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neostjames
Reviews
District 9 (2009)
Not your average human-meets-alien movie.
I went to watch this thinking it was just going to be another action movie with a horrible script that would help me kill some time. Was I ever wrong.
This is an incredibly well made movie. With Peter Jackson (director of such heavyweight hits as The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy & King Kong) as the primary producer of the film it was no surprise that the special effects were amazing and that the story was riveting as well. The way the movie was shot is pretty unique and keeps you interested every step of the way.
What got me the most about the movie was the light in which humanity is sometimes shown: self serving, greedy, violent bullies and yet there are also moments of self sacrifice and tenderness. Some of the actions of the humans towards the aliens made me feel ashamed for being human. Yes, it's that moving of a script!
Obviously I wasn't the only one that liked the movie because on opening weekend the movie grossed $37 million and has so far grossed more than $80 million dollars. Not bad for a little indie flick.
If this is playing in your town I would highly recommend you go and see it. It's well worth the 12 dollars admission!
Ong Bak 2 (2008)
Good action, weak story
The first Ong Bak was good because
a) North American audiences hadn't really been exposed to Thai martial arts and the movie showcased the more violent aspects in a very acrobatic way.
b) they kept the story really simple: get the head of the statue back, no matter what.
The audience cheered and rooted for Tony because his character seemed like a nice guy that was just trying to do the right thing and who doesn't want to get behind that kind of guy.
Ong Bak 2 wasn't horrible like the other reviewer mentioned unless you were going into the theater thinking it was going to be Ong Bak 1 all over again. Kind of like Martial Arts meets Die Hard lol. This wasn't the case. Yes the movie is dim at times but obviously that's the way they wanted it to be for certain scenes and it certainly doesn't last long. It's got pretty good action but the story is the weakest link. It's not well thought out and maybe that's because Tony and his mentor wrote it.
It probably won't make it into your Top 10 list but that doesn't mean it can't help you kill some time :)
Seokkeul (2003)
Artistic movie that requires a lot of patience to watch...
I watch a lot of Asian cinema and very rarely do I run across a film that challenges my patience like this one did.
Don't get me wrong. It's not that it's a horrible film. The acting is good in a B-movie sort of way and the directing is average as well so nothing's wrong technically. It's just that the script doesn't lend itself to being easily understood.
You'll understand what I'm saying if you've ever seen a David Lynch movie like Mulholland Drive or The Lost Highway. Like those films, things in Seokkeul follow a logic path that's not easily deciphered by the viewer. I'm sure if we had access to an interview with the director he could easily explain why he made the choices he did, both in script and timing but alas, we don't have that luxury.
I gave it a 5 because it's not hard on the eyes to watch but it will certainly test your patience and make you wonder why a 109 minute video suddenly feels like a 4 hour video.
Zhifu (2003)
Good indie movie!
I though this was a well made movie on what was obviously a very small budget. The camera angles are well thought out and the actors are given plenty of room to expand on the characters through the clever use of body language.
The reviewer before this likened the movie to a student film but I think they missed the point. Some movies are made to challenge the viewer and make them think and this is one of them. You're allowed to form your own opinions of the characters and that plays a key role in how you interpret this movie.
The movie doesn't examine all the angles or go further into any further character study that was available. What it does do is show us a raw side of China that could also be anywhere and sometimes humorously shows human nature all around. That comes from a certain energy throughout that makes this film worth a look and a key work from China.
Mainstream movie lovers probably won't like this film because it doesn't spell everything out for you but instead leaves a lot to your imagination. For the rest of us Indie movie lovers this is a treat.