Weekly Review -- The good, the bad and the sinister

I saw some vastly different films this week. One was an independent film which, contrary to many other indies, did not concern real life issues. Sure, its intentions were good, but its script was bad. The other film is one I had wanted to see for a long time, finally got to it and did not regret it.


London (2005) -- Where to start? This film felt like I was watching the private life of someone like Paris Hilton or one of those creatures. In other words, it featured ugly nouveau riche people with so-called problems. When Sid (Chris Evans) learns that his ex-girlfriend London (Jessica Biel) is moving from New York to Los Angeles, he starts reflecting on their relationship, realizing how many mistakes he made during their time together. All the while, we meet some of their mutual friends, like party girl Rebecca (Isla Fisher) and bartender Mallory (Joy Bryant), all of whom have something to say about the situation. From one pretentious dialogue to yet another shallow character, 45 minutes into the movie I was ready for it to end. Let me first say that I am sick and tired of the bling mentality that is occupying culture nowadays. Judging by the style of this film, it is now creeping into cinema, and it presents a sad state of affairs. Throughout the film, I kept wondering if these people have any semblance of jobs in their lives and just how they could afford the lofts they hung out at, as well as the cocaine and heroine and whatever else they were shoving up their noses. This film consists of a vacuous story populated by cardboard characters. True, some of the dialogues do show realistic relationship dilemmas, the film has that much going for it. However, none of the characters are developed enough for the audience to care. The screenplay leaves much to be desired and comprehended. Quasi-philosophical dialogues pop up out of nowhere, the characters jump from one situation to the next without any background stories and most of them are very irritating, anyway, leaving one completely neutral to their "troubles". I cannot remember the last movie where I cared this little for the characters. Overall, I got the impression that the film was trying to emulate The Rules of Attraction with its liberal approach to sex and aloof characters. The trouble with the sincerest form of flattery in this case was that Rules was set in the context of the materialistic, sexually daring 80's -- the setting that managed to make the novel and film's issues poignant -- while London has no context that would make us relate to the story. The tagline of the film is "A film about love and her victims". I am sorry to report that I was a victim of this film, but hey, the good news is that you do not have to be.

3/10
(for Jason Statham's performance, the good ending and some very appropriate music)


Sisters (1973) -- One can barely talk about Brian De Palma's films without mentioning the hitchcockian elements in his work. Sisters, the film that propelled De Palma into mainstream cinema, is no different, its thematic elements and musical score paying tribute to the late master of suspense. The story concerns a pair of Quebécois Siamese twins, Danielle and Dominique Blanchion (Margot Kidder), who are successfully separated in their adolescence. Years later, Danielle is working as a model in New York. After a rendez-vous with Phillip (Lisle Wilson), he ends up dead in her apartment and the apparent murder has been witnessed by Danielle's reporter neighbor Grace (Jennifer Salt). Since the police fail to take action, Grace decides to do a bit of investigating on her own, soon realizing that not everything is as it seems. As with many De Palma films, the style is half of the film's substance and half the fun of watching. The director's beloved split screen technique is used in an incredibly effective manner in a key scene; in some other parts, it almost makes us feel like voyeurs, allowing us to glimpse into crime scenes and twisted lives. The acting is very spontaneous, further enhancing the bizarre circumstances. Kidder is disarming as Danielle, making the audience sympathize with her tortured character. Salt's Grace is an intrepid, smart cookie who the audience roots for, while De Palma regular William Finley, who plays Emil Breton, only needs one unsettling stare to go from creepy to possessively caring. This film is a satisfying thriller, with intelligent twists, some very disturbing flashbacks and an ending you did not see coming.

8/10

X-Men: The Last Stand breaks records!! The Wind That Shakes the Barley wins!!

Ecstatic!

