Change Your Image
groovinkim
Reviews
Sideways (2004)
flaccid and lackluster
i tend to loathe both happy endings or implied happy endings and romance, so it'd have those strikes against it regardless of how well written it was.
i felt like all the characters with the exception of maya were pretty flat.. stereotype/caricatures but didn't have enough depth for my tastes. for example, jack.. it shows him running around frantically chasing pussy but really doesn't give much of an insight into who he is or why he's so desperate. there's that one scene where he cries, but it doesn't ring true at all. i generally prefer characters which are flawed and dislikable.. but these ones i disliked because they didn't seem real.
i think the acting was decent for what the actors had to work with.. i just don't think the characters were full enough for them to make them believable.
i also was not a fan of the cheesy things like separating the screen into random segments for no apparent reason, swaying the camera all around when miles is drunk, etc.. a good script/filmmaker should be able to say all of that without making it so damn obvious.
Edi (2002)
touching? only if you're touching someone else in the theater.
i went to see this film based primarily on the reviews of people on imdb. someone compared it to american beauty, which i loved. others talked about how it was poignant, depressing, touching.
were we watching the same film? the film i saw was so mind-bogglingly stupid that i HOPED for the death and disfigurement of every character in it! perhaps it was subtitled by someone whose only vocabulary came from a traveler's guide. maybe in its native language it had something meaningful to say which was lost in the translation. it's possible for films to have little dialogue or very simplistic dialogue and still be intelligent, poignant, etc. unfortunately, this was not one of those.
i rarely walk out of a theater. my belief is that if you've paid for a film, you may as well stay through until the end and hope it gets better. however, after an hour of this crap, it was clear that the only way things would improve would be if we got up and left.
Morvern Callar (2002)
Flat as a run-over pancake
There was one moment in the entire film where any character provoked emotion. Morvern sat on the couch, listening to the mixtape her dead boyfriend had given her while rocking to herself. Apart from that creepy and brilliant scene, the movie lies flat.
Yes, it's slightly odd, and yes, the soundtrack is brilliant.. but a good soundtrack does not a movie make. I love listening to Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Velvet Underground, Can, etc.. but they're much more interesting on their own. I don't mind films which lack a clear plot as long as they are done well. However, this didn't hold my interest at all.
The reviewers' comments that Morvern is chubby really freak me out. She can't be more than a size 7 *maximum*. The average woman in the states wears a size 14. It's very rare to see even an average-sized woman in a lead role, let alone a chubby one.. and Samantha Morton is neither.
It's hard to say whether the actors could've been better.. they weren't given much to work with. I don't mind the idea of a film with little dialogue if something fills in the space to keep my attention. This film left gaps which were filled only by my yawns.
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
well done on many levels
the australian government took kids of mixed race away from their family and put them in orphanages.. until *1970*. 1970! unbelievable. this film could have been done in a really cheesy disney way with awful swells of music.
instead it was handled with compassion to all sides and didn't make huge moral generalizations. despite the grim story, the gorgeous panoramic shots of the desert and tundra really made me want to go to australia.
Roger Dodger (2002)
horribly boring
i don't consider myself someone who's easily bored. however, this film resulted in me scrunching down in the sofa attempting to force myself to fall asleep.
i didn't find the caricature of a male chauvenist offensive, but neither was it entertaining. the stereotypical humor was so cliched that it prompted more eye-rolling than laughter. the shaky camera work didn't get on my nerves.. it was the only thing that kept me awake with this go-nowhere plot and uninspired acting.
if you want to see stupid stereotypes about gender relationships, go to a meat-market bar. at least there the desperate guy spouting pickup lines has a chance of being funny. if they're not, at least you saved $8.
Willard (2003)
hilarious!
I couldn't stop laughing. The characters were flat and the plot just plain silly, but Crispin Glover's acting was awesome. The only thing that confused me was people leaving the theater saying that they were disturbed. I thought the film incredibly funny and enjoyable, but definitely not frightening in the slighest. However, I also think rats are cute.
