A Nutshell Review: Sione's Wedding
It's early into 2007, and I've already got one contender for film of the year. Sione's Wedding from New Zealand has this impeccable charm to it, and it's been a delightful surprise watching this at only the one hall it is currently screening at.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/siones-wedding.html
A Nutshell Review: Jackass Number Two
I haven't seen the Jackass television series from MTV, or the original movie when it was released in 2002. This sequel was originally planned for release here sometime last year in October, but has been shelved until now. Nonetheless I shall unabashedly say that I had a good time watching this, but I guess it will only appeal to those who have a thing for low browed humour.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/jackass-number-two.html
A Nutshell Review: Bobby
But alas, when Bobby was in the run-up for the US Presidency, he was unceremoniously gunned down in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in 1968. Bobby the movie is set on that fateful day, so it must be cautioned that this is not a bio-pic, as it takes a broader look at the events of the day, and peeks into the dramatized lives of others around him who suffered collateral damage, in an era marred by steady violence and intolerance in society.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/bobby.html
A Nutshell Review: Happy Birthday
It's difficult to sit through this movie, at least for me. Identifying with certain elements brought back some memories that I try to keep at the back of my mind, and going into this movie with slight expectations of the storyline reminded me of what a friends once said, that I'm a sucker for punishment. And yes, this movie dragged a bit, and moves along in cruise control, until the final act where it sledgehammers emotions all the way to an expected cliche ending.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/happy-birthday-sun-yat-fai-lok.html
A Nutshell Review: Loft
If Kairo (Pulse) got my interest piqued towards Kiyoshi Kurosawa's works of horror, a genuine atmospheric piece which truly spooked me, then Loft is that perennial two steps backwards, falling into the curse I find permeating into many Asian horror movies of late, of standard cliches and eliciting guffaws from moments which translate into unwanted comedy.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/loft-rofuto.html
A Nutshell Review: The Last King of Scotland
The first Forest Whitaker movie I watched was Blown Away, which starred Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones, one of two "bomb-maker" movies in 1994 (the other being the more successful Speed). And since then, he's been one of my favourite character actors, chalking up a diverse filmography, although some in largely supporting roles in the movies that made its way here (Panic Room, Phone Booth, etc). This year, he is widely touted to win that Oscar for his role as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/last-king-of-scotland.html
A Nutshell Review: Miss Potter
Possibly the JK Rowling of her time, Beatrix Potter is the author of the beloved children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit, amongst other best selling classics which you might have read as a child. Not only does she dream up and write the stories, she does the illustrations as well, which are actually quite beautiful in its simplicity. Most of them, after all, are based on animals, and her painted illustrations augment her narrative text really well.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/miss-potter.html
A Nutshell Review: Altered
I'd have to admit that the draw of this movie is director Eduardo Sanchez, who helmed the wildly popular and successful Blair Witch Project. Besides, this is an alien movie of sorts, and sounded something like Stephen King's Dreamcatchers, one of those movies that the critics hated, but I enjoyed.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/altered.html
A Nutshell Review: The Unseeable
But when this project was announced, I admit I was a bit apprehensive. I have not fancied many Asian horror movies of late, because of the usual formulaic stories and the employment of cheap shock tactics which bore. At times, scenes become unintentionally comedic, coupled with bad makeup and cheesy special effects, which mar whatever potential the movies could have achieved. The horror genre is no doubt a money spinner, and many times, quality is compromised when everyone jumps on the same bandwagon, knowing audiences will still lap them up despite the inferior product.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/unseeable-pen-choo-kab-pee.html
A Nutshell Review: Half Nelson
To his students, Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) is the teacher full of unorthodox ideas, challenging authority and doing things his way. His subject expertise is history, and instead of going the rote way in regurgitating curriculum, he opts for the understanding of rationale behind events, making his classes interactive and interesting. Being a teacher, whether you like it or not, you're a role model, and therefore, a moral compass to your impressionable charges. I have a friend whose other friends are teachers, and he sometimes account their behaviour outside of class, which we are of the opinion that if any parent were to know of their shenanigans, they would immediate withdraw their children from classes.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/half-nelson.html
A Nutshell Review: Adrift
The original Open Water had a couple stranded in the high seas when they went deep sea diving, and somehow missed the boat, literally, thereby being stranded in the middle of nowhere. The formula is now repeated in Open Water 2: Adrift (just called Adrift here probably to disassociate itself from being a "sequel of sorts" movie), with the number of couples increased threefold.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/open-water-2-adrift.html
A Nutshell Review: Once in a Summer
Lee plays a rich man's son Suk-young, in times of great turmoil when university students, unhappy with the state of affairs in the country, are planning to go on a protest. He joins his friends on their travels to a remote village, in order to escape from his strict father, and needless to say, that summer he'll begin his romance with one of the village girls Jung-in, the village librarian.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/once-in-summer-geuhae-yeoreum.html
A Nutshell Review: Running with Scissors
Just as romance movies fall under the tried and tested romantic-comedy or romantic-tragedy genres, if a movie is made about a family, you can be sure that it must be dysfunctional. And in Running with Scissors, one such family is insufficient, and you have the protagonist, Augusten Burroughs (Joseph Cross), jump off the frying pan and into the fire, where he encounters even more weirdness in his surrogate family.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/running-with-scissors.html
A Nutshell Review: Little Children
Welcome to suburbia!
