The Garden of Words
The first thing you’ll notice about The Garden of Words is that the animation is stunning. And I mean absolutely, jaw-droppingly beautiful.
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Tag Archives: Romance
The Great Gatsby
DiCaprio is in fine form as Gatsby. He gets the mix of confidence and insecurity just right, and if nothing else, it’s good to see him get some scenes where he’s happy (something that rarely seems to occur in his roles of late).
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Warm Bodies
Hoult is absolutely brilliant as R. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult the performance must have been, trying to strike a balance between silly comedy and romantic tragedy. The same goes for the film as a whole: it manages to walk that fine line, such that you really want these two to get together despite the wackiness of the premise.
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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2
If I could buy a Blu-ray of just the 25 minutes or so of action at the end of the film, I would, because it’s thrilling and exciting and emotional and a whole lot of other words that can’t really be applied to the rest of the franchise.
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The howls of mirth from sections of the audience threatened to ruin the faux meaningful character countdown that suggests we have been witness to something epic and emotional when most will just be glad to be done.
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Love Like Poison
The strength of Love Like Poison lies in the simple and honest nature of the storytelling. In the quest for realism, writers Quillévéré and Mariette Désert aren’t too focussed on easy answers, so don’t expect everything to be tied in a neat bundle by the film’s end.
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Perfect Sense
Perfect Sense is a film that comes with a weighty dose of melancholy. Seeing people wracked with grief as they are infected is a hauntingly memorable image. The knowledge that they are completely powerless to do anything about it only adds to the poignancy of the moment.
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Weekend
That’s not to say that Weekend should be considered a film solely concerned with ‘gay issues’, even if homophobia – disturbingly, but probably realistically – rears its ugly head more than once. First and foremost though, the film is a romance.
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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
When it comes to the performances, it’s a case of same old, same old. Kristen Stewart does a decent job as Bella, but Robert Pattinson looks as constipated as ever. Even Taylor Lautner out-performs this guy, which is pretty incredible when you think about it.
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For those unfamiliar with the product of the progressively more bizarro imaginings of Miss Stephenie Meyer, it’s not for me to spoil the fun, but let’s just say that this film flirts with all kinds of moral taboos before its vivisectional conclusion.
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Whisper of the Heart
The locations feel real, particularly Shizuku’s home, and the familial relations are almost documentary in nature. The voice acting is fantastic, though I’d perhaps suggest staying away from the English dub, which sounds like it was voiced by a bunch of Mouseketeers.
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Norwegian Wood
Norwegian Wood is a wonderfully emotive and insightful film, and a brilliant study of the human condition. Its slow pacing isn’t for everyone, however, and you’d have to be in the right mood before sitting down to its 133 minute running time.
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