My Watch List

While You Were Sleeping: The Funny, Quirky Holiday Classic

2012-12-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman,
Category: Romantic Comedy
(Update: The BluRay release date is finally set for January 15, 2013.)
For some reason, I can't stop grinning watching this movie. It is probably one of the best romantic comedy movies of all time. Even after all these years, it still puts a smile on my face.

It's also a great holiday movie. Lucy is a Chicago Transit Authority ticket / token both operator who has a secret crush on one of her regulars. When he falls on the train tracks on Christmas day, she jumps on the tracks to save him. What ensues is a case of bad hearing / mistaken identity at the hospital that brings her into the Callaghan family. Peter Callaghan, the guy she was crushing on, is in a coma and the family channels their attention to her. Which is something that Lucy is longing for because she has no family to speak of. Confusion and commotion follow when she tries to right her wrongs and start falling for Peter's brother Jack.

What makes the movies work is Sandra. Sandra's Lucy sweet, nice but slightly quirky, the perfect (slightly damaged) girl-next-door. She can make frumpy work because her personality (and that smile) shines through whatever her wardrobe is. Her comedic timing is pitch perfect and she seems not too concerned about how silly she looks. Her acting was really convincing. She even makes Bill Pullman look better than he does in most of his other movies.

Lucy's building owner and his son.

The other big part of the movie is everybody else. There is not one wasted actor in the movie. Seems like no line is too small. The movie is filled with interesting characters, from Lucy's neighbors, the Callaghans, Lucy's boss and even the doorman at Peter's apartment. Played by both seasoned and up and coming actors, they bring real life to their characters. Most of my friends can point out characters that they can relate to or have relations with. Peter's elderly doctor in the emergency room? That's none other than Richard Cusack, father of Joan and John Cusack. The acting felt real and the movie felt real because the people in them wore and did what you and I would normally be doing in the holiday season. Their problems are totally relate-able.

Tying the movies together was a simple story that was well executed on a lot of levels. The introduction set the tone of the movie by having the right balance of romanticism and self-deprecation. Yet it tells of Lucy's heartbreak and special relationship she had with her father that later we learn led her to the where she is in her life.

Peppered throughout the movie are small interesting moments that tell their own rich stories but don't take anything away from the main story itself. Take Jack's new vocation and how it will affect his relationship with his father Ox. In two scenes, it tells the complicated story of a son torn between the past, responsibilities and his future. Then there are the slippery ice clues. Watch how many people slip on ice in the movie. I didn't figure this out for years after I first saw the movie. I thought it was just a mean trick played on the guy delivering the paper.

Cinematography presents Chicago as the other star of the movie. Beautiful vistas and wide shots of the town is normal when you are trying to sell that the story is taking place in Chicago. But it's also shot on location so there are great scenes shot at both iconic and not-so-famous locations that are recognizable to the Chicago native immediately. Having the CTA play a role also helps. The external scenes were really great. I could almost feel the cold as Lucy sat outside on the stoop.

Honest Trailers: The revenge against Movie Trailers

2012-11-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

Regular readers will know how much I hate trailers. They are some sort of necessary evil of which there is no cure... until now. The folks at screen junkies have come out with the perfect solution to trailers: Honest Trailers. Hilariously funny and giving away all the secrets it's both ironic and sarcastic at the same time. If haven't watched any of the movies that has undergone the Honest Trailer treatment, don't watch them yet. Who know, you may actually like Twilight.

There are currently about 11 trailers up at the Honest Trailer YouTube page. Tell your friends about them and maybe they'll make more. The best part is, they take requests.

The Dark Knight Rises above all other comic book movies

2012-08-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway,

Category: Action
How much are we willing to pay for peace? In many places in the world, peace is often at the cost of freedom. Because freedom, while desirable, can be an agent for instability. And peace, while appreciated, can really mask instability. Those are two of the many themes of the final installment of Chistopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises.
The movie begins a number of years after the events of The Dark Knight. Although Gotham is peaceful and prosperous, Commissioner Gordon carries the weight of guilt on his shoulders. Guilty in perpetrating the lie of Harvey Dent's death and in the vilification of it's true hero, Batman. Moreover, the result of this lie is a tough law called the Dent Act which reduces Gotham's criminal elements to a bare minimum. It makes his job easier but Gordon is driven by the ghosts of the lie, never letting down his guard and going about with a sense that he will pay for his sins. For everybody else, prosperity reigns most and people go about their lives blissfully unaware.
Bruce Wayne also carries a heavy burden. He feels guilty for the death of childhood love Rachel and his choice of putting what was right before his personal feelings. He feels that his chance for happiness is gone, having not only lost a friend but someone whom he could have shared both of his lives with. He is also a broken man, the scars of his battle with the Joker taking it's toll on his body and spirit.
From seemingly out of nowhere comes the villain Bane. He has an agenda for Gotham, an agenda that seems to have no source or background. Although it appears to be that he is some sort of mercenary, it's quite clear that he is his own boss. Bane is ruthless and without mercy.
Bruce Wayne's shuttered existence is interrupted when his safe if broken into and his mother's pearl necklace is stolen by Selina Kyle, a master thief. He finds himself impressed by her skills and intrigued by her motivations. Selina's actions inadvertently leads to Gordon being taken by Bane. He is saved by Officer John Blake, who goes against his superior's orders to save him. This and Bane's actions, forces Wayne to bring Batman back.

Blane's trail leads Batman/Wayne back to Selina. He sees a kindred spirit in her, someone who also wishes to leave everything behind, as he had done when he left Gotham. He tries to reach out to her but she is too jaded with the world. Nonetheless, she helps him and Batman with their efforts to thwart Bane.
In the meantime, Wayne faces problems at Wayne Enterprises. A business rival, John Dagget, is trying to gain control over Wayne Enterprises. Helping him to defend his empire is fellow board member Miranda Tate. Alfred, in despair over what he sees is the return of the self-destructive drive of Wayne behind Batman, reveals a dark secret he has been keeping from Wayne which leads to a confrontation between them.
All that and the movie is barely a third of the way through! This three hour long movie provides a huge amount of entertainment value. It makes time pass quickly whether you are a Batman fan or not. Even if you haven't seen the first two movies (and I know there are four of you out there), you can come in an enjoy the movie as just an out-and-out action movie.

Amazon.com Widgets

Sucker Punch Explained

2012-07-29T03:44:00.002-07:00

This was a single article which got split into two. This is the spoilers section. The review of the movie Sucker Punch is here.
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SPOILER ALERT
By the truck loads. There is no way to explain how to see the movie Sucker Punch without giving it away entirely. Which makes it hard for word of mouth promotion or any promotion at all. So you end up with the focus on the action and the girls.
The best way to understand the movie is to accept that what you have seen most through the movie was the imagination of Baby Doll on two levels. This is like the Kaiser Sozey myth of the Usual Suspects. Whatever you watched, you saw, never really happened. Or happened in a different way.
In the beginning of the movie, as Baby-Doll was being brought into the asylum, she saw the elements she needed to escape. She knew she only 5 days to escape and went about getting those items quickly. She was also befriended other girls who were with her on the scheme. The asylum was run on the inside by the orderlies led by the orderly called Blue in the movie. The escape plan went wrong and the girls were hurt badly but in the end, Baby-Doll realized she had to sacrifice herself so that Sweet Pea could manage to escape. As she was about to be lobotomized, she imagines a dream world. In this world, she replaced the asylum with a brothel. Baby-Doll probably had been able to build dream worlds to replace reality during the times she was molested by her father. This is what she did and what we saw during the brothel sections of the movie was a mix of her reality in the asylum and her imagining it as a brothel. This was her final escape before being lobotomized. You could see the world of the asylum crept in her dream world like the visions of the kitchen, the dorm and the grimy hallways. Whatever was replaced by the brothel imagery (of lights and stages and costumes) were probably pushed out by Baby-Doll from her mind. When she began dancing and entering her dream sequences, she was basically replacing her experience of stealing the items with her fantastic imaginary worlds, only keeping the memory of the excitement and the rush of adrenalin pumping through her. So like a Russian doll, the movie begins with the real-world (asylum), goes into the dream world (brothel) with the imaginary worlds (action scenes) at the center. The movie re-enters the dream brothel world and ends in the real world.

