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j_kurjian
Reviews
Yi ge dou bu neng shao (1999)
A sensitive depiction of some aspect of contemporary China.
It was not until the credits rolled at the end of Not One Less that I discovered the director to be Zhang Yimou. This movie is not like other films I associate with Mr. Zhang, e.g. Red Sorghum, Ju Dou, and Raise the Red Lantern, none of which is, if I remember correctly, set contemporarily and all of which are stylish and somewhat mythical. In contrast, Not One Less tries to portray typical Chinese people in typical Chinese lives, going so far as to employ as actors people whose roles in the film reflect their real life occupations park ticket taker, TV announcer, local mayor, stationery store owner, etc.
The story is tale of coming of age. A thirteen year old girl agrees to substitute teach a class in the countryside for a month for 50 Rmb. She has no experience teaching and is given little guidance as to what she should do. As an adolescent, her main goal is to follow the letter of the law as set down by the vacationing teacher, Mr. Zhang. Circumstances force her, however, to become a real teacher that is, not just a person responsible to teach the three Rs but to act as a moral model for her students.
Not One Less is refreshing. Having lived in China for a number of years, I was very happy to see (and hear) in this movie people and places that were entirely familiar. Rather than trying to tackle large social and political issues, Not One Less explores some of the contradictions people in China face today. While the ideal of everyone helping each other is lauded, the characters are poignantly aware as people in China and throughout the world are of the gap between the real and the ideal.
Timequest (2000)
A thoughtful film - particularly for those who are old enough to know something about the Kennedys
I will watch just about any movie that has some element of time travel in it. However, when I saw the cover art work for the Time Quest video I was pretty sure this was not going to be a very good pic. Cheeeeezy. That was maybe a year ago, and this evening was the 3rd or 4th time I have watched Time Quest. So, first thought I have is don't judge this film by its cover.
Time Quest leaves me with a feeling of melancholy for the opportunities lost. This is the film's finest quality. History is changed not only by the fact that the Kennedy's are not assassinated but by John and Bobby's knowledge of future events and their desire to use that knowledge to make a difference. No Vietnam and a space race that actually results in something.
The movie has several other qualities I should mention. It has a sense of humor; it is sensitive; it moves back and forth over time so that the watcher is kept guessing; and most of the acting seems reasonable. I particularly liked the detail given to the time traveler's suit and to the screen he projects his images on, and there is a gripping slow-mo shot of LH Oswald not being assassinated.
In a market where so few good sci-fi, let alone time travel, movies are made it seems a shame that more people aren't seeing this one.