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Showing posts with label dvd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dvd. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 November 2010
The Woman Thing
A collection of films featuring women who defied stereotypes and limitations, whether those limitations regarded politics, education, occupation, social order, etc. I always love finding these films because so often stereotypes are supported, not fought or deconstructed. It is more common for women to be weak-willed, whiny and always needing to be saved, more often seen as a love interest rather than a protagonist. It's nice to see main stream culture embrace alternative and stronger pictures of femininity every so often.
Friday, 10 September 2010
The Pagemaster (1994)
For me this is one of those films that every time it's suggested as a film to view I don't initially want to watch because I think it will be cheesy but then end up enjoying a lot.
The story is about a very cautious young boy who is afraid of just about everything he comes in contact with. His father, who wants both to spend some time with his son and help him get over his fear, is building him a tree house. His dad sends him out to buy more nails for said tree house, but Richard (the boy) gets caught in the middle of a rain storm on the way and runs into the nearest building for shelter, and this building happens to be a library. When he enters the library he is bombarded by a very passionate librarian who is more than willing to help him find any number of stories, but Richard is just looking for a telephone and goes on his way to find it. As he is walking through the stacks he comes across a huge mural on the ceiling of a rotunda. As he's admiring this mural the paint starts to melt off the ceiling and drop onto the floor, turning everything it touches into a cartoon. Richard of course runs away and this paint chases him until both he and the entire library have been turned into a cartoon. He meets up with three books, Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror, and with their help, face three challenges (found within some classic books from each genre) as they make their way to the exit sign.
This plot of this movie sounds so cheesy, like one of those direct to film movies designed to make a quick buck, but instead it's one of those hidden gems that encourage imagination and self- confidence. Christopher Lloyd plays the librarian as well as The Pagemaster, and I think he was one of the best actors for the job. He speaks with a mixture of both a hushed and an explosive passion that could make you see the magic in a wet dish towel and draws you in so completely to the plot. It inspires both reading and imagination and is a fast paced adventure, to be enjoyed by young and old.
The story is about a very cautious young boy who is afraid of just about everything he comes in contact with. His father, who wants both to spend some time with his son and help him get over his fear, is building him a tree house. His dad sends him out to buy more nails for said tree house, but Richard (the boy) gets caught in the middle of a rain storm on the way and runs into the nearest building for shelter, and this building happens to be a library. When he enters the library he is bombarded by a very passionate librarian who is more than willing to help him find any number of stories, but Richard is just looking for a telephone and goes on his way to find it. As he is walking through the stacks he comes across a huge mural on the ceiling of a rotunda. As he's admiring this mural the paint starts to melt off the ceiling and drop onto the floor, turning everything it touches into a cartoon. Richard of course runs away and this paint chases him until both he and the entire library have been turned into a cartoon. He meets up with three books, Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror, and with their help, face three challenges (found within some classic books from each genre) as they make their way to the exit sign.
This plot of this movie sounds so cheesy, like one of those direct to film movies designed to make a quick buck, but instead it's one of those hidden gems that encourage imagination and self- confidence. Christopher Lloyd plays the librarian as well as The Pagemaster, and I think he was one of the best actors for the job. He speaks with a mixture of both a hushed and an explosive passion that could make you see the magic in a wet dish towel and draws you in so completely to the plot. It inspires both reading and imagination and is a fast paced adventure, to be enjoyed by young and old.
Monday, 9 August 2010
Faeries (1999)
Faeries is an animated film about a sister and a brother, Nellie and George, who are sent to live at a relative's farm for a time. They are somewhat unhappy about this, Nellie in particular. Once they're settled in, the children go out to play. George wants to play hide and seek and scampers off to hide from Nellie, and while she isn't looking, disappears into a tree. While looking for George, a creepy looking man (Jeremy Irons!) appears and tells her of a prophecy. She is a little shaken by this stranger and runs back to the house (not seeing him turn into a crow and fly away). She gets back to the house and continues her search for her brother and comes across a hobgoblin in her cupboard. It appears as though her brother has gone into the fairy realm, and Nellie must hurry and bring him back before he eats something and is unable to return. The goblin takes her to the faery tree and she goes in to find her brother. When she does get to him though, he has already eaten faery food and cannot return to the human realm ever. Nellie calls the faery king and pleads for the release of her brother. The king contents to give them three quests, and if they complete these quests, George will be able to leave fairy land. The nature of the quests change after the prince see's the farm hand Brigit (Kate Winslet). There is also the matter of the shape shifter, who is after the fairy king's throne. It is of course up to Nellie and George to save the day.
This film has a mix of both classic 2D animation as well as an early 3D animation style. For the most part the classic cartoon animation is used for the characters and the background, but several movement shots are done in 3D. Fairy land might have been real life foam fauna as well.
This film has a mix of both classic 2D animation as well as an early 3D animation style. For the most part the classic cartoon animation is used for the characters and the background, but several movement shots are done in 3D. Fairy land might have been real life foam fauna as well.
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Avatar (2009)
Even without knowing what this film was about, knowing that it was James Cameron's new film and that he spent something like 10 years creating this was enough to know that this was going to be something of a hiccup within movie going society. so going into the film only knowing that the graphics would be 'groundbreaking', I of course thought it would suck. however, I was pleasantly surprised.
