slumdog millionaire

Directors: Danny Boylen and Loveleen Tandan (co-director: India)

Writers: Simon Beaufoy (screenplay) and Vikas Swarup (novel)

Who knew there was a Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?" At first I thought this was going to be a comedy. Although there are some very funny moments, it is also much more intense and complicated. It's also a drama and a love story. I knew peripherally about the Indian caste system, but I had no idea how bad it could be. The evolution of the story and how everything leads to Jamal Malik airing on the show is so well thought out and portrayed. Simply fantastic and sometimes brutal. The cast is amazing, especially the children. (For full list and more details please see imdb.com.) Go see this film!!!

quantum of solace

directed by marc foster
written by paul haggis, neal purvis, and robert wade
starring daniel craig (um hello! imdb.com if you don't know him) as james bond
olga kurylenko (max payne) as camille
mathieu almaric (diving bell & butterfly) as dominic greene
dame judi dench (too many to name) as M
gemma arterton (rock-n-rolla, which i still need to see) as fields

so my friends thought that there were too many chase scenes and not enough plot nor nearly enough half-naked daniel craig. and they said that they could see casino royale over and over, but would not watch quantum of solace again. although i agree that there weren't enough daniel craig body shots and there were some gaps in the plot, i really liked quantum of solace. it is more somber and subtle than casino royale or any of the bond films. there wasn't the usual amount of tongue-in-cheek bond humor and the bad guy (almaric) is more sinister because he is more conniving than brawny. i loved the parcours (free running thru urban obstacles - jumping from balcony to balcony) sequence and the scaffold fight and i didn't mind the many chase scenes, but i like me some action. oh and the opening scenes were filmed in italy!!! (shout out to my cousin who took me to siena and rome this summer) i also liked that olga's character, camille, was a very strong and smart woman. not all bond girls should be helpless damsels. fields wasn't necessarily helpless, but she succumbed to bond's charm and ultimately the curse of being in proximity of bond... i know that i wouldn't be able to resist bond, in the form of daniel craig, if he asked me to his hotel room. i'm just sayin'! overall marks: good solid action flick. if you want more "fun" bond, go back and see 'casino royale' or 'from russia with love' (sean connery) or any of your bond faves :0)

ciao for now!

nick & norah's infinite playlist

directed by peter sollett
screenplay by lorene scarfaria
novel by rachel cohn
starring: michael cera (nick), kat dennings (norah), ari graynor (caroline), alexis dziena (tris), aaron yoo (tom), rafi gavron (dev), jonathon b. wright (hunky sidekick whose name is diclosed late in the movie), jay baruchel (tal)

one night of "where's caroline & where's fluffy?" in the ny boroughs takes the characters on a journey of awkward and hilarious moments. michael cera is sweet, adorable and quirky as nick. i love his little crooked smile. norah (kat dennings) is great opposite nick - gorgeous, strong and sardonic. tris (alexis dziena) is such a bitch. nick & norah's infinite playlist is happy, endearing, hilarious and has some surprise gross-outs (you'll see). the audience (myself included) had many out-loud reactions - laughter, ohs, eeews and claps. i definitely recommend n&n's infinite playlist! i'm still smiling and i want to see the movie again. oh yeah, great soundtrack - duh! i just downloaded it.

chloe out 'til next time ;0p

towelhead a.k.a. nothing is private

towelhead (titled 'nothing is private' and changed back to 'towelhead' at sundance)
directed by alan ball
screenplay by alan ball
novel by alicia erian
actors: toni collette, aaron eckhart, summer bishil (pictured with producer anne carey; photo taken from genart.org), peter macdissi, maria bello

a thirteen year-old lebanese-american girl, jasira (played by summer bishil), struggles with her confusing and scary sexual awakening in the midst of an obsessive crush with an older man and being the daughter of an oppressive father. toni collette and maria bello give good performances, but aaron eckhart was the brave one to take on such a morally-reprehensible and complex character (the object of jasira's crush and ultimately something bad). peter macdissi gave a first rate performance as jasira's father. i recommend this film if you can handle difficult scenes and difficult subject material. although there some very disturbing and uncomfortable scenes in this film and some disjointed moments, there is humor and hope in the end to offset the darkness.

i saw this film in advanced screening hosted by genart where summer bishil and producer anne carey were in attendance to answer q&a. summer bishil was 18 when the movie was filming and is now 20. you would never know it when seeing her in the film. ms. bishil said that there was a closed set and aaron eckhart, the cast and crew were very protective and supportive while filming the difficult scenes. i asked if she had a difficult time after the movie wrapped because i felt uneasy and my heart felt heavy even though the film ends with hope. ms. bishil said that she went through a phase right after and cut her hair real short but over time was okay. i'm blabbling because i really enjoyed the whole experience despite the tough movie.

thanks for your indulgence. the next film review will be much lighter. ciao for now.

