XiaoReview

Avatar

2010-04-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

I don’t see the big deal with James Cameron’s Avitar. Granted, it is visually spectacular, but movie is much more than visual imagery. Avitar’s plot is completely predictable and the dialogue is unbearably clichéd. The final battle scenes don’t even make sense to me. Why doesn’t military unit finish the natives in their first attack? They are clearly winning. The only plausible reason is plot convenience – to give the underdogs time to regroup, band together and act heroically. How many times have we seen this kind of finales before?

The Young Victoria

2010-04-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

Like Cheri, The Young Victoria does not appeal to the sensibility of most male critics in this country. Granted, it is not as stylish and well executed as Cheri, but still it is a more decent movie than given credit for. As the title character, Emily Blunt is as lovely as ever. After his fantastic turn in Cheri, British actor, Rupert Friend, further establishes him as THE perfect leading man in a period drama. Only if those teenage girls had known of the existence of his movies, they would have found out that he is even better looking and more dreamy than Orlando Bloom.

The Messenger

2010-04-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

During this award season, The Hurt Locker has garnered a lot of attention and is the front runner for an Oscar this year, but my personal favorite war movie is director Oren Moverman’s directorial debut, The Messenger, which he also wrote the script for. It shows yet another side of the war that has not been depicted on the big screen until now. Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson play two soldiers whose job is to inform the families of killed soldiers about their death. The army has a protocol book about the procedure, but nobody can regulate human emotions and the movie indiscriminately shows how war crashes ordinary people’s lives. The film does have some flaws – mainly its two big emotional scenes do not work. They feel contrived and forced onto the audience. I enjoy much more the subtle undercurrent among the characters. Messenger touches me much more than Locker, but maybe those are the two side of the war – addiction and aversion.

An Education

2010-04-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

An Education poses an interesting question that people have pondered on for centuries: Why do women need an education? In our current society where we espouse that everyone is equal, this perennial question is actually still very relevant. The film animatedly shows many different perspectives about women getting a higher education, but in the end it doesn’t offer a satisfactory answer. It may be a question that can never be easily answered, but in the film, if the young heroine (played by an Audrey Hepburn look-like, Carey Mulligan) had married an honest older man with wealth, then would it have been OK that she does not pursue a higher education because she would have very well taken care of financially? It may not be the filmmakers’ intention, but financial security and independence seem to be the overwhelming motive in this movie for women to get a higher education. One’s own happiness is quite irrelevant.

Precious

2010-02-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire is a realistic drama about inner city America. Precious (played by newcomer Gabourey Sidibe) is an abused, illiterate teenager mom who has borne two children by her biological father. I am sure it is eye-opening for most middle class Americans to see right in New York City there is a place no better than the worst developing country outside the States. Critics have commented how Precious’ fantasy sequences have brought some emotional relief for this heavy drama. In my opinion, they have made the film even more heartbreaking – watching a young girl dreaming of a future that she will never have. Director Lee Daniels and screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher have tried to give the ending a more upbeat feeling. That may be the only unrealistic part of this movie.

Coco Before Chanel

2010-01-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

Coco Before Chanel is a moderately interesting biopic about one of the most influential female figures in the 20th century. Bright eyed French ingénue Audrey Tautou does a competent job portraying Chanel, but the film is bogged down by the melodrama of Coco’s love affair with Boy Capel. My favorite part of the movie is Benoit Poelvoorde’s down-to-earth portrayal of Baron Balsan. He effortlessly conveys a complicated feeling that Balsan has for Chanel. I would love to see more of him in any language films.

In the Loop

2010-01-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

British political comedy In the Loop deals with an unnamed war in Middle East. For American audience, it may take a while to get used to the British accents and British humor. There are not many laugh out loud moments, but it is amusingly poignant and timely in our current political environment. It portrays the government officials who run our countries as just average joes, or maybe, dumber than average joes. It is scary and funny to see that for bureaucrats, planning a war is like an everyday job for you and me.

