Reviews by Alexander

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Red light district...but this one you can visit.

Posted : 2 months ago on 24 September 2009 04:44 (A review of District 9)

''I mean, you can't say they don't look like that, that's what they look like, right? They look like prawns.''

An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent that is exposed to their biotechnology.

Sharlto Copley: Wikus Van De Merwe

It's safe to say District 9 is a breath of fresh air in terms of originality mixed with familiarity. New ideas of sci-fi, documentary filming, and action-packed scenes are all merged together here in seamlessly sewn entertainment.
District 9 offers us a new world of vision and clarity. We have a UFO hovering over Johannesburg in South Africa, not a typical Hollywood location set in the obvious US, because lets face it, this is not a typical Hollywood blockbuster. This is a totally new ball game which emphasizes other familiar sci-fi names like Halo, the Marvel Iron Man, and the fun Independence Day, then turns them all on their head. District 9 draws its many strengths from it's inspirations, from its script and above all from it's likable although flawed hero, and a father and son Alien whom actually help us ''relate'' to the Alien race, known as 'Prawns'.

''When dealing with aliens, try to be polite, but firm. And always remember that a smile is cheaper than a bullet.''

The action scenes and effects obviously stand out here in awe inspiring proportions. These scenes in which people are zapped by alien ray guns is truly like watching a computer game in motion, needless to say it's very real, very in your face, and will have all action/sci-fi junkies glued to the screen drooling for more.
What is nice is that the main Hero, Wikus Van De Merwe played by Sharlto Copley, starts off as an MNU Officer in charge of evicting the prawns from District 9. Thankfully a twist of fate in which he is sprayed with alien substance causes him to start to change into one of them, hence him becoming sympathetic to the aliens cause.

I find District 9 also hits the nail on the head over various issues, such as racial prejudices, Concentration camps and humanities total disregard for anyone or anything that is different. The deeper message here, is this really our planet at all? Are we under the illusion that it is our property? Our self proclaimed intelligence as supposedly the most advanced life-form on this Earth premature perhaps? The aliens are different physically, sure, but they suffer from the same weakness we do. In that sense we have become so reliant on Technology, that the day we lose it, is the day we fall back into our primitive squalor of unwilling practicality.
Thus District 9 succeeds on so many levels, it isn't only considered a blockbuster, a documentary, or even a Sci-fi actioner, District 9 is an exploration of the human psyche and spirit, a journey of hope and rekindled enlightenment.

''I want to go home!''


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QT does Kill Bill in 1940s Nazi style.

Posted : 3 months, 1 week ago on 19 August 2009 05:04 (A review of Inglourious Basterds)

''The German will be sickened by us, the German will talk about us, and the German will fear us.''

In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers.

Brad Pitt: Lt. Aldo Raine

Lt. Aldo Raine: So you're "The Jew Hunter."
Col. Hans Landa: [giddy] That's a bingo!
[Lt. Aldo and PFC. Utivich stare at him in confusion]
Col. Hans Landa: Is that the way you say it: "That's a bingo?"
Lt. Aldo Raine: You just say "Bingo."

Inglorious Basterds shows us Quentin Tarantino's vision of a Nazi infested France rife with chaos and anarchy. It simply is the most warped, crazy roller coaster rides of WW2 proportions to come out in decades. Cleverly the soundtrack is a modern web of guitar, Bowie, 80s music, spaghetti Western styled whistling and all of QT's previous works mixed into a mix worthy of Tarantino. Literally the music combines with the visuals effortlessly well, we feel glued to the screen because of the assault on our senses.

''What a tremendously hostile world that a rat must endure. Yet not only does he survive, he thrives. Because our little foe has an instinct for survival and preservation second to none... And that Monsieur is what a Jew shares with a rat.''

Needless to say, the cast of Inglorious Basterds is deliciously flawless and a gathering of some impressive players. The role I adored most was that of detective nemesis, ''Jew Hunter'', dastardly Col. Hans Landa played by Christoph Waltz. He has some of the killer lines and phrases in the movie, and he speaks German, French, English, Italian...He literally puts the yanks, Pitt and the other Allie chaps to shame. Nazi's were well educated, arrogant, pig headed brutes who weren't afraid to let everyone else know it, and Christoph effortlessly makes us aware of this. I was also in hysterics over the portrayal of Hitler, Winston Churchill, and a Mike Myers playing some General who looked like he had just waltzed of Austin Powers. This was one of the best cameos I've seen to date. Brad Pitt was abit annoying with his accent, Eli Roth hilarious, and the rest of the basterds not really on screen for long at all.

