September's Screenings

Sigh. Seeing as it's now November, I'd better get my September movies out of the way before attempting to blog about anything else.

Jesus Camp
I really want to like this documentary, especially since Evangelical and fundamentalist Christians rank way up there on my hate list. The message is timely, with the rising power of the religious right even in Singapore, but the delivery could've been so much better. The Deluded Ones do a great job of discrediting themselves just by stating their opinions, and so the role of the radio deejay warning us of their dangers becomes redundant. In fact, in the second half of the movie, he becomes positively strident, lending little credibility to the film's argument. Basically we got all the points the filmmakers wanted to make about 30 minutes in, and the rest is just repetition. So, sadly, I agree totally with the opinions of the filmmakers, but I don't think it's a good documentary at all.

Ghosts (鬼佬)
Stunning docudrama that follows the lives of a bunch of Chinese illegal immigrants in the UK, before all save one of them perish in a tragic accident. Their eventual fate is no secret, and it hangs over the entire movie, infusing even seemingly light-hearted scenes with sorrow. Excellent performances all round from the non-professional cast, and every character is drawn clearly and given rounded personalities, making you feel for every single person, even the initially unappealing ones.

The Home Song Stories (意)
No real surprises in this film, except the nice revelation that Qi Yuwu can actually act, and he actually acts better in Cantonese than in Mandarin. Joan Chen plays a role that can easily slip into annoying neediness and screaming fits, and it's to her credit that she lifts the character above all these stock conventions. It all ends on an unexpectedly poignant note that probably makes me like it more than I should.

No Reservations
Commercial, calculated fluff. 'Nuff said. Although I think I liked it better than the German original - gasp! Sacrilege!









Sicko
I already knew how screwed up the US health system was, but to hear all these horror stories from the victims' mouths was really a rather intense experience. It also made me think about Singapore's health system and realize that I'd much rather pay higher taxes if I have the assurance that at least I will never go bankrupt from paying medical fees. Which means I should probably migrate to the UK or France. Yes, I realize also that Moore is probably omitting some facts that I should know about, but still, it does sound tempting, doesn't it?

Waitress
Quirky comedy that feels part sitcom, part fable - with a whole lot of heart. A thoroughly enjoyable time at the movies, and it's a real tragedy that we'll never see anything else from writer/director/actress Adrienne Shelly, who was the victim of a colossally stupid, pointless murder.





The Invasion
It would be nice to someday see director Oliver Hirschbiegel's original vision for this film, before it was taken and shat upon by the Wachowski Brothers and James McTeigue. Possibly it would have been more psychological, more intense, more chilling. Instead what we are left with is explosions and pointless, unexciting action sequences. Although I must admit, I do like the interesting use of flash-forwards in the editing.

Azur et Asmar (Azur and Asmar)
Decently-told fable, with a weird-looking animation style that suits the story but is not entirely appealing to my tastes. I felt like a kid again in the theatre, reading a story from a large-print picture-book. Which was nice.






Ratatouille
I can't say anything more about this here movie than has already been said. Suffice to say that Pixar has done it once again - no surprise there. I'd also like to mention that I saw this with my Mom. Aww!







Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror
We finally get the second part of Grindhouse. This is the absolute perfect zombie splatter flick. Firmly tongue-in-cheek, bloody as hell, vulgar as hell, and funny as hell. A fucking awesome time at the movies. Except that the distributors scammed us out of the fake trailers that were supposed to run before the movie. I was pissed, but the sheer ridiculousness and fun of the whole situation managed to appease me quickly. I was giggling like a schoolgirl - which is a good thing.

The Nanny Diaries
This is, again, a chick flick that's pure fluff. Even Scarlett Johanssan isn't quite as hot as she usually is. The saving grace is Laura Linney, who transcends the stock character she plays (as she is wont to do) to give us a touching portrait of someone who may be a rich bitch, but who's painfully human as well.




Savage Grace
Julianne Moore meanders pointlessly through this utterly pointless, toothless and drama-less melodrama. Episodic incidents, which I hate, are seemingly arbitrarily thrown together. Scenes pop up with dates that mean nothing. The promise of debauched sex is left unfulfilled. The only scene that got me squirming a little was the much-mentioned incest scene, but all it made me feel was great relief that I'd refused to watch it with my Mom.