April 11th Log

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
1990, Tim Burton, United States
Repeat Viewing, Encore

There are few films I have seen more then this one. It was one of the first to ever connect with me on a deeply transcendent level, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. Beautiful, hilarious, sad, dark, romantic, and absolutely lovely. There is so much I adore about this film and seeing it so many different times gives new perspectives and developments. This particular viewing I was again thinking how Winona Ryder’s Kim Boggs portrays elements of a femme fatale in a film noir. While a dark film, Edward Scissorhands is not really a film noir, and Winona Ryder’s Kim is certainly not the prototypical femme fatale. She is not the seductive, heartless, motivated, and evil character most common in noirs, but she has an innocent femme fatale quality in the way Edward falls for her, and ultimately dooms his fate with an ignorant society by falling in love with her. She has a spell on him and he will do anything for her which inevitability turns their relationship tragic. Plus the fact that Ryder is wearing a blonde wig also gives the femme fatale aspect a little more validation. Of course this can not take away from the fact that this is a great love story. Kim truly does love Edward. The relationship is tragic because she truly loves him and sacrifices her love by leaving him where he is safe. Her feeling of love will never be lost and she will always have the snow to remind her of him. I really can't describe the beauty and joy this film gives me, as words truly do the film no justice. Filmmakers and films like this are reason cinema is such a joyous experience. Edward Scissorhands holds and very special place in my heart. I love this film, "and sometimes I still catch myself dancing in it."



BE WITH YOU
2004, Nobuhiro Doi, Japan
1st Viewing, DVD

Be With You is a sweet and romantic tale of a tragic love story and the sacrifices of love. However the film suffers from dull filmmaking and performances. Be With Me is full of nostalgia and sentiment, but its biggest problems are how formulaic everything is. Be With Me just lacks the passion and emotional attachment that similar Asian melodramas have. Just as the story begins to emerge on an emotional level with the characters, the film takes a narrative turn. On a visual level, Be With You is beautifully shot and thoughtfully composed of vibrant interior and exterior shots. Some of the poetic images are unfortunately left without an impact from the story which never fully embraces the viewer. I can’t say the film is unwatchable, but it is very typical. Hollywood has purchased the rights to this film and are planning on remaking it for a 2008 release.