Change Your Image
NicolasC
Reviews
Ruang rak noi nid mahasan (2003)
A masterpiece
(Only very minor spoilers in these comments.)
First, as a disclaimer, I have to point out that I am a self-proclaimed white trash boy who usually isn't too much into ''cerebral'' movies. Memento did not do anything for me, for instance, and I sometimes have trouble with the relatively slow pace that can be found in some Asian movies.
Well, Last Life in the Universe is slow, the narrative is non-linear, and there is not much dialogue. Yet, I loved every minute of it. I guess the best analogy I can come up with is that it is as if Lost in Translation had met Pulp Fiction. However, despite the fact I loved both of these movies, it does not do Last Life in the Universe justice. This movie is much better than that.
It is touching, entertaining, and even hilarious at times. Sure, the complete absence of linearity will turn some people off (e.g., the introductory credits start rolling over one hour into the movie), and I expect a few users will give it a 1. But, if you can hold on, and wait until the director has decided to give you all the pieces of the puzzle, you won't be disappointed. The ending is one of the best that I have seen in quite a while. By the way, the non-linearity completely makes sense by the end of the movie; presenting it as a set of different stories sheds a light on the many different facets of the personalities of the main characters, thereby giving them even more depth, and is probably the best way of unravelling the plot.
As an added bonus, the acting is stellar. Most of the movie is silent because of the language barrier between the two main protagonists, and it's refreshing to see some actors that can act (and boy, can they!) without having to speak. Besides, the lead actress is gorgeous.
A very serious contender for the best movie I have seen this year, and I have seen many more than I am willing to admit.
Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)
Man, was this rad!
Ugh. I had seen bad movies. I had seen really bad movies. I wanted to watch something atrocious, hence, I rented Surf Nazis Must Die, and those really bad movies looked like Oscar-winning material in comparison.
Surf Nazis Must Die is simply the worst movie I have ever seen. There is not much to add, except for the fact that it is the first time that I see an actor (the guy playing "Adolf") growing a mustache while shooting a film. Pretty arty, if you ask me. It gives the audience a sense of the order in which the scenes were shot.
I noticed the lengthy credits at the beginning of the film. (By the way, that was a great way of committing a professional suicide for all the poor souls that were listed in there.) I believe this is all part of a conspiracy: there is obviously no script, so I think some people were credited as writers just because the producers had a grudge against them. The actors are laughable (what do you expect when the cast member who had the most accomplished career only landed a walk-in part in "Santa Barbara"?), the dialog is, well, profound, and the directing is quite lame, except for the surf scenes. Paraphrasing Roger Ebert, I would qualify this movie as "hilariously bad."
It is still not clear to me why these guys are "Nazis." Except for having swastiskas (loosely) painted all over their possessions, they don't have much in common with the real Nazis. In fact, they are just psychos with a taste for questionable decorum.
** Spoiler warning (as if it mattered) ** You'll notice that the movie was well thought-out. The Nazis are a group of six people. Other clans include only three members. Of course, instead of teaming up to kick some Nazi butt, these other clans come in one by one, and get thrashed. Why three and not twelve, or square-root of two? Go figure.
I would have given this movie a "2," because of the pretty decent surf scenes, but I think it's high time this movie regain its place in IMDb's hall of shame. (I think it used to be ranked as high as 5th worst-movie ever.) Hence, it gets a "1." But don't get me wrong. It's really fun to watch that movie, especially if you are drunk. There is actually a common point shared by Surf Nazis and the Godfather. I got to pay a late return fee to my video store in both cases.
I can't wait to get my hands of "Manos," to see what the hype is all about. I am not sure that one can do worse than Surf Nazis, but I'll have to see for myself. I don't think that some one who deliberately wants to write/film the worst movie ever can do a job half as bad as Surf Nazis.
You Can Count on Me (2000)
All about hitting the right tone.
If you ever looked for the perfect definition of a movie that "hits the right tone", then You Can Count On Me is definitely for you.
The plot is simple, and could have led to a melodrama of the worst sugar-coated kind, but this movie totally avoids that pitfall. As in most great films, there are no characters in this movie, but actual human beings. The cast has a huge responsibility in that success, the actors are simply perfect (special mention to the director himself who plays the supporting role of Ron, and who manages to be both funny and puzzling at the same time). Direction and dialogs are equally outstanding and funny ("Do you wanna... smoke some pot?" "- NO!!!!... why, d'you have some?") yielding a movie that always oscillates between raising important questions about children's education, and having the audience crack a smile, or even laugh. Once again, Sundance people knew what they were doing when they awarded You Can Count On Me one of the top prizes of the festival. A definitive 10, certainly in my top 5 movies I've seen in recent years.
American Beauty (1999)
What a surprise!
I went to see that movie because it starred Kevin Spacey, who I consider one of the most talented actors still in the business. But, given it was produced by Dreamworks, I was fearing an over-production in the purest Hollywood fashion, and thus, waited for it to be played at a theater that offers $2 tickets.
I was wrong. Spacey was indeed awesome, and the performance of the rest of the cast was up to his level. The plot, albeit simple, sounded real. Of course, the subject is quite common: everybody knows that the weirdest situations don't happen in bad neighborhoods, but in middle-class families. And this movie is just an illustration of that, but definitely sounds true.
It's the story of a man's midlife crisis. And the subject is extremely well tackled. I won't say anything more, go see it. If Dreamworks starts releasing such movies, I might actually reconsider my position on the issue of Hollywood vs. the independent market.
My favorite movie of 1999, 10/10, and I'm usually harsh.
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Extremely interesting
This movie is probably Van Sant's best effort ever. It's an honest vision of the drug-society in the 80s, the cast in its entirity delivers an outstanding performance, the scenario is good and sounds true (which is rarely the case in movies dealing with the problem of drugs in general), and Van Sant perfectly directed it. What else can I say? Watch it and like it.
I give this movie a 9/10.