Change Your Image
cheryl-01
Reviews
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
Kissing a "blond-ish" perfectionist
Seeing the trailer, I really did not think this was going to be a favorite. I thought it's gonna be a feel-good flick about "coming out" or maybe "sexual identity confusion" which would eventually be another romantic I-saw-that-already. Though admittedly there were some clichés and bad acting left noticed, what caught me sticking was the intensity in most scenes and dialogues--delivered naturally and wickedly satirical and funny! Also, I think that the way the cinematography payed attention to the small details around a particular character is exquisite (e.g. like how Jessica, for all her intellect, still has a dumb side -- maybe because her facial features are quite of a blonde's? Well, she's a Jew so I don't know ^_^ )
300 (2006)
just a show off
I get that this film is revolutionary. Having said, it's supposed to be downright superb.
But aligning this with LOTR, Braveheart or Gladiator, all of which I rated 8-10, is just too much. These mentioned flicks offered us real feelings from the major to the minor charactares, complex and detailed story lines, etc. 300 could have been so much better with a little more depth and complexity to its resources.
I guess, the IMAX experience was just too overwhelming for me that every thing else became irrelevant -- the fact that Im usually intrigued by periodic flicks.
Is it just me or this film did not bring out everything it could have?
The L Word (2004)
How would this ever go wrong?
Well, understandably, this show rocks because it portrays a lifestyle that seems to be breaking the rules. Forget about those hypocrites who dare disgust this show--they're just a bunch of losers, jealous 'cuz they could not cross any line.
Anyhoo, do I still have to go over the brilliance of the story lines, and cinematography? Those indulging passionate sex scenes? Simply, every episode in every season has its own way of getting in to me -- from the punch lines to the intensity of every drama. There's always something new.
So, how could this show ever go wrong? For whenever I dislike or am disinterested in a character (say, Jenny, Shane, Helena, Max/Moira, etc.), they suddenly become the center of attraction. They just become someone that I did not expect earlier, someone stronger and interesting that I could not wait for the next episode of drama or laughter.
Crash (1996)
Interest in Psychoanalysis overshadowed by boredom
Well, in the first 10 minutes of the film, I caught myself yearning for more eroticism. Perhaps, that's quite an achievement for the filmmakers. I really did not know what to expect so I continued watching in the hopes that I would get something out of it.
As I go on, I am convinced that this is really a weird film. There goes James Ballard and the rest of the characters with their own fetishes motivating their sexual lives (not to mention Vaughan who is really in love with his art called car crash). Basically, the only interest I had in this film was the eroticism (even with the absence of love). So I decided to wait for another boring scene so I could get rid of it.
But then, something interesting is brought up--Vaughan (Elias Koteas) expresses something magical about the SEXUALITY of the people who suffered (or died) in car crashes. I figured that there seems to be a connection between "manipulating a sexual life" and "driving a car". It goes without saying that both, if not maintained, could result to one's doom.
Without a doubt, there really is an interesting metaphor that should be thought through. But this film is not intense enough from cover to cover that one would stop exploring the depth of its theme (at least, that's what I think).
Annapolis (2006)
What a One-Trick Pony!
I totally agree with the comment that this film does not live up to its trailer.
Like everyone else in the story, the main character, Jake Huard (James Franco), was not fully developed. Yes, you know that he DOES NOT want to construct ships and DO WANT to be in the navy, but those are just because they came out of his mouth--well, it goes without saying that I'm missing the atmosphere. As a film viewer, shouldn't you also see the environment the way a character sees it, and eventually feel what he/she feels about it? Well, in this film I did not feel any drama at all. The camera takes me to the main character's facade but does not take me to his inner thoughts and feelings about what he values the most. As a result, I did not feel any tension between him and the veteran navy, Cole, who is supposed to be a stumbling block (at least to Huard's and some aspiring navies' point of view).
Admittedly, the final bout between him and Cole is a breather.