This movie is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Andrei Tarkovsky’s masterwork is a work of sci-fi horror as compelling and nerve-wracking as any I’ve ever seen, without any of the trappings of sci-fi. There are no effects, no aliens, no otherworldly technologies; just the strange horror of our own desires, needs, and failures. 

The plot is simple - a guide (Stalker) takes clients into a restricted Zone, where their deepest desire will be granted. The film, though, isn’t really about the plot; it’s about the characters, and the questions and conversations they have. The film is deeply philosophical (and fascinating for that reason alone); at the heart of it is the compelling question - what if your deepest desire is something monstrous? Wrestling with faith, or lack thereof, is a central theme, and the religious imagery is complex, compelling, and ambiguous - you could spend hours talking about any single scene. 

What makes this film a must-see (and indeed, it’s widely considered one of the best sci-fi films of all time) is the beautifully coherent story telling, which starts with the script and reaches through the sound engineering and cinematography. Tarkovsky’s camera lingers on the faces of his actors, painting stunning and compelling portraits, while the sound of the film is silent and surreal. His long, silent shots of the three protagonists walking through a meadow are somehow riveting. 

Please, please, please watch this film. It is beautiful, it is compelling, it is thought-provoking. Don’t let it’s 2.5 hour run-time dissuade you - it’ll be over before you know it, and you’ll be thinking about it for the rest of the week. 

The best part is that Mosfilm has made the movie available on YouTube. It’s split into two parts, so make sure to see both. 

Watch Stalker with English Subtitles Part 1

Watch Stalker with English Subtitles Part 2

And now for something completely different. 

Night Watch is one of the first post-Soviet blockbusters. Made in 2004 by now-famous Kazakh director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), the movie adapts the novel of the same name, written in 1988 by Sergei Lukyanenko. 

At its simplest, it’s a vampire movie. Supernatural beings (called “Others”) are divided into good and evil, or light and dark. These sides (of course) were locked into an epic battle that neither could win, until they signed a truce thousands of years ago. The conditions of the truce dictated that each new “Other” would get the chance to chose good or evil, light or dark. And that’s where the action starts. 

Night Watch turns Moscow into an urban fantasy hellscape - gritty, dark, and bloody. The film is somehow beautiful and revolting at the same time - think 300 or Wanted - and its actors (Konstantin Khabensky, in particular) manage to make human and pensive a story that could feel grotesque and cartoonish. The visuals are stunning, particularly the scenes in “the Gloom” - an otherworldly dimension accessible only to “Others”. You should watch it on that basis alone - and as a bonus, you’ll get an explicit Buffy shoutout. 

I’ve come to realize that Russian films are often more challenging to watch than American ones, because American audiences (myself included) are used to having things handed to us. We like clear plot lines and straightforward motivations. Soviet cinema, because it was largely free from the demands of selling tickets (directors got paid whether or not the film was lucrative), was freed to push in more overtly artistic directions. Soviet films (especially from the 60’s on) are often more explicitly philosophical, and often unsettling. It’s interesting to see this legacy come through even in a blockbuster vampire movie. This film is dark, and gruesome, and it’s never quite clear who’s winning - or who we should want to win.

The moral ambiguity is particularly compelling when we remember that the film came out in 2004, right as Russia was attempting to claw its way out of the social and economic ruin of the 1990s. I don’t think the movie is trying to make any big social points, so don’t read it too literally, but I think the cultural and historical context explains a little of why this film resonated so much that it’s still #5 on the list of all-time top-grossing Russian films, ten years later. 

The movie deserves its R-rating - it’s not for the squeamish. If you’re into morally ambiguous and visually stunning urban fantasy, this is your film. 

Night Watch is currently available on Netflix in the United States.

My Love is a stunning animated short film by Aleksander Petrov, based on the 1927 story by Ivan Shmelyov. It’s the story of a teenage boy and his first love, and explores themes of innocence, purity, and corruption.

Like a lot of literature of the era, you could characterize the story as sentimental. What makes this film worth watching is the absolutely unique animation - it’s like watching an impressionist painting come to life. It makes the story, in all its simplicity, completely mesmerizing - so much so, that he was nominated for an Academy Award in 2008. 

What makes it better? You can watch it for free online! Fair warning, it’s slightly NSFW.

Watch My Love with English Subtitles

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Read the intro to my Russian Cinema series

Read my review of Ёжик в Тумане (Hedgehog in the Fog)

Hedgehog in the Fog is a classic short film from the Soviet era, by Yuri Norstein. Running just over 10 minutes, it tells the story of a hedgehog who sets off to join his friend, the bear, for their nightly ritual of drinking tea and counting stars. The hedgehog’s curiosity gets the better of him, and encounters many mysterious and frightening obstacles on his way. 

This film is simple, yet stunning, as its world is portrayed with a beautiful awe. The animation is lovely, as is the sound track and voice work. Don’t get too held up looking for deep meanings - there IS beautiful symbolism, but this piece is best enjoyed on as a lyrical journey. This is such a significant film that it was directly referenced multiple times (directly and indirectly) during the opening ceremonies for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. 

Watch Hedgehog in the Fog (with English subtitles)

In honor of the Olympics in Sochi, for the next little while, I’m going to be using Three Second Reviews to highlight some of my favorite Russian movies and TV shows. For those who don’t know, I got both a BA and MA in Russian Language and Literature, as I explain on my blog, Follow Lauren: 

I got into a wonderful conversation about Russia, Putin, and the #SochiProblems hashtag on my personal facebook - I encourage you to read it! That conversation, coupled with my irritation at the clear cultural missteps of NBC’s olympic coverage has led me to this short series on understanding Russia. Over the run of the Olympics, I want to give short insights into Russian culture and history on multiple platforms - here on the blog, on my facebook page, twitter, and even my Tumblr, Three Second Reviews. I also have a Pinterest where I’ll be collecting everything.

