Interstellar Is Out of This World

Interstellar

"Interstellar" was such a great movie that I went to the theaters twice to see it.  It was definitely the best movie of the year.

I think that is because most boys of my generation, in the wake of man setting foot on the moon, wanted to be astronauts when we grew up.  Astronauts were like rock stars back then.  Whenever a movie came out about space, it truly spoke to kids like me.  "2001: A Space Odyssey" was way cool, even with its trippy, psychedelic ending.  Okay, "Apollo 13" made me not want to go to space.

When the teaser trailer first came out for "Interstellar", it was cryptic enough to not know what the movie was about, but I knew it would be good, directed by Christopher Nolan, director of the Dark Knight series and the masterpiece, "Inception".

The story deals with a dystopian society not too far in the future where climate change and blight are killing our crops and reducing the population to dangerously low numbers.  Matthew McConaughey is at his best as Cooper, a washed out pilot recruited by a barely-functioning NASA to go into space through a freshly-discovered wormhole to scout for potential planets to relocate the human population.

The story is complimented by laudable, if sketchy, performances by Michael Caine, Wes Bentley, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, and Casey Affleck.  Anne Hathaway, as usual, was highly annoying.

The science of this film is spot on.  It is refreshing to see realistic portrayals of space, gravity, and celestial bodies beyond the Star Wars genre of space movie.  The visuals and the anticipation of seeing what they encountered held me breathless.  Especially the end, when Cooper descends into the black hole, which was slightly reminiscent of the end of "2001", except that the filmmakers actually tried to make sense of it.

The most triumphant part of the film, however, is the human element - the anguish of a parent being separated from his children by billions of miles and the ravaging effects of quantum mechanics and time dilation.  There were moments so poignant to me that I had to fight back tears.

That does not mean that everyone will love this movie.  I went with my mother, and she really didn't understand the movie.  My daughter thought it was overhyped.  But I loved it.  If you have not seen it, believe me when I say - it is out of this world.

Catching Up: 8 Mini Movie Reviews of 2014

So I let my blog lapse a little.  Truthfully, I haven't been to the movies that often.  The economy has prevented me from indulging in this particular vice.  I generally have been waiting for movies to come out on video.  (Perhaps another blogging opportunity.)  So rather than try to blog for each movie I've seen individually, I decided to write eight mini reviews for each of the movies I have seen in 2014, all in one post.  Here it goes:

Orlando Bloom as Legolas

1.  The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug - Okay, I went to see this one three times while in the theaters, and I already own this one on Blu-ray, and I just purchases the extended version.  Peter Jackson would crap, and I would probably give it a good review.

This second installation of the film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic picks up where the first left off - with Thorin's company continuing their trek towards the Lonely Mountain to confront the dragon Smaug and reclaim their lost treasure.  Their adventure will have them face dirty spiders, cruel elves, and greedy humans before circumstances bring Bilbo (Martin Freeman) face to face to Smaug, played to the hilt by Benedict Cumberbatch.

The movie is great, but it gets frustrating to have your viewing experience broken into three parts.  I spent way too much time during this movie worrying about when they would end the movie, And it ends, predictably at a cliffhanger.  Many have argued that the original trilogy was better.  That may be true.  But it is still wonderful to be back in Middle Earth, again.

Russell Crowe as Noah

2.  Noah -  There were a few things I liked about Noah.  Being somewhat of a biblical historian, I liked that they portrayed the antediluvian society as industrial.  I liked that they dug into the apocryphal "The Book of Enoch" and implemented the Nephilim, or giants.  But I was vastly disappointed that they turned them into stone giants.  There were some superb special effects - battle scenes and epic flood waters.  There was some fine acting - Russell Crowe as Noah, Jennifer Connelly as his wife, and Emma Watson as his daughter-in-law.  Ray Winstone was positively frightening as Tubal-Cain, and Sir Anthony Hopkins was perfect as the ancient Methuselah.

But none of these was enough to save this from being just a plain bad story.  Imagine for a moment if a Hollywood atheist made an environmental movie using a story from the Bible.  What would you expect?  Certainly a trashy movie, just like this one.

