Monday, June 8, 2009

THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES

THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES: BEAUTIFUL AND FULL
I'll be honest. This is a 2007 film that I never wanted to watch. Despite my love of Uma, and utter contempt for Evan Rachel Wood and never liked her acting beyond what she did in Thirteen; until now. There are too many ways to spoil the ending, so I tread lightly. Both actresses portray Diana; young and older. The younger Diana (Wood) is somewhat the typical teenager aside from some provocative tendencies. Her best friend, Maureen (Eva Amurri) is more naive than Diane, but they remain best friends. Then we meet "Diane", Uma Thurman who even though a little too easy to startle, seems like the younger Diane. After a while some strange things start to happen and Diana travels to her past in memory. From here on in, I stop. There are more flashbacks and with each one we discover why Diana is so jumpy. Uma Thurman was nothing less than remarkable. I can not recall a movie where she plays such a serious role. Surprisingly, Wood was also prepared for her role and did so in a not-too-obvious way. This is the only movie that I have seen that portrayed random high school violence and I felt it as the back of the hairs on my neck stand up.
BIG BITE: Very serious and sit on the edge of your seat kinda flick.

RAMEN GIRL

RAMEN GIRL NOT SERVED HOT
It wasn't a terrible film. If you can choke down how extremely naive and/or dumb Abby (Brittany Murphy) is then maybe it's your film. This particular American "girl" has set out to join her boyfriend in Japan, but instead gets a Kimono upside her head. After a while of self pity, she sets out to a local ramen house and it makes her so happy that she decides to stay in Japan (without knowing the language or anyone) and train to be a ramen chef. It wouldn't have been so terrible except Murphy is over the top American apple pie with a side of sparkle. The story was compelling and her Sensi, Toshiyuki Nishida, was equally complex and entertaining.
Nibble: Sorry to use the verbage, but a definite "chick flick".