Its been a while since I've done a film review. Despite having seen quite a few films since the last review. So first, lets do a little summary of some of them...
A little out of date now, is Joulutarina (Christmas Story). This is the tale of how a little boy called Nikolas came to be Santa Claus (or Saint Nick, whatever your fancy). Orphaned as a young boy, he was taken in by a different family of his poor village in the north of Finland each year. Every Christmas he would carve gifts for the children of the families that had given him a roof and shown him kindness. But the village starts to struggle, and one year there seems there is no-one to take Nikolas in. So he end's up being taken in by the reclusive carpenter who all the children fear.
This is a great example of how modern Finnish cinema can be (not so arty as the Arki Kauas-whatsit's of Finland). It also has some familiar faces and places. There is one shot of Turku (hurrah!) and has smalls roles played by Mikko Leppilampi (host of esc 2007) and Antti Tuisku (who is rather cheesy in this tbh). Antti also did a rather lovely song for the soundtrack called valovuodet (Light Years (apparently)). Anyway, its a lovely heartwarming tale about the story of Saint Nick, from the people that know it best :) Definitely worth a watch, but only when in that cheery festive mood, as the ending is rather incredibly cheesy.
Then, also watched before Christmas was a film called The Painted Veil. This is a rather more gritty film, staring Ed Norton and Naomi Watts. Norton plays an english doctor in the 1920's, who after finding out that his wife has been having an affair, forces her
to move with him to a remote village in China in the midst of a major Cholera outbreak. This is a complicated love story, which is beautifully realistic in that there is no wrong or right answer, nothing is black and white. Was Kitty entirely to blame for her adultery, or was Walter also to blame for marrying her when he knew she didnt love him. Kitty believed that her lover loved her truefully, and assumes he will save her from her fate in China. But since he has a wife of his own, and shows no compassion for her situation, she has no choice but to accompany Walter to China. As time goes on, and she becomes restless, she starts volunteering at the ophanage run by nuns. Slowly Walter and Kitty start to mend their relationship, and Kitty begins to see a deeper side to Walter.
Its a truly captivating story. The cinematography is beautiful, and captures the breathtaking Chinese landscape wonderfully. This is not a conventional love story of boy meets girl. It is something much more complex, but thats what makes it so interesting. You really end up investing in these characters. You're never sure who you side with, as both bear their demons.
Either way, a highly recommened film.
A little out of date now, is Joulutarina (Christmas Story). This is the tale of how a little boy called Nikolas came to be Santa Claus (or Saint Nick, whatever your fancy). Orphaned as a young boy, he was taken in by a different family of his poor village in the north of Finland each year. Every Christmas he would carve gifts for the children of the families that had given him a roof and shown him kindness. But the village starts to struggle, and one year there seems there is no-one to take Nikolas in. So he end's up being taken in by the reclusive carpenter who all the children fear.This is a great example of how modern Finnish cinema can be (not so arty as the Arki Kauas-whatsit's of Finland). It also has some familiar faces and places. There is one shot of Turku (hurrah!) and has smalls roles played by Mikko Leppilampi (host of esc 2007) and Antti Tuisku (who is rather cheesy in this tbh). Antti also did a rather lovely song for the soundtrack called valovuodet (Light Years (apparently)). Anyway, its a lovely heartwarming tale about the story of Saint Nick, from the people that know it best :) Definitely worth a watch, but only when in that cheery festive mood, as the ending is rather incredibly cheesy.
Then, also watched before Christmas was a film called The Painted Veil. This is a rather more gritty film, staring Ed Norton and Naomi Watts. Norton plays an english doctor in the 1920's, who after finding out that his wife has been having an affair, forces her
to move with him to a remote village in China in the midst of a major Cholera outbreak. This is a complicated love story, which is beautifully realistic in that there is no wrong or right answer, nothing is black and white. Was Kitty entirely to blame for her adultery, or was Walter also to blame for marrying her when he knew she didnt love him. Kitty believed that her lover loved her truefully, and assumes he will save her from her fate in China. But since he has a wife of his own, and shows no compassion for her situation, she has no choice but to accompany Walter to China. As time goes on, and she becomes restless, she starts volunteering at the ophanage run by nuns. Slowly Walter and Kitty start to mend their relationship, and Kitty begins to see a deeper side to Walter. Its a truly captivating story. The cinematography is beautiful, and captures the breathtaking Chinese landscape wonderfully. This is not a conventional love story of boy meets girl. It is something much more complex, but thats what makes it so interesting. You really end up investing in these characters. You're never sure who you side with, as both bear their demons.
Either way, a highly recommened film.
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