4 barebones movie reviews:
Le Pacte des Loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf)
This French film is often compared to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and it is similar insofar as the fight sequences are well choreographed by Tak-ngai Yeung and shot in the Hong Kong style. It was also flamboyantly edited by another Asian, David Wu. But, as I said, it is a French film and takes place in France. The plot is a bit crinkly and a bit threadbare in spots, as it appears the director had too many directions he wanted to go in and couldn’t decide to narrow it down enough. Chevalier Gr goire de Fronsac, the king’s naturalist, and his native American blood brother Mani are called in to the French countryside to investigate the mysterious maulings of women and children by a beast. Of course, the Lords and Church officials do not listen to him or the surviving victims and insist it is just a wittle bitty wolfikins. Politics, religion, and a bordello wench named Sylvia all have a hand in the pot and Fronsac’s goose just might be cooked.
The Tao of Steve
Not nearly as high in production values as Le Pacte, but this film isn’t concerned with look as much as its moral. Dex is a fatass no-account man’s man who knocks off a bong of pot every morning instead of drinking coffee. despite his obesity and general unappealing nature, he gets absolutely any woman he wants. his rules are the Tao of Steve:
1. Be Desireless
2. Be Excellent
3. Begone
He doesn’t have a problem with this life until he meets Syd and is smitten. Little does he know of the past between them. Will she domesticate this boorish loutish oafish man? I suppose I had no need to say it four times.
Donnie Darko
This is a damn good movie. A tormented high school boy named Donnie Darko hallucinates a giant deathshead hare who tells him to do things and predicts the end of the world to occur right before Halloween. Everyone treats Donnie like a rabid animal, even to some extent his girlfriend. I think she gets off on the fact that he is a nutball. This treatment only increases his alienation. He learns about Time Travel from Grandmother Death, uncovers a child pornography ring led by a motivational speaker, and isn’t very committed to Sparkle Motion. But hey, its all in a days work when you’re awaiting the end of your world.
Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run)
German pop-culture postmodernist MTV music video. Lola has 20 minutes to get $100,000 or else his boyfriend gets killed. Now, I saw the dubbed version of this, which does not add to my movie experience. It is like a unsuccessful prototype of the TV show 24. I think it tries to make a statement about how little instances of contact can determine future events. Caramelized chaos theory. and Lola sorta has this super screaming power. Needless to say it runs through 3 different versions of the 20 minute period ending with the obligatory happy closure. It is postmodernism without a project, Lola is rennt in two. God that was a horrible pun.