''You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, Business is a-boomin'.''

I really must mention Quentin Tarantino loves his dialogue and Inglorious Basterds is full of talking and discussions you really need to pay attention to. These are deep topics here, and it isn't all over blown action and violence, although when there is boy does it hit home. This is a deep intellectual stab at history, a stab at history that doesn't have to be necessarily accurate. I mean Hitler gets a fucking whooping in a French cinema for god sake, this is over blown carnage with slick romance and chaos served side by side. The characters are thrown around like dolls and more than likely, QT kills them off without a thought as to what will come next.

Overall, Inglorious Basterds is abit of fun rather than a serious depiction of history, hence the ''Once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France...'' slogan. This QT doing a Kill Bill flavoured 1940s Nazi congregation of sick comedic proportions. Hell he even rips the piss out of us English, with our accents and stiff upper lip stereotypicalised supposed mannerisms. Inglorious Basterds will finish you off with an exploding cinema, a carved Nazi swastika symbol upon your synapses, and will blow you away with those crazy ass tunes on the credits. Enjoy!

''...The Germans will be sicken by us, the Germans will talk about us and the Germans will fear us. Nazis ain't got no humanity! They need to be destroyed. Each and every man under my command owns me one hundred Nazi scalps... and I want my scalps!''




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Ugly Duckling that surprises.

Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 12 August 2009 07:42 (A review of The Ugly Truth)

''Real or fake?''

A romantically challenged morning show producer is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love. His clever ploys, however, lead to an unexpected result.

Katherine Heigl: Abby

A few days ago I saw the new romantic comedy The Ugly Truth starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, directed by Robert Luketic with three screen writers, two of whom worked with the director of a previous chick flick, Legally Blonde.
This film has been taking a mass of flak, mostly directed at Miss Heigl, a beautiful and competent actress who has, it seemed, been called upon to carry a script which is mostly distinguished by the fact that her character, as written, is composed of a number of seemingly perfectionist characteristics, none of which are ever sorted out; and which seems to attempt to move between standard screwball, standard romantic comedy, with occasional Farrelly-Brothers-style freak-out jokes tossed in, with no order, rhyme nor reason.

The whole thing ends in such a predictable manner in a sky filled with balloons that the film might have been written by simply taking discarded parts of other scripts and mixing them in a great big cooking pot.

Mike: [From red band clip] You're all about comfort and efficiency!
Abby Richter: What's wrong with comfort and efficiency?
Mike: Well nothing, except no one wants to fuck it.

In short, while Miss Heigl does not distinguish herself in this indistinguishable mess, laying the blame at her feet strikes me as cruel and foolish. While she is given an 'executive producer' credit, there are a total of eleven producers on this film, which is up near the John Woo level. Miss Heigl carries out her acting assignment competently, and she has good chemistry with Butler. While she has appeared in other rom-coms to better effect,I did enjoy 27 Dresses, surely her job as an actor is not to rewrite the script, nor to insist on a character that makes sense, but to perform the role in a manner as plausible as possible, to milk the funny lines for what they are worth and to be generally of interest when she is on screen. She accomplishes the last, but surely the fact that her character makes no sense and that the gags are thrown in at random cannot be laid at her feet.

Butler is given a much more interesting role, that of a chauvinist pig whose TV producer Miss Heigl is forced to become. However, the audience is swiftly assured that this is simply a pose and Miss Heigl comes to recognize this gradually -- and telling the audience quickly and Miss Heigl slowly is another problem with the script.
There is also the third wheel, played by Eric Winter, who plays an unattached doctor with a body that looks like he spends three or four hours a day working on his abs. Although my early assumption that he would turn out to be gay were not borne out, he serves no real competition to Mr. Butler's and Miss Heigl's inevitable romance.

Abby Richter: My cat stepped on the remote.
Mike: Well, be sure to thank your pussy for me.

