Since there’s been so many highly anticipated films that have come out recently, my family’s been on a bit of a movie watching binge. Luckily, my theater’s first showings of the day are only $4.00 — even for a new film! We’re sci-fi nuts at our house, so we’ve been anxiously awaiting these three films. I’m not going to give full reviews on these, but I would like to briefly state my thoughts on each.
Star Trek. Grade: A+
Absolutely loved this. Casting was perfect, and I loved the storyline. One of my sons has a problem with movies and books that have time travel involved, so he didn’t care as much for the story as the rest of us. I, however, loved it! Even my sister, who’s not really into Star Trek at all, really liked the movie.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine.Grade: A
This movie definitely answers all your questions about the origins of Wolverine. Jackman was awesome, and so was Liev Schreiber. The opening sequence of the movie is really great. I liked this movie much better than the third X-Men film.
Terminator Salvation. Grade: B-
Disappointed. I actually almost gave this a C+. I love all the Terminator films and we’ve also seen all of the Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles episodes on TV. This was our (and I mean all four of us!) favorite show on television, but sadly, it got cancelled. So I was really excited that the fourth installment of the films was coming out.
Christian Bale is absolutely one of my favorite actors, so it pains me to say I really didn’t like him in this. He acted it well, but there was really no heart to the story. The only heart I saw came from the characters Marcus Wright and Blair. Some of the machines were particularly cool, like the ‘motorcycle’ terminators. However, I really despised some of the sound in the film. Terminators are machines, not animals. Some of the sounds coming from them were almost like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Didn’t care for that at all. One more thing — some of the terminators in LA were wearing bandanas. Campy. Just dumb. This is my least favorite film of the franchise, and I must say that the TV series is also better. That makes me sad because I really wanted to love this.
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So if you’re in the market for a movie this weekend and you’re into sci-fi, I’d choose Star Trek or Wolverine over Terminator Salvation.
I watched this movie from Netflix instant viewing to wrap up my Jewish Literature Challenge. I also used it for the Orbis Terrarum Film Challenge.
Words cannot describe how much I loved this movie. It’s a film about love, hospitality, and above all, faith. Ushpizin means “holy guests,” and when Moshe and Mali have unexpected guests during the Succoth holiday, their faith is not only tested, but also their love for one another. This is a must see if you are interested at all in the Jewish experience. Highly recommended.
Awesome trailer — I’m very excited for this movie to come out. I love Christian Bale, and I love the whole Terminator saga, including the TV series (probably my favorite right now since Battlestar Galactica is over). I may have to take my kids out of school on opening day for this one (aren’t I a cool mom?). [For the record, we went on Saturday morning.]
I’m a sci-fi nut, so of course a few years ago I just had to see the movie Solaris with George Clooney. I loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I loved it so much that I not only have watched the film over 20 times, but I also own the soundtrack and the Criterion Collection Russian version. And now, I’ve read the book written by Polish author Stanislaw Lem in 1961.
I did love the book as well, but perhaps only because I love the movies so much. There is a lot more science involved in the novel, which I didn’t mind (and even enjoyed) because I’m sort of a geek that way. It made me appreciate the movies even more and understand more of what the scientists were actually doing in their study of the planet Solaris. I relished the additional background story that the movies didn’t have time to go into.
Soundtrack
I’m not going to say much of what the book and/or movie is about, because it would just spoil it too much for those who aren’t familiar with them. Let me just say that it is a pschological romance in a sci-fi setting. The movies do concentrate more on the romance while the book is more sci-fi, but I loved all aspects of the both the book and movie versions. I also love the soundtrack by Cliff Martinez in the Clooney movie. I even listened to it while I read the novel!
The movie also introduced me to what is now one of my favorite poems:
DVD
And death shall have no dominion.
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion.
Under the windings of the sea
They lying long shall not die windily;
Twisting on racks when sinews give way,
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;
Faith in their hands shall snap in two,
And the unicorn evils run them through;
Split all ends up they shan’t crack;
And death shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Though they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion.
– Dylan Thomas
1961, 204 pp. 4.5/5
If you’re still reading this review, you might be interested in some youtube videos of the movies. This first one is George Clooney reading the poem. Note: Stop at 1:30 if you don’t want to see spoilers!
