"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of streaming films and entertainment news.
Movie Name/Year: Only God Forgives (2013) Tagline: Time to face your demons. Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime Length: 90 minutes Rating: R Production Companies: A Grand Elephant, Space Rocket Nation, Gaumont, Wild Bunch, Bold Films, Film Väst, Motel Movies, DR/Flimklubben, Nordisk Film ShortCut, Danish Film Institute, Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond, MEDIA Programme of the European Union Producers: Johnny Andersen, Jessica Ask, Lene Børglum, Yves Chevalier, Brahim Chioua, Sidonie Dumas, Ryan Gosling, Jason Janego, Jacob Jarek, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak, Vincent Maraval, Hanne Palmquist, Tom Quinn, Matthew Read, Christophe Riandee, Thor Sigurjonsson, Gary Michael Walters Director: Nicolas Winding Refn Writer: Nicolas Winding Refn Actors: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm, Rhatha Phongam, Gordon Brown, Tom Burke, Byron Gibson, Pitchawat Petchayahon
Blurb from Netflix: When a cop kills the brother of an expat American gangster who runs a Bangkok fight club, his crime-boss mother flies in to supervise revenge.
Cat’s Point of View:
I was actually excited to watch this movie – until it
started.
I had a faint recollection of some considerable buzz about
the film at the time it was released, and I generally like Ryan Gosling (Gangster Squad, La La Land, First Man)
movies. I figured that I was going to be in for a kickass action movie. Boy,
was I wrong.
If I weren’t committed to watching the whole film for the
sake of this review, I would have stopped it and not thought twice about it.
Had I paid actual money to see it in a theater? I might have walked out and
asked for a refund.
The colors were pretty with all the moody lighting, but that’s
the only positive thing I can offer for this utter waste of 90 precious
minutes.
Gosling barely utters a word. Almost the entire movie is
made up of him staring intensely. There’s hardly any action at all to the film,
and there were no thrills to be had in this ‘thriller.’ It was cringeworthy for
multiple reasons.
Further, why for the love of Bob did they have Gosling go
through Muay Thai training if it wasn’t going to be actually used?
The pacing was slow, which just made the extended cringe
seem to last forever. There were also a few sequences that were outright
confusing. I couldn’t tell if Gosling’s character was actually experiencing
something or if it was some sort of prophetic hallucination – or even just
wishful thinking.
All told, I couldn’t in good conscience recommend this movie
for anything other than illustrating the point of why I found it a vile
cinematic experience.
Tagline: How do
you grow up when your parents haven’t?
Genre: Comedy,
Drama
Length: 92 minutes
Rating: R
Production Companies:
Identity Films (I), Wind Dancer Productions
Producer: John
Fareri, Anthony Mastromauro, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Ginger
Sledge, Matt Williams
Director: Max
Mayer
Writer: Pete
Fromm, Virginia Korus Spragg
Actors: Sarah Bolger,
Thomas Mann, James Marsden, Claire Danes, Seth Adkins, Tom Romero, Anika Noni
Rose, Jeremy Sisto, Mario Batali, Evan Adrian, Will Peltz, Terry Walters, Elise
Eberle, Jon Tenney
Stunt Doubles: Lucas
Leggio, Stephanie Repp, Jaret Salas
Blurb from Netflix:
About to turn 16, Lucy realizes that her parents’ marriage is on shaky ground --
and that theirs is not the only relationship that’s in trouble.
Selina’s Point of View:
This was an interesting film.
Parts of it were really on point. I found myself relating to
the main character, played by Sarah Bolger (Once
Upon a Time, Locke & Key, My All-American). A lot of her opinions and
personality remind me of my teenage years. Her characterization was good… but
there was something a little off about everything else.
A lot of the situations started out feeling relatively
realistic… but it’s like they spin off into another dimension.
You know what it reminded me of? Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003). A lot of people disliked that show
because it showed teenagers using a logic and language that was unrealistic for
their age range. I, personally, loved that show. Never-the-less… the people who
didn’t… they weren’t wrong. In this case, it wasn’t so much the language used
by the younger characters, but the amount of logic shown by them.
I’ll admit that, at my age, I could have used logic to get
me out of a lot of the bad situations they found themselves in. At 16? Holy
shit, no. I was bright, I may have even had more logic than the majority of the
people I chose to be around… but it wasn’t anywhere near the level that the
main character in this film showed. It hit unrealistic levels.
