ShahramMirkhani

When faced with an adapted screenplay, we unconsciously become a bit rigid. However, interestingly, after watching the film, we realize that this work is truly a free interpretation, summarized in just a line or two of narrative. Despite its success in localizing the story to a new environment while remaining faithful to the original author's message, it offers a different, more mature, and even more impactful perspective than the original masterpiece - which is unparalleled. Involuntarily, we stand in awe of this successful challenge and tip our hats.

The play 'Meeting with the Old Lady' by Friedrich Dürrenmatt is a masterpiece in itself, but within this masterpiece, a magnificent creation has been reborn, one that truly deserves the term 'Original.' Alongside the exceptional ensemble performances, many of whom have been sidelined and underutilized for years due to unfortunate circumstances and the sorry state of Iranian cinema, their incomparable values come alive again upon viewing this film. From the well-crafted screenplay and relevant dialogues to the brilliant cinematography, haunting music, exceptional acting, and breathtaking pacing - everything makes you eager to see this masterpiece again and again. Just consider, for instance, the numerous instances where Leili's room light goes out in response to Amir's wife's disturbances!

It's a shame that this gem remains unrecognized to the extent it deserves...

With a quick look to the cast and director, you just wait for an exceptional movie inspiring cinema.. with a small sneak peak or chit chat about it, you think another Cinema Paradiso for the new millenium is on the way.. but when you rescue from the 3-hours movie alive, you just find yourself empty-handed.

The storyline is a kaos. The effort to show the late '20s Hollywood era is so exaggerated that even if it is real, with a sane mind you do not want to know about it in this way.. Spending a huge amount of details and cast and making a noisy, crowded, impossible-to follow rythm is not always a success.

The characters are way too unreal and unacceptable and the behaviors and dialogs don't attrack you. They are just a waste of time.

For me as a fan for Margo and Brad, well; it was completely a failure and I can not believe that this one and Whiplash are made by the same person!

I am a hard person to give more than 7 to a movie, in more that 1200 movies I have evaluated up to now, there are not more that 70 movies with a 9 or 10, but I delightfully and happily give a 9 to this movie and strongly recommend every one to watch it.

I believe the art of cinema reaches to its top point in a movie just when all the factors are in complete harmony and help each other to impress the audience and express the motto in a believable and pleasant way. By this point of view, just high-technical movies or just romantic movies or so may gain a good score like 7 but not more as the are not perfect and one aspect affects the value of the entire movie.

But, in Philomena all the factors are equivalently and harmonically helping the flow of the story. The story is inspired by a true story and based on a book, but really well adapted for motion picture and very beautifully accented on the points and facts that either the writer or the director needed to declare. Mixed with the magical touch of Judi Dench and all the cast and a great editing which makes you follow every second of the movie just like you are watching a super-action movie like Mission Impossible, the finale surprises you that much that you just feel like a nice orgasm!! All the movie, besides being interested in the main story about Philomena and her son, you just want to follow the battle between religion and blasphemy and what a glorious result! Humanity wins, the old, not-well-educated, victimized, must-be-angry, catholic woman who has recently found serious doubts in her beliefs; after all proves that is a good human being and succeeds the evil(!) nuns and Incredulous reporter and makes all of them feel ashamed and shocked by her wise, well-thought and not-emotional forgiveness.

Philomena is surely one of the best movies of 2013 and one of the shiny diamonds of the British Cinema treasure.

I got the DVD just when it came out and after watching about 15 minutes I felt I am not in the mood of this type of movie and left it in the shelf. Today I saw it after some years and I feel great!!! What a nice movie, what a sham that Nora is not present anymore! The movie is simply - of course, not that simple! - about two chefs in two different era, but I got more. It's about the pleasant simple facts in life which nowadays we forget and feel unsatisfied, frightened and insecure. By watching this movie you suddenly feel you live in a fairy tale world but much more believable. You feel how you waste you life by thinking about silly problems and concerns that most of us are making ourselves busy and disappointed everyday.

No! Life can be more pleasant, more creative and quiet simple. So, you can hope, laugh and enjoy! You can cook and you can love! You can share and you can make a change, even if it's writing a cookbook, experience a cookbook and make a blog, make a movie or even simpler, watch a movie and learn! These types of movies never get old, you can watch them from time to time and every time like a good recipe and a tasteful dish they freshen you up again.

If you haven't seen this marvelous movie, just do it now!

