The Guardian

Country of Origin: USA



I thoroughly enjoyed this film starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. This movie had the perfect balance of action and dialogue. I felt a close connection to not only the main characters, but to the not so important characters such as Hodge (Brian Geraghty.) This movie is classified as an action, adventure and drama and definiitely fulfilled all of those genres as well as having a little bit of comedy. A younger Kevin Costner could be identified through Ashton Kutcher, which added more depth to both of the characters. Although at first Kutcher comes across as a tad bit arrogant, we soon realize that he has had a life full of challenges, and that his coping method is to be overly confident. His character showed me that even if someone has unlimitied potential, limitations due to past events must be overcome before successfully becoming a team player and mastering a new career. Other characters, such as Hodge, taught us other lessons. Hodge, who is in training for the coast guard for the third time, shows us that with persistence, and a little bit of confidence, anyone can achieve their goals. I have new found respect for the Coast Guard, and the intense training that is needed in order to be successfully part of the force. I can’t think of any criticisms that I have for this movie. I highly recommend it, no matter what type of movies you enjoy watching!

Meet Joe Black (Martin Brest, 1998)

Country Origin: USA

Right away, you know that this is going to be a pretty good movie because Anthony Hopkins is in it; not to mention a pretty famous co-star in Brad Pitt. Meet Joe Black is a fairly simple, gentle-paced story about life, love, and passion. Joe Black, played by Pitt, begins the movie as a young, flirty, attractive man, who experiences a love-at-first-sight encounter with Susan Parrish, played by Claire Forlani, who also feels this connection. It appears as an electrifying start to a relationship when suddenly, Pitt is brutally killed. The scene where Pitt dies always shocks me a bit because you just don't kill off a main character in the first five minutes! Fortunately for all you ladies, Pitt returns shortly after, but not as himself...Susan's father, William Parrish--played by Hopkins--is a successful middle-aged man who is realizing that death is calling him--literally! When Pitt makes his second debut, his character's body is the host of Death. The way in which Pitt transforms his once comical, witty, and charming character, into a stern, dull, and yet intriguing man (death), is eerily achieved.

Joe Black requests that William Parrish be his guide in the world, while in return, biding William a few more precious weeks on earth. The unexpected appearance of Pitt in the Parrish household, brings surprise and confusion to Susan, who just met him only a few hours before. Throughout the rest of the movie, Susan finds herself falling in love with the "new Joe", all while William is struggling to keep his company from falling into hands of corruption in his final days. The way that Hopkins tries to deal with death looming around him, his company's power struggle, and his daughter now falling in love with death, is a stressful yet comical intertwining situation, in which the audience falls in love with the curious Joe Black/Death, the loving William Parrish, and the gorgeous Susan Parrish.

This is such a powerful film in the sense that we feel all of the many frustrations that William is feeling as a result of death inviting itself into his life and that of his family's. The lessons of love are continuously explored in the film, along with the importance of spending the short time we have on earth with the people we love. Another powerful aspect of this film is the soundtrack. The build-ups and melodies fit the movie perfectly and really adds to the emotions felt during the film. I don't think I can choose a favorite character in Meet Joe Black because I love the roles that all of the cast play, and every time I see this movie, I find something new that I love about it. It may seem slow to some people but once you get into it, you'll be drawn in with anticipation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s53zVYGihSs

The Grudge (Ju-On, 2004)

Origin: Japan/USA

The Grudge stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, as an american girl who works as a care-giver in Tokyo. She accepts a job caring for an american family, but little does she know that the house has been cursed, by the rage of a murderous husband/father, who went on a rampage killing his wife, Kayako (Takako Fuji), his son, Toshio (Yuya Ozeki) and then committing suicide.

She experinces paranormal activity - in which the mother and son are a tag team of spirits that do the killing - once she starts her work, and as soon she finds out what actually happened in the house she becomes determined on finding out why it happened and how she can stop it. But to her demise there really is no stopping it and it keeps coming after her and everyone else that has stepped foot in the house.

