jprc Reviews

Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

like a good little companion...

[9/10 · 14 May 2010]

I am French, but work and live in under developed countries, and currently in Mozambique. In my compound, my Brazilian neighbors gave me 5 days ago a copy of a movie: "Achiko" with Richard Gere. I got so moved that I am now browsing Internet for learning more about some other faithful dogs such as Greyfriars Bobby (Edinburgh - Scotland), Shep (Fort Benton - USA), Fido (Borgo - Italia),... and so many...

My neighbors do not like dogs. They like cats! They were so moved by the movie that they knocked at my door a night, and gave me a DVD, saying, "JP, you HAVE to watch this..."

I did. And days later I just think to myself: "This word is walking on his head. Here, where I am, I see people dying of hunger, malaria, aids... I should think: there are more important matters than just a story between a dog and his 2-legs companion... But, no. It does not matter if it is a dog or not. It matters if you are, again and again, shown that being loved is a true gem, wherever it comes from."

Cinema is not always about technology, pre-conceived ideas about timing, 600 pages stories and things that should happen.

Simon & Garfunkel once sung "the Sound of Silence" This movie is the Sound of Silence. The silence of love.

I am amazed to see the reviews in IMDb. I sorted by "Hated it", and discovered than only 8 comments were below the current average of 8.1 ... and the lowest reviewer gave a 7, which is very very fair! I have seen so many reviews about other films in IMDb where at least some reviewers were saying "it is the worst movie ... ever". Here no such thing. It is possible to be unsatisfied with some aspect of the movie, but, as it is based on a true story, and the film has not added "Hollywoodian" effects, it stays rather simple, somehow difficult to classify, but it lets a print in your soul.

TO ANY ONE READING THIS REVIEW: GO, RUN, FLY, go see this movie. It will stay in you like a good little companion

30 Days of Night (2007)

Unsure

[4/10 · 13 July 2009]

4 stars out of 10 (it was less, but we are only allowed integers):

• Story: 1 Alaska. Winter. A month long night. You expect polar bears, a terrorist gang taking over the place for some infamous projects, mad scientist making some "researches", etc... No. You are presented with vampires... interesting...

• Acting: 0.6 Not so bad. As said in the "trivia", the original movie script has been rejected several times. Do a good acting job with a less-than-coherent script is difficult. Perhaps an aging Nicholson as a forgotten police officer would have been better than Mr Hartnett, but well... when actors are required by script to behave like 80 IQ people, they can't save the day...

• Location: 0.7 Alaska. Snow and the misery of being isolated in a little remote town (village?). Filmed in New Zealand thought: the movie stole a name (Barrow) and it is a pity that you do not have proper local view (a flat - and desolated?- tundra according to a reviewer)...

• Direction/Realisation: 0.4 Not impressed. Using the technique of filming during days and artificially changing the light into a "night effect" shows its limits. A bit too shaky either. It is not like the Blair Witch or Cloverfields, but scenes are cut too fast and are just shaky enough for being somehow annoying.

• Music/Sound: 0.1 A nail on a dark blackboard: crrrrrreeeeeeeekkkk... This what vampires will sound like most of the time. Nothing impressive. A bit loud at times, just for awaking you, just in case of...

• Creativity/Ideas: 0.1 pfffff... as someone said, they are zombies, not vampires. And as I speak French, I can say it clearly: "c'est trés cliché". Greasy faces versus strawberry jam on faces. Artificial snow, artificial lights, and more "Scary Movie" tricks than it should.

• Keep me on the edge of my seat: 0.1 No. However I did liked some short scenes: the overview of the initial attack on the town, a disturbing head chopping at the end. I prefer Romero's style otherwise as his zombies are smarter than those vampires.

• Interest in characters: 0.1 Yes the dog. Why poor dogs need always to bark at the coming threat, and then be murdered? I would have preferred the vampires to have more "finesse" and say use the dog for tracking the cattle, i.e. the food on 2 legs... or just patting this 4-legs friends and say with a smile: " just be quiet, and I promise you mountains of good juicy bones!.."

• Photo: 0.3 And I am generous. Actually, now that I have to search for good things, let us say that I gave half a point for some scenes I can't even remember!

• I wish for more (sequel): 0.1 No. Perhaps a remake, with a revised script, where vampires are more adaptive, and more organized, and also show that centuries brought them some hunting experiences...

A Soldier's Sweetheart (1998 TV Movie)

How Comes?

[3/10 · 1 August 2000]

Rat, a surgeon, is not officer? He is then fighting in the jungle like a simple infantryman?? Are infantrymen doing surgery in MASHs??

A soldier on duty can bring his girlfriend, during war time, in the middle of the jungle, in a MASH outpost?? Army choppers carry regular people to sensitive area without having to report? The Special Forces take non-trained external element against their own safety/rules? More of that, she is a girl (and not looking fit enough to be an athlet), and we are supposed to be in the 70's!??

A sweet-soft and candid girl becomes a trained special force, without any physical and mental training, within days/weeks, in one of the most difficult war ever: jungle guerrilla? She shifted from butterfly-lover, vietnamese-food lover, everythings/everyones lover to be a VC killing machine??

How comes?