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Archive for the ‘Film’ Category
Jane Austen’s Mafia!
Monday, May 11th, 2009
“An Epic Saga Of Disorganized Crime”
Prune juice. Celery. A candle. And an old, angry woman with a vengeance. After that, a massive explosion. That’s what I remembered from a film I saw a long, long time ago.
Oh, and a boy named Diane.
And a hit-man with a spear-shaped violin case.
Before the Scary Movie(s) and Epic Movie(s) and many other “movie” spoof, there was Airplane!, Hot Shots!, and apparently, Jane’ Austen’s Mafia!
(I would like to take a moment to state that Jim Abrahams is obsessed with exclamation points…!)
I had watched all/part of this movie on cable television in a small village in the Philippines when I was much younger, but I could not remember the movie’s name. All I had were scenes…scenes so funny that they had been permanently imprinted into my brain.
Years went by, the Internet was invented and rolled out to the masses, and in a fit of boredom, I entered “mafia, mafia spoof, mafia comedy” into Google. There it was – Jane Austen’s Mafia! Jane Austen has been a busy lady after her death…books, movies, etc.
Neflix graciously allowed me to watch this movie again after 10 long years, and it’s still as good as it was in that small village in the Philippines. Where else can you watch gamblers in casinos playing Go Fish, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and “Last Red Cent” slot machines? Spagetti en mass? “Run, florist, run!”? And most importantly – old, angry women with a vengeance?
If you’re looking for some hilarious takes on some famous movies of the 90s, then go see Mafia! What have you got to lose?
Tags: airplane, comedy, jane austen, jim abrahams, mafia, movie, scary movie, spoof
Posted in Film, Fun Stuff | No Comments »
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
I must confess that I am an avid X-Men fan, and by avid, I mean:
- I watched the cartoon as a kid,
- saw some knock-off TV series in Europe (so fringe, in fact, that the scenes I remember involved a stretchy mutant and a dancing manatee in a dream sequence),
- read some of the comic books
- and brushed up on my knowledge of the Marvel Universe through Wikipedia.
I also saw the three movies preceding this one.
Alright, so maybe I cannot be classified as “avid”, but I am definitely an X-Men enthusiast. I love the characters (both good and bad) for their complexity, and I love reading how they deal with the situations they find themselves in. Plus, superpowers are just cool. More on that some other time; this post is about the latest movie…
So far, it has a 38% rating at Rottentomatoes from the critics, and a 64% from the RT Community. In this case, I side with the community. The movie itself is fun, and I think it is worth seeing. If you are an avid fan of the comic books and hate any deviation from the series, then maybe stay at home on this one.
What I Liked:
- Hugh Jackman is superb as Wolverine. So much fun to watch! He really brings the human side of his character home. After seeing his character in this movie, I must confess I felt renewed compassion for him. Generally, I think of him as a jerk with cool claws and witty-ish one-liners. Turns out he used to have a heart.
- Watching Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth was priceless. I wish they could cut out the Sabretooth from movie 1 and put him in it. Watching him run like a tiger made me so giddy, I would have squealed like a school girl and clapped my hands if it wouldn’t have mortified the entire theatre.
- The character’s humanity. So far, each of the X-men movies have been over-the-top in action (if I am remembering correctly) to the point of being called “ridiculous”. To that, I say, “It’s a superhero movie! What do you expect? Reality?!” Well, this movie comes just a smidge closer to reality, even with the superpowers. While it’s not an epic drama by any means, it was interesting to see each character’s emotional make-up and reaction to different situations. They were engaging enough to pity or hate on a human level.
- Wolverine has not yet succumbed to his traditional yellow spandex. Thank you, God!
What I Didn’t Like:
- Not very much. Maybe I’m too easy to please, or maybe I’ve seen too many Sci-Fi Channel movies that the few cinematic/special effects blunders in this movie pale in comparison to those of Ice Spiders and the not-Sci-Fi-Channel but still horrible and should-be-banished-to-a-special-place-in-hell Recon: 2022 (I’m not even going to link to it).
