Film Reviews

Some of these films have been out in theatres for awhile now, but I'd like to post my little reviews on here still.

Ziyi Zhang and Ken Watanabe in Memoirs of a Geisha

I admit, I never read the book, but I've heard of it before and I will. From the moment I heard they were making the novel by Arthur Golden into a movie I knew I had to see it. It features some of my favorite asian actors and actresses like Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, and Ken Watanabe. The film made me a new fan of Gong Li's. The sceneries and the cinematography took my breath away. I wasn't only in love with the film itself, but with the story and the characters as well no matter how off-key the film and the novel may be on Japanese Geishas. All the mistakes didn't matter to me anymore when watching the film like how Chinese actresses played Japanese characters or how the novel interpreted a Geisha uncorrectly because the story was really beautiful. I have no complaints anymore about the film because it's become my favorite film of 2005. They chose the perfect actors and actresses to play the roles despite their ethnicities. Gong Li was perfect to play the ruthless and jealous Hatsumomo. Michelle Yeoh's demanding voice and presence makes a perfect Mameha. Ziyi Zhang was a strong actress to play Sayuri as she has a very innocent and soft look to her that completes the character of Sayuri. And Ken Watanabe rounded out some of the main characters as The Chairman who is desired by Sayuri. I admit damn it, Ken is 40 something years old, but he is handsome and talented since he was nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Last Samurai and asians are rarely ever nominated. Now Ziyi Zhang is nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Actress Drama category so congrats to her. The film and story was beautiful, but what made it incredible was the soundtrack...

John Williams made the right choice in turning down Harry Potter 4 to compose music for Memoirs of a Geisha because first of all, it could be challenging, but probably not for John Williams and second of all, he's already composed music for the other Harry Potter films. I listened to the entire soundtrack and I was moved by it all over again. I think the best track on the soundtrack is "The Chairman's Waltz" especially with the violin solos. Sayuri is sad, obsessed with The Chairman, and desperate and all of that rolls into that single beautiful track.

Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell, and William Moseley in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

I don't have to say much about this film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, as it is magnificent and adorable, not Curious George adorable, but it made me want a pet lion. It's enchanting and what? It's a Disney film? I don't believe it. It's much different from the typical Disney film and that's good. The book and film makes religious references and I am not religious so I didn't understand it at first until someone told me more about the significance of the story, but I loved the film instantly after watching it. It was slow in the beginning so I didn't understand it at first especially since I didn't read any sypnosis before watching the film, but it became interesting. If I had to choose between this film or Harry Potter 4, I would have to choose... The Chronicles of Narnia because the story is different from the Harry Potter series. It was just as magical. I still think the Harry Potter 4 film was the best out of the other HP films though.

!SPOILERS AHEAD!


Jim Carrey in Fun With Dick and Jane

This film, Fun With Dick and Jane, was decent for me. It was hilarious some of the time and other times it wasn't. I have never seen the original film, but I bet it wasn't as funny as this one. I think some of the best moments in the film was when Dick and his family is too poor to use water in their home so they use their neighbor's sprinklers (I believe it was their neighbors) to shower. And then another moment was when they had their new lawn repossessed and so Dick goes crazy and steals other people's lawns like a patch from his neighbor's lawn and some patches from a golf course and from the cemetary (I think, I don't remember). And then he goes home and places it on his own front yard. His wife Jane wakes up and says how beautiful the lawn is. And it is beautiful to her too while they look out into the front yard to patches of grass here and there.