Review of Blackboards (2000) by Joe H — 02 May 2005

HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT: AMELIE?s Audry Tatou stars in this thriller that?s not all that it seems. A loving relationship may not be just that. And this sweet little art student may really be an evil assassin raping little boys. Okay, well, that?s not it, but really, this it?s a wild film that?ll take you on quite a ride.

2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY: I saw this a really long time ago. I remember liking it a lot, especially the cat fight between Charlize Theron and Teri Hatcher. Watching it again I can see why I liked it. But now, it just wasn?t as great. I still enjoyed it, but it?s not nearly as great as I remember it being.

BLACKBOARDS: This is the first Iranian film I think I?ve seen, and it was really great. BALCKBOARDS is about a group of teachers who travel through treacherous war territory searching for students they could teach in exchange for food. All they have are the blackboards on their backs. It?s a really interesting insight into Iranian culture, and I?m definitely going to check out more films from Iran.

PLACE WITHOUT LIMITS: Arturo Ripstein is considered the father of Mexican Cinema, and based on this film, I?m not sure why. PLACE WITHOUT LIMITS does have a rating of 8.5 on imdb, but I don?t know why, either. It?s a good film, but nothing great. It?s about a whore house and the women who live there and run it.

HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE: I really really really wanted to see this when it was in theatres, but for some reason I never did. It?s really funny, but not quite as good as DUDE, WHERE?S MY CAR. But it really made me crave White Castle, which unfortunately isn?t anywhere near me. Next time I go back east I?ll have to get some.