As if the tension between North and South-Korea wasn’t big enough, a firefight takes place in the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) and two North Korean soldiers get killed. As expected, both camps have their own story. The South claims one of their people got kidnapped and the North says they were ambushed by the South. But there’s something not right about both stories. And soon a neutral inspector finds out the people involved have more history than they admit.
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I recently saw this movie because of the director Park Chan-wook. Since he has directed some other impressive pieces like Oldboy, I was interested in his earlier works. Little did I know this was the highest grossing film in Korean movie history in 2000.
The story takes place after the incident, using flashbacks to tell the story. I was initially put off by the neutral inspectors, who mostly speak English. It was like those war movies, where the German soldiers speak English with a German accent. Not convincing at all. I almost turned it off, thinking it was some kind of Korean B-movie. Some directors need time to develop and maybe this was one of them. But luckily I didn't. Because when the story turns to the real incident, the director brilliantly pulls you into the story.
It's a story about a friendship the society doesn't approve of. It ultimately shows how the people fighting the war have nothing against each other. But how they get forced to. It would be interesting to know how many friendships actually took place between different camps in time of war. Or is it just the magic of cinema that can make it happen?
“In law, a corporation is a person. On analysis, a corporation is … a psychopath?” In the American legal system, the corporation is legally a person. But since it practically isn’t, this documentary takes a closer look at the psychological behavior of a corporation and its impact on us, people.
The Corporation is a daring documentary about the current culture of corporations. The corporation, which is only here to make money. Maximizing profits. If it has to choose between dumping toxic, which will eventually kill people, and taking a fine or stop dumping the toxic, the corporation will look at profit. Will we make more profit if we stop dumping toxic or if we just take the fine?
And while it isn't all gloom and doom like the feature shows us, it is important to look at what we've created. A machine that isn't always in the best interest of the people. The Corporation takes us on a journey of chapters ranging from amusing to shocking. Money is what makes the world go round. And that's not a bad thing. But it definitely can be.
All Olive wants is to win the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. But to do so, the whole family has to get to California in time. And since this isn’t the ordinary family, it is not as easy as it sounds. Uncle Frank just tried to commit suicide. Grandpa Edwin, also Olive’s coach, is a drug addict. Son Dwayne just took a vow of silence. And motivational speaker and father Frank isn’t even able to motivate his own family.
I'd say this is a perfect match for a casual Monday. Little Miss Sunshine might be a classic feel good movie, but it does contain a fair amount of well written drama. It is a funny movie, but you can still take it serious. What I'm trying to say is, that it has a perfect balance. The main reason for this, is the character driven story. All family members have their own problems. And although these are real problems, the movie lightens them up. Not by plainly making fun of them, but by relativating them in a funny way.
And while Steve Carell shows he can do serious guys too, little Miss Sunshine herself, Abigail Breslin, is the most impressive. I'm not sure if she really is a great actress or just a really sweet girl, who can do her lines very well. But both are impressive. She is what makes this into the perfect quirky and charming movie to get through this Easter Monday.
In the beginning of 2007, M. Night Shyamalan went to Hollywood to sell his new script called ‘The Green Effect.’ But since there wasn’t enough interest, he went back home and rewrote it to ‘The Happening.’ The script got greenlit by 20th Century Fox and a new disaster movie was born. To avoid spoiling the story, we’ll just say it’s a “paranoid thriller in which a family must survive a global environmental crisis.” And I think you know what to expect if you saw Mr. Shyamalan’s other works.
I must admit this is a big question mark for me. The first trailer didn't do it for me. I mean, Mark Wahlberg as a teacher? Really!? Already in the trailer he isn't fooling me. And then there is M. Night Shyamalan, the creator of 'The Sixth Sense.' It seems to have gone all downhill from there for him. Personally I didn't think 'Lady in the Water' was that bad. But none of his latest movies were living up to the potential 'The Sixth Sense' showed.
Now I wouldn't be featuring this movie if I was sure it was going to be a flop. Because the second trailer does show some of the potential. Sometimes there's this sweet piece in your salty popcorn. And you have to eat some more salty pieces to get the taste back. I think that's what the second trailer did for me. Now I'm just hoping the rest of the can isn't filled with more of those nasty sweet pieces.
There’s sound coming from a speck. Horton is sure of it. Meanwhile, the people in Whoville are experiencing mayor earthquakes. And this is when the Mayor of Whoville finds out they are living on that tiny speck in a different world. No one believes him, except Horton, who told it himself of course. Together they have to find a quiet place for the speck, so Whoville won’t be crushed to dust.
Dr. Seuss? I must confess I didn't know him. It must be because I didn't grew up in the US, he is mighty popular over there after all. But the first time I was introduced to his charming world, was with the 2001 movie 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'. A pretty good Christmas movie, but 'Horton Hears a Who!' easily surpasses it by another mile.
Although I don't know the original material, it is very noticeable the creators didn't take it too literally. Full of popular culture references, but staying in the mind and spirit of Dr. Seuss it certainly is not just for the kids, but entertaining for the whole family. Between the lines you can read quite a few social remarks. Like the little kangaroo, who only gets home pouch teaching. There are a couple of jokes in there for everyone.
The other reason for it being better than The Grinch is the animation. There's only so much you can do with real actors. And the world of the Whos can be brought to life just so much better with animation. Since the world partly takes place in the forest, the choice for animation must have been quite a natural one. And what better people to choose than the animation studio that did Ice Age, right? They've grown into a serious competitor of studios like Pixar. The intro of the movie features a leaf with water so stunning, it might be able to beat the real thing!
Well, this is turning into a full fletched review. And that's not what we're trying to do here at 'Worth the Popcorn'. We just try to give an impression on some of the best movies around. And since we are currently a bit light on quality movies, I'm glad 'Horton Hears a Who!' came around. It is the perfect movie for a decent and fun night out with your family, girlfriend or whoever your loved ones are. Shannon just told me she would love to see it again, right away. And I think that might be one of the best compliments a movie can get a day after viewing.
