Change Your Image
Godzcomic
Reviews
Wo hu cang long (2000)
A feast for the eyes and soul.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a martial arts drama film by renowned Taiwanese film director Ang Lee, is a feast for the eyes and soul.
In Ang Lee's hands, even the antagonist, Jade Fox, is not the one-dimensional kind of baddie we usually find in kung fu movies. The scene where she sheds a tear after being told to leave by her protege is one of the most moving moments of the film.
Chow Yun-Fat, Hong Kong's top film star, shows his usual commanding performance in his only sword-wielding feature film (excluding his TV series The Smiling Wanderer). The charismatic actor is well-known for playing steely characters in super violent action dramas, such as The Killer
Michelle Yeoh succeeds in portraying a strong woman who suffers from Li Mu Bai's denial of their love.
But the real surprise comes from newcomer Zhang Zi Yi who plays the pivotal role of Jen whose portrayal of a rebellious aristocrat is convincing.
With help from action director Yuen Woo-ping, who was responsible for theamazing fight scenes in the smash hit The Matrix, the film generates applause from audiences at movie theaters for kung fu fighting scenes whichsometimes substitute for words in the movie. Of particular note is the incredible fighting scene at the top of bamboo trees.
Furthermore, the film was shot at beautiful and exotic locations, including the Gobi Desert, under the direction of camera wizard Peter Pau who has shot many of Hong Kong's martial art films, including The Bride With White Hair.
The film also contains elements of humor.
Chinese, particularly Hong Kong film elements have been copied numerous times by filmmakers but Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has confirmed the place of Chinese filmmakers in world cinema once again.
Space Cowboys (2000)
Clint Eastwood did it again!
NASA is sending into space four aged men as astronauts on a super important mission.
These geriatrics, one of them who even had all his teeth replaced with false teeth, must pass the well-known high physical requirements for astronauts.
As implausible as it sounds, you will be amazed how this film will make you willingly suspend your disbelief when the screen persona of the four aging men in the lead roles radiate into the film theater.
In less capable hands, the story material will be one of those corny comedies or could even turn out to be a hi-tech yawn a l Armageddon.
But Eastwood, a living legend as a film actor, succeeded to make the film tickle audiences' sense of humor in a grown-up way. As an action film, Space Cowboys' outer space scenes are heart-pounding.
Eastwood may be a road worn actor but since he is also gifted with directing skills, he can say 'no' anytime to retirement and stars in his own films where his age can fit in.
The film has a moderate pace in contrast to recent action/comedy movies directed by young filmmakers who are more familiar with shooting music videos and TV commercials. It takes time to flow but it takes off the ground from the very beginning.
The film, however, does not spend much time to develop the characters. Most of the film's key characters are as thin as a piece of paper especially Garner's. But the film is not supposed to be taken seriously.
Eastwood and Jones who are still in very good shape are almost believablein surviving the NASA hard physical training, but Garner and Sutherland arenot.
The authenticity, however, comes from its outer space segments which were filmed with a cooperation of NASA and were shot at the Johnson Space Centerin Houston, Texas, and the Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, Florida.
The special effects by Industrial Light and Magic are also awesome plus replicas of a space shuttle interior and an early experimental jet.
Overall, Space Cowboys is a good, enjoyable film.
Eastwood is having a good time and fortunately, he shares it with us.
Any Given Sunday (1999)
The most hard-hitting, top-notch film about sports in years
Oliver Stone has created the most hard-hitting, top-notch film about sports in recent years, with stylish direction and great performances all around in Any Given Sunday. A movie with such versatile qualities, even for those who don't like sports, will take them on a high speed ride.
The prominent director decided to use the same style he used in his previous, underappreciated films Natural Born Killers and U-Turn.
The over-the-top direction, stylish, jittery camerawork and raunchy soundtrack has led some renowned U.S. critics to call the movie a shamelessMTV music video rip-off and even a nonsensical TV commercial (despite the fact that cinematographer Salvatore Totino has worked on many music video and TV ads).
But the result is an exhilarating, if not chaotic, in-your-face portraya of the bloody sport.
The premise about a proud rising sports star and a coach trying to make his team win back the game, however, sounds familiar. But Stone's sure-handed direction makes the difference.
