Tag Archives: 2000’s

#89- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Quick recap: Two warriors go in search of a stolen sword, only to find out the skilled master they pursued is really a nobleman’s daughter who totes doesn’t want an arranged marriage. Her parents are so uncool, probably not allowing her to get on Snapchat or Instagram. She was right to pursue a life of crime, in my opinion.

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Fun (?) fact: ‘Crouching tiger, hidden dragon’ is a Chinese phrase, basically meaning to hide your strength from others. I’ll file this phrase away to remember the next time I become entangled in a duel.

My thoughts: I vaguely remember watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon when it was in theaters .  This occurred during my sophomore year of high school, when I went out of town to an academic meet. The truth is, everyone else was old enough to watch the new Morgan Freeman film, Along Came a Spider, and I was stuck watching something ‘cultural’ and ‘sophisticated’. So that explains why I remember the experience and not much of the movie itself, because all I really wanted was a good murder mystery.

Watching the movie again as an adult was much more satisfying, I’m glad to say. 15 year old me was much more focused on the subtitles and not so much the detail, and so I missed out on how beautiful the film is. It’s one of the reasons I enjoyed Brokeback Mountain so much- because the scenery and setting is as vital to the story as the characters and plot. Several points in the movie I had to remind myself that this was shot in modern times and I wasn’t actually watching footage from ancient China. After the movie ended I found myself with a sudden urge to visit China and see all the places Ang Lee showcased.

One of the most surprising parts of the film was the theme of strong women. So much so that in the years since watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I had completely forgotten that there was any romance. The young girl, Jen , is the secret warrior and far more advanced than most adults who have been studying this form of martial arts their entire life. The argument she has about not wanting to marry comes partly from her love of a another man, but also because she recognizes that marriage will end most freedoms she currently enjoys. When her former love, Lo, comes back and tries to take her away, she refuses. It isn’t until the end of the movie that she accepts her feelings and goes to him. The other female character, Yu Shu Lien, is in the same boat. She has strong feelings for Mu Bai, a famed warrior, but has never mentioned anything because kicking ass for a living is kind of fun. So although romance is involved, it is not a driving force in the movie. Also worth mentioning, the main enemy,Jade Star, is also a woman.

The one part of the movie that didn’t work for me were the scenes that involved flying. I get the idea that fighting is really a dance and when the characters were in combat with one another, I was interested. But the scenes where the warrior flew over buildings in a single leap or ran up the wall felt sort of silly. It was easy to see that everyone had been hooked up to wires which had been edited out, instead of trying to convey that this was a magical part of the story. I enjoyed the fight scene in the trees because even though they were in battle, it was peaceful.

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Final review: 5/5. The soundtrack was as beautiful as the rest of the movie. I would definitely watch this one again

Up next: Seven Samurai

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#65- Brokeback Mountain

Quick recap: This is the one about the gay cowboys.

yay, homophobia!

Fun (?) fact: Annie Proulx, author of the short story of which Brokeback Mountain is based on, sent autograph copies to the two main stars. She addressed one to Jake Gyllenhaal but the other she accidentally addressed to Ennis instead of Heath Ledger, because she felt he was the perfect representation of that character.

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My thoughts:  I saw Brokeback Mountain for the first time in 2005 at a small theater in Lufkin, Texas. I had recently ‘come out’, so to speak, as liberal and felt that this is the sort of movie I should see. I can’t say that I have always been an ally for LGBT rights, but in sitting in that theater and listening to the slurs being yelled out to the screen from the audience, I knew it was the right thing to do.

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I don’t believe Brokeback Mountain to be the best representation of the gay culture, past or present, but I do think the movie serves a purpose to a certain extent. For a girl growing up in Texas, I really didn’t have much knowledge about what it meant to truly be gay. I guess I always saw it as a sexual thing, since that is what everyone focused on, instead of the more simple idea that two people love one another. And then when I saw the relationship between Jack and Ennis in the movie, it really opened my eyes to the whole concept of homosexuality. In watching the film a couple of nights ago, I still didn’t find the sex scene very romantic, or many of the other scenes when the characters made out. But I recognized the love and passion the two had for each other. It was even more evident when contrasted with their marriages to the women they settled with. The kicker for me was the last scene with Ennis and the shirt. I normally don’t hold back on spoilers,but I did on that one because I reacted to it the same way I did back in 2005. It broke me.

As for the ‘technical’ aspects of the film, I felt that Jake Gyllenhaal was more recognizable as a gay character but it was Heath Ledger who really owned the emotional mess his character was in. And because of that, I agree with Proulx that his acting was more believable. The scenery was gorgeous and still makes me want to visit the area at some point in my life. I also loved the choice of music: simple so as not to distract from the plot, yet helping the emotional scenes resonate even more.

Despite all of the victories this year for LGBT rights, we are far from over. There are many places where being called ‘gay’ is still the worst thing you can say to a person. And even for the more liberal cities in America, a stereotype still lingers as to what ‘gay’ looks like- and it’s certainly not a pair of cowboys. I’m not sure people who are homophobic would watch this movie and turn their beliefs around, and in fact, with a few of the explicit scenes, it’s bound to cement what they believe even further. But the movie is a good reminder of how things used to be, and in many parts of the world, still are. And hopefully, maybe in 20 or 50 years, Brokeback Mountain will be the kind of classic that we look back on and have trouble fathoming a world in which so much inequality and hatred existed.

