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eVissa
Reviews
Walk the Line (2005)
What a great movie!
What can I say? I went to the cinema today with my 15 yr old daughter. Even as we were queueing for the tickets I wondered if we were doing the right thing. I don't like Jonny Cash and I hate country and western music.... but the reviews were so good we thought we'd give it a try. And were we glad we did! It's a terrific movie - good storyline, brilliant acting and even the songs are terrific. My feet were tapping and some scenes moved me to tears.
Reese Witherspoon is so versatile - she slips into this role effortlessly. Joaquim Phoenix is made for the part. He plays a charismatic flawed individual that your heart just goes out to. If you're looking to be entertained, and want a movie that's intelligent - and not full of f-words (unfortunately so many US movies are blighted by F*** all the way through)give it a try.. you won't be disappointed.
10/10
Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien (2000)
Creepy right from the start
When I rented this movie I thought I was in for a black comedy, but when Harry approached Michele, his old school mate, there was something ever so slightly creepy about him. Nothing you could your finger on, it just felt not quite right... From that point onwards Harry was always there, remembering word for word a poem that Michele had written while at school, remembering Michele's story written years before. Harry was so nice, so attentive and yet so odd... Was Harry in love with Michele?
Your instinct tells you something's not right but you keep watching, hoping that you can figure Harry out, giving him the benefit of the doubt, while all the while your gut instinct is that this guy is trouble, he's a manipulator, he's calling the shots, and yet you push those thoughts aside as he's so charming.
This film held my attention, I was hooked right from the start. It's classy, understated, with a wealth of detail in the merest glance. With a subtlety that you rarely see in US or UK movies. If you like lots of action, you probably won't like this movie, it moves inexorably onwards to what you sense is going to end in tears.
A very good movie, not to everyone's taste, but if you like subtlety, classy acting, and an insight into how a psychopath can insinuate himself into your life, this movie's for you.
Carne trémula (1997)
Another visual feast
I don't know what it is about Almodovar's movies that is so arresting, so captivating. Maybe it's the colour - his leading ladies always seem to wear red. So many visually stunning scenes, particularly the one where Elena is in bed with Victor. No salacious treatment here, just beautiful classy cinematography.
The storyline is good, but it's the camerawork that is so beautiful. Almodovar sees beauty and captures it like no-one else. His use of colour, black, red and yellow... coincidentally, the colours of the Spanish flag - or maybe it's no conincidence.
The opening scenes with Penelope Cruz are superb. I've never seen childbirth depicted so realistically. Being used to a diet of English and American movies, it is so refreshing to see movies that are exciting and visually stimulating. Minimal violence, but so much humanity and sensuality. This movie was a joy to watch.
Le fate ignoranti (2001)
A good movie and a great cast!
I didn't know what to expect about this movie but it made for a very enjoyable evening. A lovely story, wonderful characters and superb acting. Forget all that cliche'd Will and Grace stuff, or Queer as Folk... these guys seemed like real human beings, 3-dimensional with feelings and humanity.
I hadn't seen any of the actors before which also made it seem very real somehow, and some of the scenes were so tender that my eyes filled with tears. The people seemed to really care for each other, they felt able to show their feelings. No violence, no explicit sex - just guys being affectionate to each other. A really lovely movie!
Som and Bank: Bangkok for Sale (2001)
I struggled to understand it
the photography was beautiful but i had difficulty understanding what was happening... was there a lot of symbolism?... the 2 goldfishes - do they mean something in Thai culture? there's not much plot, not much happens and it just meanders along. no real start, no real middle and no real end. rather unsatisfying really.
It was difficult to get into the characters as you never felt you got to know them...it was difficult to know which scenes were imaginary and which were real. The move felt chaotic and disjointed. I don't know what the pang brothers were hoping to achieve. Maybe if I were Thai it would make more sense...
La veuve de Saint-Pierre (2000)
beautiful and evocative
I rented this because Daniel Auteuil was in it. I didn't realise that it was a canadian film. Juliet Binoche is the main character, she is lovely and ethereal but if you don't care for her I would avoid the movie as she's in nearly every shot.