I've heard and spoken to people who were not very impressed by the plot and pass the film off as a 'Pocahontas in space' kind of story, and it's true, that's an accurate description. Something to keep in mind however is that all stories borrow from that which came before it, and most often the best stories are simply re-imaginings of earlier ideas. It could be said that pride and prejudice is nothing more than a glorified Cinderella story, but that doesn't make it bad. basically, even though this movie is a blockbuster, try to keep an open mind.
The film takes place in the future and focuses on this marine, Jake sully, who lost the use of his legs on the job. he gets called back to duty when his scientist twin brother dies, to take his place as an operator of an organic being grown from his brother's DNA and the DNA of the Na'vi, the people on the planet Pandora. Earth is running out of resources and humans want to farm an ore found on Pandora (which has become the equivalent of gold or diamonds). So the army recruited a team of scientists to create these beings that could be used to communicate with the natives and essentially move them out of their home so that they can mine the ore underneath the tree they live in. Of course the scientists only have a professional interest in Pandora, in the people and the land, but are funded by the government/ military and are therefore at the disposal of the source of the funding. On his first journey to Pandora, Jake gets separated from the other two scientists he's with and is forced to attempt to survive the night in this unknown and deadly jungle. Before an unfortunate 'death by jungle dog' incident, he is found by the chief's daughter, Neytiri, and she saves him. Before she can leave him to fend for himself, the holy being of the Na'vi signifies to her that he is important so she takes him home and he is ultimately given a trial period in the tribe to learn the ways of the people. As he learns more about the na'vi he comes to support their perspective. Pretty standard stuff, but the plot isn't what grabbed me most about this film.
One of the most obvious themes in the movie was the push for environmentalism, or preserving our planet. The reason humans were in Pandora was because their planet was dying, because the people on earth used and wasted almost all of their resources. This of course represents the perspective of mainstream north American society. It's pretty much an accepted philosophy that the economy rules nature, destroying nature in the name of money is logical even if it may rub some people the wrong way. it's logical. But people haven't thought this way forever, not all people and cultures think this way, and an alternative perspective is represented in the Na'vi. For them nature is the economy. to harm or destroy whatever is alive is akin to harming yourself. This of course is reminiscent of a sort of aboriginal ideology that takes time to respect the living aspect of nature and the symbiotic relationship they share with it. This connection to nature is presented in a very literal sense in the movie. the Na'vi literally connect to their environment. They all have a long pony tail hairstyle, and at the end of their hair are these tentacle- like feelers that can wrap around certain things and allow them to 'plug in' to that thing. this allows them to create a bond with animals they ride and with the tree that represents their deity and holds the memories of their people. This was a lot like the way people today are constantly 'plugged in'. Whether it's cellphones, iPods, computers, TV, radio, we are rarely without our technological network to connect us to our world, or the part of our world we care about. It might be harder for the average post-colonial North American to truly appreciate a connection to nature as did pre-colonial societies, so M think the way this was presented helped get that message across.
my favourite scene in the movie, and the reason I enjoyed the movie as much as I did was the scene when Neytiri and the general were fighting near the end of the movie. I loved it because symbolically they were both 'plugged in' to the technology of their own worlds and were using that connection to fight each other. Neytiri was connected to a this wild, jaguar/ jungle dog animal through the 'bond' and the general was sitting in this robot, gundam wing/ escaflowne kind of idea. the two of them had to use where they came from as a means to fight the other, they couldn't just face each other person to person. They were kind of like Jake's Na'vi body, Jake was sitting in some lab somewhere while his intentions were lived out through a body not his own. Basically their ideals and I guess you could say worlds were fighting against each other with the help of the intentions of the people behind the wheel.
It was not the most ground breaking film I've ever seen, nor the best told story, but overall I'd say it was a good movie and worth the watch.
I've heard and spoken to people who were not very impressed by the plot and pass the film off as a 'Pocahontas in space' kind of story, and it's true, that's an accurate description. Something to keep in mind however is that all stories borrow from that which came before it, and most often the best stories are simply re-imaginings of earlier ideas. It could be said that pride and prejudice is nothing more than a glorified Cinderella story, but that doesn't make it bad. basically, even though this movie is a blockbuster, try to keep an open mind.
The film takes place in the future and focuses on this marine, Jake sully, who lost the use of his legs on the job. he gets called back to duty when his scientist twin brother dies, to take his place as an operator of an organic being grown from his brother's DNA and the DNA of the Na'vi, the people on the planet Pandora. Earth is running out of resources and humans want to farm an ore found on Pandora (which has become the equivalent of gold or diamonds). So the army recruited a team of scientists to create these beings that could be used to communicate with the natives and essentially move them out of their home so that they can mine the ore underneath the tree they live in. Of course the scientists only have a professional interest in Pandora, in the people and the land, but are funded by the government/ military and are therefore at the disposal of the source of the funding. On his first journey to Pandora, Jake gets separated from the other two scientists he's with and is forced to attempt to survive the night in this unknown and deadly jungle. Before an unfortunate 'death by jungle dog' incident, he is found by the chief's daughter, Neytiri, and she saves him. Before she can leave him to fend for himself, the holy being of the Na'vi signifies to her that he is important so she takes him home and he is ultimately given a trial period in the tribe to learn the ways of the people. As he learns more about the na'vi he comes to support their perspective. Pretty standard stuff, but the plot isn't what grabbed me most about this film.