- Okay, one thing I would have liked to have seen more of was the back story of Wolverine and Sabretooth’s father and mother. The opening sequence was too brief, but that’s alright.
- My husband would have liked to have seen more of Gambit (I agree), but you’ll hear more about that sometime on our corporate blog.
Overall, I think 38% is a pitiful, unjustified rating; 55%-60% is more like it.
Tags: movie, wolverine, x-men, x-men: origins
Posted in Film | 1 Comment »
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Monday, March 31st, 2008
From artfiles.art.com
I had seen this movie years ago when I was living in Kazakhstan, and at that time, I thought it was one of cutest movies I had ever seen.
Now, I’m not quite sure why I thought that.
While watching it again, I felt a sick need to finish it…kind of like that “thing” that captivates you as you watch a bad car wreck happening. You don’t want to see it, but you can’t bring yourself to look away. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great movie for a movie’s sake, but now that I have grown older and have formed a lot of my worldview from experience, observation, and God’s Word (hopefully), this movie was a downer.
But…the happy parts first. :) I really enjoy watching Audrey Hepburn act. Have you ever read that lady’s life story? It’s amazing. If you get a chance, google some of her screen tests and interviews. It’s crazy the things she had to go through.
Hepburn plays Holly Golightly, a “wild thing” known by most as “a faker…but she’s a real faker.” Fashionably dressed and the date of most wealthy men she can snag, Holly lives a fairly independent, carefree life in New York. She lacks a lot of common sense, but you can’t really tell if that’s from her personality or her strong desire to live in denial of reality. If anything gets her down or is a serious problem (as a result of her actions, character, or something/someone else), she finds solace at Tiffany’s…
“Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany’s. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that’d make me feel like Tiffany’s, then – then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name!”
Poor lady. Seriously. I myself enjoy looking at things when I’m feeling a bit down, but to constantly run to a store to avoid problems seems…a sign of a very disturbed mind. Yet, isn’t that what society does today anyways? We find ways to distract ourselves from our problems instead of dealing with them. (As a side note, this blog post is quite fascinating about dealing with problems. Disclaimer: May contain offensive language.)
What I never realized until watching this movie again is that she’s somewhat of a high class call girl. “Gentlemen give me $50 for the powder room, and if they’re real gentlemen, $50 for a cab home.” That’s her main source of income. She claims not to love any of them and that they’re all “rats”.
Paul Varjak is the “boy toy” of a wealthy, somewhat older woman, but his main goal in life is to be a writer. He has published at least one successful book, but at the time of the movie, he has fallen into a slump. As Hollywood fate would have it, he and Holly live in the same apartment building and end up becoming friends (if not lovers…briefly). As the movie progresses, Paul really does fall in love with Holly, despite her looseness, fakeness, and troubled past. He is ready to commit to her, but she just sees him as another rat. In the end, though, he is the only one standing by her, and even then, she is blinded by…I’m not quite sure. People like her are not led by reason but mainly by a form of selfishness.
“You know what’s wrong with you, Miss Whoever-you-are? You’re chicken, you’ve got no guts. You’re afraid to stick out your chin and say, “Okay, life’s a fact, people do fall in love, people do belong to each other, because that’s the only chance anybody’s got for real happiness.” You call yourself a free spirit, a “wild thing,” and you’re terrified somebody’s gonna stick you in a cage. Well baby, you’re already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it’s not bounded in the west by Tulip, Texas, or in the east by Somali-land. It’s wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself.”
From www.postercheckout.com
That’s it. That’s definitely part of it – a fear to realize what one really is and who one really is. That’s why she takes on so many personas. That’s why she’s out at all hours, dining with men she doesn’t even like. She’s trying to find herself by trying out new things, but in the end, she’s still the same person with a new exterior coating, and she doesn’t want to admit it.
