Genres

Visitors Review

the_weirdo 2012-05-24 08:54:32

Mesmerizing Fall

There are some movies that are visual treats, some warm our hearts andsome others that tickle our grey matter and make us ponder over deeperaspects of life. But, I had not come across a single movie that offersall three, until I watched Tarsem Singh's "The Fall" "The Fall" is at once, an artist's imagination, a romantic's emotionand a thinker's surrealistic dream. I was stunned, moved and so deeplyaffected the first time I saw it that I continued to dream about it forseveral nights. Now, every time I watch I ask it, as the protagonistasks the child, "Are you trying to save my soul?" Not only because it has the most endearing child artist I have everseen on screen, or because it is filled with visually stunning images,or because it has metaphysical theme, or because it has Indianconnection, but because apart from all these, how the story is told byinterlacing the subtleties of human emotions with dreamy fantasies,that makes me watch it over and over again.Whenever I am sad, I watch it to cheer me up. And when I am happy, Iturn to it to experience ecstasy.(Originally posted @ weirdo-on-movies.blogspot.com)

sony89 2012-05-24 04:22:45

A Good Movie

I watched this movie in my English class and I thought it was going tobe boring, but at the end I got impressed on everything. "Alexandra andRoy", they were really talented, I really loved them. Alexandra had adisability on her arm, but that did not impeded her life, she wasalways full of joy. Watching this movie I realized that people of allages do anything for a friend, it doesn't matter what it takes and nomatter which obstacles you have to go. Alexandria's house was burned,she was living in the hospital. I liked her because she helped in thehospital translating the patients, but she did it without expectinganything in return, therefore all wanted her. That is a good example tofollow. I got connected with Alexandria because children like fantasystories and they imagine many things always with a happy ending, justlike when I was a child. Children are innocent, they do things withoutharming anyone. In this film I saw awesome locations such as a sea,desert, great mountains, and a palace in the middle of a lake. Themovie is entertaining, it makes you laugh and sometimes you feelmelancholic, it makes a profound effect on the viewer. I definitelyrecommend this movie to everyone, you will enjoy every second.

2012-05-19 17:41:21

Mesmerizing

The same director as The Cell (although I didn't care for that -- too hard to take); it reminded me a lot of Pan's Labyrinth in that it was essentially a children's story that was unsuitable for children. It also has a touch of J. M. Barrie about it in the sense that the story within is a child's story with a constant undercurrent of sadness. It features possibly one of the cutest child actors I've ever seen (Catinca Untaru), who's so cute in large part because it's all her -- it's not any of that irritating mugging that too many children in movies seem to mistake for acting these days (I'm looking at you, cast of Harry Potter and Peter Pan!)It's an incredibly beautiful and enrapturing movie; the storytelling (in the story-within-the-film and the film itself) is absolutely excellent -- moving and immersing to the point of being hypnotic at times. The illustrations of the story-within-the-film provide a fascinating combination of Roy and Alexandria's imaginations.Watch it if you like good, complex children's stories, stunning visuals, and movies that are beautiful and beautifully sad.Warning: if you do watch it, you will inexorably devolve into cliches trying to describe it. See above.

