Food, Inc. July 21, 2009
Posted by Pete in 2 Star, Documentaries, USA.add a comment
Food, Inc. is a documentary that seeks to expose the truth in America of how the entire food industry is monopolised by a few major corporations, forcing smaller competitors out of the market, and deluding the consumer about its products and where they come from.
What we see is atrocities of cruelty within the cattle industry, as livestock are crammed into tight enclosures, walking their own filth and forced to live on corn based diets which are ill-suited to their bodies. Blind Chickens are packed into lightless barns, unable to support their own chemically enhanced weight. Genetically modified super crops of corn and wheat surround and work their way into those of ‘organic’ crops, and the pesticides that come with them. Farmers have to tow the line, or go out of business.
Contrasting this, we are shown how ‘old-fashioned’ farming techniques which treat the land and animals with greater respect, yield healthier produce and can be commercially viable for farmers.
As a result we are exposed to a dark corporate underbelly, we wouldn’t have even considered before as we shop for groceries in the supermarkets. Items which are advertised as healthy or organic are run by congromerates producing anything but this. An appeal a grass roots campaign is made for the consumers to challenge the corporations by only purchasing products that are made in humane ways. Afterall, any business is about making money by satisfying the customer.
However, one way in which I found this documentary lacking was in offering practical alternatives to the current situation. How scalable are these organic and nurturing farms? References are made to the livestock per square mile in the old days versus current times, and the poor (inexpensive) diets they are put on, but what is the feasibility of producing the same amount of meat using those recommended old-fashioned farming techniques, which might work for niche enterprises but to serve millions of people? At what cost to the consumer? Are they willing to pay more for these products when the cost of living is so high already? It is all fine and well to ask consumers to boycott certain products, but do they have affordable alternatives?
I didn’t see much attempt to address any of these issues, and as a result, while we have a somewhat shocking look at what happens beyond the shelves of our supermarkets, I can’t see a significant change occurring in people’s lives or the practices of larger corporations, where the bottom line is profit, not making the world a better place. This is disappointing, since it is such a serious issue in society.
Humpday July 14, 2009
Posted by Pete in 2 Star, Gay Themes, USA.add a comment
Ben and Anna are not an atypical 30-something married couple, settled in suburbia and ready to start a family. When Ben’s old college buddy, and free spirit, Andrew blows in from Mexico one night, he brings with him a taste of that carefree attitude missing from Ben’s lifestyle. After an informal party at a house Andrew is staying at, a drug-induced pact is made between Ben and Andrew to make a gay porno with each other for a film festival known as Humpfest. Both of the heterosexual men are nervous about carrying through with it, but pride won’t let either of them back down, and Ben sees it as a chance to regain something of that lost youth. The amazingly understanding Anna can only stand on the sidelines as is this mid-life crisis unravels.
At first this film sounds like it should be a comedy, and the subject could even be made into one without too much effort. Indeed, it has some humour in it. However, it is essentially a drama and a commentary on a man with a Peter Pan complex and his friend, who has grown up, looking back on what he has left behind. While I found it interesting as to how Anna handled the situation, and the movie itself was not hard to watch, I didn’t feel like it had much substance to it or it knew where it was going. The characters were somewhat two-dimensional and implausible. This seemed most apparent when the supposedly adventurous Andrew, really seemed to become uncharacteristically conservative and awkward when it came to the crunch, as if he were having just as much of a mid-life crisis as Ben, rather than leading him astray.
All in all, a mediocre concept, with a mediocre result.
Treeless Mountain (나무 없는 산) July 14, 2009
Posted by Pete in 3 Star, Korean.add a comment
Six year old Bin and her younger sister Jin have been taken out of school and sent to stay with their aunt in the country, while their mother tries to find their estranged father for financial support. Her parting gift is a piggy bank, and she assures them she will return by the time they have filled it up. Big Aunt has her own problems with a husband who left her and alcoholic tendencies, so it’s essentially up to Bin to look after. The entrepreneurial spirits of the girls keep their hopes alive, while they set out on their own to raise the money to fill the piggy bank and await the homecoming of their mother.
The director, So Yong Kim, has managed to draw out the talents of the young girls for all to see in this film. We never really have a lot of depth to work with for any of the characters as this movie meanders along in an almost plotless manner, but it doesn’t seem to matter, perceived as in the non-analytical minds of a young child perhaps, living in the world of the present moment. If I have one criticism, it is that at times is meanders a little too much and can be slow moving. It is a movie that demands patience.
The end product is one which demonstrates the importance of family and the value of the bonds which tie them together.
Breathless (똥파리) June 11, 2009
Posted by Pete in 5 Star, Korean.add a comment
Sang-hoon grew up surrounded by domestic violence from his father, which eventually resulted in the deaths of his mother and sister. He has grown up to be a small-time gangster/debt collector. Violence is almost a way of life, and not just a last resort. He periodically visits his father, who has recently been released from prison, and vents his anger towards him by abusing and beating him up. The only things he still care about are his other sister and nephew, until Yeon-hee enters the picture.