The end of the movie is fairly romantic, and I give mad props to Paul for having the guts to tell Holly the truth about herself (see quote above). However, I had to ask myself, “Where will these two be in a few months?” Would they still be together? Will Holly finally commit to the one man who actually loves her and is willing to sacrifice for her and take care of her, or will she desert him to find other activities to distract herself from her character flaws? Will Paul tire of Holly’s lack of sense and reason and just leave her to be? Would they even get together after their conversation? I don’t know…Hollywood doesn’t show you that part.
As sad as it is to watch situations like this on a screen, it’s even more sad to see them in real life. Hollywood didn’t just dream up these characters by chance – there are people out there like this…hurt people who really want to find themselves and find a reason for their lives. The sad thing is, they will look for it every place imaginable except the Cross. Why? Because the Cross demands that you give up yourself in order for God to make you into the full person you were meant to be. A wise professor once said that to truly be yourself, God has to work in you. Otherwise, one just stays the same, messed-up, sin-ridden, hopeless individual that one is – a faker, but a real faker.
I don’t want to be a faker (but I know I am sometimes), and my heart goes out to all the fakers out there who don’t even know it. If I ever met Holly Golightly in person, I would hug her and listen to her story. And I’d tell her about a Man who wasn’t a rat, and Who wouldn’t give her $50 to go to the powder room. Instead, He would set her free…for free…and because of true love.
Tags: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Fakers, Film, George Peppard, Holly Golightly, Paul Varjak
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The Grudge
Saturday, March 1st, 2008
I finally saw The Grudge a few days ago. I was initially excited to watch it, but…I ended up pausing it numerous times to go blow my nose (I was sick, so maybe that contributed to my irritation towards the movie), do laundry, wash some dishes, and even check e-mail. It was that slow and…nonsensical.
Usually, horror movies can really get me into them, whether through their story or their visuals. This did neither for several reasons:
- There were no characters I could really latch on to to either love or hate. The American girl seemed clueless, the ghosts themselves didn’t make much sense, and I couldn’t bring myself to completely hate the father who killed his family in the first place (I’ll explain this later – don’t think I support murder in any way, shape, or form).
- The visuals were not that stunning. Granted, they were pretty original, but a lot of my jumps came from the music, not the sights. Okay, the mother parting her hair and opening her eyes to the camera was pretty creepy, but she also looked more like an animated character than a real human being, thus lessening the “scare” factor for me. Maybe I’m becoming desensitized. Although, I’ll admit, the meowing boy was pretty eerie at first.
- The story itself did not make much sense, and that is my biggest grudge against this movie (haha – I’m so funny…no, not really).
I couldn’t pinpoint who had a grudge. From one side, everyone in the movie could have had a grudge. From the other side, no one could have justifiably had a grudge, except for maybe the father and the son.
- The father found out his wife didn’t really love him and was stalking another man – that’s pretty harsh.
- The son was a bystander in all the events and was killed in a terrible manner. If anyone justifiably had a grudge in this movie and could have reasonably gone on a ghost killing-spree, this kid was it. Instead, he meows at people. *shakes head*
It is the mother who kills the most people, and I can’t completely understand why. Yes, she was murdered by an enraged husband, and no one should ever be murdered. But, in another sense, she’s not an innocent person in the whole thing. So why is she the one portrayed as holding a grudge? The whole movie’s premise is that a place can be cursed if someone dies there in extreme anger or sorrow, so why isn’t the husband the one doing the haunting, killing, etc? Or the son?
Oh well. A film critic from Rotten Tomatoes summed it up best when they said, “There’s some creepy imagery to be found, but not much in the way of logic or truly jarring scares.”
Better luck next time,
-CT
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Ghosts
Sunday, February 24th, 2008
Mike and I watched The Eye a few nights ago. It was pretty interesting as far as Asian horror movies go. I must confess, I’m a moderate fan of horror…not quite sure why. I’ve always been fascinated by things that go bump in the night and what causes fear, I suppose.
