Παρασκευή 25 Δεκεμβρίου 2009

Revelations

Είδος: Κωμωδία (Stand up Comedy)
Γλώσσα: Αγγλικά
Υπότιτλοι: Ελληνικά
Χρονολογία: 1993 , US
Σκηνοθεσία: -
Διάρκεια: 74'

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0152183/
http://www.billhicks.com/



Outspoken genius disguised as a comedian., 5 April 2004

Author: Dan Keene (dankeene549@yahoo.com) from Spokane, WA

"Revelations" was my first Bill Hicks experience but unfortunately, one of his last performances. After viewing this video, Bill Hicks immediately became my favorite stand-up comedian. Probably because I share most of his views which were brilliantly expresses with his brutally hilarious humor. At times he gets a feverish intensity beyond typical humor and really makes you think about what he says whether you like it or not. What he said was more that just comedy club material, it had a meaning behind it. Maybe that's why, since his untimely death (cancer), he has been referenced and quoted by such people as the band Tool (on their 1996 "Aenima" album) and Author David Icke (in quite a few of his books). Half way through I started to wonder if this guy had any faith in humanity, but by the end his sincere closing remarks just might restore YOUR OWN faith in humanity.




http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/vW2hISZWCHc/

Σάββατο 19 Δεκεμβρίου 2009

12 Angry Men


Είδος: Ταινία
Γλώσσα: English
Υπότιτλοι: -
Χρονολογία: 1957, US
Σκηνοθεσία: Sindney Lummet

Διάρκεια: 96'

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050083/ 

No Dissonance,

Author: tedg (tedg@FilmsFolded.com) from Virginia Beach
This film deserves to be on anyone's list of top films. My problem is that it is so perfect, so seamlessly polished, it is hard to appreciate the individual excellences.

The acting is top notch. I believe that monologue acting is quite a bit simpler than real reactive ensemble acting. Most of what we see today is monologues pretending to be conversations. But in this film, we have utter mastery of throwing emotions. Once the air becomes filled with human essence, it is hard to not get soaked ourselves as the camera moves through the thick atmosphere. Yes, there are slight differences in how each actor projects (Fonda internally, Balsam completely on his skin...) but the ensemble presents one vision to the audience.

The writing is snappy too. You can tell it was worked and worked and worried, going through several generations. It is easy to be mesmerized by this writing and acting, and miss the rare accomplishment of the camera-work. This camera is so fluid, you forget you are in one room. It moves from being a human observer, to being omniscient, to being a target. It is smart enough to seldom center on the element of most importance, so expands the field to all men.

This is very hard. Very hard, to make the camera human. So much easier to do what we see today -- acknowledge the machinery and jigger with it. Do we have a filmmaker today who could do this?

Ted's Evaluation -- 4 of 3: Every cineliterate person should experience this.























Παρασκευή 11 Δεκεμβρίου 2009

Δευτέρα 7 Δεκεμβρίου 2009

Η Έβδομη Σφραγίδα


Είδος: Ταινία
Γλώσσα: Σουηδικά
Υπότιτλοι: English
Χρονολογία: 1957, S
Σκηνοθεσία: Ingmar Bergman
Διάρκεια: 96'

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050976/ 

Antonius Block (Max Von Sydow), a knight, returns from a 10-year crusade with his squire, Jöns (Gunnar Björnstrand), to find his homeland ravaged by the plague. When the black-cloaked figure of Death (Bengt Ekerot) appears to claim them, Block, whose war experiences have left him cynical about the existence of God and the afterlife, challenges Death to a game of chess to stall for time and gain some insight into the meaning of life before passing on. The game is intermittently paused and resumed during the journey home while Block and Jöns meet several traveling companions, including a mute girl (Gunnel Lindblom) whom they save from a bandit, and a family of poor traveling players--Jof, a gentle visionary (Nils Poppe); his wife, Mia (Bibi Andersson); and their infant daughter. Block witnesses much suffering and anguish along the way (an encounter with a woman accused of witchcraft who is about to be burned at the stake is especially jarring) but also finds evidence of human kindness and love, prompting him to realize that even a single gesture of goodwill might make the long struggle of his existence worthwhile. The title of Ingmar Bergman's highly acclaimed allegorical film stems from the Book of Revelation.


