The Place Promised (PG) 8.0

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) 雲のむこう、約束の場所 Kumo no Mukō, Yakusoku no Basho: In an alternate postwar timeline, Japan is divided into the Union-controlled North and the US-controlled South. (7.3)


Director: Makoto Shinkai
Writers: Makoto Shinkai (story), Makoto Shinkai (screenplay), Steven Foster
Stars: Hidetaka Yoshioka, Masato Hagiwara and Yuka Nanri

This movie is full of wonderfully crafted anime and carefully drawn artwork. The character development is way better than in most live-action movies. The story is innovative and scenes are breathtaking. All in all, this is a fantastic movie. You will enjoy it even if you are not an anime fan. If you do like that style, this gives you so much more. The use of the varying color schemes and backgrounds and different viewing angles, etc to tell the story is very clever. I highly recommend this movie. My Rating: 8.0

Sweet Land (PG) 6.5

Sweet Land (2005): Set in 1920, Inge travels from Germany to rural Minnesota meet the man destined to be her husband. Bureaucracy and social morality cause major complications. (7.1)

Director: Ali Selim
Writers: Will Weaver (short story), Ali Selim
Stars: Elizabeth Reaser, Lois Smith and Patrick Heusinger

Right after the WWI, I guess, the American public had strong feelings about the German nationals. This  story examines the plight of one young immigrant in that environment. The characters are developed nicely and the period costumes, sets, scenes, etc are done well. Though, the story itself lacks a certain punch. I guess, I am looking at it from the perspective of another immigrant in another era. Countless other immigrants, back then and even now, have gone through and are going through so much more hardships than just mere resentment of village folks. Looking at it as a period piece where two strangers gradually falling in love and becoming a part of the American dream ... yeah, it does have that certain charm. But, it could have told a bigger narrative also. My Rating: 6.5

Charlie Wilson's War (R) 7.5

Charlie Wilson's War (2007): A drama based on a Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets have some unforeseen and long-reaching effects. (7.1)

Director: Mike Nichols
Writers: Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), George Crile (book)
Stars: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman

It is interesting to learn the players behind the arming of the Mujahideen in the Soviet-Afghan war. How much of it is completely accurate, I don't know know but a substantial amount seems to be (the Reagan administration also played a major hand in supplying arms to the Mujahideen). The movie doesn't mention Bin Laden, and it is true that he came to the party quite late. But the fact remains, the US fought a proxy war in Central Asia and the power vacuum created by the defeat of Soviet occupation gave rise to the religious fundamentalism in Afghanistan. The movie is quite fast paced for a policy-wonk type story. The effort to actually shoot scenes that looked like Soviet helicopters, Afghan refugee camps, etc is a credit to the attention to detail. The three major actors (listed above), of course, give commanding performances. My Rating: 7.5

Buddy (PG-13) 6.0

Buddy (2003): Kristoffer is a billboard hanger, 24 years old and carefree. When his girlfriend Elisabeth dumps him for the boss of her trend bureau, his life falls into pieces. (6.8)

Director: Morten Tyldum
Writers: Lars Gudmestad, Tom Gulbrandsen (script consultant)
Stars: Nicolai Cleve Broch, Aksel Hennie and Anders Baasmo Christiansen
Language: Norwegian (w/ English subtitles)

When I read the Netflix blurb about the movie, it sounded promising. The initial premise of the goofy video-blog ending up on the national TV was good, but the writers quickly got away from that format. They should have used a hell of a lot more video-blog parts and a lot less of the corny stuff. Sorry, having the main character come off (probably not intentionally) as a douche-bag who is not straight with his friends doesn't garner my empathy. And, the story is just too stupid, unrealistic and corny. The cinematography is great, but when the storytelling falls flat, good pictures alone can't carry it (at least, for me). My Rating: 6.0

Amores Perros (R) 8.0

Amores Perros (2000): A horrific car accident connects three stories, each involving characters dealing with loss, regret, and life's harsh realities, all in the name of love. (8.1)

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Writer: Guillermo Arriaga
Stars: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal and Goya Toledo
Language: Spanish (w/ English subtitles)

