Reviews

Oh, Matt, Matt, how far thou hast fallen...

Bland characters, blander story, totally unfunny. It is sad to see that this blob of mediocrity has the name Matt Groening associated with it. Not really surprising though, after seeing how much The Simpsons has plummeted in recent years.

Unlike The Simpsons, though, this show starts flat so there is no room for plummeting. The story of a bored and boring princess, that supposedly has great ideas for herself, refuses to get stuck in an arranged marriage but then spends her time stuck in a tedious existence.

The cast of characters is bland and uninteresting. They all supposedly have motivations but the story development is non-existing. They just stick around and go on the same boring adventures and do absolutely nothing, not in the sense of story development and not in the sense of comedic effect.

Yet another proof that Netflix will produce anything regardless of quality. Save yourselves the disappointment.

I must admit that Hollywood never ceases to amaze me. Every time a new flick is out, it's even worse than all previous ones they have produced, and that is no mean feat. 'Ultraviolet' manages to live up to these expectations. No script, no dialogue, no acting - just guns and car chases. Totally pointless, its only good side is to make Milla Jovovich look like an actress. Indeed, she outshines the rest of the cast, simply because they are even worse. If you are a fan of Milla, well, I'd rather suggest that for the price of a theatre ticket you buy a poster of hers instead. If not, then move along, nothing to see here. At all.

I am not inclined to post my opinion on web pages. In fact, this is the first time that I feel compelled to let my words be heard on the web. However, having read from other users that "Yume" is "a waste of time" and "too personal" to be enjoyed, I was so disappointed that I felt the right time to speak up had come.

I am the first one to agree that this is not a film for everyone. It is actually far from that. Alas, in this world where the vastest majority of people feel that the necessary and sufficient condition for a film to be good is to have as much special effects as possible, "Yume" sadly faces no other fate than to be overlooked by almost everybody.

It is those few people that might consider watching this film that have the opportunity to appreciate its full greatness. There are still many hurdles on the way, though. For many Western people, including myself, the fact that "Yume" orbits around Japanese legends is a big obstacle to overcome, as we are not well acquainted with their meaning. I am convinced that Kurosawa's "Dreams" conceal much of their true objective to us who are not familiar enough with the Japanese culture.

But my advice is: forget these problems. There are thousands of other details to enjoy. From just a cinematographic point of view, Kurosawa's mastery of colour is unrivaled, and a sound reason to watch this film, yet not the only one by far. The true value of "Yume", in my opinion, is the use of the parabolas presented disguised as dreams to teach us a way of life. The absurdity of war. The beauty of nature. The need to preserve our environment. In summary: a praise to life. And yet, Kurosawa being old himself when he filmed his "Dreams", looks at death and presents it as the last station of a wonderful journey. Carpe diem, yes, but not to the point of being scared. Life will follow its course as does the river at the end of the movie, with or without us being here to enjoy it. Just be thankful for the small things in life; they are the most important. Enjoy them while you can and you will leave this existence in peace with yourself.

"Yume" is one of these small, humble things, so humble that it can be overlooked by many. It would be a waste. Don't let this happen to you. You would miss a true masterpiece. You would miss Kurosawa's way of life.