Για μια ανάλυση της ταινίας όποιος γνωρίζει αγγλικά μπορεί να δει εδώ και εδώ. Υπάρχουν αρκετοί ιστότοποι που προσφέρουν αναλύσεις πάνω σ' αυτό το πραγματικό διαμάντι. Σίγουρα μία από τις καλύτερες ταινίες όλων των "εποχών".






















Τετάρτη 25 Νοεμβρίου 2009

Τετάρτη 18 Νοεμβρίου 2009

Παρασκευή 13 Νοεμβρίου 2009

Carts of Darkness


Είδος: Ντοκυμαντέρ
Γλώσσα: Αγγλικά

Υπότιτλοι: English (press close cations button)
Χρονολογία: 2008 , CAnada
Σκηνοθεσία: Murray Siple

Διάρκεια: 59'





Murray Siple's feature-length documentary follows a group of homeless men who have combined bottle picking with the extreme sport of racing shopping carts down the steep hills of North Vancouver. This subculture depicts street life as much more than the stereotypes portrayed in mainstream media. The film takes a deep look into the lives of the men who race carts, the adversity they face and the appeal of cart racing despite the risk. Shot in high-definition and featuring tracks from Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, Vetiver, Bison, and Alan Boyd of Little Sparta.

Ένα απίστευτο ντοκιμαντέρ που διεισδύει στις ζωές άστεγων στο Βανκούβερ του Καναδά. Ο Murray σχεδόν παράλυτος μετά από ένα αυτοκινητιστικό ατύχημα το 1996, βρήκε το κουράγιο να συνεχίσει να κάνει αυτό που έκανε και πριν το ατύχημα: να γυρίζει ντοκιμαντέρ. Ακολουθεί αυτούς τους ρακοσυλλέκτες (γυαλί, πλαστικό, αλουμίνιο) και μας δίνει μια αληθινή εικόνα της ζωής τους και των σκέψεων τους διαφορετική από αυτή που παρουσιάζεται από τα παραδοσιακά ΜΜΕ. Το ντοκιμαντέρ είναι απλά καταπληκτικό, πλαισιωμένο από πολύ καλή μουσική και πάνω απ' όλα ανθρώπινο. Το δε τέλος της ταινίας, όπου ο σκηνοθέτης θέλοντας να εκτιμήσει την εμπιστοσύνη που του έδειξαν αυτοί οι άνθρωποι και γνωρίζοντας ότι δεν θα δεχόντουσαν κάτι άλλο από ένα πακέτο τσιγάρα με έκανε να κλάψω σαν μικρό παιδί. Μια ταινία που πρέπει οπωσδήποτε να δείτε...



Δευτέρα 9 Νοεμβρίου 2009

Ο Κύριος της Άμαξας

Είδος: Ταινία
Γλώσσα: Αγγλικά
Υπότιτλοι: Ελληνικά
Χρονολογία: 1997 , Switzerland
Σκηνοθεσία: Cyril Lanier
Διάρκεια: 42'


Πρόκειται για αναδημοσίευση (ταινία, μετάφραση, ένα αγγλικό κείμενο) η οποία γίνεται για τους παρακάτω λόγους: Καθώς ενηλικιώνομαι ιντερνετικά μαθαίνοντας να χειρίζομαι την νέα τεχνολογία, κατάφερα να προσθέσω  Ελληνικούς υπότιτλους σ' αυτήν την πολύ σπουδαία κατά την άποψη μου παραβολή. Πρόκειται για μια παραβολή που είχα πρωτοδιαβάσει στα βιβλία του Γκουρτζίεφ και που στην συνέχεια βρήκα κάπως τροποποιημένη στους διαλόγους του Πλάτωνα και συγκεκριμένα στον Φαίδρο. Αργότερα μελετώντας κάποια από τα ιερά κείμενα των Ινδών (Βέδας) - και τα αρχαιότερα που έχουν επιζήσει της εποχής μας - βρήκα την αυθεντική πηγή στις Ουπανισάδες (Katha Upanishad). Είχα μαγευτεί από την ιστορία και δεν διστάζω να παραδεχτώ ότι είχε τεράστια επίδραση επάνω μου.