The title of the movie is spot on. Even at the most basic level, the ending will leave you wondering whose story is the movie really about. Despite of what the movie narration alludes to, it is still Baby-Doll's story. Since Baby-Doll goes catatonic, she never really sees Sweet Pea get on a bus. That probably is part of her dream world, too. The return of the wise man, is probably an indication that the vision we see is hers, justifying her sacrifice in exchange for Sweet Pea's escape.
Although the structure of the story seems unique, it has been done before but better. In comparison, the sucker punch was truly delivered by the Sixth Sense.

Underworld Awakening: reboot or remix?

2012-07-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

In an effort to recover from the last Underworld movie, the producers decided to do a reboot of sorts with Underworld: Awakening. They decided to change the world that it is set in to a time in the near future. Good choice because the last Underworld movie which was set in the past, didn't quite work out. But isn't it the same decision on but in a different way?
This time around they brought back the husband and wife team of Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman (in a producer's role). The story goes that the humans have discovered the war between the Vampires on one side and Lycans and werewolves on the other. They have also discovered that both of the races are the result of a virus. This becomes the motivation for their course of action. Vampires, Lycans and werewolves are hunted as infected animals, to be culled. The effort is successful as the Lycans are believed to be extinct while what is left of the werewolves are running wild like packs of dogs. The Vampires are driven into hiding as the humans go door to door in search of Vampire, Lycan and werewolf.

When am I not holding a gun in this movie?

However, the Selene, the Death Dealer and heroine of first two Underworld movies, was not killed but cryogenically frozen. She is freed and with the help another vampire, David, she finds out that she is connected to Eve, another escapee from Antigen, the company that had been holding her captive. David brings here to what remains of the Vampires and they are set upon the Lycans who seem to want Eve for their own purposes. In the battle, she encounters a werewolf that is immune to silver. Selene learns and accepts the truth about Eve and sets about freeing her from the Lycans, which mysteriously brings her back to Antigen.
That is about more than 50% of the plot. Despite what people have written elsewhere, there is a lot of plot in Underworld Awakening. Unfortunately, a lot of it gets explained to the audience rather than being discovered or allowed to unfold. In fact, of the important plot points, all that is left as a surprise is a key revelation that may come as a real surprise to some (check out the spoiler parts below for more).
The mythology of the world remains largely intact. Although some question as to what is the point to cyrogenically freezing Selene as she is immortal anyway, I think it is more a way to imprison her than anything else.

Suck: A Funny Vampire movie that doesn't

2012-07-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

Starring: Rob Stefaniuk, Jessica Paré, Malcolm McDowell
Category: Horror, Comedy

What do you do when you are part of a struggling band that's competing with other similarly struggling bands for attention from the record companies? You're playing one night gigs in dives and bars that aren't paying you anything because they know how desperate you are to attract attention. Well, you will do anything to outdo the other bands. Use any advantage you have in the search of fame and the fortune that supposedly comes with it.

Suck is the story of one such band. They are pursuing the rock and roll dream and seem to be getting nowhere. They play in places they think record executives will be in the hopes of "being discovered". Their luck changes when their bassist, Jennifer, is bitten and becomes a vampire. At first, she accidentally eliminates a competing band. This works to their advantage. She then ropes in her band-mates, one by one, to help her cover her feeding frenzies. They help her dispose of the bodies of the other bands that she fed on. As the competition begin thinning, they seems to be getting more fans and start becoming more famous. However, a vampire hunter is also hot on their trail.
The movie came out more or less after Twilight. Some would be tempted to say it's an antidote for that movie, an example of what a real vampire movie with "real vampires" should be. I wouldn't go so far. The vampires in this movie do follow the accepted vampire conventions. However, horror isn't what the movie is about.
And it shouldn't be confused with Vampires Suck, the Twilight parody. The movie is a comedy but it's a black comedy. If you are expecting laugh-out-loud moments, you'd be disappointed. Much like you would if you watched Vampires Suck. If you are laughing-out-loud in either movie, you could be just high on something...
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The Adjustment Bureau: Adjust What You Think This Movie is About

2012-06-25T21:15:00.001-07:00

Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Terence Stamp
Category: Romantic Thriller
A really simple question with a big answer. How far would you go for the one you love? We have loved many people in our life. Whatever you may say, the love ebbs and flows over time. But what if you were given a glimpse of what might be, taste what it would feel like but ultimately denied it by forces you have never known before? How far would you go to have it back, to have that love back?
The Adjustment Bureau tells the story of shadowy organization that enforces "the plan". The plan is a document that is designed to keep humanity intact. The Adjustment Bureau ensures that it is followed by intervening in people's lives, either nudging them towards choices or triggering events that force a decision to be made in a certain way. In extreme cases, the Bureau intervenes directly and changes people's memories or thoughts so that they would act or do things "according to plan". The bureau has been around for a very long time. They may have great powers but seem to be as fallible as anybody else.

David Norris, who is running for a seat on the US Senate, finds himself at odds with the Bureau when he tried to start a relationship with Elise. He first meets her just before giving his concession speech after losing the Senate seat election. She inspires him to write a speech that makes him a favorite to win in the next election. However, she leaves quickly because she was being chased by the hotel security.

An Adjustment Bureau agent, Harry Mitchell, fails to spill coffee on David one morning. This causes him to make the bus and meet Elise again. They make a connection and she gives him her phone number. The Adjustment Bureau realizes that this has changed the course of future events and goes about forcefully re-aligning events and people so that it will follow the plan. David discovers them but is only stopped. Instead of having his memory changed like the people around him, he is told about the Bureau and warned not to contact or find Elise again. The phone number is confiscated and destroyed.
The rest of the movie is about an elaborate cat and mouse game between the David, and later Elise, with the Adjustment Bureau. It is explained why the bureau does what it does and give hints as to why David is special. David on the other hand refuses to give up on Elise and goes to great lengths to find her and be with her. At every turn, the Adjustment Bureau is waiting and thwarts their attempts, finally bringing in a specialist.
The movie is the story of one man's devotion and his unwillingness to accept what is given to him. He wants something that he sees as something better and make sacrifices to get it. In this case, the love of a woman whom he is attracted to. His attraction to her is more cerebral as she is from a different background than him and has a different outlook on life. He finds her refreshing because she is not impressed by what he does but rather who he is. David Norris realizes that Elise brings out the best in him and the best parts he never realized was there. For that, he was willing to risk every thing.
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Prometheus Review: Prometheus Delivers Something Else

2012-06-15T17:00:00.001-07:00

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace
Category: Sci-fi Action Adventure Horror

If you are a sci-fi movie fan, this movie is for you. If you like monster movies, you will like the second half of the movie. If horror movies are your thing, there are plenty of moments in this movie that will make you happy. If you are an Alien franchise fan, this movie is not meant for you. You can enjoy it as one of the others kind of movies but if expect this adds to the Aliens lore and the world that it lives in, you may not like what you see.

