YNOT at the Movies

I saw a new powerful drama: "The Last King of Scotland," which will be the opening night film at the upcoming the 29th Mill Valley Film Festival.

A freshly graduated young doctor Nicolas from Scotland went to Uganda in 1970s hoping that he could offer his helping hands to the Ugandan people. Instead of serving the poor and needed, he met the charismatic Uganda dictator Idi Amin and his life is forever changed.

I didn't know anything about Idi Amin before the film, but I know a great deal about him after the film. He is charismatic yet brutal. I can see myself to become his friend when I first meet him and then realize that he can be the worst monster in my life and I want to escape far away from him. Idi Amin's character is so lively and fascinating in this film, through the terrific performance by Forest Whitaker.

I know it's just the beginning of the Oscar season, but Forest Whitaker definitely gives an Oscar worthy performance in this film as Idi Amin.

It's such a gripping film that keeps me on the edge of my seat all the time.

The performance is outstanding, the cinematography is breathtaking, the story is compelling, the music is deeply moving, and the film is simply fantastic.

And the Oscar is written all over it.

Yes, I am giving it a rare 10 out of 10.

I saw a documentary "Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple."

I have heard about the cult "Peoples Temple" before, but I knew little about it. Through large amount of rare footages and in depth interviews of the Peoples Temple survivors and family members of the members of Peoples Temple, the documentary takes a deep look into this cult and tries to find out why 909 people committed "mass murder/suicide" on November 18, 1978 in Jonestown, Guyana.

This film is what a great documentary looks like. It goes beyond the headline and dig deep into the story. I begin to understand whom Jim Jones was. I begin to understand why so many people crossed the racial and social boundaries to come together and even devoted their lives to this cult leader and their "church."

Many of the cult followers were struggling with the social injustice and racial discrimination in the 60s and 70s. Jim Jones offered them equality and sense of belonging that the society didn't offer. So Peoples Temple becomes their utopia where they could be so happy and united. Only the sad part is that later some of them realize they are betrayed and they have no way out.

This is definitely a great documentary I have seen this year and I surely hope it will get an Oscar nomination.

My rating: 9 out of 10.

"The Queen" is a fictional (really?) drama, a behind the scene look at the royal family during the week after Princess Diana's death. It shows how delightedly Prime Minister Tony Blair tried to persuade the Queen Elizabeth to come back to London to respond to the grief from the public.

As a drama, this film is quite an achievement with impressive performance from Helen Mirren as the queen and Michael Sheen as Tony Blair. Mrs. Mirren does a terrific job creating a complex character and shows us the human side of the queen, contrary to what we normally see her as a public figure.

But the irony really lies on the subject itself. While the film implies paparazzi are to blame for Diana's death, this film is exactly doing the same: to poke inside the royal family to have a so called "inside look."

To me, the monarchy is simply a joke. It's ok to be born rich. But how could somebody to be the leader and ruler simply because who his or her parents are? That's simply absurd. I think Bush totally invaded the wrong country. United Kingdom is really Bush should build the democracy upon by bombing the monarchy back to the stone age.

Because of this ridiculous monarchy system, the queen can not (or is not supposed to) display her emotion publicly. The queen has to be unlike everyone else, while deep inside she actually is deeply emotional, and an extraordinary woman.

That's what this movie is worth of seeing about, to see a few wonderful complex characters while chuckling along the way for the ludicrous royal custom. While the film claims it's a fiction, the heavy usage of real life footages and the convincing performance makes us think otherwise.

And, how unfair it is during the entire film we never got to see any image of the two princes: William and Henry. Hello? The film is telling a story about mourning a woman who was their mom?

I love the characters in the film, but I couldn't care less about the story.

My rating: 6 out of 10.

"Catch a Fire" is a powerful new film based on a true story of real life hero Patrick Chamusso. Patrick was a young well-liked oil refinery worker back in the 80s in South Africa. He was not political against the repressive government, until he and his wife were arrested and tortured accused of being terrorists from the African National Congress (ANC).

