Burton delivers a 3-D ‘Alice’

Jeremy Torres - The Corsair

Tim Burton’s new 3-D version of “Alice in Wonderland” is absolutely visually dazzling. This is the sequel to the 1951 Disney film of the same name that featured characters whose purpose was to tease, puzzle, and torment a young girl named Alice.

“What a child’s film,” I thought of the Disney version. However, Burton’s new addition has made me realize that “Alice in Wonderland” has never been a child’s story. Alice’s role, portrayed by Mia Wasikowska, is much more compelling as an adult, which is how Burton presents her. In the new film, Alice must revisit a world that has remained much the same, as most fantasy worlds do.

Unlike the juvenile familiar cartoon images that we all know, Burton does a wonderful job presenting all of the characters as they were meant to be presented. They are grotesque. When we meet Alice again at the beginning of this film, she does not remember much of her original trip to Wonderland. She once again follows the white rabbit in the suit to a small hole, only to slip and fall into that hole.

Once Alice is back in Wonderland, she discovers that the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) is trying to conquer Wonderland and do away with her sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). Now Alice must set out on a long adventure to save Wonderland. She runs into numerous familiar characters along the way.

Wonderland is filled with many different species that range from a caffeine addicted hare to a seemingly mentally insane Mad Hatter. The Mad Hatter, deftly portrayed by Johnny Depp, delivers a silly shtick, breaking into a jig or brogue at the drop of a hat. However, he also displays an emotional side in this film. The Mad Hatter has a few scenes where he takes on the role of a father-like figure for Alice. In the midst of chaos it’s the Mad Hatter who brings life, joy, and heart into the film.

This film is enchanting. Featuring some of Hollywood’s biggest names, dazzling 3-D effects, and Burton’s trademark quirkiness, it’s a must see for everyone.

Lights, camera, Ricky: ‘From Paris with Love’

by Richard Barlow - The Corsair

“A truly wonderful thing about cinema is that it is an art form that serves as a medium by which any and all other art forms can be displayed. However, it is the mastery, and more importantly the blend of these art forms that determines the quality of the film.” -Richard Barlow

The preceding was sort of a brief overview of my general movie-going philosophy. I want my readers (all four of them) to understand that my opinion of a movie is spawned from the balance it strikes—balance meaning the sense of cohesiveness between acting, writing, cinematography, musical score etc. Unfortunately, “From Paris with Love” faired rather harshly against my little “ balance theory.”

By far, the heavy strength of this film was John Travolta. For those who haven’t seen the film, his character is basically a very skilled and highly sought after government operative. Though his methods are questionable, unorthodox, and possibly even illegal, he always seems to have a firm grasp on how to handle himself as well as the mission at hand. While this isn’t exactly a new concept, there was an additional tone of humorous arrogance that I found very entertaining. I believe that was a stroke of good judgment.

Sadly, the performances of the rest of the main cast seriously left something to be desired. I would write this off as bad acting, but strangely the writing was such that I had to give the actors the benefit of the doubt. It was the sort of situation where one would have trouble explaining the movie after having just left the theater. Not that it’s hard to understand, but that it just doesn’t keep one’s attention very well. As a result, “From Paris with Love” seemed to rely too heavily on Travolta, who was great (see paragraph three).

Overall, this film was very heavy on action and “Travolta-ness,” but a little too light on some other important cinematic elements. I give it three and a half out of five stars.

Peter Jackson releases his adaptation of ‘The Lovely Bones’

Kay Forrest - The Corsair

Paramount (PG-13)

Directed by Peter Jackson

Starring Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci

I must admit, I’ve never actually read “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold (although I now plan on doing so). My desire to see the movie stems from a much nerdier reason: Peter Jackson directed “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings” changed my life, “The Lovely Bones” is Jackson’s latest film, ergo it must be amazing. I wasn’t disappointed.

