Changeling, Perfume, Eternal Summer

Yet another three reviews, and there's still more to come! Stay tuned!

#1 - CHANGELING


Stars - Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich
Director - Clint Eastwood
Memorable Quote - 'He is not my son!'
Review - Considering the subject, this movie kind of has two sides to it. First of all, the positives - the casting was incredibly good, as anyone who searches for images of the real murderer will find, and the acting was also convincing, Jolie now seeming to fit in that niche of the desperate wife/mother (see 'A Good Heart'). However, then there are the bad points - like the fact that they have chosen to completely ignore the existence of a woman who supposedly helped with the murders. Still - this is a Clint Eastwood film, and it shows in the quality. Certainly a great introduction to the case, and so compelling that I ended up researching it more myself. 4/5

#2 - PERFUME


Stars - Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Dustin Hoffman
Director - Tom Tykwer
Memorable Quote - 'I'll be looking at you when you're laid on the cross and the twelve blows are crashing down on your limbs. When the crowd is finally tired of your screams and wandered home, I will climb up through your blood and sit beside you. I will look deep into your eyes... and drop by drop I will trickle my disgust into them like burning acid until... finally... you perish.'
Review - This was actually surprising for me, in that I really enjoyed it and in fact carried on thinking about it for a long time afterwards. At first I expected it to be quite average, but the storyline is gripping, and you can't help but feel sorry for Grenouille - he obviously doesn't realise the enormity of what he does. The colours were very rich, and costuming very interesting. Oh, and Alan Rickman is as legendary as usual. In fact, I can't really think of a reason to fault. I think I might watch it again. 5/5

#3 - ETERNAL SUMMER (shèng xià guāng nián)

Stars - Bryant Chang, Joseph Chang, Kate Yeung
Director - Leste Chen
Memorable Quote - 'Best friends can tell each other anything.'
Review - Actually to be honest I've seen this a good few times before, but I thought I would review it now that I own it on DVD. It's one of my all-time favourites in fact, and it was great to get some reliable subtitles (the film being in Chinese). The overall feel of the film is beautiful, and there are many moments that always make me cry or smile or both. The sound is noteworthy, as many moments are either very quiet or have only 'natural' sound effects such as the wind, and long gaps between dialogue that make the acting even more emotional. I can only recommend it; heartwarming, tense, and wonderfully acted, this is a piece that cannot be forgotten once seen. 5/5, have another picture.