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Reviews
Shutter Island (2010)
Leonardo Vehicle
This movie promised to be an intelligent, suspenseful early-season blockbuster with big budget stars and production values. Unfortunately, it turned out go be a derivative, predictable combination of CUCKOO's NEST and WICKERMAN. It features the trip to a mysterious island, being trapped in an insane asylum, stormy nights, hallucinations, and not so surprising plot twists. At best, it can be described as a Hollywood cliché.
It was clearly intended as a showcase piece for Leondardo. Unfortunately he is not aging well in performance or appearance.
The story begins with a seasick Leonardo throwing up into a toilet. This scene set the tone for the entire film.
Fortunately, there were some good performances by supporting cast members, particularly Ben Kingsley.
I can usually understand why people rate films well, even if they aren't to my taste, but I honestly don't understand why viewers liked this one.
Second Coming (2012)
A beautiful and thought-provoking film
I saw this film a couple of years back at the Seattle International Film Festival. Since then I've wanted to see it again, but it has yet to be released.
This gentle paced, atmospheric film chronicles the rise and fall of a contemporary Jesus. It highlights the sheer humanity of this reluctant "savior" while bringing up the issue of truth and what institutions will do when threatened by it. "Second Coming" is not afraid to ask difficult questions and is as cathartic as it is challenging. This is the most intelligent film on the subject matter since "Jesus of Montreal." Through this film, Darren Campbell shows his excellence as a writer, director, and actor. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his work. It is my hope that "Second Coming" will be given a wider release, or at least be made available on DVD. This film deserves to be seen.
Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok JSA (2000)
A truly remarkable work!
I had the great experience of seeing "Joint Security Area" at the
Seattle International Film Festival where it played for packed
audiences two years in a row.
The film begins when Major Sophie Lang, a half-Korean investigator from Switzerland, is sent to the DMZ to investigate a
shooting that left two North Korean soldiers dead. The film is not
so much about her, but rather the events that led up to the tragic
incident. The surviving soldiers are very reticent and
uncooperative at first, but the narrative slowly unfolds to reveal the
truth of the matter.
The film is an extremely intimate look at the human side of
international tension. It explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and
politics with great sensitivity. The film does have some scenes of
violence, but they only serve to illustrate the brutality of the
situation. It is a very important film that gives insight into an
unfortunate political situation. All in all, it is a moving and cathartic
experience.
"Joint Security Area" was a huge hit in South Korea, and
throughout Asia. Unfortunately, it has not been picked up by an
American distributor. This is a film that deserves to be shown
because it needs to be seen.
The Five Senses (1999)
A touching exploration of human perceptions and dynamics.
The five senses is a truly lovely film. It takes a look into the lives of several people, most of whom are somehow the embodiment of a sense. Yet the fact that they are so involved in a particular sense prevents them from experiencing life fully.
Sight is embodied in a young woman who bakes designer cakes. The cakes are visually stunning, but she has very little regard to how they taste. Sight is also the sense of a young man who voyeuristically watches men hook up in a park, but doesn't himself experience physical fulfilment.
Hearing is embodied in the bittersweet story of a doctor who is losing his hearing, and is concerned with hearing this favorite sounds one last time. Smell is personified by a young man who is convinced that love has a smell, and seeks out his former lovers in order to sniff them and see if they still love him. Touch is a massage therapist who seems to use her practice to regain the intimacy she once had with her now deceased husband. And finally, taste is embodied by the Italian lover of the cake baker who is constantly cooking, because it is his only real way of communicating with her.
These people's lives occasionally intersect because they all live work, or otherwise have ties to the same building. Their stories are woven around a larger story of a missing little girl. We get to know these people through short chronological glimpses into their lives that string together into a non-linear narrative. The device is similar to that used by Atom Egoyan, but the element of time is not distorted. In the end, not all of the stories are resolved, which is actually good because it keeps us thinking and allows us to revisit the characters and imagine a number of plausible endings.
The film has a beautifully austere formality about it. It meanders through its stories at a very thoughtful pace, and looks at them from a bit of a distance. We see very profound emotions before us, but experience them intellectually.
I can see that this film is not for everyone, but is great for those interested in a well crafted, thought-provoking experience.
Bless the Child (2000)
Just plain bad.
I usually like supernatural thrillers, but this movie was just plain bad. Bad writing was coupled with bad acting and bad special effects. I hate to even give it this much attention, but I will feel better if I can discourage a single person from seeing this cliche' ridden, big-budget abomination. Now I have to mourn the two hours of my life that I can never regain.
Urbania (2000)
Finally! a film about redemption that is not tediously heart-warming!
"Urbania" is John Shear's daring film that grapples with the difficult issues of loss, social violence, revenge, and finally redemption. Dan Futterman gives a remarkable performance in the role of Charlie, a wounded, angry insomniac who meanders through the night searching for the man who will make everything right.
The story is told through a sequence of non-chronological glimpses of Charlie's present journey as well as his memory. It is like seeing something blurry in the distance that comes into focus as time passes. At the end, we know the whole story with striking clarity, and understand Charlie's complex network of motive and action. This gradual unfolding of the story gives the film a mysterious quality and a constant sense of discovery. Shear creates a remarkable sense of rhythm by masterfully juxtaposing scenes of brutal violence next to visions of sheer compassion. The narrative is also punctuated with funny reenactments of urban legends which lend comic relief as well as a sense of familiarity. I found these scenes to be very effective, but could see how one could find them superfluous.
The film has also received praise for the technical innovations involved in its making. I am very impressed that the film is at the cutting edge of cinematic technology, but is not "about" technology. Instead, the technology works seamlessly at the service of a very well told tale.
All in all, "Urbania" is an truly satisfying, genuinely moving film. It is a glorious triumph for John Shear as his first film.