Η ταινία είναι μια άριστη μεταφορά της παραβολής στην οθόνη την οποία αναλύει δείχνοντας μας τον δρόμο της εσωτερικής αναζήτησης. Μια ασυνήθιστη όμορφη και με βαθιά επίδραση ταινία. Φανταστείτε μία άμαξα του 19ου αιώνα από την οποία ένα τσούρμο ξένων βγαίνει έξω. Έτσι ξεκινά μια σειρά μυστικιστικών περιπετειών στις οποίες ο οδηγός πρέπει να αγωνιστεί για να αντιμετωπίσει τα εσωτερικά του εμπόδια, ενώ ψάχνει για έναν αληθινό Κύριο. Το μαγευτικό αυτό φιλμ αρέσει τόσο σε μικρούς όσο και σε μεγάλους.

Μην αφεθείτε να σας εξαπατήσει η φαινομενική απλότητα και γοητεία της ιστορίας. Ο θεατής, όπως και αμαξάς της ταινίας, ίσως κληθεί να θέσει μια σοβαρή ερώτηση: "Είμαι ο Κύριος του εαυτού μου;" (- Andrei Serban, Opera & Theatre Director.)
Και κάτι τελευταίο: Την ταινία δεν μπόρεσα να την βρω πουθενά αλλού στο ίντερνετ παρά μόνο για αγορά σε βιντεοκασέτα.  Θα ήθελα να παρακαλέσω όποιον την βρει ενδιαφέρουσα, να προωθήσει τους συνδέσμους σε γνωστούς και φίλους του. Δεν ζητάω αυτή τη χάρη για λόγους διαφήμισης και αυτοπροβολής,  ούτε για να ανταμειφθεί η δουλειά που έκανα, την ζητώ γιατί πιστεύω ακράδαντα ότι είναι μια ταινία που πραγματικά μπορεί να αλλάξει την ζωή μας!

http://video.yandex.ru/users/ollandosiptamenos/view/1









Πέμπτη 5 Νοεμβρίου 2009

Home


Είδος: Ντοκυμαντέρ
Γλώσσα: Αγγλικά

Υπότιτλοι: English
Χρονολογία: 2009 ,US
Σκηνοθεσία: Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Διάρκεια: 93'





http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014762/

Official Site

We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate.

The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being.

For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film.

HOME has been made for you : share it! And act for the planet.


Yann Arthus-Bertrand

ΠΑΡΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΗΣΤΕ ΤΟ ΕΔΩ
Κλικ στο τριγωνάκι κάτω δεξιά και μετά κλικ στο "cc" για να ενεργοποιηθούν οι αγγλικοί υπότιτλοι
Κλικ στο ΗD για υψηλή ανάλυση (αξίζει για όποιον έχει γρήγορη σύνδεση)

Τρίτη 27 Οκτωβρίου 2009

The Doctor, the Depleted Uranium, and the Dead Children


Είδος: Ντοκυμαντέρ
Γλώσσα: Αγγλικά - Γερμανικά

Υπότιτλοι: English
Χρονολογία: 2004 , D
Σκηνοθεσία: Freider Wagner, Valentin Thurn
Διάρκεια: 53'




Ένα βραβευμένο ντοκυμαντέρ της γερμανικής τηλεόρασης από τον Freider Wagner και τον Valentin Thurn. Ο Γιατρός, το Απεμπλουτισμένο Ουράνιο και τα Παιδιά που Πεθαίνουν εκθέτει τη χρήση και τις επιπτώσεις των ραδιενεργών όπλων κατά τη διάρκεια του πολέμου εναντίον του Ιράκ. Την ιστορία διηγούνται πολίτες πολλών εθνών. Ανοίγει με τις παρατηρήσεις από δύο βρετανούς βετεράνους, την Kenny Duncan και την Jenny Moore, περιγράφει την έκθεσή τους σε ραδιενέργεια, αποκαλούμενη απεμπλουτισμένου ουρανίου (DU), τα όπλα και τις συγγενείς ανωμαλίες των παιδιών τους. Ο Δρ. Siegwart-Horst Gunther, ο πρώην συνάδελφός του Albert Schweitzer, και Tedd Weyman του Ιατρικό Κέντρο Ερευνών Ουρανίου(UMRC) ταξίδεψε στο Ιράκ, από τη Γερμανία και τον Καναδά, αντιστοίχως, για την αξιολόγηση της μόλυνσης ουρανίου στο Ιράκ.