In my opinion, I rather liked this movie and thought that it was amusing. But then again, I like scary movies and this one made me jump and squeal a little. Although some parts were a little cheesy others were just really creepy and gave me the shivers (i.e when the mother is following a lady up the stairwell and as soon as she gets out the mother grabs her phone and all you can really see is her eye when the doors closes). Who knew that a noise I used to always make, in my childhood days, would become the trademark of a ghost. *shrugs*

Movie Tralier: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYhci6Yp6GM

"Partition" (Vic Sarin, 2007)

Country of Origin: Canada/India

Long ago, in a country extremely different from the country we know today, we are taken back to the days of disaster and sorrow to when the British fallout began in India, resulting in a partition of the country into two; the dominantly Hindu/Sikh India and the Muslim majority Pakistan. During the partition people had to migrate to India or Pakistan depending on their religion, and it was during these migrations that there were mass murders of over half a million people. Hindus/Sikhs were killing Muslim men, women, and children in the hundreds; Muslims were killing Hindus and Sikhs with no signs of mercy as well. This film centers around a young Muslim girl named Naseem (Kristin Kreuk), and Sikh soldier-turned-farmer Gian (Jimi Mistry) as star crossed lovers, in this tale of forbidden love in a world torn apart by their differences. During one of the many migrations, Naseem’s group was attacked which leads her to Gian, and with time their love for each other surpass everything else.

What was absolutely amazing in this film was the fact that usually you are shown a bad guy and a good guy; conversely, in this movie you are shown the bad of both and the good of both sides (in this case the good and bad of the different religions). Sure there are the occasional antagonist characters, but those characters come from both sides of the fence. Director Vic Sarin portrays the partition, that occurred in the late 1940s, beautifully and without any bias. In fact, his main goal was to show his audience that even in a time of extreme division, there was always some hope of unity, some hope of diversity. That may have been one of his motivations in casting his lead characters. Both his main characters are of mixed decent; Kristin Kreuk comes from a half Dutch and half Chinese background, while Jimi Mistry is half Hindu and half Irish. Both actors did a splendid job at portraying the different cultural values and beliefs and their performances together were heart-warming to say the least. This film exposed the hidden talent of two actors who have not had much big screen time in the past. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhr2leLh9lw

[Frank Miller's] 300 (Zack Snyder, 2006)

Country Origin: USA

This movie has yet to be released in theatres but is coming out soon; despite this, I had seen the trailer for this movie during the previews for another movie and was immediately intrigued. Although I am not very well educated on Spartan history or anything, the trailer has done a remarkable job at creating an entertaining, suspenseful, and thrilling portrayal of the film.

I won't consider this an official post because the movie hasn't been released and I don't want to write more until I have actually seen it for myself.

The film is based on Frank Miller's novel, 300. I highly recommend checking out the trailer for this movie. I've watched it more than enough times already and every time I watch it, I want to see the movie even more! If anyone knows when it is supposed to come out in theatres, let me know. Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIE4skG1gno

"Babel" (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2006)

Country of Origin: USA, Japan, Mexico, and Morocco

Unjustly compared to the atrocity that was Paul Haggis' "Crash" (2004), "Babel" offers a layered and less preachy portrait of communication. As obviously illustrated in the theatrical trailer, the theme of cross-cultural miscommunication is presented as a source of disastrous consequences; but what Iñárritu attempts to do throughout the film is to use this theme to mask the underlying importance of familial understanding. It seems to me that the lack of communication within various families is at the core of all the events that transpire over the course of the film; the language barriers serve only to worsen the already existent problems. While both "Crash" and "Babel" are clearly manipulative in their presentation of serious matters (racism and communication, respectively), the various plots in "Babel" are loosely connected and less forced. In the end, I can only assume that Iñárritu is suggesting that society should focus on solving the matters of the home (or on a more broad note, that which is personal) before attempting to address cultural or worldly matters. In many ways, it is much easier to understand Iñárritu's motivations and incentives than it is to comprehend the obviousness of Haggis' plea.

For those who are interested in the film, it should be advised that the theatrical trailer is gross misrepresentation. Personally, I found the film to be a pleasant surprise, but others may be disappointed with the graphic and intense presentation of conflict. It should also be noted that Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett have much smaller contributions to the film than one would expect; nevertheless, the international cast is extremely talented and in many ways superior to their American co-stars. Impressive as always is Gael García Bernal who is gradually becoming one of the most sought after actors of his generation.

The trailer can be found at the following link:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_vantage/babel/trailer1/

- Kurtis

Employee of the Month

Director: Greg Coolidge
Country of origin: USA



In my moment of weakness (it definitely must have been a moment of weakness) I picked Employee of the Month of my friend's floor and decided to watch it. This movie starring Jessica Simpson, Dax Sheppard and Dane Cook is set in a big box store and was shot in a Costco. Amy (Jessica Simpson) gets transferred from another store and has a reputation of always dating the employee of the month. Vince (Dax Sheppard) has been employee of the month for 17 months straight. He is head cashier and a huge "suck up." Zack (Dane Cook) who is known as the store slacker decides that he will become employee of the month by the end of the month to win her over. I don't think I need to even explain what happens after this, since I'm sure anyone can guess that after a month of betraying friends, fighting with Vince and almost losing Amy, Zach wins employee of the month and ends up with Amy.

