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Reviews
Haeundae (2009)
It may be half drama and half romantic comedy...
...but my gosh, it works. This is quite literally one of the best disaster movies I've ever watched, and I've seen most American-made ones of the last 45 years. For once, a movie actually had characters and development I genuinely cared about, which made it all the more somber once the wave actually impacted. A lot of people complained about the build-up, the character development, which takes up probably 90% of the film. Honestly, I loved it. I felt I was watching a romantic comedy at times (until drama slipped in, but still), and it worked beautifully. I've come to the conclusion you can't approach this movie from the "disaster movie" angle, you have to approach it from the "drama surrounding a disaster" kind of movie. It's about the lives and relations of the people on the coast who are going to be effected by this, not necessarily pawns just to be written off by the story later. If you're looking purely for a disaster film with little plot and emotion, don't go for this.... watch The Day After Tomorrow or Earthquake or 2012, but if you want your disaster mixed in with an emotional story about a tight-knit community on the coast with a storm looming in on them, then this is your film. Highly, highly recommended.
Tosca (2001)
Amazing, if different, film direction
Many people seem to hate the style this film took - blending the black and white behind-the-scenes shots of the actors and actresses recording, along with the casually-dressed orchestra itself - in with the gorgeous sets the actual "production" takes place on, but I myself loved it. It took a completely different aspect on my favorite opera and made it more down-to-earth. However, the grainy outside footage was horrendous, and the only thing I have to complain on about this movie.
Angela Gheorghiu's singing was absolutely top-notch, as was a fantastically evil Scarpia. All the singers played their parts marvelously, and led to a very believable performance "on stage." This is personally my favorite production of Tosca, and with the movie's direction, led to a beautiful behind-the-scenes view of the faces behind the faces that work together to create an opera's production itself! Highly recommended from me.