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mike-1687
Reviews
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Please drop your expectations and enjoy a good film
Wes Anderson has, for better or worse, become a respected and recognizable figure in film. This is great for those who truly appreciate his work, and bad for those who expect him to merely continue to be his previous work.
This film is not perfect. I would not by any stretch say that it is his weakest film, but, despite obvious visual, personal and musical cues, it is his most different.
The characters (and actors) certainly seem familiar. The look is 100% true Wes Anderson. The general feel is there and, yet, it seems to be a different take on his normal cast of sheepishly melancholic comedy characters. Things are much more personal this time.
No, the movie is not attempting at anything profound (and, perhaps because it is less of an out-and-out comedy people are looking for profundity {and, perhaps, his ardent supporters are, sometimes, a little too ardent}), but it delivers in a familiar, happily-sad way which can be very effective when one is truly open to its openness.
The worst thing one can do when going into this movie is want it to be something else. It should be taken on its own terms, accepted on its own terms, and understood as the modest, sweet, humorous tale that it is. It won't make any top 10 lists right away, but maybe its genuine simplicity and inexplicability will, in time, make it all the more memorable. It might just be the movie Wes Anderson has, truly, always wanted to make, and that should really be appreciated, for what it is.
Sílení (2005)
Very Effective and Stubborn (GREAT!)
After knowing literally nothing about either this film or the director (who I've, since, become very interested in), I must say that this is a fantastic piece of art. Lunacy refuses to be what anyone expects of it: beginning with a B-horror feel, evolving into a very Salo-esquire shock inducing libertine tale, and ending in a profoundly *con*founding take on mental health. This is neither surreal, nor horror, nor pure art film, but a very effective combination of the three that is both accessible and challenging. From its seemingly flat stop motion animation which becomes increasingly effective, to its difficult narrative, this is a shocking movie that transcends the simple desire to shock the viewer and leaves one feeling effected (not affected).
28 Weeks Later (2007)
Something Special
28 Days Later was a fantastic zombie film, and a fantastic horror film in general. The previews make 28 Weeks Later seem like an unfortunate action film based on its predecessor, but in truth it is something far better, profound and, simply, something beyond what one expects.
It may seem strange to say that a zombie movie is "honest" or "affecting," but this film can easily be described as both. The dread and unease it pervades transcends even the horror genre, approaching something much more primal. The brutal treatment of human life is artistic in an almost Passolinian way (as hard to imagine as this is) and, in fact, I think it carries the series into the realm of artistic statement.
Every character is believable in a way that is uncommon to horror, making the movie almost seem to spring from the school of realism that Flaubert, Zola and Balzac are famous for, simply put in the context of horror (as potentially asinine as that sounds). Robert Carlyle's character strikes me as profoundly interesting and thoroughly complex, due to very subtle and quick techniques used when portraying him.
To say that this film exceeded my expectations going in is a gross understatement and, in fact this is truly something special in the horror genre, and for contemporary film as a whole.
I only hesitate to give it 10 stars because it is so fresh in my mind and I want it to steep a little more, despite my strong desire to simply say: "10 stars! 10 stars!"
Masters of Horror: Sick Girl (2006)
Boooo!
From what I've seen so far the "Masters of Horror" series has been pretty disappointing, but this episode was so retarded that it set new lows. This is some of the worst writing/acting/directing/"horror" I have ever seen in my life. I keep watching this series expecting there to be something redeeming, but I think that this has single handedly made me give up on it entirely.
If you like horror, then you will hate this film.
If you like cinema in general, then you will hate this film.
If you like Peter Jackson films (or if you're just a frat boy who watches scary movies for the girl on girl action), then, by all means, watch and enjoy.