An award winning documentary film produced for German television by Freider Wagner and Valentin Thurn. The Doctor, the Depleted Uranium, and the Dying Children exposes the use and impact of radioactive weapons during the war against Iraq. The story is told by citizens of many nations. It opens with comments by two British veterans, Kenny Duncan and Jenny Moore, describing their exposure to radioactive, so-called depleted uranium (DU), weapons and the congenital abnormalities of their children. Dr. Siegwart-Horst Gunther, a former colleague of Albert Schweitzer, and Tedd Weyman of the Uranium Medical Research Center (UMRC) traveled to Iraq, from Germany and Canada respectively, to assess uranium contamination in Iraq.




Πέμπτη 8 Οκτωβρίου 2009

A Class Divided



Είδος: Ντοκυμαντέρ
Γλώσσα: English
Υπότιτλοι: -
Χρονολογία: - , US
Σκηνοθεσία: -
Διάρκεια: 53'


One day in 1968, Jane Elliott, a teacher in a small, all-white Iowa town, divided her third-grade class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups and gave them a daring lesson in discrimination. This is the story of that lesson, its lasting impact on the children, and its enduring power thirty years later.


Πέμπτη 1 Οκτωβρίου 2009

Ghosts of Abu Ghraib


Είδος: Ντοκυμαντέρ
Γλώσσα: Αγγλικά
Υπότιτλοι: -
Χρονολογία: 2007 , US
Σκηνοθεσία: Rory Kennedy
Διάρκεια: 78'


The Shame of America, 23 February 2007
Author: lastliberal from Florida
HBO Films is currently presenting one of the nominated documentaries for a Grand Jury Prize at this years Sundance Festival: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib. This is a film that needs to be seen by every American. It is a stark lesson in what happens when we are led by individuals who have no respect for law and human rights.

Rory Kennedy's film is a masterpiece that demonstrated how and why America was shamed. It begins and ends with the lessons from the Milgram Experiment conducted in 1961. The actions of the guards at Abu Ghraib replicate the Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971. What is crucial is the fact that, as in the experiments, it has to be assumed that the soldiers were acting under higher authority. Part of the shame of what happened is that this higher authority escaped punishment for their crimes. This is, of course, the way of the world. The peons get the shaft while the higher authorities get medals and promotions.

A critical piece of evidence present might be missed: the techniques used at Abu Ghraib came from the Brazilian Military. These low-ranking soldiers would not have known of these measures. They had to be taught.

Δευτέρα 28 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009

Κοντραμπάντα - Contrabanda


Είδος: Ταινία μικρού μήκους, Ντοκυμαντέρ
Γλώσσα: Ελληνικά
Υπότιτλοι: Αγγλικά (english subtitles)
Χρονολογία: 2004
Σκηνοθεσία: Νίκος Θεοδωσίου
Διάρκεια: 27'

Στις ατέλειωτες περιπλανήσεις στις κινηματογραφικές μνήμες, μία λέξη ερχόταν ξανά και ξανά στις αφηγήσεις για τους πλανόδιους: Contrabanda. Δεν ήταν αυτό που φανταζόμαστε σαν έννοια της λέξης κοντραμπάντο. Το λαθρεμπόριο που αναφέρονται ήταν γένους θηλυκού: κοντραμπάντα. Δεν ήταν λαθραία φορτία σε πλοία, είχε να κάνει με εικόνες. Ψάξαμε για τους κατάλληλους ανθρώπους, οι οποίοι ξεπεράσανε τις αναστολές τους και μας μιλήσανε...   Throughout the endless wanderings through cinema memories, there was one word that kept recurring in the stories told by the traveling projectionists: contrabanda. But it had nothing to do with what we imagine as contraband. The smuggling they were referring to was female: contrabanda. It wasn’ t about illegal shipments; it was about pictures. We searched for the right people, who eventually overcame their reservations and spoke to us... 


