Greetings, movie lovers! Today I would like to tell you about ten films that did not leave me indifferent. In some cases I worried about the characters, in others I loved and hated them along with them, but one way or another all these pictures stuck in my head and made me think. Political drama, tough Spanish thriller, very good Russian action movie and some other films in today’s selection. I think that each of you will be able to find something interesting for yourself. Well, if you suddenly saw all these films, then this is a good reason to review and refresh your memory of worthy films. Maybe you would like to discuss a particular film on this blog, feel free. I’ll be glad!
The films are not ranked according to the top rule, that is, not from best to worst or vice versa. I arranged them in random order, just according to my personal preferences.
Our brand is a crisis (2015).
Genre: drama, comedy.
Kinopoisk rating: 6,189.
My rating: 9 out of 10.
The list opens with a film that I watched just the other day, so the memories and emotions are still quite fresh. In the story, two political strategists Jane (Sandra Bullock) and Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton) work on the presidential elections in Bolivia and try at all costs to lead their candidate to victory. It sounds like a cliche, but the whole point is in how this simple idea is presented and revealed during the course of the plot.
Here you have dirt on each of the candidates, and the personal struggle of Jane and Pat, and the disappointed expectations of people who sincerely believed in change, and much more, I don’t want to reveal all the cards. Yes, there are other films with similar themes (The Ides of March or Sloane’s Dangerous Game, for example), but this particular film cleverly uses and reveals all the ins and outs of politics using the example of the presidential election. That is, the viewer will be able to understand and feel all the chaos and all the madness that is happening during the election campaign of the highest level. The level on which, in theory, the future of the entire country depends. Appreciate the scope, as they say.
The cast is also worth praising. In addition to the aforementioned Sandra Bullock and Thornton, such stars as Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Civil War played Hawk), Scoot McNary (True Detective Season 3), and Joaqui de Almeida (Fast & Furious 5, Desperado) appeared here. Everyone plays very convincingly and therefore the atmosphere of believability does not collapse, but gains even more strength.
In principle, I understand such a low rating. Not everyone likes to watch and find out what kind of world we live in now and what is really going on behind the scenes of big politics. Yes, this movie won’t change much (probably nothing), but if it resonates with you, then that means something.
The film script was included in.n. “black list” of 2008 — a list of the most promising but unrealized projects.
The film’s protagonist was originally male, but director David Gordon Green and screenwriter Peter Straughan rewrote the role for Sandra Bullock.
If you liked the film and are looking for something similar, then I can recommend you the book “All the King’s Men” by. It describes even more vividly and naturalistically all the abominations and pitfalls of that very big policy. Carefully! Reading this novel may ruin your mood. Well, don’t miss the two aforementioned films — Sloane’s Dangerous Game and The Ides of March.
Promise (2017).
Genre: drama, history.
Kinopoisk rating: 7,068.
My rating: 7 out of 10.
Next on the list is a film about the Armenian genocide during the First World War. Not as much is known about this sad event as the genocide of the Jewish people, and many do not recognize it, but this does not negate the fact that these events took place. In the story, a young medical student Mikael Bogosyan (Oscar Isaac) comes to Constantinople in order to become a full-fledged doctor, but his plans were not destined to come true — Turkey got involved in the war and the Muslim population began to persecute Christians. Along with this, a love line develops — Mikael managed to meet a dance teacher, Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), who was hired by his rich uncle for his daughters. But she herself has either a lover or a friend — American journalist Chris Myers (Christian Bale). In general, as you understand, a classic love triangle emerges. In addition to the relationship of the main characters, the film very well shows the misadventures of Mikael: how he was deceived into exile, how he escaped from there, survived and experienced many other hardships. In other words, I drank the bitter cup to the bottom along with my friends and family and the Armenian people as a whole.
In general, I became interested in this film because of the cast and personally I rather liked the film, but there are nuances. It seems to me that the love line was somehow pushed too far forward, sometimes it even pulls the blanket over itself, although the film seems to be about the suffering of people. The topic of the Armenian genocide is quite slippery and is not as publicized as the Holocaust, which is why the film was received coolly and was even bombarded with negative reviews simultaneously with the film’s premiere in Toronto. It is also significant that with a film budget of 90 million evergreens, they managed to collect only 12.5. So someone had to sink this story. Or maybe I’m just fantasizing and the audience simply wasn’t interested in this topic, hence the low box office.
In the end I would like to praise the acting a little. Bale (“The Dark Knight”, “The Machinist”) and Isaac (“Annihilation”, “Triple Frontier”) play excellently, there’s nothing to complain about, I didn’t expect anything else from them. I can say the same about the rest of the actors — you will watch the dramatic component of the film without stopping and you may even cry in especially touching moments.
