Shaolin Soccer (2001)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Shaolin Soccer (2001) – S. Chow

Trying to come up with something to watch with the kids that isn’t animated, cloying, or trying too hard to be suitable for both kids and adults (wink, wink), I remembered this ridiculous gem. It was a hit with the boys (more or less)!  Stephen Chow plays a down-and-out kung fu ace (“Mighty Steel Leg”) who is recruited by once famous soccer star Man-Tat Ng to get a team together for a big competition (against “Team Evil”).  We meet the other former monks from his Shaolin gang (“Iron Head”, “Hooking Leg”, “Iron Shirt”, “Light Weight”), see them train, and play against other teams before eventually making it to the finals (of course).  Contrary to many other “losers make good” narratives, these guys become amazing soccer superstars pretty quickly – aided by some amazing powers and funny CGI effects (don’t expect the “they do their own stunts!” routine here).  It is a slapstick comedy after all.  A side plot involving a steamed bun making, tai chi expert girl who may or may not have a romance with Chow does not quite hold together.  But no worries, we had a laugh!  (And for the record, we watched with subtitles, not dubbing).

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

☆ ☆ ☆

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) – C. Columbus

Aito’s Guest Review:  I rate Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone only three stars because the director dropped way too many scenes.  The characters looked different to what I expected and their voices were different as well.  I think the book was better because it had better scenes that I imagined. The movie was interesting so I might as well watch the second movie but I think the book was better. 

Art adds:  It was fun to watch the kids enjoying this film (despite what Aito says above).  Having not read the book (save for a couple of chapters that Aito read to me), I wasn’t as concerned about the fidelity of the film to the novel.  To me, it seemed to have the right tone of fun, mystery, and scares for kids of that age (9 and 6).  Perhaps Voldemort was even a bit too scary for Amon.  For me, it was fun to see familiar British actors in these roles (Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, John Cleese, and Robbie Coltrane who was especially good).  The music (already familiar) added to the magic.  I don’t know how I would feel watching this on my own, but seen through the boys’ eyes I would probably rate it higher than Aito does.

Ali (2001)

☆ ☆ ½

Ali (2001) -- M. Mann 

I watched this just after Spike Lee's Malcolm X...and it pales in comparison. Both are long biopics, both include Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam. However, Ali contains a lot of Michael Mann-styled boxing sequences (all color and light) and is more mood than story. I know, what did I expect? Voight's impersonation of Howard Cosell is grotesque. (2008 review).

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) -- P. Jackson

After the second instalment of The Hobbit, I thought a return to the Lord of the Rings was in order. And the first thing to say is that the decade just past seems to have brought enough advances in CGI technology that this older film contains moments that seem phony in comparison (though not on the order of Hitchcock's back projection). However, this does not detract from its wondrous spectacle. The fight against the Balrog and the various attacks of the ringwraithes are still pretty great. However, the film seemed to drag a bit, with a few too many cute hobbit moments for my liking. Funny, since a whole book (detailing the necessary destruction of evil Sauron's one ring by a fellowship of nine, including a dwarf, elf, wizard, men, and hobbits) was contracted for the movie (whereas The Hobbit is a single book stretched across three movies). Nevertheless, when thinking about whether Tolkein was done justice by Peter Jackson, one can only conclude that it could have been far worse and these films are an exciting adjunct to memory - his long view of history seems intact -- but read the books first! (2008 review).

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

☆ ☆ ☆

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) – C. Gans

Based on a true story (!!!) – or at least many of the characters are real people from pre-revolutionary 18^th century France (the bodice-ripping era) -- and apparently, there was a wolf-like beast preying on peasants in this particular regional area of France at that time.  The fictional conceit is that two “investigators”, one French (Samuel Le Bihan) and one Native American or Canadian (Mark Dacascos), have been sent by the King to catch the beast and bring it back to Paris for scientific analysis.  So far, so good.  However, the style used to present this story (by director Christophe Gans) is one that I find immediately off-putting:  it’s that mix of video game or comic book aesthetics with irritating sound effects, slow motion fight moves, and occasional CGI flourishes that also marred other films of this time period (I’m thinking the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes film at the moment).  Others may enjoy this style and certainly this became a hit outside of France but it ruined the film for me (that and the over-long running time and dragging romantic scenes).  Still, there are some fine actors here (Vincent Cassell, Émilie Dequenne, and Monica Bellucci among them) and the art direction/period mise en scene generally looks great (apart from that CGI sheen). A conspiracy plot lies buried beneath everything, which could be appealing if the chaff were cut away from the wheat.  In short, I tried hard to get into this – comparing it to some of the Hong Kong films of yore (with their decidedly non-naturalistic fight scenes and sound effects) – but to no avail.  Moreover, the beast itself reminds one of Princess Mononoke (1997), the better film (if entirely different). I guess I can’t really recommend this – but whatever floats your boat!

In the Mirror of Maya Deren (2001)

☆ ☆ ☆

In the Mirror of Maya Deren (2001) – M. Kudlácek

There’s less analysis and more character judgment than I would have hoped in this documentary about the famed experimental filmmaker who began work in the 1940s.  However, the recordings of her own lectures do add to a viewer’s understanding of some of her work.  The talking heads are also well chosen (co-director and ex-husband Alexander Hammid, Jonas Mekas, Stan Brakhage, Katherine Dunham, Chao Li Chi, Amos Vogel).  Of course, I wouldn’t recommend this to those who haven’t seen Deren’s films – it’s kind of like reading a book review without reading the book!  Nevertheless, the brief clips of Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), At Land (1946), Meditation on Violence (1949), and The Very Eye of Night (1958) proved these films to be as beguiling as ever and an influence on so much which came afterward.  Kudlácek’s documentary is certainly well put together, dutifully reviewing Deren’s life, from immigration at age 5 to privileged upbringing, beginnings in Los Angeles, and then the bohemian art life in Greenwich Village with some intermittent visits to Haiti where she became infatuated with Vodoun and the music and culture of the people there (resulting in a book and subsequent footage).  In retrospect, Kudlácek probably made the most engaging film possible (barring full inclusion of Deren’s own shorts) with the materials at hand and the lengthy time that had passed. I guess I’m always hungering for something deeper, a key to unlock everything, which will never just be handed over -- and that’s probably for the best, since mystery is at the heart of Deren’s work.

  

Invincible (2001)

☆ ☆ ☆

Invincible (2001) – W. Herzog

Somehow I missed this fiction film from Werner Herzog (along with Scream of Stone, it seems), even as I caught up on many of his documentaries from the same period.  Of course, my expectations were high, but this turned out to be more conventional than much of Herzog’s output.  But I wanted to think otherwise. Indeed, at the start, in a small1930’s Polish village, you could almost feel that you are in the same fictional space in which Herzog set The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974) -- and nonprofessional actor (and full-time strongman) Jouko Ahola is not unlike a gentler less pessimistic Bruno S.  If he was trying to cash in by going mainstream, Herzog didn’t try very hard. Tim Roth and Udo Kier (known for weirdness) may be the only recognizable actors amongst a cast of amateurs and people with real skills (playing the piano or lifting heavy weights).  But even as Herzog tackles very weighty issues (ahem), such as the rise of the Nazi’s and the plight of the Jews, he seems to have misplaced his ability to raise his material to another level.  True, he throws in undulating jellyfish and hordes of red crabs (the latter in a dream sequence), but these overt touches only tend to demonstrate what is lacking from the film as a whole.  Nevertheless, from any other director, this would be a solid (if longish) retelling of the true story of the New Samson, a Jew who dazzled Berlin as the strongest man in the world and warned of the terrible Holocaust to come.  Of course, Herzog’s version might not entirely match up with the facts, but I’m okay with that.