INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

(Paramount)
Runtime: 124 min

As Harrison Ford filming Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Shia LeBeouf was still wearing a diaper. Now Shia joins Harrison as Spielberg renews Indiana Jones franchise. In this fourth installment of the Indy Jones series, age is not a problem. The 65 year old Harrison Ford still kicks and trading punches with his enemies.

This time the most soughted artefact is the crystal skull, believed to posess a power beyond earthly realms. To make Harrison age logical to the story line, now Indy lives in 1957, exactly 19 years after the last Indy film. America is in the middle of cold war, thus communist Russia as the enemy seems plausible. Opened in Nevada desert, the 50s got their taste from one of Elvis’s song, and then some fascinating action happened as Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), leader of the Soviet Army's unit whose hair resembles Chigurh’s wife, push Indiana Jones to search for something mysterious.

Spielberg fan got a hint from this opening scene, skinny fingers appeared of a bag and reference to Roswell 1947 (The X Files fans are jumping euphorically) indicates that alien play a large part here. Then Shia LeBeouf as Mutt Williams popped in, decked out in black leather jacket and cap, a la Marlon Brando. Mutt ask Indiana at his Marshall College to help rescue his mother, who we later find out along with Indy, it is his old love Marion from Raiders of the lost Ark and indicates that relation between Mutt and Indiana is more than we ever thought. Spielberg and Lucas also put a lot of homage from previous Indy movies, like a picture of Sean Connery on Indy’s desk. Another reference of the 50s were also present, a hint that McCarthysim of communist witch hunt has made the academic scholar uneasy.

The action scenes were fascinating (and defying logic), from the jungle of Peru to the temple of Akator, Spielberg and Lucas filled it with enough fights, effects, family feud and humor. For those remembering watching Raiders from VHS, this is a nostalgic journey, the whip, fedora and the John Williams score reminded us of the good old 80s that some icons are deeply etched in our collective conscience.

EL ORFANATO

(Picturehouse)
Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona
Runtime: 105 min

Bored of Indonesian horrors which will make you sick to the core? This thing will cure your lust on gaspy and elegant chilling moments. Although most of the actual gaspy moments are on the soft side, the film does have quite away with sudden shocks. The backbone for this flick is surely the strong performance by Belén Rueda as Laura, who carries the entire film in a slick manner reminding you of any lead actress on Hitchcock movies.

Laura (Belen Rueda) as a young girl was raised in the orphanage before being adopted. Now in her 30s, she has returned with her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) and their young son Simon (Roger Princep) to buy the orphanage where she once lived and run it as a home for sick or disabled children. But it was not an ordinary orphanage, some dark secrets revealed. Simon has imaginary friends one of them is a boy with a sack over his head. But is it his imagination or has something terrible happened on that orphanage long time ago?

The line between reality and fantasy is so blurred in the film which will make viewers scratch their heads as the credits rolled but this film is undeniably chilling without any gore and scary without being cheap.

If some elements are familiar for you, like dark corners of the house, bleeding nightmares, grotesque truth and quiet scenes which leads up into a shocking moment, that means Guillermo Del Toro was here, and indeed he was the producer of this Spanish smash hit.

JUNO

Paulie Bleeker: I still have your underwear.
Juno MacGuff: I still have your virginity.
Paulie Bleeker: Would you shut up?

(Fox Searchlight)
Runtime: 90 min

I cannot blame you to hiss like a perturbed snake or frown upon reading the term teen pregnancy which spells trouble for most, but in this feel-good movie about youth irresponsibilty, gets smart and witty at the same time just like Knocked Up with the cleverness of Little Miss Sunshine. It also shows that coming-of-age/teen romantic comedy genre shouldn’t have to be dark and cynical.

Ellen Page plays Juno MacGuff, a smart mouth 16 year old teenager who “experimented” on having sex with her goofy boyfriend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). As the result Juno went pregnant. At first she was scared to death, even think to abort her baby. Not until one of her friend said that “baby has fingernails too”, Juno abort her hasty plan. After revealing the truth to her stunningly supportive father Bren (Allison Janney) and step mother Mac (J.K. Simmons), she goes to try to find a good Mommy and Daddy for her unborn child.

Juno finds the perfect couple to adopt, the rich music composer Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner), who live in an expensive house just like as if it was sprung up from any IKEA catalogue.

After the deal is sealed, Juno, who keeps Paulie at a distance, makes periodic visits to the house to show the family ultrasound photos and such. As Mark and Juno grew closer (thank to slasher gore film and music taste), Mark decided to divorce Vanessa, thus jeopardizing Vanessa’s chance of having a baby. Will there be a happy ending? What happened to Paulie then? The result is a heart warming resolution which hinted that sex education is very important for teenagers.

