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Casse-tête chinois (2013)
Funny, feel good French movie with a bit of a Hollywood romcom touch
* Warning: Spoilers. Also, I went and saw this film without first having seen the trailer. I recommend you not watch the trailer before you see this film if you don't want to know anything. *
First of all, I think the title of the film is genius. Literally, it means Chinese "broken head" which is translated into "Chinese Puzzle", ie it's a puzzle that drives you so crazy it breaks your head. It is obvious they wanted to keep the theme of having an adjective related to a country/culture - Spanish youth hostel, Russian dolls, Chinese puzzle... The only difference is this time no part of the film is set in China. If you google "casse tête chinois" it's one of those wooden puzzles where all the pieces have to fit together in the right way and in the right order.
Xavier (Romain Duris), now 40, says his life is a mess and he wonders how he got to this point, where the pieces are obviously NOT in the right order nor in the right place. He recounts his touching, funny and personal story over the past few years through Skype interviews with his book publisher (he is writing a book based on his life).
I have seen the first two films but it has been so long ago that I cannot remember the story lines. It is not necessary IMHO to have seen them but it would help you have a deeper understanding of the main characters and their development. Fans of either the first two films will be delighted to see the actresses Audrey Tautou, Cécile De France and Kelly Reilly reprise their roles as Martine, Isabelle and Wendy. I felt that maybe the director (Cédric Klapisch) wanted to capitalize on the success and popularity of Audrey Tautou with foreigners by putting her in the film as much as possible.
In the first few minutes of the film the protagonist mentions going from point A to point B in life. What I feel is that life is so easy in your 20s (their ages in the first film) where everybody starts at the same point, at point A. In your 30s people's lives tend to go down different paths, marriages, singledom, divorces, kids or no kids, gay/lesbianism, there is no one set path and nobody can predict what will happen in your life from your late 20s onwards. I guess the film is trying to show that it's OK not to have a 'perfect' life and that there are happy relationships of all different kinds.
Apart from the main topic of romantic relationships, the film also briefly touches on parent-child relationships and features Xavier's children but also his parents in 2 short separate scenes. I don't feel that these scenes would have been missed if taken out but I am glad they were in there because when you get to the age where you have kids or 'should be' having kids you think about your own parents a lot, their relationship with each other and to you. The scene with his father was really sweet but I won't give it away what it was.
And so, Xavier is now married to Wendy (and has been for the past 10 years) and has 2 children with her. Their relationship is on the rocks and one day Wendy announces she has met a new man in New York and wants to move there, immediately, with the children. Xavier, therefore, has no choice but to give up his life in Paris and to join them in New York to stay in regular contact with his young children.
This brings up a whole new set of problems for him such as finding housing, slight language issues, finding a job, how to stay in the country legally for a long period of time... as someone who has moved overseas (several times) I found this aspect highly interesting and it shows the young people these days, are more than ever, globally mobile and willing to overcome hardships and obstacles in an effort to start a new life elsewhere.
There are many new characters and actors introduced into this third film of the trilogy and together they create an interesting patchwork for the plot. There are also many Chinese (Chinese American) characters in this film and Chinatown is featured often too, strengthening the multiple meanings behind the title. There is also a hilarious scene where Audrey speaks Chinese.
I won't go on much further other than to say that it's a much see! 10/10 for me. If you enjoyed the previous two in the series, or enjoy films that you can really relate to, full of funny, sweet and poignant moments, this is definitely one not to miss.
Before Sunrise (1995)
For lovers of fine dialogue
It is fairly low budget, there are only 2 main characters and it is
mostly all dialogue and the whole movie takes place over about 24
hours (less actually).
There are no special effects, action scenes, etc.. but what there is
is beautiful scenery of Vienna, Austria in the summer time..
The whole plot is based on what these 2 people talk about.
I would highly recommend it to anyone between the ages of say
16-23 when you're at the stage in your life where you wonder about
what you're gonna do with the rest of it.. and you ponder about love,
life, and the universe... etc.
Of course the movie is also great for older people. I am almost 28
and can still relate to it. I saw it when it first came out and I was 18
and it still means as much to me now as back then.
I can't wait to see the sequel which will be here in a few weeks
time! :)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Long piece of CRAP
I'm sorry but after hearing all the hype about it from the media and from friends, and then seeing it was #1 on the IMDb top 250 list (now at #2 on 15 March), I thought to myself "Hey I'd better see this movie" even if it is 3 hours long. So I put it off till the hype and crowds died down (friends said the queues were so long) I finally saw it today (with less than 10 people altogether in the cinema). Ok so the actors and acting was good, the special effects were well done and the scenery and music was beautiful but there wasn't much else for someone who's a fan of drama and romantic comedies, not fantasy, action, adventure and violence.
Speaking of which, I thought the Mummy and the Mummy II were much better even though they were crap movies in my opinion, and they were less than 2 hours long. Also I thought Harry Potter was more interesting. I had heard about Liv Tyler being in it and I thought she actually had a substantial role but she was only in it for like 5 mins, the same as Cate Blanchett.
I was getting so sick of the violence and extremely loud sound to go with it that I blocked my ears and fell asleep during several scenes.
While I admit the spfx were well done I felt that they didn't really add anything to the movie.
My favourite part was at the beginning at the village and they were letting off firecrackers. The rest can be summed up as action/battle scenes with lots and lots of LOUD music/sound, lots of ugly computer generated type creatures which weren't even scary, and every now and then some mountain shots somewhere in New Zealand.
See it if you're a fan and you've read the book, don't see if if you hate violence and aren't really into fantasy films - especially ones which don't even end after 3 hours!!
