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Reviews
Entre les murs (2008)
Sorry, not what I'd expect from a Palme d'Or winner
I did, in fact, expected the film to be in a style that it was in. However it lacked a conclusive point which is the biggest shortcoming. A film without much of a purpose or anything interesting to show is not a good film.
Yes, it does depict the secondary school life rather accurately and very realistically (this is a plus without a doubt) but is that enough? Is it enough to make a documentary-like movie about the life in a classroom? Sorry, but this is not the art of film-making.
It is not a very bad film. Far from that. The acting is 100% superb and so is the school realism. These are the best points of the film. Unfortunately these were the only good points about it.
Overall it's an OK film but rather pointless. The only reason I could think of why it should be interesting to some is because some of the older generations (say 40+) may not have a good idea of the contemporary school life which this film shows very well. But for those who still remember their school days in the not so distant past, it just looks senseless and so it does to me.
In fact, I am more more disappointed by the jury decision of the Cannes Film festival then the film itself. By awarding their top prize to this average movie they are simply lowering down the image of the award and in a sense marginalize the Cannes film festival.
Falang: Behind Bangkok's Smile (2005)
My apologies but this documentary is an absolute rubbish
Having been taking photos and videos of the places I travel to (not least Thailand and Bangkok which is one of my favorite cities on earth) I can assure you that anyone who is capable of holding a camera in a hand and can speak and is not an alien from Mars can make a similar 'documentary' about pretty much anything and 'prove' any point or hypothesis. Having observed the sex scene of Thailand (and other countries) from a close-up myself I can express nothing but a sad smile looking at this 'documentary' which is nothing about even a fair attempt to depict the scene and the industry that has taken so many women (men as well) in Thailand. I would suggest the authors of this 'documentary' to get into some books (or Wikipedia at the very least) and have some read about Thai culture and history before putting 'farangs' anywhere near the center of the issue. I could write a lot more but I guess it's just not worth it. My recommendation to those willing to watch this: don't bother. Better buy a ticket to Bangkok and see the amazing city and amazing country for yourself. And there i no need to be afraid to get to the places where those girls are doing their business. They won't bite. Perhaps they could even tell you their own story.
All in all this is a piece of an amateurish documentary film-making which perhaps could not get it any worse.
Nang mai (2009)
Don't hurt the nature or it will come back to you
SPOILER WARNING!
It is somewhat trendy these days to be 'sustainable' and 'emission free'. Ratanaruang caught this topic very well and expressed in 'Nang Mai' impersonalizing nature into a pretty young lady (the super-hot Thai actress Porntip Papanai) who suffers from the evil humans. The impersonalization is a little vague and incomplete yet the message is clear: do not hurt the nature or it will come back to you. Those who remember Pen-ek's movie 6sixtynin9 probably remember the moment where the girl gets attacked in her apartment by the gangsters and the TV is swhiched on showing some fellow talking about how important it is to "stop cutting down trees...". I believe the topic is not accidental and Mr. Ratanaruang must be a strong supporter of environmentalists which he wanted to express in his movie. My respect for that. We must protect our nature and understand the broader impact of that. I feel sorry for those who didn't quite get it and thought this was an 'ordinary' horror movie. It's not a horror movie and it's not intended to be so.
Ploy (2007)
Brilliant!
With fantastic induction of 6ixtynin9 and what was supposedly the peak of Pen Ek Ratanaruang as a director indicated in Last Life in the Universe came an expected decline of Invisible Waves (which was OK, yet not as good as the other two mentioned). But Ploy was a positive surprise! After the Invisible Waves which seemed to carry on with the ideas of Last Life in The Universe (hence, the director couldn't find or just didn't bother looking for a new, more creative approach) this was a completely new refreshment... just like Last Life in The Universe was at its time. I don't know if this is the best film of this prominent director (I cannot make my mind up... it's still between 6ixtynin9, Last Life and Ploy) but with Ploy he showed that he's still fresh and can strike hard unlike many "one movie" directors who are made famous by one appearance and then simply decline with other works. This is not the case here and this makes my sight attached to Pen Ek's works as closely as never before. A brilliant piece from one of the greatest directors.