If she had been a twenty-five-year-old character, a lot of
her reactions might have made more sense, but she’d have had to be in her
mid-thirties to really make the most sense.
Even with the problems I noted above, I still really enjoyed
the movie. It had a good message and it didn’t shy away from the darkness that
some coming-of-age films ignore.
That’s one of my issues with a lot of coming-of-age movies.
They show way too much innocence in the teenagers and, quite frankly, I didn’t
experience much innocence in my teens. In fact, I don’t know very many people
who did. I’m not even talking about just bad experiences now, I’m talking about
experimentation and stupidity. It’s like, the hallmark of being a teen… and
most films really miss that mark.
As Cool As I Am
really showed how a smart girl can make some dumb choices… without actually
altering the person she is deep down. That part, the movie absolutely got
right.
In the end, I feel like the good outweighs the bad – especially
since the film was entertaining to watch. I would likely recommend it. I might
even watch it again.
Cat’s Point of View:
This movie was chock full of triggers for me.
Normally, when watching something that puts me in an overly
emotional state of mind, I try to give myself a little bit to ‘cool down’
before writing my review. In this case, I’m fairly certain that whether I write
this now, right after watching, or later; it’ll be the same. So here we go.
I have intentionally walked out of only 4 movies in my
lifetime. The first was Critters 2
(1988), because my mom had taken me to see it without really understanding what
it was – and then decided after the first death scene that even a mature 10 was
too young for me to watch that PG-13 movie. The 3rd was Palmetto (1998); because it was excruciatingly slow and I felt like
I was watching paint dry. Thus, I decided to bail. I honestly don’t remember
what my 4th was – I guess it, like Critters
2, might not even exactly count because my departure wasn't entirely
voluntary. I got called in to work just after I’d sat down for the previews. I
did go back and watch whatever it was later.
The 2nd, however, was a mission abort that I’ve never looked
back from – and it wasn’t because I didn’t like the movie. I fled Hope Floats (1998) in tears because of
the emotional gut-punch it’d given me from the very beginning. I think that was
my first really visceral reaction of being ‘triggered’ by something in
media. (I also don’t seem to have luck
watching movies in years ending with ‘8.’ That might not bode well for this
year.) I couldn’t stop crying and I couldn’t bring myself to go back in.
Before I bury the lead here, I’m explaining that I might
have done something similar with this movie, had I not been stubbornly stalwart
in riding the whole thing out.
Needless to say, there were some ugly tears. Unfortunately,
giving away what actually triggered me here would be a bit of a spoiler, so
I’ll have to refrain.
That being said, I actually adored this movie.
I felt the dynamic between Sarah Bolger (Iron Cross, The Moth Diaries, Into the
Badlands) and Thomas Mann’s (Hansel
& Gretel: Witch Hunters, The Stanford Prison Experiment, Barely Lethal)
characters was developed well. Their connection was not only believable, but
fairly palpable.
I was excited to see Claire Danes (Stardust, Temple Grandin, Brigsby Bear) on ‘the big screen’ again;
and wasn’t at all disappointed in her performance as Lucy’s mom. There’s also a
Peter Fonda (Ghost Rider, The Boondock
Saints II: All Saints Day, Copperhead) cameo that had me fairly giddy. (As
giddy as one can be through tears, of course.)
Rather than rambling further about the cast or how
profoundly the film struck a chord with me; I can sum it up with saying that
while I don’t think I can bring myself to watch this movie again, this is
definitely one that I would recommend in a heartbeat.
Producer: Luisa
Casas, Dimitry Elyashkevich, Ana Maria Hermida
Director: Ana
Maria Hermida
Writer: Ana Maria
Hermida
Actors: Carolina
Guerra, Olga Segura, Manuel Jose Chaves, Luis Fernando Orozco, Alvaro
Rodriguez, Pedro Luis Falla, Andres Aranburo, Maria Helena Doering, Maria Jose
Romero, Nicolas Pena, Victor Alfonso Hermida Hermida
Stunt Doubles: None
Blurb from Netflix:
After her estranged brother’s sudden death, young wife Lucia bonds with his fiancée,
through their shared grief and finds herself falling in love.
Selina’s Point of View:
No thanks. Not my type of movie.
