Tom's Recommended Film of the Week

Wo de fu qin mu qin or The Road Home

A Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2000 and an Audience Award at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival are good endorsements for this pleasant little chinese film - The Road Home - but it was the story line which first attracted me. A marriage born from love in a time and culture where arranged marriages were the accepted method and class distinction was a powerful tool to keep people in their place. 

A sentimental story, with minimal chinese dialogue with english subtitles, The Road Home succeeds in holding the viewers attention, primarily because of the fine acting of Zhang Ziyi. Her characters story is one that most people can understand and relate to on a base emotional level. Most of us have experienced it to some degree in our own lives and this holds us intent on her pursuit.

Technically, I enjoyed the use of b/w filming for the opening and closing, with color reserved for the extensive flashback which makes up the largest potion of this film. The sharp and vibrant color is a good reflection of the hightened emotion experienced in that period in the main characters lives.

Don't let the language barriers deter you, give The Road Home a try.

Tom's Recommended Film of the Week

No Country For Old Men

Right from the start, I'd like to caution that No Country For Old Men is a violent film. No doubt about that, so if you are bothered by violence in film, better pass on this one. The whole premise of No Country For Old Men centers in on the violence that permeates the edges of our lives in the form of criminals and law enforcement. It questions what might push one of these elements past the thin line that divides them, or what might draw others towards either of these lifestyles. This story compels the viewer to think about their own personal values and how fully we might cling to them in the face of temptation, adversity and hopelessness. Consider it an exploration of the human element within the businesses of drugs, money and public service.

In No Country For Old Men, we see intelligence, power, audacity, greed and stupidity each surfacing to cause incidents, which lead to unavoidable outcomes. While one character in the film purports that chance is an ever-present element, the story line begs to differ. Once the first decision is made, by the first character most viewers will identify with, a course is set which seems inevitable and once the viewer realizes this, the questions begin to crop up.

An outstanding novel by Cormac McCarthy, excellent direction and production by Joel and Ethan Coen and underplayed yet powerful acting from Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald, Woody Harrelson, Gene Jones and Barry Corbin combine to show us the incredible possibilities of a world with character, but no courtesy. Listen closely to Ed Tom Bell, he is the voice of the novel and of the film, and provides the perspective that grounds the story.

My favorite films are always the ones that catch you off guard and make you think. No Country For Old Men does both and keeps you thinking for a long time after the film has ended.

Tom's Recommended Film of the Week

Tom's Recommended Film of the Week

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

I Watch a lot of movies. If a new release looks interesting I'll watch it eventually. Sometimes I don't expect much, sometimes I'm anticipating too much. That colors my post viewing opinion of a film. For instance, when I watched Stuck on You, I thought it would be pretty bad, so when it was really well done I was most impressed. On the other hand I was anxiously anticipating a good film when I watched Smokin' Aces, so my dissappointment mas multiplyed by a factor of my anticipation when the film fell flat.

This weeks film, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, was one of those films I didn't expect too much from. I like Adam Sandler very much in most of his films, and being an Everybody Loves Raymond fan, I think Kevin James has been wonderful on his TV stints on that show and his own show, The King of Queens. They created my interest in this film, but I expected the writing to take the low road and go for the cheap laughs without offering any higher elements. Never-the-less it seemed worth a try.

Lucky for me the writing team included Alexander Payne, who wrote and directed two of my favorite edgy humor films, Election and Sideways. Payne was an excellent choice to create a film with heart and outstanding humor. So I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry was a pleasant surpirse, with compassion and plenty of big laughs to keep any viewer interested and entertained.