On November 4, 1979, Iranian Islamists storm the United States Embassy in Tehran in retaliation for President Jimmy Carter giving the Shah of Iran asylum in the US during the Iranian Revolution. Sixty-six members of the embassy staff are taken as hostages, but six avoid capture and are sheltered in the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Talyor. With the six escapees' situation kept secret, the US State Department begins to explore options for exfiltrating them from Iran. Agent Tony Mendez, a CIA exfiltration specialist, is brought in for a consultation. He criticizes the proposals but is at a loss when asked for an alternative. While on the phone with his son, he is inspired by watching Battle for the Planet of the Apes, and begins plans for creating a cover story for the escapees: that they are Canadian filmmakers who are in Iran scouting exotic locations for a science fiction film. Mendez contacts John Chambers, a Hollywood make-up artist who had previously worked with the CIA. Chambers puts Mendez in touch with film producer Lester Siegel. Together, they set up a phony film production company, publicize their plans, and successfully establish the pretense of developing Argo—a "science fantasy adventure" in the style of Star Wars—to lend the cover story credibility. Meanwhile, the escapees grow restless. The revolutionaries succeed in reassembling embassy photographs shredded before the takeover and realize that some personnel are unaccounted for. Posing as a producer for Argo, Mendez enters Iran and meets with the six escapees. He provides them with fake Canadian passports and identities. The six hostages, however, are incredulous upon hearing the details of the operation, and many of them are unwilling to go along as they risk certain death if discovered!

Argo is loaded with tension from its opening sequence, where we are introduced to the context of the Iranian revolution and shown the storming of the embassy. That sequence gives us a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of an embassy, and the emergency procedures performed when an embassy is being overrun. Tension is piled on with a room full of innocent visa applicants who will most likely by lynched if discovered—the applicants also provide cover for the six embassy staff to make their escape and find shelter in the Canadian ambassador's home. From here the movie adeptly cuts between three interlinked stories: the plight of the embassy staff and their hosts, the story of CIA exfiltration specialist Tony Mendez in the rescue attempt and how his job affects his family life, and the Hollywood support needed to create a faux sci-fi film as part of the rescue effort. Throughout that, we are given a glimpse of the inner workings of Hollywood, the CIA and the US government, and the torturous experiences of the embassy staff.

All of the film's tension is well earned, and—just like in Titanic—even though we already know the outcome, the craftsmanship of the film keeps us on the edge of our seats until the final shot. And even then, the film isn't over, with an important voice-over coming partway through the credits to sum things up. While the film is based on a true story, it is a film adaptation with some liberties having been taken. Due to that, the film loses some of its lustre the more one knows about what really happened. Nevertheless, the genius of the film is what it has to say about the Hollywood system. In a way it is a satire of Hollywood, showing us the dirtier side of the industry, and how similar the people in Hollywood are to the spies and specialists in the world of the CIA. Perhaps the single most telling conversation is the one between Alan Arkin's Lester Siegel and Ben Affleck's Mendez when they discuss how their professions have similarly negatively affected their home lives.

The film can't be missed because it is operating on multiple levels about many diverse things. However, at its heart it appears to be a love letter to Hollywood, as it concurrently celebrates the creativity and imagination of the movies, while showing us that they can also be a force for good.

Coming soon!

In Qing dynasty China, Li Mu Bai is a renown Wudang swordsman, and his friend Yu Shu Lien, a female warrior, heads a private security company. Shu Lien and Mu Bai have long had feelings for each other, but because Shu Lien had been engaged to Mu Bai's close friend Meng Sizahao before his death, she and Mu Bai feel bound by loyalty and have not revealed their feelings to each other. Mu Bai, choosing to retire from the life of a swordsman, asks Shu Lien to give his fabled 400-year-old sword "Green Destiny" to their benefactor Sir Te in Beijing. Long ago, Mu Bai's teacher was killed by Jade Fox, a woman who sought to learn the Wudang secrets. Unable to exact vengeance before his retirement, Mu Bai leaves to pray for forgiveness at his teacher's tomb. While at Sir Te's estate in Beijing, Shu Lien meets Yu Jiaolong—or Jen—who is the daughter of the rich and powerful Governor Yu and is about to get married. That evening, a masked thief sneaks into Sir Te's estate and steals the Green Destiny. Sir Te's servant Master Bo and Shu Lien trace the theft to Governor Yu's compound, where Jade Fox has been posing as Jen's governess for many years. Soon after, Mu Bai arrives in Beijing and discusses the theft with Shu Lien. Master Bo makes the acquaintance of Inspector Tsai, a police investigator from the provinces, and his daughter May, who have come to Beijing in pursuit of Fox. Fox challenges the pair and Master Bo to a showdown that night. Following a protracted battle, the group is on the verge of defeat when Mu Bai arrives and outmanoeuvres Fox. Just as Mu Bai is about to kill her, the masked thief reappears and engages Mu Bai in combat. He is intrigued when she employs Wudang techniques in their fight. After they flee, Master Bo insists they confront Governor Yu about the thief living in his midst, but Sir Te recommends against that, as Governor Yu currently heads up the emperor's security. Shu Lien suggests an alternative manoeuvre to smoke the thief out...

On the surface, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon appears to be a story about two pairs of star-crossed lovers set in the Wushu genre centred on the conflict over a legendary sword. However, the film is so much more as not only is it laden with symbolism and subtext, it is also by Dir. Ang Lee—someone who is interested in depicting the hidden sides of people and the conflicts that engenders. Some of the film's subtext is arguably lost in translation. The title, for example, refers not only to a Chinese idiom that describes a place or situation full of unnoticed masters, but also directly links to two of the film's characters: the Chinese character for 'dragon' in Jen's name, and 'tiger' in her lover's name Lo "Dark Cloud" Xiao Hou. In addition, there is the theme of green, which represents the female principle of the universe. This shows up in multiple ways, such as the darker green in Jade Fox, as well as the verdant green of the bamboo forest that is not only the site of a key battle, but also hints at the start of a romantic relationship.

