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Reviews
Hook (1991)
The Tale Of Sir... Spielberg
To sum up, I enjoyed this movie very much !
Of course, if you try to analyze it like another movie, you shall be disappointed because of it's very simplistic moral...
But if you consider this as a tale and watch it as you were reading a tale when you were a child, then, all the magic comes up ! That's where Spielberg is excellent : he has worked on the story as a tale, and successfully adapted it to the screen... Imagine how hard it is to adapt such a tale ! Look at the colors, the movements, the dialogs, the characters... Yep, definitely, this movie is really well done and has even something magic. I gave it 8. Certainly it's a bit long for children (more than two hours) but I'm sure that children would totally love it !
Avalon (2001)
A very different must-see movie
To start, I'll say that Avalon is one of my favorite movie, because it has quite no flaws in every aspect.
Now, let's develop ! First, I'll say that this movie has nothing to be compared to Matrix. The universes are really different and the plot also : Avalon is supposed to be a game and not the fake reality that machines built for us. To my opinion, if there is one movie to be compared to Avalon, it is "La Jetée" (The Pier) by Chris Marker.
The colors are superb and the large amount of visual FX are innovative and very story-driven : they are not here to distract you from a poor script like in many FX-driven movies. The story is very complete, and what a marvelous idea to locate the movie in Poland. It adds a unique atmosphere to the whole film : sets, music, actors,... So many good details (the dog, the fixed people, the starving gamer, the arthurian symbols...). This scenario is an example of creativity and story-telling.
Next, the actors : they are very well chosen, the character of Ash being more and more interesting with its "fire and ice" aspect : strong in the game, broken in life. Again, the choice of Polish actors is a great idea as they don't "overact" in front of the cam, unlike many American actors do (sorry!).
Next, the music. I was fan of Kenji Kawai's previous works, but there, I've been stunned : Avalon is probably one of the best original soundtrack. So various, so well arranged and recorded. This alone justifies the fact that if you love independent, creative movies, Avalon is a must-see.
Nankyoku monogatari (1983)
A unique and moving film...
I've watched this movie when I was 9 with my classmates. I remember everyone cried when going out the theater... I've watched it again some years later, and I must confess that this is unique movie, with no real equivalent. It's not really a movie, not really a documentary on how several dogs try to escape from Antartica where they've been accidentaly abandonned by a scientific expedition. This movie is highly tragic because very few of them will survive. You don't see them really die on the screen, you just see them *disappear* when their fate is sealed with death, only their name and age is displayed. And that's what makes this movie so moving, and so clever in the narration.
Last but not least : the outstanding continous score is written by Vangelis and is perfect in it's cold/warm synthetizers mood.
I really recommend everyone to see this movie, it's a unique experience, and then buy the score to remember the magnificient pictures and landscapes. Perhaps it's too dark for a child, otherwise you will have to buy him a husky dog puppet to avoid continuous cries and nightmares...