ONE SHEET WORDS OF WISDOM #001

I'm Hooked! New MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Trailer Brings Whole New Level Of Fantastic

Wow. I've been reserved about MAD MAX: FURY ROAD since the beginning. The stunts, explosions, grittiness and story elements I'd seen just wasn't cutting it for me. BUT NOW, after this latest trailer? MM:FR is definitely on my must see in theater list.

You see, I've seen many post-apocalyptic movies and many explosion for the sake of explosion movies. I want to see something I haven't seen before. Up until now MM:FR hadn't shown me anything that excited me to any great extent.

But this trailer... Wow. I think they may actually have a half decent storyline and stunts/action that are necessary to move the plot along. It's not just another yawner! At least I hope it's not.

Here's the movie's storyline:
From director George Miller, originator of the post-apocalyptic genre and mastermind behind the legendary “Mad Max” franchise, comes “Mad Max: Fury Road,” a return to the world of the Road Warrior, Max Rockatansky.

Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa. They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe, from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.

Tom Hardy (“The Dark Knight Rises”) stars in the title role in “Mad Max: Fury Road”—the fourth in the franchise’s history. Oscar winner Charlize Theron (“Monster,” “Prometheus”) stars as the Imperator, Furiosa. The film also stars Nicholas Hoult (“X-Men: Days of Future Past”) as Nux; Hugh Keays-Byrne (“Mad Max,” “Sleeping Beauty”) as Immortan Joe; and Nathan Jones (“Conan the Barbarian”) as Rictus Erectus. Collectively known as The Wives, Zoë Kravitz (“Divergent”) plays Toast, Riley Keough (“Magic Mike”) is Capable, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”) is Splendid, and supermodel Abbey Lee is The Dag, and Courtney Eaton is Fragile. Also featured in the movie are Josh Helman as Slit, Jennifer Hagan as Miss Giddy, and singer/songwriter/performer iOTA as Coma-Doof Warrior.

So have a look at the latest and definitely greatest trailer for MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. It's coming in 3D and it looks MEAN. MM:FR opens on May 15.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Genre

Adventure | Fantasy

Director

Peter Jackson

Country

New Zealand | United States

Cast

Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Sala Baker, Marton Csokas, Lawrence Makoare, Craig Parker, Mark Ferguson, Peter McKenzie, Harry Sinclair

Plot

Assisted by a Fellowship of heroes, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) plunges into a perilous trek to take the mystical One Ring to Mount Doom so that it and its magical powers can be destroyed and never possessed by evil Lord Sauron (Sala Baker).

Opinion

The astonishing journey of Frodo Baggins begins. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is an excellent film that everyone can appreciate and enjoy, also the non-fantasy fans like me.

The film is beautiful from every point of view. The narrative is surprisingly long - in a good way - and incredibly detailed, and the storyline is great. Its long running time - 172 minutes, and it's not even the extended version - is not boring at all. The scenography is outstanding, partly because New Zealand is photographed like some kind of magic place, but also for the high attention to details.

The acting is pretty much good. Ian McKellen's portrayal of Gandalf is magnificent.

Quotes

Sam: I made a promise, Mr Frodo. A promise. "Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee." And I don't mean to. I don't mean to.

Gandalf: A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

Rating

9.0/10

Monthly Movie History: The Legion of Decency

If you are a fan of Classic Movies you probably know about the Production Code, which was put into effect in 1934 by Will Hays (also known as the Hays Code).

 

The Legion of Decency was organized the year before, in 1933, by the Archbishop of Cincinnati, John T. McNicholas. It sought to  identify and combat objectionable content, from the point of view of the Catholic Church in the United States, in motion pictures. For the first quarter-century of its existence, the legion wielded great power in the American motion picture industry. It had it's own rating system and would publish lists of what films were suitable to watch and what films should be boycotted.