Geoffrey Rush & Sophie Nelisse in "The Book Thief"

3.  The Book Thief - Based on a novel of the same, this story centers around a young girl named Liesel in wartime Germany (played by the brilliant Sophie Nelisse).  Her mother is being transported by Nazis to a camp for being a Communist, and she is placed in custody of Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson), a childless couple.  After adjusting to her new life, she finds entertainment by books - sometimes stolen - from the private library of a Nazi commander.  The family also finds itself in peril when they take in a runaway Jew, Max (Ben Schnetzer).  Max and Liesel spend their days with Max teaching the young girl how to read.

Colorful and hauntingly beautiful, this film gives a different perspective to World War II and shows what it is like to live right in the middle of the conflict.  Newcomer Sophie Nelisse gives a convincing performance, and Geoffrey Rush is superb, as always.  This movie is definitely worth seeing at least once.

Sherman & Mr. Peabody

4.  Mr. Peabody & Sherman - I am definitely a child of the '70s.  I grew up with Saturday morning cartoons.  Faithfully, I watched "Superfriends", "Schoolhouse Rock", and "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show".  I knew these shows well.  I especially liked a segment of Bullwinkle that featured Mr. Peabody, a genius canine, and his adopted son Sherman.  The two would take adventures through different periods of history a la Bill & Ted.

That's why it was nice for me - more than 40 years later - to be able to introduce these characters to my kids when they released an animated movie.  Peabody - I was surprised to learn was played by Ty Burrell of "Modern Family" fame - is forced to travel back in time with Sherman (Max Charles), along with Sherman's classmate Penny (played by another "Modern Family" veteran, Ariel Winter).  This movie is a delight.  It has plenty of cultural references and tongue-in-cheek humor geared towards a Generation X audience, and there is plenty of action and funny moments for kids.  Add some snazzy cameos by Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, and Stanley Tucci, and you have the perfect family movie.

Chris Evans & Scarlett Johansson

5.  Captain America:  The Winter Soldier - The merger of Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm was genius.  Seriously, between the three, that's all my kids watch.  Not that I am complaining; I really think all of the Marvel movies are really cool.  The new installation of "Captain America" is no different with Chris Evans reprising his role as the patriotic superhuman.  It takes place two years after the events of "The Avengers", and the captain must combat a hostile takeover of the super-secret government agency, S.H.I.E.L.D. by Hydra, a neo-Nazi organization.  (Those who watch the TV show "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." can witness this infiltration from a different perspective.)  Scarlett Johansson resumes her role as resident badass, Black Widow, and the ever-present Samuel L. Jackson stars as Agent Nick Fury, all of them together with Falcon (Anthony Mackie) confront Hydra, and their mysterious warrior called "The Winter Soldier".  This film is action-packed, and, in many ways, better than the first movie.  A definite see for your kids.

How To Train Your Dragon 2

6.  How To Train Your Dragon 2 - Honestly, I wasn't that excited to see this movie, but my kids were.  I thought it was alright, but my kids loved it.  The fact that the kids loved it was good enough for me.  The story picks up several years from the first movie where Hiccup (Jay Barushel) discovers a Viking tribe that captures dragons and makes slaves of them, endangering the good rapport that Hiccup's village has created with the dragons.  Along the way, he meets his mother, played by Cate Blanchett, who has also mastered the art of training dragons.  The movie climaxes with an amazing battle scene that includes behemoth dragons.

The true mark of a movie - do I look at the time all through the movie to see if it is almost over?  Sadly, yes.  But go for the kids.  The kids will love it.

Seth MacFarlane & Charlize Theron

7.  A Million Ways To Die in the West - My older kids took me to this one for Father's Day.  This film was directed and stars Seth MacFarlane of "Family Guy" fame.  It became very distracting watching it, because, every time he opens his mouth, one hears Brian or Peter speaking.  The humor was typical of MacFarlane - that is, some of it is hilarious, and some of it is just plain crude.  I did chuckle quite frequently, but, honestly, this movie is now out on video, and I have no desire to own it.  Not even the stellar cast could save this film, which included a sneaky villain (Liam Neeson), a love interest (Charlize Theron), and many other colorful characters played by Neil Patrick Harris, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, and Sarah Silverman (whose dialogue made even me blush), plus many, many other cameos.  Some great moments here, but I think MacFarlane should stick to animation.

