Children of Men

This movie is based on and gets its name from a P. D. James novel. It’s about a dystopian near-future world where all the women have become infertile, but no one seems to know why. Possible causes hinted at are genetic experimentation, disease, nuclear fallout or radiation, gamma rays, and global warming (okay, I made that last one up).

The majority of the movie is about Clive Owen’s character who gets caught up in a plot devised by his ex-wife turned rebel leader which involves smuggling a woman out of the country, her importance being that she has become pregnant and could mean a new beginning for the human race. The problem is the government has imposed strict laws making it illegal to be an immigrant, and the country is on the verge of being thrust into a civil war.

This was a very good movie. I like these kinds of near-future, post-apocalyptic, dystopian stories. I also like most things that have Clive Owen in them, so that might also have something to do with it. There’s a very powerful scene quite near the end of the movie, also.

Casino Royale

Wow! This is a must see movie. The opening scene in Uganda was awesome. It’s great to see parkour getting more lime light. It totally heightens the thrill of a foot race. Banlieue 13 (aka District 13) had a pretty cool parkour chase scene, but Casino Royale shows how much more intense it can be with a bigger budget.

But it really takes you back to the early days of Bond movies. Not quite as epic as the Connery ones that always ended in a huge secret underground base full of people in jump suits, but pretty darn close. No gimmicks. No giant laser beams shooting down to earth from satellites. No tanks. No blimps. No ejector seats. No rocket launchers hidden in the trunk of a car. No submersible cars. You get the picture… It gets back to the roots of what makes Bond so cool.

Basically, it’s just him and his wits. He’s newly assigned to double-oh status, and makes mistakes along the way. It’s refreshing to see a Bond that isn’t perfect. Daniel Craig can pull off the action. You’ll have to ask a lady if he can pull of the suave and debonair part. And just a warning for the guys; the movie takes a bit of a romantic turn. Basically, you get to see the more human side of James Bond. Also, there’s a particularly gruesome interrogation scene that might make you cringe. Oh, and with a title like “Casino Royale” there’s some poker involved. Texas Hold ‘Em, actually, which probably wasn’t the style of poker they played in the original book. But whatever.

I think I’m going to have to go see it again. I got so caught up in the moment at times, that I’d miss some dialogue and be lost for a short time.

The Grudge 2

If you liked the first Grudge movie, you might like The Grudge 2. I did like the first one, but I didn’t like this one. Yeah, it was creepy, much like the first, although I think the first pulled it off better (probably because it was still fresh). It was rated PG-13, and that’s about how it felt. I’d even go so far as to say it felt like a PG movie. I just didn’t find it scary, or suspenseful even. There were several of those “music builds-up, then silence, then a loud noise” moments that are meant to make you jump, but I found them pretty easy to spot before they started (i.e. where the girl is supposed to appear). The coolest one was probably in the journalist’s dark room.

I didn’t find the characters interesting at all either. They didn’t really do anything you wouldn’t have expected them to do. Again, I think the journalist was probably the most interesting.

Fans of the original will like it because they’ll get some loose ends tied up near the end of the movie. There’ll be a CSI-esque flashback ending that might answer a few questions.

I guess I just wasn’t in the right mood. I might be unfairly comparing it to the original Japanese movie, which received and R rating and was far better, in my opinion. It’s been a while since I’ve seen those.

Texas Chainsaw
Massacre:
The Beginning

As far as Texas Chainsaw movies go, this one isn’t much different. There’s lots of sick, twisted, and creepy imagery. There’s a guy abusing the authority a cop’s uniform gives him. There’s a deranged family that has no qualms about killing and eating people. There’s a lunatic with a chainsaw. And there’s a group of teens that gets slaughtered along the way. Pretty much the usual stuff.

What I really liked about this movie, and serves as the reason for the title, is that we get to learn the origins of the characters and the circumstances that lead them to commit the atrocities they did. It starts with the birth of the baby that would grow up and become Leatherface, his first kill, and the domino effect of killings that follows from it.

Worth checking out if you like slashers, or Texas Chainsaw movies in particular.

A Scanner Darkly

First, let me say, I’ve never read the book. It is, however, sitting on a shelf at arm’s length as I write this, so I have every intention of doing so.

The interesting thing about this movie is its use of interpolated rotoscoping to achieve a cel-shaded look to it (don’t worry, I had to look it up, too). Gives it a very strange look that keeps you slightly distracted throughout the film. I’m sure that was the intended result, and they put it to good use. There were some effects in there you probably couldn’t do otherwise without it looking really hokey.

As I watched, I really started to wonder what this movie was supposed to be about. Basically, an undercover narcotics agent gets too entrenched in his role, and gets addicted to the same substance he’s supposed to bring down (think Jack Bauer, in the third season of 24). The first part of the movie follows Bob Arctor and his buddies on their drug-enhanced day to day activities in comedic style. Then it takes a darker turn when Arctor starts to realize he may have passed the point of no return, and that people might not be who they seem.

The first 24 minutes are available for viewing at IGN’s Filmforce (age verification required).