Doubt

Genre: Drama

Language: English

Director: John Patrick Shanley

Cast: Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Talented Mr. Ripley), Amy Adams (Enchanted),Viola Davis

Runtime: 104mins

Plot:

Its 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A vibrant, charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman), is trying to upend the schools strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Academy Award winner Meryl Streep), the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James (Academy Award nominee Amy Adams), a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence.

Watched this on 26 Jan night @ The Cathay with Sylvia.

With little awareness of the plot, i watched the movie, hoping it will not be boring. Luckily Meryl Streep delivered the usually good performace as Sister Aloysius, the strict principal of the attached school.Her pinched portrayal of Sister Aloysius is an Oscar-worthy study in tangled motivations, a woman who has determined she will serve God even at risk of losing her immortal soul. She is capable of deceit, but at the same time she shows compassion, as seen in her kindly attentions to a nun who is going blind.

Another actress who caught my attention was Viola Davis, whose character was Mrs Miller, the mother of the black student. There was a part when Sister Aloysius sends for Donald Miller's mother to reveal her suspicions. Mrs Miller surprises Sister Aloysius by stating that she should not pursue the matter further and that he only has to last until the end of the school year before he goes on to attend high school. Mrs. Miller believes her son to be gay. To protect him from his abusive father, she asks that the matter be dropped. Viola Davis gave her real emotions and the whole part was really moving. 1st class acting I must say!

Although the movie was simple, yet it brings out a message. Whenever there is questionable on the nature of doubt, noting that, like faith, it can be a unifying force.

ah-deng says- 4/5 Decent and 1st class acting, no joke.

Bride Wars

Genre: Comedy

Language: English

Director: Gary Winick(Charlotte's Web)

Cast: Kate Hudson(How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), Anne Hathaway(Rachel Getting Married), Kristen Johnson, Bryan Greenberg, and Candice Bergen

Runtime: 89mins

Plot:

Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) are best friends who, since childhood, have planned every detail of their weddings. At the top of their bridal "must have" list: a ceremony at New York's ultimate bridal destination, the Plaza Hotel. Now, at age 26, they're both about to get married, they're about to realize their dreams, and they're about to live happily ever after. Or maybe not. When a clerical error causes a clash in wedding dates--they're now to be married on the same date!--Liv, Emma and their lifelong friendship are put to the ultimate test.

Watched the movie on 24 January evening @ The Grand Cathay with Sylvia.

Quite a typical comedy with a typical ending, no much surprises. Worst thing, there were a few scenes cut (I remembered seeing some shots, whereby Emma sabotaged Liv's wedding dress but it was cut when I watched the movie)

Despite being typical, i still watched the movie as i really like Anne Hathaway & Kate Hudson. In the movie, you can see how the 2 best friends turned into enemies and finally, become best friends again. Both actress performed fairly well - Anne is a always nice teacher while Kate is a pro lawyer. The characters set nicely on them well.

However, the "really" attraction was the narrator of the movie, the wedding planner character - Marion St. Claire, played by actress Candice Bergen. Her existence in the movie really added some points to it. Another part which I was laughing my heart out was when Kate's husband to-be told her that he will still love her no matter what she will turns out to be, her being tall and has hair like smurf!

ah-deng says: 2 / 5 Watch if you are getting married soon and feel very stress out!

The Reader

Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Stephen Daldry
Cast: Kate Winslet (Titanic), Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient), David Kross
Run Time: 123 minutes

Plot:

The Reader is about the story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who as a teenager in the late 1950s had an affair with an older woman, Hanna Schmitz, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a concentration camp guard late in the war. Michael alone realizes that Hanna is illiterate and may be concealing that at the expense of her freedom.

Watched this with Sylvia @ GV Europa on 23 January late night.

I watched the movies with lots of anticipations, and was satisfied with Kate Winslet's performance, think that was why she won the golden globe. However i was more attracted with David Kross's part for the young Michael, who fell for Kate's character, Hanna.

This is probably one of the more controversial roles of the young actor's career appearing nude on several occasions, including simulated sex scenes and full-frontal nudity. Although most of the actors in the film are well-known veterans, Kross, at 17, was relatively unknown, with only a small amount of knowledge of English. He had to learn the language to be able to act in a major role in this all English-language movie.

