Reviews
Vitus (2006)
Not an Oscar but worth watching
it is said that 6 year old Vitus actually plays... Well - he does not in the dancing scene with the "babyseatter". It is actually embarrassing to watch the poor kind playing clown as told by the director. There are many more things which no director yet mastered to show properly.. it is to do with the "feel" of timing. That is obvious when Vitus finds out the padlock (at air port) locked... But hey....the director must make sure that the kid pulls this padlock few times with the camera closed up on the padlock so the "slowest" from the audience actually "gets it" that the the padlock is locked. Minus 15 points for the director on this. The kid plays piano "life" and this can not be denied.. Something not too often offered to watch in movies. Here is my 7 points justification. But - as a 12 years old - he tackles very difficult piece by Franz List only to practice (much later in the movie) a very basic,the very beginners drill by Carl Cherny...Worse of all... Mother claims not to be a pianist but she is giving a lesson to already then well fledged pianist. That is something i could not stop laughing at. Vitus at 6 years old is pathetic as he should be expected to be at that age. However the 12 years old Vitus does a good job. I did not see too clearly that he "wants to be normal" any other way than by his own brief comment about it:-). Although nothing new in the movie from what had already been shown in thousands of other movies - this movie is not a markedly "oversweetened" work and the true play of a child is something very refreshing to watch after all those "circus clown like" kids from Hollywood in most other movies about "genious" kids. To sum up: First part of Vitus at 6 is way below any value. Second part of Vitus 12 repairs the damage to the point that the movie is well worth watching...(once).
Joshua (2007)
another low from USA
So it is like this: 2006 sees "VITUS" from Switzland rubbing close with Oscar (which i don't think it should) but of course; "we can't be behind" or "we do better" and we have (USA) made movie "JOSHUA". Right..... Is this true that an American audience's intellectual status is no longer where it was years back and now-a-days it can swallow just about any rubbish with joy? Compare the two movies and although there is by no means suggestion that "VITUS" is a perfect movie....I can not get over surprise that this sweet, candy rubbish (Joshua)can still sell. Well, It seems it can. It is actually a suicidal mission for any director to take up on a movie with children as actors.... I have not seen yet a child playing as the child is in real life. The statutory trick is to make the kid as silent as possible and smear him/her with all sorts of camera close ups... the trick is to pick up a face "suitable" for the movie theme....and the money just pours to the office box........It is that easy! :-)