After more than four years, The Random Films is moving to a new home. The rebranded, restructured and refashioned blog will have new features such as First Peeks (trailers of upcoming movies) and TV Series (reviews of favorite television shows). Hope you support the new blog just the same. Please visit:MOVIEcracy
Oftentimes, what is less speaks more. No dialogues, except
when necessary. A small and novice cast. A rural setting, with scarce landscape
and small neighborhood. However, it speaks a universal theme that touches
everyone’s heart – love. And with this complicated journey towards true love
and new life, Samson and Delilah takes us into a story that will urge us to
reassess the things we value and cared about.
Awake is a 2007 science/crime/supernatural thriller written and directed by Joby Harold. It stars Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard and Lena Olin. The movie explores the idea of anesthesia awareness or that some people are mentally aware despite being in a state of complete sedation by general anesthesia.
Plot.Clayton Beresford Jr. (played by Hayden Christensen) is a wealthy man who needs a heart transplant. He is in love with his mother’s secretary named Sam (played by Jessica Alba) whom he marries on the eve of his surgery. His mother wants him to be operated by a prestigious doctor but instead, Clayton succeeds in having his surgeon friend, Jack, do the operation. However, Clayton finds he is still “awake” during the operation. Worse, he discovers a plot to kill him and get his money which fortunately involves Jack and Sam. With his awake mind, Clayton manages to convey what he feels to the people around him. His mother eventually sacrifices and gives her compatible heart to him.Sam and Jack, after attempting escape, are caught and justice is served for Clayton.
Review.Awake is a wonderful psychological thriller, very thrilling and engaging, very new and original. The storyline seems dull and unexciting, but the movie itself is a big wow. It is fast-paced and though started out as romantic, the minute details of the affair was leave out to give way for the much better anesthesia awareness part. This way, audience will also not invest emotional attachment to Alba’s character who turned out to be the villain in the end.
Awake is also full of surprises right from the beginning. The twists and turns are unbelievable, and the revelations pile one after another in a suspenseful momentum that audiences are left speechless. As great as the details of the medical elements, the movie also succeeds greatly in establishing tension without horror or gore.
Reception. The movie received generally negative reviews. Only 24% of 54 critics in Rotten Tomatoes gave positive reviews. However, it succeeded commercially as it opened #5 in November 2007. With its budget of $8.6 million, the movie earned at least $32.7 million.
Rating. I will give the movie four stars out of five. Awake is a refreshing and unforgettable film. However, it is not as remarkable as the core idea of the movie demands.
One of the most controversial films of all time is this 1988 drama film directed by top-caliber director Martin Scorsese entitled The Last Temptation of Christ. This is a movie adaptation of a 1960 novel of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis. Shot entirely in Morocco, the film stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul.
The movie depicts the life of Jesus Christ in a very untraditional and provocative way. Accordingly, Jesus is in a human body and though free from sin, he is still subject to every form of temptation that a normal person encounters like fear, doubt, sadness, and lust. Right at the beginning, Jesus of Nazareth is torn between himself as a man and his knowledge that God has a plan for him. Through his preaching, he is able to develop a following of disciples, yet always, he is uncertain of his role and his status as Messiah. For so many times, he has been tempted by Satan. Jesus continues his mission despite the temptations, until at last he is crucified. While dying on the cross, Jesus faces his last temptation. In his vision, he sees a young girl, an angel, telling him he is not the son of God or the Messiah, but God loves him so much so He wants him to be happy. She takes him down the cross and Jesus marries Mary Magdalene. Click here to read full article on "The Last Temptation of Christ."
As we commemorate the Lenten season, let us look back at the life of one of the most prominent biblical figures through this great animated motion picture.
The Prince of Egypt is released in 1998 and is the first traditionally animated film produced by DreamWorks Animation. It is directed by Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells and Steve Hickner, and features the voices of Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Stewart, and Steve Martin.