It took director Todd Field 5 years to come up with another movie after In the Bedroom, which I watched back in 2001. It's kinda strange that while at first glance I'd think his movies are a tad boring, in both occasions - for In the Bedroom and now Little Children, I ended up glued to the screen, and find myself sucked deeply into the proceedings. Somehow he managed to draw me into the story, feel for the characters, build up excellent tension all the way to the end, before releasing me from its grasp in the well thought finale.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/little-children.html
A Nutshell Review: The Matrimony
The Matrimony, like the name implies, focuses a lot more on relationships and love, with the supernatural angle adding that extra dimension to complicate matters. It is not a horror movie per se, but a tragic love story that has its characters perpetually stuck with their various issues.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/matrimony.html
A Nutshell Review: Protege
The Hong Kong crime movie genre has another worthy addition to its collection, hot off the heels of the Infernal Affairs creative team's Confession of Pain. While movies of the genre of late are almost always gearing toward sophistication, Protégé plays out its story in surprisingly straight forward fashion, although the characters are draped in shades of grey. What makes the movie compelling, are the relationships formed between the principle characters.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/protg.html
A Nutshell Review: Ghost Rider
Mark Steven Johnson, I hate to break it to you. 3 strikes and you're out. I understand your earnestness in trying to write-direct Marvel superhero movies by trying to stay close to the source material, but somehow they all turn out to be mediocre efforts. Although you didn't direct Elecktra, you produced and wrote it, and wrote-directed Daredevil and now Ghost Rider. I enjoyed Daredevil even though most others did not, and that unfortunately was your best effort.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/ghost-rider.html
A Nutshell Review: Just Follow Law
Jack Neo is undoubtedly Singapore's most commercially successful director, having made 10 films (including this one), and almost each time, you'd hear his movies topping the charts and breaking box office records. His films touch the common heartlander chord with his fusion of satire and subtle jabs at topical issues, much akin to his skits during his Comedy Night days, and given a huge fan base built, it's no surprise if local audiences turn up in hordes to lap up his latest offering which set its sights on the civil service.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/just-follow-law.html
A Nutshell Review: Epic Movie
My opinion whether a comedy is a good comedy is fairly simple - even laughs throughout, and in having at least one sequence to make me chuckle so hard that my tears will roll down uncontrollably. I don't care if it's physical slapstick, witty dialogue or crass toilet humour. So long as my tears roll, it's a winner. But sadly, Epic Movie failed to meet the mark.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/epic-movie.html
A Nutshell Review: Notes on a Scandal
The movie marathon today were all Oscar nominated movies, from nominations in the major awards like Picture and Director, to miscellaneous others (Dreamgirls), and acting, in which Notes on a Scandal garnered two for both Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, who are both already winners of the coveted award.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/notes-on-scandal.html
A Nutshell Review: Letters from Iwo Jima
Clint Eastwood continues his WWII war drama with Letters from Iwo Jima, the companion film to last year's Flags of our Fathers. Shot back to back, this version shows the same battle from the viewpoint of the Japanese, and if compared to Flags, this is a somewhat more heartfelt, personal story about the pride and honour of the defenders of Iwo Jima.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/letters-from-iwo-jima.html
A Nutshell Review: Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls had garnered 8 nominations in the upcoming Academy Awards, but somehow missed out on all the main categories like Picture, Director, and the Actor and Actress nominations. Based on the Broadway musical, with new songs added for the movie (3 of which are in the running for Best Song), it tells of a group of singers' meteoric rise in the music industry in the 60s, and on their trials and tribulation which plague any successful singing group.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/dreamgirls.html
A Nutshell Review: Norbit
When I first saw the trailer for Norbit, I have to admit I was tickled, more so by the familiar antics that poke fun at weight and size. Apologies though that I'm laughing at the expense of plus sized people, and it dawns upon you if there's any valid reason why they should be constant punching bags for gags. From Shallow Hal to The Nutty Professor, it seemed that Eddie Murphy is revisiting familiar territory with prosthetics all over again, and can't get enough of piling on fake weight on himself.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/norbit.html
A Nutshell Review: Hannibal Rising
The story of Hannibal Lecter continues, what with so many movies starring everyone's favourite cannibal - Manhunter, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Red Dragon. In most of these movies, Sir Anthony Hopkins brought to live the vivid horror of the character, sending chills down your bones with his measured performance and that steely gaze. It's natural that in following recent trend, there would be a prequel movie made of sorts which goes back to the origins of the primary character, in an attempt to explain and discover who he is, and what made him to be.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/hannibal-rising.html
A Nutshell Review: Paris, Je T'aime
I love Paris. Having spent only 2 days in 2004 in the City of Lights is definitely insufficient, and sitting through this tapestry, a series of 18 shorts each helmed by diverse filmmakers, was pure bliss as they each create a story set around the 18 neighbourhoods of Paris itself, bringing back memories of the sights and sounds, each very distinct with their own style and narrative structure, but all focused on that central theme of Love.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/paris-je-taime-paris-i-love-you.html