La Femme Nikita (R) 6.5

La Femme Nikita (1990) Nikita (original title): Convicted felon Nikita, instead of going to jail, is given a new identity and trained, stylishly, as a top secret spy/assassin. (7.5)

Director: Luc Besson
Writer: Luc Besson
Stars: Anne Parillaud, Marc Duret and Patrick Fontana
Language: French|Italian (w/ English subtitles)

When this movie came out, I remember hearing about it and people saying that it was a trend-setting one. I suppose it is. But, for hype, I expected a bit more from the script. Yes, the character development, the acting, etc were good but the story needed a touch more, IMHO. At the end, I had that empty feeling of "that's it?" and that means, a major emotional line was missing. Sorry, if you are a big fan of this movie (later remakes and TV series and all that), but for me, while I enjoyed it, it could have been better. My Rating: 6.5

The Forgotten (PG-13) 6.5

The Forgotten (2004): Told that their children never existed, a man and woman soon discover that there's a much bigger enemy at work. (5.7)

Director: Joseph Ruben
Writer: Gerald Di Pego
Stars: Julianne Moore, Dominic West and Christopher Kovaleski

Yes, it is a story of a grieving mother with a lost kid; and a story of "my mind is going" kind. But then it has a twist of what's behind all of that. I don't think I will say it here and spoil the plot for someone else, but I am of two minds. Maybe the writer should have introduced it a bit earlier in a much more forceful and in in-your-face fashion. Or, it should have been kept right to the end; bam; give it up as the surprise off the left field kind of ending. And, what's with all that running? Juliaane Moore must have lost a few pounds making this movie. I enjoyed this suspenseful thriller, but it is a notch below my "I'd recommend it" category. My Rating: 6.5

Donnie Darko (R) 7.5

Donnie Darko (2001): A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident. (8.2)

Director: Richard Kelly
Writer: Richard Kelly
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone and Mary McDonnell

This is one of those cult movies. To understand it properly, apparently, we are supposed to listen to the director's commentary on the DVD and read the fictitious book "The Philosophy of Time Travel" available at the movie's web site. (This info is from a Salon.com article) A major plot-lines aren't mentioned in the movie, leaving you to guess at what the hell happened at the end. Overall, the movie is fine by itself; supposedly better with additional details. It reminded me of the "Butterfly Effect" a little bit, but this movie came first. The movie doesn't explain this, but according to the additional info, Donnie can't go back to just any time ... it must be to a specific time and place. The story is unique. Maybe I'll find some time to listen to the commentary ... My Rating: 7.5

Ben X (R) 7.5

Ben X (2007): As an alternative to getting bullied at school, an autistic teenager retreats into the world of online role-playing games. (7.5)

Director: Nic Balthazar
Writer: Nic Balthazar (novel)
Stars: Marijke Pinoy, Greg Timmermans and Cesar De Sutter
Language: Flemish aka Belgian Dutch (w/ English subtitles)

The story is about someone who is a bit different, who doesn't fit in at school trying to deal with the reality of the condition. Very interesting use of the computer game images along with the live action. The story, unlike the hyped up Hollywood screenplays, does not make a hero out of the victim but portrays a realistic tale. It also touches on the teen suicide issue and presents it remarkably well. The way how it fits into the story and how the characters (ultimately the writer) use that fact is great; it keeps you guessing at all times. (If I say more, I'll spoil it for someone else.) The story, the acting, the presentation, graphics, etc have been done quite nicely. I highly recommend this one. My Rating: 7.5

Delicatessen (R) 7.5

Delicatessen (1991): Post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasional prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants. (7.8)

Directors: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Writers: Jean-Pierre Jeunet (screenplay), Marc Caro (screenplay)
Stars: Marie-Laure Dougnac, Dominique Pinon and Pascal Benezech
Language: French (w/ English subtitles)

The odd situation brings out the silliness and the weirdness of the whole thing. You must see it to understand (and "understand" is a relative term here). It is so surreal, sometimes you think this is supposed to be a cartoon. Yeah, I got the feeling that I've missed some wit because of the translation. My Rating: 7.5

Steel City (R) 7.0

Steel City (2006): During a Midwestern winter, two working-class brothers must cope with their recently incarcerated father. (6.2)

Director: Brian Jun
Writer: Brian Jun
Stars: Tom Guiry, John Heard, Raymond J. Barry, America Ferrera

This movie has a very interesting story with all the major characters fighting various flaws and problems. It isn't like watching a train wreck nor is it all inspirational with the guy at the bottom of the barrel making it big at the end. It is somewhere in the middle with quite realistic scenarios of people coping with the difficult situations they've been put in. I dunno, I think, I've learned a thing or two from pretty much all of the characters. While watching it, I didn't think about the acting one bit; so that means all of them were that good. My Rating: 7.0

Midnight in Paris (PG-13) 7.0

Midnight in Paris (2011): A family travel to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple who are forced to confront their differing views of a perfect life. (7.8)

Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Stars: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates

Really good use of historical contexts to create funny and humorous situations. As we know, Woody Allen has the knack for writing great dialog and this movie doesn't disappoint in that department. But, at the end of the day, I feel like there's no there there. Allen is using the historical figures to mechanically generate a script with no real story with meat on the bones. It is entertaining while watching, but there's nothing, at least for me, to write home about. Then again, that's what his movies are all about, I guess. My Rating: 7.0

Natural City (R) 7.5

Natural City (2003)(내츄럴 시티): In the year 2080, the world is connected by a massive computer network. Combiners have developed a process that allows them to merge the souls of human and machine/cyborg, wreaking havoc in a deeply divided society. (5.8)

Director: Byung-chun Min
Writer: Byung-chun Min
Stars: Ji-tae Yu, Jae-un Lee and Rin Seo
Language: Korean (w/ English subtitles)

Heh, lots of stuff borrowed from Blade Runner. Even some of the scenes and visuals are directly from that classic movie. But, this move does hold on its own. It has an interesting story, has a visually appealing {ahem} cast and the futuristic dystopian scenes are done nicely. I kept repeating the "do androids dream of electric sheep" title to myself quite a lot while watching. :-) The martial arts sequences are a bit too much for my liking, but this is a Korean movie designed for a specific demographic, I guess. As a non-Hollywood sci-fi, I'm quite impressed. My Rating: 7.5

Anthony Zimmer (R) 7.0

Anthony Zimmer (2005): In Nice, the international police force and the Russian mafia are chasing Anthony Zimmer, an intelligent man responsible for laundry of dirty money in France. (6.4)

Director: Jérôme Salle
Writer: Jérôme Salle
Stars: Sophie Marceau, Yvan Attal and Sami Frey
Language: French

A detective story sort of like a spy thriller. Nice location (get it? ha ha ha), sexy femme fatale a half-way decent story; that's enough for a good movie. Lots of entertainment value but not much to talk about afterwards. As a bonus, I got to see the super luxury places I'll never be able to be at. My Rating: 7.0

Zodiac (R) 7.5

Zodiac (I) (2007): A San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac killer. (7.8)

Director: David Fincher
Writers: James Vanderbilt (screenplay), Robert Graysmith (book)
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo

We (okay, most people who see this movie) know that the ending is inconclusive. Yet, the movie is a roller-coaster of a journey that is nice to see. It makes you understand the 60s/70s detective work and also gives you a peek at the newspaper business. The acting, the camera work, etc are wonderful. I was in Los Angeles when Richard Ramirez was running amok and then again in Washington DC when the sniper was picking people off at random, so I have an idea of how quickly a serial killer can paralyze an entire community. It is a testament to the power of the story-telling that without much to go on in the Zodiac case, this movie is still captivating. Nicely done. My Rating: 7.5

Franklyn (R) 6.5

Franklyn (2008): The film is a split narrative set simultaneously in contemporary London and in a future metropolis ruled by religious fervor. (6.1)

Director: Gerald McMorrow
Writer: Gerald McMorrow
Stars: Ryan Phillippe, Sam Riley and Bernard Hill

The story about events in parallel worlds, but nothing much is revealed to the audience until almost three quarters of the way through. By that time, you are kind of tired of trying to understand what's going on. The visuals are quite good, specially that of the Meanwhile City (or whatever it is called). After watching the whole movie, I'm still not sure who's who and what happened where. It is billed as a Sci-Fi, but I don't think it qualifies as such. Just because someone's imagination runs wild doesn't mean that the hallucinations are worthy of the label "Sci-Fi." I might watch this again sometime, just so that I understand what's going on from the beginning, but my initial reaction is ... "um, what!" My Rating: 6.5

Infernal Affairs 3 (PG-13) 7.0

Infernal Affairs: End Inferno 3 (2003) Mou gaan dou III: Jung gik mou gaan (original title): Months after the events of the original film, Ming suspects a police superintendent as being a new mole for the triads, while years earlier, Yan embarks on his first mission. (6.9)

Directors: Wai-keung Lau, Alan Mak
Writers: Alan Mak, Felix Chong
Stars: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Andy Lau, Leon Lai, Kelly Chen
Languages: Cantonese|English

I didn't realize that this was the continuation of the original movie. Plus, I still haven't watched the part II, and it has been a while since I watched the first one. So, it was a bit confusing trying to remember who's who and where the stated and perceived loyalties lie. I think, I need to watch the three movies back-to-back to really understand what's going on. It is a convoluted storyline, made more complicated by the fact that this installment shows events out of sequence and what people think may have happened as actual scenes. The acting and the cinematography were great. My Rating: 7.0

Super 8 (PG-13) 6.0

Super 8 (2011): During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town. (7.2)

Director: J.J. Abrams
Writer: J.J. Abrams
Stars: Elle Fanning, Amanda Michalka and Kyle Chandler

Um, yeah, like most reviewers have mentioned, I expected more from the JJ Abrams+Spielberg combo and the marketing machine; but I should have known better. This is just a tribute movie with parts from ET, Goonies, Jaws, etc thrown in together. The original concept of accidentally recording something on film, while not unique, intriguing; and they should have stuck with that + a simple story rather than bringing in alien crash landings, monsters, etc. Special effects don't make a movie. The most important part is the story. The kid actors are good. They deserved a better storyline. My Rating: 6.0