One of the most obvious themes in the movie was the push for environmentalism, or preserving our planet. The reason humans were in Pandora was because their planet was dying, because the people on earth used and wasted almost all of their resources. This of course represents the perspective of mainstream north American society. It's pretty much an accepted philosophy that the economy rules nature, destroying nature in the name of money is logical even if it may rub some people the wrong way. it's logical. But people haven't thought this way forever, not all people and cultures think this way, and an alternative perspective is represented in the Na'vi. For them nature is the economy. to harm or destroy whatever is alive is akin to harming yourself. This of course is reminiscent of a sort of aboriginal ideology that takes time to respect the living aspect of nature and the symbiotic relationship they share with it. This connection to nature is presented in a very literal sense in the movie. the Na'vi literally connect to their environment. They all have a long pony tail hairstyle, and at the end of their hair are these tentacle- like feelers that can wrap around certain things and allow them to 'plug in' to that thing. this allows them to create a bond with animals they ride and with the tree that represents their deity and holds the memories of their people. This was a lot like the way people today are constantly 'plugged in'. Whether it's cellphones, iPods, computers, TV, radio, we are rarely without our technological network to connect us to our world, or the part of our world we care about. It might be harder for the average post-colonial North American to truly appreciate a connection to nature as did pre-colonial societies, so M think the way this was presented helped get that message across.
my favourite scene in the movie, and the reason I enjoyed the movie as much as I did was the scene when Neytiri and the general were fighting near the end of the movie. I loved it because symbolically they were both 'plugged in' to the technology of their own worlds and were using that connection to fight each other. Neytiri was connected to a this wild, jaguar/ jungle dog animal through the 'bond' and the general was sitting in this robot, gundam wing/ escaflowne kind of idea. the two of them had to use where they came from as a means to fight the other, they couldn't just face each other person to person. They were kind of like Jake's Na'vi body, Jake was sitting in some lab somewhere while his intentions were lived out through a body not his own. Basically their ideals and I guess you could say worlds were fighting against each other with the help of the intentions of the people behind the wheel.
It was not the most ground breaking film I've ever seen, nor the best told story, but overall I'd say it was a good movie and worth the watch.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Millenium Actress (2001)
I'd heard of this movie and seen it around on and off for several years, but the clips I'd seen and the description turned me off, so I didn't watch it despite having heard good things about it. After seeing it however, I don't know why I waited so long! The movie is about two guys who want to interview a famous actress for the documentary they're doing on her life. Clips of the movies she has been in are featured throughout the film to tell the story of her love for a man she doesn't really know. This sounded extremely boring to me. The pacing of the movie isn't fast and exciting either, but more of a slower building up to the climax, so if one were to fast forward through to see segments of various scenes... well it just looked boring. But, the movie is actually really good.
First of all, the art is amazing. A lot of attention paid to detail and it's a pleasure to watch purely from an artistic perspective.
So the story is about two guys who interview a famous actress about her life, and she tells this story through movies she's been in. Basically when she was young she met a wounded rebel in the streets and hides him from the police for a night. When she goes to see him in the morning he's gone, but he left a picture of her that he drew saying something like 'until next time'. So she sort of falls for this man and then obsesses over him for the rest of her life. She gets an offer to be an actress and accepts because the job she was offered took her to where the guys escaped to. So we find out that her success as an actress stems from her desire to find this guy. And this sounds superficial and weak as a motivation to do something with your life, kind of playing off the stereotype that a woman needs a man to complete herself, which is why I like this movie so much. When a typical North Amercian thinks of Japanese culture, or for some people Asian culture in general, they think of the stereotypes of weak- willed, submissive women because of how the media portrays them and such, but this movie subtly twists that stereotype on its head. The girl spends her entire life chasing after this guy and during many parts in the movie I wondered why she doesn't just give up on the guy and live her life for herself. At the end of the movie though ... I guess spoiler alert, but if I'd known this sooner I'd have watched it sooner... she tells the interviewer that it didn't matter to her if she ever actually caught up with the guy. In fact if she did catch him she would probably get bored of him because it was the chasing that she lived for. And this is like anything in life. If you chase a man or a job or even an ideology of some kind, the journey is the important thing, meaning that she is in fact living for herself, even though from a supercifical or incomplete understanding of her situation, it seems to be otherwise. That made the movie for me. So I liked it.
First of all, the art is amazing. A lot of attention paid to detail and it's a pleasure to watch purely from an artistic perspective.
So the story is about two guys who interview a famous actress about her life, and she tells this story through movies she's been in. Basically when she was young she met a wounded rebel in the streets and hides him from the police for a night. When she goes to see him in the morning he's gone, but he left a picture of her that he drew saying something like 'until next time'. So she sort of falls for this man and then obsesses over him for the rest of her life. She gets an offer to be an actress and accepts because the job she was offered took her to where the guys escaped to. So we find out that her success as an actress stems from her desire to find this guy. And this sounds superficial and weak as a motivation to do something with your life, kind of playing off the stereotype that a woman needs a man to complete herself, which is why I like this movie so much. When a typical North Amercian thinks of Japanese culture, or for some people Asian culture in general, they think of the stereotypes of weak- willed, submissive women because of how the media portrays them and such, but this movie subtly twists that stereotype on its head. The girl spends her entire life chasing after this guy and during many parts in the movie I wondered why she doesn't just give up on the guy and live her life for herself. At the end of the movie though ... I guess spoiler alert, but if I'd known this sooner I'd have watched it sooner... she tells the interviewer that it didn't matter to her if she ever actually caught up with the guy. In fact if she did catch him she would probably get bored of him because it was the chasing that she lived for. And this is like anything in life. If you chase a man or a job or even an ideology of some kind, the journey is the important thing, meaning that she is in fact living for herself, even though from a supercifical or incomplete understanding of her situation, it seems to be otherwise. That made the movie for me. So I liked it.
