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?