sisterhood 2

sisterhood of the traveling pants 2
directed by saanra hamri
screenplay by elizabeth chandler
novel by ann brashares
starring - amber tamblyn, alexis bledel, america ferreira, blake lively, blithe danner, leonardo nam, michael rady, shohreh aghdashloo, jesse williams, lucy hale

tibby (tamblyn), bridget (lively), lena (bledel) and carmen (ferreira) are great friends who struggle to keep up their friendship strong as college life and adult life pulls them in different directions. even if you didn't see the first 'sisterhood', this film stands on its own. (but go back and watch the first one anyway.) this is a great chick flick, complete with romance, hot guys (omg - williams is dreamy!), drama and laughter. oh and beautiful back drops of santorini to boot. what i liked were reflections of real female behavior: girls being catty and competitive, girls becoming self-actualized after some bumps and bruises to the ego, and girls being true to good friends when the chips are down. go see it. and yes, bring some kleenex.

sir ben kingsley times 2

i didn't plan it on purpose, but i saw 'transsiberian' one week (genart advanced screening) and 'elegy' the following week (cinema chicago - thanks ww!).

transsiberian
directed by brad anderson
written by brad anderson & will conroy
starring: emily mortimer, woody harrelson, kate mara, eduardo noriega and sir ben kingsley

an american couple (mortimer & harrelson) finds serious trouble when they meet two strangers (mara & noriega) with whom they share a cabin on a transsiberian rail from china to moscow. the story is a little forced and contrived. mortimer and noriega give the strongest performances. emily mortimer delivers intense emotions and actions. although well acted, the character was written in a way that is not truly believable - too inconsistent. sir ben kingsley's role was secondary, but he did portray one scary russian. the aerial views of the train were gorgeous, but you can wait for the dvd.


elegy
directed by isabel coixet
screenplay written by nicholas meyer
novel written by philip roth
starring: sir ben kingsley, penelope cruz, patricia clarkson, dennis hopper, peter saarsgard, deborah harry

elegy (noun) - 1. a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, esp. a funeral song or a lament for the dead. (definition copied from dictionary.com)

david kepesh (sir ben kingsley) finds his independent life rocked by his desire for consuela castillo (penelope cruz). kepesh struggles to finally "grow up" in his elder years. 'elegy' explores sex, friendship, love and aging masterfully. don't let the movie trailer fool you. the trailer makes the film almost 'light'. although there are humorous moments and great dialogue shared between kingsley and hopper, the film is deeper and somber at times. excellent performances by all actors, including supporting actors saarsgard, clarkson and harry. i definitely recommend 'elegy'.

dark knight post script

a friend pointed out that i forgot to mention gary oldman. i shouldn't write reviews at one a.m. in the morning... shout out to gary oldman for playing detective/commissioner gordon. his portrayal was great, but I think his performance and character were overshadowed by the story line's focus on the other actors/characters.

the dark knight

directed by christopher nolan
screenplay written by jonathan nolan and christopher nolan
characters created by bob kane

starring christian bale, heath ledger, aaron eckhart, gary oldman, maggie gyllenhaal, morgan freeman, michael cain

a-frackin-mazing! great performances by everyone, including the city of chicago. christian is brilliant and delicious as the brooding and conflicted bruce wayne/batman. maggie kicks katie holmes' butt as a mature, smart and believable rachel dawes. heath was absolutely perfect as joker - ironic, scary, funny and insane. his performance will be part of his legacy. and aaron eckhart surprised me as harvey dent. the dark knight is much darker than batman begins and the edginess works extremely well. mini-spoiler: the scarecrow and two-face make appearances in this chapter (not so much a spoiler if you know the batman series). joker's and two-face's actions made me cringe several times. yet there are some violent actions that are left to the imagination rather than displaying a gorefest. which, in fact, makes the scenes a little freakier. your own imagination can take you to some dark places. this is NOT a film for young children. people who bring children under the age of 10 should lose their parenting rights. the story explores moral dilemmas, just as the graphic novel does. batman fans and non-fans alike can appreciate the action, fx, drama and dark humor. go see it. i'm going again, next time in IMAX!

ciao y'all!

genart & wanted

2nd annual genart chicago film festival - 5 nights; 5 premieres
i don't want to rehash the stats because genart has done a great job already. please go to www.genartfilmfestival.com for more info on all of the films. what i do want is to give a nudge for you to see some of these indie flicks when they are more widely distributed. i'm new to the indie film festival circuit so i don't know how one goes about seeing the short films outside of the film festivals.

this was my first film festival other than the chicago international film festival. the format of genart film festival: one short and one feature length each night. i attended monday, june 23 through thursday, june 26. i really enjoyed the independent films, the format and the experience. yet, by the end of the week, i needed some escapism of the action variety. i saw 'wanted' on friday, june 27, instead (see below). therefore, i have no opinion on friday's films: 'whatever' (short) & 'explicit ills' (feature). what can i say? i love action.

feature films ranked in order of best to last:
the last word, bart got a room, the living wake and dark streets
shorts best to last:
goldfish, morning fall, the art of stalking and hollywood jerome

the last word (score 5)
i felt cool being in only the second audience to see 'the last word' since sundance film festival. according to the director, 'the last word' has been under lock and key. i strongly recommend it. 'the last word' makes you ponder. wes bentley, winona ryder and ray ramano give really outstanding performances in this dark themed, but hopeful film. the premise is so unique and broaches a taboo topic. this was the director's intent. (how do i know? he said so in the q&a session.) also, what is nice is that you get to figure out some things and are not spoon fed what comes next in the story.

