30 Films in 31 Days - 2013 Edition

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)

Stoker Review

The first time I saw Old Boy I ran out of the room in horror during the climax. I had to screw up my courage in order to return to the TV and watch the rest of the film. (Indisputable sign that it was a good film!) Chan-wok Park's subsequent films Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance also became cult hits, therefore anticipation is high for Stoker. In his first foray across the pond, Park keeps it in the family (*cue rimshot*). Stoker stars the haunting Mia Wasikowska as India Stoker, a peculiar girl whose inexplicably alluring uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) comes to stay with her and her mother (Nicole Kidman) following her father's untimely death.

Mila Wasikowska is an up-and-coming talent who once again proves herself in this role. Through unyielding facial expressions and subtle body movements alone she immediately makes my skin crawl. Left in less capable hands and the character would be little more than an imitation of Wednesday Addams (I don't think Mia cracks a single smile in the film), but she's brought a certain dimension of fragility, a twisted innocence even, to the character of India.  Matthew Goode is vastly underrated in my opinion, he's held his own in other leading roles and while he's never stunned us in any performance he's certainly consistent, and deserves more fame than he.  As mysterious/creepy Uncle Charlie he's appropriately cast with his outwardly good looks, unnerving stare, and controlled delivery of his lines (always a sign of a psychopath).  Nicole Kidman, in her quest to become a true 'artist', seems to thrive on these cold, ineffectual, weirdo roles. She's pretty much the same in all of them, however this does mean that she has the character down pat.

Chan-wook Park is very deliberate and meticulous in his direction, everything is detailed and carefully planned whether it be a rough tracking shot or ever-so-slightly tilted camera angle. Small sounds are accentuated as to bring us in close, the sound a soggy pencil being sharpened makes is now embedded in my head. His characters glide across the screen, somehow he uses their beauty and fluidity to make them appear even more frightening.  A mother-daughter's exchange of offers to brush each other's hair becomes unsettling.  A polite dinner conversation generates nervous tittering through the audience.

There is the debate about moral ambiguity in this movie, which audiences may protest against, but I believe those who have taken the time to see out something dark or who are familiar with Chan-wook Park's work, should have some idea of what they're getting into.  Even then Stoker is not for the faint of heart, it delves into the dredges of the human psyche where conscience and morality do not reach.

It's not so much believability or gratuitous violence that makes me hesitate to rave about Stoker, but rather I feel there is some element of shock here that doesn't really hit the mark.  We travel down this dark spiral with the characters, who are more eerily calm than we are about it, but with the accumulation of deaths and discoveries, I noticed more and more actions taken with little explanation of motives.  After awhile we start to become desensitized as the Stoker family and are just watching these things happen before our eyes with our emotions removed.  This feels like a script that was written with Park in mind to direct, which is different from something that's actually written by Chan-wook Park.  This script is succeeds at being edgy, whereas Park's own work pushes the boundaries of our minds and redefines them.  Thus Stoker is somewhere in the middle.


3/5

2013 Oscar Predictions

If I only had time to write about one this week (this month? :( ) what would it be?  Well that's easy... The Oscars!  2 weekends away; Argo sweeping up the awards; Jessica Chastain vs. Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress; realizing I've only seen one of the nominations for Best Animated Film (???); and all the rest of the kerfuffle that takes place leading up Hollywood's most prestigious night of the year.

Because I'm so tied up with the job that pays my rent and all the other things that distract me from doing the things I enjoy most in life, I'll try to keep this short like an Oscar speech.

I'd like to thank my friend Heather.  Who can hopefully still use my input (she sent me this last week).  If it'd not been for her phoning me up asking for a hand in her Oscar pool, I probably wouldn't even have any predictions to post.  Here they are... Yellow for whom I think will win, red checkmarks for who I think should win. (Click on image, right click, view image, and enlarge to make it legible if you're about the same amount of blind as me)

Let the fiery debates begin! (Preferably in the comments below but I will also accept outraged text messages)

Cheers,
Ada

Ada's Top 10 Films of 2012

It's that time again boys and girls!  Just when you thought everyone and their monkey had posted their top whatever lists of 2012... here's mine!

There's nothing like Awards Season to entice me to watch a final few Best Picture contenders before making my picks.  But seriously, how is your average movie-goer supposed to make a proper list by Dec 31st when something like Zero Dark Thirty (which qualifies under 2012 for the critics) doesn't even open in theatres until January?  Should I even include that in a 2012 list, when 2013 might be more appropriate?  I've had problems in the past with January releases.  Luckily ZDT is an honourable mention at best so we don't need to have a debate about it.

