A couple of years ago Time Magazine named Leolo one of the 100 Greatest Movies of all Time. I didn’t know this when I watched Leolo mere moments ago. My friend Daniel Victor gave this to me for Christmas and it was highly recommended. It’s a Montreal/French Canadian movie. Not like a Direct to DVD movie that was just filmed there to save money but a movie originating there from a French Canadian director. Apparently those French Canadians have a unique sense of humor to say the least.
My go to review site, RottenTomatoes.com gave Leolo 100% meaning that every reviewer gave it a positive review. It might be the first movie I’ve ever researched with a 100% rating.
All that is background. Here is my review:
Entrancing. This is the weirest movie I have ever watched from beginning to end. It was Mean and Endearing. Dreamlike yet Realistic. Depressing but I left the room in a good mood. It was a movie that I could not predict what was going to happen next and the only predictable thing was its unpredictableness. Half the time I didn’t even know what was going on and really didn’t care because whatever was going on was crazy.
In other words, I loved it.
If you are looking for simple escapism, this is not it. If you are looking to forget yourself for 2 hours because you are lost in a mind rape, this is your movie. Mind Rape is not meant in a literally sexual way. It means a movie that screws with your mind without your permission. I especially like well acted movies without a single person in it that you’ve ever seen before. I only know maybe 2 or 3 people who would appreciate this movie. If you are reading this and you think you can name those people, comment or email me. Free popcorn at my house and a screening of Leolo or you own personsal favorite to the winner.
I don’t think it will make my favorite movies list because I tend to choose happy/big budget/sci-fi movies for that category but I think it might make my best movies list along with such movies as Crash (75%), Million Dollar Baby (92%), Schindler’s List (96%), Saving Private Ryan (94%). All Oscar winners for Best Motion Picture (in parenthesis is their rotten tomatoes score. It might just have to make me create a whole new category for Mind Rape movies that I really like.
Comparable movies: The Tin Drum (1 Oscar – Best Foreign Language Film), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1 Oscar nomination), The Fisher King (1 Oscar win – Best Supporting Actress, 4 other nominations), Brazil (2 Oscar Nominations). I liked all 4 of those movies better but I’m not so sure those four are better movies. Academy Awards aside. None of those raped my mind except for The Tin Drum which I saw on Cinemax when I was like 12 (full on sex and all) and I’ve been trying to crawl up a woman’s skirt to hide from the Nazis ever since. For some reason nobody buys that excuse.
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