2.5, Europe, United States/Canada

The Reader

2008 / Stephen Daldry > In a guest appearance on the Ricky Gervais/BBC sitcom Extras, Kate Winslet joked around about how she may finally win an Oscar by playing a role in a Holocaust film. As fate would have it, the Academy somehow overlooked her incredible turn in Revolutionary Road for her portrayal of Hanna Schmitz in The Reader, an ex-Auschwitz prison guard with a couple of mystifying secrets. When you think about it, this was made for a nomination, but the tragedy may be that she’ll actually win for a mediocre film whose sole purpose, it seems, is to apologize on behalf of all the no-holds-barred anti-Nazi sentiments apparent in our world today.

This is where it gets tricky: It’s understandable to humanize those who have committed heinous acts against humanity. There’s always another side to the story, and that side should always be heard. We are a society that depends on a fair trial, so it’s almost necessary that we should extend that courtesy to even those who have sided with the Third Reich. At the same time, it’s downright laughable how The Reader approaches this process. As the film unfolds, it becomes infuriating to see the opportunities that could further enhance our understanding of Hanna’s character ignored in order to slap our faces with the literal meaning of the title. We are not children, and if you want us to give into our conscience and empathize with those who have caused the world so much grief, you have to give us a better reason than illiteracy.

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4.0, Europe

The Edge of Heaven

2007 / Fatih Akin > For a while, I thought this was going to be Babel-lite. But Akin, having shown his ability to mesmerize and churn the human heart in the fantastic Head-On, tempered his storytelling technique so that it doesn’t reek of emotional manipulation. Sure, it’s got some points where he heavily tests Murphy’s Law, but eventually you can see a mechanism for him to examine how we grieve, how we find solace in a world of tragedies and how there’s always hope. There’s an emotional intelligence to the whole show that sticks. The icing on the cake may be the performance of Turkish beauty Nurgul Yesilcay, who comes off raw yet tender and steals every scene she’s in.

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2.0, Europe, United States/Canada

Babylon A.D.

2008 / Matthieu Kassovitz > I should have guessed when Kassovitz himself denounced the final product, but I figured it was worth a shot. I’m generally a sucker for apocalyptic near-futures, and this one seemed to have a lot of the typical plot points—military black markets, religious fanatics, a savior or two. But Fox’s interference during the filming process looks more than obvious. Considering what Kassovitz was capable of in La Haine, arguably a better version of Boyz n the Hood, this is a mess beyond belief. The story jumps, becomes incoherent, then suddenly has a wonderfully poignant (at least in its own, deluded mind) finale. Supposedly there’s a longer cut out there somewhere, but the director himself has said that he didn’t even get to film his vision. So, in effect, any alternative cut out there ought to be rendered useless.

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3.0, Europe, United States/Canada

Quantum of Solace

2008 / Marc Forster > This is what we get after Casino Royale? Having seen all but the Timothy Dalton adventures of Bond, I felt that Casino Royale was arguably the best in the series, even if it significantly veered from the style of the first 20. But Forster’s vision in Quantum of Solace failed to catch the slipstream of its successor. The whole show feels anti-climactic: Too much goes on without any kind of concreteness, and the scope is so minuscule that we find it tough to care for Bond when the final fight vs. the bad guy comes. Aren’t Bond films supposed to be about global domination? Aren’t there supposed to incredibly powerful henchmen who protect the super-villains, who themselves are maddeningly intelligent and devious? This felt more like a take on Bond as if he were Jason Bourne. The film’s enjoyable, sure, but the satisfaction doesn’t last. I can’t help but stress the weakness of scope, and how it reminded me of the terrible storyline from Diamonds are Forever. The stories of James Bond are supposed to be grand in every essence of the word, but this that was not. Here’s hoping they take heed of Daniel Craig’s latest comments in saying that Bond’s initiation has ended. It’s time, finally, for the real villains to come onstage.

