Acacia

2003

Korea

Written and Directed by Ki-hyeong Park
MPAA Rating: R for violence and language

Synopsis from SundanceChannel.com:

"Korean filmmaker Ki-Hyung Park (Whispering Corridors) serves up an unsettling tale of muted dread about a childless couple's attempts to forge a family. Despite her mother's disapproval, Mi-sook (Hye-jin Shim) and her husband (Jin-geun Kim) adopt Jin-seong (Oh-bin Mun), a quiet, artistic six-year-old boy. Soon Jin-seong evinces an obsessive attraction to a dying acacia tree in the backyard, which he associates with his birth mother. Yet even more unsettling events are in store when Mi-sook unexpectedly becomes pregnant."

My Thoughts:
Strange and definitely "unsettling" film with two adorably spooky kids who looked a little too much like the wraiths in The Grudge for my taste. Pretty good psychological suspense drama with a supernatural touch. One of those films that make the viewer work a little to figure things out. Kept me guessing about what was actually going on, and it delivered surprises right up to the end. Gorgeous cinematography and nice spare settings; even though the film was in color, it almost comes across as black-and-white so that the violent splashes of red in the final scenes are all the more shocking. If you're contemplating adoption, you'll probably want to stay away from this one.

This film kept me watching all the way through, even with its unpleasant subject matter and some pretty graphic violence (including, it should be noted, one rape scene). Probably not one I'd advise anyone to seek out, but I found it pretty entertaining.

My IMDb Rating: 4 stars out of a possible 10

Vitus

2006

Switzerland

MPAA Rating: Rated PG for mild thematic elements and language.
Written by Peter Luisi and Fredi M. Murer
Directed by Fredi M. Murer
Cast: Teo Gheorghiu (Vitus, age 12), Fabrizio Borsani (Vitus, age 6), Bruno Ganz, Julika Jenkins, Urs Jucker

Synopsis: (from the Rotten Tomatoes website)

In this engaging drama from Switzerland, a child prodigy finds a unique way of dealing with being different. Vitus is no normal child. With a 180 IQ, a voracious appetite for knowledge, and a preternatural gift at playing the piano, he finds it hard to fit in with his peers. Like many parents of exceptional children, his mother and father (Julika Jenkins and Urs Jucker) are overbearing, eager to see their child succeed. But as his parents push and fellow children jeer, Vitus's grandfather (Bruno Ganz) simply allows the boy to be himself. Though VITUS follows the blueprint for childhood prodigy movies a bit too closely at times, it's saved by a great cast and some interesting twists. As the 12-year-old Vitus, Teo Gheorghiu, himself a piano prodigy, heightens the sense of realism in the film. The classic music he plays is beautiful, and the actor's playing itself is remarkable. Audiences used to seeing hand doubles in films about musicians will be . . . surprised to see that there aren't any cuts, displaying Gheorghiu's incredible talent. Veteran actor Ganz has literally played everything from an angel to Hitler in his decades-long career, and he's wonderful here as Vitus's warm grandfather and best friend. As a result of great performances like these, it's easy to see why VITUS was the Swiss entry to the Oscars.

My Thoughts:
M ordered this one from Netflix – don't know how he found out about it, but I was skeptical. The description made me think it was likely to be either too depressing or too cutesy for my taste, so we delayed watching for several weeks while other DVDs came and went. I'm sorry we waited so long, because the film was absolutely charming – in fact, it was so mesmerizing I hardly even noticed the subtitles. And for me, that's high praise indeed!

Well, I really wouldn't agree that Vitus's parents are overbearing – they actually appear to be very caring and loving people. But his mother does develop into something of a classic "stage mother" over time, forcing her little wunderkind to keep up with his practice and controlling every aspect of his life until the boy engineers his own unique method of escape. There are some wonderfully moving and funny scenes with Vitus and his grandfather (played by the amazing Swiss actor, Bruno Ganz), and a very touching (and also funny) relationship is portrayed between Vitus and baby-sitter, Isabel. Vitus falls in love with the older girl, and when she protests he explains his theory that since a woman's libido matures faster than a man's, women should always marry men who are at least six years younger! All of the actors are terrific, but the children are especially impressive; and Teo Gheorghiu is himself a true wunderkind. This is one I'd love to see again.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

