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Reviews
Chua fah din salai (2010)
Good
Watching it is indeed a balancing act. This is a story of love, lust, and betrayal to the extreme. An adorable nephew lost himself in a blind love of his uncle's new and young wife, and received a brutal and inhuman punishment that eventually drives him insane. That is, of course, a straight story. Now, what is hidden as a political agenda indeed deepens. This is a critique to Thailand's class divide. The film director, a descendant of Thailand's royal family himself, tries to point out the decaying and disgust of "the room upstairs". The wealthy Papo represents power and control of the past, while his well-read nephew is all for knowledge and modernity. Between these two men, there is this young, beautiful, lustful, but well-educated, Madame Yupadee playing a dangerous game of forbidden romance with her husband's beloved nephew, who is almost a son to him.
Hard to Get (2014)
Great
Despite this being more of a woman's film I enjoyed it enough to watch from start to finish.
Despite this being more of a woman's film I enjoyed it enough to watch from start to finish.
Despite this being more of a woman's film I enjoyed it enough to watch from start to finish.
Despite this being more of a woman's film I enjoyed it enough to watch from start to finish.
A high production value, superb visuals, glossy, a metropolitan extravaganza! The performances are a believable fun filled journey showing another side of the affluent South Africa of today. A feel good roller coaster ride!
I look forward to seeing what comes of of this slick production team in the future. Definitely worth viewing!
Happiness Is a Four-Letter Word (2016)
Great
Despite this being more of a woman's film I enjoyed it enough to watch from start to finish.
A high production value, superb visuals, glossy, a metropolitan extravaganza! The performances are a believable fun filled journey showing another side of the affluent South Africa of today. A feel good roller coaster ride!
I look forward to seeing what comes of of this slick production team in the future. Definitely worth viewing!
Despite this being more of a woman's film I enjoyed it enough to watch from start to finish. Despite this being more of a woman's film I enjoyed it enough to watch from start to finish.
Tell Me Sweet Something (2015)
Lovely
TELL ME SWEET SOMETHING tells the story of Moratiwa, an aspiring writer who owns and runs a bookstore in the heart of Johannesburg. The bookstore, like her love life, is not experiencing much success. This all changes when she meets and falls in love with the unlikeliest candidate in the world, Nat, a male model, who has never read a book in his life and is desperate to be loved for his mind not his body. Against the odds, they become romantically involved but then Sashi, Nat's now pregnant ex-girlfriend, shows up and sets off a chain of romantic complications into motion. . . . . . . . . . . .
Winnie (2011)
Masterpiece
Apartheid-era South Africa was a time of abuse and persecution by the white minority onto the black majority. The black South Africans were looked down upon and segregated at every turn. Any instance of fighting back was a sign of terrorism and treason. This film, Catch a Fire, is based on the true-life story of Patrick Chamusso whose life was turned upside. A man who was apolitical and loving to his family, Chamusso was unaccounted for during a span of time in which the oil refinery he worked at was bombed. As a top suspect he was arrested and tortured, along with his wife to try and make him comply, before finally being released. Patrick did nothing wrong-at least as far as arson goes, the missing time was due to infidelity-and as a result of being accused and beaten decided to do something his people could be proud of and try to stop the persecution.
The One I Love (2014)
Awesome
A forehead-wrinkling bit of relationship fantasy that'll stick in your teeth for days. I found a lot of thematic similarities between this one and Being John Malkovich. Though it's not nearly so dark and grim about it, The One I Love delights in asking similarly deep, puzzling questions about the root of an unhappy relationship and the sense of futility that's so often associated with mending something so broken. Of course, like Malkovich, it's also based around a weird, jolting plot device that skirts explanation for its own benefit. The real allure of that vehicle, of course, isn't with the solemn inspection of its construct, it's with the games it directs with the main players. Usually I'm the first to complain when such an elephant is left ignored in the back of the room, but in this case (if you'll excuse the string of metaphors)
Felix (2013)
Great work
South Africa as it Lives and Breathes
This film was written, directed and shot in and around Cape Town. Most of the scenes take place on location in a black township called Langa, where a young boy seeks to connect with his dead father by learning about his life as a very successful jazz saxophone player. Despite his mother's determination to keep him away from the bars and the liquor that is so much of the jazz world, young Felix fights back and finds support in the community. The film is notably written, directed and edited by women and offers a happy production that can appeal to family audiences and those who are just curious about the world of South Africa now, twenty years since the election of Mandela. Both the child actors and the older musicians offer amazing talent and the film has already been recognized for several international awards. Note that some of the film requires reading subtitles, but the youngsters in the audience I saw it with, didn't seem to miss a beat.
The Number 23 (2007)
Hectic
There has been a great deal of critical scorn directed at 'The Number 23', which almost made me rethink my decision to see it, despite finding the concept very enticing, being impressed by the promotional materials, and generally liking Joel Schumacher as a director (yes, Batman and Robin was awful, but he's directing some very good films like The Client, Phone Booth and The Lost Boys) And after seeing the finished product, I find myself asking why the knives are out for the film. Now, I'm not saying this is a brilliant film, because it isn't. It's rather easy to guess the plot twists, the script does tend to patronise the viewer and the final segment of the film casually abandons the central premise in favour of a more generic 'mystery' storyline. But I found quite a few things to like about the movie, such as strong performances from Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen, very stylish direction and (for most of the movie)a genuine undercurrent of tension as the events unfold. It's not going to be remembered as a highlight on the careers of anyone involved, but if you enjoyed conspiracy theory novels such as The Da Vinci Code or shows like the X-Files, you are more likely to see past the critics and enjoy this film.