So much was exaggerated. I mean, five out of the first ten
minutes of the film is in unnecessary slow-motion that makes it seem like one
of the Telenovelas instead of a film. There were flashbacks within flashbacks
as well. It was ridiculous.
I can deal with non-linear films, if they’re done well. This
one wasn’t.
When I wasn’t rolling my eyes at the terrible interactions,
I was bored out of my mind. This film was only 84 minutes and I feel like I’ve
been watching it for three hours.
I don’t think cultural differences were the reason the film
didn’t speak to me, I think it was just plain bad. And you guys know I’m the
first to admit if I think there’s a culture shock factor.
I wouldn’t watch or recommend this film to anyone except
maybe Telenovela fans.
Cat’s Point of View:
I’m a bit of a mixed bag after watching this movie.
Part of me is confused. Is this someone’s memoir? There’s a
dedication in the credits that seems to lean my belief in that direction, but I
have no idea. If that’s the case, though, it would help shore up some of the
weak spots of this story.
Truth is quite often stranger than fiction.
Putting that aside, this was really oddly interesting to
watch. While this was definitely a bit on the heavier end of drama –
considering it dealt with tragedy and grief at the core of the story – it
didn’t weigh me down the way I was afraid it would.
There was a lightness about some parts of the story that was
surprising. I liked how some aspects of the story worked out, but the timing of
events was just – off. I don’t know, that could very well just be me. The end
was also highly predictable.
The good news, I guess, is that I didn’t hate it. I wouldn’t
go far as to say that I enjoyed it – but the time spent watching didn’t feel
onerous.
Languages
Speech Available:
Spanish
Subtitles Available:
English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Spanish
Producer: Anna
Anthony, Jessica Ask, Serina Bjornbom, Marie Gade Denessen, Lars Jonsson,
Christian Wikander
Director: Lukas
Moodysson
Writer: Lukas
Moodysson, Coco Moodysson
Actors: Mira
Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, Liv LeMoyne, Johan Liljemark, Mattias Wiberg, Jonathan
Salomonsson, Alvin Strollo, Anna Rydgren, Peter Eriksson, Charlie Falk,
Ann-Sofie Rase
Stunts: Kimmo
Rajala
Blurb from Netflix:
Refusing to believe punk is dead, a trio of 13-year-old misfits form a band in
spite of their collective lack of musicianship.
Selina’s Point of View:
First of all, punk’s not dead. It’s just yelling at you to
get off its lawn.
That said… as much as I enjoy glimpses into the punk
lifestyle of other cultures, this movie was not for me. I can’t really say
there was anything wrong with it… it just didn’t capture or hold my interest.
At all. However, it was more of a personal thing.
I lost any desire to watch about fifteen minutes in, and
never really got it back again.
The actors were good, especially for children. However, the
story was pretty basic and there didn’t seem to be enough to make it stand
apart from others like it.
There were a few scenes, here and there, that were amusing.
Either they made me smile slightly or cringe expertly… but they didn’t come
along as often as I would have liked.
The ending was kind of nice, but I still wouldn’t watch it
again.
Cat’s Point of View:
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I
didn’t really have any preconceived notions going in – I just hoped that it
would be less about tween angst and more focus on, well, anything else.
Seriously. My daughter just turned 14 and the struggle is real.
Thankfully, the film delivered something really special – in
spades.
Not only was this a great movie about young friendship with
a liberal dash of comedy – it was also a film about musical diversity and
self-discovery. There were so many awesome things going on here.
There was a point where I was afraid that things were going
to take a very dark turn, but I was relieved to find that they chose a
different path with the story.
This somewhat felt like the tween Swedish version of SLC Punk! (1998). They obviously weren’t
trying to retell that particular tale – it just had the same sort of vibe to it
that worked well and made it enjoyable in spite of the occasionally
uncomfortable moments.
All said, if there was a sequel to this film; I’d definitely
want to see it. This won’t be for everyone, but I found it highly entertaining.
Actors: Junichi
Suwabe, Mai Nakahara, Takahiro Sakurai, Hiroyuki Yoshino
Blurb from Crunchy
Roll: In Kyoto, humans, tanuki, and tengu live side-by-side. The Shimogamo
family lives in Shimogamo Jinja’s Tadasu no Mori. The father, Soichiro, used to
be the head of tanuki society, but without warning one day he was made into
tanuki stew, and no one knows how it happened. He left four sons behind. They
all live happily with their mother. After taking care of Professor Akadama, the
Shimogamo family suddenly finds itself in a desperate fix. Will the truth
behind how their father got stewed be revealed?! What does fate have in store
for this strongly bonded family?!