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
I saw this film recommended on a forum I occasionally visit, and while I don't usually run off to watch everything recommended to me, the title sounded interesting so I decided to give it a go. Aand I'm glad I did. The story starts off rather slowly and sets itself up like a lot of other high school romance/ slice of life animes, but it slowly progressed into a sort of sci-fi romance, which was really touching.
The story follows a girl names Makoto who likes spending time with her two best friends, Kosuke, a serious, reserved sort of guy, and Chiaki, a fun-loving joker. Though the three of them have not always been best friends, we can see that they are very close and enjoy spending a lot of time together. The point at which the story takes a more sci-fi approach is on the day Makoto is late for school. She is late more often than not, but on this specific day as she is hurdling down a hill, a train happens to be passing by at the bottom of said hill and she is going to fast to stop. She tries to slow down, but ends up hitting the barrier between the pedestrians and the train tracks and sends herself flying in the way of the train. Just before she is squashed and our story is ended however, time stops and she finds herself transported back in time, and is safe from the squishing. She has some fun with this, though doesn't yet know the significance. Around this time she discovers that one of her friends is developing feelings for her, and because she doesn't wish to change their relationship yet, uses the 'time machine' to avoid his asking her out. At the end she is forced to choose between love and friendship, but not in the way you'd think. The ending is something of a surprise (you can kind of guess what'll happen if you pay attention to the clues), but the events that take place and the choices she makes leave you with a bittersweet feeling that makes the film worth the watch.
For those who have watched the ending, it would be an interesting argument to decide whether the love interest was truly in love or whether he just wanted to preserve a certain object... The aunt's story happens to suspiciously parallel Makoto's, but it was an enjoyable movie in any case.
The story follows a girl names Makoto who likes spending time with her two best friends, Kosuke, a serious, reserved sort of guy, and Chiaki, a fun-loving joker. Though the three of them have not always been best friends, we can see that they are very close and enjoy spending a lot of time together. The point at which the story takes a more sci-fi approach is on the day Makoto is late for school. She is late more often than not, but on this specific day as she is hurdling down a hill, a train happens to be passing by at the bottom of said hill and she is going to fast to stop. She tries to slow down, but ends up hitting the barrier between the pedestrians and the train tracks and sends herself flying in the way of the train. Just before she is squashed and our story is ended however, time stops and she finds herself transported back in time, and is safe from the squishing. She has some fun with this, though doesn't yet know the significance. Around this time she discovers that one of her friends is developing feelings for her, and because she doesn't wish to change their relationship yet, uses the 'time machine' to avoid his asking her out. At the end she is forced to choose between love and friendship, but not in the way you'd think. The ending is something of a surprise (you can kind of guess what'll happen if you pay attention to the clues), but the events that take place and the choices she makes leave you with a bittersweet feeling that makes the film worth the watch.
For those who have watched the ending, it would be an interesting argument to decide whether the love interest was truly in love or whether he just wanted to preserve a certain object... The aunt's story happens to suspiciously parallel Makoto's, but it was an enjoyable movie in any case.
Whisper of the Heart (1995)
This movie reminded me slightly of Kiki's Delivery Service. Kiki's Delivery Service was made before it though, and I'd have to say that it was a better story of self discovery. But as Whisper of the Heart is also from Studio Ghibli, the fact that it pales in comparison to Kiki in no way makes it a bad film.
At the end of the movie, Shizuku finds her beginning, and I have to say that the story she is writing bears more than a resemblance to The Cat Returns, another Ghibli film created after this one.
Overall a sweet film, but Kiki does a better job of it on the whole.
Whisper of the Heart is the story of a girl who is at odds with herself. She has no direction and doesn't know what she will do in the future. She meets a boy who loves music and is inspired by his passion, so decides to write a novel. There isn't a lot of action in the movie, but watching Shizuku struggle with her frustration at discovering what she enjoys and what she should do with her life, and then the passion and effort she puts into attempting to fulfill that endears her to the audience. She struggles with some conventions that the young people of today are encouraged to participate in. I won't say exactly what so as not to spoil anything, but suffice it to say that she resisted this convention because didn't see the use of participating and later returned to it when she saw the use.
At the end of the movie, Shizuku finds her beginning, and I have to say that the story she is writing bears more than a resemblance to The Cat Returns, another Ghibli film created after this one.
Overall a sweet film, but Kiki does a better job of it on the whole.
Monday, 5 October 2009
Yours, Mine, and Ours (2005)
I really disliked this movie. Not only does the movie run on the stereotypical plot and themes of countless movies that have come before it... but it's based on a movie that was actually very good. I suppose I wouldn't mind this version so very much if I hadn't seen the Lucille Ball version first, it would have been just another crude attempt at mashing together a feel-good movie about family values to get people to pay money to go see it, like a lot of the other things playing in theaters. But since I've seen and enjoyed the original, watching this actually offended me personally. I would have preferred that they take these characters and make a new movie.. not attempt to ride on the success of the original storyline.
