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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Films seen in November

03:52 / 04.11.03

I felt that this board needed a similar thread.

I'll start.

Thesis: The Others and Open Your Eyes were excellent thrillers so I obviously wanted to see Amenabar's debut. Suffering from a-twist-every-five minutes-syndrome it was still worth a rental. It's no Open Your Eyes definitely but not bad.

Hulk: Did not go to see this in theatres after hearing all sorts of criticisms, most of which were accurate. That said, watching Hulk (after accepting he was a girly CGI hulk) stomp, hop, kick was fantastic. I want a sequel with a menacing Hulk and a better screenwriter/directors.

Breaking the Waves: I've seen Element of Crime which was terrific only for the look Trier created for the film and Michael Elphick's voice. I know nothing about the film outside my viewing of it but it seems like Trier's loveletter to Bergman. Emily Watson's performance is something else but it did annoy me a few times. Stellar acting by Skarsgard as usual. It was far too long but for an ending like that it was worth it.

Danzig: He Pitys the Fool!

06:59 / 04.11.03

House of 1,000 Corpses - Juvenile entertainment, predictable plot, lots of gore. I can't fault it.

03:57 / 17.11.03

Spirited Away: Some amazing moments, but ultimately this falls into the "it's not you, it's me" category of why I didn't like it as much as some people do. The high pitched voices used in every anime dub annoy me, and the phrasing, even in English dubs always seems off from natural speech. That said, that train on the water, beautiful.

American Beauty: I saw this for the second time, and really paid attention to the way it was shot. Every frame seems to have been perfectly constructed, designed and lit. It's such an amazing film visually, that when you add the great plot and acting, you've got one of the best films ever.

10:31 / 17.11.03

In America - which could have deserved a thread of its own, but on the basis of the second half, doesn't at all. The pacing was entirely off ; it seemed to be based on the idea that making things grimmer for the main characters is a good way to speed the plot along. This is, clearly, not the case. It is a good way to make a mawkish and dull film. And whilst I expected it, there was still so much childlike wonder...