Foreign Film February Concludes

It is finally time to say goodbye to Foreign Film February. It has been fun focusing on foreign films for an entire month and I hope you have enjoyed it as well. There were a total of 15 Foreign films reviewed for Foreign Film February and they were all great films. What can I say, I just wanted to see the good ones.

Click here to see the full list of Foreign Film February reviews.

The best foreign film by score was Seven Samurai. The are few times that you get a chance to see a film made with such elegance. Akira Kurosawa truly made a masterpiece when he made this film in 1954. Seven Samurai is still one of the best films of all time and ranks high even on imdb. This means that not only is it loved by film critics, but the average movie watcher. You should give it a watch if you haven't already.


Only one film in Foreign Film February dropped below the 800,000 mark and that was Time which settled at 783,102. That is not bad by any means and I certainly enjoyed watching it. That was also the kick off for FFF.


The most exciting post to write was Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance which I still hope to follow up on with a review of Oldboy. CG from Wine and Werewolves was generous enough to do a review of Lady Vengeance and we linked together on those posts. It was a lot of fun doing a joint effort on a movie review. Thanks CG for providing a great review and great insight into Lady Vengeance!


The biggest surprise of Foreign Film February goes to The Lives of Others ranking in at 892,010. This movie was simply phenomenal and I wasn't really expecting much from it. This movie was one of the newer of the foreign films, but that doesn't keep it from settling itself right up there among some of the greatest classic foreign films. Steve requested the review of The Lives of Others and so I have to thank him for getting me to watch this film because I enjoyed it from beginning to end.



Thank you all for making Foreign Film February a success and I hope that you have all gained something from the experience (I know I have).

What did you think about Foreign Film February?
Which of these films was your favorite?

Foreign Film February Presents: Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai (1954)

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writer: Akira Kurosawa
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama

The Story

A small village is the target for a group of bandits that plan to come back to the village when the harvest is ready. One of the villagers overhears the plans of the bandits and brings the news back to the village. The village must then decide how they are going to deal with the inevitable attack of the bandits. When they go to the old wise man in the village for help, it is decided that they will have to fight the bandits and the only way to fight is to hire samurai since the villagers are simple farmers and would stand no chance in a fight. To be exact they need Seven Samurai. The village has to get the Seven Samurai to fight for them with only food and shelter to offer.


Everything Else

Seven Samurai is one of my favorite Akira Kurosawa films. When I first saw Seven Samurai I had high hopes because I had earlier seen Rashomon, another excellent film by Akira Kurosawa. Those high hopes did not make Seven Samurai disappointing because Seven Samurai was equally as good as Rashomon if not better. This convinced me that Akira Kurosawa was a great filmmaker and I made a point to see as many of his films as I could get my hands on. I have yet to be disappointed by any of his films.


Seven Samurai is Kurosawa’s most well known film and also one of his best. The imagery and emotion in the film are spectacular from beginning to end. The film is of epic proportion and every bit of it was crafted with the greatest deal of care possible. The story is simple, but the movie is filled with symbolism and life lessons that are simply priceless. There is no way that I could begin to describe the richness of this film.


The acting was great in Seven Samurai and added to the already great film. Toshirô Mifune, who is in a lot of Kurosawa's films, steals almost every scene with his quirky and proud presence in the film. The facial expressions by the actors were great and the delivery of the dialogue was superb. The scripting and directing matched flawlessly. There is really not much bad to say about the film. Some may find it difficult to sit through the entire film straight through (its just shy of 3.5 hours), but the reward for watching the entire film is one that you will not often have a chance at.

The Real Deal

Seven Samurai is one of the greatest films of all time and continues to be highly regarded even 54 years after its original release. There was an American remake made in 1960 which I will put in a review blitz, but it did not compare to Seven Samurai. Also, a new remake of the film is in pre-production for 2008. I can only hope that they do not make a remake of the film as there is no way that another director could compare with Kurosawa’s art. Seven Samurai had everything that a classic Kurosawa film has with the imagery, symbolism, and classic facial expressions. If you have not seen Seven Samurai, then you need to.


The Short Version

Raw Score: 937,927
Sharon Movie? Yes

? Movie March

Foreign Film February is coming to a close and the next themed month is steadily approaching. March is going to be a whole new theme. You will have to wait until Saturday to find out who it is, but I have a hint for you; it is one of my favorite actors. He is a real genius for sure with his ability to play a wide range of characters effectively. If you figured out who it is, don't give it away. Everyone will know for sure on Saturday. In the mean time just enjoy all of the foreign films and then the complete write up that I will post tomorrow.