Then there's also the matter of films from major festivals like TIFF and Hot Docs, for years friends would accuse me of cheating by listing films they had no hope of seeing.  But as I see it... a) it's *MY* list and b) a sizable chunk of movies that I see are at festivals.  If I see an average of 28 films at TIFF, that's easily equal to or more than the number of films I see at regular theatres the rest of the year.  So to disqualify them would put me at a severe disadvantage.  My argument is still mostly point a) though ;)

So let's recap... what qualifies for Ada's Top 10 list:

- any film from a film festival that I attended in 2012
- any film with a Canadian theatrical release dated in 2012
- is listed on www.imdb.com as released in 2012


1. Django Unchained (USA)
2. The Dark Knight Rises (USA)
3. Cloud Atlas (USA/Germany)
4. Argo (USA)
5. The We and the I (USA)
6. Perks of Being a Wallflower (USA)
7. Much Ado About Nothing (USA)
8. 2 Days in New York (France)
9. Moonrise Kingdom (USA)
10. Silver Linings Playbook (USA)


Narrowly missing the top 10 were:

The Master (USA)
The Avengers (USA)


Honourable Mentions go to:

What Maisie Knew (USA)
Disconnect (USA)
Aftershock (USA/Chile)
The End (Original title: Fin) (Spain)
Zero Dark Thirty (USA)


Normally I'd just launch right into the films but this year I felt the need to point out that 2012 was an endless chain of enjoyable films.  Unless your last name is Cronenberg, if I saw your film this year I likely thought it was watchable.  What I struggled with through most of the year was finding outstanding films, of which there were few and this fact is reflected in my Top 10 list, which I'm ashamed is see is an almost solid wall of USA-produced titles (even the one French-produced film was in English and took place in New York).


(clicking on titles will bring you to the IMDB page)

Up until early December I was still lamenting about the year's lack of outstanding movies and it was pointed out to me that Django Unchained was going to top my list by default anyway so I should stop worrying.  So here it is, because you guys said so, because I do genuinely love the movie, and because Tarantino is my f'n hero.  However, do I think it's far superior to #2 on my list?  No, not really.  The writing, the direction, the supporting performances by Christoph Waltz, Sam Jackson, and Leonardo DiCaprio, and the gratuitous violence... all part of what makes this film terrific.  Must see it again before it leaves theatres.

The Dark Knight Rises, thought enjoyable from the first viewing, grew on me the second time I saw it, and I'm anxious to see it yet again (always a good sign that you can't get enough).  I loved The Dark Knight but at this point I still can't decide if I like the 2nd or 3rd chapter better.  It's rare to find a solid trilogy where each is continuously impressive, not that I doubted Christopher Nolan could deliver.  Really it would've made more sense to me if Anne Hathaway was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in The Dark Knight Rises than Les Miserables.  Yeah, I said it.

Nobody wants to show Cloud Atlas any love?  I will.  This movie has the best special fx make-up of the year, don't let a little "yellow-face" controversy distract you from that fact (if you don't know me personally, I'm yellow, and I wasn't offended).  The Academy is blind not to recognize this.  As well the most beautiful score out of any film I've seen this year, partially composed by one of its multi-talented directors, Tom Tykwer.  If you want linear logic, go watch Lincoln, if you want to fill your mind with existential and philosophical ideas amidst a backdrop of visual wonder, go watch Cloud Atlas.

Ben Affleck has done a lot of stupid things in his life, both on and off the screen, but Argo pretty much puts everything right.  It's an intelligent crowd-pleaser with a good mix of humour, suspense, Canadiana, play-on-word profanity, and even a splash of truth.  Why these complaints about authenticity of the story?  If they'd stuck with the facts 100% it would've been a documentary and I think it's clear that was never the intent.  Affleck has really found his niche in directing, though I'd like to see him at the helm of something that he doesn't also star in.  That's ok though, a little narcissism is fine as long as you're good enough.

The We and the I is another film that didn't get a warm reception and I don't understand why.  Indie fav Michel Gondry rounds up a group of non-professionals from an after school program to star in this tale of inter-woven stories that take an intimate look at teenage life in the Bronx with events unfolding over one long bus-ride home on the last day of school.  My own high school experiences were probably closer to this than John Hughes' version.  I grant you it's not a film for everybody, but it's a film for me.  I like it best when Gondry doesn't have a budget.

My first tweet as I was leaving the threatre after seeing this movie: "Perks of Being a Wallflower teaches us that geeks and weirdos make the best kind of friends. #moviesdontlie #tiff12" (incidentally, my most retweeted tweet to date)  Easily relate-able and easy to like, going to see Perks of Being a Wallflower is like going to meet your wacky friends at the theatre.  Screw trying to be cool, trying to fit in, it's about flourishing despite your flaws and weaknesses and finding others that compliment your eccentricities.  Maybe I just like the movie because it reinforces my belief that I'm doing the right thing.

Now we're deep into festival territory.  I do hope that audiences will get a chance to see Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing in theatres some time though, it's probably the best modern take on Shakespeare since...uhm... Ten Things I Hate About You (haha).  Shot in crisp black and white in Whedon's home, the tale feels fresh and the (added & built-in) humour really comes off, even with the preservation of the original language.  I think it's quite the accomplishment.  

I didn't see 2 Days in New York until earlier this month and I'm sorry I waited so long.  While it follows in the formula of 2 Days in Paris, Delphy's directorial debut, and as such lacks a certain degree of innovation, it still had me in fits of giggles. Also I'm a sucker for family dysfunction and Delphy kicks that up a notch in her sequel.  Set it in yet another city that I'm fond of, and you've pretty much got my attention and admiration.