Led by a South Africa agent, played by Tim Robbins, the polices fight hard on "anti-terrorists" against ANC. It's quite interesting to see how their effort and action actually creates more ANC members like Patrick.

Isn't Iraq war creating more enemies of the US than before the war? It's a quite irony to compare the events in this film and in the world we are living in now.

In the name of fighting terrorists, the South Africa government at that time had the power to hold people suspected of political crimes indefinitely without access to a lawyer or family, while they were brutally tortured.

Does that sound familiar? No? Ask the president.

If we learned from history, this world would be a much better place.

My rating: 8 out of 10.

My next film is a documentary "Al Franken: God Spoke."

The camera crew was given extraordinary access to Al Franken's life and followed him around for two years during his book tours, radio shows, and the presidential campaign when Al Franken fights the right wing media restlessly.

I have been a big fan of Al Franken since his Stuart Smalley character, long before he picks up fights with Bill O'Reilly.

But I feel unsatisfied and frustrated after the film even I giggled a lot during the screening. I feel that I still don't know Al Franken enough. I applaud his passion and his courage to stand up for what he believes in, but why? He is smart and funny. But where did he get all the strength to deal with people like Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh without getting a heart attack? What drives him to do all this? I wish the film gets deeper to his skin so I can like him even more.

I did laugh at his joke he told in the film:

"A man goes into the doctor with a bump growing on his forehead.

After many tests, the doctor says: well, I only learned this from the medical school, I can't believe that I am seeing this in real life. You're growing a second penis out of your forehead, and with the way your skull and brain are forming around it we're not going to be able to operate, or do anything to stop it.

The man says, 'You mean I am going to wake up every morning, look in the mirror, and see a penis hanging from my forehead?'

The doctor replies: No, no... That won't happen... the balls should be hanging right over your eyes."

My rating: 6 out of 10.

"A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" is a film based on Dito Montiel's memoir. Dito grew up in a tough neighborhood in Astoria, NY. He became a writer in LA after escaped the life at home and left his parents and his old friends behind. Fifteen years later, his father is seriously ill, and he was asked to return for a visit. The flashbacks of life during his teenager years in the neighborhood makes him realize that even he left everybody, nobody has ever left him.

This is an emotionally charged film, sometimes quite powerful. I have seen similar "mean streets" films before, so I am not too crazy about getting sympathetic to the low lives in the neighborhood and feel how lucky I am not living there. But what I like about this film is how it diligently portraits the relationships among these characters. It's very honest and deeply moving with superb performance.

My rating: 8 out of 10.

Finally not in the theatre, I watched the critical acclaimed black humor comedy "The Squid and the Whale."

The parents of two young boys are getting a divorce. The two boys had a very difficult time to cope with the new joint custody life. What we see is a painful picture of a very dysfunctional family.

I laughed with the film with sadness. I feel sympathy to the boys while I chucked with the lines popped out from their mouths. And I don't know I should laugh or cry when I see the little kid spread his semen on library books or drink whisky at home alone.

The performance is really impressive from all the actors. But somehow I just don't feel like I am watching a comedy and it's actually like a tragedy. I wonder if that little kid will grow up ok.

I doubt it though.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Last night, I watched the critical acclaimed "In This World." It tells a story about two young Afghan refugees went through extraordinary journey from Pakistan to Iran, to Turkey, to Italy, to France, and finally to UK, all illegally, searching for a better life.

We have heard stories all the time about illegal immigrants from Mexico and from Asia to the US. But this film puts two real faces on the screen reflecting the millions of Afghan refugees who are normally forgotten.

After I started the film, I thought this is a documentary. But then I kept wondering how the cameras got there. Later I realized that this is a drama but shot with real people with a documentary style.

To me, somehow this so called doc drama undermines the credibility of the story. I find myself no place to stand. The more I think what an incredible true story this is, the drama element kicks in telling me that this is not a documentary. But when I started to watch the film as a drama, the film shows me that its camera is capturing what's really happening at that moment in the real life. I am lost.