As for the movie itself, the mom was of course the one with the big heart and the dad a heartless dictator, stereotypical gender roles ftw. The mom of course had to adopt a kid from every visually different racial category so that all races were represented... while making them play out their 'racial role', one Asian boy was an effeminate designer, the other tech savy, the indian kids went barefoot and liked gardening, the black kid was 'gangsta' and made a rap song for them all at one point, and of course all the white kids were the focus of the story and required no racial marker because they're 'normal'... So they reaaaallllyyyy tried hard to create dynamic and interesting characters here, and at the same time did a most excellent job of challenging the status quo and the stereotypes that influence kids to perpetuate racist stereotypes. Not . There should be a committee or something for things like this. And of course the men made all the rules and the women had 'great personalities' and were 'strong' but did what the men said in the end. Again, great film for the kids. I'm getting a bit overly sarcastic now so I'll stop. Suffice it to say I was not impressed.
As for the movie itself, the mom was of course the one with the big heart and the dad a heartless dictator, stereotypical gender roles ftw. The mom of course had to adopt a kid from every visually different racial category so that all races were represented... while making them play out their 'racial role', one Asian boy was an effeminate designer, the other tech savy, the indian kids went barefoot and liked gardening, the black kid was 'gangsta' and made a rap song for them all at one point, and of course all the white kids were the focus of the story and required no racial marker because they're 'normal'... So they reaaaallllyyyy tried hard to create dynamic and interesting characters here, and at the same time did a most excellent job of challenging the status quo and the stereotypes that influence kids to perpetuate racist stereotypes. Not . There should be a committee or something for things like this. And of course the men made all the rules and the women had 'great personalities' and were 'strong' but did what the men said in the end. Again, great film for the kids. I'm getting a bit overly sarcastic now so I'll stop. Suffice it to say I was not impressed.
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Jennifer's Body is movie about a girl who gets sacrificed to the devil by an indie rock band who wants to make it big, but because she is not a virgin, instead of dying she comes back as a daemon and begins feasting on the boys in her high school. The main character of this movie is Jennifer's best friend, Needy (Anita), who is the complete opposite of Jennifer. Jennifer is the stereotypical popular girl in high school. She's a cheerleader, she's hot/ borderline slutty, and has slept with several of the popular boys. Needy on the other hand is a stereotypical nerd, complete with glasses and a less than conscious fashion sense. She also has a cute boyfriend who is completely devoted to her. The story is told from the perspective of the friend Needy as she watches Jennifer change.
The story was a decent one... but was suspiciously like the film Ginger Snaps, a werewolf horror with the exact same plot. The difference was that ginger snaps was done better, the plot ran a bit smoother and the character relationships were done a bit better as well. The character of Jennifer was portrayed in regards to her sexuality most of the time. Even before she was turned into a daemon she talks casually about sleeping with various boys in their high school and uses her body to get what she wants. After she gets changed into a soul-sucking monster, we don't really see her change, just emphasize what was already there. In Ginger Snaps however, Ginger morphs from a social outcast into an animal, riding on her instincts. of course, if I'd never seen Ginger Snaps I wouldn't be overly critical of Jennifer, but I have and I prefer the growth displayed by Ginger to the cardboard sexpot Jennifer represents. But I would like to say that at the end of the movie when Needy 'broke up' with Jennifer, I felt that Jennifer was really struggling with the fact that she was no longer human and no longer had control over her actions, that was the only time I was interested in Jennifer's character on an intellectual level. The character Needy's struggle was more evident as she was the story teller and the audience had to witness the change through her eyes. We get to see how she changes because of her relationship to Jennifer and having to deal with what happened. But again.... Brigette from Ginger Snaps did it better. She was less a victim and more a proactive... fighter of the paranormal. Needy on the other hand was... well, needy. She obeyed Jennifer before the change, and after the change sniffles and goes emo for a bit. She researching possible explanations for Jennifer's behaviour and tries to fight her at the end but I didn't really buy it. Needy was a much more dynamic character than Jennifer was though. and her boyfriend was sweet.
Overall I'd say it was a decent movie. I thought that the actors did a good job of playing out their roles and I don't have any issues with the plot despite a few inconsistencies. I would watch it again and would probably enjoy it, but it's not the best movie in the genre, and is not even an original in the genre. I like the genre though, so it's ok. For people who haven't seen Ginger Snaps though... I recommend that you see it, as it is what this wanted to be.
The story was a decent one... but was suspiciously like the film Ginger Snaps, a werewolf horror with the exact same plot. The difference was that ginger snaps was done better, the plot ran a bit smoother and the character relationships were done a bit better as well. The character of Jennifer was portrayed in regards to her sexuality most of the time. Even before she was turned into a daemon she talks casually about sleeping with various boys in their high school and uses her body to get what she wants. After she gets changed into a soul-sucking monster, we don't really see her change, just emphasize what was already there. In Ginger Snaps however, Ginger morphs from a social outcast into an animal, riding on her instincts. of course, if I'd never seen Ginger Snaps I wouldn't be overly critical of Jennifer, but I have and I prefer the growth displayed by Ginger to the cardboard sexpot Jennifer represents. But I would like to say that at the end of the movie when Needy 'broke up' with Jennifer, I felt that Jennifer was really struggling with the fact that she was no longer human and no longer had control over her actions, that was the only time I was interested in Jennifer's character on an intellectual level. The character Needy's struggle was more evident as she was the story teller and the audience had to witness the change through her eyes. We get to see how she changes because of her relationship to Jennifer and having to deal with what happened. But again.... Brigette from Ginger Snaps did it better. She was less a victim and more a proactive... fighter of the paranormal. Needy on the other hand was... well, needy. She obeyed Jennifer before the change, and after the change sniffles and goes emo for a bit. She researching possible explanations for Jennifer's behaviour and tries to fight her at the end but I didn't really buy it. Needy was a much more dynamic character than Jennifer was though. and her boyfriend was sweet.