A Serious Man

2010-01-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

A Serious Man is a seriously boring man. For me, Coen Brothers have never captured the magic and ingenuity they sparked in their first movie, Blood Simple. That movie has suspense, interesting characters and cinematic styles. Their latest work seems to question all the ironies in life, but it simply doesn’t make a captivating story on screen. Too many directors want to use screen to make statements about life and they forget that movie is a type of entertainment. They need to make movies entertaining and thought provoking at the SAME time.

The Informant!

2009-11-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

The Informant! is actually very much like Zombieland. Both movies added a comedic twist to a formulaic genre. Zombieland pumps new life into horror genre, and Informant turns whistleblower genre inside out. It is truly unbelievable to learn that the U.S. government’s case against business giant ADM is completely based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, VP turned informant Mark Whitacre (played by Matt Damon), who turns out to be a pathological liar. In the end, we will never be able to tell the truth and lies apart. Even Whitacre may have blurred the line of truth and lies in his mind. Damon gained a lot of weight to play a middle-aged, unattractive executive. He did fairly a good job. The music at times can be overwhelming and in general, it is just not as entertaining as Zombieland.

Zombieland

2009-11-25T06:32:00.000-08:00

I am no fan of horror genre, but Zombieland has just the right combination of camp and gore that I don’t have to cover my eyes half of the time. In fact, I laughed through some very gory, gross moments. The four main actors may have been typecast, but they are perfect in their roles. Jesse Eisenberg channels his nervous energy and carries the film well. After Superbad hit big, Eisenberg has been constantly compared to the star of that movie, Michael Cera. People seem to have forgotten that Eisenberg had been active in Indie scene long before Cera came along. If anything, it is more likely that Cera has stolen Eisenberg’s nerdy, uncomfortable youth persona. Under all the violence and blood, it is a solid script, a sweet human story, and a lot of laughs.

The September Issue

2009-11-23T09:32:00.000-08:00

The September Issue introduces us face to face with the devil in The Devil Wears Prada. Every year, the September issue of Vogue is the fall fashion bible and also the thickest in the year. The documentary focuses on the preparation of the September issue in 2007. The filmmaker R.J. Cutler may have originally intended the movie to be a more balanced view on fashion industry icon, Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor-in-chief for 20 years, but the end result is actually a moving tribute to an unsung hero, Grace Coddington, the magazine’s creative director. A completely opposite of her boss, Coddington is down-to-earth, warm and almost unfashionable in black. Wintour foresaw the celebrity culture before the mass realized how fascinated they were by all the starlets. She is the first to put stars on the cover of Vogue and hence forever blends the line between fashion models and movie stars. And like the celebrities her magazine adores, Wintour has pretty much made herself a celebrity and clearly enjoys that status. On the other hand, Coddington herself admits on screen that she may be behind the trend and needs to constantly move up, but her passion for fashion and beauty is so pure that it is contagious. I want to shout for cheer when she has done another fantastic photo shoot. In the movie, we see all types of workers involved in the fashion industry: Wintour, the queen; phony fashion critics who truly don’t know anything about fashion; brownnosers who would always align their opinions with Wintour’s; fashion designers who try to covet favors with big fashion magazines; young start-ups who are intimidated by the competitions and nastiness. Coddington is the only one in the movie who respects Wintour for her genius while standing up to her for what she truly believes. It is just sad in our culture that not more people like Coddington would be recognized for their contribution to the society.

Cold Souls

2009-10-09T08:48:00.001-07:00

Cold Souls is a cold and miserable movie to watch. The premise of souls for sale and storage is pointless and the entire movie is just a big “Uh?”. It saddens me that terrific actors such as Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn and Emily Watson could not find a better vehicle for their talents. The only minor interesting part of this movie is that starlet Katheryn Winnick, who plays a Russian soap opera actress, is a dead ringer for Scarlett Johansson. For any Scarlett fans, if you can’t wait for her next movie, maybe Cold Souls can warm you up a little.