 

 

Rating System:

 

A: Morally unobjectionable

• A-I: Suitable for all audiences
• A-II: Suitable for adults; later — after the introduction of A-III — suitable for adults and    adolescents
• A-III: Suitable for adults only
• A-IV: For adults with reservations

B: Morally objectionable in part
C: Condemned by the Legion of Decency

Legion Approved List for 1938

 

Legion Pledge:

 

I condemn all indecent and immoral motion pictures, and those which glorify crime or criminals. I promise to do all that I can to strengthen public opinion against the production of indecent and immoral films, and to unite with all who protest against them. I acknowledge my obligation to form a right conscience about pictures that are dangerous to my moral life. I pledge myself to remain away from them. I promise, further, to stay away altogether from places of amusement which show them as a matter of policy.

Here is the Legion of Decency banned films list. I've seen three on this list (Psycho, Some Like it Hot, and Miracle on 34th Street) and there are four more that I want to see. If you're wondering why Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is on there, it's because it deals lightly with divorce, something that was more shocking in the 40s.

How many movies on this list have you seen?

 

Hays Code Cartoon

 

All images found via Google Images

SHORT FEATURE: GOOD LITTLE MONKEYS

Has it been a hard Lent for you this year? Well, I know just the thing to cheer you up. Monkeys. Everybody likes monkeys. Well, everybody but Satan, apparently, as the following short demonstrates. Oh, and pardon my French, this was the best version of the cartoon I could find.…

Now, if you’ve ever wondered just where the image of those three monkeys came from, wonder no more. While nobody is completely sure, it’s widely held that it originated in Japan sometime during the 14th or 15th century as part of the folk religion known as Koshin. And while followers of Koshin no doubt liked monkeys as much as everyone else, there was more to the image than just a penchant for primates.

You see, in Koshin it was believed that everybody had three worms called Sanshi living inside them that kept track of their moral decisions. About every two months, these Sanshi would crawl out of their sleeping hosts to report to the Heavenly God Ten-Tei. If the Sanshi informed Ten-Tei a person had performed bad deeds, Ten-Tei would punish that person by making them sick or subtracting some time off of their lifespan. So, basically, folks had two choices. They could try and escape punishment for their evil deeds by never going to sleep, thereby preventing the Sanshi from leaving their body, or they could just do their best to avoid committing bad deeds in the first place. As an aid in avoiding the temptation of evil thoughts, someone came up with the image of the three monkeys, known collectively as Sanzaru, who see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.

In a certain sense, that makes those three little monkeys (named Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru, by the way) something akin to a Koshin sacramental. As the Catechism notes, “sacramentals are sacred signs instituted by the Church to prepare us to receive the fruit of the sacraments and to sanctify different circumstances of our lives.” They run the gamut from images to objects to blessings to small actions we perform in the course of our spiritual walk. Holy water, rosaries, crucifixes, devotions to a particular saint, they all fall under the mantle of sacramentals.

They’re not magic, of course. “Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church’s prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it.” As a personal example, I wear a scapular, and many has been the time the feel of that little piece of cloth rubbing against my skin has reminded me to see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. It helps keep my thoughts centered on God… when I allow it, of course.

So if you’ve been having a tough Lent, or tough anything else for that matter, go grab you some Catholic stuff and keep it with you. It does help. And while I don’t think the Church has any monkey themed sacramentals (though I wouldn’t be surprised to be proven wrong), I’m sure you can find something to your own particular taste.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Brett Ratner

Country

Canada | United States | United Kingdom

Cast

Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones, Patrick Stewart, Ellen Page, Ben Foster, Dania Ramirez, Daniel Cudmore, Michael Murphy, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Josef Sommer, Eric Dane, Bill Duke, Meiling Melançon, Omahyra Mota, Ken Leung, Cameron Bright, Stan Lee

Plot

Several months have passed since the X-Men stopped William Stryker (Brian Cox), but that victory came at a price: they have lost Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). As humans finds a cure to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), and the Brotherhood, a band of powerful mutants organized under Magneto (Ian McKellen).

Opinion

Bring back Bryan Singer, because X-Men: The Last Stand takes a huge step back. It is still a good action film with lots of explosions and great special effects, and it does deliver some thrill, but it has many issues. The dull story seems to be written just to end the trilogy; there is no characters development, and I wonder what's the matter with them: Rogue takes the cure, nullifying her powers for love; Jean/Phoenix goes from sacrificing her own life for the sake of the group, to joining the dark side; Professor X just vanishes. And what happened to Nightcrawler? He had good potential.

