xkenjisanx Reviews

Paris, I Love You (2006)

WOW! What a beautiful film!

[10/10 · 29 September 2007]

22 amazingly talented directors from around the world come together to create this masterpiece about love. This film is truly one of a kind; realistic yet ideal, romantic and pure. It makes you wonder why there aren't more films like this.

Let me start by saying that I was so moved by this film that it is hard for me to put it into words. I was worried that I wasn't going to enjoy this film as much as I did due to the short length of the stories, but as I watched I felt as if each segment had so much history. This spectacular work of art shows us that a movie does not have to extend the typical 2 hours to be as powerful as each little story in this film is. This movie does not try to be one of those films where there are several stories running parallel and at some point are loosely connected. It is not cheesy and does not follow any cookie-cutting type of outline. The musical score is so beautiful it will send chills down your spine and the cinematography is beautiful in every sense (although it is a difficult challenge to not portray Paris in such a way). If you find yourself not enjoying one story, you won't sit there bored and annoyed because there is another unique and brilliant tale just around the corner. For me, there were several stories that truly hit home, actually almost all of them, and I was always looking forward for the next one. I was also worried that each story would be more of the same, but I couldn't have been more wrong. There are so many different ways someone can tell a tale of love, and these directors have surely proved that. Some were a little bizarre, some were a bit funny, some would bring you to tears, and others would just make you smile. There is truly something in this film for everyone. Whether you see it alone or with a lover, I promise you, if you are a romantic you will adore this film. 10/10 easily.

Paprika (2006)

Japanese animation at its best

[8/10 · 6 August 2007]

Paprika is not your typical anime and definitely not just a cartoon for kids. I probably would have just dismissed this movie as "just another anime" if I had not been told about it from a friend, and I was not disappointed.

Paprika uses beautiful and astonishing animation and truly unique imagination to bring us an adventurous story into the dreams of its characters. The story takes place in Japan where a prodigy has created a device called the DC-Mini, which allows a person's dreams to be shared with another. We see the ups and downs of the dream world, as well as how things can go horribly wrong. The characters in this film are all unique and fun and the colors are so vibrant it is orgasmic. The music is very original and fun, and plays perfectly with the action sequences. This film has a little bit of everything in it, and is a must see for any Kon fan and maybe even fans of Ghibli who don't mind a little more of an adult movie.

Bad Education (2004)

A typical movie by Almodóvar. Great but not his best.

[8/10 · 23 June 2007]

This movie starts out with an actor named Ignacio (Bernal) who drops off a movie script to a director and old friend, Enrique (Martínez). The story deals with their childhood together in a small catholic church where they fell in love and were later separated by Father Manolo who was also in love with 10 year-old Ignacio. It then continues with a fictional future for its characters that is not so distant from reality.

I liked the movie for its creativity and uniqueness, however, not so unique from other Almodóvar movies, dealing with homosexuality, rape, transvestites, etc. This film is definitely not for those who are homophobic, I even had a hard time watching some scenes. If you consider "Y tu mamá también" a very homosexual film, this is a lot more graphic. Aside from the ending I thought that this movie did a good job with the story. The characters were well developed and there were a couple of twists here and there which are revealed through different points of view of those involved. There is a great depth in the movie that is slowly revealed to the audience as we find out what the real story is. I think that the most enjoyable part for me was experiencing Ignacio's traumatizing past and then seeing whether the movie script became reality. The ending I felt was rushed and could have been done better, although still very powerful. The characters are all very interesting and played well by the actors, especially Gael García Bernal who plays three different characters brilliantly. I would have liked to see more of Javier Cámara (Paquito) especially after seeing him in "Hable con ella" (another great Almodóvar film). Overall I give this movie an 8/10 and any Almodóvar fan should see it.

Oldboy (2003)

Dark and beautiful. I loved it

[10/10 · 18 June 2007]

First and foremost, I loved this movie. It had me glued to the screen and when it was over I felt satisfied and passionate, so much so that I decided to write this review. What I love about this movie is its darkness and how certain scenes, like when he is turning the pages of the photo album, just make your stomach drop.

Second, I really cannot believe the amount of people that dismiss this movie because of its violence. It just doesn't make sense to me. The only violent parts in the movie are the teeth pulling, the corridor fight, and the tongue cutting. I have seen much more violence in other films that have not been bashed this badly. And as for the octopus, I can understand how that would bring up some issues in the US and other countries but I think it would probably be considered even humorous in some Asian countries. I once saw a man bite the head of a snake off on the discovery channel but I didn't hear anything about that the next day. I actually liked the octopus scene, although it wasn't vital to the storyline, it was just very interesting to watch. I'm sure someone will, or has, come up with some type of symbolism for this scene, whether realistic or far-fetched.

I think what turns people off from this movie is the theme of incest or they simply didn't understand, and claim that the message of the film is to "keep your mouth shut." In my opinion this film was about blind love. Woo-jin Lee fell in love with his sister, society immediately disagrees and his sister is led into suicide. He then devises a master plan (very unrealistic but entertaining) to teach Oh Dae-su his feeling for his sister by tricking him into falling romantically in love with his own daughter. We see how Dae-su actually empathizes with Woo-jin Lee (even though attempting to kill him on more than one occasion) by wanting to be brainwashed at the end so he can continue his love with his daughter. By doing so he is showing that he actually wants to be in love knowing that she is his daughter, however, without having the pressures of society weighing over him. He fell in love with her, just as Woo-jin Lee fell in love with his sister. The only difference is that Woo-jin Lee knew it was his sister and Dae-su did not know it was his daughter. The reason why the relationship between Dae-su and his daughter actually works out in the end is because Mi-do is unaware and Dae-su is brainwashed, so society cannot judge them as the catholic school children judged Woo-jin Lee. This film could take another theme with the same message dealing with different social classes, races, or other things that society looks down on in relationships, but it would definitely not have the same impact as a taboo subject such as incest.

This is simply my take on the movie, everyone takes something different out of art, don't let anyone else define what you perceive.

P.S. - I do not agree with incest, it's a movie, the message is its beauty.