Cool News
From Toronto: Shaolin Soccer; 8 Mile; Morvern Callar; Jet Lag; Bowling for Columbine; Laurel Canyon; Spirited Away
Father Geek here with a another of our reporters from TIFF, Toronto International Film Festival, this time the charming Ms Taylor with a large
group of flicks that she's caught the last couple of days at TIFF...
Taylor again. It's 1:30am, managed 5 screenings today, plus a few
yesterday (to add to Fridays three) so I'm going to be brief. I hope.The Good Thief - Neil Jordan
Most of what I've seen said around here about this movie jives with me. It
has great dialog, great tongue-and-cheek, Nick Nolte's best performance, and
some nifty editing. Of course taking place in Marseilles and Monte Carlo, it
also looks pretty snazzy. Nice film. Nothing extraordinary, but definitely
work a look.
Miyazaki's Spirited Away - Hayao Miyazaki
I dunno. Maybe it's just me... well actually it is just me, but I dunno that
Miyazaki's movies are all that phenomenal. Sure they are pretty good, fairly
animated, with some interesting characters but they are targeted towards the
young and daydreamers. I suppose if I were to dissect Mononoke and Spirited
Away I'd find all the right elements for a great movie, but nether of these
two (the only ones of his I've seen) don't really do it for me. Perhaps it's
because I like my Anime violent and sci-fi. Miyazaki is very much Fantasy.
The first thing I notice about Spirited Away is the initial poor dialog,
likely the cause of translation and perhaps sub-par voice talent. There are
a couple names I recognize doing voices like Lauren Holly and John
Ratzenberger but it all comes out very robotic and as a result I find it
doesn't fit. I guess I expect for this type of movie, as in Disney films,
for character in the film to resemble the actor doing the voice over. We
don't have this here. Perhaps I would have been better off seeing the
Japanese screening instead of the re-dub, but I had already sorted out my
schedule by the time the box office posted notices about the two versions.
Anyhow I'm sure most everyone will like it. I found it much better (or
rather, more accessible) than Mononoke. There is some stereotypical Disney
fluff in it with some cutesy characters doing cutesy stuff, which makes me
wonder if they (Disney) requested these adjustments to it. The audience,
however loved it, giving Miyazaki (who was there) a standing ovation. So
don't listen to me, listen to them. They loved it.
Laurel Canyon - Lisa Cholodenko
Nothing overly interesting here. Pretty decent performances all around from
Christian Bale, Kate Beckingsale, Alessandro Nivola, Frances McDormand and
Natascha McElhone. Basically the movie is about Bale's characters mother
(Frances McDormand) whom has been a record producer since back when rock was
good and Bale is essentially embarrassed of her and what his finance,
Beckingsale, will think of her as they move out to L.A. as Bale has a job
at, for lack of a better term, mental hospital, while Kate's character works
on her dissertation. Due to a snag in production on the latest album, the
house Kate and Christian were supposed to live in, now has to be shared
between his mom, and the band that hangs around smoking pot, drinking and
hanging around the pool all day. Anyhow Kate slowly becomes engrossed in the
lives of Frances and the band and slips in that direction while Bale and
fellow employee McElhone find an attraction.
Blah. Shallow plot in the scope
of an International Film Festival. There are many funny moments in the film,
but when the laughter subsides, there's not much else here. In fact the
scenes between McElhone and Bale are almost boring. However their characters
are pretty much boring in comparison to the others in the film anyhow, so
it's only natural that their scenes be boring too right? As you can see the
characters were so memorable, I've managed to forget their names.
Bowling for Columbine - Michael Moore
Basically this is the best film I've seen at the festival so far. But it's
really not a movie, but more a documentary... of sorts. Moore takes some
liberties here but as I heard someone in the audience say this morning,
"It's not a complaint, just an observation that makes it difficult to
categorize Michael Moore's work".
Now, I see this has been talked about a length over the past few months. So
I'll just put a Canadian spin on it as a Canadian, seeing it in Canada, with
a Canadian Audience, with perhaps 1 or 2 Americans that weren't Moore or his
Crew.
This is an important film. This is a disturbing film and a very informative
film. It's also very funny, though I suspect it helps if you're not
American. As Moore said today, if he were Canadian he'd be making a
different film that would be a bitter pill for Canadians to swallow. So
while we come out smelling like roses on this issue, we're far from perfect.
But besides learning all sorts of statistics about the USA and Americans, I
learned a fair amount on the subject about even my own city that I wasn't
aware of.
