Reviews: The Illusionist / This Film is Not Yet Rated / Kinky Boots
130. The Illusionist (2006)
( Warning: Gratuitous use of the word "twist" ahead! )
So I'm apparently the only one who didn't see the twist [1] coming, but even if you did, you have to admit that it's one of the better ones out there. Unlike many other films where there's a twist [2] for the sake of a twist [3], the twist [4] in The Illusionist fits in naturally with the theme. Personally, this is the best twist [5] I've seen in a movie since The Sixth Sense.
The directing is surprisingly good for a newbie, and captures the feel of an old B&W film from the movie's period without actually going B&W. And even though I found the score rather simple and blah, IT WON'T LEAVE MY HEAD! Arg!!! Bad music always stays with you the longest.
My only gripe is with the magic itself. While they eventually explain how many of the tricks are done, I'm pretty sure few of them would've been possible without computer support. Making you believe it's real is what makes magic so entertaining. Maybe they should've worked with some magic consultants to boost the realism of their tricks. Then afterwards, they could boost profits with a "How to Perform the Tricks of The Illusionist" tie-in book. :)
Honestly, I didn't find this movie *that* special till the twist [6] was revealed, which made me rethink the entire movie. THIS MOVIE DEMANDS A REWATCH! . . which I couldn't give it since the DVD was due back at the library the next day. For now, the twist [7] propels the movie to an: 8 out of 10 (But is the movie still good once you know the twist [8]? Hmm . .)
131. This Film is Not Yet Rated (2006)
I've been interested in the discrepancies of film ratings for years, and so this movie topped my must-see list last year. Sadly, it never came to Canada, but now that it's out on DVD, my curiosity can be satisfied . . sorta.
(Interesting to see who *isn't* there. Like I kinda expected Spielberg, and kinda didn't. I guess big, mainstream directors know their limit and play within it.)
There's just so many directors from the list that I would've loved to hear from and they could've interviewed but didn't: Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, Jack Nicholson (WTF??) . . Instead, most interviewed are indie directors talking about movies I've never heard of. You really need to know your indies well to really understand some of their examples (and avoid getting spoiled. I think I now know most of the surprises in Boys Don't Cry. >_< )
I've been complaining about this film a lot, but in actuality, I really enjoyed it. I love how the movie is so energetic. Before this, I thought documentaries were all suppose to be depressing looking, like "Good God look at this awful tragedy! NOO!!" but here, Kirby's all, "Let's go get 'em, Scooby!!" And I just love the scene where they finally succeed -- the victory music is fantastic!
My favorite moments involved the private detective. In all the movies I've seen, private detectives are always played by men, so it was interesting seeing a single mom doing the investigating. She's such a smart, wonderful lady, and her undercover tactics are brilliant and put Bourne to shame. I'm so glad Kirby hired her.
So yeah, great documentary, helped me get a better idea of what was going on, and if one of the goals was to make me hate Jack Valenti, they more than succeeded. Sure, there's much more that could've been said, but maybe Kirby's saving that for another movie. Personally, I'd love to see him go after the RIAA or ESRB next. ;) 8 out of 10 Good God, that was a long-winded review. Then again, good documentaries make you want to talk a lot about it, right?
132. Kinky Boots (2006)
Ever since I saw the highly entertaining "Stranger than Fiction," which was nominated by the Foreign Press but ignored by the Academy, I've been watching many Golden Globe-only films for more overlooked gems. Kinky Boots is close to gem-level. It's inspiring, it's got heart, it's got sharp dialog, particularly from Lola. And I learned quite a bit about shoe making too.
Sadly, it follows the trend of most comedies by being NOT FUNNY. Not that it doesn't try . . it's just another case of me knowing when I was *suppose* to laugh . . and not laughing. Not sure why because I *think* the jokes were mostly fresh. Maybe it's because of . .
1. British humor. Besides Monty Python, I just find it hard to get for some reason.
2. Cross dressing humor. I don't get it either. To its credit, at least the story revolved around a real transvestite, rather than someone who's temporarily pretending to be one for personal gain, ie. Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire.
And being about a drag queen nightclub, the movie is overflowing with songs, but none of them clicked with me. So good movie, but my search for a true gem continues. 6 out of 10
( Warning: Gratuitous use of the word "twist" ahead! )
So I'm apparently the only one who didn't see the twist [1] coming, but even if you did, you have to admit that it's one of the better ones out there. Unlike many other films where there's a twist [2] for the sake of a twist [3], the twist [4] in The Illusionist fits in naturally with the theme. Personally, this is the best twist [5] I've seen in a movie since The Sixth Sense.