bart got a room (score 4)
teenage angst and hormones rage in this comedy about a boy and the lengths to which he will go to find a date for the prom. william h. macy is priceless as the dad. this film is light, silly, funny, frustrating and brought a giggle and a smile to my face. compared to the others, i don't have too much to say because this wasn't controversial or super deep, just funny.

the living wake (score 3+)
what does a man do when he knows the date and time of his death? he invites people to his living wake and takes care of loose ends. my original score on this movie was a 3 (5 being the best possible score) because the lead character was neurotic, annoying and loud. his name was even obnoxious: k. roth binew. however, as the film progressed, the artistry, cinematography, and dark humor swayed my opinion. shockingly, i even felt badly for the lead character at the end of the film. the story is unique and quirky. i loved the sidekick and best friend, mils joquin. i scored the film a 4 because they did not allow for plus or minus. if i could have, the final score would have been 3+. it's weird enough for you to check out on dvd, but not necessary to pay the box office price.

dark streets (score 3)
dark streets is a musical film that is influenced by film noir and has a 1930's feel yet modern tweaks. the bluesy music is really good and sultry. bijou phillips as crystal, kicks madeleine's butt in terms of acting. and toledo is phenomenal as the narrator of the film and mc of the tower club!! i totally want to go to l.a. and see his show. the unfortunate thing is that the plot is predictable and slow - club owner's father's death is declared suicide, but bloke refuses to believe it and digs deeper only to find himself in a mess. when this comes to dvd it is worth seeing for the visual beauty, music and performances. the blessing about dvd's is you can select your scenes and skip the boring ones.

***

wanted
starring angelina jolie, james mcavoy, morgan freeman, common
directed by timur bekmambetov
screenplay by michael brandt, derek haas and chris morgan
based on the comic book series by mark millar & j.g. jones

mcavoy (wesley), jolie (fox), freeman (sloan), and common (the gunsmith) - they all brought it. you know how i feel about mcavoy, but common is really hot too. jolie kicked ass and took names. fight sequences and action sfx are pretty fracking great. (yes, you read that correctly. if you haven't seen the modern battlestar galactica, where have you been???) there is one scene that goes a little too far. with all of the shoot 'em up vids and movies these days, i think they took it to that level because too many have become de-sensitized. i'm slightly perturbed by that, but not surprised. anyway, do not take anyone who will have nightmares at major gun violence. as usual, i have my quips about bending the already suspended belief realm. for the sake of the movie, we accept the premise that in this fantasy world certain individuals can curve a bullet. but come on, the dude could not have transformed from a cubicle rat to assassin bad ass in 6 weeks. maybe a year, but not less. i know, i pick the weirdest battles. other than those two dings, this flick is foul-mouthed, funny, and action-packed, just what the summer doctor ordered. my adrenaline is still pumping and i crave my karate classes of years past. go see it fellow action junkies.

ciao for now, chloe

sex and snow - total opposites

sex and the city
written & directed by michael patrick king
characters from the book by candace bushnell

carrie bradshaw - sarah jessica parker
miranda hobbs - cynthia nixon
charlotte york - kristin davis
samantha jones - kim catrall

big - chris noth
steve brady - david eigenberger (chicago native!)
harry goldenblatt - evan handler
smith jerrod - jason lewis

louise - jennifer hudson

hello gorgeous! fashion like crazy! i think sarah jessica parker had 70+ wardrobe changes. totally impractical, but i even love that she wore pearls to bed. oh yeah, sex too (ridiculous mancandy - giles marini). i had forgotten how racy the show was. charlotte, samantha and miranda were true to form and so were the fellas, and "big" too, in all but one respect. since when did "big" become domesticated? i want to dish more, but i encourage you to see it. so forgive the vagueness. there are no real spoilers here. we can debate offline.

satc was great fun. i laughed and got teary eyed several times. the core of friendship between the girls was what i really loved most. there were some turns of the plot that i would have done differently. because of the predicability of the movie, i enjoyed the series finale more in some respects. i know, i know, how dare i?! don't forget that this blog is called "a matter of opinion." so for all of you satc die hards, please don't send hate mail ;0p in fact, new york magazine described the opposite, "the movie was what series finale should have been." if you haven't seen it yet, where have you been darling? go already!

snow angels
written by david gordon green & novel by steward onan
directed by david gordon green
starring sam rockwell, kate beckinsale, amy sedaris, michael angarano, olivia thirlby

i see the intent in the tagline, "some will fly. some will fall." to me, the two interesting story lines did not really mesh or layer well: depression/a stark life in the middle of winter & suburbia and teen coming of age story that was really sweet. there were some funny moments weaved in. i think they were meant as comic relief for the darkness and confusion of sam rockwell's character. sam rockwell gave an outstanding performance. whereas, i just could not buy kate beckinsale as a suburban mom. another actress could have made the character more believable or could be more on par with sam rockwell. i don't know if this is still playing in theatres, but you could wait until dvd. rather than try to superimpose the two story lines, the writer should have made two separate movies. i wonder if the novel was better at making the two stories blend.

