Sound of My Voice

Director: Zal Batmanglij
Cast: Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, Brit Marling
Genre: Drama/Mystery/Sci-fi 2011
Running time: 85 mins. 
Rating:★★½

A filmmaker (Christopher Denham) and his girlfriend (Nicole Vicius) set out to expose the beautiful leader of a cult, Maggie (Brit Marling), who claims to be from the future. But the more they explore, the more danger they face in this "intricate and taut thriller."

A fly on the way of this very bizarre cult, where you feel just as suspicious to this "future woman" as Peter and Lorna are. As he and his girlfriend continue to gather evidence for his film, the more they are sucked in to the leader's way of thinking.

Christopher Denham brings a skeptic, angry, stubbornness, and vulnerability to his character, Peter. Nicole Vicius balances Denham's performance with a caring, sensitivity, and hesitance to Lorna. You wonder what connection the little girl in the red cap and the numbers have to do with the plot. Is Maggie full of shit or is she for really? Hippie bullshit or something that may tear Peter and Lorna apart!?!

What the fuck was up with the Maggie character and the oxygen tubes/tanks, when she is introduced in the film? Is that suppose to have the audience to be a skeptical as Peter and Lorna are in the beginning? There are only selective scenes, where Maggie uses the oxygen in the rest of the film! Soooo?!?! It is only as the plot thickens, are you give clues to the truth....or do you? Its a extremely confusing film, but that cinematography was very well thought out that is both chaotic and serene.

Frankenstein Unbound

Director: Roger Corman
Cast: John Hurt, Raul Julia, Bridget Fonda
Genre: Drama/Horror/Sci fi 1990
Running time: 85 mins.
Rating:★

Joe Buchanan (John Hurt) is a scientist in New Los Angeles 2031. When one of his experiments fractures the very core of time and space, he is thrust back in time to nineteenth century Geneva where he finds Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Raul Julia) desperately trying to cope with his own disastrous experiment. Impressed with Buchanan's advanced knowledge of electricity, Frankenstein enlists his help with his "creation," persuading Buchanan that the only way to stop "it" from killing is to create a mate. The outrageous endeavor could either save the scientists...or destroy them!

What a crack of shit!! A nice idea of what could happen, when a scientist unable to come to grips of his own disastrous invention is sucked into it and goes back to a time to meets with the infamous Dr. Frankenstein. But its too happy-go-lucky and over the top that you wish that you were watching the Power Rangers instead! Its not that its not that the story line isn't easy to follow, but the film must have had a low budget....a VERY LOW BUUD-GET!  What a fuckin' cheesy ending!!! Oh I am so scared and vulnerable about what could still happen, even though, it seemed to be a happy ending! Some one was blowing smoke up their asses!

LED lights, a laser show, and a bunch of wires does not constitute as an illustration of the future. Yes, the film throws in some beautiful landscapes and nineteenth century architecture, but that hardly makes up for this kid's show! What does (to no surprise), is John Hurt's performance. He brings intelligence, strength, integrity, and perseverace to the character of Dr. Joe Buchanan.

Far from the Madding Crowd

Director: John Schlesinger
Cast: Julie Christine, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch, Alan Bates
Genre: Drama/Romance 1967
Running time: 171 mins.
Rating:★★★★

Based on Thomas Hardy's 19th century novel, Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christine) is a willful, passionate girl who is never satisfied with anything less than a man's complete and helpless adoration. And she captures the lives and loves of three very different men: Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates), a sheep farmer who is captivated by her beauty and proposes marriage; William Boldwood (Peter Finch), a prosperous man in his early forties and a confirmed bachelor; and Sergeant Frank Troy (Terence Stamp), a handsome, reckless swordsman given to sudden fits of violence.

Ahhh...back in the good ol' days when films would still begin with an overture score...mmm...You knew right from the start that this movie was going to be epic and the story would be deliciously well-told! And I like my share of film violence as much as the next person, but when there are scenes of animal cruelty or death, I can't handle it at all. It is interesting however that while Bathsheba toys with two of the men's affection, it does save her during each trial. Her headstrong, charms and independent nature are soon stripped away, when she's the one who is foolishly charmed into love with dangerous and disharmonious man. Through a world-wind of a journey does she break free of her naivety, realizes the joys of harmony, and of simplistic peace. 

