Zotis' Reviews

Shadows in the Sun (2009) Drama

The only actor I knew going into this film was Olivia Lovibond, a talented young woman I had never heard of (and you doubtfully have until now) until I recently stumbled across another one of her films. In this one she played a supporting role as the daughter in a family consisting of a little brother, father, and grandmother too. Well, there was a mother, but she was merely implied to exist. It was a little hard to tell if there was a main character in the movie, but the father did have more screen time and dialogue than anyone else. I don't think I can say the film was character driven, but the characters breathed so much life into the film that it really did feel that way. It was quite atmospheric with its simple yet elegant plot, splashes of poetry, and beautiful British countryside. Yes it was a British film so don't expect any Hollywood flare. No, this was more of an artistic/independent/foreign type of film with a more realistic portrayal of life (and a production company that has only produced six other films). In this beautiful movie each character went through an ordeal that would linger with them for the rest of their lives. But the movie also had a way of capturing every moment wonderfully, especially moments that should have otherwise been boring.

Rating: 8/10

A Single Shot (2013) Drama/Thriller

This movie was incredible. It came out last year, I wish I had heard about it then and could have seen it in theaters. Well anyway, on with the review... This film had an excellent cast starring Sam Rockwell with supporting roles by Ophelia Lovibond, William H. Macey, Kelly Reilly, Jason Isaacs, and Jeffery Wright. I'm sure you can guess why I wanted to watch this movie in the first place, but while my celebrity crush may have triggered my interest it was the stellar performances of the entire cast and crew that made me love this movie. Ophelia had a very interesting role and played the part brilliantly. Sam Rockwell played the most interesting character I've seen him play so far, a washed up and bearded hick hunter/farmer who can't hold a steady job to save his family (still with a fair amount of his usual humor and reckless, rugged toughness, but taken down a notch compared to his roles in Matchstick Men or The Green Mile). William H. Macey played a very different character from anything I've seen him do before as well. This time he was a quirky, pipsqueak lawyer. I've seen him play a pushover many times. This was not just a new kind of pathetic, but the whole personality was interesting and unique. I never once heard his "normal voice," and the same goes for Jeffery Wright who played the most plastered, slobbering, mumbling drunk I've seen. One scene that peaked my interest was when Jeffery and Sam were both stumbling drunk and having a mumbled conversation. Some very key plot points where just barely audible. I really enjoyed that moment of satisfaction with realistic conversational skills. But my favorite conversation piece of all was when Sam was on the phone with drunk Jeffery, didn't hear something Jeffery said, and asked "what?" Then the comment was repeated. It was like he actually didn't hear Jeffery and the director kept it in the film for the sake of realism. I liked that because it's not often you see that kind of thing in a movie, where someone just doesn't hear what someone else says and the effect doesn't serve the plot (especially in phone conversations where you usually don't hear the person on the other end, but only the briefest gaps between responses that couldn't possibly allow for the implied conversation). The costumes and make-up were so good some of the actors were barely recognizable and widely distinguished from prior roles. I didn't recognize Sam at first, and I didn't recognize Jason Isaacs until near the end of the film. I loved this movie and I'll be sure to remember it and watch it again from time to time.

Rating: 8/10

Oblivion (2013) Action/Adventure/Sci-fi

I've been avoiding this film since it's release because it's a typical Hollywood blockbuster staring Tom Cruise. Or at least it would have been a blockbuster if the critics didn't cripple it's chance for success simply because of it's anti-Illuminati subtext. Instead the movie managed to loose $30,000,000. No worse than any other Hollywood blockbuster that would get 3.5 stars from people like Roger Ebert and Rotten Tomatoes. Instead they give it 2.5 stars making mostly content related complaints in their reviews about things like the shape of the space ship and the main characters' jock-like attributes (not including his personality which could have come closer to realising The Matrix than his 2 blue pills a day swallowing partner, or any jock for that matter). Never mind the fact that Tom Cruise has those attributes in all of his movies. Roger Ebert did make some superficial attempts at assessing the film's quality, but he gave Knight and Day 3 stars and that movie was worse by far.