In my opinion, Moonrise Kingdom was the best love story of 2012.  No vampire weddings and blood-sucking spawn (though the latter doesn't sound too bad if only those Twilight movies had more fangs and gore), just a couple classic misfit pen pals in love.  Signature Wes Anderson cinematography, production design, and perfect balance of camp (pun intended).  As I get older, I seem to have increasing issues with those who are purposefully weird, and Moonrise Kingdom began that way but the story really won me over.  Which makes it that much more impressive.

Yes, Moonrise Kingdom is a better lover story than Silver Linings Playbook, but that doesn't detract from the spirit and message of this movie.  On one hand Silver Linings is a prime example of how 2012 was filled with good movies but not great ones, in my initial review I considered it easily digestible and predictable.  However the script and heart of this movie probably would have won me over regardless for a top 10 spot anyway.  After all, aren't movies ultimately about enjoyment?







I can't help but compare the performances of Joaquin Phoenix in The Master and Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln despite the movies being quite dissimilar.  It has something to do with DDL generating an oscar-winning performance in P.T. Anderson's last film There Will Be Blood and the fact that Phoenix did an equally amazing job in The Master (but enough to beat out his predecessor in another film?).  Months after seeing The Master, I admit I cannot readily recall too many details of the supposed story of Scientology and only remember being mesmerized by Phoenix and Seymour Phillip Hoffman's embodiment of their characters.  That and the 70mm projection of some beautiful camera work and production design.  I don't know if I'll ever see The Master again, but it has left it's impression on me.

The other film that just missed the top 10...The Avengers!  C'mon, tell me you didn't have a great time at the theatre watching Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk (mine and veryone's fav), Scarlett Johansson kicking ass in a skintight suit, and Chris Helmsworth (uh...I know he does stuff in the movie but right now I can't envision anything past his muscles for some reason...) all under the spirited direction of Joss Whedon.  In the over-saturation of superhero movies, this one manages to stand out.


Honourable Mentions:

This year's honourable mentions are almost exclusively from TIFF.  I have no information about North American release dates but they are worth checking out if they ever come to your town.  Late in the festival, I had one day of movie-going which featured my celeb-future-husband Alexander Skarsgard, I just scheduled my movies so I could stare at him all day, but turned out I saw two pretty memorable films... Disconnect (directed by Oscar-winning director of Murderball, Henry Alex Rubin) is an intense movie with a multiple storyline, looking at the terrifying consequences of online identity fraud.  It's a very relevant topic and a good demonstration of how little everyday interactions can escalate to unspeakable acts.  In a completely different vein, What Maisie Knew provides intimate insights from the eyes of an adorable 7 year old about her parents' bitter divorce and selfish custody battle.  With star power the likes of Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, Skarsgard, etc. I hope to be able to catch this again on the big screen sometime.

Of the genre films, Aftershock by Nicholas Lopez is a gruesome scare based on some of the directors' own experiences during the earthquake in Chile.  It stars Eli Roth, severed limbs, psychological terror, and a lot of blood.  The End (Original title: Fin) from Spain is far from perfect but stuck a chord with me as I have a soft spot for post-apocalyptic survival stories, as well as tales of friendship/reunions.  There are some pretty major flaws with pacing and I didn't like the ending, but it awakes my middle school desire to write the perfect tale of friendship and horror.

Depending on who you talk to, Zero Dark Thirty is either over-hyped or partially snubbed in the recent round of Oscar nominations.  I think it's a combo.  I don't get the Jessica Chastain hype, she's a good actress, but Oscar-worthy?  I'm not sure.  Kathryn Bigelow should have gotten a nomination for best directing, truly the film would have slogged on rather uneventfully if not for her brilliant direction.  The final product is engaging, powerful, and worthy of its Best Picture nomination.  At first I was indecisive about whether I should see this movie, now I'm glad I did.

From Hong Kong to Hollywood: Infernal Affairs vs. The Departed

I've never been a big fan of remakes and reboots, but every once in a while someone will do a remake that's almost as good as the original....

The Departed, the remake of the 2002 Hong Kong modern classic, Infernal Affairs, is not one of them ;) But it is a finely crafted film, and I do think Martin Scorsese did his best, as did his cast.  In some small aspects he even brought new dimensions to the core story, which is admirable on his part.

When the making of The Departed was first announced I was really excited.  As a proud Hong Kong film supporter (well, I was prouder then) I went about making sure everyone knew that legendary director Martin Scorsese's new film was actually a remake of a Hong Kong cinematic masterpiece starting huge talents such as Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Anthony Wong etc.

Infernal Affairs, in my opinion, it is one of the best pieces of writing in Chinese film history, and one of the few movies I’ve seen where the sequel is almost better than the original (this is an amazing feat because the first movie is spectacular)  I implored all who were interested in seeing the Hollywood version, to see the Chinese original as well.  Of course this was easier said than done, for years the only way to pick up a copy of Infernal Affairs was at your local Chinatown bootleg store, not a source that everyone can be convinced to patronize. By the time the Infernal Affairs trilogy had a North American DVD release, the Departed had long screened in theatres and was quickly becoming a faded memory in our amnestic society.  Needless to say, Infernal Affairs didn't exactly see any big screen time in Toronto...

