Movie #64 - The Accused

"The first scream was for help. The second is for justice."

This movie was one of the critically acclaimed films of 1988, for which Jodie Foster won an Oscar as Best Actress. The film contrasted one of the up and coming actresses of the early to late 80's in Foster with one of the more accomplished veteran actresses in Kelly McGillis.

The storyline of this movie is quite disheartening - following a rape victim's trial to seek justice from the rapists and people who did nothing to help her. The movie is about the trial to charge the spectators who not only avoided helping Foster's character, but also cheered the rapists on to continue their heinous act.

Foster gives a powerful performance portraying the victim, but McGillis is a convincing female DA and shows her true acting prowess - especially absent a strong leading actor role in this film. Many of McGillis' films from this era had her opposite the protagonist male character - this movie allows her to excel on her own without the male lead.

Unfortunately, McGillis' career began to fizzle once the 90's hit, while Foster has been banking on her achievements alongside Anthony Hopkins in the Silence of the Lambs. McGillis has done a number of television show appearances in the last 20 years, but nothing compares to her run in the mid to late 80's - Top Gun, Witness, and The Accused. Guess it was just too much too fast, but thankfully, I married a pseudo Kelly McGillis clone - so no worries from my point of view.

Movie #63 - Welcome to Pornoland

I caught this film on TMN a few months back and it was quite entertaining - posed as a documentary of a married couple who ventures to Hollywood in hopes of stardom.

The film follows a director, who has experienced critical acclaim and exposure in Hollywood North, but wants to branch out and be successful in the Holy Grail - Hollywood. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints and competition - this director is forced to become a porno movie director with his friend who is already entrenched in the business.

What follows is a stark and honest portrayal of the movie industry - not as glamourous as the television documentaries that follow the business, but more on the negative sides that take place on a daily basis. It was quite entertaining to see some of the minor "stars" in the films and how disconnected they are from the sexual acts they were performing.

What made this documentary compelling was seeing the deterioration of the bright-eyed director caused by the temptations of this business and the promise of easy money. In the end - its a wonderful Canadian film that comes highly recommended - not for the gratuitous nudity and sex scenes, but for the story.

Movie #62 - Across the Universe

"All you need is love."

Well - that's not all you need to enjoy this movie. When my wife mentioned that we were going to watch this film, I was intrigued by a musical influenced by the music of the Beatles - one of my favourite bands of all-time.

However, the music is probably the only thing that is good from this film. Integrating the musical numbers into the plot were done well overall - but like any musical, the performances interfere with the progression of the movie in the end. In comparison to other musicals - e.g. Sound of Music or Phantom of the Opera, the music itself enhances the plot and storyline. In this case, the music becomes a nuisance as there is very little plot or explanation of what in fact is going on.

Depicted in the 60's, I guess the only way to enjoy this film is while on some sort of drug - however, as a non-drug user, I could not enjoy the weirdness of this film... despite the fact that I try to give any movie a chance. Thankfully, this movie did not fall under the "did not finish" category - mainly because I was still entertained by the musical performances and is impressed by the beauty of Evan Rachel Wood - a 21-year old actress constantly being cast to play a teenager in films and television.

Hopefully, Wood will choose more adult roles that will allow her to break the stereotypical teenage angst films. I am looking forward to her making the transition similar to those like Portman or Johanssen. Only time will tell.

Movie #61 - Bat 21

"Trapped behind enemy lines. A whole army after him... And only one man can save him."

From the entire resume of these two actors in this film (Danny Glover and Gene Hackman), this is one of the better films made by these two gentlemen. Glover and Hackman have a strong rapport throughout the progression of this movie and you really begin to feel the despair of the issue at hand, the rescue of Hackman's character.

I believe this movie is influenced by actual events, but overall, it depicts some of the major problems with the Vietnam War. Without getting into details and political opinions, the Vietnam War was difficult for the U.S. military due to the extreme conditions of jungle warfare. As shown by this movie, we spent 2 hours watching how many lives would be lost to try to save one man who was stuck behind enemy lines.

What trivializes the strength of this movie is Hackman's failed attempt to "re-make" the concept of this movie by making Behind Enemy Lines starring Owen Wilson. Not only is Owen Wilson not an action movie star, but this movie follows the same progression and predictable plot as this 1988 classic, as Hackman really loses credibility in the remake for fans who remember this original film. Although not intended to actually be a remake - it clearly is.

