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Reviews
Watchmen (2009)
One of the Worst...
I never write many reviews but I am just amazed at the surprisingly high ratings "Watchmen" has received on IMDb. Though I am a fan of the original comic and feel it is, in fact, a great work of literature and not just a "Graphic Novel" I am very capable of separating this review into two parts: the film as an adaptation and the film as a standalone piece: 1.) As an Adaptation "Watchmen" is a complete and utter failure. The two most important chapters, IV and VI, are reduced to about 10-12m mins of screen time and yet a fight scene with Nite Owl, Laurie and about 50+ inmates is inserted (not in the comic) along with an excessive sex scene and they last almost 6-8 mins. There is absolutely no sense of the world that Watchmen takes place in and the use of music is atrocious. The most important aspect of the graphic novel is not the mystery plot of who killed The Comedian, it is what is being said and Zach et al apparently did not "get it". They delivered a mediocre action film that doesn't convey 10% of the philosophy of Watchmen.
2.) As a stand alone film "Watchmen" is a bore. The acting is some of the most terrible I have seen on the big screen in my life. Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Matthew Goode are so bad one wonders how anyone would even hire these people let alone have them star in a movie that costs 10s of millions of dollars. They are stiff, uncomfortable and you feel absolutely nothing for them. The action is not exciting: I actually became bored watching the OPENING fight between Veidt & The Comedian. Somehow Zach Snyder (who made two of my recent favorites in 300 and Dawn of the Dead) was able to make a violent rape scene and the vicious murder of a pregnant woman feel empty and leave me unmoved.
This film is a truly terrible mess that fails on every level.
Oldeuboi (2003)
Not So Shocking
I'm very surprised by the extreme dislike some have expressed for Oldboy. I just finished watching it and while I too am somewhat disappointed with the ending shocker I don't feel that much of the negativity is warranted.
Many have criticized the deux ex machina nature hypnosis plays in the film and the fantastic concept that Dae-Su could train himself to be such an amazing fighter but what seems to be lost here is that there is NO pretense that this is a realistic film. While it is not Kafka, it is a surrealist piece and has to be viewed as such. Park even has a VO commenting on "can training yourself...work?" to draw attention to the fantasy nature of the movie.
I think what most are punishing Oldboy for is the hype. I went in having heard about the amazing/shocking/unbelievable ending and then it simply turns out to be an Oedipal story where fate is cruel and named Woo-jin. It was a let down because I was expecting a "Sixth Sense" level ending but in all reality the main story was far more interesting and well made than the Sixth Sense. It simply did not deliver in the end and with all the hype that can be unforgivable to people (disappointment can color everything sometimes).
I think if anyone is looking for thematic meaning what they can see is that Oldboy is about how such small, meaningless things can destroy your life. It is about talking less (Woo-Jin: "Oh Dae-Su talks too much") and asking the right the questions ("You should not ask 'Why was I imprisoned?' but "Why was I released?'") it is only through forced introspection that Dae-Su understands why his life is the way it is and that revenge is meaningless, not because it is your own fault but because the forces that often times act against us are beyond our control and must just be accepted (Woo-Jin's "omnipotence" as some have pointed out). This is what I took away from the film.
The Art of Action: Martial Arts in Motion Picture (2002)
Amazing Documentary!!!
If you want to know all about Martial Arts movies from the works of King Hu (whose films inspired Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) to the more famous Chang Cheh action pics to even modern day Jet Li movies this is it! A really great and well narrated (Sam Jackson) documentary that is the perfect primer for the genre. The only problem was the total absence of Jimmy Wang Yu who made quite a few really great Kung Fu movies (leaning towards the fantastic). He was the big deal before Bruce Lee moved in and then he started directing his own stuff in the 70's. His Master of the Flying Guillotine is one of the best Kung Fu movies out there. Besides that hiccup it's a ton of fun and seriously informative.