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180° South (2010)
One of My Favorite Films
I never thought one of my favorite films would be a documentary - but it is! This is the ultimate story of adventure, mishap, and enjoying every minute of the journey. 180° South has it all; beautiful videography, the perfect soundtrack, and great character presentation and involvement.
180° South is the story of Jeff Johnson and his 2008 journey from Ventura, California to Patagonia in the eventual goal of climbing the peak Corcovado. Jeff's trip takes place ten years after he watched Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins' film 'Mountain of Storm' which depicted their 1968 trip to Patagonia. 180° South is the story of Jeff Johnson's journey, the ups and downs, and the parallel story of the 1968 trip. The film features terrific dialogue from Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins as anecdotes to the trips.
This is easily my favorite film to live vicariously through. Watch it! You won't be disappointed.
http://www.180south.com/index.html
Total Recall (2012)
An Action Movie Smoothie
I'm shocked by the wave of negative feedback Total Recall has received. I had an objective experience when viewing the film; I refused to see the original. Taken at face value, this is an action filled blend of the best aspects of many great action films of the past 15 years. I highly recommend watching it, even paying to see it on the big screen before it comes out on DVD.
The best films and TV shows begin with a disoriented main character with no idea what's transpiring around him (LOST, Bourne Identity, Walking Dead, etc.). It puts the character and the viewer on the same basic level, so that as the viewer tries to figure out what's going on, so is the character. In Total Recall, disorientation of Farrell and the viewer is a constant. Many reviews I've read complain about this, claiming it creates a poor plot, leaves too many questions, and opens too many doors for interpretation. I think that is exactly what makes the film so great. Just like with the spinning top at the end of Inception and the arguments it spurred: Which parts of the film are 'real' and which are rekall?
Total Recall takes the identity crisis of Jason Bourne, the enemy-robot-filled-future of iRobot, the unintentional betrayal of Terminator Salvation, the 'There is no spoon' concept of the Matrix, the Shutter Island question of 'Is the main character lying to himself?', the reality/dream dilemma of Inception, the masks of Mission Impossible 2, and the 'who can you trust?' of any James Bond film and rolls them into one movie. The result is an extremely entertaining film with incredible graphics, fast-paced plot, and the ability to keep you guessing throughout.
Many critics complain about the film being just like the original while others whine that it didn't have enough of the Arnold version. It's a remake. Some things will be better, some will be the same, some will be worse. Independent of the original, I give Totall Recall 8/10 stars and can't wait to see it again.