Gorgeous, radiant, inspiring piece that fills the feminine heart with warmth. Filmed in a lush countryside, it doubles as a travelogue.
Showing posts with label 2003. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2003. Show all posts
Sunday, March 28, 2010
"Phone Booth"
Next to "The Recruit," "Phone Booth" deserves an honorable mention. Well-written, well-directed, well-acted, intense psychological thriller. A very focused filmmaking.
"The Recruit"
If anyone is enraptured with espionage, if you enjoyed the dynamic between the veteran and the protégé in "Spy Games," go see "The Recruit." It's a gripping thriller that will let you go behind the scene of the prodigious CIA training. And before you venture out to this world of perfidy and stratagem, remember that, "Nothing is as it seems." Friend or foe, the game is on.
"Runaway Jury"
Provocative courtroom thriller, compelling case, smart power-play with drastic twists and turns. Definitely enlightening in some ways; the process of jury selections and coming out with a verdict. Obviously, in real life, it's not nearly as dramatic as the Hollywood version, but you know something... I think I'd enjoy serving as a jury. More often than not, politics and laws are entertainment to me. :-)
Saturday, March 27, 2010
"Bruce Almighty:
Let get this straight first; I don't watch slapsticks (there's a difference between slapsticks and comedies), just like I don't watch slasher horror (there's a difference between horror and thriller).
So when there was a seemingly slapsticks, typical Jim Carrey (exceptional comedian, no doubt) movie came out, I didn't intend to see it. Until I heard about the premise. What would you do if you were God? What would you do if God gave you all the almighty power? Would you do a better job as God? Could you miraculously wipe out all the world's problems by answering "yes" to all the prayers? Could you just hand over miracles? No? Why not? Oooh... imagine the possibilities! Color me intrigued. I have a penchant to be intrigued by movies about life. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. Sure, the slapsticks were there, but the movie was MUCH better than I thought. Down-on-his luck human-interest reporter vying for the coveted anchor position, Bruce, who blames everything on everyone else and God. "Why are you doing this to me, God?" So, one day, God decides that he's had enough. He pages Bruce and asks him to meet with him somewhere down at a warehouse on level 7. Don't let the dingy appearance fools you. Inside this sterile, all-white room, he is greeted by a Janitor (Morgan Freeman, whose versatile performances I loved from "Double Jeopardy," "High Crimes" and "Sum of All Fears") who keeps moping the floor (could you see the metaphor?). Later Bruce finds out that there is a cabinet just for him, containing all information about his life in an astounding volume. Every word, thought, action are in that cabinet. The Janitor decides to temporarily give Bruce a chance to be God while He is taking a vacation and see if he could do a better job. Bruce seems to think so. What ensues are a series of divine hilarities. The entire theater was roaring with laughter almost continuously. There was one hysterically funny scene *alone* that I thought was worth of the price of the ticket. I laughed SO hard till I cried. My stomach hurt and I had to *literally* wipe the tears from my eyes. If I were at home, I would have probably been rolling on the floor. The rest of the antics were also top-notch. If you've seen the movie, you'll know which scene that I was referring to. But it's not only the laughter. This movie is bright, witty *and* meaningful. It is very touching and carries a real message at the same time. You'd be hard pressed to find the last element in slapsticks. It also displays heavenly hilarious special effects. It lightheartedly takes on a serious, controversial topic in a non-offensive way. I can easily articulate the "lessons learned" from the movie, but I won't spoil it for you. It has something to do with free will, belief, choice, responsibility, accountability, empowerment, forgiveness and redemption. Fellow movie-goers tend to agree. This movie has become the highest grossing comedy ever in history. Go see it! You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll take away something from it. DVD: http://tinyurl.com/yhhrmsb
"The Italian Job"
An atypical heist blockbuster starring mini coopers that is swift, slick and sleek. Good, clean caper fun executed with precision and style.
"Finding Nemo"
"Finding Nemo" the highest grossing sales in the history of animated features to-date. And it was very well-deserved. I was thoroughly hooked.
It was truly a masterpiece. A bold, vivid, colorful underwater and overland adventure of exuberant creatures with vivacious personalities. It's a fantasy, yet it's dazzlingly real and alive. A visual feast, masterful animation, excellent score, impeccable voicework with heartfelt story and witty dialogues (Dori's become my most favorite animated character of all-time. I'm still tickled pink, or blue, in this case! ;-)). The story skillfully and subtly reveals the disabilities of the main characters; mental, emotional and physical and how these disabilities affect their ways in navigating the world and relationships with others. It's gentle, smart, funny, charming, exciting, and frightening at times. I won't articulate the morale of the story. But I will say this: it's an uplifting story about tragedy and triumph, self-realization and strength, fear and courage, challenge and success, learning and growing, love and friendship. Pretty deep stuffs for a kiddie movie without being preachy. You'll forget that this is a merely fish tale; the engaging story, dialogues, and humor are those of real humans and relevant to the world that we live in.
"Catch Me If You Can"
Brilliant, intricate, fascinating cat-and-mouse caper with psychological insights. Based on the real life story of Frank Abagnale; the most sought-after con-man in the 1960s sophisticatedly impersonated a teacher, pilot, lawyer, doctor. He jetset the globe and forged $2.5 million of checks. All in a mere three years before the age of 19.
"Femme Fatale"
Bold, gaudy, intriguing knit of reality and reverie with one of the most memorable heists ever pulled off.
"Equilibrium"
Forget about the "Matrix."
If you haven't seen "Equilibrium" already, you've missed out the coolest fighting style in the 21st century! I don't know how I forgot to include this movie in my movie-marathon e-mail last week. I saw it last November. It was devastatingly jaw-dropping. GUN-KATA is a sleek combo of martial arts and gun power. Masterfully performed with absolute precision and rapid speed, it is designed to instantly abolish the enemies at their weakest spot with no chance of survival. The premise of the movie is simple yet provocative. Set in the future of a totalitarian society, every human being is required by the government to take Prozium, an emotion-numbing drug, on a daily basis. Emotions are considered a crime. Any forms of individual expressions, such as arts, music and entertainment are banned. Everyone is breathing but living like a zombie. The "logic" is as follows: crimes are triggered by emotions. Jealousy, anger, outrage, impatience, heartache, and so on. If these feelings are numbed, then crimes will naturally disappear. Anyone who is discovered having feelings, or labeled as "Sense Offenders," will be hunted down by a special elite force. If they refuse to be taken in to the headquarters for punishment, walking into a burning chamber, they will be prosecuted on the spot. One day the head of the elite force, a "Cleric," highly trained in samurai and gunplay, accidentally misses his dose and begins to feel emotions and experience how amazing it is to feel. His senses are awakened. His transformation (starring Christian Bale) is very poignant and totally believable. You can guess how the rest of the story plays out. The final showdown between the two prominent clerics (classic good versus evil) left me speechless. While suspension of belief is a must, watching this stylishly innovative action sequence of GUN-KATA alone will be worth your price of admission. DVD: http://tinyurl.com/ylj35bv
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