Sometimes known as the Mexican Pulp Fiction, this movie shows the brutal realities of life and love. Some of the scenes are not for the squeamish. Yes, love, betrayal, loss, regret ... all are seen through multiple perspectives in this set of inter-twining stories. There are no clear-cut heroes and villains; the good and the bad are on all sides; like it is in Real Life. As a single movie, it is a bit long, but since there are many storylines, it needed to be that long. The acting is superb, specially in the first story. The props, the location, the camera-work, etc. are all great. While the movie is quite violent, it gives you a good dose of harsh realities of what we do to each other. So, I very highly recommend this movie, if you can stand the graphic scenes--it is worth it. (It is said that no dogs were harmed in making this movie.) My Rating: 8.0

The Sky Crawlers (PG-13) 8.0

The Sky Crawlers (2008) スカイ·クロラ Sukai Kurora: On an alternate future Earth, there is no longer any war between nations. Peace reigns over the entire planet. However, it's been found that people need the tension and excitement of war -- even experienced vicariously -- to truly feel alive. (6.7)

Director: Mamoru Oshii
Writers: Hiroshi Mori (story), Chihiro Itô (adaptation)
Stars: Rinko Kikuchi, Ryo Kase and Shôsuke Tanihara
Languages: English and (mostly) Japanese (w/ English subtitles)

If you like anime but want stories with substance and drama, then this movie is for you. It is a very well thought-out story (apparently spans five books by Mori) that makes you question this alternate reality and makes you hunger for the explanations. The anime and the CGI are wonderful. The attention to detail is superb. The story lends itself to incredible scenes and the animation work doesn't disappoint. The movie takes its deliberate time with the storytelling and that adds to the drama and the tension of it all. Again, if you like anime, I very highly recommend this movie. My Rating: 8.0

Religulous (R) 7.0

Religulous (2008): Bill Maher's take on the current state of world religion. (7.7)

Director: Larry Charles
Stars: Bill Maher

So, this is a critical and humorous look at the religion and its place in today's society. Interestingly, it doesn't look at two major eastern religions Hinduism and Buddhism. Well, fair enough, today's western society is mostly concerned with Christianity (with all its permutations), Judaism and Islam. My problem with movies like this is that they all try to find the contradictions within the religious texts and teachings, and try to disprove certain things. No, that's the wrong tactic. Take a giant step away from the faith and religion as a concept. Look at how absolutely bloody stupid the whole thing is and point that out. Actually, this move does do that to a certain degree and that's why I am giving it a notch higher rating that I would have otherwise. Yes, at some point in the past, there was a place for faith systems. But today, those fantasy systems do more harm than good. It will take another thousand years before the whole concept goes out of fashion, but movies like this will help. My Rating: 7.0

Nobody Else But You (R) 7.0

Nobody Else But You (2011) Poupoupidou (original title): A bestselling crime novelist who is desperately looking for a new story hones his focus on the apparent suicide of a small-town woman, an aspiring model who thought she was the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. (6.5)

Director: Gérald Hustache-Mathieu
Writers: Gérald Hustache-Mathieu, Juliette Sales (contributing writer)
Stars: Jean-Paul Rouve, Sophie Quinton and Guillaume Gouix
Language: French (w/ English subtitles)

This turned out to be a surprisingly good story. It starts out kind of slow; the guy who's tasked with piecing the story together is sort of bumbling about it a bit. In the end, that's a very good storytelling technique. I watched it without knowing the Monroe parallel in the story, and I think, discovering those along with the main character was intriguing. The comedy bits were spot on and not too corny. Acting is pretty good. Beautiful scenes and good camera work. My Rating: 7.0

The Double Hour (R) 7.5

The Double Hour (2009) La doppia ora (original title): A chambermaid and an ex-cop meet at a speed dating event and a romance develops. But during a romantic getaway things suddenly take a dark turn. (6.7)

Director: Giuseppe Capotondi
Writers: Alessandro Fabbri, Ludovica Rampoldi
Stars: Ksenia Rappoport, Filippo Timi and Antonia Truppo
Language: Italian (w/ English subtitles)

There are quite a few twists in the storyline and I can't talk about them without spoiling the whole experience for others. The intrigue lies in how the story changes so swiftly, and the audience trying to expect what comes next knowing what just transpired. It is very good story. The acting is nice; doesn't feel forced or artificial. Given the location in the screenplay, the filming could have used nicer backdrops and made the scenery a part of the story as well. Yeah, as one of the characters alludes to, "once a cheater is always a cheater." (Heh, words to live by.) My Rating: 7.5