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Final review: 4/5.

Up next: Murmur of the Heart or Kiss Me Deadly

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#57- Amelie

Quick recap: Amélie is a girl with a big imagination. Growing up with a neurotic mother and ‘iceberg’ father, Amélie had only herself for comfort. She is now an adult and continues to see things in a different light than everyone else. After returning a man’s treasure from when he was a boy, Amélie decides to start living her life helping others. Oh, and she falls in love because this is a French film after all, so it’s kind of expected.

This movie was SO French

This movie was SO French

Fun (?) Fact:  Amélie was a direct inspiration for the short lived tv show Pushing Daisies. It’s an underrated masterpiece, if you ask me.

I also sort of have a thing for Ned. And Kristin Chenoweth.

I also sort of have a thing for Ned. And Kristin Chenoweth.

My thoughts: Oh, boy. My mind is all over the place for this review. Even now, over 24 hours after watching Amélie, I still don’t really know how I feel about it. On one hand, the movie has elements I normally love: it’s quirky, it’s gorgeous, the characters are interesting and it’s French which always adds a touch of class to anything. On the other hand, it’s very quirky. And French.

I suppose I should begin with Amélie herself. I was immediately drawn into the film from just the opening sequence, which pictured a young girl playing with ordinary objects and having a wonderful time. The back story for Amélie’s childhood did a great job in setting the tone for the rest of the film and quickly gave all the information needed to understand the main character. Amélie as an adult is just as adorable as when she was a child. She still retains a child-like quality to her, especially when it comes to seeing the good in other people. After finding an old treasure box that had been left behind by a young boy decades ago, Amélie decides to track him down and give him some happiness. It was a very sweet moment, as well as much of the first half of the movie. At some point, the quirky things Amélie does seem to become tedious and not so adorable.

I think the whole plot of Amélie falling in love with a just as quirky guy is what made me begin to question how I really felt. It completely makes sense for Amélie to refuse to meet Nino, seeing as how she was so rarely interacted with during her childhood. With every near interaction, I found myself becoming more impatient and less enchanted with all of the characters. But then, there was the scene in which Amélie imagines what a life with Nino might be like and it was so realistic in terms of how it feels to have an unattainable crush, that I couldn’t help but be drawn in again. The ending, which I won’t give away now, fit perfectly and made me once gain rethink how I felt about the whole thing.

imagining a different outcome

imagining a different outcome

Final review: 3/5. In the end, it isn’t a movie I crave to see again, although watching Amélie made me want to rewatch Pushing Daisies and pick up French for the billionth time.

This is about all I understand these days

This is about all I understand these days

Up next: Fargo

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#37- The Departed

Quick recap:  The film takes place in Boston, where a big time mobster-Frank Costello- owns the place. He does all the stereotypical things like murder people, snort cocaine and have his way with women. The story centers around two cops, one of whom is a mole for Costello and one who is in Costello’s gang, but is a mole for the police. With a synopsis like that, you know it won’t end well.

Fun (?) Fact:  The film is actually a remake of the Hong Kong film, ‘Internal Affairs’ and the characters are loosely based off of real life mobster Whitey Bulger.

don't cross this guy. Also- is that a goat or a dog?

don’t cross this guy. Also- is that a goat or a dog?

My thoughts: I don’t know what it is about Americans loving the mafia, but it’s definitely a thing. Maybe it’s because the mobster life is so far removed from our own or maybe it’s because deep down, beyond all the murders and drugs, these guys just seem sort of badass. I’m only a casual fan of mafia culture, meaning ‘The Sopranos’ is my favorite tv show of all time but I have yet to see ‘The Godfather’. With that being said, as a casual fan, this movie is perfection.

For one thing, the actors did an amazing job making the characters come alive. Jack Nicholson was the perfect choice to play a murderous, unhinged mobster. Same with Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen playing members of the Boston Police. But the actor that really shone for me was Leonardo DiCaprio. His character was especially complex, seeing as how he had to be a mole for the police and yet convince Costello to let him in to his inner circle. I loved watching his downward spiral as he got closer to being found out by Costello. And in my opinion, his character had more to lose. Matt Damn played Sullivan, the cop who was also a mole for Costello. If he had been found out he would’ve had to look forward to jail time at most. Bill Costigan, played by DiCaprio would’ve at the very least been murdered. Being able to portray such a complicated character takes real talent.

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As for the violence, I don’t see how someone can do a mafia movie without a large body count. This movie in particular had a final count of 22. What I really like about The Departed, though, is how realistic the violence is. No one has a chance to plead for their life or scream or threaten anyone. One shot and it’s over. I especially loved the final scenes with Sullivan and Corrigan. The whole movie had been leading up to this point and to see everyone get what is coming to them, good and bad, is perfectly poetic.

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Final review:  5/5. It’s hard to say whether I prefer The Soprano’s view of the mafia or The Departed, but I love it either way.

Up next: Frenzy

 

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