The Fall

The Fall
USA (2006)
Starring:  Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru, Justine Waddell
Awards: 2007 Best Film - Sitges Catalonian Int'l. Film Festival; 2007 Crystal Bear Special Mention - Berlin Int'l. Film Festival; 2008 Best Cinematography - Austin Film Critics Association

This movie dubbed a fantasy and adventure begins in a hospital.  In this hospital there are two characters thrust together by chance.  A stunt man with a shattered heart and broken leg and a girl who fell and broke her arm.

Roy befriends Alexandria and begins telling her a story of six heroes who each desire to kill the same man.  As the story carries on Roy cons this young child into acquiring medicine for him for his pain.  As the story unfolds the viewer begins to understand that medicine will not cure Roy's particular situation.

I decided to watch this movie because I wanted to continue a recent run on fantasy movies.  This was far from anything upbeat and was truly sad the way the story unfolds.  For those of you who are looking for a fantasy adventure I would look on - the lack of action throughout and the morbid twists will leaving you wishing you picked another movie.  For those of you interested in fantasy movie with a dark/depressing motive well you can find it on Netflix.

Wu ji - The Promise

Wu ji - The Promise
China (2005)
Starring:  Cecilia Cheung, Dong-gun Jang, Hiroyuki Sanda
Awards:  Orient Express Section Special Jury Award (Fantasporto 2007)

I looked for this movie because I came across an old review from the LA Times I think that called it one of the most beautiful films imaginable.  The Promise was without a doubt visually striking.  It was worth getting the blu-ray version of it.  From the costumes to the scenes to the story itself this movie was cool all the way through.  It truly is a beautiful story.

In a world where men and gods live side by side a slave from the Land of the Snow and beggar turned princess pick their destiny.  Cheung was promised by a goddess a life of riches, but without love.  Jang was born a more noble human from the Land of the Snow and forced into slavery.  Their paths cross in a complex turn of events and the rest is the story that is worth watching.

This movie was awesome.  Just when I thought that I'd exhausted nearly every major cinematic release from the past decade I found a movie that made me wonder how I had missed it!

Quote:  Destiny can be changed, time sometimes does flow backwards, snow can fall in the spring, and even a frozen heart can come back to life.

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Chronicles of Narnia:  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
USA (2010)
Starring:  Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley

Based on a series of books I haven't read since I was about five, I found this installment of C. S. Lewis's books to be what I expected.  The details of the story I had long forgotten so most of the movie was not as familiar as you might expect of someone who had read the book.  It seems like there are some occurrences that weren't in the book and of course many that were in the book that weren't in the movie.  Still, all in all, I was pleasantly surprised by what I watched.  If I was my little brother's age I would have loved this movie, I am sure.

While the classics aren't represented in their entirety I am enjoying the surge of movies written with a classic literature or historic background that have been coming out in the past 10 years.  This one especially so.  For everyone who can remember being a kid and reading this book by flashlight or candlelight long after you should have been asleep I thoroughly recommend allowing this movie to take you back to the times when magical things were possible in your mind.

Season of the Witch

Season of the Witch
USA (2011)
Starring:  Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy

Season of the Witch enticed me for a few different reasons.  First it deals with Templars whom I considered a mystical bunch that were nearly the stuff of fairy tales.  Second because it involves witches, which are the stuff of fairy tales.  And third, unlike many, I like Nicolas Cage as an actor.

The film didn't disappoint me.  I wasn't expecting a whole lot and as such I wasn't quite wowed nor left feeling like I had wasted an hour and a half.

Dominic Sena shot this film in Austria to give it a good backdrop.  I give him props on that move.  There are some really cool scenes that would have been quite a bit different if he had filmed it anywhere else.  The acting was okay and the plot was the stuff of fairy tales.  The scenes were set well which only helped form the shell for this story to be told.  I wouldn't call it one of Nicolas Cage's best movies, but a good one in his line of movies and it did what it was supposed to:  entertain.

K-20: Legend of the Mask

K-20:  Legend of the Mask  aka  The Fiend with 20 Faces
Japan (2008)
Starring:  Takeshi Kaneshiro, Takako Matsu, Toru Nakamura
Award:  2009 Hochi Film Award
I went on this long hunt for foreign superhero movies and K-20:  The Fiend with 20 Faces emerged.