The acting from Ian McKellen is marvellous and he brings something Shakespearean to his character; the rest of the cast is visibly unmotivated.

Quotes

Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto: Charles Xavier did more for mutants than you will ever know. My single greatest regret is that he had to die for our dream to live.

Pre-Code Films: Platinum Blonde (1931)

Release Date: October 31, 1931
Running Time: 89 min.
Director: Frank Capra
Dialogue: Robert Riskin

Cast:

Loretta Young . . . . . . . .  . Gallagher

Robert Williams . . . . . .  Stew Smith

Jean Harlow . . . . . . . .  Ann Schuyler

Reginald Owen . . . . . . . . . . Grayson

 

 

Synopsis:

Down-to-earth reporter Stew Smith marries socialite Anne, despite their obvious differences in background. His fellow reporter Gallagher waits patiently for him to recognize that his marriage was a mistake and that she is in love with him. Stew becomes bored of being married as each assumes the other is the one whose lifestyle must change. Stew asks Gallagher to help him write a play. She arrives with a bunch of reporters and the mansion turns into a party. Anne arrives and orders them out. Stew goes with them. - source

 

 

 

My Analysis:

This movie was surprisingly good! I had never heard of Robert Williams before I watched this film but he is hilarious! I think it’s funny that Young is top billed but that this film is now primarily watched because of Harlow. Without her this film would probably not be known (even though her hair style is horrible here).

 

Trivia & Goofs:

• Robert Williams died of appendicitis just three days after the film's release. He would be forgotten, if not for this role, as he was only in four other films and two shorts.

• The film, originally titled Gallagher after Young's character, was renamed by Hughes to promote Harlow, capitalizing on her hair color, called "platinum" by Hughes' publicists. Harlow was on loan from another studio and was excited to do this film as it was her first comedy.

• When Stew Smith is married, his colleagues make fun of him in the press room. At that moment his wife calls and he walks over to the phone with his pipe in his mouth. However, when he picks up the phone, the pipe disappears.

 

Quotes:

Stew Smith: Yeah, I know those bluenoses. Their ancestors refused to come over on the Mayflower because they didn't want to rub elbows with the tourists... so they swam over!

In a 2008 interview, actor Christopher Plummer called Williams "...one of the most realistic comedians the screen had. He made Cary Grant look like he was overacting... To watch Robert Williams act was like seeing a comic using the Method, long before the Method became famous with Marlon [Brando] and Monty [Clift]".

 

This post is part of the Pre-Code Blogathon hosted by Pre-Code.com and Shadows and Satin. Be sure to check out the other participator's posts!
 

 

All images found via Pinterest.

You may also like my Review of Magic Town (1947), a Capra-like film also written by Riskin.

Also, check out my post on the Legion of Decency.

More Screenshots here!

My 50th post!!!

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Genre

Adventure | Drama | War

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Country

United States | Germany

Cast

Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger, Mélanie Laurent, August Diehl, Julie Dreyfus, Sylvester Groth, Jacky Ido, Denis Ménochet, Mike Myers, Rod Taylor, Martin Wuttke, Gedeon Burkhard, B.J. Novak, Omar Doom, Léa Seydoux, Richard Sammel, Alexander Fehling, Christian Berkel, Söhke Möhring, Samm Levine, Paul Rust, Michael Bacall, Rainer Bock, Bo Svenson, Enzo G. Castellari, Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel

Plot

In Nazi-occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own.

Opinion

The tagline says it all: you haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino. Inglourious Basterds is a brilliant, brave, exuberant, comic, dark, violent and glorious film.

Quentin Tarantino's pleasure to tell stories leads him to rewrite history, by telling the - fictional - assassination of Adolf Hitler, set in the only possible venue: a cinema.

The dialogue, the continuous tension, and the use of several languages - English, German, French and German -, on which irony is mostly based, make of this film a jewel of cinema. Also, the film is smooth and there is no heaviness resulting from its long running time.

