the film log

 Jane Eyre I’m so sorry, but this was soooo boring. I gradually warmed up to it after the young John Reed made an exit, but I seriously almost gave up completely. I’m glad I didn’t. The young John Reed was a really unconvincing actor. Really awkward and seemed kind of guilty, not ruthless and cruel. I have a bit of a problem with the set lighting indoors. It looks really artificial. I know the technology in the 70s was less advanced than it is now, but they could’ve at least scattered more candles around the tables to pretend it was lit by candles, right? Outdoors it was fine.  The kissing also made me giggle a bit. It looked awkward :( I guess this production is more theatrical, but…… I just couldn’t take it seriously when they kissed. I think it was mostly Michael Jayston, not Sorcha Cusack. Sorcha Cusack looks a bit old to be playing Jane Eyre, but it wasn’t that big of a distraction actually. She’s a good actress.  I only wish there were subtitles because I always skipped the beginning credits and some episodes started with voiceovers. I think. Well, I didn’t really mind the voiceovers except the muting of all audio seemed a bit unnatural (footsteps in the background when she was walking wouldn’t have hurt). The lack of subtitles isn’t that bad though, since all of the actors spoke very clearly.  I’ve only talked about the negative aspects (in my opinion) of this production, but there are positives too. I really really really really (x10000000) love how unlike the 2011 version, the “Is there a flood?” line spoken stupidly by Rochester during the fire was present. That was one of the best parts of the 1996 version. Okay, so this version was practically completely faithful to the book. I never even knew Rochester dressed up as a gypsy woman in the story, so I was very pleasantly surprised and amused when that scene came up.  Anyway, I think a little more music would’ve been nice. I wouldn’t really recommend seeing this version though. I’ve read some nice praise about the 2006 BBC production which is also a mini-series, and I’m really looking forward to it. 

Step Up I liked this better than Take the Lead even though I usually like ballroom dance more than hip hop/street dance. The dancing in here wasn’t very exciting though, and certainly not as sexy as Dirty Dancing’s. However, Step Up’s story is rather good compared to the other two, which are sooo cheesy. I like how Tyler is a flake until the last minute, because in reality, it’s difficult to change. I’m glad I watched this. I was actually kind of dreading it, but I don’t regret it. The storyline is similar to Take The Lead’s, in which hip hop is mixed with classical music. I must say that it’s really not that wonderful or innovative in general, but in here, it’s a lot better than the mashup in Take the Lead.  Anyway, I didn’t know Channing Tatum could dance. Sometimes he looks kind of awkward dancing, but maybe it’s just the clothing.

Hairspray AWESOME. but needs more James Marsden. He’s so charming omg swoon To be perfectly honest, when Zac Efron was on screen, I generally stared at his butt. Just the area around there, you know….not really his face. I’m not a big fan of his face. This movie musical is SO trendy friendly. I love it. But then you can really tell most of the songs have this Broadway quality to it. The singers sound like Broadway singers too, at least in my opinion. They have clear voices. Michelle Pfeiffer’s character had a Charlize Theron in Young Adult thing going on. Living vicariously through either her daughter or her books, and also being unable to let go of the past. Of course, hairspray isn’t meant to be a deep movie, so I’ll stop here at the character comparison. I think I need to watche Grease. I like Hairspray, but I think Mamma Mia is still my favorite musical 8D

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason The first one is much better. I originally planned on never watching this, but I gave in since I read the books and liked the second book more than the first.  Anyway. It’s too haphazard and random. The book was kinda random, but it wasn’t haphazard…. Also, Bridget Jones had the same speaking tone for most of the movie. Like a sarcastic “omg I’m such a failure hurrrrrr” voice. hmph. Hugh Grant looked better in the fountain that Colin Firth, just saying. He also looked better in the first movie in the water too. Actually, I like Hugh Grant a lot in this movie. Hu Ting Ting omg crying. My parents boast about her university education, but really? She sounded very convincing as a Thai prostitute, to be honest. Her accent doesn’t sound Chinese, so maybe it’s faked. Maybe not. But I’ve never been a fan of her acting or her face in general.