“The Lovely Bones” is the story of 14-year-old Susie Salmon, played by Saoirse Ronan, and her family. After Susie is raped and murdered by one of her own neighbors, the story follows the damage this horrific event inflicts on her family, as well as Susie’s journey through the afterlife where she tries to communicate with her family to solve the mystery of her murder.

Different movies affect different people in different ways; I was really moved by this one. In addition to Ronan’s ethereal and innocent portrayal of Susie, Mark Wahlberg’s and Rachel Weisz’s portrayals of Susie’s grief-stricken parents left me needing a hankie more than once (or even twice).

One performance that really stood out was Stanley Tucci’s. Although his rendition of Susie’s murderer, George Harvey, was aged older than the original character (34 years old), he expertly nailed the whole creepy-stalker-predator-child molester persona. He definitely gave me “the skeevies.”

Of course, I can’t review this movie without also mentioning Andrew Lesnie’s cinematography (he was the cinematographer for “The Lord of the Rings” too). His talent is best showcased in the big, sweeping scenes of Susie’s “heaven.” Coupled with CGI, the scenes of Susie’s afterlife are at times whimsical, happy and even terrifying.

According to my friends who have read the book, Peter Jackson and the film’s other writers, Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens, made a lot of changes for the movie. Movie adaptations that deviate from a book’s original details usually bother me a lot. And, I’m sure when I get around to reading “The Lovely Bones,” there will be things I’ll balk at. However, there is one scene that I really respect Jackson, Walsh and Boyens for changing: Susie Salmon’s rape and murder scene.

Though this scene is described in detail in the book, Jackson purposely left it very vague in the movie. He stated in an interview that they (he and the other writers) didn’t wish to put their young actress, Ronan, through filming such a mature scene. Nor did they have any intention of putting something so perverse and horrific on the screen for all to see (and for real-life George Harveys to get enjoyment out of).

The point is, in the end, differences or not, Peter Jackson met my expectations: “The Lovely Bones” is a moving film that everyone should definitely consider seeing.

 

Lights, Camera, Ricky: Sherlock Holmes

Ricky Barlow - The Corsair

Like so many of today’s movies, there has been a lot of pre-release buzz floating around the fan (a.k.a. nerd) community. “Sherlock Holmes” seems to have generated some rather negative feedback. However, after having seen it for myself, I would have to respectfully disagree.
Now I admit, this movie isn’t right for those out there seeking a 19th century British “Iron Man.” Though there is plenty of fighting, explosions and blunt force trauma to go around, we must keep in mind that this isn’t an action movie. In case the title didn’t give it away, it’s a mystery film. That means keep your eyes peeled, ears opened, and thinking caps on.
Let us take a break from bashing the naysayers and shift into a more positive direction.
As the story began to unfold I started to sense a slight tinge of disappointment on the horizon. The more references to “magic” and “the dark arts” that I saw, the more I began to wonder if this film’s creators were smart enough to give the story a good ending (Hey, it happens. Don’t believe me? Go watch “Knowing.” Sorry folks; that’s another review for another day). I was, however, delighted to find an answer to even the most bizarre of questions. Super-natural powers, mind control and even rising from the grave were among the many mysteries soon reduced to “elementary” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist).
Robert Downey Jr. turned in another, in a long line of interesting and unique performances. Grimy and seemingly a little off balance, Downey gives a fun new take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic, clean-cut cavalier of criminal capers. Jude Law’s performance was another pleasant surprise, taking the character of Watson from simple sidekick to a very confident character with many attributes of his own.
Overall, I’d say this is a great movie; it’s thought provoking, yet exciting, with just enough humor and heart to connect with. I give four and a half out of five stars.

J.J. Abrams directs the newest version of the legendary “Star Trek”

Wade Manns - The Corsair

“Star Trek”
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Karl Urban
Genre: science fiction.
Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content.