Julie & Julia

2009-10-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Julie & Julia has a clever narrative structure. How America’s most famous chef, Julia Child, came to write her first cook book is intertwined with contemporary blogger Julie Powell’s 2002 attempt to cook all the recipes in that book. Writer/director Nora Ephron is a veteran when it comes to “chick flicks”. Her dialogues are sharp and funny and she knows to grab the audience’s hearts. The movie is really a love story between Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep) and her husband, Paul (played by Stanley Tucci). Streep and Tucci are perfect in their roles and despite the fact that Streep is 11 years senior of Tucci, it is actually believable to see Tucci playing someone 10 years older than Streep’s character. I am not a big fan of Streep in general, but have to admit that she has captured the essence of Julia Child in this movie. It is just a pleasure to watch her performance. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Julie Powell part of the film. It is not Ephron or actress Amy Adams’ fault. Julie Powell is simply a whining, boring presence who is a by-product of our current internet age. I wish the entire film were dedicated to Julia Child, however, even with only half serving of Julia Child, Julie & Julia is still a piece of top gourmet food.

(500) Days of Summer

2009-10-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

(500) Days of Summer is cute and stars two most promising and adorable young actors. I just wish it wasn’t trying so hard to be original and creative. Summer (played by Zooey Deschanel) is a free spirit and doesn’t really believe in true love; on the other hand, Tom (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is an old-fashioned romantic. He falls in love with Summer at first sight. The movie tracks the relationship from its sweet, innocent beginning to the bitter aftermath. It is a truthful portrayal about love and relationship. Director Marc Webb, writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber choose to tell the story in a non-linear way. One second the audience sees Tom exuberant in the company’s elevator at the beginning of his love affair and next minute Tom is crestfallen in the same elevator after the break-up. Webb also uses split screen from time to time to show what Tom’s expectations are and what the reality is. It is nice to see all these interesting ideas, but it doesn’t serve the story here. This is a love story that will be best told in a straight forward way. Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt are wonderful together. Gordon-Levitt is a dead ringer for the late Heath Ledger. He has been consistently seeking out small but interesting roles to play. He will be THE actor to watch in the future. Not only do Deschanel’s big green eyes, raven hair and translucent skin make her irresistible on screen, she also knows how to use her assets to elicit emotions out of the audience. Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt make this movie enjoyable.

The Hangover

2009-10-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

If a comedy is purely judged by how many laughs it may generate, The Hangover is a decent one. It is extraordinarily raunchy and certainly not for the easily offended. The movie perpetuates Las Vegas’s reputation as the country’s fun capital. The three groomsmen’s two-day misadventures in Vegas are so wild and bizarre that you have to suspend your beliefs and simply laugh at all the funny situations.

The Hurt Locker

2009-09-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Hurt Locker is almost a straight forward Army bomb squad procedure movie. The film follows three soldiers in a bomb squad unit deployed in Iraq as they disarm one IED after another, day after day after day. Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal give the film a documentary feel. The end result is not for the weak of heart. We constantly watch the three soldiers on their bomb disarming missions. Every time when we watch them, we don’t know if this may be their last one. The audience will literally recoil in their seats overwhelmed by the tension. These missions are also the strongest points in this film – vivid and extremely suspenseful. Unfortunately near the end, the script and direction get bogged down a bit by some clichéd sentimentality. It undermines the film to a certain degree, but overall Locker may still be the most realistic feature about American soldiers in Iraq that doesn’t preach to a choir or turn into a political piece. Jeremy Renner plays Staff Sgt. William James, the leader of the unit. He is also addicted to the risk and thrill of cheating death. Renner does a fine job here, but Anthony Mackie’s Sgt. Sanborn stands out. He is just an ordinary soldier serving out his deployment. He is sick and tired of all the death and misery around him. He counts every day until the time he can go back to the States. His final conversation with James in the Humvee is heart wrenching. The dialogue is down-to-earth and believable while it questions our basic existence and worth on this world. Mackie’s delivery is just right and it will affect anyone emotionally, whether you are for or against the war.

Cheri

2009-09-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

As varied as his films have been – from My Beautiful Laudrette to Dangerous Liaisons to Dirty Pretty Things to The Queen – director Stephen Frears does not make a bad movie, and his most recent work Cheri is no exception. The film is at once a romantic triangle and a beautifully melancholy nostalgia piece about life and aging.

