I watched this film 'cold', without looking at trailers and reading reviews or 'the book'. So her is my lasting impression.
The characters were excellent and the story moved through action sequences and general dialogue without a pre-set pattern so, in short, the viewer could be shocked at any moment. This was used to great effect in many scenes, to the benefit of the storyline, until the 'end' of the film.
However, after watching almost everything there was to see, then getting ready for some sort of finale to answer a whole list of questions and discover the, 'who', 'what', 'where', 'when', 'why' of the whole film, we are suddenly greeted with the 'end credits'.
I had ordered this title in the 3 for 2 offer in october 2008 , and was subsequently informed that it was out of stock and the estimated arrival date would be 14/04/09! Obviously I canceled it, only to find out that
it is now back in stock! Now is that some bad customer service or what...
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The issues underpinning this film are ones which provoke the strongest of opinions, with very few being able to occupy a grey middle-ground. Who has the right to decide when a life should end, when the holder of that life wants his to stop, but needs help to achieve that end?
This film is no dreary discourse on the ethics of euthanasia. Nor is it a life-affirming piece filled with cod philosophy and hope. What it is is a masterfully-acted sweep of underplayed emotion and artistic film-making which simply captivates. The acting is superb. There are characters here who make you weep - not through overplaying the emotionally-charged subject matter, but by quietly shouldering the events that life has thrown at them, dealing with them, and ... Read More:
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A beautiful film in every terms: from outstanding cinematography to dazzling ambiance, from stirring performances to gripping theme. Having the bittersweet taste of an independent film, it defies categorization, grimly realistic and highly improvisational. What I particularly found captivating is its almost-documentary nature and realness, a razor-sharp realness disguised under character persona.
The film traces the chaotic life of Cuban novelist Reinaldo Arenas, from his unwanted birth in absolute poverty in Oriente to his death in NYC at the age of 47. Multi-layered and absorbing, the film follows a narrative-based episodic course and never gets bogged down in long and boring psychological analyses and free from any kind of unnecessary details. ... Read More:
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This is a haunting, visually-striking, absorbing film. Set in Spain just before and then during the Napoleonic War it centres on the life and work of the celebrated artist Francisco Goya. Stellan Skarsgard turns in an excellent performance in this role, far from the sort we usually se him in, but in terms of impact the main character is the fanatic Lorenzo. Javier Bardem turns in a stellar performance as a softly-spoken well-mannered man who gives the impression of having a soft human side but who is capable of the most extreme cruelty (all for a higher cause, of course): the sort of man who over dinner will calmly explain that it is perfectly in order for the Inquisition to use confessions obtained by torture as proof of guilt because God will give the innocent the strength to withstand ... Read More:
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This film shows clearly that a good actor should just stick to his role, leaving the direction to who has that competence or talent. The Dancer Upstairs shows an extremely poor direction since the opening, followed by poor script, poor photography, poor music down to even a wrong title! The cast is of student level and the protagonist, Javier Bardem, one of my favorite actors [The Sea Inside, Before Night Falls] victim of probably the worst direction of his career. What to say? They didn't even get the title right, in fact the dancer, who is the lover, is actually downstairs not upstairs!!! This film will disappoint you, don't be tempted by the price.
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This film shows clearly that a good actor should just stick to his role, leaving the direction to who has that competence or talent. The Dancer Upstairs shows an extremely poor direction since the opening, followed by poor script, poor photography, poor music down to even a wrong title! The cast is of student level and the protagonist, Javier Bardem, one of my favorite actors [The Sea Inside, Before Night Falls] victim of probably the worst direction of his career. What to say? They didn't even get the title right, in fact the dancer, who is the lover, is actually downstairs not upstairs!!! This film will disappoint you, don't be tempted by the price.
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Victor is born on a late night bus, and together with his free bus pass for life we follow him after a life changing event which results in him being sentenced to jail over a shooting.
The shooting takes place when Victor takes a shine to drug addict Helena. After being spurned the ensuing argument attracts the police. A police officer is shot and paralysed from the waist down. Here four lives come together, and six years later, when Victor is released from prison - these four lives, and the life of Clara, a police officer's wife will intersect.
Giving details of the plot would confuse and ruin the effect of the film. But Almodóvar ensures that the characters aren't bland - each has a history and all are well developed. At first this looks like a simple psychological thriller concerning ... Read More:
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Victor is born on a late night bus, and together with his free bus pass for life we follow him after a life changing event which results in him being sentenced to jail over a shooting.
The shooting takes place when Victor takes a shine to drug addict Helena. After being spurned the ensuing argument attracts the police. A police officer is shot and paralysed from the waist down. Here four lives come together, and six years later, when Victor is released from prison - these four lives, and the life of Clara, a police officer's wife will intersect.
Giving details of the plot would confuse and ruin the effect of the film. But Almodóvar ensures that the characters aren't bland - each has a history and all are well developed. At first this looks like a simple psychological thriller concerning ... Read More:
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