Shi gan (2006)
Kim Ki Duk at his best
Welcome back to the old good times of 'Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring' and 'Seom'. That's the feeling I got watching 'Shi gan'. After 'Hwal', which was a little disappointing, I really enjoyed Kim's last film. The story is indeed a simple one and, as some indicated, unrealistic. But wait! No one ever said Kim's films have (or have ever been) realistic. It's all about philosophy, psychology and the feelings where the physical surroundings and their reality are not relevant. I have heard talks that Kim Ki-duk is not always appreciated in Korea and I had a chance to ensure this myself with my Korean friends here in the UK who didn't seem too fascinated about the stories we watched in 'Spring, Summer Fall...' and 'Samaria' (I didn't dare to suggest them to watch 'Seom'... perhaps that would have been too much to them). It's in a way a little sad because, in my opinion, Kim Ki-duk is one of the greatest directors alive... and he's at his best with 'Shi gan'.
Ye yan (2006)
Good...
As someone who has got some knowledge of Chinese and Hong Kong cinema I give a strong positive evaluation to this one. I dismiss opinions of those who complain about a mean storyline and unrealistic fighting sequences. This is a particular genre of a martial arts cinema given a touch of the capabilities of the contemporary film making. We should not evaluate it in terms of Oscars (to me this is not an evaluation of a film at all considering that I know a little more than just Hollywood). In my opinion, 'Ye yan' does not fall among the best of Wuxia genre but it's certainly not among the bad ones either. A fair competitor to the 'House of Flying Daggers' perhaps... even though still way too short of the excellence of 'Hero'. A good piece nonetheless.
Salinui chueok (2003)
Best crime/detective film ever
My "one line summary" might be too subjective (well it's just an opinion after all), but that's what kind of thought came to my mind after seeing this film. It just sucked me in and didn't let away until the ending credits appeared. I'm really not a fan of this genre which is popular in various "detective" TV series but this film was something exceptional. A perfectly made detective film based on a real shocking murder case in S.Korea in 80's. This is a must see Korean film for everybody and this must be a real pearl for those who love detective stories because perhaps it's the best detective film ever...
I give it a 10/10 this film is worth it.
Oldeuboi (2003)
WOW!
Some minor plot spoilers!
This is one of those films which make you say "WOW!" after watching it. It's a story about a man whose life was ruined by somebody who hated him very much, after he got a chance he started his revenge mission and this is his main objective - to answer all questions and to deal with those who made him suffer so much. Although after reaching the final stage where everything was almost clear and all the questions were answered the things messed up and new facts appeared which made the story do a 180 degree turn...
This movie maybe isn't perfect and those who wish to find some negative aspects perhaps would find them. But I'm openly giving this film a 10/10. It was a truly incredible film. Korean cinema doesn't stop to amaze me.
Nae yeojachingureul sogae habnida (2004)
Not as good as it could be, not bad either
I evaluate the film by how the director manages to realize his idea. In this sense 'Windstruck' didn't completely success so after all I was a bit disappointed by Kwak's latest film. This however doesn't mean the movie was that bad. It's really watchable and it's definitely a must-see for those who liked 'My Sassy Girl' no matter what people say, just go and see it, I just did so and I'm happy I did it. As many already noticed 'Windstruck' is a prequel to 'My Sassy Girl' which was definitely the best movie by Kwak Jea-young so far. And it could be a very good film, perhaps not worse than 'My Sassy Girl' itself. However it quite failed to do so and the result wasn't that good as it was supposed to. On the other hand I admit that it's not that easy to create a good prequel to a film of this genre ('romantic comedy') not to mention that it's generally very difficult to create a good film of this genre what Kwak managed to do with 'My Sassy Girl'. One of the problems is the story and characters. Jun Ji-hyun in a role of a policewoman didn't look exactly convincing even though her acting was really good. Also some rather banal and pointless situations typical to silly Hollywood 'romantic comedies' (in fact lots of them) made this film quite a disappointment compared to 'My Sassy Girl'. Although there were really good moments and as I already mention this film is not really bad. It's just not as good as it could be and I'm sure Kwak has made conclusions about his latest work. Of course this doesn't stop him being a great director and I'm sure we'll yet see more great films by him in the future.
Na shan na ren na gou (1999)
Simple, beautiful and romantic
Watch out, SOME SPOILERS!!!
While seeing this beautiful film I immediately remembered 'Not One Less' by Zhang Yimou which was a film is quite a similar manner as "Postmen in the Mountains'. The story is about father and his son who is taking over his father's job. The son thinks he already knows everything about his new job and it seemed to be easy for him but during his first days of being a postman he realises what the job is really all about, he has lots of new experiences and meets many new people, perhaps even his new love.