fino alla prossima volta (until next time?) feel free to correct the idiom. ciao ciao.

happy spring

ironman

directed by: jon favreau
characters created by: stan lee, don heck, larry lieber, and jack kirby
screenplay by: mark fergus, hawk osbey, art marcum, matt holloway
starring: robert downey jr., terence howard, jeff bridges, gwyneth paltrow, leslie bibb, rahan tahir, jon favreau

i have to say i was skeptical at first, but everyone said that ironman was good. i was pleasantly surprised several times and i agree with the masses. it's a great action flick folks. ironman is well filmed and gives a political message without overpoliticizing (is that a word?) and without being too serious. robert downey jr. is tony stark, womanizing billionaire and industrial boy genius who escapes his injury and capture in afghanistan by building an iron suit of armor and artillery... i did not see robert downey jr. as a superhero, but i am converted. he buffed up (nice arms!), his timing and humor were great and art imitating life probably didn't hurt - an excessive lifestyle catching up with oneself. i really liked jeff bridges (obadiah stane) in this too. i am not a huge gwyneth fan but she was endearing and sweet as tony stark's assistant, pepper potts. she looked surprisingly good as a red head. lastly, jon favreau (swingers), someone who i find a little annoying, did a nice job directing 'ironman'. i am not talking about the plot too much because i don't want to be a spoiler. go see it! 'ironman' is a great start to the action movie season.

i cannot wait for the dark knight (july 18)! i heart christian bale (empire of the sun, swing kids, newsies, little women, the machinist, american psycho, laurel canyon, batman begins, the prestige). i didn't have the guts to talk to him when i saw him and his family at o'hare last summer, but he seems every bit as amazing and intense as you would think. here is the kicker folks: although i knew that johnny depp is in 'public enemies' (and they filmed in my apartment building and on my street!!!), i did not know that christian bale is also in 'public enemies' and cb was spotted in chicago. i guess i am not destined to meet mr. bale in person...

it's going to be really sad to see heath ledger in his last act, but from the trailers he really seems to bring a darkness and insanity to the joker that is required. i'm sure that his last act will be a legacy that we will remember.

now on dvd/on demand/downloadable:

p.s. i love you

directed by: richard lagravenese
novel by cecilia ahern; screenplay by richard lagravenese and steven rogers
starring: hilary swank (million dollar baby), gerard butler (300), lisa kudrow (friends), gina gershon (mostly small roles), kathy bates (fried green tomatoes & dolores claiborne), james marsters (buffy & smallville), harry connick, jr. (well you know), jeffrey dean morgan (lots on the small screen)

the movie opens with holly (hilary) and her husband gerry (gerard) arguing and then making up and then next thing you know, he's dead. i guess they want you to feel the suddenness of loss. i'm not ruining anything. the trailers tell you he's gone and he leaves her letters to help her cope. it's a beautiful story about mourning and the pursuit of love. i cried almost the whole film. however, it is really interesting that gerard and hilary don't have strong chemistry. hilary has more chemistry with harry connick jr. and jeffrey dean morgan (hot!!!!) in this one. it's definitely worth watching, but have a box of kleenex ready.

until next time, happy spring!

playing catch up

wristcutters - a love story
directed by goran dukic
screenplay written by goran dukic
inspired by "kneller's happy campers," short story written by etgar keret
starring shannyn sossamon, patrick fugit, shea wigam, leslee bibb, tom waits

don't be put off by the title... there's this place where people go when they "off themselves", but have a second life in an altered state. this movie is quirky, but unbelievably sweet. its pace is a little slow, yet so worth the funny (subtle, not necessarily laugh out loud) and endearing moments. patrick fugit (zia) and shannyn sossamon (mikal) show real chemistry in an understated way. i highly recommend this indie flick. a story about friendship, love (not the heavy handed kind) and how the people in charge run things when they forgive. the music is cool too (original music by bobby johnston, joy division, gogol bordello, del shannon). one of the songs is going to stick with me for a few days. if you see said flick, you'll see why. "when there is trap set up for you in every corner of this town... the only way to go, is underground..."

deception
directed by marcel langenegger
written by mark bomback
starring hugh jackman, ewan mcgregor, and michelle williams

the premise is pretty clever, but the execution fell a little short. ewan mcgregor plays an auditor, johnathan mcquarry, who inadvertantly lands himself in a dangerous place. because i'm a c.p.a., i could not help but know the holes in the story where it concerned an auditor. the set up could have been stronger because there were places where the hints were too obvious. i don't like to figure out a movie too quickly. you're supposed to be on the edge of your seat in a thriller. the tension did not maintain itself and the ending was too hollywood. i try not to give too much away in case you still wanted to see deception. i would recommend to wait for it on dvd.

hitman
directed by xavier gens
written by skip woods
actors: timothy olyphant (catch & release), dougray scott, olga kurylenko
action flick based on the video game. pretty good as action films go, the action sequences are well done. there is a great fight scene in a train depot and some good ol' shoot 'em up scenes. timothy as agent 47 is cute, but not quite bad ass enough to pull it off completely. dougray scott is the best actor in this movie, as the interpol agent, hot on the trail of agent 47. olga (nika) is eye candy for straight boys to be sure. final analysis: good rainy day action dvd or on demand.

