Directed by: San-soo Im
Starring: Do-yeon Jeon, Jung-jae Lee, Yeo-jong Yun, and Woo Soo
Set in modern day Korea, Eun-yi Li (Do-yeon Jeon) goes to work as a maid and nanny for a rich and powerful man, Hoon Goh (Jung-jae Lee.) Hoon's wife Hae-Ra (Woo Soo) is pregnant with twins, and together the couple also has a small daughter, Nami (Seo-Hyeon Ahn.) Eun-yi is a simple woman, from a poor background. She has a good heart, and caring soul, and is in awe of the powerful man whom she works for. Eun-yi also develops a quick bond with Nami, the only one in the family capable of affection. She works directly under the head servant, Mrs. Cho (Yeo-jong Yun.) Mrs. Cho is a wise old woman who hates the family she works for, but carries out her duties without question. Mrs. Cho is the key character in the story, as she sees and knows all the goings on in her surroundings.
The narrative of the story focuses on the fact that something bad is (and eventually does) going to happen. Re- made from the original 1960 film of the same title, and filmed with excellent cinematography by director Sang-soo Im, this Koren film is set with Gothic undertones. The film keeps the viewer guessing as to what is going to happen until the bizarre ending. The final scene of the film begs the question that the family continues on like nothing ever happened, or will the same turn of events happen again with another nanny?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Help (2011)
Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer
An aspiring writer, Eugina "Skeeter" Phelan (Stone) has just returned home from college and lands a job writing for a local newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. Her work for the paper leads her to a maid by the name of Aibileen Clark (Davis.) Skeeter decides to write a "tell-all" book detailing what life was like for a black maid, and the hardships they faced working for white families. In one scene, Skeeter references the character of "Mammy" from Gone With The Wind (1939), to what working maids of the south were like, the only difference being that the maids were given a wage (which was in fact less than minimum wage.) A huge part of the narrative tells how the maids were closer to the children they tended to than their actual parents. The children of these families are raised by the maids, but the maids are in fact treated like slaves, not employees.
There are several four main ingredients that make up the narrative of this film; Skeeter, Aibileen, The white women of the community, and the racial atmosphere in Mississippi, Circa 1964.
Skeeter is the only person who seems to be courageous enough to not bend to peer pressure or the status quo. She treats others the way she wants to be treated, including people in the black community. As a child, Skeeter was extremely close to her family's maid, Constantine (Cicely Tyson), and that sub-plot is also a very key element of the film. The leading role of Aibileen (powerfully played by Viola Davis) is sort of the unofficial leader to the rest of the maids in her community. It is though her strength that the rest of the maids follow in telling their stories for Skeeter's book. The character of Minny Jackson, (Octavia Spencer) brings what is probably the funniest scene to the entire film. The cast of characters who portray the catty, southern white women in the film do a good job of showing how upper-class, white Mississippians carried themselves in those days. A good example of this is when Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) refuses to let her black maid use the same bathroom as her, then fires her for the offense.
In watching this film, you have to consider the racial climate of Mississippi in 1964. This was right at the height of the civil rights movement. The Help brings to light a different point of view in the struggle for equal rights. It tells a real human story about how hired help (the black community) was treated while The Jim Crow laws were still very much in effect in 1964. In fact, there is a scene where some of those laws are read through narration, re-enforcing what Skeeter and the maids were doing was considered a crime. Viola Davis has already won several Lead Actress awards for her role in this picture. If she does not bring home the Oscar, I will be surprised.
An aspiring writer, Eugina "Skeeter" Phelan (Stone) has just returned home from college and lands a job writing for a local newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. Her work for the paper leads her to a maid by the name of Aibileen Clark (Davis.) Skeeter decides to write a "tell-all" book detailing what life was like for a black maid, and the hardships they faced working for white families. In one scene, Skeeter references the character of "Mammy" from Gone With The Wind (1939), to what working maids of the south were like, the only difference being that the maids were given a wage (which was in fact less than minimum wage.) A huge part of the narrative tells how the maids were closer to the children they tended to than their actual parents. The children of these families are raised by the maids, but the maids are in fact treated like slaves, not employees.
There are several four main ingredients that make up the narrative of this film; Skeeter, Aibileen, The white women of the community, and the racial atmosphere in Mississippi, Circa 1964.
