Or as I would put it:
Sherlock Holmes. I was offended within seconds. Sherlock Holmes is neither Indy nor Buffy nor James Bond. Or fücking Neo, for that matter. It's such a decisive break of character that I can in no way get over it. I wish the MTV generation would stop watching movies and... stick to MTV, so that movie makers would stop catering to them. One-liners, music video cuts, slo-mos, superficial humour - everything that does not fit is present. Entertaining? Yes, to some degree. Visually stunning? Most definitely. A disgrace? Yes, all the way. (And a great, great outro.)
5/10
Das Leben der Anderen. A great effort of dealing with an aspect of Germany's past that hasn't received as much attention in film as the supposed everyday life in the GDR. It features beautiful photography, but truly shines in the acting department. The whole cast fills out their excellently written characters to the fullest, and Ulrich Mühe, who died a year after making this, leads them on in a haunting performance.
10/10
Arsenic And Old Lace Chaaaarge! Wit, meta-humour and a, shall we say, expressive Cary Grant (Ye Gods, there is another one!). Insanity clearly runs in the family, oh dear. (Dramatic instrumental music.)
10/10
Shadow Of A Doubt. Watch this for the brilliant camera work in the very beginning, during the introductory phase of Joseph Cotton's character - it loses a little of its strength after the film moves to the location of Santa Rosa though. Besides the usual suspense, the character of Herbert builds up a stranger kind of uncertainty. Be careful what you wish for, for there are enough unordinary things around the corner (like the very, very odd barwoman). A great depiction of a threat to the American family that sometimes develops a little too fast.
8/10
Knjiga Rekorda Šutke. A documentary about the inhabitants of Šutka, the only municipality in the world where Roma constitute the majority. An entire town full of odd and likable characters, each offering an own view of religion, life and music. Everyone is a champion in something. Ali Bajram: "None of my colleagues can make better music videos. My videos are superb. In every minute, every second there are countless effects." Beneath the hilarity, there is the occasional glimpse into the poor living conditions. I had to flinch at the treatment of animals in this movie a lot though: there's slaughter and there's animal fighting.
9/10
They couldn't have picked a more perfect girl to play the psycho.