Prometheus generated a lot of interest because of it's links to director Ridley Scott , who directed Alien and the fact that it is a movie about aliens. It wouldn't be impossible to draw links to it and the Aliens franchise. The genesis of this movie is in fact from a pivotal scene in first movie, Alien. This is when the crew of the Nostromo walks into a cavernous chamber and find it filled with Alien pods on the floor. At the center of the chamber is a giant creature sitting in throne of something that looks like a telescope pointing skyward. The brief image and the question of who is the Space Jockey has been a source of popular fascination in the Aliens popular lore.

The Space Jockey in Alien

There have been no clues in the other movies so the identity of the Space Jockey is a mystery to most people. The novel Aliens: Original Sin doesn't count.

So it this movie a prequel? Yes and No. You will have to read the spoilers section at the bottom for an explanation.

The movie starts with a mysterious figure who looks like he committed suicide. That's a great way to start a movie, a mystery that will make the audience talk about after the movie. The problem is that it encourages the audience to think and look for clues that may answer that mystery. Unfortunately, this movie is enjoyed best without doing that.

Another view of the Space Jockey in Alien

The movie then jumps to two archaeologists who make a startling discovery in a cave: a pre-historic cave drawing of people pointing to a group of planets. They take this as proof (to them at least), that we were visited by aliens at different times in our history. And that they wanted us to go to them on their planet. (Really? Is that the first thing that comes to mind?)

The Weyland corporation then sponsors them to go to this planet. The group consists of a company representative played by Charlize Theron, the ship's crew, the two scientists, some other scientists, some security personnel and an android. The android has a disturbing fascination with Lawrence of Arabia and spends time on the ship, while the human crew are in stasis, watching the movie and dying his hair blonde. Lawrence of Arabia is not a great choice for an android to be taking lessons from. The main character is manipulative and rather unstable. Two traits you don't really want in a robot.

They reach the planet and find a hill with a landing strip that they think holds the key to the identity of these aliens. Then the movie gets out of hand. The scientists, in the spirit of Christmas, go headlong into the hill, exploring it's caves. They are giddy as children with a new gift and as reckless.

They make more discoveries that lead to more questions. Things start to go wrong and they discover that they are not alone. Not alone on the ship and not alone on the planet. Some of the crew get infected and all hell breaks loose. The movie then moves from science fiction to more action and horror elements.

Prometheus has everything going for it. A great cast, a good premise, huge budget, a good director and a strong interests from an existing fan-base. So it's not hard to expect great things from it. The movie is good but unfortunately, not great. It'll keep you talking and thinking when the movies ends but not for the right reasons. The movie does not live to it's full potential and having everything going for it makes it harder to swallow.
The cast were underutilized. Not quite up to the level of Clash of the Titans but the movie does have Charlize Theron just standing and glaring for the most of it. Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender do the hard lifting in the acting department and scenes where they are the important ones in the movie. Like the what the Weyland Corp. did in the movie, the producers could have just hired a generic support crew.
The movie has an epic quality to it. Definitely, a huge chunk of the budget is on-screen. But it is more so when it comes to size. Everything is scaled to make the humans look small. Huge hill/mound in a valley surrounded by towering mountains. Enormous sandstorms. The fact is, the aliens are quite big. You can see that even in the original Alien movie. The Space Jockey was a giant. The message here I think is clear: Humans are not the biggest beings in the universe. Now behave like it.

I also made the epic mistake of watching the trailer despite having understood the hidden code of trailer makers. I enjoyed the movie less because I watched the trailer. If you want to enjoy this movie, don't watch the trailer or forget what you saw.
Having said all that, this movie is still quite good. Come to it with no expectations and you will not be disappointed.

Clash of The Titans: Flush of the Brain Cells?

2012-05-20T11:02:00.003-07:00

Starring: Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton
Category: Action Adventure Fantasy

I finally watched this inadvertently at a friend's place. He put it on but people weren't watching. I was not interested in the conversations and decided of the two, the movie was probably better choice. Turns out, not by much.
I will spare the plot because basically this is a ride movie. You get on it and it tries to dazzle you with it's visuals and technical wizardry. Impossible zooms and camera angles only made me believe it less.
What was disappointing were two things. First, that quality of the cast could have made this into something special if they were allowed to. They weren't. A script that was short on expression made sure of that. Instead of fitting into the story-line, it chose the shortest, most hyperbolic way to convey the intended message. Which made for odd moments in the movie. Second, editing that favored special effects over acting. It seems that every time a moment's pause was needed after a short dialogue, it was cut out to save time for the special effects. In fact, thinking about it, cut were made almost the moment the dialogue ended. It didn't even bother to capture the reactions.

To be fair, a lot was happening. But some subplots could have been dropped or done with less special effects. The truth is, we don't need to see everything. Like Perseus's conception. We didn't need to see the entire event. In fact, by not telling it would have lent some mystery as to why Calibos was so bent on destroying Perseus. It could be told to him in a dramatic revelation, perhaps just before Calibos dies. But that would have made the audience think. And for this movie, it would have been a bad thing.
In fact, I think the people behind the movie had no intention of making this any form of cerebral challenge. The less people thought, the better. More distraction with special effects was the priority. I think they were afraid that if people used their brains in any capacity during the movie, the illusion would be lost and they would realize how bad this movie is.
Would I recommend this to anyone. Yes, I would. I would recommend this to anyone who wishes to not think for an hour and a half. Especially if they thought the conversations would have had an even worse effect on their brain.

Source Code movie a source of confusion?

2012-04-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

Starring: Michelle Monaghan, Jake Gyllenhall

Category: Science Fiction, Thriller
Source Code is hard to pin down and harder to categorize. While it clearly makes itself out as an action-suspense thriller, the main thrust of the movie is science fiction. The idea behind the movie is that the military has found a way to go relive another person's life for 8 minutes in the past. They could send someone, in this case pilot Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal), to re-live the last 8 minutes of someone else's life who has died. Stevens is re-living the life of Shawn Fentress, victim of a train bombing. He is riding the train with Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan) on the way to work.

