Blogcritics Author: Vindi

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Movie Review: No One In Their Right Mind Should Go See Music and Lyrics

Vindi — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 16:34:40 EST

I don’t know how we ended up going to see this. Our local cinema thought it would be clever to take out Blood Diamond (which I was dying to see) and replace it with Music and Lyrics. The title itself portends the great catastrophe that is this film starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. The title is straightforward, to be honest, because essentially that is what this film pretends to be about. In a nutshell, the story revolves around a has-been '80s pop star (actually the lesser half of an '80s pop duo called Pop -- I’m revelling in how cleverly named the band is) Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant), and his plant lady Sophie Fisher (the lady who waters his plants), who has the hitherto undiscovered ability to write these poetic lyrics. Alex Fletcher is trying to save his already washed up career - comprised of singing at high school reunions and amusement park openings - by writing a song for the new spiritual pop sensation Cora (an icon to 'tween girls) who looks high most of the time (I’m not sure if the “wheat grass” reference was a pun on something else). Fletcher has a few days to write lyrics for Cora and of course he discovers his plant lady Drew Barrymore’s “amazing” writing skills. Clearly the story wouldn’t be complete if Sophie Fisher didn’t come with any baggage. Following an awkward dodging shot because she thought she saw someone she knew (turns out to be a photograph in the window of the bookstore) she reveals that she is Sally Michaels, the antagonist of famous novelist Sloane Cates' book about a talentless creative writing student who seduces him to use his publishing contacts -- lame! And hence the story continues predictably with vacuous dialog, ridiculously bad acting, a succession of bad jokes, and worst of all stretching each one to fill up the 96-minute run time.Cora the spiritual teeny bopper is portrayed as a Buddhist/Hindu, and she is also a scantily-clad skank who at one point during the film emerges from a giant Buddha statue and performs a sensual dance routine with 25 other scantily-clad backup dancers and several other male ones who were made to look like Buddhist monks all spilling over her gyrating body. Honestly -- what the hell? I am a Buddhist, and not a religious one at that, but I don’t like the notion of a half-dressed woman who looks like she’s on crack emerging from a statue I and many other Buddhists around the world worship. The eastern beat used in many of the songs she performs conforms to the new east/west fusion seen in music but I wasn’t very impressed at the fact that holy words such as “om” and “shanti” which are sacred prayer words in Hindu doctrines were used in such a disrespectful manner. At ones point in the film Sophie Fisher says something along the lines that Cora has destroyed two musical cultures simultaneously. One of the more sensible lines in the film -- not only did the directors (spoof or no spoof) manage to destroy two musical cultures simultaneously, they did it at the cost of someone else’s faith and beliefs in such a spectacularly and appallingly rude and discourteous manner. Save yourself 96 minutes and the cost of a film ticket and support the cause of not condoning such awful cinema and disrespect to other cultures, for this is honestly one of the worst films I have seen in my entire existence. Note: Hugh Grant has been starring in a succession of such bad movies that he, like his character Alex Fletcher, is approaching the status of has-been. Yet another film not to see is American Dreamz -- a cinematic catastrophe of the grandest scale which was somehow outdone by Music and Lyrics by titanic proportions.If you want to see a great British chick flick see Starter For 10. Await reviews.

An opinionated college sophomore studying History of Art and Social Anthropology who also drinks far too much coffee for her own good apart from having a lot to say most of the time.

