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Reviews
Cold Mountain (2003)
a masterpiece in my eyes
Many people have their share of disagreements with the film, and I perfectly understand that Cold Mountain is one of those films which is bound to divide viewers in their opinions simply because; of the familiar cast, the historical backgrounds and proportions, and the whole grandeur in which the whole film is played on.
For me however, one of gems that this film offers is a gritty humbleness for which it deals with the issue. On one hand, the film, with its bevy of Southern accents, farming days and use of the American Civil War as its background, could have easily strayed far away from the development of its characters and their emotional turmoil. However, it kept true to the heart of its characters. What I love about this film is that each and every single scene is pivotal to its characters or plot. Each landscape, each dialogue, to me meant something, and that kept me hooked onto the film IN SPITE of its pace (which some might call slow).
Given that, the performances that the ensemble of actors gave was the best I've seen in awhile. The accents were believable, but what was remarkable was the soulfulness of each and every one of them. For a while in the beginning of the film Nicole Kidman's acting was very familiar to her delivery in films like Moulin Rouge, Australia, Fur where she relies a lot on artifice. But gradually, as her character became a recluse I must say she gave an extremely impressive performance and it's a pity she did not get an Oscar nomination for this. For the actors that did; Renee Zellweger aced a character that could easily have been one-dimensional but which she tackled with a lot of emotional depth and genuine empathy, which made Ruby one of the best things about the film. Jude Law gives a very poignant and thoughtful performance that really juxtaposes against most of the other males on display here. I appreciate his emotional dilemma and the brutality with which he tackles the character with sometimes, which makes Inman a character with his own flaws.
The string of familiar faces who adorn various points in the film e.g. Natalie Portman and Cillian Murphy kind of made this film more universal for me. It seemed like a project that did not set out just for awards, and divide-and-conquer film mogul wars, but something which all the actors really empathised with.
Cinematography was brilliant. The one thing that may hamper the film is how subjective it all really is. Initially, I thought that the film could have dealt more with Ada's loss in the end. After pondering about it though, I decided to come up with this theory- the moments with which she spent away from Inman was already spent reconciling with her loss through Ruby, etc. Her goodbye was already in the works, just like the many days she spent obsessing over the image in the well and considering its various outcomes. Such that her final meeting was really reconciling possibility with reality.
This is a highly meaningful film, if anything.
The Family Stone (2005)
movie with heart but without direction
The Family Stone centers around a Christmas gathering between a conservative businesswoman and her fiancé's liberal, spirited family full of colourful and distinct personalities.
Herein lies the first problem which I felt hindered the overall development of the film: the movie, like a bundle of Christmas presents, had a bunch of subplots hingeing on each character but with which were left massively underdeveloped or just plain unnecessary. This made the climax of the film very frustrating for me because, asides from the main crux of the film which was about to undergo a frustrating conclusion, it was also left in the way of various other subplots which I didn't really care about. For e.g. the pregnant sister. I felt that the movie would have been much more enjoyable if they were to enjoin each character more fully into the main plot instead of half-dipping and half-skimming between their own and the main plot involving Sarah Jessica Parker's character and her fiancé.
The ensemble of actors, however, do their best in engaging the material.
The main plot was also concluded on a very slapdash and convenient manner, with the flurry of characters falling out romantically and falling for another's (which is bound to cause a lot of emotional and moral disagreements)- being VERY conveniently ended with a scene of havoc and mess which is supposed to end it all. Nope, not really.
Personally, based on the conclusion of the film, I did not manage to decipher the message the film was trying to put across. Initially I thought that the looming marriage amid Christmas symbolized an acceptance of true human nature and forgiveness through all the facades that we put on. But the end kind of jumbled it all for me because it seemed to take on a whole new meaning which I was confused by? Of course this point is just a personal preference.
