A Mighty Heart (R) 8.0

A Mighty Heart (2007): Mariane Pearl embarks on a frantic search to locate her journalist husband, Daniel, when he goes missing in Pakistan. (6.6)

Director: Michael Winterbottom
Writers: John Orloff (screenplay), Mariane Pearl (book)
Stars: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman and Irrfan Khan

I distinctly remember all the (publicly available) details of this incident when it happened, so the end result of the search was never a question for me. Yet, the story of the fight for Danny's life, all the people who came together to conduct the search, the support Mariane received, all of them a collective a testament to the journalistic professionalism and friendships of Daniel and Mariane Pearl. The decision by the director to show scenes of Karachi and Islamabad almost like a documentary adds immensely to our understanding of the situation. Angelina Jolie gives a commanding performance but we almost forget that the supporting roles by Archie Panjabi and Irrfan Khan are just as good. Their effortless switch between languages, the typical South Asian mannerisms, etc play the perfect part. Keeping track of various names and aliases becomes complex at times, but at the end it is a love story between the two journalists; and when the news comes, though we know what it is, still quite shocking and emotional. If this movie doesn't talk to you, if you don't feel it in your heart, you have to check your pulse. My Rating: 8.0

Very Long Engagement (R) 7.5

A Very Long Engagement (2004) Un long dimanche de fiançailles (original title): Tells the story of a young woman's relentless search for her fiancé, who has disappeared from the trenches of the Somme during World War One. (7.7) 

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Writers: Sébastien Japrisot (novel), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (story)
Stars: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel and Jodie Foster
Language: French (w/ English subtitles)

In this movie, the young woman, Mathilde, almost superstitiously believes that her fiance is still alive, contrary to all the reports and evidence. The story is told with alternating sequences of what happened in the trenches during the war, her relentless pursuit of the truth, and the flashbacks to their romance before he was sent to the front lines. Beautifully done period pieces, costumes, sets, and specially the reenactments of the brutality of war. The cinematography is superb with great use of color to make different periods/segments contrast. The detective story by itself is sufficient to make a good movie, but you add the other parts and it becomes a great story. Good acting; and the subtle use of humor in the right places was great. But somehow, at least for me, the movie did not pull enough of heart-strings as it should/could have. Nevertheless, a great movie. My Rating: 7.5

Love (NR) 5.0

Love (2011): After losing contact with Earth, Astronaut Lee Miller becomes stranded in orbit alone aboard the International Space Station. (5.6)

Director: William Eubank
Writer: William Eubank
Stars: Gunner Wright, Corey Richardson and Bradley Horne

Um, ... I guess, I'll begin at the end. The fact that the director needed a voice-over at the end of the narrative to tell us that what we felt watching the movie was its title says to me that he failed to convey it through the work itself. What I felt was that the writer/director lifted/copied/borrowed/stole a whole lot, and then-some, from the two classics 2001 and Solaris. What I felt was cheated. At least, those movies had some stories--mind you great original stories. Is this supposed to be the second half of 2001 with better lighting and today's special effects? Then again, the effort taken to show us that this is in space is to give some shots rotated in 90-degrees. Nothing, nothing what-so-ever has the zero-g effects. The cinematography was great, the music was nice, the movie had real potential; had there been a story, a real love story as the title suggests, this could have been a brilliant work. "Stream of consciousness" no worky specially when it reminds the audience of other people's original work. (Note to self: stop picking movies based on the number of awards mentioned on the poster.) My Rating: 5.0

Dial M for Murder (PG) 7.0

Dial M for Murder (1954): An ex-tennis pro carries out a plot to murder his wife. When things go wrong, he improvises a brilliant plan B. (8.2)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Frederick Knott (screenplay/stage-play)
Stars: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings

I think, I should begin by noting that I don't much care for old time movies. This being a Hitchcock flick, I decided to give it a go. Why is it that older Hollywood movies didn't want to use foreigners to play foreign characters? If this was supposed to be London, why do they all talk with American accents? I get it, this must have been a wonderful stage play, perhaps with a bit of more humor and somewhat whimsical at how things don't go according to plan. But, as a movie, this isn't a thriller. The police can trace the usage of 1-pound notes but don't know to find out about phone calls? Then again, the title is misleading, the use of the phone isn't to plot the murder but to give himself an alibi. All that over the top cleaning of finger prints at the beginning for what purpose? The plot is weak. And, there's no real emotions; they are just going through the motions. And, the acting ... for me, that was just "meh." I just don't see why this is one of the all-time great movies. My Rating: 7.0

Farewell (R) 7.5

Farewell (2009) L'affaire Farewell (original title): The French intelligence service alerts the U.S. about a Soviet spy operation during the height of the Cold War, which sets off an unfortunate chain of events. (6.9)