Selina’s Point of View:
I had some issues getting into this anime. That said, I did
eventually immerse myself.
It wasn’t what I expected, and it’s probably not the kind of
anime I would choose to watch on my own, but I did wind up enjoying the tale of
how humans, tanuki, and tengu coexist in a city. There were parts of the plot,
however, that I found difficult to comprehend.
If humans, for instance, had a natural predator that
kidnapped one of us a year to eat in a hot pot… I’d have trouble socializing
with those people. I couldn’t really understand the relationships that sprouted
between some of the tanuki and humans. It just didn’t make sense to me.
It’s a cultural thing in this case, but I don’t care. I still
find it weird.
After all, you don’t see rabbits hanging out with birds of
prey, do you? That would be dumb on the part of the rabbits… and completely
against their natural instinct to stay alive.
Other than that, the story did become very interesting over
time. By the end of it, I was looking forward to the resolution.
It was worth a watch, but it’s not exactly something I’m
chomping at the bit to see the sequel to.
Cat’s Point of View:
This is an anime I hadn’t ever heard of before. I’m not sure
that it would have caught my attention if it hadn’t come up for our new anime
review series. That being said, I’m glad it did.
It took a bit for me to get into this one, though. The
beginning gave me the impression that it was just going to be a lot of goofing
around. Tanuki are infamous tricksters so that wouldn’t have been surprising.
The story expands and peels back layers of mystery as it progresses. The
narrative gets a bit dark, but there’s enough levity woven into the story that
it doesn’t feel heavy in spite of the subject matter.
This series is comprised of one full story arc in its single
season. Each episode builds on the last so it is helpful to watch it in order. You’ll
likely miss something important if you watch out of order or skip an episode.
I’m quite sure that there are some nuances and cultural
references that I didn’t get due to my own lack of knowledge of Japanese
culture, but I don’t feel like I missed anything important because of it.
Once the series got into a groove, it flowed really well.
The musical score was also rather interesting. It gave a little funky feel
while keeping the general cultural flavor to accent the show. The animation was
nicely done. It wasn’t ultra-realism but I didn’t feel like I was watching a
kindergartener’s doodlings running around, either. The backgrounds and other elements
were very well done and some were outright gorgeous.
All told, I really enjoyed this series and I wouldn’t
hesitate to recommend it to other anime lovers that enjoy quirky fun balanced
with substantial plot. Eccentric is a very good name for it, indeed.
Production Companies:
Harbin Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department, Heilongjiang Broadcast
and Television Station, Heilongjiang People's Radio, Heilongjiang Provincial
Party Committee Propaganda Department, Zhejiang Talent Television & Film
Company
Blurb from Netflix:
Pregnant, abandoned and destitute, gifted writer Xiao Hong embarks on a daring
literary career in the face of patriarchy, privation and war.
Selina’s Point of View:
It takes a lot to get me to like a film like this.
Falling Flowers
was a heavy drama, which is not my preferred genre by a long shot.
Never-the-less, I absolutely adored this film.
There was a bitter cold reality to the plot and story.
Nothing about Falling Flowers is
pretty or sugar-coated. It doesn’t lie to the audience.
According to research, this film is based on a true story
and – for once – I absolutely believe it. Normally I give that fact with a
hefty warning that it was likely ‘loosely’ based off truth, but I’d believe
this film stayed as close to the real story as possible.
Keep in mind that I don’t know the real story, so that’s
just a guess.
The point is that there’s a certain naivety that most true
story films show that make it feel as though the plot were impossible. Life isn’t
always filled with hope; as depressing as that sounds.
Watching this film was heartbreaking, but I couldn’t look
away for even a minute. I was enthralled by Xiao Hong’s story, something I
credit actress Jia Song (Cold Steel, The
Final Master, Legend of the Daming Palace) with. She played her part
flawlessly and made me care in a situation I don’t normally find reason to.
Writers Xiaowei Su and Fuhai Yi are amazing screenwriters.
