The Rum Diary (2011)

It's funny because when I remember this film the details blend with the Bond movie Dr No. Hunter S Thompson's (also Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) novel is portrayed with plenty of colourful characters and implausible villains and heroes, but it's fun to watch as there is slapstick comedy, beautiful island culture, and Johnny Depp's ever present surprised look.

Dr. No (1962)

Very funny, what with all the getups that Ursula Andress wears, the villain's lair, and Sean Connery's one liners. Despite it's efforts, I was not moved to flinch or quiver.

Agent 007 heads to Jamaica to investigate the death of another MI6 agent only to uncover a plot to destroy a space program. Lots of beach scenes.

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The Descendants (2011)

Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Sideways) walks us through letting go and hanging on at the same time. The Descendants  is fresh and old at the same time, an unromantic look at some upper crust folks in Hawaii.

George Clooney plays a lawyer, father to two daughters, husband to a wife in a coma, and heir to family land - and he does so comically and pathetically. What I discovered thinking about this movie afterwards is that his character has quite a bit of moral strength that was simply disengaged - this narrative shows him putting everything into gear, testing his fabric.

I quite enjoyed it.

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Eagle vs Shark (2007)

From the great island of New Zealand comes this quirky (the common adjective used by all reviewers) flick. One of the guys from Flight of the Concords stars as a deeply inept man bent on dishing out revenge on a school bully from years earlier. Mooning over him is the not quite as inept, but socially awkward nonetheless, Lily.

One of the closing sequences is one of the best stopmotion bits I've ever seen. Great!

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Before Night Falls (2000)

A biopic presenting both the life of writer Reinaldo Arenas and the oppression of Castro's Cuba.

Reinaldo grows up in a small village of abandoned women and their children in rural Cuba. His teacher recognizing his giftedness in writing, recommends that he continues his studies. He is nearly an adult when La Revolución hits Cuba and when he finishes his studies works at the National Library and begins authoring books. His books begin to draw attention and so does his homosexual lifestyle as homosexual activity is strictly forbidden in Cuba.

The strength of this film is that it intimately portrays Arena's struggle to be himself and express himself despite the ongoing persecution and censorship. Javier Bardem gives a strong performance that brings a pathos to what might be a typical story of hardship.

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Che: Part One (2008)

Without my bias of being named Che, I have to say that this is an incredible feat of filmmaking. Steven Soderbergh has yet to disappoint me.

Part one of this film deals with Ernesto "Che" Guevera beginning with his first encounter with Fidel Castro in Mexico. Together, they lead an invading force in Cuba which gradually, through guerilla warfare and the support of Cubans and the world press, push the dictator Batista out of power. The revolution is juxtaposed against a black and white dramatization of Che's visit to New York's United Nations assembly where he presents a case against the American embargo against the socialist island nation.

The film is very realistic in its portrayal and does not play on emotions with sappy music and slow motions during the battles. Instead of music, Che speaks ideology over the gunfight sequences, making the fighting more meaningful and less emotionally driven.

We also see Che's reaction to the humanity he encounters - both the victories and failures. And Benicio del Toro deserves the best actor award he got at Cannes, no question!

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Miami Vice (2006)

This is a flashy view of undercover police work. I was sort of expecting the cops to be planning their stakeouts on the beach surrounded by girls in bikinis, but not so. Instead we get an emotionally charged story about work becoming personal.

Despite its intention, the film is an action movie at the core. There are gun fights, love scenes, and high speed boats. We are transported to the exotic sites of Columbia, Haiti, Cuba and Miami. The villains are ruthless and the stakes are very high. Michael Mann gives us great cinematography too.

On the level of predictability, the film does very well at keeping us guessing. Only on the issue of the fate of some characters can we fully predict the outcome. As I am not an undercover officer, I wasn't good at foretelling the next move.

Truth: It is easy to recognize the humanity in your nemesis if you get close enough.

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Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

I don't know if I am hardened or what, but this film, though quite tense and graphic, was remarkable gentle. I think it had something to do with the dutiful characters in the film; since they were able to press on into sure death, so was I able to follow with my eyes.

I was both eager to watch Letters and dreading the viewing. I knew the outcome as do most people, so it's a pretty grim story to sit yourself down to watch. Clint Eastwood does an apt job of following a young baker through the battle defending Iwo Jima near the close of World War II. This baker/soldier carefully walks a line of being a devout Japanese empirialist and being a man of reason; willing to die for no reason and willing to avoid dying if he has the chance.

This pointed contrast is what truly marks this film as foreign. Western viewers just don't 'get' kamikaze fighters. I don't personally see honour in sacrificing yourself for your country when there are viable alternatives to you dying. What was made clear in the film was the pressure placed on the Japanese soldiers and generals by their superiors. If you failed in a mission or defence, you had one option and that was suicide (or honourable beheading that could be performed on the spot by a friend or superior).

I felt strong sympathy for the Japanese soldiers. Here they were fighting a battle for an empire that was using them as fodder knowing full well that the war would be lost within a few months. The film makes a strong statement on war and the perpetrators that go so far to get nowhere.

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Cast Away (2000)

Having spent 10 months of my life living on Pacific Islands, I relate to this movie better than most I imagine. The night scenes especially take me back to my days in the Marshall Islands with the bright dark blue sky and the glistening ocean and the shadows on the beach. The coconuts and coral reef are so far removed from our lives in North America, but a part of life in the islands.

This has the scariest plane crash sequence I have ever seen. Even after watching this movie 4 or 5 times, I get very tense. This also has some of the most heartbreaking scenes I have ever seen. The characters' loss is so pronounced in their eyes and in the writing.

With Robinson Crusoe being the legend it is, this movie attempts to explore what a real life island survival would look like. I think it makes an honest effort, though some of the elements might be contrived (if only to propel the story ahead). It really makes you wonder what it would be like. I've wanted to be a competitor on Survivor just for the experience - forget the $1,000,000 prize.

The substance of the film is survival and what keeps a person alive. Is it Duty? Destiny? Love? Fear? Curiosity? Cast Away really captures the essence of all of these and is a poetic saga speaking to each of these. Without these forces, there really isn't much to live for.

The film is quite long, but just right for those who like to immerse themselves into a story. This one is told in 4 parts and it lingers for much longer than it takes to watch it.

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