Film Review

About

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:22:00 +0000

filmfavorite.blogspot.com is a film review blog that includes films you want to watch again and again and will not be tired of. These films are not just for entertainment, but also inspire you.
Apart from hot Hollywood films, the blog includes some outstanding foreign films especially French films, also some disputable films like Brokeback Mountain, and some other great family films for both kids and grown-ups.
Besides, the blog shows appreciation for some potentially remarkable film stars like AnnaSophia.

Movie vs. Reality

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:43:00 +0000

You enjoy staying home in front of a TV watching your favorite show or DVD with a bunch of junk food alone or with a mate; you enjoy going to cinema watching a movie with more entertaining sound and image effect to help your imagination fly; you watched a lot of stories places people in various movies; you watched different cultures in foreign movies. You experience colorful life in your imagination. Of course, some day, you would like to visit a place you saw in a movie. You need some exercises to burn the junk food too!
Asia, the East, is always a mystery; Europe, is cozy and romantic with ancient historic feel; go to grand Rocky Mountains to understand a gay's deep love story composed in "Brokeback Mountain"; explore snow white tranquil Quebec city in winter; enjoy the splendid famous Los Angeles; and of course, encounter a dream lover in the most romantic city Paris. Why not book a trip to a place you dream about and embrace it for real?
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Terabithia

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:28:00 +0000

I went to watch the movie "Bridge to Terabithia" because I read this New Berry Awarded book and was really touched by this excellent book written for middle school children.

The bridge to the friendship between Jess and Leslie in the book was mainly reflected by the description of Jess' thoughts since he is a very introverted boy. I was moved again and again by the way how the author delicately wrote about their friendship. I can only use the phrase "it's just so much" to summarize how I feel. It's like an endless eternity, their profound friendship, even such an outstanding writer couldn't show you all and left you broad space to feel, to relate, to imagine, to realize, to understand. It's not only for children. It's not a perfect angelic type book but it's deep enough for you to think to enjoy. The only part I was trying to avoid was the tragedy.

The goodness of the movie is that it softened the tragedy and strengthened a more positive view. It's probably due to the modern film making technology. The book and the movie are like a best match. The movie put the imagination into reality in front of your eyes. The book was written early in 1970s. What have Terabithia been in the author's eyes at that time?

When I read the book I liked Leslie already, however, it's still an enchanting surprise when I saw the role performed by AnnaSophia. In the book Leslie has brown hair, and in the movie, she is a blonde. The role is more beautiful than I imagined. It's amazing to see such a young yet mature and potential movie star. The followings are the unforgettable scenes of the movie and the film maker made them so beautiful:

Leslie jumped across through a rope to Terabithia - the kingdom of Jess and Leslie in their heart:

Leslie was so happy to feel the freedom in the kingdom:

Leslie was looking at Terabithia from the top of the tree:

Jess and Leslie were looking at the Terabithia from the top of the tree. Leslie said, close your eyes, keep your mind wide open.

Here goes the imaginary Terabithia vividly right in front of your eyes through film maker's recreation. That's the best part of the film making; it helps your dreams come true and this recreation of the book also lessened the tragic sense and brought audience a more positive one.

Last smile of Leslie remains on my mind. When Jess and Leslie ran back home in the rain, Leslie was turning her head and smiling, "see you" and then disappeared in the rain. How could Jess know in advance that that moment would be the last goodbye with Leslie? The film maker especially made the moment still for a few seconds but it's still too short. It's so beautiful. It does help ignore the tragic feeling. Yes, why should we forget? We could just remember those beautiful moments; Jess will always remember.

Movie is always a recreation of the original book; that's why most movies are "better" than the original novels, especially when the film maker is more literature oriented and enriches the movies with more terrific dialogs as I mentioned in Happy Pie. However, I would say, Bridge to Terabithia, the book and the movies are equally good and without the book there wouldn't be this movie. If I were the film maker, I would translate Jess' thoughts of the book into monologues to lead the entire movie, because this is the best part of the book; that's the very reason for the book to succeed, to make reader understand the depth of the friendship. Yes, that's what the movie vitally lacks, nevertheless, I like to hear kids say, I prefer the book; in this way, they will still be active readers and intelligent, and the literature will keep staying.

