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Reviews
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Pleasant Brit of a Surprise
My screen writing professor had us watch this in class one day because it followed the Jack Epps style of writing.
The title put me off. I thought I would have to be subject to another cheesy horror film that I was forced to watch by my older siblings when I was a kid. But I was pleasantly surprised.
I liked this movie for its round-about British humor and the zombie action. I have watched many British films and shows and so I understood a lot the humor, whereas my fellow classmates were lost.
Shaun's character is hilarious. I like that he is almost 30 and still lives in a flat with his friend from university but then has his best friend who is practically a schlep and goes on Shaun's dates with Liz.
I liked Shaun's mum as she was trying to not get into the way. The step dad cracks me up with his rigid ways and then trying to keep the Jag all nice and neat while driving through London throughout "Z-day"
Overall, this movie has great humor and makes great impressions of the zombies. I wasn't put off by their actions in this film as they can be absolutely annoying in other films.
I would watch this any day to keep my spirits up.
Jewels (1992)
Aw, please! (possible spoilers)
I was a kid when I saw this film and I thought it was wonderful. What little girl wouldn't enjoy watching a movie about fancy rocks and racy family members? I certainly did. My mother and I would watch this movie practically every weekend. Now that I am an adult, I realize that I have been deceived. How is it that most mini-series initially come out to be really great, but then a few years down the road, they turn out kind of crummy?!
Character's actions. Some of the characters were just not believable. I thought that Sarah (Annette O'Toole) had the tinniest laugh when she meets William (Anthony Andrews) for the first time. At least he was a perfect gentleman and didn't say anything to her about it. O'Toole has a superficiality throughout the entire movie that I just wanted to squish. Then their child Philip. What an ungracious, spoiled brat! I'm sorry, but if I were in her shoes and escaping from the Nazi's, I'd say, "Take my child, not me" I have to say I enjoyed the château immensely and I don't blame the bad guys for moving into it and making it their headquarters.
I have to say the only really good actors were William and the adult Phillip. They seemed to be the most enjoyable actors throughout the whole movie. I particularly enjoyed William while he was in his wheelchair and having all of those heart attacks. Then Phillip, he could run a harem the way he was running around town with that French Floozy.
They should change the title of this film to "William and Phillip" as they kept me entertained.
Abril Despedaçado (2001)
Grab a box of Kleenex (possible spoilers)
This movie has to be one of the best foreign films I have ever seen.
For some reason, I didn't think much of the title and therefore, didn't think I was going to enjoy the movie. But I did!
First of all, I honestly chose the movie because of Rodrigo Santoro. I am in love with this man and his name was the first one I saw on the "Info" button. I figured that any movie with him in it, regardless if he has lines or not, is worth watching. And, as usual, I was right.
I felt for Tonio (Santoro) when he has to avenge his brother's death. You can clearly see he does this out of duty, but honestly has no desire to kill someone. I personally think that the entire family feud is ridiculous. Then the "Eye for an Eye", but then it doesn't even out when family members die and then their deaths need to be avenged over and over again. That tradition is as dumb as nails.
Then the little boy, Pacú. I wanted to cuddle him up, especially when he was "reading" his book. I thought he was the cutest thing trying to come up with a story about the mermaid and the man who goes with her to the sea.
The parents need to lighten up a bit, especially the father. What a bully! but then again, what does one expect in times and latin cultures? I couldn't believe it when he gets upset at Tonio when he takes Pacú to the circus. Why couldn't the little boy have some diversions to rid himself of those awful memories? I thought it was so cute when Pacú tells Tonio he's going to marry Clara. (She had such pretty eyes!)
I have words to say about the other family. LEARN SPORTSMANSHIP!!!!! The Breves family played by the rules; why couldn't they?
In all, this is a very touching film. For some parts, you may need to grab some Kleenex or a potted plant to water it because of an abundance of tears.
I give this movie a 9 out of 10!
Anything Else (2003)
Background Filler Noise (possible spoilers)
You'd think, "Hmm, a Woody Allen movie? Must be great!"
WRONG!!!!!
Slow, boring and bad.
I thought, especially with Woody's repertoire of films and with the actors he chose, that this movie would be another one of his classics that everyone loves.
The actors too! Jason Biggs is a great actor as well as almost everybody else in this film, but the script... Words cannot describe this script.
His character is such a sap! and Christina Ricci's character with her mother. It's like, alright already! Get on with the rest of the world and your life! She keeps brooding over the smallest stuff and besides, she's such a floozy. Then her mother moving in. Oh no. I could not handle my mother moving into my apartment with my boyfriend. I'd have to shoot something or someone. Let's grow up, people!
I kept watching this movie only to see if the storyline would pick up the pace and maybe entice me to watch it even more. When it didn't, all I could think of was what a waste of time, money and electricity I wasted on a movie like this. It was so bad (and I'm being serious) that my VCR ate the tape.
If you're going to watch this movie, use it as background noise.
