DVD Review - Clean

Clean, which is directed by Olivier Assayas, won a Best Actress Award for Maggie Cheung at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. The film had a very limited release earlier this year and it is now out on DVD. We are past the half way point and as far as I'm concerned Cheung has given the best performance by an actress so far this year. Yes, she is even better than Meryl Streep. Streep is great in The Devil Wears Prada but it is a very showy role. Cheung's acting is much more emotionally satisfying.

Cheung's character Emily is a heroin addict. She and her husband Lee (James Johnston) are part of a rock band and travel all around the world. Lee is worried that he is all washed up and is willing to take any deal but Emily doesn't want to settle. After Lee dies of a drug overdose Emily is sent to prison for six months. When she comes out she is no longer taking heroin but she is on methadone. Emily has a son named Jay (James Dennis) who lives with her in-laws in Vancouver. Her mother-in-law Rosemary (Martha Henry) will not see or speak to her. She blames Emily for Lee's death. But her father-in-law Albrecht (Nick Nolte) is a bit more understanding. When they meet after her release he is sympathetic towards her but he insists that she does not try to see her son. Emily agrees and goes back to Paris where she gets a job as a waitress at her uncle's restaurant (which ultimately doesn't work out). But Emily has a gut feeling that she needs to do something else and she also feels the need to get her son back. She gets off the methadone and takes a job in department store. She wants to prove that she is capable of taking care of her child. I won't tell you what else happens but I will say that throughout the film I was rooting for Emily.

Assayas directs his actors with a great deal of compassion. You might say that this film is a divorce present for Cheung as she and Assayas were married for a number of years and split around the time that this film was made. Nolte is also in top form. He carries the weight of the world in his craggy face. Assayas made sure to have actual musicians in the film. Johnston is in a band and a singer named Tricky is also part of the cast. The great cinematographer Eric Gautier gives you a real taste of each city that the film takes us to - London, Paris, Vancouver and San Francisco. I love to watch any film that he works on. I hope that now that this film is out on DVD it will gain a wider audience. Clean doesn't wrap things up in a neat little package like so many American films do. There are a number of loose threads and ragged edges. But that is what makes the film so wonderful - it mirrors real life.

Gabrielle

Patrice Chereau's latest film is an interesting chamber piece. Gabrielle is based on a short story by Joseph Conrad entitled The Return. It focuses on the marital problems of an upper class French couple that have been married ten years.

Jean (Pascal Gregory) feels quite content. He has a wife that he treats like a possession. They entertain people and are entertained by people several times a week. He thinks that his wife Gabrielle (Isabelle Huppert) is satisfied with the arrangement. There appears to be very little passion in their marriage. When he comes home one day he finds a letter from her saying that she left him for another man. He just can't understand why she would do something like that. Within a matter of hours she returns and tells him that she just couldn't carry out her plan.
He starts to treat her with great disdain and as time goes on things really start to unravel.

The film is very well acted by both Huppert and Gregory. We couldn't ask for a more perfectly matched couple (in the acting sense that is). The film is beautiful to look at and for that we have Eric Gautier to thank (he was also the cinematographer for The Motorcycle Diaries among other films). The film goes back and forth between black & white and color which I thought was an interesting touch. But I felt there was something missing from the film and I found that I admired it rather than liked it. It was very theatrical and I think that it would work better as a play. It is talkie but that does not bother me. I like those type of films. However, I think of last year's Saraband and also Scenes from a Marriage, both directed by Ingmar Bergman, and know how good an intense film about the end of a relationship can be. Cheareau is a good director but with this one he missed the mark by just a bit. I am glad that I saw this film because I am a great fan of Ms. Huppert (and as much as I like her I thought that Mr. Gregory was even better) but for most people who are interested in seeing it I would say to wait for the DVD.

Scoop

When I saw the trailer for Woody Allen's latest film I thought that it looked entertaining. But when I read some of the reviews I was debating whether or not I should this film. A number of the reviews were not at all favorable. As a long time Allen fan I decided to take a chance and see Scoop. And I am happy that I did.

