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Triple whammy weekend

Friday 10 March to Sunday 13 March I watched three movies: Electric Shadows, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissous, and The Motorcycle Diaries

Electric Shadows by Jiang Xiao

what did i feel about this film? well, overall it was good enough. BUT i was not very impressed by it. one of my friend remarked that the earlier portion of the movie is like a chinese version of แฟนฉัน.

so what are the good points of this film? well, it is formulaic, so it is quite easy to watch. the acting is decent enough, especially the kids. a bit different, i guess.

BUT here comes the bad point. first, i think the plot is ridiculous. it doesn't have any weight at all. i don't see why the girl's lives should be that miserable. look at the mom and look at the dad, they are very, very good people. and the brother, he's also a fantastic brother. she has no reason to descend into her own miserable world at all.

this makes the movie loose its importance to me, and especially towards the end, i completely lost interest in the story. and also, the degree of melodrama and forced emotional scenes are too much for me to stomach.

so for me this film is tidily executed, although it does not offer anything exciting. maybe i'm just heartless. 3/5

Life Aquatic with Steve Zissous by Wes Anderson

i watched this one on saturday night. this film is by wes anderson, the director of rushmore and the royal tenenbaums. i've watched the royal tenenbaums, didn't like it, subtlety, maybe, but for me i think too self-indulgent. i've watched parts of rushmore, but haven't watched it all the way through.

so, how is it? the high part is obviously the very stylised and quirky feel to the movie. from the start, you knew that this is not a 'normal' movie. it's such a patchwork of different cinematic techniques and more like sketches combined into a long collage rather than one succinct film.

like tenenbaums, the pace of the movie is slow and sometimes it's hard to follow. yet, everything is just SO nice to look at. the music is also very, very cool. one of the crew (jorge something) plays bowie on his classic guitar on the boat, and these are absolute gems. i've downloaded the OST but effect of hearing the songs in the film is much, much better.

so what's my verdict? well the film is very COOL. that's probably the best word to describe it. however, because the film's ethereal feel, and the detached plot, i did not connect on any real level with the film. cool, true, but sadly not anymore than that.

Motorcycle Diaries by Walter Salles

a story of che guevara's early 20's when he was about to finish his med school and went on a roadtrip with his biochemist bud which eventually opened his eyes to things that would change his life.

personally, the film's theme and message is very powerful to me. being on the verge of choosing a career myself, and feeling my ideals and principles slipping away, it is interesting to see a guy who had decided to throw his life away in pursuit of his principles.

however, the film does not try to pretend to be anything great. it does not try to preach anything to anyone, it just wants to show you what happened. in this respect, it is very, very well done. u feel like its a documentary and the feel of the 1950's is very genuine. you can also feel the power of youth emenating from che and the friendship with alberto.

the main point about che's undergoing a change from a med student to a revolutionary is subtle. it might be a bit too subtle i feel. but on the other hand it prevents the movie from being overdone.

if you don't watch the movie as the movie about che guevara, it will still be a very good and powerful movie. however, it does not give any explicit right or wrong answers, but it does show how a person of conscience can undergo changes from this experience.

overall, a satisfying experience, and i'd say the best one i watched during this weekend. a bit subtle, but interesting and entertaining.

Create Date : 14 มีนาคม 2548

Last Update : 14 มีนาคม 2548 9:14:40 น.

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