Adaptation. (2002)
too bad no one will get it
i wasn't sure if i was entertained or offended by a film which continuously makes fun of the people watching it, other filmmakers, and itself.
sometimes i found it entertaining.. esp. quotes like "multiple personalities are so overdone" and discussion of how egotistical it was to write yourself into your own film. but sometimes it was just too damn meta.
after i realized that just about nobody understood it, it became alternately more funny or more disturbing.
it kind of makes me want to hit myself in the head with a sharp object after reading reviews from people who took the ending seriously. hearing my mom say "well, it really picked up with that surprise ending" made me want to cry.
i went into the film because i was avoiding doing a graphic design assignment. i have no artistic skill to speak of. i was terrified and figured a film might help my mindframe.
it definitely did. nothing like being reminded in a simultaneously bitter and amusing fashion that most of what's "successful" in film doesn't even try to have any artistic merit.
it's hilarious. the very aspects of the film which contained no integrity are the ones which ensured its success. the parts of the film that contain an honest voice and insight are the ones that audience members writing reviews call "boring".
Happiness (1998)
Bites you in the rear in the best way possible
happiness was extremely disturbing, depressing, and dark. it was also bitingly funny. how i loved it! every character was very dysfunctional.. but in a way that was so real that it brought me back to my own traumatic past experiences.. it took me places in my head that i don't often go and sometimes avoid going.. and for that i thank it muchly.
it shows family & lovers that don't even know each other. they don't share their deep secrets and for the most part don't even try. they claim to love the shells around them while holding fast to their own. they're completely alienated & disconnected. most of the time they aren't even conscious of it because it's so routine for how they live.
there were so many interesting themes... characters who desired something deeply, then regretted it once it was theirs... pathetic self-defeating behaviors... sex and the pursuit of it... trying to be 'real' vs. living behind a facade...
i also *loved* the music... canned cheerful joyful sounds just made what was going on behind them all the more twisted.
i can't say enough about it.. oh, so good! but definitely not for the faint-hearted..
Orfeu Negro (1959)
Beautiful music, setting, costumes
the acting in this film was not impressive.. however, the music, setting, and costumes were absolutely gorgeous. the dancing and views of rio were unbelievable. i'd see it again.. not for the script or plot, but just to stare in amazement at how beautiful the other elements of the film were.
Deliverance (1972)
Mainstream subversion
I liked Deliverance mainly because the idea of this being a film shown widely in theaters was *awesome*. I wish I could have been there to see the audience's reaction. I didn't find it that disturbing myself, but I can see it having had a big impact. I loved the karmic theme of nature and her vengeance.. and how the urban people (environmental rapists) got raped themselves. The acting wasn't astounding and there were aspects of the script that needed work.. however, the concepts were good enough to make this worth watching once.
24 Hour Party People (2002)
I fell asleep.
I love New Order and like Joy Division, though I've never been a real Happy Mondays fan. So I figured this film would be entertaining. How can you go wrong with something named '24 hour party people'?
Unfortunately, I got so bored in the theater I fell asleep. So I can't give a good plot analysis, but I can say that very few films have put me to sleep...
Boogie Nights (1997)
A real porn would've been more worthwhile.
Save your money and rent a real porn. You'll get much more character, script, and plot, and equally good acting and music. I waited patiently for it to suddenly get good or funny or interesting, but it didn't happen. I am completely perplexed as to why this got good reviews from anyone.
The Straight Story (1999)
G rating doesn't have to equal G-ross.
This film was a big achievement because it took weirdness, portrayed it as "normal", and managed to still get a G rating.. from DISNEY of all places. This is achieved by making the strangeness and unpredictability subtle enough that it could go unnoticed. I laughed hysterically during one scene - the main character, who has been travelling long distances on a lawnmower and generally acting weird throughout the film, is asked something along the lines of whether he was concerned travelling and potentially interacting with "crazy people". It was also very entertaining that few characters in the film remarked on his mode of transportation. The conclusion of this film was left open-ended, rather than tying up with a snap cheese conclusion... another aspect which is highly unusual for a Disney or G-rated film.
Breaking the Waves (1996)
Breaking my patience.