Guardians of the Galaxy

8.  Guardians of the Galaxy -  This is possibly the perfect summer flick I have seen in a while.  This Marvel epic has action, special effects, and a great story.  But most of all, it is a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously.  There are no angst-ridden superheroes, but a group of five selfish characters who do not hesitate to screw each other over, but have to learn to work together.  I won't sat much about the plot.  I will just say - you need to see this movie, if you haven't already.  I have seen it twice, and that says something.  The cast is superb - Chris Pratt as Starlord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, and my kids' favorites - Vin Diesel as Groot, who only speaks three words throughout the film ("I am Groot"), and the machine-fun wielding raccoon, Rocket, played by Bradley Cooper.  The dialogue is witty, and the visuals are panoramic.  Quick, go see this movie!

Moroni's Review of "Thor: The Dark World"

Thor: The Dark World

Two months ago, I made an arrangement with my son, Alex, that I would take him and his sister, Siobhan, to the movies for his birthday.  So earlier this month, I made good on my promise and took them to see "Thor: The Dark World", the second movie in the franchise.  So what do I think?  This is a movie that will please both kids and adults.  This movie is better than the first one, and I really liked the first one.

The film starts when Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to Earth when his former love interest, Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), becomes infected with a primeval dark substance called Aether.  To heal her, Thor is forced to take her into the dimension he inhabits, Asgard.  This substance causes an ancient enemy of Asgard, the Dark Elves, to awaken ad lay siege to the ancient city.

Like the first film, this story takes us to many fantastical, dream-like landscapes - the aspect of the film that I actually like the most.  It introduces us to several mystical creatures, cool weapons, and superhuman battles.  It is the characters that make us invest in the fantastical.  Chris Hemsworth bears the hammer of Thor with dignity.  Natalie Portman is just exquisite.  Stellan Skarsgard plays his best role, reprising his portrayal of Dr. Erik Selvig, the events of "Avengers" unhinging his mind.  It is always great to see Sir Anthony Hopkins on the big screen, wearing the mantle of Odin for this endeavor; who know how many more movies he will do?  But again, it is Tom Hiddleston as Loki who steals the show.  He plays the villain with such panache that it is impossible to hate him.

Obviously the franchise will go on.  There are references to "Avengers" and "Captain America" in the film, tying each of these stories into one solid narrative.  I enjoyed it.  My kids loved it.  Our consensus is that it would not be such a bad thing if this became a trilogy.  At least.

Hint:  Stay in the theater until the credits end for a view of what's to come in the Marvel World.

Moroni's Review of "Ender's Game"

Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford in "Ender's Game"

 "Ender's Game" was a movie I was looking forward to, because I had read the novel the film is based on nineteen years ago.  Granted, I am not a huge fan of Orson Scott Card, the author of the novel.  He is a Mormon, like me.  But over the years, I have disliked some of his political views - and he has expressed quite a few.  In addition to that, I find his writing bloated and pretentious.  (He plagiarized the Book of Mormon in one of his series.)  And yet I liked "Ender's Game" quite a bit.  Not enough to read the other books in the series.  But it is a good book.  I was pleased to see that a film version was coming out.

Then the controversy started.  Certain LGBT groups were calling for boycotts of this movie because of some of Orson Scott Card's statements previously against gay marriage.  At first this annoyed me,  I have always made it known that I am decidedly pro-gay marriage.  But I always hate it when people try to mix politics with art.  Especially when it is turned into propaganda.  But then I remembered that I do the same thing.  I boycott organizations and groups that are anti-polygamy; for instance, my boycott of Ben & Jerry's for their contribution to Tapestry Against Polygamy around eight years ago.  Sure, it was a long time ago, and Tapestry Against Polygamy has luckily gone the way of the dodo.  But I still don't eat Ben & Jerry's.  Any group that would support hate does not get my support.

Suddenly, I realized that I was being a hypocrite.  I felt the same way about my cause that the LGBT community feels about theirs.  I think the source of my conflict was that I really liked the story.  Eventually, I realized that I was going to go see this movie, in spite of my feelings.  To rationalize this, I had to divorce Orson Scott Card from his story.  It was the story I liked, not the author.  Plus, the studio announced that people could see this movie guilt free, because Card had no involvement with the film and was receiving no monetary compensation for it.

And really, the story is relevant in our day and age in its depiction of our society, the " good guys", justifying and lying to people about a war that, when you boil it down, doesn't need to happen.

