Category Archives: 2007

2007, Crime, Kidnapping, Revenge, Suspense, Violent

Shattered (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Neil (Gerard Butler) and Abby’s (Maria Bello) perfect life in Chicago is instantly turned upside down when their little girl (Emma Karwandy) is abducted by a kidnapper (Pierce Brosnan) with an elaborate scheme. With the clock ticking on their daughter’s life, the couple is totally forced to comply with the wishes of a true madman. Mike Barker directs this thriller; Desiree Zurowski and Claudette Mink co-star.

In this film Gerard Butler is passable. What this film is good for is plain old suspense and clever plot twists. It held my interest throughout.

2007, Documentary, True Story, Violent, War

Last Stand of the 300 (2007)

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From NetFlix:

With factual heft and epic zeal, this informative History Channel documentary chronicles the true story of some 300 Spartan soldiers who held their ground against an onslaught of Persian adversaries — an event that inspired director Zach Snyder’s sleeper hit 300. Digital animation combines with vivid, live-action footage to produce a stirring account of a pivotal battle that would change the course of the Western world

What a difference between this History Channel presentation and the Hollywood version “300” ! Truth is stranger (or better) than fiction. Somehow the History Channel version really comes alive using not only expert historians but also well-drawn maps and troop movement diagrams.

Several things stand out in my mind:

  • Spartan culture was more dehumanized than I realized. There was neither family nor individual. Everything was done for the benefit of the city-state. At birth male babies were inspected and the slightest imperfection doomed them to be left outdoors unprotected until they died. Young boys were forcibly removed from their homes for training. Trainees were taught steal, fight, and kill. They were not considered men until they had secretly killed a slave. Boys were flogged at pillars in a contest to see who flinched.
  • No one really knows how the Persians discovered the rear path to the position in the pass of the Greeks led by Leonidas. Hollywood invented a traitor.
  • I had not appreciated the important role played by the Athenian navy under Themistocles.

Well done!

2007, Complicated, Could be boring, Drama, Drugs, Unusual

The Nines (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Three stories intertwine and creatively converge in John August’s film that stars Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy and Hope Davis in multiple roles. This offbeat trilogy begins with “The Prisoner,” about a popular TV actor under house arrest; “Reality Television” follows a TV producer’s struggle to launch a new series starring his close friend; and “Knowing” features a video game designer seeking help for his family stranded by car trouble.

Depending on your viewpoint, “The Nines” is either imaginative, confusing, or just plain boring. I stuck it out to see what on earth was going on. For me the “solution” was a little hard to accept. The acting is not bad. It is not a stupid film or a B-movie. But I warn you that this strange piece is just not for everyone including children (not because of the “naughty” words but because no child on earth is going to understand this bizarre trilogy). Enough said.

2007, Comedy, Feel Good Not For Children, Love Story, Mediocre, Melodrama

Chaos Theory (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Thanks to a strict regimen of timetables, to-do lists and index cards, efficiency expert Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds) lives his life exactly how he wants it. That is, until his well-meaning wife (Emily Mortimer) decides to set their clock back a mere 10 minutes. Suddenly, Frank’s once-safe and predictable life is spinning dangerously out of control … which is the one thing he never bothered to plan for. Stuart Townsend and Sarah Chalke co-star.

Don’t expect much. This mediocre melodrama rates a C. There are some genuine laughs. And the story has some original twists. The language is at times crude enough to exclude children.

2006, 2007, 2008, Acceptable Trash, Gay theme, Love Story, Nudity, Sci-Fi, TV Series, Violent

Torchwood (2006)

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From NetFlix:

In this series that spun off from “Doctor Who,” policewoman Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) stumbles upon a secret organization known as Torchwood, a clandestine group led by the mysterious Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) that monitors alien activity on Earth. Cooper soon joins Harkness, tech expert Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori) and medic Owen Harper (Burn Gorman) in their quest to protect Earth from invasion.

