The Andromeda Strain

Film: The Andromeda Strain
Director: Robert Wise
Year: 1971
Quick Glance:
Earth is attacked by green goo from outter space....
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Mysteriously everyone in a town out in the desert dies. Two soldiers looking for a downed satellite stumble on the town and they themselves die. So begins Andromeda Strain. The premise is interesting -- life from another planet has come to earth and is deadly. A group of scientists have to figure out how to stop the life form and learn as much as they can about it before it spreads. The film is about their research.

The research center "wildfire" a top secret research center underground with all the super top secret 1970 hi tech gadgets ends up being a heavy show off game. A significant time is spent showing "what a cool set we made for the movie" rather than focusing on the story at hand. Some of the acting is mellow dramatic and some of the story premises are kind of illogical. In the end i find myself not really being able to remember how it ended.

The whole concept of another life form from another planet is a very interesting one. I liked Andromeda strain that our mysterious alien was a green glowing goo that could kill a city in seconds. It was tiny and required scientific exploration to uncover the intricacies of being. However, the over the top set and need for fancy effects and story seems to have taken over the logic film and made it more showy than required.

Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Film: Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Director: Steve Box
Nick Park
Year: 2005
Quick Glance:
Giant Veggies are in danger when the Were-rabbit is lurking....
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There is something about gromit (the dog) that is so fundamentally adorable, i cant help falling in love with him and his silly British, cheese loving owner. I truly feel for the poor dog, who in his owners absence must continue on working. In this newest series of wallace and gromit, they are protecting veggies from bunny rabbits. These furry rodents are being captured humanly by wallace and gromit and then being kept in their basement. The idea is to make sure everyone can grow the biggest veggies so they can compete for the golden carrot.

BUT! Wallace has and idea. why not make the rabbits not like carrots... he makes his contraception and something goes terribly wrong. Next thing they know, instead of a rabbit not liking carrots they have a giant rabbit that eats all the big veggies in town! Its a disaster! The were-rabbit is on the loose!!

This film is so cute there is nothing not to like about it, except that some of the females have lips that are way too big. It is even pretty self reflexive as a piece of film. For example, in one section you hear doom organ music like in horror films, and someone said "oh cut it out" and then you see it is a little old lady playing the church organ. The claymation is adorable and fun to watch, especially these days when claymation is done so rarely. Little details in the film make it alive and full.

V for Vendetta

Film: V for Vendetta
Director: James McTeigue
Year: 2005
Quick Glance:
Mysterious man named V tries to overthrow repressive government
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Remember, remember the 5th of November. There is something haunting about the film V for vendette but something equally unbalancing. After watching the film, i came out thinking -- yes it was a good film. But. There was a but lingering on my lips. I could see holes in the story. Things which couldn't have happened -- it would have been impossible for V to produce and mail out those costumes without the government knowing. Parts of the film felt awkwardly off balance. And then the ties which people want to make with the current administration make the fit even more uncomfortable. So i find myself backing away. and saying But again. But i liked the film. There was something that in the end captivated me, despite the logic, dispute the discomfort, dispute the cliche, that stays with me and leaves me wanting more.

The story itself takes place in a not so distance future when England has been taken over by a neo-fascist government that in similar manner to the nazi's and communists have used fear and control to maintain a stiffled order in society. V a victim of the governments early naziesque experiments on humans remains both scarred mentally and physically from the governments experiences and intends to exact his revenge by over throwing the government. Along the way he picks up Natalie Portman's character, who willingly and unwillingly joins with V on his quest for a free society.

What made this flim interesting was its vision of the near future. Unlike the totally techo gadget world of tomorrow which we see in many sci-fi films, this film painted a world in a different political climate, but equally as menacing. The past and the future are well in the film and it seems like this future could become our reality. Over all, the film has some interesting comments on society and the issues of good and evil, right and wrong. While i enjoy the film as a piece of entertainment, i find myself uneasy resenting with the "but" the follow my endorsement.

Clueless

Film: Clueless
Director: Amy Heckerling
Year: 1995
Quick Glance:
High School woes in california
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For me, clueless the essential 90's high school film. This film came out when i was a freshmen in high school and while it is an extreme parody of life in the 90s it resembled what we all wanted to imagine ourselves as. In the beginning the song goes "Cause I'm young, and I'm hip" my friends and i watched clueless over and over munching on our popcorn gossiping about the outrageous clothing and giggling about the boys. The main character Cher is the most popular person at her school, but instead of being a mean person, she is just misguided. She is sweet although spoiled.

The story is based on a Jane Austin novel. Cher tries to hook up her friends only to find that her friend is in love with her. After some soul searching Cher under goes a transformation and realized that the boy she has been looking for all the time was under her nose the whole time.

The film is a funny, light hearted parody of life in Beverly Hills California during the 90s. Although it is mostly just fluff, this film does have some social commentary about the social structures of high school and wealth. The ties from Jane Austin provide a unique view into the high school scene. Definitely a piece of sunshine worth watching if you are bored on a rainy day.

Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain

Film: Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Year: 2001
Quick Glance:
Young woman in Paris lives life with whimsy
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Amelie is one of those films that is effortlessly lighthearted, magical and beautiful. This is one of the few films that I do own because the film doesn't grow old or stale. It is truly like a ray of sunshine. The film is a story of a young girl who grows up in France and slowly finds her match. Amelie is a shy girl who lives alone in Paris and works at a cafe. She discovers a hidden stash of toys in her bathroom and wants to return them to their original owner, who is now grown up. After completing this task, Amelie begins her adventures of "good-doing" which includes returning a photo album to its owner.

The film making is also very colorful. A lot of reds are used to make the film very bright and colorful. The colors are bright and exuberant to give the film a warm feeling. The filming style also has a lot of whimsy to go a long with the story, which makes everything feel so light hearted.


The film dwells on small things, small victories, small good deeds to change people's lives. The details make the character of film: the likes and dislikes of the characters, the small histories of people, the little quirks that people have. This is by far one of my favorite comedy films, i have seen it several times and each time I enjoy it as much as I did before. If you haven't seen it, you are missing out.