shoot 'em up
directed by michael davis
written by michael davis
actors: clive owen, paul giamatti, monica belucci

this is quite possibly the worst action film i have ever seen. and that says it all. remember, chloe is an action junky. even 'transporter' (jason statham) was better than this. how did it go so wrong? it had the hot guy: clive owen, hot girl: monica belucci and nefarious bad guy: paul giamatti. formula action film inserting actors does not work. the plot has to be strong enough to stand up to the action and has to be original if its going to work. the writer/director tried too hard to emulate others (quentin tarantino, robert rodriguez, ian fleming) and failed miserably. the gore tried to be shocking and campy and was neither. the dialogue was so strained and awful. the neurotic bad guy was not believable in the least. i can quite firmly say that this was a thorough waste of my time. i shouldn't keep railing on. i just can't believe how terrible this flick was. trust me, skip it.

enchanted
directed by kevin lima
written by bill kelly
starring: amy adams, james marsden, mcdreamy a.k.a. patrick dempsey, and susan sarandon

i couldn't help myself. earlier this week, i was having a bum day and needed something light. evil stepmother (sarandon) exiles princess (adams) to the real world and prince (marsden) tries to save the day and princess is confused by handsome attorney (dempsey). it is what a fairy tale should be silly, romantic and fun. disney actually poked fun at the quintessential fairy tale while still having all of the elements. refreshingly, the princess actually finds some independence. i know, shocking! this was sweet and cute - definitely chick flick and/or children's movie. there is after all, a happily ever after and magic.

ok. insomnia is now cured. that's a wrap kids. see you next edition.

ciao,
chloe

i heart james mcavoy

i've been on a james mcavoy and jane austen binge. my sister started my stint with jane austen with showing me 'persuasion' (2007 TV) (novel by jane austen screenplay written by simon burke). it was good, but not as good as the other movies adapted by ms. austen's novels. the best part of the movie was the hottie lead, rupert penry-jones. now i've somewhat accidentally saught out jane austen related flicks that i have not seen. i stumbled upon 'pride & prejudice' on comcast on demand, then 'becoming jane'. however, after having seen 'atonement' and 'penelope', i am crushing on james mcavoy something fierce (as christian, winner of project runway, might say). so mcavoy is the real reason i paid $4.99 for 'becoming jane'. stop reading if you have no interest in either james or jane. read on if you appreciate either or both. cheers, y'all :0p

atonement
starring james mcavoy, kiera knightley, saoirse ronan (briony tallis age 13), romola garai (briony age 18), vanessa redgrave (briony older)
novel by ian mcewan
screenplay by christopher hampton
directed by joe wright

atonement started out so intensely it had me on edge. saoirse played briony to the letter. i was terrified of the little girl. the older briony was sooooo weak in comparison. the love story between robbie turner (james (hmmm audible sigh - looks good in a tank top or a tux)) and cecelia tallis (kiera) was tense and raw and so new (library scene) before it was ripped apart by briony. after the start, the middle to end was good, but the intensity level dropped remarkably. in some ways it had to because of the story line, but i think the disparity of the performances changed it too. i have to mention that the cinematography is simply stunning with colors, angles and clarity to really pull you in. the ending was interesting and very well cast with vanessa redgrave. perhaps i am being a bit vague and jumbly with my thoughts, but i can't give away too much if you have not read the book or seen the movie. i am going to read the book now and see how it compares. i do recommend atonement even though i am criticizing the inconsistency of the performances and intensity levels.

pride and prejudice (2005)
starring kiera knightley (miss elizabeth bennett), matthew mcfayden (mr. darcy), donald sutherland (mr. bennett), brenda blethyn (mrs. bennett)
novel by jane austen
screenplay by deborah moggach

good performances turned in by kiera, matthew, donald and brenda. this film had all of the pieces of austen's writing: romance, troubles, miscommunication, pomp and circumstance, and finally resolution. however, the ending was a little too mushy, even for me. sense and sensibility is still my favorite so far of the jane austen flicks i've seen.

becoming jane (2007)
starring james mcavoy (tom lefroy), anne hathaway (jane austen), maggie smith (lady gresham), julie walters (mrs. austen), james cromwell (reverend austen)
directed by julian jarrold
written by kevin hood and the letters of jane austen

"A woman especially if she has the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can." -Jane Austen

this biopic (with artistic license) was wonderful - full of romance, comedy, irony, tragedy. of course i cried. and of course i fell in love with james mcavoy all over again. he has beauty, a softness and vulnerability of the eyes. he was perfectly cast as the irishman with a reputation to steal jane austen's heart. ok, i'll stop gushing about james now. anne hathaway was fantastic as jane austen. anne had showed the smarts and independence required of the role. of course, i'll never know for sure what the real ms. austen was like. if this depiction was anything close to how ms. austen really lived, you could see how she was inspired to write with tidbits of her own life thrown into her stories. i think i would have been miserable if i lived in the same era as ms. austen. a woman could not speak her mind nor make her own way. in some ways that has not changed too much, but in others, we have come a long way, baby. i highly recommend 'becoming jane' (0r 'sense & sensibility') when you need a good cry and a dose of romance that tugs at the heart strings.

