Into the Blu

Chungking Express

Posted on 16. Dec, 2008 by Kristina Kehler.

Lately many Hollywood films have either partially or completely drawn from foreign film, and can you really blame the Hollywood execs? My experience with foreign films has been nothing but positive, from German and Spanish all the way to Japanese and Chinese, with Chungking Express falling into the ladder category (Hong Kong to be more specific). With the odd exception, I have found myself craving some originality in the films I’ve been watching, hoping for some complexity and stylistic visuals. Everything I’ve heard about Chungking Express points in the positive direction, and fourteen years after its release I will finally get the chance to make that determination for myself. [...]

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Persepolis

Posted on 20. Jul, 2008 by Bill Geiger.

The interesting thing about reviewing movies is that at any given time you can be handed a movie that is just so out of your usual realm of movie watching. That is what I like about reviewing movies. You get to experience so many different genres than the typical mainstream flick. So, when the time came to review Persepolis, I knew this would be one of those times. However, could my mainstream mind handle the change? [...]

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Run Lola Run

Posted on 22. Apr, 2008 by Bill Geiger.

It was back in 1999 when I first saw Run Lola Run. I remember exactly where I rented it, what city I was in and who I watched it with. I read about the film online and when the opportunity came about to rent it, I jumped at the chance. One of my main reasons for wanting to rent it was because my companion was in fact German and from Germany and I knew she would enjoy watching a movie in her native language. Little did I know before watching Lola, it would become one of my all time favorite movies. [...]

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The Host

Posted on 04. Sep, 2007 by Brian Wortz.

Let me first say that I love Godzilla and I love monster movies. The Host is a South Korean film that has received much critical acclaim for the return of the giant monster. With many comparisons to both the Godzilla movies and Jaws, to say that I was looking forward to watching this would be an understatement. Yet, when all was said and done, I was left, like the monster, a little cold. Maybe I had just bought into the hype a little too much. [...]

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Curse of the Golden Flower

Posted on 10. Jul, 2007 by Ryan Erb.

I am a huge fan of foreign cinema. It gives me a chance to enjoy unique and unconventional films without the predictability and overly optimistic Hollywood undertones. So it goes without saying that anytime I get the opportunity to observe foreign film I welcome it with open arms. Already being a huge fan of Chinese cinema I hope Curse of the Golden Flower can hold up to what I’ve come to expect from past viewings [...]

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Letters from Iwo Jima

Posted on 19. Jun, 2007 by Brian Wortz.

For those unfamiliar with Clint Eastwood’s recent massive undertaking, Letters from Iwo Jima is the companion film to Flags of our Fathers (see my previous review). What Eastwood has done is taken two different perspectives on the same battle: one from the soldiers responsible for raising the famous flag on Mt Suribachi, the other from the Japanese soldiers as they prepare and enter the battle themselves. Letters is the latter and possibly stronger film of the two.

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Apocalypto

Posted on 22. May, 2007 by Joshua Noyes.

I had missed Apocalypto while it was in the theaters, so I was excited to find it sitting on my front porch Monday morning.

The film centers in the 16th century in Mesoamerica. A Mayan villager named Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) goes hunting for a tapir (a wild boar) with his dad, Flint Sky (Morris Birdyellowhead) and other villagers. One of the hunters who is included in this hunting party is Blunted (Jonathan Brewer), a big guy who has had a hard time impregnating his wife Sky Flower (Iazua Larios),… [...]

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Volver

Posted on 07. May, 2007 by Ryan Erb.

Outside of the Academy Awards in 2006, I had never heard of this picture, most likely because it is a Spanish film and was played in America on limited release. Although Volver left the Oscars without any brass, it still has been highly regarded by critics and viewers alike. Like most people my age would think, this movie doesn’t look awfully appealing, but I can assure you there?s a lot more to it than you would expect; it turns out to be a real deep and dark drama, with the odd laugh. [...]

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Kung Fu Hustle

Posted on 09. Nov, 2006 by Jeff Mardo.

Steven Chow directs this action laden martial arts comedy. I loved it and laughed all the way through. The odd, dysfunctional characters were so funny (and well acted) that I just got into the whole spoof, relaxed and enjoyed. The dubbed voices seem to really match up well to their respective characters.Sing (Steven Chow) stars as a loser hoodlum that gets in the middle of a rivalry between the Axe Gang (a group he hopes to join) and a couple of odd, married landlords who turn out to be Kung Fu masters in disguise. [...]

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