OK all you kids out there, if you liked either “Doctor Who” or “Lost” or “X-Files” and are into a lot of sex (and some violence) this is a TV series for you. You don’t have to know anything about “Doctor Who”, you just need to have that mindset. Certain characters are straight and others are gay and some few seem not to have made up their minds just yet. Start with Season One and work your way through Season Two and Season Three.

Season One

Nothing more than acceptable trash, this TV series can still be fun to watch. To give you a taste of the kind of nonsense involved, consider: An alien has come to Earth in search of orgasmic energy (yes, that is correct). This alien enters the body of a young woman who then serially attracts male sex partners. But as each young man reaches climax he turns into a small pile of dust. In time there is a trail of small piles of dust. Heard enough ?

As I recall, the last disk (7?) of Season One is not episodes, but rather extra commentary. You might not want to waste a rental on this last disc.

Season Two

Every review I read says that Season Two is better and I agree. Some episodes are stupid. But for the most part the plots are clever and varied. More interesting is that mixed in with all the nonsense are valid situations applicable to real life. For example, the fiancee of one couple has to keep her membership in Torchwood secret from her boy friend. He feels neglected, etc. etc. Sound familiar ?

Torchwood actually kills its characters permanently. The joke (ahem, important feature), however, is that Jack Harkness is condemned to live forever young. Many episodes kill him in all sorts of diabolical ways and he just keeps coming back for more. You really don’t believe I am saying this, right ?

Besides, when have you ever been to a wedding in which the bride is unfortunately pregnant with an alien whose mother alien is at the wedding in disguise waiting to nab the baby alien ?

Season Three

Season Three is one long multi-part story “Children of the Earth”. Aliens have come to earth. These aliens truly can destroy the earth at their whim. We are defenseless. The aliens demand that we give them ten percent of all the children of the earth (never mind why – you have to watch the show). What do you suppose the British politicians do in such a desperate situation ? What would you do ?

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No one over the mental age of, say, 16 need apply. So why on earth am I watching this garbage ? That’s easy …

I LOVE TRASH !

2007, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Drama, French, Love Story, Not Feel Good, War

A Secret (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Claude Miller directs this engrossing drama about a Jewish boy in post-World War II Paris who stumbles upon a mysterious toy in the attic, exposing his family’s secret dark past and how it survived Nazi atrocities. Can the child grasp the devastating truth, or will it drive him deeper into his personal fantasy world? Cécile De France, Julie Depardieu, Ludivine Sagnier, Patrick Bruel and Mathieu Amalric star.

Some historical background might help:

Pierre Laval (28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. He served four times as President of the council of ministers of the Third Republic, twice consecutively. Following France’s Armistice with Germany in 1940, he served twice in the Vichy Regime as head of government. After the Liberation (1945), he was arrested, found guilty of high treason, and executed by firing squad. Because his actions and motives have been the subject of controversy, over twelve biographies have been written about him.

President Laval becomes important in the very end of this marvelous but sad French film. But keep in mind that during World War II the French were just as anti-semitic and treated the French Jews in the same manner as the Germans (I purposely do not say “Nazis”). Thus what begins as a happy well-adjusted French (but unfortunately Jewish) family ends as a family fleeing persecution at the hands of the French.

But that is just the background framework around the real story which is one of love, lust, and guilt. I give nothing away by telling you that on his wedding day (before the wedding) the athletic groom (gymnast) is introduced to the brother of his bride-to-be. That brother has an amazingly beautiful and athletic wife, a champion diver. Immediately the groom is more than strongly attracted to that sister-in-law, but the wedding proceeds. The rest of the story is why you want to watch this well-acted, beautifully photographed French film (with subtitles).

I consider this film a “don’t miss”.

