Pirates of the Caribbean III: At World's End

We went to see this in the theatre a couple of weekends ago.

It sees the return of all the main characters, and the despatch of two of them.
Although I love to watch Johnny Depp playing Captain Jack Sparrow, I was sorely disappointed with this episode in the series.

Unlike the previous installment, this felt sluggish and bloated.
It felt as though they had run out of ideas and were just doing this as a routine money earner for Disney. Maybe I was feeling a bit out of sorts when I went to see it, but I don't think so. I think that the film makers had lost the earlier "rollicking fun" vision that made both prior pieces a joy to watch. The lighter side was completely overshadowed with the darker aspects; and that lack of balance, in my opinion, made this a less enjoyable experience.

I also like Chow Yun-Fat, but the potential introduction of other pirates just didn't work that well for me even though it probably could have. His talents weren't really used, and there was no light side here either. Even Barbossa has a lighter side, albeit a slyly subtle lighter side.

On the plus side, the costumes and make-up continue to be fantastic and the visual look of the films are still well crafted.

My rating: 2 out of 5.
My advice: If pirates aren't your thing, then don't bother with this. If you want to follow the series, then get this out of your local video store on a rainy Sunday. The special effects probably would look better on a theatre screen, but I'm not sure that I'd want to encourage you to spend that much money on this episode.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

This is another of the films watched in-flight on my recent Singapore excursion.

I like Uma Thurman, she can act and somehow manages to look good in vinyl.
As for Luke Wilson, I can watch him for hours without getting too badly bored.
I even enjoy tongue-in-cheek, mickey takes of genre. But this one unlike the title character, G-Girl, just doesn't fly.

The idea at its most basic has a lot of potential. A neurotic superheroine whose clingy, needy, suspicious nature drives her normal guy boyfriend to dump her. She then sets about exacting her revenge for being thus treated, using her superheroine skills. Opportunities for humour appear to be highly likely.

Sadly, though there are cute moments, it just doesn't deliver on its potential.
The best part of the whole movie is Eddie Izzard's portrayal of Professor Bedlam aka Barry.

He camps it up a bit and I mean that strictly with regards to the nature of the character. He takes the idea of a spurned first love becoming an arch-villain to his young-love's superheroine and runs with it. He plays it camp, yet subtle. Jealousy and possessiveness done with a deft super-villainous touch.

My advice:
Only rent this if you've seen every fun movie in the video store, or better yet, if it's free on TV and the rest of the channels are rubbish.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 (Eddie is worth 1 point, looking at Luke Wilson is worth 0.5 point).

Cars

Right at the outset I need to let you know that my flight inbound to Singapore was spent in an aisle seat next to a portly (but very nice) Frenchman. And I had to watch Cars in black and white.

In all fairness to childrens animated films, that is probably not the best way to view them. Although I did do a quick check on this film on my return flight, and I might be wrong about that comment as the colours seemed to be excessively gaudy. Perhaps someone who has seen this film on a screen larger than that in the back of an airline seat headrest could confirm that either way for me.

The premise of the story is simple - there are three racing cars trying to win the coveted prize, The Piston Cup. One is a rookie - Lightning McQueen; one is the current champion "The King"; and the third is the perpetual runner-up Chick Hicks. As a three-way tie occurs, the option is a "race off" to be held across country in California.

Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson, is the central character. He is proud, brash, mouthy and unappreciative. And in his rush to be the first to the new track, he manages to get himself lost in a small dusty old town called Radiator Springs. And it is here (of course) where his life lessons begin.

He slowly begins to appreciate others, gets a grip on the concept of friendship, and finally learns the unusual lesson of respecting his elders.

While many of the themes of animated movies are similar - friendship, appreciation and the value of a family, Cars actually manages to add in a new one. The most wonderful Paul Newman voices Doc Hudson, the local old-timer Judge with a secret history. Lightning goes from thinking of Doc as a crusty old Judge to admiration and on to valuing the wisdom and talent of his older counterpart.

