27.1.07
Lots
I have a serious backlog, so it's time for very short reviews of everything else I have seen this January:
Memoirs of a Geisha – 2005
The plot is too complicated to describe in detail here, but it's about a poor girl who works her way up the geisha ranks to be the most famous. It's a great film with a fair bit of emotion packed in. The cast is pretty good, despite the lack of actual Japanese. Lovely love story included. Proud Ziyi Zhang is ever easy on the eyes and plays the lead. Also stars Li Gong, Ken Watanabe and the amazing Michelle Yeoh. The whole cast rules. Obviously it is all glorified to the extreme. I enjoyed it. 7.5/10
Kate on imdb comments for this film says this about the film and I agree: "So, let me re-address the question: Can a group of American men and Chinese actresses render the world of a geisha? The answer, I guess, really depends on what you are looking for. If you would like a little bit of delight from an aesthetically pleasing picture with a vague standard for authenticity and realism, this movie delivers it. I would not say Rob Marshall (director) failed completely. Memoirs of a Geisha is not the first, nor the last, movie that subjects another culture to the crude lens of American exoticism. It definitely is not the worst one."
March of the Penguins – 2005
Remarkable documentary-film. Planet Earth touched on this fascinating world of the penguin, but we learn a great deal more with this picture narrated very well by Morgan Freeman. Simply fascinating, and it's always good to stop and realise what goes on out there. Such a harsh evironment for these cute animals. 8/10
Mission Impossible – 1996
Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Jean Reno, Jon Voight, Vanessa Redgrave, Kristin Scott Thomas and some French bint work to create a complicated, but brilliant, action film. Cruise makes Ethan Hunt to be one of the best action characters out there. Great entertainment, but not if your looking for a no thinking required action film. 7.5/10
Mission Impossible II – 2000
This one is directed by God John Woo, and so visually it's better than the first. Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton (damned sexy in this) and Brendan Gleeson support with Ving, back for more, too. Good stuff. 7/10
The Ring – 2002
Naomi Watts (King Kong) stars in this American remake of the Japanese original. Not quite as good, but a damn fine attempt. The main guy just ain't as cool though as the Japanese guy in the original Ringu. 6/10
United 93 – 2006
The story of the fourth plane to crash during 9/11 due to the passengers uprising against the terrorist idiots. The conclusion is extremely well done and impacts that bit harder as you realise clearly what it must have been like for them. It's a tense film, as you would expect. You feel the chaos, and it remains pretty neutral throughout. 8/10
X-men: The Last Stand – 2006
Introducing more characters with some unexpected moments if you are not that familiar with the comics, like me. Vinnie Jones looks great as Jugganaut, just a shame they gave him some lines. Ellen Page plays Kitty and boy is she hot; another highly attractive Canadian gal! Problem is too many characters are introduced with no development. They are simply packed in too show off their cool abilities. It's safe to say the fans hate it, especially with the complete fuck around of the Phoenix plot. I sort of enjoyed it, mainly due to Shakespearean actors Stewart and Mckellen who both bring so much to these films and I do believe they enjoy this far-removed stuff. It does have some great action moments. 5/10
Dawn of the Dead
Dawn of the Dead – 2004
A very entertaining gorefest with interesting characters. The violence has a touch of comedy to it, so cannot be that shocking. The zombies move fast which adds to the horror and makes this film different to the usual slow walking easy-to-kill zombies in other zombie flicks. The film gets moving pretty damn suddenly, probably after 2 minutes of normality. Suddenly the world has gone to hell and zombies are everywhere, and we follow a small random bunch of survivors; forced together, and end up holding out in a mall. This film will easily keep your interest for the duration; if you have friends round, fuck em and enjoy the flick. They won't wanna socialise either anyway. It's that good! The cast includes Ving Rhames (Mission Impossibles) playing typical solid (with underlying passion) guy who acquires extremely necessary shotgun. Brit Jake Weber plays the nice guy and love interest of main character Ana (excellent Canada actress Sarah Polley). Everyone is really good at head shots which is convenient, cus that's best way to down these zombies. This film is simply fun! It's a remake of the 1978 Romero original. The general consensus is that it is just as good. 7.5/10
12.1.07
Life shit
I'm going to be away from the internet for a couple of weeks, possibly longer, due to life shit. Life shit that keeps me away from doing all I enjoy doing most: watching films, surfing the net, travelling, reading, video games, beers with friends. Wish i was rich. Some folks say rich people, who don't need to work cus they inherited a fortune, get bored with life, and do not have the satisfaction that comes with gaining riches yourself from hard work. Not me, I would relish it for I am A MAN OF VERY MANY HOBBIES (and little care for the world)! Ahahahhahahahhahah. Oh well, life pulls me away. See ya in good time.
Coming soon: Memoirs of a Geisha, Mission Impossible, Mission Impossible 2 and March of the Penguins.
6.1.07
Films i saw over the Christmas period
I have really not had time for my beloved film reviews. So here be some REALLY short reviews of the films I have seen in past month. I might expatiate in my own good time damn it.
The Da Vinci Code – 2006
Tom Hanks being surprisingly dull as symbologist Robert Langdon from the book everyone read on the train, except those that can't read a book from start to finish (70% of Brits I think... I may have made that up, but it's probably true). Book is good, but this film lost a great deal given the book was written like a frickin film. No one was really amazing, despite the impressive cast. Average. 5/10
The White Countess – 2005
An absolutley wonderful film from an amazing writer (Kazuo Ishiguru) and with one of my fave actors: Ralph Fiennes. Kazuo also was behind another amazing film and book: Remains of the Day. It's set in Shanghai in 1936. It's a romance involving a blind American who realises his dreams by setting up his idea of a perfect classy bar, and an exiled and now poor Russian countess, Sofia. Both have intriguing backgrounds too shown with almost anime-style flashbacks. The film ends with the Japanese invasion. 9/10
Ronin – 1998
This action film set in France stars De Niro, Jean Reno, Stellan Skarsgard and Brits: Natascha McElhone, Jonathan Pryce and Sean Bean. Sean Bean is sadly God-awful in this film. His acting just didn't come across too well, though it was early in his career and an awkward character to play: coward acting hard. It's about a bunch of folks chasing a very important case with unknown contents. Lots of shooting and impossible car chases. I enjoyed it. 6/10
Mrs Henderson Presents – 2005
Lots of boobies! Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins and Will Young are great in this film, set between the two great wars, about a rich woman, who has recently lost her husband and has lost meaning to her life, and so she decides to start her own theatre. She buys the derelict Windmill theatre in London's West End. Competition eventually becomes tough so she takes the extremely controversial step of having nude women in her shows. It's an enjoyable film and Dench plays a fun and lively character. 7/10
2.1.07
National Security
National Security – 2003
From reading the imdb user reviews, this film is pretty much hated by many people. A few claim it is racist against white people with the main black character blaming all his life problems on white people. The bad guys are all white; most black characters in the film being perfect citizens. The main black character keeps playing the race card and dislikes the fact the main white character (Steve Zahn) has a black girlfriend. The black man against white man humour is taken to the extreme and totally overdone by the end of the film, but can be enjoyed to start off with. The black character is played by Martin Lawrence, who at times is funny and at others dire (in real life he seems to be a bit of a dick -- arrested for carrying a loaded gun in 1996 at an airport plus a few more incidents involving the law later). Steve Zahn's acting is a bit dodgy at times in this film. I have to admit I did laugh a fair amount and did not look into it too deeply like those angry imdb users. It is just a fun film, after all, with a happy silly ending. 5/10
