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Reviews
The Children of Huang Shi (2008)
Missed its mark.
This movie would have been better as a fantasy instead of a historical drama. It would have made more sense that way. Children of Huangshi starts off with a bang, appearing as if it's going to be some epic masterpiece, but by the end of the movie, you're left wondering where the story went.
I'm not an expert on the specific details of history during this period, but after reading some other reviews, it looks like neither are the creators. Then again, I don't expect movies, even historical ones, to always be historically accurate. But what bothers me is that it's obvious this movie was made by some westerner or at least someone who doesn't actually know much about China and Chinese people. It's okay to be from a different culture, but please do your research. Every time Chow Yun-fat's character acted as if he stepped out of a Jackie Chan movie, I winced with pain. Since this movie was partially made by a Chinese production company, I'm even more disappointed.
As for the acting, good job Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. At least he's easy on the eyes. The other actors did an all right job as well. Nothing awful but nothing to write home about. However, I (and the movie) could've done without the heavy dialogue. At points it sounded much too forced and unnatural, not to mention, incredibly cheesy.
It also bothered me that by the end of the move, the plot seems to revolve around the main character and his romance. Shouldn't it be less about snogging and more about Hogg's relationship with the children? I thought that was the point of the story and that's why he's famous: helping kids in the face of war and cultural differences and not screwing some blonde chick. It doesn't take a hero to do the latter.
Beautiful cinematography, but poorly written and poorly executed.
Shôjo kakumei Utena (1997)
Bizarre? Yes. Smart? Most definitely.
I think people get too caught up in attempting to understand something foreign to realize that many elements in Revolutionary Girl Utena are not meant to be taken literally and at times, seriously. Yes, it is strange, but, the strangeness is purposefully achieved as a method of storytelling. If one can look past or even appreciate the strangeness, one can find a worthwhile story that's both entertaining and insightful.
The main character, Utena Tenjou, is a student at a boarding school. She meets Anthy Himemiya, a shy girl who is the Rose Bride, the key figure in a mysterious plot by the Student Counsel to "revolutionise the world". The main storyline revolves around Utena and her journey, through different trials and obstacles, to uncover this mystery. To support the main story, there are many subplots and filled with colourful supporting characters, who add drama, humour, and complexity.
The Student Counsel members often recite a poem with portions borrowed from Herman Hesse's Demian. Like the Demian, Utena is about the antagonist's personal journey uncovering truth within their world and within themselves, through the transitional periods of youth. Unlike in Demian, the hero's journey in Utena is highly metaphorical. Despite seeming childish and simple at first, this series is actually incredibly dark with themes that are both adult in nature and adult in meaning. It uses many traditional archetypes like the charming prince, the wicked witch, the naive hero but changes these elements' relationship with each other and within the story as the vehicle to drive these progressive elements. Some of the ideas touched upon are the meaning of gender, gender roles, the meaning of self, etc.
Revolutionary Girl Utena is one of my favourite television series. Both the plot and the characters are highly developed. I actually greatly enjoy the surrealism, with over the top drama that both pokes fun of itself and other series within the shoujo (manga and anime for women and girls) genre. The fantastic story components along with highly stylized visuals full of symbolism paint an almost dream-like setting. It's a post-modern fairytale that's indefinitely unforgettable. You'll either love it or hate it, there's no in between.
The Golden Compass (2007)
Well, that was disappointing.
There were two things I liked about this film: the actors and the imagery. Other than those two things, this film fell short of my already low expectations.
One of my favourite aspects of the His Dark Material series is the author's storytelling. There's this grand and mysterious sense of a world(s) unraveling, the unveiling of truth. The progression of the story isn't just Lyra's journey, but a journey of discovery. This movie embodies none of those qualities. The plot is too fast and too choppy. The plot hurriedly jumps from one plot element to the next without achieving any character development and often not connecting one element with the next. I watched this movie with a friend who has never read The Golden Compass and she was thoroughly confused the entire time.
This film was intended for an entirely different audience than the books. The plot and themes of the books were abridged and dumbed down until they appeared weak and hardly intelligent. It plays like a film for small children when the novels clearly were not. As much as I would love to see this series (some of my favourite books) adapted to the big screen, I don't think it was a good idea. The state of most of western societies are not prepared for Pullman's original story to be mass marketed. This story cannot be told in a censored form, it must be as accurately as possible or it completely loses grandeur.