Let me be clear - this won’t be a conversation about Russian politics. Instead, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite works of art and historical and cultural insights that might help you understand and appreciate Russia, Russian culture, and Russian history a little more.

I will be cross-linking between all my platforms as much as possible, but follow me and subscribe to all my media to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Click over to Follow Lauren to read more about my background in Russian literature, language, and cinema, and subscribe!

Make sure you follow me on all my platforms, including the Three Second Reviews Facebook Page and Twitter account to stay up-to-date! It’ll be a whirlwind!

Photo Credit: Pavel Kazachkov

Marketed as a family-friendly dramedy about victory of Disney magic, I got something different than I expected when I watched this with a friend. Saving Mr. Banks recounts the story of the making of the film version of Mary Poppins, and the long-running conflict between the book’s author, P.L. Travers, and Walt Disney himself. Without giving too much away, the movie is, at its heart, a character study, depicting the process of coming to terms with the pain and suffering of our pasts. 

Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson turn in excellent and nuanced performances, but the real heartbreaker is Colin Farrell, as Travers’ father. Ruth Wilson (who is known for her role as Alice Morgan in Luther) also turns in a noteworthy performance. 

The movie was sad, and distinctly adult in tone, as characters wrestle with deep and painful baggage. Periodically, the movie wallows in its own Disney magic, which led to the occasional eye roll. 

While the film wasn’t what I expected, I found it to be painfully beautiful and deeply satisfying. It refuses to be content with easy answers, and doesn’t shortcut the grieving process for its characters. As someone who has dealt with a fair amount of trauma, the story resonated with me deeply. 

Read a more detailed review of Saving Mr. Banks.

The Invisible War is a harrowing account of sexual assault within the US military. It interviews veterans and active duty military personnel, both women and men, who have experienced rape or sexual assault while serving as they recount both their assaults and the equally traumatizing processes that followed as they attempt to seek justice and continue with their lives. Nominated for an Oscar last year, the film has already changed the procedures for prosecuting sexual assault in the military. 

This film is sobering and powerful, and an absolute must-watch for anyone who cares about our armed services, the justice system, or pursuing justice and healing for victims of sexual assault.

Read a more detailed review of The Invisible War

David O. Russell’s latest film is generating huge buzz, so I saw it with my brother over Christmas break. i loved it. 

But I have no idea how to write about it. 

The movie was hilarious, the characters compelling, and the acting impeccable - I especially loved Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K. and (of course) Jennifer Lawrence. The film (for me) is hard to write about because it doesn’t really feel like it's about anything. I mean, it is - it’s about ABSCAM, one of the biggest political corruption stings in US history - but it doesn’t feel like that’s what matters in the film. I cared more about being in the world with these characters, watching them interact, than in figuring out what was going to happen next. 

If you like films with a compelling plot and relentless pacing, you might be frustrated with American Hustle - but if you like entering a strange world of hilarious hairstyles and over-the-top characters, you’ll enjoy your time with American Hustle.

Read a more detailed review of American Hustle

We had a family night out to watch Frozen last night - and though I know I’m late to this party, I LOVED it. 

Frozen is the story of two sisters, loosely inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s story, The Ice Queen. The look of the movie is absolutely beautiful and totally unique. I can’t think of another animated film that has used this palette or feel. The animation is the most compelling I’ve seen in awhile - I particularly loved how they animated Anna and Elsa as toddlers. Every motion and facial expression rang so true! The script is clever and cute at the same time, and Kristen Bell (as Anna) steals the show with her blend of direct, awkward, and adorable. And who knew she had that voice? 

There is one downside, however. While I love Anna’s character, I think Elsa is a little underdeveloped, which meant that the feel of her Oscar nominated “Let It Go” (stunningly performed by Idina Menzel) came a little out of left field for me. There are also legitimate critiques of the fact that Disney has produced another thin, white princess (though I did find it interesting that the crowd scenes in the palace included a diversity of ethnicities and body types). 

That said, I absolutely loved the portrayal of the relationship between the two sisters, and the way that the film intentionally flipped the conventions of a Disney princess movie on its head. Without giving too much away, the film’s finale lets Anna be the hero, and leaves romance secondary to the relationship between the sisters. In a culture that idolizes romance as the height of true love, we need more stories that remind girls that true love is way bigger than your first kiss or your fairy tale wedding, and that they can be the heroes of their own stories.

The relationship between Anna and Elsa makes Frozen BY FAR the best of the Disney Princess oeuvre. 

Read a more detailed review of Frozen

Read about feminism in Frozen

Image Credit: Disney

I saw this movie on a night out with my younger brother, and had a thoroughly good time.  As usual with Pixar, the graphics are amazing (in fact, that alone might be reason enough to see this in the theater if you can still find it there). The storyline was fun - Monsters Inc. isn’t my favorite Pixar film (I know, I know, hang me now), but I did thoroughly enjoy seeing a young Mike and a young Sully figure their way through college. 

The jokes cracked me up, in large part because I work with college students - so the frat hazing, sorority sisters, and party scenes rang hilariously true to me. The voice talent is also wonderful, with Nathan Fillion and John Krasinski’s contributions being the most notable (plus, of course, Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprising their roles). 

This doesn’t climb to the top of my Pixar list (where Up, Wall-E and The Incredibles are tied for first, btw), and doesn’t even beat out its sequel, but it is a lot of fun and worth a watch. 

More detailed review here: http://www.avclub.com/articles/monsters-university,99232/