The Zohar Secret (2015)

Max finds himself in possession of an ancient scroll that describes the entire history of humankind from beginning to end. Seeking to use the information for his own gain, Max triggers the mechanism that begins influencing his own life.

Director:

Vladek Zankovsky

Writers:

Vladek Zankovsky, Israel Sasha Demidov

Stars:

Israel Sasha Demidov, Irina Barinova, Henry David

Storyline

Max finds himself in possession of an ancient scroll that describes the entire history of humankind from beginning to end. Seeking to use the information for his own gain, Max triggers the mechanism that begins influencing his own life.

Genres: Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

Reviews

The film that is guaranteed to keep you at the edge of your seat

A thought-provoking, emotionally-packed and dynamic film that is guaranteed to keep you at the edge of your seat and left questioning the meaning of your life long after it ends. Max has been dealt the burden of carrying a manuscript that holds the power to change the entire course of human history- a burden he never asked for, nor truly understands. As he incarnates from person to person, era to era, an ever-persistent "self" of his continually haunts him, urging and manipulating him towards the pursuit of the inescapable purpose that He and the whole of humanity are bound to. The dichotomy between Max's interest to enjoy a pleasant, normal life, and the ever-increasing pressures that historical events/conditions and his other "Self" administer to him set the grounds for a movie experience that transcends the boundaries of an impersonal narrative and instead seeps into the conscious realm of our present-day reality, personal life, and deepest emotional questions. 

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Goodfellas (1990)

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

Nicholas Pileggi (book), Nicholas Pileggi

Storyline

Henry Hill is a small time gangster, who takes part in a robbery with Jimmy Conway and Tommy De Vito, two other gangsters who have set their sights a bit higher. His two partners kill off everyone else involved in the robbery, and slowly start to climb up through the hierarchy of the Mob. Henry, however, is badly affected by his partners' success, but will he stoop low enough to bring about the downfall of Jimmy and Tommy?

Reviews

An Offer You Can't Refuse...
"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster." -- Henry Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1955.

Gangsters are all around us. Everyone knows it, not everyone wants to accept it. "Goodfellas"--based on true events--explores the lives of gangsters, chronicling the events through the eyes of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who gets involved with the Mafia at a young age and continues his "career" throughout the film.

As he gets older, he marries and has children, but still works for the organized crime family, under mob boss Paulie (Paul Sorvino); and he is friends with Jimmy (Robert De Niro), a calm, steady gangster; and Tommy (Joe Pesci), a wild man with serious mental problems.

Eventually Henry's life goes down the gutter, leading to drug abuse and paranoia, that leads to other unfortunate incidents that will be ruined if I type any more about them.

"Goodfellas" is one of the best films I have ever seen. It's a tour de force of breathtaking images, witty scriptwriting, superb acting and realistic violence.

Robert De Niro gives one of his best performances -- ever -- as Jimmy, even if he's not in the film as much as you might be lead to believe from the front cover.

Joe Pesci is in this movie about as much as De Niro, maybe a bit more or less. But when he's on screen there's no doubting he's on screen--he's very hard to miss. A short, deranged, loud-mouthed man with something wrong in his head. Someone makes an insult toward him and he shoots them, and then laughs. It's quite disturbing. I am a huge fan of Pesci, and I tend to love his characters, but he really makes you feel sick towards his character in "Goodfellas," while at the same time taking a strange liking to him. That just goes to show how good of an actor Pesci is.

Ray Liotta is perfect as Henry Hill. I can't think of a better actor to play him. He captures a sense of innocence yet at the same time a feeling of violence. I love the scene where he walks over to a man's house with a regular expression on his face. "What do you want, f&*^&?" the man asks. Liotta continues walking, takes out a gun, and starts to continually beat the man in the skull with the butt of his gun. As Henry walks back to his car, his face is disturbing and his expression stays with you for a long, long time.

Martin Scorsese is a brilliant director and his work here is fabulous; it's been recreated by other directors (namely Paul Thomas Anderson in "Boogie Nights") and there's a reason: it's great stuff. He totally deserved to receive Best Director in 1990, but of course he didn't. (Rumor has it the Academy frowns on Scorsese's use of racial slurs in his work. Oh boo hoo, get over it.)