gradyharp 2012-05-18 22:13:19

Seeds of Scheherazade

THE FALL is one of the more stunningly beautiful cinematic works to becreated in recent years. Vibrant young director Tarsem Singh, born inIndia and trained at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA,produced, directed and wrote (with Dan Gilroy, Nico Soultanakis, andValery Petrov) this magical tale that blends fantasy, illusion, dreams,and altered reality with one of the more touching stories imaginable.The film takes many risks and for this viewer they all work. With onlyone other film ('The Cell') in his bag, this splendid work signals thearrival of a new Dali/Fellini/Bunuel figure in cinema. The setting is a hospital in Los Angeles sometime in the 1920s where alittle immigrant girl Alexandria (the amazing Romanian child actressCatinca Untaru) is recovering from a broken arm. She waders thehospital looking for something to help her while away the hours andcomes upon a kind patient Roy Walker (Lee Pace) who has been throughnumerous operations and is addicted to morphine. The two form afriendship through Roy's willingness to weave stories for Alexandria(much in the same vein as Scheherazade) and in Roy's stories thevarious patients and personnel of the hospital take on fantasy roles:there are five men (including Roy as the Blue Bandit) who areattempting to kill Governor Odious (Daniel Caltagirone) includingDarwin (Leo Bill), the Mystic (Julian Bleach), Otta Benga (MarcusWesley) and other fascinating characters. How the stories intertwinewith Roy and Alexandria as friends and as victim of morphine abuse andsupplier of the drug makes for a complex, multifaceted adventure thattakes place in beautiful, strange locales throughout the world. How therelationship between Roy and Alexandria develops amidst all the surrealtales is the focus of the film. The cinematography (Colin Wilkinson), costumes (Eiko Ishioka) andmusical score (Krishna Levy) enhance the beauty of the film, as doesthe transition into the creation of silent movies that opens and closesthe film. There is more in this little film than one viewing could evercompletely reveal. Visit it once and become as addicted to the magic aswas the king to Scheherazade's endless tales. Grady Harp

2012-05-13 05:37:15

Great Movie To Organize Files By

Our parents read to us; my 5th grade teacher read us greek mythology, including the Iliad (or was it the Odyssey?); I still read, quite a bit. And I still think this movie would have made a lot of great music videos, or some stunning commercials, but it's a visually compelling yet pathetic movie, and the story telling part is largely what's wrong with it. A good parallel would be Terry Gilliam's "The Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen", which was filmed almost entirely on a backlot but whose characters easily carry the movie into the realm of fantasy, and exotic places sometimes fairly cheaply rendered. This film blows you away with its scenery, yet its characters, aside from Mr. Pace, are mere caricature and cliche. For almost all of the movie almost none of them utter a complete sentence, but simply stand there as exotic elements in brilliantly colored costumes, contrasted against the scenery around them. Darwin, dressed something like a bird and talking to a monkey, does get a few lines as does one of the actresses, otherwise the fantasy sequences are mostly posing with voice over. And, sadly, given all the bare male chests that are quite a nice touch, none of the actors are very convincing as action figures, as when they run down the steps of an ancient tower they are obviously concerned about falling, something you don't see in Errol Flynn, or Johnny Depp as they sparred about in their swashbucklers. Mr. Pace is an injured stuntman in 1920's Hollywood, and he's lost his girlfriend. So, as he convalesces in a victorian hospital that is our only scene set in Los Angeles (which of course, isn't L.A. at all, but isn't that a wicked turn of events?) he begins to tell these stories to a little girl who is recovering from having her broken arm set in plaster, and in the process he gets her to bring him morphine from the dispensary. As a character, the girl is meant to be "absolutely darling" and with her puffy cheeks and missing front teeth, she is. As an actress, her skills--combined with her age appropriate childishness, and her accent, make the very early Shirley Temple seem utterly brilliant even intellectual. Oh, and talented. This little girl has a nifty skill of waving off the lines she's fluffed or forgotten, as if we understand them anyway, and we pretty much do, given that she never really says anything terribly important, she certainly does not carry her weight in the film anywhere near the way the little girl in "Baron Von Munchausen" served to keep the Baron, and the plot, moving forward.The problem with the stories, here, is that they never really seem to go anywhere, the more morphine he gets, the less able he is to continue the story line, and since he's a character both within and without, the actual stories don't really advance as much as they sort of progress in a series of incredibly colorful vignettes set either in the desert or in fantastic palaces and temples of the Indian variety. Baron Von Munchausen sort of wandered through his movie, but all along you were still progressing and had the confidence you would even arrive somewhere, even if, at the end, it wasn't, really... this film doesn't inspire that confidence, and when you finally get to the end, you realize that the film wanted to be, and was advertised as something far greater than it really was. Still, as much as I want to trash this film for wasting such a great opportunity, it is, again, so utterly beguiling to look at that, that if you can figure a way to have it on without having to actually pay much attention to it as a movie, you really ought to try it out.

2012-05-12 17:58:53

The Fall - Brilliant!