The film’s premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, 2016 was met with a standing ovation. The audience had not yet left the cinema when numerous devastating reviews began to arrive for the film. Many have speculated that this internet trolling campaign was launched and sponsored by the Turkish government. The number of negative reviews reached several tens of thousands even before the film was released.
The highest-budget film on the topic of the Armenian genocide and the first with the participation of top cinema stars.
There is a good oceanbreeze-casino.co.uk film on this topic, “Mother” (1991), with a fairly high rating (8,798). I can also recommend a couple more films — “Scar” (2014) and “Lark’s Nest” (2007).
Platform (2019).
Genre: fantasy, thriller drama.
Kinopoisk rating: 7,137.
My rating: 8 out of 10.
This film is further proof that the Spaniards can and do know how to make cool thrillers (see, for example, “The Others” with Nicole Kidman, “Pan’s Labyrinth” or “The Invisible Guest”). The action starts right off the bat — you are immediately brought into the swing of things, there is no time to build up, because almost every scene is filled with one meaning or another and it all works towards a common goal — to convey a simple but very important idea. And the thought is this: “being determines consciousness”.
The essence is this: there is a certain building in which two people live on each floor. How many floors is unknown. There are large rectangular holes in the floor and ceiling. Every day a platform with food is lowered through a hole in the ceiling and for a short period of time people can eat from this table, then the platform with the rest of the food is lowered below. There should be enough food for everyone, in theory, but you understand that people are not such kind creatures that they eat exactly as much as they need. Among other things, people are allowed to take one single item with them, which opens up additional possibilities for imbuing the film with meaning and expands the boundaries of human madness.
I don’t see the point in saying anything else about the film, because you have to watch it and think about it, all its value is revealed through personal contact. All I can add is that the cruelty here is not painted over with black squares, not retouched, and everything is shown exactly as it should have been in reality. Separate points for the film from me for this. There are no famous actors here, but those that are there play excellently. You really believe that people are locked within four walls and there is only one law in force here — the law of the jungle.
Many films have been made on this topic, but I personally can recommend you “The Experiment” (2010) with Adrien Brody, “Cube” (1997) and “Exam” (2009).
Knives Out (2019).
Genre: detective, comedy, drama, crime.
Kinopoisk rating: 7,849.
My rating: 8 out of 10.
I don’t think this film really needs any introduction. Many people have heard about it, if only because Captain America, oh, that is, Chris Evans, Craig, Daniel Craig, Michael Shannon (General Zod from “Man of Steel”) and Christopher Plummer (“A Beautiful Mind”) appeared in the leading roles here. The rest of the actors, in terms of their performance and performance, also do not lag behind this star four.
The plot revolves around Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a famous crime novelist who celebrated his 85th birthday the day before and was found dead the next morning. Detectives arriving at the crime scene decide that it is suicide, but still interview all family members, acting according to protocol. During the conversation with each person, more and more contradictions and understatements are revealed. Therefore, the investigation is set in motion, and this is done by a private detective hired by an unknown person, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).
This film is remarkable in that it can be watched more than once, since after the first viewing you are unlikely to find all the tricks that the screenwriters hid here. The fact is that the so-called “Chekhov’s guns” method is actively used here, which adds atmosphere to the picture and enhances the detective component. I can also add that there is very good humor here. Sometimes black, sometimes English (very successful, by the way), but equally good. There are no “outhouse” jokes or “below the belt” situations, as they say. Therefore, I can safely recommend this film to all lovers of detective stories and good humor. And even if you have already seen it, then watch it again, you probably missed something.
By the way, I found one very interesting video on YouTube that will help you understand the depth of the plot in this film and some of its twists. The video will tell you about the same artistic technique that detective authors often use, which they call “Chekhov’s guns”. Well, and not only about that.
The title of the film and its working title “Morning bell” are borrowed from the titles of tracks from the album “Amnesiac” (2001) by the British rock band Radiohead.
There aren’t that many good detective stories, actually, but I can still recommend a couple. These are Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Clue (1985) and Crooked House (2017). The latest film may not be to everyone’s taste, but if you’re an Agatha Christie fan, watch it.
Balkan Frontier (2019).
Genre: action, war, drama, history.
Kinopoisk rating: 7,321.
My rating: 8 out of 10.
Not as many films have been made about the war in Yugoslavia as about the Vietnam War or the Second World War. This is understandable — even if the Americans spoke out on this topic (see “Driven” with Benicio del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones), they presented the situation in a light favorable to themselves. For the time being, Russia could not make its own film (I don’t know for what specific reason — finances or politics or both) about this war, so we saw the story one-sidedly. But in 2019, money and political will were found, and the film was released.