All I can say is if you have two hours to waste, and I really mean waste, then feel free to rent this. I have always been a big fan of Dane Cook's comedy, but it definitely wasn't portrayed very well in this movie. This movie is full of stereotypical characters that can be found in any comedy/romance. Feel free to view the trailer here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424993/trailers

Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006)

Country of origin: Spain

Pan's Labyrinth tells the story of a little girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who is the lost princess of the underworld and of her adventures to return to her kingdom. Set in Spain during World War II, Ofelia and her mother move to a hidden camp to be protected by the Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez) as Ofelia's mother is to have his child. Ofelia finds living at the camp hard and disturbing. One night she is visited by a fairy and brought to a labyrinth on the camp grounds where she meets a faun (Pan). He tells her of her previous life as a princess and that in order to return to that world she must perform a series a tasks to return home. And so starts the adventures of Ofelia and her survival of both the war and the dangerous tasks.

I believe that Pan's Labyrinth is one of the best movies that I have ever seen. Although the movie is in Spanish, the story is beautiful, creative, and timeless. The imagery is perfect for this film, very dark but colourful at the same time. This is definitely not the type of fairy tale that you would tell children at night, but that is what I like about it. It is not your typical happy and bright Disney movie; it shows the darker side of a fairy tale as it is set in the war. There is a lot of gruesome deaths and lots of gore, but I think that there should be more movies like it. What I did not like about the film is that it focused a little more on the war then it did about Ofelia and her tasks, and that took a bit of the magic out. Also, as the movie is in Spanish, it had subtitles instead of being dubbed. I believe that keeping the film in Spanish gives it a unique quality unlike other films and really brings you into that culture, but with the subtitles I was focusing more on reading the story than trying to watch the film. Despite the subtitles, I think that this film deserves to win every Oscar that it is nominated for! This movie is spectacular, unique, and a breathtakingly beautiful fairy tale about good triumphing over evil, and finding your way home.

trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0zJxL0CHa0

Finding Forrester (Gus Van Sant, 2000)

Country Origin: USA

Every once in awhile a movie comes along which doesn't necessarily become a box-office hit, but nonetheless, evolves into a beloved timeless classic which can be watched again and again. For me, Finding Forrester is one of those types of movies, and whenever I watch it again, it still evokes the same feelings of inspiration and meaning that it did when I first saw it.

The movie, which stars Sean Connery (William Forrester) and Rob Brown (Jamal Wallace), is one about two vastly different men who, by forming an unlikely relationship with one another, help to finally find their true selves.

Connery plays the role of William Forrester, a famous first-novel Pulitzer prize winner whom after having his first successful book published, goes into exclusive isolation and watches life through his apartment window. Brown plays the part of Jamal Wallace, a 16 year old African American teenager who has an uncanny skill for the game of basketball, and unknown to most people, perhaps an even greater ability to retain and write literature. At first glance, these two characters are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum, but after a few informal introductions, Forrester begins to mentor Wallace on his writing, as well as offer advise on how to deal with life's challenges--such as Jamal's belittling English teacher. They're friendship continues to blossom as time goes on, and in the relentless act of challenging one another, they end up finding out much more about themselves than they had ever known.

In the end, we find that sports aren't always priority number one--even if one does have an amazing natural talent; factors like age and race have no significance in the creation of true friendships; and it is never to late in life to find oneself. Despite the fact that this is a somewhat lesser known film, I believe that it is definitly worth seeing--especially since it is in relation to writing!--and that if you do see it, you will come out of it with an inspired feeling and you will probably enjoy watching it again and again, much like I have.

http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/trailer.html?v_id=230327

The Guardian (2006)

Country of Origin: USA

The Guardian starred Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. Kevin Costner (Ben Randell) was an elite coast guard who went through emotional problems after an accident that killed his entire crew. Traumatized after this event, he was forced to leave his job and teach a group of students who wanted to be coast guards.

I was very reluctant to watch this movie when it first came out in theatres. The name was a bit misleading; I could not get a feel of what this movie was going to be about. I normally don't read previews or watch trailers before I step into a movie theatre, unless I randomly see it. I was definitely unsure of where this movie would take me or how good it would be. The movie started off very well, it grabbed my attention right away. It started off with a scene of Ben Randell (Kevin Costner) saving a couple who were trapped in the violent sea. Ben Randell came out of the adventure as a hero and as a brave man who let nothing stop him from saving lives.

