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Reviews
Bloodmonkey (2006)
Wow, you really embarrassed yourself, xminusone!
Is it beyond the realm of possibility that there may be more than one Robert Young? You are correct in the fact that Robert Young is not listed in the cast - however, he is the director of the film. No, Robert Young did not come back from the dead to direct it, there are actually 18 Robert Young's listed in IMDb. I do have to say that this review section proved to be more exciting than the film. xminusone, please , before railing somebody else's opinion, do your due diligence by at least reading some of the credits first. Nice review Richard! Keep up the good work. F Murray Abraham's performance is well done, but that is to be expected. I have to agree that this film seems to be one step above the usual Sci Fi junk (ie anything starring Lorenzo Lamas).
Falang: Behind Bangkok's Smile (2005)
Beautiful - a person's right to speak (a response)
I rated this film last year when I saw it on CBC in Canada. As I revisited this site I notice a couple very negative reviews. I have traveled to Thailand and have seen first hand what this film displays. While I didn't learn lots of new information (again, having been to Thailand several times) I believe that most viewers will find a very informative narrative in , Pla, the main character on what is must be like to live a life you would not choose. I think most of the people who are railing this film are visitors to Thailand and could also be ones who enjoys the night scene. I will agree that there are many women who choose to be there, but there are also many who choose not to. This film is one of those girls being brave and talking about that - how can you be ignorant enough to tell others not to hear what she has to say. You would have to be one cold hearted bastard to deny a person's right to speak.
There are moments when I wished the filmmaker handled situations differently, but this was his first effort. For the limited budget he must have been on, I feel he did a superb job in capturing the feel of Bangkok. Bangkok is 75% feel, smell and ambiance - so any film would be missing that. I have to say that the montages are very well crafted. The film does present a very black and white perspective,as anyone who has been there knows, it is very gray. There are also some moments where the camera work is a bit amateurish, but I saw it as adding to the voyeuristic feel of meeting Pla - most likely unintentional. I think with the 42 minutes the filmmaker had on CBC, he stayed focused on the girl and what she had to say.
***spoiler*** when Pla is ultimately found dead, it was a good punch in the face - how can you not like her? She may be lying, the filmmaker could be lying, (as with any film), but the story is still moving and again, it tells the story of one girl who hasn't chosen her life. I can't guess what happened to Pla, but I find the review 'worse than the Johns' offensive in its attempt to silence her.
Sigaw (2004)
Great for the Philippines!!
Let's evaluate this for a second. I'm a non-Filipino and I am a huge fan of world cinema. Even though I would agree that some of the most talented performers are residing or undiscovered in the Philippines, the cinema usually leaves something to be desired - no offense. With the recent wave of Japanese horror rip offs, it is no surprise that the RP has followed suite. This is not a bad thing - in fact it is a breath of fresh air to see the recent wave of Filipino thrillers straying from the style that most other countries abandoned in the 60's. I do however think that the Philippines is not the place for this genre. Their cinema still requires that all actors be of model quality looks. For me, this takes away from the story. What so many other countries lack, that Japan offers is believable characters (looks and acting), a haunting score, a respect for the audience, drama first, and most importantly the sound scape - which I found missing in this film (an uncanny coincidence is that Sigaw won a big award for it's sound - case and point). On to the film: There are always certain elements that Filipinos include in their movies that no others can relate to. This is fine, but make it reasonable for us foreigners to relate or understand. Things like, how come everyone is beautiful and looks mestizo - explain, I've been to the Philippines and have never seen that. If they are so good looking, yet dirt poor, they would be in show business - not struggling in a crappy, haunted loft - hey you guys set this up - not me.
The thing that kills me is, the story was 'good', not great, but they have taken the obvious parts of the Japanese Juon Trilogy and poorly executed it in this film - leaving out any of the rich folklore in the Philippines. If you borrow a story, at least pout an original spin on it. Another bothersome factor **spoiler** is when the ghost follows the couple everywhere short of the toilet - tip - you don't have to use every single shot you filmed. In any case, I feel that this film is a huge achievement in Filipino cinema, pushing it one step closer to international recognition - but they still have a long way to go before it can be taken seriously. I am rating this while putting aside most of my international comparison. This film does not deserve a 1 and does not deserve a 10 - so for the benefits to Filipino Cinema I rate it at 7. Good job Lam - I am eager to see where you go next. Although I stress that an American remake is a bad idea capital BAD.
Apocalypto (2006)
People should get over themselves!!!
I just watched this film and have to say that it was an extremely brilliant piece of work. After 'Passion of the Christ' - which seems to be the only film people mention when talking about Mel Gibson (have we so soon forgotten about a little film called 'Braveheart,?) - people were wondering what tricks Mel would pull out of his hat for this project. I mean he defied all Hollywood odds with a foreign language, religious subject matter, and self financing. How would Mel fair without the Christian population going to his film because they think they are supposed to. Well, all gimmicks aside, I think if people were not so quick to attach someones personal beliefs to their work, this film would have gained accolades from the world. It has a wonderful depths, terrific action, and incredible sets. There are no Jews being cast in poor shadows present in Apocalypto - although I'm sure the Jewsish community will find something (didn't that monkey look like he was wearing a yamaka?). What can I say about a visually stunning film that presented images that I have never experienced at the cinema? - GO SEE IT! Close your eyes when the film dips to black at the end and the screen fades up 'Direct By: Mel Gibson'.If I had to be super nit-picky about anything in the film - it would be a few weaker performances (understandably), a couple modern translations in half a millennium old dialog, and a very predictable last few frames. Other than that - kudos to Mel. For all you Mel haters, you just missed an amazing film. Let me ask you this, did you go see "ThePianist"? Did you like it? Did it matter that Polanski, the director,has an outstanding warrant for sex with a minor. Don't worry Mel , now that Britany Spears has appeared pantyless everyone will forget your drunken tirade.