The result is that this is a predictable but fitfully watchable romantic comedy with a twist, similar to The Proposal, distinguished mostly by Mr. Butler's macho cloning on What Men Really Want.
Although this harmless fluff carries a higher rating, The Ugly Truth is at times clever, frivolous, borderline crude but lacks nudity and a constant plot. Sure, some of the subject matter and the language might prove offensive, but this guy-wants-gal, guy-loses-gal, and guy-gets-gal back is infectiously entertaining stuff without a mean-spirit to be found anywhere in its trim 96-minutes. If The Hangover was the perfect way to get 2009 cranked up with a comedy, then The Ugly Truth is a smaller taste of the former.

''You will never know...''

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Another predictable proposal...

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 24 July 2009 07:59 (A review of The Proposal)

''Actually I picked up on all her little hints. This woman is about as subtle as a gun.''

A pushy boss forces her young assistant to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.

Sandra Bullock: Margaret Tate

Well upon seeing the latest film by Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, and seeing those tempting and tantalizing trailers I can safely say this is a formulaic romantic comedy with a twist. It's predictable and the storyline has been done countless times...yet does this stop the film from being any less fun? The answer is yes and no. At times I felt The Proposal tries to hard to get it's kicks and laughs out of us the audience, whether it's little crazy grandma Annie played by wonderful Betty White doing a tribal dance while Sandra starts shaking her booty, or Ryan and Sandra bumping into each other, strangely had me scratching my head as to the point of these proceedings. I was constantly reminded of another romantic comedy of late that Ryan Reynolds had starred in Definitely, Maybe and is it just me or does he have the strangest voice. I mean before he opens his mouth he looks like an ordinary guy, down to earth, somewhat handsome and then the illusion is shattered when the muscular Reynolds opens his mouth. Varying times he did sound ok.

If you are going to see The Proposal because the trailer leads you to believe this is hysterical humour, you will be saddened by what you witness. If you go to get a few kicks added to a smattering of character evolution, then you might enjoy this. I for one wonder why Bullock's and Reynold's parts weren't played by Steve Carell and Demi Moore. The mere idea of those two playing the misdirected characters had a better chance of keeping me in tears of laughter instead of disappointment.

Sandra Bullock as Margaret Tate manages to be quite a bitch as predicted but her performance wasn't spellbinding. The story has her blackmailing her assistant into marrying her to save her visa from expiring, and preventing a swift deportation to her homeland Canada. Predictably Ryan and Sandra start falling for each other, and begin to learn about each as people and connect. As with any twist-entailed romantic comedy whenever lies are involved somewhere in the middle the truth must inevitably come out henceforth The Proposal is no different from any other similar to story in that respect. As events transpire we do start to have some serious emotional scenes but not many, we are constantly bombarded by silliness, ranging from a dog being attacked by a bird of prey, a stripper who was a scary vision of why not to visit Alaska and again I must mention Grandma Annie who was the most charismatic character in the whole film. A similar role to her appearance in Runaway Bride I believe.
The Alaska scenery is actually shot in the daylights of Boston and Rhode Island. Here, Andrew the assistant, introduces Margaret to his parents (Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen) and his legend Grannie Annie about to turn 90 (Betty White, 87 years young). The women immediately take a liking to Margaret and accept her as part of the family. However, the father is more cantankerous and doesn't want to see his son fly away millions of miles from home with his bride-to-be, but he warms up to his son and prospective daughter-in-law near the end of the film.

There are a lot of laughs that keep the audience rolling, and intermittently, there are scenes played with heart for good balance. No, this is not going to make movie history or win any Academy Awards, but it is a light outing for anyone who wants to believe in the idea of love, have a few laughs, or even wants their hearts lifted. The Proposal is an enjoyable, predictable romance for the summer period.

Margaret Tate: On a bed of rosebuds, in a tuxedo. Your son. Your son... and he was choking back soft, soft sobs. And when he held back the tears and finally caught his breath, he said to me...
Andrew Paxton: 'Margaret, will you marry me?' and she said 'yep', the end!


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Potter needs a shave?...So Dumbledore doesn't?!

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 22 July 2009 09:48 (A review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)

''Ah, Harry... you need a shave.''

As Harry Potter begins his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers an old book marked mysteriously "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.