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising Horrible :( I loved the books, but why did they modernize this? It’s so lame when Will uses Google to research Dark and Light. And I thought Will was supposed to be English.  I mean, there was nothing wrong with the acting. I actually really liked Alexander Ludwig. It was just the screenplay and adaptation. The effects looked very expensive too, so why couldn’t they have used that money in wiser areas, like buying books for the writer of the screenplay? hmph

Låt den rätte komma in Morbid, but really good. I mean, you can’t help but feel sorry for Oskar and think his bullies met the fate that they deserve. I’m glad Eli spared that blond boy who was hiding behind his scarf. Or am I mistaken? I don’t know.  I’m envious of Oskar and Eli’s relationship. He’s such a good person. oh my goodness. Who in this world is as accepting and perfect as him?  I don’t have much to say except I really like this movie. The old man (I didn’t catch his name unfortunately) letting Eli drink his blood instead of facing the police was like an act of mercy on both sides…..I have to admit that I found his acidified face fascinating :( thank goodness the vampires combust and die when they’re exposed to sunlight. Even indirectly, through windows. And they sleep in bathtubs, lol.

Sense and Sensibility Col. Brandon is such a good man. He may be old, but… no but. Awkward, shy, stiff necked Edward Ferrars… I don’t really see anything interesting about his character, to be honest. Oh, and Hugh Grant looks so short standing next to Emma Thompson.  All the older men in here are sensible LOL. Mr. Palmer, Col. Brandon, Edward Ferrars (kinda). The mother in here isn’t as silly as P&P, thank goodness But I found Sense and Sensibility a bit boring and less funny. I liked the part when Marianne, Margaret, and Mrs. Dashwood all ended up in their rooms crying.  Sorry, I’m kind of in a bad mood right now.

Apartment Zero Really, really good. It makes you think, but it’s very easy to follow and doesn’t move too slowly either. It’s creepy, disturbing, disgusting, but incredibly intricate and sophisticated. Can we just talk about Colin Firth for a while? Good god he looked so delectable throughout. Ok besides how good-looking he was in here, he was nothing short of amazing. He and Hart Bochner were wonderful. Omg. I could go on forever about the two characters, how Adrian was impressible and insecure, and that’s why Jack appeared unfazed when Adrian walked in on a dead body. But Adrian was probably insecure because of his sexuality. I mean, it’s a big part of the story. It’s very strongly implied that Adrian is gay. Jack became his tenant cuz he was attracted to him. Well, who wouldn’t be? Jack was confident, sociable, handsome…. (Hart Bochner kind of looks like Pierce Brosnan to me) Anyway, I have to comment on the neighbors. That cross dressing male prostitute, I felt so sorry for his character. The old ladies treated him so horribly. Why? WHY? Because they knew of his profession and that he was a man? But he seemed like such a genuine person…. Was the pulling off the wig of one of the ladies just foreshadowing the eventual exposure of the male prostitute or did it have another meaning? Like showing how fake and superficial she was? While the murders and political setting were a part of the story, I don’t think they were a big part. I think this movie is mostly about these characters. They are all three dimensional, conflicted, have something to hide, and interesting. Really really great, seriously.

Wuthering Heights Heathcliff is a horrible person. I don’t really like/dislike this adaptation, but it’s shown very evidently that he’s ruthless and a cruel person all around. I even forgot to feel sorry for him because his childhood was bad after Mr. Earnshaw died. I find it ridiculous that Bella in the Twilight books would ever draw parallels between her and Cathy and Edward and Heathcliff’s lives.  You know that boy that plays Linton, the son of Isabella Linton and Heathcliff? That’s Jonathan Firth, the brother of Colin Firth! I didn’t know until I looked up the cast, but when he appeared on screen, I was captivated by his contant hair flicking LOL. The hair flicking was really distracting actually, and I didn’t register that he was supposed to be sickly until a lot later, when he said outright that Heathcliff wanted him and Catherine Linton to marry. I’ve actually read Wuthering Heights (I know, what a surprise, I read! but I read it a long time ago, in fall of 2009) and in my opinion, this adaptation is a bit too haphazard. I don’t really remember the details of the story, but I could’ve sworn one of the main-ish characters is Joseph, the servant(?) with the unintelligible dialect. And Lockwood was supposed to have a bigger part…. Well, what I mean is, it all seems very disorganized storytelling to me.  Also, I found the casting really really lazy. I really like Juliette Binoche, but is it really necessary to have her play (deep breath) teenaged Cathy/married Cathy/Catherine Linton? The first two would be okay, but while she doesn’t look particularly old here, she doesn’t look like a teenager either. Couldn’t they have spent a little bit more money to find another actress to play Catherine Linton? I’m just gonna talk about Cathy here, but this goes for Heathcliff, Edgar Linton, and Ellen/Nelly too. No one ever ages in here!  Although this is one of the few works of classic literature I’ve actually read, I still don’t understand why Cathy would love Heathcliff. My mom says it’s because they’re similar, and this is also said many times by Cathy and Heathcliff, but I don’t see it. Cathy isn’t cruel and ruthless and bent on revenge. The only similarity I can see is that they’re both wild and free-spirited. Anyway, the thing I wonder about the most is, if Cathy and Heathcliff did marry, would Heathcliff still be as horrible of a person? Would he still bother to have his revenge on Hindley Earnshaw? And the Lintons whom Cathy spent a few months with? Or would he just leave them be and enjoy his joy? Because he’s already shown his cruel streak when he indirectly killed the baby chicks that hatched….