With vocabulary bending dialogue, we should thank Diablo Cody who wrote this story and earn herself a golden statue called Oscar this year. It is certain that Diablo is very familiar with the way teens speak English nowadays with funny catchphrase and smart dialogue. It won’t make you laugh hard but it will make you smile and sometimes sneer and it is charming without being saccharine. It's funny without being rude or dishonest. It's smart without being smart-assed and it is touching without the corny music and dialogue.

HALLAM FOE

Runtime: 95 Min

I never thought that Yamakasi-like ability could really come in handy for a peeping tom. But Hallam Foe proves us that if a weird story abot voyeuristic teen that echoes in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window could run pararell with some romantic oedipal love story helped by his Yamakasi ability.

Hallam Foe (Jamie Bell) is a 17 year old teen who is very paranoid. He thinks his step mother; Verity (Claire Forlani) has conspired to kill his mother. Meanwhile his father Julius Foe (Ciaran Hinds) cannot understand him at all.

Following the death of his mother, Hallam has retreated into his own semi-fantasy world by spying on people around him through a treehouse he built which also a secret shrine for her mother.

When his sister (Lucy Holt) leaves for Australia, Hallam feels isolated, and an “intimate” push-up with his step mother changes everything. Then Hallam set to Edinburgh for a new life, only to find that the sity is a perfetc nest for his voyeuristic orgasm and a once in a lifetime chance to meet Kate (Sophia Myles) who eerily, resembles his late mother. What comes next is a more voyeuristic oedipal quest of a 17 year old boy.

With tight editing, this is not a crowd pleaser but certainly gives us another example of Jamie Bell’s fine acting since Billy Elliot. The spoken English is a little bit difficult to comprehend since thick Scottish accent spreaded here and there.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

(Paramount Vantage)
Runtime: 120 min

This is another miracle just like Fargo. Coen brothers have successfully makes a western that doesn’t feel like western, comedy that disturbingly funny and drama of simple people caught in a twisted fate.

It is the biggest question mark on life where existentialism, determinism, materialism, simple logic, the nature of human being, moral choices, immoral certainties, human nature and fate merged beautifully on the screen. Some audience might scratch the back of their head upon knowing the end. If you have seen Fargo, some elements are still here, the simple minded Sheriff who married to his job, a relentless killer with a deadly smile and a simple guy just stumbling into something bigger than he is.

Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is a dangerous killer with his own philosophy, Moss (Josh Brolin) an ex-welder who, while on a hunting trip, stumbles across a remnants of a drug deal gone bad and local sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) who is drawn into all of this. The three tangled each other in a bizzare way.

With pacing and twist that will surely pound your heart, some dry wit and dark humor inserted, gives the film a Coen feeling.

Javier Bardem deserves his Oscar, his haircut alone terrifies many while Tommy Lee Jones portray a simple minded Sheriff with a funny accent and Josh Brolin has cemented his reputation as one badass tries to make ends meet. This is one of 2007’s best!

MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS

(The Weinstein Company)
Runtime: 111 Min

I love Blueberry pie and this film tries to give you the magical healing powers of Blueberry pies to any sadness you have. As Wong Kar Wai’s first English language film, this is as stylish as his previous works and echoes the Chungking Express/In the Mood for Love formula (Broken heart, a melancholic policeman and catchy tunes) plus his trademark of inserting scenes of trains, clocks and neon lights to give the visual mood.

Norah Jones fills the title role, she is a singer, but can she act? Appearantly she can.

I have read the reviews which stated that this film wasn’t as good as Wai’s previous films, but I dare to disagree. Perhaps those reviewers (mostly American) cannot understand how broken heart and melancholy seen from Asian perspective or perhaps Wai just doesn’t want to bother translating it into an American style of lost love.

Elizabeth (Norah Jones) was shocked after having been dumped by longtime boyfriend.
Still hurt and absorbing the usual Denial-Anger–Acceptance phase Elizabeth bumps into Jeremy (Jude Law), the sympathetic British owner of Gotham cafe. One Blueberry pies, then everything spilled.

A hushed kiss is a sign of desperation from Jeremy, and he becomes more desperate as Elizabeth suddenly gone on a soul searching journey as a bartender and waitress where she meets an alcoholic cop, Arnie (David Strathairn), whose sepearation from Sue Lynne (Rachel Weisz), proven to be devastative and Leslie (Natalie Portman) an energetic girl with an estrange father daughter relationship plus a gambling addict. Predictably, Leslie and Elizabeth find they have something to learn from one another.

