New Anna Karenina Lacks Depth

I'm a big fan of Tom Stoppard's. I also like most of director Joe Wright's works including Hanna and Pride & Prejudice. That's why I'm a bit disappointed with the new Anna Karenina featuring Stoppard as the screenplay writer and Wright as the director.

As a Russian literature major at university, I have huge expectations of Tolstoy's epic novel being adapted into a movie. This classic is a timeless, liberating literary work for women - in late 19th century imperial Russia, an aristocratic married woman gave up everything for her affair with the young Count Vronsky. I always have different expectations of who should be playing Karenina and who should be Vronsky. Even though both 27-year-old Keira Knightley and 22-year-old Aaron Taylor-Johnson did a good job, they are, in my opinion, miscasts. Knightley shows her passion well but is less convincing as the tormented adulteress facing her moral conundrum. Taylor-Johnson's love in real life is more than 20 years his senior, so he should have had a better grasp as Count Vronsky. But playing John Lennon (his most famous role so far) is very different from playing a young Russian military calvary officer who swept a married upper-class woman off her feet.

Jude Law as the older, cuckolded Karenin, is the best in the entire cast and might earn him another Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. Olivia Williams (The Ghost Writer) as Countess Vronsky is also very impressive. What on earth has happened to Matthew Macfadyen (the dashing Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice)? He has gained more than 10 pounds as the playful Oblonsky in this flick.

My strongest criticisms of this movie are the very average screenplay adaptation of such an epic novel by one of the best contemporary playwrights Tom Stoppard, and the campiness of the entire production. I'm sure the film might win Best Cinematography or Best Costume or both. But director Joe Wright's attempt at putting most of the film behind frame in an ancient Russian theatre just doesn't quite work. It also never integrates seamlessly with the story of Levin, most of which was shot outdoors in the fields. The film reminds me of Atonement, another of Wright's works, which was also too campy in style for me.

In spite of my harsh comments, the movie is still worth seeing if you're a fan of period drama.

Ang Lee Works His Magic Once Again!

There are only two Canadian writers whose Booker-Prize-winning novels were adapted and made into movies. Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient not only won The Booker Prize in 1992, but the film, directed by the late Antony Minghella in 1996, also won nine Academy Awards. Now, French Canadian author Yann Martel's Man-Booker-Prize-winning Life of Pi (2002) will probably experience the same glory at the Oscars next February. Award-winning director Ang Lee (one of my favourites) once again works his magic behind the camera and, lo and behold, Life of Pi shot in 3D is such a visual feast!

Everything, good or bad, is beautiful and visually stunning in the movie - the storm, the zoo, the sky, sunset and sunrise, even the animal-kill-animal scenes. A lot of people and critics have juxtaposed this movie to Avatar in terms of visual and technological supremacy, but because I haven't watched James Cameron's movie, I cannot compare. I cannot simply imagine Life of Pi shot without 3D technology. How else can anybody capture the wonders of God's creation?

For somebody like me who never have any particular affinity or interest in wild animals or even pets, I'm in awe of all the animals, mammals, fish and birds in this flick, particularly the tiger. Ang Lee has disclosed in many media interviews that he has used four real Bengal tigers for the movie, but for most of the tiger shots on the lifeboat, they are CGI creations. Teenaged principal actor Suraj Sharma plays the 16-year-old Pi extremely well given that he has never had any acting experience prior to this movie. Apparently, he didn't even intend to go for the audition but accompanied his brother instead. At the end, Ang Lee picked Sharma out of 3,000 other teenagers.

But what's most intriguing about the movie is the faith of Pi in God. He's raised a Hindu, believes in Christ and practises Islam as well. To Pi, all three faiths can merge and co-exist as one. During Pi's struggle for survival, he constantly converses with God. The movie also has numerous metaphors relating to the Christian faith - Noah's ark immediately comes to mind.

Towards the end of the movie, we all draw our own conclusions as to what really happened during the shipwreck. But as a Canadian, I'm proud of Yann Martel's inspiring novel and the movie's location shoots in Montreal in addiiton to India and Taiwan. I'm even more proud of Chinese-American director Ang Lee, who, in his own modest yet confident demeanor, presented another accomplishment as a multi-talented director and artist. The enthusiastic applause from the audience indicates that this movie is not only a critics' favourite, but also a cinematic work of art appreciated by all.

Hitchcock: A Focus On Strong Actors

Watching Hitchcock is like watching the movie A Week With Marilyn. Because everybody knows what really happened to these iconic characters in Hollywood, we, as the audience, form our own views as to whether this movie is true to reality or even whether we like it or not as an art form. But you don't have to like or know Alfred Hitchcock to really enjoy this movie. The focus is on the strong actors, from principal to supporting - Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson and Toni Collette.

Hopkins is hardly recognizable with his prosthetic makeup and fat suit, but he still gives a very strong performance. Helen Mirren, as Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville, once again outshines everybody and her performance might earn her another Oscar nomination. Johansson already looks the part with her blonde wig, but I still have to give her credit for playing Janet Leigh, the mother of Jamie Lee Curtis, with such charm and glamor. In those days, movie stars do look like movie stars! On the other hand, why would a talented actor like Toni Collette accept the role of Hichcock's assistant Peggy? Michael Stuhlberg's performance as the big Hollywood talent agent Lew Wasserman is a bit weak, and Andrew Garfield would have been more convincing as Anthony Perkins than James D'Arcy. Jessica Biel never strikes me as a good actor and she even looks tired as Vera Miles in this flick.

The film is not about the director Hitchcock. Its emphasis is on the love story and relationship between the renowned director and his wife Alma. Their relationship came to a crisis when Hitchcock was shooting the movie Psycho. We learned that even a successful box office director had to be at the mercy of the big Hollywood studios and behind the success, his pride, ego, insecurities, jealousy, obsessions with his characters and fantasies for blonde screen sirens almost engulfed him in his own artistic world. Hitchcock's determination to make an unusual movie best demonstrated that the best artists are those who take risks and experiment with new, innovative ideas and approaches no matter how high the stakes are.

Having the character Hitchcock play Prologue and Epilogue to the movie is an interesting approach. But having the real psycho Norman Bates appear throughout the movie does not work as well unless the director Sacha Gervasi wants us to think that Hitchcock himself is a bit of a psycho himself!

Ben Affleck Matures As Director

It's the time of the year when everybody is talking about which movies would be considered as Oscar contenders. The Master, Lincoln and Argo are all on the favourites' list. All three are based on true stories or events although The Master is a fictional depiction of a true-life cult religion leader.

I haven't seen Lincoln yet, but Argo would definitely win some Oscars if not the Best Director award for Ben Affleck. At the time when tension, once again, arises in the Middle East, particularly in Iran, this real story which happened in the '70s is very timely and relevant.

I was never a fan of Affleck's as an actor, but I saw all three of his feature films which are all excellent. Gone Baby Gone and The Town both took place in small towns near Boston and have a melancholic tone to the story treatment. But Argo is history - a very funny and suspenseful portrait of a real event. As one could imagine, nobody could probably film in Tehran now, so most of the movie was shot in nearby Turkey. In addition to Affleck, who plays CIA agent Tony Mendez, a cast of veteran actors support him - Canadian Victor Garber as the Canadian Ambassador to Iran; Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as Mendez's CIA boss; John Goodman as Hollywood makeup director John Chambers; Alan Arkin as Hollywood producer Lester Siegel; and Tate Donovan (Damages) as the leader of the U.S. embassy staff in Tehran.

The movie keeps you sitting on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. The attention to detail is superb - from the hairstyle to the props and furniture to the wardrobe. The real protagonist Tony Mendez, I read, was very involved in the production of the movie and has now become a good friend of Affleck's. Canada had a huge role to play in the successful rescue of the embassy hostages and, in spite of some criticisms from Canadian media about the movie's disproportionate emphasis on the heroism of the CIA agent, I thought due credit has been given to the Canadian Ambassdaor who made this whole escape possible.