Pride & Prejudice I know it’s supposed to be more condensed since it’s a movie and only a third of the length of the 1995 BBC version, but I thought it was wayyyy too rushed in the beginning. It’s very lively and fun and colorful, which I really like, but Mr. Wickham isn’t a minor character. He’s so good-looking in this version though. I remember him from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas hehehehehehehe Anyway, I don’t have an issue with Matthew Macfayden. He plays Awkward Darcy really well lol. Although, I always thought Darcy was more than just awkward. Yes, he’s awkward and not particularly good at socializing, but he’s also supposed to be proud, and this Darcy just seems awkward, very shy, and a bit hasty. He seems rather humble to me. But Mr. Collins, although his voice was expressive, his face was not. He was nowhere as funny and disgusting as the 1995 one.  This P&P’s actors and actresses’ ages seem more accurate. Like Wickham looks about 20 years younger than the 1995 one, Mr. Collins was “25-ish”, Bingley looked very young (a bit too young, but whatever), and Elizabeth seemed 10-ish years younger.  I didn’t like Darcy’s first proposal in here as much. It seemed a bit rushed in the beginning, but I really really liked the second proposal. I think Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth didn’t have enough moments together for them to really get past the perpetual awkwardness hahaha. Also, Elizabeth are her father are supposed to be close, right? I don’t think it’s established early enough that they are. I do like that Elizabeth ends up telling him what Darcy has done for them, but his creepy laugh at the end was unexpected. And kinda scary. I liked this version, but it felt like a whirlwind. I personally don’t like movies that move too slowly, but this was a bit too rushed at the beginning.  One last thing: their costumes and hair. The women’s dresses and hair looked wonderful (unlike the 1995 version, in which the women seemed like they wore pajamas all the time lol :( ), but the men’s hair was a bit…huhh unstylishly messy. And their costumes sometimes looked too… costume-y. Like Darcy’s coat looks so thin, I wonder if he was pacing outside the Bennets’ house near the end because he was cold.

Jane Eyre I really need to finish reading the book. I haven’t improved from that graphic novel :( I always thought St. John was supposed to be a bit unpleasant, but in here he’s very attractive. In the end, he shows that he has a bad temper and is rather selfish. I understand Rochester and Jane better now. I mean, Jane has said that she has never really interacted with men (John Reed doesn’t count to her, I guess), and Rochester thoroughly impressed her. He has an amazing sense of honor and justice and blames himself for his mistakes. Not many people would admit to mistakes with so much humility as him, in my opinion. I can see why Jane would love him so much. But I still can’t understand why Rochester would love her? (I must must must finish reading the book!) This version is more entertaining than the 1996 version, the only other adaptation I’ve seen so far. I like that this focuses more on Rochester and Jane’s love more than the story does (I think…). And I see that change they made about Rochester’s hand. I feel so stupid talking about this without finishing the book…. But I really really liked this version. I couldn’t look away from the screen during Rochester’s confession (although I was a bit annoyed that the tree didn’t exactly split) and even stopped practicing guitar. Same goes for when St. John confronts Jane about India and Rochester. 

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time I’m having some trouble expressing what I think about this. Overall, I liked it a lot more than Summer Wars. Sorry if I sound a bit unintelligent and disjointed… I loved the ending, when they’re sitting together on the grass and Chiaki never says what Makoto wants to hear. I don’t think she cried because she thought he doesn’t like/love her, but because she’ll never see him again. But why? Previously when she cried, I thought it was because she wasted her time leaping chances on stupid things. Anyway, back to the end, when she cried, I felt very sad for her too, and was almost moved to tears. And I never ever cry as a result of a movie. (The only time was Tarzan, and that was over 12 years ago lol.) So when Chiaki came back, I was expecting him to kiss her. What he did and said instead made me even sadder :( The whole ending is very thought-provoking. Makoto has a very nice school life. She has two guy friends who are very fond of her…as seen in the movie, her situation doesn’t seem to be very common. But what makes her so special? what makes Chiaki so special? He’s mysterious? But whatever, sometimes it’s good enough to be adored and loved by a person like him….who she might never see again. But the whole time I was thinking about how he promised her they’ll see each other again in the future, I was thinking, how idealistic. How childish and naive, like her aunt. She’s still waiting right? Her aunt’s is supposed to be like a sort of parallel isn’t she? People grow up and move on (hopefully).   I love the bittersweet ending. I really like these kinds of endings.  Also, I didn’t like the epilogue or whatever, when Makoto and Kousuke are discussing Chiaki. If there’s a serious version of this just focusing on Makoto and Chiaki, I think I’d love it. I already really like this, but somehow I feel like I sat through a lot of Makoto’s school drama just for the excellent ending. I don’t mean Kousuke, but people like that fire extinguisher guy. The music was really good too.

