Keep Your Mind Wide Open

There's this poll in web forum that I visited frequently that asked the users to list their top ten movies for 2007. The lists, predictably has the usual suspects, Bourne Ultimatum, Transformers, all the blockbuster. My list, admittedly, is quite similar to others.

However, after I watched Bridge to Terabithia(2007) last night, I feel obliged to include this movie, which hasn't appear on anyone else. This movie has slipped my radar for a long time because based on the trailers, I thought this would be similar to Chronicles of Narnia. It's not that I don't like Narnia, but I don't like a movie that feels like copying another movie.

So when I popped the DVD into my player last night, I was expecting to be only mildly entertained by the movie. However, after I finished, I couldn't be more wrong. This movie would easily walked in my top ten movie any day of the week. Despite the fantasy elements of the movie, I can't think similar movies which deals with more realistic themes as better as this one.

Shy and quiet 12 year old Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) was having problems both at home and school. His parents (played by Robert Patrick of Terminator 2 fame, and Kate Butler) financial problems means they have little money and time for him, and he was constantly bullied at school. The only source of solace came from the drawing he made in his sketchbook. When he met Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb), the new girl in school beat him on sprint race on the school athletic day. Hence, he didn't take her to heart at first despite her early efforts to become friends. But after a while he realize despite being very different, they both have a lot in common. Like him, Leslie is also an artist. She's an aspiring writer, just like her parents. Unfortunately, also like him, her parents also paid little attention to her when they're busy finishing their books, and she's also the target of the school bullies. Brought closer by these, they soon forged a friendship.

Their friendship took another leap when they discovered an unoccupied land just across the river, in the woods near their houses. They decided to call it their own and named it Terabithia, a magical kingdom where they can be everything they want and forget all the crap they have to face at school and home. Here, Jess and Leslie creativity and imagination took off. They created and fought creatures, monsters, dragonfly-sized winged warriors, trolls and made themselves king and queen of this kingdom. Terabithia become their fortress and refuge from the real world and helped them to face it better. Leslie lively spirit and outgoing nature managed to bring Jess out of his shell. His days were becoming much more bearable with her at his side.

This is where I stop because it's very difficult to continue reviewing this movie without giving away the ending, so the best I can do is summarize it: Bridge to Terabithia is a story about love, friendship, loss and how to deal with them. And the movie told it beautifully, as poignant and moving as the novel it was based on (Yes, I know how silly my initial thought was thinking this is a Narnia imitation). The fantasy element in this movie serves as a vehicle to Jess and Leslie imagination, and it worked. We can feel the sense of wonder they had when they make things up, but still managed to keep the realistic tone of the movie.

Josh Hutcherson again excelled as Jess. He managed to portray the changes his character went through, from the shy and introvert kid to a more outgoing person he become after meeting Leslie. AnnaSophia Robb though was even better. With less screen time she managed to made the viewers fall in love with her, portraying Leslie free spirit with such panache and freshness.

The only bad thing I can said about this movie is the marketing department of Disney who choose to sell this movie as the Narnia type of movie. It's not. It's definitely better than that. I reckon many children (and parents) feel cheated after they watched the movie. However, I also hoped most of them finished watching this feeling that they got a lot more than they hoped for, cause I certainly did.

Or as Leslie said to Jess when they see Terabithia for the first time : "Keep your mind wide open".

PS: I would definitely recommend to keep your Kleenex near by when watching this movie.

Send A Little Love This Way

Okay, I have a confession to make. I hate rom-com movies. No, I really really really hate it. I avoid it like rabies in a Liverpool shirt and keep a healthy distance from any movies like that. The story was formulaic enough that usually you can tell how it ends (the girl and the boy kissed and made up after their big fight) without even watching it. So it was quite a surprise for myself when this morning I found one that I enjoyed quite immensely.

Little Manhattan(2005) tells a heartwarming a story about an ten year old boy named Gabe Burton (Josh Hutcherson) who falls in love for the first time to eleven year old Rosemary Telesco (Charlie Ray), his sparring partner in karate lessons. Gabe, who initially thinks all girls are disgusting first, is starting to see Rosemary, who he knows since kindergarten in a whole new light. It was the kind of realization that perhaps all boys got at one point in his life. Beside that, Gabe also have to deal with his parents (Bradley Whitford of The West Wing and Cynthia Nixon of Sex and the City) on-going divorce process, although all of them still lived under one roof.

The whole movie was narrated by Gabe, giving insight to his way of thinking and how he see the world, and how he perceived Rosemary in particular. It was funny and endearing, and Hutcherson done a masterful job in portraying him. The movie also gives a nice portrayal of New York itself. The writer-director team of Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett said in an interview that this movie is their love letter to New York. And it shows. Essentially, the movie managed to be sweet but not corny. Sad, but not heartbreaking. Funny, but not over-the-top laughs.

When you're tired of the same cliche of rom-coms, or perhaps like to take a little trip back to your first love, this movie perhaps would be perfect for you.

A New Dawn for Romania Cinema?

I went to JIFFEST 2007 last week, and catch a few movies. Movie festivals intrigued me because you can see movies that doesn't have any chance to get shown here at any other time.

One of those movies is 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. I haven't heard anything about this movie before, only its reputation as Palm D'or winner at the latest Cannes Film Festival.

It was definitely a different experience. I never watched any movies from Romania, or perhaps any movie from South Europe for that matter. The movie touch some serious subjects, and more importantly it told them with such brutal truth, you can't help but being sucked in the story.

Set in 1980s Romania, the movie tells a story about two college student, Gabita Dagut (Laura Vasiliu) who wants to terminate her pregnancy with the help of her roommate Otillia (Anamaria Marinca). At that time, any form of contraception and abortion is illegal in Romania. The offenders could face serious jailtime if caught. They seek the help of Bebe (Vlad Ivanov), a doctor who's willing to execute illegal abortion with a price.

The movie pace is quite slow at the beginning, but the tension really rise when Gabita and Otillia finally meet Bebe. It's quite astonishing to see the length that Otillia take to help Gabita to achieve the abortion. While the title of the movie is referring to Gabita pregnancy, the real 'lead' character in the movie is actually Otillia. She's the one who take charge and arrange the whole thing. She's also the one who also have to made the difficult decisions regarding her own boyfriend.

The movie takes a realistic snapshot at Romania at the 80s and what consequences you get after you made your decision. The movie was shot without any soundtrack, which just add to the realism of the movie.

Anamaria Marinca was superb as Otillia, playing her part with such conviction. But the best I think comes from Vlad Ivanov, who in his 15 minutes cameo as Bebe managed to pull his part with incredible intensity. The scenes where he appeared was the best in the movie as you really felt the tension and the emotion that filled each characters.

All in all, I was quite pleased with the movie. The movie was being touted to spark the emergence of Romania cinema, and with this proof, I wouldn't disagree.