Thursday, October 16, 2008

Jumper (2008) ***



Well, it's a bit odd to critique an action movie from an artistic perspective.
"Jumper," should be appreciated in a way that one expects to experience something new and exciting, like testing a new video game or something like that.

Indeed, "Jumper" did bring in some new ideas. Although jumping from one space to another instantly has been dreamed of by many ordinary people (myself included), "Jumper" has added extra flavor to this concept.

First, how can one "jump" to another desired spot?
In this movie, the protagonist demonstrated how he did using a psychological trick. He can make use of his childhood memory to help him move to the Empire State Building in no time.

Second, can one carry anything besides him/herself when moving to another spot?
It proves that the ultimate task (i.e., moving a house) has become the climax of the whole story. I am willing to give the filmmakers some credits since this really looks cool and touching at the end of the movie.

Yeah, "Jumper" did give us something fun although not too brainy to watch this year. At least, we can keep dreaming that we can take a vacation in Hawaii and stop by Rome in just a flash. That isn't too bad, is it?



Friday, May 16, 2008

The Orphanage (2007) ****1/2



The Orphanage (2007), directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and produced by Guillermo del Toro,is another amazing movie.

I am afraid this is the saddest thriller movie I have ever seen. A movie critic once said that critics usually hail tearjerkers since a power to touch one's heart usually make people wanna cry. When a tearjerker was not meant to be sentimental (especially when it was meant to scare you), it has great potential to achieve something extraordinary.

At the end of the movie a blind girl gently touched the mother's face while another boy cried out, "It's Laura. She is just getting older, just like Wendy." This moment immediately triggered my tears all over my face.

Since the producer is del Toro, I can't help associate "Pan's Labyrinth" with this film, and am glad to see the consistency of beauty mixed with melancholy in these two stories.

This is absolutely one of the best thriller films in the past decade!




Tuesday, April 22, 2008

21 (2008) ***



"21" is a clever story with reasonable twists and turns. I guess executing such a film project could be no brainer since the script was based on a true story.

Keven Spacey's performance was as sharp as a knife but not as electrifying as before. This could be forgivable since the focus should be on the MIT math genius, Ben Campbell (played by Jim Surgess).

I wonder whether we could criticize any cliche inherent to the plot, given that we are talking about a true story here. What surprised me most is the seemingly humble intention of the filmmakers, who only tried to tell a good story concisely. So, we may call it a fairly entertaining movie, no more and no less.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Lilja 4ever (2002) ***1/2




Lilja 4ever(Lilja 4ever, 2002) is a story about broken dreams, broken hearts, and finally broken bodies.



For a 16-year girl, life is supposed to be filled with Justin Timberlake's songs and puppy love. However, the 16-year-old Lilja did not have such kind of luck. I wonder whether it is crude to state that freedom usually comes at the price of poverty, and not to mention rotten human nature ensuing poverty and related social problems.

The director/writer Lukas Moodysson has done a decent job. Some may criticize that the story has exacerbated the ideology of good-evil dichotomy of the world. But, what if this dichotomy is simply the way it is in some places where we may be lucky enough to stay away from forever?




Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Support TIBET!!

No matter who initiated the riot, no civilized government should crack down civilians by force. Any regime that slaughters civilians should be condemned!!

Monday, March 10, 2008

JUNO (2007) ***1/2



JUNO is a canning story. I can't help comparing it with "Little Miss Sunshine", as many people did. However, their similar styles didn't put them in the same class of works. "Little Miss Sunshine" might set out to make you laugh on a series of mishaps, but you have to deal with your own afterthoughts; but, "JUNO" seemingly intended to make you feel good for "everything-is-gonna-be-alright" cliche, almost.

JUNO is a likable movie, but I wonder whether that is because of its tons of witty charms. Before you have a chance to ponder upon how their relationships were intertwined with each other and how the conflicts could be resolved, the happy ending is already in the corner.

Anyway, at least watching Ellen Page portray such a lovely while unlucky character is still a pleasant thing.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

No Country for Old Men (2008) ***1/2



Hard to argue whether No Country for Old Men really deserved the Oscar's best picture award.

The reasons why some critics hailed this latest Coen brothers' work were mixed. But the commonality of all the praises is the well-crafted and non-stereotypic style of making a thriller. However, could we expect to get more from this movie, other than styles and skills?

This movie certainly reminds us a lot of Coens' movie Fargo, another thriller set in a remote small town covered by snow in Minnesota. This time, the cold-blood killing occurred in Texas, near the border of Mexico. The filmmakers seemed to show little interest in dissecting the psychological complexities of the villains. Killings were just so real in these two movies as no dramatic prelude or music was attached. After all, violence speaks louder when the surroundings are quieter.

Anything else? I am afraid not.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Away from Her (2007) ****



Away from Her (2007) is that kind of movie that hits you so hard that you start to wonder about love in a non-cynical way.

Basically, there are at least two kinds of people who have strong opinions about human bondings: those who think love is the most amazing grace on earth and those who trash the idea that ever-lasting love exists.

The story is centered on a old couple's love and struggle. Based on Alice Munro's short story "The Bear Came over the Mountain," the script was concisely written that it didn't add much drama to this movie. The actress-turned-director Sarah Polley successfully delivered what Alice Munro's stories should be like, "explore human complexities in a seemingly effortless style."

Although there are a good many movies talking about the impact of Alzheimer disease on our lives, "Away from Her" might have explored a different level -- Is oblivion worse than betrayal or the other way around? The seemingly devoted husband was confused when he saw his beloved wife affected with Alzheimer disease developing strong affections towards another man, and so he started to speculate she might just be putting on an act to punish him. Our doubts usually stem from our fears that other people may commit the same crime as we did.

The story chose a kind-of-happy ending since the audience already learned that good days may not be as common as bad days in this sentimental story. But, I guess most of us can act like the husband who held his wife in his arms and braced himself for tomorrow's pains. Life goes on no matter what you want to believe.