Reviews & Ratings

[One-Way]

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The Color of Paradise

I saw this in my History of International Cinema class on Monday. This was arguably one of the best films I've seen recently, and is somewhere in my all time favorites. It's a beautiful film with minimal dialogue, which allows you to focus on the visuals. It's a film about a blind boy who feels neglected by his father, and it's as heartbreaking as you can imagine.

A Passage to India

This was my second David Lean film, because I've been trying to see them all in 35mm/70mm. It's a visually stunning film, and you can definitely feel the attention to the detail that Lean employs. There's a lot of things that make it feel dated, and it's a bit difficult to get into. I suppose after another viewing, it might prove easier. It's masterfully directed and that's what I was looking for, a craftsman's work.

You Don’t Know Jack

I thought Al Pacino was phenomenal. He saves one of his best performances for an HBO film - even know this wasn't intended for HBO, it's still a shame. Its supporting cast is strong, the direction is here and there, I was left unsure about the whole thing. I had a few problems with its pacing, but I could have been looking to into it. I think it did a good job telling us about the Dr. Kevorkian a lot of people don't know. I just remember growing up and everybody bashing him, but now, more and more people think he was wrongly accused. So, it's a bandwagon they had back then, and this film helps shed light on his intentions. For that reason, I enjoyed the film.

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Boy Interrupted

I have always been fascinated with death, because it's the scariest thing in the world. I have only been to one funeral and that was undoubtedly one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. I can't understand how a family can cope with a tragic death and go on living their lives. So, when I discovered that this documentary was made by a husband and wife about their child who committed suicide, I couldn't imagine what they would be discussing. Boy Interrupted is not without its flaws. It's extremely amateurish in its camerawork, and consists of pictures and home videos. Evan Scott Perry is the subject of the film, a boy who had been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. His mood swings and fascination with death led him to commit suicide at the age of 15.

There's something peculiar about this film. Evan's parents seem distanced from their son's life. There are numerous videos of Evan talking about killing himself, and while this comes as a shock to his parents, it's all handled so oddly. Evan's father is a calm and collected man, and his mother seems to expect his son to kill himself one day - at least that's the expression I got from them. Throughout the film, they discuss that had he not killed himself on that particular evening, that he would have done so later. While this may true, the way his family dealt with certain situations felt off-putting, almost as if they have no faith in their child.

There is no real structure in this documentary - it wanders along through interviews and gives us a briefing on Evan's life, then falls into a discussion about his uncle's suicide - until it finally gets back on track. Stylistically, it feels just as peculiar. There are certain shots that last forever, such as an unsettling picture of Evan that lasts for (and I'm not kidding) about 30 seconds. There are other pictures that are horrifying, but do their duty in showing you Evan's inner demons.

As a documentary, Boy Interrupted does its job. It gives you an intimate look inside this boy's life and his struggles and paints a portrait of who he was. Unfortunately, we can feel the filmmaker (Evan's mother) desperately pulling the heartstrings. Sometimes, it's subtle and you gain sympathy, while other times, you don't know what to feel. In a specific scene, at Evan's funeral, his mother smiles and laughs, something unbelievably unnatural. Despite its title - which is a blessing, in a sense, because I might have not stopped browsing and watched the film - this documentary succeeds in that it is unsettling and shows us the horrors of Bipolar Disorder, but suffers in its execution from the filmmaker's parents, who were perhaps not as objective as they should have been.

The Girlfriend Experience

I've been wanting to see this film for quite a while, based on curiosity and good word. I think the best thing about this film, as a whole, is its photography. It's shot on a digital camera (Red One) and looks absolutely beautiful. Steven Soderbergh - or should I say, Peter Andrews - knows how to photograph, frame, and light his shots. I love the long takes and its subtle way of revealing certain characteristics about the characters, such as the scene where Chelsea speaks to Chris, and we can't see her because she is sitting behind a couch.

There's something magical when a filmmaker knows how to take these beautiful shots and combine them with dialogue that feels natural, because it puts the viewer in the best position possible. As an audience, we are sitting in on their conversations - we're not thrown in and out of them through awkward cuts or close-ups - but are given a chance to observe them. The Girlfriend Experience heavily relies on this, it puts us in a position to listen and observe these encounters. I don't know how I feel about the film from this first viewing, but I think it's a film that will grow on me after multiple viewings. Its fragmented narrative works differently than, say Atom Egoyan, but it's an interesting way of telling this story. If nothing else, this film is an exercise in experimental filmmaking, which I'm always open to, especially in a time when filmmakers are turning to franchises and remakes. Steven Soderbergh gives us a breath of fresh air, and whether you like or dislike the film, you have to appreciate his efforts.