In fact, a few of my new favorite quotes came from this script. That reality is
made even more epic by the fact that this movie is the only one listed in
either writer’s IMDb credits.
There’s a lot of love I have for Falling Flowers, but I acknowledge that it likely isn’t for
everyone. The anticipation and worry imparted on the audience is subtle and
constant. It is in no way a ‘feel good’ film. It’s not for someone just home
from work and looking to ignore the fact that they had to deal with idiots all
day. This film is for a day off when you are looking to reflect upon life,
love, and death.
For me, this film hit all the right notes. I’d both
recommend it and watch it again.
Cat’s Point of View:
Oh goodness, where do I begin?
This had to have been one of the most frustrating things
I’ve watched in a while. Do note that I didn’t say horrible. It wasn’t bad –
just aggravating.
Why? Partially, it was the movie’s pacing. I felt every
second of the full two hours of this film. Things felt so drawn out that at
some points it was almost excruciating to remain seated and watching. My need
to fidget was skyrocketing but I was trapped because of the need to read the
subtitles.
This was not a movie where I forgot that I was reading because
of engrossing story. Unfortunately, the bleakness that overshadowed the main
character’s world seemed to swallow the whole thing. I felt numb when I know
other emotions were warranted. Perhaps it was just overload. This movie was
just about as dramatic as drama can get. It was almost like a soap-opera at
times.
This reminds me of a time I went to the opera to watch a
production of Carmen. It was a bit of
a condensed version, which didn’t do the story any favors. It turned a tragic
and sweeping epic into something almost comical. While this film didn’t suffer
for being condensed into a faster timeline, it’s a similar feeling where I knew
the appropriate reaction I should be having and the dissonance with my actual
reactions.
I do want to give credit where credit is due, though, and
leave you with something positive. I feel the cast did a good job with their
roles, and the visuals throughout were well thought out and stunning. The story
was working with some really deep material and they tried their best to paint a
landscape of emotion and intellect for the characters.
I wouldn’t watch this movie again. I’ve just had my fill of
it.
Production Companies:
BoulderLight Pictures, Southern Fried Films
Producer: Eric
England, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, Matt Mercer, Joshua Petrino
Director: Eric
England
Writer: Eric
England
Actors: Najarra
Townsend, Caroline Williams, Alice Macdonald, Matt Mercer, Katie Stegeman,
Charley Koontz, Simon Barrett, Ruben Pla, E-Kan Soong, Dave Holmes
Stunt Doubles: None
Blurb from Netflix:
After a one-night stand, a young woman becomes alarmingly ill -- but what she
thinks is a sexually transmitted disease turns out to be far worse.
Selina’s Point of View:
I’ll admit this is the first time I’ve seen necrophilia used
to precipitate a zombie plot, but that small bit of originality is the only
somewhat good thing I can offer about Contracted.
The worst part of the film was, without doubt, the dialogue.
Writer, Eric England (Roadside,
Madison County, Get the Girl), has some really good ideas, but dialogue and
character development are not his strong suits. His portrayal of lesbianism was
beyond ridiculous, to the point of being offensive, and the interactions
between… well… anyone was like watching a high school play. Not one of those
good high school plays put on by an art school that specializes in it, either.
Aside from the writing issues, the acting wasn’t very good.
The medical interactions weren’t in the least bit realistic and the way each actor
portrayed their character was almost lazy.
Also, just a side note, Netflix needs to work on their
wording. A roofied woman does not have a one-night stand. She gets raped. IMDb
had the description right, I don’t know what Netflix’s problem is. It really
doesn’t spoil the plot to be honest there.
I wanted Contracted to
be better. I wanted to enjoy the film. Unfortunately, we can’t like everything
we watch. That’s just not how the world works.
Cat’s Point of View:
What...did I just watch? I’m not even sure where to begin.
I’ll open with saying that this movie is not for the
squeamish. While I do appreciate that they left a good bit to the imagination
regarding the gory visual details of the body horror here, the movie was still
full of plenty of disgusting gag-worthy stuff.
I am not so sure that thriller is an accurate genre here,
but drama and horror definitely fit. Unfortunately, it’s overly dramatic
horror.
I am not sure if it was the actors or if it was result of
script and direction, but things were off from the beginning.