Brilliant film. The cinematography is awe inspiring. The extra features, particularly the behind the scenes look at the director in action was mesmerizing. I have a newly found respect for directors of that caliber.If ever I want inspiration I just have to look at this film - brilliant aesthetically (image and sound track with original music, technically (the cinematography grabs me around the heart and won't let go) and the actors are superb; obviously a cast that knew how to work together under inspiring direction. I was blown away to find out that the dialogue involving the little girl was improvised and then scripted.

komitata 2012-05-11 08:30:41

The influences on this film

When you talk about cultural reference in this film, please have inmind that this is remake of a Bulgarian film from 1981 "Yo-ho-ho!" Lookhere - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278827/plotsummary , based on thescreenplay of the Bulgarian writer Valeri Petrov. So any influence onthe script must be traced before 1981, not after. For me, the 1981 filmis a favourite classic, and I am waiting impatiently to see "The Fall".Given the movie making technologies from 1981 in Bulgaria (communistand behind the Iron Curtain then), the film could hardly be seen beyondthe borders of the so called "socialist world". Also, there is animportant story line of the boy growing without a father and lookingfor a father figure, which has been replaced in this film by the milderrelationship little girl - older man, which I am really curious tocompare.

greencandyholic 2012-05-11 05:04:57

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!!!!!!!!

This film was so beautifully put together that i was touched in manyways.It has the elements from each part of film-making such ashorror,romance,comedy,etc.,and intertwines them all in a way that doeswork.The visuals will blow your mind and is accompanied by a beautifulscore that compliments each scene.The movie will have you bursting witheach emotion,even some you might have not thought you would have feltwatching such a film,but this film is one i am glad was able to glanceupon since it is one of my favorite movies of all time.The actors as well take upon great roles as each little role plays agreat part in the film as a whole.It will have youlaughing,crying,angry,confused,but that's what great film-making is allabout,and I'm grateful for the masterpiece that director Tarsem Singh.P.S. watch this film and you'll wish you'd have seen it sooner

2012-05-10 02:02:11

This is an exquisite experience.

This review is from: The Fall (DVD) This work of art is magnificent on very many levels; it stirs the imagination and satisfies the emotions, is beautiful, exciting and tender. After I saw The Fall for the first time, I thought I had found all of its virtues, but then, when I viewed the director's comments (presented as voiceover during another full showing of the movie), I realized how much more there is to discover about it and about the performers and the director himself. I am so glad I could find it to purchase. See it, love it, and don't skip the director's discussion.

fdito 2012-05-09 08:05:20

Low Interest point

Personally, I consider that the movie has an interesting story. Sometimes it's funny and other times it becomes aggressive making yourimagination fly for instance. It's very creative when it transports youto imaginary worlds. Practically we witness two stories at the sametime. It's a little cruel at the end, but I think we can judge some ofthe main characters' behavior. For example, one of them tries to takeadvantage with lies, and the other friendly and innocent. This moviecan be rated pg-13 and not pg for the violent scenes that would beinappropriate for kids under 13 years old.In conclusion, I consider the movie very entertaining because I enjoyedit.

sam60120 2012-04-30 03:50:23

A Visual Festival.

As part of my ESL class, we watched the movie The Fall; Going back onthe 1920's in a hospital at Los Angeles California a stunt man (Roy)meets a cute little girl (Alexandria) who is doing a great naturalacting roll , while he is injured as a result of making a movie andlost his girlfriend they start wondering and imagining a wonderful talewhich it takes you to a journey with a landscapes contrast with hisother five warriors that have something in common they commit to getrid of Governor Odius who stole the blue bandit mask girlfriend,represented as a "Frustration " that 's his main problem who even triedto suicide using Alex but never wonder that she is her angel to keephim alive, this is the kind of movie that makes you think for a fewdays after you watched, the cinematography is spectacular withbreathtaking scenes I would like to recommend this movie to an adultaudience due to some cruelty scenes, don't forget the pop corns andenjoy it.

MovieGuy 2012-04-29 22:39:19

Absolutely PERFECT!