Foreign Film February Presents: L' Avventura

L' Avventura (1960)

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Writer: Michelangelo Antonioni
Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery/Romance

The Story

The genre about sums the movie up. A woman's sudden disappearance is the focus of L'Avventura. When a small group of people go on a boating trip, they decide to stop on a small island to walk around a bit. As they are leaving they discover that one of the women is missing. Her boyfriend and girlfriend are then the main focus as the movie follows their reactions and way of dealing with the disappearance.


Everything Else

Brilliant directing by the great Michelangelo Antonioni. Antonioni sets the stage early on for a wild ride, but then uses that mystery to capture your attention and hold it hostage for the rest of the film. The character development is greatly deepened by the fact that both characters have dealt with a somewhat traumatic or devastating experience. The question is how will this affect their relationship and conversations. As they set out on their quest to find their friend, they find themselves becoming attracted to each other. This perfectly sets you up for a mysterious and uneasy romance that feels strange and sincere at the same time.


The acting by Gabriele Ferzetti (Sandro) and Monica Vitti (Claudia) was breath taking. These two consumed the screen with their expressions, mannerisms, and emotions in a way that was brutally honest. The film was very telling about relationships and awkwardness of everyday situations that we deal with. The overpowering urge to pursue that which we find interesting consumes our every thought and feeling. L'Avventura follows the tension that forms between the two characters and allows the viewer to almost become part of it. That is what makes the film so great; the way in which the viewer can relate and become consumed in the story. The characters do not have to say anything about their feelings because you can almost feel what they are feeling.


The Real Deal

I loved L'Avventura. It was interesting in a very slow and powerful way and ended up having a similar impact to Stroszek. Where as Stroszek focused on the American dream, L'Avventura focuses on the relationship between two people struggling through the disappearance of a friend. There is also not much for the parental advisory; only some sexuality and a little bit of language. For the most part it seemed very tame. A brilliant film for the movie goer looking for a film to challenge their mind more than the average film.


The Short Version

Raw Score: 856,393
Sharon Movie? No

P.S. Leave it to me to forget to mention the brilliant soundtrack. The soundtrack was great and made every moment more interesting. Sorry about that Soundtrack Geek.

Foreign Film February Presents: Stroszek

Stroszek (1977)

Director: Werner Herzog
Writer: Werner Herzog
Genre: Drama

The Story

Bruno Stroszek is released from jail at the beginning of the movie and quickly finds himself dealing with the oppression from his friend's pimps. He decides that the only thing to do is to move from his home in Berlin to the greatest place on earth to live out the American dream... Wisconsin! That is ironic in itself. He takes his friend and his neighbor along for the ride and they set out to make lots of money and have a great life in America, but things don't seem to be panning out the way they had planned.


Everything Else

Stroszek was a film that I was not prepared for. I was expecting a lighthearted comedy from the description and that could not have been farther from the truth. It is a comedy of sorts, but if you are looking for a movie that will have humor in plain view on the first viewing, then you have to prepare yourself for the slow and dry humor of the film. This was the problem that I had with Stroszek; I kept waiting for something big to happen, but it didn't. That shouldn't give anything away cause it probably would have been expected if I had known that the movie was going to have such a deep complexity to it. The movie deals with what we call the "American dream" and how it isn't what it is all cracked up to be. There are so many layers of depth in fact that I will just leave you with that one deeper meaning (even though there is much more to the film upon closer examination).


The acting was excellent. Bruno Stroszek (Bruno S.) is just a plain alcoholic from Berlin that wants to live a better life, but can't seem to catch a break. The facial expressions that Bruno provides are priceless; they are so simple yet so telling of the whole situation. His character holds the whole wait of the film's purpose on his shoulders. The film is built on his character and yet he could have said almost nothing to make the message clear. The neighbor is an old man that I found to be very interesting. He is goofy looking and acts weird all of the time. He seems like a harmless old guy, but he packs a powerful punch if he wants to. The girl, Bruno's friend, is so disconnected from Bruno that it seems odd that she is in the same room as him, yet she is always there and hanging on to him like they are married. She did a good job as well.


