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Eagle vs Shark
May. 15th, 2007 08:12 am(transcribed)Eagle vs Shark, New Zealand, romantic comedy. we'll see.
this week of previews is in the JBL at EMP, a shorter walk from work.
overheard today: complaints about too many siff films with drugs and violence. (which then digressed into how much they did like the Pusher trilogy???) they can bite me.
* * *
the description interested me, but i got very little pleasure out of this film. i kept anticipating really great moments that never paid off. our heroine Lily is a misfit but quickly endearing. it's as sweet as it is painful to watch her pushing ahead. to the end, i have no idea what she sees in Jerrod.
there is so much potential available in the script. we wander through an arsenal of Chekhov's guns, but few shots are fired. either it's a brilliant structural conceit that is way beyond me, or it's stupid. even a scene that is pure Comedy Gold ( spoiler ) falls flat. the director and writer are the same person, so it's hard to untangle where the fault lies.
perhaps my difficulty was in the depiction of social misfits with no redeeming qualities. i'm a nerd. i know about being socially crippled. every "loser" has something that they do well. most all are genuinely happy in their chosen environment. i didn't see that joy here.
the best part for me was the matter-of-fact depiction of life in a small town in New Zealand. unlike Whale Rider, we are not being given a cultural lesson, just seeing the landscape and the shape of faces and the sound of voices.
there are several charming stop-motion animated interludes.
2 out of five, for New Zealand and an apple core sailing on a flip-flop. skip it.
this week of previews is in the JBL at EMP, a shorter walk from work.
overheard today: complaints about too many siff films with drugs and violence. (which then digressed into how much they did like the Pusher trilogy???) they can bite me.
* * *
the description interested me, but i got very little pleasure out of this film. i kept anticipating really great moments that never paid off. our heroine Lily is a misfit but quickly endearing. it's as sweet as it is painful to watch her pushing ahead. to the end, i have no idea what she sees in Jerrod.
there is so much potential available in the script. we wander through an arsenal of Chekhov's guns, but few shots are fired. either it's a brilliant structural conceit that is way beyond me, or it's stupid. even a scene that is pure Comedy Gold ( spoiler ) falls flat. the director and writer are the same person, so it's hard to untangle where the fault lies.
perhaps my difficulty was in the depiction of social misfits with no redeeming qualities. i'm a nerd. i know about being socially crippled. every "loser" has something that they do well. most all are genuinely happy in their chosen environment. i didn't see that joy here.
the best part for me was the matter-of-fact depiction of life in a small town in New Zealand. unlike Whale Rider, we are not being given a cultural lesson, just seeing the landscape and the shape of faces and the sound of voices.
there are several charming stop-motion animated interludes.
2 out of five, for New Zealand and an apple core sailing on a flip-flop. skip it.
