Memoirs of a Geisha

This is one of those films that once you start watching it you just can't look away, the artistry within it is amazing. From the sets to the costumes this is a visually stunning film, the effort that was applied here is evident from the opening scenes. Based on the novel by Arthur Golden the world of the Geisha is opened to bear all for the world to see. All of the acting is superb and flawless, as the characters grow in age, as well as wisdom, you are taken on a journey that you will not soon forget.After a nine-year-old girl with stunning beauty is sold to a Kyoto Geisha house, she must endure harsh treatment and a world at war as she blossoms into the Geisha she is destined to become. Some of the punishments that are handed out during the film are a little extreme but for the time frame and the situations that are being played out they work. The sets look like they were taken right from that time in Japanese history, they look so authentic that you would almost believe that they were always there. The love story that this played out here is drawn out through the whole movie, and in true movie magic when the story is completed there is a happy ending.
After watching this movie I noticed in the credits that the film was based on Golden's book and was amazed that so much information about a completely female world, and point of view, was actually written by a man. The massive amount of research that must have gone into this story shows and it is understandable why this was such a well-received movie by the audience and the critics. This is definitely a movie to sit and watch with a loved one, the story is compelling and thought provoking about a life that we, as outsiders, until now knew very little about.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

I wasn't in any rush to see this film when it originally came out, and then when it came out on DVD I just threw it on my rental list and waited. Now after watching it, I can understand the appeal that it had on the audience that saw it. It is an enjoyable story that has its roots going back to the ancient Greek civilization and Homer's Odyssey. The modernization of the story is very compelling and deserves all of the praise and accolades that it received. I'm not a big George Clooney fan, but what he does here with his character is perfect, the Southern accent fits and is completely believable. Three convicts escape from a chain gang in search of freedom and fortune in a buried treasure that must be retrieved in a matter of days or it will be lost forever. Set in the late twenties/early thirties, this film has the feel of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby road movies, the comedy is light hearted and not overpowering. With the underlying tones from The Odyssey, we everything from the blind Oracle to the singing Sirens, and they're all well placed and complete believable in the context. The film has a washed out look to it, which helps with the setting for the Depression era. The music is perfect for the time period, and has a nice lilting sound that works and helps you identify with the characters feelings throughout the film.
A lot of the situations that are in the movie are a little far fetched, but there are others that hit close to the mark and are very truthful. The idea that a family would have to eat their horse for food because they couldn't afford anything else is probably more truthful than any of us would want to know. If you've never seen this film before it's worth the time, I'm sorry I waited so long to see it, I'd have no problem seeing this again and again.

The Freshman

One of the greatest characters in film is Marlon Brando's performance as Vito Corleone in The Godfather, and when given the opportunity to parody that character he jumped at the chance. Here Brando plays the part to the hilt and then some, the mannerisms that he made classic are exaggerated and work perfectly. Having Matthew Broderick play opposite Brando was shear genius; they work off of each other to bring out their best and most intelligent performances. A freshman in college is given a job driving for a local crime boss, but after one delivery his in way over his head and can't get out once the boss's daughter falls for him. This movie plays to a very intelligent audience, with the right twists and turns it keeps you thinking right up to the end. Co-starring with Brando and Broderick is a live Komodo Dragon, who steals the show once it enters the scene, but when the Dragon escapes into a shopping mall the laughs just keep coming.
This movie was at the time toted as the movie that drew Brando out of retirement with the opportunity to make fun of his most famous work, little do he know that it would become the beginning of a whole new career. After seeing this movie all I could think about was how good Brando was as a comedic actor, and how he had missed out on a special part of his career. This is a very smart comedy and shows these actors in new light that would change the way the viewing public would see them from this film forward.

The Banger Sisters

Having friends that you can turn to in a time of personal crisis, is a blessing and ones that will drop everything to help you without questions are rare. Here we get to examine both cases with two actresses, Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn, who over the years we have grown to adore. Everyone has something that they don't want people to know about, but is it truly bad or are we just making it into a bigger issue than it needs to be. With the secrets that Sarandon is keeping from her family you'd think the world was going to come to an end, but as most of us do, we think of the worst-case scenario.After sixteen years of separation, two friends, who used to be groupies, reconnect and realize that they still need each other to move on. The symbolism of having this whole situation take place in Phoenix is pointed out by Sarandon and is very much on target. Even though the two lead characters are the focus of the story, every person that they come in contact with, from family to acquaintances, are affected by some change in their lives. After all these years Hawn still has a body that can turn a man's head, and after Sarandon gets out of that frumpy suit, she's no slouch either.
The movie is cute and a little thought provoking, is the face that we show the world exactly the person we are deep down inside. I say as long as we have fun with the people we love and care about, who the Hell cares how we look and act like to other people outside our circles. This definitely falls into the category of Chick Flick and most guys wouldn't watch it, but it's a descent film and worth watching at least once.

