Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in a nutshell: A ragtag group of rebels, led by a troubled woman with a connection to the Force, embarks on a desperate mission to steal the plans for the Death Star, sacrificing everything to give the Rebellion a fighting chance.Image source: IMDB
Released on August 13, 2021, "Free Guy" is a science fiction action-comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and features a captivating blend of video game elements with real-world themes. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as Guy, a mild-mannered bank teller who discovers that he is, in fact, a non-player character (NPC) in an open-world video game titled "Free City." This revelation ignites a transformative journey in which Guy evolves from simply following his mundane programming, leading to unprecedented adventures.
Another movie on runaway train but this time inspired by true story…
(Poster source: http://www.filmofilia.com)
It starts with 2 bungling railway staff (ya, what else?) who manages to get a fully loaded train (to make things more interesting, with 8 highly toxic cars attached) to run away without brakes (they could not find a couple of seconds to spare to attach the loose brakes) and without any driver at the cabin. And then add that with the runaway train running through several highly populated towns, leaving the town people praying for a miracle (which comes in forms of 2 “at the right time, right place” heroes).
(Image source: Wikipedia)
It is simply claustrophobic!
I watched 2 movies about men getting trapped in small confined areas – one was Danny Boyle’s biographical adventure titled 127 Hours and the other, the excellent Buried by Rodrigo Cortés.
For a few seconds into the movie Buried, all we can see is dark screen and then a couple flickers from the lighter and we see eyes of a man in sweaty, confined situation. It is brilliantly executed and set the premise for the rest of the movie.
The premise of Buried is rather simple - Ryan Reynolds who plays the character of Paul Conray is a truck driver who is working for a private contactor in Iraq. His convoy was attacked and he was captured by insurgents who bury him in a box into the ground, supplies him with a couple of things which includes a mobile phone. Conray who wakes up with hands tied trying to make sense of things and panics at first and then starts to call for help. He then gets a call from his captors who demand for USD5 million to be paid before 9 at night. Conray then calls home, FBI, the State Department and then the Hostage Working Group in Iraq for help. This forms the crux of the story.
(Paul Conray in a dark, confined box armed with just a lighter and a mobile phone)
Paul Conray is buried deep down in ground, so the camera focuses on him and him alone. We are shown the interior of the box and at times, we are in the dark with Conray as his lights goes off leaving him in the darkness. We could hardly breathe too. The box is hardly big enough to fit him and he had to move around to get some items at the end of the box and it is not easy. The camera angle is brilliant – we see from all angle of the box and yet we are inside with Conray trapped in the box, feeling claustrophobic. Lighting is naturally done – when we see light in the box, we are sure that it comes from the lighter or the flashlight or the neo lights or the mobile phone and it is just nice and not too dark like we seen other poor light scenes in movies
(If there is one thing I love about the movie, it is camera angle and it always focuses on Conray and him alone)
Rodrigo Cortés adds moments of suspense into the already claustrophobic moments like a snake sneaking into the box and into Conray’s pants and the power running out on his only lifeline – the mobile phone left by his captors for him to get the ransom money. Can you imagine if you are in a box where you can hardly move and a snake slithers in? And as Conray is kept on hold on the phone by people who does not understand his situation, we can feel his frustrations as well, especially when a 911 operator asked if he climbed into the coffin himself.
Other than Paul Conray and his female colleague who shown in a video message, get shot after demands for ransom went unanswered, we don’t see any other characters but we are left to imagine based on the voices alone – Conray’s wife and kids, his cold and vengeful captors, the people from the States and one from the HWG who keeps up Conray’s spirits and keep the lifeline open by saying that they are very close to get him out.
The captors asking for USD5 million ransom and then reducing it to USD1 million and then asking Conray to cut off one of his fingers may make us angry of the situation where innocent and non combatant individuals get stuck in sticky situation when all they wanted to do is to work to get enough money for their families. Conray explains this many times to his captors but we can feel that the captors have suffered enough under the US occupation as well. That is the reality of things in Iraq and Afghanistan now days.
Not many films out there are focuses on one man, in a confined space and other characters not allowed being in it other than just voices. The audience is left to imagine the background of which Conray is in – the on-going negotiations and the rescue efforts.
Pros: The gripping story, terrific location and good acting
Cons: The ending - I wished Paul Conray was actual saved instead left buried after all that effort
If you are looking out for a good movie to watch, remember this name – Paul Haggis
The twice Oscar award winning screenwriter & director has done it again with “The Next Three Days” (TNTD) and if you thought “Crash” was damn good, it gets even better in this movie.
