Leo S. Lo

July 30 – August 5

Films watched:

1. Salt (2010)
2. No Impact Man: The Documentary (2009)
3. Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
4. Wordplay (2006)
5. The Joneses (2009)
6. Then She Found Me (2007)
7. Tales from the Script (2009)
8. Dinner for Schmucks (2010)
9. A Mighty Heart (2007)
10. Vantage Point (2008)

Books read:

1. The Ghost – Written by Robert Harris

Screenplays read: None

Films:

Salt is all about Angelina Jolie, who is probably the only actress today who can open a big action movie on her own. The problem with Jolie is she has become such a celebrity that people cannot disassociate the tabloid Jolie from the characters she plays. As a result, her dramatic performances tend to be overshadowed by her own public image, and she is actually more believable playing out-of-this-world superheroines like Lara Croft, or superspies such as the ones in Wanted or indeed in Salt.

I didn’t expect much going in, but ended up being pleasantly surprised. It is a well made, summer popcorn blockbuster action flick, and certainly better than Wanted or Mr. and Mrs. Smith, or any of the Tomb Raider movies. The action sequences are exciting without being too implausibly over the top. And it has us guessing which side the protagonist is on, and the clever part is, it really doesn’t matter as it is ultimately about something more.

In No Impact Man (blog, book, and now a movie), Colin Beavan strives to have a lifestyle that minimizes damages to the environment. Some dismisses what he’s doing it as solely self-promotion, but I don’t see a lot of wrong with it. I think even he acknowledges that if what he does benefits the world, so what if it also benefits him personally.

While I identify with the wife in that I am also an urban person, I also understand the goals and rules setting of the husband. They may be rigid and unreasonable, but once you have set the goals and rules, you have to follow them!

While the alien world like imagery of  Antarctica  is captivating enough to see Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World, it is the obsessiveness of those who choose to go and stay there that is even more interesting. Herzog takes us to the McMurdo Research Station, which houses over 1000 people to study the extreme environment. And he introduces us to scientists, students, and many other odd characters.  But these are hardcore people (much like Herzog himself, and they are exactly his favorite kind of subjects). They, in turn, takes us to see the extremity of the environment that so fascinates them.

A interesting subculture and an entertaining subculture documentary. Wordplay is about New York Times crossword puzzle and the people who play it. Somewhat similar to Word Wars, a documentary about Scrabble, Wordplay is superior in many ways. It features more interesting people, a more cultured look at the game and the creators, and a more exciting tournament.

An attractive (and fake) family moves into a rich neighborhood and makes everyone there want to be like them. Turns out they’re just there to be living advertisement for all kinds of products. The business model may not be entirely feasible, but it’s hard to deny that good looking people can sell stuffs. Is that the reason I liked The Joneses?

Okay, let’s get this out of the way - who didn’t have at least a bit of a crush on Jaime Buchman in Mad About You? Since then Helen Hunt has been in a big budget CGI blockbuster, won an Oscar and starred in an Woody Allen film.

Her directorial debut, Then She Found Me, is a sincere effort. From a co-written script (with Alice Arlen and Victor Levin) adapted from the novel by Elinor Lipman, Ms. Hunt is careful to remain understated throughout and resists the temptation to venture into sitcom territory (there are many such opportunities if she so chooses). The result is an appealing, unpredictable, touching dramedy accompanied by some good performances. I look forward to her next project.

It is always to good to hear successful screenwriters share their anecdotes, their stories and their struggles, which can be inspiring (or not) to aspiring writers. However, as a feature length film, I feel that Tales from the Script does not have enough new insights for people who know about screenwriting, or enough drama to be engaging enough for people who do not want to be screenwriters.

A remake of the French film, Le Dîner de Cons, the American version, Dinner for Schmucks, is much sweeter. The trailer makes it out to be a dumb movie, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a funny and well written comedy. There are big and small laughs throughout the movie (helped by a great supporting cast of oddball characters). I especially like the humor, which although broad, usually has a deeper layer of tragedy mixed in.

Director Michael Winterbottom goes for realism in A Might Heart (adapted from Mariane Pearl’s memoir), and puts us in the middle of a chaotic world. We observe them trying their best to work through a very difficult (and ultimately tragic) problem. There is not a plot in the traditional Hollywood sense, but this de-emphasis of a plotline enforces the disorientation and further adds to the sense of helplessness of the people. Angelina Jolie gives one of her best performances, but like I mentioned earlier, her serious acting unfortunately tends to be underrrated because of her celebrity.

Vantage Point has a clever narrative structure with several different perspectives. It is executed well enough (and fast paced enough) to not feel repetitive. It also does a good job of setting up tense cliffhangers at the end of each “vantage point”. Is it gimmicky? Perhaps. But it is an entertaining approach to a story that would otherwise be quite straightforward.

Pick of the Week:

A Might Heart

2010:

Total films watched: 205 (in 217 days)

Total books read: 12 (12 to go)

Total screenplays read: 22 (30 to go)