Mini Reviews

[poliphilo]

BOB DYLAN
Bob Dylan's first album is hard-core folk. The sparks come flying off the grindstone. Hard to reconcile the gravel-voiced old-timer who does the singing with the grape-faced Caravaggio boy who appears on the cover.

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
The Chinese have figured out a way to do epic that makes Hollywood look stupid. The extreme stylisation does not preclude authentic human emotion. They should have asked Zhang Yimou to direct Troy.

THE BISHOP IN THE WHITE HOUSE
I have jubal51394 to thank for this one. A gentle, funny whodunnit that taught me a whole lot about the political culture of the USA. Why can't we have a real president as honest, decent and laughter-loving as "Machine-gun" Jack McGurn?

DEATHCLOCK
Wanna find out how your favourite celebs met the Reaper? Then take a peek here. I found the entries on members of the British Royal family particularly entertaining- but then I would, wouldn't I? On the whole I kept clear of the grislier exhibits. I have, for instance, very little wish to see what Jayne Mansfield looks like with the top of her head removed.

For some reason the site displays little or no interest in politicians. That's a pity. They're the class of person on whose graves I most want to jig.
The entry on Ronald Reagan (who qualifies, I guess, because he was once some sort of an actor) is disgustingly respectful.

(But check out the astonishing- and apparently authentic- image of Marlon Brando giving head.)

Comments

[aftertorless.livejournal.com]

I could not agree with you more regarding Zhang Yimou's work. Both "House of Flying Daggers" and "Hero" deeply impressed me, not only with their extreme stylization, but with the fact that this extreme stylization never (as one might assume it would) overpowered the emotions being portrayed in the film, but almost quietly enhanced them (if my choice of the adverb "quietly" makes sense).

And speaking of reviews, I am still tasked with writing my own of "Brokeback Mountain"; I'll be eager to read your own thoughts when you see that one, as well.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

"Quietly" is right. The human relationships are acted out with great restraint and delicacy.

Brokeback Mountain hasn't opened here yet, but I don't suppose we'll have long to wait. It used to be the case that movies opened here about six months after they premiered in the States. Now the gap is down to a matter of weeks.

[web-addict.livejournal.com]

Zhang Yimou's work is most definately incredible. However while he himself is Chinese the work he has done, was produced in and Japan, many of the actors are also from Japan. China's own film industry is actually very much repressed and stilfed by the present government. It is interesting that these films while produced by people who are predominately Japanese, very skillfully capture the character of Chinese culture, or at least what I have come to identify as Chinses culture.

Visually Yimou's skills far surpass the majority of his western counterparts, when a Hollywood director wants to capture the emotions meant to present in a particular scene, he waters down the colors, forcing the viewer to focus on the characters present.When he does it however, the scene remains vibrant, and alive. All without subtracting from the actual drama and emotion of a given scene

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I didn't know this- though I thought I'd spotted at least one Japanese name in the cast list.

Thanks for the information.

[web-addict.livejournal.com]

It actualy surprised me quite a bit to find this out. But not only these two but Crouching Tiger, and in fact most "Chinese" films you see are actually produced in Japan by Chinese expats. House of Flying Daggers mentions this somewhere in the making of on the DVD.