Yeon-hee is a teenage school girl whose mother is dead at the hands of loan sharks, and she’s alone in looking after her demented father who abuses her during various psychotic epsiodes. She has a brother who steals housekeeping money from her, and threatens to kill her if she protests. It’s a sorry existence but one which toughens her up. Sang-hoon doesn’t scare her during a chance encounter, and for that the ‘crazy bitch’ earns his respect. The unorthodox bond of friendship that grows between them, gives them an escape from their troubles and changes both of their lives.
Yet another gem of Korean cinema in its portrayal of the cycle of violence. How those raised in this environment can so easily be trapped into it as they go through life. It is at times a brutally intense and heartbreaking movie, but is also a story of hope and freedom. Sang-hoon is an anti-hero, but rather than just mislabelling a good person as the villain, the role is expressed by allowing us, the audience, to understand his motives and where he’s coming from. Sang-hoon is given enough depth of character for us to still empathise with him, and even laugh along with him at times.
Yang Ik-joon, has done a brilliant job in writing, directing and playing Sang-hoon in this low-budget, emotionally intense drama. It kept me engaged all the way through and judging by the number of other members of the audience wiping the tears from their eyes at the end, I wasn’t the only one. It’s good to see the level of international critial acclaim it has received already.
Bluebeard (La Barbe Blue) June 4, 2009
Posted by Pete in 3 Star, French.add a comment
This 2009 movie is the latest re-telling of the classic tale of Bluebeard, the ugly blue-bearded aristocrat whose several wives mysteriously disappear. It is read as a story by a young child, Catherine, who seeks to frighten her ‘sensitive’ older sister, Marie-Anne, alternating between the two girls and the enactment of the story.
Played out in 17th century France following the death of their father, his family is forced into poverty Anne and her younger sister Marie-Catherine have few marital prospects with no money for a dowry. While suspicion surrounds the wealthy Bluebeard, or more importantly the mysteries surrounding what has happened to his previous wives, Marie-Catherine and her mother accept his proposal of marriage, despite the fact that she was still a considered a child (though a remarkably mature one for her age). Bluebeard has is secrets, however, and uncovering them could be fatal.
This is a great drama, interspersed with a good dose of black comedy, as the story-telling is periodically interrupted by flashes back to Catherine’s and Marie-Anne’s world of the 1950′s. Intelligent discussions of love, marriage and ogresses bring laughter to this movie, which should be grim.
While at times the plot line movies a little slow, the dialogue and cinematography is great. We never really get to know much about the characters in this fairy tale, but it doesn’t seem to matter as the performances of the various actors convey their feelings and thoughts in the present tense.
A bit slow and atmospheric to begin with, it’s still a movie well worth seeing.
Thank you for Smoking May 30, 2009
Posted by Pete in 5 Star, USA.add a comment
This is the story of a smoking lobby spin doctor. He makes no pretense of claiming that he believes that what his public stance on smoking is, justifying it only by saying ‘It pays the mortgage’. Technically be the bad guy, you would think you are supposed to see him lose for the moral good.
However, his honesty and charisma, the admiration his son has for his father, and the fanaticism of those of the anti-smoking lobby, all serve to make him the hero of the story. He’s the good guy unfairly treated by those around him, and you really want to see him succeed against the supposedly ‘good’ guys.
The acting, direction, intelligent storyline, humour and great characters all work together so well. I was surprised at how Katie Holmes has managed to make the transition from a Dawson’s Creek teenage soap star to being an actress to be taken seriously. It’s good to see an independant film that has gone mainstream, and been a real hit with audiences.
Loved it.
The Descent May 30, 2009
Posted by Pete in 5 Star, United Kingdom.add a comment
‘The Descent’ has a group of spelunking women running into an undeground colony of half-man, half-beasts who are out for blood. I usually get pretty bored with most movies of the genre, and I’m not easily scared by them. The plot sounds pretty ordinary and there’s so much potential for it to be so. This one, however, had me (along with the rest of the audience) jumping out of my seat!
The brilliant execution really made it work. ‘The Descent’ preyed on standard horror cliches, to lull you into a false sense of knowing what’s going to happen next, before introducing all sorts of twists and turns. You’re going to be scared, but you’re also going to love it. I’ve been to many horror films, but never seen so many people jump and gasp. At one point I even had the man behind me swearing madly (F*CK!F*CK!F*CK!F*CK!) out of shock. The brilliance of the cinematography is that rather than just being graphic blood and guts action, it works to fuel the imagination to create its own images of fear and violence.
I don’t want to say much more and ruin it for you, except to say DON’T wait for this one on DVD. The big screen is the place to see it.
