Time for another I-guess-not-so-weekly movie review ;)… Four movies again: Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement), Collateral, Festen (The Celebration) and Les Invasions Barbares (The Barbarian Invasions)

I was really looking forward to seeing Audrey Tautou from Amélie in another movie again, as I really liked Amélie. Thus I did not hesitate when I saw Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement) on top of my still-to-see-movies-list. It’s the story of a young French girl on a search for truth about her missing fiançé who had gone to war with france in WW I. This movie has quite an Amélie feel to it, and I must say I love it :P. I don’t know whether a lot of French movies have this, but I definitely like that kind of humor. Sad yet lovely movie…
My rating for Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement): 8.5/10


Starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, Collateral was one very nice thriller. It’s about a cab driver called Max who at one night finds himself entwined in the life of a contract killer. I didn’t expect too much from this movie, but I was pleasantly suprised and really enjoyed it. It’s not too terribly deep, but the acting from Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx were really good, and there was suspense from beginning to end. A worthy thriller :).
My rating for Collateral: 7.5/10

Festen (The Celebration) is a really weird Danish movie about a father celebrating his 60th birthday with a big family dinner and party. When his oldest son does his speech, however, he tells the family a very surprising story. All kinds of strange things and intriges happen at the celebration hereafter. What was really interesting about this movie was the cinematography. The movie has very bad image quality and mono-sound, but I’m quite sure that was done deliberately. Together with the hurried camera movements, it gives the movie a ‘camcorder’ feel… As if it was your neighbour filming. This makes you all the more frightened that this might actually happen at one of your own family dinners… Very original - definitely non-Hollywood - movie!
My rating for Festen (The Celebration): 8/10

I saw Les Invasions Barbares (The Barbarian Invasions) just this evening. Dutch people will probably be reminded of the movie Simon if they saw it. Both of these movies are uplifting yet sad movies about a man who did not let any chances for the pleasures of life go by unnoticed, yet finds himself at some point terminally ill. Both of these movies show us some hurting truths about how capitalistic and decadent our lives have begun. I liked Les Invasions Barbares better however because I felt it was more respectful towards life. Nice movie to think about…
My rating for Les Invasions Barbares (The Barbarian Invasions): 8/10