Word: plot
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Robert (Ewan McGregor), a recently-fired janitor who unwittingly kidnaps the beautiful daughter (Cameron Diaz) of his rich ex-boss. Screenwriter John Hodge attempts to freshen things up by tossing in gun-toting angels, a psychotic dentist and some forced romantic comedy, but only manages to further muddle the plot. A messy film that looks like a work-in-progress. --Jordan...
Ultimately, the transplantation to China of the plot is well done. The customs and protocols which Moore must battle through are realistic and convincing, sometimes even engaging, even if they are just a gimmick to put new complications in old situations. Director Jon Avnet does a good job of making the culture shock as real for the audience as it is for Moore. This is achieved mostly through the exploitation of the language barrier to show the foreign and conflicting pursuits of the two sides...
...when the precarious balance between courtroom drama and culture clash falls--that things fall apart. The climax of what promised to be a fulfilling logical legal setup is mired in the Chinese-English conglomeration to be easily understood. The end sequence consists of swirling and complicated plot ideas, none properly explained (at least not in English). Although the punchline of the scene is suitably shocking and unexpected, it will elicit more of a "Huh?" than a satisfied...
...semi-successful epic that's gorgeous to look at and gives some much-needed high-profile visibility to the tragic modern history of Tibet--but opts for glossy formulaic packaging over genuine emotional resonance. Each turn of the plot feels Hollywood-scripted to the max, even the central relationship between Brad Pitt's Austrian mountaineer and the young Dalai Lama. The latter succeeds in blending wide-eyed winsomeness with a dignity that's at once childlike and mature. Pitt, alas, never frees us from the sensation that he's something incongruous in this setting--a Hollywood heartthrob trying to look...
...while any interpretation of the Weird Sisters can be viewed as controversial, given both the ambiguity and the importance of these figures to the play, this production's use of them is both creative and effective. In terms of the plot, the director opts to show us the witches manipulating events--putting words into the mouth of the "bloody captain" in the first scene, showing up as mysterious messengers and delivering accounts we're not sure are true, carrying away what seems to be Lady Macbeth's baby in the prologue to the play...