Chris Terrio, who wrote the screenplay, deserves an Oscar nomination. Not only are the dialogues funny, witty and tense, they also absolutely form the important skeleton to the entire movie. Dirty politics are still at play here, but at least all hostages have been rescued due to a silly but brilliant idea.

Ben Affleck has come a long  way from his Good Will Hunting and JLo-love-affair days. Film critics have even been calling him the Warren Beatty of the 21st century. He has definitely matured as a feature film director who deserved the thunderous applauses at most Argo screenings here in Toronto!

Best 007 Movie In 50-Year Bond Franchise

By now, almost every single review I've read on Skyfall is beyond excellence. Having watched the first show in Canada, I cannot but agree! Not only is it engaging, exciting and sexy, it's visually stunning and as close to reality and logic as a movie on James Bond could ever get.

Kudos first go to director Sam Mandes whose training in classical theatre, including Shakespeare, probably explains why this is the first Bond movie that's poetic not only in storyline and screenplay, but also in its visual glory and structural perfection. This is the first Bond movie that is not related to any previously-published Ian Fleming James Bond short story or novel. In fact, Mendes said that Skyfall does "not connect" with the two previous Bond movies - Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. That's why the film is so much more creative and full of pleasant surprises.

Second to the director, credit should go to the script and screenplay writers - award-winning Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) and John Logan (RED, Hauptmann and Never The Sinner). The screenplay is so witty that in spite of all the tensions created between Bond and the villain, the sense of humour makes you laugh throughout the movie and marvel at the writers. In an interview with CNN, Daniel Craig revealed that he had a lot of input on the screenplay and the writers actually listened to him and took some of his suggestions.

A lot of questions have come up about where the 25th Bond movie was shot. Well, the correct answers are Glen Etive, Highland, Scotland; Smithfield Market, Holborn, London, England; London, England; Shanghai, China; Surrey, England; Adana, Turkey; and Istanbul, Turkey. The rest were either studio shots or digital recreations. This is also the first time that a Bond movie has filmed in China.

If anybody has doubts about the cast, let's take a look at the number of individual Academy Awards from this film's cast and crew. Sam Mendes won an Academy Award from American Beauty; Javier Bardem who plays an impressive villain (Kevin Spacey was offered but turned down the role) has two nominations and one win (No Country For Old Men). Ralph Fiennes as M's new boss has two award nominations while Albert Finney and Judi Dench each has five nominations. This leaves only Daniel Craig and Ben Whishaw (as Q) with the thinnest resume. Everybody raves about Bardem as the villain Raoul Silva in this movie, but I actually think we should give both Craig and Whishaw their deserving credit. The latter was proclaimed by many critics as one of the best young actors of his generation and I thought his performance as Q is funny, cute and outstanding!

I read that Daniel Craig was worried about the delays in the film's production as he feels that, at the age of 43, he is already getting too old for the challenging physical demands of the stunts. Well, not only should he not have anything to worry about, but I thought he's, by far, the best Bond ever. I've not seen any other actor in as excellent a shape as he's in. Apart from wearing his Tom Ford suits well, Craig's six-month pre-film preparation and the daily two-hour workout put him in absolute top form!

Among all the actors in the movie, talented Ralph Fiennes and the two Bond girls are disappointments. The former has considerably aged and his character really doesn't need the skills of such a gifted actor. The latter two continue to play sex objects to men - what's most disturbing is that in this day and age, shouldn't they find a Bond girl who is both attractive and intelligent? Perhaps CIA Director David Petraeus's mistress Paula Broadwell (minus her jealousy) could be considered for a future role?

What's most impressive about Skyfall is that Bond is portrayed realistically as an aging and vulnerable spy in the 50-year-old film franchise instead of being the ultra-invincible and indefatigable MI6 star agent. Relevant to our times, Bond is now sensitive, vulnerable and even tormented from his childhood pains! But because of this evolution of his character, we, the audience who grew up with him, tend to relate to him even more! The flick is definitely worth an ecore for me at the IMAX theatre before it retires from the big screen.

Joaquin Phoenix Will Win 2013 Oscar

I'm making a bold prediction after watching Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master featuring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman - Phoenix will win the Best Actor Award at the Oscars next February. For a seasoned actor like Hoffman to say at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) that Phoenix was "scarily intense" to work with sums it all up. After a four-year hiatus from his film career, Phoenix is back in outstanding form portraying a twisted sailor from World War II Freddie Quell.

I've always been a huge fan - from Gladiator to Walk The Line to We Own The Night to Two Lovers. For a while, I thought we're going to lose this talent forever. In 2008, he announced that he had retired from acting to pursue a rapping career. In early 2009, who could forget his eccentric and incoherent interview on the Late Show with David Letterman? Although he later claimed that his 'retirement' and strange behaviour were for a mockumentary I'm Still Here (which very few people watched), the damage was already done.

But it's worth the wait to see him in The Master. In fact, even though both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Phoenix co-won the Best Actors Award in the Venice Film Festival this year, 60 percent of the film focuses on Phoenix rather than Hoffman. Phoenix plays the tormented sailor Freddie Quell with such fierce intensity - whether he's screwing around with his women; going through a psychiatric session with his Master and mentor; or acting out his pain via his violent bouts - we, the audience, are totally mesmerized by his emotions or the lack thereof in his eyes, his lack of coherence and his physical contortions.

By now, everybody must know that this is a movie about The Cause (possibly Scientology) and its charismatic founder Lancaster Dodd. The omnipresent and always convincing Amy Adams plays Dodd's wife Peggy who has a huge influence on the Master. But about an hour into the movie, I was looking at my watch. The movie is only two hours long, but it felt like three. I'm not sure what is the key message Anderson wants to convey to his audience - that all religious cults are based on some fake idolization of manipulative individuals? Or you can choose to believe in whatever suits you, even though it's a perpetual lie?

I have to admit that I've never been a fan of Anderson's. Except for Boogie Nights, I did not like Magnolia and There Will Be Blood. Nevertheless, the writer/director has been compared to Francois Truffaut and Martin Scorsese. The Master was beautifully shot on 70mm film (if you're willing to pay two dollars more to see this version) which produced a masterpiece on a resolution so high that digital can only dream of getting there in about 10 years or so, as I was told by tech geeks.

What strikes me most is the musical score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. It's both haunting and beautiful. No wonder The Rolling Stone calls the film's music "haunting and hypnotic." Other musical contributions from Ella Fitzgerald, Jo Stafford and Patti Page are all music that boomers grew up with. Greenwood's talents obviously go far beyond just being the guitarist for Radiohead.

Thirty-seven-year-old Joaquin Phoenix has never won an Oscar even though he was nominated many times - including his roles in Gladiator and Walk the Line. I really hope the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will do him justice next February!

Marie Antoinette From A Different Perspective

Fans of period drama would love the new French movie Farewell My Queen which was featured at both the Berlin and San Francisco Film Festivals this year. The film was adapted from the novel by Chantal Thomas and director Benoit Jacquot was also responsible for the screenplay.

Many big-screen and TV movies have been made about Marie Antoinette, but this film took a very different perspective. It focuses on the final months of the decadent queen's life before she was beheaded. It also dwells on her lesbian affairs instead of her numerous other relationships with men. The entire film was made from the perspective and the eyes of the queen's reader Sidonie Laborde played by Lea Seydoux (Gabrielle in Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris). Not sure why the 27-year-old Seydoux is the darling of the French movie world at the moment - her performance in the film is quite flat in my opinion!

Diane Kruger gives a wonderful performance in her portrayal of the tormented and bored queen. At 36, Kruger is more or less the same age when Marie Antoinette was beheaded. The face that launched a thousand ships (Kruger also played Helen of Troy in Troy) is equally magnificent in Farewell My Queen. With her German descent, Kruger is convincing as the young queen from Austria. But the most winning performance comes from Virginie Ledoyen who plays the queen's lesbian love interest Gabrielle de Polignac. With her Spanish blood, Ledoyen is both dangerously beautiful and heartlessly cruel in the movie.

