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I've Come From a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains.
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
Tags :
Mountains
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Nov 2nd ★★★★★
The scourge of both the big and small silver
screens at present is that dreaded, toe-curling
combination: the docu-drama. These are
documentaries about historical events told
through period-dress reenactments which
are neither believable nor dramatic. Stranded:
I've Come From a Plane That Crashed in the
Mountains is one such docu-drama, but it is
so deftly wrought, so chillingly accurate and
so emotionally pulverizing that it flees the constraints
of the docu-drama format to emerge
as a cinematic tour de force.
The historical event in question is, of course,
known to all. Three days before Christmas in
1972, Chilean shepherds found two frost-bitten
young men who had crawled out the Andes
after surviving a horrifying plane crash. They
were part of Montevideo's Old Christian rugby
team, and their plane had been downed
by a vicious snowstorm two months earlier.
Miraculously, there were more survivors awaiting
rescue b ... ... |
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Changeling
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
Tags :
Changeling
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Nov 3 ★★★
This underwhelming period thriller from Clint
Eastwood stars Angelina Jolie as a single mother
in 1920s Los Angeles who reports her missing
child, only to be handed a completely different child
by the police to hush her up. This great set-up is ruined
by slick production, wobbling dialogue, and yet another "stay quiet
and just stare" performance from Ms Jolie. You
would think Eastwood would know better. ... ... |
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Synecdoche, New York
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
Tags :
New York
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Nov 3 ★★★★
Hollywood's hottest screenwriter, Charlie
Kaufman, here debuts as director in a tale of death,
theatre, and the love of art. Sounds like a snore?
Far from it: It's an eccentric classic starring Philip
Seymour and some of the screen's finest actresses
– Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Samantha Morton, and Jennifer Jason
Leigh. Think 8 1/2 on a low budget. Highly recommended. ... ... |
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Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
Tags :
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
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Nov 4 ★★★
Kevin Smith, who really needs to grow up,
here directs another down-and-dirty comedy,
this time about the sex industry. In truth, it's
just a cutesy romance wrapped in vulgar talk,
shock tactics, and adolescent angst. But Seth
Rogan in the slacker lead
and a decent, sentimental-free, script make this
Smith's best film in years. ... ... |
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I've Loved You So Long
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
Tags :
Loved You So Long
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Nov 7 ★★★★
Kristin Scott Thomas stars and novelist
Philippe Claudel directs this acclaimed drama
about a hypersensitive woman who mysteriously
returns to her sister 15-years after a shocking
family secret was exposed. With a truly miraculous
performance by Scott Thomas, plus a beautifully rendered script
and skillful direction by Claudel, this French
drama oozes gravitas and finesse. ... ... |
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Zidane
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
Tags :
Zidane
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Nov 9 ★★★★
It will bore the pants off anybody not interested
in football, but this experimental documentary
covering one football match (Real Madrid
versus Villarreal in 2005) is a fascinating, slick and
slightly hypnotic ode to the great French midfielder.
Some 19 cameras track Zidane over 90
minutes, running, spitting, roaring, kicking, in
a mesmerizing, if oddly frustrating, portrait of
the great football star. ... ... |
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Let The Right One In
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
Tags :
Let The Right One In
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Nov 5 ★★★★ DON'T MISS!
A Swedish vampire
movie that's really good?
You better believe it. This
superb (and ultra-frightening)
tale of vampires
and school bullies, directed
by Tomas Alfredson,
combines excellent horror
shocks with a compelling
script which has,
dare we say it, bite. We'll stick our neck and say
it's a classic-in-the-making. A tepid Hollywood
remake will surely follow.
... ... |
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Battle in Seattle
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Ming Jie
Oct 29, 2008
Tags :
Battle in Seattle
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This directorial debut from Irish actor Stuart
Townsend sets out to recap the gritty, jittery events
of North America's first WTO conference in 1999,
when outbreaks of violence drew global attention to a
subject matter which now (in the shadow of 9/11) has
all but vanished under the radar: anti-globalization.
Battle in Seattle is a fictionalized docu-drama of
those fractious few days when First World trade, Third
World debt and swelling public activism crashed headlong
into the headlines, leaving bystanders pummeled
and perplexed. However, despite the film's obvious sincerity
and passionate ambition, you can't help feeling
here that somebody has sent a boy to do a man's job.
Given the convoluted subject matter, the film's storyline
is easy to follow. Jay (Martin Henderson) and Lou
(Michelle Rodriguez) meet behind the barricades of
the WTO sessions prior to the turmoil. He's your typical
environmental activist; she's the rebel daughter of
lab-mo ... ... |
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Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Ming Jie
Sep 1, 2008
Tags :
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It's tough being Woody Allen. Imagine
yourself as one the world's greatest
living directors, famed for your cutting witticisms
and intellectual clout, a heavyweight
of cinema who can secure any Hollywood
star you desire for the price of a processed
hotdog. Now imagine being equally vilified
as boring, outdated, creepy, terminally
clunky, and then having your last film, the
monumentally awful Cassandra's Dream
(2007) labeled as "the worst film in the history
of the motion picture. Ever." Like we
said, it's tough being Woody.
Most directors would pack up and head
for the gin, but what does Allen do? He
heads for Spain and makes the best romantic
comedy of the year, and maybe his best
film in 15 years. Gorgeous, sexy, wistfully
light yet always engaging, Vicky Cristina
Barcelona is a return to form with bells and
whistles on top. A trio of beautiful actors,
plus a sweet little script, swooning locations
and a sati ... ... |
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Summer blockbusters!
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Ming Jie
Jun 5, 2008
Tags :
new movies
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| Sex and the City: The Movie
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon reprise their roles from the mega-successful HBO series. The show's best producer, Michael Patrick King, is both director and writer, so fear not ladies – you're in safe hands. Every woman in South China will own this movie within days, of course. Alas, for men, they'll be left either scratching their heads or echoing Marge Simpson's now legendary quip: "Sex and the City? Is that the show about four women acting like gay guys?" Available: June 3
Dark Knight
The increasingly powerful director Christopher Nolan returns to Gotham City with this sequel to his BO winner Batman Begins. Creepy joy: Batman (Christian Bale) goes toe-to-toe with his worst foe, The Joker (Heath Ledger). Creepy woe: It's going to be macabre watching Ledger up on the big screen. Available: Jul 21
&n ... ... |
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