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Reviews
Little Voice (1998)
Quirky & Creative
I've been on an indie film binge and have been discovering little gems through netflix. I love Netflix for that reason. I found Little Voice and after reading the description thought this would be a Pygmalion-like movie. Sure, it has elements of Pygmalion but it's much darker, quirkier with an ending that's as far from My Fair Lady as you can get. Jane Horrocks is magnificent in the title role, LV. Rather than merely being painfully shy, LV seems slightly abnormal actually - perhaps even slightly challenged. If the movie is released today, a psychologist might provide a more accurate assessment of LV's mental condition. I'm mentioning this point because the only critique I have for this film is the unrealistic relationship between Billy (Ewan McGregro) and LV. While McGregor is always wonderful, I wasn't sure why Billy would have such interest in this oddly immature, challenged LV - I think that part/relationship of the film could have been better developed. But this is still a minor critique of the film. It's a bizarrely sad story that's elegantly told. And...of course, I love British casting of movies. The interesting, worn faces of Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn, Jim Broadbent add so much to each character. I highly recommend.
East Broadway (2006)
Surprisingly good
I stumbled upon this indie film and was prepared to hate it, but boy was I wrong. Falling for Grace is surprisingly intelligent, funny, warm and thought provoking and weaves in an interesting plot line that deals with unions in New York Chinatown. At first glance, one might think this is the typical white man saves minority woman movie, but it's actually quite the opposite. You fall in love with the Asian family and in fact, Grace is the one who "saves" Andrew. I love romantic comedies and this is one of the very few of late that gave me something to think about. Cast is superb, by the way, particularly the Asian American leads, Fay Ann Lee (Grace) and Ken Leung (her brother). Margaret Cho is the funny best friend who is probably under utilized. Christine Baranski may have the funniest line in the film and Gale Harold (Andrew) of Queer as Folk fame is tender and still very hot as the romantic lead. I hope other rom com fans start to discover this little gem of a film.