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This was what I call a "charmer" and I'm a sucker for those. But I will
admit that I'm
a sentimental thing and in retrospect I can recognize that the story
and the film is a bit thin in places. Maggie Smith and Judi Dench are
two sisters who rescue a
young man who is washed up upon the shore near their house. Then of
course come the questions of who is he and how did he get there and
emotional bonds are made and broken. I have to admit that I was relieved
that they didn't go where I thought they were going to go with this
story. And I really connected with Ursula, whose emotional dilema is
well one I can see myself having at her age sadly enough. I think one of
the things I like best about the film is the fact that they don't spell
everything out and they don't answer all of your questions, which is a
refreshing change. The ending, however, seemed a bit more abrupt than I
would like, though I'm not sure what else they could have done to make
it better.
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Nomiated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2001, this movie is a
lavish production recalling the wonders of India's history, beauty,
culture, and rich tradition of spectacular cinema. Though a Bollywood
film, it reaches far beyond the usual over-wrought and melodramatic
tradition and becomes something much finer, classier, and
vastly entertaining. It's brimming with expressive music, stylish
cinematography, and fantastic choreography and dance. The story is
unique, revolving around a challenge between an Indian farming
community and an English cantonment. The village must play a game of
cricket to determine its survival during a season of drought and
poverty. Should the farmers win, they, and the entire province, are free
from paying the tax (the lagaan) for three years, but if the
English win then the farmers and the entire province must pay triple the
tax. Despite, or perhaps because of this rather peculiar premise, I
spent the entire 224 minutes (almost four hours long!) watching with
pleasure, delight, and unbelieveable anticipation and have watched it
several times over since. Quite easily one of my favorite films of all
time!
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This most excellent animated film, based on the book of the same title
by Peter S. Beagle, is little known but remarkably good. The style of
the animation and the story are beautiful, enchanting, and delightful.
The voices are, for the most part, perfect for each of the characters,
especially Mia Farrow as the Unicorn, Alan Arkin as Schmendrick, Tammy
Grimes as Molly Grue, Angela Lansbury as Momma Fortuna, and Christopher
Lee as King Haggard.
A unicorn notices one day that she hasn't seen any
of her kind around in a long time, tending to her small forest as she
does. She asks a passing butterfly if he has seen any unicorns in his
travels, and between foolish rhymes and playful nonsense he offers
oblique hints that her kind have met with a terrible fate. Unable to
accept that she is the last, she sets off in search of other unicorns
and meets along the way friends and foes. To save her, the magician
Schemendrick turns her into a woman, and suddenly the last unicorn must
save not only her own kind, but herself as well before she forgets who
she really is and becomes mortal forever. There are, alas, terrible and
inexplicable musical moments, but they are blessedly few and worth
suffering through in order to see the entire film.
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A rich, culturally diverse look at the Rom people (gypsies), from all
different walks of life and areas of the world. We travel through India,
Spain, Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and France, catching
glimpses of these people's lives with little introduction or
explanation. There is no narration and no dialogue to speak of, save
that of the songs they sing to each other. It's like traveling about the
world without a guidebook, simply studying and relishing the music,
dance, and age-old traditions of these often misunderstood, criticized,
and shunned communities. A wonderful sensory experience that should be
seen twice - once to absorb and a second time to watch with an educated
eye and ear.
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This is a huge epic film out of Thailand that traces through the life
and true story of Thailand's history and struggle, focusing on the
legendary princess Suriyothai, who is beloved by her people for
sacrificing herself in order to save her husband's life and thus all of
Thailand. Most disappointing is the fact that it had been edited down,
and you could really tell. It just felt truncated, especially early on
in the film as they go through her youth, marriage, and so on with
increasingly short and pointless scenes.