The movie showed us what a coast guard really was. Coast guards were made out to be everything that Ben Randell (Kevin Costner) was at the beginning of the movie. There were a few laughing scenes, but most of it were relatively serious. One of the key storylines was created by Ashton Kutcher's (Jake Fischer) cockiness. Kutcher's role in the movie was to be the next top coast guard. The movie developed him from being a cocky guy who only cared about himself to a guy who put his life on the line to save people. He was the next Ben Randall.

I don't want to give away the entire story, but it is definitely a very well done movie that I would recommend. The movie gave me a lot more than I expected. As for the name of the movie, I did not know why the movie was named the Guardian until the very end and that is when you will find out as well. It is a very realistic, very serious, but most importantly, a very entertaining movie.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YsqVFd1o24

2007: The Year of the B-movie Revival?

"Groovy."

- Ash (Bruce Campbell)

After near extinction, the B-movie has experienced resurgence over the past few months. Following the financial and marginal critical success of "Snakes on a Plane" (2006), which benefited immensely from a cleverly obvious title and an effective online marketing campaign, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are set to unveil their B-movie homage, which will premiere (and presumably be released) as a double-feature titled "Grindhouse" tentatively scheduled for release on April 6th, 2007. Of course, as the theatrical trailer illustrates, a grind house is that of a theatre which plays two films back-to-back; in general, these films are referred to as B-movies and tend to exploit sex and violence. If the trailer is any indication of content, Tarantino's film "Death Proof" will center largely on sexual exploitation (perhaps inspired by Pam Grier's films in the early 1970s) whereas Rodriguez has directed his efforts towards a medley of science fiction, zombies, and carnage (with obvious influence from Bruce Campbell and the "Evil Dead" series). Both directors have dealt with similar subject matter in the past (Tarantino with "Jackie Brown" [1997] and Rodriguez with "Sin City [2005]), but neither has ventured so far into the territory of exploitation. Similarly, writer/director Craig Brewer has chosen to follow up his critically successful feature debut "Hustle & Flow" (2005) with an exploitation flick aptly titled "Black Snake Moan," which will undoubtedly draw from the cult following of "Snakes of a Plane" due to the similarities in the title, but also in the leading man category with Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role as the now typecast "angry black man" (no discrimination intended). For B-movie enthusiasts such as myself who long for the glory days of Roger Corman and Bruce Campbell, this is an exciting time, but whether the fad will become a permanent staple of modern cinema is an entirely different issue. One can only hope.

The trailers for "Grindhouse" and "Black Snake Moan" can be found at the following links, respectively.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0462322/trailers-screenplay-E30983-10-2

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_vantage/blacksnakemoan/trailer1/

- Kurtis

"Blood & Chocolate" (Katja von Garnier, 2007)

Country of Origin: USA

This movie is about young Vivian, a werewolf who falls in love with Aiden (Hugh Dancy), a graphic novel writer/illustrator. What seemed to attract her the most to him was the fact his next book was about the “loup-garoux,” which were a pack of werewolves that were once respected leaders in Europe. Unbeknownst to Aiden, it also happened to be the same pack that Vivian belonged to. Conflict arises when the leader of the pack, Gabriel (Olivier Martinez), finds out about her human lover, posing a problem for him since she was destined to become his next mate. Soon things begin to unfold that would test her love and loyalty, and she is left with a decision she must make: follow the pack and fulfill her destiny or follow her heart and true love.

This movie had a very well written storyline. The only thing that fell short was time. This film could have easily gripped its audiences with a little more character development by slowing down the story. It felt as if I was being fast-forwarded through this beautiful legend, and it left me feeling a little ripped off. The romance between the main character and her love was so quick that the audience could not really see or experience the chemistry between them. I am glad, on the other hand, at the fact this movie used actual evidence of the legend to make it as realistic and believable as possible.

My final thoughts? Even though the movie was rushed the fact that the actual legend was addressed tickled my fancy (and so did Dancy - LoL).

