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Reviews
Elizabethtown (2005)
Building toward a nice ending
Did I believe this movie? No. Did I enjoy it? A LOT. Sometimes to be artistically exciting some "plausibility" may have to be sacrificed. I once watched an interview of Crowe and he said that the entire movie was inspired by the music used in it, the music that suggests America. I am not exactly from America, and if I were, I might have enjoyed and understood the movie more. But nonetheless I can relate to the rhyme, the rhythm, the moving scenes, the atmosphere the combination of these elements portrays. After all, I think good music transcends culture, and who won't be amused by lyrics like "Those postcards I sent to Birmingham, All the way from those windows of Amsterdam," sang with a twang? "It's the same in any language." And obviously, the themes the movie addresses---family, community, love, finding yourself, father and son---are quite universal. To be this universal,however,is dangerously close to cheesiness. Elizabethtown does have its fair amount of cheese, but kinda in a good and cute way, at least for me. At times it is a little uncomfortable to think that the father's ashes in a way become the son's prop for foreplay,but maybe this is precisely one of the edgier points of the movie, its premise that death is brought to the rescue of life, in whichever way it can. The memorial and the road trip succeed in bringing out the emotional climax of the movie. Impressive scenes include Susan Sarandon's tap dance, the flaming paper phoenix, the sprinkler-made rain, and the entire trip---I really wish that I could make a trip like that, with some good music.The movie ends at a nice moment with a nice line. It is as how you expect it with some well-crafted cleverness which is at the same time rather heartwarming. Orlando Bloom's image suits the movie very well, although his performance does leave a lot to be desired. I have a weakness for his chiseled looks, and adore his roles in LOTR and POTC. But I do agree with whoever have criticized that he draws personality out of other people in this movie. Especially, it seems that Orland cannot really handle the transition of emotions the character is experiencing, and his speech sounds overworked. There are some nice moments when he does not speak, but, again, it is probably because I have a weakness for his chiseled looks.
La marche de l'empereur (2005)
It is not easy to be a penguin...
Penguins might look all cuddly and laid-back, but they are in fact really tough. They have to be tough since they need to survive some of the harshest conditions on earth. Without seeing this documentary, it is just impossible to imagine the endurance they are capable of for completing the task of procreation.This is NOT Madagascar played in real settings. This is a true story about the basic drive for continuing the species against all odds, about animals that stubbornly and faithfully stick to the necessary rituals they've performed for centuries to breed and raise their young, no matter how hard and even fatal they are. The theme of survival makes this film not only a picture of wonders, but also of a lot of heart.
At the same time, of course, tens of thousands of identical empire penguins marching before gigantic icebergs under an auroral sky is nothing less than visually stunning. One could only wonder at the amount of likewise unrelenting field works involved in shooting this amazing documentary. We salute those who have captured such intriguing spirit of life for all to enjoy and marvel.
In Good Company (2004)
Not your weekday sitcoms
I rented this movie expecting a good laugh, yet found out---rather surprisingly---that it's more of a drama that's down-to-earth, subtle, immediate, and quite unpredictable. The film's title is a clever pun suggesting the dilemma facing the characters: which matters more in life---at the top of your game in the corporate world or finding someone to care and share? There are dramatic twists and turns and some genuinely hilarious moments. However, the film plays out more like real life in that there is no eventual solution, no happy or tragic ending, after all the trials, changes, and ironies. Only that you (the Topher Grace character)get older, and hopefully wiser. The acting is generally excellent. Yet Topher Grace is truly impeccable and makes the show. While maintaining his endearingly dorky sitcom persona and brilliant comic timing, he also shows that he's capable of bringing out the more delicate and complex kind of emotional undercurrents. I can't wait to see his next big-screen endeavor.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
Disappointed. I wish I could have seen it on stage.
With my newly-found interest in musicals, I was really looking forward to seeing this film adaptation of a Tony-winning play featuring a stellar cast. I read the synopsis beforehand and thought that the plot line contains many elements which promise comic brilliance reminiscent of its classical heritage: the framed prologue, errors of mixed identity, cross-dressing, schemes going awry, parodies of romantic love and military prowess, and the overall mock-heroic style. Moreover, I was looking forward to the music and performances---of course, because those are what one anticipates from an acclaimed musical in the first place.
The movie version, however, is a huge disappointment. Even though I understand that film adaptations of stage plays more or less would have unavoidable flaws because of the change of the medium, this particular one obviously suffers from a problematic vision of the director and the production team. Firstly I don't understand why more than half of the numbers were cut. Also the survived songs don't fit well into the flow of the narrative. They seemed to be added rather randomly and abruptly. The filming of these numbers is similarly filled with jumbles of burlesque imagery that in trying too hard to be funny undermine the witty humor those pieces should have emitted.