As road movie, there were less than few long shots, the shots were mainly indoors. It seems Wai doesn’t use the usual long shots in every road movie because the road is inside the soul, not on the streets. Unlike Chungking Express with an open ending, this one pleases the crowd with good wrappings in the end.

Overall, I like the mood of this film. Perhaps for non-art movies fans, this film is challenging to comprehend.

THE DARJEELING LIMITED

(Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Runtime: 91 min

My reaction to The Darjeeling Limited is “Does such trains -let alone journey-ever existed?”, or perhaps it is only in the imagination of Director Wes Anderson? If it is imagination, surely it’s a colourful one, with splendid colours filled the screen.

The jokes are difficult to digest just like The Royal Tennenbaum, although it is still funny. It is about three brothers, Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody), and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) who had not seeing each other since the death of their father.

They are escaping from something: Francis almost have himself killed in an accident, Peter’s girlfriend is pregnant (that was suppose to be the tragedy?) and Jack cannot leave his break-ups easily.

Is it really tragic what had happened with the trio? I don’t think so, but they had to escape, to India (where the colours are more vibrant), to fulfill their thirst on spiritual journey (Why not Vegas?) and they embark themselves on a train, a surrealistic train in which they have to dwell the same compartement together. As expected, the journey goes awry with lots of distraction here and there. At the end of their journey is their mother, Patricia (Anjelica Huston), who also list “escape from reality” as one of her hobby, makes us understand why these kids have the “escapist” genes. Each of these characters has odd features. Francis's face is heavily and artistically bandaged, Jack is very jumpy and Peter collects their father’s stuff.

There's also the constant presence of 11 pieces of luggage - a legacy of their father with which they are unwilling to part and in the end of the film, they throw away the luggage, perhaps as a symbol of letting go anything that has burdened them in the past.

Short movie fans might like the prologue for The Darjeeling Limited - a 12-minute short called Hotel Chevalier where Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman engage in an odd romantic conversation and Natalie bares (almost) all and brings the audience new information about Jack’s character. This is a tale of emotional healing through a journey, where the escapist finds out that there’s no cure for life after all.

MICHAEL CLAYTON

(Warner Brothers)
Runtime: 119 Min

Roughly said, this is the show about the battle of the janitors, one is evil with an ounce of conscience and the other one is deadly evil with no conscience. Or people can say, George Clooney show, minus Danny Ocean self confidence plus the ruthless rhetoric and Syriana-like of conspiracy. This directorial debut of screenwriter Tony Gilroy (responsible for Jason Bourne trilogy), is an intelligent thriller that moves slowly but sure and gives us a screaming intellectual orgasm in the end. The dense narrative and smart lines gives the audience no place to stop by to ponder and may cause confusion. If you have seen The Insider (1999) you might recognize the elements; people in the grey areas, corporate vs the people, difficult plot to digest and the quintessential question of all: does money means everything in life?

Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a special kind of lawyer, an in-house "fixer" at the law firm of Kenner, Bach & Ledeen - a man who defines himself as a janitor instead of a miracle worker. Life has been unkind with Michael, apart from his Esquire magazine front cover looks and a sleek S-Class Mercedes, he hates his job, has an unsettled gambling debt and a strained relationship with his son. Not to mention his friend and co-janitor, Arthur (Tom Wilkinson), has gone “lunatic”. Arthur decided to switch sides, trying to uncover U/North conspiracy to in a class action law suit.

U/north is Kenner, Bach & Ledeen's biggest clients and Michael was ordered by the firm’s Don, Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack), to clean the “mess” or they will lose millions of dollar of legal fees. Then enter the other janitor, the witch of U/Narnia, erm… U/north, Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton) who is willing to strech the real meaning of blunting the damages Arthur may cause at all costs.

This is a film about characters that inhabit the gray area between morality and immorality, where everyone has a different definition of what constitutes ethics. Just like in real life, the three dimensional characters are the end products of “the end justify its means” culture. As the only film which nominated in more than one acting category in this year Academy Awards, this one is worth your time.

I wonder why I haven’t seen such a slick and smart thriller from Indonesian movies. Aren’t the audiences getting sick of a wafer thin happy ending plot from another wafer thin horror-teen love flicks? I’d love to write such stuff, but I need time to learn screenwriting.

INTO THE WILD

(Paramount Vantage)
Runtime: 150 min

"Death's a fierce meadowlark but to die having made something more equal to centuries than muscle and bone, is mostly to shed weakness. The mountains are dead stone, the people Admire or hate their stature, their insolent quietness, the mountains are not softened or troubled and a few dead men's thoughts have the same temper."