The story is as simple as 3 kopecks (what did you expect from an action movie??!), but on the other hand, it was like that in life — our guys, a small special forces detachment, need to capture and hold the airfield in Kosovo until the main forces arrive. Everything is complicated by the fact that both NATO and Albanian militants have views of that same airfield. In addition, everything needs to be done secretly so that the “Western partners” do not understand that it was our guys who defended the airfield. Not an easy task, is it??
The film hooked me with the staging of the fights, high-quality camera work and the “chemistry” between the characters. Somehow I was able to feel that these were not just some no-names, but really brothers in arms who under no circumstances abandoned their. There are a lot of shootouts, they are competently staged and diluted with the dramatic part of the film. In general, I can say with confidence that ours can do it when they want, so I recommend the film to everyone, even if you spit at Russian films.
And at the end a few words about the actors. Here, recognizable faces for me were Gosha Kutsenko and Kirill Polukhin (often filmed by Yuri Bykov — “Major”, “Fool”). But this does not mean that the others are lost against their background. The same Anton Pampushny (“Crew” 2016) or Milos Bikovic (“Hotel Belgrade” 2020), for example, play very convincingly. And the whole cast, in general, turned out to be very successful and lively.
The film is based on real events that occurred in 1999 in Kosovo during the armed conflict between Albanians and Yugoslavia.
I can’t recommend anything good specifically about the war in Yugoslavia, but there are other films that touch on the theme of soldiers’ sacrifice for their country and the theme of comrades in arms. Most of all I remember the film “Star” (2002) with the then adequate Panin and “9th Company” (2005). I don’t presume to judge the historical accuracy of the last picture, but I liked this film as a work of art.
Underwater (2020).
Genre: horror, action.
Kinopoisk rating: 5,818.
My rating: 6 out of 10.
The first question that may arise in your head will be something like this: “What is a film doing here with such a low rating?? And you yourself only rated it a “six”!». To some extent you will be right, but first things first.
As you probably already guessed, the film takes place underwater (surprise!), and not just under water, but at the bottom of the Mariana Trench — the deepest point on the globe (about 11 km!). As you understand, people didn’t find anything good there (well, almost). This is the whole plot in brief to avoid spoilers.
And now about the pros and cons. Personally, I watched this film not only because of the actors, but also because of the similarity of the film with another film about an alien — “Alien” (1979) by Ridley Scott. The atmosphere in “Underwater” is good for the most part — you literally feel with your skin all the tension that the characters were going through, and if you have claustrophobia, then you will definitely feel uneasy. Well, the action itself. There’s not a lot of action here, but it’s quite lively and doesn’t turn into a regular action movie. I’ll also note the elaboration of all sorts of little things — the diving suits, the drilling station, the very bottom of that same depression — all this plays very cool on the atmosphere and adds credibility. I’ll say something about the actors in passing: Vincent Cassel (“Brotherhood of the Wolf” 2001, “Public Enemy Number One” 2008), Kristen Stewart (“Twilight”, “The Dangerous Role of Jean Seberg” 2019) and TJ Miller (the “Deadpool” duology, “Ready Player One” 2018) are responsible for recognition here. They play at the level — there’s no fault here, but Cassel is not enough (this time he’s in the supporting role), Miller constantly jokes (in an idiotic way, to be honest), and Stewart… she’s great, she worked off her fee at 100 (don’t be surprised, I’m one of those crazy people who likes Kristen as an actress)!
And now a fly in the ointment… I mentioned that the entire film rests on the atmosphere and actors, but these, on the other hand, are its weak points. For example, the same character of Miller makes jokes where necessary and not necessary, even when the situation does not require it, and this hits the atmosphere very hard, literally destroys it. Cassel is in a supporting role here (I also talked about this), but this is not the worst thing — the writers simply mediocrely drained his potential, although it was possible to get the most out of such an actor, even in a minor role. The plot is also questionable. The length of the film is 90 minutes and one gets the impression that at least a quarter of the running time was cut out. When watching, you yourself will notice this, but I can only say that there is not enough validity and introduction to the situation here. There are a lot of disadvantages, as you can see for yourself, and they are significant.
As a result, I can recommend the film to those who miss the atmosphere and suspense of “Alien” and want to watch something new in this genre.
There was an error in the domestic localization. The complex is located at an 11-kilometer depth (6.9 miles — the depth of the Mariana Trench), and not at a 13-kilometer depth.
For those who like to tickle their nerves, I can recommend the following films: “Alive” (2017), “The Abyss” (1989) and “Rise from the Deep” (1998).
Windy River (2016).
Genre: thriller, drama, crime, detective.
