C
This movie is a feel good movie that shows the darker side of people and
yet emphasizes the light that can shine from people (often despite the
darkness) instead. Considering that it's a film about and shot in South
Africa, I think that's really saying something. So many films are still
about the violence and horror of the years before - so it's good to know
that there is a change in the environment and people such that a film
like
this is coming from there.
I really enjoyed it and encourage anyone to check it out when it
gets a release this summer. The film centers around an animal refuge,
mostly for stray dogs, and the people who work there or become connected
to it. There is the woman who runs the place who is involved with a
married man and the vet who pines for her in secret. There is the
African refugee (you never know from where) that was once a Professor of
Astronomy but now takes care of dogs for a living. There is the young
widow who tries to raise her son and take care of her mother and get an
education at the same time. There is the young Muslim woman who works at
the refuge and is trying desperately to have a child. Each of these
stories meander in and out of one another, connections forming and
relationships changing.
It isn't complex and some might say that it is
too fanciful and optimistic, not realistic enough, but I'm okay with
that. There is so much darkness in the world, so much hatred and evil
and anger and hopelessness. I appreciate films that don't lie and say
that everything is roses, that admit and show the thorns, but remind you
that there are still flowers to smell and see and experience as well. I
love films that are about hope and love and goodness, and this is one of
those films.
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This was Errol Flynn's first film, and he wasn't even originally slated
for the part. Dr. Peter Blood is arrested for offering medical aid to a
rebel. Wrongfully convicted of treason and sentenced to death, he is
instead sold into slavery. Blood manages to escape with many of his
fellow slaves, turning to a life of piracy upon the high seas. Over time
he finds that a compatriot pirate captain has captured the woman who
purchased Blood in the first place. He is determined to rescue her and
win her over to his side. Upon returning to her home, he finds the city
under siege by the Frnech. When he learns that the rebellion is over and
that there is a new king on the throne of England, Blood rescues the
city and ironically becomes the new governor. The story is
sound, well written, and entertaining, but Flynn brought his
good looks and enthusiastic talent to the role, making an indeliable
mark upon the film and starting off his career with a bang.
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This anime title was released in the States under the name
"Cardcaptors", but this version is the real thing and much more
worthwhile than
the severely edited and cut to pieces "Cardcaptors". Bleah! Sakura is a
young girl who accidentally releases a deck of magical cards that she
then must find, defeat, and reclaim as her own before they do any damage
or mischief. To aid her is the guardian of the cards, Kero. Along the
way she gains the aide of her friends Tomoyo and Shaoran, though she
strives at all times to keep her new magical powers and the existence of
the cards a secret.
This is a lengthy and charming series that is made
for children, but is rather uplifting and cheerful to watch as an adult.
I find when I'm feeling down it often restores my sense of hope and
reminds me to be more positive. After all, the best thing that Sakura
has going for her is her cheerful nature. What I appreciate the most
about the show is that even once Sakura has managed to capture all of
the cards, they found a way to continue the series logically and in a
new direction, without resorting to some foolish plot device, like
having her accidentally lose them all again. It's sweet, it's perky,
it's insanely kawaii and it's very very Japanese anime. But it has a way
of sneaking under your skin and warming your heart.
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I have three words for all of you. SEE THIS MOVIE! I watched The
Circus and it was so amazingly funny that for a good 2/3'rds of the
movie tears were slipping out of the corners of my eyes and trailing
down my cheeks because it was so incredibly funny and I was
laughing so hard. I HAVE NEVER LAUGHED SO HARD, OR SO MUCH, AT ANY FILM
THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. Really. Honest. I'm amazed.
Silent comedies have
a huge advantage over talking comedies. Silence. With most films part of
you feels awkward about laughing too loud, too much, or for too long.
Why? Because more often than not the dialog picks up right away again
and if you laugh too much you'll miss whatever the next line might be. I
think it can actively stifle enjoyment because, at least for some, it
stifles the laughter. But with a silent film you can laugh as hard as
loud and as long as you like and you're not going to bother anyone or
miss any lines or make anyone else miss a line.
I'm sure another part of the
reason it was so funny is because I saw it in a large theater with a ton
of people laughing right there with me. That's contagious stuff. But
even so, it had to be funny on it's own merits because even with all
that I've still never laughed so hard that tears were streaming down my
cheeks. That's just amazing to me. And Chaplin's pacing and comedy is
sheer genius, playing just as funny now as it did when it was first
made. Yowsa.
