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Reviews
Day of the Dead: Bloodline (2017)
Extremely unlikeable protagonist
The illogical plot and terrible acting aside, the thing that bothered me most is how the scriptwriter and the crew actually intend for Zoe to be the protagonist and think that her reckless selfish irresponsible behavior is justifiable. She went to her old room (and spent some time taking photos) without telling the rest, endangering the whole team in the process, caused Franks's death and showed no shred of remorse when speaking with Frank's wife. The fact that only she can develop the vaccine is not the point here. From then on, I was rooting for the zombies for the rest of the movie.
Don't Go in the Woods (1981)
A bad "Bad movie"
This movie is more funny than scary, but I would have given it a higher score than 1 if it has been either funnier or scarier. Firstly, there is no plot whatsoever, just a series of scenes of people getting slaughtered by an unknown madman who got his just desserts in the end. Secondly, it is a pain to watch. The music is annoying and sporadic; most of the show occurs without any background music which may not be a bad thing in most cases, but with no suspense, flat acting, the lack of music just makes it even more dull. Granted there are some comedic moments, such as the dialog between the couple in a mobile home, but those aren't enough to save the film from its abysmal state. If you enjoy glaring illogical actions (such as a sheriff wandering in the forest on his own in search of the killer) and incredibly bad special effects (body stabbings looking more like poking on woodblocks - I'm not joking!) , then Don't Go in the Woods is for you. Otherwise, stay away from this horrifyingly terrible film.
Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage (2005)
Absolutely wonderful
I cannot judge much on the historical accuracy of this picture, but all I can say is this is by far one of the most touching movies I have watched in the year 2006. It traces the final days of Sophie Scholl, prominent leader of a peaceful anti-Nazi resistant movement known as the "White Rose" who was caught distributing anti-war pamphlets in her university, subsequently tried, found guilty and eventually executed together with a few other members.
WIthout much melodrama sans a few scenes, the movie captivates me throughout even though much of the show is simply dialog. The director succeeded in bringing out Sophie's nobility and willingness to die for her beliefs. The final moments are especially moving as Sophie, as well as her comrades, faced their impending doom courageously, with not a tinge of regret of what they did. Really highly recommended...
Wang-ui namja (2005)
Nice
Trust South Korea to produce nice tragedies again and again. First it was "Friend", then "Joint Security Area", and now "The King and the Clown", which is about two male clowns being arrested for staging a comedy which mocks the King, and would be spared the death sentence if they could humor the King as much as they did to the civilians. This sounds a little like "Brokeback Mountain" taking place in Korea, but the speech and behavior the two clowns have towards each other is carefully crafted that they make it look more like a case of brotherhood amongst them. However, that does not in any way dilutes the affections we see between the two male friends, which are incredibly genuine. It is this genuine affection that makes this such a touching show to watch. Also, this is not just romance; this has elements of a thriller and social commentary interwoven within the plot. And all these roll out just nicely and rightly paced. No wonder it becomes one of the biggest selling movies in Korea, despite its modest production cost.
Thank You for Smoking (2005)
A true gem
"Thank you for smoking" is not a big budget super blockbuster like the ones flooding our cinemas in recent weeks, but it is definitely an impressive gem worth a watch. Do not be misled by the title; this show takes on a neither pro nor anti-smoking stance. The show revolves around a persistent tobacco lobbyist trying to promote the act of "smoking", while at the same time having to deal with consequences, such as an equally persistent senator bent on crushing the whole tobacco industry, death threats, and general negative feelings of the people around him with regards to what he's doing.
"TYFS" does not delve deep into the issue of smoking; even the final "discussion" on whether to put graphic labels on cigarette packs is reduced to arguments that probably at high school level we will be able to bring out. But that is not the point; TYFS is not a satire on smoking, but rather on the art of arguments and persuasion. The tobacco lobbyist is not the only one who resorts to various fallacious means to promote his stance on smoking; the senator himself isn't portrayed in a positive light either, as seen in a hilarious scene where he harshly rebuked his representative for choosing a "healthy-looking" cancer boy to bring out the harmful effects of smoking to the public, which negates whatever impact he could have caused. As can be seen, thank you for smoking pokes fun at just almost anyone on both sides of the debate, including journalists, senators, and even Hollywood agents.
It is the tongue-in-cheek style that the show uses in its display of adult themes that makes it amusing to watch, in a guilty way. The whole black comedic atmosphere has already been set up right immediately after the beginning credits, and the humour ranges from the absolutely politically incorrect to the very occasional slapstick ones, which surprisingly end up being really funny as well. I am not a good judge of acting skill, but i am biased towards Maria Bello (simply love all the shows she stars in, and this one is no exception) Highly recommended!