After a while, I really decided to write again here, as I found this movie different. For sure there are many movies made this years better than this one but I insist that it's a different one. The story is based on one of the most dangerous to talk subjects in human history. A disaster and shame for humanity, 9/11 which somehow giving a different perspective is kinda risky but the writers and director have done it in a perfect way. It is a multi-layer movie, it shows the way that many innocent - even America lovers - Eastern people suffer and think about 911. As an Iranian, I can never accept terrorism at any price. Killing others for a belief is the worst thing one can do, but continuing to kill in the name of that is even worse. I believe this movie has many things to say and think about which can not be completely given here but I can simply say it looks completely free to the subject, despite race and nation and the finale is the juice of the movie. Yes! There are people all around the world, in Pakistan, in the States and everywhere who think revenge is not the solution....

I just saw the movie yesterday night and found it so disappointing. The plot was good enough to make a good movie but it was really spoiled in directing, scenario and acting. It could nail you to you chair in first 70% of the movie and make you feel disappointed and angry in the end. The disappointment begins when the main problem is solved by a half-known cop character coming out of nowhere and shooting the bad guy!! Then failing again in telling what comes after in less than 1 minute and changing the good guy to the worst guy and killer with no reason and no expectation, leaving you dumb and angry. The movie ends like a really good long sex with a half climax and quiet dissatisfaction... Sorry for all of the crew!!!

Honestly speaking it's many years since I am not interested in my country's movies as 90% of them are junks not even suitable for entertainment and fun. The rest also which are declared to be special and 'Artful' are most of the times disappointing or just acceptable in some manners.

But...

because of some short notes in FILM Iranian magazine and the actors, specially Mr. Entezami; I was curious about this movie from the very first time and this curiosity continued for one year!!

Yesterday night I by chance saw this movie and what a pity that I hadn't before!

PLEASE for God's sake watch it and try to find something weak in it!

Actually I wanted to write much more about this movie but I felt ashamed that there is not even one comment on this movie and just 11 votes (including mine). It's a shame!

Please watch it asap!!

It's a long time since my last comment but I felt it is necessary to write something for this beautiful, sensitive, meaningful and exceptional movie.

The strange thing is many have written almost worse-than-negative and because of my respect for common idea, I cannot and will not fight with them...

...No, actually my problem is why people are getting more nonsense and more stupid day by day??!!

With all due respect to Hollywood productions like fantastic 4, The Dark Knight and many many other movies (which I have seen and will see and enjoy), it is a sin even to compare this movie with them.

This movie is a dramatic, meaningful movie which benefits from its good acts (almost all the actors and actresses are great, specially Forest Whitaker and Philippe Caland), its really nice and well-tailored story, its exceptional music and every other aspects of cinematography that I can remember.

All I can think that people are so unkind to this movie is just conspiracy!! and I do not know why.

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND TO WATCH THIS MOVIE FOR THOSE WHO THINK THEY CAN THINK....

I have heard classical music from when I was only 6 and the first I began with was Beethoven's 5th.

His music always did to me what is said in this movie (made me feel like the composer) and it's not enough if I say I am a Beethoven fan, better to say I admire, adore and pray him...

His works are (in parallel with J.S Bach but in another way) make me feel mad and there are quiet few music that do so to me.

With the above description and with the effort I've made to study his life and works, I believe this movie is a disaster.

With the huge amount of raw material and stories in his life - which Roman Rolland has written that thick book - it's the strangest thing to use his worst, hard-to-believe and neglectable-to-magnify part of his life.

It surely is a crime if we see Beethoven in this way.

The movie may be a good one if it was not based on him and it was a fictional story for that I may give 6 stars but because of the crime they've made I had to omit the later 3 stars!

Please compare with Milos Forman's Amadeus, is it comparable? actually that one was neither completely satisfying but much better than this. Why?

-Gary Oldman is a great actor but not suitable for this role, even as hard as he tries...

-All about the 9th symphony was this? it is considered as 'The greatest symphonic composition for all the time' by almost %100 of the experts. It's the best choice for the EU anthem. It's mystical. It's beyond the imagination and it's written when he was completely deaf! It's - as he has quoted - his greatest piece of work. It's not just an 'Excuse me' letter for his love. Please notify.

-Hostorical references are most of the time incorrect or incomplete. he has hearing problems from his middle 30's but totally deaf in his last ten years. He used to put his head on the piano much later than it is shown. The famous statue which we all have seen for once is made from his face just right after his death so why he is so old and ugly in the ending? and so on....

However, I do not think it's fair to do this with one of the greatest -if not the greatest - composers in history.

Don't you think so?

