Monthly Archives: November 2008

Dead calm? No?

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Open Water 2

Either it’s Open Water 2 or Adrift or Open Water 2: Adrift. Who cares, we’re in water. Good looking girls, cool boat – sorry, yacht – sea and sunny weather. Who could ask for more. Despite this being more of a German film and shot in Malta, there’s something Dead Calm Australian about this. Or maybe not.

I quite liked this one. I felt the characters were very good and acted well. And the half naked girls on screen aspect’s been left alone as well which is nice for a change. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a bit of skin here. well shot, edited and acted. There’s a thing or two that seem to catch most viewer’s eyes though, and I did think of a thing or two about an hour before the film’s characters figured it out and lots of other viewers seem to feel quite frustrated these issues. There’s a lot of speculation about certain elements in this film that might have turned it into a very uninteresting short film. But then it’s one of those things, you never know. Or the characters are simply very dumb. But hey, it’s not real! Although allegedly based on a true story where nobody survived…

A simple but gripping film that might drive you insane if you’re that type of person.

A Divine Comedy

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While fairly mainstream approach (and his first one as such), John Waters’ Polyester is still quite a blast. I did not have the pleasure of the Odorama experience but nevertheless was well entertained. Divine is brilliant as usual. As you may or may not know, John Waters’ films aren’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea, but this one might be one of those to start with, although no doubt the remake of Hairspray, Serial Mom or Cry Baby are even easier. They’re all comedies, they’re all feel-good movies, all a bit weird and have similar statements to support.

Polyester

Divine is the heart and soul of the film, but of course with the support of the usual kind of Waters’ cast.Waters is never scared to raise any topics so you can count on some colorful events here. Set in Baltimore as usual, we get a glimpse of nice American culture here.

If you’ve heard the hit song Frontier Psychiatrist by The Avalanches, you’ve heard a couple of bits of Polyester, probably more than once. Check out Dreamland for more info on Waters and his films.

And get your hands on an Odorama scratch card from Ebay before watching this film!

Daughter of Sam

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When you are in an emotionally sensitive state, it’s wonderful when you happen to make the right choice of film to watch. While on any other day I Am Sam might have been just a very good film, I was lucky to pick the day that left me crying past the end credits. Or maybe it really is just this film. I Am Sam

Sean Penn, Dakota Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer star in this Oscar nominated film. I haven’t watched Becoming Sam, a documentary about the film yet, but I think that’s now on my list of films to watch. The film is very sweet and does not get too dipressing at any point and there’s a fair bit of comedy in it as well. Michelle Pfeiffer does an ok job acting, though lags definitely behind Sean and Dakota. Dakota is simply amazing and definitely reflects her character’s name. I’m sure the kind of role Sean Penn had to act in this film is among the hardest kind of roles to act believably, and he does it very well indeed. There’s also What’s Eating Gilbert Grape where Leonardo Di Caprio had similarly difficult role to play – that one also turned out to be a very beautiful film.

I guess I can mention the soundtrack of the film is great, if you like The Beatles songs. Apparently Penn could not afford rights to the real thing, so they’re all covers, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I think I like the contemporary feel of it. The film is beautiful, heartbreaking at times, but a feel-good movie on the whole. It also touches on issues that are important in any family, not just the exceptional kind that Sam and Lucy have in this film.

Se, jie

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Ever since I saw The Ice Storm for the first time, Ang Lee became one of my favorite directors. I haven’t seen Brokeback Mountain yet, and Hulk somehow seemed unexpected film for Ang Lee to make – I’m trying to avoid anything too negative to say about that one. Maybe it’s worth another review, maybe not.

Lust, Caution

Lust, Caution is beautiful, beautifully directed film. It’s slow paced, with well thought out structure. The lead actors do an amazing job throughout and really bring the story together, the tension between them is holding the whole film together. Art direction and cinematography create a wonderful and slightly hazy atmosphere for the film.

If you’ve heard anything else about the film before, it’s likely you’ve heard about the sex and violence bits. While these elements in the film do add to the film, I think they’re getting too much attention really. They’re part of the film and Ang Lee’s done the best he could with those. They don’t have enough screen time to be the main part of the film even if they are integral to it. But then again, some people may find it’s a bit too much while others will wonder what’s the fuzz all about.

Beautiful work, well worth a watch, although I do like The Ice Storm more.