Five films
Capote is probably the most well-done film I've seen in a very long time. The story is absolutely fascinating; I really love how Capote set out to write a non-fiction book that was just as compelling and interesting as a novel, and his own story ended up being so beautifully tragic that it seems like it could have only come from fiction. All the technical aspects of this film - the cinematography, the acting, the attention to detail - were amazing, and they all contribute to its fineness, but in the end it's the powerful story that really makes it.
Transamerica is my other favourite. It manages to stay light despite having some very heavy subject matter, so it's a really feel-good film done in the best possible way. The transgender issues are what gets the attention, but ultimately it's a fairly simple story about family, which is something that all of us can identify with.
I saw this for the Dendy film course I'm taking, and the guest speaker was the manager of the Sydney Gender Centre. A lot of points I hadn't ever considered were brought up. In order for a transgendered person to be approved for sex-change surgery, they have to undergo very extensive psychiatric and medical evaluation, get approval from several different specialists, and wait years for it to happen. When you contrast this with other forms of cosmetic surgery - boob jobs, face lifts, liposuction - where you can have them done on a whim even as a teenager, it seems almost criminally unjust. Because of the difficulties with getting approval for sex changes and the fact that some people are rejected, some transgendered individuals will resort to mutilating their own genitals. When I heard this, I felt like it was something I should have already known about, or at least figured out on my own. Obviously, these topics are not discussed outside of transgendered communities, but they're something that definitely need to be brought out into the open and addressed.
That was a bit of a tangent, but I guess my point is that this film will let you into a world you may not have otherwise ever pondered. It's important for that reason, but it's also just a charming little story done really well.
Brokeback Mountain was fairly disappointing for me. I should have known, but after all that hype, I was really expecting something breath-taking. I feel like I got a pretty typical Hollywood film about relationships that often turn out to be Oscar nominees. It's all done well and everything, but it just wasn't nearly as interesting as I wanted it to be, and it was downright boring sometimes. I was also annoyed with Heath Ledger because often, I couldn't understand a word he was saying, he was mumbling so. I also have a minor complaint with the way that every time these two men were affectionate with each other, they were so forceful. I can see where the reasoning behind this could be, and it's probably valid enough, but I found it a bit off-putting, as if they are two rough cowboy men so they can't ever be gentle with each other, even in love. I guess I'm focusing on the negative stuff only because I was really expecting it to be something more than it was. Overall, it is worth seeing, and it's worth praising. It's just been overdone.
I have been meaning to see Garden State ever since it came out, and for various reasons, didn't get around to it until last week. This was another over-hyped one which ended up being a disappointment as a result. It definitely had some good parts, but it seemed messy and directionless at times, and it was ultimately pretty unsatisfying. I don't really have very strong feelings one way or the other, though, so I don't have much to say about it.
Match Point is the first Woody Allen film I've ever seen. I'm told it's not a typical Woody Allen film, being British and his first movie ever set outside of New York, and not containing a neurotic, paranoid character. The audience and discussion after the film was largely negative, since Allen carries a stigma around with him. It had its faults, but it also definitely had its merits, and it was interesting enough. It was a good film to discuss, actually, and maybe the discussion outshines the actual film. There are some juicy moral issues and topics of human behaviour and class and psychology and justice to be pondered. Those are always good.
Transamerica is my other favourite. It manages to stay light despite having some very heavy subject matter, so it's a really feel-good film done in the best possible way. The transgender issues are what gets the attention, but ultimately it's a fairly simple story about family, which is something that all of us can identify with.
I saw this for the Dendy film course I'm taking, and the guest speaker was the manager of the Sydney Gender Centre. A lot of points I hadn't ever considered were brought up. In order for a transgendered person to be approved for sex-change surgery, they have to undergo very extensive psychiatric and medical evaluation, get approval from several different specialists, and wait years for it to happen. When you contrast this with other forms of cosmetic surgery - boob jobs, face lifts, liposuction - where you can have them done on a whim even as a teenager, it seems almost criminally unjust. Because of the difficulties with getting approval for sex changes and the fact that some people are rejected, some transgendered individuals will resort to mutilating their own genitals. When I heard this, I felt like it was something I should have already known about, or at least figured out on my own. Obviously, these topics are not discussed outside of transgendered communities, but they're something that definitely need to be brought out into the open and addressed.
That was a bit of a tangent, but I guess my point is that this film will let you into a world you may not have otherwise ever pondered. It's important for that reason, but it's also just a charming little story done really well.
Brokeback Mountain was fairly disappointing for me. I should have known, but after all that hype, I was really expecting something breath-taking. I feel like I got a pretty typical Hollywood film about relationships that often turn out to be Oscar nominees. It's all done well and everything, but it just wasn't nearly as interesting as I wanted it to be, and it was downright boring sometimes. I was also annoyed with Heath Ledger because often, I couldn't understand a word he was saying, he was mumbling so. I also have a minor complaint with the way that every time these two men were affectionate with each other, they were so forceful. I can see where the reasoning behind this could be, and it's probably valid enough, but I found it a bit off-putting, as if they are two rough cowboy men so they can't ever be gentle with each other, even in love. I guess I'm focusing on the negative stuff only because I was really expecting it to be something more than it was. Overall, it is worth seeing, and it's worth praising. It's just been overdone.
I have been meaning to see Garden State ever since it came out, and for various reasons, didn't get around to it until last week. This was another over-hyped one which ended up being a disappointment as a result. It definitely had some good parts, but it seemed messy and directionless at times, and it was ultimately pretty unsatisfying. I don't really have very strong feelings one way or the other, though, so I don't have much to say about it.
Match Point is the first Woody Allen film I've ever seen. I'm told it's not a typical Woody Allen film, being British and his first movie ever set outside of New York, and not containing a neurotic, paranoid character. The audience and discussion after the film was largely negative, since Allen carries a stigma around with him. It had its faults, but it also definitely had its merits, and it was interesting enough. It was a good film to discuss, actually, and maybe the discussion outshines the actual film. There are some juicy moral issues and topics of human behaviour and class and psychology and justice to be pondered. Those are always good.