Efenstor Reviews

FairyTale: A True Story (1997)

A magical story behind the poorly directed film

[5/10 · 29 November 2008]

Everyone who's deeply interested in folklore, as I dare to say I am, knows the story of the Fairies of Cottingley, it's one nearly-epic story of the two girls who inadvertently made a half of the world actually believe in magical creatures (I don't count children, for they did, they do and they will believe, and that's wondrous), and the best part of the epic is that they had never straightforwardly confessed that they've forged it just not to ruin people's glimpse of faith in magical.

If that's what this movie should have been telling about then it certainly does not the job. Despite the wonderful and believable acting of Florence Hoath and Elizabeth Earl, the incoherent screenplay and direction ruin everything and only a shadow of the childhood magic remains in the dark corner pushed away by the social-drama clichés (they even managed to insert there a villain and the goddammit comic relief!). And the top-notch CGI doesn't help out. There's more magic even in ghost-story movies, such as 'Lady in White' or 'The Changeling'. Worth watching, but only once. I deeply hope that some day someone will make a movie worthy of this story's spiritual background, so you'd understand why some perfectly sane people believe in fairies, even without the photographs.

One of my favorite books is the collection of narrative tales, recorded in the middle of the 20th century among the Siberian villagers, mostly in the Chita region, by V.P. Zinovyev, and the thing I really love and adore in those stories is that those people actually believe all the folklore things they're speaking about! It's grievous that there are less and less such people live in this world, of that kind who believe because of the purity of the heart, not because of fear or passion. Some call those people dark and unenlightened, some laugh at them, but the thing they actually have is the faith, whilst everyone else have only a ghost of it. That who knows cannot believe.

One Point O (2004)

Corporations want your brain!

[7/10 · 20 October 2008]

The film is often compared to Darren Aronofsky's "Pi" and it's actually similarly intelligent and visually creative, yet "Pi" is more consistent and logical. So what we have great about "1.0"? First and foremost is its message, which is very relevant for the consumer society of today; the very discovery of that message while watching the movie is a rather exciting thing, yet it's a common thing for intelligent movies; but that's not the point, the point is that "1.0" warns you about living to consume products, the corporations will never care much about you, they only want money, more and sooner. That's why they would never care much even about debugging the programs they put into their consumers. Of course, this movie is a sci-fi because I think it's virtually impossible to create a virus for the human brain, even with some kind of microscopic electronic "mites". But doesn't, say, propaganda sounds like someone's trying to put a mind virus into your brain, to make it possess your will and so to control it? Or weren't communism and fascism a real kind of mind plague striking billions of people? May be then even there are demons who possess people and make them do things they wouldn't like to, and they are actually mind viruses, thoughts that have an ability to transmit themselves using verbal channels? We should learn to watch attempts to control our will and to resist them, or we won't be human anymore just like those poor people in this amazing movie. 7 out of 10, because the pace of the story is yet too sluggish and the visuals are overly grotesque which I don't really like, here "Pi" did better.

Carrie (1976)

One of the best attempts to un-kitsch King

[7/10 · 15 September 2008]

I'll be short: the movie is very well directed, acting is great, photography is notable, plot is mediocre (as always with King) and the very idea is as old as schools exist. I always wondered: can King write a multilayer and profound book at all? Movies made after his books often overshadow his books because of direction, acting, etc. but it's always obvious that the plot, King's creation, is always weak and has nothing to think about after the movie's ended. You can remember spectacular scenes created by a cinematographer, wonderful acting but never can remember anything wonderful about characters' minds. The only exception from this rule is "The Shawshank Redemption", but still even there is not much originality, even there you cannot find any inside work in the characters' souls. Have they souls at all? As to Carrie, it's again a typical kitsch about a peer-terrorized girl raised by a religion-obsessed mother. The characters are so cartoonish that sometimes even incredible acting cannot bring them to life (especially it concerns Carrie's mother). There is nothing much to discuss. Would I recommend this movie? Yes I would. Watch and decide yourself whether you'll watch it ever again or not. As to me I don't know, because the filmmakers did their best and their work looks really great. 2 out of 10 for the King's work and 5 out of 10 go to the filmmakers.

