2011, Acceptable for children, Classic, Drama, Love Story, Wonderful acting, Wonderful photography

Jane Eyre (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Driven from her post at Thornfield House by her love for her brooding employer and his secret past, young governess Jane Eyre reflects on her youth and the events that led her to the misty moors in this artful adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel.

Visually, this film is easily one of the most beautifully photographed films I have ever seen. Every scene is almost a work of art with very little repetition of sites. Attention to detail, especially the clothing, was paramount. Northern British landscapes are desolate beauty themselves.

Once again you should read the Wikipedia article for all the details. Of those details I repeat the following:

  • “Although they estimated the setting was the late 1830s, they settled on four to five years later in 1843. Fukunaga commented that “the clothing style of the ’30s was just awful. Every woman looked like a wedding cake.” However, they decided to allow a few characters in older fashions to reflect that some would not have updated their style.”
  • He looked at some 60 residences for one to represent Thornfield Hall but settled on the previously-used Haddon Hall as it had not undergone much redecorating.
  • The conditions were very cold and Fukunaga admitted that Wasikowska nearly got hypothermia on the second day while shooting the rain sequence.

“Jane Eyre” the novel is too long to be filmed literally. For this version be aware that following the filming fashion of our era (2011) the scenes are not in chronological order. After awhile (and possibly some discussion with someone else) you can put the pieces together. In fact some scenes are repeated and make sense the second viewing.

As far as characters are concerned:

  • Wife Kathy objects that Michael Fassbender is too handsome for the part because in the novel Mr. Rochester is supposed to be homely and somewhat brutish. He is an older man in comparison to young Jane. In reality during the filming Fassbender (Stelios in “300”) was 34.
  • Mia Wasikowska as Jane was perfect. She used little makeup and presented the very young girl that Jane was supposed to be. During filming she was 22 years old. Jane’s age is somewhere between 18 and 20.
  • Jamie Bell (the minister who saved Jane’s life) in this film was 25 years old. Eleven years ago he was a mere 14 year old who was “Billy Elliott” (a must-see film).
  • And Judy Dench played Judy Dench

For Brontë lovers, this film is also a must-see.

2006, Based on true facts, Conspiracy, Could Be Hard To Watch, Cynical, Grim, Kidnapping, Latino Culture, Political statement, Rape, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Violent

Bordertown (2006)

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From NetFlix:

Nearly 400 women have been murdered in the border town of Juarez, Mexico, since 1993, prompting newspaper reporter Lauren Fredericks (Jennifer Lopez) to investigate and unearth a startling cover-up by the local authorities. With the help of a colleague (Antonio Banderas), Lauren helps the only survivor find the courage to tell her story. Director Gregory Nava weaves a dramatic narrative against the backdrop of shocking true events.

Before you get all riled up after seeing this film, you should read the Wikipedia article in the sections entitled “Background” and “Critical Response”. To summarize their ideas: basically it is true that many Mexican women are raped, tortured, and murdered in Juarez. It is not clear that NAFTA has to take all the blame.

So what if critics panned the film ? From my Spanish teacher Joaquín (from Mexico) I have learned enough about to Mexico to understand just how corrupt and dangerous a place it is. Moreover, despite the film’s faults, there was more than enough suspense to keep me interested.

Perhaps some faults are preachiness and a really unnecessary and out of place sex scene between Lopez and an almost random Mexican factory owner.

Whether you see the film or not, above all else do NOT visit Mexico.

2004, Car Chase, Crime, Detective, Police Story, Suspense, Violent

Cellular (2004)

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From NetFlix:

Ryan (Chris Evans) is driving in his car when his cell phone rings. But when he answers, there’s a stranger (Kim Basinger) on the other end of the line who’s desperate to get someone to help her, her husband and her son escape from the madman (Jason Statham) who’s abducted them. If Ryan fails to act quickly, innocent people will be killed. But his cell phone battery is low — and he has no idea where the helpless family is.

With the bent LAPD cop Jason Statham as your enemy you probably want to be really careful. (NetFlix is wrong, his character is NOT a madman). Kim Basinger (“Nine 1/2 Weeks””) we all know. Chris Evans (Jimmy in “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond”) at the time of filming was 30 years old and still looked like a kid. He also plays in the 2009 movie “Push”. William Macy as the good cop adds his usual brand of offbeat humor.

Some lesser actors are worth mentioning. Rick Hoffman you have seen a lot but probably don’t know his name. In this film he adds comic relief as a really arrogant lawyer whose Porche figures in the plot. He played Chase Chapman in “Samantha Who ?

It never fails to amaze me how often Richard Burgi pops up. He played the husband Craig Martin in the film. You may have seen him as Philip Collier in 18 episodes of “Days of our Lives”. He played a wife abuser in an episode of “Law and Order: SVU”.