The movie is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus which follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to being the deliverer of the Hebrews out of Egypt. In the beginning, a Hebrew slave, after seeing other mothers’ baby being taken away from them as ordered by the Pharaoh, places her son on a basket and leaves him afloat on the Nile. As fate dictates, Queen Tuya of Egypt sees the baby, then adopts him and names him Moses. Moses grows up as royalty of Egypt, alongside his foster-brother Rameses. One day, Moses encounters his true sister Miriam who tells him the whole truth about his past. Then the next day, he accidentally kills an Egyptian guard who is mistreating an old slave. Ashamed and confused with what has happened to him, Moses runs away in exile. But years later, he comes back as God tells him so … With the promise of freedom for the Hebrew slaves… With the hope of deliverance for his people… Even if he must go against the family he has known…
The Prince of Egypt is a huge phenomenal hit way back 1998, and though it is DreamWorks’ first animated film, it is very comparable to Disney’s creations (or way even better). The computer animation was brilliantly done as audience can sense and feel the visions they have of the vast deserts, Egyptian monuments, and chariot race. Environment factors like the blowing wind, rainwater and desert dusts are meticulously animated that the scenes of the 10 plagues and the most anticipated parting of the Red Sea are effective and feel so real to the audience. Moreover, the movie successfully made Moses more humanly, more believable, and closer to the viewers.
Aside from the spectacular visuals, the film also has wonderful music. The song “When You Believe” was nominated as best original song at the Golden Globe Awards and won it at the Academy Awards. The pop version, performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, was one of the best songs of the last century according to MTV.
The Prince of Egypt hit box office and remained as the highest grossing non-Disney traditionally animated film until 2007, when it was out-grossed by The Simpsons Movie. It also received generally positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a positive rating of 79% while Metacritic give an average score of 64.
The film is an old animated classic but certainly an excellent one. I will The Prince of Egypt four and a half stars out of five. Though, I find the animation (that was 1998!) and the overall production magnificent, the film is partly dark, over serious and lacks humor.
The Blind Side is a semi-biographical sports drama film released in 2009 by Warner Bros. The movie is based on Michael Lewis’ 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. It is directed by John Lee Hancock, and stars Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates and Quintin Aaron (who played Michael Oher).
The movie features the life of Michael Oher, an offensive lineman player for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Michael Oher grew up being fostered by different families throughout Memphis, Tennessee since he was separated from his father and drug-addict mother. At 17, he is lucky enough to be admitted in Wingate Christian School as the coach is impressed with his size and athleticism despite his pathetic academic record. Yet, Michael remains to be meek, shy and distant from other people. One night he has a chance encounter with the Tuohy family – a wealthy, well-educated and devout Christian family. The mother, Leigh Ann, learns that Michael intends to spend the night outside the school gym where it is warmer, and so touched from his plight, she invites Michael over their house. The following day, she asks Michael to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with them. Gradually, Michael becomes attached to the family and soon the parents become officially his legal guardians. Michael becomes better with his academics and later plays with the school’s football team. Everything seems perfectly well, until an investigation is conducted on Michael and the Tuohys… What has Michael Oher learned from the investigator? Will it affect his relationship with the Tuohys? Will it end his dream of becoming a football star?
The Blind Side is one of the best films of 2009, and attesting to that is its nomination in the Academy Award for Best Picture. Undoubtedly, it has good material and the storyline is clear and well conveyed. Though it is not something that everyone can I relate to, The Blind Side is a touching drama and some scenes, even with simple gestures and dialogues, can really make audience come to tears, thanks to the brilliant performance of the casts. However, the film loses focus on highlighting Michael Oher’s biography; it has shifted theme from a sports film to a family drama, or from the “evolution of a game” to the “evolution of a family.” I suppose that is a play on the title, as the “blind side” has not only referred to a sport term but to the family who the main protagonist wants to protect.
Sandra Bullock, who played Leigh Anne Tuohy, is splendid, very beyond words. The character who is a sophisticated, high-class Christian woman was originally offered to Julia Roberts who turned it down. But everything paid off for Bullock whose stellar performance earned her several wins as best actress, including the Academy Awards, Critics’ Choice Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, People’s Choice Award, and 2010 Teen Choice Award. She is really good that I think she has eaten alive the other casts. She truly brought home the bacon for the film.
Moreover, the film is both a critical and commercial success. With its budget of only $29 million, The Blind Side hit box office in its first week of opening and remained to be seen in cinemas for nearly seven months. The movie received 67% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 53 at Metacritic.
Well, I can give the film four stars out of five. The missing star will be for the film’s little ‘failure” – it has not very successfully able to make a hero of the main character Michael Oher. After watching it, audience will remember more Sandra Bullock’s persona who will they look up to and idolize instead of him. Nonetheless, the movie is very appealing, moving and inspiring.
