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Reviews
Plata quemada (2000)
Pretty good
but something about the pacing of this film felt slow. I can't put my finger on it. I guess the director did too good of a job creating an atmosphere of boredom from waiting....and waiting....and waiting.. Even I was getting impatient! The Twins (Angel and Nene) and Cuervo rob an armored car but all goes to hell when they kill two policemen. So they run off to Uruguay to hide. Thats where most of it takes place. But thats besides the point. They do a beautiful job of portraying the relationship between two complicated men (one more complicated than the other). Nene's love for Angel is true and sincere. But when Angel pushes him away because of his own inner demons, Nene looks for solace anywhere he can. But he senses all the while that Angels mind is deteriorating. If only Angel would open up and tell him whats wrong!!
Possible spoiler
Nene and Angel live in a tough world. It's ruthless and violent, so they are ruthless and violent with no regrets. The juxtaposition of that reality with the tenderness and warmth they gave each other was poignant. My favorite part was when Angel seemed to snap out of it in the final showdown. He was in his element, firing away gleefully at the policemen below. But then he cradles Nene and comforts him as best he can while his lover slips away. What a complex character. Did Noriega win an award for his performance? He deserves one.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Happily Surprised
I just saw the movie a few hours ago and couldn't wait to write about how much I loved it. Eternal Sunshine is exquisite. It's an honest portrayal of the difficulty making relationships work. The sparks last until the other shoe falls, and you see how flawed your loved one is (and they see how flawed you are too). Relationships end because each is fed up with their mates annoying quirks. After breaking up (or being dumped) you may wish with all your heart that you never met that person or could wipe them from your memory. This film explores what happens when that becomes a viable option. Jim Carrey was perfect. Not only did he nail the dramatic performance, but he also added nuances of humor that I think only he could have done. If Ed Norton had the role I have no doubt he would do a great performance of heartache and turmoil. But Carrey uses his (handsome but) everyday Joe looks and demeanor to convince the audience that he's the quiet, level-headed one in the relationship. Then he busts out doing some pretty hilarious stuff. Kate Winslet is magnificent- she would do any role justice. I have to say that the movie also has some pretty harrowing chase scenes- if you can call them that. They effectively engenders the fear, urgency and desperation that so many conventional car chase scenes try to create.
spoiler warning: Don't read further if you haven't seen it!!
No matter how difficult a relationship becomes- you could at least learn from the experience and accept it or move on and never put yourself in that situation again. For instance, Mary thought it best that she erase her affair with Howard from her memory. She didn't know that it only lead to heartache because he wouldn't leave his wife and because of the pain it caused his family. Unfortunately with her memory of it all cleared, she developed her school girl crush again and acted on it- again. Kaufman also conveys his "those-who-do-not-learn-from-history-are-doomed-to-repeat-it" message with a clever non-linear plot structure. Although we believe the first act is a portrayal of how Joel and Clementine first meet, we learn in the third act that this is actually how they reunite with all the exciting fury of a new relationship. After the movie returns to the events of the first act, it examines how Joel and Clementine deal with the discovery of their shared past and the issues they had with one another. Why should they try stay together when they know how much they can infuriate each other? Obviously to Kaufman, the desire to work out problems is stronger when the memory of their kindling love is not sullied by recent fights and mutual resentment.
Todo sobre mi madre (1999)
Quirky and Refreshing
This was a wonderful film exploring the dimensions of mother/child relationships outside the context of the nuclear family. The story paralleling parts of Street Car and All About Eve were really fun. But it might have been a little heavy handed romanticizing the mothering instict of women (or people with feminine spirits). I got the feeling the director was celebrating how despite their desire to resist the impulse- women can't help but nurture those in need. There've been lots of examples I've seen of women who don't "have a mother/savior bone in" their bodies. I enjoyed all of their performances, especially the actress portraying Agroda(sp?). She stole everyones scene! Roth and Paredes were great as well. I suppose Penelope Cruz was ok.
Spoiler***
I just had a problem with her character Sister Rosa. The whole situation with her- I just couldn't buy it. Why would she do that? They played up Lola as a controlling thieving backstabber. What would compell a Nun to do such a thing? If they wanted that part of the story to be a little more believable, they should have emphasized how Lola was attractive to both sexes in her non-binary state. She was kind of like a "Mango" from SNL or something. And why would Agroda want to be friends with her?
