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Kylie6
Reviews
The Periwig-Maker (1999)
Wonderfully inspired animation
I've watched this short several times and it always leaves me in awe. Steffen Schaffler (director) and his sister Annette (writer) have created a fantastic addition to the cannon of stop-motion films. And it has all the awards to prove it.
"The Periwig-Maker" briefly adapts Daniel Defoe's book "A Journal of the Plague Year" into the running inner monologue (perfectly voiced by Kenneth Branagh) of a shut-in wig designer in London during the plague epidemic.
The story quietly examines, through his unwitting involvement with a courageous little girl, the withdrawn shopkeeper's dilemma of self-preservation versus self-sacrifice. When faced with the threat of our own death, how compassionate are we?
The created "set" of this piece is flawless and the attention to detail is remarkable. Above all else, though, the most hypnotic element is Chris Heyne's dark and heartrending score.
From the first sweeping shot, "The Periwig-Maker" establishes its tone and pulls us into the poignant world of a man who has much to learn about empathy and what makes life worth living.
A dark yet beautiful film.
Finding Neverland (2004)
Wonderful
"Finding Neverland" follows J.M. Barrie's friendship with the Llewelyn Davies family as they inspire him to write his most famous play, "Peter Pan".
There is quite a bit of Hollywood in this film, as I'm sure there are the same countless inaccuracies in any story 'inspired by true events'. But Johnny Depp (Barrie) gives an expectedly brilliant performance. His camaraderie with the Davies boys draws the audience into the mind of a man who wrote about fairies and eternal youth. Freddie Highmore shines as the reticent, grieving Peter.
"Neverland" is a sweet, romantic movie about the beauty of youth and the pain of growing up.
Bleeders (1997)
Mesmerizingly Bad
I caught this flick on TV as "The Descendant". It's so horrible it should be a prime candidate for the old "MST3K" show. The special effects (creatures) are a joke and the acting is pure B-movie. Somehow, though, I kept watching this debacle of film making (and I hardly think it was for the plot). I can't tell if it was the lighting or the morbid fascination in seeing where something so bad could go.
Make no mistake, it's a bad, bad movie. Even for a horror flick. But if you like watching cheesy films - for kicks - this one takes the cake.
One last note: Poor Rutger Hauer. How far from 'Blade Runner' have we lost ye.