Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-25 03:05:21

wow!

To be completely honest, I only watched this because it was an early film of Robert Pattinson & I wanted to see how he was as an actor before the Twilight Mania! ...and I completely fell in love! This is one of my favorite movies now! The story is so sad & to know its true is terrible :( But the movie was amazing!

2012-05-24 17:43:21

Excellent Movie

This review is from: Little Ashes (DVD) I didn't realize how great an actor Robert Pattinson was until I saw this movie. The only other thing I saw him in was the "Twilight" Saga. Very well acted and executed.

2012-05-23 00:25:21

A positive surprise

This review is from: Little Ashes (DVD) I wasn't sure what to expect with this film but it is stunning.. beautifully photographed, the acting - heart breaking. I have watched this film several times. It is compelling, gripping, and sad; it draws you in and haunts you.The acting is wonderful and genuine. Javier Beltran beautifully creates the tragic Lorca but it is probably Robert Pattinson that has people seeking the film now. Mr. Pattinson may have critics who begrudge him his Twilight success but his performance here as Salvatore Dali is captivating. He transforms from the painfully shy and frightened young student to the eccentric, grandiose, successful artist. It is the most challenging role in the film because this character goes through the most changes. Dali created himself much in the way he created his art. And Pattinson captures this. You take the journey with him.I think this was a pretty courageous role for a young actor.

Dark Of Matinee 2012-05-22 06:20:34

A Devastating, Brilliant & Surreal film; A Timely Film in 2009.....

This film is definitely in that upper echelon category of films-- willeither be deeply loved or greatly misunderstood. Viewers who go with anopen mind; a tolerant & patient mind; understanding that this film isdepicting surreal times; understanding that this type of film may beappreciated on a poetic/metaphoric level (rather than spellingeverything out/beating viewers over the head with facts or niceties)--coming from this place then I feel this film will be greatly enjoyed.(For some viewers, it might help to perhaps have a briefsurrealism/Dali./Spain between the wars primer; this might make adifference in better appreciating certain aspects of the characters andthe times portrayed.) I agree with another review, that in its essencethis story about a little known poet and peer of Dali named FedericoGarcía Lorca-- the words devastating, beautiful, tragic, and inspiringcome to mind. Lastly, even though this film depicts early 20th Centuryevents, I must underscore the fact that this a highly important andtimely film right now in 2009 in terms of basic human rights/dignity;namely the right that any human has to deeply love whomever that personwishes to love. DEFINITELY recommend this film.

Actor317 2012-05-20 07:24:05

The critics are WRONG!

Don't always believe what the critics say. I have no explanation as towhy some critics gave Little Ashes bad reviews other than it justwasn't your typical movie and they couldn't understand that.This movie tells a beautiful and fascinating story (read the synopsisbeforehand it helps).The acting is excellent.The accents sound/are authentic (when Dali sounds American or Frenchthat is done intentionally from what i hear.) oh, and it's anINDEPENDENT FILM! aka it's not necessarily going to be like every otherdramatic film out there.Go into it with an OPEN MIND. If you enjoy the previews you willprobably enjoy the movie.Go see it and form your own opinion. This movie is great but it isn'tfor everyone.

2012-05-19 15:58:44

lorca and love

to begin: this is NOT a 'gay' film; if that is your expectation, you'll be disappointed.this is a film about unrequited love: the love for a country and for a man. it is a film about federico garcia lorca: who loved spain and salvador dali; neither the country nor the man was stable enough nor secure enough to accept lorca's love; both were at war with themselves; both rebuffed lorca; both abandoned lorca. the man killed a part of lorca's soul; the country killed his body. the man was a surreal amalgam of self-agrandizement and self-loathing who never came to terms with lorca and who became a clown in the eyes of the art world; the country was schizophrenic, but came to espouse lorca's ideals of freedom and acceptance -- now, spain is one of the more open and free societies in the world.this film is exquisitely beautiful; as is javier beltran in his characterization of lorca: this film is his!

2012-05-15 02:11:30

"Green, how I want you green..."

