I saw memoirs of a geisha. It was … enh. I was sorta primed to view it this way, but it reminds me a bit of the movie I’ve bitched about alot recently: In & Out. Both movies may be about a particular culture, but really, they’re for an audience that is not particularly aware of that culture, and only wants to be entertained, not challenged, educated, or introduced to anything terribly significant about it. A movie by white americans, for white americans about the japanese (starring chinese and malaysian actresses, but really, what white american knows the difference?) It was entertaining. At $2 and a couple hours of my life, I do not feel robbed. And I enjoyed the company I saw it with. But I doubt I’ll ever watch it again.
I saw Capote last night with QGPA. That was a much better done film, but not a treat to watch. It follows a profoundly self-absorbed writer as he gathers information on a set of murders in Kansas, primarily from one of the murderers. Neither of the main characters provides a rewarding target of empathy. You’re left to choose between an egomaniac who lacks empathy, and a murderer. The actors do a great job. The writing was not bad. Another movie I don’t plan on watching again, but for very different reasons.
Did you see one of the long trailers for Memoirs? I saw one on a DVD I rented and it looked really interesting. I always find the idea of struggling for personal freedom intriguing (other than in movies like ‘Princess Diaries’).
Yeah, the question of struggling for personal freedom is an interesting one in this case. Freedom from what? Freedom for what?
Good assessment…I read Memoirs of a Geisha and thought it was a great book, but I can see where the movie may have given it a more superficial treatment.
I saw Capote last weekend and I thought it was good, but definitely challenging. I was trying to figure out why he was so drawn to that story, other than the potential that it would bring him even more fame and fortune. I thought the movie gave us little glimpses of compassion, which was enough to keep me hooked.
I’m really interested in seeing Capote. I wasn’t at first, but then I read some of his work a few weeks ago (ironically, for my Urban Studies class) and I’m now very intrigued by his persona.
Haven’t seen either, but from reviews and descriptions, I doubt I’ll see Geisha. It would make me want to throw things at the screen. I may rent Capote sometime, though.
We’re planning on seeing V for Vendetta tomorrow. Are you going to see that?
i’d heard that, for some reason, memoirs wasn’t being shown in china.. not that i blame them, but i suspect it wasn’t only for reasons of “good taste”.
i’m surprised you thought it was even watchable though. i felt i’d find it painful – but i think i watch more asian movies than you in general, so that may be why.
curious – how did you find “Jeffrey”? 🙂
“Memoirs” in China
You are correct to an extent — the Chinese Government declined to allow the movie to be released in the theaters, on account that they thought having three of the top female leads in China portrayed as Japanese Geishas could lead to trouble for those actresses in the future, if not actual riots, etc. Wouldn’t happen if they didn’t use nationalism against the Japanese invasion of nearly a century ago to try and contain local discontent, but that’s just my own editorializing and not for this space. ^_-
In practice the movie has been available on the street, via pirated DVDs, from within a day or two of the theatrical release in the US. And no outcry that I’ve heard of. So the Chinese government just doesn’t want to give official sanction to the idea, I suppose. Whatever….
Jeffrey at first appealed to me in a zany sort of way. The ending has always made me cringe. When I found out it was based on a play, well, it made more sense. This one shows enough insight into what it means to be gay, and enough deliberate mockery of it that I don’t consider of, by, and for heteros.
I mean, it is mostly by heteros in the acting department. And the actor who plays jeffrey does a terrible job. But the rest of the main characters do a good job. None of the characters is a complete farce. The movie depicts the lack of acceptance homos can face, even in the gay meccas with the thugs. It also shows the ambivalent acceptance one encounters, in the form of the talk show host as much as anything. But Jeffrey is at least as much about AIDS as it is about homosexuality. A major part of the message is “You think you healthy homos have problems? Try looking on the other side of the hospital curtain, and get back to me.”
also, you left out that the book was also written by an american 😉