This film ultimately succeeds because it takes a different path in depicting the last days of a decadent empire. Even though we've caught glimpses of the splendour of Versailles every now and then, most of the film takes place in dark corridors and the quarters of the ladies-in-waiting. We get a sense via all the whispers, gossips, scandals and back-stabbing that the French Revolution is lurking close by to clean up the act of the aristocracy. The other key message from the movie is that like all other relationships, lesbian love can often be unrequited and heartbreaking.

Plummer's Words Are Intoxicating

Canada has many national treasures, but Oscar-award winner Christopher Plummer must be one of the most gifted ones! Fresh from his Oscar laurels as Best Supporting Actor in the movie Beginners in February, Plummer gave a bewitching performance in a one-man show A Word Or Two at this season's Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

At 85 and still dapper, Plummer gave a performance of his lifetime this past weekend when I was there at the Avon Theatre. I like it even better than his other successful one-man show Barrymore because this one is almost an autobiography delivered by the master himself on stage. Against a very simple but stunning and symbolic staircase of hardcover books, Plummer walked, danced, recited poetry, referenced Shakespeare and other literary greats, sat in the elegant Director's chair, read behind a podium and laughed and cried (teary-eyed) with the audience in English and French.

Spanning a career of over 60 years, Plummer celebrates the beauty of language via this 90-minute performance. In the fast-moving tech world of the internet, smartphones and social media, he's showing us the impact of the written word while he's growing up in Montreal. We, the audience, strolled with him through his most favourite literature - from the Bible to Shaw and Wilde to Coleridge and Marlowe; from Shakespeare and Byron to Nash and Leacock.

As a result, I found myself savouring every word he said and, like enjoying a bottle of vintage red wine, became totally intoxicated at the end of the show. My friend and I both concluded as we exited from the theatre that the performance inspired us to go back home and read more poetry!

Plummer wrote in the introduction to the program guide that he wants to show what impact the written word can have on impressionable youth. Unfortunately, like other Stratford Shakespeare Festival performances, there was hardly any youth in sight among the audience yesterday. It's depressing to see a sea of seniors as the primary audience. Perhaps it's Plummer's age which mainly attracts an older audience, but to preserve and cherish our other national treasure, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival itself, the Festival's marketing department ought to do more to attract more multicultural and younger audiences. According to The Globe and Mail, the audience at Stratford has been declining in the last 10 years. This is certainly not a good sign - we don't want Plummer to pass and move on, but as he said, this will come one day. The Festival itself should be a different story - It's time that they start filling the seats with younger bums!

 

Facing Old Age And Mortality With A Sense Of Humour

I'm now convinced that the entire movie industry, not just Hollywood, is finally realizing the power of baby boomers. This is another movie about the inevitable lifestage of aging and passing, this time from France in French - Et Si On Vivait Tous Ensemble? (And If We All Lived Together?)

I went and saw it not just from a boomer's perspective, but because Jane Fonda has always expressed in her recent interviews that it's on her bucket list to act in another French movie - her third in her long film career - and she's the lead actress in this flick. As reported in her interview with The Canadian Press, there are thematic similarities between her new film and Prime Time, her 2011 book on old age that covered love, fitness, food and self-analysis. She laments that Hollywood is less interested in portraying life after retirement. At 74, Fonda rarely seems hung up on her age and continues to be a trailblazer in film, writing, speaking engagements and charity work.

So the movie confronts old age from the perspective of a group of Parisien seniors - two married couples and one permanent playboy. They are all stricken with serious illnesses, challenges of mortality and relationships with one another and their younger generations. But in subtle and gracious European style, the film stares at old age with audacity, optimism and a great sense of humour. Watching Fonda's smooth acting skills and flawless beauty at her age is the ultimate pleasure for me as a lifelong fan. Even though Fonda speaks fluent French (she studied art in Paris when she was young and her first husband was, of course, French director Roger Vadim), she still worked with a dialogue coach to get her lines perfect.

The only other recognizable actor is 68-year-old Geraldine Chaplin who looks painfully old and thin when compared to Fonda. Thirty-four-year-old Spaniard Daniel Bruhl also did a wonderful job playing the dogwalker Dirk, the only younger supporting actor in a movie anchored by seniors including Guy Bedos, Claude Rich, Pierre Richard and Bernard Malaka.

The concept of a group of lifelong senior friends living together and supporting each other instead of spending their winter years in seniors homes is refreshing. It's also sad and funny at the same time. My only criticism of the movie is the choice of English-language songs throughout the movie. Why try to appeal to an English-speaking audience when the entire film is in French?

For fellow Jane Fonda fans, the movie legend's next project includes a new book on teenage sex. I also understand that her African-American adopted daughter will be coming up with a new book sharing her experience of growing up with her adopted mom.

Intimacy And Distance

Hope Springs is definitely a movie for baby boomers. I can't imagine anybody under 40 who would want to go see this movie unless they want to better understand their parents.

The movie is a bit sappy, particularly with its music, but what happens in the film is so true and painfully funny that it makes the flick totally enjoyable! The story is simple and has been approached in numerous different angles in other movies. But somehow, this one works because there are so many uncomfortable situations. After 30 years of marriage, daily boring routines set in and instead of intimacy, a huge distance has been created between the couple. Meryl Streep's character Kay best sums up the theme of the flick - you can be in a relationship but still feel lonelier than when you're alone!

I'm not a fan of Meryl Streep's, but I always think she's more talented playing comical roles (except for Mamma Mia) than her endless roles of impersonating historic characters like Margaret Thatcher or flaunting her multiple accents on the large screen. But the biggest surprise is macho Tommy Lee Jones who will probably get an Oscar nomination for his role as the husband Arnold. Not only does he have the best lines in the movie, but the 'constipated' look he puts on throughout the entire movie just cracks you up over and over again. Both Streep and Jones honestly display their aging bodies which make it more believable. And, of course, Streep's hairstyle and ghastly middle-aged wardrobe just say it all!

Steve Carell plays the unusual role of a marriage counsellor, and I was waiting for his comical role to surface, but he plays the role straight and I respect him for having successfully taken on this new challenge.

But the biggest kudos should go to Gen-Xer writer Vanessa Taylor who wrote the original screenplay. One would never imagine the writer and co-producer of popular TV series Game of Thrones could have written this movie about a stale relationship between a boomer couple!

Although Hope Springs didn't generate too many favourable reviews from professional critics, I would highly recommend this movie if you want a good laugh.

A Conundrum - To See Or Not To See?

I'm a big Jeremy Renner fan, so I went to see The Bourne Legacy on its appearance in theatres on the first day. But when asked whether it's worth seeing, my response is: "only if you like Jeremy Renner."

The plot is weak, even though it's directed by Tony Gilroy who wrote the screenplay for The Bourne Ultimatum. If you believe that all human beings can be engineered and programmed, including soldiers and spys, then anything goes. The movie has very little to do with the previous Bourne stories within the franchise, and it looks like a major stretch naming the movie after Jason Bourne. It becomes worst when the protagonists have to fly to Manila just to find the right medical fix for Aaron Cross played by Renner. This is just another lame excuse to shoot action scenes in an exotic city with a ton of traffic and crowds!

If the plot is weak, the screenplay is even worse. After a lot of life-threatening fighting and escape incidents, is the best line for the protagonists reduced to a plain "Are you ok?" It's insulting for Rachel Weisz (who plays a doctor) to be given such a bimbo role and weak lines in the movie. I never understood why a Cambridge University graduate like Weisz would have taken on such a crappy role. And what a waste of acting talent to put Ed Norton in his villanous role as retired Col. Eric Byer?

