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| Gorillas in the Mist |
| 09.02.04 (3:15 am) [edit] |
There was once a woman named Dian Fossey. She was a physiotherapist in love with the mysterious continent of Africa. She attended seminars on African wildlife. She persuaded a man to let her go to the Congo to research the mountain gorilla, based on these slight experiences.
That woman is now a legend.
Gorillas in the Mist is the story of her time in the Congo and Rwanda, first carrying out a survey for the National Geographic and then researching the mountain gorilla to depths not previously recorded. We see how, slowly but surely, the gorillas become her life. They become her family, just as she becomes part of their family.
Make no mistake - the film doesn't not paint a rosy picture of Fossey. We see her stubborn side. We see her make frequent mistakes. We see her obsessional stance against the poachers and we see her employ rather dubious methods with which to put them off. We also see her spiral into a kind of semi-madness, in which she refers to the gorillas as hers, reacts jealously towards anyone else who shows an interest in protecting them and is finally murdered. By whom, it is still not known.
Of course things are tinted so that we see the film from Fossey's viewpoint and, despite the faults highlighted, we understand Fossey - we like Fossey.
Beautiful cinematography, heart-stirring soundtrack and truly engaging story. To be blunt, you MUST see this film.
Best Character: Not Fossey, in my opinion, but Simbagari, the dour tracker who accompanies her and, other than the gorillas, becomes her only friend.
Queen Shamisen's rating: :D
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| Master of Disguise |
| 08.30.04 (6:55 am) [edit] |
My fella and I were browsing in the video store when we saw this DVD. We laughed ourselves sick, as you would, at the cover, and spent many a long evening contemplating the significance of the role of 'Turtle Guy' and 'Gammy Num-nums.' The fact that he was called Pistachio Disguisey managed to put us off renting this film for several months. Would that it had prevented us from renting it forever. I bet my fiance that this would be the type of film that would be so bad that it was good. I swore that I would watch it to the end.
I wish I hadn't. This film isn't just bad: it's painfully unfunny and every 'joke' falls flat. Pistachio's woeful Italian accent made me feel glad that bad things happened to him: towards the end I was seriously rooting for the bad guys. Now, if this film had managed to disguise itself as something enjoyable, then I wouldn't be here now. But let this review serve as a warning: there are thousands of people who do not have dvds, vcrs or even Televisions. This film will make you envy them. I myself nearly threw out my dvd player just in case the film ever found its way back, like some cheap horror film. Undoubtably that scenario is more entertaining than the film itself.
This review was first seen on imdb.com , written by this author.
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| Raise the Red Lantern |
| 08.23.04 (6:21 am) [edit] |
This is one of the most spectacular films every made, IMHO. I could watch it endlessly (and, in fact, I will probably watch it again after I have finished on the computer). The only problem being that, as this is a chinese film made some 13 years ago, which isn't available to buy on video or DVD unless you're prepared to spend a good few hours hunting for it in Chinatown (which i did), most people simply haven't heard of it.
Songlian (Gong Li) is a 19 year old university student persuaded into an arranged 'marriage' by her stepmother after her father dies. Sadly, this is China of the early 20th century, before the communist revolution, and rather than receiving official status as a wife Songlian becomes a concubine - or Fourth Mistress/ Fourth sister as she is known.
In this patriarchal society, the women are encouraged to be friends, but friends they can never be as they are all competing for the favour of their master (signified by the raising of the red lanterns outside their rooms). Songlian's arrival provokes jealousy amongst the other concubines, and one way or another they all seek to replace her in their master's affections.
First wife, the mother of the eldest son, is old and remains in the house for reasons of familiarity and comfort. Second wife, mother of the only daughter, is kinder and easy going, having accepted her lot in life and eager to befriend Songlian. Third wife is a woman still young and beautiful - a spoiled ex-opera singer who demands her master's attention by regularly claiming to be ill. But who is the real threat?
This film charts the bitter rivallries between the women and the lengths they go to in order to receive affection. Each wife seems cold and distant, as though emotion were a virtue long since abandoned. Visually stunning and achingly nostalgic for a time were beauty was prized, Raise the Red Lantern is, simply, a masterpiece that can never be recreated.
