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Stardust (2007)
Stars fell on Wall
But it's okay. Stardust is a fun, optimistic romp that doesn't take itself too seriously. The storytelling is rich and intriguing, and all of the characters play their roles with genuine relish and exuberance.The plot has some holes, the movie drags in places, and the score is unspectacular (to say the least) but none of this was enough to ruin the very palatable 130 minute film (not so long, in this age of LOTR and Harry Potter films pushing or surpassing 3 hours.) Of course the film isn't as epic as LOTR, but nor does it borrow heavily, stylistically or narratively.
I never read the 200-odd page novella the film is based upon, but I felt like this was a case when the story did not suffer from the conversion in the way a 700 or 800 page fantasy novel inevitably does. This is not a fantasy film for everyone. Whereas no one ever breaks a smile in LOTR, and even when jokes are told they're stilted, Stardust is very much a film of casual conversation, which really brings the film down to earth. Ominous portents and portentous ominations spouted by deep-throated she-elves is all well and good, but its cold; detached (incidently, Sir Ian McKellan provides a few minutes of narration in the opening and closing, but that's it.) That brings me to the sizable cast. I thought I would hate the protagonist, Tristan (Charlie Cox) but he wasn't that bad. He and Claire Danes have the chemistry required for the love story. Danes is extremely watchable as the extremely blonde fallen star whose attitude towards Tristan starts out as hilarious loathing, but evolves, as it must. Sienna Miller, Peter O'Toole, and Ricky Gervais, while all competent, play admittedly small roles. The main antagonists, the witch (Michelle Pfiffer) and the selfish prince (Mark Strong, from Sunshine) are not the deepest characters in the world, nor are they implacably dim-witted and boring; they were entertaining villains. And I cannot forget Captian Shakespeare (Robert DeNiro), the Sky Pirate with a secret. A virtuoso performance. After crap like Meet the Fockers, its great to see him in a role that was undoubtedly tough to pull off without looking like and idiot, or like young Vito Corleone. Of all the supporting characters, he's the most...complex.
I was expecting to see a film that unfolded like a Final Fantasy game. You have kings and princes, mages, fences, knights, airships, and a really really tall, elaborate, cool-looking royal city. And you have the whelpish everyman whom you control and run around the world map from place to place, having to deal with lots of stuff along the way, and growing in the process. In many ways, the film didn't disappoint on that level, and probably wouldn't be a bad basis for an RPG.
That's not a bad thing in my opinion. The film has a great mood to it, and a very unique feel that I can't quite put my finger on. But it was quite entertaining, even if it wasn't nonstop kinetic action, there was enough going on to stay interested. Like I said, the music wasn't great It may not be revolutionary, but has its fair share of original ideas, so I'd recommend it as a fresh take on fantasy films. Go check it out.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Rather (Love)Good Film
I've been to a lot of blockbusters lately - Spider-Man 3, Pirates 3, Die Hard 4. But Harry Potter 5 was the first one whose line actually busted a block; going all the way around it by the time the doors opened for the 10:15 show at the Senator. I figured this show wouldn't be as hectic as the midnight showing, but since this was the first day the film was out, I should have known better. This was no ordinary line of moviegoers, either. Nearly half of them were sporting the usual magical garb.
So, the movie. It's odd-numbered, and so, like the first and third movies, I expected it to be good. I can say rather confidently that it was slightly better than good. It did an outstanding job of covering everything crucial to the saga, without feeling rushed or slow. The pace of the movie was very nice. The production design was almost telepathic; I found settings I had conjured in my mind while reading them respectfully recreated in even greater detail than even Rawling could have imagined.
This film could not cover everything in the book, but since I haven't read the book since it came out, nothing stood out as conspicuously missing. The infamous Quidditch World Cup scene from Goblet - where we never get to see a second of quidditch - was so jarring and inexplicable, it basically ruined that fourth film for me. But Phoenix is a much smarter, much more logical movie; it cut what wasn't needed and, like I said, kept what was necessary.
The characters, as usual, are spot on, to borrow a term from the Brits. The main trio is getting older, and they're becoming better actors. I was absolutely smitten with Luna Lovegood, unquestionably my favorite Hogwarts student. The choice of actress was absolutely perfect, as his her portrayal of the spacey yet oddly perceptive girl with striking features. I especially enjoyed the chemistry between her and Potter in particular. Luna's character may be straightforward, but easily the deepest and most intriguing of Harry's friends.
