I Don't Need To Explain My Art To You (But I Reserve The Right To Criticize Yours!): March 2013

This collective entry is over 2 months late, but if you were following me on Twitter or the part of the Facebook group, you will know that I diligently plowed through 41 films during the month of January. As my numbers hover around the 40-film mark instead of 30, I guess it's mounting proof that my social life is not what it once was. No matter, it's the movies that count!

As many of you are aware, the premise of the "30 Films in 31 Days" challenge is to try and watch 30 films during the month of January, write a mini review for each and give it a rating out of 5. Though even those basic guidelines are loosely adhered to, the main point is to try and watch a lot of movies and have fun. In addition to Facebook, where everyone posted extensive lists and we interacted via the comments sections and the group wall, I also saw some twitter updates using the #30films31days hashtag. Kudos to those who were articulate enough to write a review in 140 characters! So whether you made it to 30 movies or 3, I'd like to thank all of this years participants for a month of geeky fun.

A few collected stats about my movie-watching this January:

Total films watched: 41
Films I'd never seen before: 23 (over half! That's a lot for me)
Number of Chinese films: 6
Number of Canadian films: 3

Themes:

Some years participants will select movies based on a particular theme, or choose a particular type of movie... I believe one of our regular participants, Veronica, watched a majority of Chinese films. Great way to embrace your heritage :)

I had a few themes/categories in mind. I began the challenge with the intent of seeing some Wes Anderson films, which quickly gave way to some Chinese period action, then a few musicals. What I did try to do was watch as many Oscar condenders as I could, especially those with Best Picture nominations. Some of my other selections were a direct result of other participants posting reviews and piquing my curiosity (Catfish and Chronicle seemed to be popular titles amongst the group this year). I attended a portion of my friend Chris' Aliens movie marathon, and plowed through a bunch of Wai-keung Lau & Alan Mak movies towards the end.

2013 Films:

1) Moonrise Kingdom – Dir. Wes Anderson
2) Fantastic Mr. Fox – Dir. Wes Anderson
3) 2 Days in New York – Dir. Julie Delpy
4) Chronicle – Dir. Josh Trank
5) The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate – Dir. Tsui Hark
6) Pitch Perfect – Dir. Jason Moore
7) Warriors of Heaven and Earth – Dir. He Ping
8) Magic Mike - Dir. Steven Soderbergh
9) The Faculty - Dir. Robert Rodriguez
10) Butter - Dir. Jim Field Smith
11) Help! - Dir. Richard Lester
12) Across the Universe - Dir. Julie Traynor
13) Rock of Ages - Dir. Adam Shankman
14) Cosmopolis - Dir. David Cronenberg
15) Anna Karenina - Dir. Joe Wright
16) Starbuck - Dir. Ken Scott
17) Gangster Squad - Dir. Ruben Fleischer
18) Everything Must Go - Dir. Dan Rush
19) Zero Dark Thirty - Dir. Kathryn Bigelow
20) Textuality – Dir. Warren Sonoda
21) Lincoln – Dir. Steven Spielberg
22) Le Cercle Rouge - Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
23) The Diving Bell and The Butterfly - Dir. Julian Schnabel
24) Alien - Dir. Ridley Scott
25) Aliens - Dir. James Cameron
26) Dr. Plonk - Dir. Rolf de Heer
27) The Artist - Dir. Michel Hazanavicius
28) The Silent War - Dir. Felix Chong & Alan Mak
29) Mansfield Park - Dir. Patricia Rozema
30) Catfish - Dir. Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman
31) Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters - Dir. Tommy Wirkola
32) Overheard - Dir. Felix Chong & Alan Mak
33) Overheard 2 - Dir. Felix Chong & Alan Mak
34) Django Unchained - Dir. Quentin Tarantino
35) Die Hard - Dir. John McTiernan
36) Infernal Affairs - Dir. Wai-keung Lau & Alan Mak
37) The Departed - Dir. Martin Scorsese
38) Infernal Affairs 2 - Dir. Wai-keung Lau & Alan Mak
39) The Dark Knight Rises - Dir. Christopher Nolan
40) River's Edge - Dir. Tim Hunter
41) Beasts of the Southern Wild - Dir. Benh Zeitlin