"If nothing else, "Oblivion" will go down in film history as the movie where Tom Cruise pilots a white, sperm-shaped craft into a giant space uterus. The scene is more interesting to describe than it is to watch." -Roger Ebert

The ship is a three headed "sperm" with a tail that ends in a vertical disc rather than a point. It looks more like a dragonfly than a tadpole. The giant space "uterus" opens like an origami fortune teller (paper hand game) and its interior architecture is more Egyptian pyramid than birth canal. Roger Ebert criticises everything about the movie except for its actual flaws, and there are plenty.

The movie opens with inner monologue explaining the plot for the lethargic. Roger Ebert actually praises the intro which was so boring and cliche I had to fight the urge to turn the movie off. But things did pick up, and for the rest of the movie I was surprisingly entertained. It faltered near the end thanks to Tom Cruise's inability to express emotion in traumatic heart breaking situations. Morgan Freeman was kind of a nice touch, but he didn't "act" much either.

Other than in terms of acting the movie also faltered greatly in its plot and realism. This is one of those movies where the main character only survives because the writers said so. It is not a story about a survivor, it is a story about medical miracles and the hand of God keeping the important characters safe. The drones were fast, efficient, and deadly when it served the plot. Then at other times they would suddenly become tentative and less accurate than storm troopers.

The interfacing between the mothership and the technology and machines on the planet surface was also unrealistic. Apparently they've never heard of relaying a signal because the Mother Ship could only communicate with Jack and Victoria from nine to five (even a normal satellite has a larger window). The mother ship could send drones and do things on its own but seemed far too limited in what it was capable of controlling. Given the circumstances they should be monitoring and controlling absolutely everything. They certainly had the technology to, but of course that wouldn't have allowed the desired course of the film's plot.

Despite all of the negative criticims I've given, I did enjoy myself for nearly an hour. For me Olga Kurylenko was the saving grace of the movie, but Andrea Riseborough played the lot she was cast well too. The central theme of the importance of having a questioning nature rang true, especially in the dialogue between Jack (Tom) and Victoria (Andrea).

Be aware, there are people alive today who would like to see the events of this movie actually unfold. Very very wealthy powerful people in high places...

Rating: 5/10

Joan of Arc (1948) Drama/History

I stumbled across a clip by accident when I was looking for something entirely different. I was so captivated that I just had to watch it immediately. From the first to the last scene I was mesmerised. I can't describe with words how beautiful this movie is. No film has ever made me feel this way before. I would not say it's my favorite movie, or the greatest film ever made. I have enjoyed other films as thoroughly, but this one touched me differently. Perhaps it was the films fervor and divinity that set it apart, I'm not quite sure.

The film was directed by Victor Flemming and starring Ingrid Bergman. Two individuals I wish I knew a lot more about and will certainly be watching more from now on. Flemming has Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and Treasure Island under his belt. Ingrid was 33 when the film released, but played a nineteen year-old. I must say I thought she was ten years younger. Her beauty was outmatched only by her acting.

Ingrid's acting was a huge part of what I loved so much about this movie. She was all but bursting into tears with passion as she delivered God's will to ungodly men concerned with little more than their bellies and their purses, or as she wrestled with herself in earnest prayer to the Lord over the trials ahead. The acting style of the movie in general also strung a chord with me. Style perhaps won over realism, but realism didn't suffer too much. The films only real flaw was that scenes sometimes cut out a bit too soon. On the other end of the spectrum scenes sometimes seemed to come in already half over, but this was actually to the films credit. It caused the audience to deduce a little and delivered exactly enough information to do so.

A 1999 film by the same name was directed by Christian Duguay (The Art of War) and starring Leelee Sobieski, Neil Patrick Harris, and Peter Strauss with appearances by other noteworthy actors. The 1999 film was essentially a remake of the 1948 version. Only slight changes were made to the plot, and many similarities seemed like tributes. It wasn't as good, but carried the same religious fervor and teary eyed passion. The 1/5 star rating that Rotten Tomatoes gave it was undeserved, and that is an understatement. But it's understandable that some people simply can not appreciate a film unless it has a certain amount of Hollywood polish.

