The Age of Stupid (2009)

This documentary is told from a future perspective of the last man living on earth, so it's a bit hyperbolic. It extrapolates our environmental damage to the planet to the point where all the polar ice caps have melted and all humanity (except one Brit) is lost to drought, storm, etc.

The man scans documentary footage of what is our present day of people trying to fight the trend towards obliteration. Some good stuff in terms of alternative energy, but discouraging in how very little traction their efforts make.

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Happy Feet Two (2011)

We took our kids to see this over spring break as it was a cheap deal and didn't appear to be too scary for our young. They enjoyed it - though my daughter did get scared at one point.

They film seemed typical in its humour and quite glittery in its animation and I enjoyed it except for the the niggling I had for the first 90% of the film when the plankton were discussing existentialism. I disagreed with much of what appeared to be the one's conclusion, but was surprised and pleased with the conclusion.

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

In anticipation of the film which I got advance tickets for about 3 weeks before the opening night, I reread The Hobbit. This is the first time I reread it since the first time back in 1987. I thoroughly enjoyed the book though I wish Tolkien had been encouraged to write an adult version of events following the publication of The Lord of the Rings. I was deeply moved by Bilbo's goodness.

To the film now. I was worried about the high frame rate (48 frames per second is twice as many as traditional film) and there was some trepidation in regards to 3D - would it be gimmicky? I fretted without reason - neither was a hindrance, in fact the film was so crisp, engaging, warm, and real feeling that I was immediately sucked in. As an aside, if you don't like 3D or high frame rate, then see it in 2D at 24 fps.

The jovial nature of the children's tale was maintained with plenty of slapstick and one-liners. I laughed out loud on numerous occasions. The character flaws were front and centre in every scene except when they became heroic - then it was a little over the top. It would be unkind to highlight any single character, hero or villain, as they were all magnificent.

Another worry I had was the caricaturization of the 13 dwarves with their wild hair, tattoos, beards and bling. The looks suite the characters and I was very pleased with their onscreen personas.

I plan on seeing the film in theatre at least 2 more times. It's candy.

[I'm 64 films behind in my reviews, so I thought I'd offer my 2 cents on this ahead of when I would reach it in April]

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The Unforeseen (2007)

This film focuses on the conflict between development projects and the protection of a water table in Austin Texas. The Edwards Aquifer becomes under threat when huge suburban subdivisions are planned. Civic minded residents and aquifer appreciators go into battle on behalf of the land and water and wildlife.

I picked this documentary up because Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life) was listed as a producer. I'm guessing Malick's involvement is based on the overt environmental message.

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Finding Farley (2009)

This is a National Film Board produced documentary about a family retracing famed novelist Farley Mowat's journey's through much of Canada. A couple and their toddler leave Canmore Alberta in a canoe and head east switching up their modes of transportation several times to end up at Farley Mowat's home in Nova Scotia. Along the way they visit several remote settings for Mowat's books.

Finding Farley is a lovely and intimate look at Canada.

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Vanishing of the Bees (2009)

This documentary was distributed with an intent to educate and raise concern for a relatively recent plight of one of our foundational agricultural components. Bees began vanishing a few years ago without any recognizable reason causing concern for beekeepers and crop owners as bees pollenate their crops.

The film focuses on a few possible causes, the main one being new strains of pesticides being used that may affect the bees.

Viewers are asked to share the film and get involved in trying to support healthy growth of food in their areas.

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The Last Airbender (2010)

It's a kids movie - terrible writing, acting. Really quite boring. The clincher for me was the interview with the creators of the story - not much depth there.

Kids with super powers band together to save each other's super powers.

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No Impact Man: The Documentary (2009)

A small film crew recorded an experiment that a family undertook in downtown NYC of which the father wrote a book called "No Impact Man." The experiment involved trying to bring their energy consumption down to zero (no electricity, no travel, no purchasing of goods that had to be transported from afar, no plastic, etc.).

The film is a fascinating study of what it would be like to live a hundred years ago and also the benefits of doing so. It is not meant to be a call to live this way completely, but to reduce consumption gradually individually and as a society.

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Moon (2009)

When one thinks of sci-fi films, usually images of super hi-tech CGI, weak plot lines and equally feeble acting. But Moon is of a different breed and having Sam Rockwell as the centre piece makes all the difference.