It may have been nineteen years since I read the novel, but, from what I remember, the film sticks pretty close to the book.  It tells the story of a boy genius, Ender Wiggins, who is selected by the government to take part in a secret project to train kids to think outside of the box, as it were, as a means of fighting an alien force called the Formic that invaded Earth in the past.  The training pits his wits against his fellow students in some complex war games in a zero g environment.  Asa Butterfield does a great job playing the solemn, intense Ender opposite Harrison Ford who plays the gruff Colonel Graff.  Ben Kingsley plays Mazer Racham, a Maori soldier of legendary proportions.  His portrayal was kind of sketchy, and I feel like the director (Gavid Hood) did not use Kingsley's talents to their full potential.  The same goes for Abigail Breslin's performance as Ender's sister, Valentine.  She was not given a chance for a full performance.

The strength of the performances give zest to the visual aspect of this film, which is sweeping.  The exercises in the Battle Room are epic, and the physics in zero g are flawless.  In these scenes, Ender gets to show his ability at strategy.  The best parts of this movie take place while Ender is training.  But the visual effects kind of detract from the space battles against the alien Formic.  There is way too much going on the screen, and it is vaguely video game-ish, like I am watching "The Last Starfighter" all over again.  But perhaps that is relevant to the plot twist, which I will not reveal here.

All in all, it is a good movie, my apologies to the LGBT community.  But for what it's worth, I didn't pay a cent.  I had free movie passes...

Moroni's Review of "Gravity"

Sandra Bullock in "Gravity"

This film will speak to almost everyone on a primal level.  I can scarcely think of a kid that has not wanted to be an astronaut.  I was no exception.  But I cannot think of anyone who does not have an innate fear of drifting weightless, in the cold of space, high above the earth, and unable to return to your ship.

This is the premise of "Gravity" - directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron and starring Sandra Bullock.  Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a mission specialist onboard a space shuttle mission high in orbit above the earth.  The movie starts out with the team EVA, working on a satellite.  A cloud of debris suddenly pelts the shuttle, destroying the shuttle, sending her spinning into the blackness of space.  She teams up with another survivor, Lt. Matt Kowalski (played flawlessly by George Clooney), whose cheery demeanor in spite of their hopeless odds is enough to rally the doctor.  With their oxygen running low, they head for their only chance of survival - a Chinese space station.

This movie is riveting and will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Visually, the film is stunning with its dazzling panoramas of space, the stars, and Earth.  Usually, I am fairly ambivalent about watching movies in 3D, but I have to admit that 3D augmented my viewing pleasure, gave you the depth that created illusion that you were floating in the darkness with her.  It also had you flinching at space debris careening off the screen.  The zero g physics were flawless, which was refreshing to see in an industry known for ignoring realistic scientific principles.  Some of the scenes were intense and reminded me of "Mission to Mars", a movie already thirteen years old, but one I love.

There times when the camera spinning from the point of view was a little disconcerting and nauseating, but the story soon made you forget that.  The movie starts at a quick pace and does not slack for the duration, but gives enough back-story in flashing glimpses that gives the characters a sense of dimension.  But characters are dwarfed by the immensity of the backdrop and the sense of suffocation and empathy for the characters.  I loved that the cast was small.  A huge ensemble would have ruined this movie.  Mainly it was just Sandra Bullock, adding to the sense of isolation.

If you have not seen this movie yet, go see it.  It will keep you in free fall from start to finish.

My Desert Island Top Ten - Movie Edition

Back in the day, Tower Records (remember them?) gave you their in-house magazine with every purchase.  The magazine, Pulse, included a section each month where readers could list their "Desert Island Top 10".  The premise is this - if you were stranded on a desert island, and you could only take ten albums with you, what would you take?  I did My Top Ten on my music blog.  I figure that I could do the same thing with movies.

I made a rule that I could not use any movie that I have already reviewed.  It was tough.  I mean - there are so many movies I love.  I have always been a movie geek and love Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings.  But I decided to pick movies that mean something to me, that changed me.  So here it goes, in no particular order.  Tell me your Top 10 in the comments, or on my Facebook page.

Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons in "The Mission"

1.  The Mission (1986) -  Several years ago, film critic Leonard Maltin wrote an article for Reader's Digest about how Hollywood had become decidedly anti-religion.  He cited this Palm d'Or winner from the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, directed by Roland Joffé as an example.  For me, this film is exactly the opposite - deeply moving and spiritual.  It tells a story based on true events of a mission to the Guarani Tribe in South America, led by a small band of Jesuit priests.  When the Portuguese and Spanish governments become embroiled in a dispute over territory, the Catholic Church abandons the mission, leaving the Jesuits and the Indians alone, faced with the choice of fleeing civilization back to the jungle, or standing their ground against slave traders and mercenaries.  The movie may be anti-organized religion, but it is very much in favor of personal spirituality, making decisions based on what's right rather that what authority says to do, standing against all odds.  This is the core of what my beliefs as a Mormon fundamentalist are about.  Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons give the performances of their career here.  De Niro plays a former slave trader and mercenary who kills his brother in a fit of rage and seeks peace and forgiveness by seeking sanctuary at the mission with the Indians he once plundered.  His decision is whether to continue serving them as a priest, or to take up arms in their defense, forsaking his vows.  Jeremy Irons stars as the Jesuit who beguiles the natives with his oboe and refuses to resort to violence as a solution, but is willing to take a stand, no matter the odds.  The landscapes are sweeping and beautiful.  The soundtrack by Ennio Morricone is perhaps one of the most beautiful soundtracks ever penned.  This is a story of moral courage in the face of insurmountable adversity.  And if it does not bring tears to your eyes at the end, you are likely not human.

Amelie

2.  Amélie  (2001)  -    Directed by one of my favorite directors, Jean-Paul Jeunet, this film also launched the career of French actress, Audrey Tautou as Amélie  Poulain, an eccentric free spirit, who lives the Parisian neighborhood of Montmartre with her father and works in a diner.  Most of her spare time is spent daydreaming, her imagination depicted splendidly through special effects.  The story revolves around a series of events that cause her to seek to do good deeds, her adventures lead her to many colorful characters in her neighborhood, including a mystery man who may be just as eccentric and obsessive as she is.  The vivid and vibrant portrayal of Paris is impressionistic, and the motley array of personalities is something that Jeunet perfected in his film "Delicatessen", along with a haunting soundtrack, make this movie beloved to me.

Bicycle Thieves

3.  Bicycle Thieves (1948) - I came to a realization on my own, before my personal research confirmed this, that the Italian neorealism movement of the late 1940s was a reaction to a country being brutally beaten by Mussolini's fascism and World War II.  The movement was the political vehicle for the spawning communist and socialist movements that were spreading across Europe at the time.  I usually hate when people mix art and politics.  I also dislike socialism and communism.  But I totally admire the way the neorealists captured the gritty poverty and hardship of post-war Italy.  This movie is like a snapshot into that time.  Directed by Vittori De Sica, it is not a feel-good movie.  It tells the story of a man (Lamberto Maggiorani) who pawns of his personal belongings to purchase a new bike that he needs for a new job that he just started.  On his first day, the bike is stolen.  He spends the next day walking around Rome with his son (Enzo Staiola), looking for his bike.  Both actors make the movie.  Maggiorani tries to remain macho and stoic, but the frustration and hopelessness leaks onto his countenance.  Staiola looks world weary beyond his years, and his time is spent looking at his father in worry.  This is a European film.  Don't expect any happy ending.  This is a portrait of suffering in a world with no reprieve.

Blue Velvet

4.  Blue Velvet (1986) -  I knew that there was going to be a David Lynch movie somewhere on my list, since he was such an important director to me in my formative years - "Elephant Man","Eraserhead", "Wild at Heart", and even "Dune".  But ultimately it had to be "Blue Velvet".  It was always the fallback movie when I was teen and got together with friends, trying to settle a movie we could all watch.  One of my friends even baked a "Blue Velvet cake" for a birthday.  This is David Lynch at his finest - every frame crafted like a painting.  He also uses one of his most common themes - decay and ferment  beneath the pleasant facade of American life.  It tells the story of an innocent boy (Kyle McLachlan) who returns to his idyllic hometown and becomes immersed in the mystery that lurks in the night of his town.  Dennis Hopper gives one of the craziest performances of his life as the laughing gas-sniffing, velvet-caressing Frank, and Lynch includes the usual cast of misfits, including the suave Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif, and Jack Nance.  The soundtrack includes such '50s and '60s classics such as Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" and Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" (which figures prominently in one of my favorite scenes).  The rest of the soundtrack is done by a pre-Twin Peaks Angelo Badalamenti with vocals by Julee Cruse.  In this movie, David Lynch accomplishes what he did so well back then - he trips you out.  Not so much now.  But boy, did he back then.

