Here's some catching up. I watched Metropolis last night and it was pretty awesome of course. With the workers toiling below the Earth's surface and the rich thinkers living high in the sky it's a plot that's been done many times since. You can definitely see all that this film has influenced. The model art deco city was beautiful, I loved the iconic imagery, and the special effects were fantastic.
I watched The Monster Walks tonight. It was not as classic. It was a cute really short (at one hour) early talkie. Its a plot we all know. A rich scientist has just died. His daughter and her fiance come over for the reading of the will. Her handicapped uncle is there with their servants. All the fortune gets left to the daughter... and then the deaths start. At first it is believed to be the scientist's ape. But then of course people have secret intentions, blah, blah, blah you can figure it out. Of course it did feature the strong man fiance who is a doctor playing detective most of time. Don't worry dear I'll save you, here's something for your nerves because you are frail, because you are a woman. I'm probably just inferring all that. Another stereotype: the couple's African American driver. Everything he said was just terribly racist. And seriously, I don't think it was a coincidence that they cut between him and the ape as often as they did.
<3justine
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Coraline
Coraline starts out with our main character in a new town. Her and her parents have moved into house and Coraline is bored, bored, bored. Here parents of course are workaholics and ignore her and are two busy for anything. In the exploration of her new house Coraline discovers a small mysterious door. At night this door leads Coraline to an alternate house that looks just like hers complete with "other" parents. This reminds me right away of an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark.
Well everything is just dandy with the awesome Other Mother and Father. Coraline gets to do everything she likes and with a loving family. She goes back and forth between these worlds a few times even ignoring obvious warnings not to. Of course the Other Mother wants her to stay forever and that's when the fun and games ends and Coraline realizes she's in danger.
The climax is then really weak. Nothing really gets taken to a higher level and it seems the character is kept at the same emotional level. Then it just kinda wraps up nicely.
Also what's with the theme? Are we learning 'Be content with what you have even if it sucks'? Her parents didn't really change in the end. They were oblivious to the whole thing. It seems like life is just going to go on for Coraline the way it was. So the end was a little unsatisfying.
On the whole it was very Hansel and Gretel meets Alice in Wonderland meets Pan's Labyrinth.
<3justine
Well everything is just dandy with the awesome Other Mother and Father. Coraline gets to do everything she likes and with a loving family. She goes back and forth between these worlds a few times even ignoring obvious warnings not to. Of course the Other Mother wants her to stay forever and that's when the fun and games ends and Coraline realizes she's in danger.
The climax is then really weak. Nothing really gets taken to a higher level and it seems the character is kept at the same emotional level. Then it just kinda wraps up nicely.
Also what's with the theme? Are we learning 'Be content with what you have even if it sucks'? Her parents didn't really change in the end. They were oblivious to the whole thing. It seems like life is just going to go on for Coraline the way it was. So the end was a little unsatisfying.
On the whole it was very Hansel and Gretel meets Alice in Wonderland meets Pan's Labyrinth.
<3justine
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
I like how The Phantom of the Opera began with the old owners of the Paris opera house signing it over to the new owners. They can't leave without be like "Oh PS, there's a ghost." The new owners are skeptic of course at first, but hey this story isn't really about them. The Phantom wants things his way including the love of his favorite singer, Christine Daae. Before Christine finds out her mystery supporter is scary-face Phantom himself she wants to be his slave. She even wants to break off marriage to her lover, Raoul, to get further in her career. It did feel like it was only when she found out how hideously ugly the Phantom was, that she was crawling back to marriage-ville with Raoul. I even found that when Raoul was at the Phantom's mercy and she could save him by pledging to marry the Phantom she thought it over a real long time. Overall lesson, ladies, its the handsome sugar-daddy or the fugly insane escaped criminal.
<3justine
<3justine
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is going to be a hard one for me to review. I have seen it twice so far in the theater. I went to opening night to a sold out crowd of wand waving super-fans. It was a pretty awesome experience.
It's difficult to do a fair review because all I think about was the differences to the book. I did leave the theater happy and entertained but filled with a lot of wishes. I wish there were more memories, I wish we saw all the horcruxes, I wish they didn't show so much Draco.
I enjoyed the Quiddich a whole lot and the liquid luck. I loved it over all, it's Harry Potter!
But, as I said its hard for me to talk about without nitpicking every little detail. So I won't.
<3justine
It's difficult to do a fair review because all I think about was the differences to the book. I did leave the theater happy and entertained but filled with a lot of wishes. I wish there were more memories, I wish we saw all the horcruxes, I wish they didn't show so much Draco.
I enjoyed the Quiddich a whole lot and the liquid luck. I loved it over all, it's Harry Potter!
But, as I said its hard for me to talk about without nitpicking every little detail. So I won't.
