Friday, October 24, 2014
If You Like "Weekend at Bernie's", You Will Love...
Waking Ned Devine – United Kingdom/France (1998)
Waking Ned Devine is a hilarious movie that takes place in the Irish
countryside. A lotto winner is announced in the town of Tully More, a
town with just over 50 residents. It should be pretty easy to find out who won that lotto and then be extra nice to them so that they will give you some of the winnings, right? Think again.
As parties are thrown and schemes are created to figure out who the lotto winner could be, two friends and one of their wives successfully figure out who the winner is... It's Ned Devine! But the problem is that Ned is dead. And smart enough to write his name on the back of the winning ticket. So now how can anyone else claim the prize money? Simple: by pretending to be Ned Devine. And then getting the entire town to support your impersonation.
Shot on the Isle of Man, this under-the-radar co-production is filled with many great moments and jokes, especially if you're a fan of British comedy. And if you're searching for it outside of North America, you'll find it under the title, Waking Ned.
As parties are thrown and schemes are created to figure out who the lotto winner could be, two friends and one of their wives successfully figure out who the winner is... It's Ned Devine! But the problem is that Ned is dead. And smart enough to write his name on the back of the winning ticket. So now how can anyone else claim the prize money? Simple: by pretending to be Ned Devine. And then getting the entire town to support your impersonation.
Shot on the Isle of Man, this under-the-radar co-production is filled with many great moments and jokes, especially if you're a fan of British comedy. And if you're searching for it outside of North America, you'll find it under the title, Waking Ned.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Chungking Express
Directed by Kar Wai Wong
Hong Kong (1994)
Chungking Express takes place in the streets of Hong Kong in the 1990s.
It tells the tales of two different love stories; in the first, a cop
known as He Qiwu, deals with a breakup and falls for a mysterious drug
dealer, and in the second, another cop known only as Cop 663, deals his breakup with a flight attendant while trying to win the affections of
Faye, a counter girl at the Chungking Express. The two storylines don't
necessarily intersect in a big reveal at the end of the movie, but they
show how closely separated people actually are and how people's paths
can just miss intersecting with each other.
One of my favorite things about the film is the dialogue. It is filled with many memorable lines that make you laugh or think but are not too painstakingly witty. For example, the mysterious woman that He Qiwi falls in love with (yes, she is so mysterious that she doesn't even have a name), always walks around wearing sunglasses and a raincoat, two very opposite pieces of clothing. She says, "I don't know when I started being so cautious. If I put on a raincoat, I wear sunglasses too. You never know if there's going to be rain or shine."
Chungking Express is a very well-done portrait of Hong Kong in the 90s. And as a bonus feature, there is a great cover of The Cranberries' hit song, Dreams, once you make it all the way to the end.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
If You Like Wes Anderson, You Will Love...
Micmacs – France (2009)
If you've seen the French modern classic Amélie (with the true French title
being Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain), you might have an idea of what to
expect from this movie. If you have not, you can expect a quirky side of
humor with some bizarre characters and situations much like any Wes
Anderson movie.
Micmacs is the story of Bazil, a video store employee who is shot by a stray bullet one night on the job. He survives and decides to live life as everyday is his last, as the bullet was not removed from his skull, and it could kill him at any moment. While street performing, an onlooker sees Bazil and takes him to a junkyard, Tire-Larigot. There, he meets a whole group of outcasts with very bizarre talents and backgrounds, ranging from a contortionist and human cannon ball all the way to a guillotine survivor. Bazil decides that he wants to take revenge on the weapons company whose bullet hit him in the head (and whose weapons killed his father many years ago). His new friends refuse to let him live at Tire-Larigot if they cannot help him, and as the French translation of the title suggests, many shenanigans ensue.
Clearly by the above description, this is not your typical movie. Very
bizarre and quirky, it is not a drama by any means, but a very ironic
tale. And while you watch this, you can ponder the following question: How do you bring down a weapons dealer when they have all the weapons?
Micmacs is the story of Bazil, a video store employee who is shot by a stray bullet one night on the job. He survives and decides to live life as everyday is his last, as the bullet was not removed from his skull, and it could kill him at any moment. While street performing, an onlooker sees Bazil and takes him to a junkyard, Tire-Larigot. There, he meets a whole group of outcasts with very bizarre talents and backgrounds, ranging from a contortionist and human cannon ball all the way to a guillotine survivor. Bazil decides that he wants to take revenge on the weapons company whose bullet hit him in the head (and whose weapons killed his father many years ago). His new friends refuse to let him live at Tire-Larigot if they cannot help him, and as the French translation of the title suggests, many shenanigans ensue.