Kinopoisk rating: 7,498.
My rating: 8 out of 10.
A very cool detective drama is coming up. Game warden Corey Lambert (Jeremy Renner — "The Avengers") accidentally finds the body of a girl in the snow of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The case is transferred to the FBI, since this is their jurisdiction, in the person of the still green agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen, Scarlet Witch from the same “Avengers”). In general, this is the whole plot plot. But the beauty of this film is in the details.
On the territory of the reservation, people live according to their own laws and often decide for themselves what is good and what is bad. The law enforcement system is very small, so people often disappear here. Another feature that I liked is that the tandem of a stern man-hunter with his own personal drama and an inexperienced FBI agent with his own ideas about life was shown very well here. Overall, I don’t think this film will turn your world upside down, but it will definitely make you feel the gravity of the current situation, the absurdity of this murder, and that’s a sign of a good drama, isn’t it??
Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen play their roles just wonderfully, I did not doubt for a second that they are exactly the people who are written in their script. Also, literally for a minute, the stern Jon Bernthal (the series “The Punisher” and the film “The Wolf of Wall Street”) appeared here, fans will be delighted. I would also like to say a little about the local weather and views in general. Everything is conveyed accurately, colorfully and at the same time somehow aloof. You don’t feel comfortable in this frozen region, as if not only people, but also nature are not happy here. And this adds some points to the atmospheric score.
During filming, Elizabeth Olsen suffered from snow blindness, an inflammation of the eyes caused by sunlight reflected from the snow cover.
On my own behalf, I can recommend the following films on similar topics: “Prisoners” (2013), “Insomnia” (2002), “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing. Missouri" (2017), "Mystic River" (2003), "The Killer" (2015). They say that “At Any Cost” (2016) and “Fargo” (1995) are also good films, but I haven’t watched them.
Genre: thriller, drama, crime.
Kinopoisk rating: 8.29.
My rating: 10 out of 10.
I think this movie needs no introduction. David Fincher will most likely remain in cinema history thanks to this film. Why do I think so? Because a thick atmosphere, exciting intrigue, a convincing detective component, a pinch of mysticism — all this is very organically intertwined and, surprisingly, works like clockwork.
In case anyone doesn’t know, the plot here revolves around murder, framed as one of the deadly sins. And the elderly detective (Morgan Freeman), who has 7 days left until retirement (here’s a reference for you, and there are others in the film) is sure that this is just the beginning. His partner is a young but ambitious partner, Mills (Brad Pitt), who really wants to take on this case and bring it to the end, because then he will be able to show himself as a real detective. But this matter will turn out to be a nightmare for both of them..
The acting trio — Pitt, Freeman and Spacey work together so well that they give an incredible performance on the screen. And it’s hard to call it a game, because you watch and believe what’s happening, I personally had a complete immersion in the atmosphere. In general, the atmosphere is exactly what brought this film to the top, and for connoisseurs of the genre, it made this film a cult one. A dirty, vicious city, a policeman tired of everything and everyone who no longer believes in anything good, people perverted by their vices, a cruel maniac — everything looks with a certain amount of disgust and curiosity at the same time. Only one young servant of the law Mills and his wife are the only ray of light in this kingdom of darkness.
In the end, I can’t help but mention the game “Condemned: criminal origins”, it has a very similar atmosphere and setting. The same dirt, aggressive homeless people, vicious people, a dark and sinister city, a dangerous maniac — everything is in place and works perfectly. In a recent video from SG, by the way, you can find out more about her; in my opinion, they covered the topic well and showed the fears of modern man. And this was reflected in this film, by the way.
The production headquarters of New Line Cinema did not want to put the film into production for a long time because of its ending. A number of alternative endings were discussed (at least five), but Brad Pitt had the final say — he refused to take part in filming if the ending of the film was changed.
Somerset’s metronome ticks seven times during the film’s opening scene.
Kevin Spacey’s character is called John Doe, a name that was used in an Anglo-Saxon court when the defendant was anonymous or simply unknown. Also in the event of the discovery of an unidentified corpse or a patient whose identity has not been established.
The victim tied to the bed is not a computer generated special effect. A very thin actor was chosen to film this scene. However, the make-up artists also did not waste time, and after working on the actor they really managed to achieve the feeling that in front of them was a real “living” corpse.
What else?
In my recommendations I can’t ignore another Fincher film about a maniac. It’s called "Zodiac". I liked it less (slightly underdeveloped plot, weak ending, not so memorable characters), but still I think it’s worth your time. Also on a similar theme and with a similar atmosphere you can also watch “The Silence of the Lambs” (1990), “Taking Lives” (2004) and “Shutter Island” (2009).
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