Like The Collector (1965), Terence Stamp proves to be able to portray a fantastic asinine creep with great screen presence. You just love to hate him! The landscapes have a very Edgar Allan Poe and Vincent Van Gogh-esque quality, which absolutely perfect for the plot.

Voyage of the Damned

Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Cast: Faye Dunaway, Max Von Sydow, Oskar Werner, Malcolm McDowell, Orson Welles, James Mason
Genre: Drama/War 1976
Running time: 155 mins. 
Rating:★★½

This was not your standard passenger list. Some were concentration camp victims; others were well-to-do travelers. Most left everything behind to try and escape the Nazi terror. But none suspected the shocking course their voyage would take. As days became weeks, the passengers would unite in a heroic flight for freedom.

Though based on a true story and starts with a bone-chilling piano score and hauntingly beautiful Art Nouveau architecture, the film quality is only TV worthy. Perhaps it adds to the terror that lies ahead, but one is unsure in the beginning. But it is assured that it is indeed more of a BBC film or intended for theatre than the silver screen as the film continues. No one can deny that the performances were spectacular and the well-written script, guiding the illustration of how the war struggles took a great toll on everyone, on board, personally. This however, does create much tension on the passengers interaction with one another. One must ask why anyone would consciously allow passengers from opposite sides of the war on one ship? Propaganda, yes, but the film hardly holds my attention, so I don't really care.

Stranger than Fiction

Director: Marc Forster
Cast: Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah, Maggie Gyllenhaal 
Genre: Comedy 2006
Running time: 113 mins
Rating:★★★

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell), a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears  a mysterious voice narrating his life. With the help of Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), Harold discovers he's the main character in a novel-in-progress and that the voice belongs to Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), an eccentric author famous for killing her main characters in creative ways. Harold must quickly track down Eiffel and stop her before she conjures up a way to finish him off.

I'll admit that Will Ferrell annoys me to no end. In each film that I've seen him in, he is extremely obnoxious and over the top-poorly acted comedy. I would rather listen to old school reggae or ska than watch him in a film. However, in this film, he finally shows that he can act in a serious role. In it is in this type of role that the comedy is refreshing and delightful. And what makes the comedy more organic and witty, is the wonderfully casted group of actors. Their beings and range is too magnanimously beautiful to describe that you wonder why they never acted as a group before! My love for Queen Latifah has grown immensely in the past few weeks, ever since watching The Secret Life of Bees. She is a powerhouse of an actress, showing both vulnerability, comedic wit, and strength.

Love the "boxy"ness of the set design to the numbers/calculations on the screen that helps illustrate how mundane his life and the feeling toward his work in the first half of the film. It isn't until he meets Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal) that the set design transitions to a more chaotic-organic freedom of the same ol' same ol'.

Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Director: George Lucas
Cast: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid
Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy 1999
Running time: 136 mins.
Rating:★★

Two Jedi knights, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), escape a hostile blockage to find allies and come across a young boy, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to reclaim their old glory.

Although, it may have been George Lucas to make the films that would lead up to the trilogy, we have come to love, this one is completely hokey and trying too hard to be "cool." It was almost as if Lucas was having a childish tantrum that the computer technology/graphics or whatever weren't available back when he made the trilogy, so he's tries to make up for it in this film. The rules of the power of the Force are too over the top and doesn't seem to stay true to old rules from the trilogy. Ja-Ja Binks character should have been deleted and destroyed. Star Wars is not suppose to be intended for just a child-based audience, but whatever.

The performances by Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, and Natalie Portman are spectacular! But that shouldn't come to any surprise.