The film reunites Frears with Michelle Pfeiffer, the leading lady in Liaisons of two decades ago. Pfeiffer is perfect as Lea, a highly accomplished courtesan ready for retirement. Pfeiffer has made very few movies in recent years and her appearance in Cheri signifies how much the world of film has lost by her absence. Unlike most of her contemporaries, Pfeiffer has done little work to her face and what a face she has! It is still astonishingly beautiful and all the lines on her face only help to make her much more interesting. Lea becomes romantically involved with her fellow courtesan’s son whom she had nicknamed Cheri (played by Rupert Friend) as a child. The affair is doomed from the start, but even though the audience clearly sees that they cannot possibly have a future together, one is intrigued to see how their relationship will be resolved.

Beautifully shot by Darius Khondji, Cheri makes the most of its French locations and settings. Frears and Khondji frame scene after scene like classic paintings and the film is a sumptuous feast for the eye. Screenwriter Christopher Hampton has done a terrific job adapting French writer Colette’s book into a movie. The dialogues are sharp and witty, especially the exchanges between Lea and Cheri’s mother (played by Kathy Bates).

Unfortunately this movie has been dismissed by many male critics around the country as trivial and meaningless. They completely missed the point and complicated relationships between the central characters. For Lea, Cheri is not only a young lover, but also a son and a family she may have always secretly longed for, and vice versa for Cheri. The film does not shy away from the nuances of their reality. All the schemes and intrigues and the emotional dynamics bring this movie to life. It is so far one of the best movies this year. Frears is currently the most capable director who could extract great performances from actresses and Pfeiffer’s refined, delicate acting is just one more example. Frears can safely claim the title of a “woman’s director”, a void left by the passing of great Hollywood director George Cukor decades ago. I only wish there could be more Stephen Frears out in Hollywood and less Michael Bays.

Every Little Step

2009-06-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Every Little Step is a must-see documentary for every young girl who dreams to be a dancer/singer/performer on Broadway. It follows a group of dancers as they go through auditions for the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line. It also tells the history of the show and pays tribute to the genius of Michael Bennett who created the show. The characters in A Chorus Line are all based on Bennett’s taped conversations with 22 dancers. Step basically shows a chorus line try out for A Chorus Line. At the end of the movie, while you may feel happy for the ones who made the cut, you are even more touched by the heartbreak of those starry-eyed hopefuls. As directors Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern have shown in this movie, success and failure are simply two sides of show biz.

The Brothers Bloom

2009-06-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

The Brothers Bloom is an eccentric piece of work and I struggle to find the right words to describe it. The titular brothers are the best con men in the world and have been perfecting their skills since childhood. The entire movie centers around these two con men and the cons they pull off, but I simply don’t know who will be conned by two people who dress like they were from a hundred years ago. In the opening sequence, when the brothers started their first con at tender ages of 10 and 13, they mesmerized all the kids with their far-fetched tales. I would love to find out where that town is. Because in most towns I know, the kids will make fun of their get-up, especially those goofy hats, and never give them time of the day. Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz are all find here, but they do not compensate for all the holes in the script. For a con movie, Brothers is quite predictable. Based on some dialogues early on in the movie, I correctly guessed that those dialogues would all come true later. I think the lesson I have learned from Brothers is that maybe I have seen too many movies and I am just a hard mark to con even though this movie has succeeded into conning many critics.

Two Lovers

2009-06-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

It is sad to see Joaquin Phoenix’s weird behaviors these days because he is truly a very talented actor of his generation. Two Lovers once again proves his acting ability. The film, on its own, is not a bad movie. It just doesn’t offer anything new. The story is one of those relationships we have seen again and again in movies: a lonely man caught between two fundamentally different women. One is loving, caring but may be considered boring by some men. The other is exciting, beautiful but volatile who is having an affair with a married man and is also an ex-drug addict possibly off the wagon. It is quite obvious who is the right woman for Phoenix’s character – Leonard, but of course, to make it into an almost two-hour movie, we need to see Leonard make all kinds of wrong choices. Phoenix has such a heart-breaking vulnerability that it is unbearably sad and moving at times to see his love crushed again and again. It will be a sad day for the movie industry if this movie turns out to be Phoenix’s swan song. We already lost one talented Phoenix at a young tender age. We cannot afford to lose another one.