This film fell
prey to scenes and dialogue feeling forced, stilted, overdone, or just falling
flat. There were too many awkward moments that just left me feeling uneasy –
and not because of what was happening with the lead. That doesn’t even take into
consideration a few plot holes the size of the Grand Canyon.
I’m really struggling to find something positive to say
about this movie, and that bugs me.
This film is part 1 of a 2-part series. Contracted: Phase II (2015) seems like it might pick up where this
movie leaves off. Perhaps it might mend those plot holes, and I’m tempted to
watch it just to see. Whether or not that is the case, it’s a shame that this
concept wasn’t explored better in the first installment.
Production Companies:
Quat'sous Films, Wild Bunch, France 2 Cinéma, Scope Pictures, Vértigo Films,
Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF), Canal+, Ciné+, France 2 (FR2),
Eurimages, Région Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Centre National de la Cinématographie
(CNC), Pictanovo Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France Télévision, Le Tax Shelter du
Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique, Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la
Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Scope Pictures
Actors: Lea
Seydoux, Adele Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche, Aurelien Recoing, Catherine
Salee, Benjamin Siksou, Mona Walravens, Alma Jodorowsky, Jeremie Laheurte, Anne
Loiret, Bonit Pilot, Sandor Funtek, Fanny Maurin, Maelys Cabezon, Samir Bella,
Tom Hurier, Manon Piette, Quentin Medrinal, Peter Assogbavi, Wisdom Ayanou,
Stephane Mercoyrol, Lucie Bibal, Baya Rehaz, Marilyne Chanaud, Camille
Rutherford, Michael Skal
Stunt Doubles: None
Blurb from Netflix:
Determined to fall in love, 15-year-old Adele is focused on boys. But it’s a
blue-haired girl she meets on the street who really piques her interest.
Selina’s Point of View:
We only have a few films on our queue that fall into the
NC-17 category, so I don’t really bother to look at the MPAA rating before I
start watching. I really regretted that choice here because I had no clue I was
walking face-first into a three-hour long porn.
Now, I have no problem with sex scenes in movies. Sometimes
they add another layer to the film. I mean, could you imagine American Pie (1999) without the scene
where Jason Biggs (Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles, Orange is the New Black, Two for One) gets intimate with some
apple filling? Sure, there are more sweet and genuine examples, but my brain
stopped working about forty-five minutes ago.
This film didn’t just use sex to elevate the story, though.
It made sex the core of the story, and, yes, it was graphic. It earned that
NC-17 rating and then some. It was pretty much just an emotional porn… which I feel
cheapened the romance between the two main characters.
That’s what I took away from the film.
Technically speaking, it was a beautiful film. But that’s
technically speaking. We don’t really rely on that here at Trust the Dice. We
don’t write about whether or not a room full of directors and writers would
enjoy the film, we want to know if a room full of general audience members
would. People who’ve never been to film school.
My thought is that, no, a general audience wouldn’t enjoy
this film.
Not only is the movie painfully long, it has very little
substance outside of the stereotypical indie flick base. Nothing really gets
solved in it and there’s a kind of choppy jumping around feeling to it. I know
it was loved at the film festivals, but I can’t connect the movie I just
watched to the amount of love I’ve seen for it on the internet.
If I look past the porny quality to it, I can see aspects of
Blue is the Warmest Color that I did
enjoy. I sound like I’m giving it a hard time, and I am, but I didn’t HATE it.
I wouldn’t watch it again, but I acknowledge that it had some decent aspects.
To be fair, I think a lot of the film was lost on me. Bits
of literature were brought up here and there, but it was always from books I’d
either never heard of or never read. It’s possible that I might have caught
more of the planned nuances if I was familiar with that material.
Aside from that, I found it difficult to watch the main actress,
Adele Exarchopoulos (Down By Love,
Insecure, Voyage vers la mere). She was a beautiful actress and she can
perform a crying scene like no one else… but the way the director had her
constantly eating with her mouth wide open made me a little ill.
Cat’s Point of View:
Oh geez, where do I start. I know that sounds ominous – and
it should.
Before anyone thinks the worst, I don’t think this was a
horrible movie. I just simply didn’t enjoy it.
First of all, the whole thing was way too long. I mean,
really? Nearly 3 hours is a bit much for something like this. There were so
many long and drawn out scenes of practically nothing going on.
Some of the shots that gave you the
characters’ perspectives were interesting – but did we really need all of that?
