Playing Games With Memories

In spite of the critics' lack of enthusiasm for Danny Boyle's new movie Trance, I had to pay attention to anything that the director produced after his Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire. Plus, Vincent Cassel (who won a Cesar award for his role in Mesrine) is one of my most favourite actors.

This is another flick that constantly works your brains. Just when I thought that I had the whole plot figured out, there came another surprise - layers and layers of it! The ending is shocking and incredible, but if you constantly question the storyline of movies, half of them would not be watchable!

This stylistic heist is a big play on human memory. Somehow, this has lately become a popular theme for movies - Inception, Total Recall, Oblivion and now Trance. But if you believe in the power of hypnotics, then this is the movie for you. But coming from Boyle, the movie is a bit disappointing. This is a thriller with a lot of violence and action, but short of brilliance. It's as if Boyle, after his witty direction of the London Olympics, wants to continue with showing off London in its best form. Under his direction, London is hip, mysterious, romantic, stylish, sinister and foggy. But style trumps substance - that's where the problem lies.

But at least the actors are strong, particularly Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson. James McAvoy's innocent looks always limit his versatility as an actor. He always gives 150 percent but efforts do not necessarily imply impact and depth.

For us Vincent Cassel fans, we always wonder why he's not a bigger star in North America. He has won numerous awards in France and appeared in many Hollywood movies (Eastern Promises, Black Swan and Ocean's Trilogy). But he's always just the bad guy, that's it. I understand that he's currently living with his family in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he's producing a new movie. Maybe it would be finally a movie with him demonstrating his full acting talent without strutting his animal magnetism?

Rosario Dawson is always a formidable actress and talented artist. Whether it's her teaming up with Prince for the re-release of his 1980s hit "1999," or her performance in Quentin Tarentino's Death Proof, she's always got a cool factor in her. Because of her exotic ethnicity - Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban descent - a lot of film critics find her beautiful.  Judging from her romantic history (she's dated former Sex and the City star Jason Lewis for two years and then dated Danny Boyle in 2012 when they were shooting this movie), obviously the men in the acting world agreed. Although most of the film critics raved about the sex scene between her and Cassel in this movie, I just didn't find it that significant. But Dawson might garner an Oscar nomination for her performance as Elisabeth Lamb, the hynotherapist who turns the world upside down in the film.

I salute the director for keeping me guessing till the end, but is the conclusion ridiculously unbelievable? Yes it is, but I like it even though I'm disappointed with Boyle.

Tom Cruise Surprises Again

I was never a fan of Tom Cruise or sci-fi movies, and originally had no intention of watching his latest movie Oblivion. But to make a long story short, I ended up in the cinema on the first night when the movie premiered. Once again, I have to say - Cruise surprises me!

Most of the film critics panned the movie, so I went with the lowest of expectations. But whether you like Tom Cruise or not, this is a visually stunning movie. Credit, of course, goes to director of cinematography Claudio Miranda, who won an Oscar this year with The Life of Pi. With a combination of digital effects and brilliant cinematography with a huge budget, your breath will be swept away by the power of the universe - mountains, cliffs, bridges, valleys, caves, waterfalls and volcanoes. The use of minimalistic white for the interior shots is equally stunning and effective. I wouldn't be surprised if Miranda wins another Oscar next year.

I read that this is only director Joseph Kosinski's second movie (his first was Tron: Legacy) which he adapted from his never-published comic book. His latest work was fiercely criticized by reviewers who claimed that it was a mishmash of a number of other renowned epics. It's true that the film reminds you of Blade Runner, Total Recall, The Matrix, The Planet of the Apes, Inception and many others. But the plot kind of makes sense in a sci-fi kind of way and before you realize it, you're entertained by Tom Cruise (playing the technician Jack Harper in 2077) again - and he doesn't even need to smile!

The film is also a love story and Cruise's leading ladies do not disappoint. Ukranian-French model/actress Olga Kurylenko (as Julia) is so ethereally beautiful that I wonder why she was hardly noticeable as a Bond girl in Casino Royale. I understand that Kurylenko got the role only when Jessica Chastain dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

Andrea Riseborough who plays Cruise's partner Victoria is appropriately chilling and aloof in her performance. After playing Wallis Simpson in Madonna's WE, the British actress has once again proven her versatility.

The US$120 million production partially accounts for the technical supremacy and flawless filming in eight locations including Reykjavik and Jarlhettur in Iceland; New Orleans, St. Francisville and Baton Rouge in Louisiana; June Lake and Mammoth Lakes in California; and New York City. If the film were edited down by 30 minutes and some of the sappy music be replaced by more original scores, Oblivion could have been a better sci-fi movie.

Ginger & Rosa A Must-See

The new BBC-Produced movie Ginger & Rosa was an absolute delight to watch. It's the tumultuous world of 1962 as seen through the eyes of two British teenagers - Ginger played by the flawlessly natural and gifted American Elle Fanning; and Rosa played by the18-year-old Australian actress, Alice Englert, daughter of renowned New Zealand director Jane Campion (The Piano).

I've never seen any of writer and director Sally Potter's previous movies. But having seen her latest, I've concluded that she's a creative force to reckon with. The movie stays away from cliches but still reminds us of our own teenaged years or offsprings. Only a woman writer/director can produce such a masterpiece with a strong screenplay coupled with sense and sensitivity.

But what makes the movie almost perfect is the wonderful cast ensemble (apart from the two teenaged leads) - Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks (Joan from Mad Men) and Annette Bening. The music (from Schubert to Charlie Parker to Miles Davis) and poetry are also great icings on the cake.

Elle and Dakota Fanning are probably two of the best-known child actresses in North America. But the younger Fanning even outshines her older sibling with her accomplishments so far. Her performance in this movie reminds me of the very young Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver and has already garnered her nominations for the Best Actress Award at the British Independent Film Awards and also the Best Young Actress Award by the Broadcast Film Critics Association. The 5'8" lanky teenager from Georgia, U.S.A., who has been acting since she was three, will further win numerous accolades as she matures.

I'm really proud to see that Canada is one of the producing countries of this film in addition to the BBC and other independent film companies from Denmark and Croatia.