The directing of this movie will bore those that are looking for surface enjoyment (I have to admit I was), but if you look at the deeper meaning behind all of the things that happen in the movie it really comes to life. This is what made Stroszek such a wonderful film. I thought that it was one of the most boring movies that I had ever seen, but when I realized it meant so much more than what it came out and said blatantly that everything that I had already seen suddenly took on a whole new and exciting meaning. To put it simply,


The Real Deal

Don't expect Stroszek to come out of the gate charging, but be ready for the movie's complexity and deeper meaning. If you are ready to delve into the movie's deepest depths, then you will surely find a true gem of a film. Werner Herzog is a great filmmaker and with Stroszek proves his genius. The characters look and act like they were taken off of the street for these roles and from their background it almost seems as though that is true. For the parental advisory, I would have to say that the movie is pretty clean save a little language and sexual references, but I don't think anyone that would be interested in this film would be younger than 15 anyway.

The Short Version

Raw Score: 845,134
Sharon Movie? No

Foreign Film February Presents: The Violin

Film Movement Movie of The Month

Film Movement brings the film festival to your home

The Violin (2005)

Director: Francisco Vargas
Writer: Francisco Vargas
Genre: Drama


The Story

The Violin is a great story about an old man that plays the violin while his son plays the guitar and his grandson goes and collects tips from the people around. They live simple and poor lives in Mexico. As the Mexican army continues to take over villages and push its people out, the son and a group of people fighting for their rights try to defend their village and country. When their village is taken over by the Mexican army they have to try and get the ammunition that they had hidden without the army knowing. Don Plutarco, the grandfather, decides that the only way to get the guns and ammunition out of the village is to distract the army with his violin playing and then sneak around and get the ammunition.


Everything Else

The directing of The Violin was superb along with the acting. Don Plutarco (Ángel Tavira) is the main and most important character of the film. Tavira did an excellent job with his quiet style of acting and yet very daring acts throughout. He is the voice of reason and the one man that may have a chance to get the ammunition and save the cause that they are fighting for. Tavira's facial expressions speak a thousand words and truly brought the movie to life. The acting all seemed very sincere and believable and heightened the intensity of the situation.

The scripting filled the story out with great dialogue. Plutarco had many words of wisdom and even the General had a few telling lines. It made for an interesting look at the emotion and motivations of the two sides.

Although the film was in black and white it looked very good. The picture was crisp and clean even though the pictures I took do not give it justice. The scenery is simple but effective and down to earth. The main selling point of The Violin is the story though. The whole movie has excitement because you are worried that Plutarco is going to get caught, or that his son and those fighting against the Mexican army are going to attack and not have the ammunition that they need to make it a fair fight. The story is not only thrilling and emotional, but it also feels very realistic and sincere.


The Real Deal

I loved the fact that this month's Film Movement movie was a foreign film. It seemed very fitting for Foreign Film February. The Violin was a very good film. It was a little slower than I was expecting, but the story and character development were incredible. I enjoyed every minute of it. The only thing to watch out for is in the beginning of the film; there is an intense rape scene which could keep a lot of people from continuing on with the film. If you can get through this very brief scene though The Violin ends up being fairly tame. There is only a little bit of violence and some language after that. Don't miss this great film from Film Movement.


The Short Version

Raw Score: 873,282
Sharon Movie? No

Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai

This review of Ghost Dog was requested by Pete.

Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Director: Jim Jarmusch
Writer: Jim Jarmusch
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller

The Story

Ghost Dog is about... well, Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker), a mafia hit man that is living by the code of the Samurai even though he is not in Japan and the last samurais were gone long before him. You would almost expect him to only use a sword, but in fact he uses guns too. He only answers to jobs by communicating through notes sent by homing pigeons. When the mob decides to take him out for a job that he did, he has to defend himself and stay true to the code of the Samurai.


Everything Else

Jim Jarmusch is one of my favorite directors because every one of his movies has its own unique feel, but you could still guess that it was made by Jim Jarmusch. He has a very distinctive style and originality that is hard to miss. Ghost Dog is no exception even though it seems a lot more main stream than the average Jarmusch effort. There is plenty of quirkiness throughout aside from the obvious fact that Ghost Dog only communicates through pigeons. One of Ghost Dog's friends actually speaks French and does not understand English, yet they both talk to each other not knowing what the other is saying. It makes for very interesting conversations. This is exactly what you would expect from Jarmusch.