This next one is one of my favorite scenes from the Russian DVD version:
And this last one is some scenes from the modern version highlighting the soundtrack:
I absolutely loved Fear and Trembling. I actually watched the movie first and loved it as well. I must say it follows the book almost exactly. It’s a fascinating study of the clash of cultures. The book is translated from the French, and the film is a combination of French and Japanese with English sub-titles.
In this short semi-autobiographical novel, Amelie Nothomb describes the experiences of ‘Amelie’ during her year at a Japanese corporation. Amelie is smitten with Japan, knows the language, and is ecstatic that she obtained a corporate position as a translator in the country where she was born. The job is not all she hoped, but she tries her best to stick out her position the way a Japanese person would. I found this book (and movie) to be truly fascinating. Nothomb obviously loves Japan and Japanese culture, but even she finds that the differences of East and West are sometimes difficult to overcome.
In speaking of the Japanese woman:
“It is best to avoid any kind of physical pleasure because it is apt to make you sweat. There is nothing more shameful than sweat. If you gobble up a steaming bowl of noodles, if you give in to s*xual craving, if you spend the winter dozing in front of the fire, you will sweat. And no one will be in any doubt that you are coarse.
The choice between sweat and suicide isn’t a choice. Spilling one’s blood is as admirable as spilling sweat is unspeakable. Take your life, and you will never sweat again. Your anxiety will be over for all eternity.”
Unfortunately, it’s been awhile… I’ve been reading but for some reason am struggling to write any reviews lately. I’ve also been succumbing to a guilty pleasure of mine — foreign films. I’m in love with Netflix instant viewing and can’t get enough of it right now. Also, I’ve had some DVDs on my shelves for awhile that I’ve finally made time for as well. So, up first is what I’ve been reading and hope to finish by January, and then on to some short movie reviews.
I finally finished Thousand Cranes by Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata. It’s a short book, but for some reason I couldn’t rip right through it like I usually do with shorter works. It’s about a son whose dead father’s ‘women’ insert themselves into his life. A tea ceremony also had quite a bit to do with the story, but of course I couldn’t quite fully understand the cultural significance of that part.
I’m almost done with Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels, which I read to fit into the Canadian, 1%, Book Awards, and Orange January challenges. (I’m a master at overlapping.)
I’ve also started Kafka on the Shore by Murakami to try to fit in one more Japanese title before the end of January. It’s also on the 1001 list.
Now on to my movie madness… With the exception of the first title, all of these are slow character movies. I happen to love slow character movies, so your mileage may vary on these if you don’t have similar tastes.
Lola and her boyfriend Manni must get 100,000 Marks before a certain time or Manni’s probably dead. I’ve had this one on my shelf for awhile, and with great music, dialogue, and action, it’s going to stay there!
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(Kinamand is Chinaman in English) This one really surprised me. Very touching. Keld’s wife divorces him and he marries Ling solely so she can get a visa to stay in Denmark. Will their relationship remain one only of convenience?
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Great movie set during the Spanish Civil War. Carol moves from New York to her mother’s village in Spain and meets her relatives for the first time. I really loved Carol’s spunk and her growth in her family relationships. This one taught me a bit of Spanish history as well.
It was very interesting to watch this one after Run, Lola, Run — some similarities but without all the action. Otto and Ana believe in fate and coincidences. Their names are both palindromes (the same forward and backward) and fairly important to the story. One scene in this movie was so amazing — a shot of the midnight sun moving horizontally to the horizon in the arctic circle. Beautiful!
(This movie has some graphic scenes.)
This was kind of depressing but I liked the story. Apartment dwellers living in a factory town trying to make the best of their lives. Home is still home, no matter the circumstances.
(Graphic scenes and language)
Now I have some more Japanese films on my shelves that I want to get to!
"Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." (John 6:27, ESV)
Unfortunately, it’s been awhile… I’ve been reading but for some reason am struggling to write any reviews lately. I’ve also been succumbing to a guilty pleasure of mine — foreign films. I’m in love with Netflix instant viewing and can’t get enough of it right now. Also, I’ve had some DVDs on my shelves for awhile that I’ve finally made time for as well. So, up first is what I’ve been reading and hope to finish by January, and then on to some short movie reviews.
Run, Lola, Run
Kinamand 
Carol’s Journey
The Lovers of the Arctic Circle
Something Like Happiness
