TanjBennett Reviews

Hogfather (2006 TV Movie)

A pleasant surprise

[8/10 · 7 October 2009]

I bought the DVD on a whim on sight - I've read a lot of Terry Pratchett and had never heard any of his stuff was made into a movie. I did not remember much about this one as a book. Well, the film was a delight. Susan is to die for, and Teatime is spellbinding. Indeed, that is the strength - there is some excellent acting, sympathetic to the book. The visuals are quite theatric - the special effects are not whiz bang, they feel more like part of the theater set - and the whole thing has a very human feel. The film is not quite like a book but it has charm and quirk and feels compatible with Pratchett. Overall I'm very glad I found this and enjoyed it. I wonder if they will do some more Pratchett? This proves that it transfers to screen.

Colors are vivid, picture is clear, the score is average stereo, and the dialog is mostly forward and clear - all as you would expect from a made for TV two part special mastered in HD.

Up (2009)

nice story, nice animation, disappointing 3D

[6/10 · 2 July 2009]

Yes, it is a nice story. No, I can't say it was wonderfully inspiring. The introduction to Ed's past life was touching and a cut above. The rest was pretty average "let's tell kids an story with some adventure and a moral". Yep, a good script. Not one I have any desire to see a second time.

The quality of animation was fine, good artwork, Pixar very well done.

Except for the 3D. It came in and out of use. Sometimes it seemed to have been drawn in layers. When there was motion, things got blurry and horrible, even worse than regular cinema. Yes, points for not giving us vertigo like some 30 year old drive-in. But other than that, this was just light years behind Monsters vs. Aliens in technical quality. Watching Up after seeing MvA was a bit like watching old NTSC TV on an old tube after having seen HDTV on a modern flat-screen. What were you thinking, Disney? This is not the future of cinema. I have to knock a full 2 points off for the terrible misuse of technology. Folks, don't go away thinking this is all 3D can do.

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)

good fun, excellent 3D (IMAX version)

[8/10 · 2 July 2009]

Story, well a simple fun story. No deep attempt to moralize or philosophize, but enjoyable. Its a cartoon, OK? And the running time is not too long. Plenty of nice animation, good visual and dialog jokes. Might even be fun to watch a second time, though not if I have to pay for it.

What is outstanding is the IMAX 3D. Head and shoulders better than what Disney did for Up. The IMAX version has a fast frame rate and electronic glasses which shutter each eye in sync with the film. The content is also rendered totally in 3D. So, things never feel layered. Motion scenes - and there are lots of action scenes - are stable and clear, better than ordinary cinema (they really do need to stop showing films at just 24 frames per second). So the 3D is immersive. You can sense things in the far distance as well as quite close. This is definitely how 3D should be done, and I give a 1 point bonus on my rating simply because this is a showcase for 3D done right and both audience and other film makers should raise their sights on 3D to meet or beat this quality level. It is a milestone.

And a fun one.

Buscando a Leti (2006)

a plain film with a clear view into a different life

[7/10 · 18 February 2007]

This is a film balanced somewhere between documentary and tear-jerker, but ultimately is neither. It just seems like that because the setting is quite real and the reality is moving.

Quite apart from the central story of Leti I found the detailed surroundings quite fascinating. The interactions between the children, between the grown-ups, and society as a whole. This is not much of a story about immigration to the USA, although that is background and a brief part of the story is an interlude in Chicago. If you are looking for an immigration expose this is not it. Mostly the story is about the family (both close, and extended) left behind. You get a broad brush image of family relations, prejudices, marriage, machismo, religion, and the flavor of the town where Leti and her brothers and sisters are growing up. And not painted either pretty or nasty on the whole - simply shown to you for you to think about. Plenty of things to think about.

The acting is varied. Leti, her mother, abuelito and abuelita are all well acted. Nobody else has a big role. Kudos to Leti's fairer sister who starts out a little wooden but you can see becomes a much better actress as the film progresses. There are a couple of violent scenes which are acted out in an obviously faked way - not big budget stunt person stuff. Really, it does not matter, the film has its personality and the acting gets the story across.