Given that, one can surmise that the film isn't so much about the relationship between Mu Bai and Shu Lien—who, at first blush, appear to be the film's heroes—but rather Shu Lien and Jen, with the film being populated not by characters that are clearly good and evil, but rather a complex blend of shades of grey. In many ways, the film is about Shu Lien's and Jen's respective journeys to a certain kind of enlightenment. Of the two, Jen's is the more transformative, as she spends the majority of the movie pursuing avenues in the physical world in order to achieve her overarching goal, but ultimately choosing a spiritual path. This is contrasted by Mu Bai's journey as he turns away from the spiritual to find solace in the physical world.

The "Green Destiny" sword as well is not so much a MacGuffin but both a driver of the plot, as well as being the physical embodiment of at least one character's warrior identity. This is contrasted with another key item representing a character's identity as a lover. Nevertheless, given all the symbolism and subtext in the film, the sword's name takes on a new meaning for the film. The ending of the film is also less tragic than it may initially appears, as at least one character achieves her overarching goal.

When I first saw the initial battle in the rooftops, I thought "this is how you properly depict chi abilities in combat". However, it later dawned on me that Dir. Lee is focusing the shots on the moves not for the visceral thrill of combat, but as a visual metaphor for one character actively pulling down, holding back, and blocking another character. In the overall story arc, it is extremely telling, as Shu Lien, the character doing the restraining, is presented as a role model for Jen, with her opposing role model being Jade Fox. Ultimately, neither provides the answers that Jen seeks, and she heads in a completely different direction from what either represent. All in all, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a thoroughly engaging film that is quite topical. It is best watched in its native Chinese, with the subtitles turned on (the dub appears to be a watered down adaptation of the dialogue for the casual viewer, and looses a light of the fine nuances present in the subs).

In the animated fairy tale kingdom of Andalasia, the corrupt and ruthless Queen Narissa plots to protect her claim to the throne—which she will lose once her stepson, Prince Edward, finds true love and marries. Narissa enlists her loyal servant Nathaniel to keep Edward distracted by hunting trolls. Giselle, a young woman, dreams of meeting a prince and experiencing a 'happily ever after'. One day, Edward hears Giselle singing and sets off to find her. Nathaniel frees a captured troll to kill Giselle, but Edward rescues her. She and Edward are instantly attracted to each other and plan to be married the following day. Disguised as an old hag, Narissa intercepts Giselle on her way to the wedding and pushes her into a well, where Giselle is transformed into a live-action version of herself and is transported to New York City's Times Square in the real world. Frightened and overwhelmed, she quickly becomes lost. Robert, a divorce lawyer, is planning to propose to his girlfriend Nancy. Robert and his young daughter Morgan encounter Giselle on their way home. He reluctantly allows Giselle to stay in their apartment at the insistence of Morgan, who believes she is a princess. Upon learning of Giselle's fate, her chipmunk friend Pip and Edward embark on a rescue mission to the real world, where they too are turned into live-action versions of themselves. Pip, now no longer able to speak, and only communicates through squeaks. Narissa subsequently sends Nathaniel to follow and impede Edward. Narissa gives Nathaniel three poisoned apples that will put whoever eats one to sleep until the clock strikes twelve, after which they will die. Concurrently, after Giselle summons insects and other city vermin to clean Robert's apartment, Nancy arrives to take Morgan to school. She meets Giselle, gets angry and leaves, having assumed that Robert was being unfaithful. Robert attempts to stop her, but is unable to intercept her before she boards a taxi. Knowing that Giselle is vulnerable in the city, Robert ends up spending the day with Giselle. Meanwhile, after having grown frustrated with Nathaniel's continuing ineptitude, Narissa decides to come to the real world and kill Giselle herself!

The film oscillates all over the map as it gives both homages as well as parody's of Disney's animated films, ranging from moments of inspired genius to yawn-inducing regurgitations of other (better) princess movies. All of the actors are good sports for the most part, except for Patrick Dempsey (as Robert) who doesn't seem to be in on the joke—or was told to portray his character that way. Susan Sarandon (Narissa), on the other hand, is almost gleefully over the top in her performance. She looks like she was having a lot of fun making this film. Timothy Spall (Nathaniel) also fully commits, and has a mischievous glint in his eye throughout the film.

The best thing about the film is its sly critique of the plot of 'traditional' princess stories. The film also has a bit of fun exploring the 'powers' of a princess—namely the ability to summon and control animals, and sew amazing wardrobes out of whatever is on hand at the drop of a hat. Both gleefully result in zany chaos and frustration to Giselle's real-world companions. That said, this isn't a film for everyone, as it attempts to both have its cake and eat it, too. The most telling scene is when the young girl 'borrows' her father's credit card and she and Giselle go on a shopping spree, get their hair done, and have a makeover. If that sounds like your ideal fantasy, then this film is for you.

The film opens with a skilled cat burglar stealing a Rembrandt from a New York office building—and then smartly dropping the painting in the mail to ease their escape. The insurance company dispatches their top investigator, Virginia Baker, to examine the crime scene. She suspects Robert MacDougal is behind the robbery, and is sent undercover to entrap him by enticing him to steal a priceless Chinese mask from an English castle. However, all is not what it seems, and both Virginia and Robert have their own secret designs on working together.