Skeeter is the only person who seems to be courageous enough to not bend to peer pressure or the status quo. She treats others the way she wants to be treated, including people in the black community. As a child, Skeeter was extremely close to her family's maid, Constantine (Cicely Tyson), and that sub-plot is also a very key element of the film. The leading role of Aibileen (powerfully played by Viola Davis) is sort of the unofficial leader to the rest of the maids in her community. It is though her strength that the rest of the maids follow in telling their stories for Skeeter's book. The character of Minny Jackson, (Octavia Spencer) brings what is probably the funniest scene to the entire film. The cast of characters who portray the catty, southern white women in the film do a good job of showing how upper-class, white Mississippians carried themselves in those days. A good example of this is when Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) refuses to let her black maid use the same bathroom as her, then fires her for the offense.
In watching this film, you have to consider the racial climate of Mississippi in 1964. This was right at the height of the civil rights movement. The Help brings to light a different point of view in the struggle for equal rights. It tells a real human story about how hired help (the black community) was treated while The Jim Crow laws were still very much in effect in 1964. In fact, there is a scene where some of those laws are read through narration, re-enforcing what Skeeter and the maids were doing was considered a crime. Viola Davis has already won several Lead Actress awards for her role in this picture. If she does not bring home the Oscar, I will be surprised.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Descendants (2011)
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause
Matt King (Clooney) is a lawyer and a rich land baron, born and raised on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. He and his family are direct descendants of King Kamehameha. Matt is a workaholic, always away on business. He is emotionally and physically disconnected from the day-to-day lives of his wife and two daughters, 17 year old Alexandre (Woodley) and 10 year old Scottie (Miller.) Following a tragic boating accident, Matt's wife is in the hospital, and on life support. Matt is left to deal with his daughters and begins to re-build his bond with the two of them. It is during this period that Matt uncovers a dark secret about his wife and what his role was in the way things were going in their lives prior to her accident.
On top of dealing with the issues of his dying wife and estranged daughters, Matt is also the trustee to his family's land that is worth millions. One crucial sub-plot of the narrative is that the decision to sell the land rests solely on Matt. Selling the land it will make him and the rest of his family all multimillionaires, but he is conflicted about what the right thing to do is. The land is picturesque, "unspoiled" land that has been in his family for centuries. The key scene plays out when Matt and his daughters travel to the Island of Kauai (where the family land happens to be) to confront someone who is involved with his wife. It is in this chapter of the narrative where Matt has a moment of clarity, and the bond with his daughters begins to really rebuild. It is also on this trip to Kauai where Matt realizes what he needs to do with the family owned land.
Director Alexander Payne is known for making films with the same plot-line of a man reaching a self-actualization phase in his life, as he did with films like About Schmidt (2002) and Sideways (2004.) Just like the lead characters in those films, the lead in this film (Matt) has had an life altering event take place in his life, and encounters a lot of personal discovery along the way.
Clooney sheds his usual "Sexiest Man Alive" persona and brings to life the character of a greying, and hunched over 50 year old workaholic who is a failure at being a father and a husband. Both Woodley and Miller prove they are very capable of the adult nature of their dramatic performances. This film is sure to stimulate audiences both emotionally and intellectually. It will be a surprise if it doesn't do well on Oscar Night.
Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause
Matt King (Clooney) is a lawyer and a rich land baron, born and raised on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. He and his family are direct descendants of King Kamehameha. Matt is a workaholic, always away on business. He is emotionally and physically disconnected from the day-to-day lives of his wife and two daughters, 17 year old Alexandre (Woodley) and 10 year old Scottie (Miller.) Following a tragic boating accident, Matt's wife is in the hospital, and on life support. Matt is left to deal with his daughters and begins to re-build his bond with the two of them. It is during this period that Matt uncovers a dark secret about his wife and what his role was in the way things were going in their lives prior to her accident.
On top of dealing with the issues of his dying wife and estranged daughters, Matt is also the trustee to his family's land that is worth millions. One crucial sub-plot of the narrative is that the decision to sell the land rests solely on Matt. Selling the land it will make him and the rest of his family all multimillionaires, but he is conflicted about what the right thing to do is. The land is picturesque, "unspoiled" land that has been in his family for centuries. The key scene plays out when Matt and his daughters travel to the Island of Kauai (where the family land happens to be) to confront someone who is involved with his wife. It is in this chapter of the narrative where Matt has a moment of clarity, and the bond with his daughters begins to really rebuild. It is also on this trip to Kauai where Matt realizes what he needs to do with the family owned land.
Director Alexander Payne is known for making films with the same plot-line of a man reaching a self-actualization phase in his life, as he did with films like About Schmidt (2002) and Sideways (2004.) Just like the lead characters in those films, the lead in this film (Matt) has had an life altering event take place in his life, and encounters a lot of personal discovery along the way.