Hatuna Meuheret (2001)
Use Imagination (possible spoilers)
I was intrigued by the title as well as the cover picture of this movie. The main character, Zaza, is very handsome, but the title "Late Marriage" makes you think. So, when at the local Blockbuster, I rented this film from the Foreign film rack.
I have to say I was a little confused how the story carried itself out. I know every culture is different and that some cultures require their children to marry by a certain age. I thought the beginning of the movie was funny, especially when Zaza's parents take him to meet a "ready" girl. When Zaza tells his parents she's not the one, I see their frustration. Clearly, he likes the girl, but something is obviously holding him back.
The storyline appears to jump all over the place, leading the audience to believe one event is going to take place when something else totally unexpected happens. However that doesn't mean that you cannot feel for the characters. especially Zaza and his girlfriend (whatever her name is) At one point, I cried with Zaza. His feelings are so evident and I felt like beating the parents up with a sledge hammer. His parents are so two-faced! I just wanted to tell Zaza to disappear with his girl and never come back. He was either being very respectful to his parents or either just wouldn't stand up to them.
Even though the plot went off the charts, the acting performed by the main character's Zaza and the girlfriend was really excellent. You (the audience) can see what kind of mental anguish they go through at one point. Also, some scenes *ahem* were a bit unnecessary, but at least you can see for yourself what kind of a connection these two have together.
I enjoyed the non-Hollywoodness of this movie, but I did want to tweak some parts. Some scenes just needed a little more development so we could see how the characters related to one another. But that's why people have imaginations. You can imagine what happens. Imagination is what makes movie's like this one good.
Tango (1998)
Beautiful Everything (possible spoilers)
I absolutely love this movie! It's one of my favorite foreign films to watch.
The very first time I saw this, I was actually looking for another tango movie. When I found out it was not the movie I was looking for, I almost changed the channel. The very first dance scene with Laura (Cecilia Narova) and the other guy she ends up with (whatever his name is) was so riveting that I literally could not stop watching this movie. It is so sensual and seductive that you can really see why people of all cultures enjoy tangos.
The colors of the set, the dancing, the music, even the story line is so enchanting that it's like you're there with the actors themselves.
If you're a fan of tangos, the music and/or the dance, you will love this movie. A person has to genuinely enjoy listening and watching because this film evokes all the visual and hearing senses of the Tango.
This film was beautifully done!
I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
Watch it with a cup of cocoa
When I first heard about the film, the title put me off. To me, it sounded like one of those cheesy titles you hear and the movie turns out to be exactly the same. But, with much prodding from my mother, who happens to be my Movie Buddy, I agreed to sit down and watch it with her.
I was pleasantly surprised by the whole outcome of the film. I really enjoyed watching it and was a little miffed when it ended. I wanted it to go on forever, but alas, things have to end somewhere.
I liked the cinematography, even though it was in B/W film. I also find it amazing, as the DVD states, that no light meters were used in this film. A feat like that takes an incredibly knowledgeable person to accomplish something of that nature.
I enjoyed the acting and the script, but sometimes I felt that Roger Livesley was a bit too robotic. For example, when he is telling Wendy Hiller's character a story at the ceilidh and his head just literally pops towards her face. Timing was a bit off on some bits, but the storyline is so good that, unless if you are very particular about these things, the timing shouldn't really matter.
I liked the way the director put in bits of Gaelic here and there throughout the movie as well as the natural Scottish accents. Some movies that were made long ago and that are made today use actors who think they have talent when it comes to using accents, but most of the time, the actors sound like fops.
This movie is a pleasant story to watch with some funny bits as well as tense moments when the audience can see how Livesley's and Hiller's characters are falling for one another. They both of course are trying to hide it unsuccessfully. She is always trying to get away and something is always getting in her way to keep her there.
This is a movie that should definitely be saved for a winter night, a comforter and cup of hot chocolate. Makes the feeling a little fuzzier.
I give this movie an 8.5 out of 10.
The Rains of Ranchipur (1955)
WHAT a SNAIL! (may contain spoilers)
You know, some movies are great and others tank..... This one definitely tanked at my house.
My mother and I watched this late one night thinking that it would be interesting because it was a movie starring Richard Burton right when his career was just taking off.
WRONG!!!! Not only did this movie NOT help his career take off, but could have torpedoed it from the bomb that this movie was.
Richard Burton stars in this movie as an Indian doctor who returns to his "roots" by doctoring the sick and needy.
Lana Turner also appears as a wealthy American socialite (very social indeed) married to Michael Rennie who, I am assuming, is of English nobility. They happen to be in India as the guests of the Maharani (female version of the Maharaja, a big person in Indian society)
I really don't need to go into detail about how Lana Turner and Richard Burton's characters get together, but I can assure you that they do. Michael Rennie warns the Doctor about his wife, basically saying, "Ya know, I have an airhead of a wife who likes to sleep with anything that remotely resembles even a coat rack, but you can still sleep with her and we can all be friends in the end"
A few "action" scenes have their cheesy moments. In one scene, Michael Rennie is on a tiger hunt in India when all of a sudden a tiger (an actor wrapped in a tiger rug) flies across the screen and lands on him as he attempts to kill it, thus immobilizing him for a good part of the movie, giving Turner and Burton their chance to frolic with each other in some places.
