THE DARJEELING LIMITED

Comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Bill Murray: not sure who he is
Owen Wilson: Francis, the oldest (and bossiest) of the three brothers
Adrien Brody: Peter, his brother
Jason Schwartzman: Jack, the third brother
...plus other cast members I didn't get to see

REVIEW
I read somewhere that “Director Wes Anderson's films are an acquired taste.”
Obviously I have yet to attain that level of appreciation since I walked out after half an hour of what I consider to be absolute drivel.

Perhaps it got better but I have little patience with a comedy that goes nowhere (inside joke since virtually all the action at that point in time takes place on a train going somewhere in India). Other types of movies often build slowly but not a comedy: the funny stuff as to be there right off the bat or what’s the point?

At the risk of giving away the plot, perhaps I have a rather strange perception of what constitutes comedy but frankly I did not find any of the following funny at all:
 Bill Murray’s character runs after his train as it leaves the station but can’t catch up to it but Peter does
 In the restaurant car, Francis orders the meals for himself and his two brothers; they sit there demurely without comment
 Jack remarks that Peter is wearing his father’s glasses and “his prescription was not even the same as yours”

CLASSIFICATION
for language. That's a misake. It should be rated
F for Fergetaboutit!

DEATH AT A FUNERAL

Comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Matthew Macfadyen: Daniel
Keeley Hawes: his wife Jane
Daisy Donovan: Daniel’s cousin Martha
Alan Tudyk: her fiancé Simon
Kris Marshall: Martha's brother Troy
Peter Egan: Martha’s father
Andy Nyman: friend of the family Howard
Ewan Bremmer: Martha’s wanna-be suitor Justin
Peter Vaughan: crotchy old Uncle Alfie
Rupert Graves: Daniel's brother Robert

REVIEW
Is it too much to expect a film promoted as a comedy to be funny? The first smile (not even a laugh mind you) came 55 minutes into the film. Not surprising when you look again at the title: like what is funny about a funeral anyway?
Right from the get-go it is apparent this is no knee-slapper. And it just gets worst from that point onwards despite the inclusion of rude, vulgar potty-humour, attempts at slapstick and pratfalls that are supposed to make you laugh. Well they don’t.

CLASSIFICATION
for language and drug content.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
Troy puts a bottle of pills on the kitchen table just beside another one. Even though no one approaches the table until Martha does, 6” or more now separates the two pill bottles.

QUEBEC SUR ORDONNANCE

Documentary
In French with English subtitles

REVIEW
Paul Arcand as Quebec’s answer to Michael Moore he takes a hard look at the province’s medical system and the preponderance of too many doctors to over-prescribing drugs without regard to the consequences.

However as a documentary it is more a recap of what is generally known with little in the way of new insights that warrant spending an hour and a half watching it. Perhaps to bolster our interest Arcand tries hard to make the situation seem worst than it is.

For example showing us how easy it is for teenagers to buy a couple packages of off-the-shelf products without being questioned by the clerk is of itself not a crime, as he would like us to believe. What is a crime is taking those medications and using elaborate methods to transform these pills into “street drugs” such as crack. I think the bad guys don’t need to resort to sending kids into drugstores to obtain their raw material.

CLASSIFICATION

MICHAEL CLAYTON

2008 Best Supporting Actress



Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
George Clooney: Michael Clayton, so-called "fixer" at the law firm of Kenner, Bach & Ledeen LLP
Sydney Pollack: his boss Senior Partner Marty Bach
Tom Wilkinson: Michael’s long-time friend, the firm’s top litigator Arthur Edens
Tilda Swinton: Karen Crowder, Chief Legal Counsel with U/North Chemicals
Merritt Wever: Anna, one of the defendants

REVIEW
I suspect the reason some movies are so confusing is to keep you in your seat long enough for you to figure out what is going on, otherwise you might get up and leave. That’s what crossed my mind as I sat through this rather long telling of one more instance of corporate malfeasance.

Probably those who have been called to the bar will be drawn to this cinematic version of Court TV but for many it will prove to be a bit too much: too much legal jargon, too muddled (especially the sub plot of Clayton’s personal life), too much unsaid.

Which is a shame because the acting is top notch (Clooney’s best effort in years), the cinemaphotography is first rate, the musical score right on and the stand taken by Edens is refreshing.

CLASSIFICATION
for language, including some sexual dialogue.

P.S.
Being familiar with the following legal terms will be useful in understanding what transpires:

BRIEF: A written document that outlines a party's legal arguments in a case.

CLASS ACTION SUIT: A lawsuit in which one or more parties file a complaint on behalf of themselves and all other people who are "similarly situated" (suffering from the same problem). Often used when a large number of people have comparable claims.

COMPENSATORY DAMAGES: Money awarded to reimburse actual costs, such as medical bills and lost wages. Also awarded for things that are harder to measure, such as pain and suffering.

DAMAGES: The financial compensation awarded to someone who suffered an injury or was harmed by someone else's wrongful act.

