Mononoke-hime
Mononoke-hime (1997)
★★★ / ★★★★
When a spirit that guarded the forest had turned into a demon, in a form of a giant boar, threatened to attack a small village, Prince Ashitaka (voiced by Billy Crudup) killed the suffering spirit. But Ashitaka did not leave the battle unscathed. The demon managed to touch his arm and put a curse on him. One of the wise men from the tribe claimed that there could be a possible cure out in the West. However, if Ashitaka left the village, he could never return. “Princess Mononoke,” written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, was branded by fans and critics as a classic. I don’t believe it was as strong as it should have been. While I admired that it used animation not just as a medium to entertain younger children, personified by gory beheadings and limbs cut into pieces, its pacing felt uneven and the way story unfolded eventually became redundant. There was a war between guardians of the forest, led by a giant white wolf named Moro (Gillian Anderson), and humans, led by the cunning Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver). The spirits were angry because men cut off trees and killed animals for the sake of excavating valuable iron. If the forest died, the spirits, too, would perish. Ashitaka’s stance was the middle, the one who we were supposed to relate to, and it was up to him to try to bring the two sides together. While I appreciated that there was an absence of a typical villain because the characters’ motivations were complex, there were far too many grand speeches about man’s place in the world versus man’s right to do whatever it took for the sake of progress. As the spirits and humans went to war, the story also focused on the budding romance between Ashitaka and San (Claire Danes), a human that Moro brought up as a wolf. It was an unnecessary appendage because the romantic angle took away the epic feel of the battle sequences. Just when a battle reached a high point, it would cut to Ashitaka wanting to prove his love for the wolf-girl he barely knew. The high point, instead of reaching a peak, became an emotional and visual plateau. It wasn’t clear to me why Ashitaka would fall for someone like San, who was essentially a savage being, who claimed that she hated humans, and who considered herself to be a wolf. There was a painful lack of evolution in their relationship. Did San eventually feel like she was more human than animal after spending more time with the cursed Ashitaka? What was more important to our protagonist: being with the girl he loved or the lifting off the curse so that he could continue to live? The deeper questions weren’t answered. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t deny that “Mononoke-hime” maintained a high level of imagination throughout. I especially enjoyed the adorable kodamas, spirits that lived in the oldest trees, with their rotating heads and confused expressions. If it had found a way to focus more on the big picture, without sacrificing details and actually offered us answers, it would have been a timeless work.
Me and Orson Welles
Me and Orson Welles (2008)
★★ / ★★★★
Richard Samuels (Zac Efron) was magnetized toward the arts so when the opportunity of working with Orson Welles’ (Christian McKay) production of “Julius Caesar” had presented itself, Richard just had to be in the play despite lacking theater experience. Through a week of rigorous rehearsals, Richard fell for a secretary named Sonja Jones (Claire Danes) who everyone admired but earned the nickname of being an Ice Queen. Little did Richard know that he had to compete with Welles for Sonja’s affections. I understand that this movie must have been a big deal for Efron because it gave him the chance to finally be considered as a serious actor. In a way, the actor had parallels with his character because Richard wanted to be taken seriously despite his age and lack of connection in the entertainment business. Unfortunately, the movie barely kept my attention. I could not connect at all with Richard because there did not come a point where he had a clear vision between wanting to have the girl or wanting to achieve his dreams. Obviously, he could not have both. To an extent, his lack of understanding about what was more important was understandable because he was young, but I think the writing should have presented a key moment when the audiences would realize that Richard was worth rooting for even though he did not know exactly what he wanted. There were two characters who overshadowed the protagonist. One was Danes as an elegant woman who knew what she wanted and would do anything to go where she wanted to go. Unlike the main character, she had experience and was wise despite the fact that I did not always agree with her actions. The other character that fascinated me was Gretta Adler (Zoe Kazan), an aspiring young writer who liked to visit museums for inspiration and when she felt down. Kazan was absolutely charming and, more importantly, the zeal she embedded in her character did not feel forced. Generally, Efron was satisfactory as Richard, albeit too safe, but his lack of intensity was magnified when he had to interact with Danes and Kazan. Furthermore, I do have to say that his optimistic one-liners made me cringe. “Me and Orson Welles” was surprisingly weak especially since Richard Linklater was the director. In most of his films, he has such a great ear for dialogue and sharp vision in terms of capturing actors in their most natural state to the point where it almost looks effortless without sacrificing the characters’ multi-dimensional personalities. “Me and Orson Welles” was very uneven, especially in its first half, and ultimately disappointing.
