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North Country (2005)
A Good Story and Good Performance by Charlize Theron
North Country is a courageous story of one woman who is tired of not being heard. You may be reminded of Julia Roberts' 'Erin Brockovich (2000),' but it has more emotional scenes. North Country does not just have a good story but also has the right actress. Playing the role of Josey Aimes is Charlize Theron. She does it again after her great performance in 'Monster (2003).' In a sense, I had a similar experience (http://freett.com/bbs63/) to the extent that I know what it's like not being heard when you are being harassed and the administration doesn't protect you. That being said, if you are the subject of harassment, you are most likely to enjoy the movie. On the contrary, you won't probably enjoy the movie if you are on the side of overlooking harassment.
Ellie Parker (2005)
A good documentary about a struggling actress
A much shorter version of the film was presented at the Sundance 2001 Film Festival. Then it has been remade for a featured film.
Ellie is a struggling actress in Los Angels. Although she is not making good money in acting, she has a busy schedule going from one audition to another. In fact, her schedule is so busy that she does her make-up, changes her clothes and practices lines in her car.
This is a documentary film of one woman. It shows how difficult it is to get a call-back even for a simple role. And it also shows how confusing the contemporary world has become for people like Ellie, who desperately tries to get recognized. At a point of time, Ellie realizes how lonely she is and how small her personal life has become because of her busy schedule although she occasionally receives job-related messages to her cellular phone.
If you are a fan of Naomi Watts because of her elegance, this movie is not recommended. You will be shocked to hear what kind of language she is speaking for the whole movie. It has a documentary touch, so it shows everything that she does.
Comment made by Machousej.com
Asylum (2005)
An interesting turn at the end
Stella is married to a psychiatrist who works at a psychiatric hospital for criminals. Stella finds her life boring because her husband barely spends time with his family. So she desperately looks for something that could stimulate her soul. That's when she sees Edgar Stark, a good- looking man, who is a patient and an inmate at the psychiatric hospital. And as she sees him more and more, she becomes gradually attracted to this man to satisfy her romantic and sexual needs.
An affair between a man and a married woman is not an unusual movie subject. But that could depend on how far the story goes. The camera still rolls even when Stella's social life around her husband and child is on the verge of destruction after getting caught. That is, showing romance and sexual acts is not the main theme. Rather, the main subject of the film is represented by her last phrase, which is "Leave me alone."
Comment made by Machousej.com
Monster (2003)
Charilize Theron's great performance depicts true side of a confusing society
This movie is based on the true story of a woman who stayed in Florida's death row for killing seven men. She was eventually executed on October 9, 2002.
Aileen was raped by her father's friend when she was eight years. And she's been a prostitute since she's thirteen years old.
When Aileen drops by a local bar, she runs into a young, lonely woman named Selby. Instantly, they pursue a homosexual relationship with each other. And Aileen asks Selby to move in with her. The problem is that they are both broke. Accordingly, Aileen is forced to hook men so that they can live together.
In reality, Aileen is characterized as a low-educated, poor woman. Yes, she is low and ugly. While other movies feature such figures as rich people, successful criminals and happy people, this is one of a few movies where we get to see such a low person at the center of the camera. In reality, there are people like her, and those who watch this movie are unlikely to have them as friends. This movie is good because it's so realistic partly due to Charlize Theron's incredible performance. Charilize Theron is very beautiful in real life but very ugly in the movie. This huge contrast is so ironic, reflecting the contradictory society where low people are the victims of ordinary people, who could be teachers, doctors, lawyers or cops. Aileen is so ugly in appearance in the movie that you may not want to watch it again. But her appearance is also the reflection of the true world.
Comment made by Machousej.com
Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders (2006)
An interesting turn at the end with lots of sex-oriented content
In the late 1970s, many bodies of women are found in the Los Angels area. They are brutally raped and sodomized. When the police take a suspect named Kenneth Bianchi in custody, a psychiatrist Samantha Stone is called in. She finds at first that Kenneth cannot be a serial killer. Kenneth maintains that he has nothing to do with the killings and suggests that his cousin Angelo and a man named Steve might have something to do with the murders.
Just like 'The Hillside Strangler,' this film contains a lot of sexually-oriented scenes, which may turn off some viewers. The interesting side of this movie is Samantha's ability to tell who is involved in the killings of women. It's like solving a mystery. And it has an interesting turn at the very end of the movie.
Although this movie is inspired by true events, the movie itself is not directly or entirely based on the 'Hillside Strangler' killings. That being said, there is an odd aspect. Samantha is aware that her boyfriend is a drug dealer and a sex addict. But she goes out with him anyway. So what is the true theme of this movie, Samantha exploring her sexual interest or showing her ability to solve the mystery?
There's at least one good aspect of the movie. Its use of camera is quite good. Just as the true event is confusing and sickening, the way of capturing some scenes makes us feel that we do live in a confusing society.
Comment made by Machousej.com
The Gingerdead Man (2005)
Child's Play 5
When Millard robs a diner, he doesn't just take money with him but kills two employees there. They are Sarah's sister and father. Before Millard is finished with Sarah, the police arrive. So he flees, but they soon capture him. Furthermore, Sarah's testimony sends Millard to the electric chair.
After a while, Sarah and her mother Betty starts over at a bakery store. One night when she gets ready to bake ginger bread, she receives a mysterious package including seasoning for ginger bread. What Sarah doesn't know is that it's an ingredient for *** if there is blood added to it.
This movie is simply a copy of a famous scary movie 'Child's Play (1988).' If you want a good horror movie, this isn't the right one. 'Gingerdead Man' is definitely no close to Child's Play.
Comments made by Machousej.com
Wedding Crashers (2005)
It's all about Rachel McAdams' cute smiles
John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey have been friends with each other for 16 years. Nowadays, they hang out together to have fun, especially by attending weddings. The purpose of attending one wedding after another is one thing. They want women for one-night-stand.