The Changeling (1980)

Surely one of the gems of the spooky genre

[10/10 · 14 September 2008]

Now I know the third best ghost-story movie in the world: it's "The Changeling". The other two masterpieces are "Hasta el viento tiene miedo" and "Lady in White", each of which has its own strong side: "Hasta el viento..." is realistic and mysterious, "Lady in White" is beautiful and touching, "The Changeling" is atmospheric and solid. As others said, it has a really, really nice cinematography (especially I liked the use of wide angle lenses), lighting is also top-notch (no Holliwoodish "darkness" with tons of light from the behind!), acting is incredible, in a word, as I said: very solid and very very atmospheric. As to the plot it's also very intriguing and convincing, not like today's "screamy-bloody" Hollywood trash. And chilling, yes, it's chilling as only a few of other movies are. The first sight of the ghost face is amazingly scary. Absolutely worth watching even if you think ghost stories are stupid.

Derevnya Utka. Skazka. (1977)

One of the rare folklore-centric movies

[9/10 · 18 August 2008]

For years I searched in vain for another movie in the world that has the same approach and spirit as "Derevnya Utka". I thought that at least Scandinavians should have made such a movie but obviously no one else did it. Probably the only movie which goes somewhat close to "Derevnya Utka" is Finnish "Rölli ja metsänhenki".

So what's that unique about "Derevnya Utka"? First and most important: it is a magical story set in a village. It's not like those that "folklorish" western horror, fantasy or fairy-tale movies about leprechauns and dwarfs, the reality of "Derevnya Utka" is a reality of village people, where existence in a close contact with the nature makes many incredible fancies taken for granted. Actually it's a childish point of view, naive, but nevertheless it makes human lives brighter and gives those special supernatural feelings which are lost to matter-centric city-dwellers. "Derevnya Utka" tells us a story of Olya, an adolescent girl spending her summer holidays in the village Utka with her grandma. One day of her rather lonely life she meets a shishok (a Russian analogue of brownie) who lives in the walls of a huge barn. Slightly hostile at first, the shishok eventually becomes her best friend. Taking into account the folklore reality of the village world, it's no wonder that Olya's grandmother soon also becomes acquainted with the shishok who turns out to be a kind of an old spirit of her hearth and home. Of course, there's more behind the story and sometimes it provokes much deeper feelings than one may suppose from such a family-oriented movie, and that's another wonderful side of this unique film, though to feel those things you possibly need to be a bit shishok yourself.

In 2008 "Derevnya Utka" has been released by RUSCICO on a DVD with English subtitles.

Giorgino (1994)

Be Like Children

[10/10 · 17 August 2008]

I think it's incredibly hard to write any kind of full-scale review to Giorgino, merely because it's one of those viewer-dependent, complex, poetical and philosophical films that are impossible to be watched enjoying their visuals and their story while cracking their artistic core at the same time, yet there are several things which are quite certain and beyond any doubt about the movie for any man of art (which, I hope, I am).

The first: it's a certain masterpiece, even of that kind of art that is able to stand the test of time; the second: it's one of those rare "dark" movies in which the darkness is poetic, even romantic, attractive and much more sad than depressing, just like many of the Pieter Brueghel the Elder or Caspar David Friedrich's paintings. As to the core of the movie, its artistic aspect, someone called it Kafkian though I don't agree with that hasty attitude because actually it's far beyond Kafka's misanthropic logic and much more like Edgar Poe's parables: dark and scary but through that touching the most gentle strings of our souls. Actually, on the poetic side (which is much more important here than the narrative), Giorgino is a tale about eternal peace and love which can be achieved solely through saving oneself's inner child or, to be more precise, the childhood of one's soul. It is no secret, that such childish people are usually branded as crazy or at least misfits by our society, ignoring the obvious fact that they all have a virtue all the other grown-ups have lost: the virtue of true love, the kind of love that is called a God's love by Christian scholars.

Indeed, Giorgino may be called a very Christian movie, with "Be like children" (Mt 18:3) as it's real hidden tag-line, though the film never deals with any kind of moral and concentrates solely on the Christian philosophical aspects. Though I think Boutonnat was too harsh portraying "grown-ups" as some sort of demons, incarnated as wolves, trying to kill childhood in the rare survived hearts, but it's his point of view and he has a right to think so. While watching Giorgino don't try to look for hidden symbols and meanings (though there are some), better try to understand and learn from at least some of the fables Boutonnat had hidden in the twists of the movie plot.

