Ahira's Hangar

The Hard Word--great cast, Guy Pearce is very cool as always--semi interesting plot--good effort from Australian filmakers! Prob is, if you're not familiar with slured Australian and gutteral Oz jargon it's hard to understand half of what's being said... *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>

Pretty darned impressed! Heath Ledger finally proves he can act! Yes he was good in The Four Feathers but he's improving with every film. I love Peter Weller (Screamers) too. Much better that ur run of the mill church oriented Good/Evil flicks...well anything is after Arnie's The End of Days. Might rival or be better than Armageddon but misses the Stigmata, Prophecy category, just barely--probably cause it could have been longer, a little more intricate and the girl's role should have been a bit more complex and mysterious. The actress is beautiful, though not well known to American audiences, and even tho she's white the lighting in the beginning of the film makes you swear she's Lisa Bonnet straight out of Angelheart.

I'm 7 chapters into The Da Vinci Code and the beautiful cinematography switching from New York to Vatican City and the secret intrigue feels very similar. Good mystery, well acted, beautifully shot--not enough plot--too bad ,it could have been a masterpiece. At least it tried to wrap it's story up at the end and for that I'll have to rank it higher than Depp's The Ninth Gate. *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 2/17/04 8:42 am
</i>

U know me-it's rare u find me at a loss 4 words...but it's hard to acurately describe Lost in Translation. I liked it, I liked it alot-but I'm probably biased since Bill Murray is my favorite comedian and I'm one of the rare people who loved The Razor's Edge. Murray almost never makes a "bad" movie, the only movie I haven't liked him in was the cult favorite Rushmore, so I kept wondering to myself why I didn't want to see this movie. Probably because I knew nothing about it or thought it would be a tragic mid-life crisis film, so y bother...

Whats really odd about L in T is that Murray, sorta, plays himself. Set against the background of modern Japan and a tacky high priced hotel bar the culture clashes and the way the "crisis" is executed are priceless. Coppola's daughter wrote a very good script-and directed a pogniant and artistic endevour. The use of pauses and silence are amazing--L in T has a very rich "real" texture-I don't know how to describe it except to say it's very believable. Murray's character could be any rich movie star at any given time (Jack Nicholson came to mind a few times).

Scarlett Johanson (The Horse Whisperer) was great and the Golden Globes was right-this really is a well written and directed flim. It deserves at least one Oscar-but the way the Academy works (like the Washington over Crowe fiasco) it probably won't get it. *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>

Rabbit Proof Fence. And Australian film from a couple years back. Documenting something many Australians might want to Forget. Based on a true incident ocurring in the 1930s. Saw this film on Starz cable.

Seems for many years (incredibily into the 1970s) the official policy in Australia was to remove mixed blood Aboriginal childern from their families and move them into shared living conditions with others like them.

In this film three girls (one about twelve, her sister five or six and their cousin about 10) are of mixed parentage and they live with their mothers and grandmother in the bush in the south part of Western Australia. They are then kidnapped and moved to a camp northwest of Perth. Childern in the camp if they have enough European features might be adopted out, the others are taught some basic skills, and when they get older the girls are hired out as dometics to local farms and the boys as common farm laborers. These three girls escape the camp, are pursued by an Aboriginal tracker who works for the camp authorities, and other law enforcement types. The cousin seperates herself from the two sisters and is ostensibily returned to the camp. The two sisters walk all the way back to their mother's homeland in the south part of Western Australia, over 1000 miles. This is the end of the film, but not the story. Seems after several years the oldest girl takes a local Aboriginal stockman as a husband she has a daughter, then while she is pregnant with her second child she is again abducted along with her infant daughter and sent back to the same camp where she delivers her second baby. She then escapes again, taking her infant daughter with her, but leaving her newborn, knowing bringing her newborn with them will probably lose all chance of her and her daughter returning to their homeland.

It's a really cool film. taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i>Edited by: taraswizard at: 2/17/04 6:57 pm
</i>

The Lady Tamara saw it with her mother and sister and they all loved it. The Whale Rider's another great movie...(even if it's from NZ ) *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>

Danlo, glad the Lady liked Rabbit Proof Fence, it's a really good movie.

This month there is a made for HBO movie called Iron Jawed Angels. It is based on the actions that led to the passage of the Twentieth Amendment to the US Constitution, granting the right to vote to women. The central character is Alice Paul, www.alicepaul.org, played by Hilary Swank (Boys don't Cry, and others). Alice Paul was a leader of the suffrage movement and the movement for the constitutional amendment during the years from 1912 till 1920, and 1920 is when the amendment passed. The women who worked for the passage of the amendment, endured real hardship, being imprisoned at least twice. It's a powerful and moving movie. If one has any interest in US history, see this movie. taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i></i>

Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Saw this the other day on Showtime. This semi documentary by Michael Moore, is about the Columbine shootings in 1999, but it also about gun violence in the U.S. I am not going to rant here... However, isn't hard to deny the raw numbers, according to the film, and I do not think this is falsified, in the U.S. we have like over 10,000 deaths per year due to handguns. Canada has like couple of hundred.

