Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Very well done!

The film cuts between the present time & flashbacks in a unique way. & what a great story! It's not even sort of Bollywood-ish, but they give a Bollywood nod during the credits.

Slumdog Millionaire on IMDb

Ley Lines (Japan, 1999)

***SPOILER ALERT***

I haven't seen the other two films in this trilogy, but I'm not sure if I want to.

This story featured the escapades of three young, stupid, reckless Chinese men & a prostitute that left all of them mangled & eventually dead.

According to my brother, another of this director's films, Ichi the Killer, was the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.

Ley Lines on IMDb

Encounters at the End of the World (2007)

I saw this as part of a double feature presented by Backyard Cinema, an event hosted by the Phoenix Independent, Foreign & ArtHouse Film Club. We were outside in very chilly weather, so it was a true sensory experience!

Werner Herzog directed & narrated this film about nothing in an Antarctic town. His commentary is sarcastic, impatient, & down-right pissy throughout the movie. The scenery was awesome, though, especially the underwater shots.

Encounters at the End of the World on IMDb

The King of Kong (2007)

I saw this as part of a double feature presented by Backyard Cinema, an event hosted by the Phoenix Independent, Foreign & ArtHouse Film Club.

The film makers did a great job of building up the rivalry, no small feat considering the subject matter. I'm just amazed that anyone could spend so much time on one video game.

The King of Kong on IMDb

Sin City (2005)

Great cinematography!

But what a guy flick.

Sin City on IMDb

Changeling (2008)

I really liked this movie, though it was a bit long. I like stories based on true events. Reality is often more interesting than fiction.

For the first time, I noticed that Angelina Jolie is actually a pretty good actress. Who knew? I guess I was so busy thinking she was sexy to notice her acting abilities. But the Academy didn't overlook her. She won an Oscar for Girl, Interrupted (1999).

Changeling on IMDb

Twilight (2008)

I saw this film for the same reason that I read the Harry Potter books: I like to be informed.

It was entertaining, but I didn't understand the whole baseball game scene. I mean, I understand that if they were going to play baseball, they had to do it during a thunderstorm, but why did they have such a need to play baseball in the first place? Perhaps it's better explained in the book.

Twilight on IMDb

The Burmese Harp (Japan, 1956)

This movie is a snapshot of the Japanese reaction to the end of World War II. It's always interesting to see how other cultures perceive world events. It reminds me how subjective the tale of history really is.

The Burmese Harp on IMDb

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Most people that I talked to who had seen this movie said it wasn't nearly as good as the book, that it paled in comparison. Of course the book is always better, but I got the impression that the movie was just bad. I enjoyed the novel & I like Tom Hanks, so I went ahead & put it on my Netflix queue. Even Netflix estimated that I would give this movie 2.3 stars out of 5. Still, I just had to see for myself.

It turns out that I really enjoyed the movie. I don't know if the long lapse between book & film has fogged my memory, but I was entertained. The ending was different than I remember in the book, but otherwise the movie followed the novel pretty well. I don't understand why no one liked it.

The Da Vinci Code on IMDb

Play Misty for Me (1971)

One of the first movies about a stalker, & Clint Eastwood's first attempt at directing. Wow. That guy has been around a while.

There are two montages in the middle of the movie that seem useless: a romantic montage & then a scene at a jazz festival. Just fast forward through those. The crazy lady did a great job of seeming crazy, & the ending was awesome!

Play Misty for Me on IMDb

Longtime Companion (1990)

***SPOILER ALERT***

I first saw this movie right after it came out. I was a college student, & my roommate & I had gone to the "art" theater to see it. I don't really remember much about the movie from back then. But I clearly remember that I spent 10 to 15 minutes sobbing in the ladies room after the movie was over.

One of my uncles, whom I was very fond of, died of AIDS in the mid-80's. I wasn't allowed to visit him & I didn't go to the funeral, so I never really felt any closure after he died. This movie brought everything to the surface for me. I cried for my uncle Brian, & for not being able to tell him goodbye.

I've never forgotten the grief that I felt because of this film. Now, almost 20 years later, I wanted to see this movie again, to see what exactly had triggered such a deep reaction.

It was definitely the ending when all of the friends who had died come back in a sort of fantasy beach reunion. What's so sad is that you want so badly to see them just one more time, to tell them that you love them & that you miss them. But it's just not possible. & for that, I cried again.

Longtime Companion on IMDb

House of Sand (Brazil, 2005)

What an exasperating movie! After her husband drags her to the middle of nowhere & then promptly dies, a woman is trapped in the deserts of Brazil, waiting for her chance to escape. With very little dialog & very little to move the film along, I found myself desperate to escape as well. Perhaps the film maker used this technique to make the viewer squirm. If so, he surely succeeded.

House of Sand on IMDb

Henry Fool (1997)

Funny, quirky snapshot of a small-town community. Everyone has some sort of disfunctionality. Great character development. Fun for the whole family. There was a dumb & dumber bathroom scene, but if you can overlook that, it's a great film.

This film was released in 1997, at the beginning of the internet "explosion". They make references to the internet that seem quaint now. Funny how quickly things change.

Henry Fool on IMDb

Lousiana Story (1948)

I was hoping to get a better connection to my roots with this film, since my mother's side of the family are New Orleans cajuns. The movie is registered as a national treasure & was nominated for an Oscar, though it didn't win. I suppose that's all because of its unique look at the cajun life, & possibly the cinematography. The story was secondary to the imagery & the camera angles.

