Last Updated: 11 April 2004

Russian Ark (2002)

Starring: Sergey Dreiden, Maria Kutsnetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy
Written and Directed:Alexander Sokurov

It would be unfair of me to review this film in detail as my knowledge of Russian history is minimal. But I do feel I have to give it a mention, hence a short.

Russian Ark is a tour of 300 years of Russian history guided by a 'cynical French diplomat', the Marquis de Custine. The film is a tour of the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, and as we pass through the dozens of grand rooms, we are taken also through re-enactments of significant moments of history. Although hard for me to appreciate, my friend Alison, who recommended this film to me explained many of these scenes, and it appears to have been cleverly done.

Whilst the cultured will appreciate this, the filmmaker will certainly be in awe of the way this film was made. It was all done on one continuous take. Several months of preparation, 3000 actors and extras, the film was another milestone in cinematography. And that means the film needed the choreographed precision of a stage production and more.

An absolutely outstanding effort, beautiful set and gorgeous period costumes allows even the uninitiated a flavour of the fantasy.

One to watch on in awe.

Official Site

Spun (2003)

Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Mickey Rourke, Brittany Murphy, Deborah Harry
Directed by Jonas Åkerlund

Not the usual genre of films I'd normally go to see, and in this case, I had seen this with friends because it was conveniently a film that was on and we all hadn't seen. However, it was also one we didn't know about.

Spun tells of the lives of drug addicts and the lives of a chain of users, dealers and makers, and the way they all cope with life on a high. It's therefore not surprising that the film contains many shocking scenes to some, and isn't a film that is meant to be watched in any sort of comfort.

But whilst the film may shock, it does have a strong plot, and in cinematic terms, this film is well made. One relates to the characters well and much of the photography and direction is spot on. However, it is a fairly difficult film to watch at times.

One very tough film.

Home > Verbal > Movie Reviews > Short Reviews

© Copyright Lester Mak 2003. All Rights Reserved
By accessing this page and all subsequent pages on this site
you accept all terms and conditions of fair usage