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valeriempeterson
Reviews
Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
An honest, feel-good movie
I had been wanting to see this movie since Ebert and Roeper reviewed it on their show earlier this year and called it one of the best movies of the year. I finally got to see it at the cinema saver theater this weekend with my oldest sister. I watched their show this morning, and they listed "Akeelah and the Bee" as one of the best movies of the year so far. I agree. The movie is inspiring, honest, realistic, and it sends the message that anyone from any kind of background can be successful if s/he puts her/his mind to it, despite obstacles. Some of the scenes where everyone in the community is helping her prepare and the somewhat "play-it-safe" ending are kind of hokey, but you know what? That's okay, because the acting, writing, directing and message of the movie are so truthful. I would recommend parents taking their children to see this movie instead of a lot of junk that is released and touted at "children's entertainment." This movie is a definite 8 in my book.
China Girl (1987)
Good, updated version of Romeo and Juliet
"China Girl" is a good, updated version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." The film, which centers on the forbidden romance between Italian-American Tony (Tony Panebianco) and Chinese-American Tye (Sari Chang), is not great, but brings this ancient story of "star-cross'd lovers" to new generations. Shakespeare's language is beautiful, but in this day of short attention spans among our young people he can come across as old and stodgy. Showing this film (along with "Brooklyn Babylon," "West Side Story," "Rocky Road," "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet," "Pretty in Pink," "Romeo Must Die!" and of course, the 1968 classic adaptation, "Romeo and Juliet" by Franco Zeferrelli) can introduce young people to Shakespeare in school, since "Romeo and Juliet" is one of his most famous stories. Young people can realize how timeless Shakespeare's story is, and how it can apply to today's world.
The movie: Tony and Tye meet at a nightclub and fall in love, despite the fact that their ethnic factions are fighting against each other for turf through gang warfare. I agree with previous reviews that the supporting actors are much better than the leads, even though Panebianco and Chang are attractive and impressive in their first roles. The movie is action-packed, containing several fight scenes and one particular scene of graphic violence at the end. There is also a lot of profanity, so viewers should be forewarned. I felt it was strange, however, that for a movie with a supposedly passionate love story, the sex scene was pretty disappointing and actually unsexy! Despite these caveats, though, I think "China Girl" is a good movie and I wish it had done better at the box office. Maybe some cable movie channel can show this film back-to-back with other "Romeo and Juliet"-inspired films for one day, so viewers can see the similarities and differences among the various films. Now that's something that I would like to see! I give this movie an 8 out of 10.