Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Page Eight (R) 7.0

Page Eight (2011): Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving MI5 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron (Michael Gambon) dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file, threatening the stability of the organization. (6.8)

Director: David Hare
Writer: David Hare
Stars: Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz and Tom Hughes

Post 9/11 and post 7/7 (subway bombings in London) intelligence functions by the respective agencies in the friendly countries are questioned in this movie. The plot centers around one central question ... "what did he know and when did he know it"  but that what and he changes for several people/situations. Intriguing, makes you ask some questions, but not strong enough, I thought, given some possible complications. The acting is brilliant. Nice spy thriller without all those car chases and gun battles.  My Rating: 7.0

Monday, May 28, 2012

Weight of the Nation (PG) 8.0

The Weight of the Nation (2012): Confronting America's obesity epidemic. 

Director: Dan Chaykin
Writer: Dan Chaykin

[IMDB info section on this one is pretty sparse for now.] The entire four-part full-legnth feature set, plus lots of other smaller parts are available at http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/ and kudos to HBO for making them available free of charge. This is one of the best documentary series I've seen. It is full of information, it gives your ideas to take action on your own and it doesn't blame just one person, cause or a group; and ends on a pretty upbeat note that we as a society can overcome this crisis. Yes, some people will say "tell me something I don't know" if they are pretty cynical and have given up the whole struggle. But it shows you in several segments how others have overcome the weight issue. If you watch it with an eye towards learning from what has worked for others, there are some good tips. Having lost 20% (30 lbs) in a very short period of time and having gained about 5 lbs back, I certainly can sympathize with those who have much larger obstacles than I have. It is a constant struggle and the Food, Inc. (now that's another good movie), by which I mean the processed food industry, is partly to blame. Perhaps, when we stop subsidizing the things that are slowly killing us, maybe, we will turn the corner. I very highly recommend this series. Watch it; learn from it; tell others about it.  My Rating: 8.0

Sunday, May 27, 2012

The Duchess (PG-13) 7.0

The Duchess (2008): A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life. (6.9)

Director: Saul Dibb
Writers: Jeffrey Hatcher (screenplay), Anders Thomas Jensen (screenplay)
Stars: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes and Dominic Cooper

When you can't help but like or hate the on-screen characters, you know that the actors are doing a wonderful job. That is the case with this movie and its lead characters. Keira Knightley portrays someone who is drunk with power and privilege, yet you can't help but take her side for the personal tragedies she is going through. Yes, this is a period movie, but it has a lot more than the costumes and hair-pieces, though those items are also beautifully done giving attention to detail. The story shows the absurdities of the British aristocracy and how women are mistreated by the traditions and stiff-upper-lipped society. What would you do if you are a prisoner in your own circumstances? My Rating: 7.0

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Fat Man and Little Boy (PG-13) 6.5

Fat Man and Little Boy (1989): This film reenacts the Manhattan Project, the secret wartime project in New Mexico where the first atomic bombs were designed and built. (6.4)

Director: Roland Joffé
Writers: Bruce Robinson (story)
Stars: Paul Newman, Dwight Schultz, Bonnie Bedelia and John Cusack

The true story of the project that developed the atomic bombs is told in this movie (not as a documentary), with a special emphasis on human relationships of the leading figures involved.  A bit more screen time could have been used for the doubts and the arguments the scientists had over the use of the "device" as a weapon, but the writer had decided to focus a bit more on the personal stories.  Some of the scenes seem a bit too dry and rigid, but then again, this shows true events that happened in a super secret military base while the WWII is going on, with a project deadline looming, so people must have been as tense as they appear in the movie.  It is interesting that the dropping of the two bombs, Fat Man and Little Boy, over the two Japanese cities is not shown in the movie.  I guess, the consequences, the debates, the morality, etc. of the use of atomic weapons has been left for a different movie/documentary.  My Rating: 6.5

Friday, May 25, 2012

Flock of Dodos (PG) 7.0

Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus (2006): Filmmaker and evolutionary biologist Randy Olson tries to figure out if it is the Darwinists or Intelligent Design supporters who will become a flock of dodos. (7.4)

Director: Randy Olson
Writer: Randy Olson
Stars: Michael Behe, John Calvert and Jack Cashill