Lightning's final act of redemption occurs in the last few minutes of the film, along with his reward for following the "higher path". And this also stems from his new sense of empathy, appreciation of friendship and respect for others. It is also a glaring lesson in opposing the sporting mentality of "winning is everything, at all costs".

I enjoyed this film. It's not excessively funny, sloppy, silly or annoying. It is formulaic, very few kids movies aren't, but it adds a few nice touches of its own to the genre. It will also appeal to those kids brought up in a home that adores the Indy 500.

Don't rush out to hire the DVD, but if you feel like something light and animated, it could be an option. And no, I won't be adding this to my collection.

But the list of great talent who lent their voices to this film deserves mention.
Owen Wilson is Owen Wilson - animated car or not.
Paul Newman is fantastically understated as Doc Hudson.
Bonnie Hunt strikes a nice counterpoint to Owen Wilson as Sally Carrera.
And of the "minor characters" my favourites were:
Larry the Cable Guy as Mater (absolutely fantastic) will bring into being a whole new sport - Tractor Tipping !!
Tony Shalhoub as Luigi does a very nice turn here.
John Ratzenberger takes the mickey out of himself. (As a result of how many characters he has voiced for Pixar!)

It rates a 2.5 out of 5.

Over the Hedge

This was our DVD choice last night.

The trailers for this film looked promising, and since we both love animated children's features we decided it was time to get this one out of the video store.

It is the story of a raccoon (RJ, played by Bruce Willis) who gets on the wrong side of a bear (Vincent, played by Nick Nolte), and then goes about using the naïvity of a family of critters who are newly awakened from hibernating to get himself out of trouble.

Interestingly both raccoons and possums are meant to be nocturnal animals, and as far as I know the possum doesn't actually hibernate and I'm not so sure any of the other animals in this animated family group do either. But in the interests of film-making that is pretty much ignored.

Perhaps I'm feeling a bit grouchy this weekend, or perhaps I'm a little bit jaded over the anthropomorphising of animals. I don't really know.

Actually, I do know. This movie is a rip-off of Ice Age, which incidentally, was the Saturday night movie on TV last night. The morality theme was pretty much identical - that of using people for your own means followed by the awakening of a "spirit of family". It is also the second movie I have seen this year that uses the hyped-up squirrel motif in conjunction with caffeine intake - see a much funnier version in Hoodwinked.
The casting didn't really do the film any favours. For the most part the main characters were fairly blandly voiced, with the exceptions of Wanda Sykes (Stella), William Shatner (Ozzie) and Thomas Haden Church (Dwayne).

I'm getting fussy in my old age. I've been spoiled with the cleverness, intelligence, uniqueness and inventiveness of the Shrek and Ice Age franchises, and then on to the parody that is Hoodwinked. These really are films that both children and adults can enjoy. Over the Hedge is a pale imitation of any of those predecessors.

My rating:
Despite all of the comments above, this movie has some very funny moments and for kids they probably won't care about some of the stuff I have mentioned, so I'll rate it a 2.5 out of 5.
For adults wanting to enjoy a movie alongside their kids, and hoping for a multi-levelled offering, I have to rate this a 1 out of 5. This one won't be an addition to my DVD collection.

Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War

This lovely British movie was this weekend's DVD viewing choice.

Starring the ever fantastic Pauline Collins as Thelma Caldicot, it is full of wonderful actors of that certain age, including her husband John Alderton.

The plotline is very much Shirley Valentine gown older. Thelma is a bullied and much-put-upon wife, who finally one day is widowed through her husband's own folly.

She feels free to systematically destroy or give away his prized possessions in a thumbing-her-nose-at-him and spirit-realeasing sort of way. You can just see the pent up years of frustration being gently and firmly expressed.
Unfortunately this release of her spirits gives her greedy daughter-in-law and son the opportunity to prematurely put her into a nursing home, where the inmates are kept drugged and docile.

