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Reviews
I, Robot (2004)
An Insult To Turkeys
A jaw-droppingly dreadful movie that has no redeeming feature. It starts as a blaxploitation movie and then deteriorates. The characters are one dimensional (In James Cromwell's case this is literally true!!)and the acting makes Sylvester Stallone appear as one of the great thespians of our time. The huge amount of money spent on this film whether for Mr Smith's fee or the tired computer effects could more usefully have been spent on alleviating world poverty and still have left some over for a new series of Baywatch. If the tone of this is faintly hysterical then it can only mean that I'm recovering from the catatonic shock that this movie plunged me into. The tragedy is that the story is 'adapted' from one of the great Science Fiction novellas but the hoofprints of the money-men's presence are stamped all over it. The casting of Will Smith does him and the film no favours, Smith is a comedian/comic actor famous for his wit, here he is asked to be serious and responds with a fixed grimace and a beanie pulled down over one eye, his limitations brutally exposed. One can suppose that the financing for the film was dependent on Smith's presence but it results in the film being top heavy and flatulent. The rest of the cast will probably want to erase this from their resumes but at least they are never asked to be more than shadows and they respond magnificently!! As for Alex Proyas' 'diection', one wonders, in the case where one is passed a 'star' and computer generated sets, if the the director becomes anything other than a technician but the buck presumably still stops with him. To be scrupulously fair I must concede that I watched this film the day after I had watched 'The Hours' in which there is great acting, direction, characterisation, great music and a conspicuous lack of computer trickery, so 'I Robot' suffered by comparison, but it would also have suffered if I'd watched it after enjoying a vintage episode of 'Happy Days'!!!!
Lie with Me (2005)
A Triumph For Lauren Lee Smith
From a minor role in the first two seasons of 'The L Word' to a luminous leading lady, Lauren Lee Smith has found the level at which she should be employed. Even with few lines and scenes she attracted attention as Lara Perkins in the strong ensemble of L Word actors and if that led to her casting here then I can fully understand it. The tabloid 'notoriety' of the film should not detract from its artistic merit. It is a film about modern sexual manners and is very thoughtful in its treatment of the two main characters as they move from nihilism to enlightenment. A single-word description might be Intense and all extreme human emotions are examined, though there does appear to have been a major piece of censorship in the truncated scene where Leila finds herself in a room full of Afro-Caribbean men only for the scene to end prematurely with only an oblique reference to what might have happened given as a throw-away line later on. Beautifully photographed and directed, the naturalistic sound can sometimes make dialogue difficult to discern but adds to the contemporary dynamism of the whole piece. Because of the nature of the film the acting needs to be very physical and Lauren Lee Smith and Eric Balfour are hugely successful as they manifest complex emotions through body language and facial expression, there is peculiar side-effect from the acting style they adopt in so far as they seem to move through their environment without being part of it - the wedding reception is a case in point, as is the Playground scene. I bought the DVD simply because lo Lauren Lee Smith's name, but found the film to be another outstanding example of Canadian cinema.
Die Reise nach Kafiristan (2001)
A Masterpiece
All the reviews I read before seeing this were maddeningly vague as if the writers were trying desperately not to commit themselves. I can't see their problem, 'Journey to Kafiristan' is an outstanding film with two excellent performances from the leads; the cinematography is jawdroppingly good with the landscapes, interiors and close-ups all adding to the poignancy of the narrative; the music is astonishingly unobtrusive yet contributes to the mood and pace of the film. At the centre there is the performance of Jeanette Hain whose extraordinarily expressive face adds so much to the pathos of the situation. I can only guess that the reason this film did not catapult Ms Hain to international prominence is the 'stigma' of the lesbian character as with Patricia Charbonneau after 'Desert Hearts' or Gina Gershon after 'Bound' and 'Showgirls'. Jeanette Hain should be one of the world's most successful actors and directors should sit up and take note! Commercially the labelling of films seems inevitable as target audiences are identified for marketing purposes; but it can serve to reduce the potential audience. 'Journey to Kafiristan' is billed as a 'Lesbian Interest' film but it is much more, it deals with the rise of feminism in Europe in the inter-war period. Both lead characters have transparently fake marriages for convention's sake and exist outside the norm while still using their married status to protect them in dangerous situations. If you're looking for GIRL-ON-GIRL action you would be better off looking elsewhere for while this is a love story it is cerebral and emotional rather than carnal.I cannot praise 'Journey to Kafiristan' highly enough.
