luby_matt Reviews

Shanghai Ghetto (2002)

So powerful "Schindler's List" pales in comparison

[9/10 · 3 September 2003]

"Shanghai Ghetto" might sound boring at first glance: it is a ninety minute documentary.

But this film is so heavily emotional, it is so chilling and thought provoking, that it makes "Schindler's List" seem trivial.

The story is told simply enough. Narration is used when needed, but the majority of the movie is told by the very people who were there, the very Jews who escaped Hitler's tyranny by fleeing to Shanghai.

The survivors of the Shanghai Ghetto are all remarkable. They are excellent story tellers and they are able to give the audience a lot of details. The movie also does an excellent job of providing relevant visuals as they speak, so that what you hear you also see.

The thing that makes this film stand out above other Holocaust films is the combination of historical footage and eyewitness accounts. "Schindler's List" was an amazing film, but the viewer could still remain blissfully detached because we never heard an eyewitness account. But in "Shanghai Ghetto," the eyewitness testimonials give you no choice but to be personally involved.

I walked out of this film feeling overcome with emotion. In the car on the way home, I made myself promise to never allow a crime like the Holocaust to be perpetrated on humanity again. It is quite rare that I feel this emotional after seeing a movie, but "Shanghai Ghetto" is simply amazing.

The Ring (2002)

O-V-E-R-R-A-T-E-D

[3/10 · 3 September 2003]

A lot of people told me this movie was really good and really scary before I saw it. Of course, I did not believe it would be scary, but I was in for a real surprise when I actually saw it.

This movie was one of the least scary movies I have ever seen. First of all, it is a ridiculous premise for a movie, a killer videotape?

In fact, the scariest thing about the movie is probably the colors. It is so dark and dreary, everything seems to be a sort of metallic blue shade....not hugely appealing, although I suppose a good bit accurate for a film about the Pacific Northwest.

If you are looking for a scary movie, this is not it. It does not even have the sort of "shocking/jump out of your seat" moments that even bad horror movies have. I would call it a huge disappointment overall, and unless you are eight years old, this movie will not scare you.

The only good thing is the fact that it stars the beautiful Naomi Watts.

Spun (2002)

"Requiem for a Dream" ripoff falls far short

[1/10 · 3 September 2003]

"Spun" is quite simply one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Not only was it poorly made, but it is quite clearly a cruddy ripoff of "Requiem for a Dream."

First of all, if you are looking for a plot in this movie, forget it. It is remarkably pointless, unless one supposes it is supposed to be that way since it is a movie about meth addicts.

Secondly, the acting is not that spectacular. Jason Schwartzman, who was wonderful in "Rushmore," fails to really put a lot of life into his character in this movie. He seems a bit unbelievable as a good guy meth addict. The drug cops are good actors dealing with a horrible script. They are so painfully bad it is ridiculous. The director tried WAY too hard to make these guys funny and failed miserably. And the sort of hero of the movie, "the Chef," is no great shakes, either. The thing I remember most about the Chef is one painfully delivered monologue about pornography....pitiful.

The worst part of this movie, though, is probably its blatant ripoff of all the visual effects of "Requiem." It has the same high speed closeups when a person takes a hit. It does some of the same incoherent mind sequence kind of things. It is a shameless ripoff, except with a plot that is much worse.

Overall, the plot is quite unrealistic, for a movie realistic in intent. I hated this movie. Definite thumbs down.

Sunshine (1999)

An amazing historical portrait

[10/10 · 3 September 2003]

I enjoy European history a great deal, but when my European history class tried to find a good modern European history movie this year, all we could think of was a bunch of war movies. Obviously, there is a lot more to modern Europe than watching snipers creep around Stalingrad and other such things.

In "Sunshine," I found an answer to my search. It is undoubtedly the best historical portrait of Europe from the late 19th-mid 20th century that I have ever come across. It does an EXCELLENT job of showing the emotions and realities of the progressions of Europe during this time. Since it is in Hungary, we are exposed to monarchy, fascism, and communism, all of which are portrayed vividly.

As if the history was not enough, the movie is wonderful in other ways as well. Ralph Fiennes has the opportunity to showcase an amazing range of emotions and personalities in this movie, as he plays three different characters. It was also pure genius on the part of the movie staff to cast a real life mother and daughter to play the same woman at various stages of her life.

Great movie, I highly recommend it.