Moore reaches a point where he's almost praising Canada at parts of this
film and posing the question to Americans that while we're essentially very
similar our gun fatality rates are a trip around the solar system and back
in proximity. Moore suggests it's fear, and I'm with him. I always used to
say it was simply the difference in population. Bullshit. You know there is
only one thing that I personally can point out as a HUGE, OBVIOUS difference
between your average American and your average Canadian, and that is the
Television we watch. Our News coverage. Way, way different. As someone who's
had Dish Network for 4+ years now, I'm in the know about this.
Of course Moore doesn't suggest it's just one thing, like the Media, (as I
like to blame for most things) but suggests it's stupid old white man crap
still lingering from decades of rule and racism. Watching the facts,
reflecting on his opinions, you see that's part of it too.
Ultimately Moore suggests that the thing that needs fixing starts with "us"
(Americans). I sincerely hope this film succeeds in getting the screen time
it needs in the USA, it is definitely well received here. He received a
standing ovation. Well deserved. Perhaps the most important film screening
at the Festival.
Jet Lag - Danièle Thompson
Blah. What can I say...it's french. About a couple travelers in a Paris
airport during "holidays" when the transit people (Air and Train) go on
strike. Flights are canceled. Juliette's character is leaving her boyfriend,
she's giving a friend instructions on getting her her luggage sent. She
looses her cell phone. She borrows' Reno's. The typical Deja Vu, bumping
into each other thing happens. Flights are rescheduled. Weather storm on the
horizon. Reno gets a room, offers her to stay as she's going to try to sleep
in the airport. The Weather front moves in and keeps them there longer
and...etc... you already know how this goes. Predictable romance flick. Eric
Serra's scores are starting to bug me, I think he's still stuck in the 80's.
Jean Reno and Juliette Binoche are wasted here. Bad movie? No. Good movie?
Naw. It's a movie. Some pretty funny moments, but no risks. Waste of time
with 200+ other films, surely one of them I'm not going to see is better
than this one.
Morvern Callar - Lynne Ramsay
The festival synopsis sounded intriguing. A young Scottish woman (Morvern)
wakes up on Christmas morning to find her boyfriend had committed suicide.
He leaves her a message on the computer saying this was all for the best. He
loves her. And on the disk is the novel he's finished writing. He's giving
it to her. He gives her a list of publishers to send it to. He's also left
her a little money for the funeral. But... she doesn't use it for that. Her
and her girlfriend (read: Best Friend) travel to Spain for some fun. Morvern
meets with publishers about her (or rather his) book. Now I wouldn't want to
give anything away but... oh wait... sorry, I guess I kind of did, nothing
much else happens in this film.
The first 30 minutes are agonizingly boring.
I swear I was going to fall asleep. The thing that pisses me off the most
about it is the programme director introduced the film as perhaps the most
exciting film at the festival this year. Huh? Wha? Did she watch the same
film as I did. Please, people, don't waste your time. Compared to this Gerry
looked like a roller coaster ride, and there's maybe 2 pages of Dialog in
that film. Heck (diminishing to male pig zone here) there were two nakid
chicks bathing together in this movie, but I didn't care. I was so bored
it's not funny. The characters are totally unsympathetic. The movie ends
abruptly before it even begins. I really didn't find anything in this film
to like. Though I'd like to talk to someone who does like this film, so I
can find out what color the sky is in their world.
8 Mile - Curtis Hansen
"A Work in Progress". Yup, that's right, the film's not completed yet. But
if I understood Curtis correctly, this is the first public screening of the
project. Curtis warned us of potential shifts in image quality and temporary
sound effects, however watching through the film I didn't see anything I
could have put my finger on, so essentially that means it was looking and
sounding pretty good.
This is "The Eminem Movie". Though not about him himself, it's hardly a
stretch from his own life from what I know of it. Eminem does a pretty good
job playing "Rabbit" a young white Detroit urban youth looking for his break
into Hip-Hop, though once again, hardly a stretch. He's shy and scared but
determined. He has some ideal of a stereotypical man but he isn't one yet
himself, and his manhood is further diminished as he finds himself needing
to move back in with his mother(Kim Basinger) due to a recent breakup. Kim
Basinger does a good job here fitting the tired trailer mom thing to a T.
The movie's supporting cast full of a bunch of guys I've personally never
heard of, do a great job as Rabbit's 'homies'. There's not much plot here,
other than a young kid with a poor mother, living in a poor neighborhood,
with a poor job tries to break out from poverty with his buddies, trying to
land themselves a record deal. Several scenes of the movie take place in an
underground club called "The Shelter" where freestyle hip-hop battles take
place (i.e. rappers are timed 45 seconds and whichever one disses (craps on)
the other one the best with his skills is the winner, winning gives you
street cred, street cred is supposed to get you a record deal). *shrug* this
was a good film, but there really isn't much here. Brittany Murphy show up
as a model wannabe, whom is a fleeting love interest for Rabbit who just
split with his girlfriend whom we learn little about over the course of the
film. As a result, I expect the first cuts from this draft will be that
storyline, though I suppose pieces may be put back in to round out that
subplot.