Anyways – The Eye. The American remake got horrible review, and after watching the original, I can see why. The movie’s plot was very Asian, and if you’ve never lived in an Asian culture, a lot of the images and thoughts would not make sense or be as powerful for you.
That brought up a discussion of ghosts in Asian culture vs. Western culture. I found it fascinating that many of the ghosts in The Eye (if not all of them) were lingering on earth because of some unaccomplished task. One little boy had lost his report card (and had committed suicide because his parents wouldn’t believe him). Another ghost had not been able to warn others of a massive catastrophe. A wife and child ghost kept coming back to visit the husband, but he couldn’t see them, so they kept coming back again and again.
In Western horror movies (generally), the ghosts are pretty mean and there for vindication. It’s usually about some injustice that has happened to them, and it’s up to those who see them to right it. In the Asian movies, the ghost needs others to help them complete their tasks themselves.
It was interesting to think about, to say the least. I haven’t seen The Grudge or The Ring yet (in their original Asian forms), but I’m sure there is a theme of vindication in those. It will be interesting to compare those to other Asian horror movies. Actually, The Maid had themes of both unaccomplished tasks and vindication. I don’t recommend it (or many other horror movies), but it is interesting to think about.
Anyways, cheers…
-CT
Tags: ghosts, Horror movies, tasks, The Eye, Thoughts, vindication
Posted in Film, Observations on Life | No Comments »
Enchanted
Sunday, November 25th, 2007
I give this movie an 8/10. Beautifully, skillfully, and hilariously done with just the right amount of sweetness.
For those girls who have watched fairy-tale princesses and their prince charmings and wished that someday, their prince would come and yet…reality isn’t quite that way – this movie is for you.
For the guys who hate the froofy-ness of Disney fairy-tales and wish that there was a spoof of them – this movie is for you.
Personally, I love watching the fairy-tale princess classics by Disney, and I think a lot of other girls do as well. Why? Because it offers a glimpse into another world that isn’t as harsh as our own, where a girl’s dreams can come true, and everything will be her happily, ever-after. But…that’s not reality, is it? It doesn’t matter. It’s still fun to watch, and I think that’s why we (ladies) enjoy those movies so much. The men in them are so charming, strong, romantic, and basically an “ideal” of an “ideal”. (To clarify, I do not think Disney princes do justice to the true, strong men in the real world.)
This movie brought both worlds together – reality and fantasy. You will be introduced to a princess named Giselle whose world revolves around being happy to the -enth degree and bursting out in song with her woodland (or metropolitan) animal friends. After meeting her “one, true love” and preparing for her soon-to-happen wedding to Prince Edward, his evil step-mother banishes her to “a place where there are no happily ever-afters”…meaning New York City in our modern day. Be prepared to be thoroughly entertained by everyone’s adventures. :)
A few things I loved about the movie:
- It shows a great balance between what is labeled “fantasy” (i.e. being able to be happily married forever to one’s true love) and reality (that life really does suck sometimes, and there are no furry woodland creatures to help clean up your house, unless you count sewer rats and pigeons).
- True love is not always the way you picture it to be…and it is usually much better than your wildest (or even animated) dreams. :)
- Being unrealistic about love is foolish, but so is being completely rational about it. You can’t just rationalize love – there is no checklist to go down to determine who your one, true love is. Neither is it realistic to be drawn to someone’s song and marry them the next day. The movie showed a great balance.
- Animals in the real world can’t talk,but they sure are cute! ;)
If you have spare money and spare time, this movie is definitely worth it. Look it up – Enchanted…it will enchant you.
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The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Sunday, November 25th, 2007
Note: Just because I am talking about this movie does not mean that I highly recommend everyone to go out and rent it. In fact, I don’t recommend many to watch it. It honestly takes a strong faith and analytical mind to sort through the truth and lies portrayed in the movie, whether directly in dialogue or indirectly through imagery and sounds.