I have to admit that the movie greatly impressed me with excellent photography, especially I was happy to see the rational use of color filters, incredibly smooth and apposite editing, wonderful acting of all the actors and, of course, the atmospheric beauty of winter mountains which reminded me of the Brueghel's "Hunters in the Snow". Also, interestingly enough, one scene, where Death itself shown in the form an old woman with sunken black-ringed eyes, instantly reminded me of Pesta (Plague) by Theodor Kittelsen, the Norwegian painter who made a series of drawings to the story of how the black plague swept out the population of a small town in a mountain valley. Is it a simple coincidence?

Jacob's Ladder (I) (1990)

Dark philosophy about souls and demons

[5/10 · 5 August 2008]

Jacob's Ladder instantly reminded me Tarkovsky's "Stalker", especially with its soundtrack. Director's devotion to urban desolation is also very similar, though, on the contrary to "Stalker", here it's used as an infernal environment for hellish torments of one's departing soul instead of the Stalker's final chaos which turns everything to vanity and brings the ultimate peace. Jacob's Ladder could possibly be a much deeper and more philosophical work of art if, instead of delivering only authors' thoughts on what happens when we're dying while full of unreleased memories, desires and other "demons", it delivered something of a Boschian message, warning us of what happens to us when we live mindless lives lacking of beliefs. In fact, while watching the first third of the movie I strongly suspected such a point, thought "wow", but then was disappointed. Nevertheless, the movie is incredibly solidly made and direction, music and cinematography are really top notch. There are many interesting concept points besides demons: the guardian angel as a kind doctor, Purgatory in the form of a hospital or unfree souls as mental patients. I cannot say that Jacob's Ladder has some kind of unreleased potential, as it often happens with similar movies, no, it's made very well and does its job, even giving you points to think about, but its potential is too depressive and disgusting to make me rate it high. May be it's my own prejudice but I cannot rate high movies with similar messages inside, despite how profoundly they made.

Lady in White (1988)

Why independent movies are so weird?

[9/10 · 1 August 2008]

What makes a good mystery? First of all, weirdness. I've seen a lot of ghost-movies but only a few come close to the beautiful weirdness of this independent movie. Over 4000 people gave their pennies to make this movie come true and it was really worth it. Just like Taboada's "Hasta el viento tiene miedo", LaLoggia's "Lady in White" is an absolutely astonishing movie in every part of it, starting from the visual style to the plot. Of course, like in every movie made on low budget it has pretty bad special effects, sometimes so bad that you want the movie to be remade, but in fact, this is the kind of movie that's totally impossible to be remade without ruining its incomprehensible glamor. Once finished watching, someone would think that it's the plot that makes this movie so unique, but for a movie-lover it's not too hard to remember at least a couple of other flicks with similar plots but miles weaker than "Lady in White", so it's obvious that everything: acting, direction, music, design, photography; so well fit together so they create a potion of pure imagination incredibly interknit with an almost touchable reality. It's the best movie that can be called a screen version of a Christmas story told by the fire by your grand. More than worth watching.

Unfortunately this movie has not been released on DVD in Russia (just as "Hasta el viento..." and many other amazing fantasy movies), so I can share my admiration with only a few people.

Horror Express (1972)

Many flaws but still a classic

[5/10 · 30 July 2008]

I live in Siberia, so naturally a horror flick about a trans-Siberian express full of white-eyed zombies stirred up my interest. And what we have here: a great cast with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas and Alberto de Mendoza, rusty special effects, atmospheric environment of the snowy Siberia, improperly chosen music, a dashing mob of cossack zombies and a life form from the outer space; in other words as much good as bad. The style of the movie and its atmosphere are rather even and strong may be even to make you want to watch it more than once but its special effects and the "scientific" base are ludicrous beyond dispute. Anyway, it's really worth seeing, fun and memories are guaranteed. Interestingly enough, the first part of the movie evolves around a frozen mummy of a prehistoric man which later causes all the curse-like mess -- I instantly remembered the rumors of the curse of Otzi, the real frozen prehistoric man discovered in 1991 in the mountains just like in this flick!

Mystic River (2003)

Of the Three People without Hearts

[5/10 · 16 July 2008]

An intelligent movie telling us there are no such things as God, good and sanity, and about three people-shells without hearts and souls thinking they're doing bad things instead of the right because they have "lost their way" one day when they were children, blaming no one and thinking of nothing. The plot is incoherent, yet complete and satisfying but the very core of this movie, its point of view, is so twisted that I wonder has the author of the book the movie was made after any belief in human beings at all; it seems that humanity for him is a huge crowd of scoundrels, losers and jesters colliding like billiard balls. The slogan of this movie is surely "I've killed a man and the hell with it". Pure misanthropy. 5/10, for excellent acting and solid direction.