[One-Way]

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The Secret in Their Eyes

Roger Ebert closed his review for this film by saying that "this is a real movie, the kind they literally don't make very much anymore." I believe this is the best way to start my review because that's exactly how I felt while watching this film.

The Secret in Their Eyes allows its story to unfold in a particular way. The story of the film consists of a flashback of a murder that took place, and in present day, a single man attempts to write a novel about this occurrence. The film begins with a dreamlike scene, which is addressed later in the film through its narrative. In fact, much of the film is presented in spellbinding ways. Its cinematography is breathtaking - from its framing and shot selection to its five and a half minute long take of an ariel view at a soccer stadium that ultimately becomes a fast paced chase through the arena.

The Secret in Their Eyes is a film that holds your interest through its story and performances - in general, it's what a melodrama should be. There is also a delicate love story at its center, which adds to the lives of the characters. This hybridization of genres and its ability to go back and forth is what keeps this film moving - it's a thriller, a film full of suspense, a male melodrama, and a romance melodrama. Roger Ebert also said that this film deserved to win the Oscar, because it allows audiences to see the film. I'm glad it did win, because it may have taken me years to watch this film otherwise. In the end, you're left with a powerful ending, and you walk away feeling the magic of cinema. I really can't remember the last time I felt that magic.

The Virgin Spring

The Virgin Spring is both haunting and frightening, from its characters to its scenes. I think this is a perfect example of how to give us multiple story arcs, and keep the audience entertained and on the edge of their seats. Karin's story is horrifying, right down to her rape and murder, which speaks so deeply even after seeing years of Hollywood films butcher this cliché. In fact, The Secret in Their Eyes also deals with a rape and murder, and like this film, it is handled expertly despite its familiar conventions.

The Virgin Spring presents us with layers of thematics, from religion to the basic lessons of life and that you shouldn't talk to strangers. Ingmar Bergman handles all of these themes so well, and tells a suspenseful story. It's a film that allows viewers to get into the psyche of its characters, which is something I didn't expect and was greatly surprised by.

Husbands and Wives (Second Viewing)

If The Secret in Their Eyes and The Virgin Spring are tied together through their occurrences of rape and murder, Husbands and Wives ties in through Woody Allen's admiration for Ingmar Bergman. Interestingly, I was debating watching Wild Strawberries for the first time, a film that is referenced in Husbands and Wives. Irony.

I love Husbands and Wives for its destruction of the familiar conventions of filmmaking. It's jarring, sometimes oddly so, but it's fun. These characters are chaotic, and so are the formal elements of the film. This is one of my favorite Woody Allen films (possibly in my top ten) because it's fearless. There are some amazing performances here, including Judy Davis, Sydney Pollack and Liam Neeson. The film is full of a series of episodes, but there's beauty to be found in these scenes. There's quotes that you can pull out of each scene, and it's invaluable for a Woody fan.

Sadly, while watching one of the finals scenes, I suddenly remembered that Sydney Pollack had passed away. For some reason, it had completely slipped out of my mind, partly because Pollack's performance is so genuine. While watching him in his last scene, I felt sad, because here's an actor who was authentic. I don't know why, but his loss, in particular, is always felt when I watch him on perform.

[One-Way]

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Sleeper (Second Viewing)

Sleeper is full of brilliance and presents us with an interesting approach about life in the future. Supposedly, Woody Allen has backed up his ideas and claims everything in plausible. I won't argue with that, because I paid attention to some minor details and I don't believe his ideas are that far-fetched.

Woody Allen is hilarious and shows us his creativity in not only dealing with comical situations and one-liners, but also his range in dealing in slapstick comedy. In the first act of the film, his character is essentially an extension of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. I can imagine Woody Allen pitching his screenplay to producers -- what if you went in for an ulcer operation and woke up 200 years into the future? If the screenplay's author is Woody Allen, you buy.

Bananas (Second Viewing)

Sleeper and Bananas were featured together on a double-bill in 35mm. I had seen both films, but can't pass up an opportunity to see Woody on the big screen. Bananas was released two years prior to Sleeper and shows us a much more slapstick Woody. In this film, Woody Allen goes for laughs from his pratfalls to his physical humor. Bananas takes a political issue and turns it on its back, exploiting everything from media to governments. I truly like Bananas a lot more on its second viewing and can see a nice little romantic structure to it (along with Sleeper).

Hunger (Second Viewing)

If Bananas is the lightest, funniest film that you can get your hands on, Hunger is probably the darkest and most depressing. I had seen Hunger before, but wanted to refresh my memory. I asked my mother, father, and girlfriend to join... by the time the film ended, only my girlfriend remained. I guess, in retrospect, I should have warned them that this film was not for the lighthearted.