Colors and cinematography are occasionally allowed some free reign to show the countrysides and cityscapes. Presentation was letterbox, a disappointment (hey studio dunderheads! use anamorphic, give us proper DVD quality). Subtitles are kept within the letterbox frame, a good thing (you can read them when the film is expanded to full screen). Translation was competent. Sound was clear and the soundtrack choice of music was generally helpful.

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

fading into generic star action vehicle

[4/10 · 4 June 2006]

The heart is gone out of MI. There is just the one moderately smart sequence in the Vatican which has the old MI flavor, and all the rest is just Cruise smiling, Cruise being tough, Cruise and true love, Cruise the action man. Heck they even gut one of the toughest puzzles with a pointless starting stunt and then just cut to the exit. I guess it really was impossible, so just skip it...

Everyone does a good job with what the script handles them. First class cast. It is just the script really doesn't hand anyone but Cruise that much to do. Even the much hyped villain's performance dripping evil - uh, not so much, when you factor in the limitations of the script. Just a generic villain.

Is this the one which rescues the franchise? Nah, Cruise owns the franchise, and it is going exactly where he envisages it: as a vehicle focused on him. Disappointing, given the roots of the franchise.

Plenty of big budget action in exotic locations reduced to nothing memorable. No lingering images or "I gotta visit there" heart to them.

Oh, Maggie Q's line "but its a NICE CAR!", that had impact.

King Kong (2005)

long brilliant homage to the original, a bit bland

[3/10 · 26 December 2005]

Technically brilliant but just does not contain enough story for 3 hours. You feel it has been stretched just so that every kind of special effect can be thrown in, to show how good it is. And indeed the CG is amazing, the integration of humans into something like a stampede, the animation of Kong's face, all done so well you totally forget. The CG scenes often refer to other CG scenes and seem to say "look, this can be done even better!". But then the scenes don't know how to end. The ship voyage is trimmed nicely, but the jungle scenes just run on and on. The action goes on in the same vein to the point where it is no longer action, and you just wait for the next scene.

The references to the 30's and the original film are woven in everywhere, and are interesting to search for.

The use of color is wonderful with some special tonal effects giving a period feeling. The sound is generally fine, with some unusual distinct directional cues used around the back and sides, Jackson shows off.

On the whole a good movie, with a brilliant movie buried inside it. But I can't see myself watching it a second time. I feel like I just did.

Treasure Hunt (1994)

a kung-fu chick flick?

[6/10 · 11 November 2005]

This sure is a strange mix, though it works as a pleasant passtime.

Although it is not unusual for kung-fu movies to have a romance in the story line, this one does spend an unusual amount of time in romantic interludes where not a lot happens except flowers, stars, snow, and two hearts beating as one. The fights which do occur are brisk and well choreographed but not gory - even the gory, ruthless action is mostly bloodless. And the mandatory kung-fu philosophical dialogues are mixed up with some quite unexpected western arguments.

That this odd patchwork flows along successfully is something of an achievement for the director and actors. It will never be a great film, but if you just want to kick back and enjoy a short film with some nice scenery, good looking actors, and are not in the mood for something heavy, this might be it.

The actors have done better work elsewhere if you want more serious fare. See Chien-Lien Wu in Eat Drink Man Woman. See Yun-Fat Chow in Hard Boiled or A Better Tomorrow.

The DVD is clear and sound is unremarkable. The music is repetitive and simple, but only invades the romantic interludes. I chose the Mandarin sound track which sometimes was odd since parts of the dialog are supposed to be in English or Cantonese (which is what the actors were using) and the translation couldn't make up its mind which to use at times. The English subtitles were occasionally mistimed or ungrammatical but generally clear.

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

A delicious family unfolding

[9/10 · 11 November 2005]

This is a beautiful study of a family going through a process of awakening. The rituals and bonds forged of growing up together twist and unfold into a new arrangement. Each actor is given a whole character to draw, and they do it well. The story has some surprises but is always very real. It is complex enough that watching it the second time you see a lot of things that are significant which just passed unnoticed the first time. Oh, and the food is to die for (excepting the soup cauldron...).

