Category: Movies

My dad defined this film as a black version of “Schindler’s List” but I think that description, while paying a certain amount of respect, also undervalues what this film is really about. Set during the Rwandan massacres of little more than 10 years ago, it follows how one man sheltered and saved over one thousand people from the rampaging Hutu rebels. Don Cheadle plays the central character of Paul Rusesabagina, who is the hotel manager at an up market hotel in Kigali. During the course of the film he becomes a hero to those around him and goes through some horrendous terrors while trying to protect those around him. There’s some excellent acting on show and Cheadle was deservedly nominated for an Oscar. Top film.

Tony’s Rating: 8/10.

Synopsis: Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda–and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.

I saw In Good Company tonight in Ster Century and have to say I thought it was very good. The acting was excellent and the story was well thought out and unconventional. Dennis Quaid is the successful family man while Topher Grace (from “That 70’s Show”) plays the young, dynamic guy whose life isn’t all its cracked up to be. The addition of Scarlett Johansson was a wise casting move as there is obvious chemistry on screen between the two young actors. I’m not really sure where I’m going with this but I enjoyed it and there are some very funny one-liners.

Tony’s Rating: 8/10

Plot Synopsis: Dan Foreman is headed for a shakeup. He is demoted from head of ad sales for a major magazine when the company he works for is acquired in a corporate takeover. His new boss, Carter Duryea, is half his age–a business school prodigy who preaches corporate synergy. While Dan develops clients through handshake deals and relationships, Carter cross-promotes the magazine with the cell phone division and Krispity Krunch, an indeterminate snack food under the same corporate umbrella. Both men are going through turmoil at home. Dan has two daughters, Alex, age 18, and Jana, age 16, and is shocked when his wife tells him she’s pregnant with a new child. Carter, in the meanwhile, is dumped by his wife of seven months just as he gets his promotion. Dan and Carter’s uneasy friendship is thrown into jeopardy when Carter falls for, and begins an affair with, Dan’s daughter Alex.

Went to see this last night with Anne-Marie and wasn’t expecting too much based on some of the reviews its been getting in the States. Have to say firstly that I enjoyed it as a film. However, compared to its predecessor, it doesn’t stand up to critical assessment. Considering the cast they had to work with, the script is lazy and retreads ground covered in the first film. That mainly involves Gaylord getting himself into ridiculous situations and then being ridiculed by Jack Byrnes. For a sequel to Meet the Parents, that just isn’t good enough and the lack of quality set pieces is illustrated by the fact that a scene which could have been comedy gold, the Focker family reunion, is instead reduced to lame name checking when they could have introduced some of the extended frat pack. All in all a decent film but a disappointing continuation. Lets hope Meet the Little Focker doesn’t get made as there just isn’t enough material here to justify a third.

Tony’s Rating: 5/10

Plot Synopsis: Having given permission to male nurse Greg Focker to marry his daughter, ex-CIA man Jack Byrnes and his wife travel to Miami to Greg’s parents, who this time around are Mr. and Mrs. Focker, who are as different from them as can be. As asked in the first movie, what sort of people name their son Gaylord M. Focker?

I saw this film on Tuesday with Mark in Ster Century. It’s the latest film from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park and its accompanying movie. Team America: World Police tracks the team tasked with protecting the world from evil terrorists. The puppets are similiar to those used in the old Thunderbirds episodes and there are a number of spot gags highlighting how difficult to manoeuvre they are. The plot is quite thin but there are some very funny sequences and some of the puppets are spot on. I loved the way all of the terrorist dialogue contained the words “Derka, derka, derka” before everything. 🙂 Overall I thought it was entertaining but was lacking in the fact that it tried to lambast too many characters (ie. Helen Hunt) when they didn’t spend time developing a satirical character. It’s not as good as South Park: The Movie or Baseketball but it was good.

Tony’s Rating: 7/10

Plot Synopsis: Team America follows an international police force dedicated to maintaining global stability. Learning that power hungry dictator Kim Jong Il (Parker) is out to destroy the world, the team recuits Broadway star Gary Johnston (Parker) to go undercover. With the help of Team America (Stone, Miller, Masasa, Parker, and Norris), Gary manages to slip into an arms dealer’s hideout to uncover the plan to destroy the world. Will Team America be able to save the world?

Finding Neverland: Went to see this with Anne-Marie last week as it was a choice between this and Hero. It details the story of J. M. Barrie who wrote the story of Peter Pan. Essentially it elaborates on his interaction with a well-to-do family lead by Kate Winslet who has been recently widowed. Her sons provide the inspiration for Barrie’s story and they feed his imagination when other aspects of his life serve to bring him back down to earth. A superb performance from Johnny Depp could lead to an Oscar nomination in March.

Tony’s Verdict: 8/10

Plot Synopsis: The movie details the experiences of ‘Peter Pan’ author J.M. Barrie, which lead him to write the children’s classic. He got to know four children who have no fathers. Drawing from his time with the kids, he writes a story about children who don’t want to grow up.