Transsiberian

You can't escape your lies.

Plot: An American couple (Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer) seeking to smooth out their rough marriage buys a ticket on the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway (a railroad from Beijing, China to Moscow, Russia). But a chance meeting with two mysterious passengers becomes a thrilling chase of deception and murder.

For a low-budget indie film, Transsiberian wasn't too bad. The plot is well constructed and quite suspense. Cinematography and editing is also prime (contrary to many indie-films having that Lifetime-movie-like quality). Woody Harrelson does seem a bit out of character and a little "slow" at times, but Emily Mortimer makes up for all of Woody's shortcomings in this thrilling and gritty train ride. Ben Kingsley, Eduardo Noriega, and always-smoking-hot Kate Mara costar.

* * * (three out of five) -- Decent indie thriller worth watching!!


V.

Enjoyed Transsiberian? Viira recommends: The Dead Girl, Brick, The Lookout.


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Terminator Salvation

The End Begins

The latest Terminator installment, Salvation, certainly beat my expectations, but was nowhere near as good as the original or shall we say the first two.
First off let me just say that T2: Judgment Day is one of my all time favorite films. And I didn’t expect Salvation to beat it. I did expect Salvation to beat T3: Rise of the Machines and it did…by a long shot.

Plot: After Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, a group of survivors led by John Connor struggles to keep the mankind from total annihilation.

I suppose Salvation is a Terminator film for the new generation. It’s not a bad Terminator film; it’s a different breed of Terminator films. I remember the first time I saw T2: Judgment Day, I was a little kid (11 or 12). And that film blew me away. It was so intense that I was practically shaking in my chair, especially because I could sympathize with the young John Connor (played by Edward Furlong). Ever since then I wondered and hoped that one day they would make a sequel to T2, a sequel that would take place in the future, in the future where the terminators have annihilated much of the human race and John Connor leads the fight against the machines. I think my childhood wish has finally come true, because Terminator Salvation is that film! What else could I really expect? Perhaps a better constructed plot with more character development, less cheese (yes, there were some poor lines), and more unique action scenes that seem less like a copy of the past films, but overall the film was spot on!! Metal pounding action with lots of gunfire and explosions. And guess what? The infamous T-800 makes a nice cameo comeback:)

Salvation explains what happens after the Judgment Day. And it goes into great detail on explaining the role of John Connor and the Resistance. Does anyone remember those nasty scars on (old) John Connor’s face at the beginning of T2? Salvation explains how he gets those.

* * * (three out of five) -- A decent post-apocalyptic sci-fi action film, and worthy of the Terminator name. I would only hope to see T5 one day.


V.

Enjoyed Terminator Salvation? Viira recommends: T1, T2, T3.



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Body of Lies

Trust no one. Deceive everyone.

Ridley Scott (American Gangster, Black Hawk Down) makes an attempt to take on a Middle Eastern themed action-thriller but fails in execution...

Plot: An idealistic CIA agent Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) teams up with veteran operative Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) and the head of Jordanian intelligence to infiltrate an underground network of terrorists and locate a criminal mastermind/jihadist responsible for several terrorist attacks all over the Middle East and Europe.

* * * WARNING: mild spoilers ahead * * *

The plot sounds intriguing, right? So does the cast, right? If so, then what went wrong with this film? I think the answer lies in execution. Indeed, the story itself is quite interesting, but the character’s are poorly developed. Russell Crowe as a veteran CIA operative is a great anti-hero yet he lacks the edge. We all know that he is an asshole yet his draconian methods, well associated with the present day CIA, don’t really bother us all that much. Could it be because we hear so much negative publicity about the CIA on the media that we’ve become accustomed to it?? Then there’s Leonardo DiCaprio -- a CIA field operative who reminds us of a young and unseasoned Jason Bourne who at one point falls in love with a young Iranian-Jordanian nurse. WTF!?

There are some violent scenes of torture, and one decent car VS car VS helicopter chase in the middle of a desert, but overall the film lacks suspense. It pretty much flat lines through out the entire feature. I’d say it was a bit boring and disappointing.

On a good note, Body of Lies brings up some valid points and arguments on the war on terror and shows how easily, with modern day electronics and equipment, one can frame another for a jihadist. Now that is SCARY!!

* * (two out of five) -- Interesting subject matter, poor execution. Instead of watching the film, try reading David Ignatius’ novel "Body of Lies", which this film is based on.


V.

Enjoyed Body of Lies? Viira recommends: The Kingdom, Traitor, Black Hawk Down.

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Frost/Nixon

An epic battle for the truth

Plot: adaptation of Peter Morgan's popular Broadway play centered on a series of revelatory TV interviews former President Richard Nixon granted British talk show host David Frost in 1977.

I think the slogan "An epic battle for the truth" sums up the film quite well. Ron Howard's (Apollo 13) Best Picture Oscar nominee Frost/Nixon is not your average political thriller in the sense of The West Wing or Charlie Wilson’s War. Frost/Nixon is much more than that. It is in-depth look into the TV news business as well as into Richard Nixon himself.

The performances on behalf of both Frank Langella (Richard Nixon) and Michael Sheen (David Frost) are outstanding. Langella’s Oscar nomination was well deserved. Sheen is just as admirable and charismatic as David Frost. Other notable cast include Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Toby Jones, and Oliver Platt.