From his humble beginnings Heikichi Endo is forced to move from being Japan's number one circus act to becoming Japan's number one enemy.  With his name in ruin Heikichi trains to gain the skills required to capture the man who set him up.

This Japanese fantasy movie is pretty cool.  There's some fun stunts, a few decent scenes, a number of good laughs, some drama, a couple of scenes that beg for the audience's emotions, and a bit of scientific mystery.  Sure there were parts that didn't really jive and some scenes where the helicopters looked like little remote control helicopters, but it was worth overlooking that.

I would have watched this even if it had horrible reviews, just because it is a foreign superhero movie.  Regardless of why I would have watched it though, I'm glad I did.

20th Century Boys

20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End
20-seiki shônen: Honkaku kagaku bôken eiga


20th Century Boys 2:  The Last Hope
20-seiki shônen: Dai 2 shô - Saigo no kibô


20th Century Boys 3:  Redemption
20-seiki shônen: Saishû-shô - Bokura no hata


This is a series of three movies produced from 2008-2009 from Japan.  The movies is based on an award winning magna series called Yawara written by Naoki Urasawa.

When my week long venture of watching these three was over I was happy.  I can see why this might have been a huge success in Japan.  It was kind of gory and in some ways seriously creepy.  The story continuously develops and devolves as more and more information lost in the minds of the group who wrote a story during their childhood.  This is the story of one man, Friend, who climbed to the top of the religious/global political ladders and a group of childhood friends who must gather together years later to fight against the evil that Friend is unleashing on the world.  

Aside from being a super long story this set of movies was cool.  The special effects left a little to be desired and the style of filming was a little different, but all in all for another take on the end of the world it was worth the watch.  I don't think I'll watch it twice though.   

Loong Boonmee raleuk chat - Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

 

Loong Boonmee raleuk chat - Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Thailand (2010)
Starring:  Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, and Sakda Kaewbuadee
Awards:  2011 Best Film (Asian Film Awards), 2010 Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival), 2010 TFCA Award (Toronto Film Critics Association Awards)

Ok, so generally I see that a movie which carries a generally accepted set of genre tags such as comedy, drama, and fantasy and then the awards that were won along with a few other nominations and I think, "wow that might be a good movie.  To get such attention from everyone this one at least has some potential."

I don't know if it was that I couldn't identify the title with the occurrences within this movie or if it was a cross between the ghost, the monkey spirit, the guy who mated with the monkey spirit, or the catfish god having sex with a princess. . . but, this movie didn't really impress me.  

Travelers and Magicians

 

Travelers and Magicians
Bhutan
2003
Starring:  Tshewang Dendup, Sonam Lhamo, and Lhakpa Dorji

When I saw this movie I watched it mainly because I wanted to visually explore Bhutan as much as this movie would allow.  It certainly satisfied some of my curiosity with some gorgeous scenery, but I know there are many spectacular wonders the cinematography in this film didn't touch.  With that said, being the first movie from Bhutan that I've watched I had to see what type of story it conveyed.   I found the beginning a little strange and almost annoying, but it was worth sticking out the first 20 minutes as the movie changed drastically.

From the beginning this movie is a story of travelers.  Dondup travels the mountain roads for days so that he can get to the capital and move to the United States.  Along the way as he rides buses and hitchhikes as he is forced to travel with a growing group of people.  One person whose path was crossed in this journey was a monk with a story to tell.  His story of a dreamland is mystical and certainly has its own meaning amongst choices the travelers will one day have to make.

Quote:  "A peach blossom is beautiful,  But you see, a blossom is only beautiful because it is temporary."

"You should be careful with dreamlands because when you wake up, it may not be very pleasant."

Aladin

Aladin
India - Bollywood
2009
Starring:  Ritesh Deshmukh, Jaqueline Fernandes, Amitabh Bachchan, and Sanjay Dutt

I can not express how insanely happy it made me to find this movie.  There are just certain stories that always capture my interest, Aladin and the Genie have been one of them for almost 30 years.

