TROPA DE ELITE

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, pervasive language and drug content.
Run time: 115 min

There's no doubt this film is well made. Police corruption and brutality, gangster shooting each other and two young Rio de Janeiro police officers fantasize implementing law and order in the city of gangsters.

The pope is visiting Rio de Janeiro and he needs a good night's sleep, so the local police commander sends Elite Squad to fix things up, including killing low life criminal.

Capt. Nascimento (Wagner Moura) is a captain of an Elite Squad with integrity and Kiefer Sutherland's 24 brutality, but the fact that his wife is pregnant driving him crazy. Nascimento wants someone to replace him, but who among the crowd of corrupt cops could replace him? Two rookies seem fit for the most stressing job, Neto (Caio Junqueira) and the idealist Matias (Andre Ramiro).

Those rookies start from the bottom, working at the police auto shop and witnessing on how cops steal car parts or go to law school and see the ignorance and delusional mind of rich students. As expected, both situation lead to dangerous consequence in the endless cycle of violence.

As these rookies undergo basic training for the elite squad, they realize that this squad is harder and more honest than most cops. After that, they have to invade the slum, and upheld the law, whatever that means.

Expect a vibrant camera work just like Cloverfield and GoodFellas style of violence and the drama of L.A. Confidential.

As an afterthought, I have to say, that after City of God, City of Men and Tropa de Elite, would these internationally acclaimed movies help Brazilian tourism?

ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO

Run time: 101 minutes.
MPAA Rating: R for strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity and pervasive language.

Film makers try to put so many frames on romance, from sinking ship to war, but porn? That takes some serious effort and Kevin Smith (with interesting synergy with Judd Apatow) takes porn to a new level, especially the numbers of cursing and swearwords that match the casualties of Saving Private Ryan, the level of romance. Every dialogue contains the F, A, C, D and P word or its synonyms and said without remorse.

Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) are roommates and they have lived together for years, enduring poverty and their own attractions to each other, establishing a platonic relationship. Facing eviction, they have to spin their brain to make cash. After an unfortunate accident that sent Miri’s “granny panties” to the internet, they had a crazy idea, making their own amateur porn movie. So they enlist many of their friends, a list of quirky characters with dumbness and funny accent.

But having sex and making love, turns out to be a big difference on Zack and Miri, will they keep making porn and hide their jealousy as each of them was “scripted” to “bleep” somebody else in their porn movie.

In terms of visual vulgarity, this wasn’t as graphic as American Pie, Basic Instinct or the Jackass series, although it might make some squeamish people wince as Zack arrange the F, A, C and D word in just one breath, don’t even mention the profanity jokes which knows no boundary at all. By the way, after seeing this film you wish you never know what “Dutch rudder” is.

BURN AFTER READING

MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence.
Run time: 96 min

Having seen No Country for Old Men, most people, including me, have high expectation on the latest Coen flick. However, anyone seeks gore and shocking scenes will be disappointed but still, zany characters are abundant here. It is slightly below Fargo but not as good as Miller's Crossing or No Country.

As always this film is difficult to classify, is it crime? Drama? Thriller? Comedy? or amalgamation of any well defined genre? Greed is the major theme here, apart from alcoholism and bizarre coincidence.

C.I.A. agent Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), is being demoted for being an alcoholic and perhaps having a temper as hot as boiling pasta. His wife, the icy bitchy Katie (Tilda Swinton), doesn't like this at all. Meanwhile, her lover, ex-secret service agent/federal Marshall, Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), is trying to decide whether to request a divorce from his wife to be with Katie while still browsing internet for blind dates. That's how Harry meets a gym worker named Linda Litzke (France McDormand), who thinks that inner beauty is only some bullshit therefore needs money for some cosmetic surgical procedures. With her accomplice, Chad (Brad Pitt), three steps away from having a naivety of Forrest Gump, has the leverage, a copy of Osborne Cox memoir he accidentally found on his gym.

Both had tried to blackmail Osborne to no success and then try to sell the secret to the Russian. Now if I have to tell the bizarre coincidence and the plot that goes round and round, it would be a very bizarre review.