At first Stevens is disorientated but with the guidance of Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farminga) he begins to learn the limitations and capabilities of his capability. Goodwin and Dr Rutledge, the man who build the machine, want Stevens to focus on finding the bomber, who they believe is on the train. But Stevens wants to find and disable the bomb. Goodwin and Rutledge try to convince Stevens that the reality he is in is a simulated world and that the events have taken place. So disabling the bomb is useless. At the end of each 8 minutes, Stevens is pulled out of the world and back into the machine. Each time he is sent back, it begins at the same place and the same things happen again. But Stevens begin noticing that although each 8 minutes he re-lives is basically the same, some small differences do happen, which gives him hope that he can change things.
Meanwhile, he begins to learn of his fate and how he came to 'pilot' the machine. He learns about the lost time in between his last memory of Afghanistan and where he is now. He also begins to connect with Christina and falls in love with her, much to the chagrin of Goodwin. But it is this connection that keeps him going as he falls into a state of despair as each attempt fails to reveal the bomber.
The movie is quite successful in being suspenseful despite working within cycles of 8 minutes and recurring events. Stevens goes through a process of elimination as he investigates each suspicious passenger. He evens 'builds' a plan to get a gun in an attempt to go after a suspect, making progress after each 8 minutes.
Halfway through the movie though, I struggle to push out the spoiler thoughts while I tried to enjoy the movie as it is. For those that can tune out, this is a great 'ride' movie. But to even a casual science fiction fan (if there is such a person), its very clear where the movie is heading even though they don't know how it will end.
The characters were believable in their own way. Stevens is the driven hero but is made human with his regrets. Goodwin is sympathetic to Stevens' situation although as being in the military, she will follow orders when given. And even though her character is somewhat limited and repetitive (being the only main character that exist only in the 8 minute cycle) Michelle Monaghan, is able to make the most of it and able to portray Christina as a woman clearly at the crossroads in her life when it comes to love and life. The one most identifiable to me is Dr Rutledge, the myopic scientist in pursuit of his goals (some of them not necessarily scientific in nature) and discarding other conclusions than his own.
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Moneyball and the Answers to Life's Problems

2012-03-23T12:21:00.001-07:00

Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Category: Drama
A friend of mine was so upset at the ending of this movie, his advice to me was to turn off the audio at the end of the movie. I'm glad I didn't. I'd miss out on the most important part of the movie. It's the part that changes the movie from what it appears to be into something better, something bigger than the sum of the parts of movie. The M.Night ending, if you must. The Sixth Sense kind.
You've probably have read that some movies are referred to as 'rides'. This means that they are like rides at an amusement park. You get on it with great anticipation. It feels great while riding it. You walk away from the ride excited. But in 5 minutes, you'd forget about it and probably moved on to the next ride.
Moneyball can be enjoyed as 'ride' movie. You can take it as the story of the underdog baseball team, going against all odds to achieve greatness. Only problem is, that wasn't the whole movie. The odds were stacked up against them. But they were largely internal or of their own making. And they didn't win at the end. Yes, they wrote themselves into the history books. But they didn't win their last game. They didn't win the game that would have ended the movie on a high note.

It can be argued that the movie is about the enduring hardships of a small team and ends on the romance of baseball, the principles of one man and the spirit of resilience and steadfastness. If you take it like that, the movie is easier to understand than The Natural.
I think that the movie can also be seen as the struggle of one man, Billy Bean, the General Manager of the Oakland A's baseball team, to build a winning team using whatever little resource he has. He has to find players that would give him any advantage against the opposing team. He uses individual player's strength in the areas he needed them rather than view their strength as a whole. He breaks down the game itself to the basic factors that will make wins and find the players that will do just those. Along his way, he finds that he is up against those who do not share his vision but he remains steadfast. Billy learns to stand up against the baseball establishment's ideas of what win ballgames in pursuit of his own vision.

Keith: Things are not often what they seem... but sometimes they are

2012-02-25T08:58:00.003-08:00

Starring: Elisabeth Harnois,Jesse McCartney
Category: Teen Drama / Romance

Keith (Jesse McCartney) is what some people call trouble. He views his world with contempt and he knows that the adults around him are powerless to change him. He mocks them openly. He knows they are uncomfortable around him. So he uses their discomfort to make them do what he wants and get what he wants.
Keith decides to bring down school goody-two-shoes Natalie (Elisabeth Harnois). First, he makes their science teacher pair them together. He creates this elaborate persona, mysterious and challenging. He never bends to her basic requests and answers few questions as possible. He knows he can take advantage of her inquisitive personality this way. He makes her work even for the simplest things.
Keith wants to humiliate her. He starts by making her do things she wouldn't normally do. He thinks that it would bring her out of her comfort zone, making her more vulnerable. But he discovers instead someone who is closer to himself than he thought. When it comes to understanding their world around them, her view isn't too far off than his.
While Natalie does great in school, is involved in school activities and has an active social life, she understands that high school doesn't last. She puts the right amount of attention and importance to them. She avoids teen drama as much as she can. She knows about the pecking order and realizes she is at the top. She just doesn't care that much about it. She has a better grip on life and her reality than most of her friends.
She is popular and socializes in the right circles but has no qualms when it comes to making friends outside these circle. She knows exactly where all of these things stand in the big picture.
Natalie is really running in automatic most of the time anyway as her parents has planned her life in detail. However, they do leave space for her own activities. They don't try to stop her from being a teenager. Since she is good at school, she apparently has relaxed house rules. That and because she follows their plan.
She knows there is a world beyond hers but doesn't venture further than what she's used to. Not to say that she would feel uncomfortable with it, there was no reason to venture out further. She is not afraid of it. She simply has no reason to push her boundaries.
Until she meets Keith. Keith lures her further and further away from her comfort zone. He points out things in her life that makes her question her life and direction. But as he draws her away from her 'comfort zone', she finds she is not too uncomfortable with it all. She deals with it as she would anything else. It doesn't cause the damage he expects. She in turn, tries to be part of his life. This catches him by surprise. Instead he becomes uncomfortable. She want their relationship to grow but he doesn't.
The movie starts out promising and is romantic and touching. But it isn't great. The world of the movie is fairly realistic, though. High school cliches are avoided but it seems the producers and director were casting actors who looked older. If they were trying to make up for Elisabeth Harnois, they really didn't have to. She is much older than Jesse McCartney but looks no older than he is. What they ended up with is this weird group of teens in the popular group who look out of place from the rest of the school.
Keith starts the movie being arrogant. Being young comes with a sense of arrogance. A sense of rebellion. It comes with the absence of experience. It may even be a mechanism for dealing with a new-found realization of a world larger than what was known and comfortable with.
Either way, Hollywood has been tapping into this sense for a long time. Just look at the image of James Dean and Rebel Without A Cause. That, I think, is what the people behind this movie were aiming for. A rebel that could be looked up to, that continues in that great tradition of movie rebels. That was what they were aiming for in the character of Keith.
What they ended up with was an irredeemable jerk called Keith. Seriously, not a moment goes through the movie when you don't want to slap that smirk off his face. Which is just about the range of Jesse McCartney's acting in this movie. Be mysterious expression? Smirk. I don't care attitude? Smirk. Surprised expression? Smirk. CSI: Las Vegas did a stunt casting by having him on. Elisabeth Harnois is a regular on the series. He was mostly in the hospital bed barely making sense with a few lines at the end. That was I guess how much they trusted his acting.
Some people had problems with how Natalie fell for Keith. Really, there is no reason. But when is love reasonable? She felt an attraction, a kinship with his views on life. She felt challenged in the relationship and she liked it. They communicated at a different level. Both were wearing masks. Masks that worked in their social world around them but not to each other. They had to remove it to honestly communicate and within that they found something special. They found a form of comfort that one can only find in truth and dealing with it. Which is a rare thing for a teenager. This part of the movie worked but I think that it was because it was told from Natalie's point of view.

Find Love Twice: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

2012-02-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

Starring: Alyssa Milano , Christopher Groham, Tom Lenk, Michael Landes
Category: Romantic Comedy

Do you think it's hard finding the right guy/girl? Well, what do you do if you find two of them at the same time?

