Have you ever like a movie so much that you wish it would never ended? That is how I feel when watching The Station Agent. I feel like I was part of the characters. The story is basically about Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) who is a dwarf and a loner. The only thing that interests him is train. Because of his height, people usually stare, pry or make fun of him; therefore, he just wants to live alone. Although he tries to be alone, he couldn’t shut out Joe (Bobby Cannavle) who “won’t take no for an answer” and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) who almost ran him over twice. Three people with three different circumstances but eventually become close friends. The interaction between these three characters is what makes the film engaging. The Station Agent is a beautiful work of art with some laughter, emotional and memorable moments through out the film. Every character gave natural performances of everyday life, which makes the film so realistic. The Station Agent is highly enjoyable. This is a film not to be missed.

Xuan Cuong’s Bien Dong is a well-written drama feature. The storyline is moving and the performances are implausible. Especially Thu Ha, she gave a touching speech near the end. Kim Cuong and Nguyen Chanh Tinh also did a wonderful job of bringing out their characters. With a clever screenplay and an exhilarating key performance, Bien Dong remains on your mind after watching the film. I wish the Vietnam movie industry should make movies like this, a powerful tale of crime, justice and greed.

Tuong lai la nha tu (The future is prison)
Hien tai la chem giet (The present is killing)
Qua khu la han thu (The past is hatred)

Bui Doi (Dust Life) is a short documentary about Ricky Phan, a young Vietnamese kid, who came to California when he was 13 and became involved with the Vietnamese gang. The film takes viewers through the lifestyle of Bui Doi which includes smoke, drink, party, sex, rob, fight, etc.

It was extremely hard for young foreign kids to deal with pressure at school. We did not speak English. We were being discriminated and hated by White, Black, Spanish and even other Asian kids who were born in the US. That what I hate the most, your own race acted like they don’t even fucking know you. They were too busy playing their White friends and too good to be your friends. These fucking Bananas (yellow outiside, white inside) must be saying to their White friends, “I don’t know that fucking immigrant.” These kind of pressures made kids like Ricky Phan to bond and form a gang. They can speak their own language and no one else fuck with them.

The film did a good job of portraying the real life of the Vietnamese gangs, however; the title is misleading. It should be Du Dang (gangster) instead. Bui Doi refers to people in Viet Nam who have no home. That’s why they live a life like dust. In the documentary, they refer themselves as Bui Doi. Yet, they live in a big ass house with cars and plenty of food and beer. That’s not a dust life. That’s a gangster life. So get it right. Damn it.

21 Grams is a masterpiece. The acting is great. The story is compelling. Best of all, the non-linear narrative is clever and stimulating. 21 Grams starts out with series of quick shots. The shots get longer as the movie progresses. It’s a technique that requires viewers to pay close attention in order to piece together the storyline. I am wondering if the technique still effective if the movie structured in reverse order from long scenes progresses to quick shots. It would be interesting if the film comes out on DVD with two options: one theater release and one in reverse order.

21 Grams starts out with Christine (Naomi Watts) lying naked with her breast showing and Paul (Sean Penn) by her side then the camera quickly jumps to another shot. It keeps doing that for about twenty minutes to the point where I begin to get dizzy. Luckily it begins to slow down. I am wondering if the director (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarrittitu) did that on purpose? He tortures you just enough but not to the point you have to walk out of the theater. Yes! I get seasick easily.

Character wise, they all did an amazing job. Benicio Del Toro is da man. My favorite scene is where Jack and his family are having dinner. The children are fighting and the son hits the daughter on one arm. He orders his daughter to put out the other arm so his son can hit the other arm also. The poor little girl is crying and his wife got mad, “what kind of parenting is that?” something likes that. After she carries the little girl to the kitchen, he smacked the boy on the head not one but twice saying, “No hitting in this house.” That scene just stuck in my mind. For Sean Penn, this is his second best performance in one year. From a strong mobster in Mystic River to a dying math professor in 21 Grams, he has demonstrated his ability to play various roles and brings out the characters in both. As for Naomi Watts, this is my first time seeing her and she has impressed me with her acting as a depressed woman on drugs. And yes fellaz! She does have some nice nipples.

21 Grams is simply amazing. Go experience it yourself.

Xa Lo Khong Den (Highway Without Lights) is a classic. Thanh Nga gave an extraordinary performance as a sweet girl who turns into a prostitute and ends up as a thug. Lieu (Thanh Nga) is the oldest daughter of a respectable family. Her father is a teacher and he wants his kids to go to school. The parents work days and nights but still cannot afford to put Lieu and Diem (Trang Thanh Lan) to school. Lieu decided to quit school to help out the family. In Saigon, the quickest way to make money is prostitution. Lieu ends up getting rob and raped. She joins the Hippies and becomes a thug. Lieu and her gang robbed money from a big mafia. Well, I am not going to tell you the whole story.