The shock came after 60 minutes as one of the character "accidentally" died/killed (very difficult to determine which one really happens).

George Clooney and Frances McDormand has the most interesting chemistry as for John Malkovich, there's no explanation why he is so hot headed.

What really bothers me is the satellite image at the beginning and end of this film. What was that all about? This film is about bizarre and witty coincidences paired with quirky characters, incompetent agency, affairs and human greed, does it need some zoom out/in of a building from space? Shouldn't the money for that shot directed to pay another character in this movie to keep things stranger than ever? Like hiring Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan for instance?

MAMMA MIA!

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sex-related comments.
Run time: 108 min

Who hates ABBA? Nobody, even those who used to listen to black metal/punk/underground music has been caught whistling Dancing Queen in their respective toilet, no matter how old they are. For millions of people, ABBA has been the synonym for guilty pleasure.

As a fan of Bollywood movies, the plot aren't as difficult as Matrix:Reloaded and occasionally, the characters cut from dialogue to dancing and singing, dangling from ladders, magically jumping on the roof and keep dancing until the music stops.

With Disney type of plot, even telling the whole story would be a spoiler. Donna (Meryl Streep) has a tourist villa in a remote island in Greece. She has a daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) who will be married to Sky (Dominic Cooper), kinda weird name to invent huh? Sophie doesn't know who her father is. From his mother diary, Sophie had a clue and invited three men who used to be Donna's love interest, Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) and Harry (Colin Firth). From there, you can follow the cheerfull story easily and enjoy the tops songs of ABBA weaved into the storyline. This is, by far the best antithesis for The Dark Knight.

Now put your intellectual mind to a holiday in this beautiful Greek island and try not get caught by your peers whistling Fernando in the public toilet while having a Gothic make-up or secretly digging your parent's basement to find ABBA cassettes or LP.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE

Run time: 106 min

After the credits rolled I read the caption "James Bond will return". Well, he surely has to return since after the hard action and fast pacing chase I was left with the most nagging question I ever pose for any Bond franchise ever: "What is Quantum organization anyway? What do they want, and, what happened to Mr. White after he escape?"

The plot is okay, the action scenes are superb. I can understand the twist and subtle sarcasm at imperialism and hypocrisy aided by powerful countries, the double standard of the U.S. and A, the transformation of Bond from a darker spy to a...well....more darker than ever as he finally shut his emotion. After all of that, still, the audience was left dumbfounded trying to figure out why does there is no explanation on Quantum organization.

Am I dreaming, or this Bond franchise has transform itself too hard until there's no Bond element left at all and only leave us with Bond himself (and he didn't even say his famous catchphrase at all, in case you waited for that magic moment). No Q, no fancy gadgets, no vodka and martini, plus he didn't sleep with Camille (shocking eh?). Don't even mention the end, it was an anti climax.

However compared to Babylon A.D. High School Musical trilogy or Hannah Montana concert videos and tons of Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan interpretation of 007, this one stand above all and manage to inject some dry and bleak humor between M and Bond plus a certain degree of realism by fast pacing edit which remind us of Jason Bourne (Coincidence? Not really, the producer use the same person who choreographed Bourne in this film), although not above Casino Royale.

Hint to audience, better watch Casino Royale first to understand what is going on here. I already watch Casino twice on the DVD but still doesn't feel satisfied with Quantum. Are they planning for another sequel?

What about the theme song? Gosh that was awful, it felt as if Alicia Keys is shouting to a wall and Jack White tries so hard to pound the wall. Definitely unmemorable.

Gosh, even the melancholic Casino Royale has an open climax ending. Perhaps years from now, people will like Quantum more and they should make another sequel to this, the first Bond trilogy!

TROPIC THUNDER

Run time: 107 min
MPAA: R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material

The movie they think they're making... isn't a movie anymore.

Gosh, has Hollywood has run out of idea so the only way they can draw a laugh is to mock themselves to the limit? However it really works, for those movie buffs and Access Hollywood viewers this film is an amalgamation of Russel Crowe's antics, A-List star with an ego the size of Texas, Belgium and California, Rapper with explicit lyrics, another version of Eddie Murphy and a Shia LaBeouf lookalike. Somehow it felt like an overly glitter version of The-A-Team with Tom Cruise adding the fun mocking studio executive.