But watching Jeremy Renner is really the focus of the entire flick. If you like him, then it's definitely worth your while because you won't care about the length of the movie and the imbecilic screenplay and ridiculous plot. If you don't like this actor, then really there's no point. The cinematography is stunning, though, throughout the entire movie, particularly the winter scenes shot in Alberta.

A Visual Eye-Candy

Once again, contrary to critics' unfavourable reviews, I like Len Wiseman's Total Recall - a remake of the 1990 movie featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone. Don't get me wrong, this is not thought-provoking science fiction, but two straight hours of non-stop action and entertainment.

I like Len Wiseman's direction. After all, he's most famous for blockbusters like Men in Black, Live Free or Die Hard and Independence Day. One should never question whether the plot makes sense in such kind of movies. But think along the lines of a simplified version of Inception - layers and layers of dreams and nightmares; past, present and future; and the good versus the evil. Like the film's protagonist Douglas Quaid/Hauser (played by Colin Farrell), we, as the audience, also constantly question ourselves - is this a dream or is this the reality? Are we seeing Quaid or Hauser?

Colin Farrell is a very strong actor (remember his performance in Phone Booth?), but his talent is under-utilized in his role as a beefcake double agent in this movie. I never like Kate Beckinsale as an actor, but I can see why her husband picked her for this role after the duo's partnership in the ridiculously successful Underworld franchises. She also did her action scenes well. Jessica Biel looks cool and pretty but, frankly speaking, any Hollywood actress could have played her role as Melina. The villain's role is always the most challenging. But Bryan Cranston is just not the right actor for his role as Cohaagen. And what a big waste of talent - Cranston's mesmerizing performance as Walter White in award-winning TV drama Breaking Bad still haunts me!

The other reason why I like this movie is the familiar Toronto scenes - the movie was shot in 2011 in both Toronto and Guelph. But as a Torontonian, you can recognize Commerce Court, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the University of Toronto.

All in all, I would categorize Total Recall as a visual eye-candy!

Everybody Cheats On Everybody

The movie 360, directed by acclaimed Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener), has not received many good reviews from critics. But the film, to me, was a pleasant surprise.

360 was shot in seven cities around the world, many of which are my favourites except for Paris. From Vienna to Paris to London to Rio de Janeiro - all done with great style. It's not unusual for adultery and infidelity to be themes for movie plots nowadays, but in this flick, it goes even further. Everybody cheats on everybody else. Depressing? Maybe. But it's also amusing. The story goes in full circle as the title suggests, but there's also a 'six degrees of separation' theme interwoven into it.

Above all, I most enjoyed the acting from the international cast, all of whom gave their best. Jude Law and Rachel Weisz are always good - the former is definitely aging with his receding hairline while the latter doesn't look one day older than her award-winning appearance in The Constant Gardener, also by the same director. The relatively less famous actors from Czechoslovakia, Brazil and Russia all give credible performances. But the most impressive actor in this flick is Ben Johnson who gives a bone-chilling performance in his role of a reforming sexual predator. Do we need Sir Anthony Hopkins for this movie? Probably not, but he's comfortable even in an 'uncomfortable' role.

Nobody even mentioned the soundtrack for this movie, but I thought it's one of the film's biggest attractions. The plot might be a bit disjointed at times, but overall, style trumps content in this one!

Even Batman Is Aging!

Let me begin by saying that I belong to the minority here who really dislikes the latest Batman movie. I'm, of course, defying all the film critics and comic-book fans most of whom have given this flick a two-thumbs up.

So, is the director Christopher Nolan trying to convey the message that amidst the aging populations around the world, even the indefatigable Batman is aging? Christian Bale as Batman is like his role in The Fighter with an additional 20 pounds! He looks tired, haggard and beaten. Even his hair and suit (when he's dressed up occasionally as Bruce Wayne) look disheveled - hair too long, shirt collars unpressed and necktie too crooked. Above all, his eyes have no glimmer, with or without the mask.

In all Batman movies, the villain's role is almost as important as the hero. But this flick's villain Bane (played by Tom Hardy) is simply annoying. He wears a black oxygen mask for the entire movie and we only hear his echoing, supposedly menacing, voice throughout the film. So, needless to say, you can't quite figure out what he's really saying most of the time. And unlike my Asian friends in Hong Kong who watched the same movie, they probably have Chinese subtitles to rely on. I really have a tough time understanding why a talented and handsome actor like Tom Hardy agreed to take on the villain role. Any beefcakes could have done the job and no talent is required at all to hide behind that mask.

Watching this final trilogy of Nolan's interpretation of Batman is just like watching his other popular work Inception all over again. Even all the actors are the same except we don't have Leonardo DiCaprio. It's mind-boggling, confusing and unnecessarily long. No wonder after an hour into the IMAX screening, my friend and I started constantly checking our watches. Inception was, at least, creative and innovative.

Unlike previous Batman movies where both Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Alfred (Michael Caine) could be humorous and fun to watch, both of these characters are in this film, at best, bland and boring.

I do like Anne Hathaway's role as Catwoman - probably the sexiest ever with her attractive catsuit, spiked heels and motorcycle. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is equally good in his role as Blake, and every sign in the movie has indicated that he will be the future Robin. Gotham City (New York City) looks gorgeous and magnificent under Nolan's brilliant cinematography.

I also read that the villain's name Bane is supposed to satirize the name of Mitt Romney's former company Bain Capital. But come on, who else outside the U.S. would be able to figure this out?

I understand  that after reading this review, you might still choose to go and see this movie so that you can join the water-cooler chatter. But be prepared - it's far from awesome!

Another Masterpiece By Sarah Polley

Canadian director Sarah Polley is fast becoming one of my most favourite directors. Her directorial debut Away From Her was brilliant and won her an Oscar nomination. Her second movie in theatres right now Take This Waltz is another masterpiece.

First and foremost, extra-marital affairs and challenging marriage as an institution are not new subject matters for a movie - we've seen them before and it's difficult to break new grounds. But, as usual, with Polley, the writing and the direction are always subtle and sensitive. There's nothing right or wrong about adultery (although it's a mortal sin according to Catholicism) and it's futile to constantly look for excitement in a married relationship. The beginning of the movie just deals with these themes all at one go - Margot (played by Michelle Williams) witnesses a young couple exchanging their wedding vows at a church in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. She then participates in a public flogging of an adulterer even though it's meant to be a tourist attraction.

As one of the acclaimed movie critics said, there's nothing wrong about focusing on the magic of Toronto! Most Hollywood and independent directors shot their movies in Toronto, faking the city as some place else - New York City or Chicago or even Boston. But Polley focuses her story and her camera lenses on the streets of Toronto with all its merits. Apart from Michelle Williams, she features a lot of Canadian actors - Seth Rogen shines as Margot's husband Lou and Luke Kirby plays the lover Daniel. Even Stratford Shakespeare Festival stars such as Graham Abbey and Damien Atkins are given minor roles in this flick.

I like the beginning and the end of the movie woven around the same themes and shots - we see Margot cooking in her kitchen in her pale-blue pedicured bare feet whenever she's bored with her relationship with her men. We can sense Margot's pleasure and loneliness in the two roller-coaster rides with the song Video Killed The Radio Star blasting in the background. And, of course, you cannot but warm to the musical features by Canadian artists Leonard Cohen (the name of the movie was inspired by Cohen's song of the same name), Feist and Burton Cummings in the movie's soundtrack.

Polley's honesty as a director is fully demonstrated by the swimming pool scene - a group of boomer and senior women with their younger counterparts all appearing naked in the showers. There's nothing permanent in both beauty and relationships. One cannot stay young forever, nor can one be permanently in love. It's not very pleasant to see the comparison of old and young fleshes, but it's the stark reality of aging!

The actors are all superb. Michelle Williams continues to outshine everybody and I wouldn't be surprised if she's nominated for another Oscar for her role as Margot. Seth Rogen should shed his irritating comical roles in the future and take on more serious roles such as Lou.

