The Kingdom (2007)

"Don't fear my child. We're going to kill them all."

Peter Berg's movie is not too complicated (the director is almost more known as an actor: small thing, but he played one of the films of András Szirtes' in 1989!). It's surfing on the waves of contemporary – American – issues. Of course I'm talking about the oil and terrorism.

The film depicts an investigation after a massive terrorist attack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the place "where tradition and modernity is in a violent coalition." That's all from the side of the story. The essence of the movie is hidden in the perfectionist mixture of style and action. It's about entertaining, not to give some poetical or wise answers to the political, economical and cultural problems in the background. You got what you expect. The noise of explosions, the pictures of car stunts, blood and cry covers the real questions. We're just scratching the problems' surface, but I have to say we shouldn't expect more from this genre. It's impossible to expose the situation within 100 minutes. So please don't come up with a critic about the shallowness of the film (the oversimplified negotiation between Jamie Foxx and the Saudi ambassador is ridiculous). It is, but it is the best what it can do. And it does pretty well.

A pro pos compression: the first 4 (!) minutes of the film tells the history of America and Saudi Arabia defined by their common denomination, the oil. 'Oil for protection', 'oil embargo' and who knows what else depicts the shaky relation of the two countries. The historical roller coaster just like some mind mapping starts in 1932 and lasts until the present days. The story's "high point" delivered by Osama Bin Laden evoked perfectly: an airplane is heading against two high graphs, one refers to the strongest oil producer country (SA), the other stands for the biggest oil costumer (USA).

As I said nothing special, but what else you need on a snowy Sunday evening? It seems blaspheme to give here 7 after Kar Wai's 5 points, but what can I do? Every film valuated by its own genre.
Brain off / push play: and BOOM!


7/10

My Blueberry Nights (2007)

"I don't know how the story had begun..." – Norah Jones starts to sing, and we don't need to wait for the new Wong Kar Wai movie anymore. How the story begun? Good question. I join Kar Wai, because I don't know either. Actually I think nobody knows. We just jump into some half worn story, but this isn't the only problem with the film...

I'm not going out too often watch a movie in the cinema. It's too expensive here (€ 9), so I save the occasion for those films which requires the big screen. I think Kar Wai deserves his price, you know, the colors, the soundtrack and the whole feeling (I'm not joking: I ate a blueberry muffin right before the screening too. No, I'm not sick:). And the recent one gives this values, I promise. But I have to say: nothing else. The story didn't start and doesn't go anywhere. I could say it is boring. Some kind of network narrative (those criss-cross paths with different stories which are going to meet) told in linear way, which hasn't got any aim or doesn't plant any interest or real feelings into you. Hey, it's not about a simple story (two people are searching for love: one stays one place – the another travels around to find). I really like those, but here it's just doesn't work. I found the word: weak. Especially weak from Kar Wai. I know, the expectations usually kill the amusement, but this film wouldn't be persuasive from Lajos Koltai neither (Ok, I went too far:))

The legend says that there was a misunderstanding between the director and Norah Jones. Kar Wai asked her to cooperate (writing and singing the soundtrack), and Jones thought that she can act in the film. That's the way how she entered the role. So what. She isn't a good actress. I mean she should have been much better under the hands of Kar Wai and front of the camera of Darius Khondji (if you don't know him, pls check his oeuvre). The rest of the characters are really ok: Jude Law is getting better and better (I feel with him like I did with Hugh Grant), Rachel Weisz is still deadly beautiful, Natalie Portman officially grown up (but still looks like Weisz's small sister), and David Strathairn is one of my new favorites (wish he wouldn't participate of the A Tale of Two Sisters' raping... (original and remake).

But it's still not enough. If you are left by your girlfriend or boyfriend, maybe you will like it, but come on, this kind of aimless sentimentalism just doesn't work in other cases. It's not about that "there isn't meaning". I really don't search desperately the meaning (just look at my Inland Empire-entry), but I like if a film gives at least the minimum within its aimed genre.

If Kar Wai would like to save his reputation, then maybe he should move forward from his earlier well done sentimentalism into some other directions. I have a feeling he gave already what he had from this field... I hope he will, especially with the rumored remake of Welles' The Lady from Shanghai (featuring Nicole Kidman, olala).

I'm gonna watch that one for sure. In a cinema.
I recommend My Blueberry Nights only for the hardcore Kar Wai fans. Or wait: I recommend only those, who doesn't like him.


P.s.: I found this a few minutes ago (here). James Rocchi's words summarizes perfect what I tried to tell above:

"My Blueberry Nights may be a bit more interested in look than feel -- it conveys blue as a color far more effectively than it conveys blue as an emotional state."

