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jimmyd1988
Reviews
Fa yeung nin wah (2000)
Few Interesting Points
What I found most impressive about Kar Wai Wong's "In the Mood for Love" was how Mrs. Chan's wardrobe would randomly change in the middle of a scene, multiple times. I found this interesting since it was what helped the viewer's keep track of time throughout the film. On another note, I also found Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan's decision to not be like their spouses a great ironic choice in the plot because no single individual wants to walk down the path of those who have made mistakes before them. However, that also makes the ending of the film brilliant because even though Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan fall for one another, they choose not to be together in the end, separating them somewhat from the unfortunate affair of their spouses.
La otra conquista (1998)
An Inspiration to Filmmakers Everywhere
When considering all the controversies and oppositions presented in the seven years it took to finish filming "The Other Conquest," I feel that Salvador Carrasco's unrelenting persistence can be seen as an inspiration to filmmakers all throughout the world. One can only admire his intentions of bringing up such a disregarded point in the history books and shedding a new light upon the subject to those, like myself, who know almost nothing about the Aztecs and Spaniard Conquest. Furthermore, history teaches us about our pasts and helps to prevent previous mistakes in history from recurring again, so why disregard anything?
El espíritu de la colmena (1973)
"Good" and "Bad"
"The Spirit of the Beehive" felt like a very realist film to me, even with the appearance of Frankenstein towards the end. I find it safe to argue this point since we find our protagonist, Ana, asleep after her encounter with Frankenstein. Furthermore, Ana's struggle between what is "good" and what is "bad" really seemed to leave the biggest lasting impression on me. A couple relevant examples might be Ana's struggle to separate the poisonous mushroom from the edible mushroom, or her confusion in regards to why Frankenstein threw that little girl into the lake in the "Frankenstein" movie she watched. Also, most importantly, this issue between "good" and "bad" seems to strongly relate to the "Frankenstein" movie as well since Frankenstein himself has trouble differentiating the two, just like Ana - this is probably why Ana is so intrigued with befriending Frankenstein, she is confused too!
Dom za vesanje (1988)
Brilliant!
Brilliant! "Time of the Gypsies" is a must for anyone who has not had the opportunity of watching it. Emir Kusturica brings us into the world of the gypsies where we watch a young man, Perhan, slowly fall into the corrupt hands of a society that waits for him outside of his beloved community; but like every good protagonist, we only wish the best for Perhan, and the guiding hand of his grandmother does nothing less than push Perhan to question where his morals have strayed off to. Even so, we are still left with this sort of continuous circle that we started on at the beginning of the story - will Perhan's "son" fall into the same trap as Perhan? Will someone replace Ahmed?
Furthermore, the cinematography and soundtrack complimented one another so well in this film that every moment was absolutely breathtaking. For instance, the music playing when Azra (Perhan's newly-wed wife) is giving birth was an especially amazing moment. It is also worth taking note of Azra levitating in the air, which is another element of the plot that was cleverly weaved into the story in a way the film was able to retain its realist feel. Overall, "Time of the Gypsies" deserves nothing less than to be admired by all those who would have the chance to take this masterpiece in.
Idi i smotri (1985)
Appealing to the Senses!
"Come and See" was brilliant in that it really had a way of capturing all five of our senses - we could smell the filthy bog, hear the explosions of the bombs dropped by planes, feel the heat from the raging fires, taste the leftover soup from Florya's abandoned house, and see the brutal acts of the Nazi's. By the end of this film, I could only have more sympathy for the victims of this world war, and even far less sympathy towards the Nazi's.
My particularly favorite scene would have to have been when Florya continuously shoots the picture of Hitler in an attempt to undo all that has happened under his rule; but is stopped short when we are shown a curious image of Hitler as a baby. At this point, one can only wonder how such an innocent looking baby could be the cause of so much bloodshed and suffering, and if we were in Florya's shoes, could we have pulled the trigger ourselves?
Yuki yukite, shingun (1987)
The Truth Can Hurt
Despite its gruesome reality, "The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On" serves as a strong wake up call to me, and I'm sure the same goes for many others. Through some of the inhumane moments, we are shown the truth which not everyone wants to look directly in the eyes, especially if showing us the truth sometimes means lying to us as well.
So in the end, this film stands as an excellent model for showing us how things are, not the formalistic view of how we wish them to be - we should not suppress the truth! And in addition, I find Kazuo Hara and Kenzo Okuzaki's dedication to exploit the truth behind their film, very inspiring (but once again, "despite" their gruesome approach...).
Le fantôme de la liberté (1974)
Anything is Possible
Buñuel still has yet not to surprise me. I find his surrealist films putting me in one curious situation after another, and I can only wonder what went through his mind each and every time. "The Phantom of Time" exceeds our expectations of realism in a way that makes us question whether or not what he shows us can really happen. For instance, Buñuel puts us in a world where religious folk smoke and gamble, or where a convicted serial killer becomes the center of fame to the point where attaining his autograph becomes a must for the public. For myself, a particular favorite from this film would be when the professor lectures on morals and so forth, and Buñuel cuts to a sequence where the kitchen and bathroom swap roles – both brilliant and comedic!
Although these situations seem very unlikely, I believe Buñuel's overall intentions are to make the point that, despite each individual's expectations in any given situation, anything is possible. In addition, most cultures differ from one another to begin with, so differences are inevitable.