This film is a cross between Mission Impossible and James Bond. However, unlike the films in those series, the uneven pacing in Entrapment prevents it from ever really getting going. It probably doesn't help that both Sean Connery's Robert and Catherine Zeta-Jones's Virginia aren't presented honestly to the viewer from the get go, and we don't know who to trust. While the mystery, unclear alliances, and murky ulterior motives have the potential to make a great film, they are a detriment in this film.

The highlight of the film is the action on the skybridge on the Petronas Twin Towers. However, the scenes just before it only serve to highlight the panache that greater films have when depicting a heist, such as the first Mission: Impossible film, Ocean's Eleven, or even Charlie's Angels (2000). Nevertheless, it's great seeing Sean Connery in a pseudo-James Bond-ish role—even though his character is significantly more shackled and constrained by the authorities than Bond ever was. Finally, despite the films flaws, it is memorable.

In 1993, Erin Brockovich is an unemployed single mother of three children. She has recently been injured in a traffic accident with a doctor and is suing him. Her lawyer, Ed Masry, expects to win, but Erin's confrontational courtroom behaviour under cross-examination loses the case. Afterwards, Ed will not return her phone calls. One day, he arrives at work to find her in the office, apparently working. She says that he told her things would work out and they did not, and that she needs a job. She asks Ed for one, which he reluctantly gives her. Erin is given files for a real estate case where the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is offering to purchase the home of Donna Jensen in Hinkley, California. Erin is surprised to see medical records in a real estate file. Briefly asking permission to investigate, she visits Donna, who explains that she had simply kept all her PG&E correspondence together. Donna appreciates PG&E's help: she has had several tumours and her husband has Hodgkin's lymphoma, but PG&E has always provided a doctor at their own expense. Erin asks why they would do that, and Donna replies, "because of the chromium". Erin begins digging into the case and finds evidence that the groundwater in Hinkley is seriously contaminated with carcinogenic hexavalent chromium—while PG&E has been telling Hinkley residents that they use a safer form of chromium. After a week, Erin returns to the office to report and is told she has been fired for missing a week of work! Later, Ed realizes what was happening when a professor Erin consulted tries to phone her back. Ed visits Erin to ask for her research, and accepts her demand to be rehired in return, with a raise. She continues her research and visits many Hinkley residents, slowly gaining their trust. Erin and Ed find numerous medical problems in Hinkley and that virtually everyone has been treated by PG&E's doctors, who have led them to believe their issues are unrelated to the "safe" chromium. The Jensen's claim for compensation develops into a major class action lawsuit. Unfortunately, all direct evidence is linked solely to PG&E Hinkley, rather than PG&E headquarters—thus PG&E corporate can deny any knowledge of what's happening in Hinkley!

Erin Brockovich is in some ways a modern interpretation of the princess film. In this film, the purported princess not only rescues herself, but a whole town of people. Her metaphoric knight-in-shining-armour is a nice guy, who is great with her kids, and willing to babysit them while she sets out on her quest: to do her job to the best of her abilities. Some of the film's nicest moments are when it depicts the daily struggles Erin faces, from cockroaches in the kitchen to finding a reliable babysitter, and how she struggles at things some of us take for granted—"I read slow." On the other hand, she has great people skills, and a knack for remembering details about people, such as phone numbers, that a lot of us struggle with even for those that we're intimately familiar with.

The chilling part of the film is that it is all based on a true story. When the film gets down to detailing the medical problems, and the resulting mental anguish and trauma that the people of Hinkley face, the film gets truly horrific. While we cheer for the title character as she overcomes her personal challenges, we end up moved by and angered for the people of Hinkley, hoping for their ultimate vindication and salvation. While the film doesn't show the PG&E executives getting their proverbial bloody nose, it does have a best outcome for the hero and the townsfolk that she crusades for. This film is many things at once—motivational and cautionary being at the forefront—and ought not to be missed.

The main character—known only as the Narrator—has an unfulfilling job, finds no satisfaction in his endless pursuit of consumerism, and has chronic insomnia. To get much needed sleep, he starts attending support groups posing as a fellow disease sufferer. His routine is disturbed when fellow imposter Marla Singer starts attending the same groups for the 'free food and entertainment'. On the return flight from a business trip, the Narrator meets and befriends soap salesman Tyler Durden. Arriving home, the Narrator finds his apartment has been destroyed in an explosion. Having no place to turn, he calls Tyler. After meeting at a bar, the Narrator asks Tyler if he can stay at his place for the time being. Tyler agrees, but on the condition that the Narrator hits him first. They end up having a fistfight in the parking lot, find the experience cathartic, and agree to do it again. However, what starts as a juvenile game eventually leads the duo down a rabbit hole of self-realization that is as destructive as it is transformative.

This film is through and through David Fincher: it takes you to dark places with plenty of things to say in well composed scenes, and leaves you pondering the questions it asks about us. The film sees its protagonists reject consumerism and search for a much more fulfilling value system. It is also the journey of a man navigating between his true desires and the demands society places on the individual in his journey into adulthood. The film is also—in its own unique way—a meditation on the dangers of, and ultimately a rejection of fascism.

However, that tells you next to nothing about the film nor the journey it takes you on. 20 years on, the film is still quite topical, and it has a certain timelessness that gives the impression that it could have been released yesterday. Even though the protagonists' solutions aren't the best ones to the topics it raises, the film still deserves praise for exploring them and, at the very least, bringing them back to public consciousness.

Fight Club is, simply put, enthralling from beginning to end. I've seen it multiple times, and each time I've noticed something new or interpret things differently. It remains fresh, and the cynicism and the parodying of consumerism is still as biting as it was when the film was released.