Regardless of how old one is, almost everyone has been affected by, or at least heard of, the phenomenon that is “Star Trek.” Whether we’ve only seen the original series, or grew up, as I did, on “The Next Generation” and subsequent series, “Star Trek” holds a special place in the hearts of many.

For my part, I also developed quite a bit of liking for the original series, so as to equal my liking for “The Next Generation,” which until then was my favorite series. The exploits of Capt. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest filled me with excitement as I watched them, as they, with very few exceptions, offered up heaping helpings of satisfying science-fiction week after week and day after day.

It was with this in mind that I approached J.J. Abrams production of “Star Trek” (which I saw in theaters earlier this year, but was released on DVD Nov. 17) with a fair bit of trepidation laced with excitement. I read that they were going to reboot my beloved series. Sure, this had worked well with Batman, but this was Star Trek. Totally redefining the continuity of the series that so many have developed a fondness for over the years, and giving us a whole new set of actors to have to relate to–the task seemed near impossible.

Fortunately, there was a crew up to the task. J.J. Abrams as director, and Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof as producers, and their team that worked on the ABC series “Lost” were totally successful in bringing this venerated series up to date with a fresh new cast and great storyline. And, they even did it viably within the universe of “Star Trek.”

A renegade Romulan, known as Nero, has come from the future bent upon revenge against the Federation. We follow James Tiberius Kirk (played by Chris Pine who shines in this role), from his birth, through his misspent adolescence, through his enlistment in Starfleet, through his time to take command of the USS Enterprise after a few particularly harrowing moments involving Spock (portrayed with some rather excellent acting from Zachary Quinto, who is better known as Sylar from the NBC series Heroes, and with some exciting work from the original actor, Leonard Nimoy).

Karl Urban, a Kiwi actor who has been around quite a bit (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Return of the King, among many others), has the awesome role of Dr. McCoy, surprisingly authentic to the original DeForest Kelly role. Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, John Cho as Sulu, and Eric Bana as our villain, Nero, round out the main cast and together with the supporting actors, really make us feel at home in this new, re-imagined “Star Trek” universe.

All in all, I am very proud to call this one of my favorite movies, standing right up there with the best of the original “Star Trek” movies such as “The Wrath of Khan” or “The Undiscovered Country.” I’ll give this a five star rating, and I would immediately recommend this to anyone who is a “Star Trek” fan, or anyone who isn’t.

The best music and movies of the decade

Paul Smith - The Corsair

It’s hard to digest the fact that this decade is rapidly coming to a close. It seems as if just yesterday we were still partying like it was 1999 (please forgive this unavoidable Prince reference). But, alas, the decade has passed gracefully into the annals of the history books as we continue to charge head-first into the 21st century.

I never really knew what to call this past decade: was it the ohs, the oohs, the oughts, the double naughts? Whatever it was, it’s friggin’ over.

And as such, it is a necessary annoyance that I compile the greatest albums and films from the past ten years into an obligatory retrospective list.

Of course, by “greatest,” I mean the music and movies that I personally feel are of worthy merit to be included on a list such as this. So, without further delay, I present my take on the best of the decade:

Top Ten Albums of the Decade
Honorable Mentions: Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005); Joanna Newsom – Ys (2006); Kanye West – Late Registration (2005); Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise!  (2005); Tom Waits – Blood Money (2002); Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002); The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001)

10. OutKast – Stankonia (2000) – A list of the best albums of the decade would be utterly incomplete without OutKast. Stankonia came out in 2000 and started the decade off with a resoundingly funky bang. This Atlanta duo, famous for their unique blend of Southern funk-rock-hip-hop, was poised to take over the world back in the halcyon days at the beginning of the decade, and with Stankonia, they nearly did.

9.  Modest Mouse – Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) – Modest Mouse had been around for eight years when this album came out, and many die-hard fans probably still celebrate the band’s garage rock salad days of The Moon & Antarctica over this album. However, just because they went for a more produced and accessible sound, and even got some airtime on MTV when this album came out, it didn’t mean the band was any less weird or edgy. For many this album was and still is their masterpiece statement.

