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Devils on the Doorstep

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Devils on the Doorstep (2000)

What an amazing film! It's hilarious at times & horrifying at others, conveying a true human experience. Set in 1945 China, Ma Dasan, a poor village peasant, gives shelter to two prisoners. A captured Japanese soldier and his Chinese interpreter. One wants to die one wants to live. As the months pass we see the strain of war, and the joys of life on these characters. Beautifully photographed and at times I thought of Battle of Algiers with it's frantic camera work. This film concludes with one hell of an ending. Very powerful.

Posted Thursday, July 12, 2007 8:45 PM by chesterfilms | with 0 comments

Completely Unexpected!

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Surf's Up (2007)

I'm getting tired of the over saturation of Penguin films. I'm also getting tired of CGI films with no story at all (it's what separates the mindless animation from the flawless creations of Pixar). I was not interested in seeing this film at all, but decided to check it out because it was free. I was completely blown away. The whole film is surfing mockumentary. Made to look like it was shot hand-held, with narration, interviews, and perfect surfing photography. If you are a fan of films like Riding Giants, Billabong Odyssey or Endless Summer you are going to dig this film. It has a fantastic voice cast, and it is very funny. Props to Sony for green lighting this one. I really can't believe how good this film is.

Posted Thursday, July 12, 2007 2:55 AM by chesterfilms | with 0 comments

Millennium Mambo

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Millennium Mambo (2001)

This is an unbelievably beautiful film from the very first shot to the last. Like many New Asian films, the cinematography is vibrant and stunning. Unfortunately that is the only thing that I enjoyed about this film. It's slow and contemplative and I have no problem with that at all. I find nothing compelling about this. I just did not care about the story or the characters. In fact I did not like the characters at all. To be honest, all this felt like to me was unhappy people with nothing else better to do than have sex and take drugs. I just don't care!

Posted Thursday, July 12, 2007 2:37 AM by chesterfilms | with 0 comments