The Break-Up

Film: The Break-Up
Director: Peyton Reed
Year: 2006
Quick Glance:
A couple's relationship dissolves
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The breakup a film more famous for the "break up" with Brad and Jennifer, turns out to be a pretty fun flick. Although the film was fun, it was almost like watching two people dig them selves deeper and deeper. Like a horror film, i felt like shouting out several times "watch out!", "dont do that!" But in the end the break up ended and it was neither happy nor particularly sad. Over all the film was funny with laughs, but under the facade was a story of the pain of breaking up. It made me think about my relationship and reflecting on the problem parts of most relationships. And in the end no matter how many laughs, the film was about loss.

This film did an excellent job allowing the underlying sadness about break ups and loss to be maintained although the film was pretty lighthearted. It was not your typical love story, if it could be considered a love story at all. And in the end you hope for the best, but you know no matter what, it was over.

Click

Film: Click
Director: Frank Coraci
Year: 2006
Quick Glance:
The man with a remote controls the world.
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Click is one of those films that I generally avoid in the theater. These silly films put together with cheesy morals are just about as filling as a bucket of popcorn. But wait,....there is a review, does that mean that the afor mentioned film reviewer, myself, actually stooped so low to see the film. Yes. and my only excuse is i was bored. The film was just about what i expected, except it was also a great deal of fun. Despite the stupidity, and the cliches, and the plot holes, the film was just fun to see. Normally Adam Sandler's humor is not my own, but this time, i really did have fun. I didn't stop once during the film to wonder when it would be over and instead couldn't wait to see what was next.

The film is the story of a man who gets a remote that gives him power over things in his life. He can pause time, rewind, fast forward. Of course, Adam Sandler's character does not use his powers wisely and learns in the end, he doesn't need the remote to make his life happy, it already is. Awwww, ok. Still it is cool some of the ideas they come up with how they use it. Of course, while i was sitting there, i kept thinking of ways i could use my remote. The first one would be to pause and take a nap. LOL

Over all the film was fun summer fluff, and i enjoyed it as such.

Superman

Film: Superman Returns
Director: Bryan Singer
Year: 2006
Quick Glance:
Superman comes back... what else is there to say?
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Its a bird, its a plane, its .........Superman! There is no superhero more iconic than the man of steel himself superman. After some out of the world soul searching, superman has come back to earth and is preparing to pick up where he left off in Metropolis. Unfortunately, one of the things that superman doesn't have control of, Time, has taken its toll. Lois Lane, for whom superman has a soft spot, has moved on and Lex Luther, the arch Nemesis of superman, has been concocting evil plans. Superman makes a stab at fixing both of these two things as well as diverting a number of local disasters after his return. Neither Lois or Lex end up how Superman would like, instead leaving a nice big hole for superman and perhaps, baby superman.

The actually stage of the film was quite unique. The filmmaker managed to invoke the nostalgia of the 1930/40s era while still embracing the current time period. In a way, he managed to make the new look old, but so barely noticeable that it just feels right. The colors are also tinted slightly to push the film back to a day when film had slightly different coloring.

While well filmed and fun to watch, i did find that there were some parts where the story became slighty slow and sluggish. The sappy parts with Lois and Superman felt long, drawn out and awkward. There were moments when I began wondering it would be over. Still despite my impatience, the film was a fun summer film.

Chinatown

Film: Chinatown
Director: Roman Polanski
Year: 1974
Quick Glance:
A private detective stumbles into problems bigger than he can handle
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Set in Los Angeles, Chinatown is part noir, part mob, and part city planning. Apparently, LA is in the middle of a drought and those in power have opted to send the valuable water elsewhere. However, with this scheme, a few people die, and Jack Nickleson's character is left untangling the mystery. Although the ending is pretty climatic, one finds herself feeling disappointed in its anti-climatic feel. At the end, i was left with a feeling of both confusion and ambivalence.

The story follows a complicated plot line, which makes it difficult to follow. Some of the conclusions that the characters come to, are a little unrealistic or thin based on the number of clues together. One is left wondering if there are holes in the plot or whether she didn't pay close enough attention. All in all, while watching the film, I felt like i was missing out on key points. The film is long and drawn out and relatively boring, despite the number of deaths, disappearances, twists and turns. Additionally, the title "chinatown" is never made clear, leaving the viewer once again puzzled.

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.

