Out of Africa (1985)

I had read the book before seeing this movie, so the story held a certain curiousity for me. Otherwise, I probably would not have enjoyed the film. It's way too long & a bit sappy.

The book was also very long, but not nearly as sappy. The book mentions Denys as a friend who stops by the farm every now & then, whereas the movie portrays him as Karin's love interest. Either way, it was interesting to see the scenes from Kenya, which is on my list of places to visit. & Meryl Streep was absolutely beautiful!

Out of Africa on IMDb

Phoenix Film Festival

I saw nine films at the Phoenix Film Festival last week. Boy, does my butt hurt!

The Way We Get By (USA)
Documentary. A group of volunteers in Bangor, Maine greet the troops arriving home from Iraq. The film follows the personal lives of the volunteers as they give their time & energy to a greater cause. This one was a tear jerker.

Four of a Kind (Australia)
Drama. Four lives are connected to a murder, but how? Interesting, intricate plot line. A commentary on lies & the truth. I'm still thinking about it days later.

Calling It Quits (USA)
Drama. A man who has worked at an ad agency for the last 30 years decides to retire early & go on a personal journey. Well done. Not too woo-woo spiritual, but still makes a statement about what's important in life.

Lightbulb (USA)
Drama. Based on a true story. An inventor with lots of bad ideas & a gambling problem finally invents a talking beer bottle opener & all is well. The plot was predicatable - they wouldn't have made a movie if he had failed completely. But it was still interesting, & I always like to see a movie filmed in Arizona.

My Apocalypse (USA)
Drama. An acid trip down dysfunctional lane. This movie was more of an art piece than a story. Crazy lighting, colors, effects. Local Arizona film maker.

Ocean (Cuba)
Drama. A young man leaves his small fishing village for Havana after being dumped by his girlfriend. He meets an interesting cast of characters as he tries to grow up. The story line was common, & the editing was confusing, but it was interesting to see the scenes of real Cuban life mixed in with the plot. The opening & closing credits were in Russian, so we couldn't tell who did what.

Promeny (Czech Republic)
Drama. A young single mother is overwhelmed by her inability to care for her children while a rich couple laments their inability to conceive. A common story presented out of chronological order, which probably made the movie more interesting than it would have been otherwise.

Corpse Run (USA)
Drama. A group of 20 somethings discuss the Y Generation as they play online video games. A great commentary on life with lots of funny cultural references, including a nod to the movie Office Space.

Official Rejection (USA)
Documentary. A chronicle of the life of a movie as it makes its way around the film festival circuit. An interesting documentary with a sense of humor. It was great to see what goes on behind the scenes at film festivals.

Coraline (2008)

A little girl finds a door to an alternative life, with a mother that cooks great food & a father that's all fun. In the "other" life, everyone has buttons for eyes, which seems strange, but Coraline is willing to accept it. But things start to get scary when the "other" mother asks Coraline to sew on her own button eyes in order to stay in the alternative life forever.

I saw this movie in 3-D, & good thing, because the story itself was not that great. I've seen other kids films that I like, including Kung Fu Panda, but I couldn't relate to this one.

The 3-D technology was awesome - so much better than those movies we used to watch on TV when I was a kid. The 3-D glasses were even sturdy plastic instead of the cheap-o paper ones we got back then. & the stop-motion animation was cool to watch too.

Henry Selick directed, who also directed The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Coraline on IMDb

El Bulto (Mexico, 1992)

A reactionary man is hit in the head at a 1971 protest in Mexico City & sent into a coma that lasts 20 years. His children were babies in 1971, but when he wakes up they are adults with lives of their own. In his mind, he is a 20-something man living in a 40-something body. The movie follows his adjustment to life 20 years into the "future" as well as the reactions of his friends & family.

Well done.

El Bulto on IMDb

Hot Fuzz (UK, 2007)

From the makers of Shaun of the Dead, an over-the-top excellent London cop gets tranferred to a lazy country town, where mysterious accidents keep happening.

This one was lots of fun!

Fun Fact: Cate Blanchett plays Janine, Nicholas Angel's ex-girlfriend. Her face is covered by a mask the whole time she's on screen.

Hot Fuzz on IMDb