Magic Carpet Ride (2005)

As a veteran theater writer and player, Yilmaz Erdogan's first movies, although being funny to average cinema audience, were not more than theatrical sketches on the big screen.But by this movie, he really managed to shot a real cinema movie. It's got every aspect of a cinema movie, nice plot, good detailed characters, telling the story by acting and good direction, not by direct dialogs.You might see critics or news about the movie that're saying "it's a movie about Istanbul or it's no more than beautiful air-videos of the city" but this is not true, it's just an illusion that our media likes to create on everything valuable in order to make it look less than actually it is --what a devil act--.I might call it as a funny love story adventure.Of course there are some flaws with the movie. It's hard to grasp what kind of relationship Erdogan's character has got with his ex-wife and his daughter and why he has to spy his own daughter and need to kidnap her from her school. They are the scenes that Erdogan felt the story gets weak and he used direct dialogs.Place selections although being diverse, it's sometimes confusing to audience, ex-wife and her dentist husband seem to be neighbors of the other mafia group? I think, there is only one condition in Erdogan's mind for being rich and it is living in Degirmenkoy! Last but not least, no character represents common Turkish people in this movie, I'm not saying this because I think every movie should do it, but from boring professor to mafia boys they are not like majority living in this country and movie doesn't actually tell anything important while claiming it does. So, after a couple of months nobody will remember this movie ever existed.I hope Erdogan's next projects will be more strong and closer to real people's real lives...

Bravo to Erdogan, excellent movie. Directing is excellent with emphasis on cinema. There are some holes in the plot, but the witty comedy makes up for them. Casting is quite good but has important minuses.At the beginning, right before Erdogan (Asim) starts banging on Cevik's (Samet) door to let him in, notice the minaret and the church bell tower. The camera angle is peculiar: The excitement of the pursuit is captured but also the monuments of two religions in mutual symbiosis. Also beneath the monuments, two people find salvation in the next scene. Coincidence? Serendipidious symbolism? Hard to tell, nevertheless, the capturing camera use is prevalent throughout the film: Yilmaz in front of the "plasma," gang going to Yilmaz's hideout, last overview of Istanbul, beginning from Cukurcuma and ending in Sarayburnu. The director (Erdogan) uses the setting as a powerful theme for the movie.One important achievement of Erdogan is the brave disappearance of moral speeches, a traditional element of Turkish cinema. It had been almost of sin to create a movie without at least one character staring into the space and delivering a moral monologue flavored with left wing ideals, and even Erdogan himself had been using this in his previous works, "Vizontele" series. Gone is that direct embarrassing speech, whatever message is delivered, it is delivered through camera and directing. Notice how the audience observes the rich and poor environments coming right after each other with each scene, sometimes even in the same scene. So much more mature than direct expression.Plot has its problems. How come Nazli (Berfin Erdogan) returns to Asim (Yilmaz Erdogan)? How did they meet in the first place, or how did she meet with the despicable dentist? These questions are neglected. How come Samet accepts Umut's apology? "Sorry I have used your honesty in the most heartless manner and delivered you and your companions to the criminal lord, but I do truly love you?" Huh? Samet's gullibility seems to know no limits!However, comedy is a difficult genre, and the jokes - I must admit I had my laugh of the year. Better than "Hirsiz Var," better than the "Vizontele" series and comparable to internationally-acclaimed comedy movies. (I keep comparing it to "Analyze This" and "Whole Nine Yards") "Philology?" "1 hour golf?" "Safe within safe?" "I don't feel cold, I am high?" "Bye-bye hepiniz?" We are left with little time to catch our breath. Jokes keep following each other, just when you think you heard the punchline, the next line take it to a new level. Plus, we have another set of jokes going on in the background. I'll watch again just for these.Casting and Acting: Cevik for Samet? Excellent. Erdogan for Asim? Couldn't be better. Yilmaz for Muslum? What an unexpected surprise! Gone is the loony comedian, enter the mafia boss, putting hundred-million-dollar mafia movie actors to shame. I had underestimated Yilmaz until now. How much of this is correct casting, and how much is superior acting? I believe it is strong combination of both. Another surprise is Silvio: Who is he? Did I watch the actor or the character? I want to know! The final surprise for me is the rising star Namal. Comparing to her previous performance in "Anlat Istanbul," which was much shorter, she acted out a totally different role with natural ease. I will not be surprised if we see her in some lead roles in the near future.Always a pleasure to watch, Akbag fits into her role almost like hand in glove. With Erkekli, they create the ever-squabbling couple. We have the pleasure of seeing a large spectrum of mimics from Akbag. However, I can't help but ask myself "Why Physics? Why not philology or some other verbal study that she knows so much better?" The class scene in the beginning is terrible: It is difficult to imagine that scene being written by the same person who wrote the rest. Sun is the largest mass in the *galaxy*?!?! What a factual mistake by a professor of Physics! And ball on stretched sheet is the way to explain gravity to college students? That is kindergarten-level physics. What a failure for such a movie.And just where does the casting fall short? Berfin Erdogan. Although a small role, it is crucial. She is not too bad, but not the caliber of Yilmaz and Akbag. She is insufficient for the role.

I've seen this film the other day and thought wasn't as good as I'd expected. Luckily I didn't go into this movie with very high hopes. Therefore didn't come out quite disappointed. If I'd gone with huge hopes I'd have been immensely disappointed. I don't think anyone really doubted this, but Yilmaz Erdogan hasn't come up with a winner again.Now, Yilmaz Erdogan fans will hate me for this but I hate the fact that so many people think Organize Isler is a 'perfect' 'flawless' flick because it really isn't. Yilmaz Erdogan was fine as was the rest of the cast to be honest. The acting was very good from everyone, no complaints there.A problem was that these bunch of shysters live in the middle of Istanbul , obviously for years, and heck no police notices it! My next biggest problem was the way they cheat the people. Come on folks, where do you live ? Aside from these, there were a few other smaller problems too. The Istanbul-shooting from the air, and all the Istanbul-helicopter-tours from the sky was cool at first but dragged on for too long for me. After every scene, being up again in the air sucked really. Other than this, unfortunately, this film lacks of plot, and the most abrupt ending ever. This film doesn't have any new ideas whatsoever. The story could have been better. Neither thrill nor excitement during the film. No really laughed-my-socks-off moments. Definitely lacks the humour we had expected. What the hell ? You go out of the cinema and wonder "huh ? was it a comedy I've just seen ? or an action flick ? crime ? what !" Yea comedy, then why can't I remember any memorable laugh-out-moments ? OK there were some, but nothing that really stuck in the mind.Too bad these kind of movies make money anyway because of the director and the actors that are in it. Below average........ 4/10

While film was starting with the beautiful scenes from Istanbul, I was ready to watch another great Yilmaz Erdogan movie, like Vizontele. First of all I want to say that the actors and actresses were really great. They had done their best. As usual Cem Yilmaz were starring at the most funny parts of the film, that were very short. If his role was longer, I'm sure this film will become frenzy in Turkey. But the screenplay wasn't so good. It has an unexpected end, which was confused most people. I left the theater with question marks in my mind. In conclusion in spite of first class actors/actresses and a first class facility (Istanbul), a bad screenplay made the movie an over average.