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Reviews
Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom (2003)
An Unusual Gentle Lovely Story
I saw this movie when it came to our town some years ago, then when our local Borders Bookstore had a Buy 3 and get the 4th free, I bought 4 different Asian films - when selecting them and being a huge fan of Asian cinema, this was the one movie I wanted to add to my collection. I remember a friend (from Viet Nam) telling me she had just seen the most incredible movie with her American husband, who absolutely loved it though he never seen an Asian movie, she described it to me as "calming". When I saw it I felt I wanted to just drop out my modern day life and find a lake just like the one in the movie. I tried to convince my friends to see it but as often happens, the movie only played for 1 week and most of them missed it. When I bought it (not cheap $25.00) I sat with my boyfriend and watched it, we never spoke a word during the movie, it was a sign of how the simplicity of the story yet strong messages made us think as we went along with the story, it brought us closer together as human beings, closer to our inner source, closer to realizing the symbiotic relation of nature and our souls, in short it was a complete respite from the insane busy lives we personally lead. We talked for days about it, not the message so much but how we felt having seen it and since have decided it was a movie one can see again and again as the message we'll get from it, will and can be different each time. How lovely that the director was able to convey this to us half way around the other side of his world. Gentle and lovely is the best way to describe how it made me feel. Though I love many Asian films such as Hero, House of Daggers, Crouching Tiger, etc. which all have messages as well, this film was the absolute best for me.
Walk the Line (2005)
the best movie of 2005
A friend of mine saw this at a film festival and told me I HAD to see it when it comes out. I was counting the days especially after seeing the interview on PBS Charlie Rose. I have always like j. phoenix and absolutely love Reese W. (specifically after Legally Blonde) as in that movie she took the part of June Carter to an absolute level of believability, it is her strength as an actor. I thought it was interesting that Joaquin and Reese never upstaged each other, not in the story line or in their acting, it was true chemistry as there must have been between Carter and Cash in life. I walked out of the theater thinking it would be great if every movie you walk out of you feel as good as I did, it's been a long time since I felt that about a movie. As dismal as the "movie" landscape was this year, I know that if there WERE many other fabulous ones, they will still win Oscars for their great performances, hands down they must win. In the interviews before the movie came out, Joaquin and Reese even then conveyed a certain chemistry between them as actors, not to mention that they have tremendous respect for each other as actors, it was just bound to be good. I enjoyed Joaquin in Gladiator so much, and he was so believable, as in this movie. I think Johnny Cash would be proud of this movie, Joaquin's performance was so good he could have been his son in looks and even his singing. It is hard to believe these two never sang before, not to mention having to do IT on screen. THIS REALLY IS THE BEST MOVIE OF 2005 AND MANY OTHER YEARS!
Crash (2004)
Wow! I'm changed!
I saw this movie on the recommendation of a therapist and friend of mine. I left the movie realizing one thing: we never really can imagine that our preconceived ideas of others, can be so wrong. We are all human beings, driven by the same needs, facing the same fears, wanting good in our lives, and all too often we don't realize how universal this is. To make this movie just about race is entirely wrong, it is about the human race. Though I think that the interaction and dissimilarities of the different characters (Korean, Persian, black, white, rich, poor) is typically of our American culture, I would imagine it applies on a universal level as far as the prejudices we hold as humans. We hear it from our parents who heard it from their parents, prejudice runs in families for generations, no matter how educated, rich or poor we are. The D.A.'s wife (Jean) sounds the same as the young black characters, she simply held back more. In the end, I felt good and enlightened by this movie and realized how every word I say and thought I have, is often in some way and indication of the prejudices I hold about others, some I seriously need to address, others more innocent, but prejudice nonetheless. I salute Paul Haggis for this most eye opening movie.
The Upside of Anger (2005)
It was so so Good !
I saw this movie not really knowing much about it except that Joan Allen was in it and I like her a lot, I was not prepared for how good the whole movie was and she surpassed her other great roles even more in this. I think what I liked most about the Mike Binder's style was that conversations were often not finished, in other words, unlike other movies where every conversation needs to come to a conclusion or better understanding, he left them for the audience to sort out, as in real life conversations, there are often no conclusions, it was an interesting way of engaging the audience. The Kevin Costner character was just great, and honestly, he redeemed himself in my eyes as I have not always liked his acting, he really played the "Denny" character well, the chemistry between him and Joan Allen and each one of the daughters was so well expressed through every incident, that you felt as if you were in the room with them. I think this is best a director can do for the audience, making a seamless connection between the characters and audience. The story is of course in of itself, a story many of us experience, the breaking up of family and the consequent issues of that process. no character was bigger than the other, as much as the mom seemed the be the center of the story, really the daughters and the boyfriend made their profound contributions to the story. All in all, I came away feeling good and most importantly having learned a lesson, which for me is what made this movie so so good.
Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004)
Too Confusing for Me!
If I was to give you clues about this movie, they would be: The Game of Clue, the movie Babe, the movies Matrix and Private Ryan, tangled story lines, unfinished story lines, 30 minutes too long, in short, it was not what I expected. Though Audrey Tatou was great in her wonderful way, I thought the movie was just okay. I expected much more from the director. I went to see it with two friends who are used to foreign movies, french in particular, we were all disappointed. This director did "Amalie" which also had many story lines, somehow it worked but in this movie, I believe he did not bring them all together leaving me confused during the movie. Also, when you are reading text you do tend to miss a lot of the actual movie, but it allows you follow the story line better by having to read it. Also the war sequences were done well but perhaps too graphic for a love story.
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
NBC's SNL would have done a better Job!
I went to see this movie to be intelectually challenged by "other" side instead I came away feeling like I had been watching a SNL episode on the subjects Mr. Moore covered, but SNL would have been much better at it. The snippets of news coverage used in the film, which I am sure were meant to inform and shock Americans, would have been great if used on the 6 o'clock CBS, ABC or NBC news, instead they were shown to only a segment of the American public through this movie. The liberal media at those networks would have been more than happy to show them as they made Pres. Bush look quite bad, why did they not? I expected a much more intellectual and smarter movie out of Mr. Moore, instead it was just a badly made docudrama/movie. I also think it is a shame that it won the Best at the Cannes Film Festival, as a film festival is about the art of film making and should not be grounds for individual political statements. There were many movies in 2003 that deserved to win that title, and if Mr. Tarantino was not on the jury, I am sure F911 would not have had a chance.
Amargosa (2000)
Absolutely Fascinating!
On a busy Sunday morning when I was trying to fit in my 3 mile walk, opening my store and getting ready, I accidentally came upon this movie on the Sundance channel. I had many things on my plate, but was immediately engrossed in this movie, it had already started. I watched while getting ready and finally had to leave for my duties 20 minutes before its end, during my walk I vowed I would go immediately on line and check out the details of it on IMDB and would check the website of the Sundance Film Channel for future showings, I happily found all I was looking for. I live in Nevada and so what intrigued me most was her love for the desert and the familiarity of the landscape to where I live, her story only made it a thousand times better. It covered everything, from her relationship with both mother and father and which would perhaps have the most influence on who she became, to the wild mustangs, her cats, her relationship with the few people around her, her vast community (vast measured by miles away from her since there is only a population of 10), her love life, I was absolutely fascinated. However, what touched me most was her story of the lecture she gave to some photography students when one student asked her how you get those who love you to understand your devotion to your art ......... when at that very moment she was going through the end of her marriage because of that very reason. I understand this completely. Ultimately, every movie we see is defined by the person seeing it and maybe not even by the person who made it or the character itself, what made me love this movie is that it touched a chord in me and that she epitomized the american spirit in the way she did what she was meant to do, her art, against many odds, both physical and emotionally. What a fascinating woman! and what a glorious life she lived in this desolate part of the west !
Gods and Generals (2003)
It would be good for a high school u.s. history class movie when the teacher is absent ...maybe
I think this is the most telling thing about this movie. High school students were encouraged to see this movie and get extra credit for their U.S. History classes - WOW! great!!! I had uch much anticipation for the start of the movie that had pretty great trailers .... I thought. Well, it came out, my friends girls saw it (also for class) and came home saying the movie was awful and they fell asleep (they are not professional movie reviewers) and I thought maybe it was just not interesting for THEM ! Then I heard the teachers who encouraged their students to see it had gone to see it .............. much to my surprise they said it was the worst movie they had seen! That is it in a nutshell. So my question is to Ted Turner - why would you spend your own money and not hire the right people to make a better movie?Hollywood must be full of people who could have done better. I have a feeling he probably wanted to have too much say-so in the whole thing, and that left out lots of real movie makers. I would imagine that the only people who really enjoyed the movie were the actors and extras who had the opportunity to "play" war, sort of the way little boys do. Too bad, though he has much more money and this was probably a itty-bitty loss to his personal fortune, it could have been used in a better way, somehow, somewhere. Though the story of the civil war is very interesting, this movie was of the "watch it in your high school U.S. History class when the teacher is absent and there is no sub" caliber ! And even then, the class might be sound asleep as I was ! P.S. Did this movie not have audiences rate it before it came out? If so would that have not been a good sign to cut it into half of the 3 hrs. and 43 minutes and maybe that would have made it more pallatable????........probably not. Or did Ted just bypass this process? I guess if nobody's money is on the line, except your own, you can bypass the process and go on television convincing people how great it is and to spend their $8.50, and........to make the trailers so grand and convincing that we all want to see this great movie! Ted, ultimately what sells movies is the recommendations from our friends who have gone to see them, not even reviews has as much weight!