Starship Troopers (1997)
Maybe too subtle for its own good
I am extremely dismayed by the amount of imdb users and newspaper critics who did not see the satire in this film. Some thought it was "Yeah! War!" and were either condoning or horrified. Others thought it was purely a sci-fi extravaganza that was as deep as a puddle. A few users understood it for the anti-fascism work or art that it was. Once that level of understanding is established the Barbie & Ken actors, cheezy jingoist slogans and gratuitous violence make sense. Users may sneer at those who misinterpret the intent- but really, only if one has taken both upper level undergraduate english and history courses in which they are exposed to various examples of satire and militaristic propaganda can one more easily discern the director's intent. Those individuals defensive of people in the military please take note that this film is not lampooning the rank and file infantrymen but the "powers that be" that convince young men and women to bravely risk their lives for "ivory tower" strategists. They are not depicted as sheep, but products of their roles and the situations in which they are placed which necessarily shape them into willing pawns of those who outrank them. I would argue that this film is a critique of how well intentioned, highly impressionable youth are transformed into "black & white," "us against them" thinking war mongering fascists.
Maybe spoilers?
The violence inflicted upon these sympathetic youth scream out that the society depicted is wrong. THe fact that baby faced Carl turns into Nazi-garb wearing, sacrifice his friends, get spider guts splatterd on him on TV type of guy should tune viewers in that the director thinks Carl turned evil. Also the maniacal look of characters in the news broadcast should indicate that 'all is not well' in this fictitious society. Additionally that the "other" is so ugly but the main characters are so pretty but vicious demonstrates that the director, screenwriter or whoever want viewers to understand that there are no absolute good and bad guys. Each specie had their endearing and disgusting points. The arachnids were responding to what they perceived as an attack. Thus they responded in kind. The humans- oblivious to the arachnids' sentiment- reacted to the attack against them. But the brains behind ST are trying to illustrate how issues are not as "good guy vs. bad guy." There is enough blame to go around twice and then some. The humans were not right in colonizing the arachnids land, but the spiders were not right in retaliating with an asteroid.
But maybe those in charge were a little too good at disguising their kritik as hollywood fluff. Pitty that at least published critics didn't catch on.
American Splendor (2003)
Creative storytelling devices
and a good story and fine acting to boot! What more would you want? Harvey becomes immortalized in the underground comic "American Splendor" that details his daily life. He's such an abrassive character, that sometimes its hard to watch. But you're drawn in just because its like watching a carwreck. You know he's going to do something that will embarrass himself, or hurt someone close to him. But he's just handling situations the only way he knows how, and trying to maintain his integrity. It is a dramatic movie, but I thought it was great that it had the feel of a documentary. They had interviews with Harvey, his wife, and his "borderline autistic" friend spliced in. The inclusion of the MTV and David Letterman footage was a nice touch as well. It's as if they took all things you'd usually put in the DVD special features section, and incorporated them into the story.
L'auberge espagnole (2002)
made me sad
....that I never studied abroad. I don't know how authentic the representation of Europe or Erasmus is, but some reviewers said it was pretty accurate. It sure looks fun. It reminded me of living in my co-ed dorm my freshman year- except the people in this film were more cosmopolitan. But I bet the pot smoking and all night drink binges are more particular to the undergraduate rather than the graduate student experience. I liked how the film went back and forth between languages- that was really cool. I wish I heard more German and Dutch. I really liked Isabelle and Xavier's relationship. I wish there was more of that, but she's AWOL for a big part of the second act. I didn't really enjoy the Anne Sophie/Xavier thing. If they excluded that part of the story, they would have better developed his roommates- who were more interesting and fun to watch. There isn't much of a plot, but it's facinating to learn more about all the characters and the little trials they face.
