Review of "Children of Men"
Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Children of Men is a good, carefully crafted apocalytic film about the chaotic and hopeless world of 2027 in which no child was born for the past 18 years. Set in and around a dystopian London torn apart by violence and warring sects, the movie follows Theo Faron (Clive Owen), a disillusioned ex-activist who’s forced to protect and transport a pregnant woman named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) to a scientists sanctuary at sea.

For the most part it follows one of the classic apocalypse recipes: because of it’s constant line of mistakes (polluting, disrespecting nature, warring etc), humankind is on the brink of extinction. For some unknown reasons, we’ve lost the ability to procreate and thus, in term became desperate enough to actually manage and bring most of the world to chaos, leaving only one spot of relative normality – Britain. A plot that resembles a futuristic “Battle of Britain” with very dark prospects. A plot not quite used to it’s full potential as it's stingy with some details and concentrates on Kee, Theo and them getting from point A to point B in one piece. But I’ll overlook that as there are some very small clues regarding possible questions and the trip itself is action packed and at times humorous enough to keep your eyes glued to the screen.

The acting is overall great. The old hippie Jasper, portrayed by Michael Caine, is a good example of the acting quality seen in this movie and at the same time contributes a great deal to the funny pieces. The same goes for Julianne Moore (as Julian Taylor) and of course, the main characters, Theo and Kee. However, I have to point out the sort of robot-like acting and exaggerated reactions of Marichka, the gypsy in the camp, portrayed by the Romanian actress, Oana Pellea. As a Romanian, being able to understand what she was saying, I’ve found Marichka too artificial in a way.

Helping the feeling and being a nice touch is the sound. There are a lot of minute details, easy to miss that add to the atmosphere of the world depicted and they really help the visuals, who are also very good and on this part I have to give Emmanuel Lubezki, the director of photography his well deserved credit as he really does wonders with the beautiful, outdoor shots. And the soundtrack is excellent with the alternative Spanish version of "Ruby Tuesday" along with some classical pieces.

The ending will disappoint some people and it did disappoint me a little. It’s almost like there’s a pseudo Deus Ex Machina there, but that depends on what you like to belive about the prospects that lay ahead for humanity – will it or will it not survive.

Overall this is movie is worth your attention and may actually stay in your head well after you’ve watched it. If it weren’t for the unanswered questions, some dubious twists and minor flaws, I’d give it a 10, but considering the above, I’ll settle for an 8.

RATING: 8/10

Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
Writing credits: Alfonso Cuarón (screenplay), Timothy J. Sexton (screenplay), David Arata (screenplay), Mark Fergus (screenplay), Hawk Ostby (screenplay) & P.D. James (novel "The Children of Men")
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Pam Ferris, & Danny Huston

MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence, language, some drug use and brief nudity.
Runtime: 109 min
Country: UK / USA
Language: Serbo-Croatian / German / Italian / Romanian / English / Spanish
Color: Color
Sound Mix: SDDS / Dolby Digital / DTS
Certification: Singapore:NC-16 / Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) / Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) / Ireland:15A / Portugal:M/16 / Netherlands:16 / USA:R / France:U / Germany:16 / Finland:K-15 / Australia:MA / UK:15 / South Africa:16LV

Awards: Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 15 nominations

See it also at:
IMDb
Metacritic
Rotten Tomatoes

Posted byBurner at 15:47 0 comments    

Labels: Adventure, Drama, Reviews, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Review of "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Thursday, January 18, 2007

I knew this movie had a lot of potential the moment I saw it’s awesome trailer at the cinema, but now that I’ve actually seen it, I have to admit it surpassed all my expectations. I saw a couple of good 2006 movies, but The Pursuit of Happyness ranks as no. 1 in my personal 2006 top and among the first 10 all time favourites.

Chris Gardner (Will Smith’s character) is a loving father, smart man but a failling businessman struggling with poverty, living in the 1980s San Francisco. He sells bone scanners for a living, but he can barely pay rent and taxes with the earned money so he applies for an unpaid, competitive internship that offers him a very long shot at a better life. The next six moths he has to risk everything on his gamble while also taking care of his son, Christopher (played by Jaden Smith, Will’s real son) after his wife, Linda has left him.