That said, I hereby continue…
When I first saw the previews for this movie, I honestly felt my heart stop in fear. While I confess that I enjoy various, thought-provoking horror movies, I hesitate to watch spiritually-tinged ones. I believe this movie came out in 2005, and I am glad I did not watch it then. My faith has grown so much since then, and instead of bringing chills of terror during the viewing (although I did jump in a few parts – come on, scary is scary!), I cried. I actually cried…
Several points I appreciated in the movie:
- Emily was aware that there were demons in her body, but she was helpless to get them out. She would try to fight them, but once she started taking medication for what she perceived was a spiritual attack, they took over. Now, I’m not saying that taking drugs causes people to be demon possessed. However, the movie presented an interesting commentary on whether the drugs had hindered the exorcism of Emily from being successful since she was not in complete control of her own mind and could not personally, mentally, and completely give herself to the “ritual”. Yet another cinematographic commentary on society’s hyper-happiness of prescribing and using drugs to solve dilemmas they cannot explain.
- The Catholic Church Building – have you ever noticed in most horror movies that as long as you enter a church (usually a Catholic one), evil cannot get in? Not in this movie, and I loved it! For once, a truth is portrayed – it’s not the building that saves you! Do we honestly believe that demonic forces are stopped by mere walls and other religious trappings?
- The priest, Father Moore, very bluntly calls different beliefs for what they are. For example:
- The ending was not your typical, cut-and-dry, deus ex machina ending.
Father Moore: “Do you believe in demons?”
Erin: “Do you mean if I believe in the spiritual? No, I’d say I’m more of an agnostic. But…I’m not sure.”
Father Moore: “If you say you are not sure, then you are.”
Father Moore: “What do you believe now?”
Erin: “After last night, I believe…that I am on some kind of path, and I think it is the right one. I am where I’m supposed to be for this moment, and it feels right. I think I have faith now…”
Father Moore: “You sound more like a mystic than a believer.”
Theological points were brought up, even if they were not adequately addressed. For example:
- Emily has a vision of talking to the Holy Mother, asking her why she is going through so much suffering if she is a devout believer. Mary tells her that her suffering is to show the world that the spiritual realm exists and that she has a choice to go back and suffer…or come to heaven right then and there. Emily chooses to stay “so her story would be heard.” Now, if Emily was truly saved, she could not have been possessed, could she? That was the sad thing – Emily was so sincere…and so wrong.
- In her final letter, Emily writes…”Many say that God is dead. How can anyone not believe in God once I show them the devil?” Sad times…this girl’s only hope to get others to see that God still exists is to succumb to possession. By the way, according to the movie, her possession started on her university’s campus. Tell me, where is the thought “God is dead” most often taught? Interesting cinematographic commentary on society yet again…
Overall, the movie was fascinating and horror fans will most likely get the jolts they crave, whether or not they care about the philosophy or theology in it.
I think it was a good wake-up call for believers to see what the world is thinking about spiritually and its importance and to reconsider the part we are supposed to be playing as ambassadors of Christ.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
-Ephesians 6:10-20
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The Langoliers
Saturday, September 15th, 2007
Based on a short story by Stephen King, this film is obviously low-budget from the start. However, that does not detract from the amazing storyline. It grips you right from the beginning and entertains until the end.
One interesting idea presented in the movie is time travel. Science fiction writers have dealt with time travel before with their heroes going back in time to change the past or the future, but Stephen King presented it in a different way.
The past was empty – stale, used up, dead…waiting to be disposed of for eternity. As one of the characters said, “I think we are realizing the unpleasant truth about time travel, my friends. One cannot go back and witness the building of the coliseum or see the dinosaurs first hand. They will come to a place like this…empty, used up, passed.”
It was interesting to think about the past as used up, offering nothing more than an empty stage to an already finished play. Makes one treasure the actions of the present and contemplate more fully the actions of the future.
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