Animated films primarily serve to entertain audiences, most particularly young children who are readily attracted to rich colors and funny sounds. But when an animation also caters to mature viewers, as well as delivering a clear message with significant social impact, then this film effectively sets itself afar from the others. One such great film is Happy Feet.
Happy Feet is a 2006 animated film co-produced by American and Australian companies. It was directed and co-written by George Miller, and released and distributed by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures. It features the voices of Elijah Wood, Hugh Jackman, Nichole Kidman, Robin Williams, and Brittany Murphy. The film was released only in IMAX 2D format because Warner Bros. was too tight on its budget. Yet, it had achieved great commercial success.
Happy Feet features the lives of penguins and how they interact with each other, and later with humans. Accordingly, every penguin sings a unique song called a “heartsong” to attract a mate. If a male penguin can complete a female penguin’s song whom it likes, then the two can mate. So the movie begins with two penguins Norma Jean and Memphis falling in love with each other which later brings forth an adorable child named Mumble. Unlike other penguins, Mumble is a terrible singer, but he has a talent that no other penguin has ever seen before – tap dancing. Consequently, his uniqueness makes him feel isolated, more as the sudden lack of fish in the Antarctic waters is seen by the penguin community as a punishment for his talent. Mumble is banished from the colony. But he just got to prove his worth and so he investigates the reason for the scarcity. His search leads him to the humans. And much to Mumble’s surprise, his tap dancing becomes his means to communicate with humans. Mumble returns to his colony, with the hope of providing solution to the scarcity… With the optimism to be reconciled with his parents… With a promise of love… With the hope of redeeming himself.
Happy Feet is one of my most favorite animated films for several reasons. First, the movie is entertaining, engaging, and lively. The penguins are really wild and funny, at times sad and confused. The accompanying songs are appropriate and very well-arranged. I can replay their versions of “Kiss” and “Boogie Wonderland” in my head in perfect clarity. The dubbing and voices are also perfect. Secondly, the main protagonist, Mumble, is a figure everyone can relate to. Mumble is quite lonely, struggling to find his self worth, and in the end, his life comes full circle. And that every human has that inner feeling and struggle. Thirdly, I find no real antagonists in the movie. The elder penguins cannot be the villain simply for banishing Mumble; they are simply blinded by their ignorance and fears. Maybe the human, but considering they work out on correcting their actions prove they are somehow caring, aware and kind. Next, the film has great environmental message. Over the years, there have been many campaigns against commercial overfishing in the Antarctic, and Happy Feet has effectively given the message. And lastly, the movie is brilliantly made as it succeeds to achieve believability and relevance despite its animated casts.
Happy Feet is a modern masterpiece in animation as both audience and critics love the film. It opened as number one in box office in November 2006, and is presently one of the highest grossing animated films in the U.S. It received a 74% approval rating in Rotten Tomatoes, and had been listed as one of the top ten films of 2006, including being number one in The New York Daily News and Sun News. The film and its music had been nominated and won several awards including the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Grammy Awards, and many others. Accordingly, Happy Feet 2 is soon to take the cinemas in November 2011.
The film has become a classic from the moment it was released. Hence, I will give Happy Feet five stars out of five.
Whenever we say cartoons, we immediately visualize funny characters in rich color backdrop, with a light theme and happy music. However, there are some which explore the sad side of humanity, portraying images in dark, giving the feel of chaos and anger. Just like this 2008 critically-acclaimed Israeli animated film…
Waltz with Bashir (Hebrew: ואלסעםבאשיר, translit.Vals Im Bashir) is an Israeli animated documentary film written and directed by Ari Folman whose memories of the 1982 Lebanon War was depicted in the movie. Waltz with Bashir is the first Israeli animated feature-length film since 1962.
The movie is about Ari Folman’s search of his lost memories. In 1982, nineteen-year-old Folman served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). In 2006, he meets a former colleague from his army service period who tells him of his nightmares connected to his experiences from the Lebanon War. In his dreams, he sees 26 dogs running only after him and other random scenes from his experiences. To Folman’s surprise, he remembers nothing from that period. Later that night, Folman has a vision from the night of the Sabra and Shatila massacre where he sees himself and two other soldier friends bathing at night by the seaside in Beirut under the flares descending over the city. Bothered, he meets another friend from his army service who advises him to consult other people who were in Beirut at the same time. So Folman sees other ex-armies. He visits long-forgotten people. As he digs deeper into his past, events come to life for him. Ancient pains resurfaces. Excitement rebuilds. And then finally, he understands his fatal participation in the Sabra and Shatila massacre…
The film’s title is taken from a scene in which an Israeli army fires a machine gun and dances an insane waltz amidst heavy enemy fire on a Beirut street decorated with posters of Bashir Gemayel, supposedly Lebanon’s “savior”. Figuratively, it symbolizes Folman’s dance with his memories of the Lebanon war.