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Cyberghost wants a cyberchild

[6/10 · 13 September 2006]

This movie has only one strong side: the very idea of virtual entity dwelling in a network, moreover revolutionary because the movie was made in 1995 when the Internet had only started to evolve. The rest is simply a boring gunpacked action with futile attempts to create a kind of "bladerunnerish" atmosphere, futile attempts to develop a kind of cyberphilosophy and as result no character attracts our sympathy as well as any other emotion at all. Still we must thank this anime for inspiring Gabrielle Salvatores to create his truly atmospheric masterpiece "Nirvana" which borrows a lot of cyberworld details from the "Ghost in the Shell". I must confess that I tried very hard to catch a cyberpunkish vibe in the "meditative" parts of the "Ghost" but it was barely possible, too much action around these sections totally swiped the sprout of atmosphere away. In Nirvana I got it from the first frames.

Conclude: mediocre script with a great core, mediocre direction, tasteless beefy characters, tons of unnecessary nudity, nice visuals and amazing soundtrack. 6 of 10.

Stay Alive (2006)

Nice B-movie!

[6/10 · 8 June 2006]

I think every horror movie should be entertaining. Just like this one. I dunno maybe I think so because I am a B-movie lover, though what's the use of all those serious slimy/disgusting/gory "high art"? To get more negative emotions? I think we have 'em enough watching news. To avoid watching them again willingly (unless your artistic taste is already pathologic)? I know it sounds old but art should TEACH and ENTERTAIN! Like this movie and like every good movie in the world! The very idea was somewhat original, but the originality ends here. The rest is mediocre acting, mediocre CGI (though not that bad for a B-movie!), more than a mediocre plot and rather unsophisticated ending. The photography could be much worse, as well as the direction. Though there is an atmosphere, several rather eerie moments and even a moment that made me jump! Enjoyable and not boring at all. Worth watching to relax and to laugh. And to jump once or twice too. >:[

16 Blocks (2006)

In years...

[9/10 · 29 May 2006]

I haven't seen a movie in years that would be able to touch me as deep as this movie did. Here you won't see piteous freaks or ill children. Just two adults: one elderly white cop and one young black guy (even not really a criminal). But I'd never believe how touching one action-packed day of their lives can be! There are dozens of a-cop-and-a-criminal movies like this but they are all not nearly like this! They are stupid and I never liked that kind of flicks. This movie is splendid. It really should be something to make such a fantasy/sci-fi fan like me to like a criminal drama (not really a drama, read further). Maybe the very idea of the film is plain, maybe the plot has somewhat unrealistic turns (who proved that real life hasn't?) but the characters and their behavior is so real, full of senses and inside thoughts that their acting touches the very soul! And the thing I really loved: unlike many "high art" movies this one ends realistically WELL because, maybe I am too naive, God is kind and life is not a movie. Such a movie ends well: it was really a kind surprise for me! My bow to the director, he's genius. The actors as well. Someone is still able to shoot truly remarkable movies.

Mirror for a Hero (1987)

The Groundhog Day in USSR

[10/10 · 29 January 2006]

Take any of the Andrey Tarkovsky's movies, take away all the art-houseness from it and you'll get "Zerkalo dlya geroya". Quite interesting that I watched this movie when was a child and didn't like it because I didn't understand a thing, watched it when I was a teenager and quite liked it but didn't understand it anyway and finally I've watched it now and found that it's a great movie with a good and deep idea.

The plot (no big spoilers): Young Sergey (Sergey Koltakov) and his old father are two quite different men: Sergey cannot understand why his father is so concerned about the other people's fates, about fates of towns and villages and the fate of the whole country. He finds him an old fool, but Sergey's own fate soon forces him to understand his father. On a show of the rock band "Nautilus Pompilius" (semi-underground at the Soviet times) he meets Andrey, an aged man who was once imprisoned for an incident on a coal mine that was under his management. After the show they take a walk in a park and suddenly discover that a movie is being made there. The two want to find a better place to see the movie-makers set and Andrey suggests one. The two run around a high concrete fence and Andrey stumbles at a thick wire stuck in the ground. He falls. Once he is up the both men walk to the end of the fence and suddenly find there is no park behind it: they see a steam engine and a militiaman in the uniform of Stalin times, they find themselves in a little coal-mining town they were both grown in. Soon Andrey begins to think that fate gives him a chance to prevent the accident he was imprisoned for, Sergey unwillingly discovers his father's generation for himself, their time, their lives and what they lived for.

