Category Archives: Five Stars

Gran Torino (DVD)

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I love Clint Eastwood movies. I may not have watched all of them yet, but I’m sure that I will some time soon get the chance to. His selection of screenplays seems very careful and very insightful. His movies usually start off lukewarm without any foretelling of what’s about to ensue. And although some of my friends find it difficult to stick to the storyline until it reaches its climax, I think it’s rather testy of my patience making it all the more entertaining. Gran Torino surprised me several times and is a movie that I think serves more than one purpose.

Written by David Johannson & Nick Schenk, the story starts off with a couple of sons who mock their grumpy father, Walt Kowalski, at their mother’s funeral. And as you continue watching, you get some sort of understanding as to why they mocked him and why he’s such a grouch.

Apparently, Kowalski’s Korean war experience fed his prejudice about Hispanics, Blacks, and especially Asians. Unfortunately for him, he was probably one of the last few white people left in his neighborhood, which over the years grew to be occupied by several Hmong immigrants–whom he otherwise referred to as “Gooks.”

A twist of events somehow transforms Kowalski’s mentality and brings him to befriend his next-door neighbors, Thao (Bee Vang) and Sue (Ahney Her), who happen to be Hmong. The friendship somehow grows into a kinship that leads the characters to paths of unexpected changes.

A must-see for those who dig a little deeper and are interested in what’s going on beyond your front door, this movie is quite touching and intriguing.

Zombieland (Theaters)

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Zombieland is the best movie I’ve seen all year, hands down. This movie won’t appeal to everyone, especially those who are squeamish, but for anyone who can stomach some above average gore is definitely in for an exciting and hilarious time. It’s been a while since I watched a movie that combined such quality action and humor at such a relentless pace. As a comedy, it’s one of the funniest films of the year. As an action flick, its got enough explosions, headshots, and decapitations to rank up there with the best the genre has to offer. As the hybrid film that it is, it ranks somewhere on a scale all its own.

The story follows nervous phobic nerd Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), one of the few survivors of a world wide zombie outbreak. On his way to his hometown of Ohio, he runs into Tallahasse (played by an amazing Woody Harrelson), another survivor with a talent for bad-assery and zombie killing.  The odd couple meet up with sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little-Rock (Abigail Breslin).  They decide to head to an amusement park in Los Angeles that is rumored to be the last “zombie free” zone.  If it sounds simple, it’s because that is the best spoiler free summary I can give, the rest of the movie should be seen for yourself.  I will say that there is a cameo appearance that is one of the funniest scenes in any movie…ever.  

The cast is all around excellent. While previously I wasn’t a huge fan of the lead actor, Jesse Eisenberg, I think this is the film that has won me over. His portrayal of the neurotic and yet chickenly brave Columbus is great, capturing the vibe of the everyman while creating someone who is so unique at the same time. Emma Stone (who most people will recognize as the fat guy’s love interest in ‘Superbad’) is perfect as the tough survivalist Wichita, who must remain strong in order to protect her younger sister.  The younger sister is no slouch herself, as portrayed by Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin.  While most kid actors seem to get lost in the transition from kid to teen to adult, Breslin seems well suited to make the shift. Unlike Dakota Fanning, who still seems to be carrying the stigma of being a child actor, Breslin seems to have made the jump almost seamlessly. I was really impressed with her performance, as child turned tween actors often come across as irritating to me, but if this movie is any indication of her talent, she will have a long career ahead of her.

Finally, we have Woody Harrelson as Tallahasse. This is the role he has been born to play.  The character is very similar to his Mickey Knox character from Natural Born Killers, except that Tallahasse is one of the good guys. Imagine all of Knox’s merciless and unrelenting killing abilities being unleashed on horde’s of undead zombies. Harrellson is so undeniably bad ass in this movie that if there were an actual zombie apocalypse, I can’t really think of anyone else I’d rather be fighting alongside.   Factor in the fact that he has the best lines in the movie and you’ve got a character that people will be quoting and emulating for some time to come.  Simply put, Woody owns this movie.