Τετάρτη 23 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009

Το Κουτί της Πανδώρας - facebook


Είδος: Ντοκυμαντέρ
Γλώσσα: Ελληνικά
Υπότιτλοι: -
Χρονολογία: 2008 , GR
Σκηνοθεσία: TV, Κουτί της Πανδώρας, Κ. Βαξεβάνης
Διάρκεια: 53'



Δευτέρα 21 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009

Sex Slaves


Είδος: Ντοκυμαντέρ
Γλώσσα: Αγγλικά
Υπότιτλοι: Ελληνικά 
Χρονολογία: 2005 , US
ΣκηνοθεσίαRic Esther Bienstock, Credits
Διάρκεια: 56'





Δουλεία.
Ένα απ'τα θαύματα του δυτικού "πολιτισμού". Ακόμα πιο θαυμαστός ο τρόπος με τον οποίο "καταργήθηκε", εφόσον εμποτίστηκε στην καθημερινότητά μας. Η σύγχρονη δουλεία μεταφράζεται πλέον ως η εξημέρωση του ανθρώπου σε ένα σύστημα που εγκληματεί νόμιμα επάνω του. Μια τέτοια μορφή σκλαβιάς είναι δυσδιάκριτη αφού ασκείται κατά κύριο λόγο στον νου, αφοπλίζοντας την συνείδησή του.

Υπάρχουν όμως και σύγχρονες μορφές δουλείας που δεν διαφέρουν σε τίποτα από τις κοινές και "ξεπερασμένες" όπως θα θέλαμε να νομίζουμε. Το sex trafficking είναι η εμπορία ανθρώπων, κατά κύριο λόγω γυναικών, που πωλούνται υπό καθεστώς αιχμαλωσίας σε μαστροπούς. Σκοπός δεν είναι άλλος απ'την σεξουαλική εκτόνωση των πελατών σε σκλάβες, οι οποίες υπόκεινται καθημερινά σε αλλεπάλληλους βιασμούς.

Στο ντοκυμαντέρ "Sex Slaves" της σειράς Frontline, θα παρακολουθήσετε τον κόσμο του trafficking εκ των έσω, ακολουθώντας τον Viorel. Ο Viorel αναζητά την έγκυο σύζυγό του, η οποία απήχθη από σωματέμπορους στην Τουρκία και πουλήθηκε για 1000 δολάρια. Θα διεισδύσει στον υπόκοσμο, με κρυφές κάμερες και μικρόφωνα όπου θα καταγράψει ότι πληροφορία ίσως τον οδηγήσει στην αιχμάλωτη πλέον Katia, πριν χαθεί δια παντός στον λαβύρινθο της σεξουαλικής εκμετάλλευσης.

Αφιερωμένο εξαιρετικά στα αντράκια - βιαστές της μπουρδελότσαρκας. 


 












Παρασκευή 18 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009

You Are All Diseased - George Carlin


Είδος: Κωμωδία (Stand up Comedy)
Γλώσσα: Αγγλικά
Υπότιτλοι: -
Χρονολογία: 1999 , US
Σκηνοθεσία: Rocco Ubrisci
Διάρκεια: 63'

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246645/

What? You want something funny watch George Carlin., 7 January 2005
9/10
Author: Andrea O from United States

George Carlin, a legendary philosopher (I know I said philosopher), of all times. He truly looks at the world and everything around the world; he studies the people and their actions, the beliefs, and even the simplistic everyday things that would never cross most peoples minds. George Carlin, in this movie and most of his stand-ups, does not just make jokes, he goes in-depth to the bottom of the problems of our world, and he, with his majestic forms of speech and humor allows us to truly ponder our life.

In "you are all diseased" George Carlin doesn't just rant about everything and anything, he allows the audience to truly look at the big picture and find the ironic and hilarious aspects that we will soon be angry about if we truly think about them.

Finally, I liked this show sooo much that I understood that its not even just about being angry at the world, its about loving life and finding ways to live and hating things that demean it. Strangely I am finding this from a man that has aged and would normally be slowly getting less effective, but in reality he is just getting better and smarter every time.