Clooney sheds his usual "Sexiest Man Alive" persona and brings to life the character of a greying, and hunched over 50 year old workaholic who is a failure at being a father and a husband. Both Woodley and Miller prove they are very capable of the adult nature of their dramatic performances. This film is sure to stimulate audiences both emotionally and intellectually. It will be a surprise if it doesn't do well on Oscar Night.
50/50 (2011)
Written by: Will Reiser
Directed by: Johnathan Levine
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Angelica Huston
Adam (Levitt) is a 27 year old public radio producer living in Seattle. He seems to be a quiet young man with a girlfriend whom he lives with, but isn't connected to emotionally. He has a best friend who he has known for a long time. All in all, Adam seems to be living a normal, albeit boring life. The narrative wastes no time in telling that Adam has a rare form of spinal cancer. After doing some research on the internet, he finds out that he has a fifty-fifty chance of survival. Then the plot develops into how he embarks on his journey with cancer, and how it affects him and the people who surround his life.
Several Characters in the story are connected to Adam; His friend, Kyle (Rogen), his therapist (Kendrick), his mother (Huston), and two fellow cancer patients. The fellow cancer patients, played by Matt Frewer and Phillip Baker Hall are both small but very key roles in the narrative. There are several scenes that really stick out in this film. One in particular is when Adam finally has a breakdown while coming to grips with his own mortality. It is in this scene where the dialogue between Adam and the therapist begins to change.
50/50 is an an emotional story well written by Adam Reiser, who he himself is a cancer survivor (and good friend of Seth Rogen.) Joseph Gordon-Levitt has gone from a child actor to a fine diverse adult actor. Seth Rogen adds a good element to this drama with his witty, pop-culture themed style of humor.
This emotional journey is about how a man realizes that he wasn't really enjoying his life until he found out the real possibility that he could lose it. The film sparks emotions of sadness, but also laughter. It's the laughter that helps the main character (and his best friend) come to grasp the fate of their situation. If you or a loved one has ever been affected by cancer, or some form of impending doom, then you will identify with this film like I did.
Directed by: Johnathan Levine
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Angelica Huston
Several Characters in the story are connected to Adam; His friend, Kyle (Rogen), his therapist (Kendrick), his mother (Huston), and two fellow cancer patients. The fellow cancer patients, played by Matt Frewer and Phillip Baker Hall are both small but very key roles in the narrative. There are several scenes that really stick out in this film. One in particular is when Adam finally has a breakdown while coming to grips with his own mortality. It is in this scene where the dialogue between Adam and the therapist begins to change.
50/50 is an an emotional story well written by Adam Reiser, who he himself is a cancer survivor (and good friend of Seth Rogen.) Joseph Gordon-Levitt has gone from a child actor to a fine diverse adult actor. Seth Rogen adds a good element to this drama with his witty, pop-culture themed style of humor.
This emotional journey is about how a man realizes that he wasn't really enjoying his life until he found out the real possibility that he could lose it. The film sparks emotions of sadness, but also laughter. It's the laughter that helps the main character (and his best friend) come to grasp the fate of their situation. If you or a loved one has ever been affected by cancer, or some form of impending doom, then you will identify with this film like I did.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Life as we Know it (2010)
Starring: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel
Holly (Heigl) and Eric (Duhamel) can't stand each other. They are, however both best friends with a married couple. Eric is a bad-boy ladies man, Holly is a prim and proper business woman. After about the first five minutes of the film, we see a montage of Holly, Eric, and the couple...and the arriving baby of the married couple. The married couple is killed in a car accident, and in the will, the couple leaves their Suburban Atlanta mansion, and their baby to their two best friends. Happens all the time, right? Hey...what a good theme to bring to a rom-com; Oh, isn't it just so funny that this orphaned child was left with this misfit pair who can't stand each other, but find out later that they have feelings for each other?
I'm not going to spoil it for you on what happens at the end of this film. It's extremely unpredictable, like all romantic comedies are. Not.
Holly (Heigl) and Eric (Duhamel) can't stand each other. They are, however both best friends with a married couple. Eric is a bad-boy ladies man, Holly is a prim and proper business woman. After about the first five minutes of the film, we see a montage of Holly, Eric, and the couple...and the arriving baby of the married couple. The married couple is killed in a car accident, and in the will, the couple leaves their Suburban Atlanta mansion, and their baby to their two best friends. Happens all the time, right? Hey...what a good theme to bring to a rom-com; Oh, isn't it just so funny that this orphaned child was left with this misfit pair who can't stand each other, but find out later that they have feelings for each other?
I'm not going to spoil it for you on what happens at the end of this film. It's extremely unpredictable, like all romantic comedies are. Not.