This is Jesse's problem. Jesse (Alyssa Milano) meets Ethan (Christopher Groham) and Troy (Michael Landes) at the same time, literally within minutes of each other. Both men sweep her off her feet in their own ways. Ethan is a struggling writer who finds Jesse to be a source of inspiration. He is sweet, charming and funny. She feels comfortable enough with him to confide about her failed marriage. She is worried about how it will affect her relationships but Ethan doesn't care. She is the one right thing going on in his life. Despite of their awkwardness with each other, the difference between their personalities fills the other's life.

Troy, on the other hand is a successful advertising executive who understands the nature of his job but is quite grounded regardless. He is taken by Jesse's beauty and charms. He takes her on fantastic dates to impress her but find him impressed by her. at every turn. He is well off but realizes that Jesse is the true treasure in his life.
Jesse finds happiness in both men but she has a secret. She torn by it. Her brother reminds her to come clean with her boyfriend before it gets serious but it is too late. She is love. But with who? Who will she choose? That is the thrust of the movie. And the conceit/deceit of the movie. I'll get to that later.

This is an out and out romantic movie. There is some sharp and funny dialogue but that is to be expected when a writer tries to woo a girl above his station, at least in his eyes. This movie is funny naturally for once, invoking a smile and a chuckle. As opposed to other romantic comedies that are almost purely comedic and sitcom-ish with the romance thrown in the mix. These movies aim for the big laughs and either win or lose big. This movies aims to be easily funny and hits it right on every time.

All of the main characters are sweet and charming but with a small flaw. This makes them human and raise them above the standard Hollywood caricatures. Ethan's burden is the realization that he may have to abandon his dreams for a more stable future. Troy is the opposite, successful but realizes that his job is no longer his dream. Troy is hopelessly in love with Jesse and realizes that Jesse's the best thing in his life and something he cannot live without. And Jesse is carrying a burden that has stood in the way of relationships in the past and she is worried that it will affect her current relationship. That is probably the movies main 'villain' if there is any and the plot's central conceit, if you may.

However, that is where the movie starts to fall apart. Although Jesse's concern with her problem is there, it is not prominent nor focused on until the end. To movie's director, it is important to the movie's tension that Jesse's problem remain a secret. But in order for the audience to care for the secret problem, it has to affect a large part of the movie, which it doesn't. Jesse is often carefree and goes about with her dates as if nothing is happening. She also does not suffer guilt after the fact, which would emphasize her secret problem. It is hinted on briefly in the middle of the movie but then gets lost with everything else that is happening. The movie does not make us wonder what is going through her mind when it comes to dealing with her relationships and her problem. That is an opportunity lost.

The actors played their part well. Alyssa Milano can carry a movie, all she has to do is fight for the right one. This movie didn't challenge her range but neither has most of her past work. Her scenes with Christopher showed their unique chemistry. They brought out a believable sincerity in their characters. Both Christopher and Michael were good but the star was Alyssa. The actor who plays her bother is also good and his story line rounds out the movie well.

Generally, the movie works as a date movie. There hasn't been a movie with touching romantic scenes like those in this movie for a while now. Even the Nick Sparks movie of the year felt flat (I know it was a custom job for Miley Cyrus but the book offered so much potential). The romantic scenes were the movie's strong points, corny but in a good way. Not over the top nor too ironic.

Don't Fade Away: A Son's Journey

2011-12-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

Starring: Mischa Barton, Ryan Kwanten, Beau Bridges, Ja Rule
Category: Drama, Romance
This is a beautiful, powerful drama on life, love, friendship and the business of living. Jackson is a music executive losing his star client, survives a mugging and finds out that his father is dying. Already having lost his mother, Jackson realizes what is important in life and decides to do the right thing. He drops everything and goes home to Asheville, North Carolina (which according to IMDB has seen quite a number of movies made there). But Asheville is in the sticks and far removed from LA, where Jackson is calling home now.
He is at a crossroads in his life but decides that taking care of his father is more important than taking a fork in that road. He puts off his life and decides to face some of the history he has left behind. His father's mortality has him re-evaluating his life up to that point. Whatever doubts he expresses, his father has great faith in him and is proud of him nonetheless.
Jackson reluctantly reconnects with old friends and old wounds are re-opened. Jackson meets Kat, a girl who worked at his father's office and is drawn to her as she is to him. He can't understand why she would be interested in him other than having a common love for his father. But time ultimately draws them inevitably closer and soon he has to make a decision, to take one of the forks in the road of his life journey. I won't spoil the ending because for some people, they wished the movie would have just ended there. The director/writer has all right to end it any way he wishes. But the way he chooses to end it shows what the movie is or who it's for.
Acting was great all around. But Ryan Kwanten and Mischa Barton's really stood out. Ryan's acting signals clearly that he is leading-man material. His character showed genuine remorse and concern for his father. Always underneath whatever he was doing, was his concern about his job and his career. It surfaces and clashes with Kat's carefree but meaningful outlook on life and that is how they first connect. Kat, while seemingly carefree, carries her own burden. She realizes who she has become and feels powerless to stop it. Yet with Jackson, she finds a kindred spirit, someone who is also dealing with his demons that threaten to derail his life. Together they find solace and strength.
Supporting cast also didn't let the story down, living their characters as if they had been so all their lives.
The movie has two things going for it other than lead actors. First, it had an interesting story structure. It is a story of coming home to find oneself. But also is also a reflection of sorts into the past. There are flashbacks that seem strange and dream-like. As the movie progresses, it seems like the story is breaking apart at the seams and at the end it looks like it's taking a different turn. But the twist in the end ties it all up together. It's just not what the audience expects and hopes. Second, it features great music. Sometimes it would "bleed" into the story. You would think that the music is background music and suddenly the character would point it out or make a comment on it. It happens quite a few times that you become more aware of the music and songs.
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Sweet Karma: Action Indie Movie

2011-12-03T10:52:00.001-08:00

Starring: Shera Bechard Category: Action
If you've been reading this site for some time, you would notice that I don't review action movies that much. Not that I don't watch them. But most of the time they fall into two broad categories, Hollywood and low-budget. Hollywood types are those that are full of crazy, expensive, over-the-top action and a simple enough plot to follow along and seem interesting. Low-budget of course are the B-movies and where blood is spilled by the pint-load. Add a dash of intrigue and it would be more of a thriller or mystery. Add a bit of comedy and it'll more funny than bang-bang. Most of the time there is nothing interesting to write about either of them. They may be a good ride but there is nothing to take away with you once it's done.
There are notable exceptions to the first category. Comedy and action are just at the right mix in Die Hard. The Bourne series capture the even more elusive mix of action and mystery. And then there is Hot Fuzz, mixing action, comedy and mystery in almost equal amounts. Most of the action is at the tail end of the movie, though and it does have the advantage of being in awe of and drawing inspiration from other action movies.
Basically, an action movie has to be special for me write about it. It has to fall outside of the two broad categories or be interesting enough to write about. It has leave an impression.
Which brings me to Sweet Karma. It is one of those movies other people tell me I should check out. I watch more than my fair share of crappy movies and feared the worst. I put it off for fearing it was the result of a few rednecks with a camera trying to get away with a Saturday Night Special (pun intended). After watching it, I wasn't sure what movie I had watched. But I was sure I had just watched a star being born.
The movie starts with Russian girl Karma being duped into a job in Canada by the recruiting agent for a human trafficking syndicate. I use the term loosely because it's not really human trafficking if you are utilizing the "workforce" yourself. It's worse because basically it's kidnapping for prostitution. Then it gets interestingly confusing because Karma lands in the promised land of maple and honey but does not get corralled with the other girls. The Russian mob are not looking for her either. We then find out she is really seeking revenge for the death a girl that was previously duped by these people. And that she killed the recruiting agent after she got her papers. Thus begin the killing spree.