We saw this film on July 4, 2008, and drove 40 minutes from the suburbs of Chicago downtown to view it. The cost was appr. $20 in gasoline, $10 per ticket, $10 for the popcorn and drinks, and $5 to park...and it was WORTH EVERY SINGLE PENNY! This film offers an entertaining and inspiring story, brilliantly filmed, and well acted by a Romanian girl who heretofore spoke no English and an American actor who (forgive me) before this of whom I had a rather low opinion. Moreover, the film offers stunning imagery, a low level of graphic violence, and few curse words. Any violence at all is integral to the tale and when necessary is tastefully done in a style which commends the film to both young and old alike. Apparently, tact, originality, and beauty account for this film playing on only ONE screen in all of Chicago! As an experiment, I counted and found that "Wanted" with Angelina Jolie as a murderer and "Hancock" with a debauched Will Smith are EACH playing in some 42 theaters in the surrounding area, in many cases on multiple screens. The former features a manish harpie who consistently provides pathetic story material and the latter has the connotation of (as yet) being the only "superhero" film this year to feature a scene in which the "hero" literally (yes, LITERALLY) ejaculates his sperm through the ceiling. (Somehow such scenes still merit a PG-13 rating....) As for "The Fall", it is a film ONLY for those with an IQ over 50, those who believe that a film should tell a story worth seeing, and that a movie should in general take the viewer to places both physical and spiritual that he has never been before. "The Fall" is such a film. If you have a mind, a heart, and perhaps more importantly, a soul, then "The Fall" is definitely the film for you.

Janimal 2012-04-25 15:06:40

Unbelievable!

After seeing the trailer, I was quite excited to see the movie, simply expecting and hoping for something new and refreshing. What I got was so much better and so much more. The acting from the two main characters could not have been more real or more poignant. Though perhaps a bit predictable, the storyline was no less satisfying. As for the visuals, I think it's obvious just from the trailer what I'd have to say about this. Overall, watching this was an amazingly memorable experience and I must applaud Tarsem. Do not miss out on this!

thekingoftaisho 2012-04-25 02:26:40

If you liked Cinema Paradiso and the Princess Bride then you will also love this film.

I saw this movie at the Toronto film festival, the Elgin Theater.First off, it was nice to see a film where the director had completecreative control to execute his vision. This film does not suffer thefate of marketers or no talent Hollywood producers who think they areartist or visionaries.If you liked Cinema Paradiso and the Princess Bride then you will alsolove this film. Tarsem's lavish imagery and fantastic locations createthe atmosphere for an epic adventure, while the acting of Lee Pace,Justine Waddell and especially, Cantinca Untaru provide the drama andlaughter.First, Cantinca Untaru as Alexandria is superb. I normally avoid filmswith children as they are usually cheesy or groan worthy. Cantinca,however, is much like the little boy in Cinema Paradiso, a naturalchild. When Alexandria says things we believe her, when she does thingsit is her child like nature we are watching come out. There is nothingstiff or unnatural about this young actress and it is a great credit toTarsem as a director that he was able to pull this level of acting froma child. While watching the movie, I was amazed at how Tarsem andCantinca were able to move the audience from laughter to tears and backto laughter so fluidly. Lee Pace puts in an excellent show and does agreat job as a suicidal patient in the hospital, but Cantinca isdefinitely the star of this show.Tarsem has a great eye for location and he exhibits it well in thismovie. It truly was shot all over the world. Along with all the greatlocations are the beautifully colorful costumes of fashion designerEiko Ishioka. The costumes are larger than life and beautiful in theirsymbolism.So having said all that, I would highly recommend this movie. This isone of those rare films that actually does have a bit of something foreveryone yet keeps its integrity.

2012-04-24 06:09:35

The Fall

We thought this was the greatest movie we EVER saw, but perhaps not everyone will. Several stories are woven together. As in life some of these stories (lives) were not so significant to others. People are seldom who they seem; places and things are often shown different than they are told because of the abyss of understanding and experience between the two main characters. Some were dissociated from the main stories. It covered human love and deciiet, lies and sacrifices. Stupidity, misunderstanding and wisdom. Viciousness and love struggling. The acting was relaxed. Almost muted. Wardrobe did a fine job and the scenery included almost every beautiful spot on earth. I do no think one can catch everything in one viewing. On the other hand if you disliked it, just leave it alone.

