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Reviews
Léon (1994)
Excellent
Leon is one of the most emotionally intense movies ever made. French director Luc Besson uses everything: actors, music, camera angles, lighting to create an unique experience - "It's not realism, it's not naturalism - it's heightened reality" as Gary Oldman very well put it.
In "The making of The Professional" Besson says "If I imagine somebody in the street try to knock on my daughter, I kill the guy, in five seconds. I kill him, and I think "It's in me, I'm a beast!" On this part we can't forget that a part of us, the genetic things inside are much, much older than The Ten Commandments". He certainly uses visceral scenes to create very strong emotion in the movie - the blood running from Mathilda's nose or Stansfield's unforgettable "EVERYONE!" are just a couple of examples. The music and the sound are excellent and are used in a masterly fashion - you can hear Fatman's heart beating desperately or a low claustrophobic sound when Stansfield turns to look at Mathilda's father.
However Leon does not work only on this primary level, it also has an intelligent story. It may seem to be almost a fairy-tale, but don't be fooled - just like his character Besson is serious. This movie has a message: without love we are dead, even if we don't see it. Only true love give meaning to our lives: "everything else reminds me a big yogurt: warm and rancid" as Mathilda says in the original script, which is available on the net under the name Leon Version 1. Is this true in "real life"? I don't know but this movie can make you wonder.
Then of course there's the sensuality. It's hypocritical to deny it, the camera interacts with Mathilda in a mesmerising fashion. It's not sick and it's not degrading: it's art, subtle and beautiful.
Leon is not perfect but it has so many great moments that all its flaws can be forgiven. It's a movie that really should not be missed, unless you are concerned with its amorality. And don't be - Leon is less violent than many action movies and the unusual relationship between the main characters is handled mostly with genuine feeling and tact.
Live Fast, Die Young (2008)
Tragedy and Triumph
I really didn't know what to expect, as I did not read an reviews before I watched this on DVD, but I was deeply moved by the storyline.
Typical Hollywood party, where everyone is all about themselves, and their career, until tragedy strikes. People die all the time in film, obviously, and we usually brush it off like so many lives lost in a fast paced video game, but the loss of the young woman's life in this story, and the long lasting impact it has on so many people around her is quite moving, and troubling.
Definitely another movie that will polarize viewers for sure, but will force you to rethink your own priorities in life, as well as your beliefs.
Suing the Devil (2011)
Surprisingly Good!
I went in not expecting too much, but was dragged into the theater by a couple of friends who wanted to see it.
Perhaps because I wasn't expecting that much, I was actually entertained by this little film.
Not a boring Christian movie by any means, it made some good points about faith, and seeing Malcolm MacDowall in the titular role as the devil was worth the price of admission.
I will say I have always thought the Devil would be an evil genius, and Macdowall suits that to a tee.
The only thing I would have liked to see would be a battle between the demons and angels on some level, complete with fireballs, etc., but I guess that would be expecting a bit much. I am an action fan at heart, hehe.
We Bought a Zoo (2011)
re: Good, wholesome fun
I don't really see what you could criticize the movie about. This is based on an actual true story, and what better story than a young, widowed father struggling to support his family, and keeping the kids happy? The fact that the family ends up purchasing a down and out zoo, and has to make important decisions about their future, as well as the future of the animals is the tension that drives the movie.
You would expect top-notch acting from Matt Damon and ScarJo, but the young kids and other supporting actors were more than able to hold their own as well.
Not every movie out there has be an Oscar Worthy contender, or deal with the dark realities of life, or how some perceive life. This was a great family movie based on real events, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else.