The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001) by Takashi Miike - (6/10)

It is a story about – a remake as a matter of fact – about a family that is down on their luck and has decided to try running an inn, in the assumption that when the highway will be build next to, it will become a goldmine unfortunately the highway remains absent and so do the guests. When finally the first guest moves in, he suddenly dies and so do all the subsequent guys and they decide to just bury them in their yard, acting upon the assumption that a homicide investigation will surely ruin any chances of success that they have left.
Miike has spruced up the story by adding hilarious musical numbers, clay animation and all kinds of madness. In comes one of the if not the weirdest musical that you will ever see. The songs are hilarious, the overacting is glorious. When it is good, it is downright brilliant. Unfortunately it doesn’t manage to carry on the same high level through as in the beginning but it is still a wonderful, hilarious, truly weird feel good movie in a style that only Miike is capable of.

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) by Ji-woon Kim - (4/10)

“A Tale of Two Sisters” came in, riding upon the wave of interest that was spurned in Korean and Japanese horror movies by the original Ring, although radically different countries in many ways, many of their popular horror movies do seem to have stylistic similarities, most likely influenced by Ring. “A Tale of Two Sisters” has often been mentioned as the best K-horror movie. I can see why, the mood is near perfect and the colours are vivid and gorgeous. The latter half of the movie simply has to many twists and surprises, it seems as if they were going for some kind of record. It is a bit similar to The Grudge (original one) but it worked bit better in that movie. Here it was simply complete overkill, it appears to manage to get some kind of record in the amount of surprise twists that a movie can have but it just stops making sense after a while and become completely disorienting. It does offer a decent resolution but by that time, you will be dizzy. If they would have thrown out a couple of the surprises you would have gotten a descent movie, reminiscent of some other ones. The style and mood are spot on by the number of twists are far too numerous and it just gets too much and too confusing after a while.

Simon of the Desert (1965) by Luis Buñuel - (6/10)

Simon of the Desert is a fun, little short movie where Buñuel makes fun in his typical way of the hermetic saint Simeon Stylites who spent 37 years living on top of a pillar on a small platform and religious asceticism in general. He is tempted by Satan. My favorite scene is probably where he heals an amputees hands and the first thing that he does is hit his child.

Unfortunately Buñuel ran out of money halfway so the movie just sort of end with Simon stuck in the 60’s in contemporary clothes in a night club. It is fun but it would have been nice to see how it would have ended if the movie had been actually finished. Buñuel appears to have written it as a novel prior to filming it, might offer some answers.

Without Memory (1996) by Hirokazu Kore-Eda - (6/10)

It is a – bit hard to come by I suppose – TV documentary made by the acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-Eda about a man who has lost the ability to make new memories after the aftercare after a medical procedure has gone wrong. The movie “Memento” referenced this case, similar cases have existed.

It is a touching documentary about a man who tries to get his life back together and tried to take care of his children despite having almost no recollection of even his own children. He leads an unique life that has a nearly insurmountable obstacle present but he tries to fulfil his role. It is touching, bit hopeful but sad as well at the same time. I was really surprised that he went out and chose to help disabled people himself despite his condition.

400 Blows (1959) by François Truffaut - (6/10)

A New Wave classic that captures male adolescent like no other movie, even now, more then 50 years latter, things are still really the same aren’t they?
The final frame has to be among the more memorable in cinema and really does sum it all up.

The White Ribbon (2009) by Michael Haneke - (6/10)

The White Ribbon is the b&w winner of the 2009 Palme d’Or that was directed by Michael Haneke. It seemed begin with a statement like that because it is rather difficult to pinpoint what The White Ribbon is actually about, I could recite the plot or what happened on the screen but that wouldn’t quite explain its meaning. I think that it is about the cruelty or evil perhaps that is inside us all. I think that it is about the fact, that just because we are trying or we believe that we are trying to do good, that the nature of cruelty doesn’t change. Cruelty is cruelty with or without good intentions. Some people say that it is about the birth of Nazism, I think that is a bit of an too easy explanation. The main culprit is never, really revealed (it is rather easy to guess who it was) but that is just because that was not the point of the movie. It was meant to show cruelty or rather punishment. The cause or reasons behind it didn’t really matter.

It is up to everyone to decide for themselves what The White Ribbon was all about.

The Son (2002) by Dardenne Brothers – (6/10)

The Son by Dardenne brothers is an interesting, small movie. It is shot in a hard-core minimalist dogma 95 style (although not officially part of the movement). It feels as if someone just strapped on the camera on one the characters shoulders, not much is said, done or happens at all. The movie centres on a father whose son has been murdered and has to teach woodwork to one of the kids that were responsible for his sons death. The kid himself is unaware of who his new teacher is. The movies strength and seemingly sole point of focus lies in the relationship between the characters, unspoken heaviness and burden that lies between them and the fathers quest for forgiveness. It is an interesting movie and does a great job of portraying the fathers feelings without them ever being openly expressed. It did feel as if the movie ended too early, it seemed as if the real ending was about to come when the credits started rolling.