MOVIE REVIEW: Sophie's Choice (1982)

It took me long enough, but I've truly begun to appreciate what an amazing actress Meryl Streep is. I don't need to go into paragraphs on how adroit she is at her craft, that's all been said and done. What I find amazing is how every film I've seen of hers, she's managed to captivate and hold my attention no matter what the subject matter. She easily outshines the quality of any film she's in, and I could almost watch anything pretty much for the sake of her acting. So strangely enough, I resisted seeing her Best Actress Academy Award-winning performance in Sophie's Choice because the film never really appealed to me; long, melodramatic, and depressing. But it turned out to be that, and then some.

Sophie is a Polish-Catholic immigrant to the United States, living with her mercurial and abusive partner; the Jewish-American lab assistant Nathan. When a young writer named Stingo moves into their boarding house, he becomes captivated by the couple's capricious lifestyle, but moreso by Sophie's past. She resists disclosing any details, but Stingo ultimately figures out for himself that she was a Holocaust survivor. Among her horror stories, is one that led her to make a choice that changed her life forever.

The said "choice" scene is easily the most emotionally scarring scene I've ever seen on film. It also goes without saying that Streep's performance is impeccable in this film, she comes off so chameleon-like in her role you almost cannot recognize her, save for her familiar facial features. The other performances are good as well, and the production design is excellent. While the film does feature the characteristics of melodrama that I've grown ineffectually accustomed to, I can honestly say, the main reason anyone would really watch this is for Meryl Streep. Like most of her other films, everything surrounding her is simply "good", yet she manages to steal the entire show.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

So I'm sure you're all wondering: "What the heck am I doing reviewing Memoirs of a Geisha?" especially when I haven't even read the book. I don't know if that's a bad move on my part, but the trailer drew me in. And once again, this film proved how much of a sucker for well-edited trailers I am. I wish I could say the same for the film itself, as I simply found it nowhere near half as exciting as the trailer had promised. The actual film itself covers an interesting piece of Japanese culture, but Memoirs is pretty much a protracted tale of style over substance.

In the early 20th century, young Chiyo is sent away by her poor farming family to be sold for slavery. She is taken in by the mistress of a geisha house. She makes repeated escape attempts in order to reunite and run away with her sister, but continually fails. One day, she captures the attention of an affluent man with an affinity for geishas. As she grows up, Chiyo is taken under the wing of geisha guru Mameha, and learns the way of the geisha. The adjustment period is particularly difficult for the beautiful, blue-eyed Chiyo, as men and the promise of freedom constantly tempt her.

I remember this film causing a huge controversy when it came out, due to the female leads being played by Chinese actresses. Whatever ire spurned between the Asian parties responsible is ridiculous to me, as the women in the film give great performances, in my opinion. The production design is very beautiful, and it shows from the three artistic design Oscars the film eventually garnered. For all the film's fine trimmings and the interesting view it gave behind geisha culture, it was extremely dull at times. The drama and pace seems to bounce around in a slipshod fashion; events come and go with very little establishment. I basically felt like I watched something that dragged on and on with loads of pretty pictures. The producers had a fine piece of work here, all they needed to do was find a competent screenwriter.

5/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Killing Fields (1984)

The Cambodian genocide was a harrowing event in history that I became fully aware of in my freshman year of high school. Thanks to an amazing English class, I ate, drank, and breathed the wonderful book First They Killed My Father by genocide survivor Loung Ung (she even visited my school!). Around this time, it was brought to my attention that there existed this film called The Killing Fields that dealt with two angles of the story as the genocide broke out. Only recently, did I actually get a chance to watch it.

American journalist for the New York Times Sidney Schanberg is covering the Cambodian civil conflict between the National Army and the Khmer Rouge. It is during this time, he collaborates with Cambodian journalist Dith Pran, who serves as his interpreter. In the name of journalism, they clandestinely venture into the village of Neak Leung, where they are captured by Khmer Rouge forces and subjected to witness the genocide, firsthand. When an attempt to evacuate Pran with the help of British forces fails, Schanberg returns alone, remorsefully recounting his experiences, while Pran stays behind, and makes an effort to survive the regime. But little does Pran know the effort that Schanberg is making to try and track him down.

Killing Fields is excellent in that it doesn't require star power or excellent filmmaking techniques to effectively convey it's message. The affecting story is driven mostly through the images of disturbing brutality and violence that make the film seem almost documentary-like at times. Is there a down side to any of this? Well, it can be a little slow at times, but not that it hinders the pace of the story at any point in time. This authenticity is only made more tangible with the casting of genocide survivor Dr. Haing S. Ngor as Pran. Ngor's own story is equally as harrowing as Pran's, and although he won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars, Ngor met a tragic end; murdered in his L.A. apartment by Asian gang members. The film does end with a sliver of hope for the ravaged Cambodians, and even though John Lennon's "Imagine" has become somewhat of a cliche in anti-war films, it's used here in wonderfully poignant and ironic effect.

9/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Idiocracy (2006)

Sitting at the bar with one of my friends, he turns to me and goes "Have you seen Idiocracy?" I shake my head "No". "You should, because I'm convinced this is what our world will ultimately turn into, the way things are going". So I did. Obviously, or else I wouldn't be writing this. In any case, any comedy with a socio-political bent must immediately go up on my queue. But why, did this film become so little-known, despite having been directed by Mike Judge of Office Space and starring people like Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph? Perhaps the studio got cold feet after seeing all the jabs taken at consumerism, with the use of actual companies (upon further research, this turned out to be pretty much the case, and I am ever the wiser). But hey, for all it's bleakness, Idiocracy is pretty funny, too.