When they attend a big wedding, they are aware that the father of the bride is U.S. Treasury Secretary William Cleary. He has two more daughters, Claire and Gloria. Naturally, Jeremy goes after Gloria. And John is attracted to Claire at first sight. Bad news for John is that Claire has a boyfriend.
Although the backbone of the story is silly or there is nothing special, there are two points of view by which the viewer may enjoy this movie. One is Owen Wilson's good performance. The other point is Rachel McAdams' smiles. She seems to be such an ordinary girl at first. But as the story goes, your will notice her cute smiles.
Comments made by Machousej.com
Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road (2002)
A great, well-structured story
If one is lucky enough, he will meet O.W. Grant. Few people know him in America because you won't able to meet him with your choice. Grant makes a wish come true whether it's good or bad and whatever the consequence awaits the person after making a wish. And whatever the consequence is, it is inevitable.
In St. Louis, Missouri, there is a young man named Neal Oliver. Being surrounded by his family at a restaurant, Neal makes a wish for his birthday. When his girlfriend asks, Neal says that he wishes for the answer to his life. On the other hand, his father gives him the answer to every choice that Neal has to make. That confuses Neal, who wants to be an artist while his father wants him to go to law school.
It is the triumph of the story, which is well structured, that makes this movie a unique one. It is the use of metaphor that makes this movie so special. Even the movie title 'Interstate 60' gives a suggestion that this movie is about something that hasn't been decided on since highway doesn't exist.
Pop quiz: What does the author intend to show by making Neal take I-60, which doesn't exist in the real world?
Comment made by Machousej.com
Proof (2005)
Two thumbs up with Gwyneth Paltrow's excellent performance
On the night of her 27th birthday, Catherine isn't alone. She is talking to her father even right now. Her father, Robert, is one of the world's best mathematicians. One of his Ph.D. advisees, Hal, goes through her father's notebooks to see if there is any great work that has been undiscovered. When Hal talks to her, Catherine comes back to the real world. Unfortunately, her father is dead. Her sister, Claire, is arriving from New York tomorrow to help her have their father's funeral.
When Hal sorts out Robert's notebooks once again, he finds one notebook. He says a proof shown in the notebook can change the entire course of modern mathematics, of course, if it's true. Then Catherine says that it is actually she who wrote it. But her sister and Jake doesn't believe her. And both Hal and she know that she can't prove she wrote it. Besides, people who know what she's been up to for the past two years are never likely to believe that she is capable of writing such a proof.
Playing the role of a daughter of a brilliant mathematician is Gwyneth Paltrow. The characters she often plays in movies are mostly elegant women with some makeup on. But this time she is a fragile, lonely woman, whose father was once a genius but now suffers from some mental illness. And Gwyneth Paltrow does a good job playing this role with little makeup on. In fact, her performance is such that you will be not looking at Gwyneth Paltrow as a famous actress, but she makes you feel as if she were someone that you know from your college days.
It is not just Gwyneth Paltrow's performance that makes this film memorable. The story itself is somewhat original though some people may be reminded of 'A Beautiful Mind.'
Comment made by Machousej.com
Edison (2005)
A cheesy shooting scene ruins it all
Pollack works at Heights Herald, a small local newspaper in Boston. When he attends a trial of a drug-related murder case, Pollack hears the murder suspect in the case whisper something to the undercover officer who testifies against him. This small event triggers Pollack to investigate the case. When he writes an article and suggests that there is something going on behind the case without supporting evidence, his boss, Ashford, fires Pollack. But Pollack continues to work on the case and convinces Ashford that this isn't a simple murder case.
The story is not terribly bad partly thanks to the role played by Dylan McDermott, who could scare many viewers with his burst of anger. In addition, it is Justin Timberlake (from Backstreet Boys) who shows a simple performance, which actually spices the movie in a good way. In fact, you may enjoy it till the end where a silly shooting scene starts to take place. And this shooting scene ruins the entire movie after all. Another bad aspect of the movie is the appearance of Kevin Spacey, who shows little emotion on his face. His emotionless look can turn some viewers off.
Comment by Machousej.com
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Horrible Casting!
Chiyo Sakamoto lives in a small coastal, fishing village in the 1920s. Her family is poor, and her mother is sick. When she is nine years old, her father sells her and her sister to cope with financial difficulties. As soon as they arrive in Kyoto, they are separated. Chiyo (later known as Sayuri) is taken to a geisha house and is trained to become a geisha. But her sister is taken somewhere else. When she finds out that she will no longer see her sister and parents, she gets depressed. But then she meets a very powerful businessman and a politician. She cherishes the moment of meeting him in her heart and promises herself that she will become the most famous geisha so that she can meet him again.
Let me begin by saying one word about the movie. Terrible. What's so bad is casting. They use Asian actors, some of whom apparently don't have Japanese heritage. Can we tell who is the Japanese and who is not? Yes, we can, not by their looks but by listening to them. The ones who have terrible accents are the Japanese. Kaori Momoi (as Mother) is a famous actress in Japan. But in the movie it's terribly hard to understand what she is saying because she mumbles. Look into Chiyo's eyes closely. Her eyes look blue. How about Sayuri's eyes? How about a guy selling something at the sumo wrestling stand? Why don't they simply let the Japanese make this movie with Japanese actors? What disturbs me more is that they occasionally pronounce some Japanese words. And Ziyi Zhang as Sayuri is fluently communicating with Americans.
So what's bright side? In fact, the story itself is quite interesting. And music is quite original and good.
By the way, the narrator says at the beginning, "A story like mine should not be told." Then don't tell it. That really doesn't make sense.
Comment by Machousej.com