The Spaghetti-Western score is magnificent, and the opening scene's song, The Verdict (Dopo la condanna), written by Ennio Morricone, is absolutely stunning.

The acting is pretty much great. Christoph Waltz is spectacular: he built a deep, detailed and realistic character, the kind of Nazi everyone would be afraid of. Brad Pitt's performance is not very good, and his Italian is pretty painful to be heard. August Diehl well plays the other sadistic German, very important in the final plot twist. Michael Fassbender is great as Lieutenant Archie Hicox, he has the chance to show off his almost perfect German, and he gets extra points for delivering the line, "There's a special rung in hell for people who waste good Scotch". 

Quotes

Lt. Aldo Raine: You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin'.

Bridget von Hammersmark: I know this is a silly question before I ask it, but can you Americans speak any other language besides English?

Rating

9.0/10

The Weekly Movie Watch Volume 36

This week I watched The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Enter the Void.

I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - A fun crew makes for a great journey.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Watch The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Written by: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe
Rated: R

Plot:
Determined to exact revenge on a mythological shark, Steve Zissou and his ragtag crew track the creature across the ocean.

Review:

It feels like a Wes Anderson film from the start with quirky, unique characters and oft used actors. It's hard to separate his films due to how similar they are, but this one ranks high, in part due to the action which helps pacing. Bill Murray does an excellent job. Even the characters with little screen time, are well developed.
It depends.

Enter the Void - The void past tradition and sense.

Enter the Void (2009)
Watch Enter the Void
Written by: Gaspar Noe, Lucile Hadzihalilovic (with help of)
Directed by: Gaspar Noe
Starring: Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta
Rated: --

Plot: 
A drug dealer's soul searches for resurrection after his body is shot and killed by the police. 

Review:
I knew going in this was a strange movie. Gaspar Noe's movie are an experience, and never very pleasant. It's less a movie and more of an auditory and visual journey. The images are repetitive, though purposeful, and a unique level of graphic.  The plot is far from traditional and lasts a bit too long, especially the last sequence. It is something most people will not want to see, and something those that see it, won't watch again.
Skip it.

The Past (2013)

Original Title

Le passé

Genre

Drama

Director

Asghar Farhadi

Country

France | Italy | Iran

Cast

Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa, Pauline Burlet, Alyes Agius, Jeanne Jestin, Sabrina Ouazani, Babak Karimi, Valeria Cavalli, Eleonora Marino

Plot

Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa), an Iranian man, reunites with his estranged wife (Bérénice Bejo) in Paris to finalize their divorce, which is soon complicated by a shocking revelation by her daughter (Pauline Burlet) from a previous marriage.

Opinion

A little bit less tense than A Separation, The Past is a very well-made and interesting drama, wherewith Asghar Farhadi wants to remind us that to look forward in our lives is essential to take note of the past.

Masterfully directed and superbly written by Farhadi, the film is believable and very close to reality, and the handheld camera engages more the viewers. 

The Iranian capital has been replaced by a peripheral Paris, as much as peripherals are the lives of each character to each others. There is a deep analysis of the characters and no one is left behind.

All actors are greatly chosen, as the performances are outstanding and realistic. Bérénice Bejo doesn't play Marie, she is Marie. Ali Mosaffa is wonderful and brilliantly portraits Ahmad. Tahar Rahim wonderfully delivers. 

Quotes

Marie Brisson: I'll tell them to apologize.

Samir: In this way, you will teach them that always there is an escape way named apology!

Rating

9.0/10

YES! Ryan Reynolds Lies Down For First Look At DEADPOOL

As can be expected, Ryan Reynolds absolutely NAILS the first image from DEADPOOL revealing his character's costume (Reynolds tweeted it today). It's very similar if not exact to the costume used in his test footage short.

This is the one comic book hero movie I've been waiting for. Fans have been waiting a long time and have even been insulted somewhat (Deadpool was unfortunately mistreated in X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE) but I think Fox is now firing on all cylinders. The image looks PERFECT.

