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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Fair Game (2010)

Here is an important movie making personal the effects of overreaching political power, namely the Bush/Cheney administration. Fair Game is the true story of CIA operative Valerie Plame who is outed by the administration when her recommendations are contrary to what the executive branch demands. By publicizing her name, her covert (and noble) operations put in jeopardy and she becomes a target of hawk Republicans.

The film is upsetting on multiple levels, but the most troubling is the fact that Mrs. Plame and her husband are not able to defend themselves in any arena. Top notch acting from Naomi Watts and Sean Penn.

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The Day of the Jackal (1973)

We get a fascinating historical look at the early 1970s in this cat and mouse thriller. A detective uses all means possible to thwart an elaborate plot to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle. There is a bit of melodrama, but essentially the film is saved by the sleepless detective who has an army of people in several countries combing through paper files as they try to identify the hit man hired by a terrorist organization (it wouldn't have been nearly as engaging if they had the internet and electronic databases at their disposal).

Kind of a cool film with some intriguing characters.

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L'emploi du temps (2001)

Vincent was fired from his job in the finance sector a few months ago, but he still hasn't told his wife. Instead, he departs on lonely "business" trips and returns with lies for his wife, children, parents and friends. The lies become elaborate and rehearsed. He begins extorting his friends and family as a means of maintaining his illusion.

Time Out is a brilliant depiction of the emasculation that has taken hold in the west. Men are no longer men, they are tools in an economy devoid of meaning.

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In the Loop (2009)

In the Loop is a crass parody of international relations between Britain and the United States. There are plenty of noteworthy quips, but most of them are not-repeatable. It's fast moving, cynical and quite smart. You won't come away from the film inspired, but you may have laughed depending on your attitude towards vulgarity (the best lines reference hobbits though, so you might be OK).

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Throw Down Your Heart (2008)

Bela Fleck is an American banjo virtuoso. He travels to Uganda, Tanzania, Gambia, Senegal, and Mali in search of the roots of the banjo. What he finds is a remarkably similar style to what bluegrass is in North America. Fleck records songs with local celebrity musicians and with entire villages producing a beautiful fusion of sound.

The music is certainly the best part of the film. The other part is how it reveals an affluent American's reaction to Africa and Fleck is caught a little bit in the headlights as he is struck by poverty, simplicity and contentment.

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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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Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

Another polemic and necessary film from Michael Moore. This time he indicts the worship of capitalism and the evils that stem from it. In particular he attacks the privatization of public works, the domination of investment banks, the foreclosure epidemic and the mistreatment of employees by corporate giants.

He again does a fine job organizing the information in a humourous way, still infusing it with stunts of his own (like trying to make a citizen's arrest of bankers on Wall Street). Plus he fuels anger many people have against this rotten system that doesn't distinguish between free market and capitalism.

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Body of Lies (2008)

Ridley Scott delivers a spy/anti-terror/middle east film that puts the USA on top again, but does humble them a bit. DiCaprio and Crowe demonstrate their superior acting abilities again in a tenuous boss/field worker relationship.

It's a good movie, if only to shed light on the fact that we know very little about Middle Eastern customs and people.

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Avatar (2009)

In 3-Dimensions!! Despite my plan to boycott the film (because Mr. Cameron doesn't need my $10), I ended up caving and going to see it based on many people's recommendations.

Futuristic mining operation on a distant and inhabited planet is being run by the US military. The indigenous tall and naked blue people are resistant to the plans to turn the whole place into a mound of dirt, so a subversive method of sending in spy blue people in to learn how to convince them to yield is employed - a human controls the body of a void blue person (an avatar). A lame soldier controlling his avatar ends up falling in love with the indigenous and joining their cause (big twist!!).

So yeah, the visuals were pretty great, though I would have enjoyed more real life mixed in with CG (the final sequence has quite a bit). The 3-D element worked really well and it wasn't abused.

What wasn't terribly impressive was the story, the characters, and the overall challenge. It is clear that they are drawing a parallel between the blue folks and planet earth's indigenous population. The happy ending scenario is clearly a departure from reality and is clearly motivated to make money, not good cinema. The notion that the earth is a deity is lectured heavily too.

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Crossing Over (2009)

In the tradition of Traffic, Babel, and Crash, Crossing Over takes on the issue of illegal immigrants from the perspective of several characters. This one doesn't quite measure up though.

So and so doesn't have a work visa, so should she sleep with an immigration officer? Another appears to be a Muslim extremist, so will she get deported? A woman is sent back to Mexico, but leaves her son behind in L.A. Another little one is discovered to have been a victim of child trafficking, what will happen to her? A Korean family is going to be sworn in as citizens, as long is junior does join a gang. And on and on and on. . . Of course they are all intertwined and we get some happy endings and some tragic.

It's not that the acting is horrible or the plot lines implausible, the story simply caters to a subject rather than real lives (reminds me of how unmoved I was by Rendition).

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The Informant! (2009)

Steven Soderbergh dishes out an entertaining view of the midwest with the true story of an FBI informant who turns rogue.

Mark Whitacre knows that his massive corporation is price fixing, so he turns to the Bureau to do what is right. What follows is an incredible 2 year operation with the FBI where Mark collects evidence. Ultimately, Mark's character makes the film. Matt Damon delivers him as no one special, just an enigmatic Dudley Do Right with a big problem: lying.

