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Reviews
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Kick-ass beauty vol.1 - Spoilers
Ok I admit I had my reservations about Kill Bill. Being an avid fan of Quentin's previous film, this movie seemed to me like it was gona be below par. But everyone says that. And when they see it, their hypothesis dont ring true. What Kill Bill is, is a masterpiece. At first it seems its all style over content, but i think the content is excellent too, thin and patchy maybe, but still excellent. The film contains several moments of powerful emotion, such as when thurman's bride realises she has 'lost' her baby after waking from her coma, or the final showdown between her and o-ren, that was hard to watch. You have these two women who you presume hate each other, but theres also a respect there which makes it just that little bit hard fro them to except that they have to kill one another. Ok i know that basically this film is fun, and most emotion plays second fiddle to the action, but, its still there.
The violence level is high, its one of the most violent films ive seen, but it seems strange to say, but lots of the violence is, well, beautiful. Perhaps its the fact that lots of it is commited by women, something we are not used to seeing. And im not saying that because they are women, the violence isnt as genuine or powerful, but theres just something there that you dont generally see in movies when two guys fight, not in western movies anyway. Uma Therman and Lucy Lui especially, possess a grace and dignity that pervades through their violence.
Basically this film is fun, escapism. But that doesnt mean that it has to be emotionally sterile. it oozes emotion. violence is the brides emotion. roll on volume 2.
Masoom (1983)
The power of love and the family
Over the last few years 'Bollywood' films have been given the coverage and exposure they deserve over here in the UK. Their rising popularity means that people who wouldnt have access to watching a bollyowood film, or would simply dismiss it as a foreign language film, therefore unwatchable, are now enjoying the magic and power of bollywood. Recently Channel 4 here in the UK have began to show bollywood films every few nights, and sometimes in the day. I have watched many of them, but Masoom is by far my favourite. On paper the storyline doesnt sound incredibly exciting or original, but what is on screen is purely amazing. The actors portray their characters with such knowledge and ability that you feel you are watching the family's home movie. The basic theme of this film to me seems to be the power of love. GK's love for Rahul battles against his love for the rest of his family. And it is Indu's love for GK, and her eventual love and respect for Rahul, that keeps the family from being torn apart. It is a film about strength, about having the strength to love someone no matter what they have done, Shabana Azmi's Indu is both fragile but incredibly strong and dignified. Naseerudin Shah plays GK with such courage, but also shows his weak side. This is a film that deeply effected me. The power of its central themes are amazing, and shows a side of Bollywood that is largely unheard of.
Popular (1999)
Brilliant beginning, so-so end
The premise of popular was brilliant: show what ist like for 'opular' and 'unpopular' kids in high shcool in an intelligent witty way. the show started off brilliantly, with all of the characters possessing a lot depth
and appeal. One of the best things about the show was that it showed that high school can be tough for everyone, including the populars. It showed what lay behind their perfect faces and lives, showing that they had problems too, they were hurting. The main story arc, popular Vs unpopular, began to change as the show went on, this is natural of course, but a few episodes into the second series it seemed to be beginning to loose its way. the populars and unpopulars now seemed to mix a lot more, sometimes their old differences remerged, but now they didnt seem so realistic coz the charcaters seemed to be more integrated. The show had an off beat side to it which was great, but by the second series it seemed to have gone a bit over the top, though lots of the storylines were very funny, they seemed too unbelievable, and the show felt like it was loosing its continuity. When i heard the show got cancelled, iwas very dissapointed even though i didnt like the second series so much. But when i thought about it, maybe its early demise was inevitable. The show basically was about life in high school, lifes of popular and unpopular kids and the issues and arguments that lie between them. Like in life, the kid's positions changed, some became friends, eg lilly and josh, and charcters had lost their edge, eg sam. When this happened the show lost its way, maybe because it had moved too far away from its initial premise that made it so good, by the end being popular or not wasnt the issue, and even though series 2 was enjoyable, it seemed the chartacters had moved on and grown up, mayb they wre too different now, and because the central issue of the show now seemed changed, the show had run out of steam.
Our Hero (2000)
Unique
This show is really cool, if a little bizzare. The situations tackled are pretty standard for a teen show, but are handled in a quirky, unique way. This show is slightly left of the middle of other teen shows, which is a good thing. The lead characters are all very likeable and are brilliantly acted. Season 2 has just started to be shown here in the UK, you can catch it on 'five'.
Heartbreak High (1994)
Brilliant...most of the time
Heartbreak High is one of my favourite tv shows. I used to love watching it after school on tuesdays? on the BBC. They used to show it on the school holidays too, but this year it aint on :( anyway.....hh was a great show when it started. The grittyness of it was brilliant but it wasnt overplayed. Each character was given an equal time in the spotlight. The story of Nick and Jody was amazingly portrayed. But things started to change when the heartley high kids had to move to another school. Sure there were still many great storylines and characters at that time, like ryan, anita, sarah, nikki etc, but somewhere along the line it seemed to loose its way. By the final series it was still good, but it had seemed to have lost its edge. That was the main selling point about heartbreak high, it was telling tough stories about un-perfect kids, sure they all looked good, but all of them did have their demons, and thats what made it so appealing. It just seemed by the end series it was time to finish. I have so many favourite characters from the show, but my all-time favourites have to be mai, anita, katarina, ryan, nikki, drazic, con, mel, danny, jody, d'espo, nick.....ok thats nearly all of them, what can i say, i love the show!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)
'These endless days are finally ending in a blaze'
Every once in a while something comes along that blows you away. It can be an object, a person, a landscape.....or a tv show. I was blown away seven years ago when i saw my first episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, ok i didnt realise it then, as i watched i was slightly sceptical (well as sceptical as an 11 year old can be). But now i realise how great and innovative that first episode was, and how that greatness and innovation has carried on all the way through to season 7, the final season. The show represented all the threads of our existence; pain, fear, laughter, confusion and love. It wasnt just about vampires and demons, in fact they played the smallest role in the show. Sure there were alot of them but they were there to represent how the characters were feeling and events that shaped their lives. I could go on and talk about everything that made Buffy great, but the 1000 word limit wont do it justice. So im just going to say thankyou. Thankyou to xander, willow, anya and tara, thankyou to giles, spike, joyce and dawn, to cordy, oz, angel and riley, to jenny, faith, dru, wes and kendra. Thankyou to music, bitchy cheerleaders, magic spells, the bronze and mr pointy. Thankyou Sarah Michelle Gellar
'DO---DO YOU THINK I CHOSE TO BE LIKE THIS? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONELY IT IS, HOW DANGEROUS? I WOULD LOVE TO BE UPSTAIRS WATCHING TV OR GOSSIPING ABOUT BOYS OR...GOD EVEN STUDYING! BUT I HAVE TO SAVE THE WORLD.'
thankyou Buffy.