Hero

I'm thinking all the critics are starving for a picture just like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which is why they're giving this film such high ratings. It's not that the film isn't good because it is -- a moving tale of assassins, lovers, sacrifice, honor and doing the right thing even when it seems wrong. And it's one of the most beautiful films ever made, with vistas, flowing fabrics and colors leagues beyond Technicolor. But it's not a great film because the tale and the beauty aren't married. Each scenario told in a different color is eye-popping, but is it necessary to the story line? And too much of the sword fighting in the air and on the water was too reminiscent of CTHD, and repetition is never good. (Think sequels to The Matrix.) Still, the ending redeemed the film for me. It's a rare martial arts film that will make such a strong case for personal sacrifice instead of triumph, as a means to a more universal triumph. Whether the story of China you see in the last moments of the film is true or not, the film packs a big moral punch. Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung star as two of the assassins, which surprised me as I'm familiar with them from Wong Kar Wai's non- martial-arts Hong Kong films (chief among them In the Mood for Love). Jet Li is one of my four favorite martial arts actors, and it's a relief to finally see him in a film worth his salt after so many duds. And, this is an interesting departure for Zhang Yimou, after so many of his serious dramas starring Gong Li, so I'll be keeping an eye out for his next one. Perhaps a musical? (Kidding; it seems to be a drama again.)

original title: Ying Xiong
year: 2002
length: 96 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299977/combined

Napoleon Dynamite

As a friend of mine says, "this film makes Rushmore look like a big-budget feature." It's a good analogy. Rushmore was a quirky, independent comedy, and so is this film. But there's one large difference. In too many spots in this film, I was thinking "um, was that supposed to be funny?" Even worse, things that are clearly supposed to be funny only elicit weak smiles. This is almost certainly due to the film's odd flavor. A geeky teenage boy, named Napoleon Dynamite for some unknown reason, is growing up in a small, boring town in Idaho surrounded by characters almost as odd as he is. Napoleon himself is a strange mixture of apathy and confidence, with a generous dollop of up-yours-ness. My most facile description of the plot is that it is like watching many stale rejects of Saturday Night Live skits. (This is especially true during interactions between Napoleon and his Mexican friend.) So, did I like anything? Sure, with caveats. There is one excellent scene towards the end which I can't say anything about, however it doesn't make the whole film worth it. It was impressive that they got Lazlo from Real Genius to play the weird uncle. And I'll give it marks for the inventive title sequence, which bodes well for what you're about to see and then lets you down.

year: 2004
length: 86 min.
rating: 2.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374900/combined

Elephant

As an elegy to the Columbine High School massacre, this is a perfect film. It's also an opportunity for director Gus Van Sant to think outside the box, a box he chafes at as much as Robert Altman (to name another Hollywood outsider). Your typical day at school -- going to classes, saying hi to your friends in the halls, wondering how you fit in the social hierarchy. Except that, of course, this isn't just another day. You don't see the killers until nearly halfway through the film, and it's at this point that the film is at its best. Van Sant follows particular kids through their day. At times they intersect each other's paths, so you start to get an idea of where they are in relation to each other. Once you see the killers, the film becomes nearly unbearable to watch, as you don't know when the shooting will start, even as you know where all the pawns are. Unfortunately, once the massacre does begin, it takes on a surreal quality which didn't fit with my need to understand what really happened. I realize what Van Sant is doing here (see: outside the box), but hey, no screaming, no full-blown panic, no hall monitors?! It disengaged me, but this may be no fault of Van Sant's. Once the horror begins, you've naturally lost a lot of momentum. Most interesting is the glimpse into the lives of perfectly normal- looking kids going about their plans to destroy their school. (I believe the real Columbine kids were not so obviously normal looking.) Kudos to the children who played the roles. As excellent amateurs, they made it more real than Van Sant could have hoped for.

year: 2003
length: 81 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363589/combined

