Jdidalot's Reviews

Rumer (2019)

8/10

30 January 2024

Imdb has as title "Rumer" but the correct title is "RUMOR". It might explain why there was no other rating or review for it.

I liked it, even if some of the scenes were repetitive.

We talk a lot about school bullying but it happens often in the office and work environment in general.

Sometimes the culture of specific countries makes it even harder to deal with.

No matter how much of a high education you have and no matter how hard you work you might not be prepared for the dirty "politics" in your adult environment and the sad thing is: if you grew up with some kind of decency in your younger years, you are not ready at all for other people tackiness.

This is only one of the aspects of Rumor. So many other aspects should be noticed such as what are the different causes and motives of that tackiness as well as the courage to stand up for others as well as yourself.

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A Perfect Man (2013)

7/10

So underrated

12 January 2014

It is sad that today's audience always needs to see movies with people getting killed, some T&A, some drugs and bad guys/good guys stories, some mistreatment, rape, abuse, winning over prejudice or physical/ emotional weaknesses.

This movie just takes a slice of a couple's life and makes you wonder if it's the last piece or if they are going to make a new one together.

I really like this movie because it is real. More real than any reality show you might be watching. It's tender and tough, it's sad and hopeful. I like it because it's located in one of my most favorite places: Amsterdam, the picture is beautiful: the directing and filming are great and the acting is impeccable: (As another reviewer wrote) Liev Schreiber is very good, as well as Joelle Carter and Louise Fletcher but the outstanding performance of Jeanne Tripplehorn makes you wonder why we don't see her more often in major productions. Don't get me started with the dog.... How did they get him to play his part so well?

Give this movie a try for the simple reason that it is very well done and tasty. I am sure glad I got to see it.

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Suspension of Disbelief (2012)

8/10

Interesting Concept. Thank you Mr. Figgis!

15 September 2013

For the ones who think they never heard of the director Mike Figgis, I will remind you of "Leaving Las Vegas". Yes that director!

I have been a fan of Mike Figgis since 1988 when he wrote and directed Stormy Monday and I really enjoyed Liebestraum and The Loss of Sexual Innocence. Not all his movies are "Hollywood" type like Leaving Las Vegas and it takes an acquired taste and thinking outside the box to appreciate some of his work.

Suspension of Disbelief is one that's not for the people who like straight forward movie. It's a story of a man who writes movie scenarios and happens to write one that involves us with this movie ("Participation Mystique") because he is writing the scenario for the movie we are watching and Mr. Mike Figgis does an excellent job with this concept.

The story takes us to different parts of this man's life, such as the world of his daughter who, within this movie, is a starting actress in another movie; the fact that there is a death (murder or accident?) which involves few people, and so on (I don't want to spoil it for you). This movie takes you in different directions and still revolves around the same characters.

I personally enjoyed it because it's really close to what life is all about: A lot of things are happening at the same time and you don't know which one is the most important until you think about your personal life and understand that all of them are important. Your day to day life is not just a story within the same theme. After all, you are the story of your life!

If you expect a packaged ending to this movie, you will be disappointed but if you understand that you are the continuity to this film and understand that you, through your thinking, are supposed to draw your own conclusions for an ending, it will leave you interested even when the movie is over.

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The Little Girl (2012)

9/10

Nicely done!

22 June 2013

I don't usually enjoy short films but this one was a real surprise. It's well done, the acting is good, the story progresses very fast and the nice twist at the end is a treat. It's so intense that I was amazed that this 20 minutes film communicated what others could not do in 2 hours. The director Timothy Wayne Folsome is the writer. He is also acting in it and not as a main character (No director's ego trip there...that's refreshing!). This movie is very well thought and conceived with no superfluous dialogue, scene or explanation. I would have to spoil the movie for you if I was to tell you more. Just watch it and enjoy it!

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The Forbidden Door (2009)

10/10

This movie is a beautiful gem!

5 August 2012

Joko Anwar. That's the name of the director who made such an impact on me that I will never forget his name.

When I came across this movie, I was very bored and though the title "The forbidden Door" was pretty cliché for a horror/ thriller movie, I decided to take a quick look at it and discard the viewing within the 10 first minutes if it failed to catch and maintain my attention.

I am sure glad I stumble across this movie. I was in for a nice surprise to the point that when I finished watching it, I played it and viewed it again to appreciate all the details.

So here we go: you have this guy, Gambir, who is a well-known sculptor, specializing in making as large as life sculptures of pregnant women in different positions. He has a beautiful wife, two best friends, a mother and a Manager.

Gambir, played by a fascinating and excellent actor named Fachry Albar, received messages by phone, by writing in his yard grass, by hand written notes, by writing in the street, by TV from a young boy. They all say "Help Me".

Gambir will evolve from a shy, submissive man to a fanatic, action man.

That's it! I don't want to tell you more. You have to watch the whole movie because it's so good! In fact it's one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.

The Christmas dinner scene, at the end, is gruesome but well worth it. Fachry Albar gives an Oscar performance.

This is not horror for the pleasure of it and just to captivate the blood thirsty audience but it's a horror movie full of feelings, questions, and just beautifully made. The horror is everywhere to be found: in ideas, in thoughts, psychologically, physically, in the eyes, in the touchEach scene leaves you wondering and pondering.

