Blabbing about: Ivan's Childhood (1962)

Hello!



I'm not really sure how I came to this film, oh wait, I was searching for an anti-war film
and this came up. It looked the most interesting so I decided to give it a go and watch it.
(I really like films with a child as a main character. You could see the whole world through
the child's eyes.)

So lets the review begin!

Basic information:

Name of film: Ivan's Childhood (Russian: Ива́ново де́тство)

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Release year: 1962

Length: 95 minutes

Type of film: Drama, war, art-house

Basic plot: 

During World War Ⅱ, a 12 year old Ivan works as a spy on the eastern front (From IMDb)

Setting: 

The film is set during World War Ⅱ, on the eastern front (Well that's what it says on the "basic plot" haha)

Who was your favourite character and why?

Ivan, of course. how can someone not feel extremely extremely sad for him?

The dream sequences just make me cry. I also loved the Lieutenant and the Captain too.

Everyone was so kind. 

Did you feel any connection/sympathy towards any of the characters?

YES. Ivan, of course. I felt SO MUCH sympathy towards him. I just wanted to grab Ivan and drag him into this world and hug him and tell him that everything is okay...(Even though we can't really communicate lol) ...oh man.

What was your memorable/favourite scene and why?

I think that every scene from this film was memorable! But hmm... I would say all of Ivan's dream

sequences. UH, and that ending...oh god oh god. I just loved everything! I can't explain it all.

There were tons of memorable scenes, like when Ivan is in the car saying he doesn't want to get

sent to the school, the scene where Ivan and the Lieutenant talk and Ivan just starts to cry, the famous kissing scene...(But one of the thing I didn't quite understand was what was so significant about

the Masha? for example, I didn't really understand when she smiles at the forest... well, I'll get it someday I suppose.)

What was your most memorable/favourite quote and why?

There were heaps of memorable quotes in this film. I mean, pretty much every dialogue was memorable... 

Did this film remind of of any other films and why?

It reminded me of Wild Strawberries(1957), very surprisingly. I don't know why, but I kept

of remembering it while I was watching this film. Well, on Wikipedia it says:

"Famous filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman, Sergei Parajanov and Krzysztof Kieślowski praised the film and cited it as an influence on their work"

So I guess I am actually making sense haha. And wow, it also says Ingmar Bergman said:

"My discovery of Tarkovsky's first film was like a miracle. Suddenly, I found myself standing at the door of a room the keys of which had, until then, never been given to me. It was a room I had always wanted to enter and where he was moving freely and fully at ease." 

(I really need to watch more Bergman films don't I?)

What do you think were the main themes/ideas of this film and why?

Definitely the brutality of war.... and it told me a lot about human relationships as well.

(The relationship between Ivan and Captain was just extremely heartwarming)

Did you enjoy the film? 

YES. It was much much more than I thought (And I did expect a lot!) 

I didn't think that it will haunt me this much. Ivan was just hanging in my head the whole day.

I really, really loved this film. This is definitely a film you have to watch at least once in your lifetime. I thought the acting was AMAZING, Ivan was just fantastic. 

(and the Lieutenant was so handsome!) 

This was such a flawless film. I thought it was as perfect as a film can ever be. 

I'm sure I would watch this film over and over again. It is definitely going on my "favorite films" list!

Ahh... I am completely in love with the director. I can't wait to watch more of his works and discover

many many amazing films. I am actually starting to get addicted to foreign cinema, which is great!

Bye bye!

Blabbing about: The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Hello!

I was interested in this film since I
was looking for a nice classic romantic comedy.
(And look at the cast!)

well.. I knew about this film and had a DVD for quite
a long time but didn't feel like watching it.

Anyway, lets get onto the review(ish)
shall we.

Warning:May contain spoilers!

And oh, this is going to be a extremely short post.
I think...




The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Romantic comedy

I have to say first, that I didn't feel like watching
this film for a long time since I found out that
this was the.. what is it called?
The original version? of "High Society(1956)".
So, I knew that..I knew the plot so felt
very.."oh what....".
(Damn... If I only knew...I would of definitely
watched this first!) 

But, Since I thought I HAD to give it a go
for the last time, I finally did watch it all the way.

OK, so the first thing I have to say about this
film is that I thought Katharine Hepburn was GORGEOUS.
She was absolutely beautiful...uh.
(lol, I've actually only seen her in 
"Guess who's coming to dinner(1967)"before.)



And, of course the wonderful Cary Grant and
James Stewart was extremely handsome as always.


