Cougar Cry
Page 13
Movie Page
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
From; At A Glance Film Review
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon may be the most beau
tiful film I've ever seen. It's an odd compliment to make
for a martial arts action film, but to pigeonhole this into a
single genre is to do it an injustice. This is also a bitter-
sw/eet romance, betw^een two people who love each
other but, for reasons of honor, do not feel they can act
upon or even acknowledge it. This is a coming of age
film for a rogue princess, who teaches herself how to
become a warrior and seeks to free herself from the
roads of life society imposed upon her before she was
born. This is an edge-of-the-seat action suspense film,
packed with some of the most tense and captivating
fight scenes ever filmed and some of the most creatively
staged epic duals I've ever seen. This is a mythical fan
tasy, where mastery of combat permits one to fly and
where one may leap from the top of a cliff to be granted
one's heart's purest wish. This is a work of art, a painting
that moves, a masterwork in which every frame, every
motion, every sound fills the senses in harmony.
The greatness of the movie surprised me; the scope of
the movie surprised me even more. Few movies attempt
so much, even the ones that aim high and fail. One par
ticular way in which this movie surprised me; this is the
first martial arts movie I've ever seen in which the ability
for the characters to "fly" never bothered me. Why? Be
cause the movie was honest about it. At no time is it
ever suggested that the characters are merely jumping
high. At one point, Chow Yun-Fat's character even
comes right out and says, "Been out flying tonight?" Ac
cording to Chinese legend, master warriors possess the
ability to fly. Since Crouching Tiger, l-lidden Dragon ac
cepts that legend and asks us to believe in it, we may
accept this ~ in contrast with martial arts films that have
their characters performing ridiculously implausible
physical feats under the pretense that they're just that
good. But not only may flying be accepted as part of the
fantasy, it helps make this such a beautiful film. There
are so many wonderful images I will never forget, not the
least of which are the nighttime rooftop chase and the
ballet of a fight scene in the treetops. In the film's first
action scene, Michelle Yeoh combats a masked thief
and must step on his or her feet to keep her opponent
grounded. Without being anchored, I was convinced the
thief would just float up into the air and away -- upon re
alizing this, I marvelled at how naturally I had accepted
the movie's fantastical reality as if it were in complete
accord with our own.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon earned several awards
at the Oscars, including awards for Cinematography,
Original Score, and Art Direction. This last award may
never have gone to a more deserving candidate.
Scary Movie 2
By; Kyle Godwin
The senseless humor of satirical horror returns for a
second time. Again it uses the latest movies to create a
"hard to follow" storyline. It uses "The Haunting" as the
main plot and adds everything from Charlie’s Angels,
Hannibal, and even a small dose of Titanic. This movie
uses the fright and fear of ghost and specters and turns
it into a "laugh-out-loud" comedy. Six friends (most are
returning cast) are asked to spend the weekend in an
old mansion. However, they all run into their share of
unusual situations in their search of the "poltergeist."
This movie is a little heavy in disgusting and sexual
graphics but it is very entertaining even though it doesn't
make that much sense. It is also recommended not to
eat a big meal before watching it.
The Fast and the Furious
By; Kyle Godwin
"The Fast and the Furious" is a movie for those looking
for speed and danger. It advertises the full capabilities
of the Honda Civic. It starts off with an amateur racer
named Brian, who stumbles in the middle of a street
race and wants to join it. He meets a powerful well
known professional racer named Dominic, who teachs
him the art of racing. To conceal his identity, Brian joins
Dominique's crew and becomes one of them while he
does some secret investigating. He meets Dominique's
sister and everything from sparks to cars start flying.
Dominic and his crew are hard pressed to put down an
Asian gang who have been terrorizing them, but through
all that they endure; everyone still enjoys the thrill of the
speed and danger. It is also recommended not to try to
recreate the movie with your own car. For many wrecks
have no doubt occurred because the movie was very
intense and motivating.
The Animal
By; Kyle Godwin
For anyone looking for comedy with intrigue in the
senses and abilities of different types of animals, The
Animal is the right movie. Rob Schnider plays as a dis
respected man named Marvin trying to fulfill a dream
and become a cop like his father. However, an unfortu
nate accident changes the way he pursues that dream.
While close to death, a crazy scientist revives Marvin
using animal parts, which enhances his senses and
physicality enormously. At this point, things start going
wrong in his small town and with his new abilities he at
tempts to solve the case. Finally in the end he is forced
to face another like him. For those who are interested to
know what a human would do with animal instincts, this
movie explains it all.