The experience of seeing the cold-hearted, minimal treatment of the resthome management ensures that the earlier release of her individuality continues and she becomes "the worm that turned".

The film is lovely, yet it does stab at the heart. Are our older citizens treated like this? Drugged and docile, so the resthome owners can make a profit. Do families routinely 'dump' their older relatives into someone else's care, so that they are not inconvenienced?
It also seems to ask - who is to decide when a person's ability to gain joy and happiness in life is over? Convenience over quality of life? Cabbage every day over a fry-up?

This film does have a message, there is no doubt about that, but don't let it put you off. It is still funny and lovely and thoughtful. Your heart might be a little sore in places, but in the end you will have laughed and enjoyed the worm-turning journey with Thelma.

My rating: 3 out of 5

Siu Lam Juk Kau (Shaolin Soccer)

This was another DVD choice this past weekend.
It is another comedy / kung fu / action movie from the stable of Stephen Chow. In this case it is a marriage of football and kung fu through the creation of a football team of ex-Shaolin adherents.

Each man has a specialty as revealed by their name: Mighty Steel Leg Sing, Iron Shirt Tin, Light Weight, Lightning Hands and Hooking Leg.

The female interest is played by Zhao Wei as a kung fu master who bakes buns for a living.

We have the traditional good vs evil, or in this case the hopelessly innocent and ignorant vs greedy, nasty evil. This plays out on the soccer field, with the story starting there and the action finishing there.

The humour is definitely off-the-wall material. It moves between the juvenile to sly spoofing. It is nearly all physical humour, as dubbing into a different language tends to lose the subtle language jokes. So unless you are a fluent speaker of Chinese and are watching an original version don't expect subtle puns.

While this was quirky, cute and funny, it was also slightly silly and a bit too juvenile for me. I would have to rate this a 2 out of 5.
If you want a good laugh, with a bit more to it, I would recommend seeing Stephen Chow's later work - Kung Fu Hustle - which in my opinion is far superior without losing the same sort of humour and charm.

The Maltese Falcon

I'll own up before I begin. I love Humphrey Bogart films.
And this is where he gets his first major role.
This film is subject to enormous attention, a Google search on "The Maltese Falcon" generates 1,030,000 hits. It's popularity probably stems from the following reasons as described by the Moderntimes website:

The Maltese Falcon was John Huston’s first directorial effort and it went on to become a early Film Noir classic. It also provided Humphrey Bogart with his first significant role as a leading man, and he is matchless as the inimitable Sam Spade.

The film stars Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. Supporting actors include Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and Elisha Cook Jr. For a full cast list visit the IMDB entry for "The Maltese Falcon".

The plot is straightforward enough, but the outcome of Sam Spade's actions is not. He is the hero (actually an anti-hero in a number of respects) so in theory things should come out well in the end, but John Huston keeps you dangling.

The Moderntimes website has a great description of the entire film, almost blow by blow. Just don't visit if you don't like spoilers. However, the information on the filming, casting and comparison to the earlier film versions, makes a good read.

Bogart is gritty, egotistical, bad but good, and decidedly sly as Sam Spade. Mary Astor's character, Brigid, deserves a slapping from a modern woman perspective. She plays on her femininity hiding a decidedly nasty interior under a remarkably innocent, "butter wouldn't melt in her mouth" exterior.
Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet are great in their roles as Joel Cairo and The Fatman. The scene where Cairo visits Spade's office for the first time is just hilarious. I'm not sure that it was meant to be, but it is. Clearly Cairo is effeminate, and apparently in the book is openly gay - just try getting that past the censors in 1941 - and he is played beautifully by Lorre. The Fatman is also another great portrayal by Sydney Greenstreet, so visually unthreatening yet so completely ruthless.

I did find the film slightly odd and a little disjointed, especially around Sam's relationship with his just-murdered partner's wife. Watching this for the first time with no prior knowledge of the book it wasn't as smooth as it could have been.