After the film, I felt there was a lot more the movie wanted to say or do,
but as it's already pushing 2 hours without opening or closing credits, I
doubt this film is going to get longer.
It's allright, but this draft is a far way away from Curtis' other recent
works, L.A. Confidential and Wonderboys. Perhaps that is why it's still a
work in progress, though I think it would need some pretty award winning
editing to even approach these other pieces of work. Then again with Brian
Grazer on as Producer, who knows?
Shaolin Soccer - Stephen Chow
Based on some of the buzz on AICN I decided to catch this film and I'm glad
I did. Much has been said, so why reinvent the wheel. It's funny. Very
funny. The special effects used in this film are actually quite good for a
foreign film and some of the martial arts pieces, though laden with computer
generated imagery gained many clapping sessions throughout the movie. The
Midnight Madness Programme Director came out to introduce the film and he
said "Stephen Chow is sometimes considered as the Chinese Jim Carrey. But
no, he's not, he's much more than that". Yeah I'd have to agree. The humor
is nice and slapstick, which I like because it seems so rare today (well the
stuff that doesn't involve bodily fluid gags is rare). The comedy hits every
time. No misses. I can not say the same about Jim Carrey who is ridiculous
most of the time and resorts too heavily on stupid voices or body
contortion. Stephen Chow (in this film at least) sets his audience up and
knocks them down with every method available. A favorite tool in watching
the movie was Parody as there's a section of a synchronized dance sequence
that's move for move from Michael Jacksons' Thriller. I love hidden gag
stuff like that. I'm going to have to find this man's other movies.
While this was the hotly debated Miramax version with the horrific "Kung Fu
Fighting" remix at the closing credits, I think the voice over acting worked
very much to the films credit. Considering the film doesn't take itself
seriously, the out-of-synch lips and stereotypical Hong Kong Voiceover
acting fits well here.
Though it is very silly (as slapstick is) I found the two women who were at
the screening with me didn't quite appreciate it on the same level. In fact
I think one may have fallen asleep, which is remarkable considering how loud
the laughing from the audience was.
*shrug* Regardless, *I'll* be recommending this one around to friends (male
mostly) for
some time.
-Taylor
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Ok, this is coming from an actor's point of view here (the reviewer obviously wasn't)
Re: Eminem and his performance not being "a stretch."
One of the hardest things for an actor to do is "play themselves", it requires an imposing level of self-exploration and can be quite and unnerving experience. Most actors live by the coda of "Give me the lines and i can play any part, just don't ask me to talk about myself" To say that Eminem should not be congratulated for his performance (which i also saw in Toronto) is unfair. AND, how well does this reviewer KNOW Eminem? Not at all. Just because you are aware of his Public Persona does not mean you have any insight at all into who he is.
Just wanted to give the lil'Bugger some props, his performance was searing. -
I was lucky enough to be near the front of the Varsity's rush line for the Spirited Away re-dubbed screening. Lotsa people wanted to see this one! I must say I enjoyed the movie, it was full of imagination and vivid, not garish, colour. I read that no scene was butchered, digitally altered or trimmed by the Disney people. Amazing! Despite the robotic translation, one of my favourite actresses Susan Egan did quite well as the sharp-tongued Lin (if you've seen Hercules, she was the voice of the just-as-sharp Meg). The cutesy touches were the mouse and bird who pretty much stole every scene they were in. Miyazaki even allowed a brief Q & A from the audience after the show. I asked if he'd read 'Alice In Wonderland' ("Yes, many times!") If Diz decides to market the heck out of this gem as it does with its American work, it should do well. It's MUCH better than those direct-to-video sequels they continue to spit out.
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Who are just as fake as he is. The guy can make up a lame song about murdering his wife but he can't take a few jokes from a puppet dog. And he can talk shit to Moby like a hardass but when tha Row talks shit to him, Feminem is silent.
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Sep 09, 2002 3:19:41 PM CDT
eminem is a raging, semi-misogynistic, ignorant jackass...
by tv casualty
That said, I own two of his albums, and think he does have some talent. He just also happens to be a dumb kid. I'll rent 8 Mile, and will probably be disappointed, but I still think the guy has some interesting things to say and some impressive lyrical ability.