1. Moonrise Kingdom – Dir. Wes Anderson

I feel like this isn’t the first time I’ve kicked off 30 films with a Wes Anderson film. Rightly so, his work is easily digestible, quirky, a little dark, and yes, a little pretentious but balanced by an artistic campiness that you can’t help but be intrigued by. That’s just me anyway. Moonrise Kingdom, despite being all of the above, was also the best love story of 2012. In short it’s about two troubled kids running off together on a camping exploration trip, woven in with family dysfunction (my fav!), dark humour, and childhood innocence and precociousness. This is told through the camera with Wes Anderson’s signature long panning shots, they looked great as did the production design.
4/5

2. Fantastic Mr. Fox – Dir. Wes Anderson

If George Clooney were a fox, he would be Mr. Fox. This movie is based on the beloved book by Ronald Dahl, but with a lot more “cussing” (best part about it). It’s a stop-motion animation that employs all the signature Wes Anderson camera styles, and a lot of fun to look at. Tho it has a number of positive reviews, I wasn’t quite as sold on Mr. Fox and this movie. There was something about the pacing that frustrated me half-way through, it wasn’t that I wanted the move to be over per se, but I became very impatient for movie to get on with it. Also (and I haven’t done my research or anything for these reviews) I wasn’t entirely sure who the intended audience for this movie was? It’s supposed to be a family comedy but the jokes are decidedly more adult (not in the R-rated way… if you’ve seen the movie, “cuss”ing is the perfect example, I laughed almost every time but I don’t see how an 8 year old will find that funny) and I’m not sure kids today will exactly be bowled over by stop-motion. I may have elevated expectations when it comes to Wes Anderson, but I honestly though Moonrise Kingdom is a much more appealing family film than Fantastic Mr. Fox.
2.5/5

3. 2 Days in New York – Dir. Julie Delpy

This is the follow-up to Julie Delpy’s terrific 2007 directorial debut “2 Days in Paris” in which she co-starred with Adam Goldberg. In the sequel Marion’s had a child with her previous partner, Jack (Goldberg from the last film), but now living with Mingus (Chris Rock…awesome!) in New York. In the 2 days we visit with them, her father (played by Delpy’s real father, Albert Delpy) and sister have come from Paris for a visit (with a crazy ex of Marion’s in tow). Events play out much in the same way as the first film, with familial idiosyncrasies escalating into a psychotic catharsis. Is it practically the same movie, yeah, kind of, but I really liked it anyway.
4/5

4. Chronicle - Dir. Josh Trank

I watched this because it felt like half the 30 films facebook group had watched it and the reviews were coming back positive. Turns out, the group has good tastes ;) 3 highschoolers begin developing super powers after discovering an underground cave and getting a little too close to its contents, but it’s not all just fun and games… with great power comes great responsibility… I’m going to steal one line from Jon Doyle’s review because I can’t say it better myself: “Once again parenting is at the center of what kind of Superhero you become. Liked the plot device of telekenitic camera work to prevent the nauseating wobbly camcorder bullshit.”… also providing more shorts with all three of them in frame.
3.5/5

5. The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate – Dir. Tsui Hark

As I was watching this I kept thinking “wow I haven’t seen this much CGI in a Chinese period epic since Detective Dee”… but of course, same too-much-money-to-spend director… I guess I just liked Tsui Hark better when he still had to work on a tight budget. When these sword battles focused on the fighting itself than the beautiful slow-motion of splintering wood and whatever the flying dart equivalent of bullet-time is called. The story takes place three years after the first Dragon Inn (from 1992, which Tsui Hark also had a hand in), tied very loosely to historic events, which are not worth rehashing. Suffice to say there are bad guys, badder guys, treasure hunters, a fugitive and her protector, who all converge on Dragon Gate Inn with a vicious sandstorm approaching. Loyalties are questioned, identities are mistaken, sides must be chosen, and gold must be found. That’s the premise for a lot of deceit, trickery, and sword-fighting. It’s alright, especially the second half, it has you guessing and engrossed. I just have personal reservations about battle epics like these ones being shot in digital, I spent the 80’s and 90’s watching many films like this one, so you can see why it doesn’t look quite right to me. *shrug*
3/5