The acting by Forest Whitaker was stunning. Whitaker really made a great effort here and proved himself. It almost seems like it is Forest Whitaker month with all of the movies and references to him I have been running into lately, but it just shows that he stands out in the movies that he is in and does a wide range of roles. He is very calm in Ghost Dog which is a stark contrast to the way that he was in The Last King of Scotland or in Vantage Point. That is why he is so great. He does not carry the lead role all of the time, but he always seems to do a great job.


The movie is visually appealing and flows well with action and dialogue mixing together nicely. Obviously scripting is where Jarmusch films really shine. He makes simple conversation come to life and add layers of depth to simple plots. There is also the unique quirkiness of his movies that makes them more interesting. Great directing, scripting and acting made Ghost Dog an excellent choice for a review request.

The Real Deal

I saw this movie a while back, but since it still stuck out in my mind I decided to review it without another watch. Thanks for the request Pete. I will definitely see this one again some day for three reasons:

1. It is a great film
2. Forest Whitaker is excellent in it
3. Jim Jarmusch is the man

The Short Version

Raw Score: 816,923
Sharon Movie? No

Blu-Ray Is Victorious

Over the past couple of years the war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD has been waging on, but now it has finally come to an end with Blu-Ray being victorious. I just thought that I would take a moment and share how excited I am about it. This video that HomeBrewMe shared with me a while back sums it up pretty good I think.

Free Bluetooth Headset Prize

It turns out that 100 comments on only the Foreign Film February posts was a little bit ambitious. However, thank you all for commenting a lot and making Foreign Film February a success. Since it was a goal that was a little bit too high, I have decided to cut it in half. There will definitely be more than 50 later this week and that is when I will select a commenter at random that wins the free Bluetooth Headset.

Thank you all for being so supportive of Foreign Film February and don't forget to check back later this week to find out if you won!

Foreign Film February Presents: Chopper

Chopper (2000)

I have to take a moment and thank Dove for doing a review of Chopper on her website Dove's Discourse which made me aware of Chopper.

Director: Andrew Dominik
Writer: Mark Brandon Read (books) and Andrew Dominik (written by)
Genre: Biography/Crime/Drama/Thriller

The Story

Eric Bana portrays Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read in this biography based on the books that the the real Chopper actually wrote. Chopper is in prison at the beginning of the movie which is where a lot of the film takes place. Chopper is always in trouble because it seems that is what he likes to do to get attention. His books are about his life and experience with crime and killing. He is constantly stirring things up in prison; simply attacking people to get attention. This makes people lash out against him as well. The film follows his actions while he is in prison and out of prison and how his book became so popular.


Everything Else

The acting by Eric Bana was awe inspiring. We have found from more recent movies that he has a great acting talent, but he did a great job in Chopper of portraying a man that everyone has a reason to hate. Not only does he have the accent, but the looks to go with it. Excellent casting. This great performance probably has a lot to do with Bana actually taking a couple of days to spend with the real Chopper. Chopper of course would want to help make the movie better or at least that is how the movie portrayed him. Others in the movie did well, but Bana is the main and most important character and so obliviously hogs the screen with every opportunity.


The directing was almost disjointed at times, but allowed the viewer to get a taste of what Chopper's book is probably like. Even Chopper himself said that he took some liberties when writing his book. The movie seemed to follow this by making the things that Chopper did seem almost unbelievable and yet possible (like a good story). The conversation between characters in the story were often one sided or heavy towards Chopper controlling them. This made Chopper seem like the one in control at all times. This too, is probably how the story would seem from his perspective.

The movie looked good as far as camera work and lighting. There was not a lot of action, which I had actually expected, but the lighting made the scenes look interesting enough to keep your attention. Really, the fact that I never knew what Chopper was going to do next was what kept me interested. Chopper was a very unpredictable and extreme character as portrayed by the movie and this helped to boost the excitement.


The Real Deal

I was impressed by Chopper because it was different from what I had expected. There was a lot of dialogue and the action was often tame, but things happen that you will probably not see coming. This made it fun to watch and made me a little more interested about the real Chopper. You may wonder why this movie is part of Foreign Film February, but let me remind you that it was made and released in Australia. I actually had a hard time understanding some of the dialogue even though it was in English.


