Roger ebert all about lily chou chou
So clearly it was satisfying for someone and not everyone. The audience is a variable, Justice League was a very uneventful experience for me internally. And the requirement that is stimulates me in some way is so broad it makes me nauseated for two reasons. Video and audio are pretty solid stipulations. I personally define a great film as a video/audio narrative around 1-4 hours that stimulates it's viewer on some level. I tried to establish this one time so that I could argue more reasonably.
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And it has burrowed its way into the culture so indelibly that like "I wish I knew how to quit you", the phrase" "Groundhog Day" is frequently understood as a metonym for re-living the same day over and over.
It feels like an ordinary comedy, and blossoms into something far more lofty than perhaps Ramis and Murray even intended at the time. He's always himself, but striving "to be a better Phil" as Roger Ebert put it. and Phil Connors is real to us because he never turns into someone else.
#Roger ebert all about lily chou chou movie#
A movie can slip in terms of cinematography, sound, editing, direction, acting, production design, art direction, etc., but go through any list of films that have achieved universal acclaim and you'll find the vast majority of them have a well-conceived, well-constructed and well-executed narrative with compelling characters.Įxample: GROUNDHOG DAY is a film that isn't particularly notable for its editing, production design or cinematography, but it has a story that, like the Capra-esque BACK TO THE FUTURE, draws you in and holds you there. Sometimes, a film can lack one quality or another, but be so redeeming in other aspects that it achieves greatness.īut if I had to, as a critic, point to one or two attributes shared more than any others by great movies: Story and characters. It's also more than just the sum of its parts. Ultimately, of course, "great" is a subjective metric but that subjective metric is built upon objectively observable components. whether that experience is a good or a bad one depends on you.What makes a film great cannot be boiled down to a formula or a crash course in "How Do I Know If A Film Is Great". I will say this, that "Lily Chou-Chou" is an unforgettable experience. So, I give this film 2 stars, knowing that there are others who would give this film 5 stars in a heartbeat, and I wouldn't really argue with them.those people simply watch movies for different reasons than I do. It's not really a film that wants to be liked. Shunji Iwai wasn't thinking about critics when he made this film, so to criticize it would be somewhat pointless.īut, since I must, I will definitely say that this is the type of film that about 3% of the population will absolutely love with every inch of their souls, while 97% of people will absolutely hate.Īt 2 hours and 45 minutes, this film is a long, depressing, dreary, disturbing, brave, draining, frustrating, largely boring but at times though-provoking, artistic, and undeniably an original experience with a notably good soundtrack.ĭid I like this film? Not at all actually. Rating these types of movies is so difficult, since it is quite obvious that movies like this are intentionally made to counter-act what we traditionally think of as good movies. If only once, this is one to consider watching. Takao Osawa also shows up with a funny character.All About Lily Chou-Chou may only be the best film to some, but it is one of those movies that sticks with nearly every other viewer for a good amount of time. Shugo Oshinari, Aoi Yu, and Ayumi Ito stand out the most. The rest of the supporting cast is also good.
The cyber texting element that Iwai employs consistently throughout the picture is also a creative element worthy of note.Hayato Ichihara's character is a bit bland, but he works well with what he has. For the most part, the camerawork is great. The first hour and the last 30 minutes are the better parts, while the middle tends to drag.With that said, Shunji Iwai's directing makes this worth watching. The story can be tough to get into and the run time is just under 2 and a half hours. It shows how music can be a place for people to seek sanctuary from their everyday lives. Shunji Iwai's All About Lily Chou-Chou is one of those films that stands out on its own.The story is quite unique and so is the writing, but this film is not for everybody.