HillelE 2012-04-23 15:00:10

Breath-taking. Remarkable

I am SO THANKFUL I did NOT go to another stupid action movie, and took a chance into the unknown instead!This film is so FULL of charm, truth, imagination, emotion, and insightful, sensitive acting, that it is LITERALLY a GIFT to give yourself to go and see it.It is said that a book not worth reading twice, is not worth reading once...This film is like a book - and is worth watching many times...

Independent Movie Lover 2012-04-23 00:40:48

inner story should have been better

There are so many great aspects to this film, the entrancing outerstory, the absolutely amazing visuals, the multiple shades of eventsshifting and overlapping. However, the beautifully photographed inner story starts out promising,but was not as good as it should have been and went on too long ....the plot was only superficially reflective of and intertwining with theouter story, and just not very interesting (my companion got bored andfell asleep). Other story-within-story movies have had much richer andmore involved inner plots that interplay better with the outer plot(e.g. the Little Princess). This inner plot was rich only in thevisuals. There is a section of the inner story which includes an amount ofmostly gruesome violence that becomes tedious. Additionally, there were some promising threads in the outer plot thatwere not followed through on. So it was amazing on a number of levels,but flawed and ultimately unsatisfying, though I think still very worthseeing.

2012-04-22 14:46:36

Remove all expectations...may take multiple viewings

When I initially watched the film, I didn't like it very well. I watched it a second time (approximately 1 week from the first viewing) and it was better for me.I was anticipating a 'Disney-type' film with a dramatic twist, but find it better if I remove all expectations and simply watch it for what it is...However, I wouldn't consider it a 'block-buster,' merely a film that is good from a 'b-list' perspective.Cheers! ;)

fwomp 2012-04-21 12:02:35

A Visual Feast For The Eyes...

THE FALL is going to rank up there as one of the most visually stunningfilms you've probably never heard of. Filmed in India, France, Romania,Indonesia, Africa, Italy, the Maldives, Turkey, Nepal, Egypt, China,the Czech Republic, Fiji, Indonesia, and the U.S., the film's broadleaps from continents and countries makes for some incredible shotsthat fall across the screen time and again.Combining both child-like fantasy and human frailty, the story is seenthrough the eyes of a child named Alexandria (unknown 9-year-oldstarlet Catinca Untaru). Recovering at a hospital in 1920s Los Angeles,she stumble upon a severely injured stuntman named Roy (Lee Pace, THEGOOD SHEPHERD). Roy wants nothing more than to end his now miserableexistence by overdosing on morphine. And he sees a way to get it whenAlexandria comes to him as a friend. He regales her with a fantasticalstory about bandits, adventurous scientists and freed slaves. We, theaudience, view the storytelling through the mind of Alexandria as sheinterprets what Roy tells her, making for some pretty lightheartedmoments. But mixed amongst them is the seriousness of what Roy wantsfrom her: for her to get a bottle of medicine so he can commit suicide.As the story Roy tells her comes to a close, and he becomes moredesperate for the drugs, Alexandria "falls" and re-injures herselfwhile trying to obtain the medication Roy wanted in order to end hislife. Adding to her injuries, Roy must finish the story by telling herwho lives and who dies, but Alexandria isn't ready for that "fall". IsRoy ready? That, as they say, is where the real story rests, and wherethe real story ends.The acting isn't stellar by any means, but the sweeping vistas, amazingdissolves, and nearly painted-on, picture-perfect shots will have mostwatchers' mouths gaping. The intimacy of the story and how it unfoldsalso adds an emotional uniqueness that will probably surprise mostviewers. I know I was.If you want something that's a stunning spectacle in the style of THECELL and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, then you'll gobble up TheFall.

2012-04-21 04:36:42

"The Fall" is an experience worth having.

Blu-ray is a great thing; the image is crisp and beautiful. However, up to this point, I had only seen one thing that I would say had to be seen in blu-ray. That was Planet Earth. The Fall is now the second. This is one of the single most beautiful films you will ever see.