Trailer: http://www.mgm.com/bloodandchocolate/

Troy (Wolfgang Petersen, 2004)

Country of Origin: USA

Homer's most notorious love story takes place in ancient Greece, where the love of the Prince of Troy, Paris (Orlando Bloom), and the Queen of Sparta, Helen (Diane Kruger) starts a war that would devastate a civilization. This epic story of love, lust and passion begins when Paris steals Helen away from her husband, King Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson). Menelaus sees this as an insult to his pride and gets his brother, Agamemnon (Brian Cox), involved. Together the two brothers bring together all the armies of Greece and plan to invade the city of Troy, to steal Helen back. (98) Agamemnon's original plan to help his brother steal his wife back is changed when his greed compels him to take over Troy and seize control of the Aegean. The only problem is that is encountered is that the city, protected by Hector (Eric Bana), son of King Priam (Peter O'Toole), has never been breached. The only person, believed, to be able to bring down the city would be Achilles (Brad Pitt).

Troy is an exciting, romantic and action packed epic. The graphics were amazing in the way that they re-created battles and wars that happened and the way in which cities, ships, and temples were digitally remastered, with great detail, to look as they did during that time period. The only thing that I found a little disappointing was that in the film a lot of scenes were missing or cut short that were in The Iliad, but then again, you can't put every single, little detail from the book on film because of time. Also, in The Iliad, Menelaus is supposed to be just as good looking as Paris, but in the movie they purposely make him look old and not as attractive, but I guess it could be because the "bad" side is always supposed to be uglier than the "good" side. Other than those two critiques I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys action and romance.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUSPUlg6D9I

The Illusionist (Neil Burger, 2006)

Country of Origin: USA

Set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, The Illusionist is about a magician named Eisenheim (Edward Norton) who uses his ability to create uncanny illusions to be with the woman that he loves. Duchess Sophie von Teschen (Jessia Biel), childhood friend and lover to Eisenheim, is betrothed to the Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) and wants to leave him as she is nothing more than a part of the prince's plan to overthrow the emperor. Leopold becomes obsessed and determined to reveal Eisenheim for the fraud that he believes the magician to be, and hires Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) to aid in his assumptions. As the movie progresses it takes you on a ride of romance, fantasy, murder, scandal, and has many turns and unexpected twists that will leave you to believe that " Nothing is what it seems".

The Illusionist is a crafty and beautiful story that left me flabbergasted at the end. Though the ending would have been considered a cliche, the film was cleverly done in a way that even though it was cliche I was not expecting to end the way it did. I was pleasantly surprised. This film has many elements to it: fantasy, murder, scandal, mystery, but what I found it to be is a story about lost love and getting that second chance to find it. The special effects of this film were done very well and honestly made me believe that the illusions were something real. I was a little disappointed that the movie did not reveal how any of the illusions were done, but I guess a good magician never reveals his tricks...even on film. I recommend this film to anyone who likes mystery and romance and twists.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JYgi4xRW4A

Le Mépris (Godard, 1963)

Country of Origin: France/Italy

Having recently viewed director Jean-Luc Godard’s first feature, “Breathless” (1960), I was eager to seek out several of the films he shot in 'scope given his reputation for working with color film stock. “Le Mépris” (1963) surpassed my expectations and opened with perhaps one of the most sumptuous and scathingly satiric sequences I have seen since Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Blvd.” (1950). Bridget Bardot, one of the few blonde bombshells who could actually act, stars as a screenwriter’s wife and as the above poster would have you believe, she has a tendency to appear half clothed. Godard, at the urging of his American producer, included this considerable nudity, but cleverly manipulated these scenes to mold one of, if not the definitive, on-screen in-joke. Godard hardly glorifies Bardot’s body, but instead presents her in a non-sexual manner where her character’s insecurities and cruelty hold more weight than her voluptuous figure.

“Le Mépris” isn’t generally as closely associated with the French New Wave as Godard’s aforementioned film “Breathless” or his famous homage to the American musical “A Woman is a Woman” (1961), but Godard’s tendency to use jump cuts and reflexive content is immediately evident. The film’s plot essentially highlights the filmmaking process and the dichotomy existing between director and producer. German wunderkind Fritz Lang plays himself as the “high concept” director whose ideas are lost on the simple-minded and sex-crazed director, performed perfectly by acting legend Jack Palance. The film within the film is an adaptation of The Odyssey and Godard has cleverly manipulated his film’s theme to mirror that of Homer’s famous work. Raoul Coutard photographed “Le Mépris” on location in Italy and the glorious scenery also echoes that of Homer’s poems. Godard is at the pinnacle of his ability here, cleverly weaving references to classic cinema and undertaking his usual stimulating content. I’m not one to throw around the title of masterpiece, but this film is deserving and not to be missed by any serious fan of cinema.

The trailer can be found at the following link.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0057345/trailers-screenplay-E18770-10-2

- Kurtis