i just watched the most wonderful film called "whale rider."
it came out last year to great critical acclaim but i didn't get a chance to see it until now. it's about a 12 year old maori girl who is born into a line of chieftans, but her grandfather does not give her the oppurtunity to prove herself because she is not the boy he wanted. the plot may not sound like much, but it is a moving film and is absolutely beautifully filmed. there are some wonderful performances, including that of 14 year old keisha castle-hughes as the young paikea. rent this movie if you get the chance. it'll leave you with tears in your eyes, but in a good way.
i've really been trying to see more independent and foreign films. i do enjoy some big budget hollywood movies, and some can even be very impactful, like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (which isn't really hollywood), but these smaller films always amaze me with their beauty. there are still a bunch of recent indie films i haven't seen that i'd really like to: "elephant," "in america," "21 grams," "lost in translation," and a few others. i saw a bunch of feature films last month during break, most in the span of one week ("last samurai," "love actually," "cold mountain") most of them were really good films, because i don't really go to movies i don't think are going to be good, but i'm beginning to understand why so many film buffs view hollywood filmmaking as a cheap form of popular entertainment and indie and foreign films as real art.
i highly recommend "dirty pretty things" as well. it's a great british drama featuring audrey tautou.
and if you enjoy cheap movies, take advantage of cinema savers in milpitas while it's still here. it's going to be closing down soon when they redo that entire plaza. they're putting in a safeway and stuff. this sucks. i don't want to have to pay freakin' $10 to go see a movie.
well, this is the end of my attempt to introduce you to some wonderful movies that you may not have previously heard of or considered watching. i seriously reccomend checking out one of these films the next time your in the mood for a movie, instead of watching some mindless action or gross-out comedy movie. your brain will thank you for it.
Posted by bwu at January 23, 2004 12:31 PMman, i am really going to miss cinema savers. =(.
hollywood is just a huge joke now, well most of the time. I really enjoyed "love actually" though. Dont ask me why, but i thought it was such a cute movie. haha.
Posted by: Eric on January 23, 2004 04:50 PMyeah, "love actually" is a really sweet movie, minus the pointless nudity. the reason it's such a good romantic comedy? it's not hollywood. it's a british film. which is probably also the reason for the pointless nudity.
Posted by: naziriteSOG on January 23, 2004 04:58 PMyeah, "love actually" is a really sweet movie, minus the pointless nudity
Now, I'm not saying they couldn't have done that story differently to a similar effect, but I really liked that story for what it was. The nudity was not there as a cheap way to draw the 16-30 year old male demographic, it wasn't meant to be lewd or lustful, and besides the awkwardness of the situation being hilarious (my opinion), I thought the seen where he walked her home more than justified the necessary setup (sorry I'm being vague, i don't wan't to be a movie spoiler.).
On a separate note, I sympathize with your feelings on independent films. I finally saw "Lost in Translation" last night, which I loved, though a good part of the movie is dedicated to Scarlett Johansson walking around her room in her underwear. I share your list of films I need to see, though I would add "The Station Agent," which I've heard is good.
Posted by: Brian on January 24, 2004 10:33 AM"Lost in Translation" was pretty good, a little weird, but not bad.
Posted by: Eric on January 24, 2004 06:37 PMThere is no great genius without some touch of madness.
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