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Shaph
Reviews
Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Fun, Thought-Provoking look at Tobacco and Spin.
"Thank You For Smoking" is a fun-filled satire of spin doctors with the backdrop of an easy target: the tobacco industry.
The plot of the film revolves around Nick Naylor, top spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies, whose job is to convince America that cigarettes and smoking is acceptable. Throughout the film he undergoes moral dilemma, an attack of conscience, and a person who wants him dead for spreading the tobacco gospel.
The film is deeper than the typical smoking debates, though. The real power of the film lies in the impartial critiques of BOTH sides of the issue, focusing on the differing amounts of spin each side presents to sway the American public to side with their cause. This part of the film is very thought-provoking and is perhaps one of the two great strengths this film presents. At the end of the film, you might find yourself questioning both sides.
The other strength lies in the supporting cast. Katie Holmes plays an excellent journalist hoping for a big bombshell story. William Macy plays an excellent foil to Aaron Eckhart's Naylor in Senator Finistirre, a man who will stop at nothing and try everything to break the tobacco industry. Rob Lowe, however, might have the best scenes in the movie as the quirky talent agent to the stars.
The script is filled with many moments of dark humor which might not rub everyone the right way. But its placement fits with the critique of the spin doctors so while not always funny it's at least understandable.
Additionally, the film is short so at times the dialogue feels rushed. Some of the humor and plot points are tough to follow. Overall, though, the film flows well.
"Thank You For Smoking" is certainly worth a view or two. It's thought-provoking, funny, and well-acted. has some excellent acting throughout the film.
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Solid Movie for Kids & Adults
Perhaps this is a bit biased, for I loved W & G as a kid, but I was also kind of worried that this movie might not measure up to the shows of old.
Luckily I was wrong.
The humor is sharp, clever, and the jokes span from kiddie pranks to adult humor. The townsfolk are hilarious and the attention to detail is quite impressive. Sallis is solid as usual, but Fiennes and Bonham Carter both give excellent voices to their respective characters. Most notably, Fiennes really gave his character a sinister feel with his voice.
The one problem of this film is that it feels a bit rushed at times, especially during some of the action sequences, which makes them a little clunky.
I certainly recommend it. For pretty much anybody.
9/10.
La marche de l'empereur (2005)
Using Penguins to Celebrate Life, and Succeeding!
Parents, if you plan on taking your kids to this film, be prepared for the possibility of a talk afterward. A talk about the ways of life, death, and nature. And incredible movies.
"March of the Penguins" is simply amazing. The movie shines not only as a documentary but also through its personification of the subject matter: Penguins! And their trek from the oceans to their breeding grounds on the frozen abyss of Antarctica.
The camera-work is solid, and the choice of Morgan Freeman as narrator is wise. His voice adds an element of comfort through scenes of survival against ridiculous odds. Most importantly, this documentary does not focus solely on the narrator or the camera, but effectively balances spoken word with majestic photography to captivate the audience throughout the film. The musical score is strong as well.
The footage of the penguins themselves evokes the normal responses one might expect. Many a time an audience member could be heard saying "Awwww..." or "Wow, they're so cute!" As much happiness as these images evoked, still as effective was Jacquet's attention to the survival side of the penguins' journey. All of the dangers are presented: old age, falcons (or maybe vultures, I couldn't figure out what type of bird it was), seals, even exposing the egg to the cold, all of the different ways nature acts to control penguin populations are documented. The conflicting forces give the film a strong tension, helping us root for the penguins to overcome their trials.
The personification of the penguins, though, might be the most memorable parts of the movie. Scenes of female penguins fighting over male penguins, penguins bickering and remaining faithful to their mates, father and mother penguins teaching their child the sound of their call, to the penguins understanding and coping with the death of their chicks (including a scene where one female penguin attempts to steal another chick after losing her own) allow the penguins to almost become human. The concept of sacrifice for the good of the children is undeniably powerful: Both mother and father go for months without food, the father even doing most of the incubating. The lengths the parents go for the children strikes a strong chord.
In the end, a wonderful film. But if your children are curious and impressionable, be ready for that talk. About life, death, nature, and why doing things in the name of love and family are some of the greatest things in the world.
The Aristocrats (2005)
Almost an incredible film...
