Tag: films

The Dajreeling Limited (09 03 08) – Review
American Gangster (10 02 08) – The trailer and commercials made this look like a typically fast paced gangster/crime movie. It was actually much more of a character film. The acting of Denzel and Russell were both good. They actually seemed to like being there. It reminded me of The Departed (for obvious reasons) and Catch Me If You Can except that it was very slow and long at almost three hours in length. Neither of the main characters meet until the last few scenes, but the actors had a lot of chemistry. I like this better than Training Day and Denzel’s performance here is actually better. It was also well shot on location. The wonderfully talented Chiwetel Ejiofor is also in this movie.
Paris Je t’aime (14 03 08) – Love! I am a sappy romantic so this gets to me. A couple of the films were odd (in the good and bad ways), but many were just downright wonderful and really well done. I look forward to the New York version.
Sense and Sensibility (30 03 08) – 2008 BBC version. The first half was slow mostly, and I couldn’t get over how similar this Marianne looked like KW, this Elinor sounded so much like ET, and how miscast Willoughby was. Edward is too good looking, but that’s okay. The two female leads held there own in the end. The music and cinematography are nice, and as usual, Col. Brandon played by David Morrissey, is the best part. I love a good adaptation.

In the first three months of 2008, I have only seen 12 films. A year ago this time, I had seen 19. 23 in 2006, 24 in ’05, 41 (!) in ’04, and so on and so forth. Even more strange is that I have read more books in the first three months than movies. That hasn’t happened since 2001. Obviously the decline indicates how much my life has changed, but I just don’t spend as much time looking and thinking about movies as I did. Knitting sort of replaced it, but I can remedy that. I have a To Be Watched pile of movies that I procrastinate watching (which probably contributes to fewer movies watched). Though I will say that going through the books is more important at present. I need movie breaks too.

Wes Anderson movies: hype, good content or shallow narratives of pretentious twits? All of the above. I have seen Rushmore, The Royal Tannenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited (in this order). The whiff coming of Life Aquatic sounded so bad that I didn’t even try it. I also don’t need to see Natalie Portman’s ass in Hotel Chevalier the short film that sets a prelude to this one. First off, the good stuff: nice acting (good casting of the periphery characters), gorgeous art direction and cinematography, apt music selection, and a couple of genuinely amusing/funny moments. All three brothers are suppose to be shallow assholes, and Owen Wilson plays that really well. Adrien Brody worked only because his character was callous to his wife, but it’s hard to stay mad at Brody. I still believe Rushmore is the best of Anderson’s work, and I sort of a soft spot for Jason Schwartzman as a result (though I have only ever seen him in Anderson stuff). Now the bad: Anderson’s postmodern narratives are fairly decent on the smaller levels, but bad in the overall themes. I did a get a sense that the brothers had united in the end, but the constant material symbolism that is infused felt flat to me. The use of the suitcases, Peter’s (Brody) obsession with their late father’s things, the perfume bottle, Francis’s belt, and so on. The women in Anderson’s movies are 2D or severely underdeveloped with the exception of the teacher in Rushmore (played by the beautiful Olivia Williams), but even though she seemed sidelined in the end. Rita (newcomer Amara Kara) is the object of desire in this film, but she too is pushed off early and becomes yet another object of desire and projection for one of the male lead’s (Schwartzman’s Jack). The hype that follows Anderson as a life changer auteur has always been a bit much, but maybe I’m not as invested in (or traumatised by) family dysfunction and wealth/materialism, two things that feature in most of his works. Often, I feel indifference for Anderson’s characters and plots, but appreciate the visuals, some of the comedy and music. TDL is worth watching for the Indian visuals and art direction.

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Snow Cake (02 02 08) – REVIEW
Venus (06 02 08) – Oh, Peter O’Toole. Why must you go breaking my heart with your heartbreaking, pathos-filled portrayal of age, love, desire, and stark reality. Someone always be stealing Peter O’Toole’s Oscars.
La Vie En Rose (16 02 08) – I knew a bit that Edith Piaf had a rough childhood, but it was interesting to see how bad it was. I think the acting by Cotillard was fine, but sometimes, I really wanted to shake Edith Piaf and say, “Get it together, woman!” She was a smartass a lot, and I didn’t really warm up to the character. It was not a bad film, but I was not particularly enlightened or wowed by much.

A really sweet and wonderful indie film set in Wawa, Ontario, Canada. I did pick this film up based on the fact that it does star Alan Rickman and the critical acclaim. This a quintessential underrated indie film which has excellent acting (by Rickman and Sigourney Weaver as an autistic woman) and a good script that is full of funny and heartfelt moments. It was simply done and straightforward yet well done in its storytelling. The story is talks of loss, guilt, moving on, and living in the present. In a way, it’s a slice of life kind of movie. Maybe not the most original plot or the most exciting, but it does the job especially when you throw in a nice soundtrack. It is quite Canadian with all the actors that I recognise from the CBC and all the beautiful northern Ontario landscape.

