January 5, 2012

Our Two Cents:3

By George & John
Movie: 3
Summary: A Berlin-set drama centered on a 40-something couple who, separately, fall in love with the same man.
Director: Tom Tykwer
Writer: Tom Tykwer
Stars: Sophie Rois, Sebastian Schipper and Devid Striesow
~John's Review
An independent movie with a not so big budget apparently and with unknown starring actors...well that brings to mind...oh...another german production and you are right. 3 is a movie based on an average scenario but an inspired plot. I could say that the original idea would be better suited for a book rather than a movie. But the result was decent. From a director's view now, I found the direction rather slow but interesting. Before getting to the actors I must comment on a scen during the surgery of Simon, ah...the director shouldn't have shown that to us. The actors didn't fascinate me at all. I could say that they were the weak spot of the movie and of course you get what you pay for. All in all it's a movie I would recommend you to see only because it speaks about a not so common matter. Other than thiat the movie got tiring after a point but it was overwhelming in the start.
~John's Marks
Plot: 7/10
Scenario: 6/10
Actors: 5/10
Direction: 6.5/10
Overall: 6.1/10

~George's Review

3 or, as gracefully translated in the Greek version Threesome, is a film about a bored heterosexual couple living in Berlin. Hanah and Simon have been living together for 20 years, unmarried, and the sudden loss of Simon's mother as well as his own testicular cancer combined with their daily routine have made the couple grow apart. Due to a leap of fate, Hanah and Simon fall in love with the same man, the seductive Adam. The whole movie is based on the complexity of modern human relationships and the fluidity of sexuality as the movie challenges our stereotypical views on it. It must be confusing for both people that Adam falls in love but is also sexually attracted by both Hanah and Simon.
The plot, theme and messages of the movie are it's strongest cards. The direction is simple and the plot flows naturally albeit a little bit slowly. The actors are sufficient (save for Hanah played by Sophie Rois who perfectly embodies a depressed fourty-years old woman seeking for new thrills) and the music is nostalgic and matches the movie's settings and fall colors. All in all, it is not a ''light'', family-friendly movie but a movie that will definitely get you thinking about what sexuality means and how difficultly it can be defined.
~George's Marks
Plot: 8.5/10
Scenario: 7/10
Actors: 7.5/10
Direction: 8/10
Overall: 7.75/10

January 1, 2012

What if Hitler hadn't stopped in Greece?

Hello readers of the Velvet Vision.Today i will start my historical column with this article about the World War II.
We are all aware that the battle of Moscow ,taking place from 1941 to 1942, was a turning point in the Eastern Front. After this event the Stalingrand Battle took place and it meant the first large scale defeat for the Germans.
All these are well known historical events that happened but in this article I speak about what could have happened back then. Many people claim that the ''delay'' of the German Army in Greece essentially gave Stalin the time to prepare his defence better and even more helped in the time in which the Germans approached the USSR capital.
It is also well known that what happened to Napoleon happened to Hitler also when he came so close to Moscow. It was very critical that the winter started....the heavy russian winter started, just days before the final siege of Moscow. That as we all know gave Russians the advantage of being more accustomed to the heavy weather and thus crushed Hitler's forces on Staligrand on 1942 and many believe that all this...the actual defeat of the German merarchies on the Eastern Front comes from their delay on Greece.
I will now get to the actual point of my article....what if the Italians had easily took over Greece and Hitler got to Moscow before the heavy winter. Well then I think basing my speculation on historical opinions that Hitler would have take the USSR capital, maybe he could eliminate Stalin and take the petrol he wanted by having all of the USSR european territory in his 3rd Reich.
The elimination of USSR would lead to the collapse of the Eastern Front for the allies and then the Germans could easily take England also because their forces would get all assemled in the big island.
This was my speculation...that the Germans would have taken over the entire Europe if they hadn't been delayed in Greece...so you can see that I am with those who say kudos to Greece for holding up for more months. But in the end of the day hopefully for all of us leaving today Hitler lost and the speculation I wrote in this article isn't an actual historical event.

2012 Expectations

 Hello internet, we don't know what exactly drove us into creating this blog but we hope it's going to be a thrilling ride and that you'll stick with us through it.

 And from here I will present you John who will deliver you with the latest news and personal reviews from the world of cinema (too strict when it comes to mainstream movies if you ask me), as well as tidbits of history and literature. As for me, after all the heavy culture and education dearly provided by John, I'll post about my dreamworld: fashion. Everything from the latest collections and magazines to my inspirations of the moment such as an art movement, a style of photography or my mood depending on whether I've had coffee or not.


 So this is us in a nutshell. I hope you enjoy the blog and our efforts to provide you with informative, educational or entertaining content in the vast blogosphere.