...until now!  As part of The Event Screen shows at Cineplex Yonge & Dundas this month, there will be two double bill screenings of Infernal Affairs, followed by The Departed -- this coming Sunday, January 27th starting at 2:45pm and again on Wednesday, January 30th starting at 7:30pm.  Screenings are $6 (each movie?), quite the bargain for an opportunity to see 2 finely crafted films on the big screen in the comforts of reclining chairs & stadium seating.  If you've been enjoying films like Gangster Squad or Broken City, you'll likely appreciate the similar content in Infernal Affairs and The Departed.

I'll be checking out the Sunday afternoon screenings, whether you know me or not, I invite to you come along.  It's a big theatre, you don't have to sit anywhere near me.  If you do recognize me and want to say hello, I promise to be nice :)

Back when Hollywood first bought the rights to Infernal Affairs, I was so obsessed I even came up with my dream cast for the remake (I don’t think a single person wound up in the film lol, so much for my career as a casting director).  I'd also like to add a further disclaimer that I made these pics 9 years ago, many actors were churning out performances of a different calibre or at different stages (and ages) of their careers at that time!  (Though I still stand by most of my choices)  Here are my original notes (some spoilers):

January 25, 2004

I’m curious whether Hollywood purchased the rights to remake just the first Infernal Affairs, or the 2nd & 3rd one too? It’s just amazing, it’s gonna be really hard to find a Hollywood cast to do this film justice, but here is what I’ve come up with for the main characters....now if only they’d let me direct it!

• Inspector Lau Kin Ming (Andy Lau)- the cop who is the triads’man on the inside should be played by Ed Norton
• Chen Wing Yan (Tony Leung) - the mole infiltrating the highest ranks of the triads to stand next to the head boss should be played by Benicio Del Toro
• SP Wong Chi Shing (Anthony Wong) - the police chief who has black society alliances and bends the rules a bit to get certain ppl killed or behind bars should be played by Kevin Spacey
• Hon Sam (Eric Tsang) - formerly in alliance with the police chief until his opportunity came to rise to become the head boss should be played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman 

• Young Chan Wing Yan (Shawn Yue) could be Colin Farrell (but in my dream version, they would have to work on making him look like Benicio Del Toro…)
• Young Lau Kin Ming could be Jared Leto 

• the female roles are easy to fill… some suggestions include Scarlett Johansen, Jennifer Connelly, Charlize Theron, Clea Duvall, Julianne Moore, etc (subsequently in the The Departed they reduced the number of female roles anyway...)

To further demonstrate my compulsion, after seeing The Departed, I just randomly wrote a blog/article comparing the two.  Not because it was an assignment, nor a job, nor even posted to a blog that had much of a movie/entertainment following... just because I felt like it.  This one contains many details and should be read after you have seen both movies.  Enjoy, and hope to see you at the movies.

October 17, 2006

The following is a contrast & comparison between The Departed & the original Hong Kong verson Infernal Affairs, it includes HUGE spoilers for both movies and I recommend you not read this review unless you've seen at least one of the movies or have no intention of seeing either.

Please feel free to leave me long elaborate comments as I would be absolutely delighted to discuss these films in detail. [btw...no one ever did...]

The Departed is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong cinematic smash Infernal Affairs (and greatly anticipated and possibly superior prequel Infernal Affairs 2) about two individuals working undercover within the mob and police force. One has ties to the mob but has infiltrated the police force and holds a respectable title; the other is a cop who has blood ties to the mob and masquerades as one of their own.

Casting in both versions contain powerhouse talent: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Dillon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and Jack Nicholson in Martin Scorsese’s Hollywood version The Departed; and critically acclaimed international talents Tony Leung and Andy Lau (and Anthony Wong) in the original Infernal Affairs.

The story traces the lives of the two moles, their history, motivations, desires, and race to discover the identity of the other in a battle of good and evil where all the lines are blurred. The Departed has a 30 min longer running time than Infernal Affairs because it encompasses all of Infernal Affairs and parts of Infernal Affairs 2. The Departed delves into DiCaprio’s character’s family ties to the mob and how he infiltrates slowly over time. Matt Damon’s character’s back-story was not nearly as developed, though almost equally as interesting in Infernal Affairs 2. The Departed only took a small chunk of Infernal Affairs 2, so there was no back story on Martin Sheen/Mark Wahlberg, and no part of Mary at all (which is a shame because she was my favourite person in Infernal Affairs 2, she was a very cool mob chick who executed her own hits and took matters into her own hands)

The two cops in charge – Martin Sheen & Mark Wahlberg (vs. Anthony Wong & partner in Infernal Affairs) had some changes made to them in the Hollywood version. I absolutely loved Mark Wahlberg’s character, he was the single best written character in The Departed. His character was kept alive to the very end in order to wrap up things up neatly in Scorsese’s vision, which by the way, is the first time I’ve seen Hollywood up the body count from an Asian film version. I was actually quite surprised. All of this is fine I suppose, but what is with Hollywood’s need for the bad guy to die? Their logic is still predominantly black and white compared to other countries. They did not even make any attempt to make Matt Damon’s character want to be good and just killed him. I guess there couldn’t have been a sequel/prequel anyway since they already took a chunk out of Infernal Affairs 2 for The Departed, what’s left isn’t enough for a whole movie.