I like the arrangement of the movie, a cut over from the memory of the adult from his past. Michael had affection with Hannah and that affection affected his entirely life. Initially, I though that his love was probably due to his sexual needs but it turns out to be that he was so attached to her that he taught her how to read just like she taught him how to make love.

Comparing this with Angelina Jolie in Changeling, I preferred this because I felt that Angelina Jolie was not as convincing as Kate Winslet in such periodic theme. Kate Winslet probably did lots of homework in order to portray this character.

ah-deng says - 4½ / 5 Almost prefect but wished Ralph Feinnes could give better performances.

The Women

Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Diane English
Cast: Meg Ryan(Sleepless in Seattle), Annette Bening(American Beauty), Eva Mendes(Hitch), Jada Pinkett Smith(The Matrix Reloaded)
Runtime: 109 min

Plot:

The central character is clothing designer Mary Haines, who lives in a beautiful country home with her wealthy financier husband and their 11-year-old daughter Molly. Her best friend Sylvie Fowler is the editor of a prominent fashion magazine, a woman who dictates the latest in taste and style for New York City fashionistas. When Mary's husband becomes involved with Crystal Allen, a perfume salesgirl in Saks Fifth Avenue, her friendship with Sylvie is put to the test.

I watched this movie with Sylvia on 18 Jan afternoon @ Cineleisure.

A all-Women movie. No man at all except for passerby or cameramen during the fashion show. I was a great fan of Meg Ryan thus i looked forward to watch this movie by her. But the whole movie was kind of shadowed by Sex and the City (minus the Sex part) and the characters of every key roles look similiar.

Situations like the betrayal in relationship lead me into thinking. Does betrayal always exist in all relationships? Is it really on purpose? Well, Sylvie did the levage and gave up on her job. But did she give up the job because she does not want to feel guilty or she has already run out of ideas to bring the sales of the magazine up? Just how to measure the level of betrayal?

Meg Ryan did not really impressed me in this movie. She just did an moderate job but i still like her. Her maggie-mee like hair still amuses me. And she looks even better with straight hair, but maybe shorter, like her look in Kate and Leopold.

ah-deng says: 1/5 Catch it on HBO.

Changeling

Genre: Drama
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Angelina Jolie(Lara Croft:Tomb Raider), John Malkovich(Burn after Reading), Jeffrey Donovan(Hitch)
Runtime: 142 min

Plot:

Los Angeles, 1928: On a Saturday morning in a working-class suburb, Christine said goodbye to her son, Walter, and left for work. When she came home, she discovered he had vanished. A fruitless search ensues, and months later, a boy claiming to be the nine-year-old is returned. Dazed by the swirl of cops, reporters and her conflicted emotions, Christine allows him to stay overnight. But in her heart, she knows he is not Walter.

I watched this movie on 17 Jan evening with Sylvia @ Cineleisure.

This is another movie that tells us how corrupted the polices and authorities were in the old days, how women were belittled in the past, and how unsafe the community were used to be.

In this movie, as long as you are a woman who opposes the police, you will find yourself land in the mental hospital, sane or insane. When there, you can't be sad or you will be classify as depress. You can't be smiling or you will be classify as uncontrolled moods. When you disobey, you will be sent to Room 18 aka Electrifying room. It is so hard to be a woman in the past.

Angelina played Christine Collins, a single mother, whose son went missing. A few actresses campaigned for the role including Reese Witherspoon and Hilary Swank but Angelina was casted with the fact that her face fitted the period setting. Overall, she did just passable performance, as i compared her against Jeon Do-yeon who also played a mother whose son was kidnapped and killed in a Korean movie - Secret Sunshine, who did a better job.

One thing about Clint Eastwood's movie is, he spells everything out in detail, in a gentle way. Eventually, the movie seems draggy. But since this is suppose to be a historical movie, it seems understandable for the movie to drag a bit.

ah-deng says: 2½/5 A bit disappointed with Angelina Jolie's performance, thinks she can do better than this.

Rachel Getiing Married

Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lamb)
Cast: Anne Hathaway (The Devil wears Prada), Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Debra Winger
Runtime: 113 min


Plot:


Kym (Anne Hathaway) returns home from rehab the day before her sister, Rachel (Rosemarie Dewitt), is getting married to Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe), a musician. Her arrival causes long-standing family tensions to rise to the surface.