There are quite many scenes which being very simple manage to show the essence of humanity and relationships of people. For example as the father and the son are leaving a village they were passing the son is surprised to see a crowd of people staring at them. The father explains that all they came here to see his son - the new postman. Or the scene as the son is carrying his father though a river, or as the son is reading a letter to a blind old woman even though there's nothing written in it... Those moments are the most valuable moments of this film and makes it just beautiful. It's a 10/10
Hana-bi (1997)
Typical of Takeshi
It was the 5th Kitano's movie I saw (just recently seen Zatoichi, Violent Cop, Sonatine and Dolls). Just as I started to watch this movie I felt like I've already seen it, Kitano as usually performing the main role in his usual style and usual manners. I didn't read any reviews beore seeing it, just a short summary. I did this on purpose because I knew I won't be disappointed and I wasn't, I expected a lot from this movie and I got what I expected. Just as most (at least from which I've already seen) Kitano's films it's a violent, sad and touching story with very sad ending and a pinch of black humour (or at least it looked like that), and that's what I love in his films. Nobody can beat Kitano. I'm on my way to see rest of his films which, I'm sure, will be brilliant just as those which I've already seen. Thanks Japan for this wonderful director!
Titanic (1997)
big, expensive and banal
I saw 'Titanic' twice as it was released in 1997. My first impression was "wow", it felt really stunning and visually impressive, big and simply the "best". However the impression was lost soon. One thing I realized - 'good movie' is not equal to 'expensive movie'. After this I saw hundreds of films and I started to evaluate them from a different point of view and 'Titanic' sank to the ocean of Hollywood production, not leaving a footstep after it.
This was a very expensive film, but as I now remember the whole story, the way it was shown, the grandiose hype of it... it feels completely banal, plain and... cheap. Cheap not in terms of money spent on it but in terms of plot, acting and general style of the movie. Yes I have to pay my respect to the director for such a grandiose work and all those Oscars he received (even though they're not that valuable anywhere but in Hollywood), but to my opinion this film is an expensive and unsuccessful attempt to make a good film. Yes, the views were nice and realistic, but that's all. There's nothing more I could rate positively in this film except the technical special effects. How many more criterion's despite special effects are there while rating a movie?
I congratulate the makers of 'Titanic', they did a good business and after spending $ hundreds of millions they profited even more but that doesn't make 'Titanic' a good film. It's just another 'stunning' piece of Hollyywood production in the bad meaning of it. Sorry if I sound too harsh but I really mean it. For nice effects - 4/10
Da hong denglong gaogao gua (1991)
Adorable
I watched 'Raise the Red Lantern' after watching most of the later Zhang Yimou's films and expected to be it something close to 'The Road Home' but I was quite wrong. Just during the beginning of the movie I realized it was not what I expected, step by step I got closer to understanding what movie it was. Emotional factor is very strong, it's not an easy film to watch, and it's not for everyone.
The story is developing slowly. Acting is perfect, the atmosphere is somewhat surreal and in the end it feels macabric and depressive. Still it's something what is quite natural for Yimou Zhang, just perhaps stronger than in most of his other movies. 'Raise the Red Lantern' is a masterpiece of film-making, and considering the fact it was made 13 years ago (it's not such a short time in the fast developing world of technologies) it is even more stunning. Simply adorable and incredible 10/10.
You hua hao hao shuo (1997)
brilliant
I could never imagine I would start loving movies like this. After seeing Yimou Zhang's 'Hero', I decided to check his other movies, perhaps looking for something similar. The second Yimou Zhang's movie I watched was 'No One Less' after which I realized what kind of cinema I'm now in. No wonder why I got 'Keep Cool' immediately. It is a simple, touching and brilliant piece of cinema, I pay my respect to the director.
This movie shows that it's not the amount of money makes film good. It's all about what the director wants to show and how successful he is in doing this. The story is very simple, a typical extract of a typical daily life, moreover shown in a very simple way, the movements of camera also strengthen the impression and the feeling of the movie. I give a top rating to this film and impatiently waiting to see other Yimou Zhang's films.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Bloody, violent but amazing
Kill Bill was one of the most awaited films this year and I am completely satisfied after seeing it. I had read lots of reviews bofore going to the movie theater and pretty knew that it would be a violent and bloody film. Yes it was. Even more bloody that I could expect and even more shocking and even better than I could imagine. I am not going to write a long and informative review since I am not an advanced critic, I only can say an opinion from a perspective of a typical film watcher and Quentin Tarantino fan. Thanks to Quentin for yet another great work! I didn't see Vol.2 yet but even now I can say - this film is awesome, just as all other Tarantino's movies are. Now waiting for Vol.2