Agnes of God

Director: Norman Jewison
Cast: Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Meg Tilly
Genre: Drama 1985
Running time: 98 mins.
Rating:★★★★

When the infant of a young nun, Agnes (Meg Tilly), is found strangled, court appointed psychiatrist, Martha Livingston (Jane Fonda), must decide if the devout but troubled girl is fit to stand trial. In her quest for truth, Martha goes head to head with the intractable Mother Superior (Anne Bancroft), who assures her that Agnes has no memory of the pregnancy. But the probe uncovers mysterious aspects of Agnes' personality, which leads to a shattering climax. Is Agnes of God a hysterical young woman or is her ordeal divinely inspired?

How much does psychiatry or science really go together with religion? Though some argue that they don't, one has to remember that Galileo was both a very religious man, as well as a mathematician and scientist. Nevertheless, the film begins with a serene reflection on the convent, almost as if it were a painting, then delves into the nuns daily routines. The music score that follows the opening scene, is very haunting, as if to prepare the audience for the horror that lies ahead. The nuns silently circling a large cross in the courtyard doesn't help the eerie feeling lessen. Yet, it seem that it is always the one, who's had personal traumatizing events in their past relating to particular issue, are chosen to take on the issue head on, though seemingly unrelated. Jane Fonda's character is one of those, who is very hesitant on being assigned to evaluate this young nun. She portrays these emotions beautiful, as well as a desire to help uncover the mystery of Sister Agnes' (Meg Tilly) pregnancy and crime of manslaughter. In this journey, she is able to find some peace with her burden. Tilly embodies the sheltered and eternal child that is Sister Agnes.

Its weird, but amazing to see Anne Bancroft go from the seductress in The Graduate to the Mother Superior in this film. Really illustrates the range she had as an actress! Nevertheless, you are able to follow the personal struggle and desire to debunk the undebunkable with the three main characters. You start to question your own beliefs, whether you're religious or not. Its simply amazing and somewhat saddening!

The Secret Life of Bees

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Cast: Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany
Genre: Drama 2008
Running time: 110 mins.
Rating:★★★★

To escape her cruel, angry father (Paul Bettany) and discover the truth about her late mother's past, 14-year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) flees with her caregiver and friend, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) to a South Carolina town where she's taken in by the bee-keeping Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo). Surrounded by the unexpected love, grace, and spirituality she encounters there, Lily forms a bond with each of these uniquely gifted women and discovers you must leave home in order to find it.

A beautiful heartfelt film about what the swarm of hatred can effect people; who have changed from losing the love they once had and the desperation of wanting it to return, the lies to hide the pain, and the power of love to uplift the heart of the colony again. As Queen Latifah's character, August, magnificently says it, "Don't be afraid, as no life-loving bee wants to sting you. Still, don't be an idiot; wear long sleeves and pants. Don't swat. Don't even think about swatting. If you feel angry, whistle. Anger agitates while whistling melts a bee's temper. Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. Above all, send the bees love. Every living thing wants to be loved." It is definitely one of the main themes in the film.

And when the time comes, you must disburden the troubles on your shoulder and forgive yourself and believe. Also, to know it is not up to you to carry the weight of the world by yourself that you have a family (biological or not) to help too. Lastly, whether you are black, white, yellow, red, or green, there is beauty in us all, which makes us lovable, even when we feel we are not. Based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd.

The Kite Runner

Director: Marc Forster
Cast: Khalid Abdalla, Homayoun Ershadi, Shaun Toub, Atossa Leoni, Saïd Taghmaoui
Genre: Drama 2007
Running time: 127 mins.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

As young boys, Amir and Hassan were inseparable friends, until one fateful act tore them apart. Years later, Amir will embark on a dangerous quest to right the wrongs of the past and redeem himself in ways he never expected by displaying the ultimate in courage and devotion to his friend.

Two boys, who couldn't be more different from each other, share a beautiful unconditional bond and a love for kites. Amir (Zekeria Ebrahini) is a well-off and cowardly non-violent with a struggle to please his father. Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada) is Amir's father's servant's son who is humble, brave, and is favored by Amir's father. When the post events of the boys win in the kite flying competition takes a dangerous turn, Amir's cowardice will ultimately destroy his friendship with Hassan. Even as time passes in times of war and passage from Afghanistan to California, Amir's desire to write and please his father, as well as the guilt of the past, prohibits his ability to stand up for himself and move on. When the time comes to possibly mend his friendship with Hassan, Amir is conflicted and scared. It is here, in the struggle for redemption, he finally finds forgiveness in himself and from Hassan.