Here's the movie's storyline:
Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

DEADPOOL ignites the fires on February 12, 2016. More news when we get it! And it goes without saying - This had better be a 3D release!

Ida (2013)

Genre

Drama

Director

Paweł Pawlikowski

Country

Poland | Denmark

Cast

Agata Trzebuchowska, Agata Kulesza, Joanna Kulig Dawid Ogrodnik, Adam Szyszkowski, Jerzy Trela

Plot

Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska), a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland, is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of the Nazi occupation.

Opinion

Despite its length - 82 minutes only -, Ida is an extremely well made and deep film, that describes female psychology. Paweł Pawlikowski made an extraordinary intimate drama, exploring the contradictions of faith and lay life, but also the tragic legacies of anti-Semitism.

The choice of shooting in black and white and using a 1.37:1 aspect ratio give more credibility to the story. 

The film is beautifully photographed by Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski; the lyrical score by Kristian Eidnes Andersen is great.

The acting is outstanding. Agata Trzebuchowska plays Anna/Ida with such innocence and she speaks even when she is quiet. Agata Kulesza plays aunt Wanda incredibly, and most of the time she communicates through her facial expressions and body movements.

Quotes

Wanda: Do you have sinful thoughts sometimes?

Anna: Yes.

Wanda: About carnal love?

Anna: No.

Wanda: That's a shame. You should try... Otherwise what sort of sacrifice are these vows of yours.

Rating

9.0/10

70th Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima

Today is the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima and so I thought this would be a great opportunity to share with you some trivia about the John Wayne movie: Sands of Iwo Jima (1949).

Summary: After his wife takes their son and leaves him, Sgt. John Stryker is an embittered man who takes his misery out on the men under his command. They're a bunch of green recruits who have a hard time dealing with Stryker's tough drills and thicker skin. Even his old friends start to wonder if he's gone from being the epitome of a tough Marine Sergeant to a man over the edge.

 You gotta learn right and you gotta learn fast. And any man that doesn't

want to cooperate, I'll make him wish he had never been born.

~ Sgt. Stryker (John Wayne)

• Actual combat scenes taken during fighting on Tarawa and Iwo Jima were used in this film.

Trailer

• Mostly unnoticed is the homage this film pays to a real Marine, "Manila" John Basilone. Basilone was a Sergeant and hero on Guadacanal, winning the Medal of Honor. He was sent home for war bond drives but requested to be returned to combat. He did so and died on Iwo Jima. There is a famous (to history buffs, anyway)photo of his body on Iwo Jima, face down and with his name visible, that is almost exactly the same pose that Wayne is in at his death on film. Also, "Jonathan M" Stryker has more than a passing resemblance to "Manila (or M) John".

• This film recreates the famous Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima scene as known famously from an historic photograph which was taken on the 23rd February, 1945, by Joe Rosenthal. The three surviving flag raisers make a cameo appearance during this scene in the film. These three men who were part of the flag raising (made famous by the photograph Joe Rosenthal had taken) and survived the battle for Iwo Jima, appear in this scene only. Rene A. Gagnon, Ira H. Hayes and John H. Bradley are seen with with John Wayne as he instructs them to hoist the flag (Wayne gives the folded flag to Gagnon). The flag used to recreate the incident is the actual flag that was raised on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945. It was loaned to the movie by the US Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia.

Left to right: Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes and John Bradley

 

John Wayne and John Bradley, who played himself (he's quite a looker!)

 

• This film was so highly regarded by the Marine Corps that it was required viewing to all recruits during basic training into the early '80s.

Thank you letter signed by John Wayne to the Marines for their help

• The New York Times reported on 5 February 1950 that Republic Pictures was developing a sequel to this movie entitled "Devil Birds", again to star John Wayne, but nothing came of it.

 Read the original New York Times review here

• John Wayne received his first ever Academy Award nomination for this movie. He wouldn't be nominated again for 20 years for True Grit (1969), for which he would win the Best Actor Oscar.

 You’ll never win anything.
You’ll always be taken for granted.
It’s just a cross you’ll have to bear.
 

