astrakhan
Celluloid Junkie - 3762 Film Ratings
Member Since: 06 Apr 2009
Bio: Insatiable, omnivorous cinephile. For every film I watch, two more unwatched ones grow back in its place!
Featured Reviews
Check out astrakhan's...
| 30 T1 |  |
Synecdoche, New York (2008) - 27 Dec 2009
"Charlie Kaufman's head has disappeared so far up his own ass that it has re-emerged from his own mouth as a stinking, shit-smeared parody of itself. Evidently that was the inspiration for his latest movie, which is just awful, unintelligible, incoherent, meaningless drivel. One of the few films I have been unable to sit through to the end. Shades of the quirkiness that made BJM and Adaptation so good, but trying too hard, it vanishes into a puff of smoke that should set off anyone's BS detector."
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| 82 T9 |  |
Shrew's Nest (2014) - 25 Jan 2017
"A superior psychological horror - that genre the Spanish seem to be so good at recently - which turns into a bloodbath. The story is a slow burner, but its elements fit very nicely together. Macarena Gómez carries the film tremendously - she steals every scene she's in. The mise-en-scène also deserves plaudits, with crisp cinematography, a well-chosen colour palette, period detail, and lots of religious imagery and intense facial close-ups. Suspenseful, terrifying, and good to look at too."
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| 88 T10 |  |
Bad Boy Bubby (1993) - 21 Sep 2009
"Totally bizarre, but in large parts brilliant. There are just a couple of parts where the script loses its way, which keep this from being a work of genius. The parts played as a fish-out-of-water comedy are stronger than the parts as a religious allegory or morality tale. But together they create a nice balance. The underlying subtexts in this Australian film are complex and plentiful - as are the laughs, and grimaces. Why is this film, and Nicholas Hope, not more widely known?"
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| 88 T10 |  |
Le Premier jour du reste de ta vie (2008) - 18 Aug 2009
"This film deals in universal issues of love, life, death and family that anyone can relate to. The lives of the protagonists are painted in such vivid detail, and their escapades are so emotionally fulfilling, that it creates an immersive experience which seems almost hyper-real. Huge credit to Bezonçon and all the cast for making such a satisfying coming-of-age movie, in fact five movies in one. Finally a modern French family is portrayed on the big screen, no holds barred. Great music too."
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| 87 T10 |  |
The Secret of My Success (1987) - 15 Apr 2009
"This exciting caper flick mixes elements of Ferris Bueller, Working Girl and Back To The Future. Fox plays himself and the script offers up plenty of fun surprises and precarious escapades. Who doesn't like situations where a character has to change his clothes in an elevator every 5 minutes to play different identities? Another quality 80s family film which can sit on a par with John Hughes's best efforts of that decade. The only downer is the awful tacked-on deus ex machina ending."
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| 82 T9 |  |
Tintin et le mystère de la toison d'or (1961) - 12 Jan 2010
"Delightful little adventure which will satisfy Tintin fans. The story is a class act, worthy of any Tintin book. The characters are suitably cartoonish and all look the part in a quirky way. The acting varies - Haddock and Calculus are superb, Tintin is energetic and quiffed but lacks that surprised/shocked expression from the comics, and Thomson & Thompson are a bit hopeless. Even Snowy gets his part to play, although the dog actor is unfortunately not as expressive as his cartoon counterpart."
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| 82 T9 |  |
Palmetto (1998) - 10 Apr 2009
"This movie is underrated! I always enjoyed the idea of a modern take on a noir set in a very atypical tropical setting. There are some nice-looking locations and shots in this movie. The plot is ok, fairly original but with a silly ending. Harrelson and Sevigny put in good performances but Elisabeth Shue's femme fatale steals the show. Also the most accessible film by a difficult, inconsistent director."
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| 90 T10 |  |
District 9 (2009) - 06 Dec 2009
"The documentary-like style makes this the most effective melding of sci-fi and reality that I have ever seen in the genre. The scale and ambition are huge, especially for an African film. And it pulls it off, with not one famous star. It also bravely alludes to some of the biggest problems South Africa has faced and continues to face, like racism, oppression, violence and AIDS. The film holds up a mirror to human civilisation. And at the same time, it's a sci-fi geek's wet dream in terms of FX!"
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| 79 T7 |  |
Greenberg (2010) - 19 Jun 2010
"At times Stiller's portrayal of the confused and directionless Greenberg left me cold. I could identify but not buy into or sympathise with his self-destructive eccentricities. Eventually, though, the film's characters did grow on me. Well, with Greta Gerwig it was not that difficult. I left fairly satisfied with the film's conclusions, but perhaps not with its journey there. The highlight was some of the relationships and dialogues, which were genuinely touching and real. More please, Baumbach."
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| 84 T10 |  |
Okuribito (2008) - 07 Jan 2010
"At times laugh-out-loud funny, at times poetic, beautiful and deeply serious... Takita's film shows off his many talents, while treating the difficult subject of death thoroughly, from all angles, and in a way which truly allows the audience to reflect on it and learn something new. It could stand to be edited down, and some of the motifs can seem a little cheesy, but the complex fabric of this film falls subtly and on enough levels that such flaws can easily be ignored. A real pleasure."
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