After a brief lecture on the topic of dysgenics (out-breeding the intelligent, due to a lack of consequential hindsight on unprotected sex for stupid people, and a lack of sexual initiative on the smart people), a group of government agents elaborate on a plan to put an "average Joe" military worker (named Joe, ha ha) and a prostitute named Rita in an experiment on human hibernation. When they are accidentally neglected after a SNAFU, the two emerge in the year 2505 and find the world totally changed. Society has regressed into a tasteless, classless, lawless, and even brainless atmosphere while consumerism has apparently taken control. Needing to find a way home, Joe, Rita, and their new friend Frito look for a way to locate a supposed "time-machine" that had been invented, recently.

What I enjoyed about Idiocracy was the fact it took a clever idea about the regression of modern society into something so dystopic yet possible, given the conditions, and combined it with the traditional Mike Judge sophomoric humor that I know and love. Some of the supporting performances were a little obnoxious, but many of them do shine, thanks to the script. I had trouble accepting the fact that things were rather bleak for the main characters, and that the film didn't do a whole lot to have the main characters make any effort to have the future society try and think for themselves. Perhaps that was deemed a futile idea, as many of the new society's denizens are pretty incorrigible as it is, I just thought there could have been more possibilities explored in the alloted time the film had. Still, I enjoyed Idiocracy for all it's dumb humor and strangely thought-provoking story.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Boogie Nights (1997)

Boogie Nights, "it's about porn" is what I'm told by anyone who brings up this film in conversation. You'd think a film about the pornographic film industry would be relatively sleazy. But leave it to someone like Paul Thomas Anderson to take that sleaze to a whole other level. The characters of the porn industry in Boogie Nights are fascinating figures; this is how they lived, and I'll be damned if losing my public dignity meant such a pleasurably hedonistic life of decadence. Boogie Nights takes us into this world, drawing us in a la Scorsese with the long cuts and strongly written character exchanges. Oh, and it's late 70s/early 80s trappings are pretty awesome.

In 1977, a young runaway dropout stumbles upon Jack Horner, one of the most reputable directors in adult entertainment, while working in a Southern California disco. Intrigued by his star appeal, Horner courts the lad into his world of sex, drugs, and smut, where he takes upon the name "Dirk Diggler" and makes a smash in the pornographic mainstream, thanks to being well-endowed "down-there". As time goes on, and the money rolls in, greed runs rampant within the circle of friends as their excesses spin out of control. Needing to stay afloat in a world where he must live fast, Diggler tries to take matters into his own hands.

The great thing about a film like Boogie Nights is that the atmosphere is so strong, I found myself so entertained by the action (...other than the sex, geez!), that it made me easily forgive the greater story flaws the film had. In other words, when you think about it, there really isn't much new to the story that Boogie Nights presents, other than what I felt was your typical "rise-and-fall-from-greatness". Not to mention, with such a great ensemble cast, we're rarely given a glimpse into what their own lives are like. Sure, the film is centered around Diggler, but I thought it would have been interesting to have explored some of the supporting characters more in better detail. Still, with a film like this which excells at keeping me interested with it's strong acting and sharp dialogue, I doubt anyone will be bored with Boogie Nights, even with it's two-and-a-half-hour length.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Ever since the passing of Dame Liz, it dawned on me that I had never actually seen any of her early work. My familiarity with her went only within the realm of her cheesy perfume commercials, the glut of news reports about her health, and The Flintstones. Since I had read Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, years ago in high school, it seemed perfectly fitting that this would be the one for me to check out. And hey...not only did Ms. Taylor happen to be a good actress, but BOY, was she gorgeous! She pretty much sizzles in this film alongside her equally talented co-star, Paul Newman. The color photography captures every nuance of soul through their piercing, lightly-colored eyes. But enough about them...

Brick Pollitt is an ex-football star-turned-alcoholic, who spends his spare time trying to drunkenly relive his glory days on the field by himself. Brick is married to Maggie - the "cat" - a sexually-frustrated sexpot who's become the black sheep of the family on account that she and Brick are childless. That problem is only one of many that encompasses the couple's turbulent relationship, and Maggie herself feels akin to the film's namesake, due to her undying loyalty to Brick and her lack of direction on "where to land" should she "fall off" the "roof". When Brick's father, Big Daddy's 65th birthday rolls around, and the family comes together once again, things begin to get really heated as the cracks in the Pollitt family begin to expose as well.

What was cool about stage-to-film adaptations in Golden Age Hollywood, is that many of the filmmakers took great strides not to mess too much with the original. Granted, there are some subtle changes and visual elaborations of off-screen activity, but for the most part, the film is pretty faithful to the play, from what I remember. The producers even managed to keep the supporting cast intact, which I thought was a nice touch. While I've already elaborated plenty on the acting, I will say for those of you who are wary towards watching old movies that this one is very dialogue-heavy. All of the action is pretty much confined to one set for the approximate hour-and-forty-minute runtime. However, I appreciate that kind of intimacy within a film. It's not very common, nowadays, but that's what makes Cat on a Hot Tin Roof stand out, in comparison to today's more flashier adaptations.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Ghost World (2001)

Ghost World is a dark comedy, that caught me off-guard by how dark it actually was. Based on a comic book by Daniel Clowes, it follows the lives of two high-school graduates with nihilistic temperaments who are searching for meaning in their world. If you think of Scott Pilgrim as your direct definition of a comic-book film, Ghost World isn't like that. Rather, this film plays it (mostly) straight, and relies on it's dialogue, as well as some colorful sets and costume choices. While it didn't blow me away, in terms of the writing, I found the characters very intriguing and often very funny.

Enid and Rebecca have graduated high school, and rather than go to college, decide to spend the time they have in front of them figuring out what to do with their lives. Mainly, their favorite past time is torturing others with psychological pranks. Their schadenfreude antics lead them to Seymour, a 40-something single record collector whom Enid takes a keen interest in. Never feeling any sort of strong emotional connection to anyone like him before, Enid sets out to re-invent Seymour's life for the better, but faces the challenge that it puts upon her friendship with Rebecca, her relationship with her family, and her own self.

I find the characters in Ghost World fascinating, because they're unlike anyone I've ever met before, but are extremely believable. Enid herself reminds me of a cross between Holden Caulfield and Juno. In some ways, these characters represent the emotional pits of despair we've experienced from time-to-time. The acting at times is fantastic, especially from Thora Birch and Scarlet Johanssen, who have since gone on to do wonderful things in their craft. I can see some people considering the ending to be rather bleak, and I do wish the characters sought some type of resolution, but I'm not sure this was the kind of movie for that. In any case, if you like quirky dark comedies, Ghost World should do the trick.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Super Mario Brothers (1993)

As one of the first few video games I ever played and loved, it shocked me that I never actually had a chance to see Super Mario Bros. - the movie. I understand that there was probably a good reason why: SMB is a confused, muddled mess of a flick that somehow manages to be entertaining for all it's B-movie trappings. It's such a departure from what the film should have portrayed, that one wonders what the producers were thinking. It's not exactly a re-imagining, or a direct-transaltion. And there's some pretty cool effects that actually justify some marginally substantial production values, yet one wonders why they didn't go the extra mile? Oh well, it is what it is, and what it is, is, well...

When dinosaurs disappeared from the Earth, the meteor that caused it actually sent them to a different dimension. In this dimension, the dinosaurs evolved to become sentient, and even resembled humans (huh?). They also dominated another sentient species descended from fungi (...huh?), with the help of dictator King Koopa. The Mushroom King sent his only daughter, Princess Daisy, into the humans dimension, and she grew up in a relatively normal existence. Meanwhile, Daisy somehow befriends two Brooklyn plumber brothers named Mario and Luigi. When Koopa orders Daisy's capture, the lovestruck Luigi (...does not compute) and the sarcastic Mario chase down Koopa into his own dimension to get her back.

So, it sounds like your typical SMB plot, the problem is, the film's tone is scattered all over the place - it's too dark to be a kid's movie, and too stupid for teenagers and adults to legitimately enjoy. And the production values; they range from terrible to somewhat interesting, but they're honestly no better than a Nickelodeon TV movie. I think the only smart choice the producers made was to scale back the video game aspects, in order to compensate for their (somewhat dubious) creativity around the budget and script. I'm sure most of the actors tried their best in this, but knowing how their pedigree would turn out in later years for people like John Leguizamo, they must be somewhat embarrased in how their performances turned out. Yet, while I admit SMB is a ridiculous mess of a movie, it entertained me on the veritable "so-bad-it's-pretty-good" sort-of level. Gamers may want to stay far away, as the deviations from the source material may make them cry. Everyone else...avoid if you hate bad movies, I guess.

Not convinced? Maybe the cheesy, early-90s trailer will sway your opinion -

6/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Paper Chase (1973)

From the moment I made it clear I wanted to go to law school, to the countless times my LSAT practice course instructor made references and quotes to this film, it became clear that seeing The Paper Chase was a mandatory rite of passage for law students and unavoidable out of my own curiosity. For many 1Ls, Paper Chase is the first thing to scare them as far as what to expect out of law school, based on it's candid, honest apporach to the classroom environment, grounded in the difficult and often humiliating Socratic Method. But since the film is technically a dramatic work, I took these things with a grain of salt, albeit, with some slight unease. Above all though, Paper Chase is a good movie.

James Hart is a clueless, first year law student at Harvard. Hailing from Minnesota, Hart is unprepared to deal with the rigors and intense studying at his fingertips. He also has to deal with vying for recognition from his professor; the stern, authoritarian Charles Kingsfield. Hart retreats from the stress rather easily by partying, or sleeping with the local school socialite, who has become the object of his affection and reluctant psychological distress receptacle. What changes things for Hart however, is when he realizes his new sweetheart is actually Kingsfield's daughter.