The music score brilliantly guides the emotions of the character, the story line, and cultural changes. An emotional beautiful and heart-breaking journey that is worth asking oneself, how long are you willing to carry guilt and grudges on your shoulders before it erodes you soul and you can't stand up anymore?

The Blue Tooth Virgin

Director: Russell Brown
Cast: Austin Peck, Bryce Johnson, Tom Gilroy, Roma Maffia, Lauren Stamile, Karen Black
Genre: Comedy/Drama 2008
Running time: 85 mins.
Rating:★

Sam (Austin Peck), an aspiring screenwriter, has always relied on the constructive criticism and advice of his best friend David (Bryce Johnson, a successful magazine editor. But when David provides negative feedback for his latest work, both writers learn that sometimes the truth isn't always the best policy.

Shallow, insecure, and bro-y characters that are trying to come across as they discussing a screenplay, "The Blue Tooth Virgin." Poorly acted, where it seems more of a read-through or dress-rehersal than a continuous film. You don't believe that the characters are who they say they are. Austin Peck's character seems like an uneducated dip-shit that has just recently decided that "Man, I should write screenplays." Well both Peck's and Bryce Johnson's characters are more college frat-boys than established businessmen/writers who are in their thirties.

The film rips off Woody Allen with its 1940's piano music and artsy-fartsy quote breaks to introduce the next sequence in the story. I don't understand why the characters are interacting in certain locations.

Ka-Boom

Director: Gregg Araki
Cast: Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Chris Zylka, 
Genre: Comedy/Mystery/Sci-fi 2010
Running time: 86 mins.
Rating:★½


A hot comedy about the secrets that lie beneath the surface of life at an idyllic seaside university. Smith (Thomas Dekker), a college freshman who spends his time lusting after his straight surfer roommate (Chris Zylka), hanging out with his lesbian BFF (Haley Bennett), and trying to decide if he can, whether he digs boys or girls. Teen angst soon gives way however to more sinister concerns when Smith discovers that his small Southern California town is also home to a deadly and mysterious cult.

A fun and light satire of self-discovery during the college years. Erotic and surreal film that is not meant to be taken seriously. This film would be better as a television series, almost as an off-shoot to The O.C. than a movie. It also walks a fine line between soft porn and hard porn, leaving you with an "oh yeah!" feeling. Definitely a worth while see, at least for some good laughs among the fluff and density. However, if I wanted to watch a throwback to The O.C. and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I would watch the reruns of those shows instead.

Lincoln

Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levit, James Spader Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones
Genre: Biography/Drama/History 2012
Running time: 150 mins.
Rating:★★★

This inspiring and revealing dram focuses on the 16th President's tumultuous final four months in office as this visionary leader pursues a course of action to end the Civil War, unite the country and abolish slavery.

Though beautiful look at what went on during those last four months, the dialogue is a long-winded and unrealistic poem. Too theatrical. It does show the burden and struggle that one man journeys to change the course of the country for better. Enjoy the dark contrasts in both cinematography and costume design to illustrate at dark time in U.S. history. Tommy Lee Jones's performance is surprisingly the strongest of the whole cast. He brings a strength, powerhouse, and intelligence to the character of Thaddeus Stevens. Daniel Day-Lewis, obviously came from household of a poet, delivers his lines with beautiful rhetoric, but is hardly a believable Lincoln.

The movie gets a bit hokey when trying to get the votes for the 13th Amendment with quick scene jumping, hoe-down music, and attempted humorously witty dialogue. Set design is very well thought out from the photographs to the tapestry, allowing the audience to feel that they are a fly on the wall observing these American "heroes" as real people, not as a legend or stories.

