April movie reviews

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. Peter writes music for a CSI-type TV show, and his girlfriend Sarah stars in the show. He knows he's lucky to be with her, but isn't exactly working on igniting sparks in the relationship. When Sarah dumps him, though, he is broken-hearted and completely falls to pieces. A friend tells him he should get away, so he goes to Hawaii to a resort that his ex always talked about. Lo and behold, she is there with her new boyfriend. Hilarity ensues. Produced by the same people (and with many of the same actors) who made 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN, KNOCKED UP, and SUPERBAD, this is a very amusing move. And not just because of the lead characters - there are several minor characters that also add quite a bit to the movie. It may not be "the funniest damn movie ever" that it is advertised as, but it's definitely worth seeing. Quite a few laughs.

HOLLYWOOD CHINESE. This is a documentary on Chinese Americans in the movies, from the earliest days of silent film to the current era. The movie goes from the difficulty in getting jobs for actors (white people in "yellowface"), to the offensive stereotypes, to depicting accurate representations of Chinese life, to present day with many successful Chinese and Chinese-American directors and writers. While I didn't think the movie was exceptionally well put together, or really powerful, or even all that enlightening (if you think about it), it was still interesting, and it was a pleasure to watch.

FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. A young teenager loves Kung Fu movies, but is pretty much a nerd. One day he is forced by a gang of toughs to help rob the local video store, the old Chinese owner gets shot, and the kid ends up with a magic staff and transported 500 years in the past. There, in order to fulfill the ancient prophecy, he must return the staff to the original owner (the Monkey King) and end the cruel reign of the Jade Warrior. On his journey he is helped by Jackie Chan (as the drunken master) and Jet Li (the silent monk). This is getting good reviews, and while I can see teenage boys and kung fu lovers enjoying this movie, I was bored. Lovely scenery, though. I must accept that this genre isn't my cup of tea. I didn't like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon much either.

THE VISITOR. This indie flick involves a college professor (Richard Jenkins) who is clearly depressed. The only interest he has is trying to learn to play to piano, but he isn’t very good. He is going through the motions of living. But one day, the Dean of his college insists that he go to New York and give a speech at a conference. He very reluctantly packs his bag and goes to an apartment he has in the city. He hasn’t been there in years, and when he gets there, he finds a scam artist has rented his apartment to two immigrants: a drummer and a jewelry maker. Although at first he kicks them out, he does take pity on them (they are blameless after all) and lets them stay until they can find a place. And he starts becomes involved in their lives and finally starts living his own. This is a nice little character study, with no bells or whistles.

DUCHESS OF LANGEAIS. Based on a Balzac story, the plot of this French movie involves a 19th century Duchess, who spends her time going to balls and other social events. She is married, but her husband is nowhere in sight. She meets the General at an event, and is fascinated by his interesting past. She flirts, and he decides he will make her his mistress. But she will not give in to him, because she is married, and her religion won't let her. He persists, but then finally gives up. Then she desperately misses him, and pursues him. Given that she is shallow and not particularly good looking, and he is sullen and not particularly good looking, I was at a complete loss to understand their obsession with each other. It ends badly, and I didn't care. Maybe the book helped explain it better. Or maybe the subtitles weren't adequate.

PARANOID PARK. This is the latest Gus van Sant movie about disaffected teenagers. In this one, a skateboarder goes to a local skate park, something bad happens, and we aren't quite sure what his role in the event is. The movie moves back and forth in time, and occasionally has dream-like sequences. It does a great job of depicting inarticulate, aimless teenagers, but to be honest, inarticulate teenagers aren't remotely interesting to me, even when something major happens to them. And at only 78 minutes, it still felt padded.

FLAWLESS. Demi Moore is an executive at a diamond company in 1960 London. Michael Caine is the janitor. She is bitter because the sexism of the times prevents her from getting promoted, and so she lets the janitor talk her into helping him rob the bank of a few diamonds that won't even be missed. But things don't go as she planned, and like many heist movies, you follow the twists and turns. Although I knew exactly where the diamonds were all along. It's not a great movie, but it kept me mildly interested. I’d say it’s an OK choice to catch on TV some rainy day.