Actually, writing about this movie is not an easy task. As you may mix different aspects which are quiet different in value.

The act is marvelous.It's beyond imagination. It's no surprise as there is half a dozen of the best actors in the last 20 years! All of the guys were legends before (Jack Lemmon), at the same time (Al Pacino)_ or a little bit later (Kevin Spacey). So it's no doubt full of energy and a masterpiece from acting point of view.

The direction is unbelievably strong. Some ordinary subject, some losers and NO WOMAN!. And after all as it goes through you are tied to your chair harder.

BUT....

What's it all about? were's the moral? Isn't that necessary to obtain something from it? What you can obtain? That Jack Lemmon - the most positive character in all the movie - is the worst? That the cutest guy ( Al Pacino ) is a loser too? That Kevin Spacey is what ? Negative or positive? ANd after all .... so what?

I do not think that putting the audience in some wrong idea and then give them a shock is always a good trick. You should think about the after wards and what will you give them after that...

My best reason is IMDb itself. The movie which has about 7.2 points and many comments with 10 stars is not a favorite today (2007) at all!

No one nowadays has heard about this movie and no one will. They just will be shocked when they see the list of actors and will try their best to watch this movie and enjoy during watching .... and finally feel sorry..

..just like me!

Maybe it seems that this movie is a French copy - Or better to say, a French version, as it's something different - of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". it's a nice, smooth movie that you can enjoy both comedy side and action side of it. Plus some romantic sequences with a French taste.

Good acts, good music, good story and last but not the least a really good direction has made this movie something. I saw it yesterday night for the third time after 4 years and enjoyed it as much as the first time.

It is a "Must see" movie. It has some points which are quiet original and you cannot find them in any other movie.

I strongly recommend it.

I liked this movie and I believe it's a "must see". The overral is really more than OK weather there are some negative points.

The character of Forster is not opened and described enough, so it's after watching the movie and during the thinking about it that you understand that he is a freaky hypnotizer with talking and convincing the people. Even at the ending the relation between him and Lauren is not cleared out and convincing.

Also, it seems a little strange that how an attorney/young girl can do this alone? Actually I was waiting for a better ending, maybe a cooperation between a group of Grimm's students or something like that and I believe that it was much better, it could explain all the suspicious events during the movie like changing the guard of Grimm's apartment and many other clues.

Also Guy Laforge was a little bit 'declared' more than enough. Every novice audience would take him as the murderer and every professional audience would be sure that he, who is clearly shown as the suspicious one is not the murderer for sure. This point was one of the important weakness points of this movie.

But, who doesn't like Al Pacino's act with his famous mimics and voice and .... and everything! He is a master in this art, no doubt. And the others' act is quiet well. The rhythm is great and you can not move in your seat from the very first minutes till the ending credits. It's a great movie and please, please don't lose it!

Unfortunately, I hadn't seen the movie up to now, after it's about a month I've seen 'Scoop', but it doesn't matter. It's a masterpiece that one should not suppose that everybody knows and understands what Allen wants to visualize.

In the recent years, Allen has gained the courage to put on the little tiny facts that ordinary people would not feel and understand in their lives. Sometimes comedy and drama are such mixed up that you cannot differ like 'Melinda and Melinda' and sometimes the comedy part is so strong that one may think is't just a cheap TV series like 'Small time crooks' and sometimes the drama part is heavily taking your breath that you forget that you have to expect some comedy in this movie like 'Matchpoint'.

Maybe matchpoint is too drama and maybe one of the reasons is that Allen is not playing in it with his unique dialogs and accent; but it's lovely. And, believe it or not; it's lovely that an American in Hollywood dares to use such ordinary facts in life (which are quiet important to European and Eastern artists) as the main line of his stories and develops and expands the case in such a comedy noir/drama style that none of the a.m. artist cannot even think about that, maybe some exceptions like Emir Kustarica or Roberto Benini are 'SOMEHOW' alike Mr. Allen. This is why Allen is 'UNIQUE'...

How many times have you think about 'LUCK' in your life? There are quiet several periods in my life that I tried to prove that we are making and ruining the luck for ourselves and quiet several periods of time that I really have believed that it's out of our control. But what Mr. Allen thinks about that? The point is it's not important for him, although it is said in the beginning narration that some people are afraid of the fact that it's uncontrollable but the movie is about something more important that I believe the main comedy part is hidden behind this fact:

Is Chris lucky? What is luck by your opinion? Was the reflex of the ring good luck or bad luck to Chris?

Specially think about the last question. I think that when the ghost of Nola told Chris 'You have to pay for what you did' the next sequence is the officer waking up and finding the true answer, but ...