Javier Beltran's Lorca makes the entire movie... I couldn't tell what Pattinson was about - and perhaps that is what Dali was about. I think Pattinson was channeling Depp: at the start he was clearly doing Edward Scissorhands - and near the end it was a blend of Willie Wonka and Cap'n Jack Sparrow. But Lorca was beautiful and moving throughout.

blackberrybabe 2012-05-14 14:37:10

Never stop fighting for what you believe in

Little Ashes is a little-known film that was released last year. Itstars Javier Beltran as Frederico Garcia Lorca and a pre-TwilightRobert Pattinson as Salvador Dali.Starting in 1922, we are introduced to Dali as he arrives at auniversity in Madrid to study art. He is already convinced of hisgenius and meets Lorca, a writer and poet. The two form an instantfriendship and Lorca finds himself attracted to Dali. During this time,homosexuality was frowned on and even illegal, so he has to keep it asecret. There are shots of Lorca in prayer, no doubt trying to purgethe 'impure thoughts' of Dali from his mind. At times he even seemslike he wants to avoid his friend. This it proved futile and finally,Lorca gives in to his growing attraction.As the movie progresses, so does their relationship…until Dali decideshe's had enough of Spain and goes to France, leaving Lorca in the dust.Although he is attracted to him, Lorca's obsession is too much and hefeels he must leave. The two meet again a few years later with Dalisporting a moustache. After a passionate kiss, Dali tells his friendthat he is attracted to a woman and will stop at nothing to have her.He later watches Lorca and his girlfriend, Magdalena, have sex, thewhole time Lorca's eyes never leave his. Dali returns to France andeight years later contacts his friend to start a business deal. Dalirealizes that he hurt him by leaving and wants to make amends.Lorca, by this time, is over him and his politics have changed. Hespeaks out against Franco and unwillingly signs his death warrant. Hemeets with Dali, married to a woman named Gala, and Dali promises tostart things up again, including a romantic relationship. Lorca isunconvinced, realizing that this is not the same Dali as was at theuniversity and leaves. That is the last time the two friends see eachother. Lorca is captured and executed shortly after and Dali cries overhis loss. Only towards the end of his life does Dali admit theattraction between himself and Lorca; he kept the memories of hisfriend quiet for years.Beltran and Pattinson are fabulous in these roles. Both sport Spanishaccents and portray their attraction to one another perfectly.Pattinson captures Dali's craziness and uniqueness, giving him lifelike we've never seen. Beltran makes Lorca real; you can feel his painwhen Dali leaves him without a goodbye. I was crying for him at the endof the film. Marina Gatell is absolutely beautiful as love-struckMagdalena. She knows that Lorca and Dali are close friends, but doesn'trealize the extent of their closeness until after she and Lorca havesex. I suspect she saw that he was watching Dali and realized her heartwould never belong to him. The two remain friends after that and herunrequited love never faltered. She cries with friends upon hearing ofLorca's death on the radio.The scenery of 1920s Spain is beautiful. We get to see a part of itwhen Lorca and Dali go for a bike ride through the country. Severaltimes you see the men walking through the square and the scenery isperfect. There's also a beach where they spend some time talking andgetting to know each other. The men also swim in the moonlight and thatis when their friendship is taken to a new level. Pattinson isconvincing as a confused and tortured Dali who is unsure of takingthings farther. He finally does but cannot consummate the relationship.Because of that, he begins to pull away from Lorca and this ultimatelycauses the downfall of their friendship.I wanted to see this movie because I am a huge fan of Robert Pattinson.I was sick of people saying "he can't act," so I rented his early work.I must say, I'm glad I did. Pattinson CAN most certainly act and hecaptures Dali to a T. Every good actor does his or her homework whenplaying a biographical character and this is no exception. Pattinson'seyes convey Dali's emotions during the sex scene, when Lorca comes tovisit him and when he hears of Lorca's death. Nothing has to be spokenduring those scenes; his eyes tell us perfectly what he is trying tosay. And for those of us who find him quite attractive (like me), thereis a shot of Pattinson naked standing in front of a mirror near thestart of the film. I almost fell out of my seat when I saw that.Gorgeous! This movie won a GLADD award for Outstanding Film in Limited Release.It is breathtaking, refreshing, funny and sad. If you enjoy RobertPattinson's work as much as I do, see this film before judging hisacting ability. This proved to me that he is more than a torturedvampire; he is an actor. And that is what it's all about.