I adored Dancer in the Dark, so I couldn't wait to see the director's previous films. Unfortunately, Breaking the Waves had none of the emotional impact or passion I had so loved. In Dancer in the Dark, the beginning of the film has choppy, hand-held camera action. Later, as the main character's life stabilizes, so does the camerawork. In that film, the camera technique irritated me, but seemed to go with its story later on. In Breaking the Waves, the camerawork remains distractingly wobbly throughout the entire film and the edits stay strange and off-kilter. I realize that this is a style, but it's a style that distracts from the message of the film so much that it drove me crazy.
This film was all about trauma and grief and guilt... but it didn't get me emotionally involved in the main character. I not only didn't mind if she suffered, I wished that she would hurry up and die already. The only sorrow I felt while watching this film was that it never seemed to end.. I sat through it for two hours and 15 minutes and finally gave up. The bloody end was more of a relief than a moving conclusion.
The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
Mixed feelings hereafter...
thoughts on the sweet hereafter...
the shots were beautiful, and most of the acting was skilled. however, the cuts drove me crazy. some of the elements were tied together well... at the beginning, you see an aspiring folk singer with a double-headed piece of art behind her. later in the film, you meet the character who produced that painting. little details like that are important. however, some of the editing was so off that the film was hard to follow. it was adapted from a novel which flips back and forth between flashbacks and present time.. but their way of adapting that to film was very confusing.
they tried to make the transitions smoother by showing dates and times in the background of some of the shot.. (calendars on the walls, tv broadcasts, etc..) but it was done subtly, and wasn't present in all the flashback scenes. additional characters were invented in the film for the main character to talk to in order to explain some of the background history.. but they came in at weird times and their conversations seemed unnatural. at one point, the main character gets into a discussion with one of these "plot moving" characters (a childhood friend of his daughter). in order to make it plausible, he doesn't remember her and she has to go into detail about who she is and her connection to his daughter. it just comes off oddly - it makes him seem like he has altzheimer's or mental problems.
i liked the complexity of the plot - no attempt to "dumb down" real issues was made.. nothing tied up neat & tidy with a bow... but neither were main plot points explained clearly. i like seeing films again and watching the director's dvd commentary if i enjoyed them.. but you shouldn't *have* to do that to understand the main elements.
there was even one point where the director said "i'm not really sure what this scene has to do with this movie. i'm not sure how true it is to who the character was. it reminded me of a scene from one of my other films, exotica. but i really like the scene all the same."
that's cool and all, but think of your poor confused viewers! (said in a 'think of the children' voice =P)
on the other hand, i was really tired and falling in and out of sleep when i watched it the first time, so i'm sure that didn't help. ;)
the ending of the film also irked me..
*SPOILER AHEAD*
one of the main characters lied, causing the court cases to be dismissed, and the film then ended. however, there would have been attempts made to verify the truth of her statement before the case ended.. there were technical tests performed on the bus and they can tell from the skid marks, etc. what speed the accident occured at. it seemed like they just wanted to get the film over with, so they picked a quick way to end it.. but it didn't make any sense. plot holes drive me crazy..
it wasn't bad, though. i'd much rather be confused than bored. heh.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Painfully, horrifically awful.
There is absolutely nothing good about this film. The acting is horrible, the lip-synching depressing, the script painfully bad, the music recycled hits gone wrong.... I kept on skipping from scene to scene, waiting each one out, hoping against hope that it would improve... nope, never did. This is the kind of film that causes me to question why humanity hasn't blown itself up yet. I wish I had not seen it because I'm now inable to have the same kind of relationship with people who claim it was good.
Following (1998)
Conceptually interesting
While Following lacked the tight execution & edits of Memento, it's still impressive considering its budget. Shots are shown slightly out of order, and the black & white 'film noir-y' scenes are well framed and aesthetically pleasing. The main actors are talented and believable, and the script is good. I wasn't too impressed by the soundtrack, though, and there was a choppiness and roughness about the edges. Still, worth seeing.. especially for fans of his other work.
Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (2000)
Curling and lingering in the mind.
