jerry4444 Reviews

The Face of Jizo (2004)

A poignant movie about war, love and hate

[8/10 · 24 May 2007]

This movie is inspirationally hopeful. The main protagonist of this movie survives the atomic bomb attack. Yet is she really alive? Or merely existing? Can one be alive without love? As she is confronted with these questions, various characters come into her life. She sometimes thinks she doesn't deserve to live.

As depressing as it sounds, this movie does have some funny and light moments. Set in a theatrical atmosphere, the movie takes the viewers on a ripping tale of loss, love and self-hatred. This emotional roller coaster was all cost by the World War II. One leaves the movie moved, perhaps even shaken, yet hopeful.

Margarete Steiff (2005 TV Movie)

A hopeful and inspiring true story

[9/10 · 3 January 2007]

Margarete was born physically-challenged. Yet that did not deter her from making the most out of her life. With the support of her brother, Fritz who always stood by her side, she overcame all odds that life threw at her. From her childhood days, she was full of optimism and faith.

Her strength and creativity made it possible to achieve things that were otherwise impossible in those days of mid-18th century. Her achievements and determination proved her skeptics wrong, as a woman and a person who was physically-challenged. The meeting with the possible man of her life brought more changes to her and those around her.

One thing led to another, her invention of stuffed toys have since then became an ageless passion for the young and those young-at-heart.

Lemming (2005)

A psycho-thriller with mysterious twists

[9/10 · 18 October 2006]

Alain is a successful engineer who is at the prime of his life. Married to the loving Benedicte, the ideal couple couldn't be happier. Everything changed on the day a lemming found its way to the couple's kitchen sink. All hell broke lose from then on. The chaos in the couple's life started with a disastrous dinner with Alain's boss and his temperamental wife and ended with an unpredictable outcome, with a series of gripping events in between. Do all these incidents have a connection with the appearance of the lemming, or was it just purely coincidental? Alain was thrown into an unfamiliar territory, which called for desperate measures. He did everything possible to keep things under control. Will his efforts succeed or was it all in vain? This movie will keep you enthralled and well-entertained, right till the end. It begs the question, is seeing really believing?

Cease Fire (2006)

Getting in touch with your "inner child"

[8/10 · 13 October 2006]

Instead of tackling difficult issues like battle of the sexes, emancipation of women, equal rights of both genders in the society and marital problems through a serious and no-nonsense manner, the Iranian director (who is also an architect), Tahmineh Milani chose to approach these matters through a comedy. It was her intention to do so, as she said it herself when the movie was introduced in her presence. The movie delves around Sayeh, a successful and strong-willed female engineer who was on her way to file for divorce from her chaotic marriage with the equally confident and chauvinistic husband, Yousef.

Instead of finding the lawyer who was supposed to handle the divorce, she ended up in the office of a therapist who convinced her (and later the husband) to try to work things out and get in touch with their "inner child". Between comical flashbacks and humorous affairs with family and friends, this movie succeeded in dealing with the touchy problems of this beautiful couple's marital life in a light and entertaining manner. But can the marriage still be salvaged? Or did they go their separate ways? Find out for yourself and listen to your "inner child", watch this beautiful movie, which was already a box office hit in its home country, Iran.

Peindre ou faire l'amour (2005)

A simple yet beautiful story on relationship and trust

[9/10 · 11 October 2006]

Mardelene is a hobby painter who met Adam by chance while indulging in her pastime on a fine day in the countryside. Adam, who is visually impaired, then introduced her to a country house which was on sale and Mardelene was immediately taken away by its beauty. She convinced her husband, William, who is into meteorology and has decided on an early retirement to purchase the house. Things took an interesting turn as they met Adam's other half during a dinner at the their new place.

Set on a beautiful French countryside and in a charming rustic country house, the story revolves around two couples; the first couple's relationship was put on test as they met the second couple. The trust that was built among them transformed into a slippery slope of pleasure and guilt. A highly poetic film with excellent music and breath-taking sceneries.

Wakamono no subete (1994– )

Excellent coming-of-age drama

[10/10 · 29 July 2006]

A touching TV series. With a superb cast lead by Takuya Kimura, the then, perhaps still present Japanese heartthrob. This could be your most memorable teen drama. It's both cheerful and sad. Melodramatic yet optimistic. This drama captured the ups and downs of youngsters in modern Japan. The convincing performance made this series worth watching. There was nice music too. Despite the typical issues, the series was a hit due to many factors. These include excellent cast, story lines which were not boring and subtle plots. The nostalgia of it all...All said and done, it was an excellent coming-of-age drama. Now you just have to go and watch it.

The Far Side of the Moon (2003)

Philosophical, tragic yet comical

[7/10 · 29 June 2006]

I didn't know what to expect when I went to see this movie, as the reviews that I've read were mixed. Yet I was not disappointed as the movie dealt with the elements of life in general, from an intergalactic perspective.

The movie revolves around Philippe, who is single and delusional. He is fascinated by outer space and believes that space is really the final frontier for mankind. The death of his mother brought him in contact with his brother who seems to be more successful in his career and life.

Relationships with loved ones, dreams and hopes, failures and success and good music made this movie worth watching. It's about living and not giving up your dreams.