I was also glad Sirius Black had some screen time, although still not as much as he deserved. Of course, he was nothing but a CGI face in a fire in Goblet, so it was good to just see him again.
Dolores Umbridge is also, well, just as I expected her. I'm glad they didn't go with a hideous, toad-like woman with CGI features, that would have more closely followed the illustration of her in the book; the fact that on the surface she actually looks like a sweet, kind woman makes her all the more chilling as she puts the vice-grips to Hogwarts and makes Harry open his veins.
Astonishing how far the film series has grown with these characters, both in mood and style. The first film was light and whimsical, mirroring the characters' youth and innocence. This is the darkest film yet in the franchise, darker even than the fourth. But enough about the fourth movie; this one was far, far better film, if for nothing else, because it was coherent. It covered so much material so well. I'll probably see it again.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
That nose...
Yes, the reviews are mixed, and yes, it's perhaps not as pure as the first one, but I've waited a year for the Pirates story to continue and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I'd give "At World's End" 9 stars, being every bit as entertaining as it was often overwhelming.
It's quite an age we live in that visual effects have become so believable, as long as they're done correctly. Pirates 3 is no exception, it looks and **sounds** absolutely fantastic and makes it a superbly thrilling jaunt to view on the big screen with the big speakers.
I braved Towson Commons to see it. Towson Commons has a bathroom with an inch of urine, a carpet eternally soaked in popcorn topping and coke, no legroom, often forgets to turn out the lights, and usually hosts people who wave their glowing camera-phones around or converse with characters on the screen as if they could hear them. (I saw it again tonight at the Senator. It stood up quite well to a second viewing, especially since there's so much to take in.) But I'll tell you something: this new Pirates film sucked me in so far, I forgot what theater I was in, and for a moment, that I was even in a theater, but in Davy Jone's Locker. "2001″ is clearly an inspiration in Jack's purgatory, which isn't a bad thing. There's a later scene that pays homage to "Once Upon a Time in the West." Very nice.
The quirks of Sparrow's character are often amplified to ridiculousness, yet still stays absolutely true to the character. Depp deserves another Oscar nomination for his performance here, which in the trilogy as a whole has to go down as one of the finest comedic roles ever undertaken.
The cinematography, production design, music, story continuity, and huge cast of characters who all work perfectly in concert with one another to create an engrossing escapade. That, and the pacing is excellent...this is a long movie but is so jam packed with forward-moving story and spectacle that you dread having to dip out to visit the men's room and even wish many of the story lines were continued a little further. Hopefully the DVD will have some deleted scenes of interest.
I enjoyed this movie more than Spider-Man-3, while also offering a far grander scale of wonder and adventure To be fair, Spider-Man basically stayed on Manhattan island for the whole three hours, which is nice and all, I've just seen new york before. I know it exists. I haven't seen the (geographic) end of the world, or have any idea what "Davy Jone's Locker" looks like...now I know. This movie has a lot of creativity, and isn't afraid to do a lot of weird, almost art-house-y stuff.
I also enjoyed all of the new characters and the development of the familiar ones - too many to mention - especially Chow's character. This is a dedicated actor who you can tell just by watching him that he is having a gas, while simultaneously totally believing he's a pirate lord (well, not totally, but well enough.) And then there's Captain Teague...well, he must be seen - not described. Please, don't listen to the critics who panned it or the people who were too lazy to follow the plot or connect the dots. This is what summer entertainment is all about.
Shinseiki Evangelion (1995)
powerful, visceral, thought-provoking masterpiece
I can't recall watching anything else that delves so deeply into the psyches of its characters. Before long, the fact that this is animation becomes meaningless. You are watching painstakingly-crafted, flawed humans whose internal struggles out-shadow anything happening in their physical world. People turn inward on themselves, their relationships, their purpose in life, their usefulness/value, almost to their ruin. They fall victim to the relativity built up by their experiences. Is a sunny day happy? Is a rainy day gloomy? Is a dawn depressing? Nature has taken a backseat to human mind and will, and those in turn are ruled by emotion; sentiment and nostalgia.
