Movie review

  • 2006-02-01
Pride and Prejudice
Munich
Brokeback Mountain

Pride and Prejudice
It's always worth watching a version of Jane Austen's timeless and touching 18th-century love story. Past Mr. Darcys have included Laurence Olivier and Colin Firth. Previous Elizabeth Bennets have included Greer Garson and Jennifer Ehle. But this latest incarnation doesn't offer anything very memorable. The movie feels and looks like a large-budget TV-movie, showing very little passion or ambition, which is essential for it to stand out among the many previous interpretations. "Pride and Prejudice" is a pretty movie. It's evenly paced with good actors. And you'd have a heart of stone if the story didn't move you, at least a little bit. But this "Pride and Prejudice" doesn't swipe you off your feet, as it obviously should. 
1/2 ( Julie Vinten )

Jane Austen's novel gets a lively update in this highly entertaining film. Keira Knightley makes a surprisingly good Elizabeth Bennet, one of five sisters being lined up to be married off by their busy-body mother. Matthew MacFadyen is a suitably orotund and austere Mr. Darcy, the wealthy and handsome gent for whom she falls. There's not much you can say about a film like this, since there's no point in either praising it or criticising it. The multiplex audience it's aimed at will all file out onto the street after the film with a little smile on their faces and feel momentarily happy with their lives. What more can you ask for from a film? Not much, apparently. The tagline calls it "a romance ahead of its time." Right you are then. 
( Tim Ochser )

Munich
With "Munich," Steven Spielberg gives us an intelligent, tormenting drama depicting the devastating conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. This is a long movie with an unhurried pace, but the frightening grittiness gives every single frame tremendous impact. Every technical detail of this 's Spielberg's most mature effort to date 's is perfect. "Munich" deals with an endlessly complicated subject and raises many questions while denying us easy answers. It's non-preachy and unbiased, and it doesn't offer all that much hope, three things that make it particularly brave for a Hollywood 's or Spielberg 's movie. 
1/2 ( Julie Vinten )

Following the infamous murder of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games by Palestinian militants, the Israeli government hires a team of covert operatives to kill them all, one by one. The revenge squad is led by Avner (Eric Bana), a decent if confused man who increasingly questions the wisdom and efficacy of this policy as the months and years pass. "Munich" cleverly exploits the thriller genre to question the futility of tit-for-tat revenge in the Middle East. At times it verges on pastiche, with its grainy look, nervy zooms and murky characters, such as the ludicrous figure of Papa. But these dubious aesthetic touches don't detract from the film as a whole. "Munich" is powerful and uncomfortable. And if it's a moral and intellectual mess, well so is its subject. 
1/2 ( Tim Ochser )

Brokeback Mountain
It's ridiculous to think of the controversy "Brokeback Mountain"'s homosexual content has stirred. This movie is really just about the pain of unfulfilled love. Ang Lee is an amazingly skillful and confident director, and he brings us into this heartbreaking drama with a keen eye for detail that gets beneath the skin of his heroes. Honestly, I never thought that Heath Ledger could act, but this movie proved me wrong. He and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver exceptionally poignant and believable performances. They share an on-screen chemistry that makes the otherwise fine supporting actors seem insignificant. Psychologically complex and visually stunning, this recent Golden Globe-winner is an enthralling and emotionally engaging piece of cinema.
( Julie Vinten )

In the summer of 1963 two young men are hired to herd sheep amid the stunning natural landscapes of Brokeback Mountain, Wyoming. Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) cooks and cleans, while the laconic Ennis Del Mar (brilliantly played by Heath Ledger) keeps the wolves at bay. One night after too much whiskey they end up having sex, so beginning a 20-year clandestine love affair that continues despite their wives, children and stultifying lives. "Brokeback Mountain" is a thoughtful and engaging film although its subject matter is perhaps a little too contrived. Director Ang Lee skilfully draws on the homosexual undertones of the Western genre, but the lead characters are only conceivable as a complex montage of cinematic references. As such, it's more a film about film than about male love.
( Tim Ochser )
 

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