The story has little new to it, but it comes from close to the land of the original tale and so from that perspective it is new enough.  This story begins with Aladin hiding from his heritage.  Through a strange twist of fate he ends up with the magical lamp and from it summons Genius.  Aladin can not conceive of three wishes and is prodded by Genius who is eager to get the three wishes over with and go about his way.

This movie has the comedy, the love story, the Bollywood dance, a cultural overlay, magic, carnies, a genie, and some interesting visual effects.  Oh, there is this funny song that you have to hear.  There's a Genie rap in the movie that cracks me up, I wish I understood the Hindi part - but, that might take some of the humor away.  All in all I was happy to see the movie and at just over two hours the time was much better for this story then the typical near 3 hour epics that Bollywood produces.

Quote:

Strigoi

Strigoi
UK
2009
Starring: Constantin Barbulescu, camelia Maxim, and Catalin Paraschiv

I have to give it up for originality.  I was expecting something that didn't wow me too much, something that wasn't really exceptional, and that is exactly what I got.  I actually thought it was a Romanian movie till I did the research on it.  With that said, it is a vampire movie and maybe it's vampire lore somewhere that they behave in the manner depicted in the movie.  If not then these vampires are completely different then those I've grown old with on film.  There is some humor in this movie that's kinda funny.  There are also a lot of things that just don't seem to connect properly, but hey I still gave it the length of the movie.  It was enjoyable on some level, and probably what I'd recommend as a stormy Sunday afternoon flick.

Fung wan II - Storm Warriors

Fung wan II - Storm Warriors
Hong Kong
2009
Starring:  Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng, and Kenny Ho
Awards:  Nominated for the Asian Film Award (2010)

Probably my second favorite genre of movies right now is the martial arts arena, fantasy martial arts movies are awesome because of the thought that goes into creating the worlds and the martial arts themselves.  Fung wan II is no exception to that.  Virtually all of the action sequences are friggin awesome.  The limits of reality are tested, sure, but that doesn't mean the story isn't cool.  If you liked the looks of Goemon you should certainly like the looks of this.  Some of the names in this movie were a little corny, but that very well could be something that is lost to me in translation.

I think we are coming into a new era for martial arts movies.  I have a hypothesis that the kids who grew up watching anime are becoming directors now with production budgets large enough to create the worlds and special effects their minds have been trained to imagine.  I think we're going to see a large number of flicks coming out of Asia that will rival Hollywood action productions in the next decade.

Storm Warriors has a decent plot behind it.  There is a strong element of good and evil, light and dark, and it approaches the high ranking martial arts training with that perspective.  There is a some type of a love story tied into this movie for both Wind and Cloud, but for some reason if it wasn't for the acting that wouldn't be overly apparent; the subtitles said little about it other then hints here and there.  If you like fantasy martial arts movies with good action virtually all the way through you should check this one out.

Het Leven Uit Een Dag - Life in One Day

Het Leven Uit Een Dag - Life in One Day
Netherlands
2009
Starring:  Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen, Lois de Jong, and Tygo Gernandt
Awards:  Nominated for Best Cinematography at Camerimage and for the Dutch Film Critics Award at the Netherlands Film Festival

Life in One Day is a unique movie.  At first I thought that it might have followed the storyline of a movie called Wristcutters, though it did show a small resemblance the movie was far from what I anticipated.

This independent film from the Netherlands explores love and relationships through experiences that take place in two parallel worlds.  One world is nearly the same as the other with a couple major differences; if one were to pick at some of the possibilities of the "alternate" world there are some fundamental issues that could be addressed, but the fact of the matter is that movies are a vehicle, a image if you will, from someone's mind as it imagines the possibilities and impossibilities in life and creates stories.  Het Leven Uit Een Dag is no exception.  This movie started out a little twisted, but surprised me as it continued.  The plot flows smoothly throughout the movie.  I am most positive I would thoroughly enjoy the movie in its native language.

The plot is that of two lovers who desire the impossible and strive towards it; this impossible being eternal love.  The story flows along this line all the way through.  There is quite a bit of eroticism, nudity, and sex through the movie - go Europeans.  How can one have an eternal love without considering sex and nudity in the relationship?  Through the exploration of life and satisfaction this movie journeys through situations ironically humorous and sad at the same time.