The movie is based on the true-crime memoirs of the real-life Henry Hill, whose novel with Nicholas Pileggi -- "Wiseguys" -- was adapted into a screenplay by Pileggi and Scorsese. The book itself was fantastic and insightful; the screenplay is even better. The dialogue is incredible.

Anyway, "Goodfellas" has to be one of the best films I've ever seen--a true modern classic that will be remembered for what it is: One of the greatest tales told on screen. It's an offer you can't refuse!

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Lawrence Hauben (screenplay), Bo Goldman (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman

 

Storyline

McMurphy has a criminal past and has once again gotten himself into trouble and is sentenced by the court. To escape labor duties in prison, McMurphy pleads insanity and is sent to a ward for the mentally unstable. Once here, McMurphy both endures and stands witness to the abuse and degradation of the oppressive Nurse Ratched, who gains superiority and power through the flaws of the other inmates. McMurphy and the other inmates band together to make a rebellious stance against the atrocious Nurse.

Reviews

Both uplifting and disheartening, sometimes both at once
I went into this film with the knowledge that it had been the second film in history to win the 'top five' Oscars (for Best Picture, Best actor, Best actress, Best director and best screenplay) and has been praised as "one of Jack Nicholson's finest roles" and "one of the classics of the 70's". Naturally, after hearing all this, I had high expectations for One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. But nonetheless, I was surprised at how easily the film surpassed my expectations and easily led me to understand how it merited all that praise.

Based on the novel by Ken Kesey, the story follows Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), who, in an attempt to get out of spending more time in prison, pleads insanity for his crime, and is therefore sentenced to time in a mental institution. This was McMurphy's intention, as he believes the conditions in a "crazy house" will be significantly easier to contend with than another harsh stay in prison. However, he quickly finds out that surviving the institution with it's desolate patients (including Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito, Vincent Schiavelli and an absolutely brilliant Brad Dourif as the stuttering Billy Bibbit) and the monstrously repressive Nurse Ratchet (Louise Fletcher, in a career defining role) is considerably harder than he imagined. McMurphy plays pranks, horseplay, and is generally defiant to the rules of the institution in an attempt to raise spirits. His constant optimism and reckless defiance to the out of date rules in the institution can be very uplifting, and often quite funny as well, but much of the movie can be very depressing - the generally decrepit state of the institution is a consistently (and intentionally) bleak background to a superb story with a truly bittersweet ending.

Jack Nicholson is at his best here, head and shoulders above other excellent performances such as in 'Chinatown' or 'As Good as it Gets'. McMurphy is an apparently unquenchable optimist, refusing to succumb to the defeated spirit of all the other patients. His livewire antics, inspiring the patients are generally uplifting, and when his indomitable spirit is finally broken, we really feel for him and his fellow patients. Nicholson conveys the essence of McMurphy to perfection, demonstrating his excellent understanding and interpretation of the character. When McMurphy announces that he is going to lift a huge stone fountain and hurl it through the window to escape, the other patients are so caught up in his intoxicating spirit of freedom that they honestly believe he can do it, despite the fact it would be impossible for a man much stronger than him. When McMurphy finally discovers that despite his best efforts, he cannot lift the fountain, he is so openly crushed that we can't help but feel for him. Beneath the frequent profanities and livewire antics, there are real human emotions, which come across as truly touching.

What can be said about One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest which hasn't already been said? It has an excellent storyline, top notch acting, painfully bleak visuals, perfectly setting the tone for the movie, and alternates between being truly uplifting to devastatingly depressing. It features perhaps the most memorable film ending ever, next to a man on his horse riding off into the sunset, and leaves the viewer beaten down by the conflicting emotions, unaware what to think of the picture next to reveling in it's glorious entirety. It's hard to produce a final outcome any better than this.

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Happy Days (1978)

A mid-aged couple with 6 kids who are running a pickle shop gets divorced with 3 kids each. The family members find each other years later with a funny story.

Director:  
Orhan Aksoy

Writer:

Sadik Sendil

Stars:

Münir Özkul, Adile Nasit, Sener Sen

 

Storyline

A mid-aged couple with 6 kids who are running a pickle shop gets divorced with 3 kids each. The family members find each other years later with a funny story.

