Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Released: 2013
Country: United States
Genre: Dark comedy, Drama
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Review
Set in the 1960s, ''Inside Llewyn Davis'' follows a few days in the life of folk singer Llewyn Davis (played by Oscar Isaac). Llewyn is a struggling singer, has no permanent job and his latest album hasn't been commercially successful.
''Inside Llewyn Davis'' takes us, well, inside Llewyn Davis. We see the world through his eyes. Several people around him consider him a loser; they think that he is messing his own life up. Are they right? Well, that depends on the perspective. But at the end of the day, the film does not ask us to judge Llewyn Davis but rather to spend a few moments with him and it does so successfully.
The song ''500 Miles'' is sung by two of Llewyn's friend and I thought this really reflected Llewyn. ''Not a shirt on my back/ Not a penny to my name/ Lord, I can't go back home this a-way''. Is Llewyn ashamed of himself? No. But he does look fed up with life anyway. In spite of that, however, he loves folk songs and although it might look that he has given up, but he does want to make something of himself in the world of folk music. But, nevertheless, he is frustrated. He feels alone and lost in a world where people have to race to survive. We feel for him.
Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake and John Goodman play important supporting roles. The cinematography is oh-so-beautiful, giving the film a very poetic aura. Oscar Isaac's performance is really very good and ultimately this great-looking, excellently-written film is really moving.
Directed by: Pedro Almodovar
Released: 1988
Country: Spain
Genre: Comedy-drama
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Review
I really admire Pedro Almodovar's films. ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' is my third Almodovar film- the other two being ''Volver'' and ''The Skin I Live In''. ''Volver'' is one of my all-time favorite films. ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' is a marvelous film too. I enjoyed every bit of it and would really, really recommend it.
The story is about Pepa, played by Carmen Maura, a well-known television actress whose boyfriend, Ivan, leaves her. Ivan does not even respond when she tries to contact him. Pepa apparently has something very important to tell him. Two days pass by and she still gets no word from Ivan. She starts suspecting that Ivan has gone back to his ex-wife Lucia. As she tries to find Ivan, a hilarious situation ensues that involves not just herself and Lucia but also: Candela; a friend of Pepy's who is in a deep trouble; Ivan's son Carlos- played by a young Antonio Banderas- and his fiance Marisa; a feminist lawyer who, through hilarious and coincidental ways- becomes involved in the story; a damaged telephone; a burnt bed; two policemen; and some spiked gazpacho.
At one point in the film, a character- after witnessing the messy and problematic situation that arises because of the things that happen in the film- asks Pepa if she is pulling his leg (when Pepa tries to explain the situation to him). The question comes as no surprise. The things that happen throughout the film are goofy and crazy and hilarious. It is simply crazy- the mess and hilarity caused by the characters. I laughed and laughed and laughed. At the same time, the characters and the antics kept me thoroughly entertained. The interesting thing is that they are all normal, average people (except Lucia, who had been in a mental asylum), but they are entangled in a hilarious, cartoonish situation because of their actions or the situation they are in. There aren't many characters in this film but the few characters are very interesting in their own way, each adding to the hilarity and goofiness of the story. The screenplay is excellent and the performances- especially those from Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Julieta Serrano (playing Candela) and Rossy de Palma (playing Marisa) are excellent.
This is definitely a very funny and entertaining film, but hidden in this hilarity is a serious story whose seriousness we almost forget while watching it but we are reminded of it anyway near the end of the film: the major focus is on Pepa, who has deeply loved Ivan- someone who never loved her back the way she loved him. Hidden in the hilarity of the situation is a story of unreturned love and betrayal.
Directed by: Hal Ashby
Released: 1971
Country: United States
Genres: Romantic comedy, Dark comedy, Drama
Cast: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Charles Tyner
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Review
''Harold and Maude'', directed by Hal Ashby, has it all: feel-good romantic comedy elements, extremely dark humor, hilarity, as well as emotional depth. It is a hilarious, witty, darkly humorous, romantic, (sometimes) mischievous and sweet film.