Xa Lo Khong Den describes Lieu’s life as a young and beautiful girl who takes the highway route without realizing the danger. Another highlight of the film is the conflict between Lieu and her father. The dialogue between them is well written. Her father believes in pride but when you are poor, pride won’t save your family, only money can. Lieu realizes that cruel reality and she has to do what she has to do to save the family even without her father’s approval. Xa Lo Khong Den is simply a masterpiece. Wish it had English subtitles so others can enjoy the film as well.

Nancy Meyer’s Something’s Gotta Give is somewhat enjoyable because of the great performances. Of course, Jack Nicholson is as good as it gets. Diane Keaton is almost good but her crying part is simply annoying. The film starts off really good with some funny dialogues but it drifts away into long boredom. Even the good acting could not hold it. If a romantic comedy is longer than one and a half hours, I begin to look at my watch.

My favorite line is when Erica (Diane Keaton) talks about rap music. She does not like rap but Harry (Jack Nicholson) points out that rap is a form of poetry. She immediate replies, “How many words rhyme with bitch?” Not sure if that is offensive but the viewers get a kick out of it. My favorite line from Harry is, “I have never lied to you, I have always told you some version of the truth.” I am wondering if that line is from the script or Jack made it up.

Something’s Gotta Give is funny enough to enjoy after a hard day of work. Wish the storyline could be tighter. It just seems too easy when the doctor (Keanu Reeves) gives up Erica to Harry. It seems like the director tries to wrap up the movie since it’s running over two hours. It simply not convincing at all.

Wow! I didn’t expect the snow to drop on us. Luckily, I had some good films to get me by. Far From Heaven is visually beautiful. The gorgeous autumn takes my mind of the nasty weather outside. Basically, the film deals with homosexuality and interracial relationships in 1957. Julianne Moore gave a splendor performance. The greatest strength about the film is its simplicity. Although the story is simple, the impact is quite deep. The second film is In The Bedroom, a powerful piece of work. Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek were a perfect opposite attraction. I don’t want to give away the ending. It’s quite unexpected. This is why independent film is so great. The director can just go all the way. I have to see it one more time. Lastly, Old School is straight up stupid. I am not going to waste my time writing about it.

I did not plan to see this film because of the misconception about “a white man portray a Samurai.” When The Last Samurai hits preview, I heard some Asian folks are disappointed because Tom Cruise is casting as a Samurai. Well, I am glad I watched it and Tom Cruise is perfect for his role. As a matter of fact, he gave a wonderful performance as an American warrior, not a Samurai. The title is misleading because The Last Samurai refers to Katsumoto plays by Ken Watanabe, not Tom Cruise. Mad props go out to my man Ken Watanabe. He is the man of the film who gave an extraordinary performance as a great leader, loving father, fearless warrior, intelligent man, and true Samurai. Keep an eye on him for the best supporting actor at the Academy this year.

Although the film is approximately 2 and 1/2 hours long, the characters always keep you in tuned, especially Ken Watanabe. On top of that, the beautiful Koyuki adds some aesthetic experience to the film. She is as pretty as “Hoa Anh Dao” the exquisite Japanese pink flowers. Not sure what they called in English or Japanese. Speaking of flowers, the cinematography is luxuriant. Have to give credits to the designer, John Toll, for bringing the gorgeous scenes to life. Of course, the battle scenes are bloody violence as well.

Overall, The Last Samurai is definitely worth seeing. It’s highly entertaining with great acting, effective storyline, and emotionally captivating. Not to mention some nice comedies that break the atmosphere. Go enjoy it yourself.

This film is way over-hyped. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (this is the longest URL I have seen) is over two hours long and it surely doesn’t keep me from falling asleep. The film starts off with a battle then begins to build characters for more than an hour and finally ends with another battle. Don’t know why Russell Crowe is so popular. I could barely understand him. They must spent an incredible amount of money building and blowing that ship and they will have a hard time gaining it back.

Words of caution, first, if you get motion sickness easily, don’t watch Thirteen on large screen. Wait until it comes out on DVD. I had to close my eyes and left the theater a couple of times to clear out my dizziness and I could barely make it though the film. The shots are too jumpy and jerky. I know they are trying to give audiences the chaotic view but it was too much. Secondly, this is not a movie I would like my thirteen years old kid to watch.

Beside those two cautions above, Thirteen is quite disturbing but totally fascinating. Usually if a movie causes me motion sickness, I would walk out of the theater but the powerful storyline and the superlative performances of Thirteen held me back. Nikki Reed gives a flawless performance as a bad ass slut who lies, cheats, and uses her sweet talk to get what she wants. She also co-writes the magnificent screenplay. Evan Rachel Wood is stunning in her role as a straight A’s student who turns into an angry bitch. Holly Hunter is also breathtaking as a caring mother who loves her child unconditionally no matter how much the child hurts her. Despite the motion sickness of cinematography, Thirteen is simply mesmerizing with fine acting and well writing. I will definitely watch it again when it is available on DVD.