film_reviewer-1 Reviews

The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007)

this belongs on TV or better yet -- the Internet

[3/10 · 17 October 2007]

Like Dragon Wars, the story was buried under too many special effects. This version of the book is a disappointment, especially since John Hodge did the adaptation. Hodge is top- notch. What happened?

That terrific boy actor from the Bridge to Terabithia might have been able to save this film. Not to disparage young actors, the young lead in this film belongs in a sports movie.

The kid factor is not a guarantee at the box office. This is the kind of casting that makes one want to only cast veteran actors and do grownup films. The veteran actors in this film are professional.

This film is directed like it was theatre, not cinema. Not all special effects are necessarily cinematic.

For what it's worth, this current incarnation would suffice as episode 2 (the backstory) of a new pilot on the supernatural NBC schedule. TV is the place for this story-based material.

I found annoying the family teasing scenes that oddly never pay off and should have been edited out. This material as it currently exists might have worked on TV or better yet, the Internet while kids multi-task simultaneously.

Nostalghia (1983)

Tarkovsky is a painter-poet's filmmaker

[10/10 · 15 October 2007]

Tarkovsky is the greatest director who has ever lived, except for (the British) Hitchcock. The spiritual and religious questions are given to the audience like a one-on-one commentary while experiencing the journey of his quasi-plot.

Russian cinema was so brilliant, all the way back to the theorist times of Eisenstein and his colleagues, that now I wonder why, with all that Putinesque oil money, they can't revive their cinema. Cinema was their art form. They were surely not that great at producing the visual arts, better yet at the theorizing.

Despite their awful communism, the Russians were so much more advanced in cinema than Americans (who were so dependent on the theatrical story). The stumbling block was the aftermath of WWII. Should that be allowed to essentially destroy all solid cultural expression? Russians should be the leaders. (The Russians trained the Chinese and look how well they did. Why can't Russia do this for their own people?)

Americans see Russians as a bunch of murderous thugs. That's what happens when you kill off journalist critics. Take a lesson from America and discredit them like they did to Dan Rather and others. Don't murder the opposition. But, of course, Tarkovsky had to even defect. As far as I know, no one defects now. Is that because there's no one left?

Tarkovsky gave Russia and the world something to marvel at. Tarkovsky and the great Russian writers and composers are Russia, not just the economic warriors of late.

Nostalghia is not my favorite Tarkovsky film. Still, it may contain the most relevant angst- filled situations common to modern day living. The famous candle scene is unforgettable. For the visually-minded, Tarkovsky films are not slow, just like abstract expressionism is not hard to understand. There's so much to see in his films. Whereas Hitchcock is a filmmaker's filmmaker, Tarkovsky is a painter-poet's filmmaker.

Michael Clayton (2007)

1st time seen -- will see it twice

[8/10 · 14 October 2007]

2nd posting (after box office numbers came in):

Creepy aspects of character played by Wilkinson may hurt box office in the malls of USA. Meanwhile, on the same opening weekend, Bill Cosby is on "Meet the Press" trying to use his platform in the entertainment industry to criticize radio-TV-film for all the unnecessary foul language and street-like behaviors.

The creepy side to Wilkinson's character is not going to help the box office even though I get the idea that it's to create tension, but it may also be an attempt to get street credentials. If that's the goal, it didn't work.

Teenage boys are not coming. They're going for Resident Evil stuff. Hollywood sometimes just doesn't have the pulse. I cannot see a whole lot of men going to this film without their female other. Women cringe. (And isn't it Hollywood's calculation that women will be drawn in by George Clooney).

The producers hurt their box office by putting a few unnecessary smutty references (that a few other critics have mentioned more articulately than I) in the film. Realism aside, it hurts this film, which is unfortunate. The unfolding of the story was handled in an interesting way. (I just hope that Hollywood doesn't blame the film structure for the opening weekend's disappointing box office). And that's sad, because this script was good and precision-like.