First of all, if you really thought Will Smith couldn’t act well, you’re in for a surprise. You can feel what he’s going through, the pain he has to endure, the effort he has to make every single day in hope of better days, just by looking in his eyes. It’s almost as if he struggles not showing he’s suffering, always trying to be and look happy so when he snaps you can really see it. When he cries, you feel his pain and desperation. Jaden Smith is really adorable and the on-screen chemistry between him and Will is awesome.

Gabriele Muccino, also made a very good job directing the movie, and achieved sending a powerfull message without poking you in the head, like some directors tend to do. Some scenes are really heartbreaking, like the one Chris and his son have to sleep in a BART toilet and the misdirection he uses to protect his son from suffering, the one with the rich people in the car passing the homeless shelter or the one when he cries for the first time and many more. I also like the analogy between Chris’ running and the movie’s title and all the reference to happiness and Thomas Jefferson.

The soundtrack is discrete and well chosen. It does what it’s supposed to do – suport a beautiful, well crafted and powerful film. Doesn’t try to exaggerate those tensed moments, nor is it overused, like in some movies.

This movie is a beautifully crafted and very real story about a father’s struggle with poverty, racism and day-to-day problems in his pursuit of happiness and it was nominated for 2 Golden Globes as well as other 10 awards. It's earned a 10.

Oh, by the way, the real Chris Gardner makes a cameo appearance just at the end, so be on the look out.

RATING: 10/10

Posted byBurner at 17:33 1 comments    

Labels: Biography, Drama, Reviews

Preview of "Nomad"
Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Set in the 18th-century Kazakhstan, the movie follows the story of a young man destined to unite the country's warring tribes. The estimated budget of $40,000,000 makes it the most expensive Kazakh movie ever made and some critics say this shows in the movie.

Though the trailer is a little dull, from what I've read and seen so far, it seems Nomad is a good movie. I have to agree though that casting Jay Hernandez and Kuno Becker as main carachters in a film about Kazakhs is not really a struck of genius nor does it improve the feeling of authenticity of the picture.

The worldwide version was premiered at the Locarno Film Festival on 5 August 2006, and the North American release is scheduled for January 26 in the USA.

RELEASE DATE: January 26, 2007 (USA - limited)

Directed by: Sergei Bodrov, Ivan Passer, Talgat Temenov
Writing credits: Rustam Ibragimbekov
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Kuno Becker, Mark Dacascos, Jason Scott Lee, and Doskhan Zholzhaksyno

Also Known As: N/A
MPAA Rating: Not rated
Runtime: 111 minutes
Country: Kazakhstan
Language: Kazakh (with English subtitles)
Color: Color
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Certification: N/A

Awards: Nominated for Golden Globe

See it also at:
Official site
IMDb
Metacritic

Posted byBurner at 13:56 0 comments    

Labels: Drama, History, Previews, War

"Blood and Chocolate" Soon to Open
Monday, January 15, 2007

Blood and Chocolate will soon open in the US. On January 26th, to be precise. From what I've seen and read so far, it's just another werewolf movie. One nice touch to it is that it was filmed in Romania, in my city, Bucharest.

So, you have Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) a young werewolf who's living in Bucharest and is chosen as the mate for the leader of her pack, Gabriel, interpreted by Olivier Martinez, though she has feelings for a human - Aiden (Hugh Dancy). Her sense of alienation is heightened when a series of unexplained murders point to her as the killer, a threat not only for her, but for her entire pack as well. Personally, this plot has a little Underworld written over it, only this time, we don't have vampires, but werewolves. In fact, the producers are the same ones that brought you Underworld. Who knows, maybe I've underestimated this movie.