Acting, as well as photography and direction is absolutely amazing. The scenes in the old coal mine are stunning and unforgettable. Very sensible and thoughtful movie that still doesn't leave a heavy trace as all the Tarkovsky's works. And of course, some knowledge of who Stakhanov and NKVD were would be very helpful if you want to understand everything.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Enchanting

[8/10 · 23 December 2005]

There quite a few films that can actually enchant, like if you catch the golden bells' ringing and a warm smell that is suddenly filling up your childish mind with gentle memories. It's a kind of magic, of a kind magic.

Having the book read before, I am quite satisfied with the movie, while I wasn't with the Peter Jackson's LOTR. May be because "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was directed by a man who really loves that lovely book? The only thing that have disappointed me is that the Christian context has been nearly wholly removed, for it was the firmament of the Lewis' books. Aslan is Christ, his incarnation in the world of Narnia. Those who did never read the books will never make it from the movie, and this makes the film rather meaningless.

Nevertheless it's a great adventure for all big and small who has a bit of imagination: masterfully directed, without clichés, amazingly shot, with the great CGI and absolutely wonderfully acted (especially I liked James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus and of course, Georgie Henley). Superb movie, though the spiritual context would be able to complete the gem.

Shrek 2 (2004)

Not a fairy-tale anymore...

[6/10 · 2 December 2005]

My drop into this ocean: "Shrek" was an illustrious adventure/fairy-tale, "Shrek 2" only was making me wonder why did they need to put so much toil to model, animate and render it all when nearly all of this could be shot in real! The story of "Shrek 2" is just a well-made romance with a lot of fairy-tale characters. Not a fairy-tale. And don't expect the same wealth of humour as "Shrek" had. Of course it's pretty watchable and still even have something to remember but it's not THAT, you know what I mean. There are no particular things I really dislike, maybe only the tempo is too slow, too much talk (terrible squandering of the CGI work!) and, alas, no "modern fairy-tale" spirit "Shrek" had. And too much parodies also.

Kortik (1954)

Venturous children and good men of Cheka

[7/10 · 29 November 2005]

Unlike many other Soviet children I didn't see this version of "Kortik" in my childhood, and I think it helped me much now to look upon this movie through clear eyes.

The film leaves an ambiguous impression: at one hand it's a very good intriguing adventure with an amazing discovery in the end, at the other hand we have a movie made after a book written at the times when Stalin and Cheka were alive and yearning maliciously for myriads of unlucky people. As a result we see how the "good" men of Cheka help intrepid Pioneers to make a breathtaking but soaking-ideologically-correct discovery. And of course, the bad guy is a bandit and also a "bourgeois element" -- an enemy of the Soviet regime. Even I, living in the XXI century, am able to feel only the creeps when I see chekists' jackets, what can one say about an Anatoliy Rybakov who has only released his first book in 1947? He couldn't write it in other way, he would be merely destroyed then. As well as the filmmakers for the movie has been released only a few months after Stalin's death.

Though my rating is 7 due to the very strong ideologism, I recommend this movie because the actors' play is really great, the two boy protagonists are absolutely charming and the direction is rather notable.

Anna Karenina (1967)

Unbelievable

[10/10 · 27 November 2005]

Visually this movie is a black sheep among the other Soviet movies: it's shot absolutely astoundingly for a Soviet movie! Lighting and scenery are astonishingly crafted, wide-angle objectives, cranes and dollies are artfully used throughout the film making it look, despite of the poorly emulsified film (though not that bad for those times), like a highest-budget Hollywood movie. Photography direction and editing are also up to the highest notch! Direction and acting are great, no reason to praise anyone higher than the others (though my favourite is Nikolai Gritsenko as Alexander Alexandrovich Karenin). Truly a piece of a pure cinema art, absolutely creative, original and rich. Watch with pleasure.

Adventures in Bokhara (1943)

Treasure!