I watched this on 16 Jan evening with Vanessa @ Cineleisure. The movie was filmed in a naturalistic, documentary style, cameras moving alongside with the actors and even cameramen were in the movie. Although this type of filming may not be something new, it does stand out from the rest of the other movies recently released.

Anne Hathaway portrayed an addict who came home from rehab, wanting to be loved by family members again, yet she couldn't get over the fact that she was an addict, trouble maker, who caused the death of her little brother. So does everyone in the family. No matter how hard one tries not to think about the loss of a family, there will be little clues somewhere to tinkle you about it even though no one wants to bring such unfortunate incident again.

This is the beauty of being family. You may have made a mistake, small or grave one, they will forgive you, because you are family. But there will be regrets. You are given a chance to apologise but you missed the chance, or you just hesitate to apologise thus regrets always play a big part of one's life.

I like how the director / writer want audiences to feel the unison of family, race, culture, etc. And the many colours they used to tell this story, white marrying black, westerners wearing Indian costumes, Brazilians dancers at the celebration, etc.

ah-deng says: 4½/5 Almost perfect for a movie like this, wished if the romance part of Kym could be elaborate.

Milk

Genre: Homosexual Biography
Language: English
Director: Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting)
Cast: Sean Penn (I am Sam), Josh Brolin (Hollow Man), Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer), James Franco (Spiderman) & Diego Luna (The Terminal)
Runtime: 127 min

Plot:

Milk is a 2008 American biographical film directed by Gus Van Sant. The movie is based on the last 8 years of the late American politician Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), a gay rights activist and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.


Milk opens with archival footage of police raiding gay bars and arresting patrons during the 1950s and 1960s, followed by Dianne Feinstein's November 27, 1978 announcement to the press that Supervisor Harvay Milk and Mayor Goerge Moscone have been assassinated. Milk is seen recording his will throughout the film, nine days (November 18, 1978) before the assassinations. The film then flashes back to 1970, with Milk's first meeting with his lover 20 years old younger, Scott Smith (James Franco) on the eve of his 40th birthday.

One must go through many obstacles to be successful. Gays probably go through double the amount, having to deal with all the discrimination faced. Milk came out of the closet, and visioned to bring those who were still in the closet. Every human has their rights, no matter what your sexual preference is.

I like the part whereby Milk instructed Cleve to be himself and need not blend into the normal world, to take the stairs and make the grand entrance, because they should be proud of themselves. There is nothing to hide and be afraid of. Milk might have died before he could spend the rest of his life with his lover, but the impact that was left behind changed history of America.

I am even more impressed with the gay community , as 30 years ago, with no beepers/SMSes/Internet and they were able to gather all their resources and demonstrated, showed support and upheld their rights. I cannot have imagined that America today, a country who talks about freedom, was conservative about such issues. If this happens today, the amount of gay demonstrators will probably fill up the whole of Singapore.

Watched on 15 Jan evening @ The Cathay.

ah-deng says: 4/5 For those who dare to dream and work towards their dream no matter you are straight or not.

The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards

Here's the complete list of winners for this year's Golden Globe Awards (Motion Picture section only):

Cecil B. DeMille Award

Steven Spielberg

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Sally Hawkins - Haappy-Go-Lucky

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Colin Farrell - In Bruges

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Kate Winslet - The Reader

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Best Animated Feature Film

Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film

Waltz With Bashir(Israel)

Best Director - Motion Picture

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

The Wrestler - The Wrestler

Credits to http://www.goldenglobes.org/

On a side note: Up next shall be the Oscar Academy Award, nominations in all categories will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009. The 81st Academy Awards presentation will be telecast live by the ABC Television Network on Sunday, February 22, 2009. It is a trend that the Golden Globe results often forecast the results of the Academy Awards.

Red Cliff 2

Genre: Drama, Action
Language: Mandarin
Director: John Woo
Cast: Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Lin Chi-ling
Runtime: 142 min

Official Website: http://yule.sohu.com/s2007/chibi_22/
Trailer URL: http://th.foxmovies.com.tw/redcliff/

Plot:

The continuation of 2008 mega production, Red Cliff, that used the historical record from the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms as a blueprint and events during the end of the Han Dynasty and immediately prior to the period of the Three Kingdoms in ancient China for the movie - Red Cliffs 2.