If you are expecting a thriller or a mystery, this is only mildly mysterious and not at all thrilling. That is not the point.

The DVD is well made with beautiful colors and has nice sound. The English subtitling is mostly well chosen and timed.

I'll probably watch this again, it is one of my favorites.

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

sequence of mostly listless cameos and no thrill

[2/10 · 2 July 2005]

Summary says it all. Oh heck they want 10 lines here, hmm. Occasional nice scenery, photos of jets flying overhead in swivel/pan shots just like in the 60s. A few other nods to other films, like the laser dance Cassel does mocks Zeta-Jones in Entrapment. Actually, Cassel (or his stunt double) is consistently watchable, at least someone is having fun. Some of the cameos actually have some life, a few of the stars actually have enough dialog or action to occasionally show some chops. All the heists are boring. No use is made of the potential for suspense. In this case we won't need to worry about an unlucky 13, hopefully "12" ends this franchise.

Lost in Translation (2003)

like the picture inside a locket

[9/10 · 28 February 2004]

It is interesting to see the dichotomy in how people view this film. Some people focus on Japan and see it as a film about Japan. Me, well I've been there many times and since the background is everyday events I was watching the actors, who are center frame in pretty much every frame. And it is about their characters. They're in an environment which is alien to them but not alienating, and it is the perfect setting for them to become introspective.

And some see nothing happening. Whereas I see a relationship bloom and flow to its conclusion in a way that both will probably remember and keep thinking about for the rest of their lives. Maybe that perspective also depends on whether it has ever happened to you.

Very nice.

Chaos (2001)

nicely made French gangster comedy

[9/10 · 28 February 2004]

.. with a bit of everything thrown in. The characters are all somewhat exagerated of course but this is cinema. Though many comments say the husband is absurd, he is simply a compression of many typical events into a shorter span of time (actually, the recovery in hospital takes a month, so the speed of his unravelling is not so unlikely). And nothing really suprising about the son too, not if you've been paying attention to your teen peers at college and visited France recently. So, though there is definately a touch of caricature at work it works well. Noemi is also exagerated, especially the Swiss activities and the flamethrower effect, but this is a film right? Not nearly as exagerated as your typical Hollywood thriller.

On the whole the pace moves well, the story builds about right, the comedic touch lightens up a dark plot, you wonder how it will get resolved, and at the end you see the resolution is not going to hold together. Notice the only obliviously happy smile was the final frame of the film, the other three sitting on the bench are not at all finished (nice acting throughout, by the way). And for that matter the husband and son may have even come out of the wringer with some improvements. I enjoyed it.

On DVD, color was good, imagery at times blurred by panning, sound quality ok and unmemorable. Occasional interludes of gorgeous scenery or cityscapes.

You can bet Hollywood will pick up this script and remake it. Except of course they won't dare touch the social commentary about the Algerian family, she'll be a nice kid from clueless suburbs in the remake. And they'll doubtless make the sex and violence more explicit.

Maborosi (1995)

drift through life, beautifully

[7/10 · 12 January 2004]

A slow paced film that lets you have some empathy for a life changed by inexplicable loss, diverted to unexpected place and contemplation. Despite the intensity possible in the theme, the behavior is a compelling mixture of detachment and continuation of everyday activity, while underneath you can see the memories are unresolved. Some nice acting, especially if you can attune yourself to subtleties of normal life and are not expecting "larger than life" displays. The photography is beautiful and alternates with the acting in setting the mood and being the focus of attention.

I watched the US DVD version, which has somewhat disappointing video quality. You can see the director took some spectacular imagery which I have got to hope came out better on film, because on the DVD the resolution is muddy at times and some of the color is flat. It is just a bit better than VHS. A real pity they could not make a better digital transfer of such a visual artwork. Most of the soundtrack is voices and background environment which fits perfectly with the film, there is one sequence with (very effective) music soundtrack.

Avalon (2001)

which reality are you in?

