Let the Right One In (2008)

Genre: Romance / Horror / Foreign
Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
Cast: Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar
Time: 114 minutes

 

Oskar is a meek 12-year-old boy living with his single mother in a suburb of Stockholm. As he gets constantly bullied in school, he dreams of fighting back. One evening, as Oskar dreams up his latest revenge, he meets Eli, a mysterious child his age living in his apartment building. The two strike up a friendship that brings them both on a rollercoaster of emotions.

This film is based on the novel of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist. In spite of the fact that this is a Swedish film subtitled in English, the story was quite easy for me to get in. The storytelling was very intelligent, and the acting was solid. The pace felt a little slow at times, but, overall, a good horror film. Not overly scary, but it sets a mood that is quite efficient in keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Rating: ««««

Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)

Genre: Foreign / Horror

Directed by: Takashi Shimizu

Starring: Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Takashi Matsuyama

Running time: 92 minutes

After finding out that his wife loves another man, Takeo Saeki kills her, their son and the family cat. Years later, the house is still haunted by their ghosts, and everybody that comes into the house are overtaken by the evil spirits of the deceased.

While the story had potential, there was a definite lack of cohesiveness. We are served with a bunch of short stories of different people suffering the same fate, so it is difficult to attach yourself to any kind of hero or character.

There were some scenes here and there that were quite efficient, in a chilling kind of way, but some of the special effects felt clumsy, which ruined it for me.

Rating: ««

Parasite (2019)

Genre: Foreign / Comedy / Thriller

Directed by: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sin-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong

Running Time: 132 minutes

A Korean family of four that is having a hard time making ends meet financially, living in a small semi-basement, create a subterfuge to get themselves hired for various jobs by a wealthy family with two young kids. The plan works, but their dream situation soon turns to a nightmare.

This Korean film, that I saw with English subtitles, won the Palme D’or in Cannes and the Academy Award for best film. Those awards are well deserved, as it a brilliant movie. It is a magnificent blend of black comedy and thriller. The tension in the denouement keeps you on the edge of your seat. And I loved how the ending avoids the whole Hollywood cliché of the happy ending.

This is a film full of layers, with a heavy social message, that I will be sure to see again.

Rating: «««««

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)

Genre: Foreign / Thriller

Directed by: Lam Nai-choi

Cast: Fan Siu-Wong, Fan Mei Sheng, Ho Ka-kui

Running time: 91 minutes

Ricky is sent to jail on a 10-year manslaughter sentence after killing the man who was indirectly responsible for the death of his girlfriend. Stuck in a corrupt fully privatized prison, Ricky will use his supernatural powers and his knowledge of martial arts to fight for justice.

This Hong Kong martial arts film would disgust many casual viewers I am sure. There is tons of violence and a lot of gory scenes. Blood, broken limbs, punches going through body parts, guts and bodies in meat grinders. That being said, the action and the violence are so campy and over-the-top that I found the whole thing to be funny.

The Story of Ricky is an entertaining slice of cheesy cinema.

Rating: «««

El Aura (2005)

Genre: Foreign / Thriller

Directed by: Fabian Bielinski

Cast: Ricardo Darin, Dolores Fonzi, Pablo Cedron

Running time: 138 minutes

This Argentine film tells the story of Espinoza, an epileptic taxidermist with an extraordinary memory and sense of observation. Espinoza particularly loves to fantasize about the ways to commit the perfect crime. While on a hunting trip, he accidently shoots and kills a man. When he realizes that the man he killed was a criminal about to rob an armored truck with a group of men, Espinoza feels like he has found the perfect occasion to make his dream a reality.

I had to give this neo-noir thriller a second chance. On a Friday night, after a long week at work, I tried to watch it. I could not keep up with a foreign movie subtitled in English. The next morning, I started it again. There it was: Loved it.

The pace of El Aura is very slow and deliberate, but the story pulls you in and never lets you go until the end. The acting was good and the whole mood that is set by the director is captivating. I was a bit disappointed by the ending, but, still, I found this film really enjoyable.