Red State (2011)
Red State takes place in an fictional town in Middle America. Three teenagers answer an on-line sex ad and soon find out that that they have stepped into more than what they bargained for. The three have fallen into a trap set up by Chrisian Fundamentalists led by a false-prophet preacher who believes he is the Messiah.
The plot-line then has the preacher, Albin Cooper (Michael Parks) and his followers squaring off against the the ATF, led by Agent Joseph Keenan (John Goodman.) In this act, the film rapidly turns into a scene reminiscent of the standoff in Waco, Texas with Branch Dividians.
Billed as a horror flick, this "B" Movie doesnt really fit into the horror genre. Sure, there is plenty of suspense tied in with blood and guts, but I would say that the film would better described as a dark comedy/thriller.
Goodman and Parks carry the whole film on their shoulders, as their characters are the only two who are really getting across any sort of message. Park's portrayal of a radical preacher rings in the tone of how someone can lead others to kill in the name of God, regardless of what religion they are. Goodman does a good job of portraying a lead government agent who is conflicted between protecting the innocent and carrying out orders to kill everyone by his superiors.
Director Kevin Smith is no stranger to controversy, and his films usually have some sort of hidden message. He covers a plethora of issues such as homophobia, religious extremism, second amendment rights, corrupt authority, and general morality. It's just hard to decipher which point Smith was trying to make most important. He has definitely stepped out of his realm with this picture though. Usually directing slacker comedies, he is far removed from his days of Clerks (1994) or Chasing Amy (1997.) This film is more like that of a Tarantino flick like Pulp Fiction (1994) or From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The Ides of March (2011)
Directed by: George Clooney
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, and Geroge Clooney.
Politics...down and dirty, cut-throat, kill or be killed politics; that is what the "Ides of March" is all about. The story takes place during the mid March Democratic Primary Election, in the battleground State of Ohio. Stephen Meyers (Gosling) works as the press secretary for Pennsylvania Governor and Democratic Presidential Candidate, Mike Morris (Clooney.) Meyers is an idealistic liberal who wants to believe that he is working for a man who will bring real change to the country. He soon finds out that he works with and is surrounded by dirty politicians and their staff members who have become cynical and jaded by the hardball world of American politics. Myers is set up by the opposing candidate's campaign manager and then fired from his job. Just when it seems like his career in politics is over, he uncovers a dark secret that will turn the tables in his favor.
A star-studded cast has Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti filling the roles of opposing presidential campaign managers. Evan Rachel Wood plays a pivotal role in the film as campaign intern Molly Stearns. Co-written and directed by George Clooney (a well known left-leaning democrat), the narrative doesn't so much as focus on democrat or republican, as does the aspect of good-vs-evil in politics. Ryan Gosling has far beyond proven that he is a great actor. In the last two years he's had outstanding lead performances in "Blue Valentine" (2010) and "Drive" (2011.) With award nominations and wins under his belt these last few years, I look for more great things to come from him.
An interesting side note is that the term "Ides of March" dates back to the Roman Empire. It refers to the 15th (or middle) of the month when Julius Caesar was assassinated. In the Shakespeare play "Julius Caesar", a fortune teller warns Caesar to "Beware of the Ides of March."
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, and Geroge Clooney.
Politics...down and dirty, cut-throat, kill or be killed politics; that is what the "Ides of March" is all about. The story takes place during the mid March Democratic Primary Election, in the battleground State of Ohio. Stephen Meyers (Gosling) works as the press secretary for Pennsylvania Governor and Democratic Presidential Candidate, Mike Morris (Clooney.) Meyers is an idealistic liberal who wants to believe that he is working for a man who will bring real change to the country. He soon finds out that he works with and is surrounded by dirty politicians and their staff members who have become cynical and jaded by the hardball world of American politics. Myers is set up by the opposing candidate's campaign manager and then fired from his job. Just when it seems like his career in politics is over, he uncovers a dark secret that will turn the tables in his favor.
A star-studded cast has Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti filling the roles of opposing presidential campaign managers. Evan Rachel Wood plays a pivotal role in the film as campaign intern Molly Stearns. Co-written and directed by George Clooney (a well known left-leaning democrat), the narrative doesn't so much as focus on democrat or republican, as does the aspect of good-vs-evil in politics. Ryan Gosling has far beyond proven that he is a great actor. In the last two years he's had outstanding lead performances in "Blue Valentine" (2010) and "Drive" (2011.) With award nominations and wins under his belt these last few years, I look for more great things to come from him.
An interesting side note is that the term "Ides of March" dates back to the Roman Empire. It refers to the 15th (or middle) of the month when Julius Caesar was assassinated. In the Shakespeare play "Julius Caesar", a fortune teller warns Caesar to "Beware of the Ides of March."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)