The actors are, Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) a rapper with "explicit" hit song, "I Love Tha' Pussy". Geeze they surely push stereotypes too hard for this character, then there's the A-list action star, Tugg Speedman's (Ben Stiller) and funnyman Jeff "Fatty" Portnoy (Jack Black), who had a very valuable talent, farting in a movie. Then there's Russel Crowe incarnation, Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), five time Oscar winner who takes acting too seriously.

These Hollywood bunch were thrown in Vietnam making a war movie and a expected the shoot went into a mess, they even has to encounter a real drug smuggler cartel somewhere in Laos in an unbelievable act reminds us of The Great Escape.

Forget logic, every aspect of this movie seems to drag people out of their senses, it seems, even in the most chaotic scene, that even bullets doesn't want to hit them at all since any death will ruin the humor of this film.

With lots of cameos, even Lance Bass make a parody of you-know-what-but-I-shall-not-make-spoiler and John Voight desiring an Oscar is a breeze of nice chuckle for me. It even spoof Apocalypse Now and war movies. Overall, if you want a non stop humor that will tickle your belly, this is the right movie for you. The more you know Hollywood, the more you will be amused by this flick.

SLEUTH

I can't believe this,a film consisted of only two people, arguing, fighting and tricking each other in a slick manner but can still capture my attention. Two extremely clever British men are in a game of trickery and deceit. Andrew Wyke (Michael Caine), an aging famous author lives alone in a high-tech mansion which resembles one of James Bond's enemy lair after his wife left him for a younger man.Then Andrew invited Milo Tindle, a charming aspiring actor who happens to be the guy Andrew's wife is sleeping with.

However, Andrew chose to play a deadly game with Milo, a game that changes almost everything.with only two people, the strength lies in each other acting power (does such thing ever exist?) and in the patience of the audience, lucky for me, I like the way they play the "game" and how it ends.

For theater goers, this type of movie wasn't something new, rich with psycholigal layers and human insecurities. It feels like Before Sunset/Before Sunrise, but more depressing and claustrophobic with British accent.

LASKAR PELANGI (THE MOVIE)

I have no expectation for this film, not only it was based on a popular and best seller book, but I already read the book and understand the story. So I just come for the so called visual ride.

While my friend, who also already read the book, hates the film, she said that many stuff were left out. As for me, I think we cannot compare between books and movie, they are two different stuff. Besides, the director has full liberty to have his own interpretation.

The first day of the opening of SD Muhammadiyah (Primary school withmore slamic education) is a thrill for two highly dedicated teachers, Muslimah (Cut Mini) and Harfan (Ikranagara), together with 9 other students who waited at the desolate and shabby school in Gantong Village, Belitong (an island located in the province of South Sumatera). The school must have 10 students, otherwise it will be closed.

Mind you, Belitong in the 70s is a poor island where kids chose to work as hard labor instead of going to school. As expected, comes the student number 10 and those 10 students were named Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warrior, well perhaps it is not a good translation of the title itself, but I prefer that name since I also like Greenpeace) by Muslimah. Five years with Muslimah, and Harfan the students must face considerable challanges, the unfriendly nature, their shabby class which resembles a goat cage and lots of financial and social problems.

Despite all of the above mentioned problems, some dare to have a dream and take a shot on it, like Ikal (Zulfani), Lintang (Ferdian) and Mahar (Veris Yamarno) with their wit has become the spirit to learn and do more for their school.

This is a very different movie than most Indonesian movies I have seen. No more Jakarta-centrist approach, the kids were Belitong's native and they speak in Belitong accent therefore they acted as naturally as possible. As for the picture, I think the 2.35.1 aspect ratio would do good, since the director took so many long shot, but like many Indonesian movies, they use 16:9 aspect ratio. Unfortunately no sweeping aerial shot to capture the beauty of Belitong.

