Change Your Image
qonder
Reviews
Undertow (2004)
Southern tale with loose ends
How does one review this film? I have not seen any of the director's other work. I found myself watching the film and trying to make sense out of all the side tracks. At the beginning of the film, it says that the story was told as surviving family members related it. I guess that means the story was loosely true? In any case, it was an interesting film to watch. Certainly, you couldn't predict what would happen next, although the nature of the characters gave clue as to how events might transpire.
If you enjoy quirkiness and trying to figure out why things happen in a film, then you will probably like the film. But if you expect all the loose ends to be tied up, stay away. There are enough loose ends in this picture to keep you wondering for a long while.
White Chicks (2004)
Funnier than expected
My wife talked me into watching this movie. Before I rented a copy, I checked the reviews on IMDb.com. They were mixed, some people loved it, others hated it. I decided to take the plunge and put up with what I expected to be a poor excuse for a comedy.
Fortunately, I my expectations were way off base.
If you want to see social commentary from this movie, then this isn't the film for you. There are some jabs, but that is not the thrust of the film.
I should mention that my mother's funeral service was earlier in the day, so I wasn't exactly in a laughing mood. However, there were 2 or 3 spots in the film where I doubled over in laughter. Yeah, it's a dumb premise for a movie, but it works.
We watched the unrated version. There was one scene which I thought was too crude, but aside from that I enjoyed the lowbrow humor. I can recommend this film for laughs alone.
Osama (2003)
Not a feel-good film.
I saw this movie when it appeared on a local cable station. I am usually attracted to foreign films as Hollywood seems intent on focusing on old TV shows and comic book characters.
The story takes place in Afghanistan under the tyrannical rule of the Taliban. I've never been to Afghanistan, but I have visited a third world country where the people lived in oppression. The plot summary says the film is inspired by a true story. It was not hard for me to believe that I was viewing what life was/is? like for people living under the Taliban (especially women).
The film has English subtitles. If you are curious in seeing how the Afghans lived under the Taliban, this film should confirm your worst suspicions. I rated the film an eight, not based so much on the production, but mostly because of the content/relevancy.
Paper Clips (2004)
Paper clip triumphs over swastika
Who would have guessed that a small school in rural Tennessee could have started project that ended with world-wide participation? I purchased the DVD from Blockbuster the day it became available (November 1, 2005). I had heard good comments about the movie, but was unable to find another retail or internet outlet that offered it for sale.
I found myself holding back tears as the movie documented death camp survivors telling their stories to the folks of Whitfield. This story is very heart warming and gives hope that todays jaded children can be inspired to make a difference and learn from the past. And the teachers themselves were effected by the project to self-introspection of their attitudes towards people "different" than themselves.
I hope to someday visit the exhibit that resulted from the paper clip project.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Genocide is alive and well.
I finally got around to seeing the film on DVD. I knew the premise of the story before seeing the film and I remember not too long ago when the genocide was taking place in real time. I remember thinking at the time, why doesn't somebody do something to stop the killing? And now, with the happenings in Sudan, there is still no world action being taken. Genocide is alive and well.
This film gives us a prime example of man's inhumanity to man. Right from the start, we hear a radio broadcast stroking the fires of hatred. Is it really so different in the USA? I think not. You will have to love the hero in this story as he is somewhat reluctantly thrust into the position of looking out for and defending the people who have taken refuge in the hotel he manages. He does a magnificent job given the resources available. Some of the scenes in the film are so horrendous that they caused me to gasp.
I am not sure how much of a political statement the film intends to make, but surely the viewer will notice that the world turned its back on the killings - we are all responsible for the results. The story is saddening, but hope remains throughout.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke?
Replay (2003)
A different twist on "who dunit?"
As a native of Baltimore, I had to go see a film which was made locally. One of the local second run theaters was featuring this film. I went in not really knowing what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. Note, if you plan to see the film, make sure to get to the showing ahead of time, as the film gets off with a bang right from the start.
What I enjoyed about this film's mystery, was the approach of solving the crime from watching the security tapes. I couldn't say if there were 21 cameras involved, but certainly we see the crime go down from every imaginable angle. As two detectives are watching the tapes, things start off kind of slow, but as the night wears on, the intensity surrounding the viewing of the tapes builds and builds. In the audience, I was finding myself trying to figure things out right along with them.
I can't finish this commentary without mentioning the humor. Most of the joke lines went by before I realized they were funny. Then when it struck me, the film had already moved on and I had to focus back to the plot. It may be worth watching again, just to make sure I catch all the humor.
Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo (2004)
War really is brutal.
One of the reasons I enjoy watching foreign films is that it gives me a taste of different cultures and viewpoints. I live in the USA. Obviously this film takes a Korean slant on the war. This film is a story about the Korean War and its effects on two brothers. The film starts in the present, but then flashes back to pre-war life and times of the two brothers. I like the strong sense of family shown in the film. The willingness of each family member to sacrifice for the betterment of the others. This part of the story touched my heart.
The war scenes are horrific, no blood or guts are spared. The heroism is remarkable, as is the driving force behind the hero. I can't speak to the historical accuracy of the war scenes, but they were very impressive. The war scenes were about as brutal and chaotic as I could have imagined, and then some. The film seemed a bit long, but that may have been part of the effect of the duration of the war. The film is not "Saving Private Ryan", but worth seeing just for the war scenes alone.
Gin gwai (2002)
I got scared.
I rented this movie one evening and watched it by myself. After watching it for a little while, I actually got up and turned on some lights. This picture really gave me the creeps in some scenes. If you like a good horror, where the horror is left to your imagination, this is a good film to see. Don't let the subtitles turn you off. There is not a whole lot of dialog and the subtitles are fairly easy to read and watch the action at the same time. The story revolves around a blind women who receives a transplant enabling her vision to be restored. I notice that some of the other reviewers like to offer a comparison to the "Sixth Sense". I would agree that there are some similar elements to both films, but this film definitely stands on its own. Remember that it is a foreign film, at least to USAers, and it doesn't have the touchy feelyness that the "Sixth Sense" had.