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20060528/114886698000.html

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/cannes/news/va/20060528/114885224000.html

Weekly Review -- Julian Sands week

So I discovered Julian Sands through "24", where he played Vladimir Bierko, a terrorist bent on reversing the arms treaty signed by the Russian and the American presidents. He made for a threatening and charismatic villain, so I researched his filmography and rented some impressive films this week. This man is an awesome, versatile actor and I cannot wait to see more of his work.


A Room with a View (1985) -- One of the most popular Merchant-Ivory productions is a lush romantic drama with an intelligent screenplay. Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) is on holiday in Florence with her aunt and chaperone, Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith). Through a set of circumstances, they meet Mr. Emerson (Denholm Elliott) and his quirky son George (Julian Sands). Soon it is time to return to England, where Lucy becomes engaged to uptight Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis), but cannot forget about George. Will she make the right choice? The dialogue of the film breezes through the beautiful locations, from the ancient cathedrals of Florence to the green richness of the English countryside. The acting is superb all around. As the fiery Lucy, Bonham Carter shows enormous early potential, which would explode in 1997's Wings of the Dove. Sands is endearing as George Emerson, a quiet young man who happens not to mince the few words he utters. The supporting cast does not miss a beat. Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Denholm Elliott -- need I say more? Smith and Day-Lewis are particularly memorable as the conservative chaperone with a huge heart and the too-stiff-upper-lip fiancé, respectively. Simply put, the characters are well drawn out and there is not one actor who fails to leave an impression. It should be added that the film functions not only as a period piece, but also as a commentary on Europe in the Edwardian era, examining the role of class and conventions in British society through the lens of subtle and sharp wit. This is a cleverly written, refined production with classy actors, that should not be missed.

10/10


Werewolf Hunter: The Legend of Romasanta (2004) -- The werewolf sub-genre of horror has not fared well in recent years. Not too many films were made about this topic; the rare ones that were released, like Cursed, flopped unceremoniously. This could be due to the fact that either a) the films took what were meant to be campy stories too seriously or b) the films did not delve fully into the mythology. Enter Werewolf Hunter, which tells a true tale of Manuel Romasanta, Europe's first serial killer who had based his defense on the claim that he was afflicted by lycanthropy. In the 1850's Spanish village of Allaríz, a series of murders is committed. The residents first believe they were committed by wolves, as indicated by the distinct look of the wounds. As it turns out, though, they are the work of traveling salesman Romasanta (Sands), who has most recently been linked to a local woman, Bárbara (Elsa Pataky) and had previously been romancing her sister, María (Maru Valdivielso), who mysteriously disappeared. Once Bárbara realizes the truth about Romasanta, she vows revenge. Many viewers have been unfairly comparing this film to Le pacte des loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf), when the only thing these two films have in common is the historical legend of a beast terrorizing a region. While Le pacte relies mostly on the adventure and fantasy elements, Werewolf Hunter attempts to glimpse inside the mind of a killer whose human instinct is compromised in more ways than one. The problem is, the film is too condensed for the psychological dimension of Romasanta to be explored completely. It gains the audience's interest, but does not deepen its chosen focus. Sands successfully portrays a man who is torn between his impulses and normal outward appearance; whose deeds are violent and unforgivable, but whose plight is dismal and poignant. Pataky is sweet and innocent enough as Bárbara, whose character arc is another part impacted by the film's length. Although the character of Antonio (John Sharian) was one of the pivotal parts of the real-life investigation, I do not think it was necessary for this film. It should have been either developed further or left alone; as it is, the character is underdeveloped and merely a sidenote to the main story. Overall, there are two paths this film could have taken -- the path of a werewolf horror film or the one of a psychologically charged character study -- and it does end up as one of the best entries from the werewolf category. As a character study, it does not exactly fail, but it does not live up to its own concept, since it does not dedicate enough space or time to its protagonist.

