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genieinabottle
Reviews
10 Items or Less (2006)
one life journey that may make you happier forever
I have seen '10 items or less' before, but I watched again today as it was my birthday. I wanted to see the kind of movie I appreciate the most: emotionally touching, life-affirming and dealing with human relationships. '10 items or less' never disappointed me in this respect. It doesn't have much of a plot; it doesn't need it. It's the human contact that makes the film special. I loved all the little silly and funny things Morgan did when meeting other people, and the way he picked up Scarlet. She was lucky to meet him as he decided to help her gain a new perspective on her life. Morgan encouraged her to go to an interview for a job she dreamed of and supported her all he could. Scarlet was able to talk about her concerns with a real actor who knew that life was about playing roles. Pick a role you like and have courage to play it. I was pleased to see Morgan take joy in the human interaction. The film can certainly make you get a more relaxed approach to life and give you ideas how to make it more interesting and enjoyable.
Juno (2007)
real life ride
Just finished watching that movie. I found it enjoyable and it made me feel good about life. I was especially impressed by the way Juno handles her sensitive situation. Unexpected pregnancy at such an early age is something that may be too much for a teenage girl and she could easily crack up. However, Juno weighs up the options available to her. She has to choose between abortion, having the baby and putting it up for adoption or raising it by herself. The last option isn't really considered and at first she wants to have an abortion but soon she decides against it. Her close friend suggests finding a foster family for the baby in one of the ads from married couples wanting to adopt a baby. Unfortunately, the couple she chooses isn't going to become a wonderful family she longs to provide for the baby. Juno becomes disappointed and wonders about the relationships people have. That's when she gets closer with the father of her baby. She starts to notice the things about him that she didn't see before, and she falls in love with him. First she regarded him as just a friend she happened to have sex with, but now she finds that they really could be together.
The movie is very optimistic. It shows that a pregnancy at a very early age is not the end of the world and a pregnant teen doesn't have to choose only between abortion and struggling to raise the baby by herself. She can have the baby and give it away to a couple that will take care of it. That way, the girl can go on with her life as a typical teenager and at the same time she can fulfill the dreams of people who cannot have a baby but would love to adopt one.
I liked the reaction of Juno's parents to the news about her daughter getting pregnant. They didn't condemn her at all. On the contrary, they proved very supportive of her and helped her deal with the situation she found herself in.
I found the movie very uplifting. It shows us that even in such difficult circumstances you can find the right solution.
Dead Calm (1989)
disappointing
I must say that I had heard a lot about this movie so I decided to check it out. Boy, was I disappointed! I haven't long seen such a naive movie where you have to forget about logical thinking to enjoy it. First of all, it puzzles me why John left his wife all alone with a total stranger whom he didn't trust as he went to inspect the other boat. And we don't really know what happened to the passengers of that boat. John freaked out when he saw them dead but he still didn't have proof that Hughie killed them. And Hughie must have trusted Rae very much as he didn't tie her up or lock her in a room or something. She was free to walk around the boat and radio her husband. Of course it had to take so much time for her to realize that she might try to kill that guy who had prevented her husband from getting back on board. And of course Hughie, being a trusting man, decided to have sex with Rae as she must have forgotten all about her husband when she saw how handsome Hughie was. Finally Rae remembered she had a gun on the boat but it was of no use to her as she didn't know what to do with it once she saw Hughie who didn't make any use of the gun as well since the drugs she had given him started to kick in just when he was about to shoot her. Finally of course it was so logical for indecisive Rae to bash Hughie with the gun and shove him into the ocean. No! She didn't just push him out, she had laid out a lifeboat for him first. She cared for him so much I guess. The ending is just as bad when we see Hughie miraculously emerge from dead and tries to kill Rae who doesn't even scream. Of course he's not quick enough because John shoots him straight in the head. 'Dead Calm' isn't a boring movie, it's just the inconsistencies what makes it suck.