10 Items or Less

2006
USA

MPAA Rating: R for language
Written and Directed by: Brad Silberling
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Paz Vega, Bobby Cannavale, Anne Dudek, Jennifer Echols, Jonah Hill, Jim Parsons

Synopsis:
Once a world-famous movie star, Morgan Freeman's character (called only "Him" throughout the film) is now an aging actor who finds that his fear of failure has brought his career to a standstill. Now he's considering a role in a low-budget independent movie and, ever the professional, he's doing research for the role by spending a day in one of L.A.'s Latino community markets. While there, he's taken with the fiery young clerk (played by Paz Vega) in the "10 Items or Less" check-out lane, and when he's abandoned by his driver and can't remember his new home phone number, Scarlet agrees to drive him to his home in another part of the city. But Scarlet, who's hoping to get away from her dreadful dead-end job in the market, has a job interview scheduled, and as he rides along, the Movie Star gets involved in her plans. Their trek through Los Angeles takes them through unexpected situations and personal revelations, building an odd but compelling relationship that affects both their lives.

My Thoughts:
Wonderful little film, produced by Freeman. Funny and heart-wrenching by turns, it really should have gotten more attention. I'm a big Morgan Freeman fan – he never turns in a less-than-stellar performance, and he's amazing in this one. But the rest of the cast is pretty amazing, too – especially Paz Vega (a young Spanish actress I had never seen before although she's apparently a pretty big star in Europe) who plays Scarlet, and Jim Parsons (of The Big Bang Theory fame) doing a campy turn as a ditsy building company receptionist. Anne Dudek is also noticeable, as Lorraine, another check-out clerk; I kept thinking she looked really familiar but just couldn't place her until I found out she played Francine, Betty Draper's pal in Mad Men.

This one is definitely worth seeing. The DVD we watched also included a documentary about the making of the film which is also interesting if you're a film fanatic – it's almost as long as the movie itself, and very detailed. As M said, it's like a little tutorial in the making of low-budget independent films. But for us normal folk, it can get a little tedious – maybe your time would be better spent watching another Morgan Freeman movie.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

Sherlock Holmes

2009

USA/UK 

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material.
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Written by: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg (screenplay); Lionel Wigram (story)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong

Synopsis:

Sherlock Holmes (played by Robert Downey, Jr.), along with his trusted ally Dr. John Watson (Jude Law), investigates a string of brutal ritualistic murders in this 2009 effort from British director Guy Ritchie. When Holmes and Watson arrive upon the scene just in time to prevent the aristocratic villain, Lord Blackwood, from doing away with his latest victim, the evil lord warns them that death has no power over him. And, seemingly, he's right about that: After Dr. Watson witnesses Blackwood's hanging and pronounces him dead, Blackwood reappears in London and continues on his murderous path. Scotland Yard is flummoxed, but Holmes is back on the case. And as they search London for Blackwood in order to put a stop to his evil shenanigans, Holmes and Watson are involved in a world of dark arts and dangers more deadly and surprising than any they've faced before.

My Thoughts:
Boring movie, really; nothing but special effects – and extremely annoying special effects, at that. The characters of Holmes and Watson were completely unrecognizable, but since the film obviously was aimed at an audience that had never read the Conan Doyle stories, I guess that really doesn't matter. I suppose the fact that the movie was based on a comic book version of the Holmes tales (by Lionel Wigram) should be a good indication of what to expect. I know I'm fighting the entire trend of the 21st Century here, but I really long for the days when movies had real sets, real locations, and real actors.

And about those real actors – Robert Downey was as watchable as ever, but even his performance couldn't save this one. And Jude Law seemed to have abandoned Dr. Watson in favor of a sort of stiff-upper-lip portrayal of Wilde's Dorian Gray. I'm afraid the rest of the cast wasn't very memorable, but then they had all those special effects planted firmly between them and the audience.

We watched this one on DVD, so maybe the experience of seeing it on the big screen might have improved my opinion. But I doubt it.

Nutshell Review: The best thing about this movie was the poster.