On the whole I enjoyed the film and the actors' performances, but can only manage a rating of 2 to 2.5 out of 5.

Sione's Wedding

This was our DVD of choice last night.

I had wanted to see Sione's Wedding at the cinema, but somehow managed to completely miss it. So, finally we took the trip to the video store and rented the DVD last night.

A great piece of local cinema, this is a story about four Samoan guys who get out of control at each and every wedding they attend. Finally the community and the minister have enough and the boys find themselves banned from Sione's wedding. The only way they can attend is to find themselves girlfriends - not just dates. This leads us into their collective and individual lives.

Albert works in insurance and is timid around women, he is played by the wonderful Oscar Kightley who is also one of the writers.
Michael, who is a bicycle courier and a ladies man, is played by the gorgeous Robbie Magasiva.
Sefa, the only one of the four with a girlfriend - the long-suffering Leilani, is played by Shimpal Leilisi.
Stanley, is a chat-line addict who harbours fantasies of his phone girlfriend 'Latifah', and is played by Iaheto Ah Hi.

The entire supporting cast are terrific, especially Madeleine Sami, Teuila Blakely and David Fane. Many are regulars on the small screen here in New Zealand.

This is no big budget movie, and doesn't breach any barriers in the traditional romance/comedy theme, but it is still entertaining. While it is not likely to become Whale Rider Mark II, it is still a good homegrown story and will raise more than a few laughs. Just wait until you meet Derek and his crew in the parking lot !

If you like the Naked Samoans or bro'Town you will enjoy this little slice of New Zealand life. This definitely gets a *highly recommended* from me.

My rating: 3 out of 5

Ji dong ji xia (The Iceman Cometh)

The Iceman Cometh was last night's DVD movie of choice.

Yes, another Hong Kong martial arts feature. This time from the late 1980s, the heyday of Jackie Chan, Samo Hung and Yuen Biao in Hong Kong action films. In this case it is Yuen Biao's turn to star, along with the wickedly good Yuen Wah. The female member of the trio is a very young Maggie Cheung.

The plot is simple - two brothers (the "we grew up in a monastery together" type of brotherhood) become enemies. One is the Chief Royal Guard to the last Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, while the other turns rapist and murderer.
Enter a little magic - the "Buddhist Wheel of Life" and the Black Buddha statue - and we step into a bit of time-travelling.

The newly 20th Centuried Ming Dynasty warriors adapt to their environment in predictably different ways. The Chief Royal Guard - Fong Sau-Ching (Yuen Biao) - finds help, and eventually love in the hooker Polla (Maggie Cheung).
Meanwhile, Fung San (Yuen Wah) finds connections in the criminal underworld. A vicious and nasty personality like Fung San cannot stay hidden forever, and his method of dispatching his victims brings him to the attention of Fong Sau-Ching who sets out to bring him to justice.

The martial arts stunts and action sequences are all you would expect and like to see in a movie like this. Yuen Wah did a great job of the choreography. It is crisp, fast and in places quite a homage to the skills of the artists.
Bear in mind that this film is over 15 years old and the styles, techniques and filming options have changed a great deal since then. Don't expect to see a Hollywood Jackie Chan film. Expect to see its precursor.

Yuen Wah has a great line in the "Mwah hah haaaaaa" department. :evil:
Slightly overdone to be taken seriously, but seriously bordering on the psychotic.

If you want an excellent modern view of Yuen Wah in action, you must try to get to see Kung Fu Hustle. It is hilarious, and a great showcase for the range that this veteran of Hong Kong action films is capable of.

My rating: 2.5 out of 5.
My advice: You probably have to be a fan of the genre to really enjoy this, or curious about the origins of Hollywood Blockbuster Kung Fu Action films. If you aren't - stick to Shanghai Knights.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

And what a rip-roaring adventure series this is turning out to be.

