jbull-4 Reviews

Guess Who (2005)

Absolute drivel.

[1/10 · 20 February 2006]

Not funny, pretty damn silly, totally unbelievable, absolutely predictable, pathetic stereotyping and a real waste of 106 minutes. There is not really much else to add. I sat through the whole film with my arms crossed and feeling very uncomfortable. I found it agonizing to watch Bernie Mac's character, there was nothing endearing to him at all. Ashton Kutcher was the same although a bit more ganglier. All I wanted to do was jump into the television set and give them both a kick in the pants. The script was bland, the acting was bordering on vaudeville and the storyline was handled with no tact at all. There is absolutely and totally NO comparison to "Guess who's coming to dinner". Don't bother with this film.

The Monster (1994)

There is brilliance in simplicity...

[8/10 · 31 May 2005]

After seeing the trailer for this film, in France and in French, I thought that it should be given a wide berth. But I watched it with a friend one night and still laugh about it 10 years later. It was brilliant. Absolute pure genius. While the scenes looked ridiculous in the trailer, they were very funny in the context of the film. The story is simple, innocent bumbler is mistaken for a serial killer, but the talent of Benigni, both in his writing and his acting, makes the error plausible and for a great film. The scene on the scaffolding is one of my all time favorite comedy moments and the several unexpected meetings with a neighbour, whilst Benigni is walking along on his haunches (trying to avoid his caretaker as he is behind in his rent)are both funny and very touching, especially when Nicoletta Braschi comes on the scene. Just watch it and enjoy. But only if it's in it's original version, Italian. Otherwise don't!

The Taste of Tea (2004)

An ordinary Japanese family full of extraordinary people.

[10/10 · 25 April 2005]

A truly beautiful film full of wonderful imagery and comic moments that made the almost 2 and a half hours fly past. It really needs to be seen in a cinema where you can totally integrate yourself in the atmosphere and you feel like a fly on the wall, watching the family and their situations without interrupting their flow. Visually nature plays a huge role, not just the human side of it (which is simple and uncomplicated) but the countryside, the river, the wind, the cherry blossoms, the rain etc etc. It really is beautifully filmed and the characters are all very touching, very funny and very normal really (except perhaps the psychedelic singing uncle),in their own quirky little ways. There isn't a real story line, we just follow the family over a seemingly short period of time. Some moments in the film may seem relevant and some may not, but they all do seem to fit in somewhere along the way and they are all such a pleasure to watch. I came out of the cinema feeling as though my karma was on a high and I still do.