6. Pitch Perfect – Dir. Jason Moore

Normally I'm not all aboard the Glee train, but (like Glee) this movie seemed to get rave reviews all around. It was dinner/movie date night with my friend Mara, neither of us had seen, so we threw it on. Great decision. Aspiring DJ Beca (who's fond of the mash-ups) joins the college accapella group, the Barden Bellas, in order to apease her father. In a lot of ways it's like Bring It On but with singing instead of cheerleading. Anna Kendrick and especially Rebel Wilson's one-liners provide terrific entertainment, tunes are good, people are pretty, pace is energetic and story decent. I'd watch it again.
3.5/5

7. Warriors of Heaven and Earth – Dir. He Ping

It's been a while (almost 10 years?) since I've watched this Tang Dynasty epic, once again based in history but actual events made up. I'm just going to copy and paste the plot as I have no hope in hell or articulating into words:

"North of the vast 8th century Tang dynasty Chinese empire, the commercially and culturally priceless silk route is controlled by 36 friendly Buddhist kingdoms. Their are threatened by Turkic nomad tribes, the caravans also by brigand bands. Japanese scholar Lai Qimay not return home until the emperor is satisfied with his missions to retrieve refugees from the barren border lands. The last is competent imperial lieutenant Li, who was proscribed for refusing to execute Turkic prisoners. He now lives among fellow warriors for hire as caravan escorts. Lai Qi and Li reach a gentleman's agreement to postpone their lethal duel till after the safe arrival of a caravan including a young Buddhist monk and his mysterious freight. When Turkic warlord Khan's daughter's hand seals an alliance with brigand sword master An, the only way out is trough the grimly dry Gobi desert." - IMDB

At the time this was made, there was less collaboration between HK and mainland China in the Chinese film industry and this was primarily mainland, of which I was not a fan, but this one was a notable exception. It's a pretty simple story with complexities added in the characters instead, the scenery is stunning, swords are always clashing, and the battles bloody. If you like Game of Thrones and can handle 2 hrs of subtitles I think you'll really enjoy this.
4/5

8. Magic Mike - Dir. Steven Soderbergh

I originally wanted to watch Magic Mike because Soderbergh directed it... how snobby am I?? Ultimately I give not a damn who directed it. There's a story in there somewhere, I think it has to do with redemption but it's masked by too many attractive people constantly in state of undress for me to care. Actually, to be serious for a split second, I really liked the way Brooke's character spoke and interacted with those around her, call it terrible acting or awkward or whatever, but to me the halting, half-emotionless, words-tumbling-out delivery of her lines seemed more real and appropriate for her character than eloquence and smooth delivery would've been. Anyway, beautiful men, very little clothing, lots of dancing... mesmerizing movie...
3.5/5

9. The Faculty - Dir. Robert Rodriguez

Thing I liked most about this movie: the nerdy loser guy swears just as much as all his cooler, badder counterparts. That's realism. Anyway, this is your usual fun Rodriguez romp with gore, freak-outs, zombies/monsters infiltrating our peaceful towns, and only a mis-matched band of outcasts to save us all. He keeps you on edge and guessing. Some of this is remarkably 90's (well, hey, it was made in the 90's) so it's nostalgic and nauseating at the same time, but fun to hear some Offspring in the opening scene. The Breakfast Club ending doesn't go off quite as well as... well, The Breakfast Club. And why must they always symbolize that things are looking up for the freak by making her cease to wear black? That frustrates me endlessly. I'm nit-picking though, the movie was fun.
3.5/5

10. Butter - Dir. Jim Field Smith

Here we delve into the dark cutthroat world of....butter-carving! It's throphy-wife Jennifer Garner struggling to hold onto the family's claim to the state butter-carving title vs. the most adorable street-smart little girl who's been bounced around the foster system. They have some help from a local car salesman and a vengeful stripper (a dark-haired Olivia Wilde who was totally channeling Mila Jovovich). When it comes time to make comparisons, Drop Dead Gorgeous comes to mind, but Butter doesn't reach those extremes (therefore less hysterics from me). It is more heartfelt I guess...
3/5