... we are wrong! This is not about what Nola's ghost said. What Nola forecasted (maybe) was finding the bounced ring in the pocket of the killed addict which resulted in finding Chris not guilty. I mean, the point is successful escaping for law is BAD LUCK for Chris as he has a miserable life in a golden cage ( like an Iranian idiom: The inside of my life in burning me and the outside of my life is burning the others! ) Maybe finally when he is about to dye or even much sooner he would wish that he had not escaped for what he had done.

This is the real comedy side of this movie that leaves you in confusion that what is good luck and what is bad luck. Please do not suppose that Allen can answer you because this is the question that no one can answer ... no one. It depends and just the one who is experiencing the case has the right to talk about that.

This is what makes me love Mr. Allens masterpieces. The works that every person can understand some layers of it and it is obvious that why during the recent years there are many people who hate his works. They just want the basic layers that right now Allen is not worried for them and as he gets older and more experienced he is concentrating on the deeper layers. I think that Allen has his own - very unique - style that can just be achieved by someone who is talented and thoughtful as Woody Allen AND has directed, written, acted and ... in more that 50 movies.

If your are familiar with Steve Martin's language you will find this movie as one of his best.

As a not-American person who is more or less familiar with American culture, I believe that Steve Martin is one of the best and this film is one of his best.

The jokes and the melodramatic tune of the film are coped well and you laugh, cry, breeze and feel warm while watching this movie. The reality and fiction are mixed in a believable way and you really like it when the miracle happens. Also it really is humorous about the L.A. people and L.A culture.

You like it to be true like a kiss!!

Although being special is not always supposed as being good but I think that everyone familiar with Woody Allen films would accept that he is SPECIAL. It's unique-ness begins from the entry titling: always the same fonts and style and alway a jazz or classical. So simple and so acceptable and it continues...

In 'Scoop', which I think is one of the best of his works in the recent years; you are not so interested in the film during the first 45 minutes but as time passes you are getting more interested and this nuance and rhythm takes you with itself up to a good and surprising ending. Maybe Johansson is not so special in this movie but the more important fact is the whole thing is simple and not-copyable like many other Allen's works.

The memorized repeated dialog of Allen in the second half of the movie makes you smile weather you like the movie or not. The referring to English driving in Indian restaurant is so beautifully inserted and it makes you smile at the ending...

I liked it so much and I suggest to see this movie to you.

I think it is essential for every Iranian to watch this TV series for at least one time. You cannot ever think of no encyclopedia of Iranian culture more complete and sophisticated than this one. This is an amazing, unbelievable and everlasting harmony of the best Iranian screenplay, director, actors and actresses, original soundtrack, edit, cinematography and every other aspect at their best conditions during their life. This will surely never happen again.

If you focus on the characters and search ALL the Iranian actors and actresses you cannot change ANY of them with the ones who take place in this series.

If you focus an the soundtrack, you will be surprised that how Iranian cultural music can describe and fit in every action, romantic, drama, comedy and thrilling scene so beautifully. This is the Only Iranian production that uses just this kind of music and its soundtrack is also a masterpiece by itself. ( compare with the best examples: Hossien Alizadeh works )

If you focus on the story ... Ooops! what am I saying? is there any better choice? God bless Iraj Pezeshkzad!

If you focus on director, no doubt it is the best of Taghvaei.

If you focus on converting the story to screenplay - in which Pezeshkzad has been ready and helping all the time - what better example in the world you can find?? Try reading the book several years after watching the series. During reading the voices will sound and the faces are in your mind all the time.

Finally, due to the political, economical and cultural conditions of Iran at that year (1976, just 2 years before revolution, years of common wealth and time to begin to know more about Western culture) and this magnificent set of elements and their admirable effort to make their best (which ALL of them were really successful in it) and the Iranian heritage of essay, the book itself; it is unique and it will never happen again...

When you are about to talk about someone who is a legend in something, you should be careful. Nobody is admired for decades by chance. Bernardo Bertolucci is a legend in cinema with numerous films that will never be forgotten. But, about this film; I can just say that sometimes even masters are not in their best mood. It doesn't change the fact that the whole film is full of masterpiece parts and signatures of the maestro, but you should watch it and do not know about the director, then I'll tell you: It's just a good story that could be made more sophisticated, more attractive, more clear, more tempting, more meaningful and more length .(it's just about 90 min., different from the normal timing of the maestro) but, who can deny the shining technique, rhythm and little games that you can find in it??