Archive for February, 2007
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
I like to watch a black and white film now and then, because film-making was so different back then in the golden era, and also because the films that last to this day have stood the test of time. The Maltese Falcon, starring the great Humphrey Bogart, is one such great film, and often hailed [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
There are only two times when British super-spy James Bond fell in love: once, at the very start of his career as 007, as portrayed in the most recent Bond flick Casino Royale; the other, is in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, where Bond goes one step further and even gets married (although he also [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Heroes are made, not born, and throughout human history, it has always been war – the apex of human conflict – that makes the most number of heroes. Flag of Our Fathers, a World War II drama about the legendary battle of Iwo Jima, is at its center a complex discussion of heroism.The narrative is [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )The Prestige (2006)
2006 certainly seems to be a “magical” year, with two period pieces about tricks and deceptions released simultaneously. While The Illusionist, the first one to come out, appealed slightly more to the critics (judging by the reviews on Rottentomatoes), The Prestige, the latter of the two, offers a more entertaining viewing experience, though it will [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Human beings easily forget, even if what we are forgetting are horrible atrocities. And sometimes not only do we forget easily, but we also turn a blind eye altogether. Hotel Rwanda, a chilling drama about the Rwandan genocides that occurred in the early 1990s, is a slap to the cheek to all of us who [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Babel (2006)
Babel has received a lot of praise (and nominations), and I couldn’t resist the temptation of internet piracy. After watching it though, I felt I might not need to break another law and buy the pirated DVD, because the film simply isn’t that good.There are quite a few films whose success are at least partially [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Banlieue 13 (2004)
My interest in Banlieue 13 arose from the particular sport it featured: free-running. By that I’m referring to the fast paced stunts that are getting more and more screen exposure in recent years (the latest and perhaps most famous being the the first half hour stunts in the Casino Royale, the latest Bond flick).According to [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
At a glance, Little Miss Sunshine seems very ordinary. It’s a road film. It’s about a family with communication barriers, each member of the family immersed in their specific problems and issues. And by the end of this road trip, they will ultimately find what their family means to them, through a series of bizarre [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Happy Feet (2006)
Happy Feet, for the most part, is a charming animation feature film. It is a jovial, boisterous adventure, and it packs quite a few moral themes. It also asks some very hard questions. Unfortunately, it only gives some very easy answers.The film is about that adorable bunch of emperor penguins. The proud tribe has been [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )落叶归根(2007)
《落叶归根》被称作是贺岁喜剧，我看完后多少感到费解。如果说春节档期的上映时间，一方面与电影的“归根”有着时间上的相似处，姑且被贴上贺岁的称号还是合理的，那么称其为喜剧在我看来则比较离谱了。这 并不是说这部影片没有幽默的元素；相反，片子里的幽默题材有很多，无论是以“假仗义”为教训的郭德刚，抑或其他出场的各个名角大腕，还是各式各样的代步工 具，情节和场景的设计上都有着几分搞笑和讽刺的意味。然而对我来说，故事本身的悲剧性，主人公一而再、再而三地被生活戏耍，已经超出了喜剧的范畴，而实实 在在地就是悲剧。大概从假哭丧真吃喝那一幕开始，我便再也笑不出来了（之前觉得真正好笑的地方也不多）。情节本身的悲剧性，从那里已经完全压过了其荒诞性，因而任何更进一步的发展对我来说就只是加深其悲剧程度。影 片有很多值得商榷的地方，比如那些龙套角色，大多给我的感觉是流于形式的肤浅。无论是夏雨的喜欢喝咖啡的户外爱好者，还是胡军的那个莫名其妙的为爱昏了头 脑的货车司机，他们的角色都是彻头彻尾的“跑龙套主义”，只是给这些明星一个出场的机会而已。从这个层面来说，如果这些角色不是这些名角来演的，反倒可能 会真有些意思，因为那时我们会关注的不是夏雨胡军之流，而是那些角色本身。当然了，如果我们评价的眼光是局限在喜剧幽默层面，那么那些龙套角色倒也无可非 议了。7/10
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