Brick Lane (PG-13) 7.5

Brick Lane (2007): A young Bangladeshi woman, Nazneem, arrives in 1980s London, leaving behind her beloved sister and home, for an arranged marriage and a new life. Trapped within the four walls of her flat in East London, and in a loveless marriage with the middle aged Chanu, she fears her soul is quietly dying. (6.5)

Director: Sarah Gavron
Stars: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Satish Kaushik and Christopher Simpson

Touches on various aspects of the post-9/11 society for immigrant muslims. If you watch carefully, there are no villains or heroes in this movie and everyone has a quirk or a problem or a dysfunction seen through someone else's eyes. Leaves more questions than answers and doesn't tie a nice bow at the end. That's life and that's what it should be, IMHO. [Wish there was an English subtitle track as sometimes it is difficult to decipher the British mumble-speak.] My rating: 7.5

Maria Full of Grace (R) 6.0

Maria Full of Grace (2004): A pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family. (7.6)

Director: Joshua Marston
Stars: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Guilied Lopez and Orlando Tobón
Lang: Spanish (Eng Subtitled)

Ripped from the headlines? Probably. Shows why otherwise innocent people are pushed into participating in questionable ventures. The movie flows a bit slow, but then, this is not a break-neck paced US lifestyle story. My rating: 6.0

The Hurt Locker (R) 7.0

The Hurt Locker (2008): Iraq. Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb. (7.8)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty

Realistic, so they say, depiction of the Iraq war theater. But, is the "follow the chain of command," "obey the superior's orders" etc. of the the military is completely ignored in this unit. If every unit functioned like that there wouldn't be a military, so that aspect (a major part of the theme of the movie) is completely ignored. If you understand that this isn't a documentary, but a movie (ie: entertainment? made for commercial purposes, to make money?) then, yeah, it is a thrilling and edge-of-your-seat movie. Hight marks for good acting and set, etc. My rating: 7.0

Mongol (R) 8.0

Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007): The story recounts the early life of Genghis Khan who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world including Russia in 1206. (7.3)

Director: Sergey Bodrov
Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Amadu Mamadakov and Khulan Chuluun
Lang: Old Mongolian/Chinese ?? (Eng Subtitled)

Beautiful set, scenes, production, costumes, locations, people, etc. etc. Very nice wide-angle shots. Well choreographed sequences. And, the most beautiful eyes in the entire world are in this movie. You will know when you see them. Mesmerizing! My rating: 8.0

Slumdog Millionaire (R) 8.0

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers. (8.3)

Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan
Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and Saurabh Shukla

When the movie came out, and certainly when it was nominated for various awards (Oscar and Golden Globe) a major criticism was that this is yet another feel-good Indian movie. Certainly, at the end, things work out for the hero of the movie, but we shouldn't forget the views of the Mumbai slums, the real hardships depicted in the movie, the plight of a large number of kids, not just in Mumbai, but throughout the developing world. I don't like the formula-based Indian movies but this one was different and I quite liked it. My rating: 8.0

Despicable Me (PG) 7.0

Despicable Me (2010) When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds himself profoundly changed by the growing love between them. (7.5)

Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Stars: Steve Carell, Jason Segel and Russell Brand

A funny animation that's suitable for the kid in all of us. Made me laugh out loud a few times. Some of the animations reminded me of Igor, but interestingly enough, those two movies weren't made by the same animation company. The story idea isn't original, but hey, it is a kids animation. Can you see the Star Wars spoof scene(s)? My rating: 7.0

Farewell My Concubine (R) 8.0

Farewell My Concubine (1993): The story of two men, who met as apprentices in the Peking Opera, and stayed friends for over 50 years.

Director: Kaige Chen
Stars: Leslie Cheung, Fengyi Zhang and Li Gong
Lang: Mandarin (Eng Subtitled)

When the movie came out in 93, there was a lot of press about it. Not knowing what the movie was about (other than the title) it certainly turned out to be a surprisingly interesting story. It is about human relationships, interactions, dealings, etc. I got the feeling that I was missing some of the emotions of the conversations from the subtitles. Even though the story takes place in the early to mid 20th century China, it has relevance even to today's society. Good acting and Li Gong isn't bad to look at either. 8.0 is a good rating.

Super Size Me (PG-13) 7.5

Super Size Me (2004): While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.

Director: Morgan Spurlock
Stars: Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs and Lisa Ganjhu

Movies like this one, Food, Inc. and Future of Food remind us to think about what's in the processed food we eat day in and day out. It isn't just the fast food that is made with the sole purpose of generating profits for corporations. The end result is that we the consumers end up with unhealthy food, the rest of the world farmers are end up having to compete with American mega-corporations which also receive government subsidies. I think, people should watch these movies time and again to remind themselves the artificialness of what we eat. 8.5 in my book.

Eternal Sunshine (R) 8.5

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004): A couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.