Twilight Samurai

Okay, now this is weird. As you know, I've been watching a lot of Jane Austen flicks, and I've been cataloging their qualities here for you. I would never have expected to walk into this film and find myself thinking I was watching a Japanese Jane Austen. It's a samurai flick, for heaven's sake! Except that it isn't. It's more aptly labeled a period film. The main character, a masterless samurai of very little note, is widowed with two small children and a senile mother. A divorced childhood friend returns and they renew their friendship, albeit formally. Yes, you see the sword skills of the samurai, but there are only two fight scenes in the entire film. The weight of the film is on the customs and mores of the not-peasant, yet not-wealthy, samurai class. Caring for his children, worrying about making enough money, fighting his feelings for the childhood friend -- you see why I was thinking this was an Austen! Director Yoji Yamada is known for his comedic films (this is his first samurai-style film), and this is obvious in small ways throughout. My favorite is probably the reaction of the great-uncle to his senile sister, even though it is undoubtedly cruel. Acting is impeccable -- Hiroyuki Sanaba as the main character had a small role in The Last Samurai, even though he is one of the more talented, well- known actors in Japan. Cinematography is also interesting. Very darkly lit to mirror the title and mood of the film. I would recommend this as an alternate alternative to your basic samurai film (the other alternate is Zatôichi, also not your basic samurai film but in a completely different way).

original title: Tasogare Seibei
year: 2002
length: 129 min.
rating: 3.
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0351817/combined

The Forsyte Saga

Good thing I work in a library. The internet was a complete waste of time in figuring out what constitutes "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy. Without this information, how would I know whether they've filmed the entire Saga or not? The answer is complex -- the original Forsyte Saga is done, i.e., the latest two mini-series to come from Granada Television. (I know little about the original 1960s BBC mini-series.) However, Galsworthy continued to write about his fictional Forsytes in two more sets of books. I don't know if there are plans to film these, and I waver between wanting much more of this excellent series, and wanting them to leave well enough alone. The Forsytes are a moneyed British clan coming apart at the seams due to a horrible scandal early in family history. Many hearts are broken before the end of the series; most of the time, I felt I was watching an extremely well-done soap opera. A soap opera with a society critique at the heart of it, a la Jane Austen. But wait, there's more! The final episode of the second series is eye-opening in terms of the growth of the characters. And while you might have seen it coming, it's superbly staged and scripted. I was quite impressed. If you're still in the Jane Austen mindset, rent these discs. Keep an eye out for sharp performances by Rupert Graves, Ioan Gruffudd, Amanda Root, Emma Malin, and above all Damian Lewis as Soames, played as a despicable character with uncomfortably recognizable emotions.

year: 2002 and 2004
length: 2 mini-series, 9 episodes total
rating: 3.5
IMDB links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260615/combined (I)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377125/combined (II)

The Bourne Supremacy

I'm really getting jaded. I can't even muster the appropriate amount of enthusiasm for a decent spy thriller. And this film is plenty decent. It is Euro-centric (I think you see the U.S. of A. for about 2 minutes total), spare, brooding, and thrilling all at the same time. Perhaps too thrilling, since it consists mostly of car chase upon car chase that each go on a mite too long to be truly exciting. Although the first 10 minutes -- a car chase, you guessed it -- actually took me by surprise, and that ain't easy to do (see above: jaded). The brooder, i.e., Jason Bourne, is played by young Hollywood's most skillful brooder, Matt Damon, and he's as good as he was in the first flick. Still, there are far too many sad, rainy profile shots of him in cars. (Not the car chase scenes, so you're getting the idea that transportation factors heavily in this film.) And I'm going to keep a watch out for the cinematographer...so I can be sure to miss anything else he's done or will do. Talk about herky-jerky filming! There are few scenes that are more than 2-3 seconds long, everything is filmed handheld, and lots of scenes blur together too rapidly to be comprehended (yes, some of those are intentional). This is the closest I've been to feeling like I was in a video game in a long time. Plot? Eh, it's the same as the first -- an amnesiac Bourne running away from his fellow CIA operatives who want him dead. This time Joan Allen plays one of those CIA operatives, and that's fun just to see her play hard as nails (which she does so well; see The Contender). Unfortunately, she doesn't have many clever lines; no one does, it's not the point of the film. Although I smiled insanely at the Italian joke. Every good joke is built on at least a smidgen of truth...

