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carenyvonne-1
Reviews
One Love (2003)
A rather predictable tale of good versus evil; love versus prejudice.
This predictable tale of love overcoming prejudice and good overcoming evil was disappointing. The acting was weak at best and, in some cases, downright bad. Kymani Marley appeared as one of the better actors, seeming less stilted, more comfortable in his role and in front of the camera. Cherine, as Serena, despite her unbelievably beautiful voice, was surprisingly disappointing, as one would expect some improvement since her earlier exposure as a teenager in Dance Hall Queen. Seasoned actors Idris Elba and Vas Blackwood appeared more natural than the rest of the cast as did Christopher Daley, albeit in a dud role.
Overall, the language in the film came across as stilted. It seems that in an effort to 'water down' the Jamaican dialect, people ended up sounding unnatural. Yet this has been done successfully in other films. Better direction might have led to people seeming and sounding more real, but in several instances, the language did not come across as what a Jamaican would typically say in the situation.
Some scenes could easily have been deleted without any loss to the overall story and their inclusion begs the question. Others scenes that were important to the storyline were just unconvincing in their execution.
Smile Orange (1976)
A funny take on one aspect of Jamaican life - tourism.
Although this movie might in some respects be considered politically incorrect today, it is quite funny in the context of the era in which it was written - some 30 years ago. Compared to a number of more recent movies coming out of Jamaica, the acting and directing are certainly of better quality. This alone is amazing, given the advances that have been made in film-making since the time Smile Orange was made.
Certainly, for anyone who is Jamaican, grew up or lived in Jamaica, visited Jamaica or interacted with Jamaicans in any way, the humour of this movie is hard to miss. At the same time, there were a few continuity problems and, in some respects, the film comes across as being somewhat amateur. However, it is quite nostalgic for people over a 'certain age' and overall is fairly humorous, which I think, was the intention. I'd love to see a remake!