The movie has another bit of commentary about the culture of fear in the U.S. His comparisons between U.S. and Canada are very to the point and kinda frightening.

Lastly, Michael has been resoundly criticized for his treatment of Charlton Heston in this movie; however, IMO, his interview with Heston was respectful and thoughtful, and free of hysteria and demagoguery. taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i></i>

The whole wide world. Staring Vincent D'Onfrio (MIBII, Law and Order - Criminal intent) and Renee Zwellenger, 1996. Saw this on Starz cable the other day. Film about Robert E. Howard (1906 - 1936), creator of Conan and Kull the conqueror. Based on true incident, the recounting of a brief romance between Howard and a young school teacher during the last two years of Howard's life. The book the film is based on One who walks alone was written by Novalyne Price Ellis (the school teacher) in the 1970s. Mrs. Ellis's original drive to write this story was during that time in the 1970s the interest in Robert E. Howard was increasing and many claims were being made about the man, and to Mrs. Ellis's remembrance those claims did not coincide nor agree with her memory of Bob Howard. The film is very good and I liked it even if I do not care for D'Onfrio. taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i></i>

Boys don't cry 1999. Hilary Swank, Chloe Sevigny. Fictionalization of the last few weeks in the life of Brandon Teena/Teena Brandon (Brandon a transexual person who was murdered on New Years morning in 1993 in Humboldt, Nebraska), not a documentary. Good and powerful movie. I borrowed the DVD from my local library last week.

How do folks feel about th commentary tracks on DVDs? Cause for this movie, the commentary track is done by Kimberly Pierce, the director and one of the movie's writers, the commentary is in some ways critical to the movies on-screen narrative. Throughout the commentary track Ms. Pierce makes references to her interviews with Lana Tisdale (Chloe Sevigny's character) and it fills in the some of the gaps to the movie. Furthemore, it explains her (Kimberly's) reasoning for taking liberties with the factual record as it is known today.

Comments about commentary tracks, or this movie. taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i></i>

I'm jealous taras! I've been searching high and low 4 The Whole Wide World and it doesn't seem to be available in local--run of the mill--video stores here. I have a hard time understanding why you don't like Vincent, he's one of my fav actors--but I guess he can come across as arrogant... *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>

Vincent D'Onfrio...well, my comments really apply to the L&O - CI series, I really do not care for his character in that series.

Regarding Whole wide world. AFAIk, it is newly released on video, so lots of places may not have it yet. Additionally, AFAIK, it is newly released to cable channels, too; however, FWIW, IMDB says the movie was made in 1996. And it is a very good movie. If this means anything, I heard someone recently call it a "chick flick". taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i>Edited by: taraswizard at: 3/11/04 8:21 pm
</i>

Carrington. A fictionalization of the life of the painter Dora Carrington (Emma Thompson), a bohemian and member of the Bloomsbury group. The movie focuses around her unconventional relationship with the author Lytton Strachey (Johnathon Pryce), one reason the relationship would be called uncoventional was Lytton Strachey was a homosexual, and the two were constant companions for most of their adult lifes, including Carrington's two marriages. The movie covers from the middle of WWI until Strachey's death in 1932 and her own suicide shortly afterward. This movie is so good, and Thompson is so wonderful as the title character. Movie scenes are seperated by brief views of Dora's painting such as exists. She had a curious attitude about her work seldom exhibited during her life, TBoMK she never sold any work, gave several pieces away as gifts. She viewed her work as to personal to show or sell; however, the walls of one of the houses she shared with Strachey were decorated with her art.

This is such a good movie. At first viewing one may have a little trouble recoginizing Ms. Thompson, at least I did. taraswizard
Allan Rosewarne N9SQT/WDX6HQV
Chicago area
W/T forever, always
Plan C - http://planc.bravepages.com/main.html<i>Edited by: taraswizard at: 3/11/04 9:15 pm
</i>

I love L & O CI--I guess that's where we differ... *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>

Mona Lisa Smile

Yes, it is a chick flick. I guess it's kind of a Dead Poets' Society for women. If you've seen the previews, you pretty much know the movie. Rebel from California comes to a prestigious Massachusetts college to "make a difference." There are the challenges of going up against the system and the rewards of the teacher and students finding themselves.

The weird thing is, this is a really good movie. I blame it all on characterization. As cliched as you would expect this movie to be, almost all of the characters are well rounded, dynamic characters. They say and do things you wouldn't quite expect, and their motivation is believable. All in all, 4 out of 5. ________________
I wanna feel the metamorphosis and cleansing I've endured within my shadow. Change is coming. Now is my time. Listen to my muscle memory. Contemplate what I've been clinging to. -Tool, "Forty-Six & Two" <i></i>

I watched Mona Lisa Smile about 3 weeks ago and agree with Syl's review. I watched Something's Gotta Give last and really enjoyed it not as good as As Good as it Gets (that's prob an unfair comparison) but very funny: classic Nicholson and Keaton steals the show. Might have draged out abit too long but still-money.

Two movies to make sure you avoid: Intolerable Cruelty and Swimming Pool. *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 6/11/05 9:12 am
</i>