Show Time

Godchild by Kaori Yuki, 2001

2009-06-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Walking through dark Victorian London, under the shadows of soot-stained buildings, you might expect to find a mugger, murderer, or a drunkard trying to remember his way home. But you turned down the wrong alley. The form sprawled in the doorway is not a drunken tramp, but the remains of a twisted experiment. And the figure standing under a hazy stream of moonlight has interest not in your money but your eyes. Godchild, the manga series by Kaori Yuki, is one long jaunt down a back alley. An alley where rose vines crawl across the walls and violin music cloys from the shadows, but a dark alley nonetheless. Creepy and comical, melodramatic and moving, Godchild offers up a back-alley freak show that will entertain more than just the anime crowd.

Samedi the Deafness by Jesse Ball, 2007

2009-06-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

Review here.

One does not read Samedi the Deafness. One wanders through a hall of mirrors and falls through the widening cracks. One stumbles through mental fog only to find a tea party of hares and hatters. Jesse Ball's debut novel, Samedi the Deafness, is a fractal jaunt through fancy and reality, a story that finds its own crookedly beautiful style and drags the reader into its ludicrous world.

Azur & Asmar, 2006

2009-05-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

Review here.

While most fairy stories today emphasize mordant, psychological retellings, the animated French film Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest, stands out by not attempting to extract the Freudian roots of Rapunzel. A simple tale of two men and their quest to rescue a princess, Azur & Asmar fuses Western and Middle Eastern culture and flows with gorgeous artistic style. Yet, while the film is a searing painting, its disinterest in challenging the fairytale genre results in a tepid story and bland heroes.

Let the Right One In, 2008

2009-02-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

Review here.

Sweden’s newest vampire flick, Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in, also the title of the book it is based on), tears away from the cheap trinkets that have cheapened American vampires for years. Instead of a ridiculous dark romance or a soulless action thriller, the film is the tender, terrifying, and frigidly melancholy story of growing up and finding the dearest things in life, whatever their terrible forms. In a fashion befitting of its wispy vampire, Let the Right One In also crept by, deft as smoke, unnoticed by all but the fortunate few.

Theatre Suburbia -- Dryope and Iole

2009-02-02T21:01:00.000-08:00

Review here.

Though the mythological reference may fly past some, Ovid’s legend of Dryope is a tale of tragedy, blood-gushing flowers, and tree-hugging. Theatre Suburbia’s newest production, Dryope and Iole, delves into family secrets, filial love, and a few poplar trees. How do these time-crossed stories compare? Dryope and Iole features a talented cast and more pronounceable names, but Ovid’s packs far more originality.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2, 2008

2009-01-02T21:42:00.000-08:00

Review here.

Teenage girls are annoying. At least, the Hollywood species, where every soul-shattering, apocalyptic relationship problem can be solved with a Prada bag and some "girl time." Perhaps that's why everyone loathes the Hollywood teenager. She preens and over-dramatizes, but everything still works out. That this creature is absent from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 makes it an above-average film, while good acting and writing make it even better.

*** / ****

X-Files: I Want to Believe, 2008

2009-01-02T21:36:00.000-08:00

Review here.

The original X-Files series crept onto the scene in 1993, steadily built up a magnificent cult status, then stumbled out in 2002 in a jumble of convoluted soap-opera mush. X-Files: I Want to Believe follows the same pattern, but the 100-minute running time leaves no time for anything magnificent.

* 1/2 / ****

Hellboy II: The Golden Army, 2008

2009-01-02T21:27:00.000-08:00

Review here.

They don't make 'em like they used to. Today, your standard summer blockbuster glitters from afar with the flourish of CGI. Upon closer inspection, though, it's just a paper tiger with little beyond its sparkly shell. Luckily, Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army saunters in with just as much gloss, yet beneath that lies a sarcastic, goofy heart, some wonderful action and a whole petting zoo of creepy.