Apparently there is a US edition where they changed the ending (correction, chopped off the ending) to something more ‘happily ever after’. This notion filled me with dread, since it was already such a good ending. Thankfully, it was the original version that makde it to Australian cinemas.
I bought my DVD copy on Amazon.co.uk (instead of Amazon.com)to be on the safe side.
Quarantine May 30, 2009
Posted by Pete in 1 Star, USA.add a comment
Angela is a smalltime TV reporter following a story on a night in the life of a Los Angeles fire department, with her cameraman Pablo. What starts off as a quiet, and somewhat boring, night turns into a horrific nightmare when the fire brigade is called in to investigate a case of a screaming woman in potential danger. Angela and Pablo seize on the chance to cover a real story as the the building is inexplicably quarantined while they are in it, and its occupants are trapped inside.
If you have seen Cloverfield, the novelty of shakey-cam mockumentary has probably long worn off. As things get worse, it becomes harder and harder to rationalise the ideals of needing to report on what has happened, ie keeping the camera rolling. Angela just got increasingly on my nerves as the movie progressed, with her constant shouting, swearing and screaming. As the primary source of dialogue, punctuated by bursts of zombie violence, it didn’t take long for my patience to wear thin.
The zombie genre is not a new one, and there are few recent reincarnations that inject any sort of novelty into it. ‘Quarantine’ is no exception. There seem to be constant irrational decisions made by characters which inadvertantly put themselves in danger. Afterall, if they merely stayed put, locked away from the zombies, or did what they were told in the first place, it might make for a pretty boring story.
Don’t bother.
Children of Men May 30, 2009
Posted by Pete in 5 Star, United Kingdom.add a comment
The setting is the UK in the year 2027; a world in which no child has been born for 18 years. All women have become sterile, and its not clear why, but its just an irrelevant detail in this case. Imagine a world where humanity is on the verge of extinction and has given up hope for a future. Refugees are herded into prison camps and treated like animals. A Big Brother style government seeks to maintain order in an age of anger and disallusionment.
So what happens when one of these refugees is discovered to be pregnant? How would the world react to the news? ‘Children of Men’ documents her flight to a safe haven known only as ‘The Human Project’.
I really loved the cinematography. It gave me the feeling I was running alongside the main characters and experiencing the world as they do. It was gritty, angry and real.
Infodumpong is a common element of science fiction, usually taking the form of unrealistic conversations that one person has with another, to set the scene for the audience. In ‘Children of Men’ the plot and dialogue is structured in such a way that this isn’t necessary to appreciate the situation in the appropriate context.
This movie was really emotionally evocative and I wasn’t sure whether to cry with despair or the joy after watching it. Perhaps both.
Nightwatch (Ночной дозор) May 30, 2009
Posted by Pete in 4 Star, Russian.add a comment
Legend has it that 1000 years ago the armies of Light and those of Darkness met on a bridge and engaged in a battle which would result in the destruction of both armies. These supernatural creatures are known as the Others. Between the two leaders a truce was created and with it the Nightwatch and the Daywatch to ensure that this truce was upheld. The Nightwatch are Others of the Light, who watch over and keep the Dark Others in check, and the Daywatch do the same for the Light Others.
Flashing through to the present day, and there are supernatural law enforcement agencies, policing over the Light and Dark. If one side were to break their agreement it would bring on war again, with the truce broken. Anton is one of the Nightwatch, having become an Other following his involvement in a dark magic to try and win back his girlfriend. He is put on assignment to prevent a Truce violation from two vampires surrounding a 12 year old boy, Yegor. What starts out as a simple assignment escalates to something more. Yegor is more than he seems.
While tracking Yegor, Anton encounters a woman on the train, Sveta. She’s not human, but she’s no common Other either. She has her own extraordinary powers which could bring on the apocalypse also.
It’s said there’s no longer any original ideas for a story anymore, and in that respect this movie is no exception. Forces of Light and Dark move among humans, supernatural beings fighting their battles in anticipation of the apocalypse. Legend fortells of a Great one who will save or condemn us all. I’m sure you have heard it before. It’s also said however, that because of this, it is all about execution, rather than new ideas that make a good story. Nightwatch does this better than any I’ve seen before.
As an action/horror/thriller this movie exceeded all my expectations. The cinematography was great, the grim Russian scenery the perfect backdrop for an equally grim story. The creativity in character development, stunts, special effects and action sequences was pretty great also. It is a Russian movie and as such, it injects a new Russian perspective not found in Hollywood. At first the plot can be a little confusing, as you try and understand what’s going on, and it jumps around a little too much for the uninitiated. Once you get an overall understanding of the situation though, its easy to get into. The second time I watched it I enjoyed it even more than the first. Having since read the book on which it was based, I find myself appreciating it even more. This is great movie to see on the big screen, if you can.
It wouldn’t surprise me if a Hollywood adaption is created, since it could lend itself to one, but I can’t imagine it being better than the original.