The Short Version

Raw Score: 800,823
Sharon Movie? No

Review of Vantage Point

Vantage Point (2008)

Director: Pete Travis
Writer: Barry Levy
Genre: Drama/Thriller

The Story

Vantage Point follows 8 different people and their involvement in an assassination attempt on the President. The movie runs a few times from the different perspectives giving almost a sort of Run Lola Run repetitive feel for most of the movie. Mainly it follows Dennis Quaid, who is a secret service agent assigned to protect the president, as he tries to solve the mystery and keep the president safe. Forrest Whitaker is one of the innocent bystanders that just happens to be recording every little detail of the assassination attempt and the things going on around the time of the incident (seemed a little too convenient for me).

Everything Else

The directing was very interesting in Vantage Point, so lets start with that. Vantage Point starts out from the media perspective and then follows different characters during the same time frame. This made it seem very repetitive, but at the same time allows the director to reveal another piece of the puzzle with each run. This makes each scene more exciting because you know that you are going to discover something new this time around. We have seen this before in films, but maybe not to this degree. Each take or “Vantage Point” seemed rather fresh even though it often had plenty of reused footage.

Character interactions were great especially among Dennis Quaid and Forrest Whitaker. Funny thing is that I watched The Last King of Scotland the other night and now I see Whitaker as a simple bystander to some event like this. His acting ability is quite impressive as he was completely believable as a President and ruler of a nation and as a simple man just happening to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The acting on Quaid’s part was nothing short of excellent, with intensity that sets him apart from others. I am not sure what it is about him, but he just seems sincere.


The scripting held the dialogue together and the story and characters developed well with the exception of the motivation and goals of the “bad guys.” I felt this is where the film lacked the most. When I got to the end I felt that I had been cheated of some essential back story. In spite of this, Vantage Point was an exciting and fresh movie with plenty of fast paced thrills.

The Real Deal

The Drive-In ended up being the theater this time. I always like to go to the drive-in, but usually they are not playing the movie we want to see. The only problem this time was that about half way through the movie the screen lost a little focus and seemed a bit soft. Thankfully I did not get too upset (at least not to the point of ruining the movie experience), but it was certainly a distraction and could have been a lot better without the blurriness. For a minute or two I thought that my vision had suddenly gotten a lot worse.

Vantage Point kept the excitement up for the full 90 minutes it was playing, but it failed to deliver some of the most important elements for making the emotion and back story come to life. If they had added about 30 minutes and put a little more emotion and back story into it, it could have been great.

So I guess the question is... did this movie live up to what I had discussed in yesterday's post? Vantage Point lived up to the expectation that the movie did not have what it took to stand out among last fall's movie releases and therefore it seems like a good move to have put it here. I expect it to do well over the weekend because it is a good movie, but I don't expect it to win any awards, so why would they worry about it being forgotten. Looks like it is all about the money. And really I can't blame them.

The Short Version

Raw Score: 803,899
Sharon Movie? No

Stalling

If you think that I am stalling because I haven't posted a review today then you are absolutely right. I have seen tons of movies lately, but I've been having a hard time writing the reviews down on this virtual page. I have also been thinking about next month's theme (lame excuse). I am really excited about it because it involves one of my favorite actors, but blockbuster is not getting me the movies I need fast enough so that I can get ready for March (poor me).

Man, I have excuses coming out my ears. I am sorry that I was not able to provide a review today, but rest assured a new one will be up soon. Consider this your coffee break. I will still deliver the full 15 foreign film reviews that I promised at the beginning of the month, so be on the lookout.

Why Do Movie Release Dates Change So Much?

I had a conversation the other day about Vantage Point and its release date. Vantage Point was originally scheduled to release on October 5 2007. I know it is possible that the filmmakers wanted to clean it up a bit and do a little more editing, but it seemed with all of the previews out there that this movie was already ready and had actually been ready for a while even.


Then the thought hit me, "why would they wait to release in the dead of the film season all by its lonesome." The only reason I can figure is that they thought that the movie would not stand up against the others being released last fall (No Country For Old Men being among them). This meaning that the filmmaker did not think that the movie was good enough to shine. I think that this is already an indication of the quality of film we are dealing with. The other odd thing is to release the movie at a time when it will be forgotten when the Award season starts. Then again Cloverfield was in the thick of that season and could be forgotten as well. Maybe if it is the only good movie released at the time it will be better remembered. I know that I will not forget Cloverfield.

What do you think? Is Vantage Point being pushed back because it is not as good of a movie as Pete Travis (the director) had hoped or Neal H. Moritz (the producer) was expecting. Or maybe they really did have some finishing touches to put into the mix and make sure it was ready for the big screen. I guess we will find out tomorrow. Of course Dennis Quaid and Forest Whitaker are sure to do a great job.

