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Reviews
Wadjda (2012)
Wadjda Film Review
The film "Wadjda" gives the viewer a unique glimpse into an entirely different society. The film seems simple at first but as the events unfold the story becomes much deeper. The film shows how women have to cope with the patriarchal society. What makes the film so good is how it tells a story of how the Saudi community functions through the experiences of a young girl Wadjda. It is inspiring how determined Wadjda is to get a bike and race a man, despite the action being against the cultural norm. Even in dark parts of the film the viewer still has a sense of optimism due to Wadjda's tenacity. The director did a great job in telling the everyday story about the Saudi Arabian people without any bias and through a young female. In the center of the film we see the everyday life of Wadjda and other girls of similar age. All the girls in the all-girl School must conform to the status of the ideal wife and are prepared for that job all through School. However, they act and laugh normal children would. The impact of School on their lives is best seen with their lack of surprise when being on their period to having to hold the Koran with a napkin. Wadjda's mother is also a strong independent women who strays from the expected behavior of women. She buys Wadjda the bike she wanted that was frowned upon due to her being a woman. And she cuts her hair despite her husband telling her that he did not want her to. It is rare to find a foreign film that can actually inspire you and really impact your global perspective. I truly enjoyed this film and would suggest it to another student or teacher.
Omar (2013)
Omar review
The film Omar is an extremely effective and well-made film that further engages the audience with romance thwarted by politics. The film centers on three men wanting to join the battle. The leader is Tarek, the hero Omar and third Amjad. Omar and Tarek's sister Nadia are in love, as is evident from their glances when she early serves all three men tea. Amjad does his Godfather impersonation for her amusing at the time but is an omen. Amjad is the film's bad villain. Though he's the best shot, he tries to avoid doing his part in the trio's planned attack on an Israeli guard. He eventually does pull the fatal trigger, but the Israelis believe Tarek should be assumed guilty. When they arrest only Omar, they torture him and force him to help them catch Tarek. Amjad is doubly the villain when he claims he made Nadia pregnant. In the boys' scuffle the enraged Tarek is killed. The disillusioned Omar lets Nadia marry Amjad. Omar's early release from arrest feeds suspicion that he is the Israeli agent's collaborator but the true villain has been Amjad. The film's political bias begins with the harsh wall Omar has to scale to get to Nadia and back home. The physical separation of the lovers has no other function than to show the controversial wall and generate the instant anger it arouses. The wall is an obstacle that Israel has forced upon Palestinian normalcy. The torture scenes are also inflammatory. Omar's torture to extract information is most disturbing, even given that he was involved in the fatal attack. But his more arbitrary stop earlier, after climbing the wall is less violent but still infuriating as the Israel's bully and abuse him. There is a final twist at the end of the film. We're led to believe Omar wants to kill Amjad whose lies ruined Nadia's and Omar's romance. He arranges to get a gun from his Israeli handler, who arrives with armed bodyguards. As the handler shows Omar how to use the pistol Omar turns and kills him.
Tuya de hun shi (2006)
Movie review reaction
The film Tuya's Marriage is not a happy one. The movie begins and ends with the same scene of her eventual wedding day, with her youngest son fighting with another boy who sneers at him for having two fathers. Tuya's marriage portrays a world that, apart from its hardship, is thoroughly recognizable. Its characters are motivated by the same needs for companionship and material well-being. And the same wants of greed, lust, jealousy and despair — that drive most people. Tuya, after breaking up the fight, retreats from the celebration to reflect. Tuya (protagonist) is physically disabled and married to and in love with a disabled peasant Ba'toer. Tuya (Yu Nan) is financially forced to divorce him and find a new husband to support herself, her 'ex' husband and their two children. She is called upon by suitors from near and far when word spreads of her decision to remarry. The film observes the fascinating rites of courtship and the unsentimental deal making by Tuya, who knows what she wants and what she has to do to get it. After a series of men refuse to look after Ba'toer, Tuya finds herself torn between a Baolier, a divorced childhood schoolmate of Tuya who is newly wealthy, having struck oil or a friend who promises to marry her once he finds and divorces his wife. Baolier's money and lust may represents the forces of technological change that is consuming the region. In Baolier's marriage proposal he agrees to take care of Bater by putting him in a nursing home, and Tuya agrees. However, it's not a good enough deal for Bater. Soon after arriving at his new him, he starts, feeling abandoned then pitifully gets drunk and slashes his wrists. The ending, like I said is not a happy one. Nonetheless, I'd recommend it to another friend or teacher.
