Syriana (2005)

I first tried to watch Syriana shortly after it came out. I stopped watching it shortly into the film.

Then, late last year, I started watching TED talks during my lunch breaks. I ended up watching Jeff Skoll's TED talk, and was interested that his company produced Syriana, along with others like An Inconvenient Truth and North Country. I watched North Country and enjoyed it, and it won awards. So I've been meaning to rewatch Syriana, and I did that tonight.

I have a really hard time with media focused on the Middle East. I've read news articles in Maclean's, watched many movies on the region, and I always find them baffling. Syriana is no different. What's with movie producers and the Middle East? Can't they make a movie plot that's linear and gets it's point across? Jeff mentioned during his TED talk that Syriana was representative of the struggle for oil. OK, fine, I see the connection, a few people assassinated, some blown up oil rigs, etc. I still just don't get it. What was the result?

Here's a question for you, take it hypothetical if you wish, or take it literally and provide an answer: what was or were the basic plot line(s) of Syriana? Seriously, I want to know. It didn't seem to make it clear to me!

Blade Runner (1982) Director's Cut

Well, I watched this movie for two reasons: 1) I had a discussion over the weekend and was lamenting that I'm in a bit of a dry spell, and the person I was speaking to said I would have to dig into classics I haven't seen. 2) I was heralding my success at watching all of 2001: A Space Odyssey over a Facebook chat, and the person I was speaking to recommended this, and said it was better, etc. So I watched it.

WOW... a bit of a let down. I mean, we have have genres that we like, and we all have genres that we hate. I really think this detective genre is something I'm just not into, even mixed with science fiction. I found this movie slow, and I kept thinking "what's the point, again? Oh, right, find the Replicates." And I'd keep coming back to the same thought pattern, it was quite cyclical.

On the positive side, the special effects where great, and I enjoyed the grungy future earth they showed us.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

One third of a century into the future, what will life be like? How will where we came from affect where we're going? Will our inventions rule us, or will we rule our inventions? How will it all end?

I'm a noted Kubrick fan... I've loved Full Metal Jacket--without a word of lie--since I was 8 years old. Yes, a bit early, but c'est la vie! I've tried to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey a few times, and maybe it's just my sleep apnea, but each time I would fall asleep shortly after we got into space. Today, I was determined to watch it, and I swear the combination of beautiful scenery and spectacular classical music still threatened to make me fall asleep, but I endured, and was rewarded for it.

2001 is as trippy as any modern day science fiction movie you'll find--there is a whole segment at the end I plan to rewatch again and again, and can only hope to dream about. Despite the clearly 1960s style "high tech" they were using, the film has aged extremely well. This is an adventure, but it's not easy. I'm confident the concepts Kubrick left me with will ruminate for some time to come, but I feel challenged to consider them further.

Is this movie for you? I'm not sure. This is a fantastic display of imagination, but you have to stay the course in order to get the full experience. Kubrick fans will love it, and most already do. If you haven't seen it, grab a coffee (or a few) and sit down, it's worth the ride.

Unknown (2011)

Some actors don't want to be typecast. I remember reading that Vin Diesel didn't want to do XXX 2 because he'd just done a sequel (which, arguably was a sequel in only the vaguest of definitions--Chronicles of Riddick sequelling Pitch Black). Then here we have Liam Neeson who did Taken back in 2008, and I swear during the first 45 minutes it just felt like some merry go 'round knock off of Taken. At that time, I also figured he was being typecast, but looking at his IMDB bio, it's clear he's been doing a lot of work, so there's minimal risk there.

All that being said, once the plot thickened, as it were, this movie proved itself as unique with a compelling story, and all the bells and whistles we've grown to love of good movies (explotions, car chases, etc.).

If you're into mysteries, this one would be great for you. Michelle usually figures these things out in 20 minutes flat, but Unknown kept her guessing until the very end.

The Man from Earth (2007)

Five minutes into the movie my finger hovered over the STOP button...

Then I gave it a few more minutes, and once the premise was set, I was hooked, line and sinker too!

A 14,000 year old man who originated in neanderthal times? This is science fiction mixed with my interest in neanderthals which was inspired by Robert J. Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax trilogy. Love it!

If you're deterred by dialogue rich films, stick with it, there's depth here, and it's worth the ride.

Red Riding Hood (2011)

My 1st failure: anticipating a horror flick.

My 2nd failure: anticipating the typical horror flick formula... you know, half-naked women running around scared of the evil monster.

Instead, we take The Village--a superb film--and Twilight--sparkly vampires???--and we mash them together with a lower budget and a crappy performance from Gary Oldman. Even the love interest was subpar, but hey Amanda looks amazing.

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)

You take some Gnomes, a bit of pun, an ancient story, some great voice actors, and it'll be just like Toy Story but in a yard?

Well, not quite. But hey, I'll watch all of these damnimations looking for great ones. Bolt, Megamind, older classics like Toy Story? This one is Gnot it.