W
A playful, entertaining film about an ex-special forces operative who
now makes his living as a cop whose measures lean more toward the
extreme. Still pining for the love he lost nineteen years ago, he is
shocked to learn that she has died and that he is the sole legate of her
will. He flies to Japan, where he learns that she was keeping a great
deal more secret from him than just her whereabouts and that he has
inherited a great deal more than he bargained on. It's no Oscar winner
and the storyline is for the most part very predictable, but it is FUN!
Jean Reno is wonderful as always, with tough and yet retiring characters
as his strong suit. Ryoko Hirosue is utterly adorable, VERY
kawaii, and an excellent foil to Reno's austere characterization.
However it is rather amusing (read: unrealistic) how it seems that
everyone in Japan can speak French. Heh. Your reaction to this film
will likely be akin to Reno's toward wasabi; there's not very much kick
and it won't leave you gasping, but it's very tasty.
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This is a wonderful and powerful film about a Maori tribe whose leading
elder is desperate for a successor. His family is descended from a long
line of chiefs reaching back through time to their ancestor, who swam
over the oceans to New Zealand. On his journey he grew tired and weary
and was rescued by a whale, which he rode the rest of the way to shore.
With neither of his sons to succeed him, and no male hair to come, he
turns to the young boys in the village to train and determine which of
them will become the leader. All the while his granddaughter dares to
ask why she cannot be the next leader and chooses to defy tradition to
prove her worth and rightful place. The only thing that bothered me is
that the girl, in the end, has to prove herself through divine means. I
would have been happier if she could have proven herself through pure
determination and skill. It is a remarkable film about a culutre that
is desperately trying to survive a modern world, a man who must see
past tradtion to truth, and a girl who believes in the power within
herself and the power of change.
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This film harkens back to the years of screwball comedies, but manages
somehow to avoid the pitfalls of that genre by moving at a
quick and playful pace, rather than hammering in jokes long past the
point of funny. Barbara Streisand is wonderful as a brilliant but
crazy-making woman who has fixed her attentions upon food and poor
hapless Ryan O'Neal. Four plaid bags - one with a diamond collection in
it, another with clothes, another with secret government documents, and
the last with "musical" rocks - play the catalyst for chaos as
characters beg, borrow, and steal them from each other,
bringing together an unlikely collection of criminals, miscreants,
victims, thieves, and innocent bystanders into a hilarious collision
course.
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This is one of sweeter and quieter films to come out of Studio Ghibli. A
young girl who loves music and reading notices that the same person has
taken out all of the books she has borrowed from the library and
attempts to figure out who this person might be. Impulsively following
an unusual cat she meets on the subway, she finds herself by an
intriguing store filled with various strange and beautiful objects. Upon
entering she becomes enchanted by a statue of a cat wearing a suit with
tails and a top hat, called The Baron.
Much to her surprise she learns
that an infuriating boy from her school lives there along with his
grandfather and that even worse, he is the same person whom she's been
looking for. Their mutual love for music draws them together, and
learning that he plans to leave Japan to study violin making in Italy
makes her suddenly question what she has done, or rather not done, with
her life. In an effort to prove herself to him, and herself, she decides
to tackle the difficult task of writing a book about The Baron. The
story is about being young, finding your path in life, making
connections, and falling in love. As such, the story is often rather
rambling and disjointed, as life itself is. Charming and gentle, this
film is probably too thoughtful for children, but a worthwhile journey
for a teenage or older viewer.
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A classic film about love in all of its twisted, peculiar, perverted,
and demented beauty. A woman having an affair is dumped over the
answering machine, then realizes that she is pregnant. A convoluted
tales begins between her, her neurotic friend, the man, his ex-wife,
his son, and said son's girlfriend. Drugged gazpacho, high hysterics,
and suicide attempts are only the start of this wild and hilarious
roller-coaster of a film about women coping the best they can with the
pangs and pains of love. My first Almodovar film and still my favorite.
Look out for a very young and nerdy Banderas!
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