Scoop starts out with the recently deceased journalist Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) on his way to another world. One of the people on his journey is Jane Cook (Fenella Woolger) who is the former secretary to the high society businessman and budding politician Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman). Jane was onto some dirty business about Lyman being involved in the Tarot card murders and she thinks that she was poisoned by him. Strombel perks up because he knows that this could be a great scoop. But he has to find another journalist on the earth plane who can work on this piece.

Sondra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson) is a college student who is also a budding journalist. She is in London visiting her friend Vivian (Romola Garai). One day she and Vivian take Vivian's brother to a magic show. The magician is an old timer named Sid Waterman. Sondra volunteers to be part of Sid's disappearing person act. While she is in the box the spirit of Strombel appears and tells her about Lyman and the murders. He tells her that he was looking for a journalist to break this story and she was the one he came up with. The next day Sondra goes back to see Sid and tells him what happened in the box. Sid doesn't believe her but then the spirit appears again and that helps him see the light. They decide to team up and try to solve the murder and in doing so they have to get friendly with Lyman. That is all I will say about the plot because I don't want to give anything else away.

While this film is not Allen's best or even close to a masterpiece it is very funny. I laughed quite a bit and so did the other members of the audience. I loved the way Allen tears into the British class system. I don't know why so many critics dumped on this film. I think that some of them are just jaded cranks. I was never bored and this is just the kind of film I like to see on a hot summer's afternoon. I liked Allen's one liners and I still think that he is a great comic actor. He never fails to bring a smile to my face. Johansson was very believable as Sondra and had great chemistry with Allen. It was nice to see Charles Dance in the small role as the editor of the Observer. We don't see enough of this great actor. Jackman is very handsome but I have to say that his role was not very demanding. Best of all was McShane. His charisma comes right through the screen. My only complaint is that we didn't see enough of him.

The verdict is if you are looking for something light and frothy that will lift your mood then this is the film for you. I think that Allen's next film (shooting in London as we speak and starring Colin Farrell and Ewan MacGregor) is supposed to be darker. And after that he is going to make a film in Barcelona (I heard that will be a romantic comedy). At 70 Allen is still going strong and I for one am still looking forward to what he will do next.

DVD Review - Ask the Dust

This film is written and directed by Robert Towne (from a novel by John Fante) who wrote the screenplay for Chinatown. So you would have high expectations for this film. Sadly, the film falls short of what one might expect.

The film is a depression era story that takes place in California. It focuses on Arturo Bandini who is trying to make a living as a writer. He dreams of blond, blue-eyed women but doesn't seem to be able to meet any. Who he does meet is a fiery Mexican waitress named Camilla Lopez (Salma Hayek). Camilla would like to marry a rich American in order to be part of the "American Dream." However, she is so desperate to become an American that she even settles for her nasty co-worker Sammy (Justin Kirk). But as soon as Arturo and Camilla meet sparks begin to fly.

There are a number of reasons that this film doesn't work. The first one is that Farrell is totally miscast as Bandini. Bandini is supposed to be a passionate man but Farrell's performance is so wooden that nothing comes through. Hayek is wonderful and her performance makes up for Farrell's lack of passion. But she can't rescue the film. When they are on the screen together you want to see fire but it just isn't there (even in the sexy scenes) because of Farrell's blandness.

Idina Menzel gives a terrific performance as Vera Rivkin. Vera apparently falls for Bandini but the circumstances are very hazy and this plot twist makes absolutely no sense. Towne should have taken more time to explain this character (and cut out other scenes because the film certainly doesn't need to be longer). Donald Sutherland is very good as Bandini's alcoholic neighbor Hellfrick but we get see very little of him. And the wonderful Eileen Atkins is wasted as Bandini's landlady Mrs. Hargraves.

The film is beautiful to look at and for that we can thank cinematographer Caleb Daschanel. The film tries to show how there was so much prejudice at that time (Mrs. Hargraves does not allow Jews or Mexicans to rent space at her boarding house). On that level it has some success but it doesn't go far enough. It is too bad that this film turned out the way it did because the story line is a good one and if the screenplay was better written (and not so predictable) and the lead actor was a better fit this could have been a good film.

