Change Your Image
cerasea
Reviews
Step Up 2: The Streets (2008)
Disappointed & Disturbed
I think it's in "fluff pieces" where stereotypes are particularly dangerous. The movie claimed that it wanted to showcase how dance and hip-hop transcend cultural and class barriers, but the plot only served to highlight and exploit these divisions. I hold the writers more responsible for this missed opportunity than the director, though. A few simple plot changes would have given the storyline the level of emotional intelligence that even a cartoon deserves. It's easy to believe that observations like this will only fall on deaf ears, but I hope more people (in audiences and in the movie industry) will be less naive whenever another studio decides to mass-market such ignorance.
Feng yue (1996)
Definitely worth pining for!
I decided to purchase Temptress Moon after viewing the breathtaking, and devastating, Farewell My Concubine. Both movies feature the amazing talents of Gong Li and Leslie Cheung. So total is their transformation between the two films, it's difficult to believe that these are the same actors.
While Concubine served as a historical epic, Temptress Moon seemed more along the lines of Shakespearean tragedy. Like Kaige's previous work, the characters' frustrations signify larger themes: domestic turmoil; gender repression; class conflict; etc. Although these themes concern the private sphere of life and are not as overtly political as those addressed in Concubine, they are just as much about power, its abuse and the resulting disfigurement of the human spirit.
Temptress Moon is by no means a romance. The movie succeeds in being lyrical and melancholy - more engrossing than entertaining. Despite the requisite tragic ending, I found the plot to be oddly satisfying! The waxing and waning fates of Zhongliang, Ruyi, and Duanwu intertwined to create a luminous study of the heart and its insatiable hunger.
Overall, Temptress Moon was a clear reflection of the obsessions that ruthlessly dictate interpersonal affairs. Leslie Cheung, Gong Li and Kevin Lin give mesmerizing performances while supporting portrayals like that of Caifei He as Zhongliang's sister and Yin Tse as Zhongliang's Boss are equally flawless. (Among the movie's many moral messages: "Don't Do Drugs!" :)
Sweet November (2001)
A Bitter Pill
I could have forgiven a lot about this film. I always try to respect a movie's genre. This was a romantic comedy/fantasy so I wasn't expecting Kramer vs. Kramer. I could accept the melodramatic premise (beautiful dying girl falls in love with/tries to "save" handsome self-involved young man from himself) but most of the movie just didn't sit well with me. When trying to gather my overall impression, my mind can't help but "bring up" the scene where Sara is vomiting on the floor of her bedroom.
I really don't think I was asking for much. Instead, I think the movie demanded too much. Suspending my disbelief was a fair requirement. I actually consider it part of the fun. However all the fun began to vanish when the movie decided to take itself more seriously than it had the right to. At this point, its demands became disturbing and somewhat devious.
(As noted by other reviewers) The movie shamelessly plugged every cliché ever recorded on celluloid: rain-soaked confrontations, public declarations, cute animals, needy children, convenient diseases, gay/minority best friends with a heart of gold - but no real life of their own, and BAD SINGING! Yet the movie still felt that it could (and SHOULD) present itself as a somber tribute to the pain of life and love.
The repeated and ridiculously heavy-handed diatribes about Sara's trying to, "control her uncontrollable circumstances" and, "die with dignity" seemed as if they were beamed in to give all the preceding romantic fluffiness weight. I have no problem with those arguments, but they belonged in another movie and appeared extremely contrived.
Dying young is perhaps the ultimate example of life's unfairness, but to try to make a movie that is both eye candy and reality tale is almost as unfair.
Original Sin (2001)
If truly watched, you cannot walk away from loving this gem!
Usually I rely on the voting averages to give me an idea of how good a movie is. I have to admit that a 5.6 rating is much different from what I would give this film.
"Original Sin" seemed to be the movie that everyone walked away from. The only thing I remember about its opening was all the chatter about the nude scenes. I guess it reminded a lot of viewers about the whole "Wild Orchid"/"Showgirls" fiasco which is still etched in the mind's-eye of every self-conscious moviegoer. Perhaps this apparent smoke screen of an issue caused Angelina Jolie's (often chapped and super-pouty) lips to be sealed regarding her role in the movie. Likewise, the dependably silent/aloof Antonio Banderas was even harder to locate when it came to any promotion of the film. And after making sure every radio listener heard, "The Music of My Heart," even the inconspicuously conspicuous Estefans forgot to drop the hint that they contributed to the film's lushly romantic score.
The fact that this was not a perfect movie didn't prevent it from being an excellent one. I think the film's real problem was that it couldn't quite fit into the typical Hollywood hype machine that has crowned more inferior material with non-stop publicity and gratuitously "glowing" reviews. It could also be due to the fact that the plot, "not a love-story, but a story about love," didn't match the small space many viewers have reserved in their hearts for Romance and Drama - just not both!