Daniel Radcliffe: Harry Potter

Expecting the worse is sometimes a necessary evil, I mean why shouldn't I? Especially when my favourites Gary Oldman and Ralph Fiennes are not even in the film to give proceedings the fire and passion that is required. What Half Blood Prince bombards us with next is a blaze and whirl of parodies and comedic happenings which make me find it hard to take seriously. Dumbledore taking a magazine out of a toilet, which isn't pornographic but some knitting mag is almost a shot in the face. Then we have awkward romances all around for our main characters, we have huge gaps missed out from the book, and we have Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter and Timothy Spall in one scene looking like they just came from Sweeney Todd for a little family reunion.

The good aspects of Half Blood Prince is the effects, the flashback sequences which include Ralph Fiennes little nephew (Hero Fiennes-Tiffin), and the cave scene with Dumbledore and Harry, which may leave cinema audiences wanting a toilet break from the amount of water on display, not to mention the undead ghouls that lurk there too. The fantasy and material seems to be going abit stale now since this is the 6th outing for Harry and chums. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy seems to give a flat performance, and Daniel Radcliffe seems about as indifferent to previous installments. He's lacking the charisma and direction that previously lurked in his acting capabilities.
It even lacks a proper action packed showdown which is eagerly sought after, a conclusion of magnitude, and you can hardly feel remorse for a character who dies in exactly the same way as Pheonix.

''I can make things move without touching them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can speak to snakes too. They find me... whisper things.''

Sadly, I miss Gary Oldman, and Ralph Fiennes unmeasurable energy they bring to the screen. It's noticeable that there presence is absent, and I cannot stress this enough. David Yates had these titans to make Order of the Pheonix a spectacle and pinnacle of performance as well as a pleasure.
In the last several years, I feel more and more magic from the books have been cut from the movies. I blame this on Warner Brothers who obviously views the Potter property as a ticket to high profit rather than an experience that film goers and book lovers can share together.

I loved the essence of the first two films, but when Alfonso Cuaron took over as the director of Prisoner of Azkaban, it seems more and more material had been cut from the books on which they are based. Then Goblet of Fire came out a year after, and even more material was erased. Then Order of the Phoenix came out two years ago, and it seems half of the book was cut to the point where the film was just entertaining performances and dazzling effects, although it had an array of my favourite actors and actresses.

But, Half Blood Prince results in being, the worst of the entire series. Many fans of the Harry Potter film series keep on stating that the films are an entirely different form of entertainment than the books, and that all the details cannot be included. That's nonsense. For fuck sake look at Lord of the Rings and tell me you can't fit in as much detail as possible, it's possible, but the film makers are lazy and incompetent.

What we have with Half Blood Prince is a rushed version of a story with much of the material that made the book so special completely absent. Events such as Harry and Dumbledore's quest for Voldemort's Horcruxes are barely touched on, while the majority of the film focuses on the sillier parts of the novel such as the growing hormones between the sixth year Hogwarts students. It seems that the producers of Harry Potter were aware of the growing popularity of the Twilight phenomenon and wanted to make their own teenage romantic love story as part of the series. That doesn't feel right in a Harry Potter for a blooming start.

I feel that David Yates has failed miserably this time round, and that he will undoubtedly destroy the once great Harry Potter film series. The fact that the final book will be split into two separate films makes me question his abilities as a director.
So let's rewind a moment, and watch Dumbledore tell Harry he needs a shave...I'm going to cry.

''In my life I have seen things that are truly horrific. Now I know you will see worse.''

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Echoes of Borat...

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 19 July 2009 07:02 (A review of Brüno)

''I am going to be the biggest Austrian celebrity since Hitler.''

Flamboyant Austrian fashionista Brüno takes his show to America.

Sacha Baron Cohen: Brüno

Firstly to begin with, I must say I praised Cohen's Borat at uncovering the true underbelly of America, it is extremely hard to do the same here because of the obvious shock value of what he's playing out has been done before. Bruno ends up being a recycling project on speed, the time certainly flies that's for sure.
Much like its predecessor, Brüno, begins in his native country to showcase the reasons behind his journey to the USA. After being shunned from the fashion community in Austria he decides to do what is the next logical step—live in LA and become a celebrity. It isn't as easy as he expected, so after a failed try at acting and a missed opportunity to be a talk show host, he heads to the Middle East to weigh in on peacekeeping attempts. A Kenyan child later, Brüno finds himself back in America, now realizing that to be famous he must be straight.

