Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time

Director: Mike Newell
Writers: Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Boaz Yakin
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton
Release Date: May 28, 2010
Length: 1 hour 56 minutes

One of my favourite directors, Mike Newell comes back to the genre of fantasy after directing Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (which was in fact my favourite of the franchise) in 2005. Now he’s teamed along with producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates Of The Caribbean) and the handsome Jake Gyllenhaal to give us a very enjoyable but not great film, Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time. Dastan is a prince who was once living in poverty and when he was 8 years old displayed public courage that impressed the king. At an event celebrating the victory of attacking the scared city of Alamut, Dastan is framed of killing the king, who is a father to him and Dastan is forced on the run. With him, he has an intriguing dagger he took from the attack, which causes princess Tamina to go with Dastan, in order to retrieve the precious weapon. Escaping together, the two fight on and off while princess Tamina is constantly trying to take back the dagger, which Dastan discovers by using it, that it turns back time. Realizing the dagger’s importance, Dastan and Tamina set on a mission to return the dagger to where it can be safe before the duo is found. Although the ads for this did look horrible, I had a small hope inside of me that this film would actually be good with director Mike Newel behind the wheel. He directed my favourite Harry Potter film, The Goblet Of Fire and I assumed the same fantasy skills he had would transfer over to Prince Of Persia. The flaws of this film however did not lie in Newel’s hands, but in those of the screenwriters. The film gave off a bit of a Pirates Of The Caribbean vibe with jokes here and there, but still filled with action. Compared to that movie, Prince Of Persia just had weaker dialogue, a way too complicated storyline and ten times more action sequences. Jake Gyllenhaal is certainly nice to watch (especially with a British accent in this movie) and there is no doubt that he can be an incredible actor in films such as Brokeback Mountain, Proof or Zodiac. Unfortunately Gylenhaal did not fit the role of the stubborn, confident, Dastan. I saw the character being written as an impulsive cocky guy and usually Gyllenhaal is the shy cute guy that everyone loves. Gyllenhaal gave a fine performance, but the film could have used a different actor to play that role. What might have saved the movie for me was the charming, feisty Gemma Arterton as Tamina. I have been a fan of the actress for a while with films such as Quantum Of Solace and Rock N Rolla, where she has always stole the scene away from every actor with her presence and not just her beauty. Her strong chemistry with Gyllenhaal may have also partly clouded the fact that he was miscast in my mind. Sir Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina also perform well with smaller roles in the film. It is hard to give one overall statement about this film because I certainly enjoyed it in parts. If you are looking for lots of fun for the family, you’ll have no problem watching this film. But if you are looking to see an actually decent film (with a decent script), Prince Of Persia is not for you.

Sex And The City 2

Director: Michael Patrick King
Writer: Michael Patrick King
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall
Release Date: May 27, 2010
Length: 2 hours 26 minutes

In 1998, a hilarious, one of a kind, TV show called Sex And The City was born and it grabbed the attention of women across the world. After ending in 2003, the four famous girls reunited for (what we thought was) one last shebang in 2008 for everyone to enjoy. The movie that came out two years ago was perfect for all the fans of Sex And The City, who got one last taste of their favourite characters. After that, for most women, Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha were put to bed. Now only two years later, one of the most pointless sequels has come out and the perfect ending from two years ago wont be the last thing we remember of this story. Instead the last part of the story we will remember will be an unenjoyable, designer placement, stupid film that left no impression on us whatsoever. Here goes a brief summary of an uneventful movie. Still all living in New York, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is happy in her married life with Big, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is stressed out about her new boss at work, Charlotte is stressed out from her kids, even though she has a nanny (suck it up, princess) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is finally facing the fact that she is getting older and hitting menopause. Through Samantha’s PR connections, the four girls score a free trip to Abu Dhabi, Morocco. This is when the writers made the mistake not to call the film, “Sex And The City Goes To Morocco!”. The rest of the film is the four women enjoying all the perks of this unrealistically luxurious trip, whining about their non-important problems and getting in fights and making up again (because that is what best friends do). John Corbett makes a traffic stopping appearance to add the little amount of plot there is to this movie. Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus, and Liza Minnelli also pop up on screen to keep the audience’s interest (which did not work). My aggravation of this film being made did not stop me from laughing at the witty dialogue mostly coming from Kim Cattrall. However, the writing was not as strong as the original show and the first film. For one, I could not stand listening to Charlotte whine about her kids when they are just normal annoying children and I also hated seeing the characters get more and more free lavish things from the hotel. Maybe it was jealousy or maybe it was just that I was watching a bad movie, but that didn’t put a smile on my face. To my expectations, it was confirmed when I saw the film that Sex And The City 2 was just a long commercial for numerous designers. Sex And The City did not disappoint me because the film rose to my exact expectations…which were very low. It is sad to think that what was once an amazing television show has left its (hopefully) last mark in a crappy sequel, but it wont make us forget these original characters that all women could relate to. To keep your blissful memory of the show the way it is, skip Sex And The City 2.