John and I attended the Lido last night and had a thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours watching Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley swash and buckle their way through Part 2 of this adventure series.

Alternately dark and scary, then light and hilarious, this is a great fun movie. It even managed to make me jump at one point - and I haven't done that since I was 15 years old.

The plot line is simple - Capt Jack Sparrow is in trouble again, this time with Davy Jones. He owes him a debt of service and now is being chased for its payment. Into the mix throw the East India Trading Company, warrants for the arrest of Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner, and suddenly you have everyone running around the Caribbean looking for keys and chests, dealing and double dealing as they go.

The fight scenes are raucous as expected, there is much sword play and some exceedingly funny pieces of physical and visual comedy. Gore Verbinski definitely had his tongue in his cheek through many scenes. My particular favourite running gag involves a waterwheel from an old mill.

The special effects are excellent. I just loved what they did to Davy Jones and his crew, especially the guy with the shell for a head - most funny. And if you haven't already fallen in love with Bill Nighy's work in "Love Actually" or "Underworld" then you have been missing out. He is a prolific, talented actor. And it's amazing to think that under all those special effect tentacles you still get a sense of a character - twitches and all.

I'd be cautious about taking smaller kids who might want to see this film. It gets a PG-13 or an M rating (depending on your country of origin) and it does deserve it. The dark bits are dark, and there is plenty of nudge, nudge, wink, wink sexual humour and innuendo (kids will probably not notice this, of course). So, it will probably be best to leave the little ones at home, no matter how much they beg to go with you.

If you want a full, and fair, review of the movie take a look at the excerpt from Rolling Stone on the Lido website.

My rating: 4 out of 5.
My advice: See it in the theatre, then save up to buy the boxed set after the third film comes out next year.
My rationale: You will never see a more wonderfully lovable, annoying, funny, villainous or seductive portrayal of a pirate captain. Captain Jack Sparrow really is a masterpiece of Johnny Depp's acting talent.

Failure to Launch

Such was the lack of movie options on the way home, I was stuck with this one.
I am not a drooler over Matthew McConaughey and nor am I a Carrie Bradshaw groupie, so Sarah Jessica Parker is not on my hot list of actresses. Not really a good start then.

The premise of the movie is that McConaughey is a 30-ish bachelor called Tripp who is still living at home with his parents, quite happily enjoying being waited on hand and foot by his mother. His two best friends are doing the same. Unfortunately for him, his parents really would like to have their home back to themselves. This leads them to Parker's character Paula, who is a facilitator of removals. The storyline allows you to get to know the three bachelor boys, and there are quite a few funny scenes involving wildlife spaced throughout the movie.

True to romantic comedy formula, the cool and detached Paula starts to like her target. She tries to convince herself that she doesn't, and that she is looking at him as a professional. Of course, things change when one of Tripp's friends sees Paula with another of her removal clients and she is forced to explain what she is doing. His silence is bought with an arranged date with Paula's flatmate Kit. Unfortunately while he is silent with regards to telling Tripp he still tells the other friend, who goes on to spill the beans. How this plays out is the fun bit of the film.

This is a good, solid, traditional romantic comedy. There a moments of laughter (usually provided by the appearance of wildlife), and cute moments between the characters. You feel for the parents, including the Mum's fear of having her son move out and her husband back 100%. She wants her space back, but is worried that having been parents so long that they may not still love each other like they did pre-Tripp. Even though this has a good portion of the story told from Tripp's point of view, it is still essentially a chick-flick.

If you are a fan of either of the movie's principals, you will enjoy this. McConaughey gets to be sweet and charming. Parker gets to be...well...not sure on that one actually. Normal might be a good description. A girl trying to deal with her life, finding out she's not so good at keeping emotional distance between herself and a good man (despite his Failure to Launch).

It's cute. It's inoffensive. It'll probably make you smile and you may even laugh a bit too. The idea of surfing with dolphins may never be the same again for you, though.