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"Considering the film doesn't take itself seriously, the out-of-synch lips and stereotypical Hong Kong Voiceover acting fits well here." People who think like this are the reason we get fucked-up versions of Hong Kong movies. The movie worked just fine in sync-sound Cantonese, thanks. You clearly would have gotten more out of KUNG POW than you would out of this film. This website, for some bizarre reason, seems to have switched from trying unusually hard to preserve this film to trying to convince us that Miramax was right all along, and that we should take our fake Chinese accented (well, Stephen Chow's accent is real), re-edited English dubbed version, smile, and thank Miramax for fucking up a perfectly good movie... or else we won't get to see them fuck up other movies for our viewing enjoyment. That ain't cool at all. I'll say it again. Don't support this release, or they'll do it again, and again. The only hope for true fans is that Miramax ends up with a string of flops that convinces them to stop picking these movies up at all... because they've proven that they're never, never ever, never going to treat them with a shred of respect.
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Sep 09, 2002 3:34:21 PM CDT
All I can say Is Spirited Away is one of the best movies I have
by mentallymariah
This is the real deal, beleive the hype! TRIPPY AND COOL, eye popping WOW!!!
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But Attack of the Clones is coming to IMAX theatres November 1.
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Speaking of thing Miyazaki... has anyone else had trouble accessing this website in the past few weeks. It's a fan website dedicated to the works of studio ghibli. BUT I CAN'T GET IN. It's just now starting to get daily updates due to the release of Spirited Away in the US.
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...Good place for it. It can replace National Geographic's "tours through the Colon" or whatever drivel they are currently putting up at the IMAX. And this way screen space at my local theatres isn't taken up by this awful retread of a film.
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At least Rush Limbaugh lives in a way consistent with his beliefs. Michael Moore is the biggest type of loathsome creature - somebody who preaches till his face glows red but then acts completely the opposite in real life. He has cornered the market on this "Ultra-Left Wing America is bad I'm for the people" thing - and that's all it is to him, a market. Not only are his films and books filled with innacuracies, twisted "facts" and half-truths(as well as many sides of the stories and figures "convienently" left out), but it's obvious he doesn't truly believe any of the positions he espouses. He's just doing it for the money. He lives in a multi-million dollar penthouse and acts just like the very "fat cats" that he's supposedly against. In favor of "the little man", my butt. There's stories about his true nature all over the place, if you know where to look. Basically, the guy is just a joke, and a detriment to serious political debate on either side.
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Speaking as an American, I know quite well that we seem to be hella more fucked up in the heads than Canadians, in many different aspects. Too many to list, in fact. I wouldn't mind moving to Canada, though I would never happen because I'm a warm-weather person and would go insane myself living in that cold weather. At least their government is good enough to recognize officially that marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol or cigarettes, and they're actually starting a movement to consider decriminalizing it, possibly even making it wholly legal, having licensed retailers, farming it, taxing it, etc. (all of which won't even be considered in American for decades, if ever). People scream about Moore being a hypocrite. Honestly, I really do think that hypocracy is the American Way, because it runs rampant in every vein of this country's government. Grrr... just pisses you off that you can't do anything about it. Too bad I don't own a huge corporation or something...
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Father Geek... Taylor Girl. If I was a Girl, I'd never leave the house.
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Sep 09, 2002 5:57:02 PM CDT
Moore may be a hypocrite, but it does nothing to lessen the hypo
by fearsme
Just cause the man is a doofus doesn't mean the idiots he points his camera at aren't any less idiotic. Let's be honest: gun toting dumb asses - enviromentally irresponsible - money grubbing corporate whore republicans are just as annoying as tree hugging - vegan - Greatful Dead listening Democrats. Guess what? They're all dumbasses. But let's be honest, despite the repercussions it might cause, this statement is true: If you take guns off the market, there would be less gun related homicides.... eventually. Immediately disarming the public wouldnt do much good, but if you banned guns, in 30 or 40 years there's a pretty good chance that gun related homicides would be greatly reduced. I do think it's absurd that you can buy a god damed gun at Wal Mart. Say what you want about "Gun Control", the fact that any dumbass can walk into a Wal Mart, apply for a liscence, then wait a week and BAM, they own a gun. That's a little frightening, especially if you've been to a Wal Mart and seen the people that shop there. I had the misfortune of working at a Wal Mart in Sporting Goods, and the people that i saw there looking at guns. Never have i been more frightened in the American Way. The fact that you can go to a store and get toilet paper, Ruffles, and a shotgun... Somewhere we lost our way...