OK...about the story-line...
Well... I really can't say I got any surprises
or anything since I pretty much knew it all,
but..yeah,Personally, I can't say I loved the story,
Since I don't really like "two guys taking over one girl"
settings.(well... this is more like three guys, and I
have said this before haven't I? haha.)
I also don't like "girls taking over one guy"settings as well! 
I prefer it when it's just you know, two humans.No more!

Overall, I thought the casting of the 3 main characters
were great and enjoyed watching Katharine, Cary and James
very much, but would personally thought the story was so-so.
(Just not my thing.)

And, one last thing:
I know I'm not supposed to compare,
But yes, I liked Katharine Hepburn as Tracy
waaay more then Grace Kelly, haha.
But...though I love both "Philadelphia Story" and "High Society",
I personally enjoyed watching "High Society" more,
Yes, Because of the music.
(Everything in "High Society" was great, 
except Grace Kelly. Sorry!)



Bye bye!

Blabbing about: Papermoon (1973)

Hello!

So... I can't really remember when I first
knew about this film, but I fell in love with,
well, pretty obviously, the title.
And the wonderful poster.

I don't know why but I LOVE the
whole..what's it called? concept of "Paper Moon's".
I think its one of the most romantic things ever.
Yes, I do love the song "It's only a papermoon" to bits as well.
And, I love those floating moon things you sit on.
(Ugh.. I want to sit on one of those..My dream.)

So... I was always interested in this film and
finally had the opportunity to watch it! yay.
So here goes my very boring, extremely short review...

Warning: May contain spoilers!



Paper Moon 1973
Drama

So, The first thing I will have to say is
that I really enjoyed this film!
But...I actually don't know what to say about
this film to be honest...(as always).

I loved the characters, the relationships,
The beautiful black and white cinematography
the music...everything had a very nostalgic atmosphere.

I do think that one of the (or maybe the most)
important thing in a film is the atmosphere.
Like, every film has a whole different world
of it's own, right?
(But I dislike it when well, mostly recent films
try hard to make it have a atmosphere..
I shouldn't be made, it should be natural.)


I thought the performances of the two were
amazing and Addie was adorable.
I actually like the fact she smokes, to be honest.
(lol, this is not right isn't it)
It kind of shows us the times and the realities.
I think it's kind of romantic.

Addie Smoking, as usual.

And another small thing I love was the opening credits.
UGH, so perfect.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film and the best thing
about it was of course, the relationship between Addie and Moses.
It was just amazing,this whole film made me really happy.
It did make me laugh, feel sad, and smile.
It was a nice, cheerful, funny, nostalgic drama film
that shows you how beautiful human relationships can be.
This film will never get boring, and will
always end up putting a smile on my face.
Will definitely watch again!



Favorite Scene:
Just about every scene where Addie and
Moses is talking to each other.



"You still owe me two hundred dollars."

Blabbing about: Sunrise: A song of two humans (1927)

Hello!

So, I first knew about this film when I was browsing through a
blu-ray website when it came up as a recommendation.
(Yes...same as before haha)
And...Same as always, I fell in love with the
Blu-ray Jacket(Or cover?).
I do judge movies with the cover don't I?

The Blu-ray cover which I Saw.

OK, so here we go with the very short review.
(yes....very, very short and boring as always)

Warning: May contain spoilers!




Sunrise: A song of two humans (1927)
Drama/Romance

So I will start of by saying that......
I loved this film so much! it was extremely
beautiful and everything was so..uh..so amazing.
I fell in love.

Yes, I thought the special effects were
AMAZING. I thought that this was one of those
films you understand the meaning and the
greatness after you have finished viewing it.
I've only watched it once and urgently want to
watch it again.
And, since I watched it on DVD this time,
It has to be on Blu-ray next time!



The romance between the man and the wife was
so beautiful and I did cry at the scene where the man
breaks down when they saw a wedding.
I love that scene so much.
(Silent melodramas are amazing, aren't they?)

Oh yes, and one thing that I thought was..
Well, I can't say that I've seen many silent films
but the title cards in this film seemed kind of
different from other ones I have seen.
I wonder why? well, this isn't important isn't it.

Yes, This scene.

I loved all the scenes in "Sunrise".
Oh man.. I....seriously...need to watch again...ahhh.
I know that I am going to cry hard out next time ahaha.
I think this film would always make me happy.

And, one thing I would like to say s that I thought the
special feature in the DVD was amazing!
I thought it explained everything so perfectly.
(well,duh.) It definitely deepened my understanding of
this film.

Overall, It was such a lovely, tender and romantic film.
It was utterly flawless in every way possible.
(I love that fact that everything was so simple..
The characters didn't even have names.)

oh man... I don't have the brain (or vocabulary)
to explain the greatness of this film!!!I'm so sorry!!

One of the most romantic scenes I have seen on film.
Uh...makes me cry. 