Yes, we have three teenagers battling in giant robots, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. They pilot dolls, but they are dolls to a higher authority, and that authority is furthermore a doll to a higher one and so on. Humans at the top hop over nature and strive to accomplish godlike feats to take control of humanity's future. The series is rife with macrocosms and microcosms playing off one another, and the scale portrayed is dizzying. I had no idea what kind of metaphysical and psychological odyssey i would be undertaking by watching this series and the companion movies that wrap it up. NGE makes so many other shows, anime or live-action, seem so hopelessly shallow and trivial.
A powerful, visceral, thought-provoking masterpiece. By far the finest, most complete-package anime I've seen to date. My recommendation: keep an open mind, and watch it. It might depress you, but it's so worth it.
10 out of 10 (A superiority complex?)
The Fountain (2006)
Taut, Elegant, and Engrossing Audio/Visual Nirvana
I look at the ratings on meta film and rotten tomatoes and what is the score? Usually around a 50; mixed.VERY mixed. So did this film polarize people? I guess, but if you look at all the paper reviews, you'll get a fairly smooth spectrum from Awesome to Horrible. It's as if two different films were shown to people.
It's as if half of everyone who watched it uses one side of their brain and loved it while the other half used the other half of their brain and hated it. One thing's for sure, opinions are usually strong about this film. Mine are firmly on the awesome side, as I consider this film Aronofsky's best yet and a film that for all its tacit references or inspirations is totally unique when approached in a fair and unbiased manner. Fountain gushes with amazing visuals, with a minimum of CGI.
Pi and Requiem were sometimes painful to watch, both emotionally and even physically. They were designed to be, part of why those two great films were so effective. The fountain is pleasure where those films are pain; you are drawn in with the absolutely gorgeous and sublime sights and sounds of a story that spans centuries.Then it wraps you up and holds you in from the first moment of the movie to its explosive climax. You aren't held captive by this film; rather you're completely mesmerized and unable to care about anything else. Like being deeply in love.
That's where Aronofsky truly excels: not just in composing an utterly taut, elegant, and engrossing visual nirvana, but being able to transmit raw, primal and fiercely real emotion from the screen to the hearts and minds of the audience. That is, as long as those hearts/minds are open to new things. The fountain isn't without its faults, but was without doubt the most impactive film I've seen in the theater in years.
Kudos also to Clint Mansell, who has also reached a new high of his own with The Fountain's score, which gives the film fully half of its power, if not more. Riveting score.
Plus, need I mention the awe-inspiring, career-defining performances of Jackman and Weisz? I do...
9.999999999999999 out of ten, rounded up.
Saw (2004)
From what I SAW, undeserving of hype.
Now there's three "Saws" with a fourth on the way...I don't really see why. I just saw the first saw, and I can imagine why a small company like LGF wants to make as many saws as they can, they make lots of money. However, this film is not very good. In fact, I consider it quite ungood, though not abysmal. Here are a few reasons in LIST form: LOL!
Firstly, the acting WAS fairly abysmal...A sub-par performance by Cary Elwes...not even up to par with his performances in "The Crush", "Twister", or even "The Cat Returns", which were respectable performances. When he truly hams it up, you'll know where, and his voice will change completely. I will say as little as possible about the other guy, the Leigh kid, who doesn't belong in a high school play let alone a friggin motion picture. I understand he's the director's buddy or whatever but he's not an actor...I've seen actors; actors ACT. He's more of a bartender. Keanu Reeves should school' dis young-in on this fine art.
Secondly, the cinematography was full and i mean CHOCK full of fancy-pants camera-shaking'n'baking, spinning', flashing, bass booms, camera shutter sounds, hand-held, reversed WHOOSHES, more flashes, and all that other silly camera stuff all these new silly movies that are trying to be scary are chock full of. It's all a bunch of fluff, like an guitarist with three dozen pedals at his feet to do all the work for him; meant to convince the unsuspecting cinema-goer that he's watching something of substance or artiness, when that's far from the case. Just hold the cameras still for a sec and think b4 you shoot.