Films like these have a knack for keeping my interest, because they deal directly with events going on at large in my life and speak in a way that art so brilliantly does by creating characters that one instantly relates to. While Hart is somewhat of a man-child, he gradually grows into what the school expects of him, and his will to succeede is a very admirable quality. Likewise, Kingsfield, for all his thorns is an intriguing figure, in spite of his imposing presence. The pacing is very strong, and the film has a wicked sense of humor; whose strongest source is at the taut verbal sparring between Hart and Kingsfield. Perhaps, this is a fairly apt viewpoint of the Socratic Method in action. For a 1L-to-be like myself, Paper Chase didn't fully intimidate me, because that Harvard isn't representative of every law school in the US, but it gave me some good, emotional insight from an entertaining, fictional angle.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Scream 4 (2011)



I honestly went into Scream 4, with moderate expectations. Even though I loved the first one and somewhat enjoyed the two sequels, I knew that a semi-reboot to go above and beyond the first would've been hard to top. With nearly ten years in between 4 and 3 (wow, has it been that long? I remember seeing 3 in the theater!...with my sister, who snuck me in, of course), horror films have gone the way of Saw/Hostel torture porn, ludicrous PG-13 thrillers trying to emulate Japanese ghost stories, and forgettable remakes that have tried to out-do the original in terms of gross-out factor. Without any good slashers in plain sight this past decade (save for Orphan, and I'm probably in the minority on that one!), all I can say is: "Thank God for Scream 4!"

If there is any film, especially in horror, that can go meta-theatrial-over-meta-theatrical, Scream 4 is probably it. If you know the series, someone famous or integral to the plot gets killed in a chilling manner that sets the scene for the rest of the film. This time, the opening actually messed with my head that I kept wondering what events were real and what weren't. For this installment, the plot is centered heavily around horror reboots, remakes, and the so-called "post-modern" aforementioned trends in the last paragraph. The story and script are very clever, with the new teen characters being very self-aware (not bad in the acting department, either). In spite of this, some of them (including the veterans) still fall victim to horror cliches, and the whole film itself features a few glaring examples. My favorites were the cute blonde girl vindicating her credibility to the killer on the phone, by claiming she had a 4.0 GPA, yet, she still flees up the stairs...come on! The other was when Sidney, the main character, witnesses a murder across the street, then enters the house, unarmed, to investigate the scene of the crime. Did she just surrender and snap? Or is she that ballsy? Not very smart, but whatever...

In Scream 4, Sidney, the main survivor of the last three films has carved a niche for herself as a famous author, and returns to her hometown on the 15th anniversary of the first film's murders to promote her new book. The other two are Dewey, who is now the police Sherriff, and his now-wife, Gail, who is itching to become a reporter again after marriage and domesticity have squandered her career. Upon Sidney's arrival, murders start happening again, with Sidney's teenage cousin, Jill, and her friends targeted as victims. In the ten years in between this and the last sequel, Sidney, Dewey and Gail have somehow become semi-legends; the lore of the serial killings has become popularized in a successful slasher series called Stab, and the ubiquity of cellphones, Facebook, YouTube, and blogging have forged a generational gap between the new and veteran characters. The killer knows this, and exploits the new tropes in some exciting and creative ways.

Good sequels are hard to come by, but I feel safe by saying Scream 4 exceeded my expectations by becoming a good enough film to standalone in it's own right. Besides the minor cliches bugging me, I also thought the tone was slightly uneven, early on - mild one minute, then scary the next. The thrills worked, and I was on the edge of my seat for the whole time, but in the beginning, they seemed sort of random. On a more interesting note, I kind of figured out who the killer was, in the middle, but I remained skeptical due to the plethora of red herrings. I'm obviously not going to say who it was, but when the killer was revealed, I felt really disturbed after the killer's motives were explained. Where the first Scream used obsession with horror movies as the catalyst towards the killer's main motives, like a chilling reaction to the spate of school-shootings in the 1990s, the killer in Scream 4 was motivated in a more completely twisted and sadistic way. Just like it's predecessors, Scream 4 manages to make it's own social-commentary, albeit more contemporary. The ending was perfect, for a solid slasher/thriller that made me enjoy the series all over again.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Total Recall (1990)

Total Recall is like Star Wars meets North by Northwest; it's an absolutely relentless thriller with magnificent chase sequences set in a sci-fi universe that encapsulates upon the first frame with vivid special effects and creative fantasy. How this little action-cinema staple slipped under my radar for all these years is beyond me. This is one of those films that, like The Matrix, is so involved in the fantasy angle of it's story that you could almost call it live-action anime for all it's creativity. Although I have not read the Philip K. Dick story that it is based on, I will say that at least whoever crafted the screenplay did a great job of turning it into memorable and exciting Hollywood popcorn entertainment. Even though the film is only groundbreaking in it's visual effects, everything else services the audience well.

In 2084, humans and aliens have colonized Mars, let alone figured how to make space travel feasible. Doug Quaid is an everyman construction worker, who happens to have an "untapped" talent for quick reflexes and martial arts. A dream where he travels to Mars with a beautiful woman continuously eludes him. Against the wishes of his strangely objective friends and wife, Quaid enlists in a "virtual-vacation" program called "Rekall", which uses false memories to create an idyllic environment for rest and relaxation. The program backfires though, when Quaid begins to have a seizure, forcing him to recover an identity he never realized he originally had.

