DVD Collectors Online

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, a review by Jon

1975

5 out of 5





(From Jon's Best Picture Oscar Marathon on February 15th, 2009)

Yi Yi, a review by Achim

Title: Yi Yi
Year: 2000
Director: Edward Yang
Rating: NR
Length: 173 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: Mandarin: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Nien-Jen Wu
Elaine Jin
Issei Ogata
Kelly Lee
Jonathan Chang

Plot:
With the runaway international acclaim of this film, Taiwanese director Edward Yang could no longer be called Asian cinema's best-kept secret. 'Yi Yi' swiftly follows a middle-class family in Taipei over the course of one year, beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral. Whether chronicling middle-aged father NJ's tenuous flirtations with an old flame or precocious young son Yang-Yang's attempts at capturing reality with his beloved camera, Yang imbues every gorgeous frame with a deft, humane clarity. Warm, sprawling, and dazzling, this intimate epic is one of the undisputed masterworks of the new century.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes

Hmmm, the synopsis above from Criterion really says it all. The film follows the family and a neighbor through "every day life". We see the father dealing with his business partners, who don't have the same ethics as him, and his fist love who suddenly appeared. The wife is troubled with her mother's coma and the can't cope. The teenage daughter Ying-Ting deals with relationship issues (not just her own). The 8-year old son Yang-Yang is being bullied in school and discovers the hard ships of life. We also get glimpses of the father's brothers life, the neighbors (a divorced mother with her daughter, friend of Ting-Ting).

Describing the story of the film almost does it a dis-service. It is not about what happens, but about the people and how it affects them. We, the audience, are watching this family's every-day life, which is often emphasized by the framing of the shots; through a window (which reflects the street life at the same time) or door way so that we keep a distance to the people we observe. I don't recall any or at least not many close-ups in this film. Everything is carefully framed, mostly with static shots, again emphasizing the nature of us looking into these peoples life. The camera often lingers on the subjects for a long time, given us chance to see what is going on in their minds, almost to the extend that some shots look like still photographies.

It's all in the details, how little things make an impact later on or on other people. Like Yang-Yang, the eight year old taking pictures of the back of the heads of the people around him. The father's past being reflected by his daughter's actions. Or the japanese business partner providing wise insightful comparisons.

Acting is very good throughout the cast.

If you generally enjoy ensemble films like those of Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia) or Robert Altman (Short Cuts) I strongly recommend to give this one a try. The Criterion Collection has taken good care and provides a good looking transfer (I noticed a few drop outs on the audio) and a few extras (short featurette, comentary)



(From Achim's entirely random reviews on July 18th, 2010)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Cracker

The Mad Woman In The Attic
Fitz gets drunk at a dinner party. When his wife discovers that he has raised £5,000 on their mortgage to meet his gambling debts, she leaves him. Fitz, awakening hung over and alone the next morning, is shocked to hear that a former student of his has been brutally murdered. Grief-stricken, he offers his services as a psychologist to the police, who accept when the prime suspect claims to be suffering from amnesia. Murder suspect Thomas Francis Kelly is released into Fitz's care. Fitz comes to believe that Kelly is innocent, and tries to persuade DS Penhaligon to help him find the real killer.



Fitz (Robbie Coltrane) is a brilliant Criminal Psychologist with a dark side - a side dependent on a cocktail of alcohol and gambling. He lectures at the local university and profiles suspects for the Manchester Police Force.

Gritty quality British drama/crime series, at 1.40 an extremely long premier episode but as with all good viewing the time flew by. Over 15 years old but this does not show its age, a lot of this pilot deals with Fitz's many personal vices and family issues, and the fight he has with the police trying to convince them he is on the right track whilst they are chasing a red herring.
Not overly complicated in terms of suspense or intrigue, and at times too slow, but this is solid TV production and a great introduction to a too-short running programme.
 


(From My PILOT Marathon on September 11th, 2009)