mr__hyde Reviews

9 Songs (2004)

Explicit, but more than that

[8/10 · 27 March 2005]

I will freely admit that I saw this movie solely based on the fact that it has received so much publicity concerning the sex scenes. And for the most part, I saw exactly what I expected to see in the sex scenes. It was probably more explicit than in any other 'mainstream' film I've seen, but what separates this from pornographic is that there is definite artistic intent to the film. I am a fan of the films done recently by people such as Catherine Breillat and Bruno Dumont, and was one of the few people in the Midwestern US to think that 'The Brown Bunny' was a beautiful film, so you know where I'm coming from. But I actually see some parallels between TBB and 9 Songs. Whereas Vincent Gallo uses the road as a backdrop to his musical choices for TBB, Winterbottom uses live shows as a backdrop for his music. Just listening to the lyrics of the music, and the characters talk about Antarctica clues you in to many things about the relationship that he then doesn't have to waste screen time pursuing.

I do agree with some people's comments that the sex scenes did not always seem to mirror where the couple was in the relationship, but contrary to feeling this stilted the story, I felt it made it more real. We are never told exactly how long they are together, exactly how they met, but we are told through these constantly differing encounters that it is a real relationship. It is not glamorized and turned into a fake sort of story at all by having a constant arc - what relationship has a arc that doesn't go up and down? Every romance has up and down times, and sometimes the best ups are right before the biggest down. I thought he arranged his scenes pretty masterfully to that end.

Overall, I rated this film an 8, only because it wouldn't let me do 7.5. You could watch this simply to be titillated, or you could watch it to gain insight into how real relationships are and take a break from the Hollywood norm.

Last Year at Marienbad (1961)

High Water Mark

[9/10 · 10 March 2005]

After hearing about this film countless times in various interviews and critics books *particularly interviews with Peter Greenaway* I finally decided to give it a shot. And this film has definitely shot into my top five films of all time overnight.

Resnais does a good amount of things in this film that he had tried in 'Hiroshima Mon Amour', but they are all done more effectively in this, his follow-up to Hiroshima. The way the characters interact with each other and with the audience is perfect on every level, driving the confusion of the situation further into your mind as well as the characters. The editing is flawlessly non-linear and non-traditional, the cinematography is some of the best of the period. The setting in the hotel often reminded me of Kubrick's 'The Shining', with the paranoid music and long tracking shots.

I would say the best way to describe this film is 'Hiroshima Mon Amour' with a good touch of Bunuel thrown in. It is intentionally bizarre and leaves much interpretation to the viewer, but never strays into idiotic territory. 9 out of 10.

High Tension (2003)

Would have loved this BUT...

[6/10 · 7 March 2005]

As many reviewers have said, this is one of the best body pile slashers films made ever, certainly in the last few years. Buckets of blood, great makeup and special effects, and some seriously genius ways of offing the good guys. But we also get one of the stupidest plot twists ever that not only ruins the vibe of the film, but makes the whole script seem completely incoherent. On multiple viewings you see the direction around this twist is actually quite well done, tons of small hints and some gross additions are noticed, but it's not worth it at all. If there was no plot twist, this would have easily gotten a 9 in my book, but it's lucky it got the 6 with that dumb idea tacked on for no reason.

2046 (2004)

Beautifully Sad

[8/10 · 7 March 2005]

I have been looking forward to seeing this film since the day I watched 'In the Mood For Love', and certainly was not disappointed. I have a hard time describing this as a sequel, I would call it more of a companion piece. I think someone could view this with only minimal confusion if they had not seen IMFL, but I recommend that as well.

The film only follows one character from the original, and it completely focuses on his downfall. I get the feeling this was a very hard script for Wong Kar Wai to write, it seemed very personal at times. That said, the script is absolutely brilliant. One moment in particular where Chow returns a line back at one of his many women is especially sad and poignant, really adds a lot of depth to their relationship with a single sentence.

The cinematography and special effects are also beautiful, although I think the trailer plays up the sci-fi element a little too much. It does look great though, and he mimics many shots and setups from IMFL to tie them closer together.

Overall I gave this an 8, the only detractors being a bit of a boring pace at times, and the ending seems to come out of nowhere. Just all the sudden *boom* the end. Still, better than most other films made these days and a definite must see for fans of In the Mood For Love.

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Interesting more than touching

[7/10 · 25 February 2004]

I made sure to see this film at the first showing in my town on opening day, and I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed. Overall, only two things set this apart from a typical Hollywood film: the religious tone and the subtitles. The film uses every Hollywood trick in the book to evoke an emotional response from it's viewers: slow motion camera, deep/heartfelt music swells, flashbacks.... I would have liked to see Mr. Gibson be a little more creative in his telling of the story. The only thing that set this apart from any other biblical epic was the vast amounts of blood. Never before has Jesus been shown beaten even close to this brutally, and it looks extremely real. As a believer in the historical significance and truth, but a non-believer in the religious sense, this film did not do much for me. I have no desire to re-read the gospels or attend church after seeing this film. I will be less inclined to see Mr. Gibson's next directorial foray, but not totally turned off. I would recommend this more as a curiousity than for it's greatness. I gave it 7 out of 10.