Changing Times

Andre Techine's latest film is an interesting study of different types of relationships. It is also a story of true love.

Antoine (Gerard Depardieu) is a successful contractor who has a great deal of money. But he is a very lonely and sad man. He has had only one true love and after over 31 years apart he manages to track her down in Tangiers. He relocates to Tangiers to oversee a project but his main objective is to rekindle the flame with Cecile (Catherine Deneuve).

Cecile is married to a doctor named Natan (Gilbert Melki) who is a little younger and a Moroccan. Cecile works at a radio station in a job that she seems to like but doesn't provide her with a great salary. Around the same time that Antoine arrives in Tangiers, Cecile and Natan's son Sami, who lives in Paris, (Malik Zidi) comes to pay them a visit. Also along for the visit are his "girlfriend" Nadia (Lubna Azabal) and her son Said (Idir Elomri). Nadia is hoping to stay with her twin sister Aicha (also played by Azabal) but Aicha never shows up at the airport so Nadia has to stay with Sami's family.

I question Sami's relationship with Nadia because when he is back in Tangiers he spends more time with his former male lover Bilal (Naden Richati) than with either Nadia or his parents. We also find out that Aicha is a religious Muslim and does not want to see her sister because Nadia's lifestyle goes against the religion. In the meantime, Antoine manages to meet up with Cecile (and her husband) and after a while tries to win her back. To add to the complications, Natan gets a job offer in Casablanca. Even though the job will pay him much more money Cecile does not want to leave Tangiers because she is attached to her job at the radio station.

There is a lot going on in this film. Techine tries to explore both heterosexual and homosexual romantic relationships as well as parent/child relationships and sibling relationships. And the cultural aspect is also looked at. There are two scenes that involved animals that I found repulsive and totally unnecessary (I covered my eyes). But except for those scenes I really enjoyed watching the film. All of the acting is good and it was wonderful to see Depardieu and Deneuve together again on the screen. I would have liked to find out more about some of the characters but that was impossible because Techine focuses on so many stories. However, the film works because of the interaction between the actors. And I must say that I loved the last scene in the film. I found it very tender and moving.

This film is released by Koch Lorber and it is in a very limited release. I find it a bit odd that a film with two of France's greatest actors can't get a wider release. Unfortunately, that seems to be the name of the game for most foreign films released in the US these days. However, in this summer of Pirates, Super Heroes and X-Men I am happy that there are at least a few alternatives for people like me who want to see films that are made for adults.

Heading South

Heading South is Laurent Cantet's third film to be released in the US and it lives up to the promise of the first two. The first one to be released here was Human Resources which is the story of a young man who is hired by firm as the person who hires and fires people. The firm orders him to conduct a massive layoff of factory workers. One of these workers happens to be his father. The second film released here was Time Out. This film follows a man who has been laid off from his job. He does not tell his family about this. Every day he disappears in his car and they think that everything is normal. Of course they eventually find out what is really going on.

Heading South is also about work albeit a different type of work. The film focuses on three white women who frequent a resort in 1970s Haiti. Ellen (Charlotte Rampling) is the queen bee. She seems to know exactly what is going on and she is a domineering sort of person. She teaches college in Boston but at 55 she has given up on finding a man in her own age group. Brenda (Karen Young) who is from Georgia was previously there with her husband. The first time that she was there she seduced a young black boy named Legba (Menothy Cesar) who was only 15 at the time. That was the first time Brenda ever had an orgasm. Brenda is emotionally attached to Legba but she has fierce competition from Ellen who wants him all for herself. Sue (Louise Portal) is from Montreal and also feels that she cannot meet anyone at home. She becomes attached to another man at the resort. All of these women pay their men with either money or nice clothes and jewelry.

There are several themes running through the film. The obvious one is about these middle aged white women who are very lonely and come here to get affection from these men. Before I saw the film I thought that it was going to be quite "hot" but there is very little sex in it. It is more about longing and loneliness. What these women really want is love but they come to realize that no matter what they pay they are not going to get what they want.