11. Help! - Dir. Richard Lester

Ringo's receives a gift from a fan that turns out to be a gaudy sacrificial ring from an evil eastern cult, whomever wears the ring will be painted red and sacrificed, and now he can't get the ring off...help! And so the ludicrous-ness goes on. I think all the Beatles live-action movies are pure ridiculousness, this is no exception, but it is kinda funny if you like the schlocky groan-worthy humour. It's so bad it's almost kinda good. Certainly can't complain about the music right?
2/5

12. Across the Universe - Dir. Julie Traynor

One of my favourite musicals. I don't know why something like this didn't exist sooner, the Beatles repertoire is definitely big enough and diverse enough to spin an tale around. And Across the Universe isn't just a simple black & white plot either, it's got subplots, ambiguity, politics, and much more. But if I had to sum it up, it would be the story of young Jude crossing the pod and being taken under the wing of Ivy-league drop-out Max, they escape to New York to live the bohemian East Village life and we are introduced to their cast of colour friends. The boy-meets-girl element is when Jude meets Max's younger sister Lucy, everything is peachy at first but her political convictions in the protests against Vietnam begin to tear them apart. So many songs used in just the perfect place. Allow me a sappy moment, my fav is still: I Just Seen a Face.
4/5

13. Rock of Ages - Dir. Adam Shankman

Small town girl meets city boy who works at *the* rock club on the strip, but will their newfound love survive fame, disillusioned rockstars (that look Tom Cruise covered in cheesey tattoos) and lame misunderstandings? Meanwhile the mayor's evil wife zones in on the clubs troubles in attempts to close them down, what will become of them all? Ok, I get this is a musical but the plot is still seriously flimsy, the rest of the film barely makes up for it. The movie overall is fun in that the songs are good, but I'm laughing at the plot, the characters, the numbers as opposed to with them (if I'm supposed to be laughing at all). The people are pretty and Russell Brand is always entertaining. Catherine Zeta-Jones was the only person in the entire film who did any decent dancing, and Julianne Hough gave me hair envy.
2/5

14. Cosmopolis - Dir. David Cronenberg

Antiviral by Brandon Cronenberg was one of the most torturous things I had to watch in 2012, but it's almost entertaining compared to his father's Cosmopolis. Think of the most boring cultural theory lecture you've ever had to sit through and imagine sitting through the same lecture for 20 weeks in a row, that's how I felt watching this movie. Societal critique is one thing but you can't build a movie based on an endless conversation of such, especially if you're just going over the same message again and again... Rob Pattinson is a young gazillionaire who appears to spend most of his life in his limo fucking and otherwise speculating about the state of the economy and society with random associates... something almost interesting happens at the end (the movie vastly improves as soon as Paul Giamatti hits the screen by unfortunately by then I've stopped caring about the movie and the plot) and I genuinely likes the last scene (prob because it signified the end!)
1/5 (0.5 for Giamatti, 0.5 for production design which was pretty slick)

15. Anna Karenina - Dir. Joe Wright

Another TIFF'12 film that didn't get nearly as much attention as expected. It's a re-teaming of director Joe Wright and Keira Knightley, doing what they do best. So you'll either like it, or you're already sick of it. It's based on the book of the same title by Tolstoy, and what makes it stand out from Joe Wright's previous films is the innovative set designs, most of which are within a theatre with the spaces completely redesigned. It's a reasonable running time (under 2 hours) compared to all the epics that have been released this past holiday season, and also features beautiful costumes and quality acting. Keria Knightley seems to exhibit less and less range the more I see of her, but she's within her comfort zone here and does her job well in the title role. I tend to like period dramas so I'm an easily captivated audience, but even I have to point out that there was a major lull in the 3rd quarter of this movie, so that's a good time to go get your popcorn refilled.
3/5

