Change Your Image
neal-palomino
Reviews
Cracks (2009)
Female version of "Lord of the Flies"
This is the female version of "Lord of the Flies" where there are a bunch of school girls that are sent to a private boarding school that isolates them from their families. The kids feel rejected from their parents and attempts to find love and compassion through one of their teachers, played by Eve Green. The kids try to understand the adolescent age of life where boys start to play a larger role and how it is to become more of a woman. The sport of diving is used to help the women present themselves as beautiful but yet competitive and driving for greatness.
Green portrays a teacher that lives her life vicariously through books until she encounters a student that has adventures that surpasses the books that she has read. Green grows to adore this student that has come from Spain and quickly becomes the teacher's pet. The previous favourite becomes jealous and threatened that she takes on the task to reclaim her spot as the teacher's favourite. Eva Green does a great job in her role but the kids steal your heart as you watch how cruel kids can really be to each other.
Lang zai ji (2009)
A bad attempt to make an artistic movie
This movie did look promising but greatly disappoints. I saw the world premier at the Toronto Film Festival and many people left the theatre early because they were so confused and disappointed. The story line fallows this order: 1. There is a war. 2. A man doesn't want to become a warrior. 3. That same man is now the leader of the army. 4. This man is now raping a woman that lives under the ground and keeps her trapped there. 5. The two fall in love. 6. Two wolves (which I think are the lovers) kill the last army leader.
This is very confusing because there is no transition at all. You struggle to try to understand what is happening. The director seems to enjoy highlighting the landscape, which was enjoyable to see. But that was the only positive thing that I have about this film.