28 February 2008, early morning
I watched the French film Kings and Queens last night. I watched the first hour or so with Shima: she couldn’t stand the film and stopped watching about half way through. Kings and Queens is a serious-ass art-house film. I enjoyed it, but if you don’t enjoy slow, disjoint, meandering movies I recommend you stay away. The movie is a little hard to describe, with basically two loosely intertwined stories. The movie begins with a woman telling the audience that she is to be married for the third time: her first husband died (before their son was born), her second husband and her weren’t compatible, and her husband to be is a wealthy kind man who she loves very much. As the movie moves forward, you realize that her description of things isn’t quite accurate. The other story involves a man, Ismaël, who has just been checked into a sanatorium, but is certain there is a misunderstanding. The movie is full of flashbacks. These flashbacks usually fill in the details of an event mentioned by the characters in the present: more often than not these flashbacks contradict what the audience has been led to believe up to that point. Kings and Queens is an interesting movie. It’s definitely a movie you need to watch twice I think to really appreciate. The movie stars the lovely Emmanuelle Devos, who was in Gentile. The more I think about the film, the more I like it: this is usually the sign of a good film.
Kings and Queens on Rotten Tomatoes.
[3] Movies
27 February 2008, early morning
Mezan made Carvill and I watch Mountain Patrol over the weekend. It was something like the 11th time he had rented it, and he really wanted to watch it this time. His usual MO is to rent a film and then return it unwatched, thereby depriving someone else of the enjoyment of watching the movie, for one week at least. Mountain Patrol is a very cool film. It takes place in a remote corner of Tibet. (I get the feeling all the corners of Tibet are remote.) A reporter from Beijing arrives in a small town to interview a group of villagers who have set up a posse to hunt down poachers who are hunting antelopes. The captain of this group is a hard boiled dude, who leads his men and the reporter out into the wilderness in pursuit of a poacher he has been chasing for years. Howard — who showed up midway through the film to chat — commented that the film had a Moby Dick feel to it. It’s certainly a very bleak film. The cinematography is beautiful. There are lots of great landscapes to see. The actors all do a great job as well. All in all it’s a very enjoyable film.
The official Kekexili (Mountain Patrol) web site.
Movies
25 February 2008, early morning
I watched the romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe last night with Carvill and Limin. The movie is about a dad, Ryan Reynolds, explaining to his daughter, the little girl from Little Miss Sunshine, how he met his (soon to be ex) wife. The big gimmick in the movie is that he won’t tell his daughter which of the many women that appear in the story is her mother. The movie is basically a series of long flashbacks. The scenes that don’t work well in the film are those set in the present, between Reynolds and the little girl. I’m not quite sure how you could fix them though. Rachael Weisz was in the movie — meow. (There are actually several familiar faces in the film.) Definitely, Maybe was enjoyable enough, which is more than I can say for most romantic comedies I’ve seen.
It feels good to be watching so many films again.
The official Definitely, Maybe web site.
[2] Movies
22 February 2008, early morning
Shima and I watched The Colour of Paradise last night, another film by Majid Majidi. This film also features children prominently. The Colour of Paradise examines the relationship of a blind boy and his (uncaring) father. The movie begins with the father arriving at the boys school for the blind (late) to pick him up for the summer, and goes on from there. Both the child and the father deliver very strong performances. There are two scenes of note that really stand out in my mind, but as is usually the case when I write about films, I don’t want to say what they are. The camera work is great. Majidi also does a great job of trying to get into the head of a blind boy, and as such the sound work in the film is also really well done. I liked Children of Heaven more, but The Colour of Paradise is certainly a good film. (One thing i’m not sure I like is the ending.)
The official The Colour of Paradise web site.
[1] Movies
19 February 2008, mid-morning
Shima and I watched I for India a few days back. The movie is about an Indian family living in England, who communicate with their family back home via 8mm film and reel-to-reel audio tapes. The movie begins with the family moving to England in the late 70s, and follows their life through to the present day. The film was shot by the families youngest daughter. It’s an interesting look at the life of an immigrant, and that “you can never go home again” feeling that seems common to everyone I’ve met that lives abroad. I like films about the immigrant experience, so I suppose my opinions on the film are biased.
The official I for India web site.