The summarized synopsis is as follows:-
Lara Brennan (Elizabeth Banks) is convicted of murdering her boss after an altercation at work. Following the failure of her appeal, Lara's husband John Brennan (Russell Crowe), a professor at a community college, becomes obsessed with the idea of breaking her out of jail after attempts for appeal looked bleak, while their son Luke ceases to acknowledge her during their prison visits.
John consults Damon Pennington (Liam Neeson), a former convict who successfully escaped from prison seven times. Damon advises John to study the prison, saying "every prison has a key".
John contemplates several ideas that don't pan out and is defeated more than once, but latches onto a solid plan and the necessary paperwork after some painful efforts. John falsifies and plants blood work results indicating that his wife is in a state of hyperkalemia, and she is transferred to the hospital. He follows the ambulance and helps her to escape although she is doubtful and reluctant, motivated only by the idea of her son being without either parent.
With the police getting some lucky breaks, they are hot on John and Lara's trail through a series of chases. At the end of the film, the family is safe in Venezuela. It is also revealed that Lara is indeed innocent.
(Source)
The movie itself is a remake of a 2008 French film titled “Pour Elle”. In essence, the movie is about a husband getting his innocent wife out from jail and keeping the family close – a welcome depart from the usual story of “former special forces” convicts making the break from some high security lock down.
Paul Haggis however narrates it in a rather interesting manner – it starts with the fact that Lara Brennan is having problems with her boss. Lara finds blood on her jacket and the next thing the family knows, the police barges in and arrests her for the charge of murder. At first, the family tries to go by the legal way by filing appeals to overturn the conviction but nothing worked to an extent, Lara tries to commit suicide. It is then, John Brennan (excellently played by Russell Crowe) knows that there is only one thing to do – he needs to break his wife from jail. And this is where the story really starts.
How John Brennan plans and finally executes his plan to get his wife from jail is brilliantly shown in this movie. Paul Haggis was careful, not to rush on things and tells the story on a rather proper pace – from John Brennan doing up his research and trying rather clumsily, failed in his earlier attempts to finally turning out to be professional and precision in his execution, down to the very last second of the plan.
Small things in story telling certainly make big impact and you need to keep an eye for these small things such as:-
1. John Brennan almost getting caught trying to open a door using tips he picked up from the internet but maintains his cool when the authorities question him and immediately as he comes out of the building, go to the side and start vomiting.
2. The prison chief questioning John Brennan and he knows that John Brennan is lying and he tells John Brennan that having both parents in prison is not going to help their son and waits for John Brennan’s reaction. The prison chief finally lets him go.
3. Within minutes to spare to get their son from the zoo, John Brennan decides to take the other route to avoid road blocks, whilst promising his wife that he will try to get their son somehow, not realizing that his wife had opened the door and decided to jump out from the moving car, causing near misses. After managing to stop by the road side, both John Brennan and his wife sit down to catch up on their breath before heading back to the zoo to get their son.
4. The way John Brennan throws the police off guard on whether they might to heading is brilliant – you have to see it to believe. At first, we too lead to think that the plan on the way is John Brennan’s main plan but in the end, that plan tells two different story.
5. John Brennan’s aged father discovering airplane tickets for 3 the night before John Brennan plans to break out his wife from the prison. He knows that he is going to see his son and his grandson for the last time but keeps the secret to himself, not letting his wife know about it. The next morning, John Brennan and his father look at each other – you can see it in their eyes that they know this is the end
6. John Brennan unable to raise enough money in time decides to rob a couple of drug dealers, almost getting killed in the process. The house get burned down and John Brennan managed pull out one of the younger drug dealer who been shot by his own friend and as he drives out with this dying man, all you hear is the cries of pain and then it becomes silent.
Deeply entrenched in this “husband breaks wife from prison and escapes” is a story of a husband still believing in his wife despite the odds and his wife’s lost of faith that things will get better. There is also a story of a father who wants to keep his family intact and as one. There is also a story of a mother losing her communication with her young son who had become distanced after she was arrested.
Similar in the movie “Crash”, Paul Haggis managed to inter-twine the sub-stories into one seamless movie. Russell Crowe who won best actor award in the Oscars for the movie Gladiator is at the very best here. He is just a simple school teacher who drives a hybrid car to work (which also caused some confusion when the police start investigation and wonders jokingly which hard-core criminal is environment conscious). He is not good with fights, often on edge of desperation and simply one of us.
A worthy movie for year 2010…
(The last major war around the world at the same time – World War 2. Image source: http://www.buchanan.org)
World War 2 was the last major conflict that we have faced and we all dread the start of World War 3 (which could mean end of mankind or worse, the planet earth).