8/10


Stephen King's Rose Red (2002) -- As far as eerie places and unsavory human beings go, Stephen King is the master of the domain. Some film adaptations of his novels and stories did not go far (e.g. Thinner, Pet Sematary and Sleepwalkers), but, when they are set in mysterious locales with actors who can pick up all the character nuances, miracles happen, as in the case of The Shining, Carrie and The Green Mile. Rose Red was actually written directly for the screen, and it achieves two things. First, it shows King's inventiveness with characterizations and makes you sorry that it is not based on a novel, where you could re-visit the characters and read more about them. Second, it shows King's familiarity with the television medium and his grasp of the screenplay format, which is very different from the literary one. The series proves yet again that King is a writer through and through. This time, he weaves a tale about a haunted house that murders its inhabitants. A group of psychics, led by parapsychology professor, Dr. Joyce Reardon (Nancy Travis), go on an expedition to Rose Red, a supposedly haunted Gothic mansion in the heart of Seattle. The mansion has interested Reardon for a long time, and she wants to provide the elusive proof of paranormal phenomena by "awakening" the house's spirits. To do that, she needs the psychics' collective energy, but Rose Red has other plans... Being that this is a TV film, the production values are surprisingly good. A low budget often hinders a film's credibility, but it does not do so with this story, in which the sets are exquisite and the effects are convincing and satisfyingly bizarre. I loved the Mirror Library and the Perspective Corridor, but all the rooms were very imaginative. Travis is very good as Reardon, alternating between academic zeal and blind ambition. Other stand-outs are Kimberly J. Brown as the autistic psychic Annie Wheaton and Matt Ross as whiny Emery Waterman. The film's atmosphere is rustic, the house is gorgeous and evil and the screenplay keeps you guessing. Watch it on a stormy night and enjoy.

9/10

X-Men: The Last Stand opens tomorrow!!

The film officially opened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 22, but residents of North America will be able to see it starting tomorrow. It looks awesome, with some great character developments and cool new mutant characters. I also have to add that I am very happy with what Brett Ratner, the director, said in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly: "I was less interested in trying to make my mark than [in making] a movie that fit into the trilogy" (#878; May 26, 2006). I thought that a different director might change the style of the film, but this statement looks encouraging.

The film's official site is www.x3movie.com. Check it out, it is fantastic!

Weekly Review -- Scream or screen, that is the question

When a Stranger Calls (2006) -- Like many other film buffs, I am not a fan of remakes. Some manage to translate the atmosphere of the original and adapt the new vision to the story, like The Ring or The Thomas Crown Affair, but many others fall flat, like last year's disastrous Fog or 2004's The Stepford Wives. If you have a good thing, leave it alone, I say. However, I am always interested in remakes from a cultural point of view. I love seeing a new version of a good tale and comparing the films in the context of each work's era, social circumstances and pop culture. The new version of When a Stranger Calls is such a film, in a what-about-caller-ID sense. In other words, Fred Walton's original succeeded in creating horror out of an everyday situation, making the audience's imagination run wild with every phone ring and doing for babysitting what Hitchcock did for showers. The very idea of a remake makes you wonder just how the writers and director would create suspense in the time of cell phones and the Internet, when all our moves can be traced electronically and identity is up for grabs.


**POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD**


By now, most viewers are familiar with the story. High school student Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle) goes out to an isolated house to babysit. Believing that she is in for another boring night of studying, she settles into the posh surroundings. She soon starts receiving threatening calls -- an 'unknown caller' provides the resolution to the ID issue -- and finds herself fighting for her life.

The remake does offer some innovative updates and quite a bit of suspense. The first scene is extremely clever and effective, and the stranger's voice is sufficiently creepy. Still, what this film does wrong is attempt to create a character out of the aforementioned house -- a mighty gorgeous, top-of-the-line techno wonder, I might add. The whole point of the original was turning an ordinary suburban house into a trap. That was it. The concept was simple, yet frightening. The new film relies on too many gimmicks and too many frills, with the filmmakers forgetting that the best kind of terror is created through an exploration of human behavior in plain situations and settings. We do not need exotic gardens, voice-activated appliances and five phones. The house is not the babysitter, Jill Johnson is. Hence, please let us have the babysitter terrified by a psycho and do not feel the need to spice things up.

