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potoko0204
Reviews
Oldeuboi (2003)
It will get people talking
A middle aged man is kidnapped and forced to live in a room for 15 years without knowing why nor who incarcerated him in the first place. He is given dumplings every day, and he has only the TV as a means of communication with the rest of the world. Then, he is released, and is along with a nice suit, he is given sufficient money for his personal use, only to learn that he has to find his captor in 5 days.
ChanWook Park's thriller that has captivated thousands and shocked or disturbed others is surely going to be, for better or worse, a big thing when it opens in select theaters in the US. Many of you have said that it sucks, and that it is overly ambitious for what it is. Well, I give you that: it is ambitious, but that it does its job. By no means is this movie original, nor innovative. I can name a few movies coming out of Hollywood that have done a similar job and succeeded as well as this one did. But this is no Hollywood. This movie has come out from South Korea (which by the way has been releasing countless excellent movies lately) and I tell you, in my view, it has rivaled (or even surpassed most) many big budget films that I have previously mentioned. This movie assures movie goers that one not need flashy settings, untalented pretty faces as actors and big budgets to make an excellent film like this one. It is not the best in movie history, it is not the best in recent memory, but it is pretty darn good to be the best of 2003.
If you didn't understand my point and haven't seen the movie, don't waste your time reading my post and go see it. You will thank those people who have given this movie nearly a perfect score.
Siu Lam juk kau (2001)
A Gem that glows in the dark (Possible spoilers herein)
Foreign movies are frowned upon by many American audiences. Whether it is because they are afraid of new ways of cinema, xenophobia, or the simple reason of not wanting to read the subtitles are among the reasons that seem to haunt them. Nonetheless, there are some movies that overcome these obstacles and are widely acclaimed by all of the people alike. I believe this is one of them.
Despite its disparity with western comedy, Shaolin Soccer still does its job of conveying laughter to its viewers. The story is original as well, something that Hollywood has not been able to come up in a very long time except for a few.
The story is not funny per se, but what is wonderful about this movie is that each one of the characters is fully embraced by its respective actors. For example, the goalkeeper alluding the ever great Bruce Lee. His facial expression and actions bring, for a moment, the late Bruce Lee to an audience that has been longing for his presence in the big screen (Bruce Lee fans remember, I am not saying that he is as great as Bruce Lee is, but that his actions are reminiscent of him).
I applaud this funny, yet intelligent movie with the hope that in the near future American audiences can widely appreciate other foreign movies more.
Thank you very much for taking your time reading my review.
The Incredibles (2004)
Great Movie!!!
I went to see this movie five days ago, and after much thought, I decided that I should comment in this movie that defines the next generation of entertainment. From beginning to end I was convinced that the characters were real people, due to their facial expressions, movements, and... well... everything!!! It is so nicely done that I think that in my opinion, is better than Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Monster Inc. COMBINED!!! ... well... probably it is an overstatement, but still, this movie is great, and if you haven't seen it! Please!!! GO see it while it is in theaters. But please do not expect this to be funny, because it is not meant to be a comedy, like the previous Pixar animations. But still, it plays its role pretty well and I must say, it is the greatest movie of the year so far... or at least it is up there with Garden State. After you read this review, please go see it!!!
Lolita (1962)
Do I have the Lolita complex? May contain SPOILERS
What can I say about this movie? Passionate, funny, out of the ordinary, yet so familiar. It is a feeling that I am guessing all men have experienced once in their life time: Being with a Lolita. Based on Vladimir Nabokov's novel, the story of Lolita has been marvelously portrayed by Sue Lyon under the guidance of one of the most acclaimed directors of our time: Stanley Kubrick. The beginning of the movie, where Humbert Humbert (played by James Mason) is looking for the character of Peter Sellers, and kills him, I did not understand it at first. But as the movie progressed, it gave out hints, subtle but yet so clear hints about the situation in a movie. Lolita is full of sexual innuendos that are so subtly placed in every corner of the movie, that I was honestly blown by the ending. I am pretty harsh on many movies, and I am a hard viewer to please, but for some reason, Stanley Kubrick's movies seem to surpass my expectations. I am ready to read the book, and you!, yes you, if you have not seen this movie, rent it, because it is worth it! **** out of ****
Soul Plane (2004)
Utter Stupidity (May contain SPOILERS)
My expectations were too high. Usually these kind of movies are fun to watch, and if lucky, they leave you a strong message. But this movie conveyed none of these emotions, and I was about to demand a refund for this silly movie. The first 5 minutes were okay, but after that... everything went downhill. What is up with the Hydraulics? I mean, I understand that they want to do it as "black" as possible, but they went too far. Other black movies at least leave a positive image of them, but this one does not.
Not only that, but it makes fun of them (of themselves in this case). I was very ashamed of Snopp Dogg, an artist that I do not dislike.
Furthermore, was Soul Plane intended to be like Airplane (1980)??? I mean, the plot was almost the same, and the ending kind of the same too. But Soul Plane lacked the laughs and heart that Airplane had. The only good thing about this movie is that there were hot girls with very short skirts, exposing most of their body in some parts. Apart from that, this movie is a sheer waste of time, and I would not recommend it. I would recommend you rent it at half price, because it really is not worth it!!! 0.5/10
El hijo de la novia (2001)
Laughed, cried, and loved it (possible spoilers)
This low budget movie is one of the few Argentine movies that I have seen so far. I was at first very skeptic about renting the movie, since I was not a very big fan of Argentine movies (I lived in Argentina all of my life). But when I came here, to Washington, D.C, my school offered it as part of an international movie fair. So I went to watch it. It is funny, and as the movie proceeded, I became homesick because of the different scenes of Argentine "barrios" and cultures which were brilliantly portrayed. One drawback to some people of this movie is that it is spoken in Argentine Spanish, which is one that confuses even native Spanish speakers from other countries. The jokes are very "Argentine" and if you do not appreciate those, I think that this movie is not for you. But what would be of your interest is the message of the movie. How he, Ricardo Darin, changes from being a self-absorbed middle-aged man to a family man who takes care of his parents and at the same time his own. The scene where he is arguing with his former wife is brilliant. The dialogue is full of Argentine culture, and it remind me of my own infancy. For example, when Ricardo Darin tells her that he wants to educate their daughter in Mexico, she replies "So, who is going to be her teacher? PROFESOR JIRAFALES?" Profesor Jirafales is a teacher that appears in the Chavo del Ocho, a Mexican sort of sitcom. Argentines were fed up with the characters of this show, and it was good to hear something like that, which invaded my infancy. Well, overall, this movie is great. I laughed, cried, and loved it. Although it is slow-paced, I believe it is appropriate for this movie, because think about it... WHO CHANGES FROM ONE DAY TO ANOTHER??? It shows his transition from being a "Me-man" to a "Everybody's man". This movie deserves a standing ovation!!! Now I am going to order this movie online. Make sure you do it too! enjoy!
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
EXCELLENT MOVIE
This movie is an excellent one. It is funny, scary, and at the same time, sad. At the heights of the arms race and the fear for MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction), brilliant director Stanley Kubrick portrays those years in what seems to be one of the best movies of all time. As many of you have said, Stanley Kubrick is the main actor in his films. He gives them life and longevity. This film, along with the other Kubrick's films, will remain in history as one of the best films ever made. What further ameliorates the quality of this movie is the performance by Peter Sellers, a very gifted actor who seems to fulfill Stanley Kubrick's expectations as well as ours. A much better performance by him than in Lolita (since he got more than one role in the movie Dr. Strangelove) he makes the movie more memorable. One of my favorite movies of all time.