You will once again be surprised at some of the people he dupes into believing he is a real person, (a bewildered Ron Paul), as well as not so shocked, (Paula Abdul anyone? How great is it watching her talk about humanitarianism while sitting on a Mexican acting like a chair?). Uncomfortable is an understatement when it comes to describing a viewing session of this film because you'd be comatose not to be even the slightest bit squeamish. Cohen is fearless in his activities and unfaltering in his accent—equal parts effeminate and German, (is there a difference?). To go into the Middle East and recruit former leaders of both Israel and Palestine to sing to and have hold hands is one thing, but to go to a current terrorist group leader and call Osama Bin Laden a "dirty wizard/homeless Santa Claus" and not expect to get backlash is a completely different thing. As for going hunting with three burly Southerners and entering their tents naked … well that's just insane...albeit, it takes balls.
Everyone is made a joke out of in this adventure, this Brüno, much like Borat achieved...Jews, Muslims, Gays, Nazis, celebrities, charities, blacks, whites, religion and the list goes on. It all depends totally, on your sense of humour.

''You're king Osama looks like a kind of dirty wizard, or a homeless Santa!''

I liked the jokes mostly, even if they were horrendously insensitive. Calling Autism funny, Africa a country, does elicit knee-jerk laughs, which turn into feelings of remorse before ultimately realizing that, yes, it was bad yet compellingly humourous. Cohen goes way too far in many instances: a bike-powered dildo, talking penis, and asking a swinger, in the act of sex with someone else, to look into his eyes are just a few. For this reason, I cannot recommend the film to anyone … seriously, anyone. You never truly know how much someone can take and a film like Brüno not only tests that boundary but also surpasses it over and over again.

What is by far the most incomprehensible thing, however, is the candid view on America that has been captured. It is not wrong to call Cohen a genius in his methods to manipulate people into thinking they are safe and among kindred spirits in moral ambiguity. Watching parents virtually sell their souls and children's bodies for a quick cash grab is unbelievable. Not only do these adults willingly say yes to any question Brüno asks them, "Is your child okay with being photographed on a crucifix? How is your child with dead animals? Does your child like lit phosphorus?" but they oftentimes pause, think about what has been posed, and still agree. Some people will do anything to become famous, hell some people will do anything to tehir children to make them famous. And then there are the priests who do Holy work, by converting gays into heterosexuals. The first pastor preaches what to do and not, but it is the second that astonishes with what he says. Speaking as "we" he basically admits to how he is truly GAY, but has been living the lie by tolerating women, even though they are so uninspiring and annoying to him. The worst part of it all is that the people Cohen attacks are real.

The shock value dissipates as the film goes on and unfortunately wasn't necessarily high to begin with. Television being inundated with reality garbage and exposing us to the morons out there we have generally been shielded from has desensitized us. Even watching Borat has desensitized us because the fresh originality has long since vanished. But, while the film may not hold up as an entity unto itself, the questions it raises, the truth we want to so desperately believe doesn't exist, come through with crystal clear clarity. Sacha Baron Cohen knows our secrets and exposes them. His vehicle for such truths may not be as conventional or enjoyable as some may want, but the message is there nonetheless.

''We have chosen your baby to be dressed as a Nazi Officer, pushing a wheelbarrow, with a Jewish baby, into an oven!''

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A revolutionary clash of class and emotion.

Posted : 4 months, 2 weeks ago on 12 July 2009 04:08 (A review of Revolutionary Road)

''Hopeless emptiness. Now you've said it. Plenty of people are onto the emptiness, but it takes real guts to see the hopelessness.''

A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.

Leonardo DiCaprio: Frank Wheeler

It's been a long ten years since Sam Mendes' debut picture American Beauty. That's a really long time for audiences and fans of Mendes. People forget a film's essence and directors reintegrate old idealologies into a new piece of film, to the shocking dispair of us film critics. Benjamin Button did that to the humble Forest Gump, and Mendes has done it with his latest project. I'm not bold enough to make the claim that he simply re-did American Beauty as Revolutionary Road but the two are very similar. That's OK since American Beauty won several awards in various countries. It's still a worth a ticket price, but people will forget about this film in five years as American Beauty resurfaces in their minds.