yours truly,
chloe

p.s. i prefer all lower case, so i do not apologize for my choice of style. however, i do apologize for my blatant disregard for proper grammar sometimes (shout out to k.a.l.)

creative liberties

the other boleyn girl - eric bana, scarlett johansson, natalie portman, kristin scott thomas
"the only thing that could come between these sisters... is a kingdom." wow, very dramatic. i hadn't read the book so i had no idea what to expect. also i am completely ignorant of history. my sister informed me of some creative liberties taken with the historical content. it is historical fiction after all. all that aside, this is an incredibly impactful film. i am so glad to be living in this day and age and not have to witness the cut-throat, ruthless attempts to further one's station, at any cost. wait, that still happens today... scarlett and natalie, as mary and anne boleyn respectively, put out some powerful performances, enough to make me squirm. eric did his dastardly best as well. ms. scott thomas was also convincing as the mother and the voice of good. my only quip was that there is some forgiveness that i had a tough time believing. i won't ruin it for you, but there is one part that is believable and another not so believable. i tend to tangle with the art of suspending belief and the degree of it when it comes to movies. anyway, this is an intense flick, not a happy one either. go if you want to see some gut-renching drama and pick up some historical tidbits, some true and some not so true.

for more info:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467200/

archive: domino

hey fellow cinephiles,

it's been a while. what can i say? i haven't stopped
watching movies. i just took a hiatus from writing.
if you're still interested, please let me know if you
want to stay on the distribution list. i can't
promise any regularity. all i can promise is that
i'll share my opinion when i'm in a writing mood.

***

domino - directed by tony scott, starring keira
knightley, mickey rourke, et al... "my name is domino
harvey. i am a bounty hunter."

great action drama. go see it. violent, edgy, funny
at the right moments and even touching without being
too cheesy. keira kicked ass and the story line was
cool, even though exaggerated. i feel motivated to
build my workout room and buy that boxing bag i've
been talking about. and the coolest actors' credits i
think i've seen.

***

history of violence - starring vigo mortensen and
maria bello. i don't remember who directed the film.
this film had so much potential and fell flat. the
good: vigo & maria are great. and i know this sounds
weird, and although the sex scenes were graphic, i
felt that there was honesty in them. what went wrong:
the film was too slow. i had expected a speed and
intensity like the movie "payback". no go. the worst
error was the ending. it fell so flat. my impulse is
to tell you to skip it. however, you decide if your
curiosity is peeked.

***

upside of anger - starring joan allen and kevin
costner. it's not the easiest film to watch. a
friend peeked my interest when she said that she had
watched it and that the ending redeems the difficulty
she had watching the movie. i think she meant
witnessing all the anger and bitterness. although the
ending is redeeming, i don't know if it was quite
worth the time i devoted to watching the movie.

***

the corpse bride - tim burton's film i don't know if
you call it claymation like "wallace & grommit". so
animated is the description i'm choosing. i don't
know if it was any shorter than "a nightmare before
christas". the film just seemed really short. it is
an interesting and dark film - big surprise, huh?
anyway, you could wait 'til the dvd. it's cute, but
not as good as "edward scissorhands" nor "a nightmare
before christmas".

***
that's it for this edition.

archive: weatherman

weatherman - nicholas cage and michael caine (and
guest appearance by chuck stubbings). too neurotic
for my taste and lots of strange interjections of
vulgarity. i am still scarred by it. i do not care
what people say, there were no oscar-worthy
performances in this flick. the upside - some
beautiful cinematography and shots of chicago (and
apparently, the cold). also, cheers to chuck for
surviving the cutting room.

jarhead - jake gyllenhal, jamie foxx and peter
scarsgard. it started out strong with humor and
poignant moments. there is a particular sniper scene
with jake & peter that was great. however, the pace
of the movie slowed to a snail's pace and lacked the
intensity of a movie like 'blackhawk down'. ladies
and boyz, there are some great gratuitous body shots
of jake that are pleasing to the eye. you can wait
until the dvd to view these and freeze frame. save
your $10 for harry potter.

archive: harry potter & the goblet of fire

i've come in from twenty degree (yes, that's
fahrenheit) chilly winds and peeled off the layers of
gloves, scarves and turtleneck and i'm curled up under
a fluffy blanket on my couch. i am still feeling the
magic of 'harry potter the goblet of fire'. sure it's
not oscar buzz, but it's fun and wonderful. the cgi
and special effects create beautiful and magical
scenes. i even teared up when... i don't want to
spoil it if you haven't read the books or seen the
movie. it's a good movie to go to to escape chicago's
cold. even if it isn't cold where you are, harry
potter is worth going inside to see if you enjoy the
series. i don't know if they're going to make any
more harry potter movies, the actors have grown so
much. the actors are teenagers playing pre-teens. it
adds to the humor and diversity of the characters.
the weasley brothers are spot on, and harry, hermione
and ron deal with the awkward growing pains of
actually liking the opposite sex. anyway, go see it
for smiles.