But...one thing I am sure about this film is that
I will have a different opinion every time I watch it.
I definitely don't understand the whole..
what it is called? amazing-ness,
 (wait, is that even a word? lol)
completely, yet.(Well, of course.
After all, I am still just 16 years old.)

If someday, I turn out to be"The wife"(well...hopefully.)
I think I will have a completely different view on this whole film.
And when I am like, 80 I will have a completely different
view as well. I fell like I can watch it film for my entire life actually.

Favorite scene:
When the Man and the wife is getting their
picture taken, and they think that they have broken off
and lost the head of a sculpture that was in the room.

I need to watch more silent melodramas...
What are some other great films? I need to look
for one sometime.

"This song of the Man and his Wife is 

of no place and every place; 

you might hear it anywhere, at any time.

For wherever the sun rises and sets, 

in the city's turmoil or under the open sky on the farm, 

life is much the same; sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet."

Blabbing about: Wings (1927)

Hey-low!

I am really excited about writing this review(ish)!

So, I first knew about this film by..of course, watching "The celluloid closet".
I didn't really care much about it at first, but ever since I knew that
the wonderful Clara Bow was in it, I had to watch it.
It was a pretty lengthy for a silent film, and I took 3 days to watch it, haha.
But it was well worth it!

Warning: May contain spoilers!

 
Wings(1927)
War/romance

(I have NO knowledge on war and all that,
so I can't say anything about anything else then
the characters and the plot! sorry!)

The first thing I have to say is that,
the relationship(or should I say bromance?)between
Jack (Charles Rogers) and David (Richard Arlen)
was just AMAZING.
As hell.(They are both so handsome! ugh.)

I thought that they were.. adorable together.
Yes,yes, I know that they are just two good friends
but still, It just hit me.
(I can feel the "pre-code Hollywood" atmosphere..hehe)
I thought how the "celluloid closet" explained it,
"there was a time where men could express tenderness 
on the screen" was perfect.
That is the whole thing, you know?
just plain tenderness.



I thought that well, of course,
Clara Bow so charming as ever.
She lit up the whole screen every time
she appears.
And well, I can understand how she didn't really
like her role, but, there would of been SUCH a 
big difference if she Mary wasn't in the film!
Thank you Clara Bow, for being there.

Oh yes, I thought Gary Cooper was EXTREMELY
handsome. like, oh my god.
(He had a Cameo in another Clara Bow film "It(1927)"
Didn't he? I thought it will be like that in this film too,
But it was great that he actually was on screen for 
more then 10 seconds. And how amazing was 
that close-up shot on his face... )

Ok, so back to Jack and David.
I actually have so many things to say
now I don't know .. what to say (what??)

I thought this film was just so romantic.
Everything about Jack and David's relationship
was just beautiful.
(Hmm... the main romance is supposed to be
between Mary and Jack but how come
I always focus on just Jack and David?
and It's not even supposed to be a romance haha)

But, well, we are all supposed to see films
(or books or art..etc) and interpret it in our own way,
so, I personally believe.. or maybe something more like
want to believe is maybe that Jack and David's
relationship was something beyond friendship.
I actually don't want to say something
very straightforward like "they were gay",
Because that makes me sound really stupid.
Yes, I think it does, but... oh my god, I can't stop
myself from wanting that to be true! oh man.
Never mind. 
But I do really really think that they were "more then friends".
Yes. That has to be true.
(Maybe something in-between friendship and romance?)














What, what is it photo supposed to mean? haha.
Jack and David are having fun together and
Mary is left alone???

OK...now I shall talk about the
most famous(maybe?) part of this film.

The first on screen kiss between two men.


I feel like I have seen this scene so many times before
watching it with the actual film,
But it hits me every time.

I think this scene when David is lying down in Jack's arms
is one of the most saddest moments in film history. Really I do.

I think that this is one of the great things about silent movies.
I have to say that David's death tore my heart out but it
was extremely beautiful at the same time.
(A "sad" scene where someone dies in movies nowadays are
often really cheesy. They try so hard to make to us cry.. like wtf?)

Oh David...David....ahhhh..David..

I can't say anything to explain this scene then "beautiful".

But I have to say that "the kiss" isn't really a "kiss".
It's just beside the lip, as you can see. 
But, that's just as great. I'm extremely grateful for them to actually
make it happen!
(This "kiss" is told as a very good example of "pre-code Hollywood"...
so.. would this scene be cut if there was a production code then?
It wasn't supposed to be a romantic kiss, and its hardly as kiss anyway!
hmm.... production codes are stupid. As we all know.)