Does this movie have any flaws? Yes, of course. I hardly see any rickshaws in the residential areas of Toronto and how can a writer cum rickshaw driver afford the spacious, lofty love nest? The movie could also have ended much earlier, but these are only minor weaknesses. I heard that Sarah Polley's third feature film Stories We Tell will make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month. I, for one, am looking forward to its public release on October 12.

Oliver Stone Has Lost His Edge

The much-hyped thriller/action flick Savages is a big disappointment. It has the potential to be great, but Oliver Stone has lost that opportunity! I'm usually a big fan of movies with blood and violence (because of my fondness for Chinese action epics while growing up in Hong Kong), but even I have to give a thumbs-down to this film. And let me begin by saying that if you don't have a stomach for violence, this movie is not for you.

I read about the movie's screenplay being adapted from a famous novel by Don Winslow. The plot itself is weak and not convincing, and the screenplay is not much better. Two men who are the best of friends sharing a woman and living harmoniously together? Not at all possible - not even for Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. I also find the narrator's role irritating. Unless there is a purpose to serve, like Che in the musical Evita, narrators are just not necessary in most movies. In this case, the last thing I wanted to hear is the continued narration in first person by the dumb blonde character O played by Blake Lively!

I understand that this is a movie about the Mexican drug cartel, but much of the violence is not necessary. Oliver Stone is trying to repeat his Natual Born Killers style in his latest work, but it's simply not working. Unlike Quentin Tarantino who usually portrays violence in a comical fashion (as in Inglourious Bastards and Pulp Fiction), there's nothing funny about Savages. And the kind of utopia fantasized by the protagonists almost borders ridiculousness (this word exists)!

The only saving grace in this movie is the acting by Benicio Del Toro and Salma Hayek - particularly the former who plays the head assistant of the Mexican cartel's godmother Elena. His sliminess and vulgarities are just a delight to watch every time when Toro appears on the big screen. Other than that, there's nothing to write home about the acting of the two young male protagonists Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson. This movie also doesn't demonstrate the best acting skills of Blake Lively and John Travolta who have both done better in other flicks.

I'm, of course, treating this as another lesson in Spanish - usually bad guys don't say a lot in movies and their Spanish is, therefore, very easy to follow for beginners like me!

A Delightful Tribute To Italy

To me who's a life-long Woody Allen fan, his latest film To Rome With Love is a summer delight - simple, light and creative without too many complexities. It's not as brilliant as Midnight In Paris, but I still like it. Plus, Allen hasn't appeared in his own movies for a long time, and his role as a neurotic former opera impresario is extremely funny.

As with other Woody Allen movies, there's no logic to his plot. The three stories that happened in Rome are totally independent of each other. The only interwoven themes are fantasy, adultery, art and the pros and cons of celebrity culture. This is the 'aging' part of Woody Allen (at age 76) speaking to us. He reminisces about the passion of youth through his sidekick Alec Baldwin in the movie. His own character, as described by his wife in the movie played by Judy Davis, is afraid of death and is ill at ease with his own retirement because he equates retirement with death.

I've visited Rome at least three times now, and I always love the chaos in the Eternal City. Allen definitely captures the beauty behind the chaos in this movie. Paris is always too affected and arrogant for me, but the Italians in Rome are so spontaneous and sincere - full of la dolce vita! As I'm learning Spanish now, I also found the Italian language in the movie very similar and was delighted that I could figure out what the Italian actors said in the movie without relying too much on the subtitles.

Allen picked two young Canadian actors in this flick - Ellen Page and Alison Pill - who did an adequate job in their roles. But the former is not attractive enough to be a seductress: I don't care how often Page had to defend herself in her interviews about this role that you don't have to look sensual in order to seduce the opposite sex. Page might be a good actor, but she's just not convincing in this role. Maybe Woody Allen saw some qualities of his former wife Mia Farrow in her? Penelope Cruz and Alec Baldwin are both great in their parts. Everybody else is raving about Roberto Benigni's performance, but I just can't see why.

Relax, let your fantasies run wild, and you'll enjoy this movie as much as I did. In the meantime, I'm really looking forward to seeing Rome again for the fourth time in October!

Cronenberg's Dark Side

Watching a movie by David Cronenberg is like seeing one of his faces - the director has a dark face and another bright one! I've always liked his works when he's showing his bright side, even in movies about violence, conflict and revenge - A History Of Violence, Eastern Promises, A Dangerous Method, etc. It's his dark and shocking side that always puzzled and lost me. This is exactly the case when I saw his latest film Cosmopolis which is as dark and 'out there' as some of his other works: The Fly, Dead Ringers, Spider.

Cosmopolis is an adaptation of Don DeLillo's book of the same name. It's supposed to be futuristic although it was written quite a while ago. Yet it's also very timely because of the current animosity towards capitalism and wealth. Protagonist Eric Packer (played by Robert Pattinson of  The Twilight Saga fame) embarked on a stretch-limousine ride in Manhattan to try to get a haircut in a barber shop across town. The car made many stops along the way and incidents also happened within the limousine.

I know the limousine ride is supposed to be a symbolic journey. But the pace is so slow that the audience can't keep asking: what's the point? Like the intolerable The Tree Of Life, six of the people in the same cinema with me walked out shortly after the movie has begun. Maybe they didn't read the reviews about the film's eccentricity and were expecting something else? I was forewarned - I stuck to my seat till the very end, but didn't like the movie. Maybe I wouldn't have liked the book as well since Cronenberg's movie, I heard, is quite true to the novel. The currency was changed from yen to yuan (reminbi) to make the plot more relevant to current times.

The cast is all great. I've never watched The Twilight series, but 29-year-old Robert Pattinson must be one of the most promising young actors of our times. Not only is he good looking, but he's got this magnetism that sucks you right into his character. I won't be surprised if he were selected by the Hollywood studios to play Christian Grey, the male protagonist in the best-selling novel by E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey, in its upcoming big-screen version. Paul Giamatti, Juliette Binoche, Samantha Morton and Sarah Gadon (from A Dangerous Method) are equally good although Giamatti looks a bit scary in his role and Binoche just hasn't aged very well.

You can count on Canadian director Cronenberg to work with a lot of his native talents - 25-year-old Gadon is a student at the University of Tornto and even musician K'Naan has a minor role in the movie. Also, if you live in Toronto, you couldn't have missed the various Hogtown spots - Hotel Le Germain, Union Station and others. Otherwise, it looks like Manhattan to everybody else!

I'm glad that this film didn't win the Palm d'Or Award at Cannes. Maybe Cronenberg can now shoot his next movie and show us his other face?

Cult Movie Appeals To All

I saw The Avengers during its opening weekend and was blown away by it. I've never been a comic book fan - from Dick Tracy to Iron Man, I thought they were entertaining, but I've never been part of the cult.

But Joss Whedon's The Avengers just kept me sitting on the edge of my seat until the very end, or almost to the very end. Not only is it an amazing thriller, but it combines the power of six super heroes all together in one movie. The screenplay, also written by the director, is surprisingly witty and humorous. The movie appeals to the entire family and drums up everybody's childhood fantasy to save the world and defeat the evil.

And the evil is very real here - Loki from Thor is in full force here and it takes six super-humans to eventually beat him. Every actor is great in this movie, but some are better than others. Mark Ruffalo, who plays The Hulk, is the best of them all - combining the emotional vulnerabilities of Dr. Bruce Banner with the rage of the green monster. Tom Hiddleston plays a better villain in this film than a frustrated lover in The Deep Blue Sea (I also think he looks better with long hair). Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, is less irritating in this movie than in the Iron Man sequel. Chris Hemsworth as Thor is always convincing and funny as the overly-serious demi-God although I hate to say that he's probably gained a few pounds since the movie Thor. Scarlett Johansson is pretty in this movie and both Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson can never do any wrong. The least impressive actor or character is Chris Evans as Captain America - I don't know whether it's deliberate or not on the director's part to give him the worst lines in the movie, thus making him come across as the least smart of the super-heroes even though he is the leader of the pack.