As three US servicemen—Marines Pfc. Ira Hayes, Pfc. Rene Gagnon, and Navy PhMsc. John "Doc" Bradley—are celebrated as heroes in a war bond drive, they reflect on their experiences via flashback. After training at Camp Tarawa in Hawai'i, the 28th Marine Regiment 5th Marine Division sails to invade Iwo Jima. The Navy bombards suspected Japanese positions for three days. Sgt. Mike Strank is put in charge of Second Platoon. On Feb. 19, 1945, the Marines land on Iwo Jima. The beaches are silent and Pfc. Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowki wonders if the defenders are all dead, before Japanese heavy artillery and machine guns open fire on the advancing Marines and the Navy ships. Casualties are heavy, but the beaches are eventually secured. On Feb. 21, the Marines attack Mount Suribachi under a rain of Japanese artillery and machine gun fire, as the Navy bombards the mountain. Doc saves the lives of several Marines under fire. On Feb. 23, having secured the mountain, the platoon under command of Sgt. Hank Hansen reaches the top of Mount Suribachi and hoists the United States flag to cheers from the beaches and the ships. Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, who witnesses the flag raising as he lands on the beach, requests the flag for himself. Col. Chandler Johnson sends Rene up with Second Platoon to replace the first flag with a second one. Mike, Doc, Ira, Rene, Cpl. Harlon Block and Pfc. Franklin Sousley are photographed by Joe Rosenthal as they raise the second flag. After the battle, the press gets hold of Rosenthal's photograph, and it becomes a huge morale booster for the public. Rene is asked to name the six men in the photo. He identifies himself, Mike, Doc, and Franklin, but misidentifies Harlon as Hank. Rene eventually names Ira as the sixth man, even after Ira threatens to kill him for doing so. Doc, Ira, and Rene are sent home as part of the Seventh War Loan Drive. When Ira denounces the bond drive, he is told by Bud Gerber of the Treasury Department that the country cannot afford the war, and if the bond drive fails, the US will abandon the Pacific and their sacrifices will be for nothing. The three agree to participate in the bond drive, and not tell anyone about the real identities of the people in the photograph. As the three are sent around the country to raise money and make speeches, Ira grows increasingly guilt-ridden. He soon turns to drink, and that starts causing complications for not only the other two, but the bond drive itself!

Flags of our Fathers is very poignant, as it deals not only with the war, but also post traumatic stress, as well as something most other war films don't deal with: domestic politics and the drive to raise money to support the war. Sprinkled in is a biting dose of racism—surprisingly against the very First Nations' soldier that fought alongside the Caucasians and was being celebrated as a national hero—and how both the country and the government failed him and the other soldiers during and after the war was over. While the above partial synopsis is in chronological order, the film is presented in a nonlinear order, and jumps between three time periods: the lead up to and the Battle of Iwo Jima, the seventh bond tour after the battle and up to the 1950's, and Doc's son James in the 1990's learning about his father's past. This structure provides Dir. Eastwood with a compelling way to depict the circumstances and the people involved with the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, and how that affected them and their descendants. The use of timely flashbacks also vividly details the mental crises of the protagonists and their direct causes, the horrific randomness of battle, and the inhumane brutality of an army mobilized for war.

The protagonists of the movie fight in two battles—the physical fight for the island as well as the subsequent PR battle—and are discarded as soon as their usefulness is finished. In a way, the main villain of this film is not the Japanese soldiers that the Americans are fighting against, but the government and societal systems, and the constraints placed on the soldiers by limited budgets. One also gets the sense that soldiers at all levels of the military were helping or attempting to help the people under their command, but their hands were tied by such things as politicians and budget limitations. This is exemplified when the Secretary of the Navy demands the initial flag put up on top of the mountain be added to his personal collection. In that thought provoking sequence, one gets a real sense of the truth behind the "$hit rolls downhill" expression. This film not only vividly and respectfully depicts the Battle of Iwo Jima, it also thoroughly engages the viewer as it delves into the domestic side of the war effort, and the years and decades of mental suffering the soldiers lived through long after the battle was over. A must see.

Coming soon!

Twenty-year-old Will Hunting of South Boston is a natural genius who is self-taught. He works as a janitor at MIT and spends his free time drinking with his friends Chuckie, Billy, and Morgan. When Professor Gerald Lambeau posts a difficult mathematics problem on a blackboard as a challenge for his graduate students, Will solves the problem anonymously, stunning both the students and Lambeau. As a challenge to the unknown genius, Lambeau posts an even more difficult problem. He later catches Will writing the solution on the blackboard late at night, but initially thinks Will is vandalizing it and chases him off. At a bar, Will meets Skylar, a British woman about to graduate from Harvard, who plans on attending a medical school in California. The next day, Will and his friends fight a gang that contains a member who used to bully Will as a child. Will is arrested after he attacks a responding police officer. Lambeau sits in on his court appearance and watches Will defend himself. Lambeau arranges for Will to avoid jail time if he agrees to study mathematics under Lambeau's supervision and participate in psychotherapy sessions. Will tentatively agrees, but treats his therapists with mockery. In desperation, Lambeau calls on Dr Sean Maguire—his college roommate—who now teaches psychology at Bunker Hill Community College. Unlike other therapists, Sean challenges Will's defence mechanisms, and Will slowly begins to open up. Will also starts building a relationship with Skylar. However, he lies to her about his past and is reluctant to introduce her to his friends or show her his rundown apartment. Concurrently, Lambeau sets up a number of job interviews for Will, who invariably scorns them.