Rating: ««««

Wild Strawberries (1957)

Genre: Drama / Foreign

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman

Cast: Victor Sjöström, Bibi, Andersson, Ingrid Thulin

Running time: 91 minutes

Professor Isak Borg, a 78 year old widowed man, is set to receive the degree of Doctor Jubilaris, 50 years after receiving his doctorate. A cold, distant and hard-headed old man, he decides to make the trip from Stockholm to Lund for the ceremony by car instead of by plane, like was originally planned. His daughter-in-law, who has been visiting since having a fight with her husband, decides to ride with him, though she doesn’t like him much. Over the course of that day, multiple dreams, daydreams and reveries will force Professor Borg to look back upon his life and make some stark realizations.

This Swedish film is a beautiful work of art that requires effort on the part of the viewer. If you don’t speak the language, you have to rely on subtitles, which is a turnoff for many. There is also the slow pace.

That being said, the cinematography work by legendary Ingmar Bergman is magnificent. The camera work contributes greatly to the telling of this wonderful story about aging, guilt, regrets and finding peace. This is a multi-layered movie with loads of symbolism to take in. There was some solid actor work done here also.

All things considered, this is a great film that should be seen at least once, if not more, in a lifetime.

Rating: «««««

Requiem (2006)

Genre: Drama / Foreign

Directed by: Hans-Christian Schmid

Cast: Sandra Hüller, Imogen Kogge, Anna Blomeier

Running time: 93 minutes

Michaela Klingler is a young woman who suffers from epilepsy. In spite of the illness, she’s adamant about leaving home and going to college to become a teacher. She soon starts showing signs of other ailments, which her family and the church believe to be demonic possession.

This film was loosely inspired by the real case of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who was believed to be possessed and died in 1976.

Sandra Hüller is solid in the lead role. You can truly feel the plight of Michaela through her performance. The supporting cast was also very good. The story of Requiem was easy to follow with the subtitles, since I have very minimal knowledge of the German language.

I found that this film ended too abruptly; I could have taken more. It is a very intense character study that is well worth seeing. It is a little scary to think that these kinds of cases happened for real.

Rating: ««««

Toni Erdmann (2016)

Genre: Comedy / Drama / Foreign

Directed by: Maren Ade

Cast: Peter Simonischek, Sandra Hüller, Ingrid Bisu

Running time: 162 minutes

Winfried Conradi is a divorced music teacher who, in an attempt to reconnect with his adult daughter, Ines, a young woman consumed by her work in business consulting, creates the character of Toni Erdmann for himself, so he can move around in her universe and hopefully interact a little more closely with her.

When I found out that this German-Austrian film was going to be redone in the States, with my favorite actor (Jack Nicholson) in the lead role, I decided to track down the original.

Toni Erdmann is kind of like the character of Ines, Winfriend’s daughter. It is not easily approachable; it demands effort on the part of the interested party. That being said, it is well worth it. The characters are multi-dimensional and well fleshed-out, and the story is very compelling. It contains multiple moments that are both funny and sweet. Here is a film that deserves the multiple awards it won.

Rating: «««««

Seven Samurai (1954)

Genre : Drama / Foreign
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima
Running time: 207 minutes

In this age of fast-paced action and short attention spans, Seven Samurai can seems a little out of place. With a running time of over 3 hours, and being a Japanese film sub-titled in English, it certainly is not something a lot of people would dare undertake. I sure was hesitant at first, but I decided to take the plunge. I’m glad I did.

Seven Samurai is a story of a village of Japanese farmers, in the 1500’s, who hire a group of samurai to defend them against a gang of criminals who raid their crop every year. It is a tale of honor, rituals, standing up for oneself, fighting spirit and respect for traditions.

Did this movie need to last this long? Probably not. Though I must say the cinematography is beautiful, amazing considering it was shot in the 1950’s. The acting is overly dramatic, but it goes with the territory here. Fight scenes are not greatly choreographed either, but that is forgivable.

All things considered, this is a great film, that can seem too much to take at first but that is worth the experience, for true cinema lovers.

Rating: ««««