Ett hål i mitt hjärta (2004)
bizarre
Well, well...This was a rather strange movie. I've never seen a movie like that. After seeing Moodyssons's excellent movies 'Show me love' and 'Together' I wanted to see another movie by this director. 'A hole in my heart' happened to be his next movie I saw. I was surprised, confused, shocked, bored, and excited. There is no real plot. Just a few people stuck in one place and doing all these weird things. The scenes are loosely connected. Throughout the movie I tried to figure out what Moodysson wanted to tell the viewers. I could see general chaos, filled with disturbing images. It puzzled me how 'Show me love' and 'A hole in my heart' could be made by the same director. They seem so different but in fact they deal with the same thing Moodysson is an expert on, the human nature. Only this picture is much more extreme. It shows the darkest side of humanity. The characters had none morality whatsoever. They talked about and had sex like it was the most ordinary thing. One of the guys even fell asleep during having sex...Where was the magic of love so tenderly shown in 'Show me love?' Where was the warm-heartedness of 'Together?' It's impossible for me to rate this movie. The rating range could be as extreme as the movie itself. I could give it 10 for showing something so complex and profound I don't even have the capacity for grasping or I could give it 1 for the most worthless piece of sh.t I have ever seen. It certainly is a haunting movie that will make you wonder why it was made in the first place. Personally, I don't know what to make of it. One idea occurring to me is that the true meaning of this movie lies in the scenes in which one of the guys and the woman go outside, sink to the ground and coil up. The demons of sex acting up? The burden of life got too heavy? The sense of guilt overwhelmed them? One thing is sure, Moodysson's characters are very open-minded, the issues of sexuality are given a great deal of attention. Only in this movie the limits of the sexual frolics were stretched dangerously far.
Bully (2001)
fantastic
'Bully' is an impressive movie, there's no doubts about it. First of all, even though the young actors aren't very well-known, the acting is superb, very realistic and convincing. I don't think more well-known actors could make a better job of it. Also, the attractive looks of the actresses definitely contribute to the appeal of this film. Their characters are well developed, which makes it even more realistic. However, I must say that the movie was shot from a men's point of view, which especially shows in some of the close-ups of the female characters. The girls were very easy and didn't have to be asked for sex because they offered it of their own accord. Also the dialog was so realistic and believable. I couldn't help marveling at the way they talked and behaved, it seemed so real. It made me scared, made me laugh, and made me emotional. I was watching it with complete awe. One frightening thing about the depicted events was the relationships the kids had with their parents. The parents actually had no idea what their own children were up to. They fell so easily for what they told them and didn't try to take a deeper interest in their lives. And that again is so true to life, because it is often the case that parents don't really know their own children, they trust them too much and fall for their lies. All in all, an amazing flick that will blow you away.
Tick Tock (2000)
gripping
Tick Tock was a lot of fun to watch and kept me interested throughout. Two main roles are played by beautiful actresses that give very good performances. Carla (Kristin Minter) and Rachel (Megan Ward) scheme to kill Rachel's wealthy husband, Holden (David Dukes), to get the whole inheritance. All they need is a patsy who would do the dirty work for them. Carla's lover, Travis (Linden Ashby), seems a perfect choice. The two female characters have strikingly different personalities - Carla is devious and cold-blooded, she does the planning and keeps her cool when things go out of hand. She's the mastermind of the scheme. Her partner Rachel, on the contrary, is tearful, unsure of herself and loses her cool whenever something goes wrong. She completely depends on Carla for instructions what to do. She gets a bit annoying when she is constantly saying things like 'Now what?' 'Now what's the plan?' 'Are you sure?' 'What are we doing now?' 'Do you think that's a good idea?' 'I don't know,' I was thinking that maybe we should wait?' I don't think I can go through with this,' 'I don't think I can keep this up,' 'No, I can't, I can't, Carla,' 'What are we doing?!' and ... 'I think I peed my pants.'
The events in the movie are not presented in order but the series of flashbacks provides the viewer with a more comprehensive insight into the intricacies of the plot and make the movie more intriguing.
I enjoyed watching Tick Tock even though it has some flaws, the ending being the major one. Why would indecisive Rachel want to kill Carla when throughout the movie it was Carla who planned and managed the whole thing and encouraged Rachel to keep at it every time she was about to chicken out? What was she trying to achieve by doing so? Now that she's lost her smart partner she completely blows her chances of getting away with the crime. At that moment the movie lost logic to me. And it is beyond me why faint-hearted Rachel would hack Travis to death bashing him hard so many times with a shovel if earlier in the movie she was clearly disgusted at the way Carla killed Holden. Also, there was only one scene showing that Carla and Rachel were lesbians. The motivation for the crime would be more convincing if their relationship was developed better. Aside from the ending, Tick Tock is great fun to watch.
I found the soundtrack pretty good.