Queen Shamisen's rating: :D
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| The Bourne Supremecy |
| 08.23.04 (5:42 am) [edit] |
Who'd have ever thought that Matt Damon would make such a good action hero?
Set two years after The Bourne Identity, the film picks up with Jason Bourne living in Goa with his missis. He's still quite unsure of his identity and, more disturbingly, he's having flashbacks which manifest during his sleep - dreams, in other words, but to Jason Bourne they tell of something a little more sinister.
In these dreams he sees himself in Berlin and a hidden mentor is prompting him to go and do a job. He sees blurred images but, even though he records everything in his journal, many things still mean nothing to him.
After a bad man (who I'm fairly certain was a rider from Rohan in Lord of the Rings) shoots his bird, Bourne decides that it's time to try and find a bit more about himself. Unfortunately the feds are fairly certain he's just been involved in a pretty serious crime.
The Bourne Supremecy is at times a little difficult to follow (well...if you're a girl anyway). However, it is an intelligent and well plotted film which brings the genre of action films above and beyond your common-or-garden big boom-flicks. Matt Damon is superb as a man struggling to reconcile himself with an unknown past and as a film the cinematography is worth watching it for alone.
Queen Shamisen's rating: :)
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| Infernal Affairs |
| 08.15.04 (11:53 pm) [edit] |
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What the hell was this film about? No, really. If anyone can enlighten me, please leave a comment.
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| Cold Mountain |
| 08.09.04 (6:50 am) [edit] |
I expected (inncorrectly) that this would be more of a battle-orientated film. I thought it would be a bit bland, a bit Hollywood and 'God save America.' I was pleasantly surprised.
Considering that this is a film set in the civil war, the cast is decidedly unAmerican. The leads are played by an Australian and two Brits, so that should tell you from the outstart that there was going to be a little more substance to this film than you might imagine.
Ada (Nicole Kidman) is a traditional Southern Belle (and I will never forgive the film for actually using that hackneyed expression) who goes to the simple town of Cold Mountain, set against the dramatic backdrop of, you guessed it, a mountain. She very promptly falls in love with shy-guy Enman (Jude Law) who days later runs off to war (Nicole Kidman can't be used to having that sort of effect on men.) She vows not to move on without him and three years pass before he receives any of the many letters she's sent him.
Here is the film's central theme, and one of it's main failures; it is simply too difficult to believe that two people would be prepared to put their lives on hold for each other after only a handful of chaste meetings for such an indefinite period of time. The scriptwriters were obviously well aware of this as there are several instances within the film where Ada tries to convince people why exactly she is doing just this. I found it just didn't work.
Or maybe I'm just too cynical. The film, essentially, is a love story set against the horrors (the very realistic horror - don't whistle Dixy with this film!) of a terrible war. It has sumpuous cinematography, an engaging plot and likeable characters. Rennie Zellweger gives a memorable performance as Ruby, a straight-talking gal who works as hard as any man and has an accent that's almost indecipherable, and it's easy to get involved. The ending, however, is easy to predict once you are approx half an hour away from the finale, but that doesn't diminish the quality of this film. Top marks for effort, boys and gals.
Queen Shamisen's Rating: :D
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| The Butterfly Effect |
| 08.08.04 (6:48 pm) [edit] |
OK, so bear with this film. Try to overlook Ashton Kutcher's rather dodgy chin-fuzz. Put it out of your mind that he's better suited to comedy than drama. And Amy Smart...well, she gives a rather lifeless performance. But you really should watch this film.
Evan has had a truly awful childhood. He was abused by his neighbour's father, as was she, he participated in the accidentally murder of a young woman and her baby, he feels responsible for his best friend going mad, his father is in a mental asylum and his neighbour's brother is one sadistic SOB who torched Evan's dog alive. Having suffered from blackouts throughout most of his childhood, fortunately Evan can't remember much of this.
In search for answers, Evan contacts his friend from childhood who is so distressed by having to resurrect memories of her abuse that she commits suicide that same night.
Evan scours his journals for answers and discovers that by reading entries he can go back and alter events, thus altering subsequent events. But can he create a perfect future?
The film has plot-holes that I'm not even going to begin to go into now because the concept of time-travelling gives me rage, but I found it to be a truly intelligent film with a poignant ending. It's gripping from the off, and one to watch again.
