2004 Film List - Page 16

Edwin Pereyra · 02-27-2005, 06:06 PM

Walter Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries

~Edwin

Brook K · 02-28-2005, 04:28 PM

Hero - Like House of Flying Daggers, Hero is long on style, with several cleverly conceived scenes. However I didn't find the story any more thrilling. It felt a bit tired and stretched. I liked that it tried to take a more serious, "realistic" bent, but it fell well short of anything truly substantial and also sacrificed the magic and thrills of Crouching Tiger, Zu, or other genre works. It's worth seeing on style alone, and I wish I'd made time to see it in a theater, but I can't say I was blown away or even overly impressed. B+

The Motorcycle Diaries - A pleasantly low-key film about a young man taking a trip that will forever change his life. Director Walter Salles skillfully mixes quietly moving moments with broadly humourous ones to create an entertaining journey of discovery for both audience and character. Gael Garcia Bernal is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors and he has loads of charisma and warmth here. Perhaps too much as his Che shows nary a shadow of the man who would be responsible for torture and murder in an often brutal regime. But then, this is not a film told with US sensibilities or point of view, but about a figure still celebrated by millions around the world. B

Next Up: Last Life In The Universe, Incident At Loch Ness

Seth Paxton · 03-05-2005, 06:20 PM

The Day After Tomorrow
2 of 10
One of the most obnoxious political agenda films you'll ever see. Imagine science that is closer to Mars Attacks, but with political/social themes from today's reality based on it...like "we need better space ship ray guns like this movie says".

Every social cliche in the book is thrown into this film which can't be described as anything other than a propaganda film. Someone forgot to tell them that they were making a summer popcorn disaster flick. Well, at least the crappy CGI matched that goal.

Brook K · 03-06-2005, 04:46 AM

Goodbye, Dragon Inn - Unlike Tsai Ming Liang's previous films, which were growing away from crushing modern isolation to portray emotional connections, empathy, and love triumphant; Goodbye Dragon Inn takes the minimalism the director is famous for to the extreme even for him. While I fully understand Tsai's intentions to honor the communal experience of movie watching my making the theater the central character; in not taking the time to create vibrant human characters, the film feels as empty as the theater we are shown. The film is not without humor, laughs are to be found in various activities familiar to frequent moviegoers, and fun is poked at cinephiles. Tsai's films always have interesting visuals and editing. This just felt like a big step back from the path he had been treading. I hate it when I find myself agreeing with Edwin

B-

The Story of the Weeping Camel - The whole concept of this film feels so thouroughly contrived I just could not enjoy it. How exactly was a documentary film crew going to know that a camel mother would reject its young and then happen to be around to film it? This reeks of exotica trotted out for the wine & cheese crowd to ooh and aah over. C

The Grudge - What do you get when you take a so-so Japanese horror film and then drain it of the small amounts of style and atmosphere that it possessed? Another bland piece of Hollywood product. The story makes a little more sense here, but it wasn't that much of a story in the first place. The haunted house is a horror subgenre that has just never done much for me so YMMV. C

Edwin Pereyra · 03-06-2005, 08:30 AM

RE: Goodbye, Dragon Inn

Quote:

...the film feels as empty as the theater we are shown... I hate it when I find myself agreeing with Edwin

I was beginning to wonder whether I was the only one that didn't like this - not that it matters, of course.

~Edwin

Edwin Pereyra · 03-07-2005, 11:19 PM

Infernal Affairs (Hong Kong)

~Edwin

Brook K · 03-12-2005, 12:16 PM

Infernal Affairs - Strong police/crime story with finely balanced moments of dramatic tension and emotional exchanges. Excellent acting work from the stars like Andy Lau down to the supporting ensemble, especially the villain who has just the right air of subtle menace. The film captures an atmosphere of tragic resignation without ever becoming maudlin. However I thought it could have been even better with a stronger directorial style (though I was thinking Mann or Mamet, Scorsese should do nicely here), and I didn't care for the score or the aria-filled soundtrack. B+

Arman · 03-19-2005, 06:17 PM

Made ton of updates in my list (some of them are in my signature). Among the ones I've seen so far this month, Rossentrasse and Facing Windows are my most favorites.

Brook K · 03-19-2005, 06:22 PM

The Aviator - I just can't think of much to say about it. It's very good from a technical standpoint. Di Caprio continues to show he's a fine actor. There were certainly standout scenes. But I felt the film gradually loses focus and energy along the way, with too much time spent on sideshow bits. I also didn't care for Cate Blanchett. She seemed to be playing the Hepburn persona we all know from the movies than a real human being. B+

Incident At Loch Ness was a disappointment. I loved the opening scenes where we are show a side of the great German director Werner Herzog that hasn't been seen. I just got a kick out of seeing Herzog's homelife and the dinner party with Jeff Goldblum and Ricky Jay in attendance. But once they actually start filming the movie and turned the film into a mockumentary of sorts, it was too silly and dumb. There were numerous laugh-out loud moments early on but the last 40m or so I was just waiting for it to end. Anytime Herzog was on screen, even the misguided comedy bits, I was intensely interested. Everytime he wasn't on screen, I was looking at my DVD player for the time elapsed. B

Last Life In The Universe - This romantic film from Thailand is somewhat reminiscent of Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Liang. It involves an introverted Japanese expatriate whose protective shell is shattered by his brother's criminal activity. A chance encounter with a Thai escort will sew the seeds of love. Directed with the austere style that has become something of a trademark of "serious" Asian cinema in the past several years, the film flourishes when reduced to a two character film and its base romantic elements. But it stumbles whenever trying to incorporate more dramatic elements into the story like an ex-boyfriend and the Yakuza (one of whom is played by Japanese director Takashi Miike). If you enjoy this sort of fare, Last Life is worth seeking out. B

Crimson Gold - This film from Iran written by Abbas Kiarostami, is the story of a pizza deliveryman who suddenly finds his life inadequate when confronted by the vast disparity of wealth/class among the customers he delivers to. Interesting for its dissection of the ways Iranian urban culture has become Westernized and I enjoy this brand of socially critical cinema, but the actual story elements are somewhat thin and the acting not entirely convincing. - B

Next Up: Red Lights, Vera Drake