I like history and I have collection of books and magazines on the subject at home but nothing portrays the event better than seeing them on movies. Over the years, we have been “bombarded” with many types of war movies and mini-series ranging from ancient wars (like “300” and “Braveheart”), World Wars (both 1 & 2), Vietnam Wars (still remember “Platoon”, “Full Metal Jacket” or “Apocalypse Now”?) and all the way to galactic war in a galaxy, far, far away (my favorite – “Star Wars”)
If you are looking for World War 2 movies for your collection, I strongly recommend these (in no particular order):-
1. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
It is a must have in anyone’s collection for a simple reason – the first 10 minutes of slaughter on the Omaha Beach. Steven Spielberg managed to capture the reality of the slaughter of the Allied forces by the German defenses on the beach head with pin point accuracy.
(The start of the slaughter – even before the Marines steps on the beach – highly riveting and a pure adrenaline rush)
And if you watched the “The Making of Saving Private Ryan”, you will appreciate the movie makers’ painstaking effort to make a movie that is more documentary-alike than a normal colorful movie. The boots that the actors wore in the movie is made by the same company that made the boots for the US soldiers during World War 2.
This movie also spurred the 2 excellent HBO mini-series – “Band of Brothers” (the war against the Germans) and “The Pacific” (the war against the Japanese) – another must have in your collection.
Must watch scene: The landing on the Omaha Beach and if you have the right “hardware”, listen to the best sound recording ever made (bullets literally flies from right to the left). The movie won 2 Oscars for sound alone.
2. Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
If you feel that you have not enough of the slaughter of the Americans on the Omaha Beach in “Saving Private Ryan”, then this is the movie for you. Clint Eastwood directed this movie of the Americans landing on Japanese controlled Iwo Jima and the slaughter here is more dramatic than of “Saving Private Ryan”.
(The landscape coupled with the intense fighting & slaughter of the Americans makes this movie one notch up against Saving Private Ryan’s Omaha Beach battle scene )
The Americans are more exposed here and despite massive firepower from the supporting naval ships (impressively shown), the Japanese defenders had the upper hand.
Besides the story of the Americans fighting to take over Iwo Jima, there is another story in this movie – about the second flag planted on Iwo Jima (and went on to be more famous than the first flag) and the American soldiers who went on a freak roadshow once they reached America. They felt betrayed and humiliated.
Must watch scene: The movie has 2 parts in it – the soldier’s battle against the Japanese on Iwo Jima and another “battle” against the “many who did not understand” in America. The part on the actual battle on Iwo Jima is a must watch – it is so real and perfect.
Watch out for part early in the movie when the men on the ships start cheering for the passing fighter planes and one of them falls down into the water. The men on ship are then told that no ship will stop to pick that man up.
3. The Pianist (2002)
If you are Jew, earmarked for extermination by the German in Warsaw, Poland, you need to watch this Oscar winning, based on true story movie on how the famous Polish Jewish pianist, Władysław Szpilman (Adrien Brody won an Oscar for this role) who went from a famous musician to an on-the-run Jew and made it alive till the end of the war.
(One of the best scenes in the movie, a cold and hungry Władysław Szpilman facing a German officer in an abandoned building)
The movie, directed by Roman Polanski (who won an Oscar for Best Director) revolves on Jews in Poland, how they were forced to move to German controlled Jewish settlement away from the rest of the citizens and then systematically executed.
There is one scene where Szpilman together with fellow Jewish workers get ready to go to work when they are stopped by a German officer. The officer picks several men randomly, asks them to lie down on the road and proceed to shoot them on the head. He runs of bullet when he reached the last man – he stops, takes his time to reload and shoots the last man on the head.
Must watch scene: Władysław Szpilman cold and hungry, decides to take his chances and go out to look for food and find a can of food in an abandoned building. And when he was about pry it open, the can falls down, rolls down the floor and stops at the feet of a German officer who surprisingly instead of shooting Szpilman on the spot, asked Szpilman to play the piano. After listening to Szpilman playing, the officer leaves and Szpilman immediately breaks down and cry.
4. Schindler’s List (1993)
The movie that was not shown in the cinemas in Malaysia after our local censorship board decided that there were too much nudity and wanted to cut down the scenes – something Steven Spielberg did not agree. How sad – the movie is a master piece – it went on to win 7 Oscars including Best Picture.
(The children in the Jewish camp being taken away by the truckloads with their parents crying by the side helplessly)
This movie looked at the darker side of the World War 2 where Nazi Germany executed the Jews without a care for the fellow human being and how a German businessman who first desired by money and greed, changes his mind and decides to help to save thousands of them into safety.
The movie was shot entirely in black and white and that creates a unique “aura” watching this movie.
Must watch scene: The Jews in the concentration camp is stripped naked and is rounded up for the final extermination as trucks carried away the children in the camp – the agony of the parents who being held on the other end of the camp is unspeakable.
