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Hairspray |
First it was a campy John Waters movie with a few songs, then it metamorphosed into a smash Broadway musical, and now it's a full-out Hollywood movie musical. Yes, it's been cleaned-up and increasingly mainstreamed along the way, yet it isn't devoid of the subversive touch of Waters, who makes a winking cameo as a flasher. The story of the fight to integrate a local Dick Clark-style teen dance show in Baltimore, led by a plus-sized girl with an irrepressible spirit, is a strange mix of lewdness, silliness and earnest idealism, but its metaphors and symbolic gestures are surprisingly moving. The movie bogs down somewhat in the middle when it briefly takes itself too seriously and shifts its attention to the adult stars (Travolta, Pfeiffer, Walken, Latifah, all usually assets in their movies), but during its upbeat numbers (Marc Shaiman's ingenious 60s imitations) and whenever it features its ferociously energetic young cast, especially Elijah Kelley, Zac Efron, and the adorable Nikki Blonsky, the movie can't lose for trying. |
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Two hitmen know they are being sent out of the country by their boss until things cool down, but find to their surprise that their destination is the quaint Belgian city of Bruges. From this amusing initial setup of a storybook village and two criminal thugs, this black comedy gets off to a great start. Ken (brilliantly played by the sad-eyed Brendan Gleeson) is the older, wiser hitman who looks after hotheaded Ray (Colin Farrell). While Ken is quietly charmed by the medieval city, Ray becomes ever more petulant and cranky as their stay in the town is extended. Boredom and hitmen are never a good combination, and as the plot rollicks along we also get to meet Ken and Ray's boss Harry, played with a hammy but effective verve by Ralph Fiennes. The plot takes some odd turns and also has some surprisingly touching moments. Those looking for a dark, quirky crime film will surely be amused by In Bruges. | |
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Fritz Lang's first talkie is a masterpiece of expressionist cinema. The psychological thriller starring Peter Lorre as pedophile serial killer Franz Brecker is considered Lang's best film. The camera work alone would warrant a viewing; the shadow of Lorre imposed on a pole displaying a poster describing his crimes as a little girl looks up at him is chilling. However, there are many elements of this film that are outstanding. Peter Lorre, with his bulging eyes and strangely childlike face, makes a convincing child murderer. Lang skillfully implies that Lorre is a pedophile just by his repugnant facial expressions of yearning directed at young girls, but the crimes remain unseen. As the public becomes more and more frenzied, the police assiduously try to solve the crimes that are being committed with little success and make it impossible for the underworld criminals to conduct their business. The underworld decides to take matters into their own hands and the frantic search for Becker unfolds brilliantly. Expertly paced, this unnerving psychological thriller is a visibly rich and penetrating film. | |
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Stranger than fiction |
IRS auditor Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is leading a humdrum life until one day he begins to hear a phantom voice narrating his life. The voice belongs to novelist Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) who is struggling with her latest novel. Unbeknownst to her, Harold is a real person who is disconcerted to hear her voice dictating his every move. His concern grows into full blown panic when Kay announces that Harold will die. This sets Harold off in a frenzy to find Kay and persuade her to make a change to that particular story line. Along the way Harold begins to re-evaluate his life and make some changes including starting up a romance with one of his clients, Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Stranger than Fiction is surprisingly heartwarming and funny, a bit darker and quirkier than your typical romantic comedy, but all the more refreshing because of it. Will Ferrell, in a somewhat toned-down role, is endearing as Harold, and the romance between him and Ana is very sweet without being overdone. For those who think they don't like Will Ferrell movies, this is one to try. It'll win you over. |
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Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch, a successful Jewish counterfeiter in Berlin, is caught and thrown into a work camp and then a concentration camp during World War II. He is soon indentified by the SS officer who arrested him and is put to work in a huge scale Nazi counterfeiting operation, Operation Bernhard, within the camp. The plan is to hurt the English economy by flooding it with counterfeited pound notes. Those participating in the operation find themselves in a moral quandary. They are assisting the Nazi's and possibly prolonging the war. However, if they were to actively resist requests to reproduce the pound and later the dollar, they face death. Loosely based on a memoir by Adolph Berger, this Academy-Award winning film is well-plotted and thought provoking. |