Disarmed-Doll-Parts

An aboriginal elder recounts his youth and how the 'white man' stole his land. KANYINI is a one-sided and biased documentary, completely ignoring the 'two sides to every story' motto, and has an attitude that every white person should be sorry for the early settlers taking the land. What this 'wise' elder is forgetting is that this is what conquering nations DO; is anyone saying sorry to the Inuits? Get over it and enough with the reverse racism.

Technically this film is almost flawless, it's a pity its soul is bitter and twisted, tainted with contempt for an entire race, contradicting what the Aborigines are trying to do. 1/10

Argento has been cursed with a number of duds in recent years. 'Two Evil Eyes', 'The Phantom of the Opera', 'Sleepless', 'The Card Player' and one of the worst MASTERS OF HORROR episodes yet 'Jenifer'. However, the beautiful, poignant 'The Stendhal Syndrome' is an extremely well crafted rose between a number of poisonous thorns. It sees a return to the atmospheric dream-like charm of his earlier films like 'Phenomena' and 'Suspiria', but adopting his more recent sadism (it's always there, just a different style in his newer films) that gave slight high points in his otherwise dull modern films. After two poorly reviewed films ('Trauma' and 'Two Evil Eyes') Argento has finally done it right.

The film stars his daughter, Asia (whose interesting relationship with Dario adds to the intriguing and off-beat persona he puts out), as Anna, a beautiful police detective in Rome. When she is targeted by the serial killer she is hunting, she is raped and beaten and so leads Argento's best character study and one of the most intense of his films to date. Rather than following the madman as he offs prostitutes and impressionable young women through Italy (the film lightly touches on it, but the more left to the imagination the better), the film follows Anna as she loses grip on reality and develops a strange disease in which she can ever paintings in her mind and they help solve the case, called the Stendhal Syndrome. As the film goes on the attacks on Anna become more and more vicious, and the final climatic ending is one of Argento's best.

Asia delivers a interesting performance, to say it is good is to stretch the truth, but it is suited to the role and you can tell she has a lot of acting talent. All the other performances are rather flat, but as with all of Agento's films the performances aren't what really matter. The cinematography is bland, but as with Asia's performance suits the film better than if it were Technicolor. The tension and music is amazing, the film devotes itself to really unsettling you, rather than just entertaining you like other recent Argento's. 'The Stendhal Syndrome' is probably the most violent and disturbing I've seen the man go, the rape and murder scenes are gratuitously sadistic and the scenes where Anna is raped are bordering on exploitation.

Overall 'The Stendhal Syndrome' is a fantastic return to form fr Argento, and I hope 'The Third Mother' is anywhere near as well-crafted as this.

7/10

Nicole Kidman chooses obscure, off-beat roles, such as DOGVILLE and EYES WIDE SHUT, quite regularly, and the daring nature of her characters and decisions often pull off making her one of the boldest and most successful actresses working today. BIRTH is not an example of a great Nicole Kidman film.

Great performances, yes and an AMAZING supporting cast (Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston, Peter Stomare, Anne Heche etc.), but BIRTH fails where it tries hardest; to make you think. Rather than throw your mind into obscurity like MULHOLLAND DR., or use controversial and confronting situations from a different perspective that has you thinking for days like MONSTER, BIRTH is a forgettable fare with one of the most ridiculous premises ever encountered.

A grieving widow, Anna (Kidman), is set to re-marry a temperamental businessman Joseph (Huston), until a 10 year old boy (Cameron Bright) claims to be her late husband reincarnated. Anna goes spiralling down a road of insanity, until we realise she is just a gross personality disorder who needs to be locked away in a mental institution. Whether the child is Sean or not is never explained, but Anna still goes through an unnatural affection for him that causes worry for her mother (Lauren Bacall).

BIRTH has so much talent, every performance is dynamite, and such a harrowing and serious atmosphere. However, it has one of the most ridiculous premises ever put to celluloid, and takes it self so seriously it would be laughable if it weren't so boring.

I don't recommend BIRTH to anyone other than Kidman fans and those who enjoy down-beat, controversial indy films.

4/10.