Change Your Image
taylop9
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
Superb leads.
Although the headline plot is about some of the seedy parts of the London 'underclass' who live outside the system, behind that there is a love story between the two main characters Okwe and the charming Senay. Okwe starts the film cold and detached, but the fighting spirit and life of Senay finally gives him some emotion.
One of Frears themes is about when to stick up for your principles, and when to put them aside stick up for someone you love and I think it is handled well.
On the downside some of the minor characters are less good (the immigration officers are especially cliched) with the exception of Guo Yi, (one of Okwe's friends who has some of the best light-hearted lines), and I didn't especially like the cinematography.
However if you want to learn a little about what its really like to be an immigrant in London (and this film should be shown to those in other countries thinking the UK is a land of milk and honey) with two strong central characters to guide you then check it out.
Y tu mamá también (2001)
How road movies should be!
This excellent Mexican film is a frank and in places darkly humorous road trip/coming of age film. The acting from all three leads is superb, with the lead female Luisa offering the maturity of her character to temper the youthful lust of the two male leads, Tenoch and Julio. The director intertwines the themes of sex and death in an interesting way, with much social comment on the poverty in Mexico and the corrupt politicians (Tenochs father is a powerful member of the government).
This is a highly sexed film, with much explicit language, and this is a blessed relief from the often restrained language of Hollywood fare. As the three characters travel together across the Mexican landscapes Luisa ends up showing the young men just how little they really know about sex, each other and the world in general. The ending is a dark twist to proceedings but brings together all the themes nicely.
If you want to see an intelligent movie, with some superb acting and a novel take on the road movie, get hold of a copy.