Solyaris (A.K.A Solaris)

"Man was created by Nature in order to explore it. As he approaches Truth he is fated to Knowledge. All the rest is bullshit."

Okay, well the other day I watched Andrei Tarkovsky's "Stalker" the other day, and I disliked it quite a lot, I found it very boring and dragged. I was considering to just pass checking out any other of Tarkovsky's films, but once I read that "Solyaris" is "Tarkovsky's response to 2001: A Space Odyssey" I was pretty much convinced I had to see the film. I'm so very happy I was not lazy, and that I decided to check this film out.

• Title: Solyaris
• Year: 1972
• Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
• Genre: (Sorry Tarkovsky) Sci Fi
• Rating: 9/10

Well, this film is about a man who is about to go on an a mission centered to examine and find out information on the planet Solyaris. Before leaving, another man, one who was apart of the mission explains how he sighted something very outrageous, it appears he had to have been very delusional, Kris Kelvin arrives unwelcomed onboard, he begins to notice "visitors" onboard the spacecraft.

One might ask how this film (or any) could be compared to the great "2001: A Space Odyssey", well put in the simplest way I know how, they connect to one-another because they both explore human exploration of space, and how they try to deal with the possibility of life outside of Earth. Both are very distinct and original in every single dynamic. Each have their superior aspects (2001, having more, I think), Solyaris explores Human emotion and conscience more, whereas 2001 seems to deal more with Human curiosity, evolution and well "Other life".

For those who have not seen "2001: A Space Odyssey" or Tarkovsky's other film, this is certainly not a typical "Sci Fi" film, I hate labeling it a "Sci Fi movie", because as Tarkovsky has stated, he considers it his worst film, and has failed to exceed the limits of a genre, as the likes of "Stalker" did. This film is reasonably long, and I can definitely see people calling this a boring and slow film, because it does have some long scenes, it's not filled with dialogue and action either. It is slow paced (though it didn't feel slow to me, really), it's strange, and there is a lot which is "more than meets the eye", this doesn't just have a great plot, but it succeeds in every aspect, like in "Stalker" it contains some amazing cinematography (which was one of the few things I liked about "Stalker") and some very beautiful scenes, especially that of Solyaris. I think I alone say this but I compare the first 40 [or so] minutes of Solyaris to the first 30 [or so] minutes of the Godfather, it is slow, it isn't all that interesting, but in every single way it is very necessary, it is very important to the conclusion of the film.

To wrap up another short review, I'd recommend those who have seen either Tarkovsky's films to watch this, and if from what you have read have been interested, the very least you can do is check out a trailer for the film and see if it makes you wish to see the film. It's a great film.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room"

Well, today, I watched Dr. Strangelove, the first time I tried to watch the film, I didn't really enjoy it, and I only made it half way, my friend who saw it convinced me it was hilarious and so I decided to give it another shot, again, I was disappointed to find myself not laughing throughout..

• Title: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
• Year of release: 1964
• Director: Stanely Kubrick
• Genre: Comedy/Drama
• Rating: 6.5/10 (borderline 7)

This film centers around a group of characters who are desperate to defuse the terrible situation in which a crazy General begins a large attack on Russia without permission from the President, or anyone else for that matter, he simply decides to attack the "Commies".

I did some reading up on other people's opinion of the film, and why they found it funny, I've heard it's laugh out loud funny, and that it's a black comedy which is filled with a lot of satire, I've also heard people say you need to know about the situation of the Cold War. I do not believe it matters whether you know much about the Cold War or not, I've done a couple months study on the Cold War in history, and it made no difference to me, whereas my friend knows nothing about the cold war and found it hilarious.

When I asked my friend what he found funny, he described several scenes I could remember very clearly, and I just sat there puzzled at why he found those scenes so funny. For instance one scene involving a coke machine, I have to admit, I found it a little funny, but he was in tears simply describing the scene. Maybe it's not my humor, I don't know. I felt the same about "Little Miss Sunshine", when I saw LMS I was disappointed in how dry I found the film. Some scenes I would crack a smile at, but none in each film would make me feel true laughter inside or out. Whilst watching, I was desperately wanting to laugh at the film, and find it brilliant, but I couldn't. Though, I didn't find it a particularly funny film, I didn't dislike or find the film boring, I just didn't find it funny.

Some of the characters in the film were terrific, the acting was quite decent, and the originality and story was interesting, Stanely Kubrick is no doubt a talented chap in the way he directed the film. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who liked the trailer (click here to view it) or anyone who is a keen fan of Stanely Kubrick, even if you don't find this funny, I'm sure you won't be bored, plus it's short at around one hour and thirty minutes.

The Hidden Fortress

"Get away from me! You stink of dead bodies!"

Hello, lately I've been watching a lot of Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ran) films, and he has lately become my favourite director, because the way he does his films, the story they follow are all something that interests me. I decided to check this film out in particular after I found out it was a huge inspiration for George Lucas' Original Star Wars and in particular, R2D2 & C3P0.

• Title: Hidden Fortress
• Year of release: 1958
• Director: Akira Kurosawa
• Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
• Rating: 8.5/10

The story follows two characters, Tahei & Matakishi, who are very poor and greedy, after they discover some gold in a piece of wood they meet a man named Rokurota Makabe, he then leads them on a journey to Hayakawa (sorry If I'm wrong there, I cannot quite remember the name) where the princess also on the journey must rebuild her clan.

Simply put in my opinion, no Hidden Fortress, no Star Wars, I'm sure many will argue against that, but even if Star Wars was made it wouldn't be the legendary film it is, today. I feel personally this is Akira Kurosawa's most underrated film, a lot of people who have seen his movies will talk about Rashomon, Seven Samurai or Ran, they are his most famous, and among his greatest success'. This film probably would be even less cared about if there wasn't a Star Wars film (I know I need to stop with Star Wars).

For those who haven't seen a Kurosawa film, or if you've mainly seen his serious films, this film is a great treat. Though I wouldn't call it an incredibly serious film, I also wouldn't just call it a Comedy, it mixes drama, action and comedy perfectly. The drama in the film is that surrounding Princess Yuki, that she is the only one left to recreate her clan, and that she isn't no stupid woman, she is not some posh "I'm better than you" sort of person, she is a real person, who actually has a chance of rebuilding the clan. The action is of course shown by Toshiro Mifune's character, Rokurota Makabe, throughout the movie you will see him swing his sword with brilliant precision and strength, one scene in particular which involves him chasing down some soldiers on a horse is particularly great. The action doesn't feel fake, and choreographed, it's more realistic than that of sword fighting you may see in the likes of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (don't get me wrong, I love CTHD too). Lastly, the comedy of the film mainly comes from the two peasants, Tahei and Matakishi, these two guys need each other, but their greed will cause them to have some hilarious and outrageous arguments.

To sum up this relatively short review, if your a fan of Akira Kurosaa or Toshiro Mifune, watch this film, if your a fan of Star Wars, watch this film, if your a fan of Samurai's and that time period, watch this film. If you have any sense, WATCH THIS FILM!

My First Blog!

Hey, I'm new to this whole blog thing, but I've decided to blog about Films and Television shows because watching the two are my favourite things to do. I've still got a lot to learn so hopefully here, when I post my opinions, people can help me in analyzing films/shows.