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Reviews
Blood and Chocolate (2007)
Waiting for something ...
This movie is really, really trying to be actually entertaining. And, in some ways, it is. Sure, Agnes Bruckner is very pretty to look at, as is Hugh Dancy and Olivier Martinez.
But, I have to say that there is something hollow about the film. Perhaps it's the "special" effects which turn humans into, well, dogs. And perhaps its that the dogs aren't really that menacing.
That aside, the synopsis is this: Vivian's (Agnes Bruckner) entire family were mysteriously killed by men bearing rifles as a child. Fast forward to present-day (?) Romania where Vivian is living with her "aunt" Astrid (Katja Riemann) selling chocolate in her storefront.
We quickly learn than Vivian is extraordinary, especially at jumping off of walls like the French "Parkour" sport but much less spectacularly. The director flirts with revealing the "wolves" for as long as possible, and we learn that Rafe (Bryan Dick) can be a complete, uh, Bryan Dick. Oh, and he's Vivian's brother, apparently.
We learn than Vivian may be "chosen" to be the next wife of current pack leader Gabriel (Olivier Martinez) and there's a lot of big talking about tradition and sticking with the rules of conduct for wolves.
Of course, Vivian is not into that whole "tradition" stuff, and instead becomes interested in a "Meat" named Aiden (Hugh Dancy) who is acts cute and charming and whose acting probably adds points to this flick.
After playing hard to get for a while, Vivian softens up and she and Aiden become an item with the happy segues and cut shots as a happy couple together, sharing lollipops and ice cream together.
Of course, this movie is a tragedy and it turns into darker times when Rafe discovers the romance and brings it to Gabriel.
This brings us to the pinnacle of the movie, which by any account, was pretty unspectacular. It ends in a predictable fashion, and not in a "gee that was a predictable but entertaining ending", more of a rather, "gee that was a predictable ending that just wasted another 40 minutes of my time."
We'll break from the synopsis here to just give the raw review:
- In general, this movie is trying so hard, but fails in so many ways
- The acting is tough to pull off as authentic, the director could have done a lot better to create real drama
- While the score brings the movie up a notch, it's almost all it's got going for it
- The effects, while cutting edge for 1985, are pretty low-budget and do not much more than transform a human mid-leap into a dog. And when I say "dog", I mean "dog". Even "An American Werewolf in London" was a scarier creature than these puppies. Really.
In short, save your hour and 38 minutes for something more worthwhile.
Children of Men (2006)
Brilliant movie-making
Alfonso Cuarón has created a movie which transports you 20 years into the future and blows your mind away with incredible cinematography, exceptional acting and action, and long, complex film takes which seem almost impossible to accomplish.
In short, this movie is highly recommended.
Clive Owen plays Theo, a depressed alcoholic who, like most of the planet, has lost hope for the world as women worldwide have suddenly lost the ability to bear children. He becomes embroiled in a plot to transport a pregnant woman to a project intended to solve the infertility crisis. The world's governments have become more of a police state, and Theo walks through life with a keen sense of depressed normalcy.
The movie makes indirect points about government and military use of power, terrorism, what we take for granted, living in a war zone, minority and immigrant rights, and how one would act in a crisis.
The movie was gripping and poignant, and I re-watched many of the scenes again on the DVD to try and figure out how they made such an incredible world.
Obviously, not for all; I have read many of the negative comments about people finding the plot and character development to be poor, the storyline to vague, and all of the "unanswered questions" that were never answered, as well as the "I must be crazy but this movie sucked." To the detractors: IT'S A MOVIE. You have 1:40 or so to get a story across. It's not a book where you have 300+ pages to go into intricate detail. You can't explain everything, and in many ways, not explaining everything stimulates your imagination which I assume those who couldn't figure out "why" the world went to hell. Much is explained about Theo, Jasper, and even Julian to give you a rather good idea about their past and what motivates them.
All in all, go see this film on DVD, it's a great political action movie.
It Had to Be You (2000)
Of course you know what's going to happen...
But the fun is in the journey.
I found this movie to be extremely enjoyable, not only are both leads extremely easy on the eyes, the humor from the supporting cast and the jokes actually made me laugh out loud several times.
Yes, it's predictable, and yes, it's a cliché romantic comedy. But the point is that it's a sweet story, the message about finding your one true love also rings true in many ways.
The dialog is dead-on and the acting is well done on all parts, and over the top for comic effect. The Bulgari scene is worth it's weight in gold, the actress there deserves honorable mention! For those that panned it for being predictable - If you want a film with twists and turns that keep you guessing... then you want a thriller. This is a romantic comedy... it touched my heart and made me realize that I was lucky enough to find my true love in life, and it has been worth every effort along the way.
Great date movie, great movie for a happy cry...
Cargo (2006)
Intense, well paced, and well directed
Daniel Brühl stars as Chris, a plucky German traveler in Africa who stands up to pretty much everyone. In trouble with the local law and having lost his passport, he stows away on a cargo ship headed for Spain. Peter Mullan is brilliantly cast as the captain, Brookes, whose throaty drawl and demeanor are perfectly cast as a captain.
Once Chris is exposed as a stowaway on the ship, he becomes a part of the crew, but slowly starts to realize that the law and morality have no meaning on the high seas.
The film is moody, well shot, and the acting is exceptional. While many scenes are high intensity and very suspenseful, there is no excessive gore or any "boo" horror therein. The mood and the unanswered (and answered) questions leave the viewer questioning reality and what severe isolation must do to a crew of men such as these.
Daniel Bruhl is perfectly cast as Chris; his charisma turns on and off at will, and he transforms his character from complacent to annoyed in a second.
Peter Mullan accompanies Bruhl with his stolid, cryptic, and persistent mood, yet comes across as a character you have to like because he demands to be in charge.
For a moody, tense thriller with an intelligent back story, see this movie.
Paper Clips (2004)
Touching event, one-sided delivery
Inasmuch as I believe that stories like this should be told, I tend to agree with other "negative" reviewers in saying that this should be considered more of a congratulatory promotional video for the Paper Clips project than a "documentary." This one could have been a 22-minute TV special and covered everything adequately.
This movie tells of the outpouring of support and affection a small town in Tennessee gets after they receive national coverage of their project to collect 6 million paper clips to see "what 6 million looks like." They receive an outpouring of national and international letters and eventually the project becomes even bigger than they had ever expected.
While it has its slow parts, my chief complaint was that the syrupy violin music which permeated the *entire* movie (I kid you not) began to feel, ah, just a LITTLE manipulative. If you want to cry your eyes out both because of the tenderness and sadness of the disgrace that was the Holocaust, in addition to the fact that "these simple southern kids, man, these kids are honoring them ... sniff" then this is a movie for you.
The characters 1-dimensional, the kids are all positive, the teachers are reformed bigots, the holocaust survivors stories are touching and moving, and everyone is just so bloody positive about the whole thing.
If you're looking for anything hinting at controversy, the biggest is - (drum fill) Southern kids aren't all complete racists. Wow.
I suppose the greatest failure of the movie is that it truly leaves absolutely no room to actually have the viewer make up their own mind about anything... this would be a much more powerful piece if it provided any sort of counter-point to the constant smiley-faces, and actually challenged the viewer to use a brain cell.
Instead, it's a tear-jerking, overtly manipulative story which leaves little room for nuance.