Movies
15 February 2008, mid-morning
I finally watched Children of Heaven last night. I have wanted to see it for ages. The Iranian film begins with a young boy loosing his sister’s shoes, which he had taken to be mended. The boys family is poor, and can’t buy another pair of shoes, so the boy and girl conspire to keep the loss a secret by sharing the boys sneakers. It’s a simple and sweet film. It’s basically a children’s movie, though I feel it has a lot more substance to it than that. I think the film is worth watching if only to see the last race sequence, which is surprisingly exciting. It ends on a strange note: a happy ending you don’t feel that good about. It’s hard to describe. Children of Heaven is well worth watching. It’s a great movie.
The official (maybe?) Children of Heaven web site.
Movies
14 February 2008, early morning
I watched Persepolis with Limin, Vinnie and Shima. The movie is based on the graphic novels of the same name, which narrate the early life of their author, Marjane Satrapi. Almost the entire contents of the first two novels makes it into the movie. Clearly, due to time constraints and the nature of the medium, some elements aren’t as fleshed out as others; and of course, with animation, you can sometimes quickly express something that might have taken several panels to do in a comic. The only thing I noticed that was different in the film — though I need to confirm this — is the inclusion of a section where Satrapi discusses her depression and a suicide attempt. Shima thinks this was in the book, but I can’t recall it at all. I could see her going back and adding elements to the story she was too shy to write about initially. The movie — perhaps because of its pace — feels more like a documentary than an autobiography. I suppose the books in their own way are also a brief history of Iran. The art work is excellent.The movie captures the aesthetic of the book: the simple figures and high contrast blacks and whites. The movie uses what looks like watercolor or graphite shaded backgrounds in addition to the books simple black and white ink ones. The animation was amazing. The movie is great: if you have a chance to see this in the city you live in you really should. I had very high expectations for this film and it met them all. The movie’s ending made Shima cry — and Shima knows how the book ends!
The official Persepolis movie web site.
[1] Movies
10 February 2008, late morning
Since I last wrote about Akarimentari, the movie managed to come out on DVD. Akarimentari is a documentary about the Nobuyoshi Araki, one of Japan’s most notorious photographers. I’ve always had mixed feelings about his work, but after watching this movie I feel like I appreciate what he does a lot more. Watching him work is intense. I also like his breezy attitude about photography, art, and pornography. The movie showcases a lot of his work, interviews with the man himself, and interviews with art critics, models, and fans. The movie also features an original score by DJ Krush, which is hype. Really though, there was so much nakedness in this movie there was no way it couldn’t be good.
Reviews of Arakimentari at MetaCritic.
Movies
9 February 2008, lunch time
Shima and I watched God Grew Tired of Us last night. The movie tells the story of a group of Sudanese refugees, the Lost Boys, who leave the refugee camp they have been living in for the past 10 years to immigrate to the United States. The story is tragic, but also up lifting. It’ll certainly make you want to slap the next person you meet moaning about their 90210 problems. It’s a good film, well worth watching.
The official God Grew Tired of Us web site.
Movies
6 February 2008, lunch time
Wedding Daze is a romantic comedy. Dude from American pie and the crazy chick from the Wedding Crashers decide to get married after meeting at a cafe. It’s got its moments. As romantic comedies go I quite enjoyed it. Update And I watched it again with Shima. She liked it.
The official Wedding Daze site.
Movies
1 February 2008, mid-morning
SPL is in many ways a precursor to Flash Point. In the few fights featuring Donny Yuen you can see where he wants to go with martial arts fight sequences. Moving beyond the fights, SPL is a very gritty and dark film. It is pretty bleak. I love hard boiled cop movies, and this one doesn’t disappoint in that regard either. Simon Yam, who is in every god damn movie to come out of Hong Kong, does a great job as the leader of a group of hard-ass detectives. Sammo Hung plays the villain in the film, an evil mob boss Yam is trying to bring down. The movie works well. It’s a classic Hong Kong action film everyone needs to see.
This comment from IMDB sums up the film nicely:
Donnie yen did a spectacular job with the choreography and MMA fans will be glad to know there is an energetic mix of all types of fighting styles including Jiu Jitsu complete with take downs and arm-bars. One of the main fight sequences is the most spectacular upon first viewing and then more-so on reflection as you find out that Donnie Yen and Wu Jing had no rehearsal and no direction; simply, they were told to “go for it”. To this point, the baton that yen wields in this fight scene was replaced three times as it was broken on Wu Jing’s head while filming.
