tsestan Reviews

Bad Lucky Goat (2017)

Loved it

[9/10 · 8 February 2022]

I loved it. It seemed genuine. Maybe it is not, I do not know, I've never been there, but is seems so. Maybe it is just a postcard from this nice island and they have no Rasta or voodoo, who knows. Plot is very simple but interesting and fast paced and as someone mentioned without a lot of philosophy (did not miss it at all). I do not know if I would watch this movie till the end if the actors (not characters) were not so likable and island not so beautiful. Maybe I would. At the end, I was happy with the whole experience. Everything worked. I do not like when ending does not work (nobody does:)), but here it does so this is charming little flick. I gave it 9 but I could give it also 10 because I was pleasantly surprised and entertained. So 9 in stars and 10 in the review.

I Still Hide to Smoke (2016)

Blew my mind

[10/10 · 29 November 2018]

Vau, just vau. This is a masterpiece. I am not anywhere near Algeria or North Africa, but I believe that these are voices of real Algerian women performed by Algerian actors and directed by Algerian director. This film shows hidden depth of Algerian society that I did not expect (I never thought myself as being someone with prejudices, but it look like I had some). You are able to hear voices from all sides(not just two) and get sense of complexity of that society. Film looks a bit like a stage play in the middle part as all the women are expressing their views and experience (which I did not mind - actually I loved it), but there is always a strong line leading to the brilliant finale. There is also a poetry in beginning and end which I also loved (usually I hate poetry in movies, but this one is exception). Final scene is something I will remember for a long time. Performances of actors are superb. I believe that this film meant a lot to them. Brilliant, just brilliant.

Luna (I) (2017)

Loved it

[10/10 · 28 November 2018]

Loved this movie. Great idea: Girl takes part in drunken party with her boyfriend where random guy that they by coincidence met gets beaten and humiliated. Few days later, that guy turns out on her job as new employee. Such an idea can hardly produce bad film, but his one is excellent. Plot is well planned. Never gets boring and everything goes smoothly (has a reason for it). None of the characters is generic. Her character is first portrayed by shouting on the street and asking her mother when does she have appointment for pregnancy termination. That tells a lot about her. Her girlfriend wants to enter art school and applies with photos she took of her in car salon where she looks like a prostitute (nothing arty there but her girlfriend and her do not know that). The dog is big part of the plot. Never seen an animal that is so cleverly put in the story. Boyfriend is moron on his own right. Beside colourful characters I also loved that it was filmed during sunny hours (not during golden hours like everybody else). Lively characters really benefited from that setting.

Phoenix (II) (2014)

Disappointed

[2/10 · 2 May 2016]

This movie received great reviews just because it is German. If this was Spielberg film it would get far worse and much more objective reviews. Don't get me wrong, I like German movies but not this one. This one looks like it was written be thirteen year old girl "tragically" in love with the boy that is dating her best friend. When the end came I started laughing. How could adult write such an end. But now when I think about it, it all falls into its place. Highly moral persons, betrayal, suffering and ultimately one of the corniest ending in history of cinema. Man, this is pure Shakespeare. I know I am being an idiot but this wouldn't even be great as sixteen century drama. I just checked and saw that same director has directed Barbara, much better movie. Maybe man lost his form or targeted a larger audience. Who knows

Grandma (2015)

Very bad

[2/10 · 2 May 2016]

Hard to finish the movie when you hate the main character. Don't get me wrong. I think Lily Tomlin is a great actress and would like to see her in much more movies but awful sentences can make even excellent actor sound unnatural and amateurish. Add to those awful sentences bunch of overused indie movie clichés (like transsexual hairdresser, cool lesbian grandmother etc.) and fair dose of unmotivated screaming (guess for creating comical moments when there is none) you get recipe for disaster. I behaved like a hipster few years ago and had way to much compassion for all sort of indie or European hyped movies and tried to "understand" them or blame myself for not liking them (I thought I missed some greatness or am not educated enough) but no more. I don't like this movie. Sorry

Calvary (2014)

Nice postcard and very little more

[3/10 · 29 January 2015]

On the begging I thought the film will be terrific. I paused it and call my wife so we can watched it together. After 20 minutes she gave up telling me she'll go to our room and watch Big Bang Theory there. I on the other hand sat and watched the whole movie.

As I said, begging is promising but then main character starts going from one character to the other, almost all unbelievable and uninteresting and this last for a very long hour. Then some action starts (for me personally unmotivated) and culminates with the end for which I could not care less.

Picture looks like Irish postcard. Since I was never in Ireland it was kind of interesting to me. Maybe this was intention of the film (to promote Irish landscape and beauty). That part seceded (it gave a bit of unrealistic felling to the movie but with this script it does not meter).

Gone Girl (2014)

Oscar nomination for this?

[1/10 · 23 January 2015]

I must admit that in first third of the film I thought this is good, really god, but then something that looked like a good drama turned out to be something like bad Basic Instinct copy. I just can not believe that this trivial CSI type film deserved Oscar nomination. Based on what? The plot is unconvincing. Her character is unconvincing. End is beyond unconvincing. I just sat and thought what? What just happened? Really? This is the end? OK, I just watched it and am angry. If I expected something that trivial I maybe would not write this review. But Oscar nomination for CSI episode? And I thought Birdman was not that good. Glad I did not write that review (I would however give him 6 then but compared to this one is plain 10).

The Way Way Back (2013)

Boooooooooooooooooooooooring

[2/10 · 28 October 2013]

I read a lot of positive reviews and decided to see this independent drama (maybe its not indie film, I didn't check, but characters are so annoying that I believe it is).

I didn't finish it. I give it an honest try but dialogues were so unnatural (good actors become bad actors because of the script) and the film was so boring that I had to stop watching after the hour has passed.

I hated all the characters (every one of them was dimensional caricature). I did't even like the boy. OK, he is troubled teenager, but he is so insecure that nothing interesting can happen to him. There is a line in one epic movie, "never go full retard". Same applies for the troubled teenagers. Never go all the way.

Why do people like this film so much? Is it because it is indie? I saw a lot of indie films that received good reviews and were terrible. I saw also some great ones, but they are minority - this isn't just problems with independent cinema, it is hard to make a good film so maybe this review is a bit malicious, but I was so annoyed that I just had to write this.