*** / ****

The Hulk, 2008

2009-01-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

Review here.

Superhero movies walk a fine line. On the one hand, people want explosions and smackdowns. On the other, people need something more: the wittiness of Iron Man or the emotional center of The Crow. The Incredible Hulk almost succeeds in this balancing act, but it's just too rushed and clumsy to pull it off.

** / ****

Kung Fu Panda, 2008

2008-10-29T22:46:00.001-07:00

Review here.

*** / ****

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, 2008

2008-10-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

Review here.

** 1/2 / ****

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, 2008

2008-10-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Review here.

*** / ****

Speed Racer, 2008

2008-10-29T13:19:00.001-07:00

Review here.

** / ****

The Forbidden Kingdom, 2008

2008-10-29T13:13:00.001-07:00

Review here.

** 1/2 / ****

Prom Night, 2008

2008-10-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Review here.

* / ****

Nim's Island, 2008

2008-10-12T13:08:00.001-07:00

Review here.

** / ****

21, 2008

2008-10-12T13:02:00.001-07:00

Review here.

**1/2 / ****

Shutter, 2008

2008-10-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

Review here.

*1/2 / ****

Never Back Down, 2008

2008-10-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Review here.

** / ****

10,000 BC, 2008

2008-10-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Review here.

*1/2 / ****

Cloverfield, 2008

2008-10-12T12:07:00.001-07:00

Review here.

*** / ****

In the Name of the King, 2008

2008-10-12T01:11:00.000-07:00

Review here.

1/2 / ****

One Missed Call, 2008

2008-10-11T01:01:00.001-07:00

Review here.

*1/2 / ****

National Treasure: Book of Secrets, 2007

2008-10-11T00:58:00.001-07:00

Review here.

** / ****

The Golden Compass, 2007

2008-10-11T00:53:00.000-07:00

Review here.

*** / ****

Mama's Boy, 2007

2008-10-11T00:46:00.000-07:00

Review here.

*1/2 / ****

Enchanted, 2007

2008-10-11T00:41:00.000-07:00

Review here.

*** / ****

Bee Movie, 2007

2008-10-11T00:38:00.001-07:00

Review here.

**1/2 / ****

Dan in Real Life, 2007

2008-10-11T00:31:00.000-07:00

Review here.

** / ****

The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993

2008-10-11T00:21:00.000-07:00

Review here.

***1/2 / ****

Elizabeth: The Golden Age, 2007

2008-09-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Review here.

**1/2 / ****

Across the Universe, 2007

2008-09-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Review here

**1/2 / ****

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, 2008

2008-08-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

Review here.

* / ****

The Dark Knight, 2008

2008-08-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

Review here.

**** / ****

Hancock, 2008

2008-07-13T12:35:00.001-07:00

Review Here.

*1/2 / ****

Cameraman: *zooms in on Will Smith's ass*
Jason Bateman: *wishes he had Will Smith's ass*
Charlize Theron: "Why the hell am I in this movie?"

Tokyo Godfathers, 2003

2008-07-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

Another old one. It's what got me a job at the Chron.

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Inspired by the western 3 Godfathers, Tokyo Godfathers never puts itself into one set pattern, or even genre. In its 92 minute running time, the animated film jives and dashes through drama, comedy, and even bicycle-laden action. The quasi-holiday tale begins when three cranky homeless people find an abandoned baby in the trashcan and decide to find its parents, setting our heroes on their noble quest.

But what unheroic heroes—a cynical ex-bicyclist, a loosey-goosey drag queen, and an erratic runaway, all possessing an assortment of scars, masks, and virtues. Before long their lies and histories begin to emerge, giving the viewer a truly memorable triad of protagonists.

Director Satoshi Kon (Millennium Actress) has teamed up with Keiko Nobumoto, whom the animé-savvy may know as the writer of Cowboy Bebop. The story differs greatly from Kon’s previous works that featured lovelorn actresses and paranoid pop stars. With Tokyo Godfathers he doles out the comedy but retains the same poignancy that has made his previous films memorable.