My friend and I joined the thunderous applause in the movie theatre at the end, but I was told by my Millennial friend that we should have stayed until all film credits have been rolled. Apparently, we've missed a few important scenes at the end that hint at an upcoming sequel(s).

It's a tremendous feat nowadays to produce a movie that wins the hearts and wallet-share of young movie-goers. But this movie is more than that - it's a flick with a lot of fun for the entire family, and at a 3D cinema near you please!

Looking Old Age In The Eyes

I feel blessed that the excellent Chinese movie A Simple Life gets screened in AMC Theatres in Toronto, albeit long overdue. This is, of course, a movie directed and played by baby boomers -renowned Hong Kong director Ann Hui and her lead actors: Deanie Ip and Andy Lau. Ip has retired from the big screen in 2000, but her re-emerged role in this film deservingly won her the Best Actress Award at The Venice Film Festival and the Golden Horse Award in Asia.

So many film critics have already written in praise of the movie. I agree with everything they said - a masterpiece on character development; the rhythms of shared routine and intimacy that bind the lead characters; the simplicity of everyday aging life and loneliness but treated with delightful humour and exquisite little details. There's no explosive emotions or violence, but all boomers can be empathetic with the relationship between the master and the servant and the role reversal when Ah Tao suffered from a stroke - in old age, the servant becomes the served.

I was warned by a friend that I might find the movie depressing, as most of it was shot inside an old-age home. Instead, I just find the film extremely funny and nostalgic. This was the first movie in which Lau and Ip reunited on the big screen in 23 years and the two real-life godmother and godson once again remind me of how Andy Lau rose to his megastar fame - he played Ip's son in a TV cop drama when he was still a rookie actor some 35 years ago.

The movie also reminds me of my birthplace Hong Kong and all the veteran actors and directors whom I grew up with. I think this movie is best appreciated by a Cantonese-speaking audience because most of the idioms and colloquialisms would be lost on Mandarin-speaking or English-speaking audiences. This would be a great movie not only to go with boomer friends, but you should take your sons and daughters who, I hope, would learn a few valuable lessons and morals.

Not Enough Passion To Be a Love Tragedy

Some critics found The Deep Blue Sea exquisite while others considered it boring and slow. If it's the choice between the devil and the deep blue sea, I just don't think the passion is strong enough in the movie to warrant either.

At its best, The Deep Blue Sea is an art piece. But most of the time, it's slow and unnecessarily pedantic. Sir William Collyer, played by Simon Russell Beale, is not brutally boring enough as a husband for Rachel Weisz's Lady Collyer to have an affair. Lady Hester Collyer's love object, former RAF pilot Freddie (played by Tom Hiddleston), is not good looking or young enough to deserve the whole big fuss.

Similar to a lot of other British movies, the whole film was shot in such darkness (a la Tinkle Tailor Soldier Spy) that if you don't pay attention, you'll fall asleep. But unlike other film critics, I do like the excerpts from Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, written in 1939, as the main musical score for the movie. But the music also adds to the whole conclusion for the flick - a lot of style but not enough substance.

The only redeeming grace is, of course, Rachel Weisz, who not only looks magnificent in this 1950s period drama, but plays the role of the naive and melancholic Hester so extremely well!

Reason sounds stronger than love and passion in the content of The Deep Blue Sea. In the words of the mean mother-in-law, Hester should choose 'guarded enthusiasm' instead of 'passion'. Even the landlady of Freddie's London flat advised her that true love is really about taking care of your aging and dying partner rather than indulging in the young flesh of the moment!

The cast of this movie is all blue blood in acting - both Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston are Cambridge University graduates and Simon Russell Beale has been described by The Independent as "the greatest stage actor of his generation." But what a waste of talents in this flat movie!

Small Plot With Big Theme

Jeff Who Lives At Home is very funny, that is if you like that sort of self-deprecating humour. The movie appears at the beginning to be one about a family of losers - a single boomer mother who hasn't found love in a long time; the oldest son who has a failing marriage and a boring job; and the younger son who keeps daydreaming and still lives at home with no job.

But the film is really about destiny - Jeff's (played by Jason Segel) theory is that everything and everybody in this universe is somehow interconnected. So if you're guided by your destiny, you'll be doing fine. Somehow this kind of topic is hot nowadays - the movie reminds me of Kiefer Sutherland's new TV drama Touch which is also aboout destiny.

I don't particularly like Jason Segel, but he seems to be omnipresent in movies lately. Plus he's dating Hollywood 'it' girl Michelle Williams. He plays the role well in this flick and is the soul of the entire movie. Ed Helms from The Office plays his older brother who seems to be confined within a pigeon-holed character all the time. Susan Sarandon, who plays the mother, is great in every performance and even though she needs to improvise for the first time in her entire career in this movie, she does a fabulous job. And she's well preserved at 65! Judith Greer is also one of those actors who needs to branch out into a broader role instead of constantly playing an insecure adulteress or wife (The Descendants).

I've never seen a Duplass brothers movie before but I quite like this one. They are big on improvisations and always go with small independent productions. Jeff Who Lives At Home is a small, simple plot with a big macro theme. But for those of you who do not go to cinemas that often, this one can probably wait till it appears on DVD.

Hope, Faith and Love in Yemen

Salmon Fishing in Yemen is really not a movie about fishing. It's a romantic comedy about hope, faith and love in the midst of a contemporary fairy-tale setting. Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) adpated the novel by Paul Torday (I heard the book is pretty good too) into a 'delicious' big-screen comedy.

I don't think anybody could resist the charms of both Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor. The former plays what she does best - the lovely girl next door - and the latter plays an inflexible fisheries geek with a heavy Scottish accent. But the most entertaining role in the entire flick was given to the adorable Kristin Scott Thomas who is the extremely bossy and controlling press secretary to the British Prime Minister.

While I marvel at another of Thomas's masterpiece, I can't help but lament why public relations professionals are once again being ridiculed. From Wag The Dog to Game Change to this movie, public relations practitioners are presented as calculating, manipulative and controlling SOBs. A former colleague of mine challenged me last night over drinks that The Ides of March was an exception. Well, I don't think painting a bad picture of the media necessarily improves the perception of the public relations profession.

Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt have the perfect chemistry in the movie although the two actors have not met before. Tom Mison who plays Blunt's boyfriend in the film may be more handsome, but McGregor's charisma and endearing Scottish accent just enable him to outshine everybody else.

Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules, Chocolat) has done a fabulous job in making a complex story so appealing and entertaining - life is all about hope, faith and love when you strip down all the racial prejudices and biases, political manipulations and dramas, and even terrorism. This could be a story in Yemen, or it could be happening anywhere else in this world. Extra brownie points to Hallstrom who has the good taste to marry Lena Olin!

The Love Of One's Life

Romantic comedies are usually meant to be ridiculed for their cheesiness and rarely considered for subjects of discussion. Friends With Kids is unique this way - it's funny, smart, witty, and provokes post-flick conversations. Having seen the movie today, I finally understand why Jennifer Westfeldt, who produces, directs and stars in this movie, holds the heart strings to Mad Men's Jon Hamm (Westfeldt and Hamm have been romantic partners for 15 years and are still going strong). A brainy woman who can write and direct such a witty movie should be given more credit than just being Jon Hamm's girlfriend.

The movie is as "New York"ish as a Woody Allen movie but without the self-deprecating moanings and complaints. The dialogues are bold and, at times, outlandish with lots of references to sex and body parts of both genders. Even though it's got most of the Bridesmaids cast - Jon Hamm, Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd - you don't find any toilet humour in this one. I find it funny because it's a combination of situation comedy, farce, satire and romance with a constant quest to challenge traditional values.