Unfortunately, if the character of Jill had taken centre stage, she would not have seemed half as terrified as needed, since Belle is a pretty weak casting choice. She is somnolent throughout the proceedings and her voice is a monotone, all of which is making her appear bored and not scared. The screenplay, which occasionally interrupts the thrills and veers off into after-school-special territory, only makes Jill look more whiny. The supporting cast do all right with their primarily thankless roles, and the stranger was well chosen as far as looks go.

All in all, the film is not the best thriller or remake ever, but there are worse ways to spend a couple of hours. You can even make it a double bill and watch both films back to back! Just remember to unplug the phone.

6/10

Artsy video alert!

I just found this video and loved it right away. The atmosphere feels like a combination of The Cell -- one of my favorite films, largely due to its surrealistic visuals -- and The Shining, another deliciously insane favorite. The song is beautiful as well and, right now, you are only a click away from the enchanting sounds of Lunascape's trip hop. Enjoy!

Lunascape - Mindstalking
Music Video Codes By Music Video Code

Another Blogthing

You Should Be a Film Writer

You don't just create compelling stories, you see them as clearly as a movie in your mind. You have a knack for details and dialogue. You can really make a character come to life. Chances are, you enjoy creating all types of stories. The joy is in the storytelling. And nothing would please you more than millions of people seeing your story on the big screen!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

Summer Review #1 -- Mission: Impossible III

And we are off! Another summer movie season has started. The first official blockbuster, M:I3, is a cinematic piña colada, replete with explosions, acrobatics, femme fatales and exotic locales. As a summer movie, it is a treat; as an action piece, it is a 100% adrenaline event; as a film, however, it is pretty average.


**POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD**


Tom Cruise does his superstar thing as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, on the trail of a psychotic arms dealer (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who, in turn, is hunting down a certain artifact/virus/biowhatever, cryptically called the Rabbit's Foot. This time the stakes are even higher for Hunt, considering that he is about to settle into domestic bliss with an ingenuous nurse (Michelle Monaghan), while at the same time trying to keep his secret identity from her. Enter Hunt's team, consisting of computer genius Luther, explosives expert Zhen and transport man Declan (Ving Rhames, Maggie Q and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, respectively), and you get a respectable dose of blow-'em-up coolness. It is a fun watch, with a likeable cast and some truly original scenes -- the Vatican and Shanghai scenes come to mind -- but it feels disjointed and incomplete. I was not particularly impressed with J.J. Abrams' directorial style, since I felt that he would often allow the action sequences to replace or overshadow the story elements. I would have also wanted to see more of the villain(s?), who seem to have been mere spices in the story and whose backgrounds would have been interesting to know about. Overall, I do not think I should have held my breath for the movie, but I am glad I saw M:I3 on the big screen, since I do not think DVD does justice to stunts and special effects. Besides, I believe that action is the official summer flavor, and M:I3 has it in spades. What more can you ask for?

7/10

Poseidon and M:I3 -- blockbusters without the "bust"?

OK, so these two may not be the best movies, far from it. Still, Poseidon seems like good summer fun, so I am surprised it did not do better. I have not seen it yet, but it is grandiose in a popcorn manner, with good effects and perfect for the big screen. It brings out my nostalgia for older blockbusters like Twister, Con Air and M:I2. It just has that sort of late 90's cinematic texture, for lack of a better word. Ah, the good old days...

Mentioning M:I2, I did see the Rabbit's Foot... oops, I mean M:I3, and the review is coming up. I just did not want to ruin my drama theme for last week. :-)

Random pictures of a place I love

This is the 'everything in between' part of my blog. :-) Here is a collage of photographs of London, my favorite city. I have never been there, but hope to visit soon. I love everything about the U.K. and its capital. The picture of London that I have in my mind is one of a city bursting with life, energy, colors and sounds from all over the world; of a city that has been knocked down a couple of times, but always managed to rebuild itself, thanks to its joie de vivre; and, finally, of a city that embraces its people and history.