Κυριακή 13 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009

Richard Stallman: Copyright vs. Community (Greek Subtitles)

Είδος: Διάλεξη
Γλώσσα: Αγγλικά
Υπότιτλοι: Ελληνικά
Χρονολογία: 2007 , SWE
Σκηνοθεσία: -
Διάρκεια: 72'





Richard Matthew Stallman is a software freedom activist and software developer, known for his work for the GNU Project and the Free Software Movement. He has written essays and given speeches all over the world. Here you can watch his speech "Copyright vs Community" on May 2007 in Sweden.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman




Κυριακή 6 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009

Stanford Prison Experiment (Documental)

Είδος: Ντοκυμαντέρ
Γλώσσα: English
Υπότιτλοι: Ελληνικά
Χρονολογία: 1992 , US
Σκηνοθεσία: Ken Musen
Διάρκεια: 29'

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Stanford prison experiment was a study of the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or prison guard. The experiment was conducted in 1971 by a team of researchers led by Psychology Professor Philip Zimbardo at Stanford University. Twenty-four undergraduates were selected out of 70 to play the roles of both guards and prisoners and live in a mock prison in the basement of the Stanford psychology building. Those selected were chosen for their lack of psychological issues, crime history, and medical disabilities, in order to obtain a representative sample. Roles were assigned based on a coin toss.[1]
Prisoners and guards rapidly adapted to their roles, stepping beyond the boundaries of what had been predicted and leading to dangerous and psychologically damaging situations. One-third of the guards were judged to have exhibited "genuine" sadistic tendencies, while many prisoners were emotionally traumatized and two had to be removed from the experiment early. After being confronted by Christina Maslach, a graduate student in psychology whom he was dating,[2] and realizing that he had been passively allowing unethical acts to be performed under his direct supervision, Zimbardo concluded that both prisoners and guards had become too grossly absorbed in their roles and terminated the experiment after six days.[3]
Ethical concerns surrounding the famous experiment often draw comparisons to the Milgram experiment, which was conducted in 1961 at Yale University by Stanley Milgram, Zimbardo's former college friend. Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr wrote in 1981 that the Milgram experiment and the Stanford prison experiment were frightening in their implications about the danger which lurks in the darker side of human nature.[4]

Conclusions

The Stanford experiment ended on August 20, 1971, only six days after it began instead of the fourteen it was supposed to have lasted. The experiment's result has been argued to demonstrate the impressionability and obedience of people when provided with a legitimizing ideology and social and institutional support. It is also used to illustrate cognitive dissonance theory and the power of authority.
In psychology, the results of the experiment are said to support situational attribution of behaviour rather than dispositional attribution. In other words, it seemed the situation caused the participants' behaviour, rather than anything inherent in their individual personalities. In this way, it is compatible with the results of the also-famous Milgram experiment, in which ordinary people fulfilled orders to administer what appeared to be damaging electric shocks to a confederate of the experimenter.
Shortly after the study had been completed, there were bloody revolts at both the San Quentin and Attica prison facilities, and Zimbardo reported his findings on the experiment to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From http://www.prisonexp.org/documentary.htm

Guaranteed to stimulate critical thinking and discussion, the film features archival footage, flashbacks, post-experiment interviews with the prisoners and guards, and comparisons with real prisons. It documents the surprise arrests by city police and vividly shows the pathology that developed among participants, forcing the two-week study to be terminated after only 6 days. Viewer-tested previews reveal its value across many high school and college courses and among a variety of community audiences, including correctional, judicial, military, and civic.



THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT [Greek subs]

Δευτέρα 31 Αυγούστου 2009

Brazil

Είδος: Ταινία
Γλώσσα: English
Υπότιτλοι: -
Χρονολογία: 1985 , USA
Σκηνοθεσία: Terry Gilliam
Διάρκεια: 133'


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/

Perhaps the greatest of all films, 18 October 2002
Author: mariogreymist from New York NY, USA

I have read a lot of understandably negative reviews of the movie 'Brazil.' Brazil(in its proper form) is a long film at well over two hours, it has many cutaways to dream sequences that are only loosely related to the rest of the film, and the narrative story is not always the driving force of the film which many people find confusing. With all these things going against it, Brazil is clearly not a film for everyone.

All that being said, Brazil is my very favorite movie. Those things previously described as reasons that some people will dislike the movie are the very reasons I love it. The story is both simple and complex depending on how you look at it, and this kind of paradox is what makes for great art. There, I did it! I used the 'A' word, and not lightly. Brazil is an art film, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Sam Lowry(Jonathan Pryce) is our hero, an unambitious bureaucrat within the ranks of the Ministry of Information. The only place he is willing to be more than a drone is in his dreams where he is some sort of angelic knight fighting to save his dream girl. While running an errand for work, Sam comes face to face with a woman who is the very image of the dream girl, and his life is forever changed when he surrenders his tranquil unambitious life in the attempt to pursue the woman.