Rating:
1.5 out of 5 (if you feel like a movie that challenges the romantic tradition)
2.5 out of 5 (if you feel like a hotwater bottle, duvet cover and hot chocolate - and it's the middle of the day) ;)

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Airline entertainment for the journey home began here.

Once again, a children's piece. Hmmm, is it me or the airline causing this pattern of viewing? I'm not sure on that one.

Let me say from the outset: I am not a fan of Jim Carrey.
So for me to have actually chosen to watch this movie is pretty much an indication of the great lack of choice on our return flight to NZ.
Also to be noted, I have not read any of the Lemony Snicket books so I have no background to associate this film with.

So what did I think of it?

I liked the visual mood of the film very much. It was as though everything was in a perpetual state of greyness. I thought the casting was very well done. You can never really go wrong with Billy Connelly.
Meryl Streep did a blisteringly good turn as Aunt Josephine, and Timothy Spall has taken to character pieces like a duck to water. All up I found all the characters pleasingly quirky and I could even take Jim Carrey's overacting on this occasion as it seemed to fit perfectly with Count Olaf's own acting talentlessness.

The storyline was straightforward, as you would expect in a movie tailored for little children upwards. Although I did think it to be slightly dark and foreboding for very little ones. There's no need to introduce darkness and cynicism into their lives too young don't you think?

I would recommend this for a wet and cold Sunday afternoon in winter, rented on DVD. Or for the 'trapped indoors during school holidays' occasions.

And now I might even read some of the books. Although I am led to believe the movie merged several of the stories together. Oh well, you can't have everything can you?

Ice Age: The Meltdown

Yes, yes, yes. It is another children's film. No, I'm not regressing. At least, I don't think so.

So, the usual cast of characters return in this movie - Manny, Sid and Diego. Scrat, who only gets the credits and ending in the first Ice Age, gets a lot more screentime in this feature and is a laugh a minute. Who would've thought that an animated prehistoric squirrel obsessed with gathering his nut could produce so much slapstick humour.

This time the gang are faced with the melting of the Ice Age and the migration to "the boat" at the end of the valley. Like the first movie, it is the journey that matters and in this case we meet the possums - Crash, Eddie and Ellie - and the fast talking Fast Tony who is brought to life by Jay Leno.

The possums bring a manic energy to the film which counterbalances Manny's more conservative character - see the slingshot scene to appreciate this - and Diego's reticence. There is a particularly funny scene where Diego and Sid first meet the possums which reminds me of my youth and the simple mechanical games we used to be able to play in the amusement arcades.

You will enjoy this movie, I'm sure. It is not a weak second version, dragging out the jokes of the first. It nods to and reinforces the fun things from the first Ice Age, but does not slavishly and unthinkingly redo them. It actually develops the characters along, while maintaining the gags and laughter we all really enjoy seeing in kids movies.

For the fact that it kept me laughing or smiling nearly the entire way through, I have to give this a four out of five.

Hoodwinked

It seems that I have gone on a binge of children's movies for my in-flight entertainment.

This is an animated feature all about Red Riding Hood and her Granny. It includes the Woodsman and the Wolf too.
But that's just about as far as it goes towards the well-known fairytale.

After the traditional start to the movie it begins a clever and very funny divergence into fairytale film noir. It brings in a whole cast of woodland characters, the funniest by far is Twitchy.

I cannot recommend this film enough. If you can see it in a theatre, then spend the money. If not, rent the DVD. I'm sure you will enjoy this. Don't expect flash graphics or any of the whizzbang stuff you get in the Ice Age or Shrek movies. It doesn't really need it. It's a good dose of humour and cleverness that carries this film.

The voices are well cast, especially Boingo who is voiced by Andy Dick. Normally he does nothing for me, but his voice work is so perfect for this character. David Ogden Stiers as Nicky Flippers is also a great choice, along with Glenn Close as Granny.

Trust me... YOU WILL ENJOY THIS !

