The Isle (2002)
I've been seeing a lot of Oriental films lately for some reason. Odd. Anyway, this here's a gorgeously filmed allegory with a couple moments that wouldn't feel out of place in Red to Kill. (One word: fishhooks. Lots of fishhooks.) The problem is with the allegorical significance of said work... as in I can't fucking figure it out. Yes, the cinematography is stunning and the imagery is potent, but to what end? There's only so far I'll go with a film before it has to convince me that it might actually be about something, and when the smoke and mirrors dissipated, I was left with a bunch of pretty snapshots, some nasty business with fishhooks and a film that tackles about a thousand separate ideas during its running time but ultimately amounts to fuck-all. Often compelling, always opaque, finally frustrating. Still, those fishhooks make sure this is yet another film I'll never ever forget.
Grade: C+
I've been seeing a lot of Oriental films lately for some reason. Odd. Anyway, this here's a gorgeously filmed allegory with a couple moments that wouldn't feel out of place in Red to Kill. (One word: fishhooks. Lots of fishhooks.) The problem is with the allegorical significance of said work... as in I can't fucking figure it out. Yes, the cinematography is stunning and the imagery is potent, but to what end? There's only so far I'll go with a film before it has to convince me that it might actually be about something, and when the smoke and mirrors dissipated, I was left with a bunch of pretty snapshots, some nasty business with fishhooks and a film that tackles about a thousand separate ideas during its running time but ultimately amounts to fuck-all. Often compelling, always opaque, finally frustrating. Still, those fishhooks make sure this is yet another film I'll never ever forget.
Grade: C+
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