2012-05-11 01:18:00

Major Disappointment

Being a Dali freak, I looked forward to seeing this film. Although some scenes were well-acted and/or visually beautiful, the story really never got itself together. In the end, the viewer never gains any insight into Dali, Garcia Lorca, or the time period in which the film was set. Robert Pattinson does not do very well in depicting Dali; he alternates between acting as if he were in a trance and letting his eyes bug out in an attempt to capture Dali's personality. It's a tough part, admittedly, but he does nothing to show us the man behind the reputation.

Thomas 2012-05-10 18:14:56

Nothing Much

Its a romanticized telling of a very romanticize-able time in Spanish history. Caring for this depiction of the early lives of three alpha-artists will probably depend on your ability to get swept up in its sentimentality and/or what you already know of the artists themselves. There is little shown here to explain why any of them should matter.

2012-05-05 01:04:52

One of the best movies I have ever seen.

This review is from: Little Ashes [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) I love Salvador Dali, and having done some research about him and Frederico Garcia Lorca, I found the story stayed so true to fact. That makes a movie for me. The dedication of all the actors, the enthusiasm, living in the moment in Spain during the revolution, was depicted so well. Pattinson, although not much acting under his belt, played his heart out in this one. I laughed so much, and cried my eyes out too. I would recommend this movie to anyone with an open mind, and a little knowledge about its context. Watching the interview with some of the actors, the director, and the playwrite really helped me. Not for Twi's looking for ewey gooey Rpatz. Not gonna happen.

dromerito2003 2012-05-04 03:27:38

Gorgeous photography, terrible accents

I would have loved the movie had it not been for the unintelligibleaccents. I spent most of the time trying to figure out what the actorswere saying. If a director fears the US audience will reject a moviewith subtitles, he should fear more accents interfering with acting.Better to have a cast of native English speakers. Or make sure to hiresome good speech trainers. It was obvious the actors were notcomfortable with what they were saying and it really hurt theirperformances.I agree with the previous reviewer, at least those parts where Lorcawas reciting, should have been subtitled. The photography was beautifuland the story works as a love/friendship one, not much as a portrayalof cultural and intellectual history/environment.== Just a quick reaction to a later comment: I'm not so sure howauthentic it is that Dali, Buñuel and Lorca would be speaking Englishamong them...in Spain. Yes, it would be authentic they would bespeaking English with an accent -as perhaps Lorca did while in NewYork, when he happened to need it-, but it is completely artificialthey would be speaking English at all while in Spain, with no Englishspeakers around. Perhaps, Dali and Buñuel would speak French, but whenspeaking to Lorca, even if they might have mixed in some French, themain language of communication would be Spanish. It would be morebelievable to have Dali speak Spanish with a French accent afterreturning from France.So a cast of only English speakers with no fake Spanish accents wouldhave been better (more authentic, as whatever they would speak would bethe default native language in the fictional setting).Even better would have been a movie in Spanish with subtitles.

Jay Raskin 2012-04-26 16:36:50

Boring Except for the last Twenty Minutes

This film spends much of its time telling us that Federico Garcia Lorcawas gay and was in love with Salvador Dali. That's nice to know andprobably important to scholars of the two men, but it doesn't really goanywhere. If this were about Joe Nobody and Salvador Smith meeting incollege and having a passionate love affair, would anybody really care?The love affair is simply an uninteresting soap opera element.The movie lacks involvement. A good example is when the main charactersare in a bar and the musicians start playing "the Charleston" Everybodygets excited and starts to dance, but the scene cuts before we get tosee them dance. The Charleston was an exciting new dance in themid-1920's and seeing how the characters did it would have involved uswith the characters. The filmmakers' cutting away at that pointindicates how little they want the audience to share in the characters'feelings. Instead of experiencing how wonderful the Charleston was, weare only told about it. The same thing happens with the central loveaffair. Instead of experiencing it, we are only told about it.The film in the last twenty minutes does change and becomes a ratherstandard, but engrossing biography of Lorca's last years.This is a case of an interesting and potentially exciting story beingbadly told. You do learn a little from it, but you don't feel muchabout it. There are a couple of nicely mildly erotic short sex scenes,so there is a little passion in the film, but like Salvador Dali, thefilm doesn't want us to feel passion/sex but only wants to be admiredfor having it.