1st posting :

Tom Wilkinson was great in "Separate Lies," less so in Michael Clayton. Tilda Swinton provides a fascinating portrayal, not that unlike the vulnerable character played by Jodie Foster in "Silence of the Lambs." She deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Clever writer/ director Gilroy does a nice job controlling the tension and setting up all the characters -- both major and minor. He satisfies the Hollywood machine while handing in something better and more finely tuned than a standard thriller. The ending is boring and needs more of a Syrianna-kind of finale. (The audience who will stay with this film will probably be more hungry for complication than simple endings).

Though a fan of backstory, I find Clooney's character doesn't seem to jive with the sophisticated Clooney. He's too cavalier (or whats-the-word) to be believable as a former stiff from a working class family. The backstory of the characters of Wilkinson and Swinton would be a lot more interesting.

Gilroy seems to want to say that children have insight. Their exploratory nature leads them to be more pure and inquisitive.

Rush Hour 3 (2007)

Polanski -- a good cameo

[7/10 · 13 October 2007]

Being a fan of Repulsion and Chinatown, I wonder what could have been when seeing Mr. Polanski. Most all of Hollywood industry is corrupt. Why single out one man? Can you see France or Spain doing that to the prolific Rodin or Picasso?

Jackie Chan is present. Chris Tucker is professional in his job as the clown and does double duty. The movie reference jokes date the film. Otherwise, some of the dialogue jokes about Asians are funny.

The film hit a scripted brick wall and then the ending outtakes came on. Nevertheless, Rush Hour 3 is a taut comedy adventure. Comedy is hard to do and it was done well.

Eastern Promises (2007)

intriguing

[8/10 · 13 October 2007]

Cronenberg has become an auteur. He gets better and better. Think back to his "Dead Zone" days. His earlier "History of Violence" is hard to improve on. It was a little masterpiece with a good script.

The script of Eastern Promises is not as surprising and is more predictable but still works on screen. The performances are all great. Naomi Watts can do no wrong. Wonderful visual image of the body painted moment in the shower.

As usual, Cronenberg handles the romance well for his thriller, social commentary kind of film. I look forward to seeing every film he does from now on because I know it will be good

Dragon Wars: D-War (2007)

special effects kids

[3/10 · 13 October 2007]

Dragon Wars is not an adventure film which is implied in the opening. It loses differentiation between the good guy versus bad guy monsters towards the end.

The romance does not appeal to anyone. Too broad commercial aims hurt this movie. Otherwise, the story is not hard to follow as the other critics say.

The director is not a storyteller or an artist. The director will make a good special effects director. He favors every explosion and fantastical creature. He tried to include every special effects shot. He needs to edit this film more.

Put some money into a decent script next time.

Balls of Fury (2007)

dull and not a money maker (which was the intent)

[1/10 · 21 September 2007]

At the very least, someone should have said, fix the script, "it's not funny." Give up some money to fix it. Everyone looks bad, including the Asians. That's why Asians should continue to play villains 'til somebody gets in there who knows what to do.

Maggie Q is cute from every angle. Be mindful of a limit. She can cross over and she needs to do it now before she gets stereotyped. On screen, she reads with a brain but if she doesn't show it soon ...

Christopher Walken as always is a professional and saves what little there is. Likable Aisha Tyler is a talent and she's smart, but she needs to take more control. The nice surprise is that Jason Scott Lee can be funny. The German character gave it a good shot.

What's George Lopez doing in there? His character works on his TV show, not here. Did the director say, just be George Lopez? The director deserves this criticism because Lopez' character has so much screen time.

This is a director who doesn't protect his people or himself. Sad.

The Brave One (2007)

Jodie Foster didn't have to do this. She's making a statement.

[9/10 · 21 September 2007]

Jodie Foster is brave to do this role because of the inevitable criticism she would face from critics who are fully aware of her story. The comparisons to violent revenge vigilantes is facile and shallow. Foster's character is driven more by fear and grief than revenge. This character is tormented -- not cool, stoic, and virulent. This is a wonderful character study by Foster who deserves an Oscar nomination. (Some actors do ineffective public service announcements. Jodie Foster does an entire movie).

Script is clever, competent, and obviously not completely original, but reflects strategic thinking. The screenwriters lucked out with Jodie Foster on board. Terrence Howard's character appeared to be the trickiest in the script. Howard's charm is an asset.