As a commentator before me has pointed out, the failure of this movie (in my opinion) is probably due to the "open-up" cinematography that has adulterated many other Hollywood versions of Broadway shows. It's noticeable that the "three houses" mentioned in the opening tune (which fortunately the film preserves) set a central sphere within which the original play operates. This spatial confinement should have worked to give the dramatic piece an inviting immediacy and a classical structure. The movie, on the other hand, falls for the psychedelic and pastiche fashion typical of the 60's, and is thereby chopped up into a hodgepodge of phantasmagoric scenes. Such technique, of course, was revolutionary at the time and has contributed to some of the greatest movies ever made. However, it doesn't work well here. What I can see is only a collage of vibrant colors surrounding slapsticks that are rather on the banal side (the final chariot chase, for instance) --- no complexity or even cleverness.
Having limited opportunities for seeing this musical on stage, I could only wish that there would be a remake more faithful to the Broadway original in the future---probably specifically for home video rather than for movie theaters, as (again, in my opinion) how the 2000 film version of Jesus Christ Superstar, which is basically a taped stage play, compensates for the regrets left from the 1973 adaptation, which also has distorted and fragmented the original play with a desert setting, excessive editing, and idiosyncratic gimmicks.
Birthday Girl (2001)
Good acting offsets the poor script
The movie starts interestingly but grows banal towards the end. Neither the romance comedy nor the crime thriller elements are brought out convincingly in the script. And the ending is rather implausible. (for instance, Kidman and Chaplin literally WALK to the airport? Without seeming to have eaten anything for at least two days?) I guess the most interesting part of the movie is to see how one Austrian actress and two French actors pull off Russian characters. I am not a good judge on the authenticity of their accent since I don't speak or understand a word of Russian. But their way of speaking seems to be pretty natural and believable, and I think this is quite some merit. Kidman is the star that has given as much dynamic as possible to the insipidly written story, and the other actors have all done what they can to instill life into the flatly drawn characters. Good acting is what makes watching this movie not a waste of time despite the poor script. 6/10
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
True to the spirit of the book, though not to the letter
I think this third installment of the HP series is remarkable in that, with a consistent and contagious dark atmosphere, it brings out the psychological dimension of Harry's adventure, and illustrates that his struggle in his own psyche is as fierce as that on conventional battlegrounds.Cuaron¡¯s rather idiosyncratic vision as a director has instilled this movie with a memorable artistic identity, hereby making it something considerably deeper than an ordinary kid¡¯s adventure flick.
Surely the action sequences are eye-catching, but what I've enjoyed more is the in this film is its suggestive cinematography, and the drama tension among the characters. Ron and Hermione's bickering is more naturalistic, and gives just the right amount of hint for an impending romance.I would hope that Tom Felton kept his hair glued, but, well, he is still the definitive Draco Malfoy. Daniel Radcliff has progressed a lot as an actor---in fact, I think he has a more difficult task since Harry is in many aspect a more interiorized character in the book, and I hope that Daniel may stand up to the challenge when Harry gradually comes to recognize the dangers lurking in his inner abyss in the fourth and fifth book. Alan Rickman's performance as Snape is simply divine. I am also very excited at the addition of two superb actors in the Potter series---David Thewlis as Lupin and Gary Oldman as Sirius. I'm refraining from giving away too much here,but how breathtaking when extremely intense scenes involving Snape, Lupin, and Sirius are delivered by these impeccable performers!
The visuals of this movie are stunning as usual. I particularly like the Wimping Willows seasonal change scenes, and Buckbeak's flight. I am also glad that Williams has made a new set of music for the movie, more haunting,dark,suspenseful,yet at the same times grotesquely humorous---exactly the right colors of the magical world that Rowling created.
Of course, this movie also has serious flaws---yes, I'm talking about the failure to fully introduce the Marauders. I think it would only take five minutes more to integrate this necessary background story, without which non-readers are left very confused about the plot, and fans of the books are severely disappointed.There are also some glaringly tacky and out-of-character moments, such as Ron echoing Snape in calling Hermione an insufferable know-it-all. I hope in future movies Ron, Harry's best friend, can stop being a mere comic relief, and present a more in-depth character revealing his loyalty, kind heart,and,even more interestingly, momentary jealousy toward Harry.
Despite the flaws, I still enjoyed the movie tremendously. It is true to the spirit of the book, though not to the letter.I only hope that the forth and fifth films would be even better---for, hey, Rowling's books deserve that.