[10/10 · 18 November 2005]

Nasreddin, the Robin Hood of the East! Those who read the Leonid Solovyov's brilliant book "Povest' of Hodzhe Nasreddine" (The Tale of Nasreddin the Hajji) will surely value this treasure of Jakob Protazanov for it is the only its faithful screen version that has approached the mischievous spirit of the book so close. Also it's hard to imagine a better Nasreddin than Leo Sverdlin with his ever-glittering cunning eyes and radiant smile. May be Guljan could be a bit more beautiful, still she's rather cute, and the emir could be more stout, though these are only small spots that do not obscure the shining of the whole treasure that is always a pure fun to watch! There even quite a lot of phrases and songs in Uzbek, the native language of the Hajji! There is no political satire, it's only a just jeering over the ignorant Muslim customs of that time. Hoodwinking the rich and the powerful to help the poor and the humble, didn't Robin Hood do that? Oh, he has NEVER could do it as the good Nasreddin could! It you loved the swindles of Robin Hood you'll surely love the flaming flimflammery of Nasreddin!

Unfortunately, there is no subtitled or even a properly-translated version exist, and in fact, even the Russian DVD has been released only in 2005 by the Master Tape company, though the quality is of no complaint for a 1943 rarity. If you know Russian or managed to get a well-translated version somehow, ease your heart, watch and have a true Asian fun. Highly, highly recommended.

Serenity (2005)

A big space adventure

[5/10 · 15 November 2005]

My word of the thoughtful-yet-entertaining movie gentleman, "Serenity" is the one of the best sci-fi movies of the recent years. It's a very very good big space adventure. Original plot with very natural turns with very few the clichés (though there could be more turns and a bit less talk), no claptrap Lord-of-the-Rings-like sentiments but sincere senses, thoughts and even some good yet unobtrusive philosophy, and live and believable CGI's with the atmosphere! This is really the space sci-fi for all who dislike Star Wars for their "mechanicalism" and lifelessness of the environment, all the environments here are really live. In fact this is the only movie where I actually felt the spaceship flying, not the screens behind the windows! In whole, there are many many different elusive well-balanced details in the plot, in the characters and their behavior and in the scenery that are giving the whole movie an extraordinary believability. And yet it's pure entertainment, it's not a sort of heavy saga. It's just made with a head on the shoulders, not like the main load of movies are being made today. Good, very good entertainment movie. In the line with "I, Robot". 9/10.

Earthsea (2004–2005)

As good as Willow!

[7/10 · 17 October 2005]

It is already a use to compare every new fantasy movie to the Lord of the Rings, judging from that, in spirit as well as in realism of characters the Legend of Earthsea is far better than LOTR, and the effect of immersion into another world is much deeper. Indeed I've never felt the world of LOTR as "another world" but a slightly strange version of the our one. Speaking of the Earthsea movie, the only really weak portion I would mention is the plot which resembles any other fantasy work too much (as far as I know, the book has no *principal* plot differences from the movie). Before I saw Earthsea I knew only one actually good fantasy movie: Willow, then I saw Westender and now I've got the third one. Albeit it's not that joyful as Willow and not that esoteric as Westender but still equally moody. Somewhat poorly rendered SFX? I do not really care of them and in fact, I'm already tired of all those bombastic hair-rising "just like real" scenes, they are a waste of money: say "wow!" and forget. For Legend of Earthsea I say: watch and have fun, this one really leaves a good trace in your mind. I'd also like to praise the notable acting of Chris Gauthier, Isabella Rossellini and Jennifer Calvert: pure living.

Westender (2003)

One of the most believable fantasy movies ever made!

[10/10 · 23 July 2005]

The visually perfect endless series of paintings: astoundingly beautiful, surreal and lifeful. One of the most atmospheric movies I've ever seen, fresh and worthy of remembrance. No, it's no action, it's even somewhat slow. Out of all standards, sometimes it even looks like a sort of a video-clip put to the majestic (not bombastic!) symphonic music of Rob Simonsen. Despite of a plenty of dramatic moments the film still leaves a good trace. The story looks really like a part of the main character's life, not just a story written by an author: characters appear and disappear playing their roles in the spiritual quest of the hero, the hero moves to his ghost-like aim haunted by the memories of his recently lost love, analyzing his chivalrous past and finding himself on the rediscovered path of honour. A little-known gem. Hardly believable that someone is still able to make such movies in 2003. 10 out of 10.