Day Zero (R) 6.5

Day Zero (2007): The military draft is back. Three best friends are drafted and given 30 days to report for duty. In that time they're forced to confront everything they believe about courage, duty, love, friendship and honor. (5.9)

Director: Bryan Gunnar Cole
Writer: Robert Malkani
Stars: Elijah Wood, Chris Klein and Jon Bernthal

The premise of the movie, the draft being back, is not that far fetched. The story goes on to look at, or rather glance at, the questions like pulling strings to get out of the draft, one's own doubts about serving in the military, how friendships, romances and marriage come into the process, etc. IMHO, such questions probed in the movie were not asked loud enough or the various points of view were not expressed boldly enough. It could have been more solid, more controversial and more thought provoking. It is the failure of the intelligent conversation among the characters. That said, the three main characters try to tackle the issue in various ways and the story did interest me very much. I'd give higher marks than most reviewers. My Rating: 6.5

Barking Dogs Never Bite (PG-13) 7.5

Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) Flandersui gae (original title): An idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action. (7.0)

Director: Joon-ho Bong
Writers: Joon-ho Bong, Ji-ho Song, and Derek Son Tae-woong
Stars: Doona Bae, Sung-jae Lee and Hie-bong Byeon
Language: Korean (w/ English subtitles)

A dark comedy woven around the silly interactions between humans and dogs in the current Korean society. The story is laugh out loud hilarious at times. (Yeah, it transcends the on-screen Korean language, even though the translations feel like kind of short.) The story doesn't try to be cute or sentimental. The characters don't try to "do the right thing" and that shows the respect towards the intelligence of the audience. At the end we find out that the whole movie itself is a good look at the behavior of the human animal. A well-written and well directed movie. I liked it a lot. My Rating: 7.5

Howl's Moving Castle (PG) 8.0

Howl's Moving Castle (2004) Hauru no ugoku shiro (original title): When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home. (8.1)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writers: Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay), Diana Wynne Jones (novel)
Stars: Chieko Baishô, Takuya Kimura and Tatsuya Gashûin (Japanese)
Stars: Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall (English)

This is a Studio Ghibli movie by Hayao Miyazaki. I don't need to say anything more. It is a beautiful, magical, anime film. This is the second time I'd seen it ... A movie I'd watch many more times. My Rating: 8.0

The War Zone (R) 7.0

The War Zone (1999): An alienated teenager, saddened that he has moved away from London, must find a way to deal with a dark family secret. (7.4)

Director: Tim Roth
Writers: Alexander Stuart (novel), Alexander Stuart (screenplay)
Stars: Ray Winstone, Lara Belmont and Freddie Cunliffe

I can't really talk about it without giving out spoilers, so this will be short. The subject matter of the story is horrific. The acting is great. However, IMHO, a little bit more discretion should have been applied in the camera angles; ie what's shown vs. what's left for the imagination. The second problem I have with is that I can't understand half the dialog because they (with that English accent) mumble a lot. Yeah, it is a good movie, but not exactly enjoyable. My Rating: 7.0

Scent of Green Papaya (PG) 7.5

The Scent of Green Papaya (1993) Mùi du du xanh (original title): A little girl, Mui, went to a house as a new servant. The mother still mourns the death of her daughter, who would have been Mui's age. In her mind she treated Mui as her daughter. (7.2)

Director: Anh Hung Tran
Writer: Anh Hung Tran
Stars: Tran Nu Yên-Khê, Man San Lu and Thi Loc Truong
Language: Vietnamese (w/ English subtitles)

The movie is a loosely flowing story about a servant girl growing up in a 50's Vietnamese family. There is not much to the main storyline, but there are quite a lot of interesting branches. The use of colors, the tropical plants, the period architecture, etc is wonderful. The cinematography captures not only the everyday beauty of the slow, ordinary life but the emotions of the main characters as well (w/o a whole lot of dialog). The tropical plants, the animals and insects brought me back the memories of my childhood. The storyline, somehow reminds me of this quote ... "until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword" ... even though the idea of live-in servants is commonplace in that part of the world and it is never as severe as the Southern slavery, ... My Rating: 7.5

Jellyfish (PG-13) 7.0

Jellyfish (2007) Original title: Meduzot: Meduzot (the Hebrew word for Jellyfish) tells the story of three very different Israeli women living in Tel Aviv whose intersecting stories weave an unlikely portrait of modern Israeli life. (7.0)

Directors: Shira Geffen, Etgar Keret
Writer: Shira Geffen
Stars: Sarah Adler, Nikol Leidman and Gera Sandler
Languages: Hebrew|English (w/ English subtitles)

For those of us who hear of Israel only in the context of Middle East political crises, this movie provides a glimpse of the trials and tribulations of ordinary lives. The poem, repeated twice towards the end of the movie, about Jellyfish is quite poignant and ties the various stories together. Very well written and directed. My Rating: 7.0