The other theme of the film is political. When the film starts Albert (Lys Ambroise), who works at the resort, is at the airport to pick up Brenda. While he is waiting for her a woman approaches him and asks him to take her 15 year old daughter with him. She said that she used to be well off but her husband was murdered and everything has changed for her. This was the regime of Papa Doc and Baby Doc so things like this frequently happened. Not surprisingly, Albert refuses to take her daughter. Later on in the film we see that Albert has a great deal of disdain for Legba and his ilk. We also find out that Albert's family had no use for Americans and saw them only as conquerors and imperialists. And Legba has troubles of his own but the film doesn't go into them with any depth. A friend who saw the film thought that the ending was unclear but I think that what happened was not that surprising given what we have previously seen in the film.

I think that Heading South is an outstanding film. It is well written and directed. Cantet's previous films focused mainly on men. But in this film he shows that he really understands women. The three actresses are all terrific as is young Cesar as Legba. This is a film that everyone can see and like but it is really targeted at an audience that is very much neglected when it comes to making films - older women. My hats off to Cantet for making this film (and I look forward to his next one). When I came out of the theater I felt sad - sad for the women and sad for the people of Haiti. I can understand where these women were coming from. Everyone wants to feel loved and appreciated. It is just a matter of how far one would go to find it. And although I would never judge these women for what they did the thing that made me very sad is that they felt that they had to pay someone to "love" them. This says something about society and its attitude towards older (over 40) women. It is just a damn shame.

DVD Review - Find Me Guilty

Sidney Lumet has made some great films (12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Network to name a few). This is his latest film and while it is not up to the standards of the previously mentioned films it is still a good one.

The film is based on a real trial which turned out to be the longest criminal trial in history (almost two years!). Vin Diesel plays Jackie Di Norscio, a mobster who is already serving a 30 year jail sentence. When he is brought up on other charges he decides to fire his lawyer and defend himself. The reason this trial took so long is that there were so many defendants - 20 to be exact - and so many charges filed against them. This could have been an ordinary courtroom drama but it is raised to another level because of Diesel's portrayal of Jackie. I never took Diesel seriously as an actor but this film proves that he has talent. Even though we know that Jackie is a liar and a thief Diesel makes him such an endearing character that we are rooting for him to win. Diesel is not the only one who gives a fine performance in the film. Peter Dinklage (as head of the defense team Ben Klandis), Linus Roache (as chief prosecutor Sean Kierney), Ron Silver (as Judge Finestein) and Annabella Sciorra (in a small role as Jackie's ex-wife Bella) all give very good performances. The film could have been a little shorter but that is a minor flaw.

Lumet shows that he still knows how to direct a film. But this is a small film and it is another one that got lost in the shuffle. It is a shame because it is well worth seeing. But that is the beauty of DVDs - these wonderful little films that nobody saw in the theaters can have a new life as a rental. I highly recommend that you check this one out.

DVD Review - Game 6

This interesting little film is directed by Michael Hoffman and written by Don DeLillo. It takes place in 1986 when the NY Mets and Boston Red Sox were playing against each other during the World Series. All of the action takes place on the day of Game 6.

Nicky Rogan (Michael Keaton) is a playwright who needs a break. His latest play is due to open that night and he is quite nervous about it. And so he should be. There is a mysterious critic known as Steven Schwimmer (Robert Downey, Jr.) who has a habit of tearing plays to pieces. In addition to this, Nicky is going through a bitter divorce and has to deal with his teenage daughter and his elderly father. But Nicky is also a rabid Red Sox fan and that all important game seems to be more on his mind than his opening night – so much so that he misses the premiere of his play.

Both Keaton and Downey, Jr. are very good in their roles as is Griffin Dunne as Nicky’s friend Elliott Litvak. Hoffman does a good job of directing his actors. The dialogue is very witty but there is not a whole lot to the plot. This is a quirky small film that got lost in the shuffle. And while there aren't any major revelations here I must say I did enjoy it for what it was.

