Category Archives: 2010

2010, Car Chase, Complicated, Fantasy, Psychological Thriller, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

Inception (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Nominated for two Golden Globes, this unnerving sci-fi thriller stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, who earns a tidy sum infiltrating the dreams of corporate titans to steal their most closely held secrets. Tapped by a rich industrialist (Ken Watanabe) for a job involving a rival’s heir, Cobb marshals a team of specialists that includes his right-hand man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an architecture student (Ellen Page) and a chemist (Dileep Rao).

A dream within a dream within a dream !!! Well, if you are comfortable with computer recursion or computer stacks or maybe just plain old multiprocessing, why not ?

Just let your mind go, enjoy the eye candy (pseudo-science, dreamscapes, elaborate settings, digital effects, etc), and if you don’t seem to understand everything, it just doesn’t matter.

You might try reading the Wikipedia explanation.

At the very least pay attention to the meaning of the spinning top so that you can truly appreciate the final 5 seconds of the film.

2010, Animated, Biographical, Drugs, Explicit sexual discussion, Gay theme, True Story, Vulgar

Howl (2010)

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From NetFlix:

James Franco steps into the shoes of famed Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in this star-studded biopic centered around Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” — and the widely publicized obscenity trial that followed its publication in 1957. Documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Times of Harvey Milk) direct, with an A-list ensemble cast that includes Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels and Mary-Louise Parker.

“Howl” is probably not for everyone (but what film is ?). Indeed it contains many words conventionally considered vulgar. That, in fact, is what the film is about: a courtroom trying to decide if the publisher of Howl (Ferlinghetti) must go to jail on obscenity charges.

So what is there to like about this “documentary” ?

  • No dialogs are invented. Every single word that you hear came from someone in the past.
  • Much of the original poem “Howl” is recited by the actor portraying Ginsberg. This is done is two ways: Either the actor is shown reciting his poem in a coffee house, or you hear the lines while watching very imaginative and appropriate animation.
  • You get to hear pro and con courtroom discussions about Ginsberg’s work.
  • You can see photos and film clips of the past and even see Ginsberg himself doing a small bit of recitation.
  • Don’t miss the final screen notes (just before the credits) that tell us what happened to the personalities (Ginsberg, Cassady, Kerouac, Orlovsky, etc).

For a really good history of that era see the Wikepedia article

Of course the film was slanted in favor of Ginsberg: you wouldn’t make such a film if you objected to his work. But I was annoyed at coffee house scenes in which the audience acts in a way to make it clear they are “moved”. It just seemed phony.

2010, Acceptable for children, Biographical, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Feel Good For All

The King’s Speech (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Britain’s King George VI (Colin Firth) struggles with an embarrassing stutter for years until he seeks help from unorthodox Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) in this biographical drama, which received multiple Golden Globe nods, including Best Picture. Logue’s pioneering treatment and unlikely friendship give the royal leader a sense of confidence that serves him and his country well during the dark days of World War II.

Quite possibly Colin Firth’s best film yet. His pairing with Geoffrey Rush is a perfect match and makes for very moving movie making. Definitely a feel-good film suitable for all (WARNING: there is a lot of yelling of curse words as part of Logue’s methodology).

There are some notable blasts from the past: Derek Jacobi (“I Claudius”) is the archbishop of Canterbury; Guy Pearce is George’s brother, the king who abdicated to marry a twice divorced American woman from Baltimore; Clair Bloom is Queen Mary; Anthony Andrews is Stanley Baldwin.

For me this is a “don’t miss” film!

2010, Drama, Explicit sex, Feel Good Not For Children, Gay theme, Nudity, Vulgar

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), the children of same-sex parents Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), become curious about the identity of their sperm-donor dad (Mark Ruffalo) and set out to make him part of their family unit, often with hilarious results. But his arrival complicates the household dynamics, and nobody is sure where or how he fits in — if at all — in this Golden Globe-nominated comedy.

Because of a few details such as Annette Bening using the F-word in the majority of her lines and several male gay sex video segments used by the lesbian couple to become aroused, this film is probably not for children (unless, of course, they come from Los Angeles).

If there is a message in this film, it is that gay marriage is not that much different from straight marriage as regards the passage of years, the difficulty of communication, infidelity and all the usual problems.

Would it really happen that Julianne Moore has a fling with Mark Ruffalo ?

Both kids were great and as the film ends my only regret was how things ended for Mark Ruffalo. Comments ?

2010, Could Be Hard To Watch, Cynical, Dark, Drugs, Grim, Occasional gore, Redemption, Suspense, Violent

Repo Men (2010)

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From NetFlix:

In the world of this sci-fi thriller set in the not-too-distant future, artificial organs are readily available to anybody with a credit card. But what happens if a buyer falls delinquent on his payments? Jude Law stars as an organ repo man who’s now fleeing his ex-partner after failing to keep up the payments on his own recently installed ticker. Miguel Sapochnik directs; Forest Whitaker and Liev Schreiber co-star.