The film is adapted from Richard Yates' extremely well-received novel, first published in 1961. It is an examination of American suburbia that blossomed in the '50s and the problems therein. Now, I think that such an observation would be especially meaningful when made in its own time but not as much now. Many other people, including Mendes himself, have already produced Revolutionary Road in both film and other media. This forces the movie to rely on something additional besides its tired premise. Revolutionary Road offers viewers a disturbingly lifelike representation of a failing marriage. Winslet and DiCaprio are so good that I found myself reveling in the chaos. After their characters marry and become parents, both actors are constantly uneasy and stiffened by uneasiness. Neither portrayal is subdued, but rather fiery and inflamed, bordering on hatred even. Even when they are not verbally abusing each other, both are under veils of artificial emotion. There are no feel-good elements to the picture. Revolutionary Road is as effective as any gruesome exploitative film in never allowing its audience a moment's respite. It's different from American Beauty in that specific way, the story is pessimistic while its parent is inspiring, yet in this way it is truer to life than it's predecessor ever was.

The bulk of the film was centred around their joint decision to uproot their family (and the children whom we rarely see) and move to Paris, so that DiCaprio's Frank would be able to live out his dream, of finding out his true calling. This would mean selling all their assets, crossing the steamship the other way round (which I chuckled at, and wonder if we're really going to see that at all), and having his wife support him (because the Europeans pay secretaries exorbitant salaries) while he mucks around for inspiration to life. This would also mean bidding Sayonara to his dead end job, until Murphy so decides to throw a spanner in the works with Frank gaining much needed recognition.
Kate Winslet's April seemed to be the all-sacrificing wife, until her frequent breakdowns seem to cast doubts on her sanity, having to fight like mad with her husband, only to put on a more cordial front every morning at breakfast. One can only guess that she's doing her best to keep things from breaking down, but there's only a limit to how many holes in a sinking ship you can deter. In fact, the film develops at a pace with which paint dries, and comes alive only when Frank and April trade verbal punches of tidal wave proportions, with hurting insults flying both directions with the threat of physical violence always one step behind, as if in shadow.

''I want to feel things. Really feel them.''

This Revolutionary Road is about the hypocrisy that we are all semi-aware of, yet choose to play the social charade and get a mental kick out of laughing the unrealness of it all behind closed doors, behind other people's backs. The games we play with the intention to hurt will sometimes backfire on ourselves too, and it's almost always never a good thing to be doing something to hit back at the other person, one whom you know you love. But banging it head on also means that it's time to surrender, to submit, but preferably done so in a more civil manner compared to dropping the bombshell and hoping for an expected reaction.

Perhaps in the madness of it all, it takes an ex-mental patient character John (played by Michael Shannon) to become the voice of reason in an insanely fake world that both Frank and April find themselves in. In being crazy, he's granted the excuse to cut through the nonsense and say things as he sees fit, and has some of the best lines in the movie but also being the most accurate in the reading of the characters' expressions. If you think both Frank and April have words that hurt, pay attention to the wise sayings of John.

Based on a novel by Richard Yates, Sam Mandes managed to bring out the best in the chemistry between his two leading stars. Between them, age has not been kind to Winslet, while the additional lines on DiCaprio's face makes him all the more mature, though retaining his baby-faced looks that even made it to the insults their character trades.
Just when everything starts to meander around the themes it set out to explore, and treading in dangerous ground in being too convoluted for its own good, the parting shot was quite verbose in summing everything up quite nicely, in that it pays to switch off at times, or most of the times if you will, in order to keep things as sane as possible without the opportunity of being misread that you're uncooperative, or unwilling to lend a listening ear. Very poignant, emotionally turbulent and chillingly close to reality.

'Look at us. We're just like everyone else. We've bought into the same, ridiculous delusion.''

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No doubt...this is acting at it's finest.

Posted : 4 months, 2 weeks ago on 12 July 2009 04:02 (A review of Doubt)

''I have doubts. I have such doubts.''

Set in 1964, Doubt centers on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing a black student. He denies the charges, and much of the play's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality, and authority.

Meryl Streep: Sister Aloysius Beauvier

''Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.''