Flemming's tale of the famous French hero and saint did not lack polish except for as I mentioned earlier, the scenes sometimes cutting out too soon. The portrayal of Christianity was very interesting, showing both the pure of heart and the corrupt sides, and the internal conflict between the two. I've seen a few Joan of Arc films and this one was the best so far, but there are still a couple more that look like they could come close to matching it. In conclusion I would say that this film is a masterpiece and everyone should watch it.

Rating: 9/10

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) Biography/History/Drama

Before watching this film I watched Joan of Arc (1948) and made the mistake of saying that there were a couple other Joan of Arc films that looked like they could match it. This one left it in the dust. Without a doubt this is the greatest film I have ever seen in my entire pathetic and mostly wasted life. I cried shamelessly for practically half of the film.

Before the film started there was a description of the miraculous recovery of this masterpiece of art. The original was lost along with other copies and only bits and pieces of the film remained until one close to the original was discovered in the 80's. It was found in a mental institute no less. It's the kind of thing that is so close to God it would drive you insane. "To know God is to know madness," as they say. The film itself started with a summary of the origin of the film, the actual physical record of the real life trial of the actual historical person of Joan of Arc. When I read the words I could hardly believe it, and I was so deeply impacted by every frame that I was actually so blessed to get to glimpse it. I just can not contain myself. I simply rethought my life and realised I have two Bibles in my room. What am I wasting any of my few precious moments of life on this Earth doing things like playing video games? All that matters in life is to love and obey and serve God before we stand before him. The fire awaited Joan for only a moment, it awaits us all for eternity if we do not turn away from doing evil and do good and love God with all our hearts and believe in the Truth. The trial of Joan was like what they did to Jesus. The religious leaders of His day were no different from the religious leaders of Joan's or ours.

Directed by Carl Theodore Dreyer, written by Dreyer and Joseph Delteil, and starring Maria Falconetti is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. It's the first perfect score I've given a film, I wonder if it will be the last.

Rating: 10/10

It's a film of incredible force and purity. I may try to watch it again when I have the time.

Before the movie started I had an inclination that it was going to be the greatest film I'd ever seen, and I tried to suppress it, but I couldn't.

I thought it was terrible. 4/10 for me.

I'm sorry to hear that The Sci-Fi Slob.

Nice write-ups. I've been curious about A Single Shot. Never heard of it until recently, but it's got a great cast.

Indeed it does. I've always liked Sam Rockwell, but that was my favorite of his performances.

La Vie D'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2 (2013) Drama/Romance

The English title Blue Is the Warmest Color feels almost misleading. It's a good enough title, and suits the film. Blue is used beautifully throughout. It just isn't a translation of the French title. The film isn't about the color blue. It's about the life of Adele, and is broken up into two chapters comprising a wonderful 3 hours of art and beauty. I loved it absolutely. It was directed by Abdellatif Kechiche and staring Adèle Exarchopulous, who plays Adèle in the film, and Léa Seydoux who plays Emma the blue haired girl. Both ladies perform excellently, but Adèle is startlingly superb. She is one of those people who are incapable of loosing their cool. No matter what they do, or how dirty or ugly they get, and no matter what tragedy befalls them, they are always beautiful, cool, and perfect.

I went into this film knowing very little about it, and that is my favorite way to go into a film of this caliber. There were several things about the film that surprised me. First of all, I was a bit skeptical of the homosexual content. I am familiar with the homosexual community to some extent, and I find that films rarely portray homosexual romance and relationships realistically. That was not the case with this film. I was startled by its realism and sexuality. I know what it is like to be so young, straight, in a gay bar for the first time, and being stared at and checked out. I know exactly what that atmosphere feels like. I felt it again in the film, so accurate, so real. And there was so much passion in this film. Adèle's love was breathtakingly powerful. I can think of no faults or shortcomings in this film. It was beautiful.

Rating: 9/10