The Film Critique for 2006: The Top DVDs to Watch Out For

Vindi — Mon, 5 Feb 2007 07:53:45 EST

I felt like I should compile a list of my favorites for 2006. So, if you missed them last year, now would be a good time to go ahead and rent or buy them on DVD because the following just should not be missed. Top five for 2006 (In no particular order) The Departed: Albeit bloody and violent, this was an awesome film with an all-star cast (Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, and Mark Wahlberg) under the stellar direction of Martin Scorsese. The manifold plot was clever, however I didn't fancy the ending much. Anyhow, my conclusion is that the ending actually moves away from the stereotype of a black and white, good-triumphs-over-evil ending and focuses on the reality of the grey. Acting-wise, DiCaprio, Nicholson, and Damon were brilliant! A remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, the film serves as a dark exposé of the Boston mob scene entwined with the personal conflicts of Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan and Matt Damon as Collin Sullivan revolving around the mob boss Frank Costello, terrifically portrayed by Jack Nicholson. Sets a whole new perspective on loyalties, good cop/bad cop stereotyping and the psychological interplay of relationships and trust. Note: idealists will not like the ending, which is slightly anti-climactic. The Prestige: I positively loved The Prestige although I missed the first five minutes of it. The movie is slightly unrealistic if you really think about it, but the plot was very clever and if you are fantasy buff like I am you will find this "Friendship That Became a Rivalry... A Rivalry That Became a Battle" riveting and absolutely astonishing, to be honest. Putting aside the romantic comedy characteristics, it was slightly reminiscent of Kate and Leopold in terms of the sci-fi/fantasy elements. I loved Kate and Leopold (I reserve the right to like the occasional chick flick). Dashing Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier abandons his gruff, rugged Wolverinesque mannerism in favor of the suave Leopoldish charisma. To be honest Christian Bale creeps me out in this movie, but that must mean that his performance as Alfred Borden was so good, it was unsettling. The combination of sci-fi with Victorian England wasn't entirely convincing but considering the awe that accompanied electricity at the time, the connections are believable. Watch it -- love it -- definitely in the top three of '06. The storyline is cleverly constructed and is guaranteed to surprise you. Children of Men: Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic films intrigue me very much, highlighting our ever-present obsession with end. I am not sure what the intention of Children of Men was, but to be honest, this movie left me thinking and most importantly it left in my mind an impression that was unsettling and disturbing. Set in 2027, it's a post-apocalyptic drama/adventure that traces the journey of Clive Owen as Theodore Faron to help a miraculously pregnant girl, in an age where humans are sterile, to sanctuary. The film is both emotionally and intellectually evocative and left me thinking "that could be us" as it deals with the near future, making it very nearly frightening, engaging and certainly moving. It might leave you flinching in your chair or drive you to tears, yet, as far as I'm concerned, the best characteristic of the film is that it feels real and is a portrayal of a future that could happen, a future we can avoid. A MUST watch! A bit of trivia: There is a hysterical woman screaming in Sinhalese clutching onto her dead son: is this the future? It is the present for a number of Sri Lankans who are afflicted by the war. Maybe that's the only flaw of these post-apocalyptic/apocalyptic movies: we see past the problems in the present and look to their consequences on the future rather than deal with the present fallout. It was one of the most poignant moments of the film to me because back home that is what I used to see on the news everyday. V for Vendetta: I didn't see this until 2006, although it was released in late 2005, and it is definitely a favorite of mine. Natalie Portman's performance as Evey Hammond was stellar. I hadn't really seen Natalie Portman in anything other than one of the new -Star Wars movies. (People think it's positively criminal that I haven't really watched the classic Star Wars. Trust me, I know -- and that is definitely a part of my summer plans -- get acquainted with Star Wars.) Anyhow I loved her performance in V for Vendetta, yet another post-apocalyptic adventure. I bow down to the screenwriters for such clever dialog. If you are a word buff like I am you will find the V alliteration positively entertaining; the best line of the film: "The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous." The character of V portrayed by Hugo Weaving of The Matrix (Agent Smith) and of course The Lord of the Rings (Elrond) is a lovable protagonist/antagonist (depending on which side you’re on) with wit and charisma who is never revealed to the audience. Most importantly this film embodies a distinctive, positive hope and witty spirit that I think is absent in many post-apocalyptic flicks. A tie between Casino Royale: I know, very cliché but anyway -- I loved it! The opening sequence and theme is very artsy, and Chris Cornell's song “You Know My Name” just makes the movie. Meanwhile, I'm not exactly a Bond connoisseur -- I've seen a couple of the ones with Pierce Brosnan and I definitely loved Casino Royale in comparison. Daniel Craig made an awesome Bond I thought, but of course a real Bond fan might say otherwise. Taking into account that I regarded Casino Royale as single film rather than part of a long established franchise I cannot speak much of, I thought it was brilliant. Plotwise it wasn't spectacular, but stunts, visuals, and story all worked -- definitely a must watch... ...and Little Miss Sunshine: I loved this film -- it was funny, clever, witty, dark, happy, and sad. This is a must watch if you like unconventional, quirky movies. The performances were all very good and I loved the little girl who played Olive (Abigail Breslin). I think her performance completed what would have been just another indie flick and of course Steve Carell was brilliant as Frank, a gay, suicidal Proust scholar. A brilliant an realistic portrayal of how dysfunctional are lives can become as we each get caught up in our own predicaments, forgetting the importance of those who love us. A must watch!

An opinionated college sophomore studying History of Art and Social Anthropology who also drinks far too much coffee for her own good apart from having a lot to say most of the time.