Doubt is the mystery of whether or not a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is guilty of molesting an altar boy. The priest's primary accuser is Sister Aloysius, the tyrannical principal of the Catholic school that provides Doubt its location. Watching Hoffman and Streep spar is like watching two professional craftsman at their peak, and fans of exquisite acting should waste no time in seeing the battle of wills and the wrath of unknowing . The movie purposely never clarifies the ambiguity of the charges, is in fact Hoffman's priest truly guilty of something, or is Sister Aloysius simply on a mad witch hunt? Streep's character is the most complex and haunted. From one perspective, she's a nearly maniacal dryed up angry, husk of a woman, intent on ruining a man's life and career for no clear reason. However, if her accusations are legitimate, she's a sort of hero, demanding justice from a male-dominated world bent on being superior, bent on following the rules and keeping secrets, secret regardless of fact or indeed fiction. Streep's performance is the real masterpiece here, she is in fire in and years of experience are on show for us to marvel at in Doubt.
A strict taskmaster, her character relishes her role as the upholder of tradition, rejecting such modern devices as ballpoint pens and the singing of secular songs at Christmas like Frosty the Snowman which she equates with pagan magic.

According to a report commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, over four thousand clerics were accused of sexual abuse during the past fifty years. Although approximately thirty percent of these accusations were not investigated because they were unsubstantiated, given the proclivity of the bishops to cover up these incidents, the figures are widely suspected to be underestimated. What may be lost in the discussion of statistics about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, however, is an understanding of the humanity of the people involved or the complexities of the circumstances.

This matter is covered in Doubt, based on Shanley's personal experiences at Catholic School, the film explores not only the issue of possible sexual abuse but conservative versus progressive religious values and how far one can rely on suspicion in the absence of proof. Set in 1964, one year after the Kennedy assassination, Sister Aloysius Beauvier is the dragon lady of St. Nicholas school in the Bronx.

Father Flynn: Where is your compassion?
Sister Aloysius: Nowhere you can get at it.

Amy Adams receives the pivotal role of a young, innocent nun who first brings her suspicions about the priest to her superior, and then sees them become Frankenstein's monster. In many ways, Adams' character is us, the audience, placed in the position of having to come to a conclusion on our own when empirical evidence is lacking. Adams' role is the least showy, but she does much with it.
Also Viola Davis, who, in merely five minutes, decimates the audience with some shocking conclusions of her own as the altar boy's mother. The insulated, hushed world of the Catholic Church is blown wide open by this struggling mother, who's seen more of the world than any of the priests and nuns sheltered behind the church's walls, and who puts the film's running themes of racial and gender inequality into harsh perspective.

The central battle in Doubt in many forms comes down to each individual's view of the world and his or her ability to accept the ambiguity of day to day life. There's a lot about the world we will never know and much about our futures we'll never be able to shape or plan. So what's better -- anticipating the worst and therefore being prepared when it comes? or believing in the best and running the risk of being disappointed when it fails to arise? The story makes us wonder, and rather than give us answers needlessly, it let's our minds conclude our own solutions.

Father Brendan Flynn: I can fight you.
Sister Aloysius Beauvier: You will lose.



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This one is a keeper.

Posted : 4 months, 3 weeks ago on 9 July 2009 06:44 (A review of My Sister's Keeper)

''Most babies are accidents. Not me. I was engineered. Born to save my sister's life.''

Anna Fitzgerald looks to earn medical emancipation from her parents who until now have relied on their youngest child to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate remain alive.

Abigail Breslin: Andromeda 'Anna' Fitzgerald

My Sister's Keeper is a detailed look at life, cancer and accepting death. Reminded me of The Fountain, but obviously this is a very true to life portrait and mirage of character and family.
We are treated to a very slow, graceful interpretation of what it is to be powerless against what will be and what is. My Sister's Keeper effortlessly does not hold back from getting it's hands dirty emotionally or playing on it's audiences hopes and fears.
We are given each character, accompanied with a title on screen and narration to help us link and study there train of thought, their mindset and focus on the goings on that entwine them.

''Do I look pretty daddy?''

I never thought I would say this but Cameron Diaz is a big surprise for me here. Cameron Diaz as the mother, Sara Fitzgerald is one of the finest roles I have seen her play. This isn't a poorly constructed comedy piece, which usually Diaz is known to grace with her presence, this isn't an animated series of diluted meaning, but a character who really comes to life, with an unprecedented anger rivaled bar none. Diaz shows us a mother unwilling to give up for her child, making choices even at the expense at her other daughter, but these choices are all valid in giving us an understanding of why and how.
Abigail Breslin shines like she did in Little Miss Sunshine and it's obvious this girl is going to grow into an adult version of talented stardom. She is absolutely compelling anytime she graces the screen, especially her interaction with Alec Baldwin who also excels with his Lawyer Campbell Alexander role.
Sofia Vassilieva as Kate Fitzgerald, is really the sinking of the titanic, she is so believable, and so tear inducingly ill-like in her performance you can't help but share anguish that her and her family feel as events transpire. This is a selfless character brought to life in an array of tragedy and remorse, of energized spirit and a hope that precedes any obstacle.

