutely with the same style and vibe. Which is a nice vibe I admit. While others films who have a similar style and vibe are able to set them self apart with a good and nice story this one isn't able to do that as strongly. The story was a bit messy and the main characters were very unlikeable which made it hard to watch at times. The nice and likeable characters were all kinda pushed aside which was unfortunate. The nice indie-ish vibe and style of the movie made it worth while and a good movie to pass some time and clear your head and jump into the life of these people. But if you want a film that is strong and all maybe pass this one for now.

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

It just drags on...

[4/10 · 21 March 2023]

After the first 15 minutes I already felt irritated. I was confused about the premise of the movie and how they would go further but nothing really happened. I was waiting for something to happen that would create or help the story but that in the end never happened. It felt like I was being dragged from one scene to another without any real story taking placing. It felt like they wanted to make this an intellectual film about class but failed miserably and felt pseudo intellectual without any real substance. There were some funny moments I admit but most of the jokes were empty with some just dragging on which almost seemed like the real story in this movie. I would still recommend it to watch it especially if people around you said it was amazing, but otherwise I wouldn't waste your time with this one.

Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story (2022)

Giving hope.

[8/10 · 12 November 2022]

This film shows a beautiful portrayal of an amazing skater that just happens to be trans. It shows how devastating and hard it is to deal with dysphoria but also how to find a possible way out of it. Leo the person that the documentary revolves around is truly amazing and truly takes you into his life and the hardships the he faces. He is an real fighter and that is really what this documentary shows, how difficult it can be to be "different", to need to fit in because otherwise you can't progress in the industry you love but also how you can breakout of that and that hiding your true self isn't a long term option. The film is incredibly inspirational and gives hope. I only can say one thing watch it!

Dear Ex (2018)

A beautiful story with an amazing vibe

[10/10 · 19 September 2022]

Its a beautiful portrayal of a love affair and the impact of it on the family. It shows a changing society where lgbt love is more accepted and is still getting accepted. But that it is a gay affair is not the center of the story, the mourning of his ex wife and son and how to deal with those emotions. How to deal with the boyfriend of her ex husband and of his dad, and how to overcome the challenges that they need to work together for. Because of its slow pace you can really get to know the characters and feel their pain and joy, which can come as a surprise at times. The music and lighting really makes this film come to life, it sucks you even more into the story and into Taiwanese society. You really miss something if you don't watch it.

Don't Look Up (2021)

Accurately predicts how the world deals with a crisis.

[9/10 · 10 January 2022]

One of the best films I have watched this year. It accurately depicts how the media and politicians react to climate change in a slightly depressing (slightly depressing because of how accurate it is) but satirical way. I was at first skeptical about how many famous actors are in it but after I watched the film I can guarantee you that the famous actors are not there as a comprise to the story as both the acting and story are incredibly good.