~ John Ford on Wayne's loss 

• Following the success of the movie, John Wayne was invited to place his footprints in cement outside Grauman's Chinese Theater. As part of the event, actual black sand from Iwo Jima was flown to Hollywood and mixed into the cement in which The Duke left his footprints and "fist print".

• Kirk Douglas was considered for the role of Sergeant Stryker before director Allan Dwan realized he could get John Wayne to play the part [A perfectly natural reaction].

1965

• John Wayne turned the film down at first, since at 42 he was rather old for the part and because he felt the public had had enough of war films.

 

To the United States Marine Corps whose exploits and valor have left a lasting impression on the world and in the hearts of their countrymen. Appreciation is gratefully acknowledged for their assistance and participation which made this picture possible.

 

Premiere: John Wayne (far left) and Major General Graves B. Erskine (5th from right) - source

  

Source: IMDb

All images found via Pinterest

 

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Genre

Drama | Romance

Director

Rob Marshall

Country

United States

Cast

Zhang Ziyi, Suzuka Ohgo, Shizuko Hoshi, Gong Li, Samantha Futerman, Kaori Momoi, Ken Watanabe, Kōji Yakusho, Michelle Yeoh, Youki Kudoh, Zoe Weizenbaum, Tsai Chin, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Cathy Shim, Kenneth Tsang, Karl Yune, Ted Levine, Paul Adelstein

Plot

In the years before World War II, a Japanese child (Suzuka Ohgo) is torn from her penniless family to work as a maid in a geisha house. Despite a treacherous rival (Li Gong) who nearly breaks her spirit, the girl blossoms into the legendary geisha Sayuri (Zhang Ziyi). Beautiful and accomplished, Sayuri captivates the most powerful men of her day, but is haunted by her secret love for the one man (Ken Watanabe) who is out of her reach.

Opinion

Memoirs of a Geisha is a stunning film, dealing with one of the most beautiful romance stories of recent times.

Director Rob Marshall not only brought to the screen a well-adapted version of Arthur Golden's book of the same name, but he managed to capture each feature of the Japanese culture, far from us yet extraordinary.

The film is a journey into the world of geishas, which are not high-level prostitutes but artists able to play, sing and dance, and that must observe rules of etiquette.

The cinematography, the colours and the music are splendid.

I was expecting an all Japanese cast, and the choice of casting three Chinese actresses - Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh and Li Gong - in the leading roles is annoying. However, the acting from the three ladies is great, although sometimes I was struggling to understand what Zhang Ziyi and Li Gong were saying. The performance by Ken Watanabe is outstanding.

Quotes

Sayuri: The heart dies a slow death. Shedding each hope like leaves, until one day there are none. No hopes. Nothing remains.

Chairman: We must not expect happiness, Sayuri. It is not something we deserve. When life goes well, it is a sudden gift; it cannot last forever...

Rating

8.5/10

March Expiration Watch: Hitting Where It Hurts

Welcome to the blog's 100th post. Combined with next month's 2nd anniversary and the recently added Amazon Prime page, these are celebratory times at What's On NETFLIX Now? (Cut to: David dozing off at his keyboard). Would that Netflix itself provided greater cause for celebration: unless original series are your be-all/end-all, pretty much every category takes a sock to the jaw this month, from classic Hollywood's biggest stars to underappreciated comedies, cult indies, and, in a big blow to the kid in all of us, nearly the entire stable of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim programs. But let's start with the classics...

Goodbye, Norma Jeane

It's a rough month if you happen to be a Marilyn Monroe fan. On March 31, three of MM's more flamboyant 1950s productions are getting the hook: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and There's No Business Like Show Business (1954). Over the last couple of years we've seen these titles come and go, but my faith in their return isn't terribly strong now that Netflix seems to have lost interest in maintaining its back catalog. In fact, at this rate I may need to rename this blog What's NOT on NETFLIX Now?.