Donnie Darko

5.  Donnie Darko (2001) -  It is unfortunate that this movie - that deals mainly with a plane crash - was released only weeks after 9/11.  No one wanted to think about plane crashes at that point.  Who knows how successful this film would have been otherwise?  However, after it was released on DVD, it became a cult classic.  It tells the story of a disturbed boy with schizophrenia, Donnie Darko (played wonderfully by Jake Gyllenhaal) who avoids death by going for a walk when part of a plane lands on what was his bedroom.  He spends the movie being plagued by a terrifying bunny rabbit named Frank who tells him that the world will end in 28 days.  During this time, he deals with his illness in school, gets to know a new girl (Jena Malone), and stand up to a creepy self-help guru (Patrick Swayze).  When it all unravels, don't expect to understand everything.  Just go with it.  It has to do with time loops and alternate universes, and somehow Donnie, through his mental illness, is the only one who can truly perceive the phenomenon.  It is a beautiful film with some great songs from the '80s, like "Love Will Tear us Apart" by Joy Division, "Under the Milky Way" by The Church, and "The Killing Moon" by Echo & the Bunnymen (ironically).  My favorite scene is the movie theater scene where director Richard Kelly pays homage to "Evil Dead", another one of my favorite films.  Word to the wise:  if you purchase this film on DVD, get the original, and not the Director's Cut.  The Director's Cut is even more convoluted and doesn't flow as well.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

6.  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) -  This vastly original screenplay written by the iconoclastic Charlie Kaufman won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.  Both Jim Carrey, as Joel, and Kate Winslet, as the free-spirited Clementine, give the finest performances of their careers.  The story recounts how they begin a new relationship, only to discover that they have had a relationship before.  Their relationship was so doomed that both of them,  independently of each other, went to a company to have their memories of the relationship erased.  The story is about how love is inevitable and worth going through, even when it is bound to fail.  Most of the film takes place in the mind, in the memory rather than in the real world.  So the narrative is discordant and jumbled, bouncing all over the place.  Like memory, the film style is ephemeral, visceral, and psychedelic.  The most compelling moments take place as Joel's memories of Clementine begin to disintegrate, even as he realizes that he wants to keep remembering her.  It all works.  This is a wildly imaginative love story, and you will not forget it.

Kung Fu Hustle

7.  Kung Fu Hustle (2004) - Stephen Chow is not only my favorite Hong Kong director, but he is a favorite with my children.  My kids will watch "Shaolin Soccer" and "CJ7".  I have watched Chow's movies with other people who have a hard time understanding them culturally.  I explain that they are much more than martial arts movies.  They are living cartoons, relying on visual effects and whimsical narrative.  This film - with Chow as both main character and director - tells the story of Sing, a down-on-his-luck, two-bit criminal who dreams of joining the notorious Axe Gang.  The gang comes into conflict with the inhabitants of a slum called Pig Sty Alley, which is harboring Kung Fu masters that come to aid of the community.  The Axe Gang hires assassins to root out the Kung Fu masters, allowing Sing to tap into his unknown ability as a Kung Fu master himself who comes to the aid of the poor people of Pig Sty Alley.  The effects and martial arts stunts are stunning, if not a bit ridiculous.  This movie is violent and fun, filled with sight gags and outrageous characters.  If  you have not been exposed to Chinese cinema, this is a good place to start.

Love & Death

8. Love & Death (1975) - I am a huge fan of Woody Allen's early comedies, but this one is by far my favorite.  A parody of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, the film tells the story of Borris and Sonja (Diane Keaton) as an unlikely couple in Russia who set out on a quest to assassinate Napoleon.  Not only in this a bona fide slapstick movie, but it has produced some of the wittiest Woody Allen quotes that I am known to produce from time to time.  ("You love Mother  Russia, don't you?")  ("Sex without love is an empty experience."  "Yes, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best.")  Like all of Woody Allen's comedies, there is a strong moral undercurrent about war, the moral imperative of killing, and religion.  These result in some conversations between Allen and Keaton that are, at once, hilarious and yet profound.  The best scene is the closing shot that features Woody Allen dancing with Death across the Russian countryside.