As a grown-up, even I wish to hold such a kingdom in my heart and I would also name it Terabithia.

Happy Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 03:03:00 +0000

I'm recently watching a Chinese TV series called "Pass by Happiness". It's based on a novel called "Happy Pie". I fix the schedule watching it. When I compared it with the novel, I started to understand how great a filmmaker can be. A novel forms basis of a story; it may be meaningful; it may be beautiful, however, the dialogs in a film are usually based on the script or even more than that, and often times, they are the key sources of the story's being wonderful. It seems, films, in a way, are more expressive than novels; what's more, it seems, filmmakers are able to understand and dig deeper than novelists in SOME way. I keep watching this series, not because of its story; it's a common entertaining story about love and marriage. It doesn't really matter if you miss some part of the plot, and the story goes on and on. You watch it as an onlooker, and look at the main characters to see how their feelings offer you some kinds of emotion at some moments. However, when the series forward, I start to feel something more than just a story stronger and stronger day after day. It's not a perfect TV series; it doesn't have amazingly pretty women combined with amazingly outstanding performance. Nevertheless, the dialogs are great! There is wisdom inside, inside filmmaker's mind. The filmmaker created a role who was not in the original novel and I'm well impressed by this wise woman. I start to be aware that I am actually watching this woman, her wisdom; the actress is not amazingly pretty (but at least refreshingly nice) it doesn't matter for me who plays the role; I'm watching the role but not the actress.

Illustrated by Stickman--stickman galore!

Some sample dialogs for you to share (can't list all, otherwise I have to tell of the whole story - some conversations are very plot related)
Both conversations are between the wise woman and an artist whose talent she appreciates. The artist is working for the woman; they are like good friends, sister and brother. The artist is in love with another married woman.
First conversation:
The artist: Do you believe that there is a feeling that surpasses love?
The woman: What is it?
The artist: It's called "missing".
The woman: Don't you want to “possess" her?
The artist: In my heart, I already have her.
The woman: Does she know that?
The artist: She is the same, I'm pretty sure; I can feel it.
Second conversation:
The woman: In this world, there are two kinds of people who are the least responsible.
The artist: Who are they?
The woman: One is the hooligan; the other is the artist.
The artist: Then who is the most responsible?
The woman: The business person, like me.

A Knights Tale

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 14:31:00 +0000

I rarely watch adventure films but I watched this one because I wanted to watch Heath Ledger when I saw his performance in Brokeback Mountain. He is good at playing different types of roles in different types of films. In some films you may not even be able to recognize his faces while you are enjoying his performance. But I always recognize him since he is a kind of my type with his being cool.

It's a film to teach children to be knightly, to be brave, to be courageous; it's a film to encourage people that to change their "stars" is possible.

It's a 14th-century adventure epic with a 20th-century contemporary twist. It inspiringly incorporated of classic 1970s rock tunes and created an anachronistic bridge between "then and now". It inventively applied "We will rock you" soundtrack to the opening sequence of this 21st century Chaucerian tale. Middle Ages peasants are stamping their feet and clapping in the bleachers of a match of their most extreme sport jousting.

William, as a peasant squire, is more knightly than a noble. He shows mercy and kindness by withdrawing when his rival is hurt; still he rode and it's not in him to withdraw when he knew that Prince Edward was in disguise in order to be able to compete while others withdrew when recognized Edward; he doesn't run and put himself to the hazard when a dozen royal guards will put him in stocks; the story reached its climax when William was hurt, when he was wearing no armor because he couldn't breathe when he wore the armor, when he asked his best friend to lash the lance to his arm because he could barely grip the lance and still he finished and unhorsed his rival. What a courage!

There is a scene very simple yet touching whenever I watch it. It's when William was back to his home 12 years later and met his blind father. Christopher's performance is so great in this short dialogue:

Does he live?
Aye he does. He is very well. He wanted you to know that he changed his stars after all.
And has he followed his feet? Has he found his way home at last?
Yes father.

