Venus DVD Review

Venus: Peter O’Toole, the 75 year old living legend, stars as a dirty minded …….75 year old. The story is a tad bizarre. O’Toole plays Maurice, a semi famous actor who is still getting some work at his old age. A friend of his and fellow actor Ian, has his niece’s daughter (Jessie) come live with/take care of him. Ian finds Jessie too out-of-control, while Maurice finds something else in the young 21 year old. Maurice still longs for the beauty, or even further – the sexual characteristics of a woman. I really did not find enough humor in the story and the drama side of it was too unusual to grab a hold of me. I thought O’Toole’s performance was good, but not good enough for me to recommend this film.

“Kick it on the Floor”

Indigenes (Days of Glory) DVD Review

Indigenes / Days of Glory: A French film that tells of a troubling story of World War II. Back in the time of WWII, the French recruited North African men to come serve for the “motherland”. The problem was the French never looked at these men as equals. This movie is very similar to that of Glory, just a different war and a different country. I found some of the war scenes to be impressive and the drama to be gripping. It is another account of WWII that I was not familiar with. I do not think most people would care for this film, but if you are war buff or into history (WWII era) give it a spin.

“Pick it Up”

Breach DVD Review

Breach: Based on the true story of Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent who was convicted of being a spy for the former Soviet Union and Russia. Hanssen is played by Chris Cooper and ultimately he is the reason the film is so wonderful. He brings tension to the story from the time he appears on screen to the final shot. The script does not try to cover the whole picture, instead it focuses on the last couple of months when the FBI was near to closing the deal. In order to catch Hanssen "red-handed", they set him up with a new assistant – Eric O’Neill, played by Ryan Phillippe. I am not a fan of Phillippe, but in roles such as this one (and in Crash) he works. The film sports 0 action sequences, yet I found it to be a very tense, nervous watch. Bottom Line: This is a very well told story with an outstanding performance from Chris Cooper!!!

“Pick It Up”

The Fountain DVD Review

The Fountain: Summed up in one word: Interesting. Another word many might use is: Huh? Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) gives us a three part story about a couple looking for eternal life. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz play the couple in the past, present, and the future. The film leaves a lot for the viewer to decide or interpret, which can be a great thing sometimes. In the case with The Fountain, I felt there was not enough basic story structure for everyone to be on the same page or at least close to being on the same page. The movie does present a lot of intriguing themes about life and death, some I am still thinking about a day after seeing the film. This may not be that easy of a movie to enjoy, but it will definitely spark conversation.
I may regret telling people to “kick” this one in a few years, but for now…..

“Kick it on the Floor”

The Science of Sleep

The Science of Sleep: Michael Gondry, director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, brings us another visionary tale from inside someone’s mind. Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Stephane, a man who has trouble distinguishing between real life events and his own dreams. When he starts to fall for a new neighbor that has moved next store, Stephane gets more confused between dream world and reality. This confusion is brought to the screen very creatively and even makes it a bit perplexing for the viewers. I loved the imaginative story and thought Gondry did a great job with the “dreaming aspect” of the film. However, I think most people would not care for this movie as a whole….it is a bit abstract.

If you like abstract movies – “Pick it Up”