2007, Car Chase, Horror, Occasional gore, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

The Invasion (2007)

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From NetFlix:

In the process of researching a mysterious alien epidemic that’s changing the nature of human behavior, a Washington, D.C., psychiatrist (Nicole Kidman) learns that her son (Jackson Bond) might be the planet’s only hope for survival. Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam and Veronica Cartwright round out the supporting cast in director Oliver Hirschbiegel’s supernatural thriller that’s tinged with political undercurrents.

If you look for this film in IMDB, you will see that its USA working title was “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. Indeed it is a modernized remake with lots of scientific mumbo-jumbo. Car chases supply much of the palpable suspense, and I was indeed on the edge of my seat. The plot details are so different that you can enjoy this film no matter how much you remember of the several earlier (dare I say, better) versions. In some way Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Jeremy Northam seem to have settled for a B-film and indulged in a bit of B-acting.

Enough with the snide comments. It was a fun roller-coaster ride.

2007, Could be boring, Could Be Sad, Drama, Imperfect, Not Feel Good

Evening (2007)

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From NetFlix:

With daughters Constance (Natasha Richardson) and Nina (Toni Collette) by her bedside, terminally ill matriarch Ann Grant (Vanessa Redgrave) recounts a passionate romance that took place 50 years in the past yet defined the rest of her life. Claire Danes stars as a younger Ann, and Patrick Wilson portrays her lover. This adaptation of Susan Minot’s best-seller also features the megawatt talents of Meryl Streep and Glenn Close.

For all the big name stars (and their real-life children) in this film, the acceptably interesting story could have been told a lot better. Wife Kathy and neighbor Bev (a MovieFan) called a halt to watching it about a quarter of the way through. On my own I slogged through the rest just to see how it all ended. You have better things to do with your time than to watch this slow boat to old age.

2007, Drama, Nudity, Sci-Fi, Unusual

Youth Without Youth (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola spins a unique love story that combines elements of suspense and science fiction. Set in pre-World War II Europe, the film follows an academic (Tim Roth) who’s metaphysically altered after being struck by lightning. This begins a spiritual journey through time toward divine love, a journey in which the professor grows younger and more enlightened even as his nation is on the brink of war.

Francis Ford Coppola takes chances, judging from this pseudo-sci-fi film. Such a slow, quiet, strange, imaginative film will not be to everyone’s taste.

After our hero is struck by lightning at the age of 70 his body transforms into a younger man who can speak many languages and has other powers. He also now has a double of himself and they converse a lot. He outwits the Gestapo who want him for experimentation. After the war a woman much younger than our hero is struck by lightning and becomes his partner. She goes into trances and speaks languages that are progessively more ancient. The hope is that eventually she will speak the proto language from which the other languages developed. But each trance ages her. So our hero has to leave her in order that she regain her youth.

Hope I didn’t give away too much, but with limited viewing time at your disposal, you probably don’t want to watch this unusual film.

2007, Could Be Sad, Drama, Explicit sex, Not Feel Good, Nudity, Redemption, Revenge, Suspense, Violent

Crossing Over (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Boasting an all-star cast that includes Harrison Ford, director Wayne Kramer’s thoughtful drama weaves several stories together to create an emotionally charged examination of immigration in Los Angeles. Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta co-star in the powerful ensemble film, which provides a harrowing look at border crossing, document fraud, asylum seekers, naturalization, counterterrorism and the clash of cultures in America.

“Crossing Over” is one powerful, compelling tapestry of immigrant stories. Very few of the subplots end happily. Therein lies my only complaint: the film is very heavily slanted toward the viewpoint that the INS is unfair, uncaring, and in one case corrupt. Having said that, my heart was with the sad lives of the illegals. Most of the immigrants in the film are, in fact, illegals seeking desperately to become legal. I have met illegals in my neighborhood doing things like painting, mowing, etc. Their stories can be heart-rending as are the stories in this film.

As far as the craft of filmmaking is concerned, this is a very well made film. There are too many fine actors doing an excellent job to be able to credit any one in particular.