Monday, September 12, 2005

Quick Movie Reviews

I've seen these movies lately but havent had enough time to critically review them, so here's the rundown:

Les Soeurs Fachees (Me and My Sister) - Two sisters (Isabelle Huppert and Cathering Frot) grew up with a drunk mother who psychologically abused them. Isabelle has since moved to Paris and is very emotionally controlled and cold, while Catherine stayed in Le Mans and always tries to see the brighter side of things. Isabelle lives in bourgeois comfort and has never had a job, while Catherine is a beautician. The story comes from Catherine coming to Paris (she has written a manuscript and has an interview with a publishing house), and the conflict between the sisters. You will at times really hate the way Isabelle treats Catherine, but in the end you can't help but pity Isabelle. In French.
3.5/5

Gong Fu (Kung Fu Hustle) - Stephen Chow wants to be a gangster and masquerades as a member of the Axe Gang, bringing trouble in the form of the real Axe Gang to the inhabitants of Pig Sty Alley. Hilarious fighting and multiple references to other movies ensue. Just dont think too hard about whats going on. If you're looking for a silly movie that's plain enjoyable without sex but a lot of comical violence, this is it
4/5

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - good, but not as good as the first one. While the explanation of why Willy Wonka is so weird makes the movie less *dark* than the first one (where he was just weird for the hell of it), many things in this movie didnt work as well IMO from the original. For one, the Oompa-Loompas. I dont like how it was one guy repeated over again and i found their songs about what was *wrong* with each child broke up the rhythm of the movie as a whole. The interaction between Wonka and the children just seemed off. Case in point - after Violet hugs Wonka and introduces herself, Wonka replies with *I dont care*. Well he cared enough to put out 5 golden tickets with the idea of randomly finding a successor, so you'd think he'd have a vested interest in getting to know her. The children themselves...the other 4 just seem so awful, that to me, Charlie didn't win because he was the best candidate out of them - it was more out of default. There are more gripes...but really, its an ok movie.
2.5/5

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