Time to Leave

Francois Ozon’s latest film is a meditation on death and dying. If focuses on a young man named Romain (Melvil Poupaud) who appears to have everything. He is a successful photographer, has a nice apartment and a loving boyfriend named Sasha. But during a fashion shoot Romain collapses. The news from the doctor is as bad as it gets – he has a malignant brain tumor. The chance that chemotherapy will help is very slim so Romain decides to forgo treatment. He is given just a few months to live.

Romain attends a family dinner. He was hoping to tell his parents and sister about his imminent departure but he us unable to do so. Instead he becomes very hostile towards them. His hostility also extends towards Sasha. After some intense lovemaking he tells Sasha to pack his bags and leave. The only person he is able to talk to about this is his grandmother (played by the ever wonderful Jeanne Moreau). The scenes between them are tender and beautiful. One day while having coffee Romain meets a friendly waitress named Jany (Valerie Bruni Tedeschi). He eventually makes a bargain with her that is very life affirming.

This is a terrific film and not at all sentimental. Throughout the film Romain keeps his dignity. Poupaud is outstanding in the lead and I am really looking forward to seeing what this young actor does in the future (he is also very handsome and looks good even at the end). Ozon is definitely one of the best young directors coming out of France today. This film is the second in his trilogy on grief and mourning (his first is the excellent Under the Sand with Charlotte Rampling.

The final scene is very moving and at the same time quite peaceful. I wish that more people would see this film. But I think that the subject matter is keeping them away. That is too bad because whether one is 31 (like Romain) or 91 this is something that each and every one of us will have to face someday.

DVD Review - Ants in the Mouth

This is an interesting Spanish film noir that takes place in the late 1950s. Martin (Eduard Fernandez) is released from prison after ten years. He searches Franco era Barcelona for his ex lover Julia (Ariadna Gil) but fails to find her or the money from a bank robbery gone wrong. He remembers that her uncle Alberto (Jose Luis Gomez) lives in Havana and goes there to track her down. He is dismayed to find out that she has died. But things are not what they seem and in his determination to find out what really happened he comes across many unsavory characters including a very dangerous government official named Freddy (Jorge Perugorria).

The film really captures the sights and sounds of late 50s Havana. The country is right on the brink of revolution and you can feel it in the air. For the most part the film is suspenseful but there were one or two instances where it was quite obvious what was going to happen. Also, there was one incident in the film that I felt was not fully explained.

That said, this is a smart and entertaining piece of Spanish cinema that is also beautiful to look at (thanks to cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe). Director Mariano Barroso does a good job of directing the film (he previously directed two very good Javier Bardem films - Ecstasy and Washington Wolves - which, unfortunately, are only available as Region 2 DVDs) which is based on a book by Miguel Barroso (perhaps they are related). If you are a fan of world cinema you should definitely check out this film.

Half Way Through the Year - The Best Films So Far

Now that we are already into July it is time for me to list my favorite films of the year so far. I picked out seven films that I thought were especially good. Here they are:

1) L'Enfant
2) Water
3) A Prairie Home Companion
4) The Proposition
5) Tsotsi
6) The King
7) El Perro

Most of the above listed films have no chance during next year's awards season. L'Enfant was Belgium's entry in last year's foreign film category and it was not nominated for an Oscar or
anything else even though it won the Palm D'or at Cannes in 2005. Tsotsi is this year's foreign film Oscar winner. El Perro is too small of a film to garner any awards attention. Water is an outstanding film which has done reasonably well at the box office. But it is highly controversial and I doubt that India would submit it as their selection for next year's Oscars. Both The Proposition and The King are too small to be considered contenders in next year's awards season. A Prairie Home Companion might get one or two nominations (Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Meryl Streep) but it was released early in the season and I don't think that it will be remembered. Streep is more likely to get a nomination for the very popular The Devil Wears Prada. Also of note, many people think that United 93 will get a nomination for Best Picture and Best Director. While it is a well made film and I admire director Paul Greengrass I just don't see that happening.