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| Comedian Dany Boon as Bazil. |
Monday, July 28, 2014
Trainspotting
Directed by Danny Boyle
Scotland (United Kingdom) (1996)
The British Film Institute
considers Trainspotting to be one of
the top British films of all time, and it is probably the most-highly acclaimed
film coming from the country of Scotland. (Scotland is a part of the island of
Britain, and Britain is a state in the United Kingdom, making Scotland British
by association even though it is considered its own country.) The cult classic
revolves around the lives of heroin addicts in the late 1980s in Edinburgh. The
title, Trainspotting, has nothing to
do with watching trains (although there is a scene in the movie where the characters
wait on a train platform, and there is a wallpaper print with trains all over
it), but has to do with using heroin. A frequent user of heroin will have a
series of spots that resemble train tracks on their arms from injecting the
drug into their system. The movie is based on the novel of the same name written
by Irvine Welsh.
 |
| Literally, trainspotting. |
Trainspotting follows the life of Renton (Ewan McGregor) who is
involved in the Scottish drug scene. All of Renton’s friends are fellow drug
addicts, and they find themselves in lots of compromising situations while
trying to get money to continue funding their addictions. Renton finally tries
to get himself out of the drug scene but finds it difficult as he keeps associating
with the same influential friends and remembering how good the high of the drugs
feel. The film shows the many effects of the drug, both the highs and the
lows, and the desperate actions the characters will take to continue their
habit.
Trainspotting documents the increased drug epidemic in the 1980s
Edinburgh neighborhood of Leith. Edinburgh was a popular haven for drugs,
dating all the way back to the late 1600s, and in the 1800s, it was one of the
world’s highest producers of opiates. Drug use was popular among the middle
classes and those with money. The 1970s saw high rates of unemployment, and the
1980s brought in cheap heroin from Pakistan, making it easier for people with
less money to purchase the drug. Because of the unemployment rates, people felt
they had nothing to work towards, making drugs a more attractive time killer.* Edinburgh
then not only saw a drug epidemic, but also a surge in communicable diseases
such as hepatitis B & C, as well as HIV.**
Even though this movie is in
English, I had to watch it with subtitles because of the heavy Scottish accent.
It is not for the queasy of heart as some parts are pretty graphic, but it is a
great commentary on the world of drug addiction. As a viewer of the movie, you
feel like you are experiencing the constant high that these characters are
going through. Part comedy, part drama, part crime film, it is a very
well-crafted movie.
* http://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/aug/15/scotland-trainspotting-generation-dying-fact
** http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/the-fatal-legacy-of-a-nations-drug-use-epidemic.18619037
Monday, June 30, 2014
Infernal Affairs
Directed by Andrew Lau & Alan Mak (2002)
Hong Kong
The English title for this film is not the Cantonese title, The Unceasing Path. Infernal Affairs was chosen for the English title because the corruption in the police force is an internal affair. The original Cantonese title references the lowest level of hell in Buddhism, so the word infernal plays on that. If you try to look up the movie Internal Affairs, you will have a little trouble finding this title.
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| Hollywood has the Walk of Fame, and Hong Kong has the Avenue of Stars with this statue of Bruce Lee. (nexusholidays.com) |
If
you like this title, also be sure to check out the two sequels, Infernal
Affairs 2 & Infernal Affairs 3. I haven't gotten a chance to
view them, but if they are anything like Infernal Affairs, they will be
worth a watch.
Bonus Material: If you have seen The Departed, look out for the Boston Red Sox hat in one of Infernal Affairs' scenes. Is it just a coincidence that The Departed was set in Boston?
Bonus Material: If you have seen The Departed, look out for the Boston Red Sox hat in one of Infernal Affairs' scenes. Is it just a coincidence that The Departed was set in Boston?
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
If You Like "Escape from Alcatraz" or "The Rock", You Will Love...
Le Trou
(The Hole) – France (1960)
My favorite thing about this movie is the minimalism. While
there isn’t too much dialogue and absolutely no CGI or special effects, I sat
in suspense the entire time I was watching this, wondering if the inmates would
be caught as they explored the inner workings of the prison. As a viewer, you feel like you are right there with them, except for the fact you are lucky enough to be eating from a bowl of popcorn on your couch.
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