After seeing "The Aristocrats" I found myself wondering if I truly enjoyed a film about the craziest joke in the world. The answer: Almost.
The film itself centers around a single premise: A joke with the punch line "The Aristocrats!" has existed for a long time, and many different comedians tell their versions and try to explain why the joke is funny, allowing reflection on what makes this particular joke so memorable and humorous.
Don't get me wrong. There are parts of this movie where I was having difficulty breathing due to the humor and the telling of "the joke." Some of the deliveries were flawless, executed with the aggressiveness and impartial judgment that have made some comedians famous.
But some comedians I didn't find funny. And their telling of "the joke" created another feeling inside me: How much longer is he going to try to make me laugh? And the problem here is that these parts of the movie are just very difficult to sit through. Using foul language and references to numerous taboos is one thing, but it hurts to listen to a comedian do it badly.
Ultimately, the comedians do a good job of explaining some of the finer nuances of "the joke", comedy in general, and its place in our lives. But the film spends more time on each comedians' angle with "the joke" than the development of why the joke is great. And I think the movie suffered from it. Listening to the philosophy of "the joke" was great; listening to bad comics preach the scripture was unbearable.
So the dilemma was created: I thought I enjoyed the film afterward, but I didn't know. After careful deliberation, I gave it a 7, losing 3 stars through the lack of developing more comedic philosophy and for the sometimes painfully unfunny moments a movie like this has in it.
Tales of Symphonia (2003)
Proof that RPGs can still be great...
For a long time, I've waited for an RPG that cared as much about the actual storyline and character development as it cared about graphics and badass moves.
Enter Tales of Symphonia.
For the first time since some of the FF series comes a game that combines beautiful graphics and badass moves with an intense storyline that holds you throughout the many hours of gameplay offered.
While I could go on for a long time about the game's great control, battle system, and graphics, the true gem of this game lies in the dark, twisted, gripping character development. All nine of the playable characters have undergone tests, trials, heartache, and tragedy throughout their lives, and through spoken line and flashback cut scenes the game conveys emotion better than many of the movies out there.
The plot of the game itself pulls from history and religion: A race of half-elves known as the Desians plague the land of Sylvarant, and it is up to your band of young adventurers to lead Colette, the Chosen, through a process known as the Trial of Regeneration, wherein she will be sacrificed to regenerate and save the world. The Desians could easily be mistaken for the Nazi Regime as cut scenes of their human prisoners being worked, whipped, kicked, and led off on conveyor belts to their deaths create a hatred for this race. So don't expect Namco to hold off on potentially controversial imagery. But if only the plot were this simple...
In the end, as RPGs do go, the world will be saved. But Tales of Symphonia will make you feel scorn, betrayal, shock, and countless other emotions until the final riveting ending sequence. While the game may draw on simple corny sayings (and also quip about them during the game)you will find yourself trying to get to the next section of the game much like trying to finish up a well-written book.
Because that what Tales of Symphonia does to you. It lets you do your badass moves and draws you into potentially the best plot and character development seen on an RPG yet.
Easily a 10 out of 10.
Mindhunters (2004)
Silly, but fun indeed!
So how good are you at predicting human behavior?
The premise of the film is clever (FBI profilers try to survive on an island where random watches determine the time the next victim shall appear) but the real beauty of the film is its notable fast pace which keeps you right in the middle of the Mindhunters' thought processes as they too try to figure out how to survive. This might be the strength of "Mindhunters" as very little drag time occurs.
The dialogue has its problems but overall is not terrible, including some good dark humor created naturally through the stress imposed on the characters. Some scenes which are used to heighten tension in the movie become a bit distracting early on (such as the shower scene, which was totally unnecessary IMHO). The sets and camera work are solid; nothing bad really jumps out at you in these areas, at least.
People will walk out of the film and say that the film is predictable, and this is somewhat true. But many predictable films are still quite good and fun to watch (Apollo 13 anybody?). So is the case for "Mindhunters". It's more of a suspense film than anything with a little bit of horror mixed in, and overall accomplishes its goal to entertain.
So as you leave, ask yourself exactly how many of the traps you predicted, how many caught you off guard, and if you were able to profile the killer before the profilers could. The big question I still have and debate with my friends is whether or not the killer can even be called a "serial killer". But I'll let you all decide.