Infernal Affairs

This film will seem familiar to most people if they have seen or heard of Martin Scorsese's The Departed about the Irish mob in Boston. Originally the story was set in Hong Kong and has a very strong Asian cast that as you are watching it you completely forget that the movie is in Hong Kong. Some of the twists and turns that are in this film are so well planned out that you get totally blind-sided by the outcome.A police officer fresh out of the academy is sent out as a mole into a local crime boss's gang, and at the same time the boss sends a mole of his own into the police force. This is more of a psychological thriller than the ordinary action crime films that come out of Hong Kong, The two lead actors here are Tony Leung and Andy Lau, both are excellent actors and carry the duel roles without a problem. As things start to come to a head in the story you begin to wonder you will come out on top and you never know until the very end.
The movie is so good that when you get near the end you honestly think that everything is going to be a happy ending, but the ending is left open for the two sequels that came along. If the sequels that followed are as good as this first film I'll be amazed, they both have some big shoes to fill. Just seeing how wonderful this film is makes me understand how good the new version by Scorsese is.

Three.....Extremes

The Asian horror cinema is by far has some of the best filmmaking out in the industry today, and three of the masters of this art give their all in this anthology of tales. Hong Kong's Fruit Chan, Korea's Chan-wook Parks and Japan's Takashi Miike spin some twisted tales of the imagination that take you from the brink of insanity to the edge of terror. The subjects that are examined are pretty basic, jealously, revenge, obsession, but with the twists and turns that these directors take every emotion along the way gets striped bare. Three stories are presented for your viewing pleasure, "Dumplings" - an aging actress starts an unnatural diet to recapture her youth. "Cut" - a movie extra with a grudge against a director takes revenge. "Box" - sibling rivalry and jealousy are pushed to the extreme. Of the three stories, the first one, Dumplings is by far the creepiest and the most disturbing. There are no over the top special effects here, but what is used strikes a cord with the audience and leaves you with images that you wont soon forget. The symbolism that is layered throughout the stories is a little overpowering but everything that is shown is meaningful and important to the story.
Anyone who is not familiar with these directors should seen this movie, it gives you a nice sampling of their work, and may open the door to some artwork that you may not have seen before. I've watched some of the Asian horror films over the past year or so, and I'm always amazed at how the directors and writers can take a nice setting, add an every day issue, then turn the whole thing on its ear and give us some outstanding filmmaking. This movie isn't an over the top horror movie, but it is a nice introduction into one of the best movie genres on the market today.

Jersey Girl (Kevin Smith)

When a popular director decides that his or her next project will be a departure from their regular genre of movies, they are sometimes pigeon holed and the new film gets an undeserved failing mark. That is what has happened with this Kevin Smith movie, it is not the raunchy, over the top comedy that most people would expect from him. It is a romantic comedy that tugs at your heart strings from beginning to end, with a cast that works well together and supports each other along the way in the real life situations that are presented to them. When love strikes a self-centered publicist he is unprepared for the ultimate sacrifice when his young wife dies during childbirth and he must raise his new daughter on his own. The role of seven year old Gertie is played by Raquel Castro with the flair and bounce of a seasoned film veteran, it will be nice to see where her career goes to after a breakthrough performance like this. The relationship that is presented by George Carlin and Ben Affleck is so close to a real father and son that the feelings will hit close to home for some of the audience. The acting that Carlin did amazed me so much that I would go out of my way to say that he could branch out into a whole new career if he did more roles in romantic comedies or dramas. With the realistic situations that are throughout the film it is easy enough see your own reactions reflected in the characters on the screen.
Reviews for this film when it first went into theaters were very good, but the public response is what killed this delightful film, people weren't ready for something that wasn't a Clerks type comedy. Also with Jennifer Lopez in the role of the wife brought along the Bennifer curse, which probably didn't help smooth over Smith fans. When you watch this film you can't go into it with any preconceptions about this being a regular Smith comedy, and once you get past that it rates right up at the top of the list of his very best.

Why We Fight

Documentary films are sometimes slow and dry, and when that happens the audience loses interest, then the movie is swept under the rug. The current political administration had high hopes that this would have been the resulting situation for Why We Fight, but unfortunately this movie is so stirring and has so much true information that you can't help but be drawn into it. The big question that is asked by the film is why does America engage in war? And the answer is so strong and overpowering that while you're watching the film your amazed at the situations that have been going on threw most of our lives.The examination of America's militarism, and how ideological factors with their connections to its political and economic interests have been driving the military machine since WWII. Filmed in 2005 there is a lot of footage of the early part of the Iraq war that many of us have never seen, is at times shocking, and along with personal accounts from soldiers to journalists, from government officials to innocent victims the stories are chilling but need to be heard. Hearing some of the reasoning behind conflicts from 1945 to the present is like listening to a megalomaniac and to believe that some of these people are actually running our country and military is terrifying.
When I first saw the trailer for this film and I decided right away that I had to see it, and I was so happy that I saw it when I did. There is so much eye opening information in the film that its amazing that its only an hour and thirty-five minutes, it moves along very nicely but gives you many things to think about. I'd recommend this film to anyone who is wondering about the current situation we're in, and how exactly we got there. I would also say that any American who believes in freedom should see this film, to know exactly what has been going with this country since the Eisenhower administration.