[8/10 · 5 January 2004]

An interesting ambiguous story which is smart and subtle enough for you to still be thinking about at the end and might want to watch a second time - though, it is not tautly enough paced for that, instead it has pauses for you to think things through twice as you go along. If you are used to watching Japanese drama you will realize this is actually a compromise, somewhat faster than usual. Probably that is because the actors are Polish, and so the director just could not get them to work at the glacial emotion-nuanced Japanese pace. Net result, just relax, use the time to think things over, and most western viewers can get into it.

Some folks complain about the repetition in places. I don't want to spoil the story, but they've failed to understand something important. Think about what is repeated, and what is not. Oshii's normal genre is detective mysteries and you should not be surprised that he uses every aspect of the film to supply cues and clues.

And no it is neither the stupendous eye candy of Matrix nor, thankfully, the grandiose and stupid premise and dialogue of the Matrix. They are both stories about metareality but Avalon is more of a puzzle, less of a "blockbuster". The special effects are on a modest budget, competent and quite adequate to carry the story. Other than the interest in metarealities, there are no similarities.

The actors do a fine job. Only Ash has much script to work with, the other characters are pretty much ciphers.

The DVD is anamorphic, of good quality - especially when you reach the S-A scenes you can see the pictures are wonderful. So, don't adjust your set earlier on, the picture qualities you see are quite deliberate and part of the story. The dialog in Polish is clearly somewhat different from the English subtitles but the fragments I could understand matched up in essence, so it all works ok. The music track is rather muted. Some folks rave about the music but it is kept distant, unreachable - I suppose that is deliberate too.

There are two extras. A moderately interesting and mercifully brief description of the special effects techniques. And an almost disturbing interview with Oshii who seems not to be in the same reality as us - or at least me - already. The translation is loosely synched with his rambling japanese but the meaning is correctly carried over.

Midaq Alley (1995)

universal Cairo story retold for Mexican audience

[7/10 · 8 December 2003]

This film was not made for Americans, or even with the thought of marketing outside the USA. Just like Hollywood remakes will redo a story for the US, this took a story written for Cairo and transplanted it to Mexico City without a trace of the original setting. It is framed and acted much like a stage play, and the focus is on the people. It's painful to watch at times, because the story grinds your nose against stories of people who are getting through some unpleasant times in some unpleasant ways and the pace does not let you escape - it is clear they want you to endure something of what the characters are going through. The acting is generally good, there are convincing portraits of a half dozen main characters and the supports aren't bad. Yep, the overall ending is predictable, but not unbelievable and a few of the side stories might surprise you along the way.

I watched the DVD version. It has no extras or options. You get dialog in Spanish, English subtitles, in 4:3 format - no choices. Sound is stereo, color is ok and picture is competent.

Unplugged: Shakira (2001) Season 12, Episode 1

a complete performance that is her best work

[10/10 · 16 November 2003]

I'd heard Shakira before and liked her songs but not been a great fan. But I viewed the DVD on a whim and was wowed. This was a really great performance, very intense and good musicians, changing pace and style. The "rock" side of her music came through strongly. And it made more impact than hearing even the CD soundtrack of the same, because she, and the band, are up there for the performance. And the chemistry of the live performance with some very crunchy arrangements makes the studio work I've heard flat by comparison.

If you've listened to her albums and stopped to pay attention to her lyrics, and wondered why such wonderful lyrics seem a little too pop, then watch the DVD and see some deeper power put into the songs.

Production quality is good. Color is vivid, editting is only occasionally too chopped up, audience and stage balance well in a small venue, picture looks beautiful on a big screen. Sound mix (I listened to the 5.1 Dolby) is mostly front, where the band is, and very clean. There is only one major extra which is a fairly long making-of video with interviews of Shakira, Estefan, Luis, and some of the other musicians, talking through many of the songs and arrangements and doing various rehearsals. If you liked the performance, you'll want to see the making-of too. BTW, if you can't keep up with her in Spanish, turn on the English subtitles.

So far, this DVD for me outclasses any of her CDs.

Born in East L.A. (1987)

light entertainment, parts really funny, badly cut

[3/10 · 7 November 2003]

Don't go into this expecting serious stuff. But as a light comedy, done with some warmth, it is pleasant. A shame that it has been deeply cut, all the section about the house across the road is missing (all you get is the mention from mother at the start) and since the result is a really short film with a jagged disconnect at the end, one wonders why they did that. It isn't as if the DVD is overflowing. Did the DVD editor go on holiday or just drop a can of film? Weird. The result is just wrong. Didn't anyone on the original production review the work before issuing it?

Some sequences are laugh out loud funny. The eye candy, the tattoo, was happening, and a few other cameos. And if you ignore the comedy for a moment, there is a message and a question in this which is still unanswered, as it has been for hundreds of years (compare to the Streets of New York). The film ages reasonably well, some styles and situations are already dated but it hardly matters.

Picture quality is generally clean, nice color. Sound quality ok but it is a pity the editors could not make an effort to give the music more body. Its just a so-so stereo track (the voices don't even seem positioned with aid of the center front speaker) and I presume for something made by Cheech in 87 there would have been some good quality masters available and an ability to position the dialog. But then editors who drop a whole section of the story probably have no motivation to spiff up the sound track either.

Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

not in any hurry

[4/10 · 26 August 2003]

I seem to be somewhat out of the norm here, but gotta say this was long, boring, and a little pretentious. A few nice images, not nearly enough intelligent stuff to fill the time. What can one say? Humans affect the environment. Choose some nice images of unspoiled environment. Intersperse some ugly images of human wastelands. Cut with some scenes of interesting people and urban scenes that provoke mixed responses. Color and composition competent but not special. Mix with droning Philip Glass music for Native American voice. That's all it is: no plot, no commentary, just images and chant.

Not so bad that I did not watch it to the end. But at the end, not particularily memorable or influential. Few persistent images. Nothing that could not be done in half the time. Maybe I made the mistake of not chilling out and just drifting with it, or something. 4/10.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

at least it is short

[5/10 · 14 July 2003]

Why did they do this? Apart from to make money of course...

It does not have the low budget raw scary impact of the first. It does not have the relentless pace of the evil high tech second. And if you had seen neither and saw this one first, you would wonder what all the fuss is about.

It does have more humor. It manages to fit at least one innovative if rather long chase scene into the short run. There is a plot, if you assume parts of it ended up on the cutting floor. They actually get some space to act (except T-X, who has just one-liners and wicked good looks), even Arnold has some reasonable variety to perform.

But, please don't let him come back. The third adds nothing we needed.

Spirited Away (2001)

Sen falls into a dreamworld of beauty, horror, and bravery

[10/10 · 15 April 2003]

Miyazaki is in a class by himself, with an imagination the West is mostly unaware of. This tale was somewhat unexpected, many thought Mononoke no Hime was his magnum opus and finale, but in many ways Sen is a more approachable and timeless piece, it is wonderful to see he has resumed. The imagination draws on a floating world of ghosts and demons which has a Japanese character while it is also uniquely Miyazake, and nothing like you have seen in western animations. The story line is universal, even if the dreamscape is strange (even to a Japanese person, this is an unexpected world), a story of a child discovering her inner resources, honesty, loyalty, and bravery to save herself, her friends, and her parents.

And not to be forgotten, there is breathtakingly beautiful animation. The scenes of flight (a Miyazake hallmark), the riot of ghostly life, the vistas, the boat along the water .. both technical mastery and artistically balanced. This is a film children can appreciate (though children too young to understand the abstractions may be truly scared) and has a depth to it that can allow an adult to watch it many times without tiring.

It is somewhat better with the Japanese dialog than the English, as usual. Probably this is because Miyazake gets involved in the casting and dialog work too, in the original, and this seems lost in the translation. If you've understood the story line in English you may one day consider watching it again in Japanese, just for the feel of it.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Allegory on the balance between humans and nature

[10/10 · 15 April 2003]

This seems to be Miyazake's most personal work, clearly a serious design. It is set in an imaginary time which blends the time of the ancient gods (Shinto style, gods of place and nature) with the settlement of humans and the coming of metalworking and war. The world is not in balance, and a distant conflict between industry and nature has wounded one of the gods of the forest, which is then killed by a sentry boy as it rampages into farmland he guards. The evil controlling it transfers to him, beginning a slow takeover, and he must journey to the origin of the conflict to find a way to cure himself and incidentally, as he will learn, to try to restore balance. But this is not a simplistic tale, he finds there are other characters in play, and there is good and evil in everyone, and no easy balance. The Princess (Hime) of the story is a mysterious human who has been raised by wolves (which are themselves powerful forest gods, a little reminiscent of the Amerindian Coyote myth), who becomes both his ally and his enemy. The story is not easy to understand. It has many Japanese mythic elements but even then, it is a work of Miyazake's unique imagination, and is not intended to be simple or to have a clean resolution.

The animation is spectacular, and unusual, with new elements even for Miyazake and marks a new departure for style which you can see continued in his next film, Sen to Chihiro - more nature, more wild, more jamming on elements from Japanese myth and folklore. And, continuing the trend to be more personal, concerned with ethics and character, and less sci-fi. There are at least half a dozen well developed characters threaded through the story, and their animation is wonderful in displaying subtle character.

The original Japanese soundtrack has some amazing singing and draws upon some of the best talent available for voices - in Japan, Miyazake is universally known and this was a masterpiece carefully crafted. Japanese television documented a lot of the production. The English translation drew on some good talent but they seem not to have "gotten it" quite so intensely as the Japanese crew.

If you haven't seen Miyazake, give it a try (but maybe look at Sen to Chihiro first, or even Laputa or Kiki's Delivery Service, for easier and lighter introduction to his work). Some say he is the Japanese Disney, but I don't like that. His work has a depth and sophistication that goes beyond Disney cute. There is no other animation like it. This is truly an adult work: children might like some of the visuals, but I doubt that many kids below teen age will have any idea what it is all about, and even adults will get more out of this each time you see it again.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

loyalty, bravery, and adventure after an apocalypse

[10/10 · 15 April 2003]

This was the film which introduced me (and many others in the 1980s) to Miyazake, and even in the form of a poor quality VHS on an ordinary TV, it was amazing. By 1984 Miyazake was already well known in Japan for his anime work in film, TV, and for the comic strip that this film was based upon.

In this early full length film he really got to spread his wings. There are fantastic aerial sequences like the jet-glider evading the flying snakes, which (this predates computed 3D, and aerial sequences are present in most of his work) are just a tour-de-force of imagination and geometry. And yet this is a world that feels very organic, not geometric, with a cast of characters drawn in a unique cross between hobo, samurai, and pirate - totally blending in to an imaginary post apocalyptic world where humans scratch out a precarious life in villages hidden in the few green valleys left in a world of desert, where the only remaining resources are wind, sunlight, and humans.

But it is also a world of enormous dangers, including airborne bandits and the strange, mutated creatures that have evolved to control the barren and scarred earth. When our heroine's valley home is attacked by raiders, she embarks on an adventure against them that will lead her, and some unlikely allies found along the way, to an eventual confrontation combining warring armies of bandits, ancient machines of infernal destruction, and the implacable, mysterious, threatening beasts which roam the badlands. The pace is swashbuckling - if this were a book, it would be one you could not stop reading.

It has the feel of the original comic books, but plays out wonderfully on the screen - you don't need to know the comics. The style is very unique. Even though it is very stylized (no photorealism here), you immediately get the feeling of the world and the characters. The story works for children of all ages (mine both first saw this before they were 6, and have memorized it long since), and combined with the wonderful visuals it is a treat for adults too. As a genre I would classify it as soft (no attempt at scientific correctness) sci-fi rather than fantasy, though some might think it more a work of fantasy. It is fascinating partly because its roots in style and action are unexpected for a western viewer. Japanese manga and stories had evolved in their own way, and although this is early Miyazake, it is already a product of that mature and distinct art form.

As always with Miyazake - if you haven't seen his work, well you haven't seen anything like it, and it is time you did.