Jet Li's Fearless

I won’t say much about this film. It is just another fun-to-watch-Jet Li-kicks-butt movie. It is quite pleasing watching this rather small, soft-spoken, apparently gentle man moving like lightning and beating up all kinds of big tough guys.

Jet Li plays a real life master Huo Yuanjia (1868-1910), founder of the Jingwu Sports Federation, and someone who helped restore national pride to the Chinese during a time of foreign occupation. Chinese nationalism is quite strong in this movie.

The martial arts are much more realistic than in films like Hero or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. There’s much less flying around and other superhuman feats. However, the action isn’t entirely realistic, and there are still a few wire sequences.

Nobody moves like Jet Li. He is lightening fast yet precise. Powerful yet graceful. Super intense yet relaxed. Even someone like me who doesn’t know much about martial arts can see there’s some great skill here. He makes fight scenes from The Matrix and the Steven Seagal movies look pathetic. He is also more flowing and less mechanical than Jackie Chan (in my humble opinion).

There’s a message in this movie which is something like “The truly great are not those who can kick ass, but those who can show compassion and restraint.” I guess that’s a pretty good message, but won't satisfy someone who's looking for deep Eastern mystical or Buddhist stuff. But then again, the film doesn't claim to contain that anyway.

This movie will appeal to Jet Li fans, martial arts fans; action movie fans, and people interested in Chinese history and traditions.

http://www.fearlessthemovie.com/

Pan's Labrynth

Watching the trailer for Pan’s Labyrinth provides a glimpse of the imagery of the film, but it does not adequately convey the impact. I recommend seeing this film without any particular expectations. Take it in, enjoy, digest, and then respond.

The scene is a military camp set up in an old mill surrounded by a rebel army in a wooded area somewhere in Spain in the 1940’s. The protagonist is Ofelia, a young girl—oh, about 10 or 11 years old—whose mother is pregnant with the child of a sadistic, hard-hearted captain in Franco’s army. Nearby is the labyrinth which appears as an ancient stone structure overgrown with vegetation. It is within this labyrinth that Ofelia, who with the help of various fairies and a satyr, begins her fantastic journey as a reincarnated princess from an underworld kingdom. Her quest is to fulfill three tasks which upon their completion will enable her to return to immortality and a life without pain or sorrow.

Like Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, this film is about escaping into a realm of fantasy during very harsh and cruel times. The movie is allegorical in that it represents our use of dreams and fantasy to escape the harsh realities of this world.

This movie also makes a very strong comment about blind obedience. The soldiers blindly follow orders; the fascists try to define right and wrong as the willingness to obey or not. Without giving too much away, I will risk saying the Ofelia herself is put to a test to see whether she blindly obeys or listens to her innate sense of right and wrong.

It is also a movie that extols courage. Under the nose of “El Cap-i-tan” his doctor and one of his servants secretly aid the rebels at great risk to themselves. They both prove their bravery to the end (which I won’t reveal). Their courage is paralleled by Ofelia’s in her quest to accomplish the tasks assigned to her. Though her obstacles are merely child’s fantasies, they are quite scary. As she says to a rather gargantuous and potentially child-eating frog, “I’m not afraid of you!”

For me, the movie was well put together. Whatever combination of directing, set design, acting, post-production, and whatever it takes to make a film work, it worked well for me. After about 10 minutes into the film, I even forgot that I was watching Spanish-speaking actors and reading English subtitles. The film had a unique style which was interesting and different.

Like some other new-genre movies such as The Forgotten and Children of Men, special effects are used sparingly and effectively. It is not about “look at the cool things we can do with computers,” but rather about special effects that contribute to the overall look and story line.

Also, the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard since the soundtrack for The Mission. You can hear various tracks on the official web site http://www.panslabyrinth.com. Find the link Interact, and then the link Soundtrack.

I will not call this an “art film,” but it is in my opinion a work of art.

Children of Men

First of all, this movie should be seen at the very least for the amazing cinematography. See it on as big a screen as you can, and sit close to the screen. The scenes are not pretty--it's a grim, dirty and decrepid vision of the future. But the amazing camera work and excellent action sequences keep you spellbound. (Go to the restroom before the movie starts!)

Although this is a fast-paced action movie, it is also very thematic and full of political and social commentary. I doubt that any two viewers will be affected in the same way, but this movie will definitely stir up some conversation. Reviewers and bloggers are all over the map about this film's content and meaning.

One obvious theme is the symbiosis between repressive, fascist governments and ruthless terrorists posing as freedom fighters. As in most real wars, there are really no good guys except for maybe Theo (Clive Owen) who is a sort of anti-hero to start with.

An interesting paradox in the film is that there is an utter disregard for human life while at the same time there is a recognition of its ultimate preciousness. Both the government and terrorists exterminate human beings like insects, yet they all yield in awe to Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) and her baby representing the prospect for new life.

Although this is a futuristic, dystopic, cacotopian, Orwellian, anti-utopian, (and all that) sci-fi movie, it is excruciatingly realistic and believable. The characters could be people you see every day in real life. In fact, this is the first movie in which I see Michael Caine as the character he plays and not the actor. (He plays an old hippie pothead.) Adding to the realism are very believable wardrobe, sets, and special camera shots that simulate the movement of your head and eyes to follow the action rather than typical Hollywood-style cutting between scenes.

As grim and disturbing as this film is, it somehow does not depress. There is something noble about the characters' determination to continue through apparantly hopeless situations. Theo and Kee never seem to loose confidence in their ability to find a safe place for Kee's baby throughout what appears to be impossible antagonisms including terrorists hunting them down, SS-like soldiers, and extremely fierce battle scenes. That may sound like a typical James Bond movie, but it is done differently here. The situations are more realistic, and their quest is more about necessity than heroism and adrenalin rushes.

This movie is different. There is nothing to compare it to. You have to see it. You may not like it, but your senses will be stimulated and your intellect will be provoked.

http://www.childrenofmen.net/

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