One Day in Europe (2005)

Genre

Comedy

Director

Hannes Stöhr

Country

Germany | Spain

Cast

Megan Fay, Lyudmila Tsvetkova, Andrey Sokolov, Oleg Assadulin, Vita Saval, Nikolai Svechnikov, Luis Tosar, Boris Arquier, Florian Lukas, Erdal Yildiz, Nuray Sahin, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, Péter Scherer, Miguel de Lira, Mónica García, Víctor Mosqueira, Marta Pazos, Blanca Cendán, Patricia de Lorenzo, Jesus Ron, Kalin Foz, Rachida Brakni, Kirsten Block, Tom Jahn, Facundo Diab

Storyline

The day of the Champions League final between Galatasaray and Deportivo la Coruña stops life in four European cities, adding to the problems of tourists in trouble, who are already struggling with the language barrier.

Opinion

Since this film was suggested by the same person who suggest Caramel, I thought I would have like it. The problem is that it's plenty of anthology films, I've seen several, and this one does nothing to pop out.

Delivered by mostly flat performances, One Day in Europe is tedious, not funny as a comedy is supposed to be, and gets lost in repetitiveness.

There are two unifying plot elements: luggage insurance, and a football game. While the first is pretty smooth and works fine, the second one feels out of place. I'm European and I know there is nothing more unifying than passion for football. Every single football lover watches the Champions League finale -- I wait for it the whole season actually, and I'm sure it's plenty of people like me. The problem is that only the local seems interested in the football match. None of our tourists care. I know that they are neither Spanish nor Turkish so there is a lower chance of them supporting the finalists, yet they seems so disinterested like they don't even know the sport. The only purpose of the game seems to be a benefit for frauds.

The stories aren't very engaging, but if I had to choose one, I'd pick the Santiago the Compostela because Péter Scherer well plays the character, and makes you care for him.

The humour is built on international differences and communication problems. Too bad the jokes get lost in translation. 

I cannot comprehend the reason why this film was nominated for Golden Bear. Maybe it's because of one of the stories takes place in Berlin. 

Lords of Dogtown (2005)

Genre

Biography | Drama | Sport

Director

Catherine Hardwicke

Country

USA

Cast

Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch, John Robinson, Victor Rasuk, Michael Angarano, Nikki Reed, Rebecca De Mornay, William Mapother, Vincent Laresca, Elden Henson, Mitch Hedberg, Stephanie Limb, Mike Ogas, Don Nguyen, Melonie Diaz, Eddie Cahill, Laura Ramsey, Steve Badillo, Pablo Schreiber, America Ferrera, Sofia Vergara, Johnny Knoxville, Jay Adams, Ned Bellamy, Tony Alva, Charles Napier, Skip Engblom, Stacy Peralta, Tony Hawk, Joel McHale, Bai Ling, Shea Whigham, Alexis Arquette, Jeremy Renner, Lance Mountain

Storyline

The Z-Boys, as they come to be known, perfect their craft in the empty swimming pools of unsuspecting suburban homeowners, pioneering a thrilling new sport and eventually moving into legend.

Opinion

I had good expectation about this film, but as soon as I saw Catherine Hardwicke's name appear in the opening credits, my expectations dropped down like a bomb, because it's common knowledge Hardwicke is the female Michael Bay, aka she can't do her job.

I am not really into skateboarding, but I was interested in seeing how it developed, and I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, Lords of Dogtown tries to be deep, sad and entertaining, but at the end it's just boring.

The story was a great idea for a film, but the storytelling is not compelling, the events happen without much of an explanation or background, and there is lack of dialogue.

The "documentary-style" is really annoying. First, Stacey Peralta, one of the skaters, has already made a documentary about his/the story named "Dogtown and Z-Boys", so there was no point in making a film about the same story, and giving it the documentary look. Second, documentary filmmakers don't go around shaking the camera at things like they have Parkinson's disease. And Catherine Hardwicke should stop calling it a style, because it's not.

However, the great soundtrack really adds a lot to the film. And I must compliment Hardwicke for choosing Heath Ledger as Skip. He did a wonderful job, but unfortunately he didn't have a lot of screen time.

Quotes

Skip: You gotta approach every day as if it's your last!

Green Street (2005)

Genre

Crime | Drama | Sport

Director

Lexi Alexander

Country

USA| UK

Cast

Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Leo Gregory, Claire Forlani, Marc Warren, Ross McCall, Rafe Spall, Kieran Bew, Geoff Bell, James Allison, Terence Jay, Joel Beckett, Francis Pope, Christopher Hehir, David Alexander

Plot

Unjustly expelled from Harvard, Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood) moves to London to live with his sister (Claire Forlani) and her husband Steve (Marc Warren). As he meet Pete (Charlie Hunnam), Steve's cocky brother, he is introduced to the violent underworld of football hooliganism.

Opinion

Critics have said everything bad they could possibly say about this film, from Elijah Wood being not credible as the tough guy to Charlie Hunnam's awful cockney accent. Good thing is I'm not a critic.

Green Street is a very emotional drama that deals with many themes: loyalty, honor, revenge, importance of family - The Major's decision to leave the GSE for the sake of his family -, and power economically strong people have - Matt being kicked out of Harvard.

The film does not glorify hooligans, it portrays them honestly. The violence is believable, realistic, and frightening. The direction and cinematography are flawless. The story manages to engage the audience immediately. The sad and mesmerizing final fight perfectly goes along with Terence Jay's song "One Blood".

The acting is spot-on. Elijah Wood is amazing, and maybe he wasn't the best choice to play a tough guy, but who cares? After all, his character wasn't that tough at the beginning. Charlie Hunnam gives a great performance.

Now, the film is violent, but there is much more than that, so if you didn't get it, I really suggest you to watch it again.