2012-04-26 03:19:46

Little Trash

What's good about this movie are the vistas that were beautifully shot. Looking past the bad direction, writing and delivery of lines, I thought the actors were passable except for the guy who played Dali. I was only peripherally aware of Robert Pattinson's existence because of his "Twilight" movie fame, but I totally forgot he was in "Little Ashes" when I began watching it. I kept saying to myself this guy playing Dali was fresh from a high school theatre elective and was badly miscast. The other reviewer did the right thing by hitting "Eject" after 20 minutes of this DVD.

2012-04-21 17:07:14

Surrealism via Impressionism?

The idea of watching the lives of Dali, Lorca and Bunuel unfold by way of an impressionistic melodrama is what kills this film. Despite the compelling and original subject matter the story is told in such turgid and stoic strokes that you might as well be watching a Lifetime original movie. Yes, it's Dali, Bunuel and Lorca frolicking amidst an immanent fascist tidal wave, but some moments are so saccharine and cringeworthy you wonder if any of the people involved ever looked at their work. Plus, Robert Pattinson playing Dali? C'mon!

MReed542 2012-04-21 08:56:58

A great surprise of a film

I admit that I went to see this film because Robert Pattinson was in itbut I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I actually reallyliked this film. A lot. Pattinson's Dali was definitely well done andentertaining – no need for him to be embarrassed by this performance –he CAN act. But the real accolades go to Javier Beltran's portrayal ofLorca. This film is really about him. I thought Beltran's performancewas refreshingly understated and I felt every pang of his heart. MarinaGatell was also exceptional and I thought her scenes were perfectlyacted. What I liked about this movie was that it did not beat me overthe head with an idea or a message. It just told the story and throughthe performances of the actors I connected in a subtle yet deep way. Ithought there were many very well done scenes. I laughed out loud atsome and I cried at others. I love movies that have quiet visuallywonderful scenes that make a mark and this movie had several. Iparticularly liked a scene where Lorca is writing and Dali is paintingin a garage of sorts. There's also a great scene where Dali paints acanvas and himself totally black. Great stuff. I wish we got to seemore of Spain but I guess budget constraints are to blame there. Also,it's one of those art house movies where you can't understand what theactors are saying at times. Frustrating because most of the lines I didget to hear were very well written and delivered. All in all I lovedit.

PollyP99 2012-04-20 07:06:06

Brilliant and thought provoking.

I have to admit that it took a while for me to get around to rentingthis on DVD partially because of the subject matter (out in left fieldfor me) and partially due to the mixed reviews. Went into it expectingat best mixed feelings about it but "Brilliant" was the first word tomind as the end credits rolled. It's a complex and, at times, slightlyconfusing character study (sort of like Dali himself). The moviefocuses mostly on the personalities and how they affect each otherrather than on their art. I didn't really know anything about Dali,Lorca, and Bunuel before but had to google and learn more about themafter viewing this movie. Definitely peaks your interest into some verycomplex personalities and their artistic endeavours. Very well actedall around, especially given the challenging nature of these charactersand relationships. Robert Pattinson yet again proves his ability tomake you forget the actor and see the character. His portrayal ofDali's metamorphosis from shy, awkward art student to flamboyantcharacter is brilliant and courageous. Not a "safe" role and he putshimself out there heart, mind and soul. Amazingly well done for such ayoung actor! True talent. Javier Beltran (Lorca), Matthew McNulty(Bunuel), and Marina Gatell (Magdelena) are also excellent.

Soha Bayoumi 2012-04-19 10:21:39

Beautiful movie, HUGE language problem!