Queen Shamisen's rating: :)
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| Spiderman 2 |
| 08.02.04 (2:19 am) [edit] |
The other half has been nagging me to go and see this for weeks. "Not a chance," was my initial reaction. Then, because I'm a woman and therefore this is my right, I changed my mind completely out of the blue: and I'm so glad I did.
The film picks up (I was told in whispered asides by King Shamisen in the cinema) two years after the original, and we see Peter Parker trying to adjust to his new life as a superhero. He's living in a shabby bedsit with no money coming in, no love-life to speak of and he's struggling to keep up with his university course. So straight away we're forced to be aware of the very human side of our young, reluctant hero. It's an unusual and effective twist on the genre that we're shown that just because you're a superhero doesn't mean your life becomes perfect. Far from it, in this case. But there's pathos too, seen when Parker goes to the launderette and realises his spidey-suit has run in the wash, dying his shirt and underwear red and blue.
You genuinely feel for Parker in this film as he struggles to deal with the restrictions his super-powers have placed on his life.
And, as if that weren't problem enough, a mutated scientist is on the rampage and Spidey's superpowers aren't working as reliably as they should...
Best bits: When Spidey has to make a rather embarrassing lift journey.
Worst Bit: Why is Alfred Mollina letting his belly hand out over the waitsband of his trousers? Aren't super-villains supposed to be fit?
Who's it suitable for?: Perhaps more people than you'd think...
Queen Shamisen's Rating: :D
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| Garfield |
| 08.02.04 (1:53 am) [edit] |
I'm a child of the 80's. That means I have excessively fond memories of a certain fat cat with a penchant for lasagne. When I heard that a Garfield film was being made (ten years too late) i was reasonably excited; particularly when I heard that Bill Murray was going to be doing the voice (it seems so obvious, when you think about it). How could this film fail to excite?
Well, just because something excites you doesn't mean it will deliver.
I found this film deeply disappointing. It would be the literal truth to say that Murray was the only good thing about it, but even his droll voice can't save a film lacking more than one decent joke (and that one decent joke, dear friends, is a visual one). Moving aside from the fact that Nermal, the insanely annoying, cute silver tabby kitten has been 'upgraded' to an adult siamese cat (please, film makers, don't f**k with the facts...it doesn't add any improvement), this film's fatal flaw is the overuse of the mutter.
That's right, the mutter. You know what I mean: when any single character spends time alone and gives a running commentary on what they are going to do, why they are going to do it etc. I know this movie asks you to suspend disbelief to the extreme, but who really talks to themselves like that?
The grotesque CGI Garfield is not a patch on the simple cartoon one, and you can't help but wonder why Garfield is the only character to be given this treatment. Cute though the dachshund playing Odie is, having a real animal play him takes away the loopiness we've come to know and love. It would have been a far more satisfying film if they had halved the budget for CGI cats and instead invested it in a team of decent scriptwriters who would have come up with a plot someone might give a hoot about.
Overall, this disappointing film will fail to thrill.
Best Characters: Garfield is the star of the show, regardless of how poor that show is.
Worst characters: The dogknapper fails to have as much of an impact as he should...I can't help but wonder if Bill Murray owed the actor a favour from when he played Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day. And Jennifer thingy-ma-watsit irritates the hell out of me.
Who is this movie suitable for: The very, very young...but as they're unlikely to have heard of Garfield anyway it's anyone's guess.
Queen Shamisen's rating: :x
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| The Princess Bride |
| 07.29.04 (6:26 am) [edit] |
Can a 24 year old woman with no obvious psychiatric disorders have a long standing and passionate love affair with a film? I hope so, because this is exactly the sort of thing that happens when you watch The Princess Bride and I don't doubt for a second that, when you watch this film, you will fall in love with it too. Unless you're a man...or possibly a woman without a soul.
I defy a single woman in the world not to fall in love with Westly, the hero of our tale. A poor, simple farm boy bossed around by the spoiled Buttercup, Westly is perfection in human form. Quite and unassuming, he merely mutters with heart-breaking soulfulness "As you wish" at her every command.
Sigh.
Then he goes and gets himself captured by the dread pirate Roberts (careless) and, distraught, Buttercup goes and shacks up with a new pair of trousers.