DEPOSITION: Part of the pre-trial discovery (fact-finding) process in which a witness testifies under oath. A deposition is held out of court with no judge present, but the answers often can be used as evidence in the trial.

DISCOVERY: Part of the pre-trial litigation process during which each party requests relevant information and documents from the other side in an attempt to "discover" pertinent facts.

LLP: Limited Liability Partnership is a corporate enterprise that gives the benefits of limited liability to the principals but allows its members the flexibility of organising their internal structure as a traditional partnership.

PUNITIVE DAMAGES: Money awarded to a victim that is intended to punish a defendant and stop the person or business from repeating the type of conduct that caused an injury. Also intended to deter others from similar conduct.

RETAINER: Refers to the up front payment a client gives a lawyer to accept a case. The client is paying to "retain" the lawyer's services.

INTO THE WILD

Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Emile Hirsch: 22-year old Christopher (Chris) McCandless
Jena Malone: narration by Chris' sister, Carine
William Hurt: their father Walt
Marcia Gay Harden: their mother Billlie
Brian Dierker: aging hippie Rainey
Catherine Keener: his soul-mate Jan
Vince Vaughn: wheat farmer Wayne Westerberg
Kristen Stewart: a teenage singer Tracey
Hal Holbrook: senior citizen Ron Franz

REVIEW
There are few films with a running time in excess of two hours that I would recommend seeing; but this is one of them.

The fact that it is based on a true story only serves to enhance its appeal. Fabulous camerawork (unusual camera angles, sweeping vistas, tight close-ups and lingering sunsets) coupled with some really good acting by most everyone (the border guard being an exception) a great soundtrack and a story about someone who takes the unconventional route makes for compelling viewing.

Using flashbacks always results in topsy-turvy chronological references but generally these are easy to handle, in part because of titles appearing periodically indicating the point in time. One other thing: a couple of times I started to get the feeling that it is running a tad too long then something happens and I wanted to stay on. And did so right to the end.

CLASSIFICATION
for language and some nudity (the nudist colony kind).

P.S.
The squeamish like me will have an opportunity to rest their eyes about ¾ of the way through after Chris bags his first moose.

THE KINGDOM

Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jamie Foxx: FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury, leader of the forensic team
Chris Cooper: Special Agent Grant Sykes, the explosives expert
Jason Bateman: Special Agent Adam Leavitt, the intelligence analyst
Jennifer Garner: Special Agent Janet Mayes, the forensics examiner
Ashraf Barhom: Colonel Faris Al Ghazi of the local police

REVIEW
Unlike most movies that jump right into it expecting the viewer somehow to know the background to what is going on, this one begins with a short history of Saudia Arabia that sets the scene.

Although not just big colourful explosions and noisy gun fights, there are enough of them to keep the action going. Acting is adequate, as the roles don’t demand a lot of anyone (except the Colonel) and the story is much like others of its kind.

CLASSIFICATION
for intense sequences of graphic brutal violence and for language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
Judging from the shadows, the softball game is being played sometime around noon so it would be too early for school classes in Washington D.C. since the East Coast is 7 hours behind Riyadh.

While being shown their accommodations one of the agents points out they are so tired after their long flight. However the actual flight time from Washington Dulles International Airport to King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is just a little over 12 hours not the 18 hours he mentions.

SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL

True war drama
Some dialogue in French with English subtitles

BACKGROUND
On July 1, 1962, Belgium granted full independence to Rwanda as a republic governed by the Party of the Hutu Emancipation Movement. Rwanda thus became a Hutu-dominated one-party state. Following a coup in 1973, Juvénal Habyariman was inaugurated as president. For 20 years his Hutu military government ruled with an iron-fist policy against both Tutsis and any Hutus who opposed him. Habyariman resisted calls for free elections and was opposed to long-running demands by Rwandan Tutsi refugees for their right to return.

On April 6, 1994 his plane was shot down above Kigali airport. Within hours, a campaign of violence spread from the capital throughout the country and did not subside until three months later. Between April and June 1994 in the space of 100 days an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed . Most of the dead were Tutsis.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Roy Dupuis: Canadian Armed Forces General Roméo Dallaire
James Gallanders: his aide-de-camp Major Brent Beardsley
Owen Sejake: Major-General Anyidoho, United Nations Chief of Staff
Odile Katesi Gakire: Prime Minister of Rwanda
Deborah Kara Unger: American Reporter Emma

REVIEW
Told from the perspective of the man in charge of protecting the lives of innocent people, this is not simply a retelling of the horrors of the Rwanda genocide. Shot on location and with acting that is first rate (especially by Dupuis) the Rwanda part of it looks and feels authentic. The flashbacks less so.

Perhaps a little long, it is never boring. Some of the scenes are unsettling but manageable by all but the more squeamish.

CLASSIFICATION
for disturbing images, violence.

P.S.
Not to be confused with the Emmy-winning 2004 documentary film based on the book entitled Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire.