Recently, I've been rewatching some movies that I've seen a long time ago which I haven't seen in ages.
Malena (2000)
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| Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore and starring Monica Bellucci |
"Malena" is a 2000 Italian romantic drama film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore and starring Monica Bellucci. The film is set in Italy during World War II and tells the story of a young boy named Renato, who becomes infatuated with a beautiful woman named Malena, who becomes the object of desire for many of the town's men.
I remember really loving the movie when I first saw it as a teen. However, over the years I've been hearing a lot of criticism about the film (its focus on objectification of women and that's it's trying too hard to be an art film etc.) so I was wondering if it was as good as I remember. After rewatching it, I can say that I still really like it. Monica Bellucci is really gorgeous, the story hinges on her attractiveness, or else it won't really work. I mean, sure there are a lot of beautiful actresses they could have chosen for the role but it was really believable for HER to be desired and envied by the town.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
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| Directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman, and Alan Rickman |
"Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" is a 2006 German period psychological crime thriller film based on the novel of the same name by Patrick Süskind. The film follows the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a brilliant but troubled perfumer who becomes obsessed with capturing the perfect scent and will stop at nothing to achieve it, even if it means committing murder.
I think a friend told me to watch this many years ago, which I did. But I'm only finding out now that it was based on a book. I thought the movie was excellent, and movie adaptations are usually inferior than the book in most cases so this is a very exciting discovery for me.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
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| Directed by Ang Lee and starring Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, and Zhang Ziyi |
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a 2000 martial arts film directed by Ang Lee and based on the Chinese wuxia novel of the same name by Wang Dulu. The film is set in Qing Dynasty China and follows the story of two skilled warriors, Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien, who are drawn into a complex web of love, betrayal, and vengeance when a powerful and mysterious sword known as the Green Destiny goes missing.
I know I said I've been rewatching movies, well I lied (sort of). I've seen clips of this movie on Youtube a number of times (mostly the fight scene between Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh) but I haven't really seen it in its entirety.
I personally think while it has its moments, the plot itself is a little weak. But the storytelling is great so I totally get why it was a box office hit. They really popped off with the whole desert sequence, it's the most visually striking part of the film for me.
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