(Montage courtesy of Britain Express, www.britainexpress.com)

Weekly Review -- Overlooked dramas with a hint of chills

A good drama is hard to find and a treasure when it is discovered. I believe that, with the constant stream of films geared toward a couple of certain demographic groups, well crafted dramatic films are rare nowadays, with only a few good examples popping up here and there. Some of these films end up with a blink-and-miss cinema status, yet find new life on DVD. I am hoping that the latter will be the case for the films I had the pleasure of seeing this week.


Munich (2005) -- Steven Spielberg's latest film is a psychologically brutal drama that explores the reality of human souls caught up in a conflict beyond their control. After the terrorist group Black September had kidnapped and murdered eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, Israel wanted revenge. To that end, they decided to send out five agents, led by Golda Meir's former bodyguard and ex-soldier Avner (Eric Bana), who would hunt down the men responsible for the massacre and kill them one by one. Each of the agents has training and experience for a specific aspect of the operation. Apart from Avner, the group consists of Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz), toymaker and bomb expert; Steve (Daniel Craig), a South African hit man; Hans (Hanns Zischler), an accountant responsible for the money provided by Mossad; and Carl (Ciarán Hinds), the 'cleaner' who makes sure there is no trace of the five at any scene. As the team travel through Europe, leaving bloody payback behind, the seemingly black-and-white motives for the killings start melting into gray areas, creating clashes between the men. Most of the film's events are seen through Avner's troubled, reluctant, yet determined eyes. He is the kind of man who puts loyalty to country first; however, he is torn between this loyalty and love for his family. Bana is perfectly cast as Avner, showing genuine emotion in a man who was taught to repress it. One of the film's most effective parts is Avner's phone call to his wife, which manages to show his whole inner struggle in about ten seconds. I liked the fact that, contrary to many films dealing with the concept of revenge, there is no classic balance between the so-called good guys and bad guys in Munich. The terrorists are obviously killers and, although the motives of Mossad are understandable, their actions are just as cold blooded. It is precisely this kind of analysis that makes Munich more than a political thriller; rather, the film becomes a study of character under the most unnerving of circumstances. In the end, the cycle of revenge is neverending and the desire for vengeance is an undeniable part of the human instinct.


10/10


Match Point (2005) -- Most of Woody Allen's films deal with the characters' ruminations on life, love and the unpredictability of fate. In Match Point, Allen eschews the quirky study of life for a dark examination of luck. Ex tennis pro Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) starts a new job as an instructor at an exclusive country club and immediately meets Chloe and Tom Hewett (Emily Mortimer and Matthew Goode), daughter and son of a business tycoon (Brian Cox). Soon afterwards, Chris and Chloe start dating and everything seems rosy on the romance front, until Chris falls hard for Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson), Tom's fiancée. With devoted Chloe on one side and passionate Nola on the other, what is Chris to do? The answer may not seem so obvious but, after all, nothing is as it seems in this tale of lust and intrigue. From the very beginning, Chris narrates his views on the importance of luck in life, and the clever screenplay examines these views in the context of various unbelievable situations the characters find themselves in. The brilliant thing about this film is that the screenplay never blurs the delicate line between luck and coincidence, a misstep that could easily have occurred in the hands of another filmmaker. Instead, every detail is convincing in its implausibility, likely to happen even if followed by the audience's gasps. With his boyish good looks and charm, Rhys Myers is well cast as a man whose life gets more complicated by the minute, while Johansson is appropriately seductive as Nola, gradually peeling off the sultry layers to show us the essence of her character. The direction is another unique aspect of the film. Allen creates a musical performance from the actors' movements, making as believe at times that we are watching a ballet and not a cinematic piece. Match Point is Woody Allen's upside down look at Murphy's Law. It makes us think about ourselves, our actions and their consequences, all the while exploring various curveballs that fate throws at us. It asks a simple, but ultimate question - what does one's life depend on? See this film and decide for yourself.