Het Leven Uit Een Dag, Life in One Day, was worth seeing once.  I enjoyed the movie enough that I came back and finished watching it; dread the movies that I can not do that with.

Quote:  In the world where I was born, life lasts one day.   One day in which you experience everything only once.

MirrorMask

MirrorMask
2005
Canada
Starring:  Stephanie Leonidas, Jason Barry, and Rob Brydon

MirrorMask falls into many different categories.  It is an adventure, a drama, a family movie, a fantasy, and is full of carnies all the way through.

I think Jim Henson had a run in with some bad acid from the 60s when he wrote this.  This movie was a visual trip all the way through.  I can only imagine the people who created it.  It is done by the creators of Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

With that said, if you can deal with the trippieness of it all it is quite an imaginative adventure.

The story begins in a carnival where one of the stars of the show is fighting with her daughter.  After those often exchanged words between the rebellious teenager and parents watching out for them.  Soon she finds herself in a world where everyone mysteriously wears masks..



Quote:  If I told you something wierd, would you think I'm crazy?

Joong-cheon - The Restless

Joong-cheon - The Restless
South Korea
2006
Starring:  Jun-ho Heo, Woo-sung Jung, and Kwang-il Kim

The Restless presents life and death in a distinctly unique fashion.  From hoards of demons, legendary swordsmen, ethereal guardians, legions of the dead, and of course one beautiful love this movie moves through the life and afterlife with stunning visual sequences.

This movie is listed as a horror in virtually every database, but it's certainly not what I as a westerner consider a horror.  The movie has elements of adventure, action, fantasy, and romance.  All the ingredients I need to sit down and try to dedicate a couple of hours to something.

Joong-cheon  is also full of visually stunning sequences.  It was nomiated for the Most Visually Stunning movie in the 2007 Asian Film Festival and it won the Best Art Direction award in the Grand Bell Awards.  It contained some very well choreographed fight scenes too.  The Restless is a unique journey through this world and the afterlife.  For fans of the fantasy martial arts genre I recommend this movie.  There are some parts that I had to shake my head at, but all in all this is a pretty cool movie.

Stardust

Stardust
2007
Starring:  Clarlie Cox, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Ben Barnes, & Michelle Pfeiffer

Stardust begins in a small English village that lies just beyond the outer edge of a fantasy kingdom.  The only way between the two different worlds is over a wall at the edge of the town.  Beware of the guardian!  This movie is a tale replete with magic, comedy, lost family, falling stars, witches, kings, spirits, adventure, the struggle between dark & light, and love.  It will be enjoyed by nearly everyone.

For the fantasy genre lovers out there Stardust is a must see; I thoroughly recommend it.

Quote:  "Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human?"

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010)


The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec is quite a whimsical movie.  Louise Bourgoin and Mathieu Amalric kept me laughing with some of the silly things their characters did.  If you like a decent fantasy movie that is a little familiar, yet has something different about it, then you should see this movie.


The movie starts out by introducing some of the key players and the narrator certainly let's you know he's talking to you.  I found this interaction with the audience a little odd, but quickly forgot about it as the movie developed.   This could have just been in the translation I was provided with though; stranger things have happened.  


Adele is most likely one of the most amusing women characters I have seen.  She doesn't take flak from anyone, is extremely smart, and has some luck like no other.  Her character is very well developed and she is the central piece to the whole movie.  Adele is based on a comic that bears many similarities to Indiana Jones, but the movie while it touches on a hint of this does not give us the Indiana Jones feel... thank god. 


If you like your fantasy adventure mummy movies you should check this out.  At 107 minutes it's not super long, was filmed very well, and I am sure you'll find more than a few chuckles in there.  The visual composition of the movie is excellent and the plot is uniquely outlandish.  I will be surprised if this The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec doesn't win at least a couple awards as time goes on.  For uniqueness and sheer amusing intrigue I think this movie is worth its time.  You might enjoy it more if you understand French, even so I still recommend this movie.