The directing is surprisingly good for a newbie, and captures the feel of an old B&W film from the movie's period without actually going B&W. And even though I found the score rather simple and blah, IT WON'T LEAVE MY HEAD! Arg!!! Bad music always stays with you the longest.
My only gripe is with the magic itself. While they eventually explain how many of the tricks are done, I'm pretty sure few of them would've been possible without computer support. Making you believe it's real is what makes magic so entertaining. Maybe they should've worked with some magic consultants to boost the realism of their tricks. Then afterwards, they could boost profits with a "How to Perform the Tricks of The Illusionist" tie-in book. :)
Honestly, I didn't find this movie *that* special till the twist [6] was revealed, which made me rethink the entire movie. THIS MOVIE DEMANDS A REWATCH! . . which I couldn't give it since the DVD was due back at the library the next day. For now, the twist [7] propels the movie to an: 8 out of 10 (But is the movie still good once you know the twist [8]? Hmm . .)
131. This Film is Not Yet Rated (2006)
I've been interested in the discrepancies of film ratings for years, and so this movie topped my must-see list last year. Sadly, it never came to Canada, but now that it's out on DVD, my curiosity can be satisfied . . sorta.
- So now I know the names of the MPAA members . . now what? Like the Al Gore movie, he tells you all this info about the problem, but not much about what you can DO to fix the problem.
- I wish director Kirby Dick pulled a Sicko and compared film ratings from other countries with the U.S., which I'm really interested to know more about. In recent years, I've found Canada's ratings quite liberal in particular . . an R rated movie sometimes gets a PG in Canada.
- The film focuses primarily on R to NC17, but I'm also really interested in PG-13 to R. I often see "R" movies that look PG-13, and PG-13 movies that look "R". Wazzupwitdat?? No answers in this film, which devotes an entire 5 seconds on PG-13.
- Sometimes, I actually *agreed* with the MPAA because some of the directors got really over-the-top, defending scenes of anal rape and defecation which seems above the average "R" to me. Maybe NC-17 should be the new R, and "old R" should be something in-between PG-13 and "new R." Also, add some ESRB descriptions underneath so I can avoid movies with gratuitous poop sex. ;) ( BTW, John Waters scares me. In any other job, he's be called a pervert, but as a director, he's called a genius. ;) )
(Interesting to see who *isn't* there. Like I kinda expected Spielberg, and kinda didn't. I guess big, mainstream directors know their limit and play within it.)
There's just so many directors from the list that I would've loved to hear from and they could've interviewed but didn't: Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, Jack Nicholson (WTF??) . . Instead, most interviewed are indie directors talking about movies I've never heard of. You really need to know your indies well to really understand some of their examples (and avoid getting spoiled. I think I now know most of the surprises in Boys Don't Cry. >_< )
I've been complaining about this film a lot, but in actuality, I really enjoyed it. I love how the movie is so energetic. Before this, I thought documentaries were all suppose to be depressing looking, like "Good God look at this awful tragedy! NOO!!" but here, Kirby's all, "Let's go get 'em, Scooby!!" And I just love the scene where they finally succeed -- the victory music is fantastic!
My favorite moments involved the private detective. In all the movies I've seen, private detectives are always played by men, so it was interesting seeing a single mom doing the investigating. She's such a smart, wonderful lady, and her undercover tactics are brilliant and put Bourne to shame. I'm so glad Kirby hired her.
So yeah, great documentary, helped me get a better idea of what was going on, and if one of the goals was to make me hate Jack Valenti, they more than succeeded. Sure, there's much more that could've been said, but maybe Kirby's saving that for another movie. Personally, I'd love to see him go after the RIAA or ESRB next. ;) 8 out of 10 Good God, that was a long-winded review. Then again, good documentaries make you want to talk a lot about it, right?
132. Kinky Boots (2006)
Ever since I saw the highly entertaining "Stranger than Fiction," which was nominated by the Foreign Press but ignored by the Academy, I've been watching many Golden Globe-only films for more overlooked gems. Kinky Boots is close to gem-level. It's inspiring, it's got heart, it's got sharp dialog, particularly from Lola. And I learned quite a bit about shoe making too.
Sadly, it follows the trend of most comedies by being NOT FUNNY. Not that it doesn't try . . it's just another case of me knowing when I was *suppose* to laugh . . and not laughing. Not sure why because I *think* the jokes were mostly fresh. Maybe it's because of . .
1. British humor. Besides Monty Python, I just find it hard to get for some reason.
2. Cross dressing humor. I don't get it either. To its credit, at least the story revolved around a real transvestite, rather than someone who's temporarily pretending to be one for personal gain, ie. Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire.
And being about a drag queen nightclub, the movie is overflowing with songs, but none of them clicked with me. So good movie, but my search for a true gem continues. 6 out of 10