The Avengers (2012)

Some fun one-liners, entertaining inter relational dynamics, and of course great visual effects. But it's still an action movie primarily and you'll find little else.

Thor: You have no idea what you're dealing with.
Tony Stark (Iron Man): Shakespeare in the Park?

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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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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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TRON: Legacy (2010)

Oh Tron. So unbelievable, but oh, so luminescent. Disney cashes in on 3D, Jeff Bridges popularity, and a cult classic by releasing this souped up version of a movie based on an arcade game.

Kevin Flynn's son enters the videogame a couple decades after his father disappeared only to find that the dominant microchip force is bad and is looking for a way out of the videogame world and into the real world where they can take over! Yikes!

Not a great film. Probably fun to watch on the big screen with glasses.

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127 Hours (2010)

Danny Boyle and James Franco tell the gutwrenching tale of an outdoorsman who is trapped with no prospect of rescue in the remote wilds of Utah. It is a formidable film and the final sequences are stellar!

The film lovingly captures the sacredness of life.

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Metropolis (1927)

This classic film about class struggle pulled out all the stops to generate a bleak, futuristic world where the masses were simply cogs in the wheel of progress (or at least labourers in an unfriendly factory). There are plenty of dials and steam in this analog future and not many smiles. Director Fritz Lang incorporates plenty of grouped choreographed movement and solo modern dances to demonstrate visually the moral of the film:

"The head and hand need a mediator, and that mediator is the heart!"

At the heart of the film is class struggle and considering that the film was made during the interwar period in Germany, I think it captures much of the sentiment of the Weimar Republic.

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Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Not ever being a fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise or having ever seen the TV series or the following movies, I didn't know what to expect in relation to the actual storytelling in this pre-quel, but my expectations were low. I watched this movie mainly for the stunning computer graphic renderings of the apes.

The story - pretty lame, including some super cheesy performances. The visual effects - really amazing.

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Nollywood Babylon (2008)

The makers of this documentary display a two pronged story pairing the burgeoning low budget high profit film industry in Nigeria with the prosperity gospel being preached in Nigerian mega churches. It is a fascinating look at what are often one dimensional issues.

We learn of how the video industry started and it's relationship to animist witchcraft and then we follow it is being used to promote Charismatic Christian values such as how to get rich and famous by making movies.

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The Social Network (2010)

The Social Network is a hipped up version of Mark Zuckerberg's rapid and ruthless rise to wealth and power as the founder of Facebook. The remarkable thing is that even if you don't care about Facebook or Zuckerberg, the film stands on its feet as an innovative and a supercharged pace narrative about relationships.

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The Animatrix (2003)

To complete my first viewing of The Matrix films, I watched this collection of animated shorts that flesh out some of the side stories from the live action films. Each of the nine animations are produced by a different production company and carry very different styles with them. It is clear that some of the films direct their efforts to emphasize very different aspects of the Matrix flicks: style, philosophy, and action.

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Congorama (2006)

I was really pleased with this funny collaboration between Belgium and Canada. A Belgian man discovers that he was adopted from Québec and as he faces joblessness and irrelevance, he seeks out his origin in the farmlands of eastern Canada. Belgian Congo works its way into the story too.

While taking a break from pitching an invention, Michel has a providential encounter with people in a town where he was apparently given up to some nuns and then given away at Expo '67 in Montreal. He is given the key to success, but not without compromise.

One scene in the film impressed me in particular because I had lower expectations for a Canadian film.

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Iron Man 2 (2010)

Fluff with glamour & effects. Not much else to say except that it didn't live up to its predecessor.

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The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Where there was satisfaction in the finality of the story, I think the resolution felt forced, a weak negotiation. The effects were terrific and the enigma at the beginning was fun, but the micro-stories during the battle were rather formulaic as was the final sacrifice.

A fun trilogy; I'm better for having watched it.

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The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

While there are obvious stylistic and realistic flaws in the telling of this story (as in Where do these "soldiers" find all that time to maintain such great hair? Where did Zion get all their supplies and energy to live deep beneath the earth? etc.), the story is compelling and brings out all the best questions about determinism. I personally enjoyed all the dialogue pertaining to free choice. That, and it's a great kung-fu flick too.

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The Matrix (1999)

I wasn't particularly impressed by this epic film when I first saw it - just the stage of life I was in at the time. I picked up all four movies for $10 a while back and decided to rewatch it along with the continuing saga.

Keanu Reeves wasn't as bad as I expected and the film, while quite melodramatic and over the top one-liners, was great! As one of the better early comic book type films in recent years, The Matrix redefined what smart action was capable of. It also tells a great parable!

I'm actually looking forward to seeing the next three (though their reviews drop considerably from what I recall).

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Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Kind of lame Jim Jarmusch movie to be honest. I liked Coffee and Cigarettes and Broken Flowers, but Ghost Dog just went on and on without any kind of useful affectation.

Forest Whitaker plays a modern day urban samurai who contracts himself out as a hitman. After a hit, an entire gang decides to take him down. . . Guess what happens. The film is littered with sayings from a book called "The Way of the Samurai" which demonstrates that this guy just needs something to believe it. There's a constant juxtaposition with violent cartoons too which brings out our ongoing fascination with violence.

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Encounters at the End of the World (2007)

Once again, in my efforts to enjoy the films of Werner Herzog, I am blown away by this epic documentary of his trip to Antarctica. He captures so well the spirit of adventure, mystery and monolithic power of this tremendous continent.

In the film, he focuses on the interesting international individuals inhabiting a base on the cold continent as well as some of the other, wilder creatures that roam the area. You will see some of the most amazing sights ever captured on film as well as hear from some truly unique people.

A precious gem!

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Angels & Demons (2009)

This is Dan Brown, Ron Howard and Tom Hank's follow up story to the controversial title The Da Vinci Code that takes the viewer into another mystery at the heart of the Vatican. Full of outrageous clues and an insane plot, the film is a barrage of incoherent information, gruesome murders and fast camera movements. It's hard to know how the actors kept a straight face during the shoot.

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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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The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)

While Daniel Day Lewis is a great actor (as are many of the characters in Ballad), he can't redeem a film that is just a bit too preachy and over the top. He plays a rich hippy on an abandoned commune who tries to revitalize it before he dies so his daughter will have a place to continue living. He has to fight an encroaching developer and keep everything together though. It's a moral tale about living close to the land and the important things in life.

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