Even though this film was made over 20 years ago, the Oscar-winning special effects still amaze me, in all their practicality. It's funny how films had a knack for appearing vivid enough to be called fake, but were still believable within the context of the story. CGI has squandered a lot of creativity for many practical filmmakers, but it also has it's attributes in other departments. At the time this was made (according to the DVD extras) Total Recall had it all, in terms of all aspects of visual and artistic design team. This is an amazing-looking film, that also happens to have some fantastic action and incredibly strange-looking creatures (there's even what I consider a hyper-sexualized version of the Star Wars cantina scene, complete with a three-bosomed femalian). Bottom line, Total Recall has it all in terms of your full-circle action movie: Explosions, cheesy one-liners, and eye-popping effects. A lot of the story may seem like more of the same, but that's not always a bad thing.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Animal Kingdom (2010)

Some films just come out of nowhere from different corners of the Earth, and you wonder what makes them so acclaimed. In this case, it was Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress Jacki Weaver's intriguing performance as an Australian crime family matriarch in the film Animal Kingdom. As a stickler for great acting, I became even more intrigued by the trailer, marketing the film as a tense thriller, along with the blurbs that touted the film as "...an Australian Goodfellas". Unfortunately, whoever wrote that blurb may not have realized that Animal Kingdom is anything but either of the last two. Despite some promising setups, I must admit I was disappointed.

In Melbourne, 17 year-old '"J"'s mother is taken to the hospital, DOA from a drug overdose. Orphaned J seeks out his grandmother, affectionately nicknamed "Smurf". Smurf takes J into her home, where he realizes his extended family is really operating one of the most powerful crime rings in Australia. His hot-headed uncles represent various "trades" from car theft to drug dealing. When the heat goes up and J becomes embroilled in murder, involving a group of corrupt cops, he goes into a witness protection program. Forced to walk the line between his corrupt family and the ethically questionable authorities, J must act fast if he is to stay alive.

I can understand why many people find Animal Kingdom to be a great film, it's got wonderful characterizations and a story whose complexity perhaps rivals that of The Departed. It is unfortunate, however, in my opinion, that the direction for the film is staler than a week-old loaf of bread. While some may appreciate the long, drawn out segments of chasing or violent aftermath punctuated by the somber score, I found it to be incredibly dull and perfunctory. Even though the acting was more-or-less okay, so much of the dramatic moments were lacking in any sort of catharsis for me. In other words, I got the basic gist of the story, but the director's vision didn't meld well with my expectations and the result, overall, was a film that wasn't very out-of-the-ordinary in comparison to other crime tales. Oh well.

6/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Kids Are All Right (2010)

The American "modern family"; the phrase has become the politically correct term in our contemporary lexicon for any family that defies standard preconceptions of a nuclear family. In this case, the "modern family" is helmed by a lesbian couple. I found it interesting how the back cover of the DVD for The Kids Are All Right so blatantly used the phrase in lieu of explicitly mentioning "lesbians" or "homosexuals", but it's nevertheless refreshing to see LGBT culture gaining more and more presence into the mainstream. This easily could have been a film about a heterosexual couple under similar circumstances; the fact that it isn't and the manner in which the couple are portrayed makes Kids believably grounded in it's realism. Oh, and the film also happens to be very good, too.

Nic, a doctor, and her partner Jules, an entrepreneur specializing in landscape architecture, are parents of two children, Laser and Joni. Both children were fathered by an anonymous sperm donor. As the children come of age, the teenaged Laser and Joni decide to set out and identify their biological father. After doing some research, they find out he is Paul, the proprieter of a Southern California organic foods restaurant. When the children bring Paul home to meet their mothers, personalities clash as the free-spirited Paul and Jules connect with their newfound appreciation for their children's interest in bringing together the distantly-tied family, while Nic feels unease about the new developments.

What impressed me most about Kids was the complexity of the way in which relationships are dealt with in the story. Granted, things are complicated enough when the family has to assess their present status once Paul is in the picture, but it makes for really interesting dynamics between everyone. Among the themes presented in the film, also include (believe it or not) adultery. Now, while I won't spoil who does what to whom, I will say the manner in which the problem is handled is done in one of the most honest and frank confessions I've ever seen in a film. The acting is also very good, I don't have to go too in-depth on everyone's performances, but I think they are serviced quite nicely by Lisa Chodolenko's sharp screenplay. She comes off like a more adult version of Diablo Cody; both are incredibly hip, but Chodolenko has much more dramatic restraint and her characters have amazing nuance. While I wish the final conflict towards the end was resolved a little more succinctly (rather than seemingly leaving one of the main characters out to dry), I can see why Chodolenko might have made this choice, even if I don't agree with it. Kids was definitely deserving of the accolades it had received last year, and I'm glad to have finally seen it.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

The 2011 Japanese Earthquake, and Some Friendly, Neighborhood Advice...

I'm sure by now news of Japan's recent major earthquake has long gone under the radar, thanks to the conflict going over in Libya, as well as Washington's so-called "budget disputes". To be frank, I would've written something earlier about my reaction to the earthquake, but last month was absolute bedlam, in terms of getting the time to sit down and compose something lucid. It's easy for me to write reviews (hence the glut I've bestowed upon you all, lately), but posts like these take me a good 30-45 minutes or more, to put together. Now, my life's schedule has slowed down considerably; I'm still waiting to hear back from one more of my law schools that I applied to, but things are finally starting to come together. Anyway...

