What separates Sin Nombre from other films is the same quality that prevents the film from becoming great: the use of symbolism. The film is replete with metaphors. Twin storylines which become intertwined when Hondurans attempting to illegally immigrate to the United States become entangled with members of a Mexican crime family. The refugees travel by train through Mexico, surreptiously dodging deportation by the border police as they move northwards. Some Mexicans welcome them and provide assistance, tossing fruits to the migrants; others curse them and throw stones. A family – a father, his brother, and his daughter – strive …
Hot Docs ’09
Rush lines thwarted attempts to view Rembrandt’s J’accuse and Invisble City. The former may never be screened again in Toronto but the popularity, critical acclaim, and local content of the latter bodes favourably for future screenings. Nevertheless, I was able to screen a trifecta of films during this year’s festival. Act of God is a subjective look at the effect of lightning.– Why him and not me?– Since not everyone was killed, God must know what he is doing– How do I go forward?The answer – uncovered differently by different people – is that you just do it. Lightning is …
Star Trek
Star Trek not only successful reboots the franchise but is the first film to feature a Beastie Boys song in the 23rd century. The film is visually spectacular thanks to the direction of J.J. Abrams, which features innovative camera angles and a brisk pace. The film also re-introduces the primary characters, combining familiar traits with new wrinkles well enough to satisfy most fans. (I had heard that Christopher Pine based his portrayal of James T. Kirk on Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones and Han Solo and was disappointed when he did not take advantage when Spock perfectly set him up for …
Tulpan
On Saturday evening, I screened the Kazak film Tulpan, which had received a favourable review in the Friday edition of The Globe and Mail. The compliments proved merited and the film was enjoyable, albeit occasionally tedious. That tedium is part of the routine of nomadic sheep herders which comprises the rhythm of the film. Tulpan, the title character, is the only young woman in a three yurt village. She is not shown on-screen, except for a brief moment as she peers through curtains in the yurt. Asa, the protagonist, is the young man snubbed because of his big ears. After …
Hungry for More
Hunger – a film recreation of the hunger strike by I.R.A. leader, British M.P., and inmate of the Maze Prison in Belfast Bobby Sands – is mostly very good. It is a gritty recreation of the “Troubles” between the United Kingdom and Irish Republicans. The cast successfully portrays the intense emotions of Irish prisoners on a “blanket and no-wash” protest because they are seeking political status. When Sands and other inmates seek to up the ante with a hunger strike, the actors give the audience a real sense of the determination required to sacrifice oneself for a cause. However, major …
Gomorrah
This Italian film with English subtitles relies on the contrast between innocent youth and the guilty actions of the members of the Camorra crime syndicate in the region of Campania to make its dramatic point. The insidious organization, supposedly larger than the Cosa Nostra, recruits young people to fill its ranks, which deplete rapidly due to an enormous number of homicides. Two teenaged friends realize that they must become mortal enemies because one of them joined a separatist faction. Two dim-witted young men go from playing Scarface to stealing weapons. A grocery delivery boy uses his position to trick a …
The Watchmen
There is a fine line between satire and parody and various reviews of The Watchmen that I have read disagree on where to place the movie. I thought that scenes from a war room that mimicked Dr. Strangelove and a helicopter sequence from Vietnam set to the Ride of the Valkyries enhanced the movie. One theme of the Watchmen is how pop culture and sensationalism have replaced meaningful discourse and although the film is set in an alternate universe, it seemed appropriate to include elements from the pop culture in this timeline. The film is visually spectacular and most of …
Casablanca
Whether on DVD or at the Bloor Cinema, it is always worth watching Casablanca. I find that it is the best film of all time, mostly due to it’s historical significance. The characters are iconic and the performances by a stellar cast are excellent. The screenplay is dramatic but comedic at times. Many of the lines are so memorable that the film screens itself after you start watching. Film in black and white, a microcosm of the world is portrayed in the desert town of Casablanca. **** For Example:Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?Renault: I am …