The film is stylized to bring us back to the early 90's (and in the midwest, it still looked like the 80's). Between scenes, Damon's character narrates the film with some insights into how he would spend money or what he finds interesting on TV or what he thinks is remarkable trivia. This gives us a sense as to what the American Dream has become.

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The Strangest Dream (2008)

I watched this documentary at the Marda Loop Justice Film Festival in Calgary.

Joseph Rotblat is the only scientist to question the morality of his role in the Manhattan Project and leave the research site during the development of the atomic bomb. Shortly after the bombs were dropped on Japan and the arms race began, Rotblat begins to organize a peace organization with other scientists to promote nuclear disarmament around the world. It begins with a conference in Pugwash, Nova Scotia and spreads around the world with Pugwash chapters almost everywhere a notable physicist is present.

While the nuclear threats of the Cold War are over, weapons are still present, wanted and being developed. The Pugwash Conference still plays an important role in educating the public, influencing governments, and promoting peace.

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Funny Games U.S. (2007)

Michael Haneke (director of the superb film Caché) redirects his own film ten years after the fact and in an American setting. Funny Games' singular purpose is brutality - if you didn't like A Clockwork Orange, you'd hate this one.

An upperclass New England family drives up to their lake house for the weekend to do some sailing. Upon arrival, two cleancut teen boys introduce themselves as nephews of the neighbours and ultimately perform a house invasion - disabling the father and terrorizing the mother and son. The evening and morning become a cat and mouse game, with the boys releasing and recapturing their prey.

The sensitivity of this film towards the victims is clearly a priority so that the viewers will empathize with the ongoing horror. But it is the politeness and apathy of the two villains that is most jarring and affecting.

While the film is not enjoyable at all, one comes away with a greater appreciation for sincerity.

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11'09''01 - September 11 (2002)

This is a collection of eleven films of 11 minutes 9 seconds 1 frame each all on the subject of the terrorist attacks of 11.9.01 in NYC. Each film is from a different country and by a different director.

This film really deserves 11 reviews, but I'll highlight all the shorts here:

The British one is my favorite - a documentary of a Chilean immigrant who also remembers another September 11, one where the United States was the aggressor in Chile. Burkina Faso and Iran emphasize the innocence of children and the amazing waste of money used in warfare when there are so many other needs. Mexico forces us to use our sense of hearing and gives us sounds from the actual attack - truly horrifying against a black backdrop with infrequent frames of people falling from the towers. India retells a heartrending story of Pakistani immigrants in NYC. Israel contrasts the attacks with its daily struggle against terrorism, while Bosnia Herzegovina also contrasts the memorial of the recent deaths with the 9/11 attacks. France and United States show that good can come out of such tragedy. Japan tells an odd moral tale about holy wars. Egypt gives supernatural perspective on terrorism.

Having all of these perspectives are truly a treasure.

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Bamako (2006)

Viewers are transported to Bamako, the capital city of Mali, a havenot nation in north Africa. 

The setting is a domestic outdoor courtyard where people are establishing an international tribunal to try the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for crimes against Africa. The judges and magistrates are in full gowns under the sun and chairs have been set up as they would be in court complete with jury and audience.

Testimonies come from all sorts of people - professors and writers, elderly and young - and in all sorts of ways, the most striking in poetry and song. It's clear from the start that the WB and IMF are guilty and the film doesn't shy away from this. The WB and IMF have little defense. 

It is a little difficult to watch Bamako because it cuts from the trial to set up to people just hanging out to a club at night in its attempt to give a rounded view of Africa and the injustices it endures. There isn't a clear story arc either and the main characters disappear frequently giving up the screen to new ones. However, the film is important and unique and deserves attention.

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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.

Official Site | IMDB

Quantum of Solace (2008)

Another Bond movie with great action sequences and melodrama. The franchise has enlisted Paul Haggis to help with the writing of the 22nd installment, but adding more dimension to Bond is like adding milk to a saucer; it can really only be so deep.

A villain tries to take over the world's supply of not nukes, not gold, not diamonds, not oil, not energy, but water. Bond, who is still seeking revenge for the murder of his last woman, goes rogue and uncovers the plot to take over countries by owning their entire water supplies. He travels to the exotic locales of Haiti, Switzerland, and Bolivia.

The best part of the film is the opening chase scene, similar to the one in Casino Royale.

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The Visitor (2007)

Richard Jenkins (of Six Feet Under) teams up with Thomas McCarthy (director/writer of The Station Agent) to make a wonderful film about illegal immigration and resurrection.

Walter is a professor at a university in Connecticut. He's alone and he feigns work. When he becomes tangled up with a couple illegal immigrants in New York City, his life awakens to the beat of a drum. He discovers purpose and relationship.

There is nothing melodramatic about this story; it is emotional and raw.

Official Site | IMDB

Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)

It is rather difficult not to become upset while watching this documentary. It exposes the roots of torture used by American forces since the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. From Bagram to Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo, both innocent and guilty prisoners (I refuse to call prisoners "detainees") have suffered humiliation, sensory deprivation, and flat out torture in the name of national security. Incredibly enough, the higher ups in the U.S. government, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, . . ., have flatly supported such techniques and even won over the American public.

The film centres on and circles around the tragic story of an Afghan taxi driver, Dilawar, who gets picked up and turned over to U.S. forces and imprisoned. He is immediately tortured and interrogated for several days and then dies in custody. His torturers end up taking the fall for the whole military leadership and end up in military prisons themselves.

Watch this film. It won an Oscar!

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