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Propaganda (2012)
The propaganda film that wasn't (but still is).
Wait a minute, a mockumentary pretending to be a real propaganda movie to deconstruct the mechanisms of propaganda by the means of propaganda? An undercover release via YouTube as a calculated part of the viral campaign for a guerrilla film that is sailing the seas of consciousness under a false black flag? A made-up but nonetheless disturbingly accurate and hard-hitting critique of western society and civilization, allegedly through the eyes of a north korean Professor of Psychology, which deliberately contains some glaring factual inaccuracies but also many bitter truths?
Uh, err... wow, let me stomach this first.
What one really has to admire is the messed-up genius behind director Slavko Martinov's first work, which he reportedly assembled literally without any budget, over the course of eight years. Not only because the movie is beautifully crafted in its mixture of fact, fiction and... yes, propaganda, but also because this has to be the most intelligent viral campaign that I've seen so far. How successful and relevant it is can be easily measured by the fact that while I write this, there are still discussions taking place where this movie is viewed and argued as "authentic" from both sides, despite the fact that its true nature has been revealed many months ago and there are even IMDb and Facebook entries for it. But anyway, I'd predict that people unaware of its true origin will continue to do so for years to come, because this reflects exactly the kind of "research" many people do before stating their opinions - none.
By the way, when asked for the inherent message of his film, this is what Marinov had to say: "Question everything; everything you read, see, or hear. It's a simple thing and everyone is capable of doing it."
I can only subscribe to that.
10/10
Religulous (2008)
Who's laughing and who's not?
Straightforward, snotty and constantly doubtful - If this is a documentary, it's not about Religion in the first place but about the host, Bill Maher, and his personal half sardonic, half socratic take on it. Personally, I would say "Roots of all Evil" is the better movie, but needless to say this is way funnier, in a making-fun-of-the-handicapped way. By confronting his interview partners with the sheer amount of irrationality (aka "faith") of their beliefs, Maher delivers some laugh-out-loud real life satire, sometimes mixed with more than a dash of friction, but then again, reading some of the reviews here on IMDb might prove to be an experience as revealing and humorous as the movie itself.
Bottom line is, I enjoyed it immensely, but I already knew Religion was a joke.
8.5/10
The Last Legion (2007)
Cheesy poof!
I was just watching this movie fifteen minutes ago, and it almost left me speechless. Not because Ben Kingsley's in it. By now, everybody should know that his "Gandhi" days are long past forgotten and after starring in "Blood Rayne", I've come to expect the worst of him. Also not because it contains some of the most hilarious bad acting since "Indiana Mutt and the Crystal Numbskull." No, it was because this movie simply is the perfect embodiment of processed cheese, gleefully smeared on a screen. And as always with those genetically faked all-natural ingredients, it has you wondering if it really DID taste better the last time you ate it ...
To the point, about everything in here is totally, unbelievably cheesy: the action, because obviously no one bothered to make it look half way serious (Where's that damn stunt coordinator Mel Gibson hired for "Braveheart" when you need him?), the costumes, because one couldn't help but notice how embarrassingly cheap they were, the pee-pee-poor dialogue uttered by characters cut out of a wet cardboard box still dripping with script-writers urine, a plot straight outta development hell, where you can see the final twist coming from a dozen Galaxys far far away... And did I mention the whole let's-just-pretend-it's-acting yet? Colin Firth (who is arguably the lead character) plays his part like he's not paid enough to care, above mentioned Ben Kingsley auto-delivers some corny Gandalf ripoff which could've made the whole "Lord of the Rings" trilogy fail miserably (provided they had him using the same ridiculously fake blue beard), and Miss Rai ... well, let me say she's a beauty to behold, until she remembers why she's on screen in the first place. And if I tell you now that she's the single one character in this (supposedly heroic action-)movie who gets all the best fighting scenes, it should tell you something about what's considered "best" here. But at least, you can see she's used to moving her butt from all these dancing classes and stuff, but the others all look like they could't fight their way out of their own underpants unless threatened at gunpoint by Samuel L. Jackson, demanding his entrance fee back ... but okay, let's just be merciful and pretend this never happened. BTW, there were some more once-famed-for-I-dunno-what actors in the cast, but I completely forgot about their completely unmemorable performances as soon as they left the screen.
Bottom line is, one could easily smite this as a cheap and loveless medieval / fantasy hybrid for mental midgets which pretends to have something in common with "Gladiator" while dressing up as a dim-witted Hobbit, but if you're into unintentionally droll movies like "Battlefield Earth", you'll only be half disappointed that you rented this boredom-steaming pile of turd and not "300" again. On the other hand, if you're still twelve years old and therefore in the target audience, you might enjoy this flick anyway, but that's plain because you don't know any better.
The Girl Next Door (2007)
Pure evil!