As many of you are well aware of, Japan just recently had a catastrophic earthquake. Moreso catastrophic because of the damage brought onto several of the coastal nuclear reactors, and the radiation breaching into the water supply during the aftermath. As it so happens, my next-door neighbor is Professor Frank von Hippel of Princeton University. Von Hippel is a nuclear physicist who worked in the Clinton Administration as Assistant Director for National Security in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. And on a far less-important, but sentimental note; I've personally known him since I was at least four years old. Back on March 15th, he appeared on NBC Nightly News to discuss the nuclear crisis. The following link provides the video from said interview:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42093747/ns/nightly_news/?fb_ref=story_header&fb_source=profile_oneline

Sound advice, but what concerns me even more strongly is how much of a Pandora's Box the media has made nuclear power out to be. And I ask myself: Is the mainstream media, for all it's sensationalism, correct on this one, for once? How prepared are we to grapple with the consequences of a nuclear meltdown, when many of these plutonium powder kegs threaten the existance of adjacent human settlements; built to accomodate the plant employees, or otherwise? I look at the response the Japanese government took towards remedying the initial catastrophic situation of the damaged plants with disturbance. Dumping water onto the exposed components that were the main threat of a meltdown may have been the only option, but it may have also been partially responsible for the contamination of Japan's water supply with significant levels of radiation, due to the runoff slipping into the country's groundwater. Needless to say, who knows whether or not the government made the right choice?

I still don't know a lot about the disaster response perogatives or how extensive the radiation levels have reached in the affected areas of Japan, but I do hope this event serves as cautionary evidence that proposals towards alternative energy research should be taken more seriously. The sooner societies can adopt safer power sources, the less likely we as a global community may face domestic, and even environmental ruin from such unpredictable energy implementations like nuclear power. I know my views may seem quixotic to some, but I would hope that others out there are taking the initiative to figure out some sort of solution to challenging problems, like these.

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: 300 (2007)

There are some people I know who really love 300, and others I know who really hate it. Mostly it's due to the fact that the source material's author, Frank Miller, has a strong cult following, and the film adaptation follows the graphic novel to a tee. Others that I know, find the film disgustingly innacurate and offensive to both Persians and Greeks, alike. Also, add to the fact that the action has no redeeming values, other than it's shot entirely in slow-motion. For me, 300 is just a fun movie that happens to have some glossy, edgy production values. It's safe to say, it's unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Set at the time of the Battle of Thermopylae in Ancient Greece, King Leonidas decides to settle a score with his longtime rival; the Persian king, Xerxes. Leonidas gathers an army of 300 Spartan warriors and sets out on a bloody campaign across Asia Minor. The stubborness and tenacity of his army tests Xerxes' patience, and challenges the will of Leonidas. Meanwhile, turncoats threaten the Spartan army at every turn. Back home in Sparta, even Queen Gorgo, the wife of Leonidas, must deal with skeptical politicians who wonder if the pride of Leonidas is getting the better of him.

Shot entirely within a studio on green-screen sets, 300 looks magnificent for a film. This is an instance in which I embrace any artificialty that the film exudes in it's practicality, due to the fact that the filmmakers made no secret about it being an artistic choice. Yes, it can be a little too glossy at times, but everything remains consistent, up until the very end. The acting is average, as one would expect. No one really knocks me out in this film with performances or characterizations. This is a movie you watch as an experience. 300 is style over substance at it's best, but it always manages to be entertaining, no matter what.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Waiting for "Superman" (2010)

In America, most of us are critical about the educational system in some way, shape, or form. Some of us are lucky enough to have matured reasonably well from a good public school system. Others; like my parents, for example, were just lucky to have survived the more destitute examples. Waiting for "Superman" examines the gross miscarriages and failures of the American public school system through the eyes of multiple families. We see their experiences in trying to enroll their progeny into charter schools, and how the teachers unions, as well as the government put American schools into the quagmire they're in, today.

Speaking as one of the rare few that had the opportunity to attend a public school system whose town was centered around the prestige that came with it, it's amazing how much I took for granted what other public school systems could have been lacking for me, in comparison. At the same time, I was surprised and enlightened by a lot of the stories, ranging from the "lemon swap" system of changing teachers in school districts, the "tracking" system done to determine students futures, and efforts some families went through in order to make the winning lottery numbers of their charter school of choice. I only wish in retrospect I'd have gone to a charter school, simply because my personality has always been very school-oriented. Yet, I've spent a good deal of my time trying to also fight the frivolous bureaucracy that came along with it; from my parents protesting to my elementary school teacher it was unnecessary to put me on Ritalin, to convincing my high school guidance counselor that I was worthy enough for honors classes (and I sure as hell was!). School has always been an uphill battle for me. Yet, in spite of the detriments that came with the positive environment, I always made sure I managed to emerge victorious.

Now, for the film itself: this is a very pathos-oriented documentary. The facts that are presented are alarming, but I found myself, a lot of times questioning the validity of the sources. Granted further inquest showed much of them to be true, but isn't it rather silly for documentarians to avoid disclosing the source of their information when it is being presented in front of you? Also, I appreciated the elaboration of hypothetical solutions towards fixing the educational system from elite figures, like Bill Gates and Geoffrey Canada. But why didn't we get to hear about any from some actual teachers (besides those of the KIPP program) or other visionaries that are not in the upper-class elite, in order to get a more representative view? It goes without saying that the documentary wasn't exactly a perfect experience for me, but it does a good job of provoking one to think about these issues. Therein lies the real power of media to question our belief system, and do something about it.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Your Highness (2011)

If any of you thought the conventions of the fantasy genre were dead and outdone, Your Highness brings them back in a rip-roaring, raunchy romp (woah, alliteration...). Overly advertised as the next offering from the director of Pineapple Express, anyone whose seen it will expect an equally comparable spate of weed, dick, and fart jokes. However, in the trappings of a fantasy film, the odd juxtaposition is just a hilarious concept unto itself. On top of that, Natalie Portman makes an appearance as a sharp-tongued amazon; a role against type that she does beautifully. With enough action, gags, and swashbuckling to go around, this is a pretty good way to spend a night at the movies.