My IMDb rating: 4 stars out of a possible 10

Cloud Atlas

2012

Multi-National Production

Directors: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Writers: David Mitchell (novel), Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski
Cast: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, James D'Arcy, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Keith David, Xun Zhou
MPAA Rating: Rated R for violence, language, sexuality/nudity and some drug use

Story: 

????? (see below)

My Thoughts:
The Internet Movie Database says this is "An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution."

Well, if you say so.

My husband had recently read the novel by David Mitchell and gave me a brief synopsis before we watched the movie. But if I hadn't had that bit of info, I would not have had a clue about what was going on in this one. If you're going to see it, it's probably a good idea to be familiar with the novel first. Otherwise, it's all just a picturesque jumble of fleeting images. A little too cartoon-y for my tastes. But it was fun watching all the actors playing different roles and having so much fun with the costumes and makeup. 

My IMDB rating: 3 stars out of a possible 10

Comedian

2002

USA

Director: Christian Charles
Producer: Jerry Seinfeld (executive producer), Amy R. Baird, Gary Streiner
Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Greg Giraldo, Orny Adams, Robert Klein, and lots of other stand-up comics too numerous to mention
MPAA Rating: R (probably for language)

What it's about (from the Internet Movie Database website):

A look at the work of two stand-up comics, Jerry Seinfeld and a lesser-known newcomer (Orny Adams), detailing the effort and frustration behind putting together a successful act and career while living a life on the road.

My Thoughts:
OK, I should start by confessing that while I love comedy, I'm just not much of a fan of the modern (or should that be post-modern?) stand-up variety. And even though I LOVED the Seinfeld TV show (I still watch the reruns everyday), I've never really been too impressed with Jerry Seinfeld as a performer on his own. But my husband is a real fan (of Seinfeld, standup, and just comedy in general), so we rented this from Netflix and I prepared myself for a couple of hours of boredom.

Big surprise -- it's not a boring movie.  It's not all that funny either; which is strange, considering that the cast is made up almost entirely of comedians.  But it really isn't meant to inspire yucks -- it's basically a look at how funny men (and women) come up with their material, refine their acts, hone their skills, and go about the business of being funny. All of which turned out to be surprisingly intriguing to watch. Who knew professional comedians could be so insecure about their talents?

I had never heard of the young comic whose career is at the center of the action -- Orny Adams -- and I have to admit, nothing I saw in this film made me eager to find out more. For me, the best part of the movie was the brief clip of Richard Pryor in his prime, doing what he did best -- just being wonderfully, amazingly, incredibly, profoundly funny.

My IMDB rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

1408

2007

USA

Director: Mikael Håfström
Writers: Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski 
Based on a short story by Stephen King 
Cast: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Tony Shalhoub, Mary McCormack 
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic material including disturbing sequences of violence and terror, frightening images and language

Story:

Writer Mike Enslin (John Cusack) believes only in what he can see with his own two eyes. He's written a string of bestsellers discrediting paranormal events in the most infamous haunted houses and graveyards around the world, always hoping for some proof of "afterlife." The target of his latest literary project is suite 1408 of New York's notorious Dolphin Hotel.  The room is permanently "unavailable for guests"; but after he threatens to sue the hotel, Enslin is allowed to spend a night in the room.  And it's a night during which his cynical skepticism is going to change forever.  Because at the Dolphin, when you stay in room 1408, just like the song says: Some guests check in, but they can never leave.

My Thoughts:
Watched this a few weeks ago on (I think) TBS.  I'd been watching Winter Olympics coverage for several days straight, and needed some relief.  I had seen it before – I think we got it from Netflix back around the time it was first out. Or maybe it was on one of the movie channels. Anyway, I was very disappointed with it that first time, but after seeing it again, it seemed much more frightening than I remembered. I think the special effects are too over-the-top to be really scary; when a movie becomes a cartoon it loses much of its potential for true spookiness. But on second view, I was able to get past all the CGI junk and enjoy the really very creepy story a bit more. Still, the scariest thing about it was watching Cusack crawling around on that hotel carpet!  Yow!

My IMDb Rating: 5 stars out of a possible 10