focoproject.com

• Director: Matthew Vaughn
• Genre: Action/Thriller/Crime/Drama
• Year: 2004

Before Guy Ritche sold his soul to Madonna along with his balls, Matthew Vaughn was better known as the prodcer of “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”. Unfortunately Madonna ended up creating an inseparable rift between Ritchie and Vaughn that they ended up going their separate ways. Ritchie made the pathetic ‘Swept Away’ which I refuse to see, and Matthew came out with L4yer Cake.

If you have seen the previously mentioned movies and liked them, then this movie is for you. And though Vaughn does not have the ability to balance action with humor the way Ritchie does, he still has the ability to direct a complicated, edgy thriller with enough twists and turns to keep you hooked from begining to end.

Based on the J.J. Conolly novel of the same name, this movie tells the story of a man (whose name we never find out) involved in the drug selling business and with the ultimate business plan. He is in fact on the very last step before retirment, when he is called upon to settle a tentative matter. Hesitantly he dives into the situation, quickly realizing that this is one mess he may not be able to get out of.

The fact that J.J. Conolly himself adapted the screenplay makes for a fluid translation to the screen, the dialogue is sharp and witty, and the story complex enough to perhaps keep the finger on the rewind button of your clicker. Cinematography is awesome, the editing is at par with their other movies and in general this makes for a good crime story, it is just unfortunate that the humor seems to be lacking.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Notes: Violence, drugs and adult situations.
Quote: XXXX: Always remember that one day all this drug monkey business will be legal. They won’t leave it to people like me… not when they finally figure out how much money is to be made - not millions, fucking billions. Recreational drugs PLC - giving the people what they want… Good times today, Stupor tomorrow. But this is now, so until prohibition ends make hay whilst the sun shines.

• Director: Judd Apatow
• Genre: Comedy/Romance
• Year: 2005

This was the second of a triple feature Shaftbond and I went to, which included ‘Wedding Crashers’ and ‘The Brothers Grimm’. And that was by far the best triple feature I had done in a very long time. Again, this movie served to fill my hunger for good comedies, and like ‘Wedding Crashers’ this comedy delivers with funny characters, funny situations, adult content and a plot that does not seem to jump around all over the place with no certain connection.

Revolving around Andy Stitzer (Dave Carell) a 40 year old loser who has not yet lost his virginity, this move shows how three friends band together in an attempt to get the man to finally pop his cherries. In a slightly more extreme version of ‘Swingers’ the three friends set out to explain a number of unwriten rules about male dating…unfortunately they seem to stick to the rules that really do not work. So it provides for us the opportunity to see Andy make a complete and utter fool of himself trying to conquer women with ill advise. It makes for an entertaining movie with many funny points.

Here again I think that the movie was well cast, though stronger on the male side than the female side and this movie strikes me as a bit more appealing to males than females, though I certainly could be wrong. Either way, difinately worth the watch.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Notes: Strong sexual content, adult situations and strong language
Quote: Cal: You’ve gotta wait till the seed grows into a plant. Then you fuck the plant.

• Director: David Dobkin
• Genre: Comedy/Romance
• Year: 2005

It had been a long time since I had seen a fully satisfying comedy. It seemed to me that after ‘Something to About Mary’ and ‘Meet the Parents’ we went into a comedic drought. Sure, I enjoyed ‘Old School’ but it simply did not live up to the expectations I had of what a comedy should be, and that was particularly disappointing given the stellar cast of ‘Old School’.

Enter ‘Wedding Crashers’, with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson and featuring a small roll with Will Ferrell. Suddenly my thirst for a good comedy is quenched. What ‘Meet the Fockers’ failed miserable to do, was accomplished with this comedy, which takes a very adult, certainly sexual content and makes it actually funny.

The plot is straight forward and simple, two lawyers that spend their free time during “wedding season” crashing parties for the free food, free booze and most importantly the vulnerable women. And this year, like all others, it is a success, until Jeremy Grey (Vaughn) suggest that hey go to the last of the great weddings, Secretary Cleary’s oldest daughter’s ceremony. Very soon, they find out they are in over their heads, when they find themselves wrapped up with the remaining Cleary daughters (Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher).

The cast is particularly pleasing to the eye. Isla and Rachel light up the screen with ease between the both of them, and their interaction with the protagonist is genuine and warm, which makes for a good base on which to place a comedy. I would definately put this in my favorite comedies list along with “Mary”, “Meet the Parents” and “Office Space.”

Rating: 4 out of 5
Notes: Nudity, sexual content and language. Many boobie shots
Quote: Hindu Woman: [while dancing at a wedding reception] French Foreign Legion?
John Beckwith: Yeah, we lost a lot of good men out there.
[cut to another reception]
Bridesmaid: Mount Everest?
Jeremy Grey: I don’t want to talk about it because we lost a lot of good men out there.
[cut to another reception]
Bridesmaid: Playing with the Yankees?
John Beckwith: Yes, we lost a lot of good men to trades and unruly fans. Look I don’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry.

• Director: Wong Kar Wai
• Genre: Drama
• Year: 1995

In theory, the second part of ‘Chunking Express’ (reviewed previously) and clearly so, at least visually speaking, it largely maintains the same cinematographic approach and the concept of telling more than one story at a time. Here, once again we are looking at two seemingly unrelated stories that deal with relationships. Unlike ‘Chunking Express’ though, this has a less than optimistic outcome, as the title clearly eludes. It would have been interesting to see this movie mixed in with ‘Chunking Express’ as the director originally intended…however, that would not necessarily make it better.

I actually really like the fact that these two have been separated. While still stuyding relationships, this movie takes a much darker approach. The first story deals with a killer for hire and his partner, whom he has hardly met. The two communicate through phone and faxes, but she has access to his sleeping quarters. She falls in love with him, he messes around with somebody else and things go sour. Eventually, he decides he is done with his line of job, but getting out is a lot harder than it seems. The second story, while more light hearted, deals with a mute ‘criminal’ who likes to break into people’s stores and run them while they are supposed to be closed. I actually laughed outloud at many of these scenes, and Takeshi Kaneshiro (House of Flying Daggers) does a wonderful job playing this quirky character who claims to have gone mute after eating a can of expired pineapple (see Chunking Express to understand that). However, this story too has its sad point. One might be tempted to say that there is a happy ending to this…but…in general it is still a sad story.

As always, Wong Kar Wai has managed to direct what I would consider a masterpiece and I am having a very hard time deciding how I rank his movies. For now, I maintiain that 2046 is my favorite, but after that, they are all simply awesome. This movie is not different and to pepper it a bit, he added some violence and a bit more sexual content, but it is kept entirely in check and well controlled.

One other thing I really should comment on is the soundtrack. As of now, “2046″, “In the Mood for Love”, “Days of Being Wild, and for the most part “Chunking Express” all have had great soundtracks and this movie is no different, though it is in a more eclectic vein that sets it appart from all the others. It is certainly fitting to the content and the mood of the movie and the music genres vary quite a bit…maybe a soundtrack worth looking into for purchase.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Notes: Some violence and sexual scenes.
Quote: Wong Chi-Ming: The best thing about my profession is that there’s no need to make any decision. Who’s to die… when… where… it’s all been planned by others. I’m a lazy person. I like people to arrange things for me. That’s why I need a partner.

• Director: Stephen Chow
• Genre: Comedy/Crime/Martial Arts/Action
• Year: 2004

It is a rarity when action, comedy and fantasy blend seamlessly. It is my experience that usually one or the other will win out and the other areas suffer. There are some movies out there that have managed to capture it all, though they are rare, and at the moment I frankly can not think of one..though, I should mention the fact that it is well past one o’clock in the morning and hardly thinking straight.

This movie, however, has done just that, blending a mythology of sorts, using fantastic characters and placing them in the modern world, in a comedy that has enough action to compete with the Matrix and special effects to make it a true visual feast.

The story is simple enough. The Axe gang, the most notorious of gangs in Shanghai, rules the streets. Set in the forties and led by a pretentious, self indulgent boss, the merciless Axe gangs does what it wants and even the law cowers before them. Only the slums, the poor areas which hold no significance to the mob bosses, are left in peace. That is until a pair of street thugs, try to pass themselves as axe members at the Pig Sty Slums and end up getting the worst of it. Soon enough the real Axe Gang has captured them and they decide to use them for their advantage, now that they see that a war is brewing, between the gang lords…and the land lords.

Visually, this movie is mesmerizing, with great cinematography and visual effects to make Hollywood squirm in their seat. The comedy is light hearted and scattered throughout the movie, so it does not come across as blotchy or uneven, adn the director himself stars as Sing, ont of the street thugs who could also be considered the protagonist of the movie.

I am sure there were shortcomings to this film. I am sure somewhere there was a loophole left out that would make no sense and could ruin the movie if explored, but honestly I was either too enthralled or laughing too hard to notice. In these movie there are some very interesting characters, that hint at the creativity and uniqueness of the movie as a whole. Take for example a martial arts master who is also openly gay, and flaming as can be. Or a pair of musicians who are also the world’s top assassins…or almost top assassins as they clearly point out. The approach to what could nowadays be considered an overdone genre is still refreshing in this movie, keeping it entertaining and interesting.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Notes: Quite a bit of martial arts fighting, as you may expect…and a guy that walks around showing half his butt every time he is on screen.
Quote: Brother Sum: Ever killed anyone?
Sing: I’ve always thought about it.

