%@SAW BASTERDS AND IT'S GOOD_+

Inglourious Basterds is so much fun! Go see it. The dialogue is great and Christolph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa is really as good as everyone says he is so I'd say they did a great thing by giving him the prize for best actor in Cannes. Charlotte Gainsbourg's choice for best actress for Antichrist not so much. She was good, but I didn't feel her performance was that great. Perhaps they let her win because she does things not every actress would dare to do or maybe there just wasnt a better female performance to choose from.
Tarantino in my opinion always delivers. When you go see one of his movies you know what to expect. I always like how he builds up a scene. He really takes the time to let it develop towards a satisfying climax like one scene at a bar in which Diane Kruger's character is introduced for the first time. Having seen the trailer I expected Brad Pitt to be really annoying because of his accent, but I loved his character. The film is filled with stereotypes, some which will make you laugh real hard. Overall it's very witty and clever. One of the most enjoyable films I've seen so far this year.

Shot by David Magnusson




Via COÛTE QUE COÛTE

#!ENTRE LES MURS*{

I just saw it, Entre Les Murs, and I really enjoyed it as did most of the audience from what I could see by looking at their response. I definitely can see why it won the Palme D'Or at Cannes early this year. I like how different it is from last year's winner 4 Luni, 3 Saptamâni Si 2 Zile, but then again, maybe it isn't that much. Both films really focus on a certain issue which at the period of time that the film is situated in is very much alive. Where 4 Luni dealt with abortion in Romania of the '80s, Entre Les Murs deals with contemporary issues of France by looking at it from the perspective of the youth. Presenting a class of 14, 15 year olds and the everyday tension between these kids and their teacher, Entre Les Murs really centres on this particular moment in time. A class of kids from different nationalities, a class of kids who seem bored, not at all interested in school, Entre Les Murs shows issues which are going on today not only in this class but at a much larger scale. It provied a nice example of today's youth, the way they act to their teacher, to each other. It really succeeds in giving a realistic view of today's youth and what goes on inside the classroom. If this film was made in Hollywood you probably would have had this story of a teacher who would change his class and would have made a difference with all of the kids eventually arriving on the right side of life, overcoming all of the issues. A film a la Dangerous Minds which starts with a class of no good, but ends up with the kids really looking up to their teacher and all of them doing better. Entre Les Murs takes a complete different path and even its teacher doesn't always know what to do and you can even question if how he acts is correct or not. I thought this was one of the most wonderful aspects, that instead of showing this picture perfect teacher, he also has flaws and struggles in finding the right approach for addressing these kids and he too makes mistakes. Entre Les Murs shows issues which exists in society at large, but showing that these already are existent in an everyday class room filled with kids of different backgrounds. At one point one of the kids speaks of how during the African cup some of the African people don't have any team to support when they don't qualify, which has one of those kids saying that he actually does has a team to support, the French team, 'cause he insists, he is French, though his parents might have a different background. Entre Les Murs really manages to kind of let the bigger issues seep through unnoticed, without putting too much emphasis on them. But through everyday issues that a class deals with issues at large come to be addressed. I really enjoyed it. It's very thought provoking and leaves you with enough content to discuss. Go check it out if you can!

~*HUNGRY FOR HUNGER>"

I saw Hunger today, a film by Steve McQueen and winner of the Golden Camera (Camera D'Or) at Cannes earlier this year. First I wasn't all that interested to go and see it. But then they paid special attention to it on De Wereld Draait Door, that Dutch show I mentioned before, and knowing that it won the Golden Camera and reading about its great cinematography on this Oscar site called Awardsdaily, I became much more interested in seeing it. So today I went with my parents and I can say that it's definitely a must-see. At times though it can be a very tough film to watch. McQueen isn't afraid to show violence nor bloody imagery and at the end Michael Fassbender's starved body, the actor who plays Sands, makes for some very disturbing scenes. Seeing his body in this state, so fragile, you become much more aware of your own body, suddenly being afraid that your body might break as well. You're so into it that you come to completely identify with the body on screen through your own body. Fassbender's body, like that of Christian Bale in The Machinist, recalls those disturbing and eerie images of Holocaust prison camp workers. Hunger definitely is far from an easy film to watch, but even though some of the images can be disturbing at times because of what they show, it's how they are shown which makes the film a real triumph. I loved the use of camera angles, its close-ups, the long takes. It's a very artistic film which is due of course to McQueen's background as an artist making films which have been exhibited in art galleries. Hunger is his first feature length film. What I also loved was the way he introduced Sands. This film is about Bobby Sands and at the same time it isn't, or at least it isn't just about him. Other characters are given some good screen time as well. McQueen manages to, even though eventually putting much of the focus on Sands, give a much broader view, being able to really depict a sense of what all IRA prisoners were going through in the Maze prison. It's a very affective film, very realistic, and beautifully shot. Some of the compositions had me holding my breath for a moment and the film, mostly bleakly coloured, ends with some nice green images situated in the woods. The film really succeeds at every level and should be able to really reach a large audience.