Waltz with Bashir has amazing graphics, making you feel like reading comics. It’s like flipping through pages of colored comics. But unlike comics, there are spaces and shadows between objects that make the movie seem 3D. It is as if several cartoons are cut, overlaid each other and made to move relative to one another. It is cleverly and brilliantly made. Yet, the film is not totally appropriate for children; it is an adult animated film. Waltz with Bashir is literally dark and some scenes contain heavy graphics and music, killings, violence, nudity and even sex.
The film depicts one of Lebanon’s darkest moments where Israel had active participation. It is very ironic that Israel had a refugee camp for Lebanese captives during the war, and inside several abuses where being done. The film ended with actual footages showing the stark aftermaths of the massacre. I suppose that sometime in history, the Holocaust victims has once been the abuser. As many critics put it, the film is disturbingly realistic, provocative, and emotionally powerful.
Expectedly, the film was banned in Lebanon and only later allowed for limited screening to critics. In Israel, the film was only moderately commercially successful. Despite that, the film was one of the top ten films of 2008 for many movie critics including those in LA Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times (tied at 10th with WALL-E), New York Post, and many others.
Moreover, the film received numerous awards and nominations. It was the first animated film to be nominated for both Academy and Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It won either the best animated feature or best foreign language film in many awards including the Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, Cesar Awards, European Film Awards, Annie Awards, International Cinephile Society Awards, International Documentary Association Awards, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and several other awards.
For me, I will give Waltz with Bashir five stars out of five because it is bold, deep and powerful, for its brilliant play of scenes, music and characters, and for bravely admitting a long-past guilt.
Another great movie to exemplify what International Women’s Month is about is this 2004 Spanish film about women being used as drug carriers from Colombia to the USA.
Maria Full of Grace is a 2004 joint Colombian-American film and is the feature debut of writer and director Joshua Marston. The title is taken from the Roman Catholic “Hail Mary” prayer and somehow misleads viewer into expecting a movie with a religious theme. But the movie is far from being one for it is highly political, dealing with drug smuggling across country borders. The “grace” in the title is also very symbolic. It can refer to Mary, the Catholic figure, which is a reflection of the spirituality of the Colombian people. Secondly, “grace” is a slang term for the drug “heroin”. And lastly, it can also be the name of a baby.
The movie chronicles the drug smuggling activity in Colombia and features the lives of some drug mules. It starts with Maria Alvarez, a 17-year old Colombian girl, resigning her work as a rose de-thorner in a local flower plantation.
She does so despite the disapproval of her hard-up family. Worse, Maria finds out that she is pregnant with a man she is not sure she loves. On her way to Bogota to find a new job, Maria meets a stranger and is later offered a position as a drug mule. Desperate, she accepts the dangerous job. After much practice, Maria swallows 62 wrapped pellets of cocaine and flies to New York City. On the plane, she sees her best friend Blanca who she discovers as a drug mule too. She spots another familiar person, plus more, and realizes they are deployed all at once to ensure delivery of large drug quantity. And when the plane lands at the US airport, customs pick up Maria and interrogate her as she is being suspected as mule. Her pregnancy saves Maria from being X-rayed. But the problems are only getting more complicated. A fellow mule is captured... A drug pellet apparently ruptures inside the stomach of another mule which has caused her death... Afraid, Maria and friend Blanca escapes the traffickers and runs around the USA. They run around carrying several pellets of illegal drug. What must they do? Report to the police and face the charges? Or go back to the traffickers and accomplish their mission?
The movie is really disturbing as it deals with a very delicate social issue – drug smuggling. I was reminded of the film after watching on TV the news about three Filipinos bound to face death sentence after being charged as drug mules in China. It is a very sad news as they are going to be executed anytime soon (I guess this week), and this unfortunate event puts another strain on Philippines-China relationship (after the bloody hostage-taking of Chinese nationals in the Philippines last year).