In the documentary arena things are already heating up. I liked Why We Fight but I don't think that it is eligible for next year's Oscars. I just saw Who Killed the Electric Car? and I thought it was good but not a film that will win awards. I loved Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man and I think that it has a good chance of getting a nomination. But somehow I don't think it will win. I haven't seen The War Tapes or Wordplay but they are both supposed to be good and I will catch them on DVD. If there is one category that I think I can call a winner (even at this early stage) it is the documentary category. I just have a strong feeling that Davis Guggenheim's Al Gore documentary An Inconvenient Truth will walk away with next year's prize. And so it should. It is an excellent film about a matter that concerns us all - global warming.

We will soon be in the Oscar season and I will review all of the films that I see and comment on what I think their chances are during the hectic awards season.

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Writer/director Chris Paine has made an important and informative documentary about the now defunct electric car (the EV-1). Until this film came out I had never known that there had been electric cars. According to Phyllis Diller there were many electric cars during the first part of the 20th century. But these were overtaken by the gas guzzling autos that we are used to.

However, not too long ago General Motors came up with an electric car and leased them out to certain people in California. Everyone who had one loved it. It didn't produce dangerous emissions to the environment and it eliminated our need for foreign oil. So why did General Motors eventually decide to crush all of these electric cars in the Arizona desert? In order to try to answer this question Paine interviewed many people including automakers, government officials, and celebrities. Among those interviewed are Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Ralph Nader and Iris and Stanford Ovshinsky (Mr. Ovshinsky invented the battery that the EV-1 runs on).

The conclusion is that the government, the oil companies, the automakers and, yes, the consumers are all to blame for the demise of the electric car. After finding out what will happen to the EV-1 many of its supporters held a funeral for it. They were hoping to bring public awareness to what was happening but, unfortunately, it didn't help.

While this is not an outstanding film I certainly learned a lot from it. I felt infuriated when I saw those crushed cars. What a waste! Once again greed wins and what is in the best of interest of the people and the environment loses.

DVD Review - The Stolen Years

This movie, which takes place in Spain in 1947, is based on a true story. Jaime (Ernersto Alterio) and Tomas (Jordi Molla) are students who are part of an anti-Franco group. They decide to paint the campus with graffiti but are caught before they can get away. In order to set an example they are sentenced to eight years of hard labor. While this may seem extremely harsh you have to remember this was carried out under a Fascist regime.

A few of the young men's comrades plan an elaborate escape from the prison. Things don't go exactly as planned and they wind up being helped by two young women (one is an American and one is a Canadian). The film turns into a road trip comedy where the four people get much closer (if you know what I mean). But all the while there is the undercurrent that these two men might get caught and be sent back to prison for an even longer time.

While the film is far from a masterpiece I enjoyed it for what it was (one of the best films on the Spanish Civil War is Ken Loach's Land and Freedom). Fernando Colomo does a nice job of directing his actors and the two male leads are particularly good (I am a big fan of Molla's). At the end of the film we are shown a picture of the real men who actually left Spain in 1948 and could not return for thirty years. I wonder how the people of Spain survived all of those years with the dictator Franco in charge and I greatly admire them for now making their country one of the most progressive nations in Europe and the world.

The Road to Guantanamo

Michael Winterbottom is one of the most versatile directors working today and I try to see all of his films. His two previous films were Nine Songs, which focuses on the relationship of a young couple in London (with real sex!) and Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, a very funny movie about the making of a supposedly unmakable film from the book Tristam Shandy.

The Road to Guantanamo, which Winterbottom co-directed with Mat Whitecross, won the Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival. It is the story of three young Muslim men known as the Tipton Three (Tipton is the part of England that they come from). The film is part documentary and part dramatization.

The tale starts off when the three men leave England to go to Pakistan. One of them is getting married and the other two want to be there to join in the celebration. This is at the time that the US began its bombing campaign in Afghanistan. The men decide to cross the border to see if there is any way they can help war torn Afghanistan. When they see that there is nothing they can do they decide to go back to Pakistan. However, they are captured by the Northern Alliance and eventually sent to the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. There US and British military and intelligence personnel try to torture them into confessing that they are connected with the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden. After two years of this the men are released. There were never any formal charges ever made against them at any time during their imprisonment.

