Kabei: Our Mother (PG) 8.0

Kabei: Our Mother (2008): Based on childhood days of Teruyo Nogami. (7.4)

Director: Yôji Yamada
Writers: Teruyo Nogami (biography), Yôji Yamada (adaptation)
Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Mirai Shida and Chieko Baishô
Language: Japanese (w/ English subtitles)

A simple story about one man's "thought crimes" against the Imperial Japan during WWII turns into an emotional train wreck at the end. Gives the viewer a glimpse of what it was like in Japan at that time, what ordinary people may have thought. It shows Japanese cultural intricacies. At the end, it shows that people and human emotions are the same everywhere. My Rating: 8.0

Taking Chance (PG) 8.0

Taking Chance (TV 2009): Based on real-life events, Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, a volunteer military escort officer, accompanies the body of 19-year-old Marine Chance Phelps back to his hometown of Dubois, Wyoming. (7.3)

Director: Ross Katz
Writers: Michael Strobl (journal), Michael Strobl (screenplay)
Stars: Kevin Bacon, Tom Aldredge and Nicholas Art

Poignant story about caring for a solder who has died in combat. Elegantly photographed and respectfully told. If we as a civilization were to survive, humans must evolve beyond the war, conflict and fighting. Yet, during every step of that slow evolution, we must honor those who make the ultimate sacrifice when called upon to fight for the country. That's a conflict in my mind that I don't know how to resolve. This movie is a step in the right direction. Like the escort (Strobl) I've often wondered if I have side-stepped from serving in the forces by not being in the right place at the right time (in US or SL). (During many scenes, I wondered how many would show up at my own funeral ... heh! a handful, at most.) My Rating: 8.0

Cars (G) 7.0

Cars (2006): A hot-shot race-car named Lightning McQueen gets waylaid in Radiator Springs, where he finds the true meaning of friendship and family. (7.4)

Directors: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft
Stars: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt and Paul Newman

It is a pixar animation. Very good original story. Tried and true, yet wonderful message and theme. Very well done animation. Now I've seen this movie three or four times, but it still holds my attention throughout. Very well done movie. My Rating: 7.0

Watchmen (R) 7.0

Watchmen (2009): In an alternate 1985 where former superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach into his own sprawling investigation, uncovering something that could completely change the course of history as we know it. (7.7)

Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson and Carla Gugino

I have not read the comic series. So, while this is my second viewing of the movie, I come into it with a fresh mind. Unlike other superhero characters, the ones in Watchmen are complex, with lots of faults of their own and all too human. Each superhero character tells a different story. It gets in some digs at how 1985 finally turned out and also spoofs of other well known stories and events. The use of popular scores is really nice. In the final analysis, even for superheros the life is not fair. My Rating: 7.0

God Grew Tired of Us (PG) 6.0

God Grew Tired of Us (2006): Four boys from Sudan embark on a journey to America after years of wandering Sub-Saharan Africa in search of safety. (7.9)

Directors: Christopher Dillon Quinn, Tommy Walker
Stars: Panther Bior, John Bul Dau and Nicole Kidman

This is a documentary film. The first part is about what happened in Southern Sudan as a result of the civil war; specifically the hardship some 27,000 boys had to endure for many years. The second part is about four of those boys who were fortunate enough to be granted refugee status in the US and how they adjusted to life here. Made me think of my (similar) experiences as an immigrant, but I didn't have to flee a war zone for thousands of miles when I was 13. But by trying to make it a personalize story, I think, the documentary lost a bit of the big picture of the plight of the Sudanese villages. My Rating: 6.0

A Scanner Darkly (R) 7.0

A Scanner Darkly (2006): An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result. (7.1)

Director: Richard Linklater
Writers: Philip K. Dick (novel), Richard Linklater (screenplay)
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Robert Downey Jr.

This Rotoscoped movie could possibly become a cult classic. The use of the filming technique is exactly suited for the content of the story--addiction to mind altering drugs. The story isn't preachy about right and wrong but there are lots of grey areas in the movie, such as various drug uses, police methods, surveillance, corporate and police mixing, true nature of treatment, etc. There's lots of details about the movie and the story in this Wikipedia article (contains spoilers). Good movie, but perhaps, not for everyone. My Rating: 7.0

The Lost Room (PG TV) 8.0

The Lost Room (TV mini-series 2006): A detective investigates a mysterious motel room, which acts as a portal to alternate universe. (8.3)

Stars: Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies and Peter Jacobson

Surprisingly original and well thought-out story. It is complex and has many twists and turns. Had this been a longer series, it could have gone in many wild directions for several seasons. It has the right amount of suspense, humor and intrigue. Very interesting how it uses various human tendencies to build the characters. Took me several days to watch all the episodes. Highly recommend it. Read more in the Wikipedia entry if you wish, but it contains spoilers. My Rating: 8.0

Listen to Your Heart (PG-13) 6.5

Listen to Your Heart (2010): A singer/songwriter falls in love with a girl who can't hear the music she inspires him to write. (6.1)

Director: Matt Thompson
Stars: Alexia Rasmussen, Kent Moran and Cybill Shepherd

A love story. A bit on the soapy side, but a few twists here and there makes it a unique story. The acting is pretty good, including that of the supporting cast. New York as a backdrop is always a safe bet with a story like this. For a movie about a singer/songwriter, the music/songs presented (at least to me) weren't all that great. Original scores could have been supplemented with a couple of well known songs (like this one by Roxette as the title song), just IMHO. My Rating: 6.5

Shanghai Triad (R) 7.0

Shanghai Triad (1995): A provincial boy related to a Shanghai crime family is recruited by his uncle into cosmopolitan Shanghai in the 1930s to be a servant to a ganglord's mistress. (7.2)

Director: Yimou Zhang
Stars: Li Gong, Baotian Li and Wang Xiaoxiao

Another of Zhang Yimou movies with nice visuals and great cinematography. Great use of the color filters to give a sense of the time period and, frankly, to get nice imagery. Love seeing Li Gong in yet another commanding role. (I don't understand a word of what she says, but something about the way she speaks is nice; as is the way she smiles.) The story is a bit thin. For a gangster movie, I wanted to see a bit more action; then again, it shouldn't be (isn't) Godfather done with Chinese actors. The kid's character needed a bit more. (heh, I didn't know that "Triad" means something like "mafia") My Rating: 7.0

Megamind (PG) 7.0

Megamind (2010): The supervillain Megamind finally conquers his nemesis, the hero Metro Man... but finds his life pointless without a hero to fight. (7.3)

Director: Tom McGrath
Stars: Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt

Not your average Super-hero vs. Villain story. Nice parodies and spoofs. I laughed out loud a few times. Good animation. What else do you want. This is a nice movie. My Rating: 7.0