September 2003 - Quick Film Reviews
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2002 |
| This
is a very interesting and weird film by Charlie Kaufman, the writer
of the great film Being John Malkovich.
This a strange blend of reality and fantasy. The film follows Charlie
Kaufman's struggle to adapt a best selling book, The Orchid Thief.
That's right the writer has written a screen play about himself
writing a screen play, an adaptation of a real book. There are amusing moments when Nicholas
Cage who plays Charlie Kaufman is writing about things that actually
happened at the beginning of the film and has written dialogue of
himself writing the dialogue. Realising he can't just stick to the
book he puts himself in the film and an imaginary twin brother and
adds sex, drugs, guns and car chases. In the end you can't tell what
actually happened in real life and what he made up for the
film. There's also stuff on evolution, how orchids adapt to their
insect pollinators. A very clever film.
Imdb
score = 7.9 and is
currently number 204 in Imdb's top 250 films of all time.
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8/10 |
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City of God (Cidade de
Deus) - (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0317248/)
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2002 |
| This brilliant film follows
the lives of three boys growing up in a violent suburb (shanty
town?) of Rio de Janeiro and is based upon a true story.
There's an innocent boy who is scared of guns and becomes a
photographer, one evil drug dealer/gang leader who enjoys killing
and his childhood friend who becomes the "good" drug
dealer. The film shows the rise and fall of gangs and how it
is all kept going by corrupt police. The film culminates
with a big gun battle between the two gangs. This is in
Portuguese and has moments of humor as well as violence. This
is both educational, enjoyable and worthy of repeatable viewing.
Imdb score = 8.6 and is
currently number 70 in Imdb's top 250 films of all time.
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9/10 |
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1949 |
| This
is a very good old British comedy. This film made the actor
Alex Guinness famous. In it he plays 8 different characters
and follows one man quest to murder all his relatives to inherit the
family wealth. Imdb
score = 8.2 and is
currently number 245 in Imdb's top 250 films of all time.
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8/10 |
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1997 |
| This
is very good film Spanish film by Pedro Almodóvar, the writer/director of
All about my mother and Talk to her, both great films (and both
superior to Live Flesh). This film follows the life's of a
number of people following a shooting in which one cop is
disabled. This has corruption, affairs, love, guilt and
revenge.
Imdb
score = 7.4.
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8/10 |
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2002 |
| This
is a very good film based upon the true and very sad story of
prisons run by the Irish Catholic church up to 1996. Women who, in the eyes of the Catholic church, had sinned
(e.g. pregnant before marriage or victims of rape) were imprisoned
for life. They were treated as slaves and lived in horrible
conditions. They were forced to do laundry, the money made
going to the cruel Nuns.
Imdb
score = 8.1.
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8/10 |
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1993 |
| Repressed
love story based in the 1930's and 1940's between the Butler and
House keeper of a pro-Nazi, pro-appeasement Lord in Britain.
Great acting by Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.
Imdb
score = 7.8.
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8/10 |
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1953 |
| A
great film based in an allied POW camp for American airmen during
World War II. The POWs annoy the German guards.
Imdb score = 8.3 and is
currently number 133 in Imdb's top 250 films of all time.
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8/10 |
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