Sam is the solitary inhabitant of the moon and is completing his third and final year in a mining contract. He begins to see things that don't make sense and his health begins to deteriorate. A mystery and adventure begins on the monochrome surface of Earth's moon.

The simple fact that the film is original makes this film terrific to watch. But the sentiment is startling does not abandon the viewer quickly.

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Human Nature (2001)

Multimedia director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Be Kind Rewind) teams up with the one of the only original hollywood writers Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich and Adaptation) for this zany take on the artificiality of societal norms.

A man raised as a monkey is taken in by a psychologist obsessed with manners. A nature writing woman with a severe full body hair growth issue undergoes extreme electrolysis to try and reintegrate herself into mainstream life. Of course nature vs. nurture is tackled in a variety of hilarious ways.

Rhys Ifans steals the show as monkey man. So funny.

Other bits of the show aren't as successful - like the lack of empathy we feel for most characters (especially Tim Robbins' scientist).

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WALL·E (2008)

Pixar nails it again with a smart flick. It is amazing that the film succeeds even when the first half of the movie has virtually no dialogue.

WALL-E, a lone robot left on earth cleaning up garbage, passes his time crushing tin and discovering treasures that he stores in his shelter. Humans have been whisked away on survival spacecraft for several centuries now until greenery reoccurs. A probe, EVE, sent from one of the ships comes and meets WALL-E who gives her a plant. The two get picked up and they have an adventure on one of the giant survival ships.

The robots are hilarious as they tangle with other robots and people. The people are the definition of pity: incapacitated by weight, low bone density, and zero muscle strength - just globs really.

This is really a terrific film about the glory and necessity of the natural, something I've been mulling over for a few years now. The animation kicks butt too.

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The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

Keanu Reeves was made to play emotionless aliens, but that still doesn't make the movie better than the original (see below). 

Same plot as the old movie, but with a different cause for alarm: the environment. The effects are more sophisticated too.

This movie tries too hard to explain everything rather than leaving it a mystery like in the original. It also tries to endear us to the characters without giving them original dialogue. The movie isn't all bad though - Jennifer Connelly is fun to watch.

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Darwin's Nightmare (2004)

This brilliantly edited and investigated documentary comes to us from a European filmmaker telling the hellish story of Tanzanians.

From the shores of Lake Victoria, on of the greatest fresh water lakes in the world, we receive the account of those languishing from the fishing trade as thousands of crates of frozen Nile perch are flown north to Europe every day. We get the angles on ecology, arms dealing, AIDS, street kids, prostitution, unemployment, famine, violence, etc. All of this from what should be one of the most prosperous areas in Africa.

The film is shot in digital video, but no matter. The content is powerful and the emotion desperate.

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Gwoemul (2006)

The Host is a smart monster movie from Korea. A polluted bay causes mutation which produces a beast not unlike the tentacled creature by the gates of Moria (Lord of the Rings). The creature feeds on humans to boot.

What sets this film apart from the run-of-the-mill monster flicks that get cranked out is the quirky Korean humour (farts, burps, and some slapstick) that is integrated throughout the whole movie rather than what has traditionally been sexed-up horror. The characters are severely flawed.

What I found didn't work as much as I think the writers had hoped was the background political drama. It was almost more far-fetched than the creature itself. The effects were super too.

Official Site | IMDB

Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (2001)

After watching as a child an animated Japanese TV series about frogs who were frequently killed, I've since avoided Anime films - until last year when I inadvertently watched Howl's Moving Castle. I was blown away and vowed to watch Spirited Away by the same filmmaker (Hayao Miyazaki).

A very young girl, Chihiro, accidentally becomes trapped in another dimension at a spa for spirits. She is forced to use her child-like virtues to survive, but also to transform the oppressive regime. The story is littered with double-agents, magical creatures, and horrifying beasts. We never know what is going to happen next, in fact the major quest in the film is only given towards the end.

The reason these films are so enjoyable is for two reasons: the superbly original animation and the completely different set of rules that the stories are based on (very post-modern).

I look forward to seeing Ponyo on the Cliff very soon.

Truth: Innocence and love are transforming and sustaining powers.

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The Happening (2008)

As a fan of several of Shyamalan's films, I can't say that he's on a roll lately. The rumours around the writer/director's arrogance might be true after having watched his take on nature's revenge on humanity.

A chemical or a frequency released upon crowds of people neutralize their sense of survival and they kill themselves, en masse, and in very gruesome ways. In essence, New England becomes host to suicide-fest. The film is another in a series of apocalyptic films geared towards the north-easter United States produced recently.

