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Reviews
Save the Last Dance 2 (2006)
This Writer Should Not Be Allowed to Hold a Pen
There were some good moments in STLD2, sure, but the few good ones could not make up for all the bad. In the first five minutes of this movie we saw an interview with no context (Who was interviewing her? Why? Documentary?) and a misfired Hamlet joke.
On the first appearance of the room mate, Zoe (who even has a cliché quirky brunette name) we see that the writer clearly doesn't even have the basic knowledge required for his craft. Zoe's trunk is full of random things that are nothing but random and there to paint her as the crazy whore drama kid. Thanks. I appreciate you stereotyping my people. When the skull was picked up and Zoe said that it was Hamlet, I almost turned off the movie. I don't think you can call yourself a writer if you are not familiar with the masterpiece of English speaking literature. THE SKULL IS YORIK! The rest of the movie follows in this way. Clichés, bad lines and jokes that don't quite make sense in context. There was a good moment where Miles (Columbus Short, the redeeming actor in this movie) plays the sound of ice cracking. That was pretty much it. The dances weren't that good and half of them were cut creatively so they didn't really have to show them. Half of one girl's dance was inter cut with the exact same "oh puh-lease" expression that the main actress kept pulling. It was painful.
The movie didn't address the race issue (which was half the point of its predecessor) and the conflict was a creation of the main character's head where she decided her boyfriend lied to her when in fact he never did. They never danced together either. So why was it a sequel? The movie also had an annoyingly self righteous message about conservatory schools. They painted the elite elimination of students in the lower half of the class as cruel. Sorry, in the real world you DON'T get an A for effort and people CHOOSE to go to conservatory schools for the elitism and the status they can achieve if they make it through. Boohoo, life isn't fair.
At the end of the movie I really hated the main character. She pretty much spat in the face of her teacher by refusing to go to the party. Instead of being grateful for her amazing opportunity and letting the old bird show her off for a few hours and then quitting ballet the next day, she had to embarrass her. It's not her fault you don't wanna be a ballerina! In the end I think someone else wrote Miles (Columbus Short) and then they hired a fifteen year old girl wannabe dancer to write the rest of the movie. Way to go. When there are so many talented writers who are struggling to make ends meet, you go and pay someone who should probably go be an accountant.
The Office (2005)
Takes a Little to Warm Up To
The office is one of those gems that makes you nervous when you first watch it. Steve Carrel plays a painfully awkward character, but the show wouldn't be the same without him and we all know we've met THAT GUY before.
The show centers around a core set of characters that work for a paper company. Jim is the tall adorable prankster. Pam, his love interest, is the receptionist. Dwight, the Assistant TO the Regional Manager is that weird kid you all met in high school who takes great pride in random extreme knowledge and never learned to socialize. Michael, the Boss, tries far too hard to be liked and has no sense of political correctness.
The first time I watched it, I left feeling a little Luke warm. I wasn't sure what to think about the show, but you must remember, they've been on TV for a few years and have millions of viewers, so there must be something of merit there.
The in jokes, the naturalistic acting, and the colourful side characters make it worth it. Opposed to the British office, which I find depressing, the American Office is a quirky, cheerful treat. This is what working in an office is actually like, and this show highlights all of the humour in it.
Volver (2006)
Volver Villianizes Male Gender
Reviewed by Amy Leigh Albro Volver, written and directed by the internationally acclaimed Pedro Almodóvar, follows Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) as she is confronted by the ghosts of her past. Raimunda finds herself managing a restaurant and hiding a body while her sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), is visited by their dead mother Irene (Carmen Maura). While the film has some wonderful moments, it is not worth the cost of gas and ticket to go and see it.
"Volver" (the title translating from Spanish to mean To Return) begins in a cemetery. The entire movie is filmed in Spanish and subtitled for American release. Raimunda, Sole, and Raimunda's teenage daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) discuss how their parents died in each other's arms before going to visit their Tía Paula (Chus Lampreave) who still speaks of their mother as if she is alive. The audience is introduced to Agustina (Blanca Portillo) who plays the good neighbor and checks in on Tía Paula. Rumours float about the village claiming that the ghost of the deceased mother is still caring for the senile Tía Paula. This part of the film is full of essential background information but is quite boring. A slow start rarely bodes well for a film.
The film really picks up when Raimunda arrives home after working at one of her many jobs to find Paula outside in the rain. Raimunda enters the kitchen to find her husband, Paco (Antonio de la Torre) on the kitchen floor in a pool of his own blood. Paula, aged fourteen, explains that while she was cooking Paco came after her, insisting that he wasn't really her father and that it wasn't wrong to want her. She goes on to say that she took a kitchen knife and warned him, but he did not believe her and that the murder was in self defense. Raimunda tells her daughter that she will take the blame and begins the process of covering the murder.
While Raimunda is busy hiding a body, bringing in an entire restaurant subplot, Sole is left to attend the funeral of Tía Paula. Agustina insists to her that people in the village have seen her mother and that it is believed her spirit has returned to complete some unfinished business. When Sole returns home she hears a voice from the trunk of her car and finds her dead mother stowing away.
The film is filled with some golden comedic moments. The style of humour is offbeat and spurred by plot. Most of them feature Irene and her attempts to hide from Raimunda. There is also a lot of clever use of dramatic irony in the way that Raimunda answers questions about the deceased Paco. The dialogue is well written (probably better for those who understand Spanish) but the end of the film comes quite abruptly.
The editing was decent though some shots and scenes seem unnecessary. It came off incredibly gratuitous to show Raimunda on the toilet, even though European cultures are more comfortable with sexuality and nudity and nothing explicit was actually shown.
My major issue with this film is the representation of the male gender. Almodóvar is known to feature strong female characters and transsexuals in his films, but such themes and characters can be successfully depicted without making an entire gender out to be evil. There is not one male character in the film that is not greedy, a rapist, ogling Raimunda's breasts, or combining any of the three. The most likable male character is the Production Assistant (note that he is not even given a name) who spends his time watching Raimunda cook because of her low cut top. In case that wasn't clear enough to the audience, Raimunda's prostitute friend Inés (Neus Sanz) makes sure to point out that her drinks and Raimunda's breasts were responsible for their thriving business.
Though I seem to agree with Almodóvar that sexual assault is an unforgivable crime, the women in this film literally get away with murder. The big twist of the film only furthers the man-hating message of "Volver".
The picture begins with an uninteresting sequence (therefore failing in the entertainment aspect) and delivers a very hostile message against anyone with a Y chromosome. Though I cannot claim to hate this movie, there are many other films I would prefer to see. Overall "Volver" comes off as a Lifetime Original Movie; chock full of deadbeats and rapists, without the redeemable male love interest at the end.
Grade: C-
Garden State (2004)
It's AMAZING
Wow. This movie blew me away. It was a totally different character for Natalie Portman, one of her generation's most talented actresses. The camera work, the costumes, the dialogue... the MUSIC! It was all perfect. Zach Braff deserves best Director this year. The soundtrack is entertaining on its own. Frou Frou's "Let Go" is one to be played on repeat. It was funny, but not like Tim Allen prepared jokes. It was all realistic, things you'd see in real life and laugh at. It was fresh, real, deep. My overly critical parents even liked it, despite the drug use. All of the casting was perfect. It wasn't just another Hollywood cookie cutter film full of pretty people. It was unique and brilliant.