mikeycmikeydo Reviews

Secret Things (2002)

Watered down Breillat

[4/10 · 2 August 2008]

This film starts off relatively strong with two young girls making a pact to manipulate men in order to get ahead in life. French director Catherine Breillat's incendiary view of gender relations certainly came to mind but it soon became clear Les Choses Secrètes doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as films like À ma soeur, Anatomie de l'enfer or Romance.

This film stumbles each time it tries to deviate from the norm. Its gender commentary is simplistic and its attempts at symbolism seem like an afterthought. The strong beginning becomes a mediocre middle and finally an almost laughable ending.

I have absolutely no idea how this was the top film of 2002 according to the once reputable Cahiers du Cinema when the best Breillat film has ever done was 9th place (Parfait amour/1996).

If you're looking for edgy gender commentary, get any of the aforementioned films by the brilliant Catherine Breillat. If you're looking for an erotic French film with nubile young women I'd highly recommend Naissance des pieuvres aka Water Lilies (2007).

Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

Poor Werner

[12 October 2004]

This is a great film on paper but when translated to screen it's a disaster.

Let's examine writer/director Zak Penn's resume....

He wrote X-Men 2, Behind Enemy Lines, Inspector Gadget (??), PCU, Last Action Hero and Suspect Zero.

With perhaps the exception of Suspect Zero should it really be any surprise that this film is terrible ??

While there are a few jabs at/allusions to Herzog that will tickle dedicated fans the grins quickly turn into frowns as you feel nothing but embarrassment for Kinski's "best fiend".

This film attempts to "blur the line between fantasy and reality" but only succeeds in digressing into what it was attempting to comment on.

While Zak Penn certainly fulfils his role as cog in the Hollywood machine supplying us with necessary soma to escape the drudgery of our lackluster existence his attempt at a "real film" is a failure.

"Incident at Loch Ness" is marred by a terrible plot, embarrassing dialogue, an execrable performance by Mr. Penn and awful attempts at comedy relief.

Herzog fans will want to speedily rush home and put on Heart of Glass in an attempt place the undisputed enigma of German film back on the pedestal where he belongs.

Happy Together (1997)

Visually Ethereal Narratively Praedial

[7/10 · 4 September 2004]

Wong Kar-Wai is in fine form with this tale of a pair of lovers in a strange land.

Christopher Doyle's cinematography provides some of the most beautiful images a disheveled urban landscape could possibly yield. I would go as far to say that this could be Kar-Wai's was aesthetically accomplished film (with perhaps "In the Mood" neck-in-neck).

This film differs from the more romanticized or fantastic elements of Chungking, Fallen Angels or In the Mood. This is a very real story and while Kar-Wai's universal theme of love plays a huge part it does not transmute the world into a world through the looking glass.

It is also worth mention that cultural difference plays little if any role in this film. While Leung is seen interacting with Asian tourists neither he nor his lover seem alienated while in Argentina. You feel the same about the environment as you do when you see the urban world of Hong Kong. Perhaps this is Kar-Wai proving that one's perception is far more important that one's location.

Overall this is an incredible film bursting at the seems with originality, humor, emotion and a flair that imbues all of this Hong Kong auteur's prolific and consistent body of work.

Address Unknown (2001)

A Trivial Film For a Serious Audience

[31 December 2003]

Not unlike the Oscar Wilde play from which my "One Line Summary" for this comment is co-opted the director of `Address Unknown' requires his audience to think.

In all of the Kim Ki-duk films I have seen (The Isle, Address Unknown, Bad Guy) what lies on the surface differs greatly from what lies beneath it. He is working in a language of metaphor and allegory with characters that range from caricature to archetype to fodder. By fodder I mean they are impenetrable and near impossible to empathize/sympathize with for the sole reason that emotional attachment is not the director's intention. He is creating a fictional world made to comment on the world we live in.

By exploring the eclectic residents of an isolated South Korean village in close proximity to an American military base Ki-duk is dealing with a number of issues such as globalization (the base, the bullies who moved to America), language (the theme of English, the comic interlude of the Playboy translation), gender (obvious), race (obvious), history (that family whose father turned out to be a traitor, the constant references to the past from the veterans), tradition (the archery), relationships (Korean girl and U.S. solider), war (obvious) and violence (obvious). The bleak, violent, at times repulsive world the film takes place in is so over-the-top that the audience can't help but think that it is just a means to an end.

In films like `The Isle' and `The Bad Guy' the black humour and sarcasm are more evident. `Address Unknown' is a tad more subtle but there are more than enough hints to indicate the film should not be taken at face value. An excellent example is the constant, almost laughable violence.

Kim Ki-duk is one of a handful of directors striving to create intelligent cinema that is accessible as well. The East is bursting at the seams with talent and I really hope it starts to get the recognition it deserves.

Tadpole (2002)

homogenous with a capital H

[4/10 · 3 March 2003]

This film is a waste of your time. While far from the worst thing ever committed to film there are so many other movies out there you should see before seeing this.

The story plays out like a "Catcher in the Rye" sequel. The protagonist is living in a fantasy would and he acts much older than his tender age of 15. Many parallels abound like Tadpole's upper class schooling and the New York location of the film.

Bebe Neuwirth's performance is good but far from a reason to go out and see this film.

The film inserts various quotes which acts as intertitles not unlike "Fraser" but they act as clever comments on the scenes rather that brilliant insight.

The dialogue is bland aside from moderately comedic moments. The story progresses in a predictable, uninteresting fashion aside from a few twists which have little impact on the narrative.

This is a bland movie which very, very few redeeming qualities.

Century Hotel (2001)

the female lead from the crow 2 and our lady peace front man... how can you go wrong ??

[7/10 · 20 February 2003]

The problem with a lot of films that revolve around a central concept is the rest of the film suffers because the writer figures that one idea can carry the film.

While "Century Hotel" is far from "brilliant" or a "must see" but it is quite good. It's cleverness is nicely balanced with sincere emotion and gender/socio-political commentary.

Also the chance to see Chantal Kreviazuk playing maid and Raine Maida as a paranoid, drug, addict, agoraphobic rock star is too tempting to pass up.

One of the better English Canadian films I've seen but if you really want to see some incredible Canadian cinema check out "Jésus de Montreal", "Léolo", "A Tout Prendre" and "Le Confessional".

She Gets What She Wants (2002)

The only reason I saw this was because it was free...

[1/10 · 22 September 2002]

I frequently receive free movies passes at my place on employment so I get to see lots of movies that I normally couldn't bring myself to pay for. "Slap Her, She's French" is the type of film that I would have been very, very angry/embarrassed if I had paid to see it.

If you took every bland, unoriginal American comedy and removed the two or three funny lines you would have "Slap Her, She's French". This film is nothing but a waste of your precious time. The only positive thing about this movie is the fact that the lead actress is reasonably attractive.

Contempt (1963)

By the numbers Godard....

[6/10 · 22 September 2002]

A good movie but far from a great one. Everyone with even rudimentary knowledge of Godard will be able to see through and read into his tricks. Due to the talent and international financing a somewhat diluted, toned down film shouldn't be a huge surprise.

See "Weekend" or "Alphaville" instead.