Do NOT watch this film with your family in front of a cozy fire near the Christmas tree because “Repo Men” is easily one of the more gory and disturbing films I have ever seen. It is based on the novel Repossession Mambo by Eric Garcia. Having warned you, I now encourage those of you with strong stomachs to see this film. Jude Law, newly beefed up, and his partner Forest Whitaker portray chillingly a pair of opportunist thugs whose job is indeed to retrieve transplanted body organs from clients who have fallen behind on their outrageously expensive loans at more than 19% interest. You must be able to watch Jude Law use a stun gun to paralyze a “deadbeat” and then rip the client’s body open and reach in and pull out a heart, liver, kidney, or whatever. Perhaps you might prefer a Disney movie.

As with so many post-apocalyptic stories, there are abandoned, gritty sections of the city where the castoffs live. It seems most castoffs are hunted for their bodies filled with transplanted organs. For a similar situation see the film “Blade Runner”. Also note the theme of organ transplants in films such as “Dirty Pretty Things” and “Never Let Me Go”.

Before you click away from this description, I have to say that in a certain way this is a story of redemption. There is a point here. Whereas Liev Schreiber does a superb job as an amoral salesman for body parts, and whereas Forest Whitaker seems unconcerned about the ugliness of it all (after all, “a job is just a job”), Jude Law starts to regret and eventually realizes the horror of what he does for a living.

Because the ending confused me, I found it helpful to read the Wikipedia article. Perhaps reading the original book might help.

You have been warned!

2010, Chick Flick, Comedy, Love Story

The Back-Up Plan (2010)

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From NetFlix:

When Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) tires of looking for Mr. Right, she decides to have a baby on her own. But on the day she’s artificially inseminated, she meets Stan (Alex O’Loughlin), who seems to be just who she’s been searching for all her life. Now, Zoe has to figure out how to make her two life’s dreams fit with each other. Alan Poul directs this hilarious, heartfelt tale of confusion, confession and romantic slapstick.

As “Chick Flicks” go, this film offers some funny slapstick as well a worthwhile theme. Basically the film is about trusting other people, something with which Zoe has real problems. Stan is a very sympathetic character who sincerely does the best he can with the situation at hand.

2010, Chick Flick, Could Be Sad, Drama, Feel Good Not For Children, Love Story, Military, Sex Scenes, War

Dear John (2010)

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From NetFlix:

While on leave, U.S. soldier John Tyree (Channing Tatum) falls for Southern college student Savannah (Amanda Seyfried), whose ideals and heartfelt principles are at once attractive and unfamiliar. But their love is put on hold when terrorist attacks prompt John to reenlist. Now, handwritten letters hold the lovers together. Lasse Hallstrom directs this modern romance based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks.

As the film started I thought “Why on earth am I watching a PG-13 ?” (the one sex scene is so discreet as to be non-existent). Indeed the beginning of the film seemed like an ordinary chick flick. But there are enough worthwhile themes here to make the story interesting.

Richard Jenkins plays John Tyree’s autistic father. Just yesterday I reviewed The Confession (1999) in which Richard Jenkins plays a crooked politician. He plays the part of a father who loves his son but whose autism prevents him from expressing that love openly. There is one very touching scene between the two.

Channing Tatum has appeared in Stop-Loss (2008) which is another war film.

Amanda Seyfried is Chloe (2009) in the film of the same name.

This could be a tear-jerker.

Forgive my scepticism. I do not know enough about autism. But is it at all believable that an autistic man marries, has a normal son, and when the wife abandons the family while that boy is pre-school the father raises the boy to maturity ? And could that son do such selfless deeds ?

2010, Horror, Mystery Film, Plot Twist, Suspense, Violent

Shutter Island (2010)

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From NetFlix:

World War II soldier-turned-U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by his own troubling visions and by Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley). Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer and Max von Sydow co-star in director Martin Scorsese’s plot twist-filled psychological thriller set on a Massachusetts island in 1954.

Only for a while did this film seem messy and possibly just an ordinary “seeing ghosts” film. Stick with it! If you ever guess what is really going on, please email me (I probably won’t believe you). I can only imagine that Denis Lehane’s book might be even better than this film recreation. Probably Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow are the standouts in this not-really-a-horror film.

I was glued to my seat.

2010, Car Chase, Complicated, Conspiracy, Drama, Nudity, Suspense, Violent

The Ghost Writer (2010)

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From NetFlix:

A writer (Ewan McGregor) stumbles upon a long-hidden secret when he agrees to help former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) complete his memoirs on a remote island after the politician’s assistant drowns in a mysterious accident. In director Roman Polanski’s tense drama, the author realizes that his discovery threatens some very powerful people who will do anything to ensure that certain episodes from Lang’s past remain buried.

First of all notice the “The” in the title. Do not confuse this film with a disaster entitled “Ghost Writer” with Alan Cumming and David Boreanaz.

Three of us went to see “The Ghost Writer” in a theater. The plot is complicated enough that afterwards we tried for hours to untangle the details. I am sorry to say that this time the Wikipedia article does not give a detailed plot summary. So we can go on arguing forever.

All the right elements are here for your enjoyment: scenery, good acting, challenging plot, incredible ending. I would enjoy hearing your reaction to the last scene.

For the star gazers among us, note that Ewan McGregor has played in so many films (listed in IMDB) that we mention only Brassed Off (1996), Deception (2008), Miss Potter (2006), Moulin Rouge (2001) , and many parts of “Star Wars”.

See Pierce Brosnan in Shattered (2007) as well as many James Bond films.

You can read Rolling Stone’s review for some interesting details.