Slumdog Millionaire
Danny Boyle successfully adapts a little-known novel to create a compelling story that is tremendously enjoyed by many. So does that make Slumdog Millionaire the best film of the year? Perhaps. Well, at least I had fun. Despite the fact that I wanted to vomit during the first thirty minutes, I wanted to see how the story would turn out. Not Really. There was too much sensory overload. The direction was overdone and I felt that the game show presentation of the film was a gimmick. It could symbolize the collective attention deficit disorder faced by society but I don’t …
My Bad
Taking responsibility and finding ways to improve team performance is entirely different from taking responsibility and repeatedly making the same mistake. Saying that it is your bad doesn’t make it better. We’ve all been coaching for years and know it’s your bad. Furthermore, anyone who has been playing the sport for more than twenty minutes should know it’s your bad. The phrase has become cursory and trite like cocktail party conversation; on some teams, it is as incessant as a broken record. Coaches don’t say that it is their bad when the bench is uncomfortable. David Frost: President Nixon, do …
Milking Documentaries
Milk tells a compelling story of a man who moves to San Francisco in the early 1970s and finds self-satisfaction promoting human rights, environmental, labour, and neighborhood issues. Harvey Milk initially opens a camera shop but after facing anti-gay adversity decides to enter politics. Early in the movie, the protagonist is worried that he has do nothing to be proud of during his life but manages to draft several progressive pieces of legislation during his short time as a city supervisor. Milk also leads a coalition against state legislation targeting homosexual teachers. Other themes in the film are Milk’s attempts …
Frost & Nixon
In Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard employs many of the same techniques that he used in A Beautiful Mind. To me, the wide angle shots that would dissolve into the next scene were especially reminiscent of the 2002 Academy Award Best Picture. Howard’s close-ups of Frank Langella allow the audience to see Richard Nixon as a real person but shots from the side or behind capture the ex-president’s loneliness. In my opinion, one of the main flaws of the film is the closing shot. Nixon is often seen looking out towards the audience and the final shot shows him alone on his …
Waltz with Bashir
Waltz with Bashir, an animated film by Ari Folman, recounts the story of a man trying to recover repressed memories from his time in the army. The film is a study of contrasts: the black and white of the characters compared to the bright colours of the sky, children at play and children serving as child soldiers, the violence of R.P.G. explosions and the loud sounds of rock music, vibrant young people in a club and a dead child in a pile of rubble, the 2-D animation and the emotion of the live video footage shown the conclusion of the …
Judgment at Nuremberg
Based on the post-WWII trials of Nazi officials, Judgment at Nuremberg features Spencer Tracy as the lead judge of the tribunal, one of the last roles of his career. The film is certainly a grand spectacle: the formal tribunal is brought to life by a group of skilled actors and accompanied by an epic soundtrack. The film is not exciting because of action sequences but tense because of a number of emotional monologues and confrontations between characters. Tracy’s performance is a highlight as he portrays Dan Haywood, a retired judge charged with deciding culpability among a group of justices who …
Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood stars and directs this low-key film which ranges from sarcastic to sappy and manages to be meaningful without becoming too melodramatic. Gran Torino is the epilogue of the life of Walt Kowalski, played by Eastwood (sort of like a retired Dirty Harry at times) who fought in Korea and worked for forty years at the nearby Ford plant. After his wife died, he begins to connect with the Hmong family living next door and helps them out when they have trouble with a local gang. At times, the film is not plausible yet the audience enjoyed the film. …
The Wrestler
The Wrestler seems to be a series of compelling character studies instead of an amazing story. Mickey Rourke, possibly playing himself – either a washed-up actor or professional boxer – is the centerpiece of the film. Darren Aronofsky’s decision to use hand-held cameras and authentic locations add to the realism of the film but I would have strongly preferred for his screenplay to tie up a few more loose ends. Does Randy “the Ram” die in the ring? Does his daughter forgive him? What about Cassidy the stripper? “The people who you pass on the way up are the same …