In the Middle Ages, Prince Thadeous lives in the shadow of his older, and more physically appealing brother Fabious, who is heir apparent to their father's throne. Upon returning from his latest quest, Fabious presents the young, virginal Belladonna to the court as his new consort. On their wedding day, Belladonna is snatched up by the evil wizard Leezar; who plans to produce a devastating dragon via a forced sexual ritual, known as: "The F*ckening". The two princes and their meek assistant Courtney set out into the wilderness to rescue Belladonna, encountering a feisty warrior named Isabella, who also has plans for taking out Leezar.

I haven't seen many comedies this year yet, but I will say, I already like what I'm seeing so far (and I should, with how ridiculous the price of movie tickets is, these days). Even so, this is a comedy that also displays some excellent creativity in it's visuals and story. What I find brilliant about the blatantly trashy writing is that the dialogue is completely accented and reflective of fantasy cliche's, yet, it is so effortlessly punctuated with vulgarity. The neologisms and profanities that didn't exist back then resurface in a hilarious way. Apparently, most of the dialogue was improvised, too. The script only consisted of a basic outline. The cliches of the fantasy genre are present, throughout, but they're done well, and creatively combined with the fresh humor. Fans of the fantasy genre, along with those who enjoy humor of this kind should find Your Highness to be an enjoyable ride.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: THX 1138 (1971)

Star Wars is one of my all-time favorite movies. Yet somehow, George Lucas' first film; THX 1138 eluded me. However, this was probably for a good reason - as a science fiction work, it's incredibly esoteric; a rough example of storytelling from a director who's arguably biggest masterpiece turned him into a businessman who squandered any hope of furthering his talent. I'll get off my soapbox now. But I guess what I'm really trying to say is, while the film itself presents a unique vision of the future and promise of Lucas' creativity, the film itself is marred by somewhat amateurish storytelling.

In the future, humans are controlled by a greater network of machines and love is outlawed by libido-suppressing drugs. THX 1138 and his female roomate LUH 3417 discover desire and sexuality when they abandon their drug regimen out of curiosity. Upon arrest, THX becomes suspicious of the totalitarian bureaucracy when he becomes acquainted with other outlaws alike. He bands together with them, in order to make an escape, amidst the difficulty of constantly standing out in a world where almost everyone is fitting in.

Most directorial first efforts are challenging to come across as masterpieces, even though they set the tone for what the creator has to offer. With THX, I think the movie comes off as a little art-y for it's own good. While the imagery is nice, the film depends mostly upon that for the audience to make their assumptions; it's like when Kubrick did 2001: A Space Oddysey, only the storytelling is much more vague. Add to the fact, the acting comes off as rather stale at times; most of the dialogue seemed stilted or muddled, and often hard to follow. Even with the changes made for his directors cut, to further increase the visual scope of the picture, I'm not sure Lucas had extensive clarification or exposition in mind, when writing THX. Still, it is visually stunning, and somewhat thought-provoking, but not as interesting as you would think, based on first glance.

6/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Gone with the Wind (1939)

As I watched Gone with the Wind for the first time in my life, on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, I decided to do a little something different than my traditional review. I'm going document what I'd been thinking the whole time during it's near-four-hour length since I'm feeling very ADD at the moment. Think of it as a mental audio commentary for anyone who's really familiar with the film. Needless to say, I was quite entertained -

OVERTURE - Oh great, a friggin' overture...oh wait! That was quick!

00:5:00 - Wow, acting has come a long way since 1939...

00:5:30 - I have no idea what the hell Mammy is saying...

00:7:00 - They weren't kidding when they told me this was Hollywood's biggest soap opera

00:10:00 - I've just realized: Vivien Leigh and her sisters are GORGEOUS! Good God...Natural beauty, wherefore art thou?

00:15:00 - So, apparently Scarlett O'Hara was the "Snooki" of her time? I guess acting glib in front of men was more scandalous than premarital sex.

00:25:00 - WOW! REALLY?! Before electrical fans there was...um...yeah...

00:26:00 - Don't worry Rhett, I can totally relate to being the loser in the room...

00:30:00 - Leslie Howard looks WAYYYY too old for his role...someone fire the makeup artist!

00:31:00 - ...I feel like I'm back in high school...

00:31:47 - Oooh, someone got TOLD!

00:33:00 - Craig Christ! Guys were THAT excited about going off to war? You'd think Abraham Lincoln was Cameron Diaz with the way they ran off like that!

00:34:00 - If it was that easy to get hitched back then, I'd be a married man by now!

00:35:00 - Pneumonia and measles...ick....

00:38:31 - The way they're dancing with those dresses, I'm surprised no one tripped...

00:39:01 - Shake it like a Polaroid picture.

00:39:36 - GREEN SCREEN! (did they have those back then? It sure looked like it!)

00:40:30 - Captain But-ler...I'm so immature...