Director: Christian Carion
Writers: Christian Carion, Eric Raynaud, and Serguei Kostine (book)
Stars: Guillaume Canet, Emir Kusturica and Dina Korzun
Languages: French, English, Russian

Based on the real life KGP operative turned double-agent Vladimir Vetrov, this movie tells a wonderful (true) story. From the beginning you realize that the spy-work is pretty sloppy, for instance exchanging documents in pretty open places, but apparently that was how the actual guy worked too. If it wasn't real, I would not have believed that a high level KGB agent was willing to give away the store for his ideology alone. The side-story of the US and French Presidents' lack of trust for each other was interesting to watch. (Wonder if the conversations went that way in reality.) I was kind of surprised to see Reagan, Mitterrand and Gorbachev being played by actors rather than showing TV footage. Then again, that would have been difficult to pull off for inside conversations. The acting was spot-on by the entire cast (maybe Fred Ward was a bit off as Reagan). I liked how the whole story unfolded and also learned a bit of history, too. My Rating: 7.5

The Hunger Games (PG-13) 6.0

The Hunger Games (2012): Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete. (7.3)

Director: Gary Ross
Writers: Gary Ross (screenplay), Suzanne Collins (screenplay/novel)
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth

Ok, I'm not sure what all the hype was about regarding this movie, because there wasn't a whole lot to get excited. Perhaps it is because the hero in competition is a girl, so she is a good role-model? um? I haven't read the books (I may still, since I have them in the ebook format) so I learned the basic story from the movie. In the movie, there wasn't a whole lot of character development or how to the two societies relate to each other. Some of the sets and costumes were colorful, but I don't think it added anything to the plot. Action sequences were less than I expected from the hype. Acting was ok. My Rating: 6.0

Still Walking (PG) 8.0

Still Walking (2008) 歩いても 歩いても Aruitemo aruitemo (original title): Still Walking is a family drama about grown children visiting their elderly parents, which unfolds over one summer day. The aging parents have lived in the family home for decades. Their son and daughter return for a rare family reunion, bringing their own families with them. 

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Writers: Hirokazu Koreeda (original story), Hirokazu Koreeda (screenplay)
Stars: Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa and You
Language: Japanese (w/ English subtitles)

A simple, yet poignant, story that exemplifies the dynamics of a family with in-laws. The crafting and the development of each of the characters, including that of the children, is perfect. This is story-telling at its best; the parts, even the details that really may not fit into a complete circle in this story, come at us in bits and pieces and they all add to the audience's understanding of whole narrative. If you take the three male characters or the three female characters, or for that matter the three children, each one is different and has his or her own story to tell. I specially appreciated the wayYui Natsukawa played the her character. There is so much in the mannerisms and how each one relate to others in this movie. The cinematic use of the backdrops, the scenes and tight spaces adds immensely to the experience. If you enjoy a good drama that has stories within the seemingly simple main story, I very highly recommend this movie. My Rating: 8.0

The Proposition (R) 7.5

The Proposition (1998): Father Michael McKinnon goes from the UK to Boston circa 1935. For unknown reasons, he avoids at all costs the most prominent parishioners, Arthur and Eleanor Barret. (6.1)

Director: Lesli Linka Glatter
Writer: Rick Ramage
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Madeleine Stowe and William Hurt

A very interesting period movie that has quite a few twists in the storyline. A lot of the untold story is in between the lines of the script and conveyed through scenes and situations. In other words, it forces you to get into the heads of the characters; and what emerges is a fascinating tale of heart-breaks of many kinds. Yes, in today's perspective, the main theme is a bit far fetched, but quite possible (I suppose) in 1930s. The period scenes and costumes are done cleverly and elegantly. William Hurt's character should have been given a bit more in the final scenes, I think. Regardless, I like this movie a whole lot more than the average rating on the IMDB. My Rating: 7.5

The Aura (R) 7.0

The Aura (2005): Part character study, part crime drama, The Aura follows reclusive and fastidious taxidermist Espinosa as he moves from dreaming about pulling off the perfect crime to actually planning and executing a real heist. (7.4)

Director: Fabián Bielinsky
Writer: Fabián Bielinsky
Stars: Ricardo Darín, Manuel Rodal and Dolores Fonzi
Language: Spanish (w/ English subtitles)

Moody and surreal how things just move from the mundane to the almost impossibly absurd real quickly. I guess, this is a story about the seemingly perfect crime that falls into the lap of someone who plans crimes as a day-dreaming exercise. The difference between and ordinary person who's caught up in such a situation and this guy is that he is willing to go along with the flow no matter what. Very interesting story and nice cinematography to go along with it. Acting is quite believable and to the point. My Rating: 7.0

Nova: Becoming Human (G) 7.5

NOVA: Becoming Human (2009): Bringing our early ancestors to life through striking computer graphics based on new discoveries, this NOVA special examines how early hominids lived and how they evolved through the ages to eventually become modern humans.