year: 2004
length: 110 min.
rating: 2.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372183/combined

Troy

Halfway through this film, a character utters the phrase "Women do have a way of complicating things." They're not talking about Helen (she has already left Menelaus), so it's quite amusing for that line to be thrown in at that juncture. This is a large reason for me liking this film as much as I did. The script is elegant, structured, and the right kind of spare. How often do you find that in an action flick? David Benioff has only one other script to his credit (so far) and that's 25th Hour, a good if not great film but not because of the script. Watch Benioff, he'll go far. And maybe he should collaborate with Wolfgang Petersen more often, because Petersen is just as elegant and structured a director. There are no extraneous scenes (except for the first narrated shot which should have been done over black), and the action and character development keep perfect pace with the script (or the other way around, depending on your view point). Ignore the movie poster which is one of the lamest on record. Yes, Brad Pitt had to get buff for this role, but it's because he's playing Achilles, for heaven's sake! If Achilles isn't buff, you have no story. And speaking of Pitt, this is my favorite role of his since A River Runs Through It in 1992. He never loses sight of the myth of Achilles, while at the same time giving him a sensitivity which is not at odds with that myth. Not easy work. Peter O'Toole as King Priam of Troy is magnificent, but that goes without saying. More intriguing was Eric Bana as Prince Hector, who is a fine actor unfortunate enough to have no zing to his looks or acting to make him a true star. There are missteps in casting, e.g., Saffron Burrows as Hector's wife. Her manner of emoting makes my skin crawl. And the casting of a blonde as Helen, as fine as Diane Kruger is, was simply stupid. At least dye her hair black! (Pitt's too, for that matter.) The impetus for the Trojan war will seem silly to some, but it was merely the trigger releasing existing venom between the Greeks and the Trojans. Petersen has given us a glimpse at the politics and culture of that time, if only so we can compare it our own.

year: 2004
length: 163 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332452/combined

Zatôichi

Every once in a while a film comes along that I can't wait to write the review for. Case in point -- stuck in SF waiting for my unplanned red-eye flight and hauling my overnight bag all over town, well, what else is a tired film lover going to do? Go to the excellent Landmark Theatres to see the newest film by Takeshi Kitano. It was the only choice for my time frame, and I've become a bit weary of samurai films (and especially disappointed by the last one), however I'd heard raves and it won the top prize at the Toronto Film Festival. I've never seen a Kitano film and I hope this is emblematic of his work, as I will now vigorously seek it out. Zatôichi is a blind swordsman wandering the countryside as any normal masterless samurai. He stumbles into a messy situation and assists in fixing the problems. Only he's nearly background material at times because of the other stories unfolding -- a betrayed brother and sister fallen into the saddest way of life, a village idiot, a wayward nephew hooked on gambling, and a ronin burdened with a sickly wife. Each character grows or finds resolution in his or her way, and it's how Kitano puts the pieces together that makes it so intriguing. Not a perfect film (at times you are confused by the placement of some flashbacks or some additional, seemingly unnecessary scenes) and it's not like these tales haven't been told before. But the additional elements give it its special spark -- the animated spurting blood (yes, it's a bit gory, beware), the Kodo-like dance-cum-rhythm-section troupe, the extended geisha performance sequence. And last but not least Beat (Takeshi) Kitano's embodiment of the blind swordsman. Now that's perfect.

year: 2003
length: 116 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363226/combined