Good Will Hunting isn't so much a film about the destination, as it is about the journey. In fact, the film ends with multiple characters departing on journeys, but leaves their resolution open ended. In many ways, that is the entire point of the film, as it is about damaged characters being helped—in some cases pushed—outside of their comfort zones and moving on to greater things.

This film is mostly about young adults trying to find their way in the difficult transition from youth to adulthood. However, it also gives a solid meditation on a life well lived, with all its joys and tragedies, in the form of Dr Sean Maguire. In many ways, his character is the heart and soul of the film, and presents its most poignant scenes. The highlight of the film is Will and Skylar's first date. There are very few films that successfully capture the joy, nervousness, and giddiness of a first date and the blossoming of a relationship as well as this film does. There are a lot of other things going for this film, but perhaps the best is that it is about intelligent people, making difficult choices, and the film depicting them taking the time—sometimes a lot of time—to figure out the best choice. In a world of fast-pace action flicks, this film is a breath of fresh air!

In 1941, German officer Hans Landa interrogates a French farmer that Landa thinks is hiding a Jewish family under his floorboards. In exchange for keeping his three daughters free from German assaults, the farmer tearfully confirms it and where they are hiding. Landa's soldiers shoot through the floorboards, killing all but one: Shosanna, who escapes. 3 years later, Lieutenant Aldo Raine recruits Jewish-American soldiers to the Basterds, a command unit formed to instill fear among the German soldiers. Later, in Germany, Hitler personally interviews a survivor of a Basterds' attack. He reveals that they carved a swastika into his forehead to ensure that he'll forever be branded a Nazi, even after the war's end. In Paris, Shosanna is now operating a cinema under the name Emmanuelle Mimieux. She meets Fredrick Zoller, a famed German sniper who has become the star in a Nazi propaganda film. Infatuated with her, he convinces the head of propaganda to hold the premiere of his movie at her cinema. Landa, who is now head of security for the premiere, unexpectedly shows up to question Shosanna about her suitability to host such a prestigious event—and though he doesn't specifically state it, one suspects that he knows who Shosanna really is. At the same time, the British learn that the premiere will be attended by the majority of the Nazi leaders. They dispatch a Commando to lead an attack on the premiere with the Basterds. The tavern where they have arranged to meet their contact in occupied France is, however, filled with German soldiers, and at least one of them is intrigued by the Commando's 'odd' German accent!

Inglourious Basterds is unlike any other WWII film. In fact, it's not a war film per se. It's a Spaghetti Western with all the trappings of a war film. However, it's also loaded with iconography from and references to iconic film shots and artwork. Like all Dir. Tarantino films, it's probably best to not even attempt to pigeonhole this film, and just enjoy it for what it is. Tarantino trusts in the intelligence of the audience, and he gives us large pieces of the story, with enough suggested for the audience to fill in the rest. In some ways it's more challenging than, for example, Dir. Nolan's Inception, but in other ways it isn't anywhere near as mentally taxing as that film can be.

That's not to say Inglourious Basterds is an easy film. On the one hand, it is a Tarantino film. While there's far less profanity, it's just as loaded with grotesqueries. On the other, it routinely switches between four languages. Most characters speak maybe one or two. However, the antagonist Landa speaks them all, and that—along with his character's other attributes and traits—is worth the price of admission. Christopher Waltz's performance of Landa (and his mastery of all those languages) is one of the highlights of the film, and it's no wonder that he won so many acting awards for his performance.

That said, the more effort the viewer puts into unlocking the film, the more rewarding it becomes. Another highlight is the depth of research that Tarantino put into his film. On the one hand, it is a film about the cinema: we get not only an examination of German cinema up to and into the war years, but also a close look at cinema operations, and how cinema can directly influence events—either as propaganda or as the key to the success or failure of military operations. On the other, it has many subtle but significant things, and the more one knows about the era the film is set in, the more insidious the challenges that the characters face become. Take, for example the whip cream on the strudel. At first blush, it looks innocuous and like Landa has a sweet tooth. However, Landa may be both challenging Shosanna to eat something that may not be kosher (something to do with butter being replaced by lard due to rationing during the war) and suggesting that he knows who she really is by ordering more and more dairy products for her. It's to the extent that the more one knows, the more tense those scenes become.

Nevertheless, this is a hard film to recommend. If you enjoy Tarantino's films and are a lover of Westerns and war movies, you'll be tickled pink. However, if Tarantino's tendency to depict violence in all its brutality isn't your thing, than you may want to give this film a pass. However, you'll be missing out on a visionary film by an auteur.

In 1991, the Bride—a former member of the Deadly Viper assassination squad—is rehearsing her marriage at a chapel in El Paso, Texas. The Deadly Vipers, led by Bill, attack the chapel and shoot everyone inside it. As the Bride lies wounded, she tells Bill he is the father of her unborn child, just as he shoots her in the head. The Bride falls into a coma. In the hospital, Elle Driver, one of the Deadly Vipers, prepares to assassinate her via lethal injection. Bill aborts the mission, considering it dishonourable to kill her while she is defenceless. The Bride awakens after four years and is horrified to discover that she is no longer pregnant. She kills a man who intends to rape her and a hospital worker who has been selling her body while she was comatose. She takes the hospital worker's truck and gets herself back in shape, vowing to kill Bill and the other Deadly Vipers. However, first she has to obtain a sword from the legendary swordsmith Hattori Hanzo, who has sworn never to forge a sword again. Her first challenge is to convince him to break his vow.