Foreign Film February Presents: The Lives of Others

The review of The Lives of Others was requested by Steve.

The Lives of Others (2006)

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Writer: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Genre: Drama


The Story

Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) is part of East Germany's Secret Police before the fall of the Berlin wall. Wiesler is assigned to listening to or monitoring a famous writer. The story follows Wiesler's task of listening to Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), the writer, and Wiesler's difficulty in completing his task. The story is about the struggle for Wiesler to determine what is right and what is wrong. Excellent story.


Everything Else

The film looks great and the acting was incredible. Muhe played the role of Wiesler perfectly. He is reserved and seems cold, but you can tell that he has a heart by some of the actions that he takes. Koch was believable as the writer and actually ended up making the writer seem almost too trusting and weak at times, but this was exactly what the character needed to be real. Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck) was the girlfriend of Dreyman and also did a wonderful job here. Her character is torn between saving herself and saving her boyfriend. Over all the acting was tremendous.

The directing made the movie flow with a great sense of direction. There was deceit and secrets amidst all of the characters that was hard for any of them to really touch. Even the characters that were involved in the secret police were being watched and listened to. Every character had to be on constant lookout for themselves. The directing perfectly displayed this heightened tension between not only the characters, but the entire country at the time. The film moved somewhat slowly along, but the character development and story made this film strike a very realistic chord. Everything about it felt sincere. The scripting, directing, acting, and soundtrack were all brilliant. There was nothing more to ask for when the film was over.


The Real Deal

Maybe you could tell that I liked the movie by my review. It is not just the fact that I loved the movie, but the fact that it was so good that warrants such a review. I went into the movie thinking that it would be good, but was amazed to find that it was much better than I was expecting. This one deserves all of the rewards it has gotten. I have to thank Steve for requesting the review because I am not sure how long it would have taken for me to give it a chance. This is one that you should not miss.

The Short Version

Raw Score: 892,010
Sharon Movie? No

Foreign Film February Presents: Run Lola Run

Run Lola Run (1998)

Director: Tom Tykwer
Writer: Tom Tykwer
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama/Thriller

The Story

Lola is a young woman in Germany that has 20 minutes to save her boyfriend from the gang that he is smuggling money for. He has agreed to smuggle 100000 DM to them, but when he got spooked by the cops on a subway train, he accidentally left the money on the train. Now Lola is his only hope to find a way out of the mess, but if she doesn't show up in 20 minutes then he is going to rob a supermarket to get the money. The story is fairly straight forward, but it runs three times with three different outcomes for Lola's 20 minute run to get the money and save her boyfriend.


Everything Else

Tom Tykwer proved in Run Lola Run that he had the ability to make a simple story into a much more complex film that makes you think about what would happen if you had done just one little thing differently. The film looks good from a visual standpoint; mixing some animation into the mix just for a little extra uniqueness. The camera is often bouncy, but everything is fast paced so the bouncy camera only heightens the excitement. Throughout the film, when Lola meets certain people, a person will be zeroed in on and the film will take you through a brief set of photographs that show what happened to that person after that point. It makes for a very interesting look at what would happen if you interacted with a person just ever so slightly different. Their whole life could change because of you. Something that will make you think about how you interact with people and what the consequences could be.


The acting is good in the film, but to be honest it is all about the way the three segments change from one another. The most memorable moments are with Franka Potente (The Bourne Identity). She does an excellent job of making the film more exciting. She is interesting to watch and the scream that she puts out a couple times in the film is awesome:



The script for Run Lola Run keep the film flowing, but doesn't really make the movie move as much as the story does. There are so many scenes of Lola simply running that there is just not time for a lot of dialogue. The film looks great and is fast paced. This keeps the excitement up, but there are also slow points between the three segments that allow you to get further insight into the deeper meaning of the whole movie. The film deals with "what if." A Truly fascinating ride that is one that is sure to give your brain a workout. Not to mention that you will probably not forget Lola running around a city in those crazy green pants.


The Real Deal

I first saw Run Lola Run back when I was in High School. I loved it back then and I loved it when I watched it again for this review. I am looking forward to watching Perfume which I just recently got on DVD as it was made by Tykwer as well. If you are looking for a fun ride that does not have too much violence or nudity, then this is a great one. It even wins the Sharon Movie status. It may be a little on the edge for a Sharon Movie, but it actually turns out to be a somewhat calm thriller if there is such a thing.