9/10


The New World (2005) -- Terrence Malick's new epic recounts the love story between English explorer John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Native American Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher) in the milieu of the English colonization of America. The way the film examines the principal love story and general human interaction is original and impressive. It takes its time telling the story, using subtle direction and relying on words and actors' body language rather than screenplay conventions. This aspect of the film may have been what put audiences off when the film came out in January. The above mentioned invasion of bound-to-make-money films immediately comes to mind, as does the generally short attention span of Western audiences. This film is not one that can be seen, enjoyed for two hours and soon forgotten. The title does not necessarily refer only to new geographical territory; it also refers to the new universe opened up to Pocahontas, as well as the one that Smith becomes part of. As an exploration of timeless emotion in a historical context, The New World is a work that can be appreciated beyond its epic film structure. The acting is good all around. I was convinced by Farrell's portrayal of Smith as a tender brogue, and believe that Farrell's acting keeps getting unfairly overlooked in favour of his personal life. Christian Bale also has a nice turn as John Rolfe, another settler, whose one action is sufficient to define his character. The standout of the cast, though, is Kilcher, whose performance is haunting and moving. Considering that Kilcher was only around 14 when this film was made, her grasp of the character's depths is astonishing. Her Pocahontas is a wild butterfly, epitome of freedom itself, whose wide-eyed curiosity and innocence is almost shattered by her effect on the very formation of the colony. I am not sure how much of the film is historically accurate, but I dare to go on the record and say that the accuracy can be disregarded if a film treats its story and characters with respect and intelligence, which Malick's work certainly does. The film reminds us about the origins of our continent and our cultural wealth, doing so by drawing a detailed map of the human heart.


9/10

My first Blogthing!

This was a fun quiz.

The Movie Of Your Life Is An Indie Flick

You do things your own way - and it's made for colorful times. Your life hasn't turned out how anyone expected, thank goodness! Your best movie matches: Clerks, Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Cool result -- some of my favorite films are indies. :-)

Weekly Review -- Around the world

One of the most seductive aspects of cinema is the budget-free time travel. Think about it. You can go from 1999 outback to 19th century Norway to 2002 Florida. Those are the places I went to this week, anyway, although... well... I think I fared better than most characters in the films I saw.


Wolf Creek (2005) -- As a cinematic representation of human nature's worst side, this film is a success. As a promo for Australia's tourist destinations... not so much. The film tells the story of three friends whose trip of a lifetime to the outback's Wolf Creek crater turns into a neverending nightmare. There is one thing about this film that always frightens more than any Freddy or Jason, and that is human cruelty. The film's villain, Mick, is someone who manages to lull the travelers, as well as the audience, into a false sense of security. His crudeness aside, he seems friendly enough; that is, until bodies start piling up. The acting achieves its purpose -- the villain manages to disgust us and the likeable leads manage to endear us. The film's low budget feel, home video format and the appealing main trio succeed in putting us in the characters' shoes. It is easy to judge and blame Kristy, Liz and Ben for trusting a complete stranger; if we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no one around for miles, we would also have to trust the first person on the scene. Still, even if we take into account the wrong-place-and-time dimension, the three are outrageously free of any informed judgment, which brings me to the film's little ironies, all nicely woven into the slasher theme. At one point, the two British girls compare Mick to the Crocodile Hunter, giving free license to the film to mock long-standing stereotypes, while being cartoonishly naïve. Throughout the film, the three characters exchange UFO stories, not realizing until it is too late that the real monsters are usually normal-looking. The fact that the film is based on a true story only adds the ultimate dose of reality to the proceedings. Apart from the obvious brutalities -- and be warned, there are some truly horrific scenes -- it is details like these that create in Wolf Creek an overview of the unlimited capabilities of a soul's darkness.