Kill Bill: Volume 1 is less a complete story and more a visceral ride as Dir. Tarantino takes us through one fabulous vignette after another. The thing that makes them—and this film—unique, is that they are all referencing archetypal shots and sequences from a wide range of classic martial arts movies. This is perfectly encapsulated in The Bride's costume choice in the film's climax: it is an homage to the one Bruce Lee wore in his last film. There is no question about why she's wearing it: it's what people wear in her situation when they are doing what she is doing.

The movie also uses a variety of film styles, ranging from black and white to anime. The latter is not just a stylistic choice, as the subject matter would have slapped the restricted rating on it if it were filmed in live action. This film is also loaded with gore. In some ways, it is above and beyond what Dir. Tarantino is known for. In other ways, it is just one more homage to the films that he is referencing. Kill Bill: Volume 1 is not a film that plumbs the depths of the human condition looking for a new revelation. It is a revenge tale through and through. However, that's not what it's actually about. Its raison d'être is a celebration of the martial arts genre, and comes fully loaded with the unique characters that Dir. Tarantino is known for populated his movies with. If you like the martial arts genre or Tarantino's style, you'll love this film.

The pregnant Bride and her groom rehearse their wedding. Bill—the Bride's former lover, the father of her child, and the leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad—arrives unexpectedly and orders the Deadly Vipers to kill everyone at the wedding rehearsal. Bill shoots the Bride in the head, but she survives and swears revenge. Four years later, the Bride, having already assassinated Deadly Vipers O-Ren Ishii and Vernita Green, goes to the trailer of Bill's brother Budd, another deadly Viper, planning to ambush him. Having been warned by Bill beforehand, he incapacitates her with a non-lethal shotgun blast of rock salt and sedates her. He calls Elle Driver, another former Deadly Viper, and arranges to sell her the Bride's unique sword for $1 million. He seals the Bride inside a coffin and buries her alive. In a flashback to years earlier, Bill tells the young Bride of the legendary martial arts master Pai Mei. Bill takes the Bride to Pai's temple for training. Pai ridicules and torments her during training, but she eventually gains his respect and learns his legendary skills. In the present, the Bride uses Pai's techniques to escape from the coffin and claw her way to the surface. The following morning, Elle arrives at Budd's trailer with the money to buy the Bride's sword. However, she has a bone to pick with Budd for offing the Bride in such a disrespectful manner. Unbeknownst to both of them, the Bride is making a beeline through the desert straight for them!

Does it need mentioning that the Bride is walking barefoot through the desert? Both halves of the Kill Bill film—they are truly a single film shot at the same time as one complete story—are like that: epic, legendary sequences that couldn't plausible exist in reality, but exist in our collective consciousness when we think about the great martial arts movies. Continuing from where Kill Bill: Volume 1 left off, Volume 2 not only picks up the action right where it left off, the film also makes wonderful detours that not only embellish and fully round out the characters and their relationships, they also give new meaning to the scenes that have come before and add subtext to the following scenes that would otherwise be difficult to dramatically produce.

The second film makes a sharp turn away from the Japanese martial arts films and dives deep into the Chinese ones. The genius of Dir. Tarantino is that despite being the same overall genre, he continually produces creative and inventive sequences unlike any shown in Kill Bill so far, keeping the films fresh and compelling interesting. Take, for example, the Bride's sword fights between O-Ren Ishii and Elle Driver: while on the surface they are both about the same things with the same weapons, they cannot be more different from each other. Another unique aspect of Volume 2 is that the closer the Bride gets to her ultimate target, there is less action and more and more interesting and thought-provoking dialogue. In a way, it is setting up the blink-and-you-miss-it final battle between two highly skilled warriors, the respect they have for each other, and the complicated relationship they share. Ultimately, Kill Bill: Volume 1 and 2 transcend the martial arts genre that it so lovingly celebrates and reveres. While not as gory as the first film, Volume 2 still uses some potentially unsettling gore. However, beyond that, it is a film that not only stands on its own feet, it also comes replete with its own epic, legendary sequences.

In medieval France, Crusaders visit Balian, a blacksmith haunted by his wife's recent suicide after a miscarriage. Their leader introduces himself as Balian's father, Baron Godfrey, and asks Balian to return with him to the Holy Land. Balian, however, declines the offer. Later that night, Balian kills his half-brother, a greedy and immoral town priest, after discovering that he ordered Balian's wife's body beheaded before burial. The next day, Balian joins his father's group, hoping to gain salvation for himself and his wife in Jerusalem. They are soon confronted by soldiers sent to arrest Balian, In the ensuing fight, many are killed, and an arrow strikes Godfrey. Reaching Messina, they have a testy encounter with Guy de Lusignan, a prospective future king of Jerusalem who intends to break the fragile alliance between the Crusader states and Sultan Saladin, with help from the brutal anti-Muslim Templar Knights. A night before departing, Godfrey knights Balian, anoints him the new Baron of Ibelin, and orders him to protect the helpless—before dying of his arrow wound. Balian sails for the Holy Land, but his ship runs aground in a storm, leaving him the lone survivor. Balian begins the walk toward Jerusalem. En route, he finds a horse at a watering hole. He is confronted by a Muslim cavalier, who fights him for the horse. Balian slays the cavalier, but spares his servant, who guides him to Jerusalem. Arriving at the city, Balian frees the servant, who tells him his mercy will earn the Saracens' respect. Balian meets Jerusalem's leaders: the leper King Baldwin IV, Tiberias the Marshal of Jerusalem, and Princess Sibylla, the King's sister, Guy's wife, and mother to a boy from an earlier marriage. Balian travels to his inherited estate at Ibelin and uses his knowledge of engineering to help the struggling residents irrigate the land. Sibylla visits him, and they become lovers. Guy and his ally, the cruel Raynald of Châtillon, attack many Sareacen caravans, provoking Saladin to march on Raynald's castle. Balian is ordered by the king to defend the castle and the nearby villagers. In order to protect the innocent, Balian and his forces attack Saladin's army on open land, and despite being vastly outnumbered!

