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Alexandra's Project (2003)
Good movie up to a point
This movie is a bit of the old feminist block, but that's OK. The husband is obviously a chauvinist pig who treats his wife like an object, so I've no beef with her leaving him and punishing him for all the years he treated her badly, though the movie obviously considers women incapable to pursue happiness on their own and just keep taking crap for years until they go over the edge.
In that sense the movie doesn't empower women unless they've been driven mad by their spouses. No will of their own or ability to make their own independent decisions and leave before things get so bad, find a job and raise their kids on their own? Their fate completely dependent on how they are treated by their husbands? That's a rather dim view of women; well, obviously things are still like that in Australia where poor helpless women let themselves be led to the slaughter of marital hell, from which their is no escape until complete and utter desperation sets in and up to then a woman has no choice than to behave like the object her husband deems her to be and let other men treat her as he did, and her only defense is that now at least it's her choice? Wow, what sad victory. But well, the movie wanted to make a point I guess and thought any means less than a sledgehammer would be inappropriate.
Be that as it may, but unforgivable to me is that she sees to it he will never have access to his kids (and even removes any memory of them from his life), even though he treated them well. She has absolutely no right to do this as a child has no choice in this and is entitled to know both parents (unless of course parental abuse was involved). In her hurt she thinks it's OK to hurt the children along with it, as long as she has her revenge. In that sense she is only thinking of herself and using the children as objects, as means to inflict her wrath on her husband. In that sense she acts the same as her husband only thinking of her needs and to hell with anybody else.
This to me was a big flaw in the movie even though I understand her wish to punish him, but in denying her kids their father, she's punishing them too and they never did anything to deserve this. She told him that they would forget him soon, well, sorry lady, that's just crap, a child never forgets a parent or stops missing one.
Still, as a wake up call to some men, the movie might serve a purpose.
Deceived (2002)
Satan on Short Wave
Only in the US would such a piece of horse manure be able to be made. I accidentally rented it as I was Deceived by the cover saying it was about receiving an ET signal, not so. Ok, I will try to type this with a straight face: It's a signal lasting 6.66 seconds and therefor originated from Satan. Only people with the brain matter of an amoebe would take this movie serious. Sorry, I'm trying to be respectful of people with a certain belief system, but after having undergone the excruciating stupidity of this movie I had to write "Jesus is coming: get wood and nails!" at least a dozen times on my living room walls to compensate for this retarded religious propaganda effort.
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
All is forgiven!
I hereby forgive Jeunet for his horrific trip to the Hollywood dungheap called "Alien 4", since just in time, before getting too contaminated, he has retraced his steps back to France and made the type of movie again that we all enjoyed so much before, even though this obviously is quite a step away as well from both Delicatessen and La cité des enfants perdus. Audrey Tatou (and no, she's no bloody Audrey Hepburn, Americans always try to claim something as their own; get a life and lose that inferiority complex, however well deserved) is simply magical in this movie and I only hope she can make movies after this without being identified with this part. Jeunet's direction is flawless and while his past movies leaned a bit towards stringing together a series of visual ideas, this time his creativity is completely subservient to the story and that's why this is his best film to date. Anybody who doesn't like this movie should check their heartbeat, because I'm sure they will find it missing.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Boo!
I originally saw this movie during a visit in the US and at the time quite enjoyed it. Of course a lot of hype was surrounding this movie, but if the audience member is willing to suspend disbelief and allow him- or herself to be taken by the hand by our three starting moviemakers, he/she will experience a spooky evening, that long afterwards will be remembered. It's a refreshing movie in a genre that according to some, to which I include myself, was walking on its last legs.
Negative publicity surrounding this movie was often aimed at the amateuristic filming, but to the viewer that enters the cinema open minded this only increases the sense of realism.
Of course, planning any outings involving hiking in woods immediately after seeing this movie I'd discourage, but that's just wimpy old me.
Cube (1997)
Sliced and diced
A well made and original sci-fi/horror movie and a shame it was never released in the regular cinemas in my country. Luckily it's been released by now both on video as well as on DVD.
The story involves a group of people that wake up in a construction made up only of cubes. They don't know how or why they ended up there except that they better get out since their captors didn't see fit to supply them with either food or drink. Each cube on each side is connected to another one and some can be entered safely, while others contain deadly booby traps of diverse nature, a fact pointed out to the viewer already in the spectacular opening scene. To put it mildly it is a risky undertaking that awaits the characters of mixed plumage and they'll need each other badly to complete their journey, if they can that is, which naturally I won't divulge.
The relationships between the characters are fascinating and include surprising developments that perhaps sometimes seem a bit far fetched and over the top, but they do raise the suspense in this low budget movie. The movie looks, especially in view of the low costs, very well and suspense is kept up right until the end.
As a first, this movie by Canadian director Vincenzo Natali shows great talent. For what it's worth, I'd recommend it to any horror/sci-fi afficionado.
The Avengers (1998)
Soulless dribble
Not even worth a rental, since it's a soulless mess, made by people who through using a lot of eye-candy try to cover up the fact that they understood very little indeed of the original series. Uma Thurman in no way looks unattractive, but naturally this does not save the movie. The problem lies in the fact that (among other things) the original series was typically character driven, held up by the charisma with which the performers illuminated the screen aside from the blissfully bizar plots. No special effects can make you forget this. Not for an instant you feel involved with the story and Sean Connery's must be on the list of most famous miss-casts of the decade. What a waste of such an actor.
Cat People (1942)
Credit where it's due
Why do Americans always refer to this movie as a Val Lewton movie? Are you afraid to admit that the creative genius behind it was a European called Tourneur? I mean, he directed it and his signature which was furthermore illustrated by brilliant works like "I walked with a zombie" and "Out of the past" should be enough to give the man credit where it's due. Having said this, the movie is a masterpiece of understatement and subtlety, always creating the fear and anxieties where they count: in the viewer's mind. The absolutely stunning use of light, a trademark of Tourneur, creates a spellbinding athmosphere that never lets the viewer off the hook (just think of the brilliant swimming pool scene). Tourneur's hand makes this movie the masterpiece it is: it's first and foremost a visual movie, dialogue plays a definite and very distant second role. In any other person's hand, for the sake of argument let's call him Paul Schrader, the movie would have been standard horror fare.