It gets a 4 out of 5.

Nanny McPhee

Second choice of recent in-flight entertainment was this British update on Mary Poppins.

If you attach a prosthetic nose and some warty bits to Emma Thompson you have the very ugly and lumpy Nanny McPhee. Not quite your lovely smiling Julie Andrews copycat. But just like Mary Poppins, Nanny McPhee is magical. She uses her magic to teach the runaway children of the recently widowed Mr Brown lessons in consequences.

Into this mix you can add an austere and domineering ex-Mother-in-law who supports the family financially, played by the wonderful Angela Lansbury; the young, uneducated parlourmaid who loves the children and their father; and finally Mr Brown himself played by Colin Firth.

Imelda Staunton has a nice piece as the family cook and Celia Imrie as a prospective bride for the hapless Mr Brown, whose continued financial support from his mother-in-law revolves around providing a new mother for his children.

As this is a movie for children, the outcome is not really ever in doubt, but that doesn't take too much of the charm away from it. It was an easy movie to watch, and even though Colin Firth lapses completely into Mr Darcy mode at a couple of points, he and all the others give good, solid performances. Even the children manage to be endearing.

I'd rate this a 2.5 out of 5.

Olé!

A first choice on the in-flight movie selection recently.

This is a typical quirky French film, but with a Spanish turn. Starring Gerard Depardieu and Gad Elmaleh, it is about a French businessman and his Spanish chauffeur. The plot line is straightforward, with the chauffeur saving to build his home in Spain and the tycoon businessman treating him as a friend.

It is an odd relationship between the employer and employee, especially with the wives of each of the men. The tycoon is married to a hypochondriac, while the chauffeur's wife is the cook. The couples behave more like family and friends than employer/employee. Arguing amongst themselves and playing golf together.

It was interesting viewing for the most part, but it was pretty much a no-brainer of a storyline. But the French seem to make a living producing films that have odd endings. And this film was no exception.
It was somewhat a let-down and I'm completely sure that the idea could have been made more of.

In this instance, easy watching on an aircraft, but don't go out of your way for it otherwise.

A two out of five.

The Lord of the Rings - The Exhibition

This was one of the sightseeing events on our recent Wellington visit, courtesy of Te Papa.

I cannot recommend this enough. Even if the LOTR trilogy was the last thing you would possibly drag yourself along to the local Blockbuster to rent, seeing the intricate detail and effort that went into making these films is worth every penny of the entry fee.

As a LOTR fan, both book and films, who owns and has actually watched ALL the extended edition DVDs - including the documentary bits, this was great fun.

I just about choked on how much money someone must be making from the limited edition replica "Sauron gauntlet with One Ring" ornaments on sale, but boy are they and the replica swords the most amazing 'tourist purchases' I've ever seen on offer at an exhibition.

If you are able to get to it, visit Te Papa and take a look at the amazing craftsmanship and detail on each and every piece of clothing, prop, miniature and armoury item.

And enjoy the galleries of conceptual art that influenced the feeling and look of the movies. Much of which would not look out of place on your own walls at home.

And if you are feeling like playing the hobbit, spend the $5 on the forced perspective photograph. It's simple but very cute - just ask the kids who got to be bigger than their Dad !

It really is a piece of important film history in our own country. Enjoy it !

Phorpa (The Cup)

This was one of the DVDs that John chose for Queen's Birthday Weekend viewing.

It is a simple story about a Tibetan monastery in exile, and its soccer loving young monks. The story is set in 1998 during the World Cup.

Two young boys are smuggled out of Tibet to the monastery for a traditional Buddhist education. They are given a room to share with the most soccer mad of the young monks, Orgyen. The youngest boy is homesick and pining for his mother, while the older makes an attempt to adjust to life outside of Tibet, by getting involved with the highjinks of his roommate.
It is a very sedately told tale. For those of us who are used to fast-paced, complex (or maybe confusingly written) storylines in our films this movie certainly slides into the boring zone.

