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Reviews
Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
A Fantastic Accomplishment and a Breath of Fresh, Blood-Misted Air!
It's about time I drop my review of this film, a review from someone in the demographic that all the negative critics pretend don't exist. I got a chance to see Repo! in its first stop on the Repo! Road Tour, in Portland, OR. I know how poorly the film is being critiqued by those "who make a living doing such", and it is, to this viewer, a terrible injustice. Fortunately, those critics aren't the only ones with voices that matter. So I'm dropping mine.
Repo! the Genetic Opera is fantastic. Plain and simple. In having the difference between a musical and an opera elaborated upon by Terrance Zdunich, I have to say that Repo! achieves exactly what it's title promises. It is an opera, an ongoing stream of torrential harmony and conceptual (dis)harmony from opening to ending. Everything fits perfectly, and the fact that all those cast sing their own parts: a commendable addition. I have nothing bad to say about this film, nor should I. This movie (and those who had a hand in its conception) kept every promise made since I first heard about it many months ago. I loved every second of it.
To those who find fault with the film, to those critics who gave their respectively shameful reviews, I just have to say this: it is to you all I will glance abhorrently when all of the world's mainstream theaters are filled to the brim with tired remakes. Repo! the Genetic Opera is the boulder planted deeply in the midst of the sluicing stream, and you all are missing something truly ground-breaking. Darren, Darren, and Terrance have brought to the screen a fantastic, murderous rock opera, and I am just thankful that I've been fortunate enough to see it when I had the chance. This movie is going places whether the paid critics acknowledge it or not.
As for recommending the film, I suggest it to anyone with a palate for the Gothic, the darkly comic, the brutal, the horrifying, the tragic, and the beautiful. All can be found bountifully in Repo! The Genetic Opera!
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
A refreshing and brilliant film
Contrary to the many comments I have read and heard about the film thus far, I thought it was absolutely wonderful. After what some could term a "dry spell" for Tim Burton, it is such a breath of fresh air to see this new offering, Sweeney Todd. The movie showed Tim returning to his roots of the dark, the sinister, and the macabre. All were blended together in the setting he is so very well-known for, the dark streets of London.
In addition, I thought the fact that he maintained the musical aspect of the film/play worked in the movie's favor. I know Johnny Depp has said that he can't sing, but he sang rather well if you ask me. Keeping the cockney accent, whether singing or not, it made the film that much better. While I was surprised to see Danny Elfman not included in this movie, I believe the music was performed and carried out beautifully, nonetheless. Indeed, the accents can at times make it hard to discern what is being said, but that's not always a bad thing, considering the circumstances. Were they to all of a sudden not speak or sing with their cockney tones, it may provide a problem with consistency. Overall, I loved the movie and have no complaints. A very refreshing return to the realms and themes that Tim Burton is so very amazing at capturing. Top notch!
Hotaru no haka (1988)
Utterly Devastating
I had heard of this film, yet not until recently had I actually seen it. Boy......I love it without question now, but I can't see a moment in my future where I won't regret seeing it. I won't deny it brought me to tears. The movie, right from the beginning to the very end, wrenched my heart again and again. It describes the struggles of a young boy caring for his much younger sister. In the throes of a world war, the difficulties increase exponentially. It is just a very tragic film, and I know I will never forget it. I suggest it to all; it is certainly not a bubble-gum and sunshine anime, however. This movie will crush your heart.