vickypollardsbestmat-1 Reviews

Sex and the City (2008)

Pleasantly Surprised

[7/10 · 3 June 2008]

As a film student I should really abhor a movie like this, and usually do, but you know what? I'm a woman first. I went in to this film with my friends with low expectations and came out taking stock of my own life and relationships. The women in this film are set up at the start to have gloriously perfect lives, only to be knocked down and made to realise that they are human and make mistakes no matter how old they are.

So what if some of the humour is base and childish? If you can't be childish and laugh at stupid, everyday things then what is the point of being alive? And some viewers have had problems with the amount of moping going on in the film - this is conventionally what happens when you lose the love of your life. It is an important part of the healing process, because you are not just mourning the loss of a relationship, you are trying to come to terms with how stupid you were to let it happen to you in the first place! OK, fair enough, the goal of the producers here is to squeeze as much money out of idiots like me, but if you look hard enough there are lessons, not only to be learned, but shared. This film underneath all the glitz and glamour is about real people, real relationships, real problems, and as with real life, it throws humour into the tragedies.

I wouldn't go out of my way to watch this again, but I'm glad I did see it, because as a woman with bad relationship experiences it spoke to me and made me feel a bit better. I still prefer Hitchcock, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying what isn't.

The Specialist (1999)

Response to other comments

[7/10 · 2 June 2008]

This documentary is supposed to be fake to express the falseness of Eichmann's trial - it was a 'show trial' to hold Nazi war criminals to account.

He was kidnapped and taken to Israel - thought to be home for all Jews and put on trial there even though his crimes were against humanity and committed all over Europe.

Although the outcome of his execution was irrefutably right, the process of getting to it was not.

If you are interested in this you should read a book by Hannah Arendt called 'Eichmann in Jerusalem' to find out more.

Always keep an open mind - sometimes lies need to be told to get to the truth.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Spidey's back swinging

[9/10 · 8 May 2007]

This film has everything a Hollywood production should have but often lacks: stunning action sequences, ambiguous characters, emotive performances, and most surprisingly this time round, a very witty script. I'm a big fan of Spider-Man in general, he's my favourite of the Marvel comics for so many reasons, and Sam Raimi is doing a fantastic job at bringing those aspects to life, namely Peter's inner as well as outer struggles and his general duality in life. He is complex yet delicate at the same time.

I have to say the criticisms I have read, professional or otherwise, anger me as I feel people aren't even watching the film properly, facts are often wrong, so the best advice is to watch it for yourselves. The friend I went with isn't in to Spider-Man at all and loved this sequel, because this time there is constant comic relief from J. Jonah Jameson, Peter's boss, and the excellent cameos from creator Stan Lee and the ever entertaining sci-fi/horror legend that is Bruce Campbell (donning an hilarious French accent), as well as from Peter himself after the symbiote brings out his darker side, and quite frankly, his sense of humour.

The film's length was also not a problem for us, we didn't see the time go in, and yes I am a geek, I could have watched it all night. I was excited anyway as Venom is one of my favourite baddies, his whole being is so intricate and integral to the plot line rather than just being a mono-event freak accident like most others. I suppose I would have liked to have seen Eddie Brock's Venom for longer, but the whole point of his genesis is Spider-Man's black suit, which I think Raimi did an excellent job with. There is so much to say about this film so I urge you all to see it. It is deeper than simply being a 'super hero' flick.