The movement shots following characters walking weren’t your typical spastic
shaky-cam but it was almost as bad with all the bobbing around.
It’s said that they filmed over 800 hours of footage and
that a significant bit of Adèle Exarchopoulos’ (Pieces of Me, Les Anarchistes, Orphan) were obtained as the cameras
kept rolling on her between scenes as she was walking around or eating, etc.
This, of course, explains much.
The filming is said to have been rather
intense, so her deer-in-headlights zombie vibe at least makes sense now. Did we
have to capture people eating with their mouths open? It is what it is,
however.
For all of the issues I have with this movie, there are
still good points. Exarchopoulos was believable in her expression of emotion
and I absolutely bought in to her connection with Léa Seydoux (Robin Hood, Midnight in Paris, The Grand
Budapest Hotel). The film also manages to be a think-piece without being
horrendously pretentious – but only barely. There’s a lot of philosophy woven
into the tale, but it’s generally legitimately plot driven.
Speaking of plot driven – there’s quite a bit of nudity in
the film. It didn’t feel like it was gratuitous, but that NC-17 rating is
legitimate and mostly stems from explicit scenes.
All in all, I don’t feel that my time was wasted in watching
this movie, and I did find myself grudgingly sucked in to the emotions of the
piece. I just don’t think I’d choose this movie for myself if I were looking
for something to watch – and I don’t intend to watch it again.
Actors: Yui
Horie, Makoto Furukawa, Ai Kayano, Kaito Ishikawa, Ibuki Kido, Takahiro Hikami,
Takayuki Kondo, Satomi Sato
Blurb from IMDb: Banri
Tada is a freshman at a Tokyo law school. After an accident, he suffers severe
memory loss. Despite the incident, he befriends fellow freshman, Mitsuo
Yanagisawa, which leads him to the beautiful, yet obsessive, Kouko Kaga.
Selina’s Point of View:
Ok, you caught me. This isn’t a film. Never-the-less, it is
foreign and Cat’s away so… it’s anime day!
I’m only just starting to get into anime. Before recently, I’d
mostly seen the stuff from Adult Swim. Animes like Inuyasha (2000-2006), Blood +
(2005-2006) and Bleach (2004-2012). I
guess, technically, my first anime was Sailor
Moon (1995-2000) or Pokemon
(1997-) … but we all know there’s a clear difference between the Americanized
versions and the originals.
I chose Golden Time
randomly from the many, many animes listed on Crunchy Roll. I’d bought a
subscription and I was curious about some of the series that I hadn’t heard of
much. In the mood for a romance, I just wound up picking this one.
At first, I found it difficult to submerge myself in. It
seemed like such a cut, copy, and paste young adult angst bit of cringe-worthy
semi-romance. In fact, I almost gave up on the series altogether. Even the
characters seemed depthless and uninteresting.
I don’t recall exactly which episode I was on when that all
changed.
Something original was revealed about the main character and
everything about the story started to shift. There was almost a mind fuck kind
of aspect to it after that.
Still, I was able to stop myself from binge-watching too
much, too fast. I just watched a couple of episodes here, a few there. At about
13 episodes in… that changed too.
I wound up stuck to the TV.
In fact, I finished the rest of the season in three days
after that.
I became enthralled with the story and fell in love with
each of the characters, no matter how annoying or strange they seemed on the
surface.
To be honest, I feel like the writers may have done that
transition on purpose.
We were shown the superficial aspects of the characters
first. There seemed to be a lack of anything under the surface – as if we were
meeting real people for the very first time. The longer the series went on, the
more I felt I was getting to know them.
The romance aspect was secondary to the real story – once
that real story was revealed, anyway. It was a HUGE secondary aspect, though,
so if you don’t like romance this won’t be your thing. It’s just that the real
story had so much going on that there were times that the love parts didn’t
really remain in the fore-front of my mind.
I would get to the end of an episode and have to know what
came next. What was Banri Tada going to do next? How was he going to fix
things? What was this mystery hanging over everyone’s head?
The ending was intense and memorable, which elevated Golden Time from an anime I was glad I
watched to one of my favorite animes of all time.
Granted, that’s not such a huge deal yet – I have only about
a dozen or so animes under my belt at this time – but it’s a start. I believe Golden Time will be a series I remember
for a long, long time.