I wasn't sure if I wanted to see a movie/documentary about this non-debate. But this documentary highlights what the academics and scientists are really bad at ... explaining things in a simple manner so lay-people can understand. The debate isn't about two equal sides. It is about a bunch of religious zealots artificially creating a make-belief grassroots movement to teach creationism versus a group of scientists who treat the creationists like an annoying gnat. Granted, the established science of evolution shouldn't have come to this point where scientists have to justify it to school boards with religious and political aspirations, but that's what happens when a faith based system overrides everything else. This documentary actually does show that scientists have a lot of work to do educate the mass populace (without calling them dumb :-)). Including the filmmaker's mother gives it a personal and common person touch. My Rating: 7.0

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Fragments (R) 6.0

Fragments (2008): A group of strangers form a unique relationship with each other after surviving a random shooting at a Los Angeles diner. (5.8)

Director: Rowan Woods
Writer: Roy Freirich
Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Forest Whitaker, Dakota Fanning and Guy Pearce

The snippet from IMDB above is not quite accurate.  The strangers don't form a relationship due to event; it isn't clear if the diner is in Los Angeles, and not relevant.  I suppose, that goes with this movie though.  Like its title, this movie is a bunch of fragments.  Each character could have, should have, been developed a bit more while showing the audience what's in each one's head.  They all appear to have multiple things going on, but the movie should give us the glimpses of the conflicts and emotions rather than showing just the stony faces.  The acting was fine.  What failed in the movie was the storytelling part.  The location is California, for crying out loud ... give us, at least, a few beautiful shots rather than just the run-of-the-mill streets, store-fronts and cookie-cutter houses.  My Rating: 6.0

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Green Snake (PG-13) 6.0

Green Snake (1993)(Ching Se 青蛇): Two snake spirits become human and learn about love and suffering. A monk discovers his own weaknesses and finds that morality is not as simple as he had thought. (6.9)

Director: Hark Tsui
Writers: Hark Tsui, Pik Wah Li (novel)
Stars: Ma Cheng-miu, Maggie Cheung and Man Cheuk Chiu
Language: Cantonese (w/ English subtitles)

The plot and the story are good.  It is about people finding out the true meaning of various emotions, and learning something about themselves.  But, the movie uses too much gimmicks and martial arts techniques.  The cheap special effects and too much flying has taken away from the main theme of learning what love is.  Some of the scenes and cinematography techniques are brilliant.  But the acting and the effects are a bit over the top.  My Rating: 6.0

Monday, May 21, 2012

Once (R) 6.5

Once (2006): A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story. (7.9)

Director: John Carney
Writer: John Carney
Stars: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová and Hugh Walsh

If you are a musician, write songs, play something for fun, have dreams of making it big one day with your music ... this story will speak to you.  The only instrument I know how to play is the radio.  So, I didn't feel the passion they show towards their craft.  I didn't feel how it is to finally make a recording.  But it is there, even for me to see.  There's also the two stories of the broken hearts and the uncertainty of what could happen just beyond tomorrow.  And, just a glimpse of (continental) European immigrants' plight in Ireland.  Just a tad more <something> and this non-music guy would have given a much higher rating.  But, if you are into that kind of music, you'd love this movie.  My Rating: 6.5

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Avalon (R) 7.5

Avalon (2001): In a future world, young people are increasingly becoming addicted to an illegal (and potentially deadly) battle simulation game called Avalon. (6.6)

Director: Mamoru Oshii
Writer: Kazunori Itô
Stars: Malgorzata Foremniak, Wladyslaw Kowalski and Jerzy Gudejko
Language: Polish (Original); dubbed in English

The Netflix version has a technical problem. It is dubbed in English (most folks say it is a poor translation) and seem a bit un-natural in conversations.  At first, you say, hey what's with the sepia tone ... then you realize that the varying degrees of tones is actually a part of the layers, and it gives the whole movie quite a back-story.  Yes, you can find other similar movies and stories, but the cinematography is unique and the fast paced story moves nicely, breaking several perceptions.  Some critics don't seem to like it for one reason or another.  I quite liked it.  If at the end you asked the question "yes, but what's real" then you were still thinking about it and the storyteller succeeded.  My Rating: 7.5

Moneyball (PG-13) 7.5

Moneyball (2011): Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players. (7.7)

Director: Bennett Miller
Writers: Steven Zaillian (screenplay), Aaron Sorkin (screenplay)
Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright and Jonah Hill

I love cricket, and I watch baseball.  Comparing the two popular bat-and-ball games, I've come to realize how automatic, how mechanical and how much statistics-drive the both games are.  It is more so in baseball where the play area is restricted to a 90-degree V and all the fielding positions are pretty much set in stone.  And, you see cricket matches are played with multiple laptops for real-time game analysis.  This movie shows how the game, that is supposed to be blood and sweat, is pretty much a collection of numbers.  It also shows the disparity among the rich and poor ball-clubs.  But, at the end, it is a human story about a GM who uses the limited resources he has to the best of his ability to take the team as far as the money can stretch.  Making it a human story rather than a sports story, the writers have succeeded in appealing to a wider audience and making it a much better movie.  A great performance by Brad Pitt.  My Rating: 7.5