Transamerica

Film: Transamerica
Director: Duncan Tucker
Year: 2005
Quick Glance:
Transgender woman finds that she is the father of a 17 year old son
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I was truly surprised when I found out this film was playing in my area. And it was really a fluke that I was able to see it at all. I had imagined this film as being some type of depressing, emotionally trying episode where we follow the main character, Bree, a transgender woman through the difficulties she faces when lo and behold she discovers a son from the one and only tryst years before. I was presently surprised that this film was not dull, not depressing, and not emotionally trying. In fact, the film was a cheery up beat, light hearted almost comedy in which you really felt for the main character not as a transgender person, but as a person.

This story could have been about any person finding out about a child they fathered without realizing it and about building those ties that were missed along the way. The main character is charming and cute. This film is about transformations, but not really about the obvious. Instead, in the film, Bree transforms from an isolated person to a parent and also reconnects with her family.

Over all, this film took common themes and gave them a twist. It ventured to places that Hollywood has in the past, not taken seriously, but rather used as comedy. This film really does deserve to be in the ranks of the Oscar contenders this year. I think it is fresh, fun and delightful to watch.

American Graffiti

Film: American Graffiti
Director: George Lucas
Year: 1973
Quick Glance:
Modesto was a hoppin’ place in the early 60’s.
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My favorite George Lucas film doesn’t involve tombs or space flight, but instead takes place in my own home town. Yes, really it is supposed to take place in Modesto – the town where both George and I grew up and attended Downey High School and Modesto Junior College. You probably would only know these cool little facts, if you were a well researched person, complete dork, or living in Modesto (I am two of the three - LOL). So besides the fact that this is an excellent film about transitioning into adulthood, the film does hold a special place in my heart because of its inspiration. When I see references to Downey (like the school colors or the D on the sweater Lori wears), I get all excited. People live in Turlock, go to JC, make references to streets and places that I have been to, very cool. Well, maybe not so cool considering this is the 2000’s and that was supposed to be the 60’s.

One of the things that strikes me about this film, that is so different from other Lucas films, is that this film is really focused on people. There are no if any special effects. All about people. This is a stories about a group of friends who are about to go their separate ways, about to become ‘adults.’ Many of the things could still apply today -- kids running around looking for booze, girls and sex. Many of the emotions apply to kids these days too – the wanting to grow up, but not wanting to, the fear of leaving home, but the wanting to leave. This time of live is nothing new for kids, and the film really hits it on the head.

Over all, the film is really just a fun film to watch. The filmmaking is well done. The characters are well developed and have more emotional depth than any other film Lucas will ever make in his lifetime combined. It truly is almost a beautiful ode to the transition of childhood.

X2

Film: X2
Director: Bryan Singer
Year: 2003
Quick Glance:
Mutants find themselves at the edge of a war.
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What is this X2 you say? Have you seen it? Well, X2 is just a fancy way to say X-men 2 the sequel of the first X-men movie. I actually love the X-men franchise. I think the characters are creative. I always think the movies are kind of a tease, because I see glimpses of people and their powers and I want to know more! I want to know their histories and their futures and all about their powers. Of all the super hero movies, I really love the X-men the best. So there, my bias is out on the table. Not only are the powers create, but the relationships are complicated, people change sides, and the lines between good and evil are never clearly delineated. To me that makes the stories more real, more complicated and just more interesting.

This film is a little more about Wolverine or Logan and some hints about his claws. We also have a new character named Nightcrawler, who was set up to kill the president. The guy who set him up has a grudge against all mutants and wants them all dead. He kidnaps some and tries to set forth on his evil plan.

The storytelling in these films is just amazing. I don’t know what they do, but they capture me and don’t let me go until they go. I do get kind of annoyed with their little hints there, little hints there, we’ll tell you in the sequel kind of things. But really over all, I just leave wishing I could see more, hear more, read more about the X-men. I find my self drawn into their world and wishing I could know all I can. To me, that is fantastic storytelling. And I find that even though this is a sequel, it doesn’t feel like it. It doesn’t say, “I’m continuing the story” Instead, it could be a stand alone film without the first one. So there you know it, I’m crazy about X-men.

Jaws

Film: Jaws
Director: Steven Spielburg
Year: 1975
Quick Glance:
A big shark finds humans a tasty summer treat.
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Dun-dun Dun-dun dun-dun-dun-dun! This was the movie that made me not want to swim in the ocean when I was a pre-teen. Yes, it sounds cliché but it frightened me. Well, I got to see it again with my more wise sensibilities (don’t laugh!) and it really was a fun movie to watch. In fact, I was pretty amazed at what a cutie Richard Dreyfuss was in his day. The basic premise of the movie is that this giant man eating (and boat eating) shark attacks this little island and must be stopped! Of course there are other things involved like a shark scientist (Dreyfuss) and a crazy fisherman and a skanky mayor of the town. But basically this film is pretty important historically because it changed the movie industry from art to blockbuster…shame shame shame.