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2.5, Europe, United States/Canada

Rambo

2008 / Sylvester Stallone > Exactly what it should be: Thin but acceptable plot, lots of bloody action and gore, and a running time that keeps the babies from crying. I haven’t seen the original ones since I was a wee little lad, so maybe I need a refresher, but Stallone’s smug look in Rambo does get pretty tiring after a while. Has John Rambo always been such a bitter man like this? I want some Tango!

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1.5, Europe

Donkey Punch

2008 / Oliver Blackburn > Wikipedia describes a donkey punch as “a slang term for an apocryphal and potentially lethal sexual practice supposedly performed during anal sex or doggy-style sex.” And that, my friends, is the central catalyst for the story. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, cookies for originality there. The problem is the manner in which a hedonistic boat ride turns into a tour of humanity’s descent into hell. It’s a bit crazy, sure, but when you don’t care about any of the characters (because they’re all annoying, selfish brats) and you’ve already witnessed the aforementioned act of sexual bravado, what else is there to be shocked by? The show becomes limp halfway through, even with its spunky premise.

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4.0, Europe, South Asia

Slumdog Millionaire

2008 / Danny Boyle > Boyle’s really hit me from left field on this one: Boasting one of the most impressive and varied filmographies in cinema today, I imagined this to simply be a heart-warming tale of rags-to-riches and romance. Well, that it is, and so much more. Slumdog Millionaire is conscious of the modern-day India, crisscrossing from the slums to India’s upper class while still approaching the shady underground gangsters and their counterparts (and every American’s favorite) the call center operator. Stylistically, it borrows as much from Boyle’s own Trainspotting as it does from City of God. The vibrant colors and sharp editing energize the film’s pacing so that the viewer’s journey is a non-stop feast of entertainment. And a soundtrack cutting M.I.A.’s beats and vocals only support that foundation. There are a couple of things to be understood, though: The story is fairly conventional, the “plot twist” happens in the beginning, so the viewer isn’t being suckered on, and it’s a bit predictable. But none of that keeps it from being arguably the most incredible, enjoyable film of the year. The whole experience is a crescendo that culminates with the kind of gritty satisfaction that no straight-edged family film can offer.

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3.0, Europe, United States/Canada

Stargate

1994 / Roland Emmerich > It’s always a bit sad to re-visit a film only to find it a shade of its former self. Such is the case with Stargate, something that I had fondly remembered as a great science-fiction experience upon its release. But time has not been so kind to Emmerich and his creation. The CGI effects are awkward and often unforgiving, some of the the acting is downright wooden (such as Jaye Davidson, who sucked the last bit out of his fame from The Crying Game here) and the story is a bit too shallow to be memorable. (Come to think of it, this and Independence Day are basically the same plot, but on different home fields!) But all of this aside, it’s hard not to give the film credit for climbing us up the imagination tree and fusing ancient Egyptian mythology with a good dose of futurism. This is no classic, not anymore, but it’s still worth a viewing for its sense of nostalgia.

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3.0, Europe, United States/Canada

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

2008 / Guillermo del Toro > Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a fun romp through the world of Dark Horse Comics that often gets bogged down by the “too much” theory which commonly plagues sequels: If it worked once, do it again and throw more of it in, right? Well, no, not really. That’s what kills franchises (see Batman & Robin). The story’s fairly generic and a lot of the jokes are barely on the right side of slapstick, though thankfully, del Toro’s considerably more tactful than most others in his profession. But after the serious foray that was Pan’s Labyrinth, I really can’t blame him for having a bit too much fun.

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2.0, Europe, United States/Canada

The Golden Compass

2007 / Chris Weitz > Boring and bloated though undeniably gorgeous, it’s no surprise that The Golden Compass failed miserably with both critics and audiences. Once you get past the eye candy, the film lacks the charisma to stay afloat, which is too bad, because now we’ll probably never get to see the story finish. This also marks a serious misstep for Weitz, whose About a Boy was full of heart and wonder.

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