Stars: Early humanoids

This series actually takes into account the recent discoveries and explains the time scales in easy to understand ways. I didn't know that as many as 20 different humanoid species may have existed at various times. The branches of the tree could have used some graphics on the screen rather than just talking about it with hand-waving and lines drawn on a beach. Overall, this is a quite interesting, at least to me it is, documentary series. My Rating: 7.5

If You Are the One 2 (PG) 6.0

If You Are the One 2 (2010) 非诚勿扰 2 (original title): This sequel to Xiaogang Feng's romantic comedy 'If You Are the One' continues the courtship of wealthy Qin Fin and young and lovely Xiaoxiao. To test their bond, the pair steals off to a remote villa where they try on the mantel of wedded bliss. (6.1)

Director: Xiaogang Feng
Writers: Xiaogang Feng, Shuo Wang
Stars: Honglei Sun, Ge You, Shu Qi
Language: Mandarin (w/ English subtitles)

The original was funny; I got most of the jokes even through the translation. This was not all that funny and when it tried to have a serious conversation, I just couldn't sympathize with the characters. The lead guy (Qin Fen) turned into a rich jerk. I think, I understand the use of the ultra luxurious settings and super-rich lifestyles, but that makes the characters so distant from us regular Joes. I just can't relate to them. Shu Qi's character (and her acting) is beautiful in her simplicity, but then all that partying and drinking just takes away from the connection with the audience, IMHO. Even the other main story of a dying friend ... can't empathize with him, his ex wife, the daughter, ... none of them. Perhaps, the dialog is better in original Mandarin. Speaking of which, the poem (daughter to father) seems to be quite good, but again, the translation leaves something on the table. Yeah, good to see how the super rich live, but other than that, meh! My Rating: 6.0

Road to Guantanamo (R) 7.0

The Road to Guantanamo: Part drama, part documentary, The Road to Guantánamo focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge. (7.5)

Directors: Mat Whitecross, Michael Winterbottom
Stars: Riz Ahmed, Farhad Harun and Waqar Siddiqui

While this movie feels like a documentary, we have to remember that it is only a story based on true events. From the accounts of various other people who have come forward (former CIA interrogators, etc) we know that the US military, the hired security consultants, the CIA operatives, and others have done quite questionable things in the name of the national security. At the same time, war is hell; and all who are involved in conflicts are first trying to not get killed themselves and are doing everything possible to make sure the those who get killed are the enemy. This movie doesn't answer the question what the trio were thinking going to Pakistan and then onto Afghanistan in the middle of an escalating war. (They keep repeating about a wedding, but what are you doing in Afghanistan then?) While the movie doesn't make them out to be angles, I get the feeling that some sinister thinking on their part is left out. Considering the subject matter, it is remarkable how the filming, the sets, locations, etc show pretty accurate details. For all the supposed journalists we have in that part of the world, this movie gives a better picture of daily life, to a certain extent. My Rating: 7.0

Ocean's Eleven (PG-13) 7.5

Ocean's Eleven (2001): Danny Ocean and his eleven accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously. (7.7)

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: George Clayton Johnson / Jack Golden Russell (1960 story)
Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia

This is a star-studded remake of the 1960 original. Plan for the heist seems kind of shaky, but then again, this isn't a "how to" video; it is just a fun movie. Good dialog and the chemistry between the actors is the key to the flow of the movie. That said, they could have given Matt Damon and Julia Roberts a bit more lines. Most of the story deals with the gathering of the eleven and the planning for the heist. I wasn't quite sure if all eleven were needed but that's ok. Why is Don Cheadle speaking in a silly British accent, I'm not sure. Enjoyable movie. My Rating: 7.5

Aftershock (PG) 8.0

Aftershock (2010) 唐山大地震; Tángshān Dàdìzhèn: The epic story of a family separated as a result of the Great Tangshan Earthquake of 1976. (7.3)

Director: Xiaogang Feng
Writers: Wu Si (screenplay), Ling Zhang (novel)
Stars: Daoming Chen, Chen Li, Jingchu Zhang, Yi Lu
Language: Mandarin (w/ English subtitles)

We've heard the moral dilemma about five workers on a track with a speeding train and the single worker on a another track ... would you kill one to save the five? Yes, this movie asks such moral questions. Then what unfolds is the human drama with all the consequences of such a decision. The story uses the major events in China's recent past as backdrops to follow the trials of one family. A lot of effort has been put into making the 70's, 80's, 90's look realistic. Acting is powerful in that you really feel the emotions the characters go through. Difficult as it is to tell a story that spans multiple decades, this movie accomplishes the task quite well. As an added bonus, we the outsiders can get a glimpse into the transformation of the Chinese society into the modern times. The story takes you through an emotional roller-coaster. If you like human dramas, I highly recommend this movie. My Rating: 8.0