There were a good number of scenes in The Departed that were almost shot for shot identical to Infernal Affairs, it is proof that powerful cinematography transcends cultural barriers. But naturally some poignant dialogue had to be changed as its meaning was lost in translation otherwise. Although English is my first language, I found myself more moved by the Chinese dialogue. The slang used by gangsters in Hong Kong is a specific type of dialogue and the English just doesn’t have anything nearly as distinctive (think ‘hit’, ‘whack’, & ‘cement shoes’ only more elaborate).

The scene I hated most in The Departed was the scene in which they exchanged the microchips with the Chinese gangsters. First of all, why electronics/microchips? That speaks of James Bond and espionage to me, it should be drugs or weapons otherwise it’s just not the mob in my eyes. And why make the exchange with the Chinese? Especially ones that spoke simplified bungling Cantonese? It completely destroyed the image of Asian gangster slick for me. I really could’ve done without Chinese characters at all instead of this quarter-assed (not even half-assed!) tribute to the movie’s original heritage. Alternatively, I thought it would’ve been cool if they’d hired a few guys who were in Infernal Affairs to do a cameo. The Chinese characters only spoke Chinese anyway, so any of the Infernal Affairs cast could’ve done it. Now that would’ve been a tribute!

On the flipside, The Departed really got it right by combining the two female characters from Infernal Affairs – Tony Leung’s psychologist and Andy Lau’s fiancée. I always thought Andy Lau’s fiancée in Internal Affairs was a really pointless role. By combining the characters in The Departed, it compacted the story and provided a connection between the two main characters. (In Infernal Affairs the two met at the stereo store, which was a good scene too.) Vera Farmiga also gave a very good performance.

The following is a huge spoiler and a bit hard for me to judge because I already knew what was going to happen by the time I saw The Departed. When Martin Sheen was thrown from the building, his death was shocking but there didn’t seem to be as much at stake for DiCaprio’s character because Mark Wahlberg’s character was still alive and knew his identity. In Infernal Affairs you’re shocked that Anthony Wong dies, but your stomach also drops because you realize that’s it for Tony Leung, that was the only person who could’ve restored his identity.

Overall, The Departed was a bit too long for my liking. The first third of the movie (the part taken from Infernal Affairs 2) was slow and I thought for the most part it was unnecessary. Infernal Affairs conveyed the story and the history of the two men just fine without revealing that portion to the audience; The Departed could have done the same. I would have to say I still enjoyed the original Infernal Affairs much more, but as far as remakes go, this one is actually fairly impressive.

What were you watching 9 years ago?

A stark reminder that I still need to get my Top 10 list of 2012 put together... I was digging through an old private blog for some movie write-ups that I want to use in a future blog here and found this... lol... I will stand by most of these films (with the exception of 8 and 10... surely there must've been better films that year...)  

What were your stand-out films of 2004?

Ada's Top 10 Films of 2004

(Film listed in the top ten are one of the following: from the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival, had a North American release in 2004, or is listed on www.imdb.com as released in 2004.)

Ada's Top 10 Films of 2004
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (USA)
2. Kill Bill Vol 2. (USA)
3. Before Sunset (USA)
4. Closer (USA)
5. Shaun of the Dead (UK)
6. Mysterious Skin (USA)
7. It's All Gone Pete Tong (UK/Canada)
8. The Libertine (UK)
9. 2046 (Hong Kong)
10. When Will I Be Loved (USA)

Just missing the top 10 was Mean Girls (USA) and Sideways (USA)

This list was compiled without my having seen Garden State, The Barbarian Invasions, or Hotel Rawanda

IMO a lacking year in film, or perhaps it was just me (note all the USA films! ). #1 - #4 are genuine masterpieces. #5 - #7 were well made and deserving of some sort of recognition (whether it be #’s 5, 6, and 7 I’m not sure…), #8 - #10 normally would get a mention of some sort but not be on the top ten list at all.

The following are honourable mentions, films that I saw in 2004 but were released in years prior, so good were they that I felt bad I was unable to include them on my list for this year:

Intermission (2003/UK)
Warriors of Heaven and Earth (2003/China)
Infernal Affairs 2 (2003/Hong Kong)
Goodbye Lenin (2003/Germany)
The Safety of Objects (2001/UK/USA)

New year, more movies!

Happy New Year movie lovers!  It's a brand new year with brand new movies, nevermind that I still have so much catching up to do with last year's movies.  With a blink of an eye Awards Season is upon us again, my list of "must-see's" continue to grow (I'm digging deep for some American patriotism because I'd like to see Lincoln before the Oscars) and the holidays blew by so fast, I didn't even have a chance to write about my holiday movie escapades.