Intense energy, clever and original action scenes and plots, and some comic relief made this film for me a fun experience. Somehow Ryan (Chris Evans) kept coming up with novel ways to foil the bad guys.

2006, Based on true facts, Nudity, Revenge, Suspense, True Story, Violent

End of the Spear (2006)

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From NetFlix:

Many years after his missionary father was speared to death at the hands of Waodani tribesmen, a young man (Chad Allen) returns to the Ecuadorian jungle to meet the native (Louie Leonardo) who murdered his father and learn the truth about his family’s legacy. The result, in this film based on a true story, is a life-altering experience that brings him closer to the kin of his father’s killer and impacts both of their lives forever.

When I was in Catholic parochial school (grades 1-8) we used to donate money to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in order to convert pagan babies. Although I now have mixed feelings about missionaries in general, I have to admit that this film shows that the efforts of this particular set of missionaries led to a practical result: the tribe of Waodani still exists. Because the Waodani culture was so violent and based on a code of lethal revenge, the tribe was headed for extinction.

There is a book “Through Gates of Splendor” that tells the true story.

Towards the end of the film there is a bit of supernatural flim-flam that turned me off. However, just watching the film and taking the story as it comes was for me a pleasurable experience. You can just ignore the religious bias, the story in itself is interesting. For whatever motivation, those missionaries were brave and devoted people that did their best to help the Waodani. But you must be prepared for much violence (lots of spearing to death).

Stick around after the film seems to have ended. There is an epilogue in which you get to see two of the real living characters, including a tribesman.

2004, Complicated, Could be boring, Love Story, Nudity, Vampire

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

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From NetFlix:

After learning that his mercurial ex-girlfriend, Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), has undergone an experimental medical process to purge all memories of him, mild-mannered Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) opts for the same procedure. But during the operation, he decides he doesn’t want to lose what’s left of their relationship and tries to conceal her image in his memory cells. This quirky romantic comedy won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Once again a film that probably only Jim Carrey could, or even would want to, carry out. Belonging to the tradition of “figure this out if you are able”, most of the film features Carrey and Winslet wandering frantically from memory to memory while he tries to preserve his memory of her even while he lies asleep with his head in a helmet that is erasing such memories.

Don’t say I did not warn you!

2008, Acceptable for children, Mediocre, Plot Twist, Psychic Phenomena, Sci-Fi, Suspense

Knowing (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Fifty years after a time capsule was buried at a local school, teacher John Koestler (Nicolas Cage) examines its contents and discovers that it holds many shockingly true predictions. Soon, John is convinced that his family will play a role in an impending apocalypse. Rose Byrne co-stars as Diane Wayland, the daughter of the woman who first buried the capsule, in this tense blockbuster thriller from ace sci-fi auteur Alex Proyas.

Give this film a B. Nonetheless, this sci-fi film tells a well-detailed story that held my attention. While not violent, you witness several fatal accidents such as subway and plan crashes, including burning live victims.

Without spoiling the story for you, you should expect the final fifth of the film to take what was for me a very unexpected turn that seemed to place the film in possibly a less worthy category. From a certain standpoint the ending was very daring and perhaps not pleasing to the general audience. More than that, the very ending was a bit too Steven Spielberg-like for my tastes. In my humble opinion we could have done without that last scene.

Comments ?

1964, Cowboy, Old-Fashioned, Revenge, Violent, Western

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

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From NetFlix:

The first film in director Sergio Leone and star Clint Eastwood’s “Man with No Name” trilogy finds a world-weary gunman in a town torn apart by warring gangs. He agrees to work for both sides, ultimately pitting the two factions against each other. Marianne Koch and Gian Maria Volontè co-star in this groundbreaking Western, inspired by filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s classic Yojimbo and featuring a famous score by Ennio Morricone.

47 years ago, when Clint Eastwood was 34 years old, this historical spaghetti western made quite a splash. And to think that today Clint Eastwood is still going strong as an actor and director.

When the film begins, the lines delivered by the Mexican bell-ringer are very stilted and I was tempted to stop watching. But there is still something very watchable in this film. Could it be the violence ? At one point Clint gets beaten to a pulp by those nasty villains who laugh menacingly while they do it. Probably the fun of the film is watching both the American and Mexican gangs being wiped out slowly but surely. That Clint sure knows a lot of neat tricks!

Sex is not an issue and is, in fact, very chaste and traditional. Our Clint will surely help a beautiful damsel in distress and at the mercy of that villainous Ramón.

Call it a film history lesson or whatever, but I had fun watching!

2003, Complicated, Drama, Drugs, Grim, Medical Theme, Non-physical Violence, Not Feel Good, Nudity, Plot Twist, Prison, Redemption, Religious Theme, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Violent, Wonderful acting

21 Grams (2003)

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From NetFlix:

A tragic car accident brings together three strangers — a teacher (Sean Penn) with a weak heart, a former drug addict (Naomi Watts) turned housewife and an ex-con (Benicio Del Toro) who’s found Christ — forcing them to face their darkest fears, reevaluate their lives and seek redemption. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directed this complex drama that earned Oscar nominations for lead actress Watts and supporting actor Del Toro.

