Coraline

Release Date: 2.6.09

I have to admit I have never been a big fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick's first note to fame, 1993), nor have I understood the surrounding frenzy that inspired hordes of people to paint themselves in homage to Jack Skellington. However, after seeing Coraline I can admire his brilliance and dedication to a film genre so unique that it truly stretches the imagination beyond the boundaries of accepted "normality".

Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) is the story of an adventuresome girl with blue hair who is doomed to spend her days in a dilapidated pink apartment building in a dreadfully rainy town. Her parents are writers for a garden magazine who hole themselves away into their work and never tend to their own yard. Forced to occupy her time with the estranged neighbors and stalking Wybie, she discovers a door to magical world that seems to mirror her own, only better. Of course there are a few exceptions and surprises.

The first half of the film is light-hearted and sweet despite the heavy theme of loneliness resulting from neglectful parents. As the film progresses, Coraline finds herself trapped in the web spun by the Other Mother (voice of Teri Hatcher) who transforms from her all too-good-to-be-true gooey sweetness into a dark and sinister creature from one's most horrifying nightmares.

In order to survive the game in which she has become entangled, Coraline must use her resourcefulness, determination, and tenacity to return to her reality, and ultimately save her family.

Loved it. Animation is superb.

Rating: A

Slumdog Millionaire

U.S. Release Date: 01.23.09


Danny Boyle is my new favorite director. He has never made a movie I have not liked.

Spectacular. Deserves Best Picture and Best Director, hands down.

Rating: A+++

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

This is the first DVD review I have even considered writing. And those of you who know me well may be shocked at this choice of film because I have seen A LOT of movies (averaging 2 DVDs a night, not including what I see in the theatre).

It has taken me quite sometime to become a fan of Woody Allen's in-your-face approach of the human psyche but this latest progeny put the nail in the coffin. It all started with Match Point, followed by his short in Paris Je T'aime, regrettably he failed me with Scoop, but reconfirmed my adoration with Casandra's Dream, and has knocked my socks off with Vicky Cristina Barcelona. There is simply no stopping the iconic juggernaut of Mr. Allen.

Set amongst the ancient and mystical buildings of Barcelona, Spain, this tale of love and misunderstandings of the heart and human condition is the pinnacle of Woody's genius. Vicky and Cristina are two best friends who need an escape from their dreary American lives and what better place to go than Spain? Of course when you have money and the familial contacts that Vicky possesses life is a breeze. The two take summer holiday in Barcelona with a cousin of Vicky's, with Vicky researching her thesis on Catalan culture and Cristina needing a fresh start after a nasty break up from a boring man who stifled her need for expression. The architecture of the city and sweeping landscape of the countryside not only add a layer of texture to the story, but acts as characters themselves, playing on their inherent beauty and rhythm weaving in and out of the fabric of Vicky and Cristina's lives.

Javier Bardem plays the smoldering painter Juan Antonio Gonzalo whom they meet on a whim, and who whisks them away to the magical town of Oviedo for a weekend of inspirationsal sightseeing and love-making. The cautious and even tempered Vicky is the perfect counterbalance for the overly emotional and sensitive Cristina who wants nothing more than a man who is interesting and passionate and creative and exciting. Both women find themselves absorbed with the charismatic charm of Juan Antonio and his fiercely erotic ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz).

I have to admit I was amazed by the emotions evoked by this silly little indie flick. I have been stuck in a mental block of sorts lately, not being motivated to write on here or even in my personal journal (which I have done so nearly every day for the past 6 mos. up until now). But feelings began to stir in me once more, so passionately to the point where I had to pause the movie and write as feverishly as I could before what I needed to express was forgotten.

Just like Cristina I too desire a man who is interesting and passionate and creative and exciting, one who is not a "cookie-cutter zombie" produced by the puritanical and materialistic Western world. As she is, I feel I am a lost European soul drowning in the shallow pool of American mediocrity. And as Cristina feels she has so much to express but no gifts or talent of her own, I too, must admit with all the attempts at writing (in addition to my journal and this blog I try to write poetry) or photography or playing music I am not unique or special even though I wish to be, I yearn to be. I can appreciate art and music, but I cannot create it. In that sense I am a failure. "Chronic dissatisfaction" accuses Maria Elena of Cristina, perhaps I am the same. Or maybe it is because I, like her, have not found the right person to unlock my creativity, my muse.

But what terrifies me most is I found the character of Vicky complimentary to my external frame. Wanting what is in front of me, but afraid to go after it, and fearing what do with it once it is mine. Desiring, but afraid of the inevitable destruction those desires will bring. And what I most want is the firey passion of Maria Elena, where I am ruled by my emotions and not my thoughts. I wish to possess a Lust for Life (the immortal words of Iggy Pop resonate true even in this context) without afterthought. I do not want to be afraid of life, but embrace It, It and all the adventures and impending heartache.

With this little film I feel as if Woody Allen has reached down into the depths of my soul and poetically captured all that I could never say, all that I want to be and could be, and never will be. And it makes me a little jealous that he could do so far more successfully than I. A bit ironic isn't it? Ah such is life...

Valkyrie

Release Date: 12.25.08


valkyrie: noun. any of the beautiful maidens attendant upon Odin who bring the souls of slain warriors chosen by Odin or Tyr to Valhalla and there wait upon them.

Operation Walküre was the fail-safe orders of the Army Reserve to contain and protect the German people in the event of civil unrest, then seclude and disband the governmental powers thereby appointing a new Chancellor. In short, it would be "cutting the head off the snake". The attempted assassination of Führer Adolf Hitler in lieu of briefcase explosives was disguised as a coup conducted by the SS, who then would be brought to justice by the Army Reserve. As every WWII history buff would know, July 20, 1944 was the intended day of Hitler's death, but it would not come for another nine months as a result of his own suicide.

I think it is safe to say that with Valkyrie, Director Bryan Singer has by leaps and bounds matured from the supernatural of the Marvel universe, but has kept true to his classic theme of good vs. evil. He has brought a rare anecdote from the torrid past of Germany to the screen, enlightening the masses with seemingly impossible courage and strength needed to fight for justice, astonishingly forged by the other side of the Nazi coin. Not since The Usual Suspects has he exhausted the audience with such a mental roller coaster of intrigue and deception, but all the while stimulating the eyes with authentic Reich propaganda, uniforms, and goose-stepping.

Tom Cruise, convincingly portrays Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the principal character who brings Operation Walküre to life, but by no means does he overshadow his equally stellar British support. Bill Nighy (brilliant as General Friedrich Olbricht), Tom Wilkinson (General Friedrich Fromm), Eddie Izzard (General Erich Fellgiebel), Terence Stamp (as the icy Ludwig Beck), and legendary Kenneth Branagh as Major-General Henning von Tresckow are all cogs in the Valkyrie machine, without which would have been an utter disaster. Accompanied with a large German supporting cast, overwhelming long shots of the Bavarian forests, and candid peeks of the Wolf's Lair (among other historical locations), the actors engross the unsuspecting movie watchers into World War II Prussia and it's political meltdown.

This two hour thriller - I say thriller and not action film (despite its rampant war imagery) - is brimming with such intensity at times that scene changes leave you jittery with anticipation, like a junkie looking for his next fix. And even though Hitler himself has very few appearances in the film, each time he looms onto the screen you can feel the animosity exuding from his dissidents like a suffocating fog, opening old wounds that can only be described by history texts and imagined by the current generation, placing you in the shoes of those who dare to defy his reign of terror and ashamedly sympathizing with the not-so-bad bad guys.


Rating: A+

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+