Now don't get me wrong: the character of Buttercup, although spoiled at first, does redeem herself quite quickly. She is an immensely likeable character, brilliantly played by Robin Wright Penn, back when she was plain old Robin Wright. It's just...well, why can it be ME that Westly's in love with?
This film can only be described as an instant classic. It's a wonderful fairy-tale that has it all: true love (sigh), swordfights, giants, princes and princesses, revenge, quests. I wouldn't trust anyone who didn't love this film and I'd be deeply suspicious of any woman who didn't lose her heart the second Westly (Cary Elwes) stared into the camera and, with a playful smile on his lips, whispered just to her: "As you wish."
Best Bits: The swordfight between Westly and Inigo Montoya is a classic piece of ribauldry. You can certainly understand why Elwes was cast as Robin Hood in the dire 'Men in Tights' on the basis of his Errol Flynn impression.
Worst Bits:...No...none that I can think of. I'll get back to you on that one.
Best characters: Fezzik the giant, Vizzini (played here by Wallace Shawn with his customary malevolent gleefulness), Peter Cook's lisping Priest...I'm tempted to say that every single character is memorable.
Who's it aimed at: Technically it's a kiddies film and no, you won't like it if your primary viewing choice consists of Dawn of the Dead and any film with Jean-Claude Van Damme in it, but everyone should see this film at least once, just so they can lose themselves in a time where true love really ca conquer all.
Queen Shamisen's rating: :D
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| The Ninth Gate |
| 07.29.04 (1:34 am) [edit] |
"What...who's that? Didn't he used to be friends with that guy? What? What's happening now? Who's she? Is he a goodie or a baddie? What's he doing that for? What are they talking about? Whuh? Wha? Who's that guy? Oooh, doesn't Johnny Depp look tasty? Now what's happening. What did they just say? Huh? What the...? Ooh, I get it!"
Queen Shamisen's rating: :?
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| The Three Amigos |
| 07.28.04 (7:35 am) [edit] |
Once there was a litle girl who was staying with her nana.
"What would you like to do today?" asked nana.
The little girl sighed, flounced down to the local video store and picked out the video with the men in funny hats on the cover.
Good move, little girl.
Despite the easy-going premise of this movie (three out of work silent movie stars mistake a plea for help, from a Mexican village terrorised by bandits, as an acting job), it's no one-trick pony. It's as timeless now as it ever was and deserves its status to be up there with the greats (as tribute to you, the reader, I'll let you decide what those 'greats' are).
The Three Amigos are Lucky Day (Steve Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short); successful silent movie actors until the day they get too arrogant, and fired. Confident that something quickly will show up, they seem to be proven right when they receive a telgram from the 'Infamous El Guapo', asking them to put on a show for him. Sadly for the hapless trio, El Guapo is a bloodthirsty Mexican Bandit and the telegram is actually from Carmen, a young girl from the village of Santa Poco; the location for El Guapo's acts of savegery.
Lucky Day (Martin, in one of his best performances) is the amigo who discovers the truth when one of the henchmen shoots him. Fleeing into the night, the amigos leave the Santa Pocans to be punished severely for their betrayal. Will the amigos have the courage to return to the village and become the heroes they've always pretended to be? Yes, of course they will - this is a comedy, not a passion play - but you shouldn't really be watching this for the plot anyway. It's the comic touches that will have you snorting into your fajitas.
The best bits: Difficult to choose but certainly the most memorable scene is when the amigos regale a tough ol' Mexican cantina with a music hall hit and persuade all of the rough and tough lawbreakers within to sing along with them. Also worth a mention is the campfire song, complete with singing horses, dancing owls and a very friendly tortoise.
The worst bits: I don't know why, but the first party scene they have in Santa Poca doesn't seem as funny as it could be.
Best characters: Yes, so maybe they fall into the realm of dodgy mexican stereotypes but I have a vey soft spot for El Guapo, Jeffe and the fat, singing bartender.
Who's it suitable for?: Well, it's got a few mild naughty jokes ("Carmen, do you know what foreplay is?" "No." "Good, neither does El Guapo") but this film is notoriously easy to edit for sunday afternoon viewing, so I'd say this film is best appreciated by children between 7-14.
Queen Shamisen's rating: :D
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