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I didn't even notice, I guess I'll have to watch more closely next time.
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"Spirited Away" is a brilliant movie.
"Morvern Callar" is wonderful. What's wrong with that reviewer's taste?
Although, "shooting for Colombine" was excellent and would make an interesting viewing for the american and british public right before bombing Iraq. I'm teasing...
The movie is only Moore's point of view, it's not about the whole TRUTH but it cleverly tries to find some answers... -
In response to Harry Weinstein's Shaolin Soccer comments...
I, like you I'm sure, watch every one of my foreign films (Region 2 and locally released) in their native language, with subtitles. I do believe maintaining the original release at all costs. HOWEVER, this film is a comedy, this "version" is intented for widespread distribution in North America. This version will substantially help this film, not hurt it. What it does do to future ones is somewhat of a concern however and I agree with you. But I'm not speaking about the state of film in our society. I'm speaking about the film I saw, as I saw it. The deliberately bad overdub is perfect for the subject matter. No two ways about it. This movie is totally slapstick and the "bad overdub" just makes it that much more funny. Look at it this way, I would totally understand Miramax NOT aquiring the film if the director refused to let them do a dub. And considering Chow (as you said) does his own voice over. I suspect this is "director approved" and he's pretty cool with the whole thing. So I'd probably cool it on this whole thing. Perhaps you should go find Chow and ask him how he feels about it before getting all bitchy for him. Americans (and Canadians) get scared when they see Subtitles and many immediately dismiss the movie. In the end, you tell me what's better for this film. To be seen by many, or to be seen by a few. Hopefully people who enjoy it will see Chow's name and snap up his other releases. You just know a fat cat studio will just jump at the chance to do cheap pathetic DVD transfers of his older movies if the general public respond to this one.
Elmstreetkid: I'll conceed that that seems plausible. Though Eminem is NOT an Actor. :) I don't know that he has the training that would allow him to be anyone else other than himself. A good director (like Hansen) should have no problem telling him "Be yourself". I think Eminem's private-turned-public issues show he's really no deeper a person than his lyrics. The rapper IS the person from what I can tell. Unlike someone like Marilyn Manson who appears to be a completely different chap off the stag than on. I think Eminem is that scared guy in the film and I see they wasted no time in trying to brush up his stance on homosexuals in the film. That part really came out of left field and felt highly deliberate. His fair or nice comments on homosexuals only exist due to a fear that his mouth has cost him hate amungst his fan base. Damage Control from what I can tell. I think he's a very talented rapper and I do think he did a good job, but I don't think it's the result of any natural or learned acting ability. -
i'm there when it comes out. why? because its curtis hanson. and he rules. and the cool thing is, there's gonna be so many peeps checking it out just because eminem is eminem, good or bad, evil or good. you have to admit, attitude aside, the guy is extremely talented at what he does. (even being an ass) remember, bad publicity is good publicity.
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Please, PLEASE, explain to me what's wonderful about Morvern Callar? I'd like to see I'm wrong about it considering what praise the programmer gave the film during the introduction. But I found nothing endearing about it. Explain to me what part of the movie worked for you, it didn't seem to work for the crowd that was there. I haven't seen that many people leave the theatre during the credits this year with a previously announced Q&A.
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Great performances from the girls. Great cinematography.Bla,bla...
I had an epidermic reaction to that movie. It felt to me how poetry must feel to people who gets it (I personnaly don't). The way it's filmed and edited seems so spontaneous, weird and perfect. And the way Morvern slowly transforms and separates herself from her boring surroundings and habits (techno music/booze/casual sex/neverending routine) to start getting some new(real) acquired tastes of her own and a different view on the world and on herself with the help of her boyfriend's spirit is a beautiful subject extremely well treated. It makes its point without being too self- explanatory. At first you think his book is his present to her ( perhaps a chance for a new material life) but the true present is that tape that becomes the soundtrack to her new life/adventures ( it's a chance for a new spiritual life, it's the music you put on a tape for someone you love)
I don't know... maybe you didn't see it a the right time. I saw it at the Cannes Film Festival at the Director's fortnight with the director and the 2 lead actresses and people got wild and applauded Samantha Morton for half an hour. -
He got a deferment from the draft because of a cyst on his anus. I'm not making that up.