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Be with Me (PG-13) 7.5

Be with Me (2005): This poetic film weaves together three stories of human connection with a minimalist flair. (7.1)

Director: Eric Khoo
Writers: Eric Khoo (screenplay), Theresa Poh Lin Chan (inspiration)
Stars: Theresa Poh Lin Chan, Chiew Sung Ching and Lawrence Yong
Languages: English and Mandarin (w/ English subtitles)

A kind of a different movie from Singapore about the emotional connections between various people. The main story has been inspired by the real-life story of Ms Theresa Chan. The acting and the situations convey a great deal without a whole lot of dialog. The pace of the movie is exactly right for the emotions it evokes. (Some simple things like the food baskets, the window grille, the style of gates, etc reminded me of another island not too far from Singapore.) On the surface, some may not find this movie all that poignant but, I think, it speaks to you in a much deeper level. I'm trying not to say anything at all about the three stories because, I believe, seeing them w/o any preconceived notions gives you a fresh perspective that guides your emotions. My Rating: 7.5

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The God Who Wasn't There (PG) 6.5

The God Who Wasn't There (2005): Documentary filmmaker Brian Flemming examines the Bible and discusses the history of early Christianity, raising doubts as to whether the New Testament personage Jesus ever really existed. (7.0)

Director: Brian Flemming
Writer: Brian Flemming
Stars: Sam Harris, Robert M. Price and Richard Carrier

I'm one of the biggest skeptics around, but to me, this documentary felt like a half-baked effort.  I understand that the writer/director was an evangelical christian at one point and now has serious doubts so he has his point of view; but the documentary should not have tried to take his side from the outset.  Perhaps, it should have built its case with various serious scholarly efforts rather than comparing the story of Jesus to today's myths on the internet.  Somehow, by taking a lighter approach, it lost a bit of credibility and cheapened the effort.  Yes, I get it, if you make it a serious and boring academic effort, no one will look at it; and by making it a bit funny, you get the point across.  As an atheist, the documentary didn't tell me anything I didn't already know/suspected.  Now, Mr. Deity web videos take the completely humorous approach.  Still, an A for effort!  My Rating: 6.5

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Perhaps Love (PG-13)

Perhaps Love (2005) 如果·爱: Blurring reality and fantasy, this lavish romance concerns a love triangle between the leading actress, the leading actor and their director during the making of a movie musical. Ironically, the story within the story tells a similar tale. (6.7)

Director: Peter Chan
Writers: Oi Wah Lam, Raymond To
Stars: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Xun Zhou and Jacky Cheung

An elaborately produced movie musical ... alas, the version that's available on Netflix is not all that useful as the dialog has been dubbed in English but the songs (almost all of which sound quite nice) are in Chinese and they are not even subtitled.  Even the dubbed English dialog is quite artificial.  Yes, you can somewhat follow the storyline, but it would have been great of you could follow the story inside the musical part also.  The acting is great, specially that of the leading couple and Xun Zhou is superb in depicting the two extreme roles.  The musical sets, the period costumes, etc have been done to perfection.  I will not rate this movie until I see a proper subtitled version.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Sayonara Itsuka (R) 7.5

Sayonara Itsuka (2010) サヨナライツカ: Higashigaito Yutaka is transferred to the Bangkok branch of Eastern Airlines. In three months, he will marry Michiko, a relative of the airline's founder, and though he doesn't love her, he knows he could be CEO one day if they wed. (6.8)

Director: John H. Lee
Writers: Jinsei Tsuji (novel), John H. Lee (screenplay)
Stars: Miho Nakayama, Hidetoshi Nishijima and Yuriko Ishida
Language: Japanese (w/ English subtitles)

This movie tells a quite a simple story that spans several decades. It is beautifully photographed and acted on, giving attention to details for the time periods.  At the beginning, I found myself not being able to empathize with the two main characters because of the circumstances of their meeting.  Yet, the ending brought me around, and the poem at the end is the most powerful part of the whole movie.  (If the English translation is that elegant, in its original Japanese, it must be fabulous.)  If anything, the storytelling in this movie shows that the simplicity of the tale doesn't make for a boring movie.  My Rating: 7.5

"To live is to prepare for goodbye;
For lonelinss is a friend
who will not betray.
..."