Anyone who takes the time to TRULY WATCH THIS MOVIE will find that they cannot walk away from loving it. Banderas and Jolie succeed in being both glamorous and gritty. Antonio Banderas is one of the most beguiling actors in contemporary cinema (believe it or not). I am always amazed by the vast artistic depth that lays beneath the stereotypical Latin-lover super-bronzed matinée-idol exterior that he has been assigned to. Banderas' talents, like this movie, are grossly underrated and marginally explored. His every motion gives Vargas the pitch-perfect blend of simplicity and passion. Banderas' portrayal makes it hard not to hurt when Vargas hurts or trust when he trusts. This makes it easy to see why the naive Vargas and the lethal Julia/Bonnie are integrally compatible.
Wacko Jacko antics aside, Jolie, in all her un-Gwynnethness, is a site to have and behold. As the mysterious Julia, she is one mail-order bride who can both sell her body and steal a man's soul. Jolie succeeds in revealing every aspect of Bonnie's internal struggle to achieve personal authenticity while accepting a once-in-a-lifetime chance at true intimacy.
In many ways, the film is about humankind's universal need to be, "who we truly are" as well as the long, winding and often treacherous road toward love's salvation (closely examine the play Julia & Vargas went to see). The movie's many twists and turns represent the bloody sacrifices/transgressions that often mark the way. This was constantly echoed through a script which foreshadowed the story's theme (in a manner both poetic and hypnotic). Equally intoxicating were the use of nontraditional cinematography and sound techniques. They perfectly complemented the period-heavy scenery and costume. All these elements melded to create a picture that was at once abundantly sensual, visually stunning and emotionally sensitive - with an excellent ending!
Oh, and as for the much talked about "skin scenes". I thought they were well done. Gratuitous, yes. Gratifying - definitely! If you've got it, flaunt it. Banderas and Jolie absolutely have it, and then-some!
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
A Steal at a Perfect 10 !
I Loooved this movie! It was wonderful seeing mature actors in a mature plot doing "mature" things in a movie with a mature message. As a seasoned viewer, I'm tired of the American Pies and their sequels. It's really hard to find great fun movies starring "grown-ups."
Like Crystal and Ryan as Harry and Sally, Brosnan and Russo literally come to the rescue as one of the best romantic pairings in current cinema.
For it's genre, the movie succeeds in being smart, sexxxxy, savvy and even sweet. It's entertaining as it is elegant with an extraordinary supporting cast.
***** A steal at a perfect 10 *****
Hav Plenty (1998)
Needs plenty!
I was offended, bored and annoyed while watching this. I don't usually agree with many of Maltin's summaries but his take on this one is right on the money (except I'd only give it 1/2 a star - just for being able to get distributed and those celebrity cameos - terrible waste of connections). As well as being smug, the movie was colorist, classist and disturbingly close-minded.
Besides the fact that this quasi-movie could have gotten funded and distributed, when quality projects are struggling to get produced, the most disturbing thing is that there are people who have watched this and thought it was anything more than horrid.
Sorry, but no thanks!
The Proposition (1998)
Watch it for the actors, and weep for the film.
Great actors, good story - what went wrong? Kenneth Brannagh as a priest was an inspired choice of casting (If only all my priests were that ruggedly handsome & masculine, I would never miss confession!). William Hurt's presence, however, always seems to blur the edges of the characters he portrays. I never know where the character starts and the typical William Hurt begins (he did a great job though, I was almost convinced). Madeline Stowe is both brilliant and radiant as Eleanor (a pleasant surprise from her typically subdued ingénue roles!). Blythe Danner is a gem (as usual) even though she is horribly miscast, this lady is really foxy - far from the matronly and bitter spinster she plays. Neil Patrick Harris is always a treat (it's hard to forget him as "Doogie", he could play a cab driver and still be endearing and sweet).
It's amazing how art reflects life. The movie deals with death and I couldn't help grieving because this could have been such a great film. The story had (at the risk of being corny) all the timeless symbolism and core themes of love and life. I was excitedly anticipating to see how these themes (such as that of human creation, as dealt with through the issue of "baby-making", or the relationship between religion and gender etc. etc.) were fully explored. Stowe and Brannagh make a tantalizing pair. They remind me of some sort of "fully ripe" Adam and Eve! (their love scene could have been sooo much better).
Like I said, I kept wondering "What went wrong?" : The actors were exemplary (probably to overcompensate for the movie's weaknesses). The story itself was quite good but the plot line was seriously flawed. The cinematography was exquisite, but the scenes were poorly set up (there's one where saucy family secrets are revealed - where else? but in a soup kitchen!). I don't know much about the art of movie-making (movie-watching, maybe) but I think even a seasoned film professional will watch this movie with tears after seeing such a great cast and good concept go to waste. (Like I said, the movie is sad, unfortunately because of reasons other than it intended).
I propose that this movie be redone and soon! (With Brannagh, Stowe and everyone in it, except Hurt and Danner)- yeah right!
The other option is for it to remain as a prime example of when great acting meets a good movie idea, but the sparks just don't fly.
Watch it for the actors, and weep for the film.