A beautiful movie about art, love and life choices. It is based on thestories and relationships between Federico García Lorca, Salvador Dalíand Luis Buñuel since their friendship in the Residencia de Estudiantesin Madrid in the 1920s. The movie focuses on the complexity of theirrelationships amidst a turbulent political context in Europe andparticularly in Spain, a changing cultural and intellectual lifedominated by the avant-garde, surrealism, the influences of jazz andthe decadent lifestyle of artists in Europe. It portrays the variouschoices each makes without being judgmental: the romantic revolutionarychoices of Lorca that lead to his execution at the hands of theNationalist militia at the very beginning of the Spanish Civil War, thenarcissistic path of Salvador Dalí marked by genius, excessiveness andconceit, and the emotionally and politically embroiled life of LuisBuñuel who decides early on that his artistic career cannot find aplace in Spain.The editing of the movie could have used a little more smoothness. Someof the scenes and frames seemed superfluous. Some of the lines in thedialogue, wanting to be informative, ended up sounding a bit out ofcontext and unrealistic. The actors' performances were very good,except for a few instances where their performance seemed inadequatemainly because of what I take to be the main problem in the movie,namely that of language.Two of the main actors are Spanish, speaking English - the mainlanguage of the movie - with a very heavy Spanish accent and the othertwo are British actors speaking English with a fake heavy Spanishaccent (which made a few words incomprehensible)!!! This was a majorturnoff for me. In movies like these, it's either/or. Either you get acast that speak English with a homogeneous native accent, or you get aSpanish-speaking cast, and a good Spanish script co-writer and exertsome extra effort to make the movie entirely in Spanish. I found theparts where Lorca recites some of his poems in Spanish, with the sameactor in v/o reading them in English particularly disagreeable and mademe incapable of properly enjoying the poetry... I'd say that thelanguage problem reduced my enjoyment of the this otherwise verybeautiful and well-done movie by 50%. I highly recommend watching itthough.

2012-04-16 20:38:08

Art and Love and Political Upheaval in Spain, circa 1922

There are many reasons to see this film, not the least of which is the continuing fascination with the subject of the story. Three of Spain's brightest artists of the first part of the 20th century each had live that have fascinated readers and historians for decades. While this 'quasi-accurate' biographical script by Philippa Goslett is not the definitive documentary many have been waiting for, at least it is a wild quilt of bits and pieces of each of the artists' creative lives - and some of their private lives as well.1922, Spain, and the art school in Madrid is ripe with talent: poet/playwright Federico García Lorca (Javier Beltrán) has already published some of his poems, Luis Buñuel (Matthew McNulty) is more involved with the political festering of fascism and what will become Franco's Spain than he is with concentrating on the brilliant films he will eventually make, and the newly arrived Salvador Dalí (Robert Pattinson) is making visually shocking entrances in wild clothing while rebelling against the current fads in art. The three bond, encouraged by the writer Magdalena (Marina Gatell) who merely wants to become not only a famous feminist writer but also a part of the obvious changes in art these three men represent.The sexuality of García Lorca is clear: he finds himself drawn to the creative but peculiar Dalí. Dalí's preferences seem to include both men and women and as their beautiful friendship evolves it is Dalí who ultimately runs to Paris out of self-doubt and homophobia. Madrid may be avant-garde, but there is a strong anti-gay contingent (including oddly enough Buñuel) and the discord politically and artistically forces many to flee to Paris, the mecca of art. The bruised and rejected García Lorca finds solace in his creation of a traveling theater for his own plays while Dalí marries Gala in Paris and completes the famous film 'The Andalusian Dog' with Buñuel. When the three men (and Magdalena) eventually meet again some years later the world has changed, even if old feelings haven't.If the story sounds disconnected, it is. There are some very beautiful scenes from director Paul Morrison: a scene with García Lorca and Dalí in an almost underwater ballet is sensuous and beautifully photographed. Javier Beltrán is a sensitive actor and does well with the little he has to work with as García Lorca. Robert Pattinson can't quite find the level of the bizarre personality of Dalí - it would take a really fine actor to accomplish this. But the general casting is good. The editing of this movie is some of the worse on record (Rachel Tunnard) and that factors in a problem with the flow of the film. But for a diversion and another look at the arts in the early 20th century, LITTLE ASHES is entertaining. It could have been so much better. Grady Harp, January 10

2012-04-16 08:00:40

pretentious blather

pretentious blather Be detailed and specific. What would you have wanted to know before you purchased the product?Not too short and not too long. Aim for between 75 and 300 words. For video reviewsMake it fun! Who says you can't be informative and entertaining?How about a little action? If it makes sense, cut to the product in use as you describe your experiences with i