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soniaandree
Reviews
Cashback (2006)
Romantic setting with a twist
The movie has a good storyline, very good actors and a credible sub-plot. Time shifts are but details on the love story plot, but it does add depth to the content. The setting is very familiar in the UK, since we can recognise the supermarket chain involved, and the aisles. Consequently, spectators and audiences can relate straight away with normal characters and familiar places, very nifty. The frozen moments are eery and imaginative, with much poetry and emotions thrown in. Comments are related to the main character's deep thoughts, without being creepy (i.e. NOT 'Peep Show' as an example).
This movie is highly recommended for its feel good factor and simplicity.
Gonggongui jeog (2002)
Korean psycho meets "Infernal Affairs" - acting not so good in parts
The movie is a cross between "American Psycho" and "Infernal Affairs". It just doesn't do it in terms of quality of the scenario, or probably the way some actors play. Only the psycho was halfway decent. It could have been better if some of the actors just avoided to show they were acting by overdoing it, like the comical moments or some dramatic ones. The story would be good, but there were little things that prevented me to appreciate it. The ending should have stopped when the villain is done and dealt with, but there was an addition, which annoyed me. I saw similarities with the other Korean movie ("The Host"), in that I can't decide whether I should be happy or sad about the character, if not the movie.
Gwoemul (2006)
Can't decide if it is a comedy or utterly tragic.
The first half of the movie is rather slow, even the monster eating humans takes an infinite time doing so. You also get a sense of comedy, in the presentation of the characters and their daily lives, especially with the "village idiot". Then images of Godzilla springs to mind, with the monster attacking people. The family therefore goes in search of the missing girl, with a mix of comedy and tragic psychological tension. The lobotomy moment was especially remarkable, as being the one scene which makes you wonder if the operation did end up making the idiot guy smarter. Our reaction as viewers was: "What the heck is that movie?" and ended up with "the ending is actually not bad at all, for such a weird movie". Yes, the action going towards the second half of the movie is going somewhere, plot-wise, so that the viewer gets more and more hooked. In the end, we were left wondering if most people got killed by the monster or by the government. Better watch the movie and draw your own conclusion. Recommended for a good Friday eve. screening with friends.
El laberinto del fauno (2006)
A child's fairytale.
This movie, like all fairy tales, is actually dark and beautiful, mixing the real world with the imaginary one, the tale of a young girl looking to escape reality for another fantastic dimension. British viewers said the movie was gore, which it isn't, based on all the horror/thriller movies I may have seen since the 80s. In fact, the general public thought about this movie as a dark fantasy, a darker version of the "Chronicles of Narnia" perhaps, but they were wrong in that this movie wasn't made for British people who go to artsy international cinema, cocooned by the idea that "art" can be an excuse for all sorts. As a viewer, I would say that what was disturbing was that you can feel a certain unease in the main character's life experience, maybe because fairy tales do take chunks of real life and exaggerate them until you realise you can't stand it anymore. Consequently, the movie, far from being the usual dark fantasy anyone was expecting, turns out to be a real psychological eye-opener to the world of children and their monsters. Highly recommended viewing.
Titanic (1997)
Indifferent.
These days, who can make the difference between an entertaining movie and an interesting one? Hollywood has got a lot to answer for in that sense. The current trend being that people are already bored with computer animations that plagued us since the "Lion King" means there is still hope to get a discerning public. The problem with Titanic is that the storyline is too "linear", too much, too fast, and not enough time is given to get a good picture of the characters. Don't get me wrong, it is an entertaining movie, with fantastic pictures and a lot of action. However, the only attempt at showing characters as they should be is in the (near) final post-disaster scene between Di Caprio and Winslet. Thus I end up being entertained, but no interest whatsoever in the whole movie as such. Just good for watching once, methink.
Denise Calls Up (1995)
Quirky comedy, worth a look.
What was supposed to be an innocent movie screening in French at the local cinema, ended up being an original screening subtitled in French. My friends were equally surprised, but, had it not been for the movie being entertaining, the evening could have been a waste of my friends' time. The story is quirky, funny and dramatic, in a way. Characters are presented both separately and together, because the only way for them to be together is by phone. There is laughter, there are tears, the characters are very well defined, and it looks like a typical New-York drama-comedy, with great jokes and dialogues between the characters. A definite *must see* for a Friday eve. with friends.