The Short Version

Raw Score: 884,399
Sharon Movie? Yes

Review Blitz # 4

Here is the fourth review blitz. As always, if there is a movie here that you would like me to do a full review of, just let me know. Enjoy!

Interview (2007)

Interview surprised me a lot. I was expecting a typical chick flick, romantic comedy type movie, but this was far from it. In fact it reminded me a lot of The Big Kahuna in that it was essentially a dialogue and character monster. There are only about two main locations and there is little romance or (chick flick stuff) going on. It was extreemly refreshing and I found it interesting that Steve Buscemi made it. Apparently acting is not his only talent. If you are looking for a different movie with lots of talking, then this is your ticket.

Raw Score: 790,783
Sharon Movie? No


Fled (1996)

This movie was horrible from the very start. There was one line in the very beginning that immediately made me hate the movie. Stephen Baldwin's character makes reference to the movie The Fugitive by simply saying, "haven't you seen The Fugitive." This horrible feeling immediately washed over me and I realized how much I would rather be watching The Fugitive which was actually good. In fact they continue to make reference to better movies throughout. It was absurd and made each scene more painful to watch. Laurence Fishburn wasn't bad, but he should be ashamed to have been in Fled. If you see this movie in the video store just run away.

Raw Score: 415,092
Sharon Movie? No


The Bucket List (2007)

This movie was one that I actually saw in the theaters. I have some gift cards to use up and just want them to last as long as they can, but I have to get to the theaters more even though it is expensive because of movies like The Bucket List. I wish I had seen it earlier since it was excellent. It has a perfect balance of comedy and emotion. The emotion is strong, but the movie keeps the mood up and Nicholson and Freeman together are superb. I was a little worried, but after seeing it I can not remember why. If you are looking for a well made movie that should appeal to a broad audience, then this is it.

Raw Score: 810,192
Sharon Movie? Yes


Somethings Gotta Give (2003)

I actually forgot that I had seen this and then watched it again. It did not fair as well the second time around. It has aged poorly and I actually found Diane Keaton obnoxious in a few scenes. The whole crying scene especially. Even though it wasn't as great as I had umm... forgotten, it was still an entertaining and playful chick flick. I am always up for a performance by Jack Nicholson and it was just icing on the cake that Keanu Reeves was in it. I can't say I was happy about Amanda Peet, but she has some talent.

Raw Score: 700,928
Sharon Movie? Yes


2 Days In Paris (2007)

This is another movie that I thought was going to be a complete chick flick, but turned out to have an edgy script that was surprisingly witty. My hats off to Julie Delpy who wrote, directed, and starred in 2 Days in Paris. These are two characters that you love to hate just for the mess of a life they are living. There was more language and nudity in the film than I could care for, but I had no problem finding the good in it in spite of this. If you are looking for another movie that has a lot of dialogue then this is it. It explores the process of a relationship that seems to be spirally out of control. Some of the scripting actually reminded me of Tarantino.

Raw Score: 803,887
Sharon Movie? No

Jumper

Mike requested this review of Jumper.

Jumper (2008)

Director: Doug Liman
Writer: David S. Goyer (screenplay) and Jim Uhls (screenplay)
Genre: Adventure/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Before I get too far into this review, I would like to let you know that I would have a difficult time believing anyone who would call Jumper a good, satisfying movie. It was horrible and should be avoided, but if you are still wondering why, then read on…

Story

Hayden Christensen’s character, David Rice, is a normal kid except for one thing; he has the ability to teleport (jump) wherever he wants to go. Everything seems to be going fine even though his mom isn’t around and he has a terrible father. He can have just about anything he wants whenever he wants it because he can steal without getting caught. But David’s party can’t last forever; Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) is part of a group that has sworn to kill all jumpers (that’s right, David is not the only jumper) and he has finally caught up to David. When Roland gets hot on David’s trail, David has to try and save himself and his new girlfriend Millie (Rachel Bilson).

Now that you know everything that was in the trailer why don’t we delve a little deeper into the plot… oh wait, that was everything. That is literally the entire story. Ok, there is the whole where and who is his mother (Diane Lane) thing, but that is not really developed. There are so many thoughts swirling around in my head right now, it is going to be impossible to get them all on the page. Ugh!