The only thing I could not figure out was why did the MPAA give Frost/Nixon an "R" rating!? Richard Nixon drops a couple of F-bombs, so fucking what?

* * * * (four out of five) -- A really good film. Well written and very well acted. And most importantly it will teach us a lesson in the U.S. history.


V.

Enjoyed Frost/Nixon? Viira recommends: The Queen, All the President's Men, Charlie Wilson's War.


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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Life isn't measured in minutes, but in moments

While The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was not the best film of 2008, it was certainly one of the most beautifully crafted films of 2008. So the 3 Oscar’s for Art Direction, Makeup, and Visual Effects were all well deserved.

Plot: A man’s life from the perspective of a character living under incredibly unique -- and unexpectedly difficult -- circumstances. Adapted from the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

* * * WARNING: mild spoilers ahead * * *

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was last year’s big budget Oscar nominee. It was well crafted, well written (for the most part), and well acted. Especially on Brad Pitt’s and Taraji P. Henson’s part. The story was both intriguing and compelling. However, there were a few elements that I particularly did not care for...

Cate Blanchett's character. First of all let me just say that I’m not too crazy about Cate Blanchett to begin with, and therefore I don’t think she was the best pick for that role. And since her role as Daisy, Benjamin's love interest, was one of the backbones of the story, I felt like her character was both somewhat poorly developed and poorly acted. Simply put -- I did not feel the sparks between Benjamin and Daisy. Cate Blanchett’s "Daisy" reminded me of a snobby and watered down version of Robin Wright Penn’s "Jenny" from Forrest Gump. I think Benjamin’s earlier love interest Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton) had more depth in her brief cameo. On that note, I believe the critics agree with me because Cate Blanchett did not recieve an Academy Award or a Golden Globe nomination either.

Hurricane Katrina. Another element that bothered me was hurricane Katrina. Why did screenwriter Eric Roth (whose other works include Munich and Forrest Gump) choose to add hurricane Katrina to the story? What was that all about? I got the feeling that he initially wanted it to lead somewhere but then decided to rewrite the ending and remove it from the story. Did anyone else get that idea? I had expected something to come out of it? Unfortunately nothing ever did.

"Getting struck by lightning" stories. Did anyone figure out the meaning and the purpose of Mr. Daws’ character’s “getting struck by lightning” stories? Could it be that even though he got struck by lightning seven times, he still lived and cherished (his) life? But what did that have to do with the curious case of Benjamin Button?!

167 min. And lastly...I did not care for the nearly 3 hour length of the feature. Rarely I enjoy 3-hour-films. They must really be something, for me to sit still for 3 hours and not lose attention. Scorcese's Casino was great, so was Coppola's The Godfather. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, however, could have easily been edited into 2 hours. Less inane love story, please!!

* * * * (four out of five) -- Far from flawless and not as good as Forrest Gump, but definitely worth watching! Great visual effects, makeup, and acting on behalf of Taraji P. Henson and Brad Pitt.


V.

Enjoyed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? Viira recommends: Forrest Gump, Gone with the Wind, and Titanic.


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The Reader

Behind the mystery lies a truth that will make you question everything you know.

Plot: Post-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a Nazi war-crime trial.

Stephen Daldry’s (The Hours) latest work -- The Reader is on the heavy side. Perhaps the heaviest and most difficult film of 2008. I’d say it was a great film. A thought provoking film. A film of many layers and nuances. But most importantly, it was a film that makes you reevaluate history and humanity in its most basic levels. In my opinion, The Reader should be a requirement in senior level undergrad social studies across all universities.

Outstanding and beautifully crafted performances by Kate Winslet and David Kross (young Michael Berg). Winslet’s Oscar was well deserved!!

* * * * * (five out of five) -- A powerful challenge for humanity.


V.


Enjoyed The Reader? Viira recommends: Little Children, The Constant Gardner, Schindler's List.

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The Wrestler

Love. Pain. Glory.

Let me just say something before I begin -- I had never in my life imagined that I would feel so much compassion for a wrestler!

The plot: a washed up professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) is trying to cope with life outside the ring, and reconnect with his long lost daughter Stephanie, while exploring a relationship with a stripper named Cassidy (Marissa Tomei).

Darren Aronofsky’s (Requiem for a Dream) The Wrestler is hands down one of the better films of 2008. Phenomenally acted on behalf of both Mickey Rourke, and my all time favorite female actress, Marisa Tomei. Both righteously earned their Oscar nominations. The film itself delivers a powerful and gloomy message about life, and the consequences of living hard, playing hard and burning the candle at both ends. A compassionate and vivid story of a man slowly fading away from his dreams. I cannot remember that last time I saw so much pain and sorrow in a character as I saw it in Mickey Rourke’s Randy “The Ram” Robinson.

And this beautifully crafted story of faded glory and sorrow is backed by an amazing 1980’s heavy metal soundtrack along with Bruce Springsteen’s latest Golden Globe winning single The Wrestler.

* * * * * (five out of five) -- Powerful!! If not the best, then definitely one of the better films of 2008. Outstanding performances by Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei.


V.


Enjoyed The Wrestler? Viira recommends: Requiem for a Dream, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Bullet.


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