supereva Reviews

Scarfies (1999)

Wickedly cool

[6 November 2000]

There is a certain paradox in watching New Zealand films as a New Zealander. It is a breath of fresh air to see one's own culture, surroundings and accent (!) on the big screen, and Scarfies was no exception. However what we see of ourselves is usually grim, dark, and dare I say it 'uneasy' (thanks Sam). Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoying this fantastic film. To see it in the town where it is set, in a crowd of people who the characters were modeled on was a singularly unique experience. Watching the premiere was more like being at an Otago match than inside a film theatre! The performances were all outstanding, and the plot delivered some pearlers. The scene where Charlie Bleakley scrambles around on the roof was nail-biting. The overall tone of the film captured the spirit of Dunedin... bleak, grey, yet full of spirited uni students having a ball despite the weather and financial adversity. The state of the flat was slightly exaggerated - but not by much! I found the sh*t scene a little bit Trainspotting-esque, but then I had my eyes closed for most of that part anyway. Overall, it's great to see some quality Kiwi action on the big screen.

Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Definitely worth seeing.

[16 October 2000]

This was a very powerful film, with a number of outstanding performances. I was most taken with the content and the way it was shot, the fact that we are SEEING life as experienced by Brandon, not seeing Brandon portrayed negatively through the eyes of an outsider. That in itself is inspiring, considering the current fashion of telling the story through the eyes of the bad guy. There are still far too few real female protagonists, and Brandon was especially 'real' - about as far from a glossed up boob-implant model as you can get! I found her desire to be a man convincing, and believed him/her as a character. My (male) friend had trouble being convinced that people would believe that she was a boy, but I think it was pulled off quite well. 'Being convinced' is one problem that arises owing to the visual objectivity film allows us. I think that if you were THERE, and met someone like Brandon and could see how convinced THEY were that they were male, then one would tend to be more easily persuaded.

For all its virtues, after watching this film one should follow it up with a cup of tea and some light comedy like Monty Python - the content can be a little jarring.

Magnolia (1999)

They should give a warning for films this long

[11 October 2000]

My friend and I went to Magnolia to kill a cloudy Sunday afternoon. It had come out in the international film fest and stayed on at the theatres, so we decided it must be something worth seeing -right? Well, I think all in all it probably WAS, but only just. First of all, they should give a warning for any movie that's over 2 hours long, along with the age restriction warning. Bring back intermissions!! We weren't prepared for the length of this film, and were waiting and waiting for the Big Ending to come throughout the last half of the movie. The thing is, it never does. Sure there is the 'Event', but the film could just as well have ended anywhere from half-way through the film onwards. When the credits finally roll there is no sense of closure, no feeling of being uplifted or moved that comes with a good film. I agree with what others have said regarding the storyline, which begins by teasing us that the theme of 'coincidence' will somehow tie things up at the end, but then it never does. Sure some of the characters cross paths, or are revealed to be in some kind of relationship with one another, but at the end other characters are just left hanging, and we're left wondering what the point of that little 'coincidence' theme intro ever was! The 'Event' for all its glory only partly redeems the disappointing ending, because by the time we made it to the 'Event' we had been ready to leave for about an hour.

The most moving scene was definitely Tom Cruise dealing with his conflicting emotions he gave a fantastic performance and really pulled it off. In fact all of the performances were good, but the plot and structure just did not do these characters any justice. Boogie Nights was definitely better - what a great ending!

Over the Top (1987)

This film does what any good 80s movie should

[10 October 2000]

This film is all about the thrill of seeing Stallone reveal his more 'sensitive' side. Not to mention the great scenes where he works out the rippling biceps of his 'wrestling arm' using an ingenious hand-weight pulley system in the cab of his truck. Sure it's cheesy, but this film does what any good 80s movie should. The part where he turns his cap backwards before a wrestling match is a highlight, symbolising some kind of metamorphosis from sensitive dad to macho man. What a great flick!