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Gladiator (2000)
Gladiator, 2000
This movie is near-perfect. When we watch a movie, more then often it relies on other factors, for example violence, or crude humour to weave the plot, or simply to entertain. Not often are we allowed to watch a simple movie, told simply and yet beneath the story we get a sense of something immense and complex.
Gladiator, told simply, is a film surrounding Maximus Merridius Decimus, a general who becomes greatly acquainted with the emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Upon Marcus' dying wish he wants Rome to become a republic and entrusts Maximus to the task. Commodus, the Emperors son is deeply wounded by Marcus' father treatment to Maximus and seeks revenge.
What continues is a beautiful told story of friendship, jealousy and anger. What I love about this film is that it centers around Maximus/Commodus and doesn't center around the violence of the arena. This movie is, fictional - it is made to entertain and it does so, it is not a real account and should be watched open-minded. I highly recommend this film to anyone, the only criticism of this film that I can give is the first battle scene which is unfortunately a little strange, but the rest is...
****1/2 out of *****
Hotaru no haka (1988)
Grave of the Fireflies, 1988
Sad, deeply emotional and depressing is what best describes this beautifully crafted movie. The honesty in this film is deeply emotional and the director's use of scenes are excellent.
Trust me, it is heart wrenching to start of with a simple statement 'On September.... I died.' Right from the start we know that the children Seita and Setsuko will die. The director plays a cruel trick on the audience, though we may see the characters living, having fun, with every second, every minute the audience knows the end is drawing.
I love the use of colour in this film. A dull red is used to portray the dead. Red and black... of course the fireflies are white - purity, calm... peace. It saddens me that some reviewers or comment-writers make such threads as 'Oops, shouldn't have bombed Pearl Harbour.' The main point of this film is not to blame, in all of the film it does not accuse any nation, it is simply to tell the story of the people who have become caught up in the war.
Though some people may argue that Seita was lazy and didn't get a job, think about this. Everyone is short on food - the farmers already have workers and even then need every plant to harvest their food, jobs have been taken by older men and Seita has just seen his diseased Mum. He is also caring for his sister, Setsuko, and feels that he needs to protect her as well. Imagine how depressing it would be, bombs raining down, food low and being hungry.
The film is formed in a series of flashbacks, that together form a deeply depressing picture.
The film paints a depressing yet emotional view on the innocent people caught in the cross-fire of battling countries. It certainly deserves a strong 9.
****1/2 out of *****
Xi you ji (1986)
Xi You Ji, 1986
Though many versions of Journey to the West have been made, I still love the original 1986 series. CCTV has been broadcasting this every year for some time now. You'll also find a Dicky Cheung version and 2010 version. Liu Xiao Ling Tong stars as Sun Wukong, a mischievous monkey who was released by stone, thus earning the name of 'Stone Monkey' and 'Monkey King'. After causing chaos in heaven, he must accompany Tripitaka across the land full of demons who believe drinking Tripitaka's flesh will gain them longevity.
What follows is a lively story of their journey to the west. The hard part in watching these old series is where to find them. You can find them easily however they won't have English subs. There are a few VCD copies which have English subtitles however you can buy the English subtitles released by CCTV on Ebay! Enjoy! This CCTV series is a classic and anyone who wants something relaxing and enjoyable, this is it!
****1/2 out of *****
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2009
I admit, I love the series by J.K. Rowling and collect the 2-Disc special edition DVDs. The Half-Blood Prince is no exception. Though far from a masterpiece but not terrible, this will make a nice edition to the Harry Potter movies.
Its Harry's 6th year in Hogwarts and Harry is now grown up. Harry must *spoiler* destroy the Horcruxes that allow Voldemort to never die *spoiler*. The movie becomes even more dark and omnious with the death of Dumbledore and the ever-foreboding Severus.
Harry's 6th year is refreshing and has it's share in laughs. Anyone one looking for an easy, stress free movie that requires little thought (readers of the book) this is the movie for you. If you haven't read the books I suggest you do. A nice background score accompanies this movie and beautiful shots of Hogwarts are always a welcoming touch.
**** out of *****
Eragon (2006)
Eragon, 2006
Eragon is not a movie that can be enjoyed. In fact, the movie doesn't do justice to Paolini's debut novel, Eragon. Here are some inconsistencies.
(1) Eragon learns to say Brisingr and after this is an accomplished spell-caster. (2) Eragon is a blond, in the book he's got dark hair! (3) Arya seems to find Eragon pleasant but in the book she is cold and avoids him. (4) Eragon didn't defeat Durza by himself, he had help from Arya and Saphira who break the dwarf star sapphire. (5)Durza doesn't conjure a dragon. (6)Where are Arya's pointed ears? She's an elf!
There are so many inconsistencies it becomes a pain to watch. If you really want to watch this, then watch Alice in Wonderland instead. Only rent it if you are an absolute Eragon fan, otherwise to the rest of us...
* out of *****
Ying xiong (2002)
Hero, 2002
Hero is simply a beautiful film. Unlike many other films, the reviewer is woven a story through different versions, first by Nameless, then by the King, and finally the Truth. As each tapestry falls, the true picture is developed. What we are left with is an epic tale of trust, wisdom and beauty that this film embodies to create a memorable experience.
Summary: The film starts of with an unknown warrior, Nameless, surrounded by one-hundred thousand Qin soldiers allowing him passage to the Emperor Qin. His feat of defeating the three most dangerous assassins, Flying Snow, Broken Sword and Sky, earn him a place to drink tea with the Emperor at 100 paces.
We then experience through retelling how Nameless defeats the three assassins. Nameless tells of how he and Sky battle ferociously. In front of a crowd of Qin soldiers, Nameless slips the sword between Sky's chest, instantly wounding him. He then travels to Broken Sword and Flying Snow. Nameless shows both the warriors a token of Sky's death and falsely tells Flying Snow, who's suitors are both Sky and Broken Sword that Sky's last words were that he only cared for Flying Snow and that she would avenge him.
Flying Snow prepares to fight, and enraged by jealousy and rage Broken Sword declares he has no feelings for her. Deeply hurt, Flying Snow delivers a fatal blow to Broken Sword, his lasts words been 'we have both been stupid.' She then faces Moon, who is angered at her master's death. Moon tries to kill Flying Snow who easily defends against her attacks before striking a deadly blow. When she faces Nameless the next day she is deeply shaken and is killed easily.
The Qin Emperor, who is deeply impressed allows him to come in within 20 paces, and then shares his retelling. Though more credible, Nameless still insists this is wrong. The Qin Emperor allows him to move forward, to 10 paces where it is revealed that Nameless is the assassin. Fueled by the grief of his murdered family Nameless declares that his special attack, is called the 10-pace-kill. The final moments are sure to moisten eyes.
Use of colours (opinionated): Interestingly enough the film uses vibrant colours to spectacularly weave the tale. In the first retelling, Flying Snow and Broken Sword are portrayed as lovers filled with hate and jealousy and thus the colour red is used. In the Emperor's retelling which is more logical and learned, the colour is blue which brings to mind control and calmness. White is used in the final version to emphasize purity and the truth.
I enjoyed this film very much. The score was beautiful and the cinematography was superb. Fighting sequences focused on the background and not of the actual fights. This heightened the sense of drama and skill in the fight and added serenity and emotions to the scene. If you haven't watched it, then I recommend you do. This film is a little over half an hour and I suggest watching it on a 32" to 50" screen with at least a 2.1 Stereo to create a cinematic watch.
****1/2 out of *****