Hunger is beautifully photographed, and its daring in every sense. Its 16.5 minute long shot was just as amazing the second time around. Its performance, directing, and even its approach to handling such a subject matter is carefully executed. Sure, it's depressing, but it's a film that is on top of my list simply because it is so daring.

[ara87]

Re: Reviews & Ratings

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Times


6.7/10

It wasn't an epic film or anything, but I liked it enough and would most likely watch it again when it's on tv. I don't think that the cast was white washed, Jake Gyllenhaal did a fine job and resembles the actual character in the video games.

If you like The Mummy or Pirates of the Carribean you'll probably like the film as it has many scenes that would remind you of either series.


I had some dislikes though:

*Font Choice: Papyrus from MS Word
*Music: Sounds like a rip off The Mummy's music
*British Accents for all characters(?)
*Plot: Sick of Commentaries on the Iraq war

[One-Way]

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*Font Choice: Papyrus from MS Word

Avatar, as well. James Cameron couldn't design an original font for his $300 million film or what?

[Haykakan]

Re: Reviews & Ratings

This is not my review, i have not seen it yet but i thought i would post it because i am not that familiar with Egoyan's work and this review gives me a idea about how this movie relates to his other films.

June 6 2010


Film Review: Chloe

By Preston Wilder
Published on June 6, 2010

Two salient facts may be noted about Chloe. It's the film Liam Neeson
was making when he lost his wife Natasha Richardson in a skiing
accident; and it's the new film by Canadian director Atom Egoyan.
Unfortunately, both those facts are largely irrelevant. The first is
irrelevant because, even though the film's schedule was shuffled to
accommodate Neeson's grief, there's no indication that the plot or his
own role changed as a result. The second is irrelevant simply because,
these days, hardly anyone knows who Egoyan is.

It wasn't always thus. In the mid-to-late 90s, the ethnic-Armenian
auteur was quite a `name' director ` not to the mass audience, but
(for instance) in the way Almodovar is now. His films were often sexy,
but also repressed; they were keenly aware that keeping sex at arm's
length ` whether it was watching pornography, as in The Adjuster
(1991), or the look-but-don't-touch context of a strip club, as in
Exotica (1994) ` can be almost as arousing as actually doing it.
Egoyan also made good use of Sarah Polley, the pale, blonde teenage
actress known from TV's Road to Avonlea.

Both these trademarks recur in Chloe, which is why the new film is
best appreciated by fans of the old ones; alas, Egoyan seems to have
become cruder and more obvious in the years since. `This is a sexy
situation,' says someone in Chloe, and so it is: sex is everywhere in
this movie ` but always at arm's length, mostly witnessed by Catherine
(Julianne Moore) at one remove from the act itself. Her teenage son is
having it off with his girlfriend; a middle-aged friend is constantly
pawing his much younger consort; other friends talk about Don Juan and
his many lovers; one of Catherine's patients (she's a psychiatrist)
talks about orgasms, which Catherine dismisses as a series of muscle
spasms. There's `nothing mysterious' about the act of sex, she says
reassuringly.

She's wrong, of course ` or rather, she's both right and wrong. She's
right (for what it's worth) about the muscle spasms. But one of
Egoyan's main insights as a director is that the ways in which sex is
perceived ` the weight of mystery it assumes in people's psyche ` are
far more important than the act itself. Chloe starts with an actual
mystery, viz. whether Catherine's husband David (Neeson) is being
unfaithful. To find out, she hires Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), a
call-girl whose mission is to seduce David ` though not necessarily to
sleep with him.

Seyfried (the daughter in Mamma Mia!) is pale, young and blonde, with
big green eyes. In short, she looks a lot like Sarah Polley, and
Egoyan clearly wants to use her like he used Polley in his 90s films,
as a fount of youthful wisdom, kindness ` `I try to find something to
love in everybody' ` and dangerous idealism. She does well in the
early scenes, when the camera settles on her big eyes and long
lingering looks, but then Chloe starts to talk about what happens
between her and David (once again in Egoyan, talking about sex proves
almost as arousing as actually doing it) and it's clear Seyfried
doesn't have the stillness or gravitas to flesh out the character. And
when Chloe turns into a femme fatale, seducing the teenage son as a
kind of revenge, the whole film topples into Zalman King territory.

Still, it's refreshing to find a film that takes sex as its subject,
instead of treating it with the usual adolescent prurience. Like real
people, characters in Chloe use sex as a weapon: Chloe uses sex (with
David) as a way of getting closer to Catherine while Catherine uses
sex (with Chloe) as a way of getting closer to David, trying to feel
what he felt. Maybe it's a consequence of watching infantile films at
the multiplex week after week, but I did appreciate the
sophistication.