Interesting characters develop nicely, including an Armani-wearing player, Julian, played by rapper LL. Cool J., a weasel orthopedist of the team played by James Fox and doubting quarterback Cap Rooney.
Fine performances from well-known actors also highlight the film, including those of Matthew Modine and veteran Charles Heston.
Stone keeps the more than two-and-a-half-hour duration tense and never boring. Everything moves so fast and every second is accounted for, just like in the sport itself.
When the film slows down and ear-throbbing music changes to slower music,including American Indian chanting, the movie is at its most tense.
Stone uses all kinds of unusual camera angles and rapid editing to give the strongest impact to audiences.
One should be forewarned, however, that this film is not for very young viewers. Locker room scenes are full of male nudity. The scenes on the football field are so vicious and include an eyeball being poked out of its socket.
Coach Tony D'Amato's character says in the film: "On any given Sunday, you're gonna win or you're gonna lose. The point is: can you win or lose like a man?"
This film certainly is a winner, baby. Put your helmet on!
Daun di Atas Bantal (1998)
Another overrated film from the overrated director
This much-hyped, highly anticipated movie at its home turf was developed from a documentary video by the same director that was banned in the Soeharto-era Indonesia. It uses most of the real street kids from the documentary plus Indonesia's most respected veteran actress Christine Hakim. It opens beautifully promising even to surpass Garin Nugroho's hauntingly poetic 'Surat Untuk Bidadari' then wanders for about 20 minutes and losing its credibility towards the end. Garin Nugroho wallows in sentimentality and the film ends up being pretentious and silently preachy. The photography is beautiful but the plot is hopelessly brainless, it looks like the director tried to pad the film to its actually short running time. The street kids seem authentic for they are real but the acting is broad. Even Indonesian audiences will need subtitles because some of the dialogue are inaudible.
One can say that the movie is exploitative because it uses real street kids to do the glue-sniffing and their other dailies. Non-Indonesian audiences may find the movie exotically beautiful. (The film was the winner of 1998 Asian Pasific Film Festival in Taipei and won the jury prize in some film festival in Tokyo, Japan). But actually, it is not. Garin Nugroho can't do dialogue! (He used to make documentaries
Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang (1995)
...and the hype continues...
The main thing that is missing from this film is storytelling. The technical stuffs was an improvement from earlier Garin Nugroho's efforts with usual beautiful setting, and exotic scenery. Some Javaneses said it has many symbols about Javanese culture in it. But who cares when you don't get it?
All I can say it deals about one man's traumatic childhood with his abusive father and a young woman's coming home after living for a while in America. Some culture clash. Those who think know much about Javanese culture might say more (or say that I'm stupid) But again, whom the director made this movie for?
Surat Untuk Bidadari (1994)
Hauntingly poetic.
This is the only film that speaks for the director's reputation as the most respected filmmaker in the country today. Garin Nugroho stayed near his territory this time, documentary. Unlike his first full-length feature, 'Cinta dalam Sepotong Roti' ('Love in a Slice of Bread'), that tried to play with dialogue, 'Surat Untuk Bidadari' is silent, pseudo-documentary drama that tells a story from a little kid point of view. Loosely adapted from a short story 'A Letter to God' that was banned by Soeharto government, the film takes you to a place that you've never been or even imagined! It deals with a story of a motherless kid who spends his time wandering around taking pictures of women (including Madonna's poster posted at an abandoned bus) and obsessed to know much about their breasts!
Other characters were played well, some were named Red Horse or Stalion. The photography is toxicating. (One scene involving actual slaughtering of a cow a la Apocalypse Now is fantastic). If you curious about Garin Nugroho's works, this is the one to check out.
Cinta Dalam Sepotong Roti (1992)
Overrated road movie.
Garin Nugroho highly overrated first feature is a road movie about a newlywed man's sexual incompetency and the truth in the past that set him free. Sounds familiar? Secondary acting, laughably silly dialogue, lousy storytelling sink this movie into pretentiousness. The quoted poems from Indonesian poet Sapardi Djoko Damono are actually some distractions. The film tried hard to be symbolic and poetic but failed miserably. It may please anyone who's desperately trying to be an art-house movies audience. Others beware. And what a lousy ending!