Ghost Ship (2002)

The ghost story with classic scent

[7/10 · 15 July 2005]

Pretty watchable, well-made ghost story with a good amount of good suspense. More chilling than "The Haunting" though not that moody. Got all the classic B-movie elements, good SFX, no really disgusting scenes, not depressive but well scary atmosphere (at least in the first two third), not boring (maybe only a little). Emily Browning's, Karl Urban's and Gabriel Byrne's acting is notable, the other cast's acting is decent, shooting is good (especially I like the lighting and the camera plunging effects), directing is nice, editing could be slightly better (I don't like these popular Matrix-like speed-ups/slow-downs in some scenes). In whole, very recommended for having some good scary fun without any shocks. 7 out of 10.

Ring of the Nibelungs (2004 TV Movie)

In many ways better than LOTR!

[8/10 · 16 June 2005]

There are few movies that can impress me in a good way but... hard to believe but this one impressed me! Shame on me but I didn't read the original saga of the Nibelungs thus I cannot compare the movie with the source but as far as I can propose it's rather far from it. But still there is a great pack of "but still's" that make "Die Nibelungen" in many aspects much better and much more worthy to watch than its most comparable peer "The Lord of the Rings". First, here we see really believable, living and feeling characters instead of Tolkien's puppets. Many moments may be in fact made somewhat clumsy but the very spirit of the story compensates everything. Photography of Elemér Ragályi is superb, notable is the filtering: yellowish and bluish. Samuel West is amazing as king Gunther (very sincere acting!) and Alicia Witt as Kriemhild, the other actors are also good. The CGI-effects are rather impressive (thanks again to Elemér Ragályi for the astounding angles). Direction is good, may be only the second part could be shorter and more action-filled, yet the ending is somewhat straightforward it's not false and over-pompous as in ROTK and impresses greatly. Oh, just forgot to say that in fact is a love-story with bad ending! And to tell the secret: there is an abundance of different paganism in this movie, in whole there is a very strong pagan spirit comparable to "Den Hvite Viking" (The White Viking)! Also the rock/techno theme-song for the saga movie was a rather bold idea. Worth, worth watching!

To the Stars by Hard Ways (1981)

Hard to comment

[9/10 · 25 May 2005]

It's hard to comment this movie for the non-Russian auditory but I'll try to explain everything.

As far as I see nearly no one here knows the reasons why all the Soviet sci-fi had poor special effects. The reason is simple: in Soviet Union were NO commercial movie industry at all. Movie makers were making their movies and had month pays for their work. When they began making a new movie they showed the screenplay to the ministry of culture and if the ministry accepted it it allotted them some money from the state budget. Any sci-fi had never been that politically correct in comparison to war or revolution movies and thus the budget of such movies was ALWAYS very small. You can understand how much devotion to the work and art was needed to make such films in such conditions. This is the reason why soviet sci-fi movie makers always tried to put into their movies the things that were not dependent on budget. They put ideas. Soviet way of life and way of thinking was much enclosed in itself and developed enclosed. Influence of western culture was rather subtle because all the borders were closed. Contraband products were rare and highly illegal. No one have seen any of the non-Soviet sci-fi movies until the very end of 80's.

"Cherez ternii k zvyozdam" ("Per aspera ad astra" is the correct translation) have one of the best special effects ever made in the Soviet Union, seriously. So ignore them, they are not the central piece of the movie. The central piece is the ideas, the characters and the acting. The visions of the ecological catastrophe were rather fresh in 1981 for the whole world, the more in the Soviet Union where government always told everyone that the future is bright. According to the screenplay there should have been the ending title saying "All the scenes of the dying planet Dessa were shot at the territory of the Soviet Union". No need to say that that title was censored out (now it was added in the new re-edited DVD version).

I see that many of those who have seen "Cherez ternii k zvyozdam" misunderstand its plot. It's very strange because the plot is clear and straightforward, possibly it's all because of the poor translation. In fact only the concluding scene may be found somewhat strange because it has purely allegoric meaning: creation of the new life.

All acting is nearly perfect, no need to describe it, especially amazing are the roles of the economical tyrant Turanchox by Vladimir Fyodorov, Ambassador Rakan by Vadim Ledogorov and of course, Niya the Artificial Human by Yelena Metyolkina.

9 of 10. Find a well-translated version, turn on your brain and you'll understand why I rated it so.