The movie can also be just one for laughs and not taken seriously of course. It also helps that Sarah Jessica Parker pulls of an extremely likable and sympathetic performance and wholly engaging. Her character, for the most part, is the one that keeps the film's energy going and kudos to her, as well as the coherence for which the other characters committed to the film.
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Horrible history
Asides from historical inaccuracies, and certain excruciatingly awkwardly written scenes (e.g. the King and Mary's bedroom scene), I thought this movie was quite well done.
I do not agree with naysayers that claim Anne Boleyn was made out to be manipulative and cruel in this movie. She did have instances where she came across as cold-hearted, but the filmmakers did the best job in terms of character development for Anne, because at the end of the movie, in the face of possibly devastating circumstances, her cold facade slips off and we see her genuinely as a Boleyn girl. For me, the final scenes showed her fragility and I began to understand why she put up the front. Perhaps it all boils down to the almost always underrated role of women in court life.
Natalie Portman did a brilliant job and her acting most definitely made me forget the historical inaccuracies. Scarlett Johansson was overshadowed by Portman to some extent, but given that she had extremely limited space to work with as a mostly one-dimensional character, I thought she did provide depth. I think the best thing of the movie is the chemistry because the chemistry of the Boleyn family, and especially between Portman and Johansson, really brought the movie up to a whole new level.
The Nanny Diaries (2007)
Be kind.
I think the poor reviews for The Nanny Diaries can be attributed to expectations- I do agree that the book has a much different tone from the movie. But for that reason as well, it therefore is unfair for the movie to be compared on the same level as the book purely because they are two different things. The lack of loyalty of the writers in committing to the book is therefore their fault because they mislead the viewer.
However, given the above, I do think that as a whole, single film, The Nanny Diaries is a joy to watch. It has its weaknesses. Firstly, there are several characters that are given unnecessary screen time (e.g. Grandmother)- that although little, but crucial, as the film is built around characters and the study of characters (fittingly anthropology then) and any more screen time for the protagonists is always good. However, I do think that the cast is great. Personally, I think a good actor brings multiple facets, or develops the character, and I think that Laura Linney, Scarlett Johansson and Nicholas Art does a good job at developing what was given to them. Scarlett and Laura are especially engaging.
The film moves at a great, appropriate pace, and the tone of the film is charming but engaging at the same time. This film is definitely not one to be taken seriously.
Donnie Darko (2001)
made me cry.
not because it was a bad film, but because of the ending. When I watched the film, I didn't cry, but a few minutes after it finished I thought about it, thought about how Donnie Darko died so that everyone around him wouldn't be miserable in Life, how he indirectly had to sacrifice himself for those around him, and the ending sequence when they showed all the people that were or rather, would be affected by his evil rabbit controlled doings in bed, that was really sad. GOD, it was such a nice movie ... excellent, this should have been in the Top 50.
Go rent it for a refreshing change.
Nae yeojachingureul sogae habnida (2004)
perfect.
i loved it so much! in my opinion this movie is way better than My Sassy Girl, because this movie made me laugh, it made me cry, and the acting was so sweet it tore my heart into pieces and left me in bliss.
Anyway, the movie is about this crazy and cute relationship between the guy (Jang Hyuk) and the girl (Joen Ji Hyung). they make a really cute couple. So anyway, they fall in love, and everything goes everything stays and then the guy passes away, and the girl has to deal with it. it may sound plain, but believe me, it is anything but plain.
i cried, and i laughed. no matter how beautiful it is, America please do not remake this film. it is a classic.
Pieces of April (2003)
sweet.
i liked it. it was very loose in the starting, but then the parts when the family was complaining over April and her father was defending her was really tragic, and when it switched back to April's apartment, and how hard she was trying to make the Thanksgiving dinner as best as she possibly could made the transition really deep and meaningful.
The final scene where they all had dinner and different shots were lined up all together of bonding between April, her family, and the Chinese family was sweet and beautiful.
The whole movie was nicely made, heartwarming and, as i said, sweet. I loved it a lot.
=)