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i'm tired of canadians getting on their highhorse bashing our US cousins. the fact is, canada lives off the largesse of the US. if these can. nationists were to study economics, they'd see that a disportionate amount of our GDP (over 30%) comes from exports, mostly with the US (75%). we sell natural resources. the US could easily acquire such resources from any SAmerican country, but they choose to buy from us. ******IF we were so moral and lofty, we should have cut off our resources to the US during the Vietnam war. but we didn't. our steel, lumber, minerals, chemicals, etc were used for the US military and we had a bumper decade. (incidently, this is the time when much our much vaunted social safety net was created:) ) and then we pontificate to the US about their war crimes. com'on, don't be such hypocrites. i don't mind some forms of nationalism, but bashing the US as some means of establishing a Can. identity in a holier than thou mindset is simply hypocrisy. the americans have good reasons for the things they do. cut them some slack.
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i've found that as for things we are critical of in other cultures, once you live there, you realize that THERE IS ACTUALLY A GOOD REASON FOR IT. sure, islamic law may seem like mindless savagery. but once you live there, you realize that they cannot even afford to keep someone in prison. if they gave out free food and beds to every criminal, they'd be swamped with new inmates and wanna-be inmates. as a result, they have to use a low tech, low cost method of punishment, i.e. stoning, whipping. so yeah, i'm against it, but there is a good reason why they do it. guns in Canada would make no point. but i suggest that if you go to the US, you'll see there's a need for it. i'm not saying that's good... but that's the way it is. imagine if chuck had been on the doomed 9/11 flights. "Well, that's enough of this B.S.", he would have intoned before blowing away box-cutter carrying psycho after psycho. suddenly, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea.
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Well, Stephen Chow *loved* what Miramax did to Shaolin Soocer and God of Cookery so much, the sequel rights to GOC 2 are with Sony. That says it all.
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Umm... no Canadian has bashed Americans here.
As someone who spent a year living in the US. In fact in the Greater Denver Area, just a hop, skip and a jump from Littleton (which is a reoccuring subject of this film) I have somewhat of an idea of what I would be talking about if I wanted to actually bash the US or Americans having actually spent some time living there. But I'm not. In fact I tire of Canadians bashing the US as well, though, mostly because they haven't a real clue, no basis other than some city they once visited on business was dirty and stinky and someone was rude to them. And like them, I think you should probably see the film before tendering your opinion on any comments made by the reviewer about the subject in question. I didn't post the review to make a political statement, but to share the experience with you guys and as a Canadian, seeing it here, it was received FAR DIFFERENTLY that it will be received in the US. This is a shame.
I could go on for hours bashing Canadians, but that's not the point, we're talking about Bowling for Columbine, not Putting for Oka. -
I don't have a problem with dubbing some foreign films for the American market. SHAOLIN SOCCER would be an example of a film that I think SHOULD be dubbed for American theatrical engagements. It's not Fruit Chan or Truffaut, it's Stephen Chow. He makes mainstream movies - he does it very well, and he's a way-underrated ACTOR (check out his work in GOD OF COOKERY and the first two CHINESE ODYSSEY films for some genuinely impressive, at times very moving performances), but that's what he does. But if you're going to dub something, do it right. Miramax English dubs are garbage, always have been. I remember years ago renting a dubbed LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, and the dubbing was actually worse than many of their HK titles. To say that a bad dub enhances the film is a complete slight to the filmmakers. It's especially damaging in Stephen Chow's case, because much of his humor derives from serious people taking bizzare situations very seriously - if the dub is silly, the seriousness goes out the window. Good dubbing is possible - COWBOY BEBOP (actually better in English), DAS BOOT (a truly remarkable dubbing job), the original, pre-Miramax English dub of IRON MONKEY, LAST HERO IN CHINA, the Japanese-language dub of LEON, the French-language dub of PORCO ROSSO starring Jean Reno that Miyazaki is said to prefer over the Japanese track. It can be done, just not by Miramax. It would have been more effective in the case of SHAOLIN SOCCER to do a very straight-faced, serious, DAS BOOT-style dub. The accenting done in Miramax's dubbing of many Chinese films is totally misguided, unless the whole point is to make fun of the way Chinese people speak, in which case they're racist AND evil. The idea behind dubbing should be to make it seem like you're speaking the language spoken in the film, not to make it seem like the people in the film are speaking your language poorly. The other problem I have is with Miramax's stupid cuts, re-scorings, and plot changes. Sony used to do it, but have mostly abandoned the practice (their cut Jet Li and Jackie Chan titles are carryovers from before). Miramax should pay attention to Sony - they didn't just randomly decide to stop doing that stuff. It was in their percieved best interests.
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Yeah, I noticed that it isn't working. I haven't been able to access the site for weeks now. Anyone any idea what's going on? Also, I watched the Spirited Away DVD recently - maybe it's not seeing it on the big screen first time round but I didn't think it was better than Mononoke as everyone's claiming it to be. Yes, it's wonderful, but I think some people are getting a bit carried away and raising expectations a bit too high. It is a great movie - but I still think Mononoke, Totoro and Kiki are Miyazaki's best.