7/10


I am Dina (2002) -- A symphonic drama on a luscious postcard is how I would describe this gem. Dina (Amanda Jean Kvakland) accidentally causes the death of her mother. This tragic and unbelievably grisly moment influences the rest of her life. Burdened with guilt but fascinated by death, she grows up to become a passionate and unpredictable young woman (now played by Maria Bonnevie), who does not take no for an answer and whose fierce independence defies the ways of her 19th century Norwegian village. After her husband dies, she occasionally gets sexually involved with Tomas (Hans Matheson), her only childhood friend, and falls in love with mysterious stranger Leo (Christopher Eccleston). The frosty, moody hues of the cinematography correspond well to Dina's wild spirit, as well as to the contrast between her expected position in the society and her rebellious streak. Marco Beltrami's rich musical score colors the on-screen events and taps into the tortured soul of the principal character. As Dina, Bonnevie is perfection. She is an emotional storm, raging from one phase of Dina's life to the next; she is a wild animal who breaks out of her cage over and over again. I am Dina is not only a story about a woman's search for love and acceptance, but also about a woman attempting to resolve the inner conflict that threatens to tear her apart. Love or guilt? Life or death? Which one prevails? It is up to you to find out.

9/10


Secretary (2002) -- An unusual love story at heart, this film had attracted a fair share of controversy months before its release. Although the film is independent, it brings the phenomenon of S & M into the mainstream. It tells the story of Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a mousy young woman who, after her release from a mental hospital, finds work as a secretary for E. Edward Gray (James Spader), a seemingly cold and socially inept lawyer. Edward and Lee's working relationship quickly turns to that of an experienced master and willing slave, respectively. Not only does Edward awaken Lee's sexuality with his eccentric tactics, he also opens her eyes to possibilities outside her introspective existence. Slowly but surely, Lee gains control over her life. She gradually starts taking care of herself, becoming more and more independent, but also more and more attracted to Edward. Will she be able to reconcile her desires with her newfound freedom? This film would fall apart without the connection and chemistry between the two leads; thankfully, Gyllenhaal and Spader are a match made in kinky heaven. Gyllenhaal in particular is fascinating to watch, imbuing Lee with tenderness while avoiding any clingy attributes and providing her with intuition and power without veering off into feminist territory. Spader's Edward balances between love and experimentation, unable to deny his affection for Lee even as he keeps her at a certain distance, showing this affection with deceptively distant body language and rare longing glances. Steven Shainberg's direction is delicate and eloquent, treating what many would consider perverse as a natural step for these two outsiders. Secretary is a look at an unconventional, raw and honest love affair. It not a film that will suit everyone's taste; however, those who understand it will be rewarded by a meaningful lesson in the language of eroticism.

8/10

Visiting Casino Royale for the very first time :-)))))

Oh... my... God.

I just saw the teaser trailer for Casino Royale, and the movie looks... well, how should I put it... FANTASTIC!

It seems like a completely original Bond experience; at the same time, though, it looks like a throwback to the 60's films, as far as the gritty action and retro aspects go. Stylewise, based on what I saw, I would describe it as arthouse, with a hint of techno and a splash of mod.

The trailer can be found on the official site, www.sonypictures.com/movies/casinoroyale No official banners yet, but I am hoping for some when the site launches.

I am looking forward to seeing Daniel Craig as James Bond. The man is an awesome actor, as well as extremely handsome. I also love the choices for Bond girls and for the villain. Both Eva Green and Caterina Murino are stunning and I always hear good things about Green's acting. I guess I should have a date with The Dreamers very soon. Mads Mikkelsen, who plays Le Chiffre, has a very cool, otherworldly look to him, I find. Martin Campbell is directing, and he did an amazing job with GoldenEye. To sum it up, the movie looks unmissable.

A big thank you to tylerandjack, who posted the link on iMDB. :-)

Casino Royale is in theatres November 17, 2006.