Xi you: Xiang mo pian (2013)
Movie review reaction
This film is jam packed with tons of Stephen Chow's comedic style. It has action, love, and some scenes on the meaning of life. There also some descriptions on ancient Chinese symbols. It begins with this supposed demon hunter trying to warn a village that the creature they just killed was not the demon they thought(a giant stingray). Instead, the real demon was a large man eating fish. They eventually get the fish out of the water and the demon hunter(Xuan Zang) attempts to rid the demon of evil and only leave good behind through his book of nursery rhymes. They were to no avail and he started to get beaten up by the fish until a real women demon hunter came about and fought the demon, killing it. The novice demon catcher began to question his abilities as a demon hunter and decided to go to get some food from an infamous restaurant. It turned out the restaurant was run by a demon who tricked the newcomers into being killed and fed to the next who are foolish enough to enter. However, the novice demon fighter suspects something wrong with everything and calls out the demon, but as he calls him out the women demon hunter from the previous fight appears and starts to fight the demon with her magic rings. They walk back to town and she tries to kiss him but he has vowed to only kiss a woman of great love. She keeps on following him trying to get him to like her in return and marry her, but he does not give in. The demon that the women demon hunter had fought before did not actually die and has been on the loose. The novice demon hunter decides to seek help from the monkey king who has been enslaved by buddha for the past 500 years. The monkey king tricks him into freeing him and begins to reign terror killing demon hunters and the women demon hunter who until her death the novice demon hunter does not show feelings of love for. He eventually reaches enlightenment and kills the monkey king with his powers
Qin ai de (2014)
Movie review reaction
This film is definitely a powerful and engaging movie. I did not find it to be a happy type film. It was more of a sad film worth watching as it shows how disorganized and terrible China is as a Country. The director showed all the facts by addressing them in a straightforward manner. The film is based on true events. Dearest tells the heartbreaking story of a divorced couple losing their three-year old son in the coastal city of Shenzhen and the ordeal of searching for him. But, it is not just a child abduction story. The film shows the mass amounts a child abduction present in China, along with female abductions. The two parents eventually find their son three years later on a farm with the women who's husband had kidnapped their child 3 years prior. They have a hard time taking him back from the family, but they eventually succeed. However, the child does not remember who they are and has grown to think the abductors were his biological parents, along with a sister who was "found" by the abductor. The police get involved and the parents who had their son kidnapped get their boy back, with his assumed sister put into an orphanage and the abductors wife is thrown into prison. 6 months late the abductor gets out of prison and tries to get the children back because she has grown to believe that they were her real children through the lie that her dead husband had told her about going to adopt the child and supposedly finding the little girl. The abductors wife tries to get help from old workers of her husband who have fled to Shenzhen, but they ignore her because they would be looked upon as inferior if they associated with a farmland poor person. She eventually tries to hire a lawyer and he is reluctant at first but eventually sees the extent to which this women will go to get her assumed child back. In the end she does not and finds out that she is pregnant with the baby of a man who she offered sex with for help.
