Monday, April 25, 2005

Film 28 Review: Millions

Forgive me for the BIG jump in reviews (from film 14 to 28). Haven't had the time to write for the previous few which I wanted to. Decided to review the latest I've watched.


Before I watched the show I knew that 'Millions' has generally garnered favourable reviews from tons of critics, with a local reviewer raving about it and allocating it the full 5 stars. With great reviews come great expectations.

Disclaimer: I have yet to rid the disease of reading too many reviews of a film before watching it. Perhaps I'll carry that sickness forever, because I simply love to read about movies, every single one of them, regardless of whether I'll be watching them or not.

That said, the movie did not meet my expectations. 'Over-rated'... the initial thought. But first, the good points. Alexander Etel is perfectly cast as the highly imaginative and innocent young protaganist. Through the many 'appearances' of godly beings throughout the film, the audiences share his holy world, a world of angels and saints which he uses to replace the loss of his late mother. The boy convinces with his doe-eyed expressions and intimate heartfelt conversations with the saints who visit him every now and then.

The cinematography is unique, the settings are interesting and the way the whole movie was shot is very unusual... which could be a double-edged sword in terms of plot development. For me, this style achieves cinematic originality but compromises on the flow required for simple story-telling. There are far too many interjections and interruptions in the story... there are many moments when just as you are about to catch hold of something, the scene stops abruptly and leaves you dangling midway. This is all a little bit frustrating really, which ultimately results in a lack of emotion and inspiration in my mind as the movie reaches it ending.

The film is definitely watchable and deserves to be commended for having many special features not commonly seen in other movies. Whether these features are pulled off effectively is a matter of subjectivity; they didn't work too well for me but may leave a huge impression on you.

Rating: 7.4

Thursday, April 21, 2005

D-Day looms

Saturday 23 April. Will sign on the dotted line. I shall be known as "Mr. Fong" for the next four years, at least.

Sort of made up my mind, I guess. Of cos, there're still some lingering doubts, but not something that can't be overcome. And since I'm in, I might as well try to make the best out of it. Wish me luck!

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Latest watched

Film 25: House of Fury (7.3)
Film 26: Hotel Rwanda (8.2)
Film 27: Steamboy (6.0)
Film 28: Millions (7.4)
Film 29: Seoul Raiders (5.1)
Film 30: Ghost in the Shell 2 (7.2)
Film 31: National Treasure (6.8)
Film 32: Talk to Her (7.5)
Film 33: Brotherhood (8.5)
Film 34: Kingdom of Heaven (7.3)
Film 35: Swing Girls (6.9)
Film 36: Assault on Precinct 13 (6.8)
Film 37: Star Wars Episode 3 (7.5)
Film 38: Mr. and Mrs. Smith (7.6)
Film 39: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (7.1)
Film 40: The Day After Tomorrow (7.2)
Film 41: How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days (7.3)
Film 42: Batman Begins (8.1)
Film 43: Divergence (7.4)
Film 44: Elephant (6.2)
Film 45: Dude, Where's My Car? (6.8)
Film 46: Oldboy (6.5)
Film 47: Initial D (6.4)
Film 48: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (7.1)
Film 49: Fantastic Four (7.4)
Film 50: Napoleon Dynamite (7.2)
Film 51: Miss Congeniality 2 (5.5)
Film 52: My Brother (6.3)
Film 53: Sin City (7.7)
Film 54: Anchorman (7.3)
Film 55: Bring It On (5.8)
Film 56: The Island (7.4)
Film 57: Guess Who? (6.7)
Film 58: Nobody Knows (7.2)
Film 59: Shall We Dansu? (7.7)
Film 60: The Interpreter (6.4)
Film 61: Robots (7.3)
Film 62: A Lot Like Love (6.9)
Film 63: Zoolander (7.4)
Film 64: Crash (6.0)
Film 65: Fever Pitch (7.6)
Film 66: Be With Me (7.5)
Film 67: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (7.1)
Film 68: My Boyfriend is Type B (5.7)
Film 69: Groundhog Day (8.0)

Friday, April 01, 2005

Film 14 Review: Sideways



Having watched it some time ago and now thinking back about the film, I realised that I really did like it. And still do, as a matter of fact. Like fine wine, the show grows on you with time and leaves you with great moments to smile about. Metaphorically appropriate, since wine appreciation is the chosen theme of the movie.

It's great to walk into such a show, with a cast of relatively unknown actors and without any conjured image of how the film will be like. I mean... a road trip with two middle-aged men who meet two middle-aged women who're not particularly stunning, visually at least... what can you expect? Yes yes, good'o' shallow me. But I have set the record straight; I really liked the show, the cast, the script... yup, I really loved the dialogue. I've sinced read through a list of quotes and wow, one single movie can have so many verbal gems in it! Credit must surely go to the author of the novel the film was based on, Rex Pickett. Note: I must grab hold of a copy.

The actors, Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, fully deserve whatever accolades and acclaim they've recieved for their performances. They were really a joy to watch, an unlikely pair of buddies with very different personalities and agendas, yet such chemistry between them. They didn't even seem like they were acting; they were tailor-made for their roles, not the other way round. The beauty in their characters lie in their flaws. We can all identify with their weaknesses, their percieved failures in life, their desperation for any sort of success. Giamatti should have been given an Oscar nomination at the very least and Church has since snagged a plum role as one of the villians in Spiderman 3. Not bad at all.

Forgive me if I fail to acknowledge the actresses, because they just didn't leave as much impact as the two male leads. I certainly can't see how Virginia Madsen got nominated for the Oscars, hers was a subtle performance at best, a rather forgettable one at worst. A mention though, has to be made about Alexander Payne, the director who seems to have such an innate ability to portray sad lives with such subtle impact. How contradictory and how unique. His previous film, About Schmidt, similarly covered depression in life, was also a joy to watch. I don't enjoy watching the characters go through their periods of sadness, but I'm definitely made to feel for them and feel with them.

Sideways is definitely worth a viewing, even if you have absolutely no interest in wine (that's me), which is besides the point anyway. Let it linger and grow on you.

Rating: 8.2

The Blower's Daughter

Simple, beautiful, haunting tune.

Seems to me the film 'Closer' was made just for this song.

The Blower's Daughter, by Damien Rice.

And so it is
Just like you said it would be
Life goes easy on me
Most of the time
And so it is
The shorter story
No love, no glory
No hero in her sky

I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes...

And so it is
Just like you said it should be
We'll both forget the breeze
Most of the time
And so it is
The colder water
The blower's daughter
The pupil in denial

I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes...

Did I say that I loathe you?
Did I say that I want to
Leave it all behind?

I can't take my mind off you
I can't take my mind off you
I can't take my mind off of you
I can't take my mind off you
I can't take my mind off you
I can't take my mind...
My mind...my mind...
'Til I find somebody new