Venge
Joined Aug 1999
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Ratings581
Venge's rating
Reviews75
Venge's rating
This movie was enchanting, as it moved from the mind of an adult female, to her life and experiences as a 10 year old. The animation was gorgeous, with the strange exception of the adult Takeo when she smiled. I don't know why the decision was made to give her such huge cheek lines, but it was a bit jarring, and I never got used to it. It was an animation technique that I don't remember from any other Ghibli movie, so it clearly was one that they dropped in future productions.
The biggest problem with this production was that the story was just not all that exciting. The focus of farm living did absolutely nothing for me, but then I am a city boy at heart. A five minute scene of picking safflower flowers was very dull, although it did fit in with the theme of the story. Which meant, for me, the story was in many ways beyond slow. I did enjoy the stories of Takeo's childhood experiences, however, and many of them were quite amusing and entertaining.
I don't want to imply that I didn't enjoy the movie, as I most definitely did, but it was definitely not up there with the best of the Ghibli collection.
The biggest problem with this production was that the story was just not all that exciting. The focus of farm living did absolutely nothing for me, but then I am a city boy at heart. A five minute scene of picking safflower flowers was very dull, although it did fit in with the theme of the story. Which meant, for me, the story was in many ways beyond slow. I did enjoy the stories of Takeo's childhood experiences, however, and many of them were quite amusing and entertaining.
I don't want to imply that I didn't enjoy the movie, as I most definitely did, but it was definitely not up there with the best of the Ghibli collection.
The power of this mini-series is not the clever detective work, the sexy characters, or even the high drama. It was the effect that an unbearable tragedy was just as strong 30 years after it happened, as it was on the day it happened. The tragedy never went away, but just grew deeper and deeper into the people involved.
The show covers all aspects of this multiple murder in all it's aspects, from the families of the girls killed, to their closest friend, to the policemen who took part in the initial investigation, and even to those few men who had been focused on as prime suspects. None had ever been able to forget, even though they all had to try to get on with their lives.
The progress of the series was painstaking and difficult. The lead investigator of the cold case was not a brilliant Hercule Poirot, but rather a plodding, dogged detective, who often jumped to emotional conclusions. But as was stated in the series, it was his stubbornness and doggedness that kept the investigation going to it's successful conclusion. There were no great leaps of deductive logic, but a painstaking reexamination of evidence 30 years after the fact. That, plus the procedural leap of forensic evidence, is what finally solved the case, especially by those authorities who went out on a limb to try out this new technology.
The cast was very good, if all understated. The actresses playing the three teenage friends out for a night on the town, were so well done that it set the whole tone of the tragedy that etched itself into people's minds until the mystery was solved 30 years later. Philip Glenister was very understated in his role as a police detective haunted by the multiple murder that had never been solved, but the ache that he had carried for all those years was very noticeable.
All in all, I found the series extremely touching and emotional, with very good performances, and some very good writing and directing.
The show covers all aspects of this multiple murder in all it's aspects, from the families of the girls killed, to their closest friend, to the policemen who took part in the initial investigation, and even to those few men who had been focused on as prime suspects. None had ever been able to forget, even though they all had to try to get on with their lives.
The progress of the series was painstaking and difficult. The lead investigator of the cold case was not a brilliant Hercule Poirot, but rather a plodding, dogged detective, who often jumped to emotional conclusions. But as was stated in the series, it was his stubbornness and doggedness that kept the investigation going to it's successful conclusion. There were no great leaps of deductive logic, but a painstaking reexamination of evidence 30 years after the fact. That, plus the procedural leap of forensic evidence, is what finally solved the case, especially by those authorities who went out on a limb to try out this new technology.
The cast was very good, if all understated. The actresses playing the three teenage friends out for a night on the town, were so well done that it set the whole tone of the tragedy that etched itself into people's minds until the mystery was solved 30 years later. Philip Glenister was very understated in his role as a police detective haunted by the multiple murder that had never been solved, but the ache that he had carried for all those years was very noticeable.
All in all, I found the series extremely touching and emotional, with very good performances, and some very good writing and directing.
Lawrence O'Donnell fittingly was in both movies. A fake-news journalist giving a fake movie with a wonky plot some "news" credibility. This pretty much sums up the plots of the first two movies of this series. While we expect nothing less than journalistic jingoism from the likes of the utterly fake new-man, O'Donnell, we would expect a bit more out of the mess that is present day Hollywood. But again, mindless action behind a story that is so far beyond credible, that it rivals the credibility of "Steele Dossier".
I gave it a 6, because as stupid as the plot was, the action was at least entertaining. But beyond that ... well it would really take the geniuses at MSNBC to find even a semblance of credibility of this mess. All we needed was a hooker to pee on the President, and then O'Donnell would really be in his glory.
I gave it a 6, because as stupid as the plot was, the action was at least entertaining. But beyond that ... well it would really take the geniuses at MSNBC to find even a semblance of credibility of this mess. All we needed was a hooker to pee on the President, and then O'Donnell would really be in his glory.