Sunshine Cleaning

2009-06-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

Sunshine Cleaning will be inevitably compared with that other sunshine movie. You know, the one with a dilapidated VW bus and an old eccentric grandpa. Not only do they share sunshine in their titles, they both also have Alan Arkin in almost identical roles, you guessed it, that lovable, eccentric grandfather.

Cleaning may be a bit predictable and clichéd, but I truly enjoy this movie, mainly because of the actors in this film. Amy Adams is just terrific as a single mother trying to start an unusual cleaning business in order to raise the tuition to send her son to a private school. She uses her innocent screen presence to full advantage. One moment she would light up the entire room and next moment she could bring you to tears with a longing look. Emily Blunt plays Adams’ irresponsible sister, giving as good as she gets. Blunt has really proved her ability with supporting roles such as the one in this film and The Devil Wears Prada. Arkin may have been typecast in recent years, but he is simply superior to any actors out there when it comes to playing those wise old men roles.

The movie may be a little too sentimental at times, but its mellow, touching bookend to the characters make you feel good walking out of the theater.

Taken

2009-03-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

Taken is written by French screenwriter/director Luc Besson of La Femme Nikita fame. Since Nikita, Besson has not been able to write, direct and/or produce anything that surpasses that movie. Taken has trademark Besson violence and is entertaining for anyone who enjoys fast action and quick thrills. However, the main story makes very little sense and we have to suspend most of our beliefs to allow an ex-CIA spy Bryan (played by Liam Neeson) to almost single-handedly rescue his estranged daughter (played by Maggie Grace) who has been sold into the white slave trade. This movie has done a very decent business and it could well serve as resurgence for Neeson’s career. In the movie he shows his potential as an aging action hero even though his face does show some signs of cosmetic surgery. Grace as the daughter is extremely annoying. Grace is only capable of playing her spoiled side without any other depth. Former badass Bond girl Famke Janssen plays Neeson’s long suffering ex-wife. She is given very little to do in the movie except constantly complaining about how Bryan’s old job destroyed their family. OK, as I said, people don’t go to see this movie for the story or dialogue. You go to see how Neeson shoots everybody up and kicks bad guys’ asses.

2008 Top 10 Movies

2009-02-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

I have been quite slack during the past year about my movie reviews, but I haven’t been slack in going out to the movies. Here are my top 10 movies for 2008:

10. Speed Racer

The Wachowski brothers brought the originality that so brightly shone through the first Matrix movie into this live action adaptation of 60s popular Japanese cartoon series. It is in the same creative veins as in Matrix, yet it has a very different feel. It is colorful, humorous and super fast. Too bad a lot of audience didn’t catch this movie in the theaters. I bet they would have all danced to the catchy theme song from the original series by the time the end credit was rolling.

9. Iron Man

The writers and director Jon Favreau of this movie understand the importance to keep a superhero action movie light. It is not just another superhero vehicle loaded with constant action sequences and loud explosions. It has plenty of side winding conversational riffs, wordplay and witty banter. The script, at its sharpest, has really made Iron Man worth seeing for me. Robert Downey, Jr. is the best action hero on screen.

8. Slumdog Millionaire

This is Little Miss Sunshine and Juno of 2008. It is a modest charmer – the sort of feel-good movie that people may want to see under current recession. The script is very clever and original. It connects each question of Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to the contestant/protagonist’s real life experience. His life is a modern day hard knocked life of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Director Danny Boyle’s directing style is flashy, fast and eye-catching. I think that may explain so much attention that has been paid to this movie, which in my opinion is far from the best movie of the year.

7. The Counterfeiters

The movie won the best foreign language film award at last year’s Oscar. It is based on a true story of the largest counterfeiting operations in history set up by the Nazis in the concentration camps. We are not given the usual victimizers and victims. The filmmakers deal in paradox. In the end, it is a story of survival. People are always so eager to find heroic figures in any historic event, but sometimes the most basic heroism is simply trying to survive under most stringent circumstances.