Visually, Shyamalan is definitely a master of suspense, but he overdoes his 'point the camera at what isn't happening' so much that we get tired of watching. That said, most of the film is very well crafted photography-wise. The denouement is probably the worst that I've seen in a long, long time.

I was reminded of Hitchcock's The Birds with its openendedness and use of a terrifying natural phonomenon. 

Truth: We ought not assume that we know everything that there is to know about nature and there are perhaps threats to humanity that we have not been exposed to yet.

Official Site | IMDB

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Woo-hoo! The film is about as perfect as it could be and kudos to the producers of the film for not trying to make it more than it should be and less than its millions of fans have come to expect.

The Simpson family gets the spotlight when Homer personally destabilizes the environmental balance in a local lake. The dozens of characters in the TV series get lines in the film. Complete with government conspiracies, romance, action, wildlife, tender moments, and Maggie's first word, the film is a comedic ride through americana.

The film is a work of art.

Truth: The most complete commentary on American life has been the Simpson family.

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Evan Almighty (2007)

The networks couldn't resist capitalizing on Steve Carrell's bit part in the box-office success Bruce Almighty. And I imagine the emerged evangelical ticket-buying power had a little something to do with it too.

Evan is elected to congress and moves his family to Virginia. As he begins his job, God visits upon him and Noahfies him. Evan must prepare the neighbourhood for an impending flood that only he believes in.

A couple things really impress me in this film. It made me laugh a lot. Some of the one-liners are gold. The other thing is the animal effects with blue screen and CGI that made everything look impressively realistic.

An obvious environmental theme accompanies the affectionate and personal God theme. Evan's heart softens towards animals and it hardens towards legislation that privatizes virgin forest.

Truth: God wants us to care for our families, our neighbourhood, and nature. Political integrity is good too.

Official Site | IMDB

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

The most difficult of the three Lord of the Rings films to write is this middle one. It is supposed to provide some exposition for first time viewers, introduce seven more major characters, and leave the viewers hanging in limbo as there is still almost 4 hours left in part three. I think the writers did a fine job.

They didn't think there was enough tension in the story however and so the film veers wildly off course from the novel in The Two Towers. Frodo and co. are taken to Osgiliath. Travelers to Helm's Deep are ambushed by wargs. Aragorn barely survives the attack and is thought dead for a portion of the film. Elves show up to help save the Rohirrim. As much as these deviations bother me, they were inspired additions to the story (with the exception of the warg attack and Aragorn "dying").

What really takes this movie to the next level are the new characters. The Gollum/Smeagol split is captivating and viewers are instantly sympathetic to the pathetic creature. Treebeard's humour and originality adds a quirky personality to the cast. King Theoden of Rohan is fantastic as a conflicted, grieving, confused, and noble leader. Each one steals the scenes they are in.

Whereas in the first film we had one main narrative following the fellowship on their journey south, we now have seven major narratives: Frodo and friends, Treebeard and the hobbits, Aragorn and Legolas and Gimli, royalty from Rohan, Faramir and Gondorian soldiers, Arwen and Elrond, Saruman at Orthanc. The filmmakers do a terrific job of referencing the different stories and bridging the scenes without losing pace.

Now for the crowning piece of cinema that won 13 Oscars.
(FOTR and TTT took 6 combined)

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Grey Owl (1999)

I wasn't expecting much seeing Pierce Brosnan on the cover posing as a Native American. The redeeming factors were that it was a fairly recent movie and it was directed by Richard Attenborough (Gandhi, Shadowlands).

But I was pleasantly surprised. If you know the true story of Archie Grey Owl, you know that Brosnan is a good pick for the part and he plays it beautifully. His counterpart, a young Canadian actress, is exuberant too. They both bring a welcome gentleness to the screen as they tell the story.

The story however is very simple. The real subject is Grey Owl himself. Fortunately Grey Owl is a very interesting subject. I think for most Canadians my age, he became a footnote in social studies class, but for the rest of the world, he is regarded as one of the most famous Canadians. One review of the film comments that he isn't like the other historical revolutionaries of the screen like Braveheart or Spartacus. He's more like Attenborough's other historical subjects, quiet, introverted.

The scenery of course if very wild. For me the Canadian wilderness seem very plain, but after being in Guatemala for two years, it was a welcome site and quite beautiful to behold.

IMDB