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frostlov
Reviews
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Punishment for disliking the Passion
I'm a practicing Catholic. Yet I don't believe that because this movie is about Jesus, then I should watch AND like it. So I went after a friend gave a) voucher b) impression that at least 3 chicks would go with us. (b) was false.
Then, the movie is so-so regular. The visual's okay, but can't be that impressive, especially if you're used with anime. The background music made me wish there would be some 'added for dramatic purpose' battle scene. I won't complain about characterisation or dialogues, because that's pretty much what was in the Bible. But nothing's really special, nothing's really touching. Just close your eyes during the torture and crucifixion scenes. They're not touching, they are horrifying.
And I cried when watching Spirited Away or Amelie. NOT FOR 'THE PASSION'. Yes, Jesus suffered badly, but so are thousand of torture victims throughout the history. So don't say 'our suffering is nothing to Our Lord's'. Many people suffer 'in the name of Our Lord' by torturers who work 'in the name of Our Lord'.
The best thing in this movie is...Monica Bellucci. Haven't appreciated her as much before. No, not her acting, just how sweet she looks as a Judean peasant (yes, I know her character name is 'Magdalene').
And the ending is very...American. You know, happy end. Not as bad as 'Pearl Harbor', but...okay, I have to mind other people who want to see JC (Jesus Christ or James Caviezel, depends) looks sharp in the end.
After the movie, my...group...had dinner then discussing the movie for about one hour....inside a Chinese restaurant. How convenient. I was punished to hear their serious and passionate discussion about hell and salvation, without any chance to excuse myself.
I'm still waiting for a movie that would depict Jesus as a social humanist, like Gandhi. But then many Christians would call it class warfare.
Koi wa maiorita (1997)
The Japanese do celebrate Christmas
And Japanese angels (or this sub-angel, at least) have cell phones. The soul of Kanzaki Keiichiro, in comma, is given a task to make a lonely woman to be happy, or he'll be die on Christmas Day. Of course, 'happiness' is very subjective. When he starts to approach her, she thinks he's a stalking salesman. People think she's a nuts. Or drunk.
As a Christmas movie, Koi wa maiorita is refreshing. There's no Santa, no Christmas carols (replaced by lovesick J-rock and bubbly-happy J-pop songs), there's even no church. Actors Karasawa and Esumi make a great duo. And contrary to American kids, Japanese children cannot see angels.
And another thing. Different to Hollywood, Japanese features are free to end the story NOT in happy ending (as demonstrated by various anime). This story MAY or MAY NOT concludes happily. One thing is for sure - Tokyo on Christmas is amazing.