Reviews
Sabirni centar (1989)
Memorable experience
It takes a crafty movie maker to make a film that will linger on your mind for such a long time. And it takes a genius to write a story that will make you smile and cry. That makes you feel overwhelmed and fragile.
If you've already seen this movie once, be sure you'll see it again. You'll return to it every now and then because of it's immense power to touch your soul.
Old professor and archaeologist Misha suffers a hear attack just after he had discovered secret passage that connects the world of the living and the world of the dead. While in deep coma, he briefly enters the world of the dead, where he reunites with his wife who passed away many years ago, as well as with many people he used to know when they were alive.
As Misha wakes up from the coma, he is actually dying for the second time, now in the world of the dead. Again, he opens the passage but this time, some of the dead want to come back to the world of the living; some of them just to ease their soul, some to settle the score, and some of them just for the fun of it.
"The dead cannot rest their soul because of the those who are alive". I guess that pretty much sums it up.
"Sabirni centar" is truly a masterpiece. A gem. If you haven't seen it yet, you have no idea how much you are missing out on.
A3 - Rock'n'Roll uzvraca udarac (2006)
Enough. Seriously.
I really mean it when I say "Enough!" Enough with bashing the legacy of the first part... The Second Part (MNA2) was a major disappointment, so I was pretty much skeptic about the sequel. Obviously so were the producers because this movie was released on DVD really soon after the movie premiere in theaters all over Serbia. So, if you want to watch it anyway, here's what you should know. Forget the first two movies. Forget Nikola, forget Marina, forget their daughter (MNA2 was quite impressionable, but I cannot remember the girl's name... of course, I am being sarcastic.) Now, this is a story about two guys, Dorijan, a famous folk superstar, and Marko, frontman of an underdog rock band. In the course of film, each one of them will walk in other one's shoes. And as for the elements of the movie, here's what I think: music is quite pretentious, especially Dorijan's songs. I mean, I know this is supposed to be a comedy, but you gotta have at least some credibility. On the other side, photography is modern and directing is quite good. Unfortunately, there's not much a director could do with such a crappy screenplay. To sum it up, we have a bad plot and above-the-average directing. Soundtrack is kinda pathetic. Acting is OK. Could be better though. Reasons why I gave it 4 out of 10? First of all, because of the idea to invite some of the ex-Yu celebs to participate in it. It was fun to watch Petar Graso, Let 3 and Seka Aleksic. Final note to the makers of MNA3... If you are thinking of making MNA4... Don't.
Miss Congeniality (2000)
Nice plot + great cast = Awesome comedy!
Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I laughed so much like while watching "Miss Congeniality", even though there are some things that I didn't like...
First of all, screenplay seems to be full of clichés: dull and shallow beauty queens who want nothing else but world peace and dream to meet Nelson Mandela, with all those "stupid" talents... Then, there is this "miracle transformation" of ugly duckling FBI agent Gracie Hart into a beautiful contestant...
But, it just doesn't matter in this movie! Not with such a crew: Sandra Bullock (role of Gracie really suits her), Michael Caine (this guy is off tha hook... I enjoyed every single line of Victor), William Shatner (superb)... Benjamin Bratt was OK, but his character was sooo predictable.
These guys really pulled it out and made this film one of the best comedies in last 20 years. Too bad the sequel was not as good as the first part.
Otvorena vrata (1994)
The first Serbian sitcom ever proved to be the best Serbian TV series
"Otvorena Vrata" was the first Serbian attempt to do something completely fresh and different, compared to other TV series, which were more like soap operas. For the very first time, Serbian TV produced an authentic sitcom. It was a risky move, but it payed off. The concept with live audience would be way too much for Serbian TV standards, but at the end, it wasn't necessary at all. Here's what makes this TV series so great. First of all, plot is great. Single mother, Katarina is a sophisticated artist, who does sculptures and other post-modern gizmos. She lives in a rather fancy flat with her brother Svetislav, a guy who could easily be compared to Del Boy from "OFAH". He is always into business, trying to make some money and get rich. Note the specific situation in Yugoslavia back then (hyper-inflation, embargo,...). Then, there is Milica, Katarina's daughter obsessed with politics, philosophy and sociology. The smartest character of them all, with sophisticated sense of humor. Katarina's older child, and Milica's brother, Vojkan, is nice bloke, always willing to help his uncle Svetislav, but with one remarkable "quality": he is a hypochondriac. Then, there's Ana, Svetislav's daughter. Her mother was Svetislav's high school flame, and Ana spent her childhood in USA. She is wild and restless girl, a bit "rough around the edges", crazy about motorcycles. Deep down, she's a "softy". There are three more characters that should be mentioned: Katarina's ex-husband, Dragoslav, a not-so-successful-businessman trying to make a dime, then, their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Angelina, retired professor of solo and music, and at the end, another neighbor, Ugrinovic, an alpinist, who spends his time by hanging on the wall of the building and who is in love with Katarina. This TV show was a huge success back then. Unfortunately, there was no sequel. However, this proved to be the best Serbian TV series ever. I hope that it will be soon released on DVD, because it would be a shame not to have this master-piece in digital format.
Variola vera (1982)
Remarkable...
One of those movies that keeps you awake at night and makes you wonder about things like bio-terrorism and stuff like that... Like your own safety in those "what if" situations... Absolutely every single segment of this movie is shocking and frightening... Music theme containing some middle-East motifs keeps playing in your mind from the very first minute of the movie, and stays in it even after you have watched it. Horrifying story of pilgrim who came back and brought along one of the deadliest diseases known to men surely sounds scary, but what makes it even more creepy is the fact that it's based on true story... The event that made the whole world vulnerable, and reminded us that no matter how strong we appear to be, there's always one invisible enemy we cannot fight and cannot defeat. Cast is terrific, some of the best Yugoslavian actors had their career highlights in this movie... Especially brilliant role of Rade Serbedzija. If you like this type of movies, this is a movie that you just cannot miss... And if you don't... Well..rent it out anyway. Highest recommendation.
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
fascinating!
I was really eager to see this movie, since I've heard so much about it. The first word that comes to my mind is: fascinating. True, there is much violence and "hard-to-look-at" scenes, but after you've seen the movie, it stays long in your mind, and makes you think about it for a long time... Music is perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of the movie. Actually, I couldn't imagine ACO with some other music than this. Suits just perfectly. Acting of Malcolm McDowell is fantastic. Remarkable music, perfect characters, great plot... it is flawless. Simply exquisite. A movie that deserves a place in every home movie collection. As I've said, some scenes are really "heavy", but that's exactly what makes this movie so brilliant.