The dramatization is harrowing enough (acted out by unknown actors) but the account by the real men is even more chilling. I hope that people will actually see this film because even though it is not easy to sit through it is vital that we know what is going on in this prison camp (we already know that most of the people there are being held on trumped up charges). The governments of the US and the UK condemn torture when it is carried out in other countries so why do think that they can get away with carrying out something so vile? Yes, this movie has a point of view and that is fine with me. We need more filmmakers (and artists in general) taking a stand and I congratulate everyone involved with The Road to Guantanamo for being brave enough to do so.

DVD Review - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Andrew Adamson's adaptation of the C.S. Lewis children's tale was a smash at the box office last winter so I was very curious to see what it was all about. I found it to be a beautiful looking spectacle but it lacked the zing of the Harry Potter films (especially the last two).

It is London during the Blitz and Mrs. Pevensie sends her four children to live in the country so that they would be safe. The children (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy) will temporarily be living with the eccentric Professor Kirke and his nasty housekeeper. One day while playing a game Lucy wanders into a wardrobe. She becomes intrigued when she sees an unusual looking door and wonders where it will lead to. Before you know it she is in the magical land of Narnia. She meets a creature who is half man and half horse and they strike up a friendship. Eventually she goes back to her siblings and tells them what has happened. Not surprisingly, not one of them believes her. She eventually goes back to Narnia and this time Edmund goes with her. He strikes out on his own and meets the White Witch who promises him many good things but has something else on her mind. When Lucy and Edmund go back to the "real" world Edmund denies ever having been away. As time goes on all of the siblings wind up in Narnia because they were "chosen" for a very special mission.

We find out that the White Witch wants Narnia to always be in darkness and under her thumb. The four children have to help break this evil spell. But first they must meet the lion Aslan who will help them with the task.

The acting by the children is okay but not one of them really stands out. Liam Neeson perfectly voices Aslan and Ray Winstone is also very good as Mr. Beaver, another creature who helps the children. Best of all is Tilda Swinton as the White Witch. Ms. Swinton knows how to play it cold and her acting in this film is tops.

Many have said that Aslan is a stand in for Christ and I suppose that could be true because Lewis was a Christian. After Edmund betrays his brother and sisters and wants forgiveness Aslan tells them that what was done is in the past and that there is no point of ever talking about it again. There is also much talk of the prophecy and some other references to Christianity. But the film chose to showcase a big battle scene instead of focusing on forgiveness. And whether or not one is religious (regardless of which religion) spiritual or a non-believer forgiveness is one of the most important things in the world. And although I liked the film for what it was I think it could have been better if the filmmakers chose to use that as its main theme.

DVD Review - Flores de Otro Mundo (Flowers from Another World)

This simple story makes for a most interesting film. A group of lonely Spanish men who live in a small village organize a social gathering with women from different parts of Spain (and the world).

One of the men, Damian (Luis Tosar), meets Patricia (Lisette Meija) who is from the Dominican Republic. Patricia has two young children from a previous relationship and came to Spain to better herself. She is hoping that this gathering will bring a good opportunity for her and her children. Alfonso (Chete Lara) meets Marirrosi (Elena Irureta) who is Spanish but lives in a nearby city and works as a nurse. And Carmelo isn't interested in any of the women because he has a young girlfriend named Milady (Marilyn Torres) who he is going to bring back to the village the next time he goes to Cuba.

The film follows these three couples as they try to deal with the problems that occur in any relationship as well as those unique to their own situations. Damian and Patricia have to deal with the fact that they live with Damian's cold mother. Alfonso and Marirrosi live in different places and see each other only on weekends which is not what either of them really wants. And Carmelo has to deal with his being much older than Milady. In the end we will see which, if any, couple stays together.

The acting is all first rate with the women being particularly strong. That is no surprise since director Iciar Bollain (she also directed Take My Eyes which had a brief release earlier this year)
works with the woman's point of view in mind.

The film deals with more than male/female relationships. It also deals with prejudice. Both Patricia and Milady are from third world countries and some Spaniards, who after all are Europeans, look down on them. The film (which has won several awards) is based on a true story and this makes it all the more intriguing. I highly recommend this film for anyone who loves a good drama.