The Hindenburg

Out of all the disaster films that came out in the seventies the majority were based on worst case scenarios but at least one was based on fact, The Hindenburg. In 1937, when the disaster happened, there were many theories about what happened, from natural causes to sabotage, this film takes the approach that the explosion that destroyed the airship was a bomb. The all-star cast is headed by George C. Scott, who demonstrates why he was such an accomplished actor with the commanding personality that he had.When a message is received by Nazi Germany that their great airship Hindenburg will be destroyed on its trip to America, an investigation turns up more red herrings then plots of destruction. This movie was made in 1975, a time that if you wanted a blimp in your film you either made a model or used a real blimp. Both were used here and it comes across without any problems. The other thing that helps this film is the blending of archival footage of the actual crash spliced in with film from the movie. The movie is in color but once the explosion happens the film goes to black and white, so that it will work seamlessly with the original footage from 1937.
It's not your usual disaster film, and part of it is a mystery, but its completely enjoyable and seeing some of these actors and actresses together on the screen is a blast. The digital transfer is not a complete success, there are parts that are fuzzy, and it's not from the fog banks that the ship is going through, but you can get by it. If you like disaster films and haven't seen this one, it's worth a viewing, it's probably not the total destruction that you'd be use to but it does have its moments with a strong story.

Shipwrecked

Disney has a long history of making adventure films that the whole family can enjoy, and these include live action as well as animated movies. But even Disney can be accused of rehashing old stories if it seems like a good idea at the time. The story itself is based on a book by O.V. Falck-Ytter titled "Haakon Haakonsen", but movie is a combination of several different stories, and that's not to say that it's a bad film for this approach, its a very good film but the story just seems stale and worn out. This movie blends the stories of Kidnapped, Swiss Family Robinson, and Treasure Island into an enjoyable film that the kids will enjoy and parents wont mind sitting through.A young boy sets out to sea to pay his families debt at home and runs into pirates, gets shipwrecked, and finds a treasure to answer all his dreams. The island that is for the scenes after the shipwreck is an actual island in the Fiji chain, so its as authentic as can be for a deserted island. The time and effort put into this film to make it as authentic to the time period is very evident from the ship and how the crew handles her to the costumes for all of the characters that come from locations that range from Norway to Fiji. The only real recognizable actor in this film is Gabriel Byrne; he plays the pirate Captain Merrick and plays it very well.
This is not a real well known Disney film, when it originally came out there wasn't much fan fare for it and now the only way you can get a copy of this film is through the Disney Movie Club. But its worth the time and effort to get it, its clean harmless fun for young boys who are into pirates and sailing. With the ideas that there is buried treasure out there somewhere, pirate movies will always have a special place in our hearts.

Sleeper

At this time of year when looking into the past to see how we've dealt with things and gazing into the future to contemplate the coming events, I've sat down and watched one of the more inventive sci-fi time travel movies from the seventies. Woody Allen's Sleeper shows that even going two hundred years into the future you still end up with the same political, social and personal problems as we have today. Allen plays a perfect free thinking neurotic from the twentieth century to Diane Keaton's sensible futuristic artist drone that believes everything that the government is telling the public.After going into the hospital for ulcer surgery, Miles Monroe wakes up two hundred years in the future to a society that is being run by a military police state. The so-called advancements in technology that are on display in the movie show that in some cases technology just goes to far in making our lives better, the orgasmitron is one example. There is also a scene where the scientists ask Miles to explain what some items are because they have no record of them, and here he adds his own misinterpretation to the explanation and the scientists take it as law. The physical comedy that runs rampant throughout the film is great, it reminds you of the old chase scenes from the silent era of movies.
Hopefully as the future becomes more real every day, the idea that we will be under control by a militaristic police state with a dictator holding the reigns is pure fantasy. But like so many people have said time and again, the future is not written in stone, it can't truly be predicted and we see that as evidence every time we wake up and move forward through our lives. Yet, with a film like this we can imagine that the future can be fantastic and the human spirit, no matter what the circumstances, will triumph over any injustice in the world.