It reminded me of The Piano, same sort of high quality historical drama. Not the most exciting of movies, but interesting and watchable. Not the most memorable of movies, but pleasant in its own way. It's quite slow, but it's beautifully filmed. It really does have a mid-19th century feel.
What more can I say - you'll either find it sensitive and enlightening, or be bored to death.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Awesomely beautiful
This is movie making at its superlative best .... imaginative, innovative, sensitive and visually superb. Tolkien said that LOTR was not based on anything, and was not allegorical. That may be true but you can't help but think that his time in the trenches in WW1 had an enormous impact on him which he exorcised in the writing of the LOTR trilogy.
The brutality of hand to hand combat, the desecration of the land and the power of an evil mastermind ultimately leading to death on a scale never seen before.
I doubt that anyone could have made a better movie version of the trilogy than Peter Jackson. What can we look forward to next from this creative genius?
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Didn't realise it was a musical!!
I love soul music and it wasn't till I watched "The 100 Greatest Musicals" (not all of them - this was a listing of the best all time musicals) this Christmas that I realised BB was a musical.
And not just a musical, but a musical about *Soul Music*. Hurried off to the rental shop to see what I'd been missing. Reader... it is awesome - Aretha Franklin acting her socks off and belting out songs while clad in an overall, Ray Charles working in a music shop.
So many movies are formulaic, you can guess what's going to happen but this one just twists and turns and every single minute is a gem. Rent it now!!
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)
A sweet and funny cartoon with lots of good one-liners
I took my 11 year old daughter to see this movie and thought I would be bored to tears. Surprisingly I enjoyed it. There is a lot of humour and dialogue that goes right over the head of the kids but which made me smile right through the movie.
The graphics and animation are superb and there is not a single boring minute. Good fun, good dialogue, witty and clever. Some of the humour reminded me of the Simpsons.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
A likeable American movie that isn't formulaic
I didn't know what to expect when I went to see this movie. I guess it was the all star cast that appealed, and the fact that any movie about a dysfunctional family is bound to be entertaining.
I still don't know how I would categorise this movie.. not really a comedy, not really a drama, but something in between. Human nature with all its flaws and complexities, instead of the flashy perfection we get so often from Hollywood.
If you liked Ghost World, or Amelie, you will probably enjoy this movie.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Awesome performance by Russell Crowe
Beautifully filmed movie. The sensitive subject of schizophrenia is treated very sympathetically. I now appreciate the enormous suffering and torment people with this illness endure. An uplifting and moving portrayal of a mathematical genius. A movie not to be missed.
In the Bedroom (2001)
Too long, too dull, too depressing
A beautifully made movie, set in New England. Lovely scenery which is about the only good thing I can say about this movie. The acting was good but the story definitely lacked something. Tedious and overlong. Depressing rather than moving.
The Fluffer (2001)
Bit of a let down
Good acting and script but something was missing somewhere. I guess the storyline wasn't as compelling as it could have been. Maybe I was hoping to understand more about what it's like to be a gay man working in the porn industry.
The opportunity to explore the feelings of the main characters was missed.
Worth seeing but not worth going to see.
Pandaemonium (2000)
A Stunning Movie!
I've been a movie fan for only a year, and have seen dozens in that time. This is by far the most exciting and memorable movie I've seen. Before seeing the movie I had no interest in English poets and knew little about them. After seeing the movie, I was entranced and had to find out more.
The movie tells the story through the laudanum delusions of Coleridge. Linus Roache is awesome in the role and the weaving of his poetry and his weird and scary visions is breathtakingly original. Coleridge and the Wordsworths lived 200 years ago and yet they seemed of our time. Using drugs, craving new experiences and sensations, they are like young people of today, scandalising their elders and shocking polite society.
The camera techniques are spectacular, as are the costumes, the locations and the editing, as you would expect from a production connected with the BBC. Watch and enjoy - you will not be disappointed!