Kurochka Ryaba (1994)
Riouba the hen certainly makes people run!
As Russian movies go, this one is a gem of Russian comedy. The story starts with an old woman's hen laying golden eggs (traditional Russian folk lore) and because the old woman lives in a Kolkhoze (village living as a communist community), the situation gets out of hand, especially if everyone thinks that the eggs should be shared (or privately stolen). So starts the race to be the one who gets the hen, or the one to get the eggs... This is a recommended movie for all ages, and could be a great screening if the DVD was out. Highly funny, a great example of Russian humour, this comedy won't let you indifferent and will appeal to everyone. Highly recommended!
The Butterfly Ball (1977)
Love is all, etc.
Probably because I was born the same year, or because I saw it over and over again on French television when there was a technical problem, I have got a sentimental value towards this animation/anime. The video is based on the book of the same name, so the characters are pretty much alike. It is mixed with weird human-like animals/insects and fantastic lyrics by Roger Glover, a certain enthusiasm radiates from the whole. The animation is great, it puts you in a fantastic mood for the day and I would encourage anyone to find the LPs or the new upcoming DVD of the 1976 concert, or go to the Roger Glover website, there are a lot of news flying around. When watching the video, try to spot all the references (three blind mice, the beauty dancing with the beast, the dancing tankard, masquerade, carnival, etc). I just love it! Highly recommended.
The Descent (2005)
Psychological thriller then gore-fest...
Not knowing what to expect, the movie started rather well, with various references to other movies (road scene rather like "The Shining" etc.) and the actors were pretty much OK (What Saskia Mulder was doing here was my first question). Like in real life, you wonder why a group of women (who *so* obviously hate each other) would keep together and pretend to have fun, so the directors added a subplot based on the two main character's dislike for each other. So far so good. The caving was felt as getting more and more claustrophobic, and it was done in a way that the viewer would feel it too: dark, narrow passages, noises, flying dust etc. Then the appearance of creatures, I found, were rather too much: the directors could have relied more on the psychological tension and kept going, as the women would have tried to kill each other anyway (as it was a strong probability from the start). Then it went into such a gore, the pool of blood was such a rubbish thing to add to the scenario: the blood should have been congealed anyway. The alternative ending was like a rebirth of the main surviving character, who ends up free, so why spoil it with a birthday cake as a real ending? In this scenario, it is rather a miracle she survived at all, stuck in this manky cave, but a good reason nonetheless to decide to end it all. Maybe there's a lesson to be learnt from the movie: people can only survive in a wild hostile environment if they turn themselves into savages? For that, I'd rather watch "Deliverance" once more, thank you very much.
The Ninth Gate (1999)
Not as good as the book...
OK, it may sound like the usual book-movie dilemma, but, as much as I admire Polanski's work, this movie doesn't quite cut it, as we say. To start with, the book called "Club Dumas" (Arturo Perez-Reverte) is much more varied in its storyline, since there are many threads and investigations in the story, including the parallel with Alexandre Dumas' "Three Musqueteers", the "Ninth Gate" and the characters themselves. The movie centres around only one story and I am disappointed in this. Otherwise, the cast is good, Depp excellent, Olin fantastic, and it doesn't look or feel like an Hollywood movie at all, which is its strength. On that note, I'd say, see the movie, and read the book afterwards.
Pulgasari (1985)
Not so bad, good to watch if you like Monkey, for example.
Straight away, I saw the movie being similar in the way the set and the actors were playing. The officials' clothes look the same, and the way of acting is also the same. The monster is created from rice and then is set upon eating the iron of the whole province, whilst destroying the government. Not so bad, there's even a moral to the story, which is that the iron-eating monster, whilst helping the villagers being free, cannot (in the end) be controlled either but this is not a reason to censor the movie. Not worth buying the DVD, but good enough to watch, this makes a light evening screening, and it is better to watch with friends.
The Mission (1986)
Utterly beautiful, fantastic movie!
The story is based on the divide of Latin-America by Spain and Portugal in 18th Century. For the Roman Catholic church, it meant that Jesuits had to go as part of the deal to allow the church to stay present in Portuguese territory. The Jesuit order had, by then, grown into a strong and powerful order which threatened commercial relations between countries by preventing slavery in their Missions. This movie then takes on some fictional characters to illustrate the struggle faced by the Jesuits and the Church, the Guaranis, and the difficult relations with Spain and Portugal. Great acting by all, and beautiful, haunting, scenery (the Iguacu falls in Venezuela) and a good basis for a strong scenario makes this movie an all time favourite of mine. A definite must for everyone's DVD collection (the double-DVD set is best). A classic!