After a while, I gave up. This film won the Golden Berlin Bear in 2003. Well, good. It doesn't work for me.

My rating: 5 out of 10.

Tonight, I watched a fascinating Japanese film "Shinobi: Heart Under Blade."

During the 17th century, the ruler of Japan orchestrated a battle between two powerful ninja clans Iga and Kouga in order to reduce their threats to the ruler. Iga and Kouga have been rivals and fighting for hundred of years. Five of the best from each clan were chosen for the battle, led by Gennosuke (Joe Odagiri - オダギリジョー ) and Oboro (Yukie Nakama - 仲間 由紀恵) respectively.

However, there is one big problem: Gennosuke and Oboro love each other.

After seeing "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (卧虎藏龙), "Hero" (英雄), and "The Seven Swords" (七剑) in the recent years, this film still so refreshing and fantastically looking to me. I am simply awed by the incredible martial arts super power demonstrated by these shinobi (忍).

If you think people walking on top of bamboo trees is wild, wait to see "Shinobi." Although some of these martial arts seem science fiction, but anyone who has read wuxia (武侠) genre novel will believe they can do those things in the movie.

I really enjoy watching this film and I wish it had many episodes so each character's story can be told in more glorious (or gruesome) details.

Joe Odagiri's character Gennosuke perhaps is the worst written one among all the main characters, but Odagiri-chan is terrific nevertheless. And he is just as cute as in "The House of Himiko" (メゾン・ド・ヒミコ).

Now I need to save my hair long enough so I can have a "Japanese Hair Straightening" treatment to look like many guys in this movie, or in an anime.

My rating: 8 out of 10.

"Hands in the Hair" (做头) tells a story of a middle aged married woman, Aini (爱妮, actually no Chinese woman in China has a name like this), who falls in love with her young cute hair dresser, A Hua.

How did she fall in love with A Hua? Because that A Hua boy who looks no older than 25 years old has been cutting her hair for 10 years and made her "mushroom" style the standard in Shanghai.

If that story doesn't seem making sense, the acting is even worse. This is really a crappy film.

I feel funny that the only guys who can make Aini happy are those who look so gay. One is this preppy A Hua of course, the another is a guy who danced with Aini at a night club. He can't be any gayer in the film.

So my muscles are much better after the massage in the chair, but my eyes hurt from this lousy film.

My rating: 2 out of 10.

I watched the Korean film "Oldboy" (올드보이) last year on its opening night in the theatre. Watching it again just make me to love this film even more.

I just admire how the director tells this incredible story. He brings its audience to the extreme to take a deep look at the human nature itself.

I still had to look away during some of the scenes in this film, even I have seen so many Korean films. My nerve is still quite week facing blood.

Oh, how much I love Woo-jin's closet. It opens from the middle when it senses his approaching. I need a closet like that, some day.

This is a master piece of Korean cinema. I don't know what Hollywood has been smoking even thinking about remaking this film. I totally agree with one person wrote on the IMDB: "If they remake this I will seek vengeance myself!!!"

My rating: 10 out of 10.

Although there are plenty new films I need to catch, but I can't help but to play couple old ones that I love. This weekend, I watched "Chungking Express" (重庆森林) and "Oldboy" (올드보이) again.

Director Wong Kar Wai (王家卫) made "Chungking Express" (重庆森林) long before "2046." Twelve years later, I still love "Chungking Express" for its originality, its energy, its cinematic communication, its casts, and simply, its existence.

The film tells two love stories with two unrelated cops. But this film is not really about the stories or plots, which doesn't seem quite making sense sometimes. But the style and the emotion the film invokes is quite astonishing. I was surprised to realize that I had tears in my eyes when I see Wang Fei (王菲) dancing to the tune of "California Dreamin'." I see myself in her.

It's almost very hard to explain why I like this film so much. It just hit me every time I watch it.

Although Takeshi Kaneshiro (金城武) is much younger and hotter in this film, but definitely he is a better actor today than 12 years ago.

My rating: 9 out of 10.