chani | Entries tagged with film review

I was a bad girl. I went to the movies instead of marking papers. Perhaps I should have marked papers...

So I went and saw 2012...just because Chiwetel Ejiofor had a major role in it. I'm sure he'd manage to act his way through the crappiest movies and yet would remain somehow untarnished because he's just a classy talented actor, and I hope this big movie would help his career but it's probably the worst film he has played in.

Don't get me wrong I like me some disaster movies from time to time– for example I actually enjoyed The Day After Tomorrow despite a certain formulaic storyline (the brave daddy turned into a hero!)– but in this case the suspension of disbelief was really really impossible and I didn't think it was possible to write more clichés and more predictable scenes!

When I see a big Hollywood crap like that on the silver screen I love my tv shows even more.

Now it's Rugby time, we're playing South Africa for a test match!

ETA: They did it! They ruled the game and beat the world champions 20-13!

As usual it's a fact that we can beat any team during a test match but we can't do it when it's the world cup. Go figure.

ETA 2: I am not alone! via

whedonesqueI found this article! I can't help quoting the ending:

"The movie's most spectacular special effect is an actor. As far as I can recall, Ejiofor has never given a bad performance, although near the end of "2012" Emmerich, surely unwittingly, challenges that record by saddling him with an overwrought and overwritten speech about how necessary it is for human beings to treat one another with kindness and compassion -- otherwise, why save the human race at all? Ejiofor delivers this tin-can dialogue, which probably took Emmerich all of 12 minutes to write between bites of sandwich and phone calls to his agent, as if it were the St. Crispin's Day speech: With his perfect and yet wholly human enunciation, he turns a few dumb words into a tone poem of deep emotion and conviction. I leaned forward in my seat, gladly buying every syllable of this godforsaken baloney and then, when it was over, wishing there were more. The Rockies may tumble, Gibraltar may crumble, but Ejiofor, thank God, is here to stay."

Yesterday I saw Das Weisse Band , Le Ruban Blanc, which got La Palme d'Or in Cannes this year. I usually don't like Haneke's films for I think that, since Funny Games, he has just made films for the shock-value, to hurt the audience, to punch them in the face with the unbearable violence showed on screen, as if the film and the actors were just a tool used to cause a reaction. I don't mind violence and shocking scenes in movies as long as they mean something, and make sense story-wise, even if what it means is that some time violence is meaningless and just happens in the most cruel, uggly and gratuitous way, but Haneke always made me think that he didn't care much about his work, or at least cared less about it than about the uneasiness it caused. I'm sure it did it with the best intentions, to educate the viewers, just like the parents showed in Das Weisse Band.

So I used to consider Michael Haneke a perverse film-maker rather than a film-maker interested in perversity; I found his films gratuitous and unhealthy, especially La Pianiste which I hated.

However this film is different, and for the first time, I saw a movie that has a true aesthetic side, and I saw Haneke examine the mechanism of perversity rather than being perverse himself. In a way, I could write now a review that would draw a parallel between what happens on screen in this movie and what Haneke used to do with his previous films (well I already kind of did above).

In Das Weisse Band the cinematography is great (white and black movies always are), the kids are fantastic, the atmosphere is heavy as it should be. Haneke took care over his film.

( Read more... )

Today I saw another of the Cannes films that won a prize. It's the British Fish Tank, and again its Prix du Jury is well deserved. That portrait of a teenage girl won't be forgotten.

Mia is a rebellious British teenager whose life isn't a piece of cake. Actually it sucks a lot. You wouldn't want to live in that Essex housing estate that is her fish tank. As for her family, it sucks too, her mother (the wonderful actress that starred in Loach's Its a Free World) wouldn't get a prize in parenting, and her little sister has a filthy mouth(yes the film is filled by bad language from all the female characters but the little sister delivers a very creative coarse language and is hilarious). The three females basically keep insulting each other all the time. Mia doesn't go to school anymore and she doesn't have any friends left. The 15 year old Mia is alone, feeling awful –she hides her body beneath shapeless sportswear just like she hides her softer side–reckless and restless.
The fish tank is the metaphor of the many cages Mia wants to escape. One of the them is her own body, hence her drinking booze (something her mother must have passed on her), her practicing hip-hop dance when nobody watches, and her trying to free a white horse who's chained up by some gypsies in a wasteground. One day a man shows up in the flat and sees her; Connor a hunk whom Mia's mother has brought back. His arrival leads to new possibilies, hope and, perhaps, disappointments.