The Runestone (1991)
Not even Joan Severance & Peter Riegert can save this!
This was never going to have been a masterpiece but it need never have been as bad as it is. The combination of sloppy direction, amateur editing, and some unbelievably bad actors leave the film floundering. There are exceptions, Joan Severance and Peter Riegert are professsional and competent, but the chaos around them is overwhelming and they would probably rather that this monstrosity was removed from there filmographies! The plot though preposterous could have formed the basis of decent movie but one gets the impression that not enough time was put into tightening up the script so that the dialogue regularly lurches into the farcical. If you are fans of either Joan Severance or Peter Riegert, both fine film actors, then perhaps you should pass this one by and look to their other work!
Zhou Yu de huo che (2002)
One of the best films ever made
Quite simply one of the best films ever made! Every element combines to produce a multi-layered masterpiece that revolves around the central tour-de-force that is Gong Li. This has to be her best film yet and she is wholly served by her fellow actors and production crew. Director Sun Zhou is a master of light with every scene's mood enhanced by his total control of the medium. One would like to have seen this film win multiple awards but the limited number of screens available to 'difficult' films like this make it nearly impossible to attain the recognition it deserves. Equally, Gong Li - the world's most beautiful and accomplished film actress - remains unknown to the unhappy teenagers who have only a diet of dross on which to feed their heads.
Seom (2000)
Jawdroppingly Beautiful Film
This is an astonishing beautifully photographed film with exceptional performances from the two leads. It is to all intents a silent film, with only the briefest dialogue passages when characters arrive from outside the lagoon which is the sole location for the film's action. Despite the the use of a single location, the extraordinary photography captures the ever-changing moods through light, dark, colour and composition, so that the single location is never the same in successive scenes. The central performance is that of Jung Suh as a fishing resort caretaker and part-time prostitute, she conveys innocence and passivity before transforming seamlessly into an amoral killer. Her lack of dialogue (she never speaks), serves only to exaggerate the growing sense on menace. She falls for an ex-cop whose first reaction is to attempt to rape her. Despite this, she persists in pursuing him and they move headlong towards their mutual destruction. It should come as no surprise that such an outstanding film should have come out of Korea as that country has a burgeoning reputation for high-quality cinema. This is the best Korean film I have yet seen, and should be seen by anyone who loves cinema.
La répétition (2001)
Surprisingly unengaging
To list everything that is right about this film would take forever. The cast, the performances, the direction, the cinematography are all first rate, it looks good and is well-packaged. BUT! There is something frustratingly unsatisfying, or I should say a number of somethings, which combine to bring down what would otherwise be a terrific film. On the most superficial level the lack of any sympathetic characters makes it difficult like this film, but having watched it a second time it became clear that this was intentional with the characters' flaws being the basis of the drama. This however raises a second problem as a very thin plot has to be spun out using characters that the audience care nothing about. The script itself is clunky (Both with and without subtitles!)and this makes La Repetition ultimately a poor film that might so easily have been a triumph. It is baffling that so many talented people should have looked at this script and thought that it could have worked. Perhaps one day someone will remake this film with a decent script.
Better Than Chocolate (1999)
A superbly acted ensemble piece
This is a feelgood film without being sickly or cloying. All the performances are complimentary without any jarring moments. Although superficially a 'Lesbian' film, the sub-plot on repressive Canadian censorship policy shows the depth of the plot. The cinematography is not innnovative, the film is a series of set-pieces, but is consistently of the utmost professionalism. Most surprising is the soundtrack which should be intrusive but isn't, the songs serve only to compliment the screen action and do not distract. One hopes that everyone connected with 'Better Than Chocolate' has gone on to prosper in their career especially the two leads who demonstrate refreshing exuberance.