Change Your Image
Kris-97
Reviews
Gohatto (1999)
for the eye and for the heart
Oshima comes back with a story about love between men. It takes place in the 1800s. Inside a militia group of fighters love goes like ping-pong balls but both the story and the visual composition stay "decent"and beautiful. I won't write a spoiler.
One thing though: gosh, those people are different (from my Mediterranean spirit): no muscle on the face is moving when they declare love and a touch of the hand is the actual declaration d'amour. Whichever way you choose, it's good to express your love. Though "minimalistic", this film touched me.
Prepare for the last 10 seconds or so of the film, it's one of the most fascinating pictures I've seen in cinema.
American Beauty (1999)
Mmm, err...
So, let's count the clichés in this story: 1) Mother takes over family just because the other two are frustrated enough thus, gave up their own life 2) All smiling, nobody means it. All working, nobody enjoys it. 3) Girl with boobs as big as a child's head secretly saves money for a silicone enlargement. 4) School mate of the above afraid of being ordinary, plays cool. 5) Pupils (and others) smoking weed. 6) All having guns or thinking of some sort of crime. 7) Liberated gays. 8) Father falls for `Lolitta'. 9) Mother has affair with business man. Did they really enjoy it or was it again a performance? 10) Oh yea, mother had enough of father so he has to jerk of in the shower 11) Son of closeted gay develops interior life with tiny obsessions 12) Closeted gay joins the army and secretly admires the nazi discipline which imposes to his family, making everyone miserable. In a moment of emotional weakness he `confesses' his love for men. Oops, to the wrong person, whom he decides to kill, in order to bury his secret again. Why is there so little concern with beauty these days, in what we do, in what we want to tell to each other?
The Mummy (1999)
B film with a C story and a D cast
Infantile story dressed up with big budget and little imagination or direction skill. If this is the level of the B movies today, it's then very low. Both thumbs down, including my toes. I hear there's a sequel on the way. Beware that, cross on the oher side of the street.
The Five Senses (1999)
Delicate imagery
Plot a bit too constructed, gives a feeling of watching a French movie where everything has a message or meaning which, if you don't understand, you're stupid. Not so arrogant as those though. This is on the "bad side".
On the good side, it's a fine embroidery of events turning around the 5 senses. Each character is dedicated to one and they present it under a magnifier which could make you see these senses from a different angle.
Acting above average and screen composition pretty nice.
Fascinating Nature (1996)
it's really fascinating. review of the dvd release
Fascinating Nature, by Gogol Lobmayr, music Michael Hofmann de Boer
Delightful surprise for the senses! And a dvd transfer on measure. The disc has an interactive menu with the names of the places but they also appear during the film. Each chapter is a visual poem, a sensitive essay on the beauty of nature. I have several top documentary titles on dvd, this one is one of my favorites. Of course that doesn't tell you anything but maybe this will: I'm a docu director myself, love nature and am pretty critical about films. I only put it on the same pedestal with Baraka, Yosemite-the seasons and Coral Sea Dreaming (in terms of dvd titles). Wonderful music in stereo surround. I think it was badly marketed, I came upon this title just by chance. Available in Europe but I think it's zone free (can't tell, since my dvd player reads both 1 & 2). On the box no zone indication.
Other: 93 mins, PAL, format 1:1,85.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
(almost) bomb
X generation-like animation with no particular reason. Thin story. Good renderings but so what? I was disappointed to see the Jedi "philosophy" almost missing, something which made the other episodes sane. I mean, should I like someone because he's dressed in white (beige) and hate everyone with red marks on a black face?. As for the digital architecture (who dunnit?): a student wouldn't get a very good mark in it. I really expected much more, Mr Lucas!