300 (2006)
Apparently, it is possible to O.D. on testosterone.
First, let me say that I did have a relatively enjoyable time viewing this film. However, that doesn't mean this film was actually any good outside from visually appealing. In fact, I was more than disappointed since I was very much looking forward to this film.
The biggest thing that bothered me about 300 was the blatant racism and homophobia. On one side, we have the Spartans, who were men's men, the picture of masculinity and classical beauty. They were upstanding, honourable, disciplined and righteous. On the other side, we have the Persians, who represented practically every other culture and ethnicity from the rest of the world. They were cruel, decadent, androgynous, sexually and morally deviant, misshapen, inter-sexed, and everything considered outside of mainstream western culture. Can we paint a more obviously racist image?
The second thing that bothered me was the glorification of Sparta's war-like society and enjoyment of violence. In ancient Sparta, young boys who did not "live up to" the society's standards were left to die, only allowing those with certain physical conditions to survive and propagate. This was a form of phenotypic control on the population, basically eugenics, which in modern times is seen as a violation of basic human rights and indefinitely cruel. In this film, violence and gore is shown in a very romantic light. The 300 Spartans cut down countless dehumanised foes in a shower of blood and slow motion choreography. Yes, it was visually stunning, but it was also morally and intellectually sickening.
And last, but not least, throughout the movie, the Spartans repeatedly referred to themselves as "free men" who were protecting themselves from slavery. I found this rather ironic considering the Greeks, including Spartans, owned slaves of their own. I guess they were saving every Spartan, sans the already enslaved, from slavery.
I really wanted to like this movie, but these pesky things called "morals" keep preventing me from doing so. Perhaps it's "just a movie", but most white, Chistrian, straight people I've encountered don't seem to understand how minorities, of Europe and North America, feel when we've often been portrayed in negative ways in the media. This is another example. Sure, it's all fun and games, but it's still a product of our times and it sure as hell doesn't make things better. Maybe they weren't trying to be racist. No one tries to be a product of their time. It's just easy to be a tool when you don't try to think harder about your actions.
Apocalypto (2006)
Thank god for white people?
It's has if the Native Americans haven't suffered enough.
Before I rip on this film, I'll make one apology. I thought the movie was about Aztecs (since they're the ones famous for sacrifices and warfare), but it's actually about Mayans. I didn't read any reviews or previews for this movie that stated so. Actually, one of the main events in the movie that threw me off was the lack of astronomical awareness. Mayans could predict eclipses.
Aside from all that was anthropologically appalling, Apocalypto was a formulaic piece of crap. I had the entire plot planned out in my head by the first quarter of the movie. A man is wronged and his family put in danger. He goes and seeks revenge and in the end shows the world what he's made of. How many other movies follow that plot? Too many to count. Not to mention that all the characters were horribly two dimensional: the terrible and evil people vs. the happy people living in their happy village. I hate movies that has to obviously lay out whose side you're supposed to be on. It's as if the audience is too stupid to have a mind of their own.
What killed me the most was the ending, which I guessed after reading the quote that appeared at the very beginning of the movie. Yes, let's look at these horribly savage people, brainless religious fanatics, hurt each other and live in such "uncivilised" and disturbing ways. Yes, let's ignore the Mayan's unique writing system and their innovations in math and astronomy. Instead, let us focus on just how terrible they really were. Thank god whitey shows up and saves the day in the end, putting an end to slavery and violent deaths.
Wait a minute...
U-571 (2000)
Fun but worthless.
Very mild spoilers, but a warning nonetheless.
It was like a messed up Return to Wolfenstein that takes place in a submarine and for some odd reason, everyone hesitates to shoot the mother of all evil Nazis that won't stay dead. Oh right. It's because the Americans are virtuous, aided by God himself, to triumph over the forces of Satan (Nazis).
Typical storyline involving some insecure underdog who, by the end of the movie, through trials and tribulations, find himself in a drawn out epiphany complete with loud explosions and narrow getaways. There were no characters who were original just like how there was no plot point that was subtle.
If you're looking for a historically accurate film with complex story lines, steer clear. If you want some mindless entertainment and this movie happens to be on TV, why the hell not.