Director Ruined By A Weak Plot

I usually select my movies based on at least one of these three criteria: a director with a great track record; actors who can make a bad movie look good; and word-of-mouth referral by friends and critics alike.

So I was disappointed when I saw The Next Three Days directed by award-winning Canadian director Paul Haggis and featuring Russell Crowe and Elisabeth Banks. I remember when the movie first came out last year, the reviews were bad. But I don't always agree with what the film critics said. For this flick, I should have believed what I read.

The movie itself was not bad so long as you're convinced by the plot. But how could such a ridiculous story line be believable? A jovial community school teacher breaking into prison to save his wrongly accused wife? A dutiful son and a family man suddently turned into a criminal shooting guns and killing dirt-bag drug dealers? Such a plot never connected with the audience, at least not with me.

There was the attention to detail throughout the movie that was surprisingly good - the Canadian coins as a clue for the cops to figure out that the fugitives might be going to Canada, and only a Canadian director could think of that! There was also the smart flashback towards the end of the movie about who the real murderer was. But none of these fine details nor one of the best directors of our era could have saved such a weak plot. It's surprising to see that Haggis wrote the screeplay as well.

A Monster Train

I understand that Unstoppable was not a success at the box office, but it's still worth renting as a DVD.

You can always depend on Tony Scott as the director of thrillers. I quite like his Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and this one also kept me sitting on the edge of my couch for most part of the film.  I always love trains and see them as a 'romantic' mode of transportation. But Scott made the runaway train in Pensylvannia look like a monster - an engulfing one throughout the movie!

Denzel Washington is aging as a boomer, but his acting is getting better and better. A boomer and a rookie worked together to become heroes at a railway company, and as usual, all their supervisors and corporate big guns are incompetent. Chris Pine is not bad at all - piercing blue eyes and a credible actor holding his own next to veteran Washington.

Washington and Scott have made five movies together. The synergy and partnership are obvious in this movie. This is a thriller without cops and bad guys, and it became more convincing because it's inspired by true events.

Coping With Grief

How could I have missed The Greatest when it first came out in 2009? We need to pay more attention to unnoticed movies that just came out with very little publicity and financial support. Yet, they are always par excellence!

This is a movie about dealing with grief. Losing a family member is always tough, but nothing can be worse than losing an offspring. I'm not a mother, but I can only imagine the deepest cut in the heart when your beloved child just passed away, very often, when you least expected it.

Pierce Brosnan never strikes me as a strong actor. His Bond movies and brand character are probably putting him in a box. But having discovered that he's the producer of this movie, I began to have more respect for him as a film maker. And he knew how to pick his actors - Susan Sarandon and Carey Mulligan before she became the darling of the U.S. and British film industries.

This is a very simple story of how people are coping with grief - anger, remorse, emotional suppression, self denial, plain memories. But this is also a story about life, and how we're often struck by the least expected tragedy, and yet how we always manage to survive in spite of the pain.

Best Movie I've Ever Seen

I saw Clint Eastwood's Hereafter tonight upon one of my best friends' recommendation and I have to agree with her that this is one of the best, if not the best movie I've ever seen.

Life after death is always a mystery to us humans. For boomers and seniors who are coming to grips with their mortality, this movie is more real than ever. The tsunami scene in Indonesia was a close reflection of what's just happened in Japan. The beauty of this movie is the synergy of the past, present and future and the flawless integration of three separate stories of the brush with death and afterlife.

Matt Damon has never won an Oscar award for acting, but he must be one of the most credible and versatile actors in our era. I've developed a habit of watching every movie of his because he's just never made a mistake in selecting his roles and the movies he's in. From Invictus to Hereafter to the recent Adjustment Bureau, he excelled in all of them.

Cécile de France is equally good and convincing. Clint Eastwood's passion for music is once again being demonstrated throughout this film.

This is one of the most beautiful and poetic movies ever made, and whether you believe in psychics or not, this flick will move you to tears! I just don't understand why it's a box office flop.

Best Jane Eyre Movie Ever Made?

Saw the wonderful Jane Eyre yesterday - its first day of release. I must salute anybody who's trying to produce and direct a Victorian classic, particularly on any of the Bronte sisters' works. I love the movie, but can't agree with The Globe and Mail's film critic that this is the best Jane Eyre movie ever made.

Casting is always so important to movies and this film made two casting mistakes - Mr. Rochester and his locked up wife. Both are too young and too 'handsome'. Where's the animal magnetism of Mr. Rochester and the bone-chilling insanity of the wife?

I was surprised to find a full-house cinema with a lot of younger audiences as well. Charlotte Bronte would have been pleased!