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redneckyokel
Reviews
Lola rennt (1998)
Truly 10 out of 10
Although I wouldn't call it my all-time favourite film, Lola rennt ("Run, Lola, Run") is one of the very few movies that I would give 10/10 without the slightest hesitation. Groundbreaking in 1998, it has been a standard of excellence in film-making since. As much as it's brilliantly executed on all levels -- script, direction, editing, soundtrack (also written by Tom Tykwer), cinematography, acting, none of those elements stands out capriciously on its own, (as is the case with many ambitious projects of its kind.) All the elements in RLR come beautifully and effortlessly together to produce one of the most original and creative films ever made. Highly recommended.
11'09''01 - September 11 (2002)
All segments are not created equal
This is a very interesting project which could have been quite brilliant. Gathering 11 prominent international directors and allotting each of them 11 minutes, 9 seconds and 1 frame to create a segment of their choice; each short exploring the global reverberations of 9/11. Without using any spoilers, I would say that Ken Loach's piece is the jewel in the crown, and Mira Nair's short (segment "India"), based on a true story, deserves to be made into a full feature film. One also realizes, while watching his short, why Alejandro González Iñárritu is one of the best directors in the world today he simply is a master of the medium, who has also a profound understanding of the subject matter. Unfortunately, not all 11 parts are made as well. Youssef Chahine, in his segment "Egypt", assumes the Arab stance of the self-inflicted collective guilt, which piece could have potentially been the most interesting one. He fails miserably. Chahine's short is poorly written and badly executed, at least enough to stand out amongst other, superior chapters of the film. Despite the imbalance in quality, I would still give the film 7/10 for concept, if not for execution.