Everyone appears to have brought their A-game with Foster on board. If one looks closely, it looks like a personal film. The subject matter resonates on the deeper level for people like me, while for others, it's just about hanging out. That's what's fun about film.

Without Foster, Hollywood would never touch this story. Foster is using her clout responsibly. She is smart and she is brave. I don't believe she's making a statement for herself, but for others.

The Last Legion (2007)

entertaining experience -- recommended

[7/10 · 20 September 2007]

It's baffling that this film didn't do better at the box office. Of course, there was no marketing; maybe that had something to do with it. Word has it that the studio feared negative reviews so that there were no advance screenings. A lot of the critics are cynics who travel in packs.

Though predictable, Last Legion was thoroughly enjoyable. Good performances all around boosted the watchability factor. The film is not avant garde or the super epic of late, but it is arguably a swashbuckling affair. I am a supporter of the challenging art film, and, nevertheless, I liked this film. There were some interesting things going on, for instance, the romance.

Silk (2007)

filmmakers failed -- don't blame actors

[3/10 · 20 September 2007]

This film would have been fun to fix as a Theatre of the Absurd. Otherwise, in its current Hollywood format, it fails. There's about enough material here for a good half hour.

The good visuals have little to do with the story. Story? There really isn't one, which is fine, except that the director tries to pretend that there's a story. Furthermore, no one buys that the main character's in love with the Asian girl or even Keira Knightley. If the audience is expected to buy this, then the main character's a nut job whose weird logic tells him to build his wife a garden while he plods along, ever ready to escape abroad.

Asian actors would be advised to choose juicy villain roles as Hollywood just doesn't know what to do with Asians on film. Alain Resnais adaption of Marguerite Duras' Hiroshima Mon Amour is an exception that is beautiful.

Why would Hollywood waste its time trying to prove their love to and for Asians who know better. It's odd. Asians in Hollywood film are not to blame when a picture fails like this. Muddled thinking led to the mess on screen, which must have originated in the script. Did anyone read the script?

Rocket Science (2007)

Good Script

[8/10 · 19 September 2007]

Rocket Science is full of surprises, especially the performance of the principal actor who is more believable in the similar type of role occupied by Dustin Hoffman. I didn't like the way the Asian man-boyfriend of protagonist's mother was depicted. Somehow the filmmaker saved it from the contempt criticism of Asian-hater by the end by letting that character vent frustration with the boy's flaky mom.

Great performances by (and characters written for) the protagonist and his girl partner, Miss Strategic Smarty Pants. This independent American film holds promise for the new generation of writer/directors.

Not that I'm for Hollywood endings, but the ending seemed forced to court favor with the independent crowd. The story seemed so made up, which in and of itself is fine, but I would argue a Hollywood ending was more appropriate. Sometimes good things happen to good people.

Nevertheless, the writer/director is a good guy for trying to put several Asian males in his film as regular guys. (This is what Hollywood calls brave). I really liked that the writer/ director put a smart girl in the middle of the plot. She worked and I bought her character totally.

The Page Turner (2006)

brilliant

[10/10 · 19 September 2007]

Horribly marketed in the U.S. with such a bad (easily forgettable) title. Where are the good producers to lead the U.S. marketing teams (who even fell short with Stardust and oddly enough, with Live Free or Die Hard -- which should have done bigger numbers)?

Done with economy and precision, the Page Turner is a little masterpiece. Brokeback Mountain received a lot of attention because of superstar McMurtry and the other savvy writer/ producers. This film deserved the same accolades -- not just because of the gay factor, but because of the updating factor of the French-New-Wave+Hitchcock model, like Brokeback was to the Western model.

Deep Water (2006)

brilliant

[10/10 · 19 September 2007]

Filmmakers made a rather boring everyman's story look interesting and complex by focusing on his wife back at home. At the same time, we're exposed to a truly original, existential French loner.

The film is more than a documentary. Hardly ever do I feel that I've experienced something that's accidentally profound, which makes it all the more profound.

Film has visually interesting interior moments. Absolutely loved the journey the filmmakers took me on. (Quite a lot of Europeans in the credits). Hopefully, PBS will screen this so that it reaches a wider audience in the USA.