Tag Archives: Movies

Uplifting movies: my list

To say that I love movies is an understatement. I watch movies as a hobby, a recreation and also, as a study of humankind. Movies have always shaped my consciousness and who I am today. Due to my job as a movie translator (I do this in my extra time) I have seen and savoured many movies that have also shaped my general taste. But for me, a movie’s essential components are merely a good story, good characters and good acting. If only one of these is present, I can enjoy the movie just fine. What I mean is, I definitely appreciate a profound piece of cinematic art, but I can also relish a light-hearted movie that happens to contain a gentle message, regardless of its directing or camera-work. You may have guessed my favourite type of movie: one with a message. Preferably, with an uplifting message.

In this post I tried to collect those movies that have stayed with me years after I first saw them, movies that contain a beautiful story with a profound message. Movies that make me want to be a better person. I highly recommend each and every one of these, you can click on the titles and that will take you to the respective imdb page, where you can find out more about each specific piece. There is no specific order, I just put them on the list randomly, regardless of genre or their release time.

Since the list is not comprehensive by far, please add your picks, if you have any that you don’t see here. I will also be adding movies as I see them, or as I remember some favourites from the past. read more »

In Bruges

Every work of art can be seen as many things, depending on the viewer’s background, attitude, etc. In every work of art we probably see much more than the artist originally intended to put into their piece. This probably happens because an artist is a spokesperson for a higher conscience that some call God, others inner voice, or something else; sometimes an artist sets out to create a piece of art which ends up meaning something completely different for somebody else. This is not the misunderstanding of art: it’s the natural way audiences worldwide are ready to open up to ideas, or to give way to emotions they have been repressing. I only say this because what I see in this film is probably something completely different from what Martin McDonagh originally wanted to state in his brilliant first feature-length piece, In Bruges. read more »

Lost in translation

What is it about a movie that captures something real? When do we feel like something genuine is happening before our eyes, and we forget it’s happening on the screen? I don’t know about you, but I always look for human relationships in every book, movie, song, photo, in everything around me. The way we touch and interact is the ultimate source of wonder for me, and also the fundamental place where we can learn from our mistakes. Very often, even if the movie is bad, I will watch it, if there is interaction between humans in it, if there is depth in the story, if there are consequences drawn, and lessons learnt. (For this very reason, movies that focus on form, or destruction, or there is no redemption at the end, bore me, or I will simply not watch them.) read more »

Broken English

It’s really rare that you see a movie about people who could be you doing things that you could be doing in a non-glamorous and yet romantic way. It’s like your own life (or imagined life) just a tiny bit spiced up without turning it into an implausible Hollywood piece that stars the handsomest and prettiest stars and has you into a euphoric state: the aneasthetized life we all like to live sometimes where there’s money and laughter and a future and sex and music and perfection. But the movies that have all this come and go, leaving no trace. Not this one. read more »

Farewell, Sydney Pollack…

I cannot believe it… I didn’t even know he had cancer. I’m so shaken right now I can’t even formulate a proper “obituary” post. Who needs those, anyway… No biography here, either, go read one of the thousands on the web. I honestly can’t say I knew im that well, but I knew many of his movies… and many of his movies resonated with me… many of his characters. His stark honesty. The same honesty Robert Redford depicted so well. They went hand in hand, two artists who helped each other become legends.

The movie titles start coming back to me… “They shoot horses, don’t they?”… “Out of Africa”… “Jeremiah Johnson”… “Three days of the Condor”… “Havana”… “The interpreter”… “The way we were”… “The electric horseman”… and so many more. That I watched, that made me think, entertained me while leaving me sober.

The death of Antonioni or Bergman may have been a harsher blow on the film industry, but Sydney Pollack touched me deeper. For now. So I will remember him, for now.

Goodbye, Sydney… I didn’t know you… but you left a mark in my life. Have a safe journey onwards.

House!

Darling, don’t read on unless you’ve seen episode 3/15!!! That applies to everyone else.

Dammit, I swooned the minute he started playing that piano! And Dave Matthews joined in… that was a mesmerising moment. So beautiful!

The medical case blew me away, and it raised such a tough question- is it worth having a gift, if you can’t have a life? People love you if you’re unusual, if you’re gifted… it’s human nature, we are drawn to any manifestation of higher powers, we just can’t help it. The more gifted someone is, the more we are drawn to them, like helpless little nails to a gigantic magnet. I know I work like that. It’s pathetic and despicable, but I can’t help it. read more »

Yay, Marty :)

And finally! Marty Scorsese won an Oscar! Good lord… it was high time, don’t you think, misters of the Academy…? Also, The departed got one, well deservedly. Leonardo Di Caprio had been nominated, again, for the one millionth time, and did not win, this time either. Not that he cares in the least pffff. He is so cool about all this, my invisible hat goes down to him… Little Miss Sunshine won two, as far as I’m concerned, I would’ve just given all the awards to them, LOL. It was the most enjoyable movie I have seen in a loooooong time- and I watch movies galore!

All in all, I am happy with the results. 🙂

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Na végre, valahára, Martin Scorsese nyert egy Oscar-t… épp ideje volt, nem gondoljátok, kedves Academy tagok? Na mindegy. És A tégla is nyert, aminek külön örülök, fantasztikus film, minden perce lekötött. Leonardo Di Caprio természetesen nem nyert, de miért is nyerne, kezdem megszokni… szerintem ő is, és a nyilatkozatai alapján nagyívben lesz*rja, hogy nyer-e vagy sem… számára nem ez a lényeg, hanem a tartalom. Le a kalappal előtted, Leo! A család kicsi kincse is nyert két Oscar-t, aminek szintén örülök, igaz, ha rajtam múlik, az összes díjat rájuk zudítottam volna- nagyon régóta nem láttam ennyire szívhezszóló, élvezetes, tüneményes filmet, márpedig én tucatjával nézem a filmeket!

Összességében, elégedett vagyok az eredményekkel 🙂

Love of the beholder

eye of the beholder

The Eye is a lonely detective. He gets the task of following a young upstart to check if he is stealing from his rich father, and he is witness to the boy’s sudden killing. The killer is a beautiful woman.

Thus begins the journey of two lost souls toward finding themselves and each other. read more »

The Sundance Kid

redford-mail.jpgRedford 1Redford 3

My dad would be exactly his age, if he was alive. I always kept count of their ages together; in fact, I knew how old Bob was first, and only then, my dad’s age.

Robert Redford was probably my very first celebrity favourite; I remember my aunt Babu taking me to the movies, to see Barefoot in the park in Marosvásárhely, Romania. I was about eight, or nine; we had some slushy ice-cream with the flavour of pistaches, and drank some Coke, which at that time tasted magnificent- it still had the taste, I assume. The movie was great fun even for a little kid. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and Bob would be engraved in my memories forever. read more »

A legend is gone

Robert Altman passed away at the age of 81. I had no idea he was that old… of course, I had never checked his filmography as a whole. It goes on almost forever on imdb, and out of the endless number of movies he’d directed, I have only seen a few. read more »