Musings of an Entrepreneur

                                                 

The movie is great. It’s a movie about a fictional character in a fictional job, and yet it’s probably the most realistic movie I have ever seen. The movie is completely predictable, dark, gloomy and bleak, yet I loved it. It’s incredibly well acted and the characters’ soul searching felt tangible and real.

I loved the movie’s treatment of the “runner syndrome” where someone single mindedly chases a goal for years without thinking why. In the real world, individuals often chase down the societal expectations of the rat race. In this case, George Clooney seems to be running away from life. It’s not clear even to him why he chose the goals he chose, but the words he uses could apply to many as he’s chasing “the number he has in his mind”.

Up in the Air is probably the first post modern chick flick. Many of my female friends argued it’s not a chick flick at all because it’s not romantic and it does not have a happy ending, but I beg to differ. Being married and having a family sucks. Even when you are married you end up dying alone (if only because your significant other dies at a different point). However, it’s better than the alternative! The movie’s conclusion is clearly an adaptation of Churchill’s quote on democracy adapted to having a significant other: it’s the worst of all forms of living except for all others!

Girls: take your boyfriends because the conclusion is ineluctable: he better marry you because the alternative is much worse! No one wants to end up like the Clooney character!

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Ah, the tyranny of high expectations! I had heard such fantastic things about Avatar that I was really looking forward to seeing it. To maximize my potential viewing pleasure, I waited until I could watch it in IMAX 3D and finally had the opportunity to do so on Friday night.

The movie is extremely well made. The scenery is beautiful, the world is internally consistent, and the 3D which often felt gimmicky in other movies was an integral part of the movie watching experience. It looked fantastic – after a while I forgot I was wearing those silly glasses.

Unfortunately, the story itself does not hold up. The character development is minimal, the dialogue is simplistic and the plot is utterly predictable. It’s a beautifully shot movie well worth watching if only as a precursor of movies to come from a film making experience perspective, but don’t expect it to be the best movie you ever watched.

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I had intended to go watch Avatar 3D in Imax, Up in the Air or Fantastic Mr. Fox, but all three were sold out despite having been out for weeks. I opted instead to watch The Book of Eli which still had openings on opening night. I should have taken that as a sign!

I have extremely eclectic tastes and rarely write negative movie reviews, but in this case I had to. I had actually read favorable reviews of the movie with interesting comparisons to The Road Warrior. However, I hated this movie. It’s self indulgent, bleak and painfully slow. I just could not help feeling that it had all been done before in a much more entertaining form!

Avoid it at all costs. It makes Daybreakers which is an ok B movie with an interesting premise and a good first hour look like a multiple Oscar contender!

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I admit I was skeptical going in to see the movie. I had seen mixed reviews (46% on rotten tomatoes) and I was not enthused by the idea of yet another Woody Allen Spring/Autumn relationship movie.

Interestingly, within a few minutes the movie drew me in. The dialogue is outstanding – intelligent, quick, funny and frankly inspiring. I left the movie intellectually stimulated. I am convinced the quality, cadence and wit of my oration went through the roof that evening.

The two things that typically would have put me off in the movie actually worked. Larry David was great in the “Woody Allen role”. Seeing Woody Allen play that role would have probably annoyed me. Moreover, his talking to the camera actually works!

People often say the only difference between a Shakespearean comedy and tragedy is the ending because despite all the drama, darkness and intrigue, in one they end up all getting married to each other and in the other they all die. In a way this seems to be becoming true of Woody Allen movies and this one is a Woody Allen comedy. While the dialogue and humor are very dark, the movie is very much a comedy with a light tone and a predictable happy ending provided by New York’s magical capacity to turn people into who they really are.

Go watch it!

P.S. Someone should make a movie with such amazing dialogue with happy, well adjusted, super smart characters, if only to show that intelligence is not necessarily associated with arrogance, pessimism and social aloofness! Then again, maybe the plot would be boring if that was the case :)

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I loved the movie. Clive Owen and Julia Roberts have great chemistry. The plot and dialogue are fun and engaging and the tone really reminded me of Ocean’s 11.

Watch it!

