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EddieVilliers
Reviews
Arabian Nights (2000)
amongst the best fantasy movies...
'Arabian Nights' is by far one of the best fantasy movies I've ever seen. Most so-called sci-fi movies are actually fantasy movies which need us to suspend our imaginations. Hence, as plot devices scientifically dubious not to mention laughable 'futuristic' technologies are thrown in. That's why in the sci-fi/fantasy genre I like to watch movies based on various mythologies. Those stories have stood the test of time - by having being refined in the most subtle ways. Arabian nights is one such set of stories and I am truly satisfied with the way this movie took to the stories. If some creative liberty was taken, it did not appear forced (says the unlettered! I have never read all the original stories and cannot attest to the authenticity of the stories presented.)
In all the reviews I write on this website, I always write for movies that have good scripts and this one fits that category to the T. The direction, casting and the acting were also all very good. I have like Mili Avital since I first saw Stargate (1994) (a true disaster that spawned not one but two Sci-fi series no less). Her role was the cheese that held the movie's macaroni together.
Some of the best scenes were between her and the storyteller the ones where he is giving her tips how to hold the Sultan's/audience's attention. I specially liked the one where the story teller tells her about the night when he came face to face to death. It was funny, yet gripping - the exact effect the storyteller was trying to achieve. I am not a big fan of any of the men in the movie but all did a great job. All the stories were done with a great sense of humor - the genies in Aladin's story, the sultan who switches places with a drunk (and meets his end with a smile on his face), Bac-bac's story - all done really well.
Great movie and I would recommend anyone who come across this review.
Children of Men (2006)
Best dystopia movie ever...
This is the best dystopia movie ever. I haven't seen the movie version of 'Nineteen Eighty Four', though the images from this movie seem to jump from the pages of George Orwell's book. That said, seeing images from probably the most graphic and depressing dystopia book ever that you painted only mentally is not a comfort. There were movements in the narrative where I was literally wincing and flinching. To put things in perspective, I was merely shocked while watching horror masterpieces like 'The Shining' and 'The Exorist' (good movies, just a different reaction). As always, I only comment on movies that have a script that drives the movie machine and direction and acting that supports the script (Hitchcock-ian outlook towards movies, I am afraid) and 'Children of Men' is no exception.
As far the basic plot line goes, the world as we know it has been turned over its head. The world has gone to hell in a hand basket, with only Britain managing to show a semblance of order (not necessarily law). It has managed to do so by becoming a police state that is treating citizens as possible terrorists and immigrants as rats carrying plague. The proletariat lives in squalor, filth, poverty and depression. Gone is the problem of over-population and increasing and/or high birth rates and low mortality rates. By 2027, the year the story is set in; entire human population has become sterile and pets are treated like surrogate children. The movie starts with the youngest person in the world, who is 18 and has a rock star popularity, being tragically killed in a senseless brawl.
The protagonist, Theo (Owen), gives the overly sentimental news coverage of this tragedy a baleful look. In fact he reserves this baleful look for all existence. One fine day he is kidnapped (in a world with no kids, the term is ironical) by a terrorist group led by none other than his ex (Moore) and more significantly the mother of his child. The child died twelve years prior and the two find different ways of coping with the pain and go their separate ways. She entrusts him with procuring for her a set of transit papers for a girl, Kee (Ashitey), who is miraculously pregnant and has to be transported to 'The Human Project' off-Britain shore, a supposedly humanistic group and beacon of hope for mankind. The rest of the story deals with how she is transported to 'safety'.
The direction is superb notice the body language of characters to the bullets flying and grenade explosions. They are scared and cowering away from the violence and at the same time looking for a way out the muck they are in the human survival instinct. There is a street fighttype of realism to the violence, without it being too graphic either. They have a sense of humor too that no amount of oppression and depression has been able to suppress. If there is any respite in this political atmosphere, it is that the police state is a bully and brute not an intelligent sadist. The government is not the Orwellian Big Brother that has successfully managed to make every pleasurable activity into a sin and is trying to control every aspect of lives of its own citizens. It is merely a fascist government trying to rid of all elements of society they think harmful.
The message of the movie is nuanced. Paranoia has set into the society hence the police state has come in existence in the first place. Where did it start? Who induced itthe classes or the masses? By the time the events depicted in the picture have begun the world is in perpetual and vicious cycle of violence. The movie does not provide reasons why the world went sterile, whether there is any cure, if the 'The Human Project' is real or not, and if it indeed is real is it genuinely benevolent? None of these riddles are really answered and it up to the viewers to make up their minds. The movie was not really about the world going sterile it was merely a plot device; it is more about how it reacts to adversity constructively and destructively.
A solid 9/10 and most deservingly in the Top250 IMDb movie list.
Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Great script... "I like the part about the guitars"
Every good movie necessarily has a good script. Great acting can overcome some weak scripts (ensemble in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl - Johnny Depp/Geoffrey Rush were great so were Orlando Bloom and Keira Nightly - overcame what can be considered a weak script).
However a great script can shine with competent actors. Christopher Nolan 'made his bones' this way (see the Following and Momento), and so did Charlie Kaufman (Human Nature, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).
This movie may not be backed by a script quite that (Nolan/Kaufman) good, but the script shines through nonetheless. In the above paragraph, I am not referring to quality of acting in this picture. The cast was excellent so was the casting. Although all the actors have been in better form in other pictures (Will Farrell in Talladega Nights/Anchorman though some may say the comparison is apples and oranges considering this was a dramatic role for him, Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Queen Latifa in Chicago and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary, I have not seen the too much of Emma Thompson, but she was fine form too), but they gave the SCRIPT the justice it rightly deserved.
The picture was funny, witty (especially with Dave, Harold's friend from work), sad, introspective sweet, and rocking in turns and while being each it was paramountly very very engaging.
A strong solid 8.5/10.
Tin Man (2007)
Katheleen Robertsen is EHTEREAL and the interpretation amazing
This is an amazing adaptation of L. Frank Baum's Wonderful Wizard of Oz. When Baum wrote this story, he rehashed several old children's fables/tales to come up with his own version. He called his process 'modernizing the old fairy tales'. The makers of this picture have not only done that but probably outdone the book.
The plot twists are fairly original and the acting from all involved is dependable. I LOVED Kathleen Robertson. She has looked fantastic and when I watched the first part she was all I was watching. From the second part onwards she has towed the line between her 'evil witch' persona and an emotional past really really finely.
If the plot twists kept the movie interesting Kathleen Robertson made it immensely watchable.
Victor/Victoria (1982)
Hilarious, surprisingly hilarious
Hilarious is the one word that kept popping while I was watching the movie. James Garner's reaction when Julie Andrews removed her head gear after her first performance still keeps me laughing out loud. I guess the sexuality issues covered in the film are pretty serious, while I don't really care about sticking or junking out any (gay or otherwise) stereotypes, I wouldn't care to watch the movie without the humor to hold it together. Neither do I really care about Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan kind of romantic comedies. So the romance wasn't beckoning me to watch this film. Its like watching "As You Like It", with a campier sense of humor. Having said that, the chemistry between all the actors (not just Mr. Garner and Ms. Andrews, all of the them) was great.
Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Cough a little
This is one of the best black comedies that I have seen. I will rank this at the same level as comedies made by Coen Brother's such as the Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Where do I start paying a tribute to this movie? I'll start with the script and the direction. The script is taut, engrossing, concise, well paced and funny, hence the previous comparison with Coen Bros. The pauses, voice overs by Ekhart, scene overlays are excellent. The direction is subtle. I hope this does not count as a spoiler - did any one notice that there are NO scenes where ANY character is seen smoking? These are people in high profile jobs with billions of dollars worth of business depending on there ability to present truth as they see it. Very, very intense jobs.
The next aspect to be paid a tribute to will have to be acting. The casting could not be more perfect (I may be quoting some other user comments while doing so. I am right there with you pal). Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor is charming, intelligent and a master of presenting his version of truth. He is funny, serious, manipulative and smooth talking 'Sultan of Spin', all in all is great. Maria Bello as Polly Bailey (I like her in any role she has put in) and David Koechner as Bobby Jay Bliss are his friends and perfect foils. The scenes where they meet at the restaurant and exchange ideas how their day went are hilarious. The chemistry between the characters is portrayed very well by the actors. The relation that Nick shares with his son is presented very well - they teach other some very surprisingly valuable lessons. The support cast of Katie Holms as the investigative journalist, Robert Duvall as the cigarette baron and J.K. Simmons as Nick's boss are great. I have always thought that William H. Macy is one of the best medium-profile actors working in Hollywood. His turn as the senator leading an anti-smoking crusade is great contrast to Aaron Eckhart's spin wizard needs to be watched.
Once upon a time I used to enjoy Jim Carey's comedy - I still think he is one of the best comic talents but his movies try to teach you a lesson. They start with high octane comedy only to peter out as a lesson of life. Nothing wrong with the format, just presenting a point. This movie on the other hand takes on a seriously emotive issue such as smoking - who hasn't seen an anti-smoking advert on T.V.? - and does it as a completely level-headed black comedy that leaves it up to the viewers to make up their minds about the issue. It does not preach anything, but does a great job in presenting the callousness of the cigarette bloc and the extremism of the non-smoking lobby. I will have you know that I am a non-smoker, I prefer to sit at a non-smoking section of the restaurant and have no agenda pro or anti-smoking. I completely agree with the conclusion of the movie.