Quotes

Matt Buckner: You know the best part? It isn't knowing that your friends have your back. It's knowing that you have your friends' back.

Pete Dunham: You don't run, not when you're with us... You stand your ground and fight!

Matt Buckner: I've never lived closer to danger, but I've never felt safer. I've never felt more confident, and people could spot it from a mile away. And as for this, the violence? I gotta be honest - it grew on me. Once you've taken a few punches and realize you're not made of glass, you don't feel alive unless you're pushing yourself as far as you can go.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)

Genre

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Director

Darren Grant

Country

USA

Cast

Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, Shemar Moore, Cicely Tyson, Lisa Marcos, Tamara Taylor, Tiffany Evans, Tyler Perry, Gary Anthony Sturgis, Tamela Mann, Judge Mablean Ephriam

Plot

Helen (Kimberly Elise) and Charles McCarter (Steve Harris) had everything: fine home, beautiful clothes, and success. In public, they were the perfect match. But behind the scenes was another matter. On what should have been the end of the happiest day of their lives, Charles evicts Helen, his wife of 18 years, out of their house in the presence of his mistress. Helen then goes from meek and mild to mad, starts a diary and a new life.

Opinion

Dear diary, as the film ended, I realized I've wasted two hours of my life. Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a dull, never-ending film.

The intent to keep the audience attracted failed since I had to stop, and watch the rest of it in the morning because I was falling asleep.

Tyler Perry is not a very talented writer, and the result is a horrifying story. It does show issues within black families, but it doesn't go any further.

The idea that a woman would console a man who threw her out of her own house, and left her broke is ridiculous. Also, the way she treated him after the accident makes her a worse person than him.

I would like to say the acting was awful, but the actors didn't have much to work with.

Quotes

Madea: Love is stronger than any addiction, baby; hell, it *is* one.

Rating

2.0/10

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Genre

Drama | Romance

Director

Rob Marshall

Country

United States

Cast

Zhang Ziyi, Suzuka Ohgo, Shizuko Hoshi, Gong Li, Samantha Futerman, Kaori Momoi, Ken Watanabe, Kōji Yakusho, Michelle Yeoh, Youki Kudoh, Zoe Weizenbaum, Tsai Chin, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Cathy Shim, Kenneth Tsang, Karl Yune, Ted Levine, Paul Adelstein

Plot

In the years before World War II, a Japanese child (Suzuka Ohgo) is torn from her penniless family to work as a maid in a geisha house. Despite a treacherous rival (Li Gong) who nearly breaks her spirit, the girl blossoms into the legendary geisha Sayuri (Zhang Ziyi). Beautiful and accomplished, Sayuri captivates the most powerful men of her day, but is haunted by her secret love for the one man (Ken Watanabe) who is out of her reach.

Opinion

Memoirs of a Geisha is a stunning film, dealing with one of the most beautiful romance stories of recent times.

Director Rob Marshall not only brought to the screen a well-adapted version of Arthur Golden's book of the same name, but he managed to capture each feature of the Japanese culture, far from us yet extraordinary.

The film is a journey into the world of geishas, which are not high-level prostitutes but artists able to play, sing and dance, and that must observe rules of etiquette.

The cinematography, the colours and the music are splendid.

I was expecting an all Japanese cast, and the choice of casting three Chinese actresses - Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh and Li Gong - in the leading roles is annoying. However, the acting from the three ladies is great, although sometimes I was struggling to understand what Zhang Ziyi and Li Gong were saying. The performance by Ken Watanabe is outstanding.

Quotes

Sayuri: The heart dies a slow death. Shedding each hope like leaves, until one day there are none. No hopes. Nothing remains.

Chairman: We must not expect happiness, Sayuri. It is not something we deserve. When life goes well, it is a sudden gift; it cannot last forever...

Rating

8.5/10

Syriana (2005)

Genre

Drama | Thriller

Director

Stephen Gaghan

Country

United States

Cast

George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Christopher Plummer, Amanda Peet, Chris Cooper, Tim Blake Nelson, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Robert Baer, Mazhar Munir, Alexander Siddig, Amr Waked, Akbar Kurtha, Viola Davis, Jayne Atkinson, Jamey Sheridan

Plot

The film is a combination of parallel stories of several characters having place in several locations: Emir, Assassination, Wasim, Merger and the Father-son.

Opinion

Syriana is a cynical film, without any consolation or hope, reveals plots and at the same time leaves a thousand of unanswered questions. I appreciated the choice of using the languages of those locations ( English, French, Arabic, Urdu and Farsi).

Matt Damon's character is superfluous, he doesn't add anything else. Useless the final scene when he returns home to his family.

Quotes

Dean Whiting: In this town, you're innocent until you're investigated.

Prince Nasir Al-Subaai: Americans love to drill holes in other people's countries.

Rating

7.2/10

The Squid and the Whale (2005)

Genre

Comedy | Drama

Director

Noah Baumbach

Country

United States

Cast

Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, Anna Paquin, William Baldwin, Halley Feiffer, David Benger, Adam Rose, Peter Newman, Peggy Gormley, Greta Kline

Plot

Bernard Berkman (Jeff Daniels), once a successful author, had to fall back on teaching for the good of his family.

When his wife, Joan (Laura Linney),  has begun publishing her own work, which increases the tension between them, divorce seems the only possible solution. 

To suffer the consequences will be their two sons, Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and Frank (Owen Kline), a child who drowns his sorrows in alcohol.

Opinion

The Squid and the Whale is a great film. The story takes place in Brooklyn (New York) in 1985 but it could be anywhere, in any year. Loved the comparison between the battle between the squid and the whale (seen in the museum by Walt when he was a kid) and the parents divorce: you suffer more intensely when you are watching the battle and you can't cover your eyes with your hands.