Russian Ark

Pros: Profound technological achievement in cinema that enhances the craft on all levels

Cons: a minor itch re: the guide character. Scratched. gone.

The Bottom Line: Groundbreaking technology matches purpose beautifully. A 95 minute fluid one take film illustrating history's nature as fluid and accumulating, rather than solid and found.

Review: The fabulous and fantastic restored Downtown Normal (Illinois) Theater has rounded up yet another cinematic first, this time of an even more brilliant nature than that pristine, never-before-run-through-a-projector print of Goldfinger. This time, the...

Pros: Spellbinding, simply beautiful

Cons: Very sad

The Bottom Line: Highly recommended to those interested in art, Russian history, or fine cinema.

Review: With my deeply-rooted suspicion that Russian cinema generally has always been formulaic and unduly bogged down in stiff “cultural guidelines”, and that in recent years it has grown perfunctory, unimaginative, and self-indulgent to boot, I was no...

Pros: Outstanding movie

Cons: none

The Bottom Line: see review

Review: “It is impossible for the human intellect to grasp the idea of absolute continuity of motion.” –from "War and Peace" by Tolstoy

“You see, the soul is immortal… therefore if I am to live forever in the future I must have...

Pros: it just amazes you

Cons: confusing at a point

The Bottom Line: I recommend this movie to anyone who wants something other than the usual Hollywood thats being released.

Review: After just finishing the movie, the only plot I got out of it was a guide character who is in Russia three-hundred years ago. He doesn't know how he is there, all he knows he is there. It's great that it never explains why, because it leave the guide char ...

Pros: Stunning architecture and artwork, monumental film-making accomplishment.

Cons: Strange, slow-moving story, odd main character, stilted dialogue.

The Bottom Line: A beautiful journey through the Hermitage museum, with gorgeous period costuming and atmosphere. Watch the "making of" before you watch the film, and you will appreciate it much more.

Review: The trailer for Russian Ark displays the following statistics: 2000 actors, 33 rooms of the Hermitage museum, 3 full orchestras, 300 years of Russian history, 90 minutes of film, one continuous take. What resulted was a film of such ...

Pros: A technical marvel. High-brow eye-candy.

Cons: Incoherent by any popular standard.

The Bottom Line: Only the rarest person will enjoy this. I'm not sure I am that person.

Review: I first heard of Russian Ark here on epinions, where reviews for the film are widely divided. Having now seen it, I find my own opinion to be widely divided. To say the film is inaccessible is an ...

Pros: One take film is breathtaking to look at.

Cons: Slow, inaccessible movie.

The Bottom Line: It's good for those who are interested in Russian History. For the rest of us....zzzz...zzzz....

Review: This movie is a fantasy and runs off the gimmick that it was shot on one 96 minute take. The movie is a homage to the St. Petersburg Hermitage State Museum, a place that has centuries of history to it. If it isn't, it should be one of the 10 ...

Pros: Hermitage is gorgeous, costumes lavish and beautiful

Cons: slow pacing, weird dialog, no identifiable plot, odd

The Bottom Line: A pure disappointment

Review: After hearing so much praise for this movie, my husband and I were thrilled to see it finally show up at the closest Landmark Theater, and glad that we could fit it in this weekend and still not miss the Spurs games on Friday and Sunday nights. We'd...

Pros: Filmed in one uninterrupted shot; beautiful interiors of the Hermitage as a backdrop; luxuriant costumes

Cons: Annoyingly weak script; very tedious

The Bottom Line: All form and no substance, greatly overrated by critics who value technical aspects of filmmaking over the artistry of the product.

Review: Have you ever had the experience of taking a guided tour and being irritated because the tour director was gabbing so much that he or she was detracting from the enjoyment of the site being toured? Russian Ark has all that tantalizing beauty of ...