5/10

I am Legend

"A deadly virus has taken hold of the world – rejected by a few (the immune), killing many (the dead), and leaving the rest (the infected) – who live on to hunt the living, after dark.

The following are voices paying homage to Richard Matheson's classic novel, this is the experience of a dying mankind and the foretelling of a new world before we meet the legend, Robert Neville."

If you liked The Omega Man (1971), you might see this as well.
Click for the trailer until it's not too late...

Inland Empire (2006)

Enough. I'm fed up. It makes me really sad how the people are thinking about the "new" David Lynch movie. If you believe that a film equals with the story, this won't be your favorite. I say more: you don't need to watch it. Especially you shouldn't write about it: You don't need to prove your narrowness. To accept my advice is your interest, really.
I have only one wish: Please accept it if somebody (Lynch) is thinking in a different way as you. You should have already recognized that Lynch is not a narrative storyteller. If he is (The Straight Story) then he makes it very lurid. The exception makes stronger the rule...

Here is my contribution to this shallow discussion. Only for Hungarian readers.

Analysis, but at least an article about the Inland Empire in the filmkultura.hu, CLICK!

(The mistake with the footnote isn't my fault.)

10/10

Rescue Dawn (2006)

Early 1965. Laos. The pre-Vietnamese times, which are actually (but confidentially) already the dawn of the American assault against the Indochinese country. Secret mission, failure, vietkongs, prison. It's the same old story. Or not?

I don't need to introduce Werner Herzog, the important figure of the German New Wave, the director of Fitzcarraldo, Nosferatu or Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle aka Kaspar Hauser, who at the age of 12 shared his apartment with Klaus Kinski, the worst-looking best German actor ever. Herzog isn't stranger in the American production's system, but without doubt the Rescue Dawn is his first Hollywood(-like) movie. Small remark for all the philologists: his father was a prisoner during the II. World War...
Hmm, Despite of my promise, I almost introduced him, or didn't I?

The background situation is in line with the old recipe too: the story is inspired by true events. You know what does this mean? Yes, it implies the biggest fictions:) Or it isn't?

The plot follows the case of a real person called Dieter Dengler, who's been captured by the vietkongs during his first mission at the early stage of the war. I won't tell more, instead of that I need to stress the qualities of Christian Bale's acting. I convinced about his talent since the schizo skeleton-acting in El Maquinista, but this time he gives even more. He is a protagonist in a war movie without any pathetic character. He is not a hero but a human being. At least he acts as a human being should behave. Not only in a war situation but in our everyday's life. He just doesn't believe what is happening with him, he is just doesn't take serious the whole situation. He just wanted to fly, not bombing in some stupid aimless war.


"The jungle is the prison" says one of Dengler's mate, and Herzog proves brutally the idea. Inside the deep jungle of Laos Michael Scofield would cry very desperately. Your survival skills must be stronger than your brain. This simple fact makes the purest realism what a movie can give. And we know all that the simple stories are the best. Aren't they?

8/10

American Gigolo (1980)

Another perfect sunday is gone. Easy day – easy movie. I was planning for a while to watch Paul Schrader's American Gigolo, but Richard Gere (brr) in the main role scared me a lot. And today I made the decision – which became a really good one...

Schrader is definitely among the best screenplay writers in Hollywood. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and the perfect Obsession for Brian de Palma. His movies are not so received – which sometimes underestimates his talent. Just think on the Blue Collar or the American Gigolo. Yes, I believe this movie is much more than Richard Gere's bare ass (actually you can have it too), but a real post noir hit. Just imagine a mixture of Ellis' American Psycho and some film noir classic. Our American gigolo is a typical-cynical noir male, this time a five star hooker (funny that 10 years later Gere changes his side and picks up Vivian from the street). Shiny cars, luxurious apartments, SL Mercedeses (the type which Pamela had in the Dallas – sorry for this), but the prostitution roots always in the deep underground. And as our protagonist encounters with the first blond, and soon the second one, who will be killed, his life turns upside down (ok, the film is full with blonds, but one of them is dead, and another is deadly for sure).

Without saying more it's highly recommended. Just because of its feeling, just because of the character's sunglasses (1980!), just because of Gere's acting (!), who is better than any Patrick Bateman ever, just because sentences from an elite prostitute like "I don't like to play the same numbers too often":)), just because the film's very last shot!


8/10

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

"I felt pretty good... like an amputated leg" – grumbles Marlowe, and we know immediately what kind of movie we are watching.