• Director: Michael Bay
• Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi
• Year: 2005

Michael Bay strikes again, with an entertaining but less than fulfilling blockbuster. To watch this movie and get the most enjoyment out of it, one will really have to check their realism at the door. Because seriously, it tests some of natures most basic laws. That being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with watching gorgeous Scarlett Johansen on screen for two hours or however long the movie was.

The plot itself is very compelling, though admitedly, it feels very borrowed equally from Matrix and Minority Report. It revelves around a colony in a world that has been contaminated by an undertermined event. The people living in the colony lead mundane lives following a strict code of conduct with really nothing to look forward save for eventually, one day, winning the lottery and making it to The Island, a promised paradise and the last of which has been protected from contamination. Lincoln 6 Echo (Ewan McGregor) who is by nature the questioning type, unhappy with the simplicity of his life, begins to search for greater meaning, in the process uncovering a terrible plot, just as his best friend Jordan 2 Delta is proclaimed the winner of the Lottery.

While the movie itself and the action is unrealistic at best, there are some very enjoyable moments in this movie, some good laughs and ultimately enough to keep you interested while watching it…though in reality, I doubt it will be memorable in the future for anything other than having one hot mama of a lead actress…and take it for me, if you need only one reason to see this movie, let it be her!

Rating: 3 out of 5
Notes: A relatively clean movie. I can not remember how the language was, since I seem to be disensitized to that stuff, but sexuality was kept to a minimum, there is however a LOT of action…it is after all a Michale Bay film.
Quote: Merrick: What’s troubling, you, Lincoln?
Lincoln Six-Echo: It - it’s just… all right, Tuesday night is tofu night, and I’m asking myself “Who here decided that everyone likes tofu in the first place, and what is tofu anyway?” And why can’t I have bacon? I line up every morning, and I’m not allowed any bacon for my breakfast. And - and tell me - let’s talk about all the white. Why is everyone wearing white all the time? It’s impossible to keep clean, I’m walking around, I get - I always get the gray stripe, I never get any color, and I hand it in to be cleaned, and - and someone cleans it and fold it neatly back in my drawer, but who? Who is that person? I don’t know. I just - I wanna know answers and I - and I wish that there was more.
Merrick: More?
Lincoln Six-Echo: Yeah, more than just waiting to go to The Island.

• Director: Vincent Gallo
• Genre: Drama
• Year: 2003

I can not for the life of me remember who recommended this to me. Let’s hope it stays that way, because the moment I remember I am going to bitchslap him/her. This movie sucked. You have no idea how many times I found myself wanting to reach out for the remote control and just watch it in fast forward. I don’t know why I didn’t do it. This could have been a great 10 minute short, but most definately not a feature.

I am not joking when I say that two thirds of the movie is watching him drive, whatching the van on the road, or looking out one of his van’s windows, with absolutely no commentary. I am sure that in his small, pretentious head, Vincent Gallo was convinced that this qualified as an art film. Bullshit!

Sitting through this was about as bad as sitting through ‘Eye of the Beholder’ if not a little worse, and the entire time I am thinking, it will get better, it will get better, it will get better. I mean, it had to! The damned thing was screened at Cannes and the Toronto Film Fest! It does get better, but not by much. The twist of the story is a good one and would have worked if, like I said on the opener, this had been a ten minute film. But by the end of this feature, you are so ready to get it over with that you are willing to accept just about anything.

One thing I found out, the day before I watched it, was that this movie had piqued heads because of its fellatio scene. For you horny boys out there, that is about all this movie is going to have to offer for you…one blow job…and actually, its not even that good. So, save your money for something that is worth it, even by avant guarde standards, this is a pice of brown bunny. And not the brown bunny you are thinking of.

Rating: 1 out of 5
Notes: Run! Run while you still can!
Quote: Rose [a hooker]: …so you wanna go out?
Bud Clay: Um…no thanks, I am just…driving around.

[This quote is VERY descriptive of the movie, by the way]

• Director: Terry George
• Genre: Drama/War/History/Thriller
• Year: 2004

Man. Occasionally you see those films that end up putting your entire life into perspective. A ‘Schindler’s List’ of sorts, which truly makes you question if the fact that you do not have an X-Box is all that important. When you get to see a glimpse into the life that other people are having to lead in other parts of the world…it can make you feel like sh!t for complaining about the petty things you do. Not to say YOU do that…but I do and its kinda sad.