Frida (2002)
No room to breathe
I saw this movie with 3 other people in L.A. the first week it came out. After the movie, none of us could say anything about it, we were not able to discuss it until the next day. On the night we saw it there were protesters in front of the Royal Theatre who were upset at the non use of "mexican actors" in the movie, also signs saying that Hayek was a "racist", this made the 2 hour wait for the movie (outside in cool weather)intersting and I had lively discussions about their concern with "mexicans" who were there to see the movie. I was anxious to see the movie for many reasons, because of her art, his art, Selma's passion in all the interviews (the best one being on Charlie Rose) for this project. It was good, it was very insightful, it gave me a picture of the artist community in mexico at that time. However, it was a Hollywood movie in that everything was staged in typical Hollywood style, things were a little too perfect sometimes, which was okay because it did not take away from the story. Her story, his story, their story was so filled with politics, art, illness, betrayals, that there was not a moment of rest in the entire movie, that is why none of us could even begin the discuss the movie which we normally do. All in all, Hayek was wonderful and full of life as Frida herself might have been, she gives a stellar performance and in my mind I will always see Hayek's face when I think of Frida Kahlo, the small parts Banderas and Judd played, were lost in her performance, even Diego's part was lost at times when they were on the screen together, I don't know if it was Frida's character or Hayek's acting, which made this movie so good, I did not know where each started or stopped, it was seamless. My hat's off to Selma Hayek! Your passion for this story and your country's history, showed in every detail of the movie !
White Oleander (2002)
what a letdown!
***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** I went to see another movie and it had stopped playing, I remember seeing the book "white oleander" and thought for my $5.25 I'd give a try! well, i loved that the background was l.a. how do I begin to comment on this movie 40 words into this.......that's just it, i liked the way it was so glamorous with michelle, renee, robin and the lohman girl, i was never bored with the way they looked and how interesting their homes were, it was just a matter of never being grabbed by the movie for anything more than their looks - the journey astrid takes is sad - no child should be exposed to the freakish behavior of a mom like ingrid, she continually exposes her to her "artistic" life and all that it brings, and as if this is not enough, even after she is jailed she continues. Astrid's art of the lady witht he curly hair is never brought up until the end when she decides to ask her the questions about her own short past - and then the poor pathetic ingrid tells her what thousands of children live with daily in the "foster" system - she is born of two people who screwed around and did drugs, she is left by these screw ups to a lady with black curly hair, ingrid always pursued her "feel good" needs, etc. etc. etc. so where is the big punch line and what did astrid hear that she did not already know about ingrid??? The bad acting in that scene was painful to watch between ingrid and astrid. But Hollywood managed to keep interested in those actresses, not for the characters they played, but for their clothes and their homes, especially how good michelle always looked, the perfect blond hair, makeup etc. Was it good about this movie? - absolutely nothing. Though I like Michelle Pheiffer, this beefy part would have been better played by an actress whose looks don't capture you each time you see them on the screen, she tried so hard to be the bad Ingrid, she just did not pull it off with that pretty smile! And what about the bad wigs that Astrid got to wear throughout yet she she managed to carry the movie entirely? Poor me - I lost $5.25 seeing this movie!
The Shipping News (2001)
give me space spacey
I am completely overdosed on kevin spacey, I think back to "usual suspects" and gettting to know him, the mystery, the great acting. and then......film after film after film, with the same sarcasm, an unexplainable grin when uncalled for, the scene in "pay it forward" when he explains his scars was so so bad, he has become a movie star and not an actor with some mysteries left.Though I loved "american beauty" (truly one of the best movies ever) I remember thinking I had seen too much of him. I also find him hard to believe when it comes to being interested in women (in movies), there is something not real. AND SO WITH SHIPPING NEWS though I loved the movie, the actors, the scenery, the family issues, each one of the women characters, everything but everything about the movie, he and his performance left me cold, both my friend and I walked out saying we needed space from spacey for a long time, take a break kevin, it's all overkill now.