( Read more... )

Yesterday evening S. and I went out for dinner and for a movie. We saw Tarantino 's Inglourious Basterds which I did like, as the great crazy uchronia it is, despite the fact that we arrived only 5 minutes before the showing and therefore ended in the first row (S. appreciated it for he has long legs but we were too close to the screen and to the speakers!). It is not a masterpiece but it is a good Tarantino.

( Read more... )
Speaking of good stuff, I re-watched Caprica pilot and enjoyed it even more than the first time. It's partly due to the deep sadness the pilot conveys (what did you expect I'm a fan of Tom McRae!), both because it's a prequel and we know that Caprica is doomed while the characters are clueless, and because of the pilot arc and how the connection between the Adamas and the Graystones started. It is also due to the first-class acting from Eric Stoltz who found the perfect role in Daniel Graystone, and, to the score.

Bear McCreary composed a beautiful soundtrack indeed. It's spot-on and the pilot wouldn't be the same without it. Bear's music has really become a key element of the BSG world/mythology in its own right. However the score doesn't imitate the themes he composed for Battlestar Galactica. Here it is more "classical" and elegant, often haunting and melancholy, sometimes nagging like a persistent pain (it's all about grieving and longing) but never indulging in schmaltz. Bear plays around a main melody and intertwines various themes in a complex yet evident way. I have been listening to the soundtrack for hours now. Here's the last track, a sort of medley of the major themes.

Bear himself explains its structure: "The first sound you hear is Paul Cartwright’s solo fiddle playing the Tauron Theme. At 0:25, the chamber orchestra sneaks in playing the Graystone Theme. At 1:02, after the theme is fully stated, the low strings enter with an ominous version of the Graystone Ostinato. From there, a harp begins the Tauron Ostinato at 1:22. A solo flute introduces a full statement of the Tauron Theme, at 1:30, and the orchestra begins cascading variations of that melody and ostinato, building intensity. At 2:44, the strings and bassoons burst into an energetic version of the Daniel Ostinato that gradually fades out at the end of the track."

Bear McCreary actually explained in details how he worked on Caprica score on that wonderful blog of his. It's a fascinating read.

( Thoughts about what might happen in the series )
I know there's a long wait until the series begins in January but I look forward to watching it. As for those on my flist who weren't BSG fans but might consider watching its spin-off for James Marsters only, I strongly urge them to watch the pilot first.

Current Mood: content
Current Music: Bear McCreary- Caprica Soundtrack

Today I was at the cinema and saw the original and beautiful Elia Suleiman's film, The Time That Remains. It's a shame it didn't win anything in Cannes Festival.

It's a semi-autobiographical chronicle that follows Palestinian people, especially the director's father, in Nazareth from 1948 to nowadays. I wonder if the title has something to do with Pauline Epistles given that Elia Suleiman used his father's notebooks and his mother's letters to exiled relatives, to tell the story.

There are very few dialogues and the film mostly consists in saynettes that play on the absurd which may put off some viewers but it is beautifully shot, and the humour is irresistible.

I had rarely seen a Palestinian's movie that talks about the situation of Palestinians(or rather Isreali-Arabs) who remained in their homeland and have been living, as a minority, in Israel since 1948 while being that funny, poetic and tragic at once. Suleiman is a mixing of Jacques Tati and Buster Keaton...there's even a little bit of Chaplin in him.

The Time That Remains isn't perfect, the choregraphed playlets may annoy eventually and some viewers may prefer more pathos, political message and less distance. Personally I enjoyed the style and the way the director shows the everyday life of the Suleiman family and its neighbours in Nazareth, even though I'd rather have less Elia Suleiman in front of the camera in the long last 15 minutes(he portrays himself observing life around him).

At the end of the day it's a must see. Besides the actor playing Elia's father, Fuad Suleiman, is really handsome. I mean, really.

In the past 7 days I saw 3 films. Unfortunately none of them was a masterpiece.

( A film from the Middle East )

( A film from the USA )

( A film from Spain )

Current Mood: accomplished

Yesterday I saw There Will Be Blood...I wasn't really blown away despite some interesting stuff and intense scenes (at the beginning of the film mostly). Probably too Bible-oriented for my taste.

*spoilers under the cut*

( Read more... )

What can I say? I'm more Greek-oriented. By the way speaking of Daniel and D men...I watched Lost again.

( Lost, The Constant Love )

( A few words on Ashes to ashes )

Current Mood: accomplished

As promised, my film review...

( Uno )

I saw Transamerica today but will review it later. Tired now.

Current Mood: tired

I went back to the movies and saw 2 films in 4 days. V for Vendetta and Inside Man. One is really better than the other. Guess which one?

( V isn't Edmond Dantès )

( The last Spike's joint )

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: David Bowie- Days

The last movies I saw weren't very good. Actually they were rather mediocre, and I'm nice when using the word mediocre. I don't like to write bad reviews but I have a couple of things to say about them so I'll say them in French behind the cut.