Sweeney Todd (02 01 08) – Review
Enduring Love (06 01 08) – This was alright. I didn’t really get into it or maybe that was because I was working on my forethought heel. Not fun knitting. The movie was based on a book, and as in many cases, I wish I read the book first because I would have probably appreciated the movie more. It seemed to be always on the edge of some really philosophical and intellectual thoughts, but it didn’t really get there for me. The performances were all fine as I do adore Daniel Craig and Bill Nighy.
Training Day (12 01 08) – Denzel Washington deserved his Oscar just for being so creepy in this. Hey, I can’t believe Ethan Hawke was relevant once. Good only due to Denzel’s performance, but not a rewatch by any means.
The Shadow in the North (12 01 08) – I like both Billie Piper, J. J. Feild and the books. This book probably had one of the best climaxes; the plot is not that great (but not as boring as the fourth book), but the climax and denouemnent were good.
Bad Education (20 01 08) – I seem to going backwards in Almodóvar films. I think I saw the NC-17 version, and it wasn’t really that graphic. I think I like Volver better, but this one has a more complex script. It’s like a gay Sunset Boulevard (or gayer if you prefer).

A list of 2008 (and beyond) movies that I would be interested in seeing. This is not the definitive list by any means. I am only including movies that have not yet premiered.

James Bond 22 – Come on, I love Daniel Craig. I have seen almost ever Bond movie. Matter of time really.

Mamma Mia – I saw the trailer for this during Sweeney Todd. Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep? I am there!

Brothers – I really liked the original Danish movie, and apparently so did Hollywood. Maguire, Gyllenhaal, and Portman are going to star. Doubtlessly interesting.

The Dark Knight – I have been a Batman girl since watching TAS growing up. Nolan and Bale did a wonderful job in Batman Begins so this should be a fun ride too. I also adore Gary Oldman and Michael Caine.

Star Trek – The casting on this is awesome.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Alan Rickman.

My Blueberry Nights – It’s a Wong Kar Wai film, so I’m there. Not too crazy about the cast even though I like Rachel Weisz. Jude Law does nothing for me, and this is Norah Jones’s first time.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – I liked TLTWTW, but that was my favourite Narnia book. This franchise has a lot of energy left in it.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull – Cate Blantchett is the villain.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – This sounds very interesting, and I hope to read the Fitzgerald short story. Brad Pitt is in it opposite Cate Blantchett.

Australia – My desire to see this film is due to my loyalty to Baz Luhramann.

RocknRolla – Guy Ritchie back to gangster movies. Gerald Butler is in the lead.

Iron Man – Initially, I unsure because I know nothing about Iron Man. Still, I have always liked Robert Downey Jr. as an actor, and Terence Howard is in it too. Very good trailer.

Wall-E – This sounds like a fascinating animated movie.

Blindness – Adaptation of the Jose Saramago book which is a masterful work. Julianne Moore has a lot to do as the lead, but if everything works, this could be excellent.

The Forbidden Kingdom – Director has done mostly Disney and premise iffy (American kid obsessed with kung fu time travels), but the extended trailer looks amazing. Shot in China, and starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan.

Wanted – James McAvoy, call me, but use your natural accent. Jolie does look hot in this too.

Jumper – When I saw this in the theatre, I was skeptical. The extended, longer trailer is a bit more compelling. I hope this becomes the post-SW success for Christensen.

How could I resist a Tim Burton musical movie? Especially one with Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman singing. Actually these two have a duet that is now stuck in my head. The film is of the dark Burtonesque variety (as opposed to the saturated, lighter tones of Big Fish or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). This is probably the goriest of Burton’s films I’ve ever seen, but as usual, it was very stylized. I do not really watch horror movies, and Burton’s films are more artistic than gratuitous violence and blood. This is still essentially a horror story with a murderer as the central protagonist so it’s not exactly for the faint of heart. Aside from the direction and stylized setting, this film’s other strength is the performances. Depp actually has a good singing voice and his creepily intense in this too. Dark film, but fun overall when you consider the musical aspect of it.

First of all, La Doublure does not translate into The Valet. In the movie’s context, doublure is French for  stand in or double, usually in theatre. Many of of Francis Veber’s comedies have games of pretense in their plots involving a character named François Pignon. Previous well known Veber films of similar nature are Le Dîner de cons (The Dinner Game) and Le Placard (The Closet). I think the latter is still my favourite of the three Veber movies I’ve seen so far. La Doublure is still very enjoyable though with nice comedic performances, and as with the others, the protagonist’s evolution in the movie makes for a feel-good movie. Veber’s comedies are not as vulgar as Hollywood ones, but still definitively French. There are is almost always a cool blonde or two, and there are a lot of rich jerks. I think Hollywood could pull off his scripts, but it would not seem as clever or with the right tone. Watching Veber’s films makes me consider how few good American comedic films are being produced.