Today another Chandler classic on the screen from 1944. The title of the original novel of Chandler was Farewell, My Lovely – Dmytryk had to change not to mistaken with a musical with the same title (there are two other film adaptations from 1942 and 1975). Dick Powell played the protagonist's role in the musical as well – maybe better than here in the movie version. Unfortunately in Dmytryck's film he is far not so cynical as I would like to see a Marlowe-like character (even not mentioning Bogart's embodiments). His lines are quite ok, but the acting is weak (I'm not wondering that 70 minutes needs him to earn the first kiss:)). Well, sometimes he just find the right tone, for example when he is attacked by a hothead client:

- I'm afraid I don't like your manner!
- I've had complaints about it. But it keeps getting worse.

but he is not rough and tough enough. That's all my problems which is enough to ruin the whole film.

The story follows the classic film noir pattern: starts with a huge flashback which is the protagonist's, namely Marlowe's fabula itself. Seemingly the last weeks weren't the private eye's best ones. First he is hired by a giant dumb guy, Moose Malloy, who tries to find his lover, Velma, who disappeared 8 years earlier. And the avalanche starts to slide: there are coming other mysterious figures with secretive wishes... I won't give any spoiler if I tell you: all the jobs and names are heading into each other's direction. Now you see: this film isn't as original as for example Wilder's masterpiece, the Double Indemnity. In the Murder, My Sweet we have a cool detective, a deadly blonde, a hostile police chief and a bunch of bad guys, but nothing any genuine idea. The only reason we should watch this film should be Marlowe's character, which – as I suggested earlier – isn't convincing enough. He has 'chandlerish voice' (did you noticed that the voiceover narrator starts to talk as soon as the protagonist left alone?), but this time not so sharp as he is in The Big Sleep (Bogart) or in the unique Lady in the Lake (Montgomery).

Do you want to know how to lit a match-stick with the help of a putto-sculpture's bottom? Watch the movie! Otherwise I'm sure you will find better film noir than this in your collection.


5/10

The Man from Earth (2007)

I really hate those films which don't look like films. Richard Schenkman's movie is one of them. They are usually look more like theater pieces or radio plays. Most of the cases they are stylistically bad combined with bad characters and their even worse acting. These features are still fit to The Man from Earth.

BUT.

Even these films has a writer who is responsible for the story. And the success of the film starts at this point. I would call more this film Jerome Bixby's movie, who forces us into his genuine story and saves the whole project. He creates a claustrophobic context which just doesn't let you leave (during the first ten minutes it was very tempting to stop watching, if you give a chance, the film pays you off).

The basic situation is very simple. We encounter Professor John Oldman, who collects his colleagues to announce after ten years: he is leaving them. The reasons are mysteriously unclear, but cannot be hidden too long (the followings are not spoilers, and I tell you why: this statement is one from the credible ones...). John contends that he is at least 14.000 years old, and cannot die. Don't laugh:) I'm not joking. But does he make fun from his friends? That's the question in this Twilight Zone-like film.

He states that he is originally a cave man, a cro magnon-type mate. But how could you prove this craziness for your best friends? Especially if there are anthropologists, archeologists, psychologists, biologists, etc. among them? These are hard questions, but not as tricky how the friends test John. For example their and the film's questions are: "Living more than 14.000 years what time would mean for you? Would you feel our lifetime as a second? What would you think about somebody's loss? How could you feel any emotions after the thousands of 'hello'-s and 'good bye'-s? Would you be a genius after the chance to learn through thousands of years?" and so on. If you need answers for these questions, don't afraid, you will get them. But after a funny and practical questions come the real important ones like: "What do you think about the future of the mankind? Are you following any kind of religion?" And this is the point where the story start to choose a really (really) scary direction. And still makes this only with the power of the company's discussion...

I admit it is not the most revealing sci-fi (?) ever written, but if you like(d) the unique atmosphere of the mentioned Twilight Zone, or the episodes of the Tales of the Unexpected, then you found something treasure. Why? Because Richard Schenkman's, I mean Jerome Bixby's movie gives the most close answer for the meaning of life (after the '42' of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...:). Or not.



6/10

Cloverfield

I had to wait until today when finally we can watch the official trailer in HD quality. Ow, I almost forgot: Cloverfield (formerly known as 1-18-08) is the secret project of J.J. Abrams (the director's name is Matt Reeves). Right, Abrams is one of the brains behind the Lost together with Damon Lindelof.
The insiders say that it isn't another Godzilla-thing. Hmm, we will see – exactly one month before the new episodes of Lost will start. Maybe the whole Cloverfield project is just for keep alive the interest and enthusiasm in the sleeping series? As far as we know Abrams' ability to keep up the suspense I wouldn't be surprised...

(This time I give you only a link - because the YouTube version's quality doesn't give the HD quality which is part of the whole concept)