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I meant to see this movie ever since I saw a preview in an Argentine movie theater almost a year ago. For some reason (probably because it’s French directed and produced), it came out in the US a few weeks ago, much later than in the rest of the world. It has done extremely well.

It’s essentially the story of a retired Jason Bourne played by Liam Neeson whose daughter is kidnapped while she is on vacation in Paris. We follow his desperate but deliberate search. I particularly loved the logical progression of the story as he went from clue to clue.

The movie is fast paced and thrilling. See it for a nice ninety minute escapade.

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By Natasa Lekic

The art of balancing on a wire, walking the tenuous line that strains itself over failure and its abyss, is the perfect metaphor for Philip Petit on the path to his lifelong ambition: a walk between the highest points of the twin towers. Anyone who has dreamt of a goal as unthinkable as Petit’s will recognize his passion and his fear and the never-ending frustrations that ever threaten to leave the dream unrealized.

The re-enactment of the entry into the twin towers, under changing guises and improvisations, first to learn about the layout and then to carry out the plan, at times relying on luck alone to distract the guards, at others depending on brute strength to save the equipment, contains the intrigue of a thriller through the painfully real struggle between chance and preparation.

As for the interviews, which always run the risk of being dry in documentaries, Petit, his ex-girlfriend, and the friends who helped him walk the sky, all have that wonder and vibrancy which still feels like the excitement of youth on the threshold of personal history. Their personalities, along with the footage of practices that took place in the fields of France, the plans that were deliberated upon in cramped living rooms, and the first performances that were staged in the streets of Paris, then on top of the Notre Dame cathedral, and finally on the Sydney Harbor Bridge, lead to an understanding of the inherent beauty and artistry of the wire and the lives that are lived upon it.

It’s a testament to this documentary that the image of a man walking between the tops of the twin towers has, for a time, made them whole again.

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I hate the fact that we are mortals. I also abhor the fact that we age and gradually lose our physical and mental abilities. Benjamin Button played on those fears as no movie ever has and made me sob throughout.

Death is a constant companion throughout the movie and the few moments of joy in the middle of the film were overshadowed by the ever-present specter of death and the dread of what was to come. As such, the film was extremely moving. It’s also extremely well done and the reverse aging of Brad Pitt was impressive.

However, the movie was disappointing as well. I expected the story to touch more on the typical Fitzgerald theme of being a stranger in a strange land, but the movie limited itself to its focus on reverse aging. The characters are also one-dimensional: Benjamin’s mother is only “the mother”, Benjamin is only “the guy who ages in reverse”, etc. Only Cate Blanchett’s character is a bit more developed.

The movie is worth seeing, but it’s not as good as most critics suggest and the Oscar buzz is undeserved.

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As both a movie buff and an avid gamer, I have both an Xbox 360 and a Netflix account. The November 19 revamp of Xbox Live brought Netflix “Watch Now” to the Xbox 360 and I love it!

There is no beating the instant gratification of watching TV show episodes one after the other. I took advantage of the opportunity to watch most of Season 1 of Jericho and Heroes in 2 days!

I had fears the video quality would be low, but it’s actually very good, even on a 58” screen.

Now they just need to expand the library to include all their movies and the service would be fantastic. To truly satisfy the road warrior in me, they should also allow me to watch movies from anywhere in the world on my laptop (after all, I have a US billing address). I would be willing to pay more for those two features – say $19.99 / month.

In fact if they did that, they would no longer need to ship DVDs, I would be satisfied by the Video on Demand (VOD) service.

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Despite its unrealistic poker scenes, I loved Casino Royale. I loved its dark, gritty tone. I loved the dialogue, especially between Eva Green and Daniel Craig and I felt the character development was interesting.

Quantum of Solace disappoints on all fronts. The dark, gritty tone remains, but everything else seems to have been lost. The characters are barely fleshed out and as a result the movie remains a one note revenge movie. The villain’s objective does not seem evil or grandiose enough and the setting for the final battle lacks the scale or glamour we have come to expect from Bond movies. Even the action sequences left a bit to be desired as everything seemed too blurry and close up (though that might be an artifact of being in the front row – I only arrived 45 minutes early for the 12:01 am showing on opening night).

For now Jason Bourne remains the 21st century’s James Bond! I hope the next Bond movie focuses more on good storytelling and character development!

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