Overall I'd say it was a decent movie. I thought that the actors did a good job of playing out their roles and I don't have any issues with the plot despite a few inconsistencies. I would watch it again and would probably enjoy it, but it's not the best movie in the genre, and is not even an original in the genre. I like the genre though, so it's ok. For people who haven't seen Ginger Snaps though... I recommend that you see it, as it is what this wanted to be.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Ginger Snaps (2003)
I delayed watching Ginger Snaps for years because of the DVD cover. It gave me the impression of some really cheesy 90's b movie and I didn't want to waste the time. But. A friend strongly recommended that I watch it, and thank god I did. This is one of the best paranormal movies I've seen.
The story is about two sisters and one night walking home, the elder, Ginger, gets bitten by a 'dog'. Slowly the bitten sister begins to change, in a social sense as well as a physical sense. She begins taking an interest in a boy she and her sister previously looked down upon, she distances herself from her sister, Brigitte, with whom she shared a very close bond before the bite, and she even experiments with drugs. In addition to this, her hair begins to change colour and she grows more of it all over her body. She even grows a tail. Brigitte becomes concerned and looks into many possibilities, one of which is that her older sister was bitten by and is now changing into a werewolf. She then goes about trying to find a cure, while having to deal with Ginger, who is getting cravings for blood and is changing into something that is less and less like the sister she was once so close with.
What makes this movie different than a lot of other paranormal horrors is that there is a really strong feminine voice present in both of the sisters. Other than Buffy, women play the wilting heroine in horrors, and in a lot of other genres as well. Not so in this movie. Ginger has a very powerful personality throughout the whole movie. Even before the change, she'd stick up for Brigitte when she got picked on and would talk back to people who would speak against either her or her sister. After the change she exuded an even more pronounced air of self- confidence. she doesn't show doubt. Brigitte on the other hand at first seems very timid and meek, which she might be, Brigitte displays an inner strength that ginger lacks. She resists the temptation of power, which she would get if Ginger bit her and she turned into a werewolf. She seems like a follower at the beginning, but she's just loyal.
Something else that makes this movie interesting is that it's an allegory of puberty for girls. After Ginger gets bitten, she also gets her period for the first time. Then when she is reacting weird to being bitten by a werewolf, adults just assume she's acting so abnormal because 'its that time of the month' instead of seeing it for what it is. It's a great social commentary on how society tends to deal with women as something foreign and potentially scary, especially around menstruation. The funny thing was that it was women voicing these views. The mom just fluffs off Ginger's moody behaviour as 'growing up', and the school nurse does the same thing when Ginger tells her about her symptoms. All of the Ginger Snaps movies have some sort of feminist theme if you look for it, but this one is the most blatant and deals most directly with how as a society we choose to perceive women as foreign, evil, and abnormal.
Even without the allegorical reference this was an awesome movie. It was fast-paced and suspenseful. On my top five list for paranormal movies of all time!
The story is about two sisters and one night walking home, the elder, Ginger, gets bitten by a 'dog'. Slowly the bitten sister begins to change, in a social sense as well as a physical sense. She begins taking an interest in a boy she and her sister previously looked down upon, she distances herself from her sister, Brigitte, with whom she shared a very close bond before the bite, and she even experiments with drugs. In addition to this, her hair begins to change colour and she grows more of it all over her body. She even grows a tail. Brigitte becomes concerned and looks into many possibilities, one of which is that her older sister was bitten by and is now changing into a werewolf. She then goes about trying to find a cure, while having to deal with Ginger, who is getting cravings for blood and is changing into something that is less and less like the sister she was once so close with.
What makes this movie different than a lot of other paranormal horrors is that there is a really strong feminine voice present in both of the sisters. Other than Buffy, women play the wilting heroine in horrors, and in a lot of other genres as well. Not so in this movie. Ginger has a very powerful personality throughout the whole movie. Even before the change, she'd stick up for Brigitte when she got picked on and would talk back to people who would speak against either her or her sister. After the change she exuded an even more pronounced air of self- confidence. she doesn't show doubt. Brigitte on the other hand at first seems very timid and meek, which she might be, Brigitte displays an inner strength that ginger lacks. She resists the temptation of power, which she would get if Ginger bit her and she turned into a werewolf. She seems like a follower at the beginning, but she's just loyal.
