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MovieLoverLondon
Reviews
Normal People (2020)
The ultimate depiction of love between soulmates
Obviously, there are (too) many films about finding "the one"; many of them disappointing and not very clever, to put it politely. Do not let this discourage you from watching Normal People!
This TV series speaks to both genders and young and old in an equally powerful or should I say overwhelming way. No, "overwhelming" is clearly too weak a word here:
It is a soul-crushingly tender, intimate and heart-wrenchingly beautiful depiction of true love and all the good and bad that happens despite and because of it.
Our need for belonging, for connection, for love and sex, for the feeling of being truly understood and appreciated as who we are is presented in the most artistically perfect way. Mixed-in are coming-of-age issues, how to lose yourself and find yourself again as a teenager and young adult slowly growing into the person you chose to become.
It is a rare jewel of a series and for me one of the most captivating in my many decades of watching TV.
Everything (and I mean everything!!) is cutting-edge perfection: casting, editing, the music, cinematography, and obviously most of all the writing and the acting.
But on top of all that the thing you cannot force or teach or fake is the incredible chemistry between the two lovers. The two of them are a pure delight to watch, reacting to each other's emotions, flirting and touching each other.
My advice is to lock yourself in your room with at least two bottles of red wine and drown yourself in Marianne and Connell's world and life.
It is a roller coaster ride of joy and pain which will stay with you for a very long time.
P.S. You MUST binge-watch this one to get the best experience!
Columbus (2017)
This is why I love Asian culture
The bad news first: If you are below the age of 25 years and have grown up with media, the internet and your phone systematically ruining your attention span and if you now need at least two screens to keep you entertained... this film is not for you. No explosion, no CGI, no car chases, not a single person dies a painful death..., I know, it's a disgrace, they call this a movie nowadays...
The good news: For all of you grown up in an analogue, boring world with a slow pace and room for reflection, silent pauses and subtleties, you have discovered a gem worth watching! It also helps if you are into architecture.
Haley Richardson carries the film and is an amazing actress. I hope we will see a lot more from her over the next years!
Bap Jal Sajuneun Yeppeun Nuna (2018)
This is why I love Netflix soooo much!!
Nobody else would have considered producing this. It is too slow, too repetitive, people are too sensitive for the story to sell outside Asia, it's overall "too Korean", people spend too much time eating and drinking and many other reasons.
I am a European, old, white male and therefore as far away from the intended target group of this movie as possible (I guess). And yet, the characters and the story got me hooked within 15 minutes and I binge-watched to the end. Character development is beautiful and slow, timing is impeccable, drama is balanced with light comedy in an effortless way, every single actor is well cast and executes perfectly. And most of all, it is incredibly refreshing to see sensible "normal" people compared to all these overly egoistic and egocentric characters in American blockbusters that are only motivated by money, sex, violence, power... I probably should add that I am a hopeless romantic who watches Casablanca every few years and still enjoys it every time. If you fall into this category, no matter what else you like or dislike I highly recommend this series. Also if you are interested in Asian cultures or have never been to Korea you will probably learn a lot. The reason why I started using Netflix was Sense8. And this series also has the tenderness and "love conquers all" message but without the sex scenes obviously :-)
Jason Bourne (2016)
What a terrible waste of great actors!!!
The 3 stars are all for Alicia who does a good job. It is not her fault that she was miscast so terribly... I wanted to like this movie so much but you really don't get a chance. There is no story, no character development, only one single death scene to empathise with Bourne, no love story, no real drama... All you get is one chase after the other and even they make no sense. On top of this they are shot with the now standard "shaky" camera but then edited at a speed that most of the time it is a blur and not enjoyable. Extremely disappointed, there could have been so much more. The Bourne story has so many angles and room to grow into. All in all very sad...
Lore (2012)
Extraordinary and very disappointing at the same time
What a terrible waste...
Saskia Rosendahl 10 out of 10; Cinematography by Adam Arkapaw 10 out of 10
They both will win Oscars one day, I bet! ;-)
BUT
"Story" 1 out of 10
Character development 1 out of 10
The film moves slowly (which I like) and is beautifully shot.
The love-hate relationship between the main characters could have made a great story but is completely wasted. Most of the time you are left wondering why (on earth) the character would behave like this in this particular situation.
The inner struggle and conflicting emotions of Lore regarding the Nazis and her parents role in the system are boiled down to three short scenes (without spoken words) and could have been a great story as well...
Observe and Report (2009)
VERY disappointed!!! Don't waste your time and money!
Where do I begin? There is virtually no story, there are no twists or surprises, people are ONLY stupid, (which would not be bad in itself but) it is NOT presented in a funny way! OK, I must admit there are possibly 75 seconds in this film that are mildly entertaining... The three other people in the cinema and I were thoroughly disgusted and I felt a strong urge passing the cashier on the way out to ask for my money back. I should probably add that I am a big Seth Rogen fan and just loved his other movies. He is a great actor wasted in a terrible film. The same is true for Liotta and Faris. DO NOT GO to see this film in the cinema, don't waste your money on the DVD, do not watch it on TV some years from now..., you have been warned. I cannot understand what kind of person would give this film a rating of more than one star. P.S. This is my first comment on IMDb. I felt I had to write after watching this...