Every January I suffer from the same internal struggle... at what point do you draw the line and post your top movie list?  One can only say "I just need to watch ________ before I make my list" so many times.  As I mentioned above, I still haven't seen Lincoln, Salmon Fishing in Yemen, etc. I want to give all the major award contenders a fair shake, yet at the same time, while I'll make allowances to see Lincoln despite my not being very interested in the story, I am still completely dismissive towards Life of Pi (even if it is directed by Ang Lee, whose work up to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon I was very fond of).  Movie obssessors do this by-the-way, you just never know where your next all-time fav may be lurking and you don't want to look back and say "I missed throwing that on my top 10 list"  Back in January 2008, when it came time to make our lists for 2007, my friend Alex put There Will Be Blood in his number 1 spot without having even seen it.  He went on blind faith that it would be the best film of 2007 while I left it off my list, and I've been jealous of his wisdom and foresight ever since.

To help facilitate getting through more movies is the annual... 30 Films in 31 Days!  I hate to admit, but I'm off to a slow start out of the gates.  I've only finished 2 movies in 2 days and I was starting to nod off at the end of movie number 2 last night (I will re-watch the last half hour of Fantastic Mr Fox tonight for good measure)  While it doesn't look like we'll be much of a trending topic on Twitter (#30films31days), our facebook group is definitely abuzz with activity.  In the past couple years we've had some enthusiastic members join in,  I'm happy to say that the group has official expanded beyond my circle of movie fanatics, though I love them still (and there are plenty of us).  Even if you just want to read some opinions and participate in discussions rather than watch 30 films, I would still encourage you to join the group.

It's been a while since we've had a 30 Films group outting, I'm personally going to take advantage of the $6 movie screenings at Cineplex Yonge & Dundas this month.  There's lots of Hitchcock in the line-up and it's been a while since I've seen The Birds, so I might go catch a show.  I'm also rather fond of Vertigo but I did pick up a copy of the movie last year and have yet to take off the plastic.  I am mosted excited for Jan 27th's afternoon screenings of Infernal Affairs (the Hong Kong original, which I have never seen on the big screen) and The Departed (aka the Hollywood remake).  They will be playing the double bill again on the evening of Jan 30th, but given that I'm a 9-5er, the Sunday will be better for me.  Anyone who'd like to join me is welcome, it's a movie theatre, I couldn't care less whether we know each other or not, just come out! :)

December was a busy month for me on all fronts.  My day job ramped up for the fist couple of weeks instead of down, which led to long days and much mental exhaustion. The number of dinners, parties, cookie exchanges, and other planned social events went up, and my holiday staycation because a steady stream of eating.  Not that I'm complaining, I just think it's a miracle I got in any movies at all!  I even had a chance to combine said eating with movies in a brunch meet-up with the other writers from iheartmoviesTO.com.  Ever show up to to a get- together where the only thing you're expected to talk about is movies?  It's awesome.  Beats fielding questions like "how's work going?" and/or "so are you dating anyone new?" any day!

I mentioned I did squeeze in some movies.  What's quality of life would I be living I couldn't get in a few movies a week right?  Earlier in the month I'd gotten some passes from friends to advance screenings like Rust & Bone and The Guilt Trip.  I've been intrigue with the former since it premiered at TIFF this past September.  People seemed to have such a strong reaction to it, eitdher loving it or hating it.  Most raved about it.  One volunteer in particular that I'd spoken with about Rust & Bone told me how she was enthralled with the movie and ready to recommend it to the world until 15 mins before the end, when her entire opinion of the movie changed and she wound up disliking it.  With hype and opinions like those, I've been dying to see Rust & Bone since. 

For those not familiar, Rust & Bone is a French film centred around two people.  He's an aimless, negligent father, who finds a bit of purpose in fucking and fighting.  She's a killer whate trainer who's struggling to rebuild her life after suffering a horrible accident on the job. Ok, to be honest, I can't really discern what happened in the last bit of the film that was so opinion-altering.  And because the film has had so much hype, I guess I was really expecting something mind-blowing and I did not get that.  I don't hate the movie in any way, I'd watch it again if the opportunity arose, but I was really expecting something more.  Marion Cotillard is a terrific actress, this performance was no exception.

I didn't know much about The Guilt Trip, but perhaps it was indicative that my mom did.  It was a little bit out of guilt that I went to this screening with her, despite my being exhausted from work and having to struggle to stay awake.  The lackluster camera work is what I used to justify 'closing my eyes' mid-scene, I argued to myself that I could still hear the jokes, but let's face it, I did nod off for some of the first half.  I enjoy Seth Rogan in the same way that I enjoy Vince Vaughn, the circumstantial humour, somewhat dry remarks with moments of incredulousness (reminds me of myself), and always in small doses or the laughs get old real fast.  This humour plays well off Barbara Streisand's character, I genuinely thought they were a good duo (though many may disagree).  The jokes are funny and relatible for those who grew up with a somewhat protective, OCD mom, which I did.  My own mother was in hysterics most of the way through, it really is a good movie to take your mother to as the content is never objectionable.  Anyway, I'm glad she had a good time.