********Spoiler Alert****
I know the film was about Xavier finding out what he wants to do with his life and saying good bye to his carefree youth, but his decision to become a writer at the very end felt contrived. Perhaps if he started keeping a journal in Barcelona which revives his desire to write, it would seem like a natural conclusion. It even would have made a lot of sense for Xavier to do that, since he has a hard time expressing his thoughts and emotions to his parents and girlfriend. Sure, he mentions that he wanted to be a writer as a child. But there just should have been more emphasis on Xavier having something to "say," instead of being overwhelmed by all the romantic possibilities around him. A more organic conclusion would have Xavier return to Barcelona and teach/tutor French to Spanish students. After all, the movie made such a point of showing his love for the city and streets.
So, it's not a coherent story. But I enjoyed the ride, and it made me nostalgic for college. When I graduated, I was thinking the same thing Xavier did when he returned to France: this sucks!!
Wasabi (2001)
Entertaining trash
A French Dirty Harry returns to Japan after 21 odd years to oversee the will of an old lover who deserted him long ago. His bitterness and hardshell are chipped away by a rambunctious spoiled woman-child- his long lost daughter! Along with that, he learns she is the unwitting heiress to some money that the yakuza wants. how did her mother earn this? Why did she hide the birth of their daughter for so long? Reno's character is determined to get to the bottom of this while protecting his new found family.
This was an amazingly silly movie. But if you approach it with the right attitude- that you might as well be seeing a cartoon- then you'll have a lot of fun. For instance, Reno punches a guy in the face and he's blown 10 feet away. You're supposed to burst out laughing. Other advice? Do not watch the film dubbed in English. It's silliness topped off with bad dubbing was intolerable for me the first time around. The character acting is right on target. The father-daughter relationship grows very well, and you can see that he yearns to learn more about her and reveal who he really is. I didn't like his goofy sidekick- but I guess every action-comedy needs one. Also, beating the masochist transvestite was just pandering to homophobics in the audience.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Fun fun fun
I saw the previews for this movie in the theatres, but thought that watching it would probably lower my IQ somehow. When I heard that it was a summer hit, I scoffed thinking "it figures." But after a friend told me it's not that stupid and Johnny Depp gives a good performance, I rented it. I'm glad I did, since it's really fun, but not mind numbingly preposterous. Depp is stunning. Captain Jack just oozes charisma, and I eagerly awaited his return when he wasn't onscreen. I had no idea what this film was about, so the little twist was a complete shocker and quiet scary! I think Johnny Depp deserves the Oscar for his performance. Granted, the other guys gave powerful performances and what not. But Depp did too, and he took a lot of risks in his! None of the other nominees stole every scene of their respective movies. Also, their character portrayals were easily dictated by the script. But Depp created someone refreshing and new. The only thing I could say is that this movie is waaay too long. Three hours? And the fight scene in the cave had a few to many 'twists.' It didn't really need them. Oh well. It's still good over all. I'm glad that they are making a sequel.
Shanghai Knights (2003)
Funny as hell
After noticing that the movie starts off with Jackie Chan as a wild west sheriff back in the 1800's, there's no use in pointing out that this movie is dumb. I'm assuming people reading this have seen the movie, so I won't do to much summarizing. Besides, IMDb includes a synopsis for that reason.
To begin, I noticed that a lot of people who didn't like this film were not from the U.S. Perhaps slapstick American humor just doesn't do well abroad? shrug. Many thought that the historical fudges were supposed to be taken seriously. But because this is an action-comedy cut it some slack! They're just trying to make you laugh! Others wanted this to be a serious martial arts flick and probably thought it was too cutesy. How are people supposed to laugh if there's blood and guts? I don't think Drunken Master approach to the "fight scenes" would work in this film.
The fight scenes were brilliantly choreographed. I don't have that much blood lust and would much rather watch Jackie cleverly manipulate ordinary objects into nonlethal weapons. In the special features, Jackie said if it was just fighting, then not only would it be violent the scenes would get boring. I can relate to that- after 400th fight scene in Crouching Tiger I was pretty much bored of them.
I thought that the sequel was hella better than Shanghai Noon. Lucy Liu trying to sound like an aristocratic Chinese woman was grating on my nerves. There were just way too many cheesy moments in the last film. Not that the sequel was cheese free, but they cut down on it at least. All the relationships between the characters were believable and enjoyable to watch. I wish they had a little more of the Artful Dodger causing trouble and mouthing off- but I guess O'bannon did enough of that for both of them. And the scene where Chun tells his sister why O'bannon would make a lousy boyfriend was too funny.