Conspiracy Amazing. Best movie I’ve seen since Slumdog Millionaire.  The whole time, I was wondering why Heydrich’s name sounded so familiar to me, and at the very end, I remembered why: last year, in German IV, we read a short story (for kids…kind of…it’s really dark) called “Du darfst nicht schreien”, which was set in Czechoslovakia. Anyway, he and his attempted assassination was basically the backdrop for the story.  Kritzinger and Stuckart were the real ‘humans’ in here. Kritzinger was obviously appalled, disrespected, trod on, and disgusted by the whole meeting. Right from the start, Heydrich talks all over him (well, over everyone). I was expecting him to interrupt Stuckart’s outburst, but instead found myself wishing that fatass misogynist pig Klopfer would just shut the fuck up and choke on a piece of potato. I was kind of disappointed that in the end, no one confronted Stuckart about why he wanted to ‘protect’ the Jews.  I’m so glad one of the military people from around where Neumann was sitting (I think the young Major was one of them?) addressed the morale of soldiers. Yes. This issue is why I love German literature so much. Well, just Wolfgang Borchert.  I think this movie shows both the humanity and inhumanity in these officials. It’s also accurate of the general German population at the time, I would think. I mean, Kritzinger and Stuckart, although they accepted defeat and relented in letting what happened happen, it is very obvious that they knew it was a gross crime against humanity. And that their agreement was also one. Anyway, my point is, although they were too cowardly to take action, there were Germans that did make attempts (seen in Valkyrie [although I am not very familiar with this one despite having seen the movie] and the student group The White Rose).

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall “So scandalous” was all I could think of while watching. I’ve read Wuthering Heights, didn’t especially like it (too many obstacles :’( ); read (lol was a graphic novel with original text) Jane Eyre, liked it a bit better; but I think I like Anne Bronte’s book the most.  Helen is so headstrong and has so many morals. She’s like the perfect woman if you’re not a jerk, etc. Well, she’s very very heroic and selfless. Lisbeth Salander somewhat reminds me of her. Yes she’s made a very grave mistake in marrying Huntingdon, but at least she’s aware of how abusive he is and how it’s wrong and how she has to escape. Very good. And she actually runs away a few times successfully.  There was so much kissing in this series I was kind of….well, whenever Rupert Graves was on screen kissing, I’d mute it. LOL it kind of got gross after a while. Also, I know this was a different time period than Jane Austen’s, but did people kiss in public that often then? Or was it ok because it was in a secluded area? I love the happy romantic ending :D I need to read the book. I think I’ll like it a lot.

Shakespeare in Love LMAO THE NURSE creating an auditory distraction for the…maid? And her fanning herself cuz she’s all hot and bothered. MAN SHAKESPEARE, you lovesick dumdum, took you long enough to realize “Thomas Kent” and Viola are the same person. All right, so I didn’t really like how they slept together so soon. So lusty. As is Romeo and Juliet….. Ok so I know I’m slow-witted but I didn’t realize that Sam character was supposed to be Juliet until around the time he complained about the dress being too suffocating. He looks a bit manly to be playing a girl. And I didn’t realize it was Shakespeare playing Romeo at the end until he says “adieu”. I always felt rather ambivalent about Joseph Fiennes because of his playing of Merlin in Camelot, but I LOVED him as “Wilhelmina”.  The fight scene between Shakespeare and Lord Wessex reminded me of the one in Hamlet for some reason, but I can’t remember anything that happens in Hamlet :( And it’s only been like 7 months since I read it for Bible as Lit. Is Moulin Rouge! based on this? Anyway, I liked all the comical moments but I think there were too few. And I was kind of expecting an extremely tragic ending. For a few moments, I actually thought Shakespeare was really dead and I thought Viola was really going to stab herself. Oh well.  I think, on the Romeo and Juliet subject, I really like the version with Leonardo DiCaprio. I like how they are both alive for a few fleeting seconds. So much anguish :( Judi Dench captured all my attention during her scenes. Yay :D