Looking for Alibrandi (2000)
Heartwarming
Im almost 24 and can still relate to the movie even though I can hardly remember high school. Pia Miranda, virtually a new-comer is excellent as the role of Josie (however in the book she's described as never being able to fit into a bikini and having wild, curly and unruly hair). So what if it's not the same as the book though? How many movies are? There WAS one scene that they should've left in though.. the bit after finishing her take-away job late at night.. (read the book and find out what happened).. but overall, a thoroughly enjoyable film. It's funny but not such a complete comedy that you spend the whole time groaning. It shows great places of Sydney (which everyone living here can recognise) and was very moving, especially one part in the middle. Matthew Newton was excellent as John Barton. I want to see it again! I rate it 9/10. One more thing, it reminded me of girly "chick flicks" like Steel magnolias, fried green tomatoes, The joy luck club, How to make an american quilt.. etc etc.. it's essent
Dinosaur (2000)
Breathtaking, realistic animation, beautiful backgrounds, no plot
I was fortunate enough to see an exclusive preview of this film, not yet released in Australia. The producer Pam Marsden was there for the presentation too. AFter the showing she told the audience about the making and the lengths the computer animators went through to get realism into the characters and scenes. So, obviously, the movie should appeal to anyone who is interested in computer animation and/or filmmaking. By the end of the film I was still dazzled by the beautiful animation (especially the fur on the leemurs) but left thinking that the plot could've fitted into 30 minutes. Of course the story is made so children will understand, but thinking to the last Disney movie I saw (Tarzan), it had a lot more substance, humour, and fun which "Dinosaur" just didn't. On another note, the music for "Dinosaur" is quite good and interesting in that there aren't any lyrics or a famous voice behind it.
American Beauty (1999)
If you liked A.B., see...
At the time of writing this there are nearly 700 reviews at the imdb so I doubt you need to read another one. All I want to say is: if you liked this film go see: 1) "To Die For" (Nicole Kidman) 2) "The Ice Storm" (Katie Holmes) and 3) "The Opposite of Sex" (Christina Ricci) . You will probably enjoy those too. I have not seen "the Butcher Boy" yet but that's also recommended by someone here.
Clueless (1996)
The Directors/Producers are NOT clueless
Even though this tv series may not be as good as the blockbuster film it still has many highlights. First of all it isn't like all those other stupid, superficial, predictable lame preteen/teen US sitcoms. Every Saturday morning from about 10am-12pm in Sydney, Australia these imported US sitcoms (albeit 2-3 years late) are screened, and the only decent one has been "Clueless". "USA High", "Saved by the bell", "Saved by the bell the new class", "Hang time" etc are all so lame and the ending is predictable 99% of the time. "USA high" is extra lame because of all those stupid fake accents. AARRGGHH!! And on every show there has to be some short/ugly/stupid/immature and/or fat guy that everyone makes fun of. .. wait, what am I saying? "Clueless" has that guy too (Sean). Anyway, I think the satire and witty lines are what makes the show special but most importantly DIFFERENT to any other show in the teenybopper age group. ... and I'm sure it's had far more success than many other spin-offs. I wish they didn't kill off the first Mel though :( Unless you are the very cynical/negative type, you might actually enjoy the show if you give it a try (even if you're not under 15 years old).
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Fantastically funny. Best of 1999!
Like most people, I liked this better than the first one.. probably because it was so different (similar to Babe and Babe 2: Pig in the city). What I found most humorous were the "out takes" at the end, especially the dialogue between Mr and Mrs Potato head. I'm still laughing about it!! I'd only seen "A Bug's Life" days before so I was still in a Pixar-world. Yes this is definitely one for all the family, and a movie I'm sure everyone will enjoy regardless of race, religion or culture. I (23) saw it with my boyfriend (also 23) and did not have any children with us. It is a 'happy' movie and will leave you laughing till your eyes water. It has "Simpsons"-like gags and spoofs (I haven't even seen "Star Wars" but picked up that spoof at the end) but without the unnecessary sex, violence or offending issues that "The Simpsons" has. This is a must see, definitely the best of 1999! (I gave it 10/10).
The Bone Collector (1999)
Heart pounding
Ok so I haven't seen "Seven" or "Silence of the lambs" or any other 'scary' movies... not really since "Fatal Attraction". These types of movies scare the wits out of me but I kind of saw "The bone collector" by accident.
Anyway, I can't compare it to other thriller/suspense/horror movies but what I will say is that I LIKED IT. The ending was not really that predictable and the acting was incredible. The storyline was nothing special but the directing/producing/editing of the film is fantastic.
*SPOILER BELOW*
I did not like the fact that Thelma died. That was pretty pathetic having Lincoln and Amelia turn out ok but her, a 'good' character die. The other cop guy dying I didn't mind...
Anyway the whole movie got my heart pounding. I loved the music/ sound effects. I give it a 7/10.
Love and Other Catastrophes (1996)
A great Gen-X film
This film is for anyone who's in (or was in) university and fallen 'victim' to a bureaucratic bungle. As the title says, the film focuses on "love and other catastrophes", the "catastrophes" being many problems young people face such as the one above-mentioned, moving out of home finding a place to live, fitting into a new environment, making new friends and finding your own identity. The "love" aspect is about finding your one true love and whether or not he/she exists, and if they do not exist, do you settle for someone who does not fit all your "criteria"? I give this film 8/10. I would have preferred it to be longer, even though the ending was quite good. All the characters are likeable and unique, Frances O'Connor does a great job at playing Mia. I highly recommend this film to anyone especially those in the 18-25ish age group.