Wow, even some of the reviewers of this movie seem to be at a complete loss of words when they try to describe the picture. They barely understand why it is so frightening, why they can't sleep afterwards or what it is that chills them to the bone. I can offer an explanation: this film depicts acts made of pure evil, evil in its most disturbing form. Not committed by some entertaining movie-maniac like Freddy or Pinhead that cracks jokes while slaughtering folks, but by something that is a lot more frightening, more haunting and terrifying: an entirely normal human being. Other reviewers seem to miss a motive for the atrocities, a reason for the escalation, apart from Ruths obvious derangement and general frustration with life, and ask why the others (especially since they're still kids) join in so easily. They are actually looking for explanations. C'mon, people, wake up! It's the same thing that makes drunk daddy hit his five year old with an empty liquor bottle or beat mommy to a pulp right in front of the eyes of his terror-frozen offspring. Because he can, that's why. Because he's frustrated and in a position of absolute power, and power tends to corrupt, doesn't it? Now, combine this with barely suppressed unfocused anger and you have your motive. First comes frustration, then anger, then violence, then abuse. One might say it's the devils ladder, a downward spiral straight to hell. And when they get to the bottom, sick individuals like Ruth might even get some revolting kind of kick out of the fact they can use and abuse the weak to their liking. Just like a kid that tortures a frog or beats up a smaller co-ed, tapes it with a handy-cam and posts the clip on youtube to boast with his inhumanity. Plus, you never needed the devil to rape, mutilate or open up a KZ - a mere human will always suffice. So, to the rest of you: be warned, folks, if you're looking for cheap thrills, this is not the right movie for you. Neither is there anything in it one in his right mind could "enjoy", like, let's say, your average horror flick. Rather be prepared to be filled up with anger and sadness to the bottom of your very soul. I won't watch this a second time, but surely its art, though not the pleasant kind.
8/10
Ben X (2007)
A really big small film
Since the plot, creator and cast performances and are covered at length in other reviews, I'll only give you a personal viewpoint - guaranteed spoiler free. ;-)
From a completely unknown director, with a completely unknown cast, emerging from an (almost, heh) completely unknown European country comes "Ben X", a brilliant little drama that moves and shakes with its authenticity, its boldness and compassion. If you're expecting it to "live up to the hype", "score big time" or re-innovate the industry, go away and watch American Idol instead. This isn't the right movie for you to stuff in your overfed bellies between lunch and supper. But if you're on the lookout for one of these rare gems that come along every once in a while, that touches your heart (provided you still have one), grinds your teeth and makes you want to jump out of your seat, shake your fist and fight for a better world once the end credits have rolled, you've come to the right place. This is more than just one step (lightyears, in fact) away from the boring and shallow laziness, the stupidity and repetitiveness of mainstream Hollywood cinema. The pretty modern 'gamer scenario'(or, if you prefer, 'plot device') nonewithstanding "Ben X" is deeply human and works mainly on an emotional level not everyone seems to be able to stomach these days. One might say by watching this movie, you might actually learn something about the human condition, or at least the condition of your own heart. Just ask yourself: If you'd meet the main character somewhere on the street, would you think of him as "special" or "plain retarded"?
Last thing I'd like to mention briefly is that for the entire budget of this movie (probably little more than a 150 bucks :-P), Steven S. couldn't have shot one single minute of his latest "Crystal Numbskull", which in return over the whole length doesn't has the heart that's put into one single minute of "Ben X". Makes you think, doesn't it?
9/10
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Crystal Numbskull
Nothing new to add here but personal sadness and disappointment: what a great franchise this was, what a lovable character, now destroyed by pure Lucasian incompetence. I'd really loved all the first three movies, because in my opinion, they were perfect examples for timeless adventure classics and movie magic extraordinaire, each in its own style. Indy himself was one of my childhood heroes ... heck, I even loved the TV series (well, mostly), but when I saw this one, I almost puked my guts out. Honestly, I wanted to like it badly, but this flick is so incredibly stupid, so inconsistent and amazingly badly written, it's plain unbearable. All things which made the other movies so great are missing: the excitement of discovery, the thrilling adventure, the enjoyable character relations, the sarcastic yet charming humor, the over-the-top but still believable action scenes - all gone. What remains is this brainless, soulless, uninspired load of junk that (sadly) will score at the box office anyway, just because it's Indy - sort of. But worst of all, as you can clearly see in almost every take, the love is gone from the franchise. Even Harrison Ford looks mostly like he's just going through the motions. For my part, I blame it all on the ABSOLUTELY SHITTY AND THOROUGHLY DUMB SCRIPT that 1) DENIES THE ACTORS ALMOST EVERY POSSIBILITY TO ACT (Karen Allen being the worst example) and 2) has literally everything that also made the star wars prequels fail: the ham-fisted dialogue, the completely ridiculous "storytelling", forced character development and relations, plot holes one could fly the death star through, overused CGI effects, the lamest humor imaginable ... the list goes on and on. So thanks, George Lucas, for ruining just another childhood love of mine - you couldn't have made it worse by introducing Steven Seagal as Indys long lost brother. But probably, that's what you were up to anyway and Spielberg just talked you out of it.
Bottom line: 20 years of waiting in vain ... excuse me now, but I think I'll go hiding in the basement and cry a little.