The most anticipated film of the season (for most, not me) was The Hobbit, which has had some pretty mixed reviews.  I made sure to catch a high frame rate screening (The Hobbit was shot in 48 fps, double the usual 24 fps in convential film) and was impressed by the hyper-real 3D.  All the descriptions are true, the video-game feel, the clarity and detailed textures.  I can see arguements both for and against it, but only real complaint was that it somehow made me blink less, which severely dried out my eyeballs during the almost 3 hour movie.  As for the story itself... I've never read any Tolkien (and have little desire to, though I do have some of his books now) but that has never kept me from enjoying the LOTR trilogy.  I miss out on the delight in the details, and have none fo the background, but the trilogy stands on its own as movies.  The Hobbit is the same, I think I'll enjoy it more as the trilogy progresses, because story set-up is necessary.

My own movie Christmas came early when I had the opportunity to attend the premier of Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino's new movie.  The man himself was in attendance and naturally I went to the limits of crazy in order to get his attention again.  One day I'd like to have a conversation with him, to show him that I'm an intellegent woman capable of more than waving dolls around and squealing non-sensical things, maybe even ask him to marry me, but in the meantime I'll do what I can to distinguish myself from the hoardes.  He either did remember me from the Basterds permier or else faked it well.  He signed my photo of the two of us (that was in the paper last time), and accepted the artword by my friend Jae Korim that I gave to him.  You can read my review of Dajngo Unchained here.  When I saw Django initially, I enjoyed it but wasn't as bowled over as I was after Inglourious Basterds.  After having seen a few other holiday movie offerings though, I'm starting to see just how superior it is most of the other stuff on the big screen right now.  Now I'm excited to see it again.

Though I was interested in checking it out too, Jack Reacher was not my pick the night I saw it.  Tom Cruise is in the staring role in this movie based on a series of novels.  There's promise in the characters, and I think it could potentially become a good series.  However Jack Reacher just didn't grip me like the way The Bourne Identity (and the two that followed) did.  Not even like the way Bond captures my attention, and we all know I'm not huge on 007.  It suffered from painfully boring cinematography and often equally dull dialogue, when you want to rest your eyes during an action/thriller, there's a problem.  Rosamund Pike was probably the best thing in the movie, even then I felt she was still under-utilized.  I get that excessive violence isn't the goal of the movie, but there was room was flashier 'beat-up-the-bad-guys" action choreography, and a few more stunts.  They were just lazy.  Not gonna lie, I was replaying scenes from Django Unchained in my head during parts of Jack Reacher, it's just so much more interesting.

The other holiday blockbuster release I caught was of course Tom Hooper's Les Miserables, based on the very popular musical of the same name (which is based on the book etc.).  While somewhat familar with the story, admittedly I've never been priveliged enough to see the musical (don't even ask me how that's possible), but there's an unmistakable Tom Hooper mark on the movie version that's hard to miss.  He doesn't shy away from dwelling on intricacies and drawing out moments, and that can be a hit or miss with me (as it was in his previous film The King's Speech).  I also have a limited patience with musicals on the big screen (as I do with operas on stage sometimes), what can be said in four lines of dialogue is often stretched out into a 4 minute song, which can get tedious (unless it's a Beatles songs, of course I'm very biased and been itching to watch Across the Universe again for some months now... completely off topic!).  Critics and PR rave on about Anne Hathaway's performance, which is good, but not earth-shattering.  Hugh Jackman is another whose singing I've heard so much about, but came up a little short when I was expecting it to fill the theatre.  Every performer did their numbers live on the soundstage, which is impressive, but the talents that stood out for me were actually the unknowns... ie. Smantha Barks as Éponine, Daniel Huddlestone as Gavroche, and even Isabelle Allen as young Cosette.   It's a worthwhile watch, especially if you're a fan of the show.  The performances, the sets and costume, all commendable.

In conjunction with the Django Unchained release, I decided to go through the entire Quentin Tarantino catelogue just for the fun of it.  So that was a lot of what I watched at home during December.  I didn't pick up the Tarantino XX collection because I already had all his titles on Blu-ray, instead I wrote this article about my Top 5 QT movie music moments.  Ok, fine, the two aren't really related but I needed some sort of segue.  Check it out though.  I also had a couple friends over for a QT movie day where we screened Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Jackie Brown. 

Every Christmas (or thereabouts) I bust out my collection of favourite holiday films, and the collection is always growing.  This year I had less time than usual to get them all watched, so regretfully I really had to pick and choose.  I'd finally replaced my VHS copy of The Muppet Christmas Carol so I gave that a whirl.  Muppets Letters to Santa was on TV and it was as horrible as I'd expect but it still warranted watching.  Squeezed in some Home Alone because it felt like everyone on my GetGlue list was watching it.  And of course, it's just not Christmas until I've watched my all-time favourite holiday movie:  Bad Santa.  It's vulgar, messed up, yet touching, with the greatest classical music soundtrack. 

