radulucian

Just saw this on HBO. Not feeling like either wanting my money back or wanting my time back. The movie was OK. OK in the exact sense depicted in the plot. Nothing less, but nothing more.

I am trying to watch all Romanian movies, and the good news is the level of acting is improving dramatically (pseudo-pun intended) and this movie excels in that area.

All the cast is performing well, the lines are good and appropriate for the moment, I would have preferred to not be able to guess each and every line that was about to be said, but that means that it was all natural and just right. Not often you see a movie were the next action and the next line simply makes sense. Nothing unexpected, but it has a magic of its own like that. In most movies you anticipate what you would have said (the logical line) or what you would have done in a certain context, and it never happens like that, and you think "man, this was stupid". Not in this movie. Here everything makes sense and is exactly as expected.

Why a 6 then? For the exact reason above. No surprises. And because it's classified as comedy, and I don't even recall the slightest smile on my face for the whole duration of the film. The only surprise in the movie was there was no surprise whatsoever. The ending has a small twist, but far-far from what could've compensated for the rest.

A movie that's worth seeing, but only for the experience, not for its intrinsic value.

Sometimes it felt like Trainspotting, sometimes it was In Bruge, with the occasional midget and several other similar ingredients. But never too much like any oh them or any other. One well deserved A- for this one.

Remarkable lighting throughout the movie, a la film-noir, with excellent mix of dialogs, present scenes and inserted back-flashes. Even the day lightning fits perfectly in the movie atmosphere, as mornings are quickly faded into evenings so the beautiful night lighting can sneak back in the narration. And yes, this is one movie that will create an atmosphere, even if you don't realize it until it's finished, with a soundtrack that's simple but strong.

Certain metaphors are looping through the movie and are being passed on from character to character. And apart from the feminine main character, there's little to reproach to this movie. Speaking of characters, Rupert Grint in particular makes the role of his life, I never thought I'd ever like him after Harry Potter.

I also noticed they managed to show bits and pieces of Bucharest, places one should not miss when visiting. It may not be as pregnant as "In Bruge", where I promised myself I'd visit at some point in my life, but still going strong.

My favorite moment in the movie? Slow-motion with Charlie running in front of a green fence with a painted stylized man running...

Oh, and I hate the Bucharest / Budapest pseudo-confusion, but it benefited the movie well.