00:43:00 - What the hell is this?! Prostitution? Civil War mail-order bride auctioning??

00:45:22 - Rhett Butler is THE man, that's a smooth operator, right there!

00:46:50 - The way Rhett is being so brutally honest, it's a good thing Scarlett didn't ask if her dress made her look fat (...she doesn't, quite honestly).

00:49:30 - Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamnnnnnn...what a list...

00:51:34 - "The ants go marching, one by one, hurrah! hurrah!..."

00:52:57 - Scarlett is green with envy...get it?

00:53:55 - That's an inch and a half away from being a Charlie Brown Christmas tree...

00:58:25 - Ashley Wilkes is a player...

01:01:50 - I'M THE JUGGERNAUT, BITCH!

01:03:37 - No chlorophorm?...wow, that sucks...

01:05:13 - If I ran outside in that wildebeast stampede, I'd be sh*tting my pants, right then and there...

01:07:17 - Rhett Butler and his green screen horse-and-buggy to the rescue!

01:08:41 - I can't understand what Prissy is saying...I'm starting to notice an obscurely racist trend here that's taking me back to my Theatre History II class in college...

01:09:57 - The way this film portrays the treatment of slaves back then makes the South look like Disneyland...<sigh> theatrics. Why is Scarlett always hatin' on everyone?

01:18:32 - You know they're gonna show something not-kosher when the cameraman breaks out the silhouette lighting

01:19:00 - Rhett Butler - Pimp Daddy

1:20:21 - Prissy can't pack a trunk, even if her life depended on it.

01:23:23 - That's one BIG fire! Scarlett O'Hara would not survive a zombie invasion if she wanted to lock the front door THAT badly.

01:24:51 - Rhett should've invested in a six-shooter...

01:25:01 - Such...realistic fire...

01:27:32 - Us Yankees and our "...swaggerin' and boastin'", pretty much sums it up.

01:28:30 - RHETT'S JOINING THE ARMY! YOU'RE A MAN, NOW!

01:30:09 - In all seriousness, this scene is really beautiful. Wow...

01:31:52 - Oh, that lightning...wow, must suck being stuck under a bridge, but oh! Look at that rainbow! I'm having really bad ADD, can't you tell?

01:33:37 - Wow, them Yankees done messed up Twelve Oaks!

01:34:50 - They found a cow, how random...

01:35:45 - Tara sure is one tough egg...

01:37:30 - This is actually a pretty genuine shift from what was once a soap opera into a dark tragedy. Impressive...

01:43:16 - I really can't poke fun at this anymore, because Vivien Leigh's acting is pretty phenomenal right now.

INTERMISSION - Whew, finally some quiet music!

ENTR'ACTE - That is a fine-looking sunset, I'll say...

00:01:57 - SHERMAN! :-D

00:03:31 - This film is a slap-fest!...what the heck are darkies?? Sheesh...

00:06:15 - WOAH! That's gory, even by 1939 standards! Scarlett's gone from Snooki to Sarah Connor!

00:08:57 - Olivia de Havilland did a very bad job of hiding the fact she wasn't naked...

00:09:55 - After all that and you're still this spiteful Scarlett? For shame...Ahh! The carpetbaggers!

00:13:29 - You know, I'm glad I haven't seen any of the women parading in those bloomy-skirted 1860s dresses anymore

00:14:30 - Ashley lives, hmm...

00:19:47 - "Looove me, looove me, say that you loooooove me!"

00:22:17 - Oh, someone got TOLD! That's how you fight foreclosure in them days...oh but did you have to go that far Mr. O'Hara?? <sigh>

00:24:00 - ...I've got $300...oh wait, they're talking about 1860s dollar bills...

00:24:26 - Scarlett O'Hara apparently invented the Derelicte clothing line before Mugatu from "Zoolander"

00:25:00 - Well, the poofy dresses strike back, I guess...

00:28:31 - Her hands don't look THAT bad! Whine, whine, whine...

00:34:20 - Oh there she goes again...Cue "Golddigger" by Kanye West...

00:40:56 - ALL HAIL RHETT BUTLER! YOU TELL SCARLETT! YEAH!

00:42:29 - Oh, I was wondering what happened to her gun...Worst, fainting, ever...

00:50:02 - Partying like it's 1865...

00:52:53 - They did NOT have electric lamps back then; you can see that wire clear as daylight...

01:03:20 - Now THAT'S how you woo a woman!

01:06:05 - I think Scarlett O'Hara's just about committed all of the seven deadly sins in the past three hours

01:08:15 - I SWEAR TO GOD, IF I HEAR SCARLETT SAY "OH, RHETT!" ONE MORE TIME!...God, it's like Titanic all over again.

01:11:50 - When the hell did they have a kid?!

0:1:15:37 - RHETT SMASH!

01:22:30 - BUSTED!

01:38:20 - Wow, spoke too soon, Rhett...

01:43:52 - Oh boy, this doesn't look good...Oh God, really?! Poor Bonnie...

01:53:02 - So much death in this film, when did this suddenly become Hamlet?

01:58:15 -"Frankly My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn!" - TOLD!

02:00:29 - Oh my sweet Lord! It's over! EXIT MUSIC!

Now it may seem like I roasted it quite a bit. Admittedly, Gone with the Wind is a little dated in some aspects of production, but it's a fine piece of work. A classic, without a doubt.

9/10

Peace,
- Jon