The rest of the film is rather
reminiscent of watching a Thai version of I, Claudius, with
murder, betrayal, and an ever shifting seat of power from one member of
the royal family to the next, not to mention struggles and battles with
their bordering enemy, Burma. The costumes, sets, and landscapes were
breathtakingly beautiful and the story is enjoyable and entertaining,
though Suriyothai feels more like an observer through most of it, rather
than an active player. Scarecrow has it for rent and I think it is the
original version, so I will have to check that out and see it in its
full uncut glory. Shame on Mr. Coppola for cutting it down!
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First off, make sure you get the original version of this film, not the
watered-down, twenty-six minutes short Americanized version called
The Professional. Trust me, you'll thank me in the end. This
stylish thriller showcases a brilliant performance by Natalie Portman as
a twelve-year-old girl who loses everything and must turn to an
assassin for help and protection, all the while wanting so much more
from him. Jean Reno is the assassin who reluctantly takes her under his
wing. Obsessed with the desire for revenge, she convinces/forces him to
teach her the tricks of the trade. What follows is a tale of strangers
and strange circumstances, betrayal, infatuation, assassination, murder,
revenge, and determination. It's wonderfully morally ambiguous,
delightfully twisted, entertainingly brutal, and wickedly intelligent.
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This is a Chinese remake of the French classic of the same name,
based on a short story. This version is a little more feminist minded,
despite the fact that it is a story of an obsessive love of a woman for
one man. Regardless, it is absolutely beautiful. Extraordinary.
Exquisite.
The story is told from a letter being
read by a famous author, and tells the tale of a woman who fell in love
with him when she was just a little girl around 1930 or so, and whose
greatest happiness was derived from him, even though he never remembered
who she was despite many encounters that they had throughout his life.
The film moves us through her life, jumping often years at a time till
her path and his cross again. I guess one of the reasons I didn't find
it offensive is because she was never pining for him hopelessly during
the film. She loved him and cherished him, but realized or believed that
he would not return the same feelings toward her. However, she went on
with
her life, got an education, and for the most part seemed to live a life
that she enjoyed, though I'm sure some would argue that point.
There are
a few points which are left annoyingly vague and that I suspect, if
elaborated on, might have annoyed me. But perhaps not. Regardless, the
attitudes are understandable considering the age in which it was
written and beyond that it is simply beautiful. The narration of the
letter, the cinematography, the music, the pacing, the sets, the
costumes - I loved everything about it. It had a lush rich texture, much
like the brocade couch her fingers stroke or the leather tomes her
knuckles lovingly brush across.
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One thing is for sure. Everyone is very particular about which "Bond"
they think is the best. Now, I don't know if I honestly think that
Timothy Dalton was, but I do know that when I saw this film, I was both
impressed and delighted. Perhaps it was because after the travesty that
was Roger Moore, Dalton was a breath of fresh air. Perhaps, having read
the books voraciously I recognized the edgy and human performance of
Dalton, which was more true to the Ian Fleming's Bond than Connery's
cold and sardonic Bond or Moore's wisecracking goofy Inspector-Gadget
Bond.
In the end, I will say this for The Living Daylights. The
plot is surprisingly interesting, layered, and complex.
I kept thinking, "Okay, the story is about this ..." and then another
layer would get peeled back and I'd have to reassess. There is a good
balance between intelligence, abilities, and gadgets. For the first time
in a long time there was a Bond film where gadgets didn't save the day
every other second. I won't say it's the best Bond film - that's really
a matter of taste, and everyone is going to have a
different opinion, no matter how persuasive your argument. But this is
definitely one of the good ones and worth seeing if you haven't
already.
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This was one thoroughly enjoyable film! A criminal, sentenced to life in
prison, manages to escape disguised as a Muhad, that is to say a priest.
And as they say in the trade, wacky hijinks ensue. Despite his best
efforts to cross the border into safety, fate, or God, keeps
interfering. This movie was banned in Iran and sadly I can understand
why, but it's really quite a pity. Because despite it's irreverence it
is a deeply spiritual and beautiful movie about how God moves in, as
they say, mysterious ways. Best of all is the ending, which much to my
relief leaves it up to you, the viewer, to decide said imposter's fate.
It is a total gem of a movie.
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