Director: Michel Gondry
Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet and Tom Wilkinson

Even though this movie had very good press when it came out, I don't think I saw it until it was mentioned in a RadioLab show about Memory and Forgetting (see my blog entry Memories). The movie is a SciFi and a romance. It is about finding out what you have, only after you lose it. There are no do-overs in RL, but, perhaps ... And, when you know that people have been successful in erasing memories from lab mice, this story becomes very interesting and a touch realistic. You have to see the movie a couple of times to fully understand what scene fits where. I very highly recommend it. My Rating: 8.5

Poseidon (PG-13) 3.0

Poseidon (2006): On New Year's Eve, the luxury ocean liner, Poseidon, capsizes after being swamped by a rogue wave. The survivors are left to fight for survival as they attempt to escape the sinking ship.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Kurt Russell and Emmy Rossum

Meh ... another "emergency in a mass transportation vehicle" story with stereotypical people acting expectedly. Predictably things work out, or not, for the cast of characters. The story has so many technical holes. The ship is supposed to be upside down, but a lot of the scenes look right side up. My rating: 3.0

Eat Drink Man Woman (PG-13) 7.0

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994): A senior chef lives with his three grown daughters; the middle one finds her future plans affected by unexpected events and the life changes of the other household members. (7.7)

Director: Ang Lee
Stars: Sihung Lung, Yu-Wen Wang and Chien-lien Wu
Lang: Mandarin (Eng Subtitled)

Even though this is a 1994 movie, it has a 80's feel to it (what with the big hair, short mini skirts and all). Very interesting to see what a Taiwanese city looked like back then. I got the sense that I missed quite a lot of inside jokes, but got some others as well (various Asian cultures aren't all that different, after all). In the movie, the food is used as a prop to convey lots of feelings, emotions and communications. And, pretty much everything in life is about what the title says, aint it? Quite a nice story. My rating: 7.0

The Man from Earth (PG) 8.0

The Man from Earth (2007): An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he is an immortal who has walked the earth for 14,000 years. (8.0)

Director: Richard Schenkman
Stars: David Lee Smith, Tony Todd and John Billingsley

An interesting twist halfway through the movie when the conversation turns to religion. Though, I'd think that the story wouldn't hold much interest to a wider audience if the predominant religion hadn't been picked for the story. I don't think of this so much as a sci-fi movie than a thinking (philosophical) one. Highly recommend it. My rating: 8.0

Where the Wild Things Are (PG) 7.5

Where the Wild Things Are (2009): An adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world--a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler. (7.1)

Director: Spike Jonze
Stars: Max Records, Catherine O'Hara and Forest Whitaker

Better than the book, IMHO. (I never thought I'd say that about any movie.) It attempts to examine Max's thoughts, feelings, personality and "issues" through various creatures in the forest. My rating: 7.5

The King of Masks (PG) 6.0

The King of Masks (1996): An aging street performer known as the King of Mask for his mastery of Sichuan Change Art adopts a boy to carry on his tradition. A famous master performer of the Sichuan Opera offers to bring him into his act, thus giving Wang fame and possible fortune, but Wang opts for staying the simple street performer. (7.4)

Director: Tian-Ming Wu
Stars: Zhigang Zhang, Zhigang Zhao and Renying Zhou
Lang: Mandarin (Eng Subtitled)

The story brings to light the plight of girls in the Chinese culture (in the past). Though the movie is made in 1996, it depicts a period a while back. Wonder what the differences are in the cultural attitudes these days, now that there's a one-child policy enforced by the communist government. A rather simplistic story. My rating: 6.0

The Stoning of Soraya M (R) 8.0

The Stoning of Soraya M (2008): A drama set in 1986 Iran and centered on a man, Sahebjam, whose car breaks down in a remote village and enters into a conversation with Zahra... (8.0)

Director: Cyrus Nowrasteh
Stars: Shohreh Aghdashloo, James Caviezel and Mozhan Marnò
Lang: Persian (Eng Subtitled)

With that title, there's no secret in the movie. It is partly a documentary on what happened in a rural Iranian village soon after Shah was overthrown (1980?) and the religious fundamentalists found new power. Did all cultures have these "stoning" rituals? Certainly, the cruel and unusual punishments have been part of all societies around the world. (ie: water torture in China or various torture methods in South Asia, Europe, etc.) Why is it that the human animals are the most cruel to its own kind? And, all these done in the name of <insert your favorite whatever fundamentalist religion or deity>. My rating: 8.0

The Illusionist (PG-13) 7.0

The Illusionist (2006): In turn-of-the-century Vienna, a magician uses his abilities to secure the love of a woman far above his social standing. (7.7)

Director: Neil Burger
Stars: Edward Norton, Jessica Biel and Paul Giamatti

The above "turn of the century" is about 1900s rather than 2000s. The period costumes, streets, architecture, etc. have been done quite nicely. A good story, but I would have liked had the movie ended on the presumed sad ending. A feel-good ending is required, I suppose, for American commercial success. Then again, that is his greatest illusion. My rating: 7.0

Monsters, Inc (G) 8.0

IMDB says about Monsters, Inc. (2001): Monsters generate their city's power by scaring children, but they are terribly afraid themselves of being contaminated by children, so when one enters Monstropolis, top scarer Sulley finds his world disrupted. (8.0)

Directors: Pete Docter, David Silverman
Stars: Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Mary Gibbs

One of my all-time favorite animations. Seen it about 20 times, easily. The quality of the computer animation is really good. Sometimes you fail to appreciate the details of the scenes and animation sequences because the story itself is good to keep the attention focused on it. Being a kids movie, it has a happy ending, with a possibility open for a sequel. My rating: 8.0

Spy Game (R) 6.5

Spy Game (2001): Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors. (6.9)

Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt and Catherine McCormack

The movie showcases, at least, some of the CIA as good guys and a field agent as a super spy. The storyline is pretty good, albeit a bit on the far-fetched and simplistic side, what with one field agent working with one agent in the HQ.  It is the same old story, the field agent goes with his heart, the older guy goes out of his way to help out his young field agent.  I'd agree with the high rating for the originality in laying out of the story--not a linear timeline. My rating: 6.5