Kingdom of Heaven is a film that takes a critical look at how people use religion as an excuse to do bad things to other people. It does this in the first part with a Christian priest that abuses his position in order to profit from and torment the people. For the remainder of the film, it is through the lens of the Crusades, and the conflict between Christians and Muslims. The film makes the argument that most level-headed people—no matter their beliefs—prefer peaceful coexistence, and it is largely the immoral or religious zealots and extremists that cause trouble for anyone else. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the film is that it depicts the Muslim side as being respectable, and that it is parts of the Christian side that are instigating the conflicts and causing great suffering and pain on what amounts to the victims of their greed. Intriguingly, the film implies that it is the people who are not outwardly religious that are more pragmatic and more likely to attain and sustain peace.

While the film is based on historical people and events, it is a dramatization and simplification of what actually happened. In addition, many of the characters have been given modern morals in order to make them more relatable—which is perfectly reasonable, as medieval people are so far removed from modern sensibilities that even the hero of this film would be repugnant on certain levels. Nevertheless, Dir. Scott has crafted a thrilling epic, and has filled it with compelling characters and scenes. He has also populated the extensive cast with well-known actors and given the key characters a lot of individuality; both of which greatly help the viewer keep track of who is doing what, and to whom. The 194 minute "extended director's cut" is the version to see. While it may initially appear to be a bit on the long side, the film fully and effectively uses that entire run time, and none of its scenes feel extraneous or padded out. It is well worth a viewing for its depiction of the brutality of the medieval era, as well as the phenomenal acting by its large ensemble of A-listers. Recommended.

In 1944 on Iwo Jima, Pfc. Saigo is digging trenches along the beach with his platoon when Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi arrives to take command of the garrison. He saves Saigo from a beating by Capt. Tanida for being 'unpatriotic', and orders the garrison to tunnel underground defences throughout the island. Kuribayashi and Lt. Col. Baron Takeichi Nishi clash with the other officers, who disagree with Kuribayashi's defence-in-depth strategy. Kuribayashi learns that Japan cannot send reinforcements, and thus believes that the tunnels and mountain bunkers stand a better chance of holding out than relying entirely on the beach defences. Poor nutrition and unsanitary conditions take their toll, and many die of dysentery. Replacement troops arrive, including Superior Pvt. Shimizu, whom Saigo suspects is a spy from the Kempeitai military police sent to report on disloyal soldiers. Soon, American aircraft and warships bombard the island. A few days later, US Marines land and suffer heavy casualties, but they overcome the beach defences and attack Mount Suribachi. While delivering a message from Tanida to Col. Adachi, Saigo overhears Kuribayashi's retreat orders over the radio. Adachi, however, orders his unit to commit honourable suicide. Many soldiers obey except Saigo and Shimizu, who decide to retreat and fight on. In the tunnels, they find and join up with other survivors. Under the cover of darkness, the Mount Suribachi survivors make a run for friendly lines, but US Marines ambush and slaughter them. Saigo and Shimizu are the only ones to reach safety. They are soon taken to Lt. Ito, who accuses them of 'cowardice' and 'abandoning their position'. As Ito prepares to summarily execute them, Kuribayashi arrives and demands to know what is going on!

On the one hand, Letters From Iwo Jima is about the defensive battle for Iwo Jima. On the other hand, it is an examination of the dangers of fanaticism, and those that follow the fanatics—either blindly or through coercion. The film wisely doesn't have an opinion on Japanese culture and just presents it through an unfiltered lens. In scenes such as the one where one commander disobeys orders and orders his subordinates to commit honourable suicide, the film depicts all manner of reactions among the soldiers. The film notes that while there were a willing few, most were unwilling but are unable to disobey the order due to a system geared toward preventing people from speaking out, especially when the orders are obviously wrong. Regrettably, as the film points out, many of the fanatics were in command positions, and those fanatics were also willing to disobey orders when they disagreed with Kuribayashi's strategies or to satiate their sense of honour. One wonders how different the battle's outcome would have been if they had followed orders, and they and their subordinates had lived to fight another day.

Thankfully, the film suggests that there were also quite a few reasonable commanders in the Japanese forces that genuinely cared about their subordinates. Alas, they were limited at what they could do due to such things as the insubordination by fellow officers, and the painful reality of being abandoned by the rest of their forces and ordered to make a last stand by their military leaders on the mainland. The film goes so far as to suggest that the Japanese and American combatants were more alike than they were different. This is exemplified in the scene where Lt. Col. Nishi reads out to his subordinates a letter from the mother of a captured Marine, and they all realize that their mothers have said and feel the same things. Perhaps this film's greatest achievement is its respectful and accurate depiction of the Japanese side of the Pacific War—in language, culture and on the home front—and that both sides were much more alike than they are different. And that if it weren't for the political forces that led to the war, the combatants would actually be friends.