The love letter can also be a good sample for lovers:

It is strange to think I have not seen you in a month.
I have seen the new moon, but not you.
I have seen sunsets and sunrises, but nothing of your beautiful face.
The pieces of my broken heart can pass through the eye of a needle.
I miss you like the sun misses the flower in the depths of winter.
Instead of beauty to direct its light to the heart hardens like the frozen world your absence has sent me to.
It gets me through the day and especially the night.
The hope that after you leave my sight.
It will not be the last time I look upon you.

This film is therefore very entertaining and enjoyable, but the amazing part of it is the introducing of the writer Chaucer. It's what makes this film outstanding. Paul Bettany's performance is spontaneous from his first speech "we walk in the garden of his turbulence" when William won a sword match, to introducing William to "everybody else here not sitting on a cushion" aiming at "today you find yourselves equal for you are all equally blessed" and his tale about William being the seeker of serenity, protector of Italian virginity and the enforcer of our lord God, and to the final speech introducing William as "one of your own, born a stone's throw from this very stadium". All these marvelous speeches help get people's attention and win people's heart for William.

The film then outruns all other adventure ones.

Brokeback Mountain

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 23:12:00 +0000

This film is about a gay love story, no, I would not say that, rather, I would say that it's a love story that happened to two men Ennis and Jack, as what Ennis and Jack said, "I'm not queer" "Me neither". I admit that it's a long way for conventional society to accept homosexuality, even if Canada officially recognizes and legalizes same-sex marriage and hosts gay pride parade yearly, I have to say homosexuality is not widely naturally recognized. Perhaps it's because homosexuality is mostly related to eroticism but not feeling. I would not focus on homosexuality's being recognized, rather, I would like to talk about this film, this love story, this feeling.

The story happened at Brokeback Mountain, somewhere in the middle of Wyoming and Texas where Ennis and Jack were living with their wife and children. Ennis' words truly expressed the oppression from the society: "Two guys living together? No way." Therefore, they have to stand living in this way, hiding their feeling, "once in a while" the isolated Brokeback Mountain became their only "dating" site. They are suffered; their marriage is suffered; what if they live together not getting married with their wife? The story ends with Jack's death. It's not that without his death the film can't end; it's that his death indicated the true situation for homosexuality.

It's a coincidence or arrangement that the film was taken in Canada where homosexuality is at least more recognized than most other countries? If homosexual love story is as beautiful as this mountain, it should be appreciated:

La Vie Avec Mon Pere

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 02:15:00 +0000

It's a successful Québec film with Hollywood taste. There's no intense story but "the life with my father" You will probably overlook it with a not romantic title, however, you will find the title just right when you watch the film. It is romantic but not ordinarily romantic. The success is at how it portrayed the personae to their most delicate.

Famous writer François wrote only one novel in his life - but what a novel! He likes the women, the wine but most of all his sons, Paul and Patrick. Two brothers are opposite: Paul is an unconventional apprentice writer while Patrick directs a multinational corporation of the pharmaceutical industry. After a long absence, François reappears in their life, alone, without a penny and sick, but always with the same rage to laugh, to like ... to live, all simple.

Here is the conversation between François and Paul:

François: How's the writing?
Paul: I'm blocked. When I sit down at the computer ... I go blank.
François: Forget reality. See where the words take you.
Paul: I can't start if I don't have the ending.
François: I started my best sentences not knowing how I was going to end them. What if they don't end?

The film's title is "the life with my father" but it indeed is about life in general. Writing is rewriting life. We start our life without knowing how we are going to end and why should it end?

Then is François' monologue:

One son makes empty promises (Paul); the other sees only obstacles (Patrick). What'll happen when I'm gone? You're constantly sniping, contradicting each other ... It's not about getting anywhere. What matters is leaving, looking. It's not about destination. What matters is what happens along the way. That's what's amazing. The detours, the hitches along the way ... the encounters, too, especially the encounters. Success, failure, illness, they're just distractions, really. Life puts things in our way. What matters is how we respond to them and what we leave behind.

This is exactly what he leaves behind.

He is worried about his sons' snipe and contradiction to each other when he's gone so he asked Patrick to promise him:

He (Paul) is a good boy, you know. He's more fragile; that's all. You're strong. I'm not worried about you ... For a Blonde time I thought you'd be the writer (but Patrick didn't while Paul would)... Promise me one thing; look after Paul. Unconditionally, okay?

He asked Paul the same.