Pom Poko (PG) 6.0

Pom Poko (1994) 平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ(original title): A community of magical shapeshifting raccoons desperately struggle to prevent their forest home from being destroyed by urban development. (7.4)

Director: Isao Takahata
Writers: Hayao Miyazaki (idea), Isao Takahata
Stars: Shinchô Kokontei, Makoto Nonomura and Yuriko Ishida

Okay, so the shape-shifting raccoons transform to things that are easier to draw/animate ... coincidence? I think not.  That's where I lost the interest in this movie, quite early on.  Some of the wide-angle equivalent shots are quite elaborately drawn.  Most scenes are not that kind.  The story is simplistic and unimaginative.  Perhaps, I was missing quite a lot of Japanese social norms or myths.  My Rating: 6.0

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Czech Dream (PG-13) 3.0

Czech Dream (2004) Ceský sen (original title): Two students from the Czech Film Academy commission a leading advertising agency to organize a huge campaign for the opening of a new supermarket named Czech Dream. (7.5)

Directors: Vít Klusák, Filip Remunda
Writers: Vít Klusák, Filip Remunda
Stars: Varhan Orchestrovich Bauer, Jaromír Kalina and Vít Klusák

This is a documentary of an attempt to "expose" the fraud of advertising. But, it turns out, it is nothing but a mean-spirited joke played on unsuspecting poor and old people.  The hype about the documentary itself, strangely enough, is also included in the movie but it didn't materialize.  (So, I guess, advertising about their own movie is false.)  There were no people sleeping outside of the entrance, there were no fights to get to the front of the line; only a few people who got fooled by advertised suspiciously low prices.  At the end, these two idiots wasted tax payers' money on some false advertising and achieved nothing.  Actually, some of the professional advertisers had more misgivings about the whole thing than these supposedly "enlightened" filmmakers.  Ugh, what a waste of other people's money, other people's time and my time.  If there was a big joke at the end, it would have been something, but the two idiots were having a simple chuckle at the expense of 80-year old people walking down a meadow.  What morons.  My Rating: 3.0

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Fast Runner (R) 7.0

The Fast Runner (2001) Atanarjuat (original title): The telling of an Inuit legend of an evil spirit causing strife in the community and one warrior's endurance and battle of its menace. (7.2)

Director: Zacharias Kunuk
Stars: Natar Ungalaaq, Sylvia Ivalu and Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq
Language: Inuktitut (w/ English subtitles)

While watching it, you forget that it is a story.  The attention to detail is so good that it looks almost like a documentary.  The lack of modern tools, even metal knives, is what shows that the story is of a long ago era.  It is about the trials and tribulations of a society almost alien to most of us, yet the problems they encounter are universally human; good and bad, the entire range of human emotions, interactions, etc.  I didn't know that the Inuit believe in reincarnation, but the dialog makes it a point to have that clearly understood by the audience.  Beautiful work.  A bit on the long side, though.  My Rating: 7.0

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Into the Wild (R) 8.0

Into the Wild (2007): After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life. (8.2)

Director: Sean Penn
Writers: Sean Penn (screenplay), Jon Krakauer (book)
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn and Catherine Keener

Just by reading the short description of the movie, I didn't think it was going to be much of anything.  But, more I learned the back story of the main character, the more I liked it.  And, the way it is presented with various cuts into the past, some voice-over by the sister, the grainy pictures from the really past, all of that give a good artsy atmosphere to the storytelling.  Yes, the story, the visuals, the acting, ... are pretty darn good.  I wish I could do it ... go into the wild, or I should have done many years ago, since the alternative is pretty lame as it were.  This is one of those movies that makes you question your perceived reality.  I highly recommend this one.  My Rating: 8.0

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Moment of Death (TV-MA) 7.5

National Geographic Explorer: Moment of Death (2 Sep. 2008): National Geographic Explorer examines the physical and psychological changes experienced by the human in the moments before and after death. (7.0)

Director: Mark Mannucci
Writer: Mark Mannucci
Stars: Benjamin Abella, Tarun Arora and Lance Becker

Quite interesting stuff.  The RadioLab program Mortality also had some of the same things; perhaps, NatGeo borrowed a few ideas from that program. I guess, ultimately what we want to know is if there is anything other than chemicals and tissue and other such ordinary stuff that goes away when we die. If there is something more, what is it? If there isn't anything other than a collection of atoms, then what's the meaning of life, anyway? Nice to contemplate, but too bad, when you know the answer, you are dead. Oh well. My Rating: 7.5