Based on a true story, Don Cheadle stars as Paul Rusesabagina, a manager for a Belgian hotel in Rwanda. When the Tutsi rebels begin their insurgency, the Hutus, decide that the best course of action is genocide, to kill the entire tribe, including the children to prevent the next generation. What ensues is a masacre of Tutsis who attempt to escape the country. Unwillingly, Paul’s Hotel becames a refuge of sorts, kept untouched first by the UN precense and that of foreigners. However, when the Wester Forces arrive to take the ‘whites’ away, leaving the africans to fend for themselves, Paul begins to realize how quickly this can all spiral out of control, and there is over a thousand lives at stake, placed at his hands.

It is a heart felt endeavour, wrenching at times in the saddening moments it portrays. A very serious movie with some very serious truths that I would hope would open the eyes of politicians who are in a situation where they can actually change things. I highly recoment this movie to all, though I do warn that you watch it in the proper mood, it is bound to ruin the rest of your day.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Notes: Some of humanity’s worst actions are told…not a film for the easily upset, however, I do believe it is a film that all adults ought to be aware of.
Quote: Pat Archer: [relating the last words of the orphan slain by the Hutus] Please don’t let them kill me. I… I promise I won’t be Tutsi anymore.

• Director: Julio Medem
• Genre: Drama/Romance
• Year: 2001

Part of me is thinking this movie would be more appropriate with the title: Sex and Lorenzo. Because he serves more as the pivot for the plot in this story than than Lucia does. Tangled up in a love web of sorts, a number of people come together in an island all related to Lorenzo in one way or the other, either directly or not. The story, however is mainly told through Lucia’s (Paz Vega) point of view.

Believing that she has lost her novelist boyfriend, Lucia sets out to discover herself, heading towards the Island which Lorenzo (Tristan Ulloa) talks about and writes about but never visited with her. Lucia is sure that something happened in that island that changed Lorenzo’s life and she is determined to find what it was. In the process she begins to uncover parts of Lorenzo’s less than virtuous past, in a story that is both touching and compelling.

As it is typical for foreign films, the director is not shy about nudity and sexuality and as the title implies there is plenty of both in this movie, though certainly tastefully done. However, it must be noted that there is probably more than enough there to make the more conservative minds uncomfortable. Those that do not have a problem with the subject will find that this is definately a sensual tale with much plot and matter behind it, so at no point does it actually feel like the nudity is gratuitous or pointless.

Technically, there are some wonderful shots and the cinematography is very well done, over saturated in color at times and often over exposed which gives it a very dreamy quality. All in all a good film to look at, just mind your audience.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Notes: A lot of sexuality and nudity.
Quote: N/A

• Director: Wong Kar Wai
• Genre: Romance/Drama/Comedy/Mystery
• Year: 1994

By now it has become ritual. If I am watching a Wong Kar Wai film I have to make sure I do it late, when the kids won’t disturb, that the blinds and lights are out, and that the house is in perfect silence. Because I do not want to miss a single detail, and he packs them in his stories. Before putting this movie on I knew I was going to like it just because it is directed by Wong Kar Wai.

Like all the other films of his I have seen, it is about the human state, in this case loneliness. All of the main characters here are detached and in a solitary state due to different circumstances. Meant as an ice breaker for Wong Kar Wai, “Chunking Express” was shot while he was having a hard time editing “Ashes of Time” and needed to get his mind on something else. It was intended to be a series of three stories, but only two of those made it into the movie and the third went on to become “Fallen Angels” so, if you plan to watch both, you may want to watch this first.

Tony Leung acts in this movie again as it seems he has a connection with Wong Kar Wai the way Johnny Depp does with Tim Burton. There are just times with two people connect and so far this has been a great combination. Though the stories in Chunking Express are tied together only by the little restaurant they both have in common, the entire movie plays well together, though I wish the third story could have been worked in, to draw less attention to the division between the first story and the second.

However, that set aside, this movie does a marvelous job tapping into the moments of alienation after falling out of love. The characters all play their role flawlessly, including Faye Wong, who is apparently a rock star and never had acted before. There is a memorable usage of music as well as a very stylistic way of divinding the first and second stories. I also noticed that for this movie most shots were tilted, which gave a nice edge to the film. Great movie!!!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Notes: A bit of trivia, the cover of the Cranberries in Chinese was sung by Faye Wong. As for content…its an adult movie but there is no nudity, although there is some adult moments. Overall a pretty clean film with an emphasis on romance and not sexuality.
Quote: He Zhiwu, Cop 223: We split up on April Fool’s Day. So I decided to let the joke run for a month. Every day I buy a can of pineapple with a sell-by date of May 1. May loves pineapple, and May 1 is my birthday. If May hasn’t changed her mind by the time I’ve bought thirty cans, then our love will also expire.