I waited a long time to see this film because I had heard so many negative reviews about it. I adored Run Lola Run, but was told that this film was slow, boring, dragged on and had none of the creativity and innovation in RLR. However, I ended up enjoying it much MORE than RLR. Of course it was slow in comparison.. any film is slow in comparison to Run Lola Run, which was intended to be very fast-paced in every aspect. This film is the polar opposite - it touches you lightly, caresses you very subtly, and each scene lingers deliberately. I didn't feel it was slow, though - the pausing was more like when someone pauses between kisses to give you a devouring look, then continues. The soundtrack once again is somewhat electronic, but more on the ambient side. Visually, it's beautiful - wonderful framing of shots, brilliant color. It would've been possible to explore the characters more - perhaps character development was cut out to shorten the film's running time. I haven't seen the deleted scenes yet, so can't comment on whether they add to the film. Definitely don't skip this one because of the gripes about it - it does have flaws, but they just accentuate its beauty all the more.
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
surprisingly intriguing.
this film was surprisingly good. i'm not used to encountering talented acting, interesting plots or good scripts in mainstream films. it has a definite atmosphere and style which evokes emotion in nearly every scene. even the cheesy shots where the main character looked at photos of his family and children touched me. there are so many potential interpretations.. below i'll talk a bit about mine.
*** WARNING - SEMI-SPOILER AHEAD ***
it's odd that most of the people reviewing this film accepted his death. i was under the impression that his death was just a metaphor for his ability to move on.
'The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you. They're freeing your soul. So, if you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth.'
i took this to mean that his "death" was his ability to let go of his guilt and heartache and take the positive parts of his memories and experiences and the strength he had gained through the pain and move on.
eXistenZ (1999)
eXistenZ wasted its time and mine.
a virtual reality gaming system that taps into the psyche of those who play it. this concept had the potential to be very interesting, so that made it all the more sad that it was executed in a way that was so awful.
at the beginning, a PR rep who has never played the game gets convinced to do so. this involves having a hole drilled into his spine to plug it in - a "bio-port". there's this large scene where the game designer and her friends explain to him in baby language what a bio-port is, etc.
i realize this is supposed to be helpful for the audience, but really. i can't stand films where they make the characters incredibly stupid in order to explain the obvious to the audience. a PR person for a product would already be familiar with at least the basics about what they were supposed to be selling.
the plot just goes downhill from there.
they try to keep the audience interested by beating them over the head with jennifer jason leigh's sexuality - having her fondle and moan while rubbing her gaming console like it's a sex toy.. later having her shove her finger and tongue in and out of her partner's bio-port... but it was not sexy, not interesting, and just made me roll my eyes at how desperate it was.
existenZ takes a subject with the potential to have all kinds of interesting themes and philosophical implications and ignores them all.
i feel like it wasted itself and like i wasted MYself by watching it.
Jack & Diane (2002)
clever & hilarious short.
this short has a great concept - a couple arguing about their breakup, yet all their comments are song titles. very funny (and punny) and worthwhile! example "did you really want to hurt me?" "hey now, hey now!" this will probably be hard to find - i saw it as part of the seattle international film festival - but it's worth seeking out.
Cloud Nine (2001)
humorous; reminiscent of irvine welsh.
a man's attempt to propose to his girlfriend and have a beautiful evening out turns into the night from hell. a car accident on the way, horrible service and a frightening incident in the men's room leave him shocked and in pain. the offbeat humor in this reminded me a lot of irvine welsh, particularly 'the acid house'. worth seeing if you can find it - i saw it as part of the seattle international film festival.
La virgen de los sicarios (2000)
brutally honest and moving.
this film is incredibly real even though the setting & events would normally be difficult to accept as possible. apparently it was adapted by vallejo from his autobiographical novel. it centers around a gay writer who returns to colombia after 30 years travelling abroad and falls in love with a gangbanger who is constantly in danger of being shot by his rivals. the writer's outlook is bleak and cynical, yet that also makes the moments of beauty shine even brighter.
one of my favorite quotes from him was when he is sitting in a bar watching a soccer game and says "when people sit and cheer for 22 childish adults kicking a ball around, we're screwed."