My first Pedro Almodóvar film; I just didn’t manage to watch any of his films until now. This Spanish drama has a great cast, strong script, good music, and wonderful direction. I love the overhead shots employed. The theme of death, and the strong focus on women is poignant and well executed. The twists are a bit predictable if you’re an avid film watcher, but that does not mean the movie does not hold you with its characters and the acting. I have only ever seen Penelop Cruz in Vanilla Sky, her presence in this movie is charismatic and definitely shows her as a star. The ease of which she inhabits her character and dominates the screen is wonderful. As I’ve read someone say, she is the Diane Keaton to Almodóvar’s Woody Allen (Cruz is actually going to be in the next Woody Allen movie). I am definitely going to go watch Talk to Her and Bad Education when I can the chances.

I confess that I did not actually see the end of this movie, but I saw most of the movie. The ending was not a surprise when I found out about it. Like most Elia Kazan movies from that era, there is a lot of angst. As for the acting, Warren Beatty is hot in his first role and of the three Natalie Wood films I have seen, this is probably her best work. I think Deannie’s (Wood) descent into madness/nervous breakdown is fastening as is the film’s take on late 1920’s sexuality and young love from a 1961 perspective. It is outdated in some ways, but I think many of the themes are still very relevant such as the Madonna/Whore complex which is explored. I wonder about how it was received at the time because even watching it in a less conservative time, some of the scenes were very sad in the treatment of women. Bud’s (Beatty) sister’s portrayal as a girl who only boys talk to in the dark was annoying, but the movie pushed the point home about how far she would go. Her last scene is almost lurid in its depiction of “the other type of girl”. The constant idea for men to seek these other girls, use them, but marry a nice girl like Deannie. While she must remain pure as that is what good girls are for, and “nice girls” don’t have sexual urges. It does seem outdated for Deannie to go mad from a broken heart, but I think if you consider the pressure she was under and her sensitive, young nature, it probably was not completely far fetched at the time. It is definitely a movie to consider gender roles and stereotypes then and now.

This British crime film was probably one of the reasons the producers of the Bond films hired Daniel Craig as James Bond. A thinner Craig (before he gained all that 007 muscle) shows his acting prowess as a conflicted drug dealer amidst all the motley layers of the British crime world. It goes without saying that DG is attractive in this as he is ever, but part of his appeal is that his sexiness seems subtle and under the surface yet not. The movie is not for those who do not like swearing, violence, drug use/dealing, and criminals being “glamourized.” If you don’t like Guy Ritchie films such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels which featured tough-love-dad-Sting or Brad-Pitt-with-accent Snatch, look away. Apparently, Ritchie was even suppose to direct it, but his frequent producer and friend Matthew Vaughn took the helm (Vaughn recently directed Stardust; something I want to see as well). For a debut, it was nicely directed. Good soundtrack, many subplots and “layers” in the script (adapted from a novel by the same author), and as with most British TV/film production, I recognized almost every one of the actors from another Brit series or movie. That’s always fun for me because I seem to attach easily to actors. I liked almost all the cast except Sienna Miller; she’s just one of those rare celebrities I can not warm up to. There is suppose to be a sequel of the novel in the works which may open up for a sequel of this movie; I’d watch it especially if Mr Craig reprises his role.

Oh, how I’ve missed watching foreign films. I am seemingly fond of German films what with Goodbye, Lenin, Run Lola Run, and Wings of Desire to name a few films. I can admit that I am an Anglophile, a Francophile, but I often forget how much German art I love. Not only films, but I listen to classic and baroque music; Rainer Maria Rilke is one of my favourite poets. Brecht is referenced in this film which reminds me I should check him out more too.

Art and beauty is an important characteristic in this drama and political thriller. A little goes a long way in this film. It is subtle, intricate, and layered. I was left speechless when the movie ended and wondered how I was going to write a review. That is usually an indicator of how much the film affected me. The script is incredibly well written. The music plays a character and is superbly scored by Gabriel Yared. The movie features stylized colours, very GDR, and shot with soft focus.

The acting is crazy good in this film. I don’t want to go on and on about how amazing some of the performances were. Listening to the director’s commentary, it’s clear he is an “actor’s director”. He appreciates actors. He cast non-speaking parts to well known German actors just to make every detail worthwhile. There was such meticulousness imbued into this film. Without a doubt, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is a promising director/screenwriter. Will he be be able to follow up with this debut? No idea, but even if it isn’t half as good as this film, it would be still be a very fine movie.