Mexican directory Alejandro González Iñárritu is known for possibly disturbing films such as “Babel”, “Amores Perros”, “21 Grams”, and “Biutiful”. His “Nine Lives” did not please me very much.

“21 Grams” is a jigsaw puzzle. Scene sequences are scrambled and you eventually have to figure out what the complete story really is. Some scenes are repeated such that on a succeeding viewing you finally understand what that scene means. Not that the scrambling is random, rather the non-linear sequencing is done very well. What really keeps the film moving is the sudden changes in scene without any warning. Expect some sudden surprising plot twists.

Violence, infidelity, ill health, forgiveness, and possibly redemption are the major themes.

“Redemption” is debatable because Del Toro’s character possibly never forgives himself for what he has done (we are talking ambiguity here). He certainly was a horrible father in addition to his other shortcomings. His little son does a great job showing that he had to keep himself distant from his capricious and often violent father. His daughter accepts him unconditionally.

Sean Penn seemed to me a basically selfish man, mostly concerned with his identity (“who am I with this newly transplanted heart ?”). He finds it easy to abandon the woman who loves him.

Naomi Watts’ character asks the question: “How possible is it to forgive someone who killed your loved ones ?” Watching her life go down the drain is no fun.

Interest never flags in this intense, worthwhile, demanding film.

2002, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Feel Good For All, Love Story, Quiet, Sex Scenes, Wonderful acting

Moonlight Mile (2002)

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From NetFlix:

Susan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman co-star as the grieving mother and father of a recently deceased girl who take in their daughter’s fiancé (Jake Gyllenhaal) because he’s the only living connection they have to their only child. Problems arise when the young man falls in love with a woman (Ellen Pompeo) whose boyfriend has gone missing, prompting his former in-laws-to-be to come to grips with the new relationship.

When this film was made in 2002, Jake Gyllenhaal was a mere 22 years old and Ellen Pompeo (Dr. Meredith Grey in “Grey’s Anatomy”) was 33 years old. She did not seem in the film to be that much older than Gyllenhaal. For me it is still shocking to watch an older film and see how young the actors look (even 9 years ago).

Here we have the perfect date movie that offers everything: love story, sad tragedies and humor (Susan Sarandon shoots off some wonderfully acerbic comments about the stupid things people say to you when someone you love dies). You might even shed a tear or two in some of the (possibly) more maudlin scenes.

Children should not be affected by the quiet, tasteful love-making.

“Acting by not acting” is an accusation I often hurl at actors who use their facial expressions (blank or otherwise) instead of saying anything. Perhaps I am harsh or just plain wrong. At any rate Gyllenhaal gets away with this technique which really seems to work for him.

“Moonlight Mile” is the name of a song in a jukebox that has meaning for Ellen Pompeo.

Oh, wait there’s more: you even get a happy ending.

2010, Could Be Sad, Drama, Play Adaptation, Wonderful acting

Rabbit Hole (2010)

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From NetFlix:

In this raw drama based on David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) grapple with the realities of life eight months after the death of their 4-year-old son, Danny. Even with Becca’s well-meaning mother (Dianne Wiest) offering comfort and weekly group therapy always available, the couple go about their own secret ways of coping. John Cameron Mitchell directs.

For a long time I resisted seeing this film because the underlying theme, the loss of a young child in an automobile mishap, is very difficult. Who knows how each of us would react in such a situation ? In fact, it took me a while to commiserate with Becca (Nicole Kidman) because she seemed to resist the healing process whereas her husband Howie (Aaron Eckhart) was desperate to work together for their life ahead without their son Danny.

All the acting was splendid. But hats off to all the wonderful supporting actors, each of whom did a great job:

  • Dianne Wiest (Becca’s mother) occupies a special place in my heart. We have seen her warm loving smile not only as a DA on “Law and Order” but also as the psychiatrist’s psychiatrist in “In Treatment”.
  • Sandra Oh (a mourning mother in the support group) we have seen as Patti in “Under the Tuscan Sun” and as Stephanie in “Sideways”.
  • Miles Teller is a young newcomer who delivers a pitch perfect performance as the teenager who accidentally killed Danny.
  • Jon Tenney is agent Rick Howard in “The Closer”. His part in this film is minimal but I was glad to see him as something besides the Closer’s FBI husband. He actually has a long list of credits beginning with 1986.

Congratulations to Eckhart (age 43) and Tenney (age 50) for staying in good physical shape while so many actors and actresses allow themselves to put on weight. But after all, folks, shouldn’t your acting profession require a lot of maintenance ?

If you have ever experienced such a dreadful loss, I can only believe that this marvelous film might be a very helpful view into the lives of a couple who have suffered similarly.