Of course some lofty minded rara-avian is going to object to
the NYTimes and the Los Angeles Times as debilitating
leftists rags and I should have searched longer for reviews
in WSJ or other more adequate journos
(NRO?)...but here it is anyway...
On 2/24/08 7:26 PM, "Dave Zeltserman" <
dz@hardluckstories.com> wrote:
> 13 Tzameti--this was excellent. The basic plot--a
young guy desperate
> for money jumps at an opportunity for riches by
stealing an
> invitation for a secret gathering. While I expected
something
> sinister + deadly at the gathering, I didn't expect
anything as
> horrific as what was waiting for him. The sense of
dread created in
> this movie was palpable. Highly recommend
it.
>
> ****to this the Los Angeles Times said:
> Every frame of the film reveals Babluani's
confidence and sound judgment.
> Instead of staging the film's initial sequence like
a conventional thriller,
> Babluani evokes a somber, even leisurely mood,
suggesting the plight of
> Sebastien, an intelligent young man all too aware of
his meager prospects in
> life. This mood extends all the way into that rural
resort, abruptly giving
> way to shocking intensity.
> At times Babluani recalls the austerity, the closely
observed fascination with
> secretive ritual, of Robert Bresson, yet he
expresses these qualities ‹ in
> ravishing black-and-white CinemaScope ‹ with a
poetic cinematic grace that is
> all his own. As an actor, Georges Babluani possesses
the same resources, with
> a special understanding of the effect of emotional
reserves held in check.
> Although it's likely too stark for everyone, "13
Tzameti" offers a
> mind-blowing experience for anyone willing to go
along for the ride.
>
> ...and therefore I Netflixed it...we¹ll
see...
>
>
> In Bruges--very good noirish hit man movie with fine
performances by
> both Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason, and some
terrific dialogue.
> Farrell's performance at first seems overmannered,
but once you
> understand what's going on it's really pitch
perfect.
>
> *****to this the NYTimes said:
> ³In Bruges² is itself a goof, both diverting and
forgettable. Despite the
> guns, genre posturing and self-consciously naughty
shocks (jokes about racist
> dwarfs and fat Americans) it¹s also unmistakably
sincere. The writing sounds
> like the handiwork of a very clever young filmmaking
student with a fondness
> for Sartre and Tarantino, though here the
30-something Mr. McDonagh only
> name-drops Nicolas Roeg and ³Touch of Evil.² These
are solid allusions,
> certainly, yet like that 15th-century painting of
the unfortunate prisoner
> being flayed alive ‹ which suggests that Mr.
McDonagh means to say something
> about the spectacle of violence ‹ they don¹t add up
to anything. He talks a
> blue streak beautifully, but he has yet to find the
nuance and poetry that
> make his red images signify with commensurate sizzle
and pop.
>
> nonetheless I Netflixed it...we¹ll see...
>
Montois
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