If that were just the movie then it would have fallen into the B-grade low budget action movies. But more twists and turns come up. The narrative shifts time moving from the present to the past with slightly confusing flashbacks. It moves the plot along and provides more information at the same time. The dead girl turns out to be her sister. Karma is also not a trained professional nor does she transform into one right after her first kill. That is squarely Hollywood territory. She is nervous. She messes up, gets caught twice. Some more twists follow. More killing and graphic scenes of violence. All leading to a, let's call it "eventful", ending.
For all the movie's faults, it was made up by lead actress Shera Bechard's brilliant acting. She was so good that at times her acting looked out of place with the other actors. They would look okay doing a scene together but then Karma walks in and suddenly they looked bad by comparison. Did I mention Karma was mute? So Shera had to really act to convey her emotions and thoughts. Her facial expressions and her body language had to make up for the missing dialogue. Sometimes looking at her eyes, you would know what is going on in her head. I think this also had the added effect of the audience having to relate closer with her, to get what she was trying to get across. The audience would have to pay close attention to her to better understand what was going on. Which they had to because of the various twists and turns. No exposition on who was who. In Hollywood movies, there is a conscious effort to introduce the key characters, so that the audience can follow. This doesn't happen in this movie. Some characters look alike enough for me to get confused. And a minor character at the beginning suddenly becomes a key character half-way through the movie.

9 : Hard Movie to Dislike But Must

2011-11-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

Starring (Voice): Elijah Wood, John C. Reily, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau
Category: Sci-Fi, Drama
9 is a post-apocolyptic movie with a twist. It's unlike most movies of the genre, where a group of people survives a global holocaust (usually nuclear) and tries to survive and rebuild. In this movie, nobody survives. At least, no humans.
It is a world where humans fought machines and the humans lost. However, the devastation was so complete that the machines themselves were nearly wiped out. What survived are small mechanical dolls that are as much alive as they are machines. They have name/numbers given to them by their Creator who is also apparently a Scientist. He made them unique in a way and obviously had plans for them although they rarely acknowledge his existence.
It is a hauntingly beautiful world. There is beauty in the stillness of post destruction, amongst the debris and carnage left behind. It is this world that the mechanical doll with the number 9 wakes up to. And it is in this world he is thrown into a quest he does not fully understand but knows he must take. 9 is driven by his sense of what is right but he is not at all righteously pretentious. That mantle is 1's. 9 is brought to 1 and discovers other dolls like him. This is after he survives an attack by a cat-like machine. In that attack, 9 is saved by 2, the first doll he encounters. The cat-machine takes 2 instead and 9 knows he must rescue 2. It is his first quest of many that becomes the thrust of the movie.
The world of 9 is very atmospheric yet keeps a unique look to it. It still looks at times like a beautiful painting. A beautiful painting of a devastated world. The action sequences in the movie are frantic and is shot with the best of them, with vista shots and pulls to show the scale and speed of the fight. I can go on and on about the visual aspects of the movie. Unfortunately, I can't do the same to the story.
Where do I begin? The stereotypical characters were uncalled for. Not for the depth of the actors involved in providing the voices. Christopher Plummer is unmistakable as 1 and Elijah is yet on another quest as 9. But beyond them, there is not much depth. Although the other dolls have their own interesting, unique characters, they need a wee bit more character development for the movie to work on a higher level. I wish the director focused less on the scenery and put more work on the characters.

The movies also hints at a potentially deep back story. The world before the apocalypse could be understood from the perspective of 9 who is constantly adapting to it as he is learning his way around.. However, the background and the way it is explained away too thoroughly leaves little to the imagination. The mystery of the world is lost to us as all questions are answered through explanations and vignettes. It deprives the story of it's mystery and scale. What could have been rich with possibilities is exposed a flat and predictable.

The strange and ambiguous ending also didn't help it's cause. I understood the role of pseudo-science and alchemy in the story to explain the existence of the dolls. But the ending and it's use to explain the survival of the world seems out of place and a bit jarring. I understood the "physical-renewal-through-spiritual renewal" angle the story was trying to push. But that need to push it instead of making it come naturally, makes the ending feels forced. In the end, the viewer is neither gifted with an uplifting ending nor does it make it clear that a renewal is happening to the audience. I may have understood it but the fact I had to explain it to the people watching it with me is the reason why the movie didn't take off as it deserved.

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The Good Guy: Definitely Not

2011-10-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

Starring: Alexis Bledel, Scott Porter, Bryan Greenburg
Category: Drama
How would you market a movie about something that everybody hates? Find that redeeming quality and shine a light on it, darkening everything else? Focus on an angle that would make it appeal to the widest audience to get the most number of people through the door on opening day?
This movie is hard to like because it is about stockbrokers and the lives that they lead. It is harder to like because it came out after the crash of the market. What made it almost impossible to like is that it is about the type of people who would give themselves bonuses after being bailed out by the government because of a problem they created. Even if the movie was partly true, it would have made people upset. Problem is, it probably just scratched the surface because it focused on the traders lives, which are extravagant themselves, rather than their bosses.
Beth (Alexis Bledel) is in a relationship with Tommy, an experienced stockbroker. She is introduced to Daniel, an up and coming broker who Tommy has decided to take under his wing. Tommy wants Daniel to be one of the guys. Why? Maybe he saw a part of himself in Daniel. And wants to beat that part of out him.
Needless to say that the movie is really about Tommy. It begins with a seemingly heartfelt moment when he goes and begs for Beth. We then get to see the events leading to that moment. Needless to say, it is not what it seems to be. Tommy begins the movie as the Good Guy. He seems like it. He is nice to Beth. He vouches for Daniel. But he has an agenda. To understand what Daniel wants to be, you have to look at Cash, Tommy's boss and idol. He is on his way to becoming Cash.
The other characters were largely supporting and stereotypical. I will admit I watched this because of Alexis Bledel. Anna Chlumsky of My Girl is in it too. The movie tries hard to be one of those selling New York as a great place to live and work. What made the movie worst is that it literally shows us that New York is a great place to live and work if you got the cash. Which was Tommy's problem at the beginning/end of the movie.
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Sucker Punch: It does what is says on the tin

2011-08-16T02:11:00.000-07:00

Starring: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino and Scott Glenn
Category: Action-Fantasy
Update: I decided to split this review into two because I still get asked about what this movie is about. This is the review of the movie itself while the explanation of the movie is here.

When the movie was about to end, I thought that is was an exciting action movie driven by this hard-to-follow story of a girl's fantasy of escaping from an asylum. I didn't think much about it even with the kicker at the end. It was after a few days later when I watched it again then I realized what the story structure was. It was different and imaginative but ultimately it's downfall. People who saw it didn't get it. I didn't the first time but looking back, the directors must have thought it was literal as it was right there in front of us. We just got distracted with all the visual candy.
Basically, it's the story of a young woman who was put in an asylum by her father and her attempt to escape. Her mother had died and left everything to her and her younger sister. The father, who seemed to have been molesting her for some time, decides to take his rage out on the younger sister. The young woman got hold of a gun and in the attempt to shoot her father, accidentally shoots her younger sister. His father puts her in the asylum to shut her up and pays off the head orderly to have her lobotomized so that she can't tell her side of the story. Don't worry I haven't given much away. All the above happens in the first 5 minutes.