These colorful, over-the-top spectaculars (two are musicals) marked an unofficial coming-out party for the former Norma Jeane, who emerged from half a decade of supporting parts, prurient publicity, and a couple of low-profile dramatic leads (Don't Bother to Knock, Niagara) to fully cement her blonde bombshell status and create an iconic persona for the Hollywood ages. So if you've ever wondered what the fuss was about, this trio of films�filled to bursting with star power and production value�makes a pretty good argument for Monroe's status as a larger-than-life sex symbol who could sing, dance, and play the dumb blonde to comic perfection. She was much more than that, of course, as a number of her more dramatic roles would prove (particularly Bus Stop and The Misfits). But these early flowerings of stardom are how a majority still remember her, before her personal and professional problems overtook the headlines and lent a lasting aura of sadness to the woman whose show-stopping performance of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" (in Howard Hawks' Gentleman Prefer Blondes) remains a joyful pop-culture touchstone.

Read more �

PULP CATHOLICISM #113

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Original Title

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

Genre

Drama

Director

Giuseppe Tornatore

Country

Italy | France

Cast

Philippe Noiret, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Jacques Perrin, Antonella Attili, Enzo Cannavale, Isa Danieli, Pupella Maggio, Agnese Nano, Leopoldo Trieste, Nino Terzo, Giovanni Giancono

Plot

After learning that Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) has died, famous filmmaker Salvatore 'Totò' Di Vita (Jacques Perrin) recalls his childhood at the Cinema Paradiso where Alfredo, the projectionist, first brought about his love of films.

Opinion

Cinema Paradiso is an outstanding film about friendship, made with love and appreciation for the filming art. Giuseppe Tornatore makes a tribute to a cinema capable not only of filling the seats, but also of enriching people's lives - the love story between the two viewers is a proof of that -, and so passionate to give birth to a fantastic friendship between an old projectionist and a little boy. Tornatore also succeeds, in an extraordinary way, at balancing laughters and emotions.
The real leading character is neither Totò nor Alfredo, but the Cinema itself, and at the end a part of ourselves leaves with it.
The sublime music, by Ennio Morricone, contributes in making this beautiful piece of cinema.
The acting is great. Salvatore Cascio is flawless as child Totò. Philippe Noiret is marvelous as projectionist Alfredo.

Quotes

Alfredo: Living here day by day, you think it's the center of the world. You believe nothing will ever change. Then you leave: a year, two years. When you come back, everything's changed. The thread's broken. What you came to find isn't there. What was yours is gone. You have to go away for a long time... many years... before you can come back and find your people. The land where you were born. But now, no. It's not possible. Right now you're blinder than I am.
Salvatore: Who said that? Gary Cooper? James Stewart? Henry Fonda? Eh?
Alfredo: No, Totò. Nobody said it. This time it's all me. Life isn't like in the movies. Life... is much harder.

Rating

9.5/10

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Director

Brad Bird

Country

United States | United Arab Emirates | Czech Republic

Cast

Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Ivan Shvedoff, Anil Kapoor, Léa Seydoux, Josh Holloway, Pavel Kříž, Miraj Grbić, Ilia Volok, Tom Wilkinson, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, Lavell Crawford, Mike Dopud, Ivo Novák, Brian Caspe, April Stewart, Nicola Anderson

Plot

The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organization's name. No help, no contact, off the grid.

Opinion

Brad Bird's debut in a non-animated film is a success, as a matter of fact Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is the best film in the series. The film is enjoyable, captivating and thrilling, and it is impossible to take your eyes off the screen. Less masks, less explosions, but still cool gadgets and fantastic cars - BMW's i8 deserves a special mention. 

This time, Agent Hunt - more humanized and aged - really needs his team's help to accomplish the mission. Benji Dunn, played by Simon Pegg, returns and a new agent arrives, William Brandt, played by Jeremy Renner.

The acting is pretty much good. Tom Cruise is always great as Ethan Hunt. Simon Pegg is very enjoyable as Benji. Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner - I wonder if he will ever replace Cruise - also give some great performances. 

Quotes

William Brandt: Next time, I get to seduce the rich guy.

Benji Dunn: Easy way to remember: blue is glue.

Ethan Hunt: And when it's red?

Benji Dunn: Dead.

Rating

7.5/10