Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
4/4
8 1/2
SteelCity99 - wrote on 04/25/2018
No matter how complicated and uncommon may accurately portraying metafilm be, few directors have accomplished to totally comprehend what filmmaking really means. The power of the words in a well-developed script, a cinematography and an editing that can go beyond our own words, a sublime direction like the one that could only come from a "giant of cinema", performances that are so great that they end up seeming extremely natural and the use of a beautiful original musical score that works for every scene of the film are characteristics that rarely can be found in a single movie. Federico Fellini, being one of my favorites "giants of cinema", directs what for many people's opinion (including mine) is his definitive masterpiece and the most representative sample of his visionary capacity …
Rating of
4/4
Fellini in Wonderland.
memento_mori - wrote on 11/24/2013
Already halfway through 8 1/2, I was taken aback by its absolute genius. I loved the costume design, the cinematography, the dream exhibitions and the wonderful colors… Then I realized the film was in black and white.
And it's because I said that to myself, that I know this film is wonderful in every regard.
It leaps out at you in an ultra-expressionistic manner and takes you into a queer, little world in the mind of a man plagued by writer's block and a creative illness otherwise unknown.
The film begins astonishingly, with a man attempting and succeeding in escaping his fume-filled car during his wait among other vehicles on a boat. This so perfectly sets the tone of escape and redemption for the rest of the film.
The way shots, sound, light and actions are synchronized in …
Rating of
4/4
Wonderfully Original
Looneymanthegreat - wrote on 03/25/2013
There are movies that wander spotlessly through Images with little plot to speak of, only a weak premise or free association. Some of the more familiar examples are films such as Mullholand Drive. There are other movies that we common film goers are more familiar with that have a clear plot and message. 81/2 seems to have somehow combined the two; there is a plot, but only just.
The movie flashes between reality and fantasy, sometimes without the audience noticing. In the end it doesn’t particularly matter what’s really happening and what is only in the main characters imagination, because the plot is not confined t either world. The plot revolves around Guido, both External and internal.
It is a character study, but not in the same way that films like
Citizen Cane or …
Rating of
4/4
8 1/2 review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 01/16/2013
"Life is a celebration. Let's live it together." - Guido. In the criterion collection, Terry Gilliam's introduction and the audio commentary makes the film more engaging while learning about the director. An artistic, funny, poignant neo-realism/fantasy/drama/comedy, provocative and insightful picture about Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), a famous sad Italian film director trying to create a sci-fi movie. He invites his wife Luisa Anselm (Anouk Aimée) but is involved with Carla (Sandra Milo). A myriad of women become part of Guido's life such as La Saraghina, Gloria, Madeleine, lady in a hotel, Claudia and more. Despite its complex brilliant technical direction and plot, it is basically about a director's writing block and finding happiness.
Flawless from the score (Nino …
Rating of
4/4
Viva Italia! Viva Federico!
kustaa - wrote on 11/19/2007
Overwhelmed is the word that kept growing and growing in my mind while I was watching the film. I... was thinking that, this kind of pictures, this... supreme formulas that some directors achieved (by casuality?) wont happened again.
Fellini is probably the most popular italian director. The best? I don't know that much about cinema. I can say, though, that... 8 1/2 is the best italian movie I've ever see. It's a movie that I passed for a long time because of the praise, and, I didn't want to feel disappointed by it. Well done! I say to myself. The movie is pure cinema with every letter on it. It has a incredible acting by Marcelo, an awwesome script, and a wonderful score.
But, it's a lack of respect to this film. To Fellini, of me, with my limited vocabulary, speaking about this …
