Hey, everyone is racist! But more importantly, we all need each other. Paul Haggis have proved himself a great screenwriter with this and Million Dollar Baby and turns out has some directorial talent to boot. While only one scene is overwrought - the daughter being an angel is what I'm referrng to - the stories collide nicely and the cast serves up daring and fascinating turns. Terrence Howard and Thandie Newton are the standouts, but it was nice to see Sandra Bullock shed light on her bitchy side. Everyone associated deserves props for taking these issues head on. Mark Isham's score balances it out nicely. I think that if you combined this film with the cinematography and similar themes addressed in Collateral, it would be one hell of a film.
House of Wax - 6/10
HOW deserves some credit: the director doesn't rely on rapid, vertigines editing; the casting is mostly age appropriate; its a remake but not one falsely selling itself as a true story; and its not a watered down, pussy PG-13 horror movie that skimps on the gore - there's some cool stuff here. In its own little way, the film is almost a godsend to the genre. While it doesn't get going till about an 45 minutes into the procedings, the final act is worth the price of admission. Tension and scares are efficient and the production design takes the film up a level. In regards to Miss Hilton, well, she's Paris. The role is a thankless one and any other actress would've been on the same par. Count this as one of Dark Castle's better entries as this is the kind of perfect late night October viewing that I crave. It's this summer's Wrong Turn.
Kung Fu Hustle - 7/10
Delirious entertainment: a fun time at the movies if slightly exhausting. Sequences, notably the opening, left me delighted while others run on too long. I really loved Qui Yuen as the landlady.
paris is burning
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