8.  Coldplay – Parachutes (2000) – Although they were immediately characterized by some as the poor man’s Radiohead, those who listened carefully were treated to a nearly flawless debut album with remarkable depth and rich melodious landscapes. While they have shown occasional greatness in the years since, they never quite recaptured the brilliance of this first album.

7.  Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007) – Though this album may have been hyped within an inch of its life (due to the innovative marketing campaign and the ability to download it either for free or for a price of your choosing), it made up for the turgid promotion in spades. This was the best Radiohead album since 1997’s phenomenal OK Computer. It was definitely one of the most mature, beautiful and energetic sets of music the band had ever created – accessible and poppy enough for the neophytes, but edgy and dark enough for the aficionados.

6.  Dr. Dog – We All Belong (2007) – It’s difficult enough for a band to have one amazing front-man, Dr. Dog is lucky enough to have two.  Dr. Dog’s front-men, Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken, synthesized their songwriting abilities in perfect harmonies that incorporated the best of The Beatles, The Band, and The Beach Boys into this magnificent album of blissful psychedelic retro rock.

5.  Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak (2005) – Kings of Leon’s sophomore album was a boot-kick to the teeth of excellent Southern-fried indie-rock.  Though the band has recently sunk to embarrassing depths on their past two albums, striving for a radio-friendly chick-rock sound, the Followill family (the band consists of three brothers and their cousin) used to churn out some of the best tunes this side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

4.  Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005) – Another band with two incredibly talented front-men, Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug display their talents on this debut album like a modern Lennon-McCartney of indie-rock. This album was filled with so many beautiful, heartfelt, and undeniably bizarre anthems, for many it achieved the status of instant classic.

3.  Andrew Bird – Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005) – Andrew Bird has certainly come a long way from once being the fiddle player in Squirrel Nut Zippers. As he slowly built a solo career, this master of whistling and the violin finally released his grand statement of quirky avant-garde indie rock-pop with this seminal album. This is music for the smart-hip bunch, the auditory equivalent of reading Ginsberg in coffee shops.

2.  The Strokes – Is This It? (2001) – It’s difficult to put your finger on exactly what made this debut album by the Strokes so remarkable. On the surface, it seems like a rather simplistic catchy rock album. But this five-some from New York City somehow managed to merge the best of the art-house rock of the Velvet Underground and the Stooges into a modern masterpiece of melodic garage rock.

1.  Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004) – How could the album of the decade be anything other than Funeral? When it was released in 2004, it sounded like a record sent to Earth from the sirens of some Great Cosmic Mystery – an album that explored what it meant to be human and set it to the most perfectly poignant soundtrack conceivable. Five years later, and while a couple of the songs are forgettable, the bulk of the album still sends chills up the spine – a sonic masterwork of epic proportions that not only lived up to the hype, but exceeded it. Euphoric, ethereal, and full of both hope and despair– the only sour note is that there may never again be an album quite like Funeral.

Top Ten Films of the Decade
Honorable Mentions: American Psycho (2000); Capturing the Friedmans (2003); Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004); Fog of War (2003); Mulholland Drive (2001); Sideways (2004); Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)

10. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003) directed by Peter Jackson – It would be impossible not to include these films on this list (by the way, all three films were shot at one time and edited into separate films, but will be considered one giant movie here). There is no denying that these movies were a monumental achievement, and though they may have overstayed their welcome a bit, this trilogy was certainly a marvel of filmmaking on every level. And there was something special about seeing Peter Jackson – the man who started his career making dark-comedy gross-out horror films – garner such recognition.

9.  The Squid and the Whale (2005) directed by Noah Baumbach – This deeply passionate, but achingly uncomfortable tale of an intellectual New York couple going through a bitter divorce in the 1980’s is both pleasurable and painful to watch. Filled with a spectacular cast, Baumbach created characters of such resounding depth that this dark comedy-drama cut agonizingly close to the bone.