I watched the Part 1 last July and finally the sequel opened this week. Although I could not manage to get tickets to watch it on the 1st day of release, I still managed to do so on Sunday 11 Jan @ The Grand Cathay afternoon.

I know very little about the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms. All i know is a few infamous characters and thanks to John Woo, I get to know more of them other than Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun & Zhe Ge Liang. Watching such genres tends to be dry and boring due to the ancient way of speaking and usage of words that were hard to understand. However, all these points were overlooked as the actors who portrayed all these heroes overcame these issues with their talented acting skills and interesting dialogues.

Everyone knows that Kong Ming was a knowledgeable man, but John Woo made this teacher a humorous one. Takeshi portrayed this role in a more witty way as based on the story, he was supposed to be much younger than most of the rest.... His analysis often brings out the laughter of the audiences, that lighten the movie's atmosphere.

Another character, Xiao Qiao, wife of Zhou Yu, starring model turns actress Lin Chiling. John Woo used his view to capture the beauty of the legend and Chiling did a passable performance. She tried hard to portray her role, showing support to whatever her husband wished to do, which all ancient Chinese women had to fulfill. For someone new to movie-making, Chiling did a good job.

Also from the movie, we learned that, what we use in the modern days, they were used back in the old days, thanks to the ideas from the crews from creativity team. Arrows as bullets, fish oil in egg shells as bombs, even armors acted as tankers with human legs. People of the old days fought the war with blood and sweat. Unlike now, young boys still worried about serving the military.

Overall, the movie was indeed a true blockbuster of Asia that roped in many talents from production to performing staff especially they comprise crews from the East and West. Although there were many negative reports during the production of the movie, it still makes a big impact to the audiences who are very familiar with the original novel. However, i felt that the length of the movie is too long. Audiences may not be able to engage to the movie after 6 months apart. It is more suitable to be make into drama format so that all the heroes are able to tell their own story... Maybe Mr Woo can consider making a movie solely for Kong Ming or Zhao Yun, on how they grew and become someone people can look up to.

ah-deng says: 4 / 5 - Entertaining, star-struck movie.

The Duchess & 7 Pounds

The Duchess


Cast: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling
Director: Saul Dibb
Genre:Drama
Language: English
Runtime:110 minutes

Watched on 1 Jan 2009 @ GV Vivo


Seven Pounds


Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Cast: Will Smith(Hancock), Rosario Dawson(Eagle Eye)
Runtime: 123 min

Official Website: http://www.sonypictures.net/movies/sevenpounds/


Watched on 3 Jan 2009 @ The Cathay

Passengers

Genre: Thriller
Language: English
Director: Rodrigo Garcia
Cast: Anne Hathaway (The Devil wears Prada), Patrick Wilson (The Phantom of the Opera)
Runtime: 94 min

Plot:

Claire Summers (Anne Hathaway), a psychotherapist, is called upon to treat a group of 5 survivors of a recent plane crash. One of the survivors, Eric (Patrick Wilson), exhibits symptoms that suggest he is disguising his true feelings about the crash by making major life changes.

I watch this movie on 9 Jan 2009 evening with Sylvia @ Orchard Cineleisure.

Before i watched the movie, i had the impression thinking that this might be a movie about the male lead having super power after surviving from a disaster, based on the preview i watched earlier.

Having the "stereo-type" plot in mind, i watched the movie and was caught by surprise by a slight twist of the story. Although half way through, audience may have guessed the twist, thinking it seems familiar... but i still kept my mind opened, hoping the director could surprise me further.

After watching, i realised that no matter you are dead or alive, there are things you will never forget no matter what happens. Somewhere somehow, there will be things, events or people around to remind or lead you. Life moves on whether you like it or not.

On a side note, i chose to watch this movie, mainly because i like the main lead actress - Anne Hathaway ever since watching her on Brokeback Mountain, The Devil wears Prada, Becoming Jane, Get Smart, etc. She never fails to charm the audiences with her eyes and smile. Am looking forward to the next few movies coming up weeks later. Plus, the lead male actor is someone i never watch before. He too has a pair of bright eyes... and cute smile... He did a good job on performing the nervousness upon hearing his dog's barking.

ah-deng says: 2 / 5 - Watch if you are a fan of Anne Hathaway or can't get tickets to watch Red Cliff 2.