RELEASE DATE: January 26, 2007

Directed by: Katja von Garnier
Writing credits: Ehren Kruger (screenplay), Christopher Landon (screenplay) & Annette Curtis Klause (book)
Starring: Agnes Bruckner, Hugh Dancy, Olivier Martinez

Also Known As: N/A
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence/terror, some sexuality and substance abuse
Runtime: N/A
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: N/A
Certification: USA:PG-13

Awards: N/A

See it also at:
Official site
IMDB

Posted byBurner at 23:28 0 comments    

Labels: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Previews, Romance

Review of "World Trade Center"

I finnaly got to see this movie about a week or so ago and it made a positive impression on me.

Note: spoilers may follow!

First of all, compared to United 93, World Trade Center takes on a more personal approach to 9/11, focusing on the story of two Port Authority police officers that become trapped inside an elevator shaft of the main concourse between the towers when the first tower collapses.

I like how the movie succeeds in creating a just-another-ordinary-day atmosphere in the begining, almost as if nothing out of the ordinary is bound to happen during the next 130 minutes or so. However, you are quickly introduced into the dynamic and dramatic nature of the events of that day when news about the first plane hitting gets to the emergency services.

Both Nicolas Cage and Michael Peña do a good job at portraying officers John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno respectively, and give a good sense of authenticity to the entire movie. The drama of being trapped under the rubble of the WTC and not knowing what really happened, the fear of not getting to see your loved ones again and the ever present risk of going to sleep and not waking up is only interrupted by memories and moments of sheer as the two strugle for survival. Though the film is unable to establish a connection between the audience and emergency personnel as a whole, it does a pretty good job at making you care for the two cops, in case the reality of the events portrayed is not enough.

When it comes to the visual part, World Trade Center does well considering that most of the shots are actually under rubble or indoors at the families of the two officers. I would say the scene with the burning towers seen from the ground and the final scene showing Ground Zero are enough to give you goose bumps as it gives you a sense of scale, and thus a good sense of what trying to rescue people from the towers must have been like.

The soundtrack fits the whole idea of the movie. Personally I liked the part with "Only in America" playing at the radio. The music was at times an unnecessary adition, cause it adds even more dramatic weight to some shots and that may be considered manipulation by some, as 9/11 is a very sensitive subject, but overall, the story is clean and focuses more on facts rather than just visuals plus music, like some productions often do.

And yes, facts, the key ingredient to every based-on-a-true-story type of movie. Except a few minor details, I've found World Trade Center to be historically accurate for the most part. And in case you're wondering why Sgt. Thomas, the marine who rescued McLoughlin and Jimeno is white in the movie when in reality he is black, that's because his identity was unknown at the time of filming, and thus they only knew him as Sgt. Thomas and portrayed him as a white marine.

I encourage you to go see this movie if you haven't already. It's a good depiction of the way 9/11 affected those two officers and not only them. Oliver Stone did a good job on this one. And as far as awards go, it has won two: Hollywood Movie of the Year at the Hollywood Film Festival and Freedom of Expression Award from the National Board of Review. Overall, World Trade Center deserves a solid 9.
All
RATING: 9/10

Directed by: Oliver Stone
Writing credits: Andrea Berloff (written by), John McLoughlin (true story), Donna McLoughlin (true story), William Jimeno (true story) & Allison Jimeno (true story)
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Michael Pena, Jay Hernandez, Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stephen Dorff, Michael Shannon & Patti D'Arbanville

Also Known As: September (USA) (working title) & Untitled Oliver Stone/September 11 Project (USA) (working title)
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense and emotional content, some disturbing images and language
Runtime: 129 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital / SDDS / DTS
Certification: Philippines:PG-13 / Spain:13 / Peru:14 / Argentina:13 / Argentina:16 / Italy:T / Ireland:12A / Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) / Canada:14A (Nova Scotia) / Netherlands:12 / UK:12A / Australia:M / Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) / Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) / Singapore:PG / USA:PG-13 (certificate #42823) / Finland:K-11 / Portugal:M/12 / Hong Kong:IIA

See it also at:
Official site
IMDb
Metacritic
Rotten Tomatoes

Posted byBurner at 17:28 0 comments    

Labels: Drama, History, Reviews