I could safely say My Sister's Keeper would be a hard film for anyone to watch again due to it's upsetting nature. At times I felt I could not watch due to the slow pacing, for example a picture album is repeatedly shown which really for me slowed the story down. Another thing that annoyed me was the amount of time spent showing Kate and her boyfriend Taylor, but this was only a few circumstances, the romance was a vital part of a bigger story, the content another version entirely.
Overall My Sister's Keeper is a moving tale of life, controversial issues such as test tube baby donors, and the moral implications of choice and free will. The frailties of our bodies and the time we have alloted can never be fully known, My Sister's Keeper reminds us that none of us know how much time we have, how much time our loved ones have, but it teaches us that we should be happy with the time we have been given and to cherish every last moment. The action of fighting up river against a raging torrent of water is sometimes easily conquered by not engaging in a fruitless battle, but merely going along with the flow, accepting what is and rejoicing in the present.

''Life goes on...''

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Transforms revenge into confusion, with laughs.

Posted : 4 months, 3 weeks ago on 5 July 2009 06:59 (A review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)

''You know what my father was? A wheel! The first wheel! And do you know what he transformed into? Nothing! But he did it with honor!''

Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.

Shia LaBeouf: Sam Witwicky

Micheal Bay in 2007 gave us an incredible CGI drenched offering called Transformers, which was fun and funny if what something of a mindless venture depth wise. So 2009, Bay graces us with the sequel, the so called Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and as soon as it starts you know this is going to be nothing new from it's predecessor.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen throws you into the action immediately after it gives us a brief history lesson on humans and transformers, so many new characters and locations that I couldn't even register what was going on. I mean an ice cream van suddenly appears in a rampant chase, and I'm pondering, asking even, where these new guys popped up from. Thankfully, Bay does explain where these ones came from, but later on this is revealed. So we have the little stabs at military promotion, we have the American way of life blazoned sickly by bay, we have more effects and CGI than a Star Wars prequel, and a new villain who looks like he just stepped off the xbox from Halo.

The cast should be mentioned. There is no John Voigt this time sadly, but we have most of the original cast gracing the screen. Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky returns, this time with a mindful problem at a new college, Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes shows us her mechanic side and also that she looks great but shes not a great actress, Josh Duhamel as Major Lennox replicates his performance from the first, Tyrese Gibson provides some good one liners and John Turturro gives us abit of a laugh too amongst proceedings.
Isabel Lucas pops up for a surprise I should mention, as Alice, who turns out to be a machine. This was surely a stab at Terminator for copying or vice versa, but definitely a nice twist on how a transformer can actually transform, and not merely restricted to vehicles or machines but organic lifeforms too. Opens up a number of possibilities.

''I shall rise, you will fall.''

The action, CGI, and chases are obviously top notch. However they are moving so fast sometimes, or there is so much going on when two robots are fighting it is hard to tell what is actually happening. I was at a loss at numerous intervals thanks to randoms running around aimlessly or transformers fighting each other in a confusing blur. The whole desert scene also made me scoff in a sardonic way. Was Bay saving money by filming in Egypt? It's obvious he was...and all the haters obviously will zoom into this little snag.

Overall, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen isn't as diabolical as most critics were saying, and it isn't as great as a number of fans have been boasting. Granted it has the dog humour, Sam's mother at college trying some marijuana cake, and some transformer laughs, this really is a clone and repeat performance of the first film with added effects, battles and new transformers, who ironically are not given enough screen time or personality. Again the only Transformers who we connect to would be Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and possibly Megatron and Starscream.
I can see Micheal Bay doing another Transformers film but before he does maybe he should make sure he ''transforms'' said script into an exquisite piece of story rather than just an eye candy rollercoaster toaster ride.

''I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message so that our past will always be remembered. For in those memories, we live on.''



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