Rich Kao

Wow.  Mesmerizing.  Stunning.  Scary.   Troubling, and yes, dark.  It's a movie that will make you squirm.   There are scenes and dialogs that make you say "don't go there."  Yet  in the midst of all these elements, a story emerges that is amazing, especially for those of us who see the parallels to human nature and redemption as the bible tells it.   The movie keeps you on edge because of it's twists and turns (you think the movie will end at about three different spots), incredible scoring, visual effects, and character development.   The late Health Ledger could very well win an Oscar posthumously; his role so well done he makes even legendary Jack Nicholson (a former Joker in a previous Batman movie) look small.   I like movies that make you think and this one did it on multiple levels - just keeping up with the plot was tough enough (I think it will take another couple viewings for me to catch all the nuances), not to mention the moral questions that were raised and acted out (the two boat dilemma in the late scenes was masterful).  But it was the end that left me stunned, and marveling at the genius of the storytelling (a tribute to human creativity and insight).  This was where the "darkness" comes to its climax, and the theme of redemption is played out with subtley.  It's depressing yet impressive at the same time.  I don't want to say too much more for those who have not seen the movie, but I like how the movie does in fact take us to the end of what we are like - as much as we don't want to see it. 

Interestingly, there was nearly unanimous agreement among the secular critics that this movie is too intense for kids and youth, and that the PG-13 could have easily been a R-rating, even though there was no "skin" that usually merits such rating.  The subject matter and the Joker's troubling behavior is what pushes it a near R rating.

For me, it's the best movie I've seen all year, and in my top 10 all time list.

Joined the family for a trip to Pixar's latest offering:  Wall-E.  Off the top...very interesting.  I did not expect to encounter almost a new kind of genre in animated movies...namely, minimal dialogue; Pixar chose not to give a voice to the main characters - Wall-E and Eva - and as a result had to rely on incredible animation, and scoring to keep the action moving along.  I would say for the most part it did the job given the tall assignment, although it did lose my 9 yr old boy who almost fell asleep.   Wall-E is utterly lovable as a character, and the grand theme of "taking care of our earth" was generally well done without being an overt political piece.    Again, the execution and imagination invested in the movie was world class.   So creative.   Overall, it was almost better as an adult movie than kids.  I know the critics seemed to have loved it, with the general populace a couple steps behind.  My final rating:  8/10.  You have to give Pixar's track record a thumbs up.  It's 9/9 in terms of producing blockbuster films.  I'm not sure there is studio out there that has a 100% success rate like Pixar.

I love Lucy.  I love Aslan.  Georgie Henley is perfectly cast as Lucy, the archetypal Christian in CS Lewis' classic series Chronicles of Narnia.  Lucy's innocence, faith, and purity comes through so clearly in Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, and now in this second installment of the Narnia series.   Lewis is such a masterful writer, portraying with such clarity, but sublimnity what a pure hearted Christian should look like.  The choice of a lion, named Aslan to mirror Christ is also masterful.  The first time I read the series, I was completely captivated by Aslan; my imagination fired by Lewis' depiction of Aslan's strength and tenderness.  Scenes of Lucy tucked in the mane of Aslan have always stuck with me.  Seeing the adaption on big screen has been a real treat.   I was also mesmerized by the closing song ("The Call"), sung by Regina Spektor.  Being in a big surround sound theater really brought out the unique vocal quality of Ms. Spektor.  I've included the closing songs here.  Oh, btw, great special effects.  Final climatic scenes were wonderful.

On recommendation of my kids, blockbuster status (over $300 million at the box office) and the need for something "mindless," I watched Transformers.  Took me four sitting to get through it (it's almost 2.5 hours long).  It's a great popcorn movie.  Won't challenge you intellectually; won't inspire you to change the world, but lotsa fun.  Great special effects.  Great sets.  Very funny.  Simple story line (good vs. evil). Shia LeBeouf (lead) is really good.  He has to run a lot in the movie.  The sexual humor is objectionable in parts.  But the ratings advisory is accurate.   Watch it with the caption on, will help with all the military jargon and phrases they use (e.g. "Sec Def orders a strike," as in Secretary of Defense orders a strike).

I've realized that I've developed a philosophy of buying DVD movies.  Here's why:

1. I like the jackets and jewel case.  I like the descriptions on the covers and the visual confirmation of the movie I'm going to see.  

2. I like the guaranteed quality of the DVD versus the pirated stuff.  I like the extra features, scenes, director's cut, language options, ability to pick where you want to start the movie, and different angles.  You just plain get a value added product.

3. I like the feeling of being legal.

4. I like being able to watch a movie multiple times for no extra charge.

5. I like the look of the DVD library that sits on my shelf (it's really my only collector's bent I know of).

6. I like being able to take DVD's on the road, as opposed to having seen it in the theater, but no record to fall back on.

7.  I love the value proposition.  You can get a DVD for $15 or less (my usual threshold), and view it mulitiple times with multiple people, saving so much money compared to if you went to the theater to see it.  E.g. my little boy Matthew has proably watched "Over the Hedge" 10x or more.  That's nearly $70 in movie tickets.  Instead I paid $15.

8. I love buying a product for $15 that cost typically $50 million or more to make.  Unbelievable.