8.  The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) directed by Walter Salles – One of the most difficult challenges of a filmmaker is to make your audience feels as though it has learned something prescient about human nature by the time the ending credits roll. It is nearly impossible to leave this biopic about future-Cuban-revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara travelling through South America with his friend Alberto Granado and not feel as though you made the journey with them, experiencing what they experienced, and learning what they learned about the fragility, kindness, cruelty and ultimately importance of human beings.

7.  Inglourious Basterds (2009) directed by Quentin Tarantino – Tarantino’s crazy and audacious war film, which presents an alternate history of World War II, was his best film since Pulp Fiction. Though it featured a rather cartoony performance from the usually great Brad Pitt, and perhaps had too little action for some, it was Tarantino’s deft crafting of characters, dialogue and plot that made this film a spellbinding tour de force.

6.  Spirited Away (2001) directed by Hayao Miyazaki – This Oscar-winning Japanese-animated film was made by one of the greatest and most underappreciated filmmakers of all time: Hayao Miyazaki. His films have been inspiring people for generations, and with Spirited Away, an incredible film about a little girl who gets trapped in fantasy world, he finally got the respect he deserved in America.

5.  The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) directed by the Coen Brothers – The last real Coen Brothers’ film before they lost their beloved signature style of uniquely blending genre conventions into artsy and neurotic but deeply passionate and introspective dark-comedy. While their later film, No Country for Old Men, may have gotten more critical and commercial recognition, true Coen Brothers fans were lamenting the loss of the style exhibited in their earlier work seen here. This neo-noir dark-comedy with Billy Bob Thornton was the last truly amazing film made by the Brothers Coen, and many feel it may be their last.

4.  Punch Drunk Love (2002) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson – Many people might have been expecting this film to be just another Adam Sandler screwball-comedy, but instead they found Sandler giving the performance of his life in what may perhaps be the greatest romantic dark-comedy ever made by the brilliant writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (who also made Boogie Nights, Magnolia and There Will Be Blood).

3.  Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) directed by Guillermo Del Toro – A masterpiece of dark fantasy, Del Toro’s Spanish language magnum opus weaves the tale of a young girl who discovers a magical Lovecraftian underworld set against the backdrop of a post-Spanish Civil War Madrid in 1944. The film was a darkly exquisite piece of cinematic storytelling that explored the murky chasms of imagination and ruminated painfully upon the human condition. The images in this film stayed with you long after the credits.

2.  There Will Be Blood (2007) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson – The second of two films by Anderson on the list, There Will Be Blood is crafted like Shakespearean tragedy, rich with both quiet subtlety and ferocious rage. Daniel Day-Lewis gives a mesmerizing performance as the monstrous “oil man” Daniel Plainview, chewing up the scenery like a glutton at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

1.  City of God (2002) directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund – One of the greatest films of this or any decade, this true story of drug gangs in the slums of Rio de Janeiro was one of the most powerful and brilliant pieces of cinema ever put on celluloid. Every second of this film felt so meticulous, perfect, and believable that it almost seemed like a documentary. This was filmmaking at its absolute finest.

The Wizard of Oz celebrates 70th anniversary

by Wade Manns

Back in 1900, L. Frank Baum released his timeless children’s masterpiece, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Over 100 years, many sequels, and many adaptations later, the 1939 movie version, simply called The Wizard of Oz, is still the most popular rendition of Baum’s classic.

In September, that venerable movie celebrated its 70th anniversary with a re-release, including an all-new digital transfer which involved long hours of painstaking frame-by-frame restoration as well as a remastering of its sound mix. The result is a movie that holds up even among the big-name movies today.