This movie is less about the story than it is about the atmosphere in my opinion. Terry Gilliam is a visual genius, and this movie marks his peak(so far) in producing a visually stunning film, with due apologies to Adventures of Baron Munchausen and 12 Monkeys which are beautiful in their own rights. The oppression of the bureaucratic life is felt by anyone who watches this film, and the freedom experienced in the dreams is a fantastic counterpoint. This film does a wonderful job of evoking emotional responses for me, and I suspect for most of the fans of the film as well.

The film can be viewed at many different levels of complexity, from fairly simple to fully allegorical. The simple view would be that the movie is about the dreams we create to escape our dull lives, and the potentially disastrous results of pursuing them in waking life. Symbolically the film can be interpreted as a vicious attack on the status quo as an impersonal, consumer/beauty oriented beast that is upheld by a draconian adherence to regulations and invasive public policy. There are many other ways to see it, most of which are probably unintended, but certainly completely valid.

The best part about Brazil is that it is absolutely hilarious. Jonathan Pryce shows remarkable aptitude for physical comedy. The dialogue is as funny as any movie you'll ever see, though the humor is very dry, and often so subtle that you might not get a joke until a minute after it has passed. There are the occasional tidbits of out loud guffaws one would expect from a script that was partly written by Tom Stoppard, but there is not a constant barrage of this material.

Brazil is a very cerebral film, so if you are thinking, "What does cerebral mean?" you can probably skip it. Anyone who expects to have a story clearly spelled out for them, and done so in a concise manner with little background interference will hate Brazil. Brazil is a film for those who want texture, emotional involvement and some sort of deeper meaning.

Brazil is my favorite movie, but it is clearly not for everyone!


Τετάρτη 26 Αυγούστου 2009

Hunger

Είδος: Ταινία (Drama/History)
Γλώσσα: English
Υπότιτλοι: Ελληνικά
Χρονολογία: 2008 , UK/Ireland
Σκηνοθεσία: Steve McQueen
Διάρκεια: 92'


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0986233/

Σε μια φυλακή της Βόρειας Ιρλανδίας που μοιάζει με κόλαση, ο αγωνιστής του IRA Μ
πόμπι Σαντς θα επιδοθεί το 1981 σε μια απεργία πείνας μέχρις εσχάτων. Και ο 39χρονος καλλιτέχνης Στιβ ΜακΚουίν θα αποδώσει τις έξι τελευταίες εβδομάδες της ζωής του με ανατριχιαστικό ρεαλισμό, πετυχαίνοντας μια ανελέητη επίθεση στις αισθήσεις του θεατή. Συζητημένη όσο ελάχιστες ταινίες στο πρόσφατο φεστιβάλ των Καννών (όπου και βραβεύτηκε με τη Χρυσή Κάμερα για σκηνοθετικό ντεμπούτο) και με την ώθηση που κερδίζει από την ερμηνεία ζωής του καρατερίστα Michael Fassbender, η εμπειρία της παρακολούθησης του «Hunger» δε θα σβηστεί από τη μνήμη σας για πολύ καιρό.


Τρίτη 18 Αυγούστου 2009

Big Sugar

Είδος: Ντοκυμαντέρ
Γλώσσα: English
Υπότιτλοι: -
Χρονολογία: 2005 , Canada
Σκηνοθεσία: Brian McKenna
Διάρκεια: 89'


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0820840/


There are few documents out there as important as this one., 11 November 2006
Author: Thorkell A Ottarsson from Norway

A documentary should not only be well made, it should also tell you something you didn't know. Big Sugar delivers on both accounts. I was totally unaware of the crimes of the sugar industry, especially present. The documentary shows how slavery and sugar production have gone hand in hand from the times of old. This part I knew. What surprised me was that slaves are still being used on the sugar fields in the Caribbean island, sugar fields owned by Americans.

The workers (shipped in from poor countries) are forced to buy their food from expensive stores, owned by the plantation owners, and their salary is so low that they can only afford to eat once a day. They are not allowed to grow vegetables and they have to work 12 hours a day, with out drinking or eating.