Harold Chasen (Bud Cort), in his early 20s, is obsessed with deaths and funerals. One of his favorite hobbies is to fake his own suicide. He has done it so many times that it does not scare his mother (played by Vivian Pickles) anymore. During his visits to funerals, he often notices an elderly lady (Ruth Gordon), and one day, the woman approaches him. She introduces herself as Maude. She is 79. Maude is happy-go-lucky, and lives life to the fullest. Mischiveous, extremely lively, and defying her age, she often gets into cars that don't belong to her and drive off. Her actions, undoubtedly, surprise Harold. With the passage of time, Harold and Maude become really close. When it comes to characteristics and lifestyle, Harold and Maude are exactly opposite: while Harold finds life hopeless and not worth living, the 79-year-old Maude loves her life, lives life to the fullest. Gradually, Maude teaches Harold that life is worth living, that life has to be enjoyed. Harold finds himself falling in love with Maude- and it is genuine, pure love.
''Harold and Maude'' is sometimes extremely funny, extremely hilarious, yet sometimes really touching, really very sweet. Both Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon give perfectly amazing performances. Ruth Gordon is so cute, so sweet! She is perfect in her role as the happy-go-lucky and mischievous Maude. Similarly, Bud Cort also gives an excellent performance. Vivian Pickles, as Harold's mother, is really good as well. I should also mention Ellen Geer, who plays Sunshine. Harold's mother arranges dates between Harold and three different woman, as she wants Harold to get married and settle down. One of these three women is Sunshine, an actress. Harold tries to scare her off, like he had scared the two previous women, but Sunshine, a talented actress, remains unmoved by Harold's trick, and instead peforms such a trick that manages to shock- if not scare- Harold. Ellen Geer's role is short, but really very amusing.
While there are sweet moments of romance, there are darkly witty moments as well. The very first scene of the film comes as a surprise. We see Harold hanging himself. His mother enters the room, and we naturally expect her to scream. But instead, she doesn't even react. We look at her, surprised. Only then do we realize that she is used to seeing this: Harold often fakes suicides, and his mother has seen him faking suicides so many times that she is now quite used to it. The thing he did at the very beginning of the film is such an example of his fake suicides.
To sum it up, ''Harold and Maude'' has humor, romance, and emotional depth. There were scenes that made me laugh and laugh and laugh, and still make me laugh when I think of them, and there are scenes that are really touching. It is a wonderful little film.
4.5 out of 5
Directed by: Joel Cohn
Released: 1996
Country: United States
Genre: Crime, Drama, Dark comedy
Cast: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review
''Fargo'' is the story of something that starts as a not-so-serious crime but then results into drastic, tragic, dreadful consequences that affect the lives of many people. A visual beauty with great atmosphere and cinematography, ''Fargo'' is a film that remains unforgettable; it's not easy to forget how beautiful, how atmospheric the film looks, and throughout the film, so many unexpected things, shocking things happen; there is the great screenplay, there is occasional humor, and of course, there is Frances McDormand, who undoubtedly gives an amazing performance. Unforgettable gem.
It all starts when Jerry (William H. Macy) urgently needs some money, and gets in touch with criminals Carl (Buscemi) and Gaear (Stormare), and asks them to kidnap his wife, Jean. He will ask his wealthy father-in-law to pay the ransom for Jean, and will keep some of the ransom money, and after Carl and Gaear get the rest of the ransom money, Jean will be released. Simple, it sounds. Really simple. And Jerry doesn't worry much because he knows that Jean won't be hurt; as soon as the ransom money is paid off, Jean will be released.
Jean is eventually kidnapped, but, then... the idea had been simple, quite harmless, but nothing goes according to the original plan. ultimately, this crime leads to murders, bloodshed, tragedies, and more murders... the crime results into more crimes, drastic consequences... and the police has to intervene. The investigation is done by Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), a pregnant police chief, and in spite of her pregnancy and health, she is extremely dedicated to her work, calm, hardworking, and witty. She looks into the horrible crimes that take place throughout the film, and ultimately, none but her can solve the case.
Jerry had meant it as a harmless little venture, but who could have guessed the drastic consequences of this, of the crime that had been meant to be so simple?
Frances McDormand gives an amazing performance, as the amusing, intelligent and hardworking police chief, dedicated to her husband, dedicated to her work, dedicated to figuring out the reasons for the inhumanity and tragedies that take place over the course of the film. She definitely deserved the Oscar she won that year!