Overall, Bat 21 ranks higher up on the Vietnam War movie genre. I wouldn't mind seeing films about this era again because I believe the WWII genre has been overplayed in recent years. Would definitely like to see some war movies out there... but I hope Hollywood stays away from the current incursions in the Middle East since there are still active soldiers there.

Here's a thought, maybe we should find out what happened in WWI, there are only a handful of movies done about that era and there are many more unexplored stories that could be translated into war movie classics in the future.

Movie #60 - What Women Want

"He has the power to hear everything women are thinking. Finally... a man is listening."

Yeah right... men listen to everything a woman says... its just sometimes, they aren't saying anything that we find important (e.g. sports, women, money, etc.).

All kidding aside, this movie ranks up there with the Bridges of Madison County for submission to remove Mel Gibson from the men's secret society. Like Eastwood, we can give Gibson some grace because he's done so many masculine movies in the past (Braveheart, the Lethal Weapons, the Mad Max trilogy), but he came fairly close to be removed from the group. Swayze lost his membership when he did Too Wong Foo, so Gibson should count his blessings.

Again... all kidding aside, I actually enjoy this movie every time I see it on television - mainly because its silly to think how powerful his character would be if he could hear what women think. Like every other man out there... women end up being the most complex and enigmatic species out there, that historically, men have attempted to solve other problems in science and technology as opposed to solving the solution to the man's biggest problem - the woman.

Lastly... all kidding aside, Gibson benefits from having this ability... but in the end, the woman wins in the end. Not only has Gibson's character been molded to appreciate women more on the whole, but he's become a more well-rounded man in the end. Although women may say he's evolved... men would say that he's set us men back many years by agreeing to do this movie.

Which side should I take? If my wife reads this, which I know she reads on a regular basis... I'll stick to the more conventional answer.

Movie #59 - Balls of Fury

"A huge comedy with tiny balls."

Far from it. A great tagline, but a horrible movie. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy teenage movies with no plot or are direct spoofs of actual successes, however, this movie does not have anything going for it.

I watched this movie based solely on the fact that Christopher Walken was in the cast. Not only was Walken cast to be a poorly developed villain, but he obviously didn't even take the time to memorize his lines - it looked like as if he was reading cue cards throughout the film.

There are some beautiful women cast in this movie - Maggie Q and Aisha Tyler, however, their roles are limited. Both women would serve better to enhance action movies instead (see MI:3 for Maggie Q's performance), but in this case, they were just cast as eye candy... I'm not complaining about that part of it, but I am complaining about this movie.

The main reasons for my complaints - George Lopez and Dan Fogler. Both are not equipped to be starring men on the big screen... and although an entire movie about the sport of ping pong is a great concept for a comedy... the casting of these gentlemen turn a good concept into a bad comedy.

Sad cameos in this film: Robert Patrick as Daytona's father, Jason Scott-Lee as Siu-Foo (ironically cast since this movie is a spoof on Enter the Dragon - Bruce Lee connection here), and James Hong as Wong (re-incarnation of his role from Wayne's World).

Movie #58 - Away from Her

"It's never too late to become what you might have been."

This was one of those films that I didn't want to watch, but ended up watching because the wife had recorded it on our PVR. Fortunately, I enjoyed it - but not for the reasons as to why everyone else in Hollywood did.

Sarah Polley made her directorial debut with this film - made in the Canadian film style, the movie focused on plot development, character development, and a good story to tell. Not to mention, Canadian actors were riddled amongst the mainstream cast and did a remarkable job - resulting in Polley's critical acclaim for her directing - even resulting in an Oscar nod for writing / adaptation.

However, many believe the star of this film was the crucial role of Julie Christie - who is portraying a woman who is institutionalized with Alzheimer's Disease and ends up falling in love with another man in the hospital different from her husband. Although Christie's role is compelling, what made this story work is the accomplishments of long time Canadian icon actor - Gordon Pinsent.

I was disappointed to hear that Pinsent was looked over for any acknowledgement either from the Golden Globes or the Oscars similar to Christie. Pinsent's heartache throughout this film is well-established and you truly feel for his pain more than what you feel for Christie by the end of the movie.

The film and the acting helps depict what happens to real people when they get sick with this disease and what happens to the loving relationships when something like Alzheimer's strikes. In comparison to a recent movie that discusses the same subject matter - the overrated, The Notebook - this film is by far a better movie overall on all fronts - romance, acting, screenplay.

I would've liked to have seen Pinsent get his dues in Hollywood, but unfortunately, the voice of Babar will never get what he deserves.