Ancient Evil: Scream of the Mummy (2000)
Not worth anyone's time. Title is misleading too.
Gosh! I wished I had never seen that movie, and that's the first time ever I feel this way towards a bad movie. The acting was non-existent, there was no special effects to speak of, and, the director being an ex-porn film director, I would have expected a minimum more fun as teenage actors go. My bad. The whole "it's so bad, it's good" doesn't even come into the equation. I suspect the director should also be sued for misleading its public by claiming that:
a) it's something to do with Bram Stoker b) that this title doesn't have anything to do with the more successful "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns", with Rachel Weisz et al.
Definitely wasted time and money. I wouldn't even want it for free. Sigh. I long for my favourite Hammer horror flicks now. At least the special effects were more advanced at the time.
Caché (2005)
Not worth the money...
There seemed to be a lot of adverts for this French movie here in UK. So, after hesitating a long while, I decided to rent it to see what it was all about. People may like artsy cinema, some others may adore French cinema, but this was all a waste of my time. Of course, as most artsy French movies go, the action takes place in Paris, in a more or less wealthy upper-class intellectual family. No surprise there, then. And at this point, what was supposed to be a thriller ends up being a completely messed up scenario, pushing in marriage problems, family problems, some Algerian character who just has an unfinished business and looks for an excuse to top himself, all this mess due to some childhood trauma (not very clear) and a chicken (even less clear). The movie directors could have had a more political approach to the movie, or relate things to the Algerian war and the parents of the Algerian kid having been killed at the famous Paris protest...but they did not. So what may be clear to a French person such as myself is not clear at all for foreigners. The scenario is at best mixed up, at worst inexistent and the abrupt ending does not make sense. All in all, this is an obscure elitist movie filmed only for a French elite public, and it doesn't deserve to be marketed to such high levels.
El maestro de esgrima (1992)
A traditional approach to acting.
Since reading Arturo Perez-Reverte's book of the same name, I was really keen to see the movie. You can see great performances by great actors; Omero Antonutti delivers his lines with finesse and sobriety, not usually found in today's actors, but more by the likes of Fernando Rey or actors associated with theatre performance and classical dramas. The movie does reflect the political changes of the time, with places like the traditional "cafe politique" well in fashion then. The end of an era through the eyes of Don Jaime Astarloa is well depicted and is the prelude to anarchist actions and the changes in the technology of war. All in all, a great movie, great action, and a bit of historical nostalgia.
Xích lô (1995)
Not for the faint-hearted, but moving, nonetheless!
The movie was screened two years ago, on my recommendation, and mainly to a UK and some foreigners' audience. Reception and comments about the movie were not as expected: "rubbish!" was heard from an old member, "great!" by some other. There is no in-between when it comes to this movie, most UK people have found it too realistic, most foreign ones saw it as a clear depiction of Ho Chi Minh City's decadence and corruption. In my opinion, this movie has got the merit of showing how things are, and how characters are not so clear-cut in their badness or goodness. It feels like everyone is looking for a form of forgiveness by trying to redeem themselves of past/current actions. In the end, I recommend the movie regardless, though British viewers may find some scenes upsetting. It is not often that the viewer can find such a mix of feelings in a movie's characters. A movie which should not leave you indifferent, that's for sure.
Mùi du du xanh (1993)
Take the movie as it comes and when you feel like it.
After reading everyone's comments, the movie can be summarised as being long and lacking in action. Now, what makes the difference is the quality of the picture and colours, unforgettable. This movie is not just about Mui's work experience as a maid in a wealthy house, nor about her feelings for her new Master ten years later (a ten-year gap in the story), neither about Vietnam itself. The movie looks like it's taken slices of Mui's personal story, so that people would have a private "look" at a few events that marked her life, a form of autobiography, as the ending demonstrated, by Mui talking directly to the viewer. Does the movie need action? I think not. Does it need to demonstrate something? I don't think so. Finally, I highly recommend watching this movie, but mainly when you're in the mood for some quiet time to yourself. It's not your usual Friday night screening.