And for my Christmas finale... I finally went to the Sound of Music Sing-a-long at TIFF Lightbox (tried to get tix twice last year but it was sold out both times!)  We were sitting behind some fun hecklers, which gave us a few extra chuckles.  Unlike the Grease sing-a-long, I'm less inclined to clown around during Sound of Music and just sing along to the actual songs.  At some point the props seemed unnecessary.  But others' participation didn't bother me, and I'm glad I got to go this year.

Speaking of Lightbox, they also have some fun programming in the upcoming months.  Some may frown upon them choosing to screen the films of Keanu Reeves, but come on eh? He's Canadian and all.  Also this will be my chance to see My Own Private Idaho (my favourite Gus Van Sant movie, arguably not my favourite Keanu Reeves because that is probably Dracula - also on the line-up) on the big screen.  It also reminds me that I haven't seen River's Edge in many years, that is also worth a re-watching, perhaps during 30 Films in 31 Days.

Gangster Squad and Zero Dark Thirty are also opening in regular theatres this month.  Clearly there is no shortage of entertainment on the big screen in Toronto.  That's all from me for now, see you at the movies!

It's a very Django Christmas!

Merry Christmas movie junkies!  I hope you're all planning a trip to a nearby theatre after your epic holiday meals!  I even have a little recommendation for you...

DJANGO UNCHAINED

Young Django, star and namesake for Quentin Tarantino’s latest epic (in the form of a western this time) Django Unchained, is a man from the pre-civil war deep south who breaks free of his shackles of slavery, hones his gun-slinging skills to become a fearsome bounty hunter, who will let no white man keep him from rescuing his woman, Broomhilda, from the evil Mississippi plantation owner Calvin Candie.  But to me, this movie was about the greatest dentist that ever lived:  Dr. King Schultz! (and his horse Fritz)  He is portrayed by the brilliant Christoph Waltz, a German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter, with quick wits demonstrated as much by his ability to whip out a gun and put a hole in your head, as his eloquent tongue (My kinda cowboy! *swoon*).

There are certain things about a Tarantino film that no longer need to be pointed out in my opinion, they should be assumed.  For starters, when you go to at QT film, expect to spend 3 hours at the theatre (factoring in trailers etc).  Expect it to be indulgent and over the top, expect slow motion gunfire and gory but artistic deaths.  “How could that possibly have happened?” should not be in your vocabulary when discussing QT movies, whether it’s about the number of bullets in a gun, or how someone escaped death... Muthafucka made it happen, deal and let’s move on.  Also expect long monologues and bouts of dialogue, some are a little slow on the get-go but there’s usually a pay-off for your patience.  Now I say 'usually' because either I missed something really subtle (and I’m going to watch Django Unchained again in theatres just to make sure… and then maybe I’ll watch it once more for fun ) or else there must be some scenes on the cutting room floor (uhm, I mean, back up harddrive?) of Zoe Bell and Samuel L. Jackson doing some real kick ass/cold-blooded shit, because it certainly wasn’t in the final cut.

Not to say Sam Jackson’s portrayal of Stephen, Calvin Candie’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) surly, smart-mouthed, slave butler wasn’t Best Supporting Actor Oscar-worthy, but you’re stacking him up against talents like Waltz and DiCaprio.  Stephen is a great character, one moment the fumbling loyal servant, the next shedding his southern accent and channeling Jules Winnfield (of Pulp Fiction) to tell his boss what’s what. That was one of my favourite scenes in the movie.  

Sam Jackson’s Stephen and Christoph Waltz’s Dr. King Schultz were neck in neck for my favourite character in the movie right up until the last 10 or 15 mins.  No this isn’t a spoiler, it was just at that point that I settled on Dr. Schultz who’s every speaking moment had me enraptured.  From his purchase of Django and freeing of the slave, to his dinner table banter with the plantation owner’s widowed sister.  Each word is so meticulously chosen and clear in its meaning, he doesn’t lie nor use double entendres but yet he manages to convey the truth of each situation while keeping his own position favourable.  This character is a testament to Tarantino’s writing skills.

Third in appeal for me, but no less magnificent is Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of the grandiloquent Calvin Candie.  In the trailers DiCaprio’s character is seen in glimpses, and comes off as a bit of a comedic. In the film, Candie strikes a better balance.  Over the top and absurd he may be, but not a caricature of evil.  While we smirk in secret as he speaks, we know he’s not someone to fuck with.  It’s really refreshing to see DiCaprio in a supporting role, he’s a superb talent but over the last decade has not ventured from his presumed task of winning a Best Actor Oscar.  Yes, he’s got what it takes to be a leading man, but more importantly, he’s got the ability to enliven any role he’s given and it’s time he reminded the world of that.

So that about wraps up all the major players…oh wait, there’s that guy Django… ok ok, I’m not criticizing Jamie Foxx here, far from it.  I think he makes a better Django than Will Smith would have.  He nailed his role, and fired his guns as stylishly as anyone else from the Tarantinoverse.  But I just don’t think this movie would’ve been what it is without its exceptional supporting actors.  See for yourselves. Django Unchained is in theatres today.

Original Django Unchained fan art by one of my favourite artists.  Check out his work at www.jaekorim.com