[1] Movies
1 February 2008, mid-morning
Offside is about a group of Iranian girls trying to watch the Iran vs Bahrain world cup qualifier. In Iran, girls aren’t allowed to go to soccer matches, so this is not so simple. The movie begin following one girls very lame attempt to sneak in, which leads to her capture. She ends up in a small pen with a few other despondent (and in some cases insolent) girls, guarded by equally morose soldiers. The movie basically critiques Iranian society, the girls auguring the absurdity of this soccer stadium ban with their captors. It’s an interesting film. Like other Iranian films I’ve seen, it is very slow and the plot is very light. I think because of all the censorship Iranian film makers need to deal with they are forced to either make light fluffy films or incredibly obtuse films. The director of Offside was actually not supposed to make this movie: he had to lie and say the assistant director was the one making the film, and the script he submitted to whatever ministry is in charge of these things was not the script they actually shot. I guess if you are a famous Iranian director and don’t insult the Ayatollah you can play some games with the government. One thing of note: the very end of the film may be a subtle suggestion that if the people band together they have more power than the army and government; that’s one way to see it anyway.
The official Offside web site.
Movies
29 January 2008, evening time
I was planning on waiting till I read the book before watching I Am Legend. I couldn’t wait. Will Smith plays the last man on Earth. The movie is good, though the ending is very Hollywood.
Movies
28 January 2008, late evening
I just finished watching 3:10 to Yuma. Russell Crowe plays an outlaw, Christian Bale plays a regular man trying to escort him to a prison train. They both deliver great performances. It’s being billed as the best Western since Unforgiven. I think Unforgive is a better movie: this one is far more traditional. The ending and some of the characterization is a bit hollywood, but all in all it’s a pretty solid western. It’s really well done, certainly well worth watching.
The official 3:10 to Yuma web site.
[1] Movies
2 January 2008, the wee hours
Shima and I watched Juno at the Varsity tonight. It was a pretty packed house. Juno is about a teenage girl who finds herself pregnant, and decides to carry the baby to term and give it up for adoption. The cast is great: the lead is played by Ellen Page, Michael Cera plays the father, Jason Batemen and Jennifer Garner play the adoptive parents to be. The movie is witty and sarcastic throughout, but ends on a sweet and touching note. It’s a very good film, well worth watching.
The official Juno web site.
[4] Movies
31 December 2007, lunch time
Shima and I watched Volver together a few days back. It’s a film by Pedro Almodovar. It was surprisingly lacking in nudity and strong sexual content. I’d say it is the least of all the films I’ve seen by him, making it a much more accessible movie. The story starts with a murder (and another death) and moves on from there. It’s a good film.
The official Volver web site.
Movies
24 December 2007, early morning
Shima and I watched Spkie Lee’s last film — joint? — Inside Man last night. It’s a heist film: Clive Owen is robbing a bank and Denzel Washington is the detective sent to try and sort things out. There are some twists and turns along the way to keep you guessing as to what’s going on. Denzel and Owen are both entertaining. I think one of my favourite scenes in the film is Waris Singh Ahluwalia complaining about the cops giving him shit and calling him an Arab. There are a lot of cool scenes in the film. My biggest complaint with the movie is the ending: as the story goes I think it works well, but it plays out way too slowly. It ruins the whole pace of the film. (It’s like the end of Lord of the Rings III.) I thought the film would have worked better had Lee tightened up the ending. All in all its a good film, well worth checking out. (Also, the film features Kim Director who is hot. Meow.)
The official Inside Man web site.
[2] Movies
26 November 2007, early morning
Shima and I watched the last two episodes of Firefly last night, and then stayed up a bit late to watch Serenity. I still can’t believe Fox canceled that show. (Well no, I can, but it still bugs me.) Firefly is so kick ass it’s such a shame it ends so abruptly. (That the last episode is particularly good is all the more painful.) Serenity does a reasonably good job of tying up some loose ends, but still leaves so many questions unanswered. I wish someone would give Josh Weadon a buck of money so he could make a couple more films. Or a mini-series. Anything really. There is so much good material in that show, and so many good characters, it’s a shame its all left untapped. Saffron? Early the Bounty Hunter? It’s such a classic show. If you haven’t seen Firefly you really need to.
