Film Update

Recently Viewed:

· The Ring Two
· Somersault

I had not planned to see The Ring Two. Ever. But circumstances led me to it -- there wasn't much choice. Anyway, I did, and I'm actually glad I did. Even though it was nowhere near as good as the original American remake, it had some good things to report. First of all, its effects have gone up a notch, and are pretty eye-opening, however, I felt this took the focus away from the suspense and more about the shock. The amount of suspense in this sequel was a dramatic reduction, with Watts calling out for her son a little too much. Also, the ending was a little too rounded for me, and the whole thing felt more Hollywood than the first one did, and Hollywood is not good.

Grade: C-

Somersault was less problematic but still a little flawed. I thought it was very good for a debut project. It has lots of psychological insight and the way that people can act in order to mask the painful truth. It's really touching and definitely demonstrates something that I haven't seen before. The thing I found a little disappointing though, was that the background of the main character was shaded over too much. It would've been better to know why she left home in the first place rather than start her psychological journey as a runaway. Doesn't make sense to me. Anyway, it was very well acted, directed, and generally was very engaging.

Grade: B-

Recently Reviewed:

· Constantine
· XXX2: The Next Level

These are the latest reviews, neither of which are generally very favourable although I would like to say that I was pleasantly surprised (or maybe just surprised) by XXX2. It's not all that bad. Constantine was pretty much what I expected -- an average-poor popcorn flick. You can catch my reviews on the main page of the site at the top.

Imminent Viewings:

· It's All Gone Pete Tong
· Monster In Law
· The Wings of the Dove

Hoping to be impressed by Helena Bonham Carter's oscar-nominated turn in The Wings of the Dove. I'm working my way through the nominees of '97 and so far have seen three. Kate Winslet in Titanic, which is good, but hardly a stretch, less so in her case. Helen Hunt, whose performance may be the most overrated in history. Again it's good, but please.. terrible win. And Judi Dench, who is head and shoulders above the other two so far. Maybe Helena can out-do her.

I know Monster In Law has had terrible reviews, and you're probably thinking "Oh dear". In actual fact, I'm slightly thinking the same thing, but I have a rule: If I like the concept of the film I'll see it, no matter how bad the reviews. It rarely ever works though, except with Pay It Forward as a notable exception. It's the same reason I'll see House of Wax next month. I love the concept of the wax corpses etc. even if Hilton and co. are utterly dreadful.

Finally, It's All Gone Pete Tong looks to be good, and it's British, which is always a plus. I like any attempt for British cinema to flourish -- yes, even the dated Pride and Prejudice, which is such a product so to speak, of the unrelenting 80's/90's heritage theme that came out of this tiny lil' country.

Anyway, That's All Folks. Catch you later.