Letters To Juliet

Director: Gary Winick
Writers: Jose Rivera, Tim Sullivan
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Egan
Release Date: May 14, 2010
Length: 1 hour 45 minutes

What would Shakespeare say if he found out one of his most beloved characters and legendary stories was put into a story as painfully agonizing as this? Would he be ashamed, especially to find out that the ending of this film was so cheesy, it was almost a mockery of one of his most famous scenes? No, I think he would just laugh at the writing we have for romantic films in this day and age. Twenty something, fact-checker, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) goes to Verona for a pre-honeymoon with her self involved, unobservant fiancé, Vincent (Gael Garcia Barnel). When she visits the famous Juliet’s wall where different women put letters asking questions of Juliet, she see’s a suspicious woman take every letter and put it into her basket. After following this woman back to a house filled with five more Italian ladies, she is told they are the secretaries of Juliet who send letters back to all these women with answers to their questions. Sophie decides to work with them for the remainder of her trip while her fiancé is off on business around Italy. While clearing out letters from the wall, she finds a particular dusty one in a hidden spot, written in 1957 from an English woman named Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) who left her Italian lover waiting and doesn’t know what to do. Although a little late, Sophie responds to the letter and is soon confronted by the handsome cold grandson of Claire, Charlie (Christopher Egan) who tells Sophie that her reply has inspired his grandmother to go find her lost long Lorenzo. Upon meeting Claire, Sophie invites herself onto this romantic escapade through Italy, where she begins to have feelings for Charlie. Now, putting my love for Shakespeare aside, this film wasn’t completely horrible up until the ending. Although this is only Seyfried’s second romantic comedy, including Nicolas Sparks’ Dear John, if Seyfried continues down this road, I’ll begin to forget her hysterical performances in Mean Girls and Jennifer’s Body. Just like in Mamma Mia, Seyfried acts cute in Letters To Juliet because this isn’t exactly a film that allows her to show what an incredible actress she is, but it does show her choice in movies she takes. For Seyfried, this is barely a setback in her career. The true travesty is seeing academy award-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave in this film, however she was the best part of the movie. Overall I liked (not loved) this movie. Nothing special, but nothing horrible, Letters to Juliet is the kind of film that depends entirely on your tolerance level, which will make or break your enjoyment of this movie.

Mao's Last Dancer

Director: Bruce Beresford
Writers: Jan Sardi, Li Cunxin
Starring: Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood
Release Date: May 14, 2010
Length: 1 hour 57 minutes

From Australian director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy), comes the inspiring true story of Li Cinxin (Chi Cao), a Chinese dancer who found trouble balancing his new life in America with his family in communist China. In 1972, 11 year-old Li Cunxin was living in a village of China, when he was chosen to be trained at Bejing Dance Academy as a dancer. He stayed there until his late teens, when dance teacher, Ben Stevenson (Bruce Greenwood) came to find dancers and was impressed by Li. Stevenson managed to bring Li back to America, where he was supposed to train for three months. Li begins to adjust to life in America, falling in love with a fellow dancer, Liz (Amanda Schull). When Li wants to live in America forever, problems arise between the American and Chinese government that cause Li to think of all he has left at home. Based on the autobiography, Mao’s Last Dancer captivates the comparison of the harsh way of living in 1980’s rural China and the free, optimistic lifestyle in the United States, through Li’s perspective. Canadian actor, Bruce Greenwood was impeccable as Li’s dance trainer and the head of the Houston Ballet Company, Ben Stevenson. Greenwood perfectly portrayed the English, gay dancer without being over the top or too flamboyant. From his voice to his walk, Greenwood gave one of the most subtle, brilliant character performances to ever be put on screen. Newcomer Chi Cao has never had any acting experience before, which on purpose or not, helped his role because he came off more nervous and confused when he arrived in America. I could hardly think about his acting techniques though, when I was watching his several amazing dance sequences. Kyle Machlachlan also put on a strong performance as Li’s immigrational lawyer and Joan Chen was heartbreaking as Li’s mother. Choreographers, Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon create some of the most enjoyable dances to watch on screen, with the help of camera effects from Beresford. There was just enough dance sequences to remind the audience that dancing is a major part of this film, without there being too many. There was a perfect blend of dancing and acting in this film. Mao’s Last Dancer makes us feel all of Li’s bewilderment from growing up in communist China to moving to the free America. This is one of those films that try and put you into the shoes of the main character, feeling everything in the film that is happening just as they are. Beresford dives into our hearts to move and touch us, without this film being an over the top tearjerker. 