Pan's Labyrinth

9.  Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - A decade ago, as the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy wound down, there was an online poll that asked - if Peter Jackson could not direct "The Hobbit" prequel, which director should give it a try?  The answers were mundane like "George Lucas" or "Steven Spielberg".  My answer was immediate - Guillermo del Toro.  I had only seen two films by this Mexican director - "Mimic" and "Blade II".  But I had seen enough to know - this man was a creative genius.  (Eventually, he would be selected to direct "The Hobbit", but would have to withdraw due to conflicts.)  This was before I had to see "Pan's Labyrinth", which is his masterpiece thus far.  Set during the Spanish Civil War, it tells the story of Ofelia, a young girl whose mother is married to a cruel fascist officer bent on hunting down anti-Franco rebels.  Ofelia is launched into a world of fauns, demons, and faeries who set her upon a quest that seems to mirror the political struggle around her.  This movie is beautiful, haunting, disturbing, and touching all at once.  One of the great things about this film - it never answers the question:  is this world a result of Ofelia's imagination, her need to escape the violent world around her?  Or is it real?  The answer is left to the viewer.  One thing is certain - the real monsters are the men like her step-father, who are more wanton and bloodthirsty than any creature from the faery world.  The soundtrack is adds to the ambiance of the story.  This movie will not leave you dry-eyed.

Thunderheart

10.  Thunderheart (1992) - Based loosely on the events at Wounded Knee in the 1970s, this crime drama is much more than it appears on the surface.  It is about coming to terms with your heritage, in spite of trying to run away from it.
FBI agent Ray Levoi (Val Kilmer) is sent as a special Native American liaison to a reservation in South Dakota due to having a mixed heritage - his father was part Sioux.  He and his partner (played brilliantly by Sam Shepard) are to investigate a murder.  It turns out to be much more than anyone suspects - a struggle between pro-government and anti-government factions, collaborations between big business and the FBI.  Levoi must soon choose between his duties as a federal officer and what is best for the Lakota people.  The sweeping Dakota landscape aids in the telling  of the story.  The most compelling aspect is the way that Levoi comes to terms with his Lakota heritage and has an awakening in the form of visions.  This film brilliantly illustrates the difference between native culture and the dominant American culture - how they are at odds with each other.  I recently showed this film to my older kids, and they liked it, despite it being an "old movie", as they term it.

Moroni's Review of "The World's End"

The World's End

Sometimes reunions don't go over well, and it's best to leave the past in the past.  At least that's what Simon Pegg's character Gary King discovers in the third installment of the "Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy" that includes "Shaun of the Dead", "Hot Fuzz", and now this one, "The World's End".  The trilogy gets its name from featuring a new ice cream flavor in each film.  The other common elements are that all of the films are directed by Edgar Wright, written by both Wright and Pegg, and feature many of the same actors, like Simon Pegg, the brilliant Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy (who provides a brilliant voice-over), and others.

The film starts out with a group of five boys on the night of graduation. They decide to try the "Golden Mile", a pub crawl that includes twelve pubs, and ends at a pub called The World's End.  Their attempt fails, and the groups soon disbands.  Twenty years later, Gary King, who was the de facto leader of the gang, tries to round up the crew for a repeat of the Golden Mile.  This time the aim is to complete the crawl.  The problem - everyone has moved on with their lives and has become entrenched in adult life.  Everyone except Gary, who is stuck in the '90s.  With his Doc Martens, black trenchcoat and Sisters of Mercy t-shirt, he is still the same free spirit he was in high school, except that he has not evolved.  The crew reluctantly decides to reunite, along with the sister of Martin Freeman's character, played by the beautiful Rosamund Pike.  Right from the start, the night is a disaster that culminates in a discovery that the world is being taken over by alien robots.  But this fact does not prevent Gary from trying to complete the Golden Mile.

This movie is frightfully funny with the same dry wit and macabre sense of humor that was prevalent in "Shaun of the Dead".  My wife thought it was weird.  But I spent the whole movie chuckling.

The soundtrack was great, filled with gems from the late '80s and early '90s like Happy Mondays, the Sundays, Blur, and the Stone Roses.  Gary's obsession with Sisters of Mercy figures prominently in the plot, and the film ends with a rousing rendition of "This Corrosion".

All in all, this was an enjoyable movie.  As usual, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play very well off of each other.  Edgar Wright's directing style - filled with rapid zoom-ins - is becoming familiar and compliments the rapid-pace action of the movie.  I am definitely hoping that there will be another flavor in the trilogy.