Paul published his first novel about the life with his father and is successful. When he's asked, "you've capitalized on your dad's success" Patrick answered for him, "What can a father bequeath other than an attitude? A house? Money? Anyone can have those. A father's words first enable us to interpret the world. Paul could have written his book without his father's. But he couldn't write it if his dad hadn't been part of his life."

That's what François leaves behind.

The film is also beautiful at its pure white theme. Here are some unforgettable scenes to share with you:

François' illusion of this gorgeous blonde:

Family reunion at skating rink:

Last but not the least, the novelist, the director made this delicate film, finely portrayed personae, and, the actors and actress' performance is also impressive. I luckily captured the image when Paul, Patrick and Paul's girlfriend Sylvie were together, and when they were at their most beautiful moment - smile, Paul's loveliness, Patrick's charm and Sylvie's grace. Everyone is imperfect but this image perfectly shows their most beautiful side. I omit François but his beauty is at his wisdom, his words.

By the way, Hélène Florent who played Sylvie's role is a very special actress; although her role is not as important as the rest three characters her performance is remarkable.

There is another Québec film very similar; it's called "the Barbarian Invasions" and it's Academy Award Winner. However, I prefer "La Vie avec Mon Père".

"the Barbarian Invasions" may contain more prolong contents or may have some successful trivia or you may talk about the "meaning" it brings you; but "La Vie avec Mon Père" is finer.

Two fathers (main characters) in two films both like women but "the Barbarian Invasions" shows this in a less beautiful way, and therefore, leaves the main character less meaningful.

The theme of "La Vie avec Mon Père" is pure white - winter with snow; the theme of "the Barbarian Invasions" is mature autumn which is also great, however, it didn't make enough use of this beautiful season; on the other hand, if the main character is not beautiful, then the beautiful season loses its meaning to be beautiful.

Simone

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 03:34:00 +0000

It's a great film not because it has a perfectly beautiful image there; every single word of tag lines, monologues and dialogues is meaningful. Let's taste the story following some of those masterpieces.

Viktor's confessions to his ex-wife Elaine outlined the setting of the story:

"Do you know why I, Viktor Taransky, two-time Academy Award nominated director overseeing the most cherished movie project of my career, am walking around with a pocketful of cherry Mike & Ike's?...It is because Miss Nicola Anders, supermodel with a SAG card God's gift to cinema, has it written into her contract that all cherry Mike & Ike's be removed from her candy dish along with strict instructions that any room she walks into should have seven packs of cigarettes waiting for her three of them opened, that there be a personal jacuzzi within eighty paces of her dressing room, and that any time she travels, her nanny must fly with her first class."

"We used to decide who would play what role. We told them what to wear, what to say, who to date. When they were under contract, we could change their names if we wanted to -- more than once!"

This film speaks of the Director Andrew's own voice; it's a snapshot of the dominance of movie stars over filmmakers and of the blind adoration of fans to movie stars.

Then Viktor met Hank.

VIKTOR: I don't know anything about computers.
HANK: That's why you're so perfect. You have something I don't have...An eye -- for performance...You and me, art and science...we are the perfect marriage.

Hank left Viktor a gift that changed Viktor's career and life and Viktor made Hank's wish come true. The gift was some computer codes that invented a perfect fake person Simone to help Viktor re-cast the almost done film when the leading actress mentioned above walked away.

What did this change bring to Viktor? Movie fans' insane adoration for the non-existent fake actress Simone. This was not the attention Viktor expected, as what Elaine said, "This woman -- she controls your destiny."

Viktor made a toughest decision to deconstruct Simone. Here comes the most touching and sad scene:

Viktor's monologue:

"It's the only way, Simone. If it's any consolation, you're going to live on in the public's heart like all the other tragic figures that went before their time. There's no love like posthumous love."

"It's a phoney-baloney world. The women are surgically enhanced, the athletes are on steroids, the singers are lip-syncing if they're even singing at all, the news is entertainment, the politicians are bought and paid for -- we're living one big lie...You're more authentic than the people who adore you...It wasn't that the artists had no respect for the art. They had no respect for me. Someone like you, you have so much love showered on you -- I just wanted to feel one tiny drop on my face...Here I've been trying to convince the world that you exist, but I was really trying to convince them that I exist. It's not that you aren't human, Simone, it's that I am."