The problem isn't Egoyan's feel for human behaviour, it's what he does
with it. Simply put, his films used to be mysterious, whereas this one
is obvious. The final-act twist is transparent, the emotional currents
easily traceable. The architecture and décor ` Catherine's glass
house, one wall dominated by a framed photo of herself with her son as
a little boy ` are heavily symbolic. Above all, though the portrait of
a stale marriage has some felicities (Catherine's birthday present to
her husband is an impersonal bottle of Scotch), Chloe herself is an
abstraction at best, a cheap seductress at worst. `I can become your
dream, then disappear,' she says, describing her job to a customer.
Trouble is, she never appears very clearly in the first place.

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/reviews/film-review-chloe/20100606

[One-Way]

Re: Reviews & Ratings

I don't know if you read my blog entry, but I wrote about Chloe after seeing it at an advance screening several months ago. If you have seen his films (or even if you're not and you're just interested), it might be a worthwhile read.

http://cinematicadoration.blogspot.com

[One-Way]

Re: Reviews & Ratings

The Return

Andrei Zvyagintsev is a fantastic director, and arguably one of the best who is working today, but you haven't heard of him. I've known of his work for a year or two now but haven't had the chance to see his films. Although he's made only two films, there is something quite distinct about his style that is quite reminiscent of Andrei Tarkovsky.

The Return is his first feature film and it's about two young children and their father, who returns home after 12 years. Their father takes the boys on a camping trip, as they begin to learn about this unknown man. There are many reasons why I loved this film, particularly its cinematography and direction, but also the strong performances from the young children. It's an interesting character study on these three characters, whose lives change over the course of several days.

Some Like It Hot (Third Viewing)

I consider Some Like It Hot my favorite comedy, and don't think you know comedy until you've seen this film. That's all.

Calendar (Second Viewing)

Calendar became my third favorite Atom Egoyan film (behind Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter, respectively) after seeing it for the first time several months ago. This time, I decided to watch it with my parents and girlfriend, who found this to be an interesting and rather experimental film. It's a good film to become introduced to his style, but it's also a structured film. I enjoyed the film just as much (if not more) during the second viewing, and think it's independent filmmaking at its finest.

Talk to Her

I have only seen All About My Mother from Pedro Almodóvar, but Talk to Her has instantly become a favorite of mine. It's a deeply complex story, with a beautiful structure to its narrative. It's a film to become immersed in because it's storyline is so rich. Talk to Her shows us why Pedro Almodóvar is a storyteller, and tells us why we should be listening to his stories.

The Sea Inside

I've been meaning to see The Sea Inside for a year or two, after hearing great things from friends. I have heard from many that this film made them cry, so I decided it was finally worth watching because I was in that sort of mood. The Sea Inside is a heartbreaking film with beautiful cinematography and a strong performance from Javier Bardem. It's a film that will pull with your heart strings, but allows you to become more relatable to the character instead of sympathizing with him. In my opinion, it's not a terribly sad film, but a very good one that allows you to look inside his life and understand his pain.

Taken

Liam Neeson kicks butt, shoots strangers, dodges bullets, and brings back his daughter after she has been kidnapped, only to have her walk away from him into the arms of her mother and stepfather, in Taken.

I can understand why people went to see Taken and I can understand why Liam Neeson took on this role - probably to pay his bills. It's not a good film by any means, and it's almost impossible to watch because of its dull dialogue. I laughed once or twice, literally begin thrown out of the film, to simply roll my eyes at certain scenes. With that said, it's an entertaining film that was plagued by too much action. I wish I could get inside the heads of people who love such action films - we know he's going to survive and get away in all of his adventures, so what's the point in putting up with them?

Taken takes a serious issue about human trafficking and puts a Hollywood spin on it, with two scoops of a happy ending. I'm just like everybody else, sometimes I don't care so much about the content or the form and want to enjoy an entertaining film, but there's a fine line between enjoying yourself and laughing at its stupidity. I have to say, however, that Liam Neeson's daughter in the film, played by Maggie Grace is a horrible actor. For some reason, she runs... weird, but all in all, she's terrible in every single scene.

Sunset Blvd. (Second Viewing)

I had seen this film only once before, in Spring 2008, for a class. It was my introduction to Billy Wilder, and since then, I consider him one of the greatest filmmakers. Sunset Blvd. was better the second time around, probably because I had the chance to see it in 35mm, on Sunset Blvd. For that reason, it just added to the entire feel of the film, knowing I was in the same city and streets as the scenes in the film.

Sunset Blvd. is great storytelling with a powerful narrative that is both engaging and entertaining. Gloria Swanson is terrifying, but that's because she's a good actress. This is a classic of American cinema and a true testament to Billy Wilder's talent.

[Haykakan]

Re: Reviews & Ratings

Thanks One-Way. Your reviews are most helpful unfortunately i have not seen Atom's latest film in any theater around here.