Television | Movies
25 November 2007, lunch time
My friends and I watched Fay Grim last night. What a strange film. Parker Posey plays a lady tasked by the CIA to retrieve her fugitive husband’s rambling notebook confessions, which apparently contain national security secrets. The story moves forward from there, and is entertaining for the most part. Every shot in the film is at an angle. Everything is skewed, which makes for a weird viewing experience. Related to this would be the acting, which also seems a bit off. The film feels a bit surreal, but it really isn’t a surreal film. It’s hard to describe I suppose. We discovered after watching the movie that it’s a sort-of sequel to another film, Henry Fool. So, if you do plan on watching this film, you might want to watch that one first. Also, Parkey Posey is cute, and she looks awesome in that dress she wears when she arrives in Paris.
The Fay Grim web site.
Movies
19 November 2007, early morning
Jonnie To makes cool Hong Kong triad films. Election is no exception. The movie is about an election taking place in a particular triad to elect its new chairman. Of course, since this is a triad, there is some corruption, and some anger, and a little bit of drama. The movie has a strange pace to it, and the story drags on near the end. Every time you think the movie is done, there is more to the story. I don’t think it’s one of To’s better films, but it is an interesting enough movie. It actually feels very much like the introduction to a much longer series of triad films. There are a ton of characters, each given just enough screen time that you develop a sense of what they are about. There are some really great shots and scenes, which I suppose is true of all his films. To has a great style, and if you are looking for a different take on a triad movie, this one is worth checking out.
Election reviewed at Rotten Tomatoes. (Fixed link)
[3] Movies
19 November 2007, early morning
Steph, Rishi and I went to check out the Media Reform screening of History of Oil. The movie is basically a film adaptation of the original one-man play — powered by bicycles — that looks at the recent history of oil. It’s incredibly funny and thoughtful. Comedian Robert Newman does a good job of pointing out a lot of the hypocrisy and double-speak coming from the media and are text books on the West’s relationship to the Middle East. I don’t think any description I give of the movie will do it justice. Lucky for you, you can catch the whole thing on Google Video.
Robert Newman’s home page.
Movies
15 November 2007, early morning
I watched No Country for Old Men last night with Mahi. The story is simple enough: a fellow finds some money at a drug-deal gone wrong, takes it, and is chased down by a lunatic trying to get it back. The local sheriff is always a step behind the pair. I can’t stress how good this film is. It has to be the best film the Coen brothers have done yet. Each actor does a great job, there isn’t any dead weight. The script is solid. It’s shot beautifully. What I found most interesting was the total lack of music: there is none till the ending credits — and even those don’t start right away. Tension in the film is built solely by the actors, the situations, and the way things are shot; it’s quite impressive. I really think people need to see this film.
The official No Country for Old Men web site.
[4] Movies
31 October 2007, mid-morning
I watched 30 Days of Night last night with Dave. I hadn’t seen a film in the cinema in ages, so I’m glad this movie was so good. 30 Days of Night is about vampires attacking an Alaskan town during the month where the sun never rises — hence the name. My coworker was of the opinion that this film does for vampire movies what 28 Days Later does for zombie movies, and I’d have to agree: the film is dark and gritty and very serious. If you are going to make a movie about monsters that drink peoples blood, it is very easy to end up with something silly and campy. This film takes itself very seriously. If you had monsters that drank peoples blood running around killing people, that’d be a pretty fucked up situation. It would be disturbing. This movie is disturbing. There is a lot of blood, and people pleading for their lives, and wailing; god damn is there is a lot of wailing. Even the ending is kind of disturbing. This isn’t a film for the squeamish. All in all I really liked the movie. There were a couple of moments of hokey dialog that seemed a bit too Hollywood for my liking, but on the whole it is a solid film. If you can stomach some blood check it out.
The official 30 Days of Night web site.
[4] Movies
27 October 2007, early morning
Shima and I watched the Princess Bride with Renee last night. Neither of us had seen it before. It’s one of those cult films everyone seems to have seen, so I’m not sure how I had managed to avoid it all these years. It’s quite entertaining as children’s movies go. There are a surprising number of familiar faces in the movie: there are a lot of cameos. The movie also features Andre the Giant, who was awesome. This is probably a movie you should watch just so you can say that you have if for no other reason.
The Princess Bride on IMDB.
[6] Movies
16 September 2007, late evening
Flash Point is the latest film by Wilson Yip, staring Donnie Yen. Yen plays a hard boiled cop who needs to lay the beat down on some Viet gangsters. When Donnie Yen needs to kick some ass he doesn’t fuck around: Flash Point features some of the best fight scenes i’ve ever seen. The film is so gritty. Watching the film during TIFF was quite the experience. The crowd pretty much cheered whenever Yen would start laying the smack down. You need to watch Flash Point.
Movies