Enigma (R) 6.0

Enigma (2001): A young genius frantically races against time to crack an enemy code and solve the mystery surrounding the woman he loves. (6.4)

Director: Michael Apted
Writers: Robert Harris (novel), Tom Stoppard (screenplay)
Stars: Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet and Saffron Burrows

Okay, so the title of the movie is a play on words; Enigma here is not just the German code machine, but the woman, too. I wanted to watch this movie because I thought it was a historical fiction (ie: more history, less fiction) about the code-breaking accounts and the machine. Instead, the story is mostly fiction and I am kind of pissed that the main character has been drastically changed from the history. Clearly, he is based on Alan Turing but this word-play story could not have happened with Turing at all. A controversy also exists about the fact that a Polish man providing the enemy with secrets, but in reality it was an English man who did that. The movie itself is very good. Acting is superb, specially that of Kate Winslet. (Not until after the movie I thought to myself that that was Winslet--meaning her portrayal of the character was that absorbing.) My Rating: 6.0

Paprika (R) 7.0

Paprika (2006): When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it: Paprika. (7.7)

Director: Satoshi Kon
Writers: Yasutaka Tsutsui (novel), Seishi Minakami (screenplay)
Stars: Megumi Hayashibara, Toru Emori and Katsunosuke Hori

The story is super cool; sort of like the Inception a bit, but different. The animation uses the fact that dreams have no limits. The objects coming to life is pretty neatly done. However, I think, I'm a bit spoiled by the Miyazaki movies, some of the anime sequences felt a bit lacking. Still, a great movie for those who like Japanese anime. My Rating: 7.0

Paul (R) 7.0

Paul (2011): Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51. (7.0)

Director: Greg Mottola
Writers: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman

This is a comedy--a spoof with movies such as the ET, the Third Kind, and the Alien in mind--and not a Sci-Fi per se. The set-ups for the humorous bits, while the story is still rolling, is pretty good. But you have to be a sci-fi/comic type to understand some of the humorous moments. The genius is in the seamless use of some of the lines of other movies and delivering them straight-face. After watching it, I noticed that the two guys who wrote the script took on the main roles and that's pretty brave; they do give pretty convincing performances. Even some of the scenes are spoofed perfectly, so I do give a notch higher in my rating than I would have otherwise. My Rating: 7.0

Blame it on Fidel (UR) 7.5

Blame it on Fidel (2006) La faute à Fidel! (original title): A 9-year-old girl weathers big changes in her household as her parents become radical political activists in 1970-71 Paris. (7.3)

Director: Julie Gavras
Writers: Julie Gavras, Arnaud Cathrine, Domitilla Calamai (novel)
Stars: Nina Kervel-Bey, Julie Depardieu and Stefano Accorsi
Language: French (w/ English subtitles)

This movie has a great storyline that looks at really big questions through the eyes of a 9-year old girl, who is used to upper-class French lifestyle. It takes you through the points of view of those who label themselves as communists and liberals in the French society. The questions such as what is solidarity, what is the women's lib, the place of politics of Spain and Chile in Franc are asked in the 1970's perspective. Great performances, even by the the kids; I should say, specially by the kids. My Rating: 7.5

Dakota Skye (R) 6.5

Dakota Skye (2008): For as long as she could remember, Dakota Skye has been cursed with a super power. She has the ability to see the truth in any lie she hears. (6.4)

Director: John Humber
Writer: Chad J. Shonk
Stars: Scott F. Anderson, Matt Baker and Eileen Boylan

Truth, lies and teenage love ... heh, we've all seen it many times in movies. Yet, this one has a unique blend of those ingredients. Still, at times, I couldn't help but notice the overplaying of the 'typical full of themselves pot-heads' and the 'bored to death teenagers' in many scenes. The main character's 'special' ability to see through the lies could have been toned down a bit to keep it more in the realistic realm. At the end though, it is a good story. Acting is good, but the cinematography could have been better ... come on, couldn't find a nice setting sun, or brilliant night sky, wide open expanses, etc in Arizona? My Rating: 6.5