Okuribito (2008)
Movie review reaction
This film was definitely a favorite of mine. It is about a man named daigo who loses his job and must return to his hometown. Once he returns to his hometown he is confronted by his past and must reconnect with his past. He is desperate for a job and decides to search for anything that will pay well. He calls an ad listed as departures, which turned out to be misspelled. It was suppose to say the departed, as the job requires one to handle dead bodies through bathing, washing, and clothing. It is a job considered beneath others and filthy because you earn your money through the death of others. At first Daigo, does not like his job by little by little he comes to a new understanding it. The process of preparing the corpse is shown in detail within the context of the story. The film eventually captures the audience through the beautiful display of sending off the dead. It is displayed as a ceremony including only close family members and the occasional close friend. The undertaker cares for the dead with utmost precision in shaving and clothing of the dead in front of the audience. This film is very powerful in instilling in the viewer that we should take each precious moment as if it were out last. While watching this film I also noticed marvelous acting by the cast, but the wife of the protagonist seemed a bit misplaced and shallow. Overall, the film is sincere in its nature and captures the beauty connected with the sending off of the dead. This film could also be seen as comedic through the acting of the boss of the departure service who seems to make the best of any situation.
Ajeossi (2010)
Movie review reaction
This film is definitely my favorite foreign film so far this year. The film is about a man, Cha Tae-sik who lives a quiet life running a pawn shop. He is loner whose only friend is a little girl, So-mi, who lives next door. So-mi is a loner like Cha Tae-sik who can take care of herself and steal really well. So-mi's mother, Hyo-jeong, is a heroin addict who stole drugs from a notorious korean-vietnamese drug gang and never provides or protects her daughter So-mi. Two gangsters go to Tae-sik's pawn shop and attempt to take a package from him through force and guns, but Tae-sik easily overpowers them scaring them with his speed. Eventually the mother is caught beaten and kidnapped along with her daughter So-mi. Once Tae-sik finds out he goes on a quest to save them. In his search he finds other children being used to make drugs and deliver them. He saves them and kills one of the drug lords brothers which causes the other to become furious threatening to rip So-mi's eyes out and kill her. He eventually finds out the So-mi's mother has been killed, and they tell him that they harvested So-mi's eyes and killed her, this enrages Tae-sik and he heads out on a hunt for the drug-lord . Once he arrives he is given a jar of eyeballs(that are not So-mi's) and thinks that they belong to So-mi. This leads him to kill every drug member by either shooting them, or slowly slitting their wrists. He catches his breath and formulates some thoughts. He rationalizes the situation and does not see another option than to kill himself. So he has his gun to his head and is about to shoot himself. When suddenly So-mi appears from the shadows, untouched with both eyes.
Metro Manila (2013)
Movie review reaction
The film Metro Manila was my first ever foreign film. The film was definitely different from the common American movie. Until this film, I had not heard of Manila. The most significant contrast to an American film would have to be the way they ended the movie, because a large percentage of any American drama/thriller always ends with a happy ending for the protagonist.The protagonist is a poor tenant rice farmer, Jake Macapagal, as Oscar Ramirez who has a wife and two girls. The countryside they live in at the beginning of the movie is beautiful but the price of rice is so low that they are forced to leave. With hope and desperation they venture to Manila by a ramshackle bus and while carrying their belongings with them. If I were put in the shoes of Oscar Ramirez (the protagonist) I would not have stayed in Manila for as long as he and his family had stayed. To experience having my rent money stolen, running out of food for himself and his family. Nor would I work all day only to be given sandwiches as payment. Then get hustled out of a place to live. I would have listened to Ong and gone along with his plan to steal the keys. Then I would head to the next best place for my family after I had acquired enough money. The immense impact that the film had on my global perspective is definitely due to the fact that my first time hearing of Manila is in a film showing the worst parts of Manila.The ending has real emotion and the soundtrack is very powerful. Depicts life in the third world convincingly. I would strongly recommend the film Manila to another student or teacher.