Something else that makes this movie interesting is that it's an allegory of puberty for girls. After Ginger gets bitten, she also gets her period for the first time. Then when she is reacting weird to being bitten by a werewolf, adults just assume she's acting so abnormal because 'its that time of the month' instead of seeing it for what it is. It's a great social commentary on how society tends to deal with women as something foreign and potentially scary, especially around menstruation. The funny thing was that it was women voicing these views. The mom just fluffs off Ginger's moody behaviour as 'growing up', and the school nurse does the same thing when Ginger tells her about her symptoms. All of the Ginger Snaps movies have some sort of feminist theme if you look for it, but this one is the most blatant and deals most directly with how as a society we choose to perceive women as foreign, evil, and abnormal.
Even without the allegorical reference this was an awesome movie. It was fast-paced and suspenseful. On my top five list for paranormal movies of all time!
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Pan’s Labyrinth
This movie is a masterpiece! Quite honestly I don't know how anyone could watch it and not get sucked in. This movie was told with the air of a classic fairy tale, the real ones, not the watered down versions we give our children today. There is an atmosphere of danger and suspense that constantly surrounds the girl, and in response to that there is a persistent arousal of hope, or fantasy. The girl's environment is not the best, to say the least. She is in some camp under the jurisdiction of some heartless man who has married her mother, and who only cares about producing an heir. Everything around her is militaristic and hard and cold, and yet she continuously bumps into this other world of wonder and mystery, of fairies and fauns and the like. It's like the metaphor of the flower that grows out of concrete. finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.
It's debatable whether she is actually interacting with this other world and that it exists, or if she's creating this world to escape her less than ideal reality. I suppose your answer would come from what kind of person you are and how you perceive the world. I enjoy the experience of believing it is real with a constant skeptic in the back of my mind nay saying everything the believer says, so I guess my view would change depending on what day you chanced upon asking me. The bottom line is that story is very well put together and whether or not you believe the world the girl is interacting with to be real, you'll enjoy it either way.
A common criticism I hear circling this movie is that it isn't for children. To these people, I don't really know what to say. I'm not sure how it was advertised to you, but from the advertisements I saw I was well aware that the movie was rated R and was a 'fairy tale for grown ups', so to speak. I did still take my younger sibling, but that's something else. If a parent or guardian is not willing to take the time to research a movie or heed the ratings, they shouldn't be allowed to complain about what their children see, as this unwanted event could have been prevented with a little effort on their part.
This movie is wonderful. I tear up at the end every time. For me it really stands out as a work of art against the back drop of the standard of movies we have come to expect will be playing in theaters every Friday night. I'd even go so far as to say that it's a classic in it's own time, or is at least something to be aware of. But it's definitely awesome.
It's debatable whether she is actually interacting with this other world and that it exists, or if she's creating this world to escape her less than ideal reality. I suppose your answer would come from what kind of person you are and how you perceive the world. I enjoy the experience of believing it is real with a constant skeptic in the back of my mind nay saying everything the believer says, so I guess my view would change depending on what day you chanced upon asking me. The bottom line is that story is very well put together and whether or not you believe the world the girl is interacting with to be real, you'll enjoy it either way.
A common criticism I hear circling this movie is that it isn't for children. To these people, I don't really know what to say. I'm not sure how it was advertised to you, but from the advertisements I saw I was well aware that the movie was rated R and was a 'fairy tale for grown ups', so to speak. I did still take my younger sibling, but that's something else. If a parent or guardian is not willing to take the time to research a movie or heed the ratings, they shouldn't be allowed to complain about what their children see, as this unwanted event could have been prevented with a little effort on their part.
This movie is wonderful. I tear up at the end every time. For me it really stands out as a work of art against the back drop of the standard of movies we have come to expect will be playing in theaters every Friday night. I'd even go so far as to say that it's a classic in it's own time, or is at least something to be aware of. But it's definitely awesome.
Vampire Journals (1997)
Well, I'd say I'm kind of into the vampire scene. It's not my number one obsession, but I do appreciate a good vampire story. This movie was, well just OK. This movie wasn't really fresh, the 'vampire who cares about what he's eating' character seems to be explored a lot, so I kind of knew what was coming, but this wasn't what held it back from being great. What I didn't like was the fact that at the end of the movie I was still waiting for something to happen. The movie spends too much time introducing the characters and the setting and not enough actually dealing with what it has created. Basically I didn't really feel connected to any of the characters, enough so that the achieving or failure of achieving their goals were irrelevant to me. Right now if I was asked, 'Who is Zachery?' I would know who he is from the stereotypes surrounding that character type, but the movie didn't go into enough detail concerning his personality, his motives, his history... I could have told you who Zachery was without watching the movie.
Basically the characters were kind of flat.
And the movie is all suspense, but the ending isn't a sufficient catharsis. Maybe because I wasn't that drawn into the characters the ending didn't quite satisfy me. There wasn't enough happening in the story, or more, what was happening wasn't fleshed out to its full potential, leaving me wanting more... but not in a good way.
Aside from my criticisms however, the movie is worth viewing and isn't that bad. The music was alright and the costumes weren't bad. The setting wasn't too bad either. The atmosphere was appropriate I think. All in all worth a watch.
Basically the characters were kind of flat.
And the movie is all suspense, but the ending isn't a sufficient catharsis. Maybe because I wasn't that drawn into the characters the ending didn't quite satisfy me. There wasn't enough happening in the story, or more, what was happening wasn't fleshed out to its full potential, leaving me wanting more... but not in a good way.