***

now on dvd

me and you and everyone we know (written by miranda
july? sorry i am so bad with names.)

if you like indie movies, this is definitely an indie.
it got several nods from the independent film
festivals. i liked the sweet and bittersweet romance
story and the some of the funny and awkward moments.
however, there are some strange plot lines. but i
guess that's the appeal of indie films - creative
license. these days i've been very on the fence on
whether to recommend certain movies or not. in this
case, if you are an avid indie watcher, this would be
a good study for you. if you prefer a little more
traditional, you can pass on this one. how about that
for non-commital?

***

i'm looking forward to 'memoirs of a geisha'. tune in
next time :0)

if i don't see you or write to you beforehand, have a
warm and fantastic holiday season!

archive: chronicles of narnia

the chronicles of narnia - the lion the witch and the
wardrobe

wonderful. for fans, if it's any indication, several
audience members clapped when the movie ended. it is
just as i remember the novel, one of my favorites
growing up (c.s. lewis showed me that reading could be
magical.) narnia has been portrayed beautifully. new
zealand is a perfect backdrop for narnia. it seems
the popular spot (lord of the rings). all of narnia's
creatures are magnificent and unique. i was most
taken by the rendering of aslan. he is beautiful,
better than i would have imagined. i wanted to reach
through the screen and touch his mane. (doesn't hurt
that liam neeson is aslan's voice) the white witch is
fiendish and wicked. they cast the actress well. (i
believe she played gabriel in 'constantine'.) the
young actors were a little weak in spots. i think the
boys are stronger than the girls in the acting
department, especially young edmond. do you have any
inkling of the characters i'm describing? i have
assumed you have read 'the chronicles of narnia'. if
not, take some time to read them or see the movies. i
have a feeling that they will continue the series.
sure it is fantastical, but it is fantasy fiction
after all.

may peace and imagination fill your hearts.

archive: december 2005

now on dvd:
kinsey - liam neeson, laura linney, peter scarsborough
(love him, but not sure that's his last name. you
know how my memory is going...) and chris o'donnell
very interesting. makes you think. hmm. liam gives
a great performance as professor kinsey, aka "prok" as
does laura linney. both are extremely believable as
quirky, nerdy, and sexual beings. there is some
graphic display of genitalia and more than suggestive
sex scenes. however, it plays well in this movie. if
we are to believe that they were true to the real
story, then kinsey was very ground breaking in his
research, influence of bringing light to the
misconceptions about sex and about how far he really
took sexual experimentation. worth renting even if
just to satisfy your curiosity.

bewitched - will ferrell and nicole kidman
you can skip it. too cutesy and predictable.

i don't know if i've mentioned 'crash' in a previous
issue. rent 'crash' if you haven't seen it yet. very
intense and extremely well woven story about racial
tensions in l.a. someone also mentioned an oldie,
'grand canyon' - also great, but slower in its telling
and pace. 'crash' moves better, but i do recommend
both.


now in theatres:
memoirs of a geisha - zhang ziyi, michelle yeoh, ken
watanabe
beautifully filmed and well acted. not a happy film;
it is a drama folks. the story is very engaging and
gives a glimpse of the toll women had to pay when they
were made geishas. i did not read 'memoirs of a
geisha'. i had heard it acted by b.d. wong as a book
on tape. very different to actually hear a woman's
voice narrate in the movie. i don't remember enough
detail to tell you if the movie is true to the book.
i do remember enough to feel that the book, rather the
book on tape, was a little grittier. that might just
be because on the big screen, the characters were
portrayed by such beautiful actors and that the
scenery and all the nuances were made bigger. i am
curious too as to why there were two chinese actresses
playing the lead roles instead of japanese actresses.
then again, i see why they chose zhang ziyi and
michelle yeoh. they are veterans to big epics and not
bad to look at either and let's not forget dreamy ken
watanabe. it is his silent strength and demeanor that
draw you in. mm mm. where was i? anyway, memoirs of
a geisha is worth the price of admission.

that's all folks. wishing you and yours a wonderful
new year's! may 2006 be good to you.

archive: february 2006

i can't believe that the oscars are in a couple weeks.
best picture noms: brokeback mountain, capote, good
night and good luck, munich and crash. i haven't seen
any of the nominees except 'crash'. crash is
excellent. rent it. for the rest, let's see if i can
catch up before oscar night, march 5...

i have seen 'nanny mcphee', 'last holiday',
'underworld: evolution' - all fun movies to lift me up
during my busy work season.

nanny mcphee - colin firth, emma thompson, kelly
macdonald, thomas sangster (kid from 'love actually')
a wonderful family movie. very sweet, funny and fairy
tale fantasy. great feel-good and emma thompson wrote
the screenplay. cheers to emma. come to think of it,
i think that she adapted the screenplay for sense and
sensibility too.

last holiday - queen latifah, l.l. cool j, gerard
depardieu, timothy hutton and others i'm sure you
recognize
yes, it's cheesy. but it is a fun little movie. good
for renting on a rainy night or a little pick me up
chick flick.