Finding Neverland

Its films like this one that show us the magic that can come from children and this magic can show any adult, who is willing to see it, that there is magic all around us every day. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet play wonderfully opposite each other in this film, it's a shame that they haven't done other projects together, it just comes across on the screen as pure enchantment. The movie leaves you completely happy and sad at the same time and a little weepy to top off the emotional ride that you travel. When J.M. Barrie cannot come up with a new idea for a play, he is inspired by a family that he befriends and comes up with the story of a lifetime, Peter Pan. The blending of the fantasy world with reality is done very well, it seems like the imaginations of Barrie and the children just take over the film. One of the funnier moments is when Dustin Hoffman is reading the list of character names for the play when he gets to Captain Hook he calls it a ridicules name, funny because he played Hook in Spielberg's movie. The sets and costumes are wonderfully done to help transport you to the early 1900's, and with the flawless accents used by the cast members that had to use them, worked perfectly. The limited effects that are used just makes the film even more enjoyable, as Barrie escapes into his own fantasy world we're more than willing too follow along and we're also sorry when we have to return.
Seeing the story of Peter Pan done on the 1904 London stage is great, up to this point I had not known that this story was a play before it became a children's book. As you watch the film you're left with the idea that the children were Barrie's true muse and not their mother, for the soul reason that the story of Peter Pan is for the children realize the magic that is in their own hearts. This film is a nice addition to the Pan mythos and should be watched by any adult who believes, or use to believe, in the magic that happens every day.

Ultimate Avengers 1 & 2

When Marvel Comics announced that they were going to restart a number of their long running titles for the new generation of fans some people were skeptical if it would work or just destroy the story. But with the Ultimate line of titles they got it right and have opened an avenue that can reach more people who may not have the access to the comics. The first two movies to come out of this whirlwind of an idea is the Ultimate Avengers, and they hit a grand slam coming out of the gate. You don't need to know all of the characters involved but you'll recognize the names from your childhood. Both movies should be watched back to back, the storyline in 2 is a complete continuation of the storyline from the first movie and makes the whole experience more enjoyable. After being lost at the end of World War II, Captain America is found frozen inside of a glacier and thawed out just in time to fight against an alien invasion. When the alien's master plan becomes evident and the main attack is directed at a small African nation the Avengers spring into action. The action that is laid out throughout the story is great, some of it you could only have done in an animated movie, which is fine for the world that the heroes live in. The characters that are introduced here read like a who's who of the Marvel universe, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther and the Incredible Hulk, just to name a few.
Updating the characters that most of us have grown up with was a good idea for Marvel, and the development of the animated movie line can only get better from this point forward. Some of these characters haven't seen on the screen in years and with the new life that has been breathed into this storyline hopefully this wont be the last. As I've said, you need to watch the two films together, and the whole amazing story unfolds and by the end you just can't wait for the next installment.

Rat Race

When movies are remade, the idea at the time of conception sounds good and when you add in the names of the actors to be involved you get the feeling that you could have a hit. Unfortunately what we have here is a good idea gone badly. With the original movie, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, the comedic talent is what carried the movie and makes the whole trip hilarious and side splitting, but with Rat Race you have every actor trying their hardest to be funny and most of the time its just stupid. A Las Vegas casino owner picks six different people to take part in a race where they could win two million dollars. The comedy actors that are in the film try their hardest to keep the jokes going, but who ever told Cuba Gooding, Jr. he was a comedian should be shot, his acting here is the worst out of the troop. Even though some of the situations that are set up for the characters are funny, you would think that they could have come up with at least a few that would produce more than a chuckle. You can see some of the jokes coming from a mile away and by the time they get to you they're staler than week out bread.
If you want to watch a funny chase film, rent the original movie, you'll enjoy yourself a whole lot more. Even though some of the actors do a very good job in the movie, Jon Lovitz for one, it's not the kind of movie that you can watch repeatedly, unless of course you've had your lobotomy and like the self-torture.

Waking Ned Devine

When opportunity comes knocking on your door, you have to jump at whatever the offer is because you just might end up being a millionaire. A quaint little Irish comedy, this film asks the question of how far would you go to collect the lottery winnings of a dead man. When the scheming starts and the whole village gets involved you honestly want to be a part of it. The characters that inhabit this little town are so friendly that you feel at home the moment you meet them.On the night of the drawing of the National Lottery, the sole winner dies and the local villagers conspire to collect the winnings. The whole film moves so quickly that when the end comes you don't even realize that the movie is over. The twists and turns that the story takes feels like real life, every time you think that you have everything under control some little problem arises to mess things up. The acting here is just prefect, you have the feeling that you are truly in a small Irish village and the residents have been here all their lives. Shot entirely on location you can't help but see the isolation of the community and how easily the whole village is like one large family.
This is a nice little comedy that can be watched by the whole family without any vulgar language or violence. The issues that the film deals with are a little strong for a younger audience but there is always a lighter side to everything so the topics go down a little easier. If you've never seen this film its worth the watch, it will leave a smile on your face and a little spring in your step.