Reviews

The movie begins with a very strong anti-war statement from the Indonesian perspective, harking back to atrocities committed by the Japanese in their wars in this region. There is a strong warning in the narrative to learn from the past. This is the over-riding theme in the film, and it is delivered with a strange mixture of very extreme, unrelenting violence, and some pretty maudlin sentiment, thrown in for the mix.

The first copy I ever saw had fogging on any exposure of the "naughty bits", but much skin on display throughout. The focus was not on nudity, however. I had this feeling watching it, of how strange it was that the audience was allowed to see beautiful women get their heads and stomachs kicked in, but, not allowed to see the stray nipple.

Most all the other typical components of the WIP are there; whippings,cat fights, beatings, and a level of violence not seen in most of this genre. The depth of the characters and the cinematography cause me to rank it much higher than average. The pregnant heroine stripped and paraded bareback on a bony donkey around the prison yard at the beginning, is an image hard to forget. Definitely watch it, if you get the chance, but you must have a very strong stomach for such subjects.

Okay, Upfront this is more about the psychology of the Twins than a review, but on the scale I did rate the movie at an 8. It is more entertaining than a lot of the crap you see these days.

But back to the subject, why people love the twins. It's basically the same reason that they were such a hit when they jointly played the character on TV. They are your average kid, with an odd look that makes you interested in their faces and facial expressions. This is the same quality that makes a true beauty stand out from a line of Miss America contestants. They don't quite fit the mold, and this makes them unique enough to attract your attention, and KEEP IT.

And their young fans love this aspect of their fame, whether they understand it or not. The attention of the media on these two faces underlines the fact that the less than perfect face can be more beautiful than all the models on the TV ads rolled into one. This is a positive reinforcement to all the fans, that maybe they too, could be seen for their inherent beauty.

I have read reviews that have referred to the Olsen Twins videos as "child porn", and that the "New York Minute" film pushes the envelope on this aspect of the girls popularity. This is of course, nonsense.

What has happened to this country, when the appreciation of child beauty is simply written off as "child porn"? What terrible thing has happened to the sensibilities of U.S. citizens that simply must look at the writer/photographer Lewis Carroll as a deviant because he acknowledged and tried to portray youthful beauty?

There are forces in the U.S. that find it politically expedient to point fingers at things they do not understand, and brand it "child porn" in order to draw headlines to further their ambitions. Heaven help us if these forces attain the upper hand they so wish to use to control media and all of our choices.

The Olsen Twins are cute, they are pleasing to look at, end of story. Also they possess a quality or talent, that very few actresses in the history of our media have possessed. The reason Lucille Ball became so famous, (also Carole Burnette) was that she was willing to look slightly foolish, and do pratfalls and physical humor in order to make an entertaining movie or TV show. People loved that! They weren't particularly great dramatic actresses, they just riveted our attention with their visual and physical comedy. This is the gift that the Olsen Twins bring to their work as well.

To those who have commented that New York Minute wasn't funny, I sincerely think you need to have your sense of humor examined. It was great fun.