Merantau (2009)
Movie review reaction
Merauntau was a simpler story compared to our previous film. The film was definitely more American than the Metro Manila movie. I personally found this movie quite interesting with all of the fight scenes, and the shocking ending. However, the film still contrasts in many ways to the common American film. Merantau is an action packed movie that captures the adventure that occurs during Yuda's Merantau (rite of passage or pilgrimage to becoming a man). Yuda travels to Jakarta to try to create a home for himself. He started by teaching silat (an Indonesian martial art) to the children of Jakarta. Yuda befriended a young boy named Addit and his sister, Astri. The latter of whom is picked up by gangsters to be part of a sex trafficking ring, and thus begins his discovery of his destiny and called the unofficial protector against the meek and weak. Yuda's misfortune of running up against the human smuggling ring was his meeting Ratger. If I were directing the film it would have had a different ending. Yuda would have definitely not let Ratger live. I would have made sure he was dead before moving on to rescue the girls. Then I would try to get a hold of the police to deal with any others who were still alive. This is a really well done movie, and is quite different than what I would have expected had it been done in the "American" type of movie, including tons of explosions, major firearm battles, and a perfectly happy ending.The impact the film Merantau had on my global perspective is definitely due to the amount of facts within the film. I have become more aware of the many privileges we have in America. I would strongly recommend the film Merantua to another student or teacher.
Whale Rider (2002)
Movie review reaction
The film Whale Rider is based in New Zealand. It stars a young girls named Pai who believes she will be the next chief. She technically cannot inherit the leadership because she is female. Her grandfather, Koro, later forms a strong bond with Pai, but he still condemns her and blames her for mishaps within the tribe. Koro eventually teaches a school of boy, hoping to find a new leader. The boy shows signs of a good leader and fighter demonstrating alpha male skills. He teaches them how to use fighting sticks. This tradition is strictly reserved for males. However, Pai's nanny tells her that her second son had won many tournaments in his youth, so Pai secretly learns from him. As she is learning to use the stick she wants to still watch her grandfather teach and one day he finds her getting lessons from one of the boys who is being taught by him and he is furious. Pai was always determined to prove to Koro that she is meant to be the chief. She never let Koro fully get to her. Even though Koro never showed signs of true love and affection to her. Even when Pai finds his whale tooth necklace that none of the other boys in town could do when he gave them the task of finding the tooth he threw into the middle of the deep ocean. Or when Pai writes her school speech for him and he misses the recital. But, eventually Koro opens his eyes and sees that Pai is meant to be chief. He responds immediately to Pai with acceptance and love. The film builds a global perspective by showing the viewer how to love, care, and keep composure while times are not in your favor. I would strongly recommend this film to a teacher or student.
Chennai Express (2013)
Overall review/reaction to Hindi film Chenai Express
What it's about: Chennai Express is about a rich forty-five-year-old bachelor, named Rahul, living in Mumbai. His parents were killed in a car accident when he was very young, so his grandparents took their role as guardians. Rahul gets invited to a friends vacation trip right before his grandfathers 100th birthday. However, Rahul's grandfather dies on the day of his birthday, while watching cricket. Soon after his death, Rahul's grandmother tells him that his grandfather wanted to be buried in two different places. One in Ganga and the other in Rameswaram. She asks Rahul to take the ashes with him to dump but comes to see him off. However, Rahul forgets to take the ashes and almost misses his train when he tries to get the ashes back. But as he tries to leave he helps a woman and four men board the train causing him to miss his chance to get off. Rahul finds out that the women, Meena, was being chased by the four men( who happen to be goons of Meenas powerful father). Meena tells her father when the goons return her to her father along with Rahul that they are in love and plan to get married. Along their journey to deceive her father they fall in love and get married. This Hindi film was quite intriguing to me, a newcomer to foreign films.
What's good: For a person new to Hindi films, Chennai Express definitely raised my opinion towards them. It had many scenes that could be attributed to a typical Hollywood comedy film, such as action, minor drama scenes, big star cast, and the well known big finale car crashes. I also enjoyed how the film starts with a flashback of Rahul and is narrated by him as well narrated by him as well. The acting was astonishing and enthusiastic. Overall Chennai Express is a movie that is meant to bring a smile to your face with its singing, dancing, and many melodramatic scenes.