Everybody is looking for the love of their lives in this movie, but how do you define the love of your life? The happiest couples while dating turn out to have the worst marriages. Love at first sight with the perfect man and woman of your dreams doesn't last either. And, in reality, kids can be spoilers of marriages and relationships even though they are bundles of joy at times. Being at the right time with the right person is as true as any sage old saying!

The lead actors and actresses are all renowned comedians, so I wasn't surprised that they are so good in their roles. But Jennifer Westfeldt and Adam Scott are sheer pleasures to watch, and even though Jon Hamm can be extremely funny (as demonstrated in his performances on Saturday Night Live), he deliberately takes on a more low-key role in front of the camera in support of his real-life partner, while being the Executive Producer for the movie as well.

Having raved about the movie overall, I have to say that the first half of the film is much better than the second half. If only Westfeldt could have taken her writing and directing talents further and been more bold in her artistic venture! But from a pure entertainment point of view, I have no complaints, particularly with the enhancement of "eye candies" such as Ed Burns (who's unfortunately much heavier in his 40's) and Megan Fox.

And who can resist the movie soundtrack, particularly music from the indie rock band The 88?

Nobody Is In The Wrong

I was never a foreign-language movie fan because I believe that one would usually lose the authenticity and true emotions if one can't understand the language of the story being told. Reading English subtitles is never the same as hearing the actors in our own language. But, more recently, I've been changing my mind and I'm now increasingly convinced that I should give foreign movies a chance. This was particularly true when I saw this year's Best Foreign Language Film from the Academy Awards, A Separation, from Iran.

Foreign-language movies always demonstrate greater artistic subtleties and often reflect their countries' unique cultural nuances. But A Separation is brilliant because the plot and dilemmas faced by the characters in the movie could apply to any culture. This was the first time I saw an Iranian movie and I was struck by the simplicity and stark morality of the film. The plot is simple - a couple's family begins to disintegrate because the husband and wife cannot come to an agreement: the wife wants to move to America and the husband refuses becauses he wants to stay in Iran to take care of his elderly Alzheimer-stricken father. The 11-year-old daughter is caught in between the parents she loves and life is becoming increasingly difficult for her.

This had to be one of the lowest-budget movies I've ever seen - no big stars, no big productions and shots of very simple everyday life in a busy city. But things are never as they seem. As with every separation or divorce anywhere in the world, there were already underlying problems to the couple's relationship before the wife wanted to move to the U.S. And the husband's reluctance is not as simple as just taking care of the ailing father.

What I also like about the movie is that there's really nobody in the wrong here: the husband is trying to be a dutiful son, making an honest living at the bank and helping his teenaged daughter with her homework. When he apparently saw elderly abuse, he lost it. The wife, as a strong woman in the Iranian world, wants to build a better life for the family by emigrating to the U.S. and she only wants the best for her daughter. Feeling guilty about what she's about to do, she has arranged for alternative help at home so that her father-in-law can be looked after. The poor housekeeper risks dishonouring the family (by helping wash an old man suffering from Alzheimer's without getting her husband's prior consent) because she wants to help out her neurotic and debt-laden husband. The teenaged daughter is just a normal, bright student wanting to lead a happy life, but, instead, finds herself caught in the web of conflict, lies, hatred, guilt, deception and justice.

In the end, we understand that Iranian women are the most honest souls beneath their burka-clad attire. In spite of the conflict between the two families, the two children have become friends. And, very often, throughout the movie, we see the world through the eyes of the two kids. The movie, like all other forms of great art, leaves us with an open ending that invites the audience to figure out what could be the conclusion. I've spoken to four friends who have seen the movie and some of us may agree while others have totally different interpretations.

When Iran is in the middle of such controversial confrontation with Israel and the rest of the world, such a win at The Oscars was best summarized by Asghar Farhadi, the director of A Separation, at the awards ceremony, "..at the time when we talk of war, intimidation and aggression is exchanged between politicians, the name of their country, Iran, is spoken here through her glorious culture....I proudly offer this honour to the people of my country, a people who respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment."

A Flat Oscar Evening

The Oscars, sometimes, is just a necessary evil on a Sunday night every year. You've watched almost all the movies and you've heard all the rumours and bets about who's going to win. Seldom were there any surprises, and so was last night's event.

I'm glad that Billy Crystal was back as the host - although he's not spectacular, I don't think anybody could have done a better job. Why can't there be any younger, classier actors or comedians who can succeed Crystal? Last year's James Franco and Anne Hathaway were disastrous, but the Academy should keep looking and not simply give up on the young, promising talents. There are a lot of gifted and funny comedians in Hollywood, but none of them is as classy as Crystal. David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Chris Rock have all tried and failed. I'm not sure if Eddie Murphy hadn't backed out, he could have done a better job. Ricky Gervais is funny, but his jokes would have been too irreverent for a formal and traditional ceremony like The Oscars. Why don't they try Jerry Seinfeld next year? Here's a comedian who's classy and quick on his feet, and if I may add, a celebrity whom everybody loves.

I was thrilled that The Artist won three awards - Best Director, Best Picture and Best Actor. If Jean Dujardin lost to George Clooney, that would have been the biggest insult in his entire career! So I was in a great mood until we came to The Best Actress Award being handed to Meryl Streep. But I guess I can live with this one 'loss' for me so long as The Artist swept the rest. I was, of course, delighted that Woody Allen won the Best Original Screenplay even though I think Michel Hazanavicius of The Artist should have won that as well. And typical Woody - he just chose to snub The Oscars again by not showing up.

A couple of likes and dislikes: a lot of impressive gowns on the red carpet - Natalie Portman, Cameron Diaz, Gweneth Paltrow, Rooney Mara, Angelina Jolie and even J.Lo looked stunning. I don't know why Tom Cruise deserved to give out the Best Picture Award at the grand finale, but even he looked amazing at 50! Esperanza Spalding looked and sounded amazing when she took us through who passed away during the last year.

The sharing of experiences with short anecdotes from stars didn't quite work for me. They were neither charming nor funny. But one of the worst moments for me last night had to be Angelina Jolie shamelessly strutting her stuff on stage - one hand on her waist and one leg out of her gown's slit - what's that all about? Her bad taste was shared by Will Ferrell and his sidekick Zach Galifianakis who behaved like bozos and totally out of place on that stage.

Even though Billy Crystal did an okay job as host, The Oscars remains one of the longest and most boring events that we have to sit through once a year. It's definitely high time for the Academy to come up with innovative ideas to jazz this up next year in order to do justice to all the award recipients!

High-Touch Movie In A High-Tech World

The silent movie The Artist turns out to be such an exquisite pleasure to watch. How on earth did it ever lose to Tree Of Life as The Best Movie at The Cannes Festival last year? Silence is not only golden, but it teaches every single member of the cinema world a lesson - why put words in actors' mouths when acting skills speak the loudest? On top of that, a black-and-white movie trumps all colour and high-tech 3D productions of the contemporary world!

Movie critics everywhere love this production by French director Michel Hazanavicius. There are some spoken words and subtitles, but they are kept to the minimum. All expressions are on the face and in the eyes! And even though I'm not a pet lover, I couldn't help but got smitten by the dog superstar in the movie - Uggie!

The acting in this movie is just beyond excellent. I hope Jean Dujardin (a Clark Gable look-alike in the movie) will go on and beat George Clooney in the Best Actor Award category at The Oscars next month. His leading lady Berenice Bejo (the Argentinian-born wife of the movie's director) deserves equal accolades. Supporting actors including John Goodman and James Cromwell (famous for his role in Six Feet Under) are equally impressive. Also, perhaps Merryl Streep can take a lesson from this silent film about "Making Way For The Young?"

There are a lot of movies on the big screen which pull the audience's heartstrings, but this one does it with class, wit and close to perfection. It makes you wonder why the rest of the world can't accomplish such great feats with spoken words?