6. Rachel Getting Married

Director Jonathan Demme takes an almost documentary look at a dysfunctional family around the wedding of its oldest daughter. Anne Hathaway gives the best performance of her career so far. At times, the movie may be too much like real life and too slow, but it contains some most amazing soundtrack of the year and its heartbreaking story made me cry for most of the time. No other movie this year has made me cry this much. It must have done something right to touch my heartstring.

5. Milk

The story of the country's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, is very relevant in current times. Californians recently passed the Proposition 8 which denies marriage right to homosexuals. For anyone who have seen the 1984 Oscar winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, it is an extraordinary feat achieved by Sean Penn whose performance captures both the mannerisms and the essence of Harvey Milk. Penn’s voice even sounds just like Harvey. It is actually a little eerie. I am glad that director Gus Van Sant finally stopped making movies about teenage boys and returned to making movies that are important and relevant to our times. This is a biopic done in a conventional way and tells a good story about a very interesting man.

4. Frost/Nixon

Whether you sympathize or hate Richard Nixon, you have to agree this ex-president certainly makes an interesting entertainment subject. Playwright Peter Morgan and director Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon is a biopic done very differently from, say, Milk. It uses one event to create a character drama. Both Frank Langella and Michael Sheet have their field days drinking up all the theatrical juice in this little cinematic gem. Unlike Sean playing Milk, Langella looks nothing like Richard Nixon. It is distracting at first, but then his interpretation slowly grabs you. The movie works best when it simply lets those two first-rate actors do their jobs.

3. Revolutionary Road

I read Richard Yates’ novel a few years ago and had serious doubt about how director Sam Mendes and screenwriter Justin Haythe could possibly adapt this dreary reflective story. The end result is a big WOW. It actually makes me appreciate the novel much more – the movie is that good. The movie certainly solidifies Kate Winslet’s status as the most talented actress of her generation or maybe any generation. Winslet’s performance is so powerful that all other actors become merely her shadows when she is on screen. Now over five years after Katherine Hepburn’s death, we have got ourselves another great Kate.

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

It is amazing that in one year we could have two great adaptations on screen. Button stretches F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 24-page short story into a movie epic. I have read the short story and the movie has the basic premise in the story, but makes a rich story going through some of major events in our history. Director David Fincher and screenwriter Eric Roth’s film is shot beautifully and delves into many important philosophic issues such as aging, death and love. The technical prowess of this movie is spellbinding; however, Brad Pitt is only interesting when he is an old man. Once he looks like Brad Pitt, we lose interest in his performance.

1. The Visitor

This movie embodies what good filmmaking is all about. It doesn’t require flash cinematography to capture our attention, it doesn’t require a clever plot to keep us interested, it doesn’t require big movie stars to make the characters come to life, all it needs is to make a film down-to-earth and make the characters relatable. Despite the plot involving post 9-11 immigration policies, it doesn’t fall into the usual trappings of a political treatise. It is a movie about human relationship – love and friendship. There is never an explosive moment in the movie even when the characters are hitting the wall in their struggle for justice. There is a calm undertone throughout the movie and the audience feels like that they are watching real life unravel in front of their eyes. The movie doesn’t waste time giving us any unnecessary information about the characters. I don’t feel there is a single moment not worth watching in this movie. Richard Jenkins finally gets some due in the industry after playing supporting character roles for so many years. His performance doesn’t have a single false moment. His understated and nuanced performance gives us one of the most unforgettable characters of the year – a decent ordinary citizen. Watching his brisk, confident walk in the New York subway at the end of the movie is the most gratifying moment in 2008 movie history.

Tell No One

2009-01-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

Tell No One is one of those pretentious artsy movies that gives artsy movies a bad name. I cannot fathom why some critics think this movie as a superb suspense in the same vein of classic Hitchcock films. It is an insult to Hitchcock to compare this movie to any of his work.

