Category Archives: 2008

2008, FilmReview, Violent

RocknRolla (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Starring Thandie Newton and Gerard Butler, director Guy
Ritchie’s crime thriller follows a variety of crooks from
London’s underworld who set out to nab millions of dollars
left for the taking when a Russian mobster’s real estate
scam falls apart. The first part of a planned trilogy,
RocknRolla co-stars Jeremy Piven, Ludacris, Tom Wilkinson,
Gemma Arterton, Jamie Campbell Bower, Mark Strong and Idris
Elba.

“RocknRolla” is the same genre as “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels”. That is
to say, it is violent by design where the violence is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. The
dialog is witty, ironic, and sometimes very funny. It is odd that violence can be
made to look like slapstick. Not everyone enjoys this type of film which is definitely
not for children. Another characteristic of this genre is that the plots can get rather
complicated.

Is “RocknRolla” just a copy of its fellow films ? Maybe the charm has worn off, but
you may have better things to watch.

2008, FilmReview, Western

Appaloosa (2008)

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From NetFlix:

    When a malicious, land-hungry rancher (Jeremy Irons) has
    the marshal and deputy of Appaloosa killed, two gunmen
    (Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris, who also directs) arrive
    and try to bring law and order back to the frontier town.
    But when a beautiful widow of uncertain convictions
    (Renée Zellweger) enters the picture, the stakes are
    raised and soon the lead flies. Lance Henriksen co-stars
    in this Western based on the novel by Robert B. Parker.

Second to “Law and Order” I guess I like westerns (with TRASH as a close third).

Today’s westerns don’t follow the models of the 1940s and 50s. In our list of westerns
only “Open Range” comes close to the model and even that admits of something
unheard of in older westerns, i.e. “sensitivity” (GASP! – what are these young’ns
thinking of).  “3:10” to Yuma had a great surprise ending. “Assassination of Jesse
James” was really a character study. And here “Appaloosa” features two law-men-
for-hire joined at the hip who might be divided by the new widow in town. Kathy and
I both initially jumped to the wrong conclusion.  Jeremy Irons does his usual
perfect imitation of slime.  There are good plot twists. Towards the end the film
seems to bog down in uncertainty, but it is that uncertainty that drives the film
to a very resonable conclusion.

Incidentally, Ed Harris wrote the screenplay.  I’m impressed.

Again, if you like westerns, you will love this film.

2008, Feel Good Not For Children, Italian

Days and Clouds (2008)

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From NetFlix:

After years of putting it off, Elsa (Margherita Buy) finally
returns to school to pursue her art history degree. But her
newfound academic bliss crumbles when her husband, Michele
(Antonio Albanese), loses his job and the duo is forced to
sell their gorgeous flat. The ensuing financial strain soon
takes a surprising toll on their marriage in director Silvio
Soldini’s intimate domestic drama, shot in beautiful Genoa.

Most of this Italian film is a downer. Considering the times we live in, the story of an Italian losing his job and the necessary downsizing is really the story of everyman. Of course, for the most
part, in Italy you own an apartment instead of a house. Economic hardship is a strain on
every family and the usual question here is: can this marriage survive ? Again, watching this
film reminds me how glad I am to be retired and not constantly threatened by layoffs. I wish
the husband had not reacted so badly, but I understand his position. Just so you won’t be
put off too much, from an emotional standpoint the film has a happy ending.

Not for those low in spirit.

2008, Super Hero

Iron Man (2008)

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From NetFlix:

After ultrarich inventor and weapons maker Tony Stark (Robert
Downey Jr.) escapes from kidnappers using makeshift power armor,
he turns his invention to good by using it to fight crime. But
when he must face the evil Iron Monger, his skills are stretched
to the limit. Based on the Marvel comic, this captivating superhero
tale from director Jon Favreau co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff
Bridges and Terrence Howard.

Yes, Movie Fans, Melissa intrigued me when she said she liked “Iron Man” so I watched it. Now I feel compelled to create another category “Super Hero”. Considered on its own merits without comparison with any other film, except perhaps another Super Hero film, the film doesn’t make a mistake. It strikes a current bell by relating to Afganistan. Super Hero movies almost have to
be black and white by definition, and indeed in this case the villain is really great. And of course the Super Hero never really gets the gal despite all the banter.

Raise your hands: how many of you believe that US weapons manufacturers would directly supply arms to the enemy ? We know that indirectly (for example, by theft) our weapons are used by the other side.

And besides, I really had fun watching the damn thing !

I LOVE TRASH.

2008, Not Feel Good

Stop-Loss (2008)

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From NetFlix:

After a tour in Iraq, decorated hero Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan
Phillippe) returns home to his small Texas town and tries to
readjust to civilian life. But when he’s called up again as
part of the military’s controversial stop-loss program, he
decides to go AWOL. Directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t
Cry), this poignant drama co-stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and
Channing Tatum as Brandon’s war buddies and Timothy Olyphant
as his superior officer.

If we didn’t have freedom of speech in the USA this anti-war anti-stop-loss movie which criticizes the war in IraqNam (no mistake) as well as the Army could not have been make. Considering how young the cast is, the ensemble work is well done. Amazingly there is NO preaching, just a perfectly imaginable sequence of events that highlights the unfair Army practice. And don’t expect a predictable ending.

Preaching to the choir ?

2008, Feel Good For All

John Adams (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Paul Giamatti stars in this sweeping Emmy-nominated
miniseries that chronicles the astonishing life of founding
father John Adams: revolutionary leader, America’s first
ambassador to England, the first vice president and the
second president. The iconic cast of characters includes
Abigail Adams (Laura Linney), George Washington (David
Morse), Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane), Benjamin
Franklin (Tom Wilkinson) and many more.

This book is based on David McCullough’s 2001 book. I was so inspired by this set of 3 discs that I have started to read the 651 page book. I will let you know in a few years if I have ever finished the book. I have classified this book as OK for children. But there are smallpox inoculations and breast cancer surgery (no explicit cutting, just the frightening preparation) that
caused wife Kathy to temporarily leave the room.

History really comes alive!

2008, Not Feel Good, Violent

In Bruges (2008)

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From NetFlix:

After accidentally killing an innocent boy in London, Irish
hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are sent
by their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), to lay low in Bruges.
But, uncomfortable in this foreign city, the two professional
killers soon get into trouble. Complicating matters further,
when the guilt-ridden Ray falls for a girl working on a film
shoot, he finds himself confronting the girl’s jealous
ex-boyfriend.

For me this film was a breath of fresh air. Or as they would say in the film, “this was a breath of F_ _ _ _ _ G fresh air!”. The F-word is used every other second. Ignoring that, the script and the stream of crazy events were an entertaining sequence of surprises. Colin Farrell plays a perfect naive, uncultured, blarney-filled hit man with a conscience (similar to his role in Cassandra’s Dream). The end of the movie is VERY VIOLENT. Not for children.

Makes you want to visit medieval Bruges,

2008, Violent

The Air I Breathe (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser and Sarah Michelle
Gellar star in this Jieho Lee-directed drama that mines four
basic human emotions — love, pleasure, sadness and joy — for
inspiration. A banker discovers true happiness; a mobster finds
hope; a celebrity sees life lose its luster; and a doctor wrestles
with matters of the heart that can’t be addressed within the
confines of an operating room. Julie Delpy and Andy Garcia co-star.

This is a VIOLENT movie. I give it a B because the interconnecting of the 4 lives is a bit sloppy. This is the first movie I can remember in which Brendan Fraser has a dark, serious role. At first I thought I could not recommend this movie, but the story held my attention.