Annoying Flashbacks In The Iron Lady

Watching The Iron Lady is like seeing a documentary with annoying flashbacks. I would only wish that they just reduce all the flashbacks to just a couple, but then, I'm not a director! As a feminist, I would have loved to support a movie featuring one of our first women political leaders in history, and directed and written by women as well.

However, the movie is very mediocre. I wasn't surprised because director Phyllida Lloyd also directed Mamma Mia which I intensely dislike. The key takeaway from The Iron Lady is that no matter how smart and powerful a woman is, she, like others, has to face dementia and old age towards the end. There's a constant effort to make this production as poetic and tragic as Shakespeare's King Lear, but somehow it didn't quite work that way. The irony is that even though Thatcher was hated by so many Brits during her reign, what she has fought for turns out to be quite true now, e.g, her fierce reluctance to have Britain join the EU. Look what a mess the euro and Europe are in right now!

I've never doubted Merryl Streep of accomplishing just anything as an actor. And this movie is no exception. In fact, having just won the Best Actress Award at The Golden Globes, she's probably going to win another Oscar again. But like many other baby boomers, Streep should really contemplate stepping aside and making way for others to win awards. Otherwise, when would other brilliant, but younger, actors such as Michelle Williams stand any chance when they're competing with Streep? And do we have to sit through another look of shock and disbelief on her face again when the Awards presenters read out her name?

When I watched the film in Naples, Florida, the entire cinema audience applauded again, just like their reaction when watching The King's Speech  last year. Well, don't expect too much - I think North Americans, including Canadians, just can't help but adore anything British!

A Sexy Thriller

Mark Wahlberg's Contraband only scored an average of 2.5 star ratings among professional film critics. But as a Marky Mark fan, I was not disappointed. Once again, we can't probably question the plausibility of action movie plots - heroes always come out alive in spite of numerous gunshots and dangers.

This flick is a remake of the 2008 Icelandic movie Reykjavik-Rotterdam and is also directed by Icelandic artist Baltasar Kormakur. Without being a spoiler, all I'm going to say is that the entire movie is about smuggling - drugs, currency and even a Jackson Pollock painting. The rest of the story really doesn't matter and, of course, as always, you can't trust anybody in gangster movies.

I'm a huge fan of Wahlberg's, so needless to say, there's plenty of him larger than life in this one. But what I like about the movie is the sexually-charged music and cinematography. The film score written by Vancouverite Clinton Shorter (famous for his music in District 9) is simply outstanding. The soundtrack is just a grabber throughout the movie - particularly with Crawling King Smoke John Lee Hooker, the king of blues! Then there's the city of New Orleans and Panama City where all the crimes are taking place. You wouldn't even recognize that it's New Orleans if you don't read the reviews. And I just learned that parts of the port of New Orleans are disguised as Panama City as well. If you like ports, ships and containers, you will marvel at the beauty of the vessels and cargo in this movie.

The supporting cast is all good except for Kate Beckinsale - when was the last time we saw her in an intelligent role? So the good guy continues to be even better; and the bad and slimy ones are all creepy villains - Ben Foster as Sebastian; Giovanni Ribisi as Tim; Caleb Landry Jones as the useless brother-in-law; and JK Simmons as Captain Camp, the ultimate comic relief in the film. Even Mark Wahlberg's older brother Robert has a very minor, but impressive, role.

But I think it's time for Wahlberg to come out of his comfort zone - the constant productions of The Italian Job kind of movies are just not innovative. As his fans, we all understand that the Marky-Mark-turned-Hollywood success story needs to be told, but he's done that enough already. Let's move on! He can do much better!

Busy, Loud and Lousy Sherlock Holmes Sequel

Here's where I once again disagree with most of the professional film critics - Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows is a lousy sequel to the first one also directed by Guy Ritchie. Not that the first one was really better, but at least it's more entertaining with great cinematography of ancient London.

This sequel features a glorious cast of thousands, even among the supporting roles. Apart from Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law still in the leading roles as Holmes and Dr. John Watson respectively, we now have the famous Stephen Fry (best known for his portrayal of Oscar Wilde) as Holmes's brother; Jared Harris (best known for his role as Lane Pryce in Mad Men); and, of course, Swedish actor Noomi Rapace (Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Swedish version). Rachel McAdams has a really small role as Irene Adler as a continuation of the first movie.

Similar to its predecessor, A Game of Shadows is entertaining all right. But none of the plot makes any sense and the whole movie is extremely busy, loud and complex. While the first Sherlock Holmes movie was, at times, funny, this one is even stretching it on the humour side. I never consider cross-dressing men funny and there are plenty of such unbearable scenes in this flick.

Nevertheless, there are a few improvements from the first movie. The makeup is remarkably a huge progress in this sequel except for the scenes when we have to witness the heavy use of cosmetics on Downey's face whenever he disguises himself as a ridiculously-looking woman. His fake British accent is also a much better attempt than his previous effort which I recall was hardly comprehensible.

On the actors, Jude Law is always delightful to watch even though the role of Dr. Watson doesn't capitalize on his talents. The same applies to Noomi Rapace whose role as a gypsy can be given to any other actor. And, frankly speaking, after watching both the Hollywood and Swedish versions of The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo, I embarrassingly mistook Noomi Rapace for Rooney Mara when I saw this movie. Unlike other women, I've never been a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr. - I think similar to Leonardo DiCaprio, he overacts in every single role. Stephen Fry's challenge is that he will always be Oscar Wilde to me. I also confused Kelly Reilly who plays Mrs. Watson with Jessica Chastain. So that leaves only Jared Harris who is probably the best in this movie as the ultimate villain. I always find him creepy as Lane Pryce in Mad Men, but without his glasses in this flick, he further communicates his villany with his eyes. I wasn't even aware of his lineage - he is Richard Harris's son!

Towards the end, I can only concur with The Chicago Tribune film critic's one-star rating for this movie.

A Strong Character Study

Young Adult was a pleasant surprise after reading all the negative reviews from Canadian film critics. I saw it at the movie theatre anyway because I always like Charlize Theron as an actor and as an independent woman.

Director Jason Reitman has a strong track record of making great movies - Juno, Up in the Air and Thank You for Smoking - and Young Adult is a bit low-key, but still amazing. This is the first time that Reitman collaborates with fellow Canadian, screenwriter Diablo Cody since Juno which won the latter an Oscar in 2007. I don't think this movie will win any Oscars for the talented pair, particularly for Cody, but it's still a good movie because it's so non-traditional.

The movie is really about a character study of the protagonist Mavis (played by Theron) who is very unhappy from beginning to end. Ever since high school, she has been searching for the unattainable, and, as a result, she is mean to everybody and suffers from a chronic depression. Most heroines, no matter how mean they were at the beginning of the movie, become much better at the end. But not this one, and the ending is as depressing as the beginning. Reitman makes the audience follow Mavis inside her mind - her goal to leave small town Mercury for a city life in Minneapolis; her failed marriage; her unhealthy relationship with her parents; the lack of girlfriends or any friends in her life; her alcoholism, mental imbalance and self denial. Theron is one of the best contemporary actors we have and once again, she's proven herself to be capable of going anywhere on the big screen in spite of her super glamorous looks.

The only sort of 'friend' of Mavis in the movie is Matt, the 'hate crime' guy in the movie (played by Patton Oswalt). He is the only companion who lectures Mavis about what's right and wrong, and is the voice of reason in the entire movie. But the irony is that Matt is also grossly misunderstood - he's severely beaten up when he was at high school because his school mates thought he's gay but he really isn't. Only Mavis understands him and even speaks up in his defence for more than once. The two unhappy souls console each other throughout the movie during difficult times and try to outdrink each other. It's tragic to see Mavis eventually sleeping with Matt after unsuccessfully trying to seduce her highschool sweetheart Buddy (played by Patrick Wilson). Is that out of sympathy or just because she's frustrated and drunk?

The key takeaway from this movie is that happiness is really derived from very simple things in life - it's a state of mind and the importance of mental health is, as always, underrecognized.