When I said this movie was the best movie I’ve seen all year, I was serious. I love zombie movies. I love action. I love comedies. This movie combines all of these elements to perfection. The zombies maintain the chaos and intensity levels of the 28 days/weeks films. The comedy generates laughs on the levels of Apatow’s funniest flicks, and the action sequences are just plain brutal. Each scene is not only impeccably shot, but you can tell that a great deal of thought went into setting up how each sequence plays out.  The attention to detail in this film is just phenomenal. I’m sure not everyone will enjoy this movie as much as I did, but if you go see this I guarantee that you will be in for a non stop hilarious thrill ride that entertains from start to finish.

Inglourious Basterds (Theaters)

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Whenever Quentin Tarantino releases a new film, it is almost like an event unto itself. Factor in his collaboration with Brad Pitt, perhaps one of the most recognizable actors on the planet, and the hype machine just accelerates into overdrive. Tarantino has also been working on the script for Inglourious Basterds for over 10 years now, so naturally the expectations are quite high already.

I think it is safe to say that this film is Tarantino’s biggest movie yet.  The scale of the film is epic in nature, as it not only takes place in the WWII era, but also on location where many of the war’s real life history transpired. To get into the plot would be to spoil Tarantino’s epic, as with most of his work, the less you know going in to the film the more enjoyable it is. The plot follows the Basterds, a group of US Jewish soldiers led by Brad Pitt’s Lt. Aldo Raine, on a mission to tear through Nazi occupied France and to kill and torture as many Nazis as possible in order to promote fear within their ranks.  The plot also follows a number of side stories, a common device in Tarantino films, that all intersect in the final chapter.

Also typical in Tarantino films, the narrative is a bit disjointed as it is broken up into 5 different chapters., each with its own focus on a separate group of characters. This has almost become standard format for many Tarantino flicks, and it works surprisingly well in Basterds. One gripe that I’ve heard is that the Basterds don’t have very much screen time. Other than the second chapter, which is focused on them, they don’t appear again until near the end of the movie. Regardless, the other characters are just as intriguing, if not more so than the Basterds.

The cast is excellent. Pitt has top billing in this film, and he no doubt deserves it. His Aldo Raine is perhaps one of the coolest characters Tarantino has given us in a while, and despite the odds that they are up against with the Nazi army, you get the sense that they are more than capable of toppling the entire Nazi regime if given the chance.  Many of the films funniest moments are attributed to Pitt’s character and you can’t help but want to see more of him every time he appears. The rest of the Basterds are no less engaging. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more backstory given on each of them, as they are all quite unique and intriguing.

Melanie Laurent’s portrayal of a Jewish girl whose family was slain right before her eyes is superb. It is interesting to watch her hide her disgust of the Nazis, while at the same time trying to remain inconspicuous behind enemy lines.  You sympathize for her while at the same time hope that the Nazis get what is coming to them.

Perhaps the best performance of the entire film goes to Christopher Waltz as German Colonel Hans “The Jew Hunter” Landa, the source of grief and misery for many of the other characters. Landa is an amazing villain. He’s the type of character who can calmly smile with a Mr. Rogers demeanor and speak in a cheerful monotone while twisting a knife into your stomach. His command of French, Italian, German, and English is just unbelievable. Even more impressive is the conveyance of his personality through those languages. No matter the dialect, Landa is proof that evil is evil in any language.  Not since Heath Ledger’s Joker has a villain maintained such a constant level of uneasiness and tension each time they appear. While Ledger’s villainy was obvious, Landa’s is ever so subtle, like a ticking bomb just waiting to go off.

I had this film hyped up in my mind for some time. When I finally got to watch it, it was completely different than how I imagined it would be. This is often the case with Tarantino’s work, as his vision is unpredictable and unique.  Although the majority of the film is in a foreign language with constant subtitles, but after the first thirty minutes or so, it becomes almost unnoticeable due to how immersing the characters and story are. Perhaps the reason this film speaks to me is that my movie tastes are as ecclectic as the components blended together by Tarantino to make this movie. What we are left with is a truly unique piece of filmmaking that manages to transcend cultures and borders to give a unique and fictional account of actual events.  While this is perhaps one of the best movies I have seen all year, I can see how the film may not be for everyone. Regardless, you should go check it out to determine for yourself.