A strong 9/10.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Excellent picture.
The Royal Tenenbaums is a film that needs to be seen several times over. I have done just that and reason is that there seems to be layers to the film and its characters that you just don't get the first time you see it.
The Royal Tenenbaums is the chronicle of the Tenenbaum family consisting of the patriarch Royal (Gene Hackman), the matriarch Etheline (Anjelica Houston) and their three genius children - two sons Chas (Ben Stiller) and Richi (Luke Wilson) and an adopted daughter Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow). Chas is fitness-obsessed international financial wizard, Richi is a born athlete who has won numerous US National Tennis champions trophy and Margot is an avid reader and playwright who won a substantial prize for a school play. Richi's best friend Eli Cash (Owen Wilson) lives in the building next to the Tenenbaum's place and is more or less a part of the family.
The story begins with Royal announcing to his young children that he is separating from the her and moving out of the family home to respect their mother's request. Overt the next 20 years all traces of genius of the Tenenbaum children is lost to Royal's abandonment of the family and several other events. Chas is still the financial wizard but has lost his wife dies in a plane crash. Richi (a.k.a The Baumer) has retired from professional tennis and Margot is married to an intellectual Raliegh St.Claire. Eli becomes a bestselling author.
Chas is having a nervous breakdown after his wife's death which affects his two sons and their dog. Richi has retired from competitive tennis because of an on-field meltdown and is traveling around the globe on an ocean-liner and is visibly depressed. Margot's marriage to Raleigh is suffering. Eli's behavior is strange and Richi suspects that Eli has a drug habit.
This is the information that the narrative (excellent voice over work by Alec Baldwin) provides us in the first 15 minutes or so of the film. That's the signature of the entire film - the reasons why each character is the way he/she is is provided slowly but surely in the dialogs and the narration.
When I mentioned that every time you watch the movie, you will learn is that Etheline's character is very important and the first time you watch the movie the gravitas of the character is not quite revealed. She is the anchor of the family - the one dependable person in the family that everyone turns to. Even though Eli is not really family he keeps sending clippings of his work to Etheline to get some encouragement.
When I watch this film I always think of an old Robin Williams movie - The World According to Garp. The story has strange twists, but draws the viewer to the sadness, loneliness, frustration and desperation that each of the characters feel and remains very sympathetic to each characters.
The direction is top-notch none of the scenes are melodramatic, acting remains very believable. The normally over-exuberant Ben Stiller turns in a very solid performance. The depressed and heart broken Luke Wilson's Richi is by far the most humane character - he understands the pain that his siblings, parents, friends are going through and is always sympathetic to all of them, giving them another chance, never judging them realizing that he could be let down by them as in the past. Gwyneth Paltrow is excellent in her portrayal of the secretive Margot. Bill Murray's turn as the husband loosing his wife to reasons he dosen't understand and through no fault of his is very touching. Anjelica Houston's Etheline as the pragmatic, self-sacrificing Rock Of Gibraltor of the Tenenbaum family is the most understated performance of the entire cast. Danny Glover's Henry is not really developed to a great extent but he executes the role with great sensitivity to the pain of Etheline's children and understandably great distrust towards Royal. Finally, Gene Hackman as Royal, the brash, irascible, insensitive, conceited man who does not care for his family is excellent.
All in all and excellent if script aided by equally great direction and excellent acting by a top notch cast making this a great movie experience.
Trivia: I am sure I am not the only one who has noticed it, but every chapter in the movie always begins with Royal and how his actions affect the character of the chapter.
The Prestige (2006)
Nolan rules...
Christopher Nolan rules... I have seen most of Nolan's previous work - The Following (mostly unkonwn in this part of the world), Memento (his breakthrough) and Batman Begins. With increasing budgets for each of these films the rich layered texture of his scripts has becomes grander without taking anything away from the script.
With Batman Begins Nolan used two great acting talents in Christian Bale and Micheal Cane. Cane is a proved talent while Bale is establishing himself as up and coming leading man (courtesy Christopher Nolan). He has used that combination again with addition of another dependable star - Hugh Jackman.
Jackman and Bale are two Illusianists who are learning the ropes of putting up new illusions under the tutelage of Cane, the master illusion builder. Amongst the two Bale is a natural illusionist while Jackman is the natural showman. Their friendship is never really developed or even implied though they are shown to be friendly but always competitive. However an on-stage accident changes all that and turns the competition into rivalry and as the years pass by rivalry turns life threatening.
