Archive for the ‘Feature film’ Category

Back to Basics


2010
04.05

Today is the Tomb Sweeping Day, a traditional Chinese festival celebrated in memory of the departed souls.

The Cider House Rules

This festival functions as a reminder to urge the living to memorize the dead, to memorize the past. Most important of all, the living should shoulder the responsibility and practice their beloved’s wills. It seems the festival is exclusively available in China. But the highlights of this festival are universally acknowledged.

The American film<The Cider House Rules> carries the similar message. It was originally a 1985 novel by John Irving and later adapted into a film of the same name by Peter Parnell. When you are sick of typical Hollywood blockbuster-heroes, fighting, sex etc., this film will pacifies your irritable mood.

Homer Wells grows up in an orphanage under the care of Dr. Wilbur Larch, who secretly was an abortionist. They have established a special relationship, between the relationship of father and son and that of teacher and student. Dr. Larch conferred Homer lot of medical knowledge, but little worldly wisdom. With Homer growing up, his self-awareness urged him to seek the outside world and design his own future. Then he left, far away from the orphanage, from Dr. Larch. Exciting and colorful, the world outside the orphanage is new to him. Especially when he fallen in love with a girl, he realized how dull his life before was.

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How to Disarm a Bomb?


2010
03.20

Poster

It has been a couple of days since I watched the “The Hurt Locker”. I’ve been thinking over the main idea Kathryn Bigelow wanted to tell.

From the beginning, the director told us: War is drug. But whom is the drug for? In political terms, the drug is for governors. Disguised as civilized guardian, advocating for peace and love, they started the war with malicious intentions. They are addicted to power, to domination, to war. The story reminds me of George Orwell’s <Animal Farm>. Animals suffered from laborious work. Once pigs led the war against man, they became more and more aggressive. And finally, the smartest pig became a dictator and other animals suffer more than before. This book mainly insinuated the corruption of socialism during Stalin’s period. However, back to reality, arbitrary domination is not exclusive in Socialist society. Capitalism, feudal societies are no exception. Probably, it should due to the evil of human nature. Please don’t take me as an absolute pessimist. I just can’t find any optimistic reason to explain it.
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Johnny Depp Vol.3


2010
03.06

eccentric Willy Wonka

Film: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Johnny Depp/Freddie Highmore/David Kelly/Helena Bonham Carter/Noah Taylor

This film is the fourth collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton and as marvelous as previous ones.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a film adaptation of the 1964 popular children’s book of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film received critical praise and was a box office success, grossing approximately $475 million worldwide. The storyline concerns a poor young boy named Highmore winning a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, owned by an eccentric candy maker Willy Wonka.
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Johnny Depp Vol.1


2010
03.04

Poster

Film: What’s eating Gilbert Grape?
Director: Lasse Hallström
Cast: Johnny Depp/ Juliette Lewis/ Leonardo DiCaprio

One of Johnny’s early movies, and also one of the most special films he has played. Variety of styles and appearances is the symbol of Johnny Depp. But in this movie, he shows as a down-to-earth young man. Still, he is charismatic.

What’s eating Gilbert Grape? His special brother, his obese mother and his incomplete home. Before he gets old, after he falls in love with a lively girl, the unbearable situation begins to change. Mother passed away quietly during sleeping. Since her huge body can hardly be moved, Gilbert decided to put fire on the old house for the sake of mother’s dignity. Along with the death of Gilbert’s unmovable mother is his unchangeable life. The fire takes away the house, as well as the miserable history of the family. Gilbert, with his girlfriend and his brother drives away from the town they have lived for years. What is waiting for them? The movie didn’t tell, nor could we predict.
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