In 1967, a virus that causes a deadly fever is discovered in the African jungle. In order to keep the virus a secret, US Army officers Donald McClintock and William Ford destroy the camp were it was discovered. Twenty-eight years later, Col. Sam Daniels, a US Army virologist, is sent to investigate an outbreak in Zaire. He and his crew—Lt. Col. Casey Schuler and new recruit Maj. Salt—gather information and specimens, and return to the US. Ford, now a brigadier general and Daniels's superior officer, dismisses the latter's fears that the virus will soon spread. A white-headed capuchin monkey, the host to the virus, is smuggled into the US. James "Jimbo" Scott, a worker at an animal testing laboratory, is infected when he takes the monkey to sell on the black market. He takes the monkey to Rudy Alvarez, a pet-store proprietor in the coastal-California village of Cedar Creek. Jimbo fails to sell the monkey after it scratches Rudy, who also becomes infected. After releasing the monkey into the woods outside the nearby Palisades, Jimbo develops symptoms on a flight to Boston and infects his girlfriend Alice when they meet at the airport. Their illness is investigated by Dr. Roberta Keough, a CDC scientist and Daniels's ex-wife. Jimbo, Alice, and Rudy soon die, but Keough determines that no one else in Boston was infected. A hospital technician in Cedar Creek is infected when he accidentally breaks a vial of Rudy's blood. The virus quickly mutates into a strain capable of spreading like influenza, becoming airborne and causing a number of people to be infected in a movie theatre. Daniels flies to Cedar Creek against Ford's orders, joining Keough's team with Schuler and Salt. The Army soon quarantines the town and imposes martial law. When Ford provides an experimental serum which cures the original strain, Daniels realizes that his superiors were aware of the virus before the outbreak. He also learns about an operation on McClintock's orders to incinerate the entire town and its residents, in order to prevent a pandemic!

Outbreak is a fun movie action-disaster film. If one suspends their disbelief, it is a great romp full of great performances about not only an outbreak of a deadly virus and the army's and CDC's efforts to contain and eliminate it, but also the actions of a secret cabal trying to preserve a secret biological weapon in the army's arsenal. The best parts of the film are when the virus is initially spreading, and the alarming response of the US military as it locks down a town. The film is truly chilling when it depicts how merciless the virus is, and the impersonal response of the authorities in not only containing it, but also treating those who are infected, as well as the disposal of those who have succumbed to it. The most alarming scene—and arguably one that pays the ticket price—is the superspreading event midway through the film. The setting is more than unnerving, as any viewer will thereafter be unnerved by any sneeze, sniffle, or cough from their fellow viewers!

After the Covid-19 pandemic, however, parts of the film don't hold up that well under scrutiny. Take, for example, the initial sequence as the camera winds its way through the biosafety labs in the USAMRIID (US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) facilities as the film illustrates the different levels of dangerous viruses: there are any number of small but potentially fatal errors such as personnel removing their safety headgear while they are still inside the secure areas. Nevertheless, as a product of a more innocent time, Outbreak is a great suspense film that steadily ratchets up the tension under the always reliable Dir. Petersen's direction. The film's cast is also full of A-listers either in their prime or about to reach it. With its action beats and romance subplots, it is truly a film with something for everyone.

Coming soon!

Charlie Bucket, a poor paperboy, looks on enviously at the kids who can afford to buy sweets from the candy shop. He lives in a rundown home with his mother, and four bedridden grandparents. After finishing his evening route, he passes Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, where a street vendor tells him that no one ever goes in or comes out of the factory. That night, Charlie's Grandpa Joe tells him that Wonka locked the factory up several years earlier because his rivals were sending spies to steal his recipes. Wonka shut down the factory, but resumed production years later. The gates remained locked and the original workers never returned to their jobs, making everyone wonder who was running the factory. One day, Wonka announces that he has hidden five golden tickets in chocolate Wonka Bars. Finders of the tickets will receive a factory tour and a lifetime supply of chocolate. The first four tickets are found by gluttonous Augustus Gloop, spoiled Veruca Salt, constant gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde, and television-obsessed Mike Teevee. A news report reveals the fifth ticket was found by a millionaire in Paraguay, leaving Charlie brokenhearted. On the way home from school, he finds money in a gutter, and uses it to buy candy. He also buys a Wonka Bar for Joe. Overhearing that the millionaire forged his ticket, Charlie opens his Wonka Bar and discovers the final ticket. At home, he chooses Joe as his chaperone, who excitedly jumps out of bed for the first time in 20 years(!). The next day, Wonka greets the winners at the front gates of his factory and leads them inside. However, as wonderful as each room of the factory is, so to are they filled with things to tempt the children. And disastrous things happen to those that succumb to temptation—for Wonka is testing them, as he has his own hidden agenda.

Willy Wonka is a wonderful film from a more innocent time. While it is arguably aimed at younger children, it was apparently made for adults. As such, it has things for all ages, and doesn't leave adult viewers bored as there are a plethora of elements that only adults can truly grasp. Nevertheless, the film's heart and soul is the interesting parables that serve as both warnings and inspiration for younger viewers—crime, punishment, and the reward for good behaviour. However, the 'punishments' are presented innocently and whimsically, and this parent found it more than enjoyable seeing the badly behaved children getting their just desserts!

The highlight of the film, from a child's perspective, is the interior of the factory—which is loaded with all sorts of edible treats. However, as an adult, it is Gene Wilder's performance. He captures all the right notes in his performance, and presents a complicated character who isn't using the golden tickets as a marketing scheme (no matter how successful they are), but is looking for something much more profound. Intriguingly, he takes on a father-figure-like role for Charlie. That said, this film is a musical, and I'm not into musicals. Thankfully, the musical numbers are mercifully short and few in number, and most generally advance the story or provide more depth to the characters who sing them. While the film is dated, the sensibilities of film-making in the late 60's and early 70's add to the films uniqueness. There are even a handful of scenes that cross over from odd and unusual to creepy and alarming! Nevertheless, it is a great film for its nostalgia as well as for those parents seeking a fun way to teach (young) kids about proper behaviour.