Oh yes, and I want to say that I thought the
action packed war-scenes were incredible!
I thought it was extremely well done and very realistic.
(I bet there are way more phony-looking scenes in recent
movies using crappy CGI haha.)
I don't understand anything about these war-fighting-scenes
so I pretty much had no idea what was happening
while all the planes were flying everywhere and going crazy
shooting one million holes through their enemies..but,
oh well. No one can understand a movie perfectly!


Best scene:

Of course, the "kissing scene".
I can watch it everyday, and cry all day.



In conclusion,
I thought this film was amazing, 
and was much much more then I expected.
Although I LOVE Clara Bow, and her character 
Mary, I have to say that I thought the relationship
between the two main characters, Jack and David was the best
thing in the whole film. Well, for me.
I will definitely watch this film again.
(hoping next time I can watch this on Blu-ray...)





What, why does Clara Bow look so left out 
in pretty much all the photos with the 3 main characters???
Like.. look at the second pic! you can just see her
Mumbling "Fu#k this... I hate you two."
(Oh and it isn't Clara Bow right... it's Mary.)


"You- you know there is nothing in 
the world that means so much to me as your friendship-"


Bye bye!

Blabbing about: Eyes without a face(1960)

I can't remember when I first knew about this film
but it was when I was browsing through some
random movie website and this film came up
as a recommendation.
It was in the Criterion Collection and I fell
in love with the DVD/Blu-ray cover at first sight.
It looked so mysterious and romantic....and
I search what the actual film was about and
Thought to myself "Oh man I can't watch this!".

The Criterion collection's cover that I saw.

I am extremely terrible with any kind of
gore/blood on screen (certainly not in real life either!)
And even thought this film is shot in black and white,
I thought I will have to watch it in 10 or so years time.
(I actually did think this.)

But... recently I came back to being interested in this
dark and thrilling looking film and decided to give it a go.
It haven't been 10 years but I thought that I can
handle a black and white 60's horror film now haha
(Oh man you think that I'm such a baby don't you?)

So here we go with my extra short review.

Warning: May contain spoilers!
This post will be very short by the way..

Les yeux sans visage (Eyes without a face) 1960

Horror/Drama

The first thing I want to say is that I thought

this film was nothing other then "Beautiful".

Oh man...uh...this film was extremely beautiful

and haunting.... The mixture (or should I say blend)

between the beautiful cinematography with the grotesque

scenes and the haunting images of the anguish and regret of

the characters...

I can't explain how perfect I thought this film was.

I'm too stupid! haha.

I love beautiful black and white horror films so much..

(Wait..this film isn't even supposed to be a horror isn't it?)

And.... What I also want to say is that I thought the

Poor daughter- Christiane was so beautiful..

(how many times do I need to use that word? lol)

I LOVED all her gowns so much and her hair too...

ugh...so amazing....

(What am I going on about? haha) And her "new face"

after the operation was very.. what is the word for it?

Believable? Like.. ugh.. I don't know what to say but

everything was amazing, full stop.

(I actually feel so ashamed and sad that I can cry

that all I can say about this amazing piece of art is 

this pile of garbage..I am so sorry!!!)

I can seriously stick a photo of her everywhere.

She is just so amazing......

(I love everything. Her hair, her gowns, her mask, her voice..)

Just her standing there in the screen makes the

whole atmosphere so painfully sad yet very beautiful.

I can go on about her forever! haha.

Oh, and yes, I thought that one of the things

that highlighted this film was- of course the father and

daughter relationship.

The father loved the daughter too much he

fell apart at the end...

And... the very famous "Operation scene" was 

very, very frighting.

My face was going "Oh my god...ahhhhh!!!"

Throughout the whole 5 minutes or so.

This film is over half a century old but it still

scares the hell out of me? wow...

(and...yes, even though this scene was very

grotesque it was still very-very beautiful.)

I thought the make up was amazing too!

(extremely believable. Uh, such artists.)

Overall, I loved this film very much...

I don't know how many times I have to use

the word "beautiful" but I just can't explain it 

in other words! (plus I have very poor vocabulary haha)

The characters,the music,the pretty gowns..everything

had such a quiet and haunting atmosphere.

I will definitely watch this film again but not right now,

I want to save it for later. I think that I will have

different option next time, and properly every time

I watch it.

So, I thought it was great watching a foreign film

and this is actually, very embarrassing but my second 

French film I have seen in my entire life.

(The first one is "Le chorus(2004)")

To be honest I didn't have any interest in French films

But this definitely changed my mind.

I think that I should look for another amazing,

Black and white(preferably horror again) French film sometime.

I think that I will enjoy a older classic then recent ones..

I shall stick another photo of beautiful Christiane

just for the sake of it haha-

I will never get bored of her.

"Smile. Not too much."