Meet Bill

Director: Melisan Wallack and Bernie Goldman
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, Elizabeth Banks, Timothy Olyphant, Logan Lerman
Genre: Comedy/Drama 2007
Running time: 95 mins.
Rating:★

Meet Bill (Aaron Eckhart). By all appearances his life is perfect...a perfect mess, that is. His wife (Elizabeth Banks) is having an affair with the local news anchor (Timothy Olyphant) and he is stuck in a dead-end job at his father-in-law's bank. Bill sees no escape from his miserable life until he becomes mentor to a self-assured teen (Logan Lerman) who is determined to help Bill reinvent his life by setting him up with a sexy lingerie saleswoman (Jessica Alba) who promises to spice things up. Together, the trio confronts Bill's hapless life with humor and energy while forcing him to capture his dream of becoming his own man.

It's never too late to reevaluate where your life is going and start over. Remember the little things in life. Very predictable uplifting story that is transparently vapid. As usual, Aaron Eckhart's characters either go from being really egotistical to insecure or visa versa. The ending leaves you thinking, "Really? that's it?..um ok....well that was kind of a waste my time."

The Loneliest Planet

Director: Julia Loktev
Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Hani Furstenberg, Bidzina Gujabidze
Genre: Thriller 2011
Running time: 113 mins.
Rating:★½

Alex (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Nica (Hani Furstenberg) are young, in love and engaged to be married. The summer before their wedding, while backpacking in the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia, they hire a local guide (real-life mountaineer, Bidzina Gujabidze) to lead them on a camping trek. Venturing into the stunning wilderness, a brief, shattering incident interrupts the trio's peaceful adventure. A subtle rift opens between Alex and Nica, quickly widening until it threatens to undo everything the couple believed about each other and themselves. Along with their ever-present guide, the young travelers find themselves journeying not only into a landscape that's both overwhelmingly open and frighteningly closed, but also into the farthest depths of their own understandings.

Though in most of the films Gael Garcia Bernal has been in, have annoyed or angered me immensely and the cinematography sucks (as if it was all shot with a camera used purely for home movies and for the attraction of hipsters and artsy-fartsy bullshit), the chemistry between Barnal and Hani Furstenberg is electrifying and delightful. Nevertheless, the movie as a whole fails to hold my attention and the plot drags out to long. "Natural" and "realistic" time maybe, but boring as fuck. Like being the third wheel in their adventure, unable to speak or get their attention.

The Wind and the Lion

Director: John Milius
Cast: Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, John Huston
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama 1975
Running time: 119 mins.
Rating:★★★★

In 1904 Morocco, European powers desire a foothold in the Arab world and dessert chieftain, Raisuli (Sean Connery) is determined to stir up tribal fury against them. So he kidnaps an American widow (Candice Bergen) and her children, igniting a chain of events that include President Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Keith) wielding the big stick of foreign policy and Raisuli matching wits and sharing mutual admiration with his lovely captive.

Was there no speech/dialect coach back in the late 70's to work with Sean Connery? His Scottish accent is very present, even though he is suppose to portray an Arab/Berber. Since, it's Sean Connery after all, it doesn't really matter. A diplomatic and calm leader, whose stubbornness and ego is his major weakness. Candice Bergen, before Murphy Brown and Miss Congeniality, gives a very sensuous, strong, stubborn, and vulnerable performances that wonderfully balances Connery's. Cautious and awkward tension in the beginning, as well as each other's stubbornness, makes the romance more desirable. It is a welcomed predictability because it happens organically, not with over the top clues in dialogue, visuals, and soundtrack.

The overall theme is that "lions are noble", but vicious and the winds can come in silently, are strong, sometimes destructive, some times pleasant, and go in the same manner that it came.  Or perhaps like in the ending monologue from Raisuli, "I like the lion, must stay in my place, while you, the wind, will never know yours."

Love the well-shot landscapes of Morocco deserts, though actually shot in Almeria, Spain. The earthy-brown undertones in the Berber scenes and the enriched rose undertones for the European/American is a brilliant contrast of the two conflicting sides.