jimpludthura

One of the best things about "Searching for Bobby Fischer" is that it brilliantly captures the essence of the book it was based on. Fred Waitzkin's book is not just about chess but focuses much on the relationship between a father and his son. The film does exactly the same and the interaction between the actors is handled skilfully by its director. This is without doubt one of the best sports movies I have seen in a while, you feel an intense level of excitement throughout the chess games and there is a great blend of poignancy, humour and serious drama also at play. Ben Kingsley is fantastic as Bruce Pandolfini and his scenes with the young Max Pomeranc are a joy to watch. Max Pomeranc who plays Josh Waitzkin is perfect in the lead role and really shows he is the heart of the movie. Adapting books to films has never been an easy task but this one is probably one of the best adaptations I have ever seen.

Ang Lee shows why he is one of the best visionary directors in the world today. "HULK" is perfectly cast, ingeniously and innovatively directed, and uniquely possesses a perfect blend between story and special effects. The special effects are so good that the Hulk actually looks real. It is a fantastic film with great performances from the lead actors. What I really liked the most about this film was that it reflected the in-depth story-telling of comic books in its golden period of the 80s and 90s. None of this elementary superhero story-telling between good and evil generally directed to wider viewing audiences. Because this is not a film for the kids. Instead we see more darker themes which are more apparent in the actual comic books. It is abundantly clear that Ang Lee has made this film especially for the comic book enthusiasts, electing to stay true to its spirit, ignoring the usual Hollywood tendency to ensure a wider viewing audience i.e. children will enjoy it. Studio execs will hopefully realise that this is how comic book adaptations should be made.

Whale Rider is a beautiful film, seemingly simple and yet to a greater degree it is deeply evocative, filled with powerful themes that at first seem only relevant to its New Zealand settings but in fact transcend them. The two most obvious themes being the constant conflict between tradition and modern day life, and the importance of family and children in our society.

The performance of Keisha Castle-Hughes as Pai is extraordinary, it is the centre-piece of the film and she more than convincingly carries the film. You will not see a better performance on film this year.

I got the impression the film would have had an even greater impact on me had I not read about its success that it had already received on the international film festival circuit. Even despite that though, I came away from it still very much impressed.

Whale Rider is more than worthy of the praise it has received, and thoroughly deserves worldwide attention.