The Trotzky

Director: Jacob Tierney

Writer: Jacob Tierney

Starring: Jay Baruchel

Release Date: May 14, 2010

Length: 2 hours

17 year-old, Jewish, private school student, Leon Bronstein believes he is the reincarnation of Russian revolutionary, Leon Trotzky. If you are a teenager, you’re thinking, who on earth is that, and, if you are an adult, you might be thinking, this is going to be interesting. Writer/director Jacob Tierney gives us one of the most clever, hysterical, down to earth, teen movies that I’ve ever seen. Believing himself to be the reincarnation of Trotzky, Leon has already set out his life to be exactly as his, which requires marrying an older woman named Alexandra, getting exiled, and eventually being assassinated. So, Leon stages hunger strikes all over his city of Montreal, for about everything he can think of. When his acts of defiance tend to be more attention seeking than efficient, his father decides to put him in a place that will wake him up…public school. When he get’s there and realizes the place is run by adults who don’t give a crap about teenagers, Leon decides to fight for a union for students and starts a tiny revolution within his high school. As a teenager, (I’m not completely ashamed to say that) I’m no expert in historical Russian politics, which made me hesitate to see this film. I couldn’t decide if this film was going to be a smart teen comedy or an adult comedy that had a setting in high school. It ended up being a mix of the two because the humor is so original, anyone of any age could enjoy it. Not only is this whole film filled with laughs created by Tierney, but the whole premise of the film, that we are reminded of throughout, is enough to guarantee consecutive laughter. Tierney creates one of the most original, hilarious, deep characters that carries the movie so beautifully and Baruchel performs that character as if he created it himself. Although, Baruchel has never played such a complex character before, Tierney couldn’t have chosen anyone more perfect for the role of Leon. The Trotzky is definitely a character driven movie. What I love about The Trotzky is that it is a Canadian movie that’s not trying to mask anything. It doesn’t take place in some small town or unknown city to avoid the fact that this is a Canadian film. It takes place in West Montreal, where Leon’s brought up in a rich, Jewish home. The Trotzky is one of those rare movies that you can’t get off your mind for days. Whether you are an adult or teenager, you will appreciate everything about this film. I enjoyed The Trotzky so much, I almost forgot it was Canadian.

Iron Man 2

Director: Jon Favreau
Writer: Justin Theiroux
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow
Release Date: May 7, 2010
Length: 2 hours 4 minutes

Director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr are back, but did they fall into the bad sequel trap the second time around? After two short years, Tony Stark is already back on the big screen. This time though, everyone knows his alter ego Iron Man.  At the top of his game, Stark faces difficulties when he runs into old technology competitor, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) at his Stark Expo event. Right after he runs into him, he faces a dangerous Russian stranger, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), who tries to kill him on a racetrack. What intimidates Stark the most is that Vanko is also wearing a suit similar to his, but further ahead in technology than Iron Man. When Hammer and Vanko join forces, there is havoc in the air for Stark. It’s safe to say that the originality and cleverness of the first film didn’t go completely down the toilet, although the audience is only left with shreds with Iron Man 2. In replace of witty writing and intriguing dialogue were minutes upon minutes of action sequences. It’s no surprise that a few things blew up here and there because this is a superhero movie, but Iron Man 2 seems to have doubled the amount of CGI from the previous film. I sometimes say an actor carries a movie well, but I mean it when I say I would have been bored to tears if not for the incredible, hilarious Robert Downey Jr. He kept the audience intrigued during every scene, especially the ones where he shared a great chemistry with Gwenyth Paltrow. In every scene without him, I felt the film starting to plummet. Another strong actor that’s risen from the dust is Mickey Rourke. Although, not as entertaining as Downey Jr., he was spine-chillingly evil as the Russian Ivan Vanko, who was a well-crafted villain on the writer’s part. Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard, was also enjoyable to watch as Stark’s best friend, Colonel James “Rhodey”. There was a slight worry that this film wasn’t going to be as great as the first, when celebrity faces like Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson started appearing in the trailers. Thankfully, the whole film didn’t completely rely on Hollywood cameos, but I would have liked to see more scenes with Robert Downey Jr and Gwenyth Paltrow than Scarlett Johansson doing karate in slow motion. One of the aspects I liked the most about the first film, was that when Stark was being held captive in the middle east, he created the Iron Man suit from scraps of metal. Obviously this is not something that could have been repeated in the second film, but it was more interesting as opposed to Stark having all the technology he wants in his hands. For all the unlimited amount of action sequences in this movie, many of them are done with incredible camerawork and intense special effects. Jon Favreau showed he was a phenomenal director with Iron Man, and he still proves that with Iron Man 2. Unfortunately this time, Favreau had to work with a much weaker script. Although Iron Man 2 didn’t rise up to my expectations, I was still entertained the whole way through. Truth be told, I think I would enjoy any movie with Robert Downey Jr. because is one of the most captivating actors there is. Don’t expect to be blown away, just go see Iron Man 2.