This week’s radio review is of the Russian film Elena, a rather drab and sad attempt at an arty, “lingerings scenes without purpose” type of film. I don’t have anything against arty films or lingering scenes, it should be said, but Elena needs a translator of some sort, because they were all speaking Greek to me.
Dice roll: 2
This week’s radio review is the curiously entitled Martha Marcy May Marlene. Even more curious: there’s an Olsen in it, specifically Elizabeth Olsen, and she’s really good. If only the film hadn’t spent all of its time on moody shots of her on a lake, it might have bumped it up to a fiver.
Click here to read (and listen to) the full review (in Norwegian).
Dice roll: 4 (or a 4++ if such a thing is possible)
Movie: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
A true spy movie that gives us nothing cheaply, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is packed so full of talent that its only true loss is that it can’t give enough screen time to all the actors. The first half might be a tad confusing and for some it might appear slow and bloated (or maybe even pretentious or Oscar baiting) but for the patient movie-goer it’s a riveting portrayal of a group of ordinary men in extraordinary jobs.
Movie: Contagion (2011).
I had to take a few days to digest this movie because I couldn’t quite decide if I liked it or not. In the end I decided I liked it well enough, but that most of my enjoyment comes from my human fascination about the end of the world. Unfortunately, this movie isn’t really about the end of the world, but more a possible scenario. This might make it more real, and therefore more chilling for some, but personally I could have done without this level of detail. The movie gets a bit bloated, but pulls it all in by the end.
Film Dice 