Just a Question of Love, August, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Just a Question of Love
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]
This is another good European gay film that exceeded my expectations because of a script that’s alive. Cyrille Thouvenin is very convincing as a twentysomething that refuses to come out to his parents because of two things: he’s afraid that his parents will not accept him and in turn he cannot accept himself. Thouvenin has great chemistry with Stéphan Guérin-Tillié as the argricultural researcher. I just wish that the filmmakers would’ve gotten rid of the slow parts in the second half of the film. It should have focused more on a character’s decision that lets everything out in the open. I wanted to know more about Thouvenin’s parents, why they despise the idea of homosexuality so much. The parents being old-fashioned is simply not enough of a good reason. I also wanted to see Thouvenin and Guérin-Tillié’s straight male friends. Surely they have at least one. Shortcomings like that made some of the characters a bit one-dimensional. I like that the ending doesn’t neatly tie everything up; that we’re leaving the characters when their lives are just beginning. Most LGBT American films don’t even come close to this film’s performance and script so I’m very glad to have seen this picture.
August (2008)
[ 2 stars out of 4 ]
I liked this film because it is an indie movie but it doesn’t feel like an indie movie. I thought the performances by Naomie Harris (for about ten minutes, I knew she looked familiar and then it occured to me that she was in “28 Days Later”), Adam Scott (in a surprisingly serious character), and particularly Josh Hartnett were strong so it didn’t become completely tedious. But what keeps this movie from becoming great is its extremely slow pacing and very low-key way of storytelling. There were moments in the film where I wondered where it was going or if it was even planning on going anywhere. It started off as a business drama, but it eventually focused on Hartnett’s relationship with his family and ex-girlfriend. I wish it could’ve focused more on the former because there are already a lot of better movies out there that focus on the dynamics of the family. I think if the writers had cut off the scenes that had nothing to do with the business, this picture would have been more thrilling and not too bogged down by sappiness. If it weren’t for the performances, I would’ve been completely frustrated with this film. Hartnett has proven himself again as a serious actor instead of just being a pretty face. Hopefully, more people will realize his potential with a better vehicle the next time around. I’m not saying that one should avoid this film but if one likes slow movies that sticks close to real life, then go ahead and see it.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]
I really loved this film the first time I saw it but that was back in 2003. I had not seen that many films then so I regarded it quite highly. Five years later, I saw this picture again but I didn’t like it as much. The script was stale compared to “The Terminator” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” but the acting somewhat made up for it. Some other elements that didn’t work for me was Claire Danes’ character. She was annoying because all she did was scream when she was in danger, yell when she didn’t get her own way, and waited to be rescued. I also didn’t like the fact that the writers killed of John Connor’s mother. She was a central figure in the first two films and disposing her was a fatal mistake (even if they couldn’t get Linda Hamilton to reprise her role). Still, this installment is a pretty good one despite its flaws. The visual and special effects were first rate so it’s impossible not to pay attention during the intense action sequences. Arnold Schwarzenneger’s return was more than welcome and choosing Nick Stahl to play John Connor was a wise choise because Stahl can be both weak and strong at the same time (I blame the puppy dog eyes). I also loved the ending because it was quite touching for a science fiction film. I heard from Entertainment Weekly that “Terminator Salvation” would not consider this film’s storyline. I’m not quite sure if that’s a good move (or how it’s going to work out) because this installment is a pretty good transition to the future war against the machines. This was a solid 2003 summer blockbuster film and it’s recommended to any fan of the “Terminator” franchise.