Spy Game

Ehh. Y'know, Brad Pitt didn't irritate me as expected and Robert Redford was his noble, enigmatic self but that doesn't mean I liked the film enough to rate it well. Pitt and Redford are spies with the CIA, Pitt deployed in exotic places, Redford a desk jockey about to retire. Pitt's in trouble, Redford feels it his duty to rescue him even though they parted ways a long time ago, and Pitt's tale is told in flashbacks by Redford. Sorta ingenious, but ultimately you're not sure what the tale is telling you -- honor among spies? love is more powerful than hate? more powerful than your life's work? even spies have morals? or remorse? Lots of good blow-up scenes, though. And the choice of Lebanon as one exotic locale is unique, and worth it simply for a view into how people with dangerous careers survive. That alone is probably useful to keep in mind in the post-9/11 world (even if you don't have a dangerous job).

year: 2001
length: 126 min.
rating: 2.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266987/combined

Audition

I don't have a huge amount to say about this film, but I feel it's important to write a review in order to warn away those who might be expecting a normal thriller or mystery. You'll get the hint when you reach the brief shot of a bloody tongue flopping on a floor, but you might think this is just an anomaly. Nope. The last 10 minutes of the film are surreal and firmly planted in the horror genre. This was directed by Takashi Miike, a prolific if not universally respected Japanese film director, but the anger that greeted this film upon its arrival seems to have shocked even Miike. This anger stems from the sharp turn taken towards the end and I can understand that, as I chose the film based on many good reviews none of which hinted at the shift. Hence this review. The "normal" plot revolves around a widower who woos a strange girl he knows nothing about, although the audience is given disturbing glimpses into her life and story (see the tongue shot description before). The reason for the elevated rating is actually due to the ending -- it is so disturbing in its manipulation of what we have considered throughout to be reality that its effectiveness as a plot device cannot be dismissed. I was impressed despite my revulsion. You've been duly warned, yet those with thick skins may be able to recognize and admire the film's unique tone.

original title: Ôdishon
year: 2000
length: 115 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235198/combined

Persuasion

This is the most non-Hollywood, plain-BBC version of a Jane Austen novel. Everything is as gray as you imagine while reading. Which gives the film that added veracity that is lacking in Emma and to a lesser extent in Sense and Sensibility. In this Austen rendition, a woman who has rejected a marriage proposal earlier in her life (see, they DO have slightly different themes) is confronted by the marriage proposee a decade later. What to do? She is a woman not unlike Emma Thompson's character in Sense and Sensibility -- she keeps her cards close to her chest, yet she feels strongly and deeply. Her fam ily is simply put quite stupid and she suffers heroically until her vindication. It's a well-acted film (except for Amanda Root's huge eyes which get in the way of the story as much as they are a part of the story), and it does its job but it's not as special as Sense and Sensibility. There's nothing wrong with it being the novel on screen, but the inevitable comparison leaves it lacking. So, here's what you've been waiting for -- the order you should see the films in from "worst" to best. Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion (these two are really a tie), Pride and Prejudice (reviewed earlier), and Sense and Sensibility. There. Now get to it.

year: 1995
length: 107 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114117/combined

Emma

Never forget that Jane Austen's novels were thinly veiled social critiques of English country life while at the same time typical romances (boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back). It's the latter that makes the novels appealing to Hollywood and its viewers, but the best of the ilk meld Austen's original views with the universal story. This rendition of Emma is simply fine -- it adds a dollop of those original views to the Hollywood glitz. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Emma in her big film break, with all the actor tics we're so used to now on full display. Don't get me wrong, I like Paltrow, but I prefer her when raw (see Flesh and Bone for that). Jeremy Northam is better as the foil to Paltrow's Emma, constantly commenting on her behavior and mannerisms, while of course secretly being in love with her. Delightful, of course, to watch the plot twists and turns, ogle the costume design (probably the best of them all) and enjoy, of particular note, Toni Collette as the clueless new friend of Emma's and unwitting recipient of her Machiavellian designs and Sophie Thompson as a dimwitted chatterbox friend of the family (and compare her work with that of the sister in Persuasion).

year: 1996
length: 121 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116191/combined