Watch the credits entirely, because the last scene is after the credits: a less than 30 seconds scene that wraps up the whole movie like a ribbon that you want to undo to open and watch this movie all over, again.

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The Prestige (2006)

9/10

Mr. Christopher Nolan: A Genius

5 August 2012

After watching the newest Nolan's film: The Dark Knight Rises, a real let down, I had to remind myself how good of a director Mr. Christopher Nolan is. I watched for the 4th time the Prestige.

Contrary to Following and Memento, you do not know until the end that there is something more than what you see Until the end!. And then you watch it again and notice all the clues. It's one of these plots which seems so simple but as in magic tricks, nothing is what it seems.

It's a great screen play of Christopher Priest's novel. The cast is incredible and Christian Bale needs to be congratulated for his versatility.

Mr. Nolan did it again and the illusion is great. I was wondering how he could out do Following and Memento and he pulled one over my eyesagain.

No, I won't tell you the plot because other people already did that and if I was to tell you more I would be spoiling the movie for you. Let's just say that I would have hated to have missed watching such a great movie. Please, enjoy it and know that you won't be disappointed.

In fact, you will remember the Prestige for quite a while.

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The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

3/10

What happened to Mr. Christopher Nolan?

5 August 2012

For the ones who are not acquainted with Mr. Christopher Nolan's work prior to the batman trilogy, the Dark Knight Rises is a good movie. Typical action movie, with effects, pursuits, betrayal and so onThe visual will keep you on the edge of your seat. This third film closes the loop to the two prior movies in the trilogy. We have the introduction of Catwoman (with a kind of a sensitive side) and the end might let us wonder if Christopher Nolan will keep making some other Batman movies since we get a hint we might have found a Robin for possible future Batman's adventure films.

But let's be honest, the plot is thin. If it was not for the main actors/ characters (found in each of the trilogy's movies) such as Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman and if it was not for the reputation of Christopher Nolan as an "once upon the time" great director, the movie might not be so popular. It seems that Christopher Nolan has sacrificed talent for big production films that bring money at the box office.

When you have seen Following (which is a cinema classic, made with less than 4000 English pounds), Memento (which is a piece of art), Prestige (which makes you want to watch it again as soon as you finish the first viewing), you cannot help wondering what happened to Mr. Christopher Nolan. Even Inception and Insomnia were still way above average and the first of the trilogy "Batman Begins" was interesting because it explored the origins of Batman (excellent idea). But there was no need for the second or third Batman movies. Nolan finally can now be placed among directors in an American/ Hollywood environment but, at what price? Maybe just a dollar figure!

If you like movies such as Mission Impossible or the alike, go see the Dark Knight Rises. If you like the genius of Mr. Christopher Nolan that we were lucky to discover in his first movies, please try to let him know that his talent should not be wasted anymore.

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Alice (I) (2005)

9/10

There is no need for me to let you know the plot. The other reviewers' summary is so well done that mine would only be seen as redundant.

3 July 2012

Warning: Spoilers

It's a movie that doesn't have a lot happening but is so emotionally intense that it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's so well done, with attention to every detail to sympathize with the Mario character (the gray tone of the picture, the blue hope of the daughter's coat, the gloomy and rainy city, the indifference from the crowd/ people, the isolation of the suffering character, even Mario's fake smile when he acts on stage...).

I would like to respond to a question that one of the reviewer asked (essbcn from Barcelona), regarding the Lewis Carroll's quote at the end of the movie. Of course, this is only what I believe and shouldn't be seen as "The" only explanation.

Marco Martins, the movie director, refers twice to Lewis Carroll's "Alice's adventures in wonderland".

The first time, when Mario walks by a wall with drawings of the White Rabbit carrying his pocket watch (note that the drawing repeats itself), it symbolizes Mario racing against time and repeating on the daily basis the same actions of a fruitless search (nursery school, suit cleaning, changing and watching tapes, acting in the theater play, walking the city.and so on).

The second time, in the movie credits with the quote: "but the wells of fantasy always end up by draining and the tired storyteller tried to escape as he could; tomorrow the rest – it's already tomorrow!"

"The wells of fantasy always end up by draining": the fantasy is nothing else than Mario's hope of finding his daughter and the wells are all the possible ways (such as tapes, pamphlets, walking in the city and so on...) that he uses to feed his hope. It's a hope which is drained and dying on a daily basis just to be reborn and replete the following day.

"and the tired storyteller tried to escape as he could;": the tired storyteller is Mario who tries to escape the insanity of this fantasy. Knowing that the reality is obscure, he tries to grab on what's left of his sanity to keep on with his search and the hope of finding his daughter.

"tomorrow the rest – it's already tomorrow": There is no more today or tomorrow for Mario, since the search is the only reality that he knows. But it means too, that the hope is always there.

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Amos & Andrew (1993)

9/10

I won't spoil the plot for you (too many people already have).

17 May 2012

One on those rare DVD I've purchased and watch when I need to relax and have a laugh. Nic Cage is amazing in it and Jackson is as versatile as always. I can't help smiling watching Dabney Coleman (remembering him as Merle Jeeter in the Mary Hartman sitcom). I just love this movie. It's just clean fun and daring to show on screen the preconceived and non-politically correct concepts that some people have. I had this movie in a VHS format and could not help getting it in a DVD format. This is a comedy classic that you should purchase just to be able to watch it when you feel like it. So get some popcorn, get the family and friends around the screen and have a good time.

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