The remainder of the movie is a bit more messier. The movie takes a sudden left turn and suddenly everybody is not whom they were a few minutes ago. We never know her real name but young woman is called Baby-doll for the rest of the movie. She is now in a brothel where she discovers that she enters another dream world when she begins to dance. In this world, she is given a list of items needed to escape and goes about collecting these items with her new friends. This is where it got really confusing. In the dream sequences, she goes about looking for the items and gets them. At the end of the dream sequences, she gets the items from the dream for 'real'.

The Shock Doctrine jolted me awake

2011-06-23T04:12:00.000-07:00

Category: Documentary

In a strange city and jet lagged, you tend to watch whatever is on in the early hours of the day with the hope that it is boring enough to drive you to well-deserved sleep. This was my hope not fulfilled.
The Shock Doctrine is a documentary that claims that the economic and social disasters in the last few decades were caused by policies put in place after some disaster or catastrophe. The documentary is based on the book of the same name. The shock facing the general population, with it's attention diverted, provided an opportunity to introduce extreme measures that would not normally be accepted, sometime under the disguise of helping to improve the situation. This was done on purpose or in latter years, planned as part of the whole scheme. The ultimate goal of the Shock Doctrine was at first, to try out Milton Friedman's free-market economic theory in real life. This led to some successes and some failures. But the value of the doctrine lies in it's ability to introduce or make people accept what they normally would not. In the end, the doctrine is used to ultimately put wealth in the hands of the few.
What is shocking to me was the nature of the doctrine itself. This was not thought up by some politician with some shady deal in mind. This was thought up and identified by people in academia, in universities who were driven by some high-minded academic goal. This doctrine was thought up as a means to an end, a tool to be used. I have never fully understood why people of my parent's generation viewed academics with suspicion. I understood why universities were forcing science undergraduates to take more arts-related courses and vice versa, to create a more rounded person. But putting the historical events in the documentary in context (plus the minor event called the creation of the atomic bomb), the drive to make academic more humans seems logical now.
The documentary is depressing to no end. It just piles on woe upon woe of the helplessness of the general public to their manipulation to agree to something that will ultimately bring them great harm. It sheds a new light on politics and war and the tools and goals of them both. Personally, it finally made me understand what the fuss was about Pinochet in the UK and why Margret Thatcher came back to public life to support him. The documentary pulled me in and although I thought I saw some leaps of faith, generally it was easy to follow and lays out the reasoning logically.

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Impossibly Romantic: Waiting for Forever

2011-05-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

Starring: Rachel Bilson, Tom Sturridge Category: Romance

This movie is from a rare breed, the romance movie. Not a romantic comedy. Because love can be serious and meaningful. Too often Hollywood tacks on comedy to romance thinking that is what people want. But like a good novel, a romance movie is at it's core and execution about love and the things we do for it. This movie is even more unconventional as is about love at the beginning of life and at the end of it. It is about love between parents and their children, between brothers and between two people who share the deepest meaning to each other.
Growing up, Emma and Will were best of friends. They shared everything and spent most of their time playing together. Most important of all Emma was there for him when his parents died. As he tried to make sense of it all and in an inspired moment, Emma gave him something so simple but special to Will. Something that made him cope with what was happening and hang on, something that he would carry with him forever.
Will used this as the center point of his reality. He put Emma and her gift at the center of his reality, in a harmless way really. While the rest of the world around him grew up, Will held on to his sense of innocence and his enduring love for Emma. Even though he moved away, one day he made a decision to be where Emma was. Not stalking her but being in the same places that made meeting her was a possibility.
Emma's father's illness leads them both back to their hometown. Now home, Willy's friends and family make Will face reality by facing Emma. Emma in turn, has to deal with her parents and their relationship facing death. Will decides to confess everything to Emma. This in the end is both good and bad. For the rest you have to watch the movie. Please. This movie needs all the support it can get. Watch it now on Amazon Instant Video.

This movie is hard to judge because it is unconventional. It has a very indie flavor to the story but visual-wise it is full-on hollywood. Everything is bright and shiny and clean. Everything is so well lit.. Which is why a lot of people mistake it for one. First of all, the movie is full of well-developed characters. Everybody has a back story and they shine in their brief moments. We can see the ailing husband trying to prepare his wife to lead a life without him, a brother who is resentful that he has to be the responsible one and two friends who grow up to be a family. I think it is a bit too busy. With the plot about Emma's boyfriend and his attempt to frame his mistake on Will, it become overloaded. I think less time should have been spent on it or it could have been dropped altogether. The plot tries very hard to avoid the cliches whenever possible. At points where it just can be maudlin or have 'cute' or 'redemption' moments, the movie chooses a more realistic path. This leads to a huge pay-off in the end. Be patient and it'll come.
A lot of people on IMDB have compared this to Benny and Joon. It does seem that the actor playing Will was channeling a young Johnny Depp. I don't agree because Benny and Joon is about a love between two special individuals. It is about their special situation, dealing with adversity together.
This movie reminds more of a small movie called Late for Dinner, starring Brian Wimmer, Peter Berg and Marcia Gay Harden. The movie plot is different but at the heart of both movies, is an undying love that refuses to give up. It is about a young family dealing with the tribulation of starting a family life. It is also about what choices can one make if they are frozen for 30 years and wake up to a world very different from when they first closed their eyes. I can't believe it's also on Amazon Instant Video. This movie is about a decent, loving husband who thinks of only what he can do for his family whatever life may throw at him. It is very romantic, especially when it comes to choices he makes with regard to his wife. The end sequence is very beautiful and you can't help being drawn in. Find it and it will be worth your time.

Not Your Average Japanese Yakuza Movie: Sharkskin Man Peach Hip Girl

2011-04-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Sie Kohinata
Category: Action Comedy

The Japanese title of the movie is "Samehada otoko to momojiri onna".
The only way I can begin to describe this movie is that it feels like a cross between a live action anime and a dark indie comedy. In a good way. The movie begins with two storylines meeting up. The first is the tale of the young maid at a mountain inn who is trying to escape her uncle, the manager of the inn. Her uncle clearly has designs for her, twisted designs. The second is the tale of a yakuza henchman on the run after stealing the mob's money. It isn't clear how he stole it but the yakuza is pissed enough to send in multiple groups of killers from HQ, despite friction between the groups. It is obvious they each have their history with each other. Led by a senior member, they want the money back even though it is not a huge sum by their account. At first I thought it was that they wanted to make a lesson out of him but as the story progresses, it seems that they are as interested in the money as they are the henchman (Sharkskin Guy). The maid (Peach Hip Girl) and the henchmen cross paths. The henchmen first thinks that he is taking her on the run but later realises she too is on the run and decide to run together.
The movie is filled with stereotypes from an anime movie or a manga comic. We have the boss's off-the rails son in ultra-fashionable clothes who fancies himself to be the most ruthless killer around, the senior yakuza boss with a collector's streak, the gay killer for hire who is hired by the uncle to track and kill whoever she is running with and a few more characters that manga readers will recognise immediately. The movie is also very Japanese. There is a scene where the henchman stops by the roadside to buy cigarettes from a roadside vending machine. You read right, a roadside vending machine. Where you would normally find a mailbox, exposed to the elements. Anywhere else in the world, the vending machine would be toast, banged up and broken into. But not in Japan. (Look up their recent conduct after the tsunami and you would appreciate the unique culture of the Japanese).