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

Reviews

Warm and friendly

Not technically, but emotionally that is the best film I have ever seen. I did watched it maybe more than 10 times and every time I see it on TV I cannot take myself watching it again and again. It is full of joy and kindness, it tells the life of great people, those who love each other with purity, those who share everything and those who care for each other. The music of the movie- which is cheerful when played fast and sorrowful when played gently- is perfect.. Just as perfect as those people in good old times and as the life they represent. The act is so natural that you either find yourself shed tears or laughing as loudly as you can. Every little detail is so fascinating. I do not know what more to say about this film, but it is certainly worth watching again, again and again. 

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The Boys of Paul Street (1969)

Director:

Zoltán Fábri

Writers:

Endre Bohem, Zoltán Fábri, 1 more credit »

Stars:

Mari Töröcsik, Sándor Pécsi, László Kozák

Storyline

In Budapest, two rival gangs of young boys lay claim to a vacant lot. The hostilities escalate yet never quite boil over into actual violence. Just when things do get out of hand, however, the problem is "solved" by the city government, which takes over the lot for future development.

Reviews

An Absolute Masterpiece
Remember when you were a child and you and your friends engaged in a mock war? Remember how, just like real war, it seemed to get out of hand all too quickly? Well, that's what happens to the pre-adolescent and early-adolescent boys in this modern Hungarian classic, one of the best movies you (probably) never heard of. I don't want to say much more about the plot, but the ending will tear your heart out. I can hardly imagine a more profoundly antiwar statement. Masterfully written, directed and acted by all involved. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and quite possibly deserved to win. Should be available on video but apparently isn't; if it were not for late-night TV, how would we ever get to see jewels like this in the USA?

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The Witness (1969)

Director:

Péter Bacsó

Writers:

Péter Bacsó, János Ujhelyi

Stars:

Ferenc Kállai, Lajos Öze, Béla Both

Storyline

Banned for over a decade for its outspoken criticism of the post-WWII communist regime in Hungary, Péter Bacsó's 'The Witness' has since then achieved unparalleled cult status in its native land. Known as the best satire about communism, 'The Witness' has become a cult classic, which was also well received by critics and general audiences alike when it was finally released outside of Hungary. Its candid and realistic portrayal of the incompetent communist regime has earned great acclaim for both the director and the film itself when it was shown at Cannes Film Festival in 1981. 'The Witness' takes place during the height of the Rákosi Era, which was closely modeled after the ruthless and brutal Stalin regime. The film follows the life of an ordinary dike keeper, József Pelikán, who has been caught for illegally slaughtering his pig, Dezsõ. Instead of doing hard time for his "heinous" crime, Pelikán is elevated into an important position, generally reserved for the communist elite. Of ...

Reviews

Thanks to my Hungarian colleague, who lent me the DVD, I watched this interesting and excellent movie. And what a movie it was!

From the beginning till the end, this absurd drama entertains, amuses and at the same time, makes one think. The best point of this movie is the central character, who is a simple person, who does not know how to protest, who believes that all the decisions taken by (and the words uttered by) the Comrades in power must be correct, and who therefore obeys their orders unquestioned, and yet tries to be innovative, and thus unwittingly exposes the stupidity and absurdity that lies at the core of their ideology.

I never knew that Hungary makes good movies (maybe because of the more widely known movies and movie makers from Poland and Czech; though I was told that Hungary produces perhaps the best brains in the world, at least, in Mathematics.), but now I know it otherwise.

If you like a good political satire, just watch it. 

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The Fifth Seal (1976)

In Budapest in 1944, a watchmaker, a book seller and a carpenter are drinking in a bar with the owner. They are joined by a stranger who asks a hypothetical question that will change their lives.

Director:  

Zoltán Fábri

Writers:

Zoltán Fábri, Ferenc Sánta (novel)

Stars: Lajos Öze, László Márkus, Ferenc Bencze

 

Storyline

In Budapest in 1944, a watchmaker, a book seller and a carpenter are drinking in a bar with the owner. They are joined by a stranger who asks a hypothetical question that will change their lives.

Reviews

Great dialogs, great scenes and all about You...
One of the greatest newage hungarian writer Santa Ferenc's book is digging very very deep into the human being and the human nature. Fabry, the director chose the best actors, and made one on the best hungarian movie. You have to see it more than few times, to pick up everything. Its all about life, about war, with amazing questions you cant even answer...

You must read the book!!!

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