( Aurore by Niels Tavernier is a fairy tale and fairy tales aren't easy to make on screen, especially when they want to turn them into a ballet. )

Unfortunately in fine even Carolyn Carlson's and Kader Belarbi 's original choregraphies didn't save that movie.

Yesterday I went to see an Italian movie, Romanzo Criminale with 3 friends. I wasn't hoping for a masterpiece since I've heard a review by Elizabeth Quin on tv that was not full of praise...

( A bunch of hunks doesn't necessarily make a good movie )

I wish I could see a good film soon...En attendant Godot, I'm going to watch the last eppy of Lost.

Current Mood: disappointed
Current Location: Maison
Current Music: Julien Clerc- La Petite Sorcière Malade

I saw Renaissance, an animated French movie, yesterday, and still can't decide whether it was good or not. As you can see, the animation is stunning. It was filmed with actual actors first and they used Motion Capture thingies, then transformed into a black and white comic-strip style which turned into something you have NEVER seen before ! It's simply incredible.

In the year 2054 in Paris, police and the Avalon Corp. are trying to find a kidnapped researcher, Ilona Tasuievn...

For the non-French users of my flist, here's the trailer:

Renaissance

( Bilingual thoughts )

Current Mood: contemplative

Yeah, like herself_nyc a while ago, I'm thinking of Candide ou l'optimisme...I haven't read it for years, actualy I've never re-read it since I was in Seconde (first year of French Highschool). I remember a few things from my Literature course though, and it was obvious for me that I had to make an entry with this...

...because I went to the movies and finally saw The Constant Gardener.

( Candide in Africa...half-English half-French inside )

Current Mood: pessimistic
Current Music: Marianne Faithfull- Marathon Kiss

I saw Pride and Prejudice on Tuesday and haven't reviewed I didn't know what to say.

( P & P )

The nasty lurking bug I mentioned a while ago, came out eventually. I almost threw up and passed out in the classroom, in front of my students yesterday, and ended up very ill (and feeling awful for "making a show" of my condition) in the teachers' restroom, so I stayed in the warm this morning. I'm feeling better, but tired and headachy.

Oh and I've just watched the last Lost.

( Lost 2x12 )

Current Mood: aching

According to Aristotle a tragedy is a form of drama characterized by seriousness and dignity, usually involving a conflict between a character and some higher power, such as the law, the gods, fate, or society.

In The Poetics, he also says that tragedy results in a catharsis of healing for the audience through their experience of these emotions in response to the suffering of the characters in the drama. That would be the goal of any tragedy. Therefore, a tragic show would be a kind of vaccination against passions

In Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche viewed tragedy as the art form of sensual acceptance of the terrors of reality and rejoicing in these terrors in love of fate (amor fati).

On Friday afternoon I saw Brokeback Mountain and yesterday I watched Battlestar Galactica 1x08 (interview with a cylon!) in the afternoon, then I spent a night at the opera (that was the title of a Queen's album, wasn't it?) and saw Madame Butterfly.

Did they fit in the definitions?

( Brokeback Mountain...slightly spoilerish )

( Battlestar Galactica )

( Butterfly )

Current Mood: sad
Current Music: Madame Butterfly, Act II

It was rainy today, a perfect weather for movie time so I went to see Clooney's movie. I had papers to mark but I just couldn't. I've not been feeling well for a few days, I've even kept a basin not far away from my bed at night, because I suspected an upcoming gastro-enteritis, but so far I'm just feeling tired, queasy, over-emotional, and a bit fevered. I'm sure there's a virus eating me within my body but it hasn't unveiled itself yet. Bastard! So since I couldn't fall asleep last night, I re-watched late reruns of Nip/Tuck on the cable. They've begun to show season 3 at last, but last night there was first the finale of s2 and then the first eppy of season 3. I watched both.

( Nip/Tuck )

( Good Night and Good Luck )

Current Mood: nauseated
Current Music: Marianne Faithfull- Great Expectations

Should heroes age?

Can we picture an old Superman, an old Batman...an old Buffy?

Today was definitely a DVDS day. Tonight I decided to watch Richard Lester's Robin and Marian starring Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn (and the talented Nicol Williamson as Little John and Robert Shaw as the Sheriff of Nottingham). It's a beautiful love story between two middle-aged people (Sean and Audrey are both terrific) but it also asked the question of the aging hero...in this case, Robin Hood.

Goldman, who wrote the scenario, explained that he based much of the story on actual medieval ballads concerning the death of Robin...