I assume most people know the story of The Wizard of Oz: a little girl named Dorothy and her dog Toto are swept up together with their house into a cyclone and dropped right into the middle of the land of Oz, on top of the Wicked Witch of the East.

This naturally angers the witch’s sister, the Witch of the West, and she spends pretty much the rest of the movie trying to get back her ruby slippers (originally silver in the book, changed to take advantage of the then-novelty Technicolor method) which mysteriously transferred onto Dorothy’s feet.

Though the book features a good deal more content after the witch is killed and the Wizard leaves, the movie concentrates on Dorothy’s story near the end and doesn’t include any of the extra lands which are discussed in the book. Overall, though, the movie presents the core story in a good way, in a way which has endeared a half-dozen generations to its charm and timeless message.

Though the restoration of the film involves high-tech terms and concepts, the result on both the audio and video fronts are breathtaking. There is a super-high resolution format available, in the Blu-Ray disc version, but the DVD version holds up just fine, and is much better than the 1999 release of the movie.

Color correction seems to be in effect and works very well, and overall resolution seems to be higher (though again, it is a little hard to tell with the DVD version). Many scratches and irregularities which were present in the old release have been removed for this new version, as well as several instances of wire work being touched up (the song from the Emerald City “If I Were King of the Forest” being a prime example of when one could see a wire held from above holding up the lion’s tail, in the original version). According to the extras on the DVD, all this took nearly 250 hours of work to accomplish.

Though some parts of the story may not hold up under repeated viewing, such as the whole overarching “never wanting to leave your home because that should be where your heart is” concept, and some parts have been changed from the book, such as the aforementioned omissions of the rest of the lands in Oz as well as the fact that Oz turned out not to be real (in the book series, it is a real place), the movie really is a great one, and again, holds up even after 70 years as one of the best children’s, and general-audience movies of all time. How can I give this any less than five stars?

The Informant!

by Wade Manns

The Informant!

From Warner Bros., Participant Media, and Groundswell Productions

Starring Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, and Melanie Lynskey

Rated R for language.

 

You might’ve heard in the 1990s about a certain scandal that went on among several agricultural conglomerates, involving the food additive known as lysine. This was a price-fixing conspiracy originated at Archer Daniels Midland, one of the largest American agricultural companies in the 90s, and continued around the globe in collaboration with their competitors in Central America, Europe, Japan, and Korea. Price-fixing involves competitors making a pact to set prices of a certain good to a certain rate in order to maximize profits for the involved companies at the expense of consumers, and is a highly illegal tactic which falls under antitrust law.

 

The Informant! Is a movie that dramatizes certain events in this scandal, and stars Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre, the vice president who became the first executive of a major company to turn whistleblower against his own company to the FBI. The movie doesn’t touch very hard on the specifics of lysine, but it doesn’t need to, as it’s not a very technical movie by nature; it’s a pure dark comedy. We see how Mark Whitacre, somewhat of a likable guy by nature, is coerced by his wife to report on his company to the FBI, and specifically to an agent, Brian Shepard, played by Scott Bakula. Mark’s sanity is called into question throughout the movie, as his years of working against his own company, wearing a wire, and even making excuses for his own wrongdoing (if you’re somewhat versed in this matter, you’ll know, but I will not reveal it here) take its toll on the once well-balanced man. Eventually, playing both sides for what he believes to be his own benefit, Mark slowly breaks down, in a process that is both humorous and cringe inducing, as dark comedies usually are.

 

The acting is quite good by all involved, though I have not seen Melanie Lynskey before this movie, her performance as the concerned and cautionary wife was quite memorable, as she really had Mark’s best interests at heart through the whole affair. Scott Bakula was quite a surprise in this, as I had not seen him in any movies, really, only in a couple of TV series, but he definitely held his own here. All in all, a good movie, not spectacular, not Grade-A Blockbuster, but it’s good enough. I would give it 3 1/2 out of five stars. I enjoyed myself, and am interested enough to do a little more research on the topic; I’m sure you will be as well.