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I saw Morvern Callar in Cannes at the same screening but i didn't like it either, though that's just because i love Alan Warners book so much. I did like Sam Morton and the cool soundtrack, but was disappointed by the way the story was told. The book is told by Morvern from her point of view and I kept longing for her very distinct and strange voice. The film is quite the opposite, you only get to look at her do stuff here and there and sort of wonder what's going on in her head. Although i'm not sure a voice-over would have worked either, i had this book down as unfilmable and this might be as good as it could get. In any case, whether you like the film or not - do check out the book if you can.
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your point is taken. what i meant was that canadians have the difficult task of differentiating themselves from their friends down south, and there are some that take to "america bashing" as a way of doing so. others take to identifying with the brits to assert a "different" identity. i find both tendencies extremely lame. believe me, having lived in england, the brits make no difference between the US and Canada. and as i explained before, the "holier than thou" image of canada the peacekeeper, i find extremely strained to say the least. but you're right, i was out of line to use the word "bashing". i hope to see the movie. good review.
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The hard drive failed, causing the site to go down. As I type the machine is slowly coming back to life. Many of the files were restored, a few are missing, but most of the site will be useable.
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make me laugh. How could you have so much venom against a big goofy guy who makes you laugh about ideas that only a complete loon could deny were true. For example the episode of Awful Truth where he passed out day glow orange wallets to black people in New York so they wouldn't get shot by the cops. Or the TV Nation where the cab drivers repeatedly passed up award winning actor and African prince Yaphet Kotto to pick up a white convicted felon. Or my favorite, the Awful truth where they hired an actual pimp to go to Washington DC and treat politicians like the whores they are. I don't care how much secret personal gossip you read about him on the Republicans Muster Up Whatever They Can To Make Others Look Bad web sight, none of it could take away from the power of a segment like that. Or the one where the insurance company was using a loophole to get out of giving a guy a transplant he needed to live. He went to the company and invited everybody to the funeral. Only a simpleton would see this as simplifying the issue, because it is created in a way to make you really think about it from all angles. He talks to these secretaries at the company and they say "You have my sympathy" and the guy says, "I don't want your sympathy, I just want a kidney." You have to feel sorry for them because all they do is work there, and then at the same time you have to think HOW COULD THEY just work there, now that they see that their company is doing things like this? Where do you draw the line as a human being at what kind of a company you are willing to work for? Is there something you yourself can do to make this better? Or are you really willing to shrug it off and say yeah, too bad the guy died but it was my boss's fault, not mine, so I'm okay? It makes you consider these things and I'm sure it made the secretaries consider these things and then it made ol' Vern tear up when they said at the end that the company decided to reverse their decision and then the guy stood up, alive, in the audience and waved. And you knew that Michael Moore, this big ol' hypocrite who threatens all of america according to you guys, who even though you believe more in freedom of speech than everyone, you would make an exception for this guy because you are afraid of what he represents, saved the guy's life with a silly tv show. And worse yet, you haven't even seen the fuckin movie. You're saying he blames it on the guns even though the guy is in the NRA. I haven't seen it yet but it sounds like you guys are pissed off by things you hope the movie says just so you will be pissed off it at for saying it and be able to continue living in your fantasy world where Michael Moore and everybody else with common sense is actually wrong about the problems in our culture.
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Why does he say that it's not a movie, but a documentary? Are you telling me that WHEN WE WERE KINGS and SALESMAN are not real movies? Come on buddy. Is that a canadian thing? Also I saw SPIRITED AWAY and I can't figure out where the "stereotypical disney" part is.
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"Why does he say that it's not a movie, but a documentary?" "Come on buddy. Is that a canadian thing?"
Well, typically when a motion picture covers facts (i.e. non-fiction) and the people appearing in it (commonly interviewed) play themselves (i.e. not acting), it's called a Documentary. A movie (for lack of a better term) or non-documentary would be a motion picture that may or may not be non-fiction and is composed of Actors playing characters which are scripted for them.
"Come on Buddy". I can't believe what some people argue about in Talk Back. -
taking columbine people into K-Mart to make them feel guilty for selling bullets is IMPORTANT? We live in sad times yet, but this isn't important film making at all, it's pompous and arrogant.