The documentary also shows how much power the sugar barons have in the USA. They are one of the biggest donators to the Democratic and the Republic parties, money well spent because it buys them power to prevent legislation against them and keeps sugar subsidized in the USA (the only country in the world that does that).

Big Sugar is in two parts. The first part focuses on past and present slavery. The second part draws parallels between the tobacco companies and the sugar industry (and a very convincing one too).

There are few documentaries out there as important as this one. A must see!!!






Τετάρτη 12 Αυγούστου 2009

1984 (by George Orwell)

Είδος: Ταινία
Γλώσσα: English
Υπότιτλοι: -
Χρονολογία: 1954, GB
Σκηνοθεσία: BBC
Διάρκεια: 108'

Nineteen Eighty-Four is a classic dystopian novel by English author George Orwell. Published in 1949, it is set in the eponymous year and focuses on a repressive, totalitarian regime. The story follows the life of one seemingly insignificant man, Winston Smith, a civil servant assigned the task of falsifying records and political literature, thus effectively perpetuating propaganda, who grows disillusioned with his meagre existence and so begins a rebellion against the system. The novel has become famous for its portrayal of surveillance and society's increasing encroachment on the rights of the individual. Since its publication the terms Big Brother and Orwellian have entered the popular vernacular. Orwell, who had "encapsulated the thesis at the heart of his novel" in 1944, wrote most of Nineteen Eighty-Four on the island of Jura, Scotland, during 19471948 while critically ill with tuberculosis. He sent the final typescript to his friends Secker and Warburg on 4 December 1948 and the book was published on 8 June 1949. Nineteen Eighty-Four has been translated into more than 50 languages. The novel's title, its terms, its language (Newspeak), and its author's surname are bywords for personal privacy lost to national state security. The adjective "Orwellian" denotes many things. It can refer to totalitarian action or organization, as well as governmental attempts to control or misuse information for the purposes of controlling, pacifying or even subjugating the population. "Orwellian" can also refer generally to twisted language which says the opposite of what it truly means, or specifically governmental propagandizing by the misnaming of things; hence the "Ministry of Peace" in the novel actually deals with war and the "Ministry of Love" actually tortures people. Since the novel's publication "Orwellian" has in fact become somewhat of a catch-all for any kind of governmental overreach or dishonesty and therefore has multiple meanings and applications. The phrase Big Brother is Watching You specifically connotes pervasive, invasive surveillance. Although the novel has been banned or challenged in some countries, it is, along with Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, Kallocain by Karin Boye and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, among the most famous literary representations of dystopia. In 2005, Time magazine listed it among the hundred best English-language novels published since 1923. The book has often been misinterpreted as an attack on socialism, and Orwell himself had occasion to refute such claims, both privately and in public. In a letter to Francis A. Henson of the United Automobile Workers, dated 16 June 1949 (seven months before he died), excerpts from which were reproduced in Life (25 July 1949) and the New York Times Book Review (31 July 1949), Orwell stated the following: "My recent novel [1984] is NOT intended as an attack on Socialism or on the British Labour Party (of which I am a supporter) but as a show-up of the perversions ... which have already been partly realized in Communism and Fascism. ...The scene of the book is laid in Britain in order to emphasize that the English-speaking races are not innately better than anyone else and that totalitarianism, if not fought against, could triumph anywhere." In his 1946 essay, "Why I Write", Orwell described himself as a Democratic Socialist. Nineteen Eighty-Four is set in Oceania, one of three intercontinental totalitarian super-states. The story occurs in London, the "chief city of Airstrip One", itself a province of Oceania that "had once been called England or Britain". Posters of the ruling Party's leader, "Big Brother", bearing the caption BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, dominate the city landscapes, while two-way television (the telescreen) dominates the private and public spaces of the populace. Oceania's people are in three classes — the Inner Party, the Outer Party, and the Proles. The Party government controls the people via the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue), the workplace of protagonist Winston Smith, an Outer Party member. As in the Nazi and Stalinist regimes, propaganda is pervasive; Smith's job is rewriting historical documents to match the contemporaneous party line, the orthodoxy of which changes daily. It therefore includes destroying evidence, amending newspaper articles, deleting the existence of people identified as "unpersons".

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