Everything Else

The story was where Jumper completely failed to get off of the ground, so let’s focus on some of the good. Hayden Christensen did a decent job here, but I am still waiting for his breakout performance (don’t worry, I won’t hold my breath). Samuel L. Jackson has been found in just about the widest range of movies I could think of. He has graced the screen in everything from Snakes on a Plane to Pulp Fiction. We all know he is an excellent actor, but I have yet to figure out how he picks the movies that he is going to be in. With that said, he did do a good job, but the hair was a bit of a distraction. Rachel Bilson did well as the oblivious girlfriend, but the scripting held back every actor from doing anything noteworthy.

The movie looked good and for the most part was fun to watch, but there was nothing to make it worth the lack of story. The soundtrack was also sub par. There were a few moments during the movie that I was actually distracted by how bad the soundtrack was. I think Soundtrack Geek will back me up on this.

So what does that leave us with? Well if the acting wasn’t great, the directing and cinematography were decent, and the soundtrack was bad, then that only leaves the story…oops!

The Real Deal

I will attempt not to give anything away, but just know that if you have seen the trailer then you have seen everything that was good about Jumper (literally it all fits into five minutes easily). The characters are so dry and under developed that the main character David Rice could die at any moment in the film and I would not have cared a bit. The rest I care even less about. I left the theater with so many questions about the movie that I was actually mad. Usually leaving the ending open for interpretation is quite welcomed by me, but that is only if the rest of the movie was worth watching. Jumper starts off to a good start laying the background to how David figured out he could “Jump,” but that is the most developed part of the story. The rest of the movie just raises more questions. Why are there no good jumpers? Why are these other people so inclined to kill them? Why doesn’t David seek out his mother who left when he was five? Will David fend off Roland and save Millie? If you are looking for an answer to any of these questions, then you will be disappointed. There was essentially no ending to the movie. Maybe they thought that people would want to see a sequel, but usually that requires at least a decent first outing.

On the bright side, this movie was mildly entertaining, and fairly clean of sex and violence. Yes there was violence, but not a lot of blood. All in all, there is no reason to see this movie in the theaters. I went into it with low expectations and usually that makes me like it a lot more, but nothing could save this poor excuse for a movie. It was like someone came up with the idea (i.e. Steven Gould’s novel), but no one wanted to write out a decent screenplay. The three writers of the screenplay should be ashamed. Honestly! And they are not rookies either. Look them up; it will shock you to see what they have written.

The Short Version

Raw Score: 528,292
Sharon Movie? No

Adrift In Manhattan

Adrift In Manhattan (2007)
Director: Alfredo De Villa
Writer: Alfredo De Villa
Genre: Drama

The Story

Adrift In Manhattan follows the lives of three different lonely people whose lives cross as they mope through their life as normal. They each have their own issue; Rose (Heather Graham) is dealing with the loss of her child and has a difficult time even talking to her husband (William Baldwin), Simon (Victor Rasuk) has no one but his mother and a camera, and Tommaso (Dominic Chianese) is an old painter who is losing his vision. Adrift In Manhattan stays true to its title and slowly moves along with its powerful emotion.


Everything Else

Heather Graham did a wonderful job as Rose. Her facial expressions intensify the emotion of the situations without obnoxious outbursts of sobbing which often seem justified. Rasuk did well as Simon, but Simon was really creepy which makes it hard for you to really sympathize. Chianese has a solid performance and Baldwin delivers as well. The acting alone was worthy of higher reviews than the movie received on imdb.


The directing made the film flow like a song of sorrow. Adrift In Manhattan is not the most uplifting film, but it is raw emotion that seems to have been overlooked by many. I suspect that most of the negative reviews were from people expecting to see more of Graham's skin. There is some nudity and a sex scene, but for the most part the movie stays away from too much of it. Since the movie has a raw feel though these scenes are graphic for those looking to avoid it. The cool tone of the picture quality will make you feel cold and alone at times which only brings you closer to the characters. Solid directing and scripting made the movie worth the watch, but the acting was icing on the cake.


The Real Deal

I still have a hard time with the low rating on imdb. There is a positive review below the movie though which makes me feel better about my thoughts about this film. I really liked Adrift In Manhattan. It was sad, but had enough funny moments to keep my mood up. The emotion that the character development allows is excellent. This is one that should be picked up by those that are looking for a gem in the rough that has enough emotion to hit straight to the heart.


The Short Version

Raw Score: 812,939
Sharon Movie? No

Foreign Film February Presents: A Short Film About Killing

Now that you have gotten your fill of Valentine's Day I thought t