And now we have a big mechanical shark that is attacking our boat! It is a fun movie, less horror now as an adult than slapstick. When Dreyfuss is looking at the remains of the girl in the box, it is almost like he is having an “intimate” moment he is making so many groans. The crazy fisherman cant just say something he has to SAY something. Of course, by the end of our boating adventure, the water fearing cop is sitting atop the weee tip of the top of the boat pole like a cartoon. There is a pretty funny Saturday Night Live Spoof on this called “Land Shark.”

Jaws is one of those films that is really just fun to watch. No wonder it was a blockbuster. A little thrill, a little terror, a little humor. It really is a classically great film, even if the shark looks about as fake as a blond with a bad boob job sporting a bikini. Over all Jaws is an evening well spent a good time to eat some popcorn and enjoy the Dun-dun.

Brokeback Mountain

Film: Brokeback Mountain
Director: Ang Lee
Year: 2005
Quick Glance:
Two men in love find life tormenting without one another.
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The basic fact that this film has two of most hansom young men Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the movie is enough to almost make me see it alone (yes, I can be shallow sometimes). But!!! The fact that this film also has beautiful scenery and a fine story isn’t something to shake your boot at either. I really enjoyed seeing the film, although it was kind of slow in parts, I think it brought up a lot of social issues.

Social issues in films and good films don’t always match up, but I think Ang Lee (who I respect for his diversity and artistry) has done well this time. The film, which focuses on two men who meet each other as young sheep herders and fall in love, goes on to chronicle how they deal with life married and spending time on “fishing” trips with each other. While the movie brings up the obvious questions of gay rights and the rights of two people being in love to be able to live with each other openly, I think it also brought up questions of bisexuality, of married gay/bisexual men, of abuse, of control and power and a whole host of other issues. It even touched on the basic question of what is love? How does love endure? Why does love endure?

The film was also very beautifully filmed in Canada (yes it was supposed to be Wyoming.) One might say that beautiful mountains are easily filmed beautifully, but I can attest that is not always true. In addition to mountains, the filmmaking and acting were well done. The story was slow, but so was the life of our characters. This was not a fast action thriller, this was a slow paced love story which moseyed on decades. If it had zipped by my eyes, it would have been an injustice to the nature of the film. Sometimes, the make-up of the two actors became a little tedious when they became older, but that was really my only complaint. Over all the film was a well done, although not perfect, piece of artwork.

Walk the Line

Film: Walk the Line
Director: James Mangold
Year: 2005
15 word synap:
The life and love and music of Johnny Cash and June Carter.
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Because I am not traditionally interested in music, I am not very interested in music films. However, because Walk the Line is up for an Oscar this year, my mom wanted to see it. I was happy to go with her and pleasantly surprised to enjoy this bio picture about Johnny Cash and his life. Like most biography films about musicians, they tend to follow the similar themes of music, drugs and woman, but this one, the “women” weren’t so much “women” as a woman – June Carter. Over all, the film was actually very enjoyable.

The filmmaking was not particularly remarkable in this particular film, the cutting or style was not unique, but very clean and clearly presented. The story was very strong and the music very well integrated.

Over all this was a traditional “Hollywood” film considering it was safe, showed strength and redemption and displayed cultural icons. As mentioned in the beginning nothing was particularly creative or remarkable about the film. While I don’t really think this film made any bold moves, or pushed any boundaries, the story was still very interesting and made a fine film.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Film: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Director: Fran Kuzui
Year: 1992
15 word synap:
Ditzy, vapid, valley girl must save southern valley town from vampire menace.

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This is the movie that spawned it all. Buffy the vampire series that is. And since the first season of the series is on my queue on netflix, I decided to pay homage to this not-so-classic first. This film is a perfect example of grade A quality Teen Camp. In fact, this film not only knows that it is camp-- it revels its camp; it embraces the camp; it is one with the camp. Another funny thing about this film, is it had famous people before they were famous in it!!! Ben Afleck as an extra!!! Hilary Swank as a valley girl with big hair! And a few others.

Some of the clichés did get a little over drawn and over used. The funniest part of the film had to be the never ending death scene, which cracked me up. It will be interesting to try and see how this became the hit series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” While the film did get a little slow at time, and sometimes the camp of camp became just a little too much, the film was a fun piece of fluff to spend the evening without expending too many calories or brain cells.