The World of Starship Troopers: A Utopian Dream?

2011-03-12T01:42:00.000-08:00

Starring: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Neil Patrick Harris, Director: Paul Verhoeven
Category: Sci-Fi, Action
Warning: The post is political. If that offends you, please don't read the rest. I am not usually political but the intrigue and maneuvering between the Republicans and Unions in Wisconsin in the news triggered my mind to an an old unfinished post. The main part of the post below was originally written many years ago but was never finished. I just went over it once over and posted it.
***
Starship Troopers was viewed as a popcorn action movie starring teen movie actors when it came out. It was more notable as a special effects extravaganza of it's day. Looking back, director Paul Verhoeven also brought to life the world of Starship Troopers. Starshup Troopers and it's world was first thought up by it's author, Sci-Fi legend Robert Heinlein. Verhoeven added his visual touches, bringing the world to life. But if you look past the Nazi-like uniforms, you will find both a world that are heading for as well as a world that we already in.

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Jonah Hex. More like Jonah Heck

2011-03-02T00:14:00.000-08:00

Starring: Josh Brolin, Megan Fox
Category: Action

Some graphic novels want to be movies. The art form, although dependent on the theater of the mind (aka your imagination), lends itself to be the closest thing the written word can be to the multimedia extravaganza today's Hollywood movies are. In fact, movie storyboards, which is a key tool in planning and developing movies, resembles a graphic novel without dialog.
Some movies want to be graphic novels. Why? Why try? The graphic novel is powered by imagination. How ever the director tries to create something to replace your imagination, you can probably imagine something more. More stylish, more beautiful and more action-packed. All a director can aim for is to distill the essence of a graphic novel and work with that, perhaps extending it a bit more in one or two directions. Case in point: Hellboy. Director Guillermo del Toro understood the Hellboy backstory and focused on known and loved traits of the character. He then added the love story with Liz Sherman. The movie was both a tribute to the novels as well as bringing the story to people who would not normally buy a graphic novel. But distill a graphic novel too much and you end up with Judge Dread. Some graphic novels are simply not just film-able as exemplified in the Punisher movies.
Which brings us to Jonah Hex. To say the movie went everywhere is a kind statement. It was schizophrenic at best. It could not decide whether to be stylized western (Danger! Wild, Wild, West area) or a comicbook super hero movie. It jumped from superpower show-off scenes to supposedly dramatic encounters to animated flash backs to dream-while-awake sequences to Wild E. Coyote-esque set-ups (I was genuinely looking for the Acme logo on the boxes of explosives). At some point, I was thinking, "How many people were directing this movie?"
What a waste of talent this movie was. Most reviews blame Megan Fox but I think she was just a victim as Josh Borlin and John Malkovich was. An actor never really knows how the movie will look like once it is edited and CG are added. For them, the gamble was lost.
For us, what could have been a great story is lost.

She's Out of My League: Surprisingly Romantic

2010-12-28T04:23:00.000-08:00

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel
Category: Romantic Comedy
What drove me to watch this, I'm not sure. I had dismissed this as another run-of-the-mill romantic comedy with all the standard elements of the tried and tested formula. Disappointed too many times recently with romantic comedies that promised everything but either delivered weak performances or unbelievable stories, my hopes were not high. But it came up and I went and did not walk out disappointed.
This movie is refreshing amongst the gross-out comedies, sappy-angst vampire movies and computer effects laden mish-mash that is presented as movies. Although it treads a path well-trodden and tries to be funny by detour through gross-out-land, in the end it is a movie with heart and a beautiful story to boot.
Kirk and his friends work at the airport in Pittsburgh. He ends up dating Molly, a beautiful blonde he helps with a lost phone. Basically, that is the movie. Although Molly asks out and starts dating Kirk in the hope that he is a safe date and won't hurt her, she later sees in Kirk someone who is sweet, shares in her interests and can make her laugh. It's the starting point in a lot of relationships. Kirk can't figure out why she is giving him the time of day but considers himself lucky and goes along on the ride. The story swings between Kirk's insecurities and Molly's insecurities and their trials of couple-hood. Their problems are so believable, some of the grins of the people watching are from recognizing the problems Kirk and Molly are going through rather than finding the problems funny. While there are big moments in the relationship when it lurches forward or backwards, it is in the small, quite moments they share that you get a sense that what they are going through is real. This is where the story is beautiful.
What makes the film funny are the plots involving their friends and family. Both of them share a common problem in that they both have issues with their families. They support each other in their relationship with each other's families. Molly tolerates Kirk's bizzare family, while Kirk helps Molly get closer to hers. And both realize how important family is to each other as their relationship develops and the relationship with their families change.
Both Kirk and Molly get support from their friends but the movie gives more focus on Kirk's merry band of brothers, each with their own distinct, interesting personalities. Stainer is Kirk's best friend from childhood while Jack and Devon joined them throughout the years. And like all real friends, they mess with each other's lives, even the parts that they don't share. The other 'relationship' to this movie is Stainer and Patty, both of whom do not advocate their friends relationship. Although they hate each other, both do it because they truly care about their friend. Tina and Katie, Molly's sister, make up the rest of Molly's friends. Ultimately, it is these friendships that factor most to Molly and Kirk. They are better because of these friendship and not in spite of them. They see in Molly and Kirk something good happening even though the obvious physical difference between both. Isn't that a sign of a real relationship, to feel secure enough to show one's insecurities, safe in the knowledge the other person will accept you regardless. And that is there the movie has heart. If you haven't seen it, you should.

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500 Days of Summer: A breath of fresh air and reality in one go

2010-12-28T00:03:00.000-08:00

Starring: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
Category: Independant Film

Some movies defy categorisation. By the way, what is the movie anyway? It's a medium to tell a story. It's visual and auditory. And the best movies can invoke an experience, which is more than the sum of what is shown on screen and heard in the theatre. While Hollywood seems to think that the only way to do this is pump up the volume and CGI everything, some times you don't need to shout to be heard.
500 Days of Summer works on so many levels. It invokes the feeling of being in love through so many ways. It invokes it through intimacy of the Tom and Summer, through Tom's musings of the 'little things' he loves about Summer, through a park song and dance number expressing Tom's elation in being in love with Summer. But he also invokes it through Tom's sadness of Summer leaving him, Tom's rants on the 'little things' he despises of Summer, the resentment of being demoted to 'best friend', that despite his anger and bitterness over Summer rejection of him, the negativity seems to only emphasize how much he loves her.
The director has made an unconventional movie about a love but the genius of it is rather than rely on Hollywood cliches and plot, he takes the whole load of the tools of the genre, like the meet-cute and narration, and uses them for other than what it was intended, like emphasizing points and moving the plot along. For example, narration. Narration even moved from the third person perspective to almost participatory. All of this ends in a "Hollywood ending" with a not so Hollywood message (e.g. Love conquers all, Hard work is always rewarded, etc).
Best of all, despite of all the use of the story telling tools, the emotions it evokes feels genuine. Tom and Summer's relationship felt and looked real. Raw and often frayed at the edges. This is on the same level as 'Once', another movie that just tears you apart.
Immersive and inventive. Brimming with real emotions and situations. A good watch on a rainy summer day.

Music was great. Definitely worth another listen.