some film reviews, long overdue
Aug. 27th, 2006 12:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
floatingleafJust a quick update on my cinematic education. I finally saw Farewell, My Concubine. I realize I'm light years behind the rest of the world, and I knew it was a classic I absolutely needed to see one day, but it just hadn't happened until now (there are quite a few other classics I need to see as well, and my Blockbuster Online subscription is going to remedy that soon, I hope...:). Anyway. The movie floored me, which I kind of expected; and I guess I was ready for any amount of angst and tragedy as well (most Asian cultures are so in love with the tragic, aren't they?...). Still, the ending seemed kind of unmotivated to me. I mean, they've been through so much, and it looked like finally they might be able to find some sort of happiness together, you know? (I am not worried about spoilers, since I'm assuming everyone else has seen this film long ago... LOL) But maybe this "unnecessarily" tragic ending proves a point that is very consistent with the whole story. It gives me food for thought, anyway, and that's what good movies are supposed to do. So... yeah. And of course I am in love with the "concubine"... but that went without saying all along, didn't it? My adoration for the tragically misunderstood and socially alienated because of their "misplaced" feelings knows no limits.;) Though, actually, everyone in this movie is a tragic character, in one way or another...
Another famous title I watched recently is Crash (figured I should know why it was considered better than HoV and Brokeback Mountain...:P). Still not convinced it IS better - but I actually liked it more than I expected to. Sort of. I mean, it has some of the typically "American flick" traits that usually throw me off (like, for example, all the "bad guys" miraculously redeem themselves at some point), but it also surprised me in a good way a couple times. I loved the whole idea of the "invisible protective cloak" and how it "worked" in the most crucial, powerful scene of the whole movie (to me, at least). I liked how it shattered some stereotypes, while at the same time making a valid point of explaining where they come from and how deeply ingrained they are in our subconscious. Food for thought, again. Surprisingly, though, the moment when I actually teared up wasn't the most dramatic at all. It was when Sandra Bullock hugged her housekeeper. I guess that was the only aspect of the movie that came close to real life experiences for me. My mother works as a housekeeper for women EXACTLY like the character played by Sandra Bullock (otherwise I would have thought the character was much exaggerated... LOL), and I had my small share of it as well when I first moved to the States. So it did strike a chord with me in an unexpected way - even if there were no Eastern European immigrants portrayed (maybe there aren't many of us in LA, lol). All in all, a valuable movie experience - even if I still think Brokeback should have won the Oscar instead.:P
Another famous title I watched recently is Crash (figured I should know why it was considered better than HoV and Brokeback Mountain...:P). Still not convinced it IS better - but I actually liked it more than I expected to. Sort of. I mean, it has some of the typically "American flick" traits that usually throw me off (like, for example, all the "bad guys" miraculously redeem themselves at some point), but it also surprised me in a good way a couple times. I loved the whole idea of the "invisible protective cloak" and how it "worked" in the most crucial, powerful scene of the whole movie (to me, at least). I liked how it shattered some stereotypes, while at the same time making a valid point of explaining where they come from and how deeply ingrained they are in our subconscious. Food for thought, again. Surprisingly, though, the moment when I actually teared up wasn't the most dramatic at all. It was when Sandra Bullock hugged her housekeeper. I guess that was the only aspect of the movie that came close to real life experiences for me. My mother works as a housekeeper for women EXACTLY like the character played by Sandra Bullock (otherwise I would have thought the character was much exaggerated... LOL), and I had my small share of it as well when I first moved to the States. So it did strike a chord with me in an unexpected way - even if there were no Eastern European immigrants portrayed (maybe there aren't many of us in LA, lol). All in all, a valuable movie experience - even if I still think Brokeback should have won the Oscar instead.:P
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-28 08:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-29 04:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-04 03:55 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-04 09:00 pm (UTC)