Movie Review: Ratatouille
Year or Release: 2007
Country of Origin: USA
Directors: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
Cast: (voices) Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Peter O'Toole
Plot outline: Remy is a young rat in the French countryside who arrives in Paris, only to find out that his cooking idol is dead. When he makes an unusual alliance with a restaurant's new garbage boy, the culinary and personal adventures begin despite Remy's family's skepticism and the rat-hating world of humans (IMDb).
In terms of technological achievement in 3D animation, this movie is very well made - the most recent that comes out from Pixar studio. The story is also very well scripted. But, one little thing that bothers me is the story (a rat who wants to be a chef) is fundamentally similar to other stories (e.g. a pig who wants to be a sheepdog, a penguin who wants to be a tap dancer, etc.) that have been told so many times before. In terms of this, the story lacks originality. Nevertheless, Peter O'Toole gives an outstanding, memorable voice-over as menacing Anton Ego, the hard-to-please food critic from The Grim Eater. Still and all, this is a very good movie for the whole family.
My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars
Movie Review: To Catch a Thief
Year of Release: 1955
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly
Plot outline: When a reformed jewel thief is suspected of returning to his former occupation, he must ferret out the real thief in order to prove his innocence (IMDb).
Compared to other Hitchcock's masterpiece, this movie is ligther and has less suspense. Nevertheless, several things undoubtedly mesmerize audience. Here working with Cary Grant - his favourite leading man, and Grace Kelly - his favourite leading woman, Hitchcock creates delightful escapism. A retired (reformed?) thief living in a beautiful villa overlooking magnificent French Riviera ... it makes me really want to be (and this is the only time I really want to be) a retired thief! A rarefied atmosphere and panoramic breathtaking view of southern France in the 50s - the people and the place: wealthy people with expensive jewelry, haute couture, nights at the casinos, ever-flowing Champagne, the sun and the beaches, the mountains and the winding roads. After all that, Hitchcock completes this fantasy with an intriguing copycat case of a mysterious cat burglar and snappy dialogue that hightens sexual innuendo between already got great chemistry Grant and Kelly. The scene of Kelly speeding, swerving along the cliffside roads is eerie (considering what happened to her later). This is the movie people would love to watch over and over again.
My judgement: *** out of 4 stars
Movie Review: Hairspray
Year of Release: 2007
Country of Origin: USA, UK
Director: Adam Shankman
Cast: Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken
Plot outline: Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show (IMDb).
I previously thought that "Hairspray" didn't seem like something I would enjoy; and this is not the first time in my life that I was wrong! This movie turns out to be one of the most fun and enjoyable musicals since "Grease" in 1978. Set in the early 60s when hairspray rules the hairdos and candy palette colours the teenage fashion, underneath all the glitz and glitter there lies an important message of tolerance - acceptance of things that are different. The future is certainly coming and it is unstoppable. The future is represented by the newcomer Nikki Blonsky - she is unstoppably spunky, determinant and yet adorable. In today's world where Hollywood dictates that beauty is skinniness, it's good to see a big girl takes centre stage. John Travolta is queerly motherly big and yet agile, Michelle Pfeiffer is perfectly obnoxious as a villainess, while Christopher Walken is eccentrically charming and hilarious. The ending is a pleasant surprise. The soundtrack is for sure lovable.
My judgement: *** out of 4 stars
Movie Review: La Vie en Rose (La Môme)
Year of Release: 2007
Country of Origin: France, UK, Czech Republic
Director: Olivier Dahan
Cast: Marion Cotillard, Gérard Depardieu
Plot outline: An un-chronological look at the life of the Little Sparrow, Edith Piaf (1915-1963) (IMDb).
This life story of legendary singer Edith Piaf is skillfully told in flashback - moving back and forth between internal analepsis (a flashback to an earlier point in the narrative) and external analepsis (a flashback to before the narrative started), and yet it doesn't confuse the audience. At this point, I could only guess where the story would end. Despite the risk of becoming melodramatic, the movie perfectly portrays her lifelong struggle against misfortune and heartache. And then, there comes a great relief when the story finally ends ... in high spirits with her singing one of her signature songs "Non, je ne regrette rien" (No, I regret nothing) as if to sum up the whole of her extraordinary life. Marion Cotillard wholeheartedly gives the performance of a lifetime as Edith Piaf, relegating all her supporting cast to the background and all other contenders of 2007 Academy Award's Best Actress category to next year's hopefuls.
My judgement: *** out of 4 stars
Movie Review: Children of Men
Year of Release: 2006
Country of Origin: Japan, UK, USA
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Cast: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine
Plot outline: In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind (IMDb).
The problem with some of science fiction movies is they don't have enough degree of detachment from reality, they are pseudo-reality. And how our minds work is: it's easier for us to put ourselves in a world of fantasy (e.g. children's stories, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, etc.) than to relate to pseudo-reality. This is the problem with this movie. I have difficulties to find emotional connection with the story. Britain in the future looks more like something from the past; it reminds me of the middle-ages; can society actually go backwards? With humankind on the brink of extinction (zero fertility rate), I don't understand why people (poor illegal immigrants) even bother putting themselves through all the trouble to go to gloomy-looking, depressing Britain. What's the point? It's useless. I think the story is better classified as a nightmare than a science fiction, because it's irrational.
My judgement: *1/2 out of 4 stars
Year or Release: 2007