However great the cast maybe the star of a typical Nolan movie is its script. His movies use actors as puppets - like Hitchcock used his actors. The characters come in and say things that are absolutely baffling and at the end of the film all the random straws are neatly tied into place and suddenly make sense.
A great film that needs to watched at least twice... I am eagerly anticipating the DVD release of the movie.
The Departed (2006)
Best of Martin Scorsese
The best movie of the year by far... The Departed has a great script, great cast and is an excellently executed picture. In fact, I am looking forward to see the original Hong Kong version of the film.
Unlike the theme of the last few Martin Scorsese films - Gangs of New York and Aviator - the cops and robbers theme of this picture was by far the most universal. Every large city in the world has its own version of Frank Costello. Without revealing anything more than the film's trailers and other user's comments already have regarding this picture I shall say that the script is excellent. It keeps the underworld-cop as well as the underworld-common man tensions realistic. My only complaint regarding the script is the the love triangle between Costigan, Sullivan and Madolyn. I found it a little ham handed. It wasn't completely unnecessary especially as far as Costigan (DiCaprio) was concerned but all the same it could be handled in a different perspective. Though the personality and drive of Castigan, Constello and Sullivan have been well developed, the same cannot be said of the other support cast.
As far as the cast is concerned I am a big fan of Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon. Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello is cold blooded and crazy as a fox, while Matt Damon as Colin Sullivan and Costello's agent in the police depaartment finds himself between the rock and the hard place time and again and comes out of these situations with a charm befitting the classic double agent. I am not a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio but I was pleasantly surprised with his turn on the screen. Like Damon's character he finds himself in between the good (his instincts) and bad (Costello's instincts aided with Sillivan's information) and he too portrays a double agent very believably. The support cast of Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg was executed well too, though their character's especially Wahlberg's caustic portrayal of Digman was not well developed.
I must say that I have been nit-picking regarding the faults and I shall still say it get 10/10 from me. All in an all it is a great movie... definite must watch for this year...
V for Vendetta (2005)
V for Veritas
This is a true genius of a movie. I have seen work done by Wacowski Bros (WB) such as Bound and the Matrix Trilogy, and I must admit the Matrix sequels put me off my appetite - you simply can't make 2 hour action sequences and put some story as a breather. Those two movies undo the credit that WB had earned with their earlier fair as independent movie makers.
But in 'V for Vendetta' they seem to have regained their ability to write taut scripts. However, V for Vendetta is no lite fair. The complex, nuanced plot that carries a social message is backed very strongly with great direction and acting. To an extent all countries in the world are suffering from all the social problems depicted in the movie, however, the message is that do not let 'your fear rob you of your common sense' as V himself put it.
I would not like to get in the nitty-gritty of the plot details simply because the movie does an extraordinary job at it and I will certainly reduce this superior movie to a mediocre story.
Saying Hugo Weaving is a good actor is an understatement. His portrayal as V is impeccable and even with his face hidden behind the mask, he has managed to portray V with great physicality. His voice lends the character subtlety, culture, intelligence and daresay even humanity. Natalie Portman's Evey Hammond goes through cathartic changes during the course of the movie and she portrays the changes with great integrity, dignity, substance and makes the character more rounded. Other than the lead actors the support cast is also great - John Hurt as the High Chancellor Adam Sutler is ruthless and a zealot as he should be while Stephen Rea as Chief Inspector Finch is a complex character, a good guy with a conscious whose job is to support an oppressive government.
The director and cinematographer capture the atmosphere of oppression and fear with great ease. The story constantly remains grounded in this atmosphere, which gives it a sense of urgency and realism at the same time. The actors as well as the script have been controlled to avoid making the fare melodramatic and yet remain human.
All in all 'V For Vendetta' is a movie to be watched and experienced. I will rate this as the best movie by Wachoski Brothers till date and give the movie 10/10.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Wrath (2001)
Victims of rape and child molestation supervised by Olivia Benson are found murdered at an FBI training facility upstate New York.
Victims of rape and child molestation supervised by Detective Olivia Benson are found murdered at an FBI training facility upstate New York launching a joint FBI-SVU investigation. All the victims have been personally close to Det. Benson and she has helped them through their crisis. Medical examination of the bodies reveals Pottasium Chloride lethal injection (euthanasia) as the cause of death of all victims.
FBI wants Det. Benson off the case due to close involvement, but Cap. Cragen and Det. Benson are adamant against it. FBI and SVU detectives think that Det. Benson may be stalked and in physical danger. A FBI protective detail arranged by Det. Stabler on Det. Benson threatens relations between Benson and Stabler.