( Robin and Marian )

But back to Buffy...Could, should The Slayer age? Maybe there was something about The Cruciamentum ritual I didn't see at the time...

Current Mood: nostalgic

Two reviews concerning the two last films I saw, The Wayward Cloud and Where The Truth Lies.

I really don't know what to say about the Taiwanese movie, Tian bian yi duo yun (The Wayward Cloud), except that it is a cinematographic experience, even though I prefered Tsai Ming-Liang's previous works (like The River). It isn't a movie for everybody and certainly not for kids. First off it's a movie for photographers and people who enjoy arty shots. Every shot is thought, polished, built as a masterpiece of cinematic work. There are a few amazing shots in the film. But above all, it's a conceptual movie with a symbolical language and haunting themes (that are in all of his films).

As for the pitch:

A very hot summer in Taipei drives everybody on the edges. It's very dry so the lack of water quickly becomes an issue. Watermelons are cheap and they can stand in for water. A young woman and a young man live in the same building. They have nothing in common but some day they meet up and love ensues, but she doesn't know he makes a living as a porn actor playing in movies just above her own apartment.

( The Wayward Cloud )

I went to see Atom Egoyan's Where The Truth Lies because of the two leading actors, Kevin Bacon who is often excellent and Colin Firth who is well...Colin Firth! By the way I kinda feel the urge to watch my DVDs of Pride and Prejudice BBC style...

A successful comedy duo, Lenny and Vince who were a national sensation thanks to their mob-run nightclub and telethon act, split up in the 50's after they were both involved in the demise of a young girl, Maureen, whose body was found in their suite in New Jersey. 15 years later a young journalist, Karen O'Connor, who used to be a big fan of the duo, wants to know the truth. But of course it's more complicated than that...

The revelation, the truth that we apparently get in the end, is not as important to the movie as the actual journey. It looks like true film noir but what I liked about this film is that it seemed mainstream but actually was not at all. It had a very refreshing tone and actually conned the audience.

( Wanna find the truth? )

Current Mood: calm

I went to see Hwal (The Bow), the last Kim Ki-duk's movie...I've seen most of his films and I loved Bin-Jip (3-Iron) last year.

This last movie is a sort of tale. The title comes from the bow the main character uses to protect his floating "home" and that he can turn into a stringed instrument by adding a few pieces. The pitch was intriguing and refreshing. A man, in his 60's, lives on a boat somwhere out to sea, with a young girl. They make a living by hosting fishermen aboard for a day or more. We learn thanks to the fishermen' conversations that the old man found the girl when she was 6, 10 years ago and has raised her since then...planning to marry her when she is 17. The sea man is also a fortune-teller.

But maybe Kim ki-duk makes too many films, too fast...

( Strings, swings and arrows )

Current Mood: calm

I'm on holiday!

I went to a boring training session yesterday (in Geography!) and I had only 3 hours of teaching this morning, so as soon as I left my colleagues, after a last lunch at our favourite Chinese restaurant, I went to the movies in the afternoon...The sky was grey, kinda rainy, perfect to spend some time in a theatre. Of course I could have done some X-mas shopping...Could have, should have...

I saw Tommy Lee Jones ' modern western, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Not a masterpiece, but definitely a good movie! I'm glad I saw it at last. There's some very interesting stuff in that film, and it shows that sometimes, in order to find a place you have to make it up. So actually a film about the Border and the contrasts that are apparent there, turned out to speak of the Frontier! A true western then, really worth-seeing.

( On the road to Jimenez )

Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: Tom Mc Rae- Human Remains

I indulged myself with some DVD time tonight and rewatched To Kill A Mockingbird.

I think I hadn't watched it for 15 years or so...Gregory Peck has always been one of my favourite actors. For some people it's James Stewart, or John Wayne or Robet Mitchum...For me it's Gregory Peck. I guess it started when I saw him in Duel In The Sun, playing that bad boy of Lewt whom Jennifer Jones lusted after. I was quite young but I thought that Pearl Chavez was a lucky girl, even though the ending is bloody tragic! It wasn't Gregory Peck's best role, the film sucks sometimes but it's a guilty pleasure and Gregory was simply beautiful.

( Through a child's eyes )

Current Mood: lethargic

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Entries tagged with film review

Vendredi 13

The sins of the fathers

Little women

Good acting and good music

When a personal story meets a people's history

A week at the cinema

Oil, water and ashes

Before going to Marking Hell Number Two

En attendant Cannes...

Movie blues

Sometimes you just don't know

Mais il faut cultiver notre jardin !

Lost pride

And the week ended tragically

Back to the movies

On aging heroes

As promised

Well well

Initiatic American Journey

Sometimes you just need a good classic

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July 2013

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