16. Starbuck - Dir. Ken Scott

This is a French Canadian film based on true events about a man who discovers that through his sperm donations in the past, has fathered 500+ children, 142 of which what to find out his identity. I missed this at TIFF a couple years ago but glad I got a chance to see it. Great balance of humour, and delight. It's stays relatively light-hearted but is touching at the same time watching this 40 year old slacker try to anonymously take on fatherly responsibilities to help the troubled youths who are out to find him. All the while he must make important decisions that will greatly affect his fragile relationship and fledgling family.
4/5

17. Gangster Squad - Dir. Ruben Fleischer

With release delayed and edits made after the theatre shooting tragedy this past summer, I think something in this spirit of this movie got quashed. That being said I wasn’t expecting genius from this 40’s throwback about a hard boiled cop named O’Mara (Josh Brolin) trying to clean up Hollywood by taking down notorious fighter-turned-mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), he’s aided by a secret squad of officers including the handsome (but out of place Ryan Gosling as…) Sgt. Jerry Wooters who just happens to be in love with moll Gracie Faraday (coincidentally Cohen’s girl)…therefore I rather enjoyed it. The production values are there, and with the exception of Gosling, who does his best to embody his role but somehow just doesn’t fit in, the cast gives strong performances. I’m a terrible person to guage what’s an appropriate amount of violence (I was raised on John Woo gunfire and worship Quentin Tarantino), I’ve seen the movie theatre clip that they cut out of the film (where they literally burst through a movie theatre screen with machine guns and open fire… amazing!) and hope they put it back in somewhere with the blu-ray release.
3.5/5

18. Everything Must Go - Dir. Dan Rush

This is the Will Ferrell movie for people who don’t like Will Ferrell. He plays a corporate figure struggling with alcoholism and on the day we meet him, he’s just been fired from his job and his wife has thrown him out leaving all his things on his lawn. The movie is an understated look as his journey towards redemption and the unlikely characters (a local maid’s neglected son and a pregnant new neighbor awaiting the arrival of her husband) who nudge him in the right direction. It’s a bit of a slow start but well worth sticking with, it’s a simple story but he will have you rooting for him.
3.5/5

19. Zero Dark Thirty - Dir. Kathryn Bigelow

I really had to psych myself up to watch this one, but considering I passed on Hunt Locker in 2008 and then it won Best Picture (still have never seen it) I felt like I should give this a shot. Thankfully I’d also read a fellow 30 Films participants’ review and was forewarned it was a good long wait for any action. If there’s anyone who does not know, the film centres around one woman’s relentless determination in the search for Osama Bin Laden. (I would hope everyone knows how the story ends) Jessica Chastain does a fine job in her role, but I’m now on the bandwagon that Kathryn Bigelow should have been nominated for Best Director. If it hadn’t been for the stellar direction of this film, I don’t think I would have made it through. This stuff so isn’t my cup of tea, but the pacing and ups and downs in the story were just enough to keep me watching. If the topic is of interest to you, I highly recommend you give this movie a watch, it’s terrific. But at the same time, I never need to see it again.
3.5/5

20. Textuality – Dir. Warren Sonoda

A little bit more CanCon for my list. This one is a little Rom Com shot in Toronto, there’s a play on words in the title for this movie about a guy and girl who are dating multiple people and doing all the wrong things to themselves instead of figuring out they should be with one another. The gimmick thrown in is vast amount of communication between members of the opposite sex via texting and bbm-ing. Points for trying, and I love seeing Carly Pope on the screen, but this movie is neither here nor there. Our main characters are defying convention through the film but then suddenly love turns on a light and their end scene is flat and clichéd? I resented that the texting/bbm-ing was just a gimmick and utterly unnecessary, anything they did via messaging could have been replaced by virtually any form of electronic communication, it had no bearing on the story. The one interesting dimension that the film makes no commentary on is that in the mobile messaging age, one is essentially able to flirt and cheat with a third party while in the presence of your partner. Anyway I digress ... My point is, the movie though cute at times, was overall so captivating that I picked up my phone and began sending texts myself while watching.
2/5

21. Lincoln – Dir. Steven Spielberg

Oscar favourite. Historic epic. Made me fall asleep FIVE times (I backed up to where I dozed off after I woke up each time so I probably was in fact watching this movie for closer to 4 hours). Overall it was brutal. Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones are terrific but I guess ultimately it wasn't enough to pique my interest in this chapter of American history. My interest was only piqued in the moments where the Lincolns' family life was foregrounded, and that wasn't nearly often enough.

