movies of week 4.
What a mixed bag of movies last week.
Afgrunden
I saw this in class, obviously. I don't search for 1910's Danish cinema just for kicks. This is the debut of the legendary Asta Nielsen but makes me really appreciate the development of cinema. I'm sorry but early cinema sometimes doesn't remind me of cinema at all. It's just snapshots of scenes, without the narrative devices they learned in the 1920's I find it tough to grasp a story, get any feel of the characters. I don't know why it's so hard, but it is. Which is why the depth of Afgrunden and its "urban female character who takes control of her own sexual identity" totally escapes me. And how am I supposed to rate Asta Nielsen's acting and her expression when I can hardly see her face? I'll admit the cowboy dance scene was racy - and embarrassing.
Guru
Now here's an odd movie. It's generally well-made. It has flaws, but some of these flaws I actually really like (unnecessary plot threads & songs that could well be removed without the movie losing much). It has some excellent performances, like Abhishek in the lead, a likable, mannerism-free avatar of Aishwarya and top-shape Madhavan. The soundtrack kicks ass in typical A.R. Rahman style. So what lacks? The message is the one that will rub some people off in a big way. Some will not care - some will understand why Mani chose to tell this story in the way he did. A lot is just to do with perspective. So in a way it's one of those "Indian" films that Indian audiences will not see a problem with as much as Western viewers might. But superficially viewed it's a fantastic movie; I'm getting the DVD, definitely.
Kannathil Muthamittal
After Guru I had the biggest craving for a Maddy movie and gladly I had this Mani Ratnam directed Tamil movie starring him and Simran. This was indeed good enough to satisfy that craving and well-made overall, one of Madhavan's top performances, too, but a movie about an adopted girl where the child actor annoys the viewer is bound to disappoint in some way. Indeed, the adult cast of Madhavan, Simran, Nandita Das and Prakash Raj were the best thing about this movie. I just had no sympathy for the kid, which is why the film failed to emotionally engage me. But then I look at scruffy Maddy and decide not to care. Soundtrack was partly awesome, too, but the Ayngaran DVD a disappointment - where are song lyrics? Why the huge logo? Gah!
Art of Seduction
A South-Korean romantic comedy with a cute premise (two players go up against each to see who ends up seducing who in the end) that fails to provide the romance while it successfully brings forth the comedy. I must be really spoiled by Bollywood romance or even Asian dramas, both which provide touching romantic stories that entertain me for hours and occasionally even make me cry. But how difficult is it to put one or two cute moments into a supposedly romantic movie? This movie was such a letdown. In the end I couldn't see any character development in it, either. The character motivations were also obscure. Gah.
Love Me Not
If I was puzzled by Art of Seduction, I was even more confused on what to think about Love Me Not. I really wanted to see this movie as it was like the Korean Fanaa - she's blind, he's a bad bad man and pretends to be somebody he isn't, her long-lost brother to be exact. Now, if we put aside the questionable premise of the pretending to be brother-sister, there's something wrong with this movie that I can't quite figure out. Is it the character of Julian, so bad he comes off as somewhat unsympathetic? But he really did love Min, and I really felt it, and the actress playing Min (fantastic Moon Geung-yeong) had a stunning performance. Is it, in the end, all about the relationship that starts off with pretend siblinghood? I had some questions in my head, some confusions I just couldn't make sense of. I don't know what to make of this movie, really. On the other hand, touching, wonderfully angsty romance. On the other hand, not, confusing & disjointed. Ending a WTF. Maybe I need to rewatch but somehow, I doubt I ever will.
I hope my Korean movie order gets here this week.
Afgrunden
I saw this in class, obviously. I don't search for 1910's Danish cinema just for kicks. This is the debut of the legendary Asta Nielsen but makes me really appreciate the development of cinema. I'm sorry but early cinema sometimes doesn't remind me of cinema at all. It's just snapshots of scenes, without the narrative devices they learned in the 1920's I find it tough to grasp a story, get any feel of the characters. I don't know why it's so hard, but it is. Which is why the depth of Afgrunden and its "urban female character who takes control of her own sexual identity" totally escapes me. And how am I supposed to rate Asta Nielsen's acting and her expression when I can hardly see her face? I'll admit the cowboy dance scene was racy - and embarrassing.
Guru
Now here's an odd movie. It's generally well-made. It has flaws, but some of these flaws I actually really like (unnecessary plot threads & songs that could well be removed without the movie losing much). It has some excellent performances, like Abhishek in the lead, a likable, mannerism-free avatar of Aishwarya and top-shape Madhavan. The soundtrack kicks ass in typical A.R. Rahman style. So what lacks? The message is the one that will rub some people off in a big way. Some will not care - some will understand why Mani chose to tell this story in the way he did. A lot is just to do with perspective. So in a way it's one of those "Indian" films that Indian audiences will not see a problem with as much as Western viewers might. But superficially viewed it's a fantastic movie; I'm getting the DVD, definitely.
Kannathil Muthamittal
After Guru I had the biggest craving for a Maddy movie and gladly I had this Mani Ratnam directed Tamil movie starring him and Simran. This was indeed good enough to satisfy that craving and well-made overall, one of Madhavan's top performances, too, but a movie about an adopted girl where the child actor annoys the viewer is bound to disappoint in some way. Indeed, the adult cast of Madhavan, Simran, Nandita Das and Prakash Raj were the best thing about this movie. I just had no sympathy for the kid, which is why the film failed to emotionally engage me. But then I look at scruffy Maddy and decide not to care. Soundtrack was partly awesome, too, but the Ayngaran DVD a disappointment - where are song lyrics? Why the huge logo? Gah!
Art of Seduction
A South-Korean romantic comedy with a cute premise (two players go up against each to see who ends up seducing who in the end) that fails to provide the romance while it successfully brings forth the comedy. I must be really spoiled by Bollywood romance or even Asian dramas, both which provide touching romantic stories that entertain me for hours and occasionally even make me cry. But how difficult is it to put one or two cute moments into a supposedly romantic movie? This movie was such a letdown. In the end I couldn't see any character development in it, either. The character motivations were also obscure. Gah.
Love Me Not
If I was puzzled by Art of Seduction, I was even more confused on what to think about Love Me Not. I really wanted to see this movie as it was like the Korean Fanaa - she's blind, he's a bad bad man and pretends to be somebody he isn't, her long-lost brother to be exact. Now, if we put aside the questionable premise of the pretending to be brother-sister, there's something wrong with this movie that I can't quite figure out. Is it the character of Julian, so bad he comes off as somewhat unsympathetic? But he really did love Min, and I really felt it, and the actress playing Min (fantastic Moon Geung-yeong) had a stunning performance. Is it, in the end, all about the relationship that starts off with pretend siblinghood? I had some questions in my head, some confusions I just couldn't make sense of. I don't know what to make of this movie, really. On the other hand, touching, wonderfully angsty romance. On the other hand, not, confusing & disjointed. Ending a WTF. Maybe I need to rewatch but somehow, I doubt I ever will.
I hope my Korean movie order gets here this week.