Thirdly, The movie tries to be non-linear, with layered story lines, jumping to and from the past at odd times, making half of everyone's lines preludes for silly montages, flashing by random scenes summarizing the film at 30 frames a second, forced foreshadowing - revealing you "surprises" a Labrador retriever figured out as soon as the blatant hints were first dropped...It's all VERY clever, but it all adds up to a big muddled mess.
Last and most upsetting: I read on the rating label "STRONG GRISLY VIOLENCE (SGV)"....hmmm. The first half of the movie is nearly friggin DEVOID of that SGV altogether (I thought horror movies are supposed to have lots of SGV! Is SGV in the first half not artsy enough??) I'm not totally desensitized to blood and gore, but an average episode of DEADWOOD had more gore than this movie, and that's just sad and inexcusable when the label promises SGV. From the way it was edited, the director/cameraman/editor seemed to be getting queasy while I just sat there saying: "Okay, we're an hour and a half into the movie, WHERE'S THE FRIGGIN SGV?!" I'm sorry, but if your movie is called SAW, and if advocate groups are going to protest it for its violence or whatever, it should CONTAIN violence, not just unmaimed people describing it.
Pant...pant...sorry, Don't mean to be longwinded...I just forgot; it's stupid to use all caps to represent yelling. I just hope saw 2 or 3 are better than this. 'Cause from what i SAW they'd better RETOOL (LOL) their whole friggin operation...
Bleach: Burîchi (2004)
Excellent Versatile Anime
I first heard the title "Bleach" in a newspaper article covering Otakon in Baltimore, and I sought out the series with nothing but what I thought was a cryptic title.
The 108 episodes of Bleach that are out so far comprise more than 80 hrs of action, the careful fleshing-out of richly detailed main characters and a HUGE cast of supporting characters, multi-layered conflicts, and a solid soundtrack.
Every episode leaves you knowing a little bit more about the Bleach universe, while doing a great job mixing often operatic drama with manic comedy. Bleach knows 90% of the time when to not take itself too seriously, and the comic timing is usually on the money.
As for the best way to watch Bleach, I've recently gotten used to the English voices and they're not THAT bad, its just there's so much in the original Japanese that is left out. It's not as natural or well-flowing as the Japanese, but after closer inspection, it is tolerable for those who cannot abide subtitles.
Umi ga kikoeru (1993)
Another lesser-known Ghibli triumph
When I first saw "Nausicaa" in 2005 I went ahead and watched the brief docu on the Birth of Studio Ghibli that came with it. It contained a snippet of every film they produced from "Nausicaa" to "Howl". Of the films that caught my eye that had not yet been released in the U.S., the one I was most intrigued by was "The Ocean Waves". Perhaps what caught my attention was that the staff that animated the movie were all in their 20s and 30s, coming into their own since being recruited for "Only Yesterday" two years earlier, when Hayao Miyasaki and Ghibli decided to cultivate their own animators rather than delegating to external studios.
Upon first viewing this film exceeded my expectations, and the energy and enthusiasm of youth simply surged throughout its ~72 minutes. I feel more connected to this film than some other Ghibli works mainly because the it involves characters in their late-teens to 20s living in the 90s, has a male protagonist, and also because the characters are so exquisitely deep and textured, and are the heart of the piece. No live-action actors or actresses could mimic their superb performances, and the modern urban and suburban settings are so richly detailed that this film feels more real than many live-action films in this genre. And as with all Studio Ghibli films; no matter who composes it, the score is first-rate, working in concert with the visuals to create the whole spectrum of moods and emotions exerted by the cast.
In all, "The Ocean Waves" was a brilliant success on the part of the young animation team deserving of a 10 in my humble opinion - and proof that Studio Ghibli is just as proficient portraying real life in the present-day time settings as it is at creating sublime works of fantasy. American Ghibli fans can only hope a DVD or Blu-ray is someday released here in the States, even though English voice actors would be hard-pressed to replicate their Japanese counterparts' work.
Mimi wo sumaseba (1995)
Good enough to run RIGHT across a busy street with joy
I had no idea what this movie was about when I first hear about it. Upon purchase, I read the back of the DVD box, but had the feeling there was nothing useful written on it; I assumed it was probably written by someone who hadn't seen the movie; a correct assumption. I long ago decided that a film is a film, whether its live-action or animated doesn't matter, all that matters is that the film is good. That decision was made after watching a few Ghibli films, so I trusted that despite the vague packaging and rather hokey English title ("Whisper of the Heart", not a direct translation), this Ghibli film would not disappoint. It didn't; this film is quite good.