The Ring (2002)
scariest movie i've seen
********Nothing but spoilers****
I've seen both the American and Japanese version. Even though I think the Japanese version makes a whole lot more sense, I was definitely more scared by the Naomi Watts rendition. One annoying difference was that every image on the deadly tape in 'Ringu' was an important clue. But on the American version, the truly disturbing images were the most useless. I was disappointed with the decision to sex it up by making Watts' character more dominant, but it made for a much more effective scare- especially in the last well scene. In the Japanese version, the ex husband lowers himself in and they drain the well. Creepy? Yes. The American version is hella scarier. The idea of being supernaturally pushed into murky water when you're pretty sure there's something in there with you is freaky. Samara was much more sinister in the American version. The flashbacks to her interviews in the insane asylum were too few and far between. All in all, good times.
28 Days Later... (2002)
Hella Good Thriller
I truly don't understand why some people have a virulent distaste for this film. And to say that it wasn't scary?! I wish they would explain why. I got pretty creeped out. Resident Evil was a very similar plot, with a known actress/model as the star, and expensive CGI effects- but the editing and scare gags weren't crafted well enough to make me jump. 28DL didn't have all the pricey stuff, but made good use of editing, camera angles, and the power of suggestion to create a much better atmosphere of dread. The actors were also much much better.
********Spoiler Alert*******
I think Boyle does a great job with what he had to make an effective thriller. First, I think developing the characters more than most horror flicks was the first step because you then care about what happens to them. Also, the fear of being chased down and torn apart is much more relatable then backing into a corner waiting for the zombies to lumber over and surround you. That reminds me of a scene in Resident Evil when the team gets surrounded by slow moving rotten faced zombies. For some reason it didn't creep me out. But when Jim pleads for Selena to wait for him as they race up the flight of stairs whilst pursued by infecteds that you really don't even get to see, my stomach was in knots. I loved the Selena and Jim romance!!! I knew she liked him because she was mothering him so much- in a brusque way but nonetheless. The bossy little comments like:" don't get perishable food, Jim. Where are you going, Jim? Why, Jim? We already have enough food, Jim. Why didn't you tell me you were sick earlier, Jim?" or things of that nature. Her mother role for hannah took me by surprise though. I'm glad it happened but wished there was more development to justify it. The pace slowed down however when they reached the military base. Its not that I didn't like it, but it just didn't seem as suspensful. The third act gave me more of a "looming danger" feeling. I knew those soldiers were gonna try something with Selena when they were driving back and one of them was eyeing her. I was afraid that it was gonna get really ugly because I hate rape scenes. When they started tearing off her clothes I started bracing myself to see something more disgusting than the last scene of Hannibal. I can't believe that Boyle said they toned down that scene after the original got a really bad reaction from test screenings. How far did they go? I know Naomie said she felt really bad about filming this scene. Even though its just acting, its still humiliating to have your clothes torn of by a buncha guys you don't really know. I think that the first alternative ending (which was the original one), would be more realistic. For heavens sake, he got shot point blank in the gut! But the theatrical ending would make more sense in the context of the story. I thought Jim symbolized hope and optimism. It's also a nice motif to end with: he wakes up on a bed, starting a new life. I am so glad they didn't even produce 'radical alternative ending.' It was just beyond stupid. Total blood transfusion? Jim sacrificing himself. How truly lame. Boyle should be embarrassed that he even came up with that storyline. About the digital video quality- it didn't have to look that way. Robert Rodriguez uses the same medium and his pictures look good- almost like 35mm. In 28 DL the grittiness works most of the time, but some shots are just atrocious. the worst are the closeups with Priv. Mitchell with Selena in tow, listening apprehensively to Jim moving about in the attic. They look like they used a cheap flashlight for lighting.
Liam (2000)
Pretty good but uneven
I enjoyed this movie a lot for its honest depiction of a struggling family. I enjoyed the performances of borrows, burns, hart, and the mother. Liam is such a cute kid, I rented the movie b/c his picture was on the DVD. But their accents were so thick I needed to turn on the subtitles!