Another is when "The Rains" (read: killer monsoon) come and knock off the dams and bridges and wash out the poorhouse sections of the town. It goes for the same as the earthquake.
The dialogue just flat lines throughout the movie. Towards the end, Turner and Burton's white, hot passion for each other cools way down with the help of "The Rains". Turner decides to be shallow when Burton tries to explain why he "couldn't come to her in her hour of need" Basically, it's like watching two elementary school kids in a little romance when all of a sudden, the girl gets mad at the boy for not playing with her on the swing set and decides to break up with him just because the boy missed one day of swing set time. Petty romances here, people.
The ending was even bad. The audience expects one thing, and just the total opposite happens. I felt that the director or the scriptwriter needed some major adjustments to their craft in this movie.
However, the movie was appropriately titled. The Rains of Ranchipur washed out my evening. I don't want to be a wet blanket, but I have to give this movie a -2 out of 1-10. It was that bad.
The Price of Milk (2000)
Feel Good Quirky
I first saw The Price Of Milk one afternoon about two years ago on the IFC channel and I immediately fell in love with it. My initial viewing began as I was surfing through the channels (watching movies is a great pastime for college students) and came across this movie during the halfway point. I liked the bits that I saw so much that I tried to tape it the next time it came on, but my VCR ate the tape. For some reason, every single time that I tried to watch it when it came on TV, something would come up and I could never watch the entire film.
The first time I got to watch it was X-mas 2002 when I stayed up til 5 am just so I could watch it uninterrupted. I have since bought a DVD of it.
What really drew my attention was the music and the cinematography. The part of the movie that has really stayed fresh in my mind is when Lucinda is wearing the sari and is coming across the mountain looking for Rob. The way the material (and the contrast of it) drapes against the mountain is somewhat breathtaking. The classical piece that is playing then is called "The Distant Princess" and Harry Sinclair (director) really knew how to cue the visual shot and the music so they could be played at the right time. If you're the type of person to be stirred by visuals and soundtrack, this is a great movie to watch.
Who cares if this movie was pieced together? These kind of movies have a wonderful, quirky sensibility to them. On the DVD, Harry Sinclair and Danielle Cormack comment on how the movie was filmed and how interesting it was to NOT have a script written beforehand. Sinclair mentioned that he didn't want the actors to be too rehearsed and then have the lines sound too cheesy. He also mentions that he thought of the plot one day while riding around in NZ in his car listening to a classical music piece. (Most likely,one of the one's in the film)
Now, not everyone can get away with saying that there was nothing wrong with the movie. One of things that really bothered me was Auntie's, Mrs. Jackson's, furry pink hat. I wanted to shoot that thing! It annoyed me every time she wore it or when replicas of it ended up on the big bush outside of Lucinda and Rob's little house. Every single time I saw it, I wanted to jump through the screen and tell Lucinda to run for it and take Rob with her. Of course, though, that's exactly what the audience is supposed to feel about the hat and Auntie's presence (at least I felt that way)
Another thing is when Rob and Drosophila are at the church and Lucinda is being comforted by Mrs. Jackson in the woods. I wanted to know what prompted Auntie's change of heart towards Lucinda. I mean, Lucinda really dug a hole around herself by giving up her ring for the cows. But that's where the title comes into play, "The Price Of Milk". It couldn't very well be "The Price of Love" The audience can feel her desperation for being so foolish by playing with her love for Rob.
New Zealand appears to be a great place to film movies, not just this one but also LOTR trilogy and many others. So many different extremes in a small country. It's amazing what types of climates and differences in land you can utilize. Movies like this one should be appreciated more for their originality and uniqueness.
Evelyn (2002)
Injustice To The Book - Spoilers
I was so excited when I heard that a movie was being made for the book. My mother checked it out from the local library and we watched it together. I was so shocked at how this movie turned out! While the actors themselves were wonderful in their roles, I was disappointed with the way the adaptation from book to screen came out. I was appalled that the grandfather dies in the first forty-five minutes and that the reactions to his death were SO hollywood. Then when Minnie Driver comes on screen and flits back and forth between Aidan Quinn and Pierce Brosnan. The real Mrs. Brown (or whatever her name was) wasn't like that. She was much older than Dessie and her husband beat her up a lot before Dessie decides to rescue her by having her come back to Ireland with him to be his "housekeeper". A few things that the movie gets right is the animosity between the grandparents and the things they say to and about one another; facts about where the children end up before Desmond goes to court and just a few tidbits here and there. If you've already seen this movie, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out the book and reading it. It's called "Tea and Green Ribbons" and from there you can begin to imagine and feel what this poor man had to go through to get his children back.