Steve Buscemi is quite amazing too, and so is Peter Stormare. Buscemi's performance as Carl, the one can understand that his life is falling apart because of the crimes that they are committing. Gaear, on the other hand, is the impassive one; I can't remember if he ever smiled or showed much emotion throughout the film. Impassive and never displaying his emotions, yet violent and cruel.
Another performances that I must mention is that of Kristin Rudrud, as Jean. The role is quite small and has very little screen presence, but during the scene the character is chased by Carl and Gaear, Rudrud's performance was so strong, as the scared and innocent Jean that I felt so much pity, so much sympathy for the character. Amazing performance by Rudrud.
The snow, and the cinematography, and the locations, create a very beautiful atmosphere and looks throughout the film. There is humor, too, and there is the overall tragedy, the overall severity of the situation. It's a film that shows us how dreadful things like this can be, how a simple crime can result into serious tragedies, graver crimes. It is an unforgettable film, atmospheric, shocking, saddening, and thought-provoking.
5 out of 5
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| The titular character |
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Released: 1964
Country: United States
Genre: Dark comedy, War
Cast: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review
I didn't really expect to love ''Dr Strangelove'' as much as I did. It is a bizarre film, there is no doubt in that, and yes, a great film; very entertaining, dryly and darkly humorous, and though it deals with a grim and fatal situation, the severity of the situation is overshadowed by the dry humor, the bizarreness and comedy that prevails throughout the film due to the actions and words of the characters and their behavior. The film never tries make us forget the serious situation that it deals with, but the dry humor, weirdness and wackiness definitely keeps us entertained and amused; I ended up loving this film!
Set during the Cold War, General Jack Ripper (Sterling Hayden) orders the airborne bombers to attack Russia with nuclear bombs. He does this without the permission (and knowledge) of his superiors. When they come to know about this, everybody, including the President, Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers), are very concerned. They plan to call the bombers back, but the only way in which they can communicate with them is through a code that is known to none except Ripper himself. They think that it would be ridiculous to try all the possible codes, as it would take hours to try all of the codes. Worried and concerned, the President calls the Russian ambassador and informs him of the situation. The Russian ambassador informs them of something even more drastic: if any attack is made on Russia, a particular device made by the Russians will be triggered on automatically, which will cause the destruction of the entire plant and animal life of the world, leading to the destruction of life. Hearing this, everybody is scared and worried, but what steps can they take? For consultation, they have Dr. Strangelove (played by Peter Sellers), an ex-Nazi with an uncontrollable hand...
On the other hand, back in Ripper's office, Group Captain Mandrake (another role played by Peter Sellers) tries to convince Ripper to tell him the code, but to no avail...
These are the three major locations that we see throughout the film: the War Room, Ripper's office, and inside the aircrafts. In the War Room, there is an increasing amount of tension as the people inside the room start worrying about the drastic situations that will arise if Russia is attacked. In Ripper's office, we see Ripper and Mandrake, as Mandrake (unsuccessfully) tries to convince Ripper to call the bombers back, or to give him the code. And in the aircraft, the bombers keep approaching...
The film deals with a severe and drastic situations, but oh, I don't think I have ever seen a film like this one, a film that, without making us forget the severity of the situations, makes us so amused; it's such a hilarious, darkly comedic film. Stanley Kubrick is indeed one of the greatest directors ever (I am going to watch his most famous movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, soon). Some very unforgettable bits from the film: General Turgidson and the Russian ambassador start fighting; they are interrupted by President Merkin Muffley, who says "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" A perfect, amusing example of irony, isn't it? Dr Strangelove, a bizarre and odd character, a knowledgable scientist, is himself an extremely amusing character. The way he speaks, his expressions, and most notably, his uncontrollable hand- all these are all unforgettable. Peter Sellers's performance is AMAZING, as the three characters, Dr Strangelove, President Merkin Muffley, and Group Captain Mandrake. The ending... I didn't really expect it; it was so sudden and so unexpected!
And now a few words on the technical aspects. The cinematography is excellent, and I also loved the humming score; it's very memorable.
Overall, this film is unforgettable; though the story deals with a severe, dangerous situation, it never stops to be hilarious and is dryly, and darkly, comedic throughout. A really great film, one of the best films Kubrick made!
5 out of 5