2/5

22. Le Cercle Rouge - Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville

I really wanted to like Le Cercle Rouge as I consider myself a fan of Noir and French New Wave, and appreciate the talent of Alain Delon. However I found this one a bit too clinical and barren, think that's a symptom of Melville. Little dialogue, very to-the-point actions with little elaboration. It's a worthwhile watch and an important contribution to the heist genre, but did not live up to my expectations.

2.5/5

23. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly - Dir. Julian Schnabel

A moving tale about French Elle fashion editor who suffers a stroke leaving him with locked-in syndrome (full mental capacity but with no way to communicate due to complete paralysis) and his struggle to relearn to communicate with only the use of one eye. Using this method of communication he expresses his thoughts, joys, regrets etc. as he writes a book about his experiences. Amazing story, and I fully admit I'm a bit heartless towards these types of tales, I completely understand this got the rave reviews it did and I liked the movie very much... but it's just not 5 material for me...

4/5

24. Alien - Dir. Ridley Scott

Forgot to review a couple of movies...squeezing them back in... Been a while since I've seen the 1979 original and it still holds up. Understated in comparison but still plenty suspenseful CGI or not. Overall I thought the film looked good, and appropriate for the movie that will serve to introduce us to the series and its setting.

3/5

25. Aliens - Dir. James Cameron

When I think of the Aliens series, this movie is the quintessential representation. The first time I ever got caught to cutting class was when my friend Christopher and I stayed home to watch this movie, so it has a special place in my heart. Special effects had apparently made leaps and bounds since 1979, but not so much that's all crisp and glossed over as in current day. I think one of the things that makes this work is that things are fuzzy and sometimes a little hard to see, that's what you'd encounter in real life. Anyway, a fine example of a sci-fi thriller.

3.5/5

26. Dr. Plonk - Dir. Rolf de Heer

Before the entire world feel in love with The Artist, there was another little silent throw-back film that screened at TIFF from Australia called Dr. Plonk about a scientist in 1907 who makes a mistaken discovery that the world is going to end in 2008. In order to prove his theory, he builds a time machine to travel to the end of time. Dr. Plonk is actually more Buster Keaton and even Chaplin than The Artist, it's got more of the physical/slapstick comedy. It's not as compelling a story nor is the dog as cute (still cute tho...), lags a bit in the middle, but a fun time overall if you like old silent movies.

3/5

27. The Artist - Dir. Michel Hazanavicius

The Artist brought back the love for silent films, but watching The Artist back to back with Dr. Plonk makes me think that perhaps The Artist actually brought back the love of old Hollywood as opposed to silent films themselves...? Dr. Plonk is done up like a real Keaton-esque silent film, The Artist is more like Sunset Boulevard commenting on an era that has past... Not to say it's not fantastic, I love The Artist, it's one of my favs.

4.5/5

28. The Silent War - Dir. Felix Chong & Alan Mak

From one of the finest writing teams out of Hong Kong... I think as their repertoire grows, Mak/Chong teeter between genius and over-complicated in their plots. However The Silent War doesn't fall within these parameters... what begins as a great premise for an spy/espionage tale (Chinese spy agency recruits a blind man with very acute hearing to find secret enemy radio broadcasts) starts to lag in the 2nd half and stumbles in pacing. One of my favourite aspects of Mak/Chong's stories is when they incorporate personal relationships/emotions into main plot, though even that can be a hit and miss. In The Silent War they got it right, but it wasn't enough to redeem the movie...overall, it was a tad boring.

2.5/5

29. Mansfield Park - Dir. Patricia Rozema

This is my favourite Jane Austen adaptation (not that I can calm to have seen all the BBC versions). Bright young headstrong girl aspiring to be a writer who does not wish to live by the days' conformity of being socially and financially settled in marriage (disregarding the heart's desire and any hesitations it might have) must ascertain the truth behind a suitor's affections towards her, all the while watching her best friend and true love court another. Include witty British humour and beautiful soundtrack... I'm not saying it's for everyone, but I adore it.