The image of Simone's face gradually begins to deconstruct -- pixel by pixel -- as the virus takes hold.

Now comes our discussion. Who is more important, the director or the actress? I think everyone is important. As what Elaine said, "it was a team effort."

IMHO, A good story from a novelist and a good filmmaker play more significant roles. A meaningful story will not only entertain audiences but also inspire them. Based on the depth of the roles and the performance audiences will be impressed by good performers. They are important when their performance is impressive. However without a meaningful story and without the integrated expression of the story a super movie star's performance will only be at entertainment level.

e.g. the other film I reviewed, called "the favorite game" I almost don't remember the actors and actresses. For me, other actors and actresses can also play their roles. The reason why they are not too outstanding is probably because their mother tongue is French and in the movie they have to speak English, whatsoever. But this film is still marvellous, the integrity, the meaning of the story and the scene.

Also, in another film I reviewed, called "Femme Fatale", the leading actress Rebecca's performance is absolutely excellent, however, in "Simone" she played a minor role as Simone's latest stand-in and decoy. She is not noticed by audiences at all but she is a good actress. Director made her minor then she is. No matter how superior her performance could be, she didn't have a stage in "Simone" to show. What if she played Simone's role? I think she could also be packaged like an angel.

There are also other part of the film "Simone" maybe worth your attention.

When Viktor wondered why every fan wanted to see Simone in person while his daughter Lainey never asked, Lainey said, "I love her but that doesn't mean I need to meet her...What's Simone going to say to a fourteen-year-old anyhow? She's going to be polite because you're my father but we're not suddenly going to become friends -- we have nothing in common...Anyhow, she gets more beautiful in my head every day. Why kill the dream? What do they say, 'don't get too close to your idols, they always disappoint you'." She has refreshing and wise thoughts compared with those insane movie star fans, what about you?

Film Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 06:28:00 +0000

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The Favourite Game

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 19:46:00 +0000

Also called "Le Jeu de l'ange", the plot setting begins with this piece of pure whiteness in a park of Montreal and also ends there:

The story is about Leo's relationship with two women Shell and Lisa. In real life, Leo is deeply in love with Shell. I captured a couple of fantastic scenes of them:

When they fell in love, their image in the moon was absolutely beautiful and I captured the moments when the night was approaching to them and they were gradually merged into the moon:

This sunset image is also almost perfect:

When they separated, Shell's sadness was artfully expressed through the car mirror:

Here comes Leo's "true love" in his childhood memory:

"Lisa the child had evaded me and was still perfect, suddenly making all other women less perfect. They were still beautiful, but somehow less crucial."

"Lisa the child, that perfection remained, preserving the past. Everything could be preserved forever, like my connection to Shell, and in that moment, I remembered."

"I remember flying over the snow and landing. And then I carefully stood up to look behind me at a perfect imprint, both human and angelic, in the perfect whiteness behind me, and that, that was the favourtie game."

A perfect novelist and a perfect director made this film perfect in their sense of being perfect.

True love is pure and perfect and it is a series of perfect moments in your memories, especially the childhood momery, almost angelic, the pure perfect whiteness.

Femme Fatale

noreply@blogger.com (Min Min) — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:17:00 +0000

The best part of the film, for me, is neither the strong sexuality nor the gold and diamond snake design (although they are the indiscerptible part of the film and they are undeniably subtle)

rather, the end of the story, the tagline below:

"When you're on the road......your little girl will always be with you."

When you understand both English and French, this film is pleasingly tailored for you.

"Quand vous êtres sur la route......votre petite fille sera toujours près de vous."

This necklace changed future.

In the end, the story reminds you of the beginning, a TV show. It asks, “If you could see the future in a crystal ball......or in the palm of your hand, or in a dream......would you change it?”

The story is then perfect.

Laure (Rebecca) was given a second chance, but it's not a right future; when she woke up from her dream, she didn't take the chance people would mostly take, simply because this wonderful life wouldn't belong to her and this choice made all the difference.

Rebecca's skill is amazing. A woman can have so many different faces in one film:

So if you could see your future, would you change it; or if you could see your future years ago, would you have changed it?