Movie Reviews on good movies that are compulsory viewing

I wanted to watch this movie after seeing a review of it on TV, (I was fascinated by Amelie’s eyes in the poster). I have always liked the nostalgic, deep intelligent themes surrounding french films, and this was no different, we are introduced to the young introvert Amelie, who day dreams from her distance father, and absent mother, he love interest is equalling a dreamy fellow who collects discarded pictures at the photo booth in the local station. I can see why many people liked this movie, it pulls the nostalgic strings in all of us, from the innocent childish daydreams, to the romantic games Amelie (Audrey Tatou) plays with her love interest, trying to overcome her shyness before it all passes her, it is a sweet lovely movie, with an addictive theme song, like many french films I have watched.

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I wanted to see this movie after watching “Black snake moan” as it was directed by Craig Brewer. The subject matter was uncompromising, and I was left a little surprised how well the director got the audience on the pimp’s side; that our hero as time pressed on, pulled your strings into desperately wanting him to succeed, turning hollywood’s time immoral subjective and hence it’s audience view on morality on it’s head.

Terence Howard plays a Memphis pimp, with three prostitutes, who is desperate to get out of the pimping game, he puts his whole heart and soul into releasing a track “Life is hard for a pimp” who he hopes to market to the local Dr Dre producer, “skinny black” played by Ludacris.

The views of women and their treatment is a little shocking for mainstream Hollywood, and I would understand immediately why the movie didn’t stand a chance in hell of winning an oscar for best actor for Terence Howard, however I understand why it won best song, the expletives that is so common with many rap/hiphop songs takes on a deeper meaning here, you are immediately transported into his world, dealing with drugs, and the various troubles he faces in his life, you wish for the pimp to stop pimping, he says he knows it is wrong, and doesn’t want to do it forever, your heart goes out to him in his desperation to get out of the life he has found himself in, it is painful and uneasy to watch, but it is mesmerising viewing nonetheless.

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I must say despite the bad reviews I have heard, I loved this movie, there were so many things to like, the idyllic country side, the superb performances of Samuel L Jackson and Christina Ricci (what a performance by her, there I was seeing the larged eyed cutie on Casper and the Addam’s family giving a performance like that)

The ensemble cast were all good, especially John Coltrane jnr as the warm hearted preacher friend to Samuel L Jackson, and regardless of what some of the reviews I have heard say, Justin Timberlake gave a noteworthy performance as the angst ridden boyfriend of the local flossie(Ricci).

And ofcourse there is the music, apparently Samuel L Jackson played all the songs himself, and some have said he could retire from the movie biz and take up an alternative career as a bluesman.

The movie was one of redemption, I heard some people got up and left the theatre because a petite white female is chained up by a black old man, I have to wonder if there were watching the same movie, race was never the issue, only time I can say racial stereotypes were touched on, was when Samuel L Jackson askes in unbelief if Rae(Ricci) can’t cook.

Samuel L Jackson plays Lazarus (called Laz) a bible believing retired bluesman, who gave up his music for marital happiness and children with his wife as a farmer in Tennessee, but whose wife has just left him for a younger model, who happens to be his brother, so Laz is now living the blues, ashamed by how the local community sees him, he hides out in his farm, drinking moonshine, while drinking his problems away, Rae unceremoniously gets dumped in his farm after a house party of booze, sex and drugs. He takes her into to his come to tend her wounds, while on his way to town to get her some medicine he finds out she is the local tramp who will sleep with anybody, apparently she has a sickness that is only satiated with sex, on returning he finds her sprawling all over the place still recoving from her booze and pill ridden escapade, seeing that she needs help, he does it in the most unconventional of ways by chaining her to his radiator, with the help of a 40 ft chain.

Despite what the posters and trailers may indicate this is not a BDSM or sexually exploitative movie, you realise after a while that Rae is looking for a father figure, and Laz is looking for a daughter he never had, it is a beautiful tale of redemption found in each other from two opposites. I have never seen anything like this before, no doubt the director Criag Brewer aimed to turn a few heads with some of the storyline, but the overall effect is a brilliant piece of cinema, and the score by Samuel L Jackson just about completes this lovely movie.

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