4/5

30. Catfish - Dir. Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman

Another popular title amongst the 30 Films group, and one I've been meaning to watch. Alleged documentary about a NYC photographer who strikes up an online friendship with a young painter and her family, only things are not what they seems, which the filmmakers discover when they travel to pay the family a surprise visit. If nothing else, Catfish is unique and the story propels it forward. I really enjoyed it, despite one of the handheld shots making me want to puke (as I was sitting too close to the tv), thought they cut it well and paced it well. Just not sure if I'd re-watch it numerous times.

3.5/5

31. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters - Dir. Tommy Wirkola

Went to the preview screening of this last week, with high hopes following last year's Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. This is far inferior, an adaptation that takes little from the original story, uses rudimentary storytelling (white white = good!) and only makes the occasional hokey fairytale joke that's so bad it's really not worth it at all. It's only saving grace is the copious amounts of eye candy... in the form of Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, and a shitload of largely pointless action sequences. Keep in mind, I'm rating this based on the fact I didn't have to pay to see this. If these 90 mins had cost me near $20 (It's 3D imax) I'd be demanding a refund.

1.5/5

32. Overheard - Dir. Felix Chong & Alan Mak

Basically grabbed whatever Felix Chong/Alan Mak movies I had off the shelf and started watching... This is one of their best (not *the* best tho) about a team of officers on a surveillance case, each with their own personal problems and conflicting motivations... who feel the lure of insider trading in relation to the case they're gathering evidence on. Magnificent story, and while most of us in North America don't keep close tabs on the stock market (individual stocks in particular) it's a common part of HK culture, even so I was completely hooked on the events within the movie. Best cop/crime dramas to come from HK since John Woo's reign in the 90's.

5/5

33. Overheard 2 - Dir. Felix Chong & Alan Mak

In the unrelated sequel, the writing team fails to deliver big time! Bringing back some of the cast but to play different roles was an interesting idea, but the story in Overheard 2 was too convoluted - it didn't help that my copy had Google Translate subtitles that didn't make a lot of sense so I had to rely on the Cantonese alone. I always praise the Chinese cop/gangster speak (ie. much of the feel of the film is lost in translation... imagine Goodfellas without all the wise guy lingo) but let's face it, sometimes I still need a quick translation to confirm their reference is indeed a code for what I think it is. Either way, I found the twists needlessly complicated, overall I understood the reasons why who lived and who died, but my headed was all clouded up from plot details that didn't matter so much after all. It also made the film feel so much longer.

2/5

34. Django Unchained - Dir. Quentin Tarantino

I'm a bit behind on my reviews, and I need the blog hits, so to save time please see review here: http://blogginginoblivion.blogspot.ca/2012/12/its-very-django-christmas.html It was my second viewing, and while I'm still in love with Christoph Waltz, I would have to say in the 2nd viewing Leonardo DiCaprio's performance really grew on me. He's so good (Waltz is still a little better), he really deserved more acting nominations this awards season.

4.5/5

35. Die Hard - Dir. John McTiernan

Often touted as a Christmas classic by many of my friends, Die Hard is of course much more. NYPD cop takes justice into his own hands when a young Alan Rickman (how did I forget he was the villain?) and his fellow German terrorist clan takes a corporate building, and those inside, hostage. It's a 2 hr adrenaline rush, lots of action, lots of guns, bit of clever banter in between, and things blow up. In short, it's a good time.

3.5/5

36. Infernal Affairs - Dir. Wai-keung Lau & Alan Mak

I'd been waiting all month to see this on the big screen. Cop/crime/gangster thrillers are Hong Kong's bread and butter, and this is among (if not *the*) finest offering of them all. The tale even caught Hollywood's attention, where it was remade into The Departed. I noticed in the screening that the subtitles were not dead on, instead altered so that they furthered the story instead of just being a straight translation (which doesn't always work when, like all cop/gangster dialects, lines are filled with slangs and other references). It's an interwoven tale about infiltrating the other side, mixed loyalties, blurring the black and the white between the Hong Kong police and the Triad society. The story is powerful as any classic John Woo, but more concise without the flowery dramatics, yet not so stark as Jean-Pierre Melville.

