The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Release Date: 12.25.08

Instead of watching the traditional "A Christmas Story", "Miracle on 34th Street", or "A Christmas Carol", I colored outside the lines this holiday season and went to the theatre, opting to see something different and extraordinary. And it seems I got my wish.

David Fincher has produced a pure masterpiece. When attempting to describe my experience watching this film, words literally fail me. Marvelous. Spectacular. Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt: Magnificent with a capital 'M'. Chemistry between leads: undeniable and magnetic. Supporting cast: phenomenal. Special effects: unparalleled and revolutionary.

The overwhelming theme of love transcending both time and space captures even the blackest of souls.

And I am also surprised to find how this film has too transcended my rating scheme.

Rating: A+++

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Release Date: 12.12.08


I am now totally convinced that Keanu Reeves is indeed an alien. He must not have had to delve very deeply to capture he cold, emotionless portrayal of Klaatu because you could see the robotic elements of Neo and Constantine. Not that I'm complaining. Director Scott Derrickson couldn't have made a better selection out of all those in Hollywoodland who can't act.

Excellent special effects. Jaden Smith is just as whiny as his mother, I guess the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree.

But all in all I will definitely see this film again. The timeless story of humans losing control of their actions and ultimately determining their own fate is as pertinent now as ever.


Rating: B+

Milk

Limited U.S. Release Date: 11.26.08


Spectacular. There is no doubt that Gus Van Sant will be an Oscar contender in several categories.

Here are my picks:

Best Film
Best Director
Best Male Lead: Sean Penn - phenomenal!!!
Best Cinematography
Best Screenplay

"And that's all I got to say about that" - Forrest Gump

Rating: A+

Australia

Release Date: 11.26.08



In one word: Magical

"Would you like to hear a story? It's about a magical land called Oz."


Director Baz Luhrmann, absent from Hollywood for near a decade, brings new flavor to this classic story from old Hollywood favorites such as "Gone with the Wind", "Giant", "From Here to Eternity", and one of my personal favorites "Out of Africa", while adding sickeningly sweet doses of "The Wizard of Oz". The sweeping majestic shots of a land time forgot enraptures the audience, forgetting they are in a theatre and not on the plains themselves. However, the film felt a bit cartoonish at times, with Indiana Jones-like flight-trail maps and a less-than-epic narration by a "half-caste" child, Nullah. The dangerous and enigmatic world doesn't present the same fervor when seen through children's eyes.

But don't dismay, "Australia" is a captivating story of cattle rustlers in Darwin, Northern Territory during World War II. The English Lady Ashley (Aussie-born Nicole Kidman) has come to the land of Oz with the intention of finishing her husband's plans for selling their remaining cattle to the military, and finally the ranch of Faraway Downs to the monopolizing force of Carney Cattle Company. A sweeping love affair between Lady Ashley and the aptly-named Drover (Hugh Jackman) ensues amidst a backdrop of sleazy cattle ranchers trying to swindle the Brit from her lands. The chemistry between the two is undeniable. Nullah (Brandon Walters) is a "Creamy" boy living on the Faraway Downs hiding from "tha coppers" who round up the half-castes and whisk them away to a mission with the hopes of purging their souls of their sinful aboriginal ways. Even though he is a boy who "belongs to no one" living in the mystical ancient world of music and dreams, an endearing mother-son bond inevitably forms between Lady Ashley and Nullah as both struggle with Nullah's destiny. And it is music that serves as the undertone of the film, supplying the preternatural connection of love and redemption with sweetly placed samples of "Over the Rainbow".

Although the film seems resolved after the first 90 minutes or so, Luhrmann does not let us forget the involvement of Australia during World War II with the Japanese bombing of Darwin and its outlying islands, does not undermine the prejudice and racism experienced between The Blacks and The Whites with the abominations spawned from rape and domination detained and referred to as the "Stolen Generations". And with its candy-cotton pink and yellow tones, the cinematography is reminscient of "Gone With the Wind", "Vanilla Sky", and "What Dreams May Come", enriching the grandeur of this film, successfully sweeping you away into the magical land of Oz.


Rating: A