<3justine
Monday, July 6, 2009
Smart People
Boring people.
It was all "blah blitty blah blah blah" and never took off.
The editing was bad. Looked like it was full of mistakes. You could feel when things were cut out. Or probably sucked for coverage. And there were two editors.
On a weird note, I watched this on Netflix instant watch and it was in fullscreen.
It was all "blah blitty blah blah blah" and never took off.
The editing was bad. Looked like it was full of mistakes. You could feel when things were cut out. Or probably sucked for coverage. And there were two editors.
On a weird note, I watched this on Netflix instant watch and it was in fullscreen.
Teeth
There's nothing men find scarier than a vagina.
I watched Teeth this evening and I really liked it. I really didn't know what the expect from this film about a vagina with teeth but it turned out to be a comedy/horror about female empowerment. Awesome!
Its quirkiness and self-unaware main character reminded me a lot of But I'm a Cheerleader and Saved! Dawn is a girl raised with Christian morals to be afraid of her own body and her budding sexuality. A lot of the film touched on anti-religion and pro-knowledge. But without getting into the themes and such, this girl was afraid of her own vagina before she knew it had teeth! And I'd say a lot of girls are. Girls are taught they they are the modest gender. Knowledge is unfeminine.
Ok, I'm getting a bit rant-y. So Dawn of course is taken advantage of and her body fights back for her. This is the gross/scary part. I do not recommend this for guys because it will soon scare them off from sex. It was definitely ewwwww. But, on the subject of male viewers some may say that this movie depicts all guys as skeezy dirtbags. To this I say "meh" and suck it up. You guys have almost all the movies in the world to be represented in. This girl was weak to begin with so of course her character is not going to attract the best guys.
Another thing I loved with subtle vagina-like imagery found in nature in the film. I thought that was some really good planning.
So in the end she learns (what I hope) many girls learn: Sex isn't scary and she's in control of her own body/sexuality. She ends up a girl with some confidence and power.
I watched Teeth this evening and I really liked it. I really didn't know what the expect from this film about a vagina with teeth but it turned out to be a comedy/horror about female empowerment. Awesome!
Its quirkiness and self-unaware main character reminded me a lot of But I'm a Cheerleader and Saved! Dawn is a girl raised with Christian morals to be afraid of her own body and her budding sexuality. A lot of the film touched on anti-religion and pro-knowledge. But without getting into the themes and such, this girl was afraid of her own vagina before she knew it had teeth! And I'd say a lot of girls are. Girls are taught they they are the modest gender. Knowledge is unfeminine.
Ok, I'm getting a bit rant-y. So Dawn of course is taken advantage of and her body fights back for her. This is the gross/scary part. I do not recommend this for guys because it will soon scare them off from sex. It was definitely ewwwww. But, on the subject of male viewers some may say that this movie depicts all guys as skeezy dirtbags. To this I say "meh" and suck it up. You guys have almost all the movies in the world to be represented in. This girl was weak to begin with so of course her character is not going to attract the best guys.
Another thing I loved with subtle vagina-like imagery found in nature in the film. I thought that was some really good planning.
So in the end she learns (what I hope) many girls learn: Sex isn't scary and she's in control of her own body/sexuality. She ends up a girl with some confidence and power.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire: winner of Best Picture, 2008. Meh.
Just watch City of God instead. Seriously. Do it. Slumdog was boring and I couldn't connect to the characters from the beginning. Why should I care about these characters? The fancy-schmancy camera work isn't going to make me.
The film started to pick up near the end but I really can't place a significant moment.
The one thing that peeved me about this in the past is that the co-director, Loveleen Tandan, was not included in many of the awards for this film. She only was nominated and won at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. It is a rule that only one person's name can be on the Oscar ballot for Best Director unless they agree to share it. Remember last year Joel and Ethan Coen won?
In case you don't know your Oscar history, in the 81 years of the Oscars only three women have been nominated for Best Director. Lina Wertmuller in 1976, Jane Campion in 1993, and Sophia Coppola in 2003.
Just watch City of God instead. Seriously. Do it. Slumdog was boring and I couldn't connect to the characters from the beginning. Why should I care about these characters? The fancy-schmancy camera work isn't going to make me.
The film started to pick up near the end but I really can't place a significant moment.
The one thing that peeved me about this in the past is that the co-director, Loveleen Tandan, was not included in many of the awards for this film. She only was nominated and won at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. It is a rule that only one person's name can be on the Oscar ballot for Best Director unless they agree to share it. Remember last year Joel and Ethan Coen won?
In case you don't know your Oscar history, in the 81 years of the Oscars only three women have been nominated for Best Director. Lina Wertmuller in 1976, Jane Campion in 1993, and Sophia Coppola in 2003.
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