Aside from my criticisms however, the movie is worth viewing and isn't that bad. The music was alright and the costumes weren't bad. The setting wasn't too bad either. The atmosphere was appropriate I think. All in all worth a watch.
Friday, 17 July 2009
Dreamkeeper (2003)
It's really hard to find a movie on native legends that isn't completely cheesy, but this one is pretty good. I was drawn into all of the legends and got to see present native peoples with the dignity I associate with their past. I like how they ended the movie with hope and the acting was pretty good.
Kinky Boots (2006)
I love this movie. It's about a guy who owns a shoe factory, but the shoe factory is about to go under, so he strikes a bargain with this cross-dresser names Lola to make high heeled boots for men. Lola's such a flamboyant character and stands up to all of the crap people give her and keeps on going. She has such a strength of character that I guess I want to see from someone facing such adversity. Gender identity is such a delicate issue and I'm glad that there are such main stream movies as this that address the issue. It's a really touching movie and its both feel good and sad... if that makes sense, but I enjoy watching it every time its on.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
This is my absolute favorite movie and has been ever since I was a little girl. My mother actually introduced me to this movie and since then I have become addicted to all things mythological (I probably would have gotten into it anyways, but this sped up the process).
It's a story about a girl who goes to live with her grandparents for a while because her father is too busy with work to care for her. While with her grandparents, she visits an island her family used to live on. This is also the island where her younger brother was taken away by the sea. She snoops around the island and catches glimpses of a small boy she suspects to be her brother. As it turns out, selkies have taken him away. So the girl, with the help of her cousin, begin to make the abandoned houses on the island habitable again so that they can move back, thereby getting the girl's brother back from the sea.
This film is subtle, yet superbly effective in giving you that evanescent, magical feeling. So many movies try to capture that evasive 'something else' but end up being fake and cheesy but this one makes the cut. It's suitable for all ages and is a definite must experience. The soundtrack isnt bad either.
It's a story about a girl who goes to live with her grandparents for a while because her father is too busy with work to care for her. While with her grandparents, she visits an island her family used to live on. This is also the island where her younger brother was taken away by the sea. She snoops around the island and catches glimpses of a small boy she suspects to be her brother. As it turns out, selkies have taken him away. So the girl, with the help of her cousin, begin to make the abandoned houses on the island habitable again so that they can move back, thereby getting the girl's brother back from the sea.
This film is subtle, yet superbly effective in giving you that evanescent, magical feeling. So many movies try to capture that evasive 'something else' but end up being fake and cheesy but this one makes the cut. It's suitable for all ages and is a definite must experience. The soundtrack isnt bad either.
Peter Pan (2004)
I have loved Peter Pan ever since I was a child. It is a wonderful story about magic and freedom and the wonder of childhood, and I believe that this movie did an excellent job of capturing those themes and bringing them alive.
For those who are unfamiliar, Peter Pan is the story about three children, Wendy, John, and Micheal (but especially Wendy), and their adventures in a magical place called Neverland, with a magical boy who seems to have given up his humanity and can never grow up.
There was the added love interest in the movie, that was kind of suggested in the book, but never stated. Many times when movies deviate from the original plot in anyway its usually a major disappointment for those who fell in love with the original, but in this case the deviation was very well done and added greatly to the over all effect of the film. This movie is an enchanting retelling of a beloved classic and a must own for all lovers of Peter Pan!!!
For those who are unfamiliar, Peter Pan is the story about three children, Wendy, John, and Micheal (but especially Wendy), and their adventures in a magical place called Neverland, with a magical boy who seems to have given up his humanity and can never grow up.
There was the added love interest in the movie, that was kind of suggested in the book, but never stated. Many times when movies deviate from the original plot in anyway its usually a major disappointment for those who fell in love with the original, but in this case the deviation was very well done and added greatly to the over all effect of the film. This movie is an enchanting retelling of a beloved classic and a must own for all lovers of Peter Pan!!!
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
I adore Edward Scissorhands. I think that it is a wonderful story that was done very well. I find that all of Tim Burton's movies have this unique quality to them that makes them fascinating to watch.
This story is about this android like figure, Edward Scissorhands, who comes to live with this family in a cookie cutter neighbourhood that looks kind of like something out of the 50's, with a weird spin on it. At first everyone likes him because of his 'different-ness' and they all want him to cut their hair and such, but as the movie progresses people become more skeptical as to how safe he actually is. He falls in love with the girl of the family he's living with and near the end she comes to love him too. But this is all for naught because the town tries to hunt him down at the end in a frankenstein like manner, forcing Scissorhands to flee.
I don't know if it's the acting or setting or just the mood, but what I do know is that this movie is a MUST WATCH. Every person I talk to loves this movie (or doesn't not like anyways). It's definitely something to experience.
This story is about this android like figure, Edward Scissorhands, who comes to live with this family in a cookie cutter neighbourhood that looks kind of like something out of the 50's, with a weird spin on it. At first everyone likes him because of his 'different-ness' and they all want him to cut their hair and such, but as the movie progresses people become more skeptical as to how safe he actually is. He falls in love with the girl of the family he's living with and near the end she comes to love him too. But this is all for naught because the town tries to hunt him down at the end in a frankenstein like manner, forcing Scissorhands to flee.
I don't know if it's the acting or setting or just the mood, but what I do know is that this movie is a MUST WATCH. Every person I talk to loves this movie (or doesn't not like anyways). It's definitely something to experience.
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