2009 April | BNE: HOT OR NOT

Archive for April, 2009

HOT: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ April 22, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

It’s not often that I’d say that a film adaptation is better than the book, but to my surprise that was the case for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I really didn’t like the book, mostly because I thought the protaganist Bruno was rather annoying and frustratingly dim about what his Nazi commandant father [...]

HOT: Tulpan

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ April 19, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

I made a pretty easy bet with RM that a film set in Kazakhstan would involve two things – steppes and camels. In the first second of Tulpan, both of these appeared to set the scene for the domestic drama of the young man Asa, his sister, her stern husband and brood of adorable children, [...]

HOT: Mary and Max

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ April 18, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Mary and Max is the highlight of my 2009 film-going so far. This claymation debut feature film, written, directed and built by Adam Elliot (of Harvey Krumpet), is an endearing and touching story about two social outcasts and unlikely penpals. Mary is a funny-looking, bespectacled kid from Mount Waverley, who has no-hoper parents, no friends [...]

NOT: Samson and Delilah

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ April 16, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Oh Lord. Samson and Delilah was a long, depressing and earnestly worthy film about two Aboriginal kids leaving their isolated community, losing their way (literally and metaphorically) then finding their way home again (literally and metaphorically). The movie was framed by the harsh, bright heat lamps of the outback and filled with dust, dirt and [...]

HOT: IKEA

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ April 6, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

So it’s Easter long weekend, what are your plans? Facebook tells me that ‘Jane is going to Paris’, ‘Michael is heading to Munchen’, ‘Ev is eating mochi in Japan’ ‘Caroline is getting ready for Stockholm’ and ‘Isabelle is in the Alps’. And Jetsetting Joyce? She is going to IKEA. I’ve officially checked out of Life. [...]

HOT: Elegy

By Jetsetting Joyce ⋅ April 5, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

I’ve renewed respect for Penelope Cruz ever since her scene-stealing performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and of course Ben Kingsley was Ghandi – so Elegy already had the signs of a quality film. An adaptation of a Philip Roth novel, the story mainly follows the relationship between cultural critic David Kepesh (Kingsley) and his young [...]

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