Epinions Recent Reviews for virelai

"Kiki" great for both kids and adults.

Tue, 1 Feb 2000 08:04:05 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - Kiki is a thirteen-year-old witch who has to leave home and train for a year in a new city. This, we're told, is a tradition among witches. Along with her black cat, Jiji, she hitches a ride on a freight train and heads towards the ocean. While there,...

The Young Girls of Rochefort: "Rochefort" fluffy, but infectiously charming.

Mon, 31 Jan 2000 11:24:31 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - "The Young Girls of Rochefort" ("Les Demoiselles de Rochefort") is the third film in a trilogy of films by Jacques Demy, following "Lola" and the masterpiece "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg." Happier and more...

"Pimpernel" has plenty of adventure, romance.

Mon, 31 Jan 2000 04:22:53 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - A mini-review of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1982).

It's the end of the eighteenth century in Paris, and the public executions of the French Revolution are in full force. As entire families of the noble class are led to the Guillotine, only one...

Great Japanese on the Eastside!

Fri, 28 Jan 2000 18:25:40 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - A mini-review of IZUMI.

It took three years, but I finally found great Japanese food on the eastside of Seattle. It's called "Izumi," and it's a unassuming storefront in a Totem Lake strip mall. It's a little more expensive than your...

A brilliant, epic production.

Fri, 28 Jan 2000 00:13:55 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - "The Emperor and the Assassin," the new movie by Chen Kaige, (director of "Temptress Moon" and one of my favorites, "Farewell My Concubine") is a film of paradoxes. At its center is a man who ruled with an iron fist, a...

The best steak in Seattle is at the Met.

Thu, 27 Jan 2000 07:44:05 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - My three year love affair with the Metropolitan Grill just keeps going and going. Of Jak's Grill in Issaquah and the Ruth's Chris, to date the only worthy challengers I've found here, neither holds a candle to the Met in terms of consistency, quality,...

Enigma back on track with "Screen."

Tue, 25 Jan 2000 04:10:19 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - Near the end of track one, a particularly jarring snippet of Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" momentarily struck a fear in me that "The Screen Behind the Mirror" would be yet another disappointing album from the once innovative group. However,...

A better, French "Ripley:" 1960's "Purple Noon."

Fri, 21 Jan 2000 10:14:08 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - "Purple Noon" is Rene Clement's French film of 1960 based on Patricia Highsmith's "The Talented Mr. Ripley," about a young American paid by a wealthy man's father to retrieve his son in Italy. As viewers of the 1999 adaptation of the...

The 1996 "Dream" low-key, but charming.

Wed, 19 Jan 2000 05:11:10 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - The 1996 film of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," directed by Adrian Noble and starring the Royal Shakespeare Company, appears to be a more-or-less direct translation from stage to film. The sets are sparse, costumes...

"Bug's Life" is definitely kid's fare.

Tue, 18 Jan 2000 23:06:29 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - This is not my usual formal review; more my impressions of the film in the wake of my recent "Antz" review. I also realize that my opinion on this film will be unpopular; however, my approach is from the viewpoint of a long-time fan of...

A fiery, intense "Richard."

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 09:02:12 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - A week ago, I hadn't ever seen Ian McKellen in a film before (except for the 80s TV miniseries of "The Scarlet Pimpernel"), and now, in the space of a week (and entirely by chance) I've had the good fortune of catching on video three of the...

By far the better bug movie of 1998.

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:31:33 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - 1998 saw the release of two wholly computer-animated films dealing with the world from the diminutive viewpoint of ants. The first to be released was DreamWorks' "Antz," followed by Pixar's followup to its pioneering "Toy Story,"...

The hitman misses the mark.

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:29:23 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - This is a movie I wanted to enjoy -- a lot -- to the point that with some effort, i actually did enjoy it. I am of the opinion, however, that something like that shouldn't be an act of will.

Antoine Fuqua was the director of Coolio's...

Quirky and fun, "Zero" charms.

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:26:25 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - "Zero Effect" is a smart, unconventional mystery flick that was underrated, I think, because it gives off the impression that it's a wacky farce when it's really not. What it is is a smartly crafted satire, a genuinely clever puzzle, and a very...

"Prince" a step up, but not quite there.

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:24:22 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - Dreamworks Animation is touting its inaugural feature, "Prince of Egypt," as an animated film for adults, and it certainly is a darker piece than recent fare by Disney and Don Bluth, and for the most part it succeeds. However, it suffers from a...

Modern techno-thriller with chilling message.

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:20:02 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - The best thrillers play off of a kind of common paranoia, the kind of things that your average Joe would find troubling or scary. The big daddy paranoia of them all is of course the sense that you're being watched. "Enemy of the State" plays...

Bittersweet romance remains powerful.

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:17:45 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - In 1964, Jacques Demy helped usher in the French New Wave with this highly unconventional film starring the 20-year old Catherine Deneuve. With its bold colors and a screenplay that was sung in its entirety, "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" was a...

"Joan" one of the all-time classics.

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:15:11 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - First impressions: this is a murky video transfer, played back at the correct film speed, with the original organ score reproduced on the audio track. The distributor is "Video Yesteryear". Most sources cite the film's length at 78 minutes,...

"Psycho" remake not only fails, but could damage.

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:12:27 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - I must warn you that this will not be a review of the movie "Psycho" more than it is an examination of why this remake fails. If you haven't seen the original yet, go out and watch it before you read this review. For the purposes of comparison...

Director's cut enhances epic "Concubine."

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:09:25 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - "Farewell, My Concubine" (Ba wang bie ji) is a movie with two parallel, intertwined stories. It is the story of two performers in the Peking Opera, stage brothers, and the woman who comes between them. At the same time, it attempts to do no...

Rollicking Holmes tale marred by poor DVD.

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:01:00 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author virelai - The Seven-Per-Cent Solution is a Sherlock Holmes adventure based on a novel by Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II, Star Trek VI), who also directed this film. I've been a fan of the book for quite some time, so I finally got ahold of the DVD and watched...