-From the last post of Chris McCandless journal-

I always had a dream of this sort of journey, where we turn our back on our so called hedonistic society and march our way towards the wilderness to celebrate the unity of a simple man with the unforgiving nature. That was a dream I had between awake and sleep, the dream to view society as objectively as it can from the outside.

Fueled by Tolstoy, Thoreau and Yeats, Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a young man raised in an upper class family discarded his entire existence so he could make his way to Alaska and survive in a society of untamed solitude.

What was to be seen is breathtaking, dozens or more postcard like scene of the beautiful American wilderness and a journey of one man against all odds.

Powered by flashbacks to provide a back story, Sean Penn didn’t paint Chris as a near perfect hero. When finally Chris already reached his goal: the unspoiled Alaskan wilderness, perhaps he find himself and be a happy man. Surely this sort of journey is very interesting, how one person with a wide privilege decide to turn his back against civilization and try to find himself in the most extreme situation.

It is said that in road movies, the journey is what matters, not the destination. For Chris this is what he wants all his life, to be away from the cage of materialism. It is a physical journey that will make you appreciate the nature more and recognize the spiritual journey inside. It is also a film that inspires you to become a better person.

Still, after the movie ends, the idea of living alone in the wild is very seductive; perhaps we can found something inside us we never realize exist at all. But does everybody need to get through what Chris had been through? Appreciating the nature, unlocking our soul from the madding crowd and do whatever it takes to prevent Global Warming? Yes, but unplanned journey fired up only with idealism and no serious plan to survive? No, since what is the use of a journey if you have to die because of starvation? We don’t have to die to appreciate life objectively. Besides, in my humble opinion, wouldn’t it be nice to share the beauty of this world with someone you love instead of enjoying it alone?

THERE WILL BE BLOOD

(Paramount Vantage)
Runtime: 158 min

Judging from the title, I thought this is the Saw franchise spin-off, as you know, Jigsaw says his famous “Yes there will be blood” line on Saw II. But it turns out to be more gross and disturbing than Saw or any gore flick, without any gore at all. The music and atmosphere scared the shit out of me, but I just cannot turn my face, the bleaker it goes the more you do not want to close your eyes.

Definitely not a crowd pleaser, with runtime more than two hours you can hear many yawns here and there. The whole film gravitates around Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis), an oil businessman at the early 20th century who works hard to be an oil mogul. After a near death accident, Daniel take care an orphan, which later is named H.W (no hint on what that means).

By 1912, Daniel has become a notorious oil man, and looking to expand his wealth. Accompanied by his partner, Fletcher (Ciarán Hinds), he travels to California to follow a promising lead. What he finds there astonishes him. He seeks to buy large portion of land but stumble upon a preacher, Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), who wants Daniel to donate his money to the local church before he sells. After the contract is signed, however, Daniel does not keep his promises, and shortly thereafter, once the first drill has become operational, there is an accident that costs H.W. his hearing.

Daniel is a fascinating character and full of hatred: “I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people.” Daniel bluntly admits ”There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I want to earn enough money that I can get away from everyone.” Daniel is a monster who hates all men, including him, he has no friends, lovers, real partners even he treat his adopted son just like a tool to reach his wealth.

But can he get away with things he despises most? Does the massive amount of wealth he accumulates do something to redeem his poisoned conscience? He knows how to manipulate every situation to his advantage. He understands the business of oil and transforms himself from a poor miner into a wealthy businessman who can stand up to the mighty Standard Oil but the richer he gets the more corrupt, conflicted and decay he becomes. In many ways, he's a tragic figure we hate to love, a mixture of Travis Bickle and Richard Nixon.

What cause this man to be monstrous and borderline antisocial? One can only wonder since no clue on Daniel’s past given here.

The first 15 minutes provide you with no dialogue at all, the score sucks the happines out of you and the cinematography is stunning, remind me of some old dark noir.

The production team has worked very well recreating early 20th century oil rig plus give the viewers some insight on how dangerous the search for black gold can be.

Entire cast looks to have stepped out of a photo album from a century ago. Kudos to Daniel Day Lewis who immerse so deep in his character even speak a distinct accent (I never been to Texas but it sounded like a very unique English) and remind me of Bill the Butcher in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York.

If you do not like anything disturbing that will rip your soul apart and then put it together in a despicable manner, do not watch this film, but if you want to watch a stellar performance with a Kubrick level masterpiece, yes There Will be an Oscar!