One thing I noticed was that a lot of time was dedicated to little Liam's character, but the climax centered around 'Dad.' Why is that? Liam's conflict ends relatively early in the third act. But isn't he the main character? It would have felt more balanced if Liam was more involved with his dad's unfortunate actions. Maybe following him around as a bewildered observer? It feels like I was watching Liam for over an hour, but the story was really about his father. Oh well. After this movie, I had Borrow's little voice in my head singing "seven and a tanner, seven and a tanner, me mum said seven and a tanner."
The Gift (2000)
Plenty of thrills
I saw this movie in the theatre so my memory is a little bit hazy, but I do remember I liked it a lot.I love supernatural thrillers! This movie is a pretty good example of it. Basically, a fortune teller tries to solve the murder of a young woman using her "Gift" for seeing future and past events. So, they didn't add anything significant to the genre- but at least it was effective. Cate Blanchette was awesome, and Keanu Reeves was all but recognizable as 'stereotypical redneck.' I think a lot about the success of the movie is that it keeps the audience interested in the story by being a mystery, ornamented with scares and 'visions.' It's a good movie to rent and watch at night. There's nothing too gruesome or violent- but you will be gripping your seat.
Resident Evil (2002)
subpar B movie
I was hoping it would be creepier than it was. But as a few other posters already pointed out- the director is not very good at creating suspenseful situations or characters you care about. I agree with another poster who said that the editing was really disjointed. Characters appear in places, and you don't know how they got there. There are some plot holes as well, i.e. why was the "cop" there to begin with? How did he know about the mansion? I knew this movie wasn't going to be a work of art or anything. I knew plot and all that were not that important, but at least it could have been scary.
Kolja (1996)
cute movie
This movie had a lot of heart. We watch an aging womanizer learn how to be less selfish, and humor the idea of domestic life when he gets stuck with little cherubic Kolya. It doesn't have the sense of grandness or levity that I'd usually associate with an oscar winner but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Everything in this movie was pitch perfect, from the acting to the dialog. The kid was adorable! My favorite scene is Kolya with the escalator. I don't know much about that part of the world, and I am glad I got to learn a little bit about Czechoslovakia- even if it is through a movie. It was cool listening to their language too. At first, I was watching the DVD in French with English subtitles- until I noticed the words and mouth movements weren't matching up! woops.
Le pacte des loups (2001)
Tone down the cheese
If a movie wants to look like its art, then it should actually mean something. At least make sense and wrap up subplots that were left hanging. But if the writers just wanted to play around by splicing together every B-movie/popcorn-flick gimmick- then they shouldn't take themselves too seriously. A good example of genre mixing would be Kill Bill. There is such a tongue-in-cheek, wink-wink, nudge-nudge feeling to the ultra violence, corny dialog and preposterous events (i.e. who needs physical therapy when you have will power?). Some completely unbelievable, messed-up stuff goes down in that flick. But hey, it's just a romp down grindhouse movie memory lane. I may be wrong, but I don't think that was the intent of the writers for Brotherhood of the Wolf. Basically, the tone and look was all wrong, wrong, wrong for such an ultimately low brow endeavor.
***Warning: contains spoilers***
First, it was way too long for such a cheesy mess of a film. Now I think Tarantino made the right move by splitting Kill Bill into two movies. BOTW didn't need to do that. Instead they should have cut the useless scenes, subplots that lead nowhere and the aristocratic romance. That's the second thing. Frosnac & Marianne's relationship was completely unbelievable. Sheltered, stand offish girl is the desire of every man in the province why? Because the characters said so, and the camera does close ups on her. Then this cocksure naturalist (with no aristocratic blood) waltzes in and wins her heart. So predictable -it gave me the dry heaves. But even worse was that he's like 35 and she looks like she's 16, 17 tops. Help, someone call CPS!! They should have done away with Marianne all together, and concentrated on the relationship between him and Sylvia. The intrigue and danger surrounding the witch/prostitute/undercover spy would make a much more interesting story than the banal affair with virginal Marrianne. At least it would be more believable- Frosnac looks like a dirty guy. Third- poor Mani. I had a feeling he was gonna die the second I saw him step onscreen. Following the formula, I knew someone had to be killed in order for the lead character to go ape sh!t and seek revenge- I was just hoping it would be Marrianne. (Sigh) I can't wait for Kill Bill Vol II to come out.