5/5

37. The Departed - Dir. Martin Scorsese

Hollywood remake of Infernal Affairs... goes from faithfully re-created scenes to entirely new additions. It's got a longer running time at 2.5 hrs (compared to Infernal Affairs' 2 hours) as it delves more into character background (which actually comes from the plot of Infernal Affairs 2). If you're only going to make one film, I guess that background does help give your story some depth, but also teeters on the edge of "do we really care?" Maybe it was because I was in hour 3 of sitting in a theatre but I was starting to get a little drowsy at one point. Things I liked most about The Departed: Mark Wahlberg's character (a role adapted from a character that appears in Infernal Affairs 2, but not the first movie), and the combination of the female characters in one (Vera Farmiga)... the connection works and when there is no sequel and no chance to expand on the characters, it's best to have fewer small roles.

3.5/5

38. Infernal Affairs 2 - Dir. Wai-keung Lau & Alan Mak

Terrific prequel of Infernal Affairs, delving into the history and past allegiances of the two main characters. It creates a rich tale that supports the future motivations of not just the main characters, but a couple of the supporting characters as well. The writers tie in family, love, and friendships. Carina Lau (an actress whose work I admire) makes an appearance as Mary, wife of future mob boss Sam, who commands her own crew and is devoted to seeing her husband rise to the top, resorting to acts of ruthlessness when he won't. She's a strong and amazing character. Also, I must point out the quirkiness, it's not just a bunch of series cop banter... my favourite scene is when Inspector Wong and his partner are at a stakeout of sorts, they argue about what they think will go down, who should be in charge, etc... all while eating popsicles. LOL! Priceless.

4.5/5 (0.5 off for a potential plot hole when relating back to the first movie. Feel free to inquire if you've seen the movies)

39. The Dark Knight Rises - Dir. Christopher Nolan

That's three times I've seen Dark Knight Rises within a 6 month period and I still can't decide whether I like the 2nd or 3rd better. Really, I think Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan were just made for each other. Mock their utter and complete seriousness all you want, the end product they produce works. Anne Hathaway also surprised me in her competent portrayal of Selina Kyle (Catwoman), I had my doubts when she was first cast. My main disappointment was the under-utilization of Juno Temple, but there really wasn't much point to her character so it's hard to make nothing into something. These are all just random points I'm plucking out of the air. Overall I love this movie, one of my top films of 2012.

4.5/5

40. River's Edge - Dir. Tim Hunter

Little indie film from the 80's based on a true story about a high school girl who is killed by another in her circle and their mutual friends decide to conceal the truth. Disaffected youth, skewed loyalties, to me it's like a forerunner of Kids (and other Larry Clark, Gus Van Sant even) starring a blend of pretty faces (Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye) and amazing talent (Crispin Glover, Dennis Hopper). It's like the antithesis of John Hughes, but a great movie in its own right.

3.5/5

41. Beasts of the Southern Wild - Dir. Benh Zeitlin

Thought I'd wrap it up with an Oscar contender. This one is a glimpse of life through the eyes of young Hushpuppy whose home is being washed away by floods, threatening her community's very existence. As they struggle to maintain their way of life (a blend of poverty and primal), further complications arise with Hushpuppy's father's failing health. What it boils down to is an innocent, optimistic young girl who has no idea of her true lot in life, and how she is better for it. At least I think that's what it's about. I can appreciate the movie's unique point of view, it's environmental warnings, and the truly amazing performance by Quvenzhané Wallis. But if you expect tears and anguish and gushing reviews...boy have you got the wrong audience. I liked it when I initially watched it, but have given it very little thought since. Overall, not my cup of tea. I'm kinda heartless :P

3/5 (I would've given it 3.5 initially but turns out it's not very memorable...as I wrote this review 3 weeks after I watched the movie)

I Don't Need To Explain My Art To You (But I Reserve The Right To Criticize Yours!)

Twitter Updates

Twitter Updates

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

30 Films in 31 Days - 2013 Edition

Friday, March 1, 2013

Stoker Review