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This is definitely one of Jackie Chan's more goofy flicks and
considering his work, that's really saying something. Based on the
Japanese manga of the same name, City Hunter is about a
self-indulgent private investigator who is hired to keep an eye on a
powerful businessman's wild teenage daughter. Her hijinks lead Chan
onto a cruise ship, where hijackers seize control and take its
passengers hostage, wreaking havoc and chaos. With the assistance of
his lovely young ward (the now grown-up daughter of his ex-partner),
his client's daughter, two undercover female cops, and a devilishly
good gambler who has more up his sleeves than just cards, Chan fights
to save the crew and passengers from the deadly terrorists. It is
a silly, silly, silly movie. There are even parodies of fighting video
games and martial arts movies in this often hilarious and perpetually
ludicrous comedy.
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The heroine, Flora, having lost her parents, looks for the most
interesting set of relations with whom she can move in. She finds a most
unique and bizarre collection at Cold Comfort Farm, where there have
always been Starkadders and where the matriarchal grandmother once saw
"something nasty in the woodshed," which has forever colored the lives
of the inhabitants there. Flora comes in like a breath of fresh air
and, though clever manipulations, subtle suggestions, high-society
connections, and brilliant intuition, micromanages everyone's life for
the betterment of all. The humor is quirky, the acting top-notch, and
the film is overall a foolish and playful romp through the bizarre
world of human nature.
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The Constant Gardener
I heard going into this that it was going to be a good film, and the
rumors were right. I really can't say I'm surprised, since the film
stars Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz and was directed by
Fernando Meirelles(City of
God). In a mostly un-Hollywood way, this film tells the story of a
politician who tries to do his job as best as he can, but has little
interest in rocking the boat or shaking the trees. In contrast to this
is his wife, who makes as big of a stink and as much of a ruckus as she
possibly can it seems. We see through a series of flashbacks how they
met, how they fell in love, and their life together, all of which is
tangled up with the horror that Fiennes must now face, their individual
pursuits of the truth, and the search for justice.
Some might find Meirelles' handling of the film to be on occasion a bit
heavy handed. The long shots at the end of the film of running, smiling
African children cannot help but tug at one's heart strings and start
one thinking about what can be done to make the world a better place. I
personally didn't notice that much, though in retrospect I certainly had
that reaction. But hey, I think it's a good thing when films encourage
one to look outside of our petty personal problems and consider the rest
of the world.
There's a lot of rough camera work, I suspect to suggest a
documentary/real life quality to the film. This would probably have been
more effective if everyone wasn't doing it these days. My only complaint
would have to be that things are a little too black and white. The bad
guys are so bad! The good guys are so good! Not to say that shit doesn't
happen, that governments and corporations and the like aren't raping and
pillaging the world, but there are shades of grey in there too. I
wouldn't expect a Hollywood-styled film to bother with those shades, but
I felt like this was a cut about that and it would have been nice
to have some subtler shading. All in all, however, an excellent film
and well worth checking out!
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This is the sweetest necrophiliac like story that you'll ever see. I say
"like" because "love" is far too strong a word in this case. In short,
this movie left me wanting. It was too short and as shallow as a poorly
dug grave. The musical numbers were enjoyable for the most part but
utterly unmemorable. The plot was obvious and simplistic - clearly
designed for children more than adults. The animation was of course very
pretty and enjoyable, but nothing that we haven't seen from Tim Burton
before. I can say that I enjoyed the movie, but it didn't live up to its
potential at all.
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What makes this film fabulous is the fact that you probably won't see
what is coming unless, of course, someone has spoiled it for you. Which
I won't. What is especially great about this movie is that it will
surprise you. Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice and damn, you're
a good movie! At first I thought it was going to be a film about two
men - one a prisoner, the other his captor - and the relationship that
forms between them. I was wrong. And then I thought, okay, it's gonna be
about how this guy forms a relationship with the other guy's girlfriend.
I was wrong again. And then I thought ... well, never mind what I
thought. I got finally got it right by the third guess, but since I blew
it the other two times, I immediately dismissed that idea. If you
haven't seen this film, see it. It's a fun little mind-bender and we all
need to stretch ourselves every so often.
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