Well, the movie clearly depicts the process of transporting the drug and using women as mules. The term “mule” in animals refers to beast of burden used by man to transport large loads without complaint. In the drug world, the term means essentially the same thing, denoting someone who is forced to carry the product into other countries. And the movie has detailed the activity – from getting mules to do the job, the packaging of the drug in rubber packs, the swallowing of the pellets, up to the actual flight of the mules.
The film also explores the desperation and motives on three particular mules. Maria, the lead character, was miserable and desperate to find a better life for her unborn child. Her friend, Blanca was tempted with the money she expected to receive from the job. And the third is Lucy who simply wanted to be reunited with her long-lost sister in New York. They were ordinary women lured into doing a very dangerous work. The characters seem so real and believable.
Catalino Sandino Moreno, who played Maria, did a stunning performance in the movie. Her innocence and naivety put more shock factor to the movie. It made me thought how such a pretty and angelic girl be involved in drug smuggling. And to think that a girl like her swallowed tens of drugs pellets! No wonder, her performance in the movie earned her several awards and nominations. She was named Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for Best Actress for the 77th Academy Awards.
The film has likewise gathered numerous nominations and awards. In Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered a rating of 97%. In the blockbuster, the movie also did so well. Truly, “Maria Full of Grace” is one the most essential films of 2004.
Another great film that exemplifies what International Women’s Month is all about is this 2007 comedy-drama film about teenage pregnancy.
Juno is directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody who based it on many of her own high school experiences. It stars Ellen Page who played the title role. The film was shot only from February to March 2007, but has been very well received by both audience and critics.
The movie is about Juno MacGuff, a sixteen-year-old high-schooler who discovers she is pregnant with a child fathered by her friend and long-time admirer, Paulie Bleeker. Juno intends to abort the child in the beginning, but later changes her mind and resolves to find adoptive parents for her child. She meets the Loring couple – Mark and Vanessa, who live comfortably in their expensive house. To evaluate the parents and to establish connection between them and her child, Juno frequently visits the Lorings. But the simple visits have unpredicted consequences… The flaws in the Loring relationship slowly deepen… Mark Loring falls for Juno… Paulie Bleeker becomes distant from her… While Juno watches the Loring marriage falls apart, Juno struggles to confront her own problems. In the end when her baby is finally born, Juno’s life takes a full circle. After all, there is a choice… and hope.
Juno has multi-layered themes wrapped in light comedy. It is like eating a waffle with a cheesy hotdog filling – it is fluffy and sweet outside, but flavory and tasteful inside. Accordingly, Juno crosses boundaries with several themes. It depicts pro-life because instead of aborting her child, Juno finds suitable parents for the baby. It can also be about pro-choice for Juno, at her age of sixteen, decides for herself despite conflicting options. And finally, the movie also celebrates the triumph of feminism. A confident and intelligent girl is able to rise up after an unplanned happening. For in real life, it would be hard for a teenager to undergo such ordeal. The shame, the guilt, the responsibility, and the physical stress are just few of the hardships a pregnant teenager must bear. One will really look up to someone who can stand up for herself and for what she chooses. It is good that the movie does not portray a girl who really resorts to abortion, early marriage, or even suicide.
On the other hand, the “idea of hope after an unplanned pregnancy” has a negative effect. In some way, the movie seems to glamorize teenage pregnancy and promote unsafe teenage sex. It partly violates conservative values. Time magazine has even coined the term “Juno Effect” when 17 students under sixteen years old at a particular high school became pregnant in 2008.
Juno is very well accepted by critics. It gathered 93% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The movie ranked 463 in Empire Magazine’s 2008 list of The 5000 Greatest Movies of All Time, and Juno MacGruff landed to 56th on the magazine’s list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. It also appeared on the top ten lists of the best films of 2007 in various magazines, including 1st in Chicago Sun-Times, 4th in New York Post, 6th in USA Today, 7th in Los Angeles Times, and 10th in The New York Times.
The movie also received numerous awards and nominations including the Academy and Golden Globe Awards. It was awarded as best comedy or film by Critic’s Choice Award, Satellite Awards, Rome Film Festival, and The National Movie Awards. Ellen Page’s performance is also highly-praised, making her won several best actress awards.
In the box office, the movie also topped the lists. It was the highest-grossing of the five Best Picture nominees for the 80th Academy Awards. Even the soundtracks for the film were very well received.
Truly, Juno has become a contemporary icon in the movie world.