Watch out for the ending when the real survivors of Oskar Schindler are shown side by side with the actors who portrayed them in the movie (with John Williams’ background music).
5. Patton (1970)
The opening scene of the movie when General George S Patton (acted superbly by George C Scott) gives one of the best motivating speech is a must watch.
(This image is now iconic and the monologue delivered is one of the classics)
The movie portrays the famed Third Army US General who went head to head with British’s Field Marshall Montgomery on who made the most advance in the war torn Europe. Francis Ford Coppola co-wrote the screenplay for this movie.
The movie is about the man, not the war so it does gives an interesting perceptive on one of the finest tank commander in the US Army during World War 2. He was the soldier’s soldier and who gave no heed on politicians and soft diplomacy. That is where he got into trouble and often taken out from the limelight of war by his commanders.
The movie won 7 Oscars which included Best Actor award for George C Scott (which he refused – first actor to do so).
Must watch scene: Other than the opening scene, memorable scenes includes the part where General Patton visits a medical camp and confronts a soldier who been admitted because he was scared. Patton (who earlier overwhelmed by seriously injured soldier) gets so furious with this “yellow bastard” that he pulls his revolver to shoot him but was stopped by the doctors in time.
Other memorable mention includes “The Great Escape”, “The Bridge on River Kwai”, “The Longest Day”, “Das Boots” and “Life is Beautiful”.
Any other suggestions?
(Can you identify the new toys in this latest sequel? There are evil ones in the bunch. Poster source: Wikipedia)
When Toy Story 3 was first mentioned on TV, one of the very first people to take note of it was my son. He asked me to mark the release date down and since then he has been shopping for Toy Story related colouring books, stickers and “Where is Wally?” kind of books.
He reminds me to buy tickets for the movie on almost daily basis. And I knew that whenever a much anticipated movie is released in Malaysia, one can rest assure that the tickets would be fully booked at least for the first week. But with my son checking on the calendar on the release date, I was not that keen to “postpone” the viewing to a later date (when there will be less people and we can get good seats). We did not want to disappoint the big boss. I asked my wife whether she can take him to watch on weekdays when most of the parents are at work. She was free but something came up and we had to cancel the plan to take the “big boss” to watch Toy Story 3 on weekdays.
We decided to watch it on Sunday (don’t ask how we got to Sunday) where we definitely need to tussle with other parents for the available tickets.
We reached the cinema quite early (about 11 in the morning) and were shocked to see a long queue. “What the….” statement ran in our minds when we saw the queue. At this juncture, you might wanted to ask me about online reservation but you see, I don’t trust GSC’s level of security for their online ticket reservation – for why, read here and here
We then noticed that most of the people queuing up were Indians and then we realised that Mani Ratnam’s Raavanan was also being released on the same week. Things were looking more promising – perhaps there was enough distraction to keep those people away from Toy Story 3 tickets but we were wrong. We queued up but when we reached the counter, we realised that the 11.45 am and 2.45 pm show was almost sold out. We did not want to sit too near to the screen so I decided to buy tickets for the 5.00 pm show. Although we could not get seats at the back for the 5.00 pm show (most of it was on reserve), we managed to get good seats at the front (not too near to the screen).
The show was at 5.00 pm but for now, it was still morning – so we decided to head back to the house. My son was not happy about it – he was worried that the movie may start any time and he was worried that we may not be around for it. He gave his usual sad, cute face but we did not fall in to his demands. There was no way we were going to loiter around the cinema lobby for 5 hours! Besides, the boss need to take a haircut before the start of school and we suddenly had plenty of time for it.
After haircut and a good lunch, we came back at about 4.30 pm and at 5.00 pm, were allowed to enter. The show started late (at almost 5.15 pm) and those fuckers who reserved large number of seats at the back, in the end, did not turn up. We decided not to move up to those empty seats to watch the show as our current seats was enough to provide comfortable viewing.
So, you may ask – how was Toy Story 3?
Basically it was a well made sequel – another “escape from somewhere back to Andy” storyline but with a better CGIs and funnier punch lines (special effects just getting better and better). There are new toys as well in the movie – new toys mean new villains (just like Stinky Pete in Toy Story 2). In the end, as Andy has grown up and it is unlikely he will be playing with the kiddie’s toys any more, Andy’s toys ends up as Bonnie’s toys (probably opening whole new variation for future sequels).
Oh, p.s. – there is an opening animation titled “Day & Night” before the main story starts – it was good.
Final say
The plus points: Brilliantly made sequel
The negative points: Nothing major (boring re-use the same “toys need to go back to Andy” plot, maybe)