underworld: evolution - kate beckinsale, scott
speedman
now this one is for the boys and action junkies like
me. not nearly as good as the first in terms of story
line, but there are a lot of cgi fight scenes. and
for you kate fans, this one is directed by her husband
so she is the main show. scott is just the sidekick.
there is one great scott booty shot for us girls and
the brokeback mountain boyz ;0)

btw - i can research my memory lapses for actors names
and for movie facts on www.imdb.com. no promises, but
i will try to get better at the details for you.

archive: tristan & isolde

in the last edition i forgot to review tristan &
isolde (james franco & sophia myles). i had not
wanted to see the movie because they kept billing it
"before there was romeo & juliet..." it was better
than i expected. you could rent it for a some
entertainment. there were some gaps in logic, but it
is a movie.

last one before i sign off - on dvd & comcast on
demand: two for the money (al pacino, matthew
mcconaughey, & rene russo) - surprisingly good and
gritty movie about sports gambling, transformations,
and pushing people to the edge. you love to hate al
pacino in this role as walter, a shady gambling addict
and cut-throat manipulative s.o.b. matthew
mcconaughey was so believable and sexy in his role as
brandon/john anthony. rene had a supporting role as
toni, a loving wife to walter and a good woman, who
was important to the dynamic of walter and brandon. i
found myself hating walter and being surprised by
brandon's transformation. and oh man! there is a
shockingly explicit sex scene. ladies may be
offended, but it was very appropriate for the context
and character. there is reprieve from the intensity
with a good ending that was not too hollywood. i
really think this is intended to be a man's man movie
but still can appeal to everyone for the link to
different themes to which we can relate on some level.


well that's it for this edition. good night and good
luck.

archive: remember remember the 5th of november

v for vendetta - brought to you by the wachowski brothers (the matrix series); directed by james mcteigue. natalie portman, hugh weaving, stephen rea - bloody brilliant! loved it. yes, it makes political statements. what does it take to make people defy the tyranny of a government? no it is not necessarily advocating terrorism per se, but the need to stand up for one's beliefs. yes, it is more of a drama than an action film. natalie was great. she shows vulnerability and strength as evey, a young woman who by "coincidence" steps into the world of v. ("there are no coincidences.") hugh weaving is wonderful as v. i don't even know who hugh weaving is. but his voice and his body language completely portray v in a believable way. he has vengeance on his mind, but you feel his pain. my cousin disagrees with me completely. he was hoping to be entertained and did not want to be politicized. however, we agreed to disagree. i think the movie spoke to me because of its relevance with current events - subjugation by fear. and i really connected to emotionally to the characters. i cared about the characters and felt with them as i watched them struggle. anyway, please go see for yourself.

failure to launch - sarah jessica parker, matthew mcconaughey, terry bradshaw and kathy bates. i liked this movie more than i thought i would. there are some really goofy and funny moments. it's always a good sign when the audience is laughing aloud. there's more of terry bradshaw's butt than any of us ever wanted to see. matthew is adorable as ever (thanks to the powers that be for the gratuitous shirtless scenes) and sarah jessica was cute, less out there than sex-in-the-city-carrie. the downside was the cheesy hollywood ending, but what is a romantic comedy if not hollywood fantasy?

now on dvd:

in her shoes - toni collette, cameron diaz, and shirley mcclaine. surprisingly poignant little drama. collette is endearing as the straight-laced, insecure, older sibling, rose, who has to deal with an immature, beautiful, crazy, and insecure sister rose (diaz). the sisters each go through self-discovery and transformation. a good story about how even through the tears, sisters have a powerful bond.

flight plan - jodie foster, peter scarsgaard, and sean bean. not the best thriller i've seen, however, i did enjoy and feel moments of tension as a thriller should make you feel. there's something about peter scarsgaard that is so appealing. can't put my finger on it. jodie is always great. you do question whether or not she had a child with her on the plan. and even though he only played a small role, sean bean was nice to see. maybe a b - rating for this one. not a bad rental for a rainy day.

elizabeth town - orlando bloom, kirsten dunst, susan sarandon; written and directed by cameron crowe. this one is a little older. i just never got around to renting it. drew baylor (bloom) fails miserably at a product design and his father dies unexpectedly. drew returns to the south for a memorial and discovers claire (dunst). there are some really great moments in this film, but it tried to accomplish way too much. in certain spots it lacks cohesiveness and there are whole sub-plots of the movie which you could take out and it would have been better, for example the entire plot line of drew's failed product design. and there are moments that stand out and are very moving - hollie baylor's (sarandon) tribute to her deceased husband; drew's roadtrip with his father's ashes, all of the interactions with drew & claire after the initial plane scene which was horrible. these are the parts of the movie worth seeing. the question is: do you watch a movie that has too much extra stuff just to get to the good stuff?

that's a wrap friends. may we continue to find movies that speak to us.

penelope

movie produced by reese witherspoon
directed by mark palansky
written by leslie caveny
starring christina ricci, james mcavoy and reese witherspoon

sweet, sweet movie with a positive message re: strength, self realization and self acceptance. very original story with sweet moments and good laughs. james mcavoy is so yummy. christina ricci is endearing as penelope. reese's small role is cute - loved the hair. although i do recommend this movie, you could wait until dvd if you wanted to save some moola.