Inglourious Basterds

by Wade Manns

Inglourious Basterds
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Rating: R, for strong graphic violence, language, and brief sexuality.
Length: 153 minutes.

Tarantino has returned for his latest cinematic masterpiece, and it is quintessentially Tarantino. He’s taken the formula that he used so well in Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill and applied it to the World War II setting we see now. Whenever we see a Tarantino movie we expect to see a somewhat disjointed sense of time, long scenes of exposition, brief scenes of highly controlled yet at times chaotic violence, and highly likable yet highly brutal characters. These elements are out in force in this movie.

The film is divided into chapters, and starts quietly enough, in a peaceful French farmland, but it soon turns into a bloodbath, with a greasy yet ingratiating Nazi Jew Hunter by the name of Hans Landa (Christopher Waltz) very calmly interrogating a farm owner whom he suspects of harboring Jews. Though it does not end well for the hidden inhabitants of the small house, there is one survivor, Shoshana (Melanie Laurent) — and she turns out to be the linchpin of the entire movie.

The second chapter introduces the Basterds, abandoned Jewish-American soldiers under the command of Lieut. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), who have been given a mission to land in Nazi-occupied France; Raine, however, switches the play up a bit, and tells his men to sow as much fear, discord, and terror among the Nazis as they can, mainly by scalping their victims, and they do, quite a bit. Eventually they discover an event involving the attendance of several top personalities in the Third Reich, and decide to take this opportunity to prematurely end the war. Such a task, however, is complicated by the fact that Shoshana, from the beginning of the movie, is plotting the exact same thing without the Basterds’ knowledge.

There are so many juicy details and minor characters and an extreme amount of narrative that Tarantino is famous for, but I cannot bring myself to spoil much more of it for you. All you need to know is that you need to see this movie as soon as possible. It is an excellent addition to the “Tarantino-verse,” and even includes many in-jokes and references to his older movies which his longtime fans will get. I’m giving this one five stars, not only because I’m a fan of the director, but because it is an awesome movie in its own right.

Movies - Knowing

Knowing, by Escape Artists and Summit Entertainment
Starring Nicolas Cage
Rated PG-13 for disaster sequences, disturbing images and brief strong language.
Genre: Disaster Thriller

If someone were suddenly whispering to you something that you were compelled to write down, that you could not immediately discern, what would be your reaction? It would probably be to do so, as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. That is what little Lucinda Embry did back in 1959 at her school, when her class was preparing items to store inside a time capsule to be opened in 50 years; she filled her paper with numbers. These numbers turn out to have dire consequences for one who recovers them in the future, the son of an astrophysicist (Cage), who begins hearing the whispers as well. Who was whispering these numbers to these certain people, and how are they chosen? Does whoever is sending these messages have our best interests at heart? And why is it suddenly getting so hot?

Knowing is quite a masterful suspense tale which attempts to answer these questions, and provides a lot more in return. However, the end results are quite good. Alex Proyas, who also directed I, Robot with Will Smith back in 2004, adds a bit of religious undertone to this piece, and maybe a bit of allegory as well. Throughout the movie we hear talk of angels, heaven and God, but from an agnostic standpoint as presented by Cage’s character. He doesn’t believe, but if he’s given proof, he will. John Koestler (Cage) is a firm believer in randomness as opposed to determinism, meaning according to him, that stuff just happens, after his wife died a year back, but after he receives those numbers, a revelation he has about them leads him to believe more in determinism, meaning that things happen for a reason, as those who watched the movie will soon find out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. In fact, I enjoy pretty much everything that I see Nicolas Cage in: he brings an edge of quirkiness and seriousness to each role that he portrays, and his role of John Koestler is no different. The other actors play their roles just fine, with the proper ambience being set. I’ll have to leave it at that for fear of revealing plot points.

I’ll give this one four stars out of five.

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