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.

Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill is bloody brilliant. This guy is so creative and I adore his style. Kill Bill is a dark comedy with plenty of blood and profanity. If you enjoyed Pulp Fiction (also directed by Quentin Tarantino), you will enjoy Kill Bill. Although the lines aren’t as great as Pulp Fiction, the kung fu fighting and the anime make up for it. Tarantino must be obsessed with Chinese kung fu movies and Japanese anime. Not only the fighting scenes are great, the music is banging and the sceneries are gorgeous.

Kill Bill is the type of film that you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the aesthestic experience. Hot chics kick asses with plenty of blood shed and the word “fuck” is being use thoughout the feature. Speaking of hot chics, Go Go Yubari plays by Chiaki Kuriyama is off the hook. She is mad fly. My favorite scene is the fighting between Uma Thurman vs. Lucy Liu. The snow in the garden is extravaganza. The beats makes you all hype up. The whole shot remind me of Stree Fighter video game. The cool part is where Lucy Lui forehead got chopped off. It’s gluesome but Tarantino made it looks mad cool. Lucy Lui is excellent in her character. Woman in power.

Kill Bill is entertaining but also can make some people feel uncomfortable because of the violence. If you’re into Japanese anime, you will love this film. Although I am not a anime film, I still enjoy every shot of the film. It is exquisite in term of bright colors, special effects, and hip music. Highly enjoyable and purely escapism.

Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River is breathtaking and heartbreaking. The film is so good that kept me focused over two hours. The performances are fantastic. Tim Robbins is phenomenal in his role as Dave. He kept me wondering what the hell is in his head the whole time. Is he psycho or what? Sean Penn is awesome in Jimmy as a tough dad who is emotionally torn by his daughter’s death, especially the part where he breaks into tears. This is one of his best performances next to Dead Man Walking. Kevin Beacon is not bad as a detective but Laurence Fishburne is off the hook. He is the man. All the supporting actors are great too. Mystic River is a very well made film over all. Go see it if you haven’t. Highly recommended. It’s definitely a great escape from whatever stress you have.

Finally get to see Lost in Translation. Bill Murray is flawless in his character. I always see him as a “lazy actor” and this role is exactly that. He is in the midlife crisis and too tired to do anything. Scarlett Johansson is also great with her performance. The film is driving by the relationship between two people who have nothing in common except they are being lost in Tokyo. Their relationships eventually grow even though they both married. Unlike other Hollywood romantic comedies, they communicate with each other without sleeping together. So where does the relationship end up? Sofia Coppola, the director, cleverly let the viewers decide. At the end, where Bob and Charlotte hug goodbye in the middle of the street, he whispers in her ear but the audiences can’t hear what he is telling her.

Beside the storyline, the cinematography is gorgeous. If you think Time Square nightlife is beautiful, check out Tokyo by night. It is amazing how they use the building glass windows as a gigantic video commercial. Of course, there are funny moments in the film. Such as the Japanese hooker in the hotel orders Bob to “lip” her stocking when she actually means rip. The acting part from the Whisky commercial is quite hilarious. The only silly part was when they are at the raw meat restaurant. All you have to do is dip the meat into the hot boiling soup until the meat is cooked and juicy according to your liking. Take it out, dip it in soy sauce and eat. That’s the kind of restaurant I like but Bob said it was horrible because, “What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?” It just shows how narrow-minded some people are. They never appreciate exotic food and the authentic of it. Just looking at the hot boiling soup and the fresh juicy meat make my mouth watery and they just wasted it. Anyway, it’s a great movie though.

Swimming Pool is a suspense that makes you think after watching it. The movie is a little bit slow. The thriller picks up at the last half hour. So what makes you sit through the first one and a half hour? Yes! The nudity and the sex. Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) is either half naked or completely naked throughout the film. Not only she adds so much visual elements to the feature but her performance is exceptional as well. She got a banging body but doesn’t care the type of guys she bangs with. Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) gave a superb performance in her role as a crime novel writer. My favorite moment is when she desperately flashes herself to the old pool cleaner to distract him from …. Sorry, I don’t want to ruin the film. To be honest, I think I know what happened but I am not so sure if I am correct. If you watched this film, I would love to hear your interpretation.

Finally went to see Pirates of the Caribbean after Keish has repeatedly recommended it. Well, I gotta say, the film is quite entertaining. Geoffrey Rush gives a wonderful performance. His sense of humor carries through the entire film. I am suprise to see Johnny Depp pulls it off so well with his character. His Donnie Brasco’s character stuck in my head but he surely impressed me with his ability to take on different roles. Keira Knightley, what can I say? She is blazing. After all, Pirates of the Caribbean is a nice little escape from a long day at work.

Please, please, please! Don’t go see it. Go experience it. Together is a masterpiece that you definitely don’t want to miss. It’s so touching that caused almost everyone in the theater broke into tears. It’s a perfect film with great acting, beautiful cinematography and an inspiring story. On top of that the exquisite musical score provided an aesthetic experience in the entire feature. I am not going to give away any details. You have to experience it for yourself. I haven’t seen a film this great for a while. This is definitely an awarding work of art. Hopefully it will reach all the theaters. Right now it is only showing in selected theaters. It was my first time at Upstate Films. The theater is really different. It’s warm, cozy and friendly. I will definitely come back to it more often to experience great independent films. In fact I am ready to experience Together for the second time.