Change Your Image
boogie67
Reviews
Sunday Premiere: The Happy Valley (1986)
Happy Valley
I was fascinated by this account of life, through a child's eyes, in 1930s Kenya. The attitudes, history and culture were all an eye-opening, first-hand insight into colonial Africa. The depiction of Juanita's treatment at the hands of her Governess and step-father might be vivid (though not graphic - the cane's grisly progress is implied through sound only and girlish suffering, cleverly depicted by the actress), but they come directly from her own account and are not only valid, but necessary to the plot. Without being given an indication of the injustice she experienced, we would be denied a valuable insight to her story. Juanita Carberry may not have been alone in these trials, but very few have the courage to recollect.
Secretary (2002)
Secretary
With sheer originality and bold,unflinching humour, Secretary embraces a most unconventional relationship and lays open the notion that love doesn't always occur in the traditional fashion. Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has a few strikes against her when she applies for a secretarial position at the law office of E. Edward Grey (James Spader). For starters, she was released only recently from a mental institution. However, she gets the job anyway and soon learns that Mr. Grey is not your average boss. Eventually, they begin a relationship, crossing lines of conduct that would challenge most human resource managers. Director Steven Shainberg performs a remarkable feat by taking what could be construed as weighty material and infusing it with sensuality and, even more surprisingly, humour. Based on a critically acclaimed short story "Secretary," by Mary Gaitskill, the exquisitely honed character development of Secretary lures us to the darker side of human sexuality, all the while warming us up to the idea that people are getting--and giving--what they want. While it toys with society's expectations of love, Secretary also explores the delicate balance between pain and healing, control and surrender. It's premise that some (if not all) young women might fantasise about (if not actually require) masterful control from a father figure might not be fashionable but, when all is said and done, Secretary is, at its core and undeniably, a love story.
Little Iodine (1946)
Little Iodine
Popular American cartoon strip made into 'real life' comedy in 1946.
From 1943 to 1966, Little Iodine was written and drawn by Hatlo, who said, "I tried to make her the embodiment of all the brats I knew... I tried to make her naughty as hell—and still likable." Hatlo's definition of 'naughty as hell' often amounted to little more than high spirits or even well-intentioned errors of a trivial kind, such as Iodine attempting to save her grumpy Dad from getting the sack only to inadvertently appear more competent than he (not difficult). Whatever the 'brattish misdeed', the end result was unfailingly the same, a sound spanking on the worn seat of Little Iodine's bloomers! For twenty-three years she must have been the most frequently spanked little girl in the US newspapers.
5ive Girls (2006)
5ive Girls
"5ive Girls" is such a run of the mill supernatural film that the concept never really garnered any interest my way. The characters are all so interchangeable and forgettable. One can walk through walls, one can heal through touch and yet I really couldn't point out which girl had which power if you asked me to. The sad fact is that the film really sells itself as a hip Gothic parade of black magic and evil and yet has the lagging pace of "Whispering Corridors." Sonoda's direction really doesn't add much to the lagging proceedings in the end, and in spite of all the attempts to spin the formula, this story has been done and much better. In a reform school of apparently only five girls, they do nothing but yap back and forth with no real substance or interesting exchanges, and the visions continue just to remind us that we're watching a horror film. We already know who the demonic entity challenging them is, and we're well aware that the girl power message will strive to defeat the demon in the end; "5ive Girls" holds no surprises, unless you've never seen the cinematic depiction of ritual humiliation of semi-clad, nubile teen-aged girls before.
The Romantic Age (1949)
The Romantic Age
Somewhat dated in this post-feminist age, the premise of the story is possibly illegal, based as it is upon the notion that men can be seduced by teen-aged girls! If one looks past these anomalies, however (and that is a big 'ask') there are some memorable performances from the main players, including Petula Clark as the petulant daughter, who, at one point, rather charmingly receives her 'come-uppance' over the knee of the family butler. The film-goer is treated to a delightful, if somewhat tuneless, early example of Miss Clark's adolescent singing skills. It's hard to imagine a scene such as this getting past the censors today!