Tell No One is consumed with a man’s search for his supposedly dead wife. It is intended as a suspense thriller, a love story and an expose on corruption within police force and high places. However, it is seriously short on wit, charm and narrative senses. The story is a mess! Pediatrician Alexander Beck (played by Francois Cluzet) receives a strange email that informs him that his dead wife is actually still alive. 8 years ago his wife died in a mysterious brutal attack and he was the prime suspect. Now Alex is determined to get to the truth. The dominant theme of this film is love. The deep love between Alex and his wife, Margot (played by Marie-Josee Croze) propels Alex into taking all kinds of risks and makes him never give up on finding what has really happened to Margot. The problem with the script is that everything that happens in the movie just doesn’t feel believable. It is nice to watch a “love conquers all” film, but when the story that supports the undying love doesn’t ring true, even a die hard romantic such as I cannot sit through it without shaking my head.

Tell No One is based on Harlan Coben’s same name novel. Since I have not read the book, I don’t know if the script problems come from the source material or inept adaptation. Co-writer/director Guillaume Canet is a heartthrob in France as an actor and maybe he should stay focused on being in front of the camera instead of behind it. Not only is the script lame, but also the visual style is extremely dull.

The cast is attractive and competent given there are really not much they can do to improve the credibility of the script. I guess only on screen, an actor 15 years older than his co-star can be paired together as childhood sweethearts. Cluzet is visibly much older than Croze and making the audience believe that they grow up together is simply another hard sell, among many in this terrible script. I am glad to see Kristin Scott Thomas is still working. She is one bright spot in this otherwise dull movie. Even though she may be considered far past her prime by Hollywood standard, her natural luminance shines on screen. Europeans seem to not only have a good taste for vantage wine, they also seem to appreciate mature women. I hope Hollywood studios will learn from their European cohorts and use actresses such as Thomas more often in American productions.

Not only does Tell No One have no market for general American audience, it also doesn’t have a place for any artsy crowd. Kristin Scott Thomas may temporarily make the movie more bearable, but it doesn’t work for two hours.

The Dark Knight

2008-11-21T11:58:00.001-08:00

I don’t get why the critics have given The Dark Knight so many rave reviews. I don’t enjoy this movie any more than I liked Iron Man. In fact, I personally prefer Iron Man. In my opinion, it is a far wittier movie and a superb adaptation of a comic book hero. The movie Iron Man has made that superhero much more interesting than he has ever been on paper.

To me, Knight only proves one thing – Christopher Nolan is certainly capable of making a big budget Hollywood movie and he is excellent with action scenes. However, I miss the Christopher Nolan who made one of the most original movies in this new century, a huge indie hit – Memento. The success of his first feature length feature has led him to one after another major Hollywood production. Sure, he has revived the whole Batman franchise and probably made the Batman movies far better than under any other directors, but that doesn’t really say much about cinematic accomplishment. I find the entire Batman franchise takes itself way too seriously and needs to lighten up a bit.

One bright spot in Knight, of course, is the much talked about Heath Ledger. His Joker injects many much needed sarcastic comments to offset all the self-righteous sermonizing done by Batman and pretty much all the other “good” characters. A black and white matter is always boring in real life and putting them on screen doesn’t make it any more fascinating. I hope that the Nolan brothers will realize this fact and write some more real-life dialogues for their next Batman installment.

In The Dark Knight, two new characters are added and they are the Joker and Gotham City DA, Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart). Batman, Dent and Gordon all work together to deal with the chaos created by the Joker. Dent is also wooing Batman’s love interest, Rachel, hence a love triangle is born as a subplot. This is another problem for this movie – there are way too many characters, side plots and the actions are simply too long. I think any time when a superhero movie includes more than one super-villain, it tends to be too much and too distracting. The whole Two-Face transformation feels forced and too bad that Eckhart doesn’t get a chance to truly show his acting chops.

Seeing both Knight and Iron Man has also shown that Robert Downey, Jr. is a far more seasoned and experienced actor. I applaud Christian Bale’s determination to challenge himself in different roles, but unfortunately he seems to have about four or five facial expressions. When he plays the playboy side of Bruce Wayne, he looks so uncomfortable despite his good looks. He needs to be more relax in his work; super intensity after a while becomes too much to bear on the audience.

With the huge box office The Dark Knight has brought to the studio, it is certain that I will have to endure more of Bruce Wayne/Batman’s inner struggle. I hope at least next time we will face only one villain, one that will match up with Ledger’s genius and creativity. That at least gives me something to look forward to.