Kon also stands as a master of his art. He uses the freedom of animé to let loose and tell a wild yarn while retaining a strong emotional link with the audience. A more realistic style of art dominates the film, but gleams with the exaggerated facial expressions and defiance of physics, as well as the quirky, oddball humor associated with much of the genre.

The whimsical humor may irritate—my grandmother would find nothing amusing about the distracted protagonists brushing past a woman jumping off a bridge (though they do rush back to help). Nor will the often humorous reliance on coincidence be to everyone’s taste.

Dubbing can often run the gamut of dull to eye gouging. Luckily, Samuel Goldwyn Films took the cheaper route and didn’t bother. For those who bawled through Pan’s Labyrinth or gawked at Daywatch, the original voice actors give spot-on performances, especially throaty Aya Okamoto as Miyuki (a young animé female without an über-high Sailor Moon-esque voice!). I have a suspicion that there are nuances lost in translation but the dialogue still works.

Miyazaki takes us to worlds of fantasy and dreams. Kon remains closer to earth, with a steely Tokyo and physically unattractive characters. Yet amongst the pain and strife of each of the heroes is also a spark, driving each to survive and stick together, despite Yakuza weddings, Mexican hitmen, and trips to the hospital. This alternatively cold and humorous reality is what makes Tokyo Godfathers an amusing, poignant film that can put a humorous turn on any situation, while never becoming lost in its own gags.

***1/2 / ****

Fool's Gold, 2008

2008-07-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

This one never made it into the paper, on account of a spazzy server. At last, it lives!

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Once, the Caribbean was a place of high-seas adventure, rum, and battles with undead pirates. In modern times it is a place of romantic comedies. Instead of swordfights, we have angry rappers, and instead of cursed Aztec gold, we have a lot of shirtless Matthew McConaughey. The trade off is far from ideal, as Fool's Gold proves.

Tess (Kate Hudson) is finally divorcing her jobless, quixotic, often shirtless husband Finn (Matthew McConaughey), having experienced nothing in their marriage but good sex and failed treasure hunting. But Finn, still in love with both Kate and treasure, has coaxed wealthy yacht owner Nigel (Donald Sutherland) and his celebrity-hobnobbing daughter Gemma (Alexis Dziena) into helping him search for the sunken dowry of a Spanish queen.

For a fleeting moment, it appears that Nigel and Gemma may become prospective love interests of Kate and Finn, but no dice. To add to the drama, Nigel just happens to be Kate's employer. And Finn just happens to be hunted by the rapper Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart), his creditor.

As a romantic comedy, Fool's Gold flounders. Tess and Finn do not work as a couple because neither change—Finn is the same person in the end who Tess wanted to divorce in the beginning. Hudson and McConaughey lack the chemistry to make us suspend disbelief. Either money is the band-aid of all relationship ills, or the American 50% divorce rate has some logic. The comedy half is lackluster and predictable, such as Tess smashing Finn's face in with a cane and storming off. Why is spousal abuse entertaining?

The supporting characters, while closer to caricatures, are more logical and amusing than Tess or Finn. The only love that has any weight in the film is that between Nigel and ditzy Gemma.

Fool's Gold's ultimate failing, however, is that it should never have been a romantic comedy. The backstory of the treasure, a tale of honor and desperation, is the most interesting part of the film but has no payoff. Fool's Gold could have been a rollicking, light adventure film, perhaps a wild dash through the Caribbean featuring a treasure-hunting couple. It is halfway there--the over the top action scenes are the film's strongest point. But instead, the film focuses on the romance while adventure and fun fade into the background. It's hard to concentrate when the landscape is more interesting than the leads.

**/****

"Do you think you could put a shirt on for ONE minute?"
"Bite me."