I personally like this film, about the idea that we have to "give more instead of taking more", that even for the students in a remote village, they had the spirit to be a better person.

If there's any flaw, it is the choice of Tora Sudiro, a famous Indonesian actor, which I found as a distraction since he is famous and the film is suppose to be about a message, not a parade of famous people.

As the credit roll, it remind me that such school still exist in Indonesia, somewhere in the middle of nothing, filled with kids who wanted to study and make the most of it. Well, it is such fact that will provoke people, especially who watched it in the city (lots of teenagers watch this film and I hope that they should be thankful with what they got, stop dreaming of having a hedonistic and shallow pursuits) and if those kids in a remote village can make it they can do it because they had the will and courage.

MIXED REVIEWS

Gosh, it has been a while since I wrote here, my days are hectic so I will try to review several films I have seen as short as possible:

Son of Rambow: Two kids on a journey to find solace for their own restrained environment and found Rambo as their outlet is something I never thought of.

Maradona, The Hands of God: Nice but this one felt like any other mediocre sized biography, tries so hard to explain the why and how and doesn't depart to a more complex character driven film.

Iron Man: Yes, finally I can see this overly hyped film, wasn't as good as I thought, just some comic to screen adaptation with fancy effects and marvel(ous) effort to bend logic. I mean a man in a suit flying through many time zones and felt no tired at all? Not to mention being thrown here and there and minor scratch on Tony Stark? Come on.

Wall-E: Whoa! I wish I can say magnificent in seven foreign languages for this cute simple robot. Pixar has successfully enter our soul and stir it in a beautiful and simple way. With genuine wit and and new visual landscape like no other film, plus a Kubrickesque feeling, this one has nail an Oscar.

Persepolis: I was late to watch this film, but I like the animation and how the story was told from one point of view. It is a cinematic poetry in black and white, it is also very striking on how Marjane could convey a lot of message with just black and white.

SUKKAR BANAT (CARAMEL)

(Roadside Attractions)
Runtime: 90 min

Is this Lebanon’s answer to Sex and the City or My big ethnic Lebanese wedding with no profanity at all? At first I was skeptical, since it looks like just another melancholy chic flick but it turns out that, even with all female cast, it has a universal message to men. The fact that this film comes from war ravaged Lebanon also attracts me, will they show some war time struggle?

Five women in Lebanon have to tackle many universal issues, forbidden love and desires, traditions, repressed sexuality, and fear of getting old.

The title itself refers to a method used in the Middle East to remove unwanted body hair. Instead of using wax, they use caramel, consisted of heating sugar, water and lemon juice makes it irressistible to eat.

Layale (Nadine Labaki) who works in a beauty salon in Beirut has a dead end affair with a married man. Meanwhile her friend, Nisrine (Yasmine Al Masri), will soon be getting married with a Muslim man but the fact that she’s not a virgin troubles her.

Then Rima (Joanna Moukarzel) has a subtle and sensual lesbian attraction and Jamale (Gisèle Aouad) refuses to acknowledge that she had entered menopause, but the one who steal the show is Rose (Sihame Haddad), a tailor with a shop next to the salon. She had devoted her life to taking care of her mentally unbalanced older sister Lili (Aziza Semaan), but has found her first love.

Sihame Haddad steal the film with her heart wrenching acting as an old woman who’s being torn between fighting for her true love and taking care of her older sister. These women were all congregated in one beauty parlor run by the two of them.

What makes this film also warm and universal is as if the viewers were given a peeping hole on Lebanese daily life without war and bombs exploding. Unlike Sex and the City with the usual shocking candid talk, Caramel manages to maintain attraction by small scenes, like a woman and a girl separated by aquarium or how one character dyed their hair into red.

As expected, this debut from actress director Nadine Labaki is chatty and could easily move towards a generic chic flick, but it also give a warm feeling of the melting pot of Lebanese culture, once a while they switch between Arabic and French they even have to struggle with their culture.

As a guy who used to watch endless numbing action or gut wrenching indie drama, I have to say that this film is worth watching, even for those who hate chick flick, since this is not a chick flick; it is a celebration of women from Lebanon.