In an attempt to push from my mind the current state of affairs in Kuwait, namely the constant murmurs of discontent, a government time and again turning deaf ears to its people’s calls for change, and the oppressive atmosphere of frustrating decisions made under the guise of Religion I… go see a movie about a man trying to bring down a totalitarian government operating in the name of Religion and robbing its apathetic people of their liberty. I wonder how long it takes the censors to figure out the (and I use the term loosely) subtleties and yank the movie out of theatres a la Memoirs of a Geisha. So what’s my take on the Wachowski Brothers’ V for Vendetta? I’m glad you asked faceless void. The movie itself was good enough, and I found myself very engaged. Natalie ‘Disturbingly Hot Chrome Dome’ Portman gave a performance that ranged from passable to brilliant. I especially like her after the head shaving. Truth be told I expected a graphic novel adaptation to be darker, grittier and more morally ambiguous, but I suppose I’ve been spoiled by Sin City. I truly loved that movie despite the occasional obvious misogyny. I’m considering getting V for Vendetta the graphic novel, as it promises to be more satisfying fare. The movie however, was definitely worth watching.
Friday, May 12, 2006
I for Irony
In an attempt to push from my mind the current state of affairs in Kuwait, namely the constant murmurs of discontent, a government time and again turning deaf ears to its people’s calls for change, and the oppressive atmosphere of frustrating decisions made under the guise of Religion I… go see a movie about a man trying to bring down a totalitarian government operating in the name of Religion and robbing its apathetic people of their liberty. I wonder how long it takes the censors to figure out the (and I use the term loosely) subtleties and yank the movie out of theatres a la Memoirs of a Geisha. So what’s my take on the Wachowski Brothers’ V for Vendetta? I’m glad you asked faceless void. The movie itself was good enough, and I found myself very engaged. Natalie ‘Disturbingly Hot Chrome Dome’ Portman gave a performance that ranged from passable to brilliant. I especially like her after the head shaving. Truth be told I expected a graphic novel adaptation to be darker, grittier and more morally ambiguous, but I suppose I’ve been spoiled by Sin City. I truly loved that movie despite the occasional obvious misogyny. I’m considering getting V for Vendetta the graphic novel, as it promises to be more satisfying fare. The movie however, was definitely worth watching.
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7 comments:
i saw memoirs of a geisha.. the book is infinately better... i suspect V is the same.. i don't usually like films adapted form books.. i feel robbed somehow..
besides the creepy Joker wanna-be dude freaks me out...
i need to get to the movies, then again i vower after last time that i would never set foot in a kuwaiti theatre again...
it's time to invest heavily in a home cinema setup with a screen the size of a football pitch and speakers capable of deafening the dead, if not induce uncontrollable orgasms amongst the female population within a 5 mile radius of my house.
krispy dixie I know what you mean, I'd much rather leave things to my imagination than Hollywood. More than that, I'm pretty much biblosexual, I love books like I love nothing else. I find nothing more attractive than words. The pictures they paint, the way they fit together, how they sound, how they feel in my head and rolling off my tongue. ::sigh::
I didn't mind V because I enjoy creepiness. It was actually pretty interesting how they gave the mask emotional depth and made it expressive through lighting and stuff. What I found annoying was the preachiness that I don’t believe belong in adaptations of certain comics and graphic novels. I’d rather movies shadowbox with ideals than beat me over the head with it. I’m not big on things that hold a ‘message’. A recurring flaw in movies is that some take themselves way too seriously.
enreprenuer Sometimes I too boycott Kuwait's cinemas out of pure frustration. I don't share Hollywood's love of gratuitous sex, and I understand the need to censor (as frustrating as it can be, especially if it messes with the plot). What I detest is the censorship of the smallest most innocent things, the choppy editing, and the heavy-handedness of the whole thing. For fear of a movie spoiler, I won't tell you the utterly ridiculous degree they had reached.
In the end though, I give in and head to the movie theaters. No matter how panty dampening a home system can be it can never the capture the experience of going to the movies. There is nothing quite like being in a darkened theater sharing a movie with a bunch of strangers as you munch away at your popcorn. As the lights dim, voices are hushed and except for the occasional comment spoken too loud all you hear is what the movie makers want you to hear. The nervous chuckles and awed gasps of your fellow audience members only enhance the experience. You barely mind the whispering hecklers and the one person that can't stop asking questions because you're not merely watching a movie, you're invoking the spirit of the countless you've been here, with these people, incredibly intimate for 90 plus minutes, one being, an audience. Then when the lights come back on, you blink dazedly and file out with strangers. I don’t think I’d ever be able to give that up.
You and I are very similar in our uncommonly intense devotion to words...
I normally feel the same way about going to the cinema, however, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get past the mindless butchering of films that goes on at KNCC.. its like they're actively trying to make the film as short as possible to fit in more showings!
i like movies they are fun
hows that for devotion to words Krispy darlin' ? ;)
very good, entre'!
I think tomorrow u'll be ready for punctuation ;)
Get the graphic novel, you won't be disappointed. It has the grittiness and shadows the film lacks and is not in-your-face preachy. Read it, read it. I have been trying to get people to read it for years.
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