Lousiana Story on IMDb

The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)

This movie is utter chaos. Family members die & no one seems to care. Brother & sister have sex all day long. Sister gets raped & is still pining for the boy who did it. Brother likes kissing a toothless woman. WTF? At least this movie was made when Rob Lowe was still cute.

www.imdb.com

Machuca (Chile, 2004)

This story of the rich & the poor (& whether or not they can get along) plays over the backdrop of political strife in Chile in 1973.

www.imdb.com

It helps to know a little bit about the political history of Chile when watching this movie. Maybe you've heard about Salvador Allende, the socialist leader, & Augusto Pinochet, the military dictator.

If not, or if you want to learn more, here are some links to get you started:
Chile: Two Visions, The Allende-Pinochet Era
Chile Under Allende
Augusto Pinochet: Villain to Some, Hero to Others
Pinochet on Wikipedia
Allende on Wikipedia

Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

This movie reminded me of an episode of The Love Boat where Julie, the cruise director, wanted to be a part of the "club" that the male crew members told her existed. They said that to be initiated, she would have to memorize Moby Dick, which starts "Call me Ismael." (The only reason I know that is because of this episode.) She did memorize the book, but it turns out, of course, that the "club" was fake - they never thought she would actually commit the novel to memory. Lucky for her that in the future there is a community of people who have memorized books to preserve them & to protect them from the fire men.

For more famous first lines from novels, click here.

www.imdb.com

Le Notti Bianche (Italy, 1957)

With movies like this, no wonder people believe that love is simple. Two strangers pass in the night, one just as naive as the other. If the story lacked content, the visuals were awesome. I love black & white!

www.imdb.com

Freaks (1932)

What a crazy visual montage! The "freaks" are real circus sideshow people: a man who walks on his hands because he has no lower body; a woman with no arms who eats, smokes, etc with her feet; a pair of Siamese twins; a man with no arms & no legs who "walks" on his hips & shoulders. & this movie even has a plot!

www.imdb.com

A Nous la Liberté (France, 1931)

A brief internet search tells me that the first "real" movie was made in the late 1890's, & that "talkies" were first introduced in the late 1920's. That would explain why this film had very little dialog, & why the soundtrack did not reflect all that was happening (for example, a handkerchief being ripped did not make a sound). I always associate overacting & too much make-up with early films, but the acting in this movie wasn't so dramatic, & the people looked normal.

It was a cute story, but I found myself wondering when it would end. Maybe that's a reflection of my own inattentiveness in today's world of over-stimulation.

www.imdb.com

One Week from a Man's Life (Poland, 1999)

One week indeed! But what was the point of the whole thing? Maybe it'll come to me later.

www.imdb.com

Balzac & the Little Chinese Seamstress (China, 2002)

One of the few films that I liked as well as the book. Perhaps it's because the author of the book, Sijie Dai, also wrote the screenplay & directed the movie.

The Three Gorges Dam project has been mentioned in several books & films about modern China that I have read or seen. The movie Up the Yangtze is one example. The book River Town by Peter Hessler is another.

It was even included in the ending of this film, though it was not mentioned in the novel. The book was published in 1980. The dam project happened in the mid-1990's. & the film was released in 2002.

Most of what I've been seeing about the Three Gorges Dam has been negative. It is one of the largest man-made projects in the world, supplying electrical power to millions of people, but no one seems to like it. & I didn't even hear about it until last year.

www.imdb.com

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (UK, 1998)

A complicated, interconnected heist gone wrong & gone right at the same time. It reminded me of Snatch, also written & directed by Guy Ritchie, also starring Jason Statham. The accents are thick, so I had to listen hard. Even so I was thoroughly entertained.

www.imdb.com

Monsoon Wedding (India, 2001)

NOT a Bollywood movie. This film was produced by IFC.

A fun tale of an arranged marriage & the family issues that go along with getting together.

www.imdb.com

God Grew Tired of Us (2006)

Whoa. Heavy stuff.

I used to teach English for Lutheran Social Ministry, a refugee organization in Phoenix. (No, I'm not Lutheran either.) I had a few of the Lost Boys in my classes. They were amazing: so dedicated to studying & achieving their best. After all that they had been through, it would seem that they would appreciate a respite from suffering. But as this film shows, many of them feel obligated to help their friends & family still in Africa who don't have the same opportunities that they do. They carry a heavy burden that I cannot begin to understand.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301555/

The Order of Myths (2008)

A documentary on Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama, & how the event continues to be racially segregated. There is a "white" Mardi Gras & a "black" Mardi Gras, both with their own king & queen. They have separate parades on the same day, Fat Tuesday of course.

I have family in Louisiana, where the black/white line is still drawn firmly, so the subject is not new to me. The thing that I liked about this particular film was that it showed the two royal couples making an effort to accept the other, giving us hope for the future.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1157694/

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Frightening how horrible human beings can become when power gets in the way.

www.imdb.com

Soul Mate (Iran, 2004)

A fun movie about two "crazy" people who happen upon each other, & how they deal with that "craziness" in the end.

This movie is not listed on www.imdb.com.

Adios, Amor (Mexico, 1973)

A great 70's flick about love & craziness. There is no dialog for the first 10-15 minutes.

This movie reminded me a lot of Love Story.

www.imdb.com

Amal (India, 2007)

Tagline: "Sometimes the poorest of men are the richest."

This movie has a great unexpected ending.

www.imdb.com

Strangers (Isreal, 2007)

Your classic Romeo & Juliet with a political twist.

www.imdb.com

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... & Spring (Korea, 2003)

A minimalist story about the circle of life. In this case, less is definitely more.

www.imdb.com