That is not necessarily a bad thing. It has made me question my need for complexity. Do I really need to have a twist to every story? Do I really need to be kept guessing? Does everything have to be over in a nanosecond? Do I have to be challenged by everything I see or read?

Perhaps slowing down, taking time to appreciate things, and seeing value in simplicity is a good thing.
As the director himself says:

"I would like my stories to be moment-to-moment dramas," he explains, "Life is filled with so many dramas, but we tend to lose out the tastes and textures in our quest for speed and purpose."

Just a few observations about this film:

• There are definitely Buddhist lessons to be taken from this film, if you choose to look for them.


• Orgyen is a selfish, self-centred young monk - don't expect to like him too much. (Although the portrayal is very endearing, especially once his goal is reached.)


• Spoken Tibetan is a very interesting sounding language, quite unlike any other that I am familiar with.


• It is interesting to see tradition attempting to co-exist alongside modernity. Television in a monastery? What next?


• The cast of actors are very much who they appear to be on film. Visit the offical website and see what I mean.

And, if you are feeling so inclined, take a wander over to the Tibetan Government In Exile's webpage to get their point of view on who is and who isn't supposed to be a part of greater China.

Shi mian mai fu (House of Flying Daggers)

This was DVD number 2 for us last weekend. It sounded good from the cover description, and as I am a fan of kung fu and Hong Kong/Chinese movies I thought it would make for a good afternoon of viewing.

I was disappointed by the story. And I am sorry to say that I got bored about 20 minutes from the end.
I don't like being disappointed by kung fu movies. It just feels wrong to me not to have enjoyed such skill and grace.
I thought the pacing was fine until it came time to wrap the story up. It dragged on and on and on. It was clear that the two lovers were not going to ride happily off into the sunset. The reaction of "the jilted man" was excessive but it would not have spoiled the ending, but for the ridiculous length of time and unnecessary fighting that finally came to an end with the heroine's death.

Okay, so that was the bad stuff.

On the flip side of the excruciatingly long, dragged out ending, is the sheer beauty and texture of this film.
This is the second film by Yimou Zhang that I have seen in recent months, the other being Hero or Ying xiong. They are both beautifully filmed pieces and have stunning visual impact.
In House of Flying Daggers there are many wonderful visual treats - the Echo game, the chase through the forest, and the chase through the bamboo grove. The latter is particularly good, especially if you like the colour green.
The costumes are flawlessly beautiful and there is no complaints about spending time looking at the actors either with Ziyi Zhang, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro in the main roles.

But I still can't reconcile the lack of compact storytelling with the beautiful look of the film. Which is a real shame.

I can't give this a good recommendation for the entire film entity, but if you want to see what great visuals are possible in a movie, then spend your $5 and hire this DVD. Just remember - buyer beware - you may be bored before the end.

Constantine

John and I got this DVD out last weekend. Starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz. It also has a nice turn by Tilda Swinton as the angel Gabriel.

On the whole a fair way to spend an hour or so. If you have strong Christian faith that does not extend to "artistic licence" then this may not be an option for a Saturday night. If you are not too bothered about people interpreting your faith for entertainment, then you may be fine with this movie. It is certainly not "high" entertainment. It is not cerebral in any way that I can define.

It is pretty much what you expect - a Hollywood movie. It has a hero, who is an anti-hero in many ways. It has a heroine (read "victim to be rescued by said hero"). It has the ultimate baddie, who actually saves the day (out of self-interest of course). You never actually see the ultimate goodie !

One of the goodies is actually not quite so good, although as the saying goes - "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". It is certainly seen from a cynical point of view, where even the 'good' are imperfect.
Fallibility and humanity seem to be imprinted on even the 'divine' or 'semi-divine', but I guess that is our view as humanity.

On the whole, it is good entertainment, just don't expect it to rock your world or challenge your intellect.