This is arguably the most realistic Studio Ghibli film to come to the US (because all the fantasy elements reside in the Shizuku's imagination), which is far from a bad thing. While I still hold Mononoke, Nausicaa, and Spirited Away firmly atop the highest echelons of animation and cinematic excellence, I don't hesitate to position this film very close, if not beside those gems, despite its lack of giant insects, flying cities, apprentice witches, wolf-girls, magic forests, spirit bathhouses or moving castles.
So what IS in this film? Plenty to keep me interested, and I loved those other movies. I have nothing but high praise for it, I know (unless you hate Ghibli films, of course) but it deserves it. Essentially a teen coming-of-age and love story, this film has a relatively simple plot. But it is still endearing to me because the way it is presented so genuine and sincere. The interaction of characters - be it between junior high friends, between the young and the elderly, between family, or between two teenagers gradually falling in love feels very honest and real, whether it's interaction important to the story or merely incidental scenes. The protagonist, Shizuku Tsugishima, is a very likable and quirky, and she has a very expressive face and mannerisms. For the duration of the film I really cared about Shizuku, her life, her feelings, and what happens to her.
This realism of the characters and their feelings and behavior is enhanced by the gorgeous setting: the painstakingly detailed outskirts of 1994 Tokyo. There are expansive urban vistas and scenes of contemporary life every bit as beautiful and awe-inspiring as the best Ghibli work. We see the haughty upper-class neighborhoods and life in a cramped apartment. The scenes of Shizuku's imagination visualized are also original and very nicely done. I also love how Ghibli so authentically depicts cat behavior, in both this film and its sequel.
The orchestral score of this film is magnificent; everything you want in a film score. After watching the film I wouldn't want anyone other than Yuji Nomi composing its score. The grand, lush crescendos are the perfect accompaniment to Shizuku's story, both in moments of melancholy and elation, as her feelings bounce back and forth between these much like in any teenager. The music also makes the well-placed moments of serene silence all the more powerful, and gives the film on the whole a very complete and vital presence. Both American (surprisingly) and Japanese voice casting are also excellent
this is among the best dubbed Japanese I've ever seen.
It's just a hands-down superb, engrossing, life-affirming film. 10 out of 10. Sometimes makes me wish it were still the mid-nineties. Watch it, and more than twice. I've written 650 words about it, after all.
Le Cinquième Élément (1997)
Excellent
There's never going to be a movie EVERyONE likes, but I'm writing this review b/c when I first saw this film - 4 yrs after it was released - I thought it was one of the most visually appealing and originally-executed sci-fi thrillers I'd ever seen.
I'm an art student, so I really appreciated the over-the-top audio-visual smorgasboard that Besson does best. A lot of love went into this film. His vision of the future closely resembles mine---lots of chaos, but somehow things get done anyway. And that future is portrayed exactly as if we had just been suddenly thrown into it (like jovovich's character): dizzyingly colorful and chaotic, but filled with wonder and awe too. One couldn't ask for a better cast, especially Ian Holm and Gary Oldman. Eric Serra's ethereal score is the ideal match for the mood of the film.
A couple of negatives, like police brutality and corporate megalomania, the shootup scenes went a little long, and the ending was kinda corny, but nothing that ruins the film as a whole. Besson's 5th El. has its own unique, sometimes ludicrous energy, which sets its apart from any other films. I thought this was a truly enjoyable movie.
Akira (1988)
Pure Art
The first time I saw Akira was this year, 17 years AFTER its release, and its almost as if I was watching a new release. The fact that Akira lacks any visible signs of CGI makes no difference....Akira was a dazzling work of art WAY ahead of its time, and totally fresh and different from any American sci-fi I've ever seen. It reminded me that you don't need CG special effects for great sci-fi, you need artistry and vision. I didn't know what to expect from Akira, but the film totally blew me away. And a lot of love went into this film; it doesn't skimp on visual details, and the animation is more engrossing and innovative than anything I've seen come out of late, CG or otherwise. Sci-fi anime wasn't my cuppa tea...until I saw Akira.