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"taking columbine people into K-Mart to make them feel guilty for selling bullets is IMPORTANT?" Yes, it is. It takes politics back down to a personal level of accountability. If you prefer your politics to be sweeping and blinkered enough that anyone could reasonably extract themselves from any culpability of their actions, then yes, Michael Moore probably does get under your skin. Personally, I think Micheal Moore is a self impressed goofball, but I can't deny the points he sometimes makes, even if I wish he wasn't such a smug jackoff in the process.
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I can't find any info anywhere on whether there will be a UK distribution of Spirited Away following the US release or not. Does anyone know if there are plans? I live in Vancouver now and am moving to England on the 22nd, missing the Canadian release by a few DAYS. Damn it all. Will I ever get to see it? Can someone email me with any info they have: moxy76@hotmail.com I hate looking through talkbacks to find replies, thanks.
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Let me get this straight so I can decide whether youre retarded or simply ass-stupid. Oil rich Islamic countries have to stone people to death for crimes such as adultry because otherwise they couldnt afford prisons and if Chuck Heston had been waving a shotgun on a 9/11 flight the world would be a safer place?
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The terrorists werre taught to fly in America. Imagine if they had bought a gun and were able to take it on.
I feel sorry for the victims, but the world needs less avenues for violence, not more. -
Stephen Chow a better comedic actor than Jim Carrey? Hahaha, there's a joke even Jimbo himself couldn't deliver as well! Without dissing Chow, who is very entertaining, Jim Carrey should be considered as one of the finest (comedic) actors of all time. It's of no importance whether or not you like a film he makes, or the role he plays, but he ALWAYS plays them to perfection. He IS Lloyd Christmas, he IS Truman Burbank, he IS Ace (geddit?!). The Mask only soared whenever Stanley Ipkiss was on screen, not when sfx took over his performance. This guy is one of the greats; a method actor on par with DeNiro. He just hasn't come around to play those kinda roles yet. Sure he diverted from his usual (genius) comedic creations in films like The Majestic, but a real jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring and truly challenging role hasn't come his way yet. But it will.. Oh yes it will. One day you will all see the true genius of Jim Carrey. Chow down on that!
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i understand your point and your disbelief. the common view is that these states are "oil rich" and sheikh is synonymous with wealth. but if you surf the IMF site or type in "CIA COuntries" you can see the stats. saudi arabia has a GDP per capita of US5,000/year. that's what? US400/month. i've been there and believe me, most of the population is living in utter poverty. the sheikhs and their families (5,000 people) are living in splendor. this is where the hatred against the house of saud comes from. this is what spawns the osamas. i live in indonesia and a cop's salary is US$40/month. they cannot afford to imprison people. they simply cripple thieves because they can't afford to feed and house them. and yes INDONESIA is a member of OPEC and a major oil producing nation: but the wealth doesn't go to the civil servants or infrastructure. i'm saying i approve of islamic law or guns in the US BUT I AM SAYING THAT THERE IS A REASON FOR IT. if there wasn't, these two things would have been eliminated but they exist for a reason. there is a lot of violence in the states: moreso than in canada and europe. look at the number of inmates in the US, the number of violent crimes, etc. no need to resort to namecalling, buddy. i understand your surprise at my take on things, but if you lived in an arabic country... you would tend to understand my point of view. Peace. jack
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bottom line, from your own culture others cultures seem mad. but if you live there for a while you'll see that you can't apply your own standards. i am fully against guns. but i'm also a canadian. in canada it would be madness to advocate guns. in the US, despite its "modern" status and its high GDP, it is far away from being like Sweden or Norway where you can walk in any part of the city with no fear. i dare you to walk thru any parking lot in Detroit at night and you'll see what i mean.... it's no stockholm. i understand your reaction Mimirogers, but you are seeing things from your own cultural point of view aren't you? in indonesia you can commit any crime and simply bribe the police because the cops are so poor they readily accept bribes: hence the current call for islamic law which would actually punish wrongdoers: rich and poor. believe me, i'm NOT FOR THAT. but i understand that there's a reason for it. it's not arbitrary or madness. what if chuck was on the 9/11 flight? what if there was an armed guard? would things have been different? maybe...
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Hey, why wait for the twisted version from Miramax. Just buy it on DVD from Hong Kong directly. Great films, and the bad subtitles add something to the humor of this great film! (it's on Ebay all the time).
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I'm still not buyin it bud. A documentary is a type of movie, just like a musical or a steven seagal movie is. "Movie" means moving picture, or motion picture. It means a film. A documentary is a movie and a fictional movie is a movie. They are both made up of moving pictures and projected onto movie screens. I'm not trying to argue, because the answer is clear, I'm just sayin it's a weird misconception for you canadians to have. p.s. I love canadians though, sorry about bush, etc.
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