Movie reviews

Movie Reviews this week looks at the romantic drama Wonderful World. This is a unique look at the often repeated love tale. It stars Matthew Broderick (Godzilla), as Ben Singer, a Proofreader at a big firm, who is a little disillusioned at how his life is turning out so far.

He used to be a children's entertainment singer, who released an album, that is now forgotten folklore, but now he is a Copywriter, which has left him a little empty, he is also divorced, and in his regular meetings with his daughter, Sandra played by the lovely Jodelle Ferland (The Messengers) for their regular get together, you realise he is out of touch with her too.

There is some escape and companionship for Ben, in the form of his mesmerising flatmate from Senegal, Ibu, played by Michael Kenneth Williams (The Philanthropist), through their regular fights at chess (which Ibu always win), we find out that Ibu is much more interested in helping Ben find romance, even offering to be his wing man.

Matters come to a dramatic turn of events, when Ibu, who is diabetic, collapses, while Ben tries desperately to get him to the hospital, only to find that his car has been towed, it turns out an angry neighbour had Ben's car towed away as he felt it blocked his access to the road.

Although they arrive at the hospital, Ibu slips into a diabetic coma, Ben is asked if Ibu has any next of kin, Ben recalls he often talks about his sister, Khadi played by the gorgeous Sanaa Lathan (Alien Vs. Predator, with an equally impressive African accent), so Ben sends her a message that her brother is not well. She comes to America, and she is just as charming and full of sincerity as Ibu. Ben inevitably falls for her, there is a comical scene where Khadi does a custom to contact her ancestors to help Ibu get better, after doing some of the rituals, Khadi suggests they close their eyes, Ben assumes she wants a kiss, only to be fended off that the ritual is not complete, and they must leave the room.

Wonderful World is a love story with a modern day audience in mind, with its theme appreciating the diversity of humanity.

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Labels: Africa, film review, film reviews, films, Matthew Broderick, Michael Kenneth Williams, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, romance, Sanaa Lathan, Senegalese, Wonderful World

Movie Reviews this week looks at the Oscar-winning, hard-hitting Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker.

It stars Jeremy Renner (28 weeks later) as Sergeant First Class William James, an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) bomb disposal expert, who has been sent into Bravo Company, at Camp Victory. We join the movie as Staff Sergeant Matt Thompson played by Guy Pearce (Memento) along with Sergeant JT Sanborn played by Anthony Mackie (Half Nelson), and Specialist Owen Eldrigde played by Brian Geraghty (Bobby), are attempting to disarm an IED, that has been put there to kill and maim as many civilian and military personnel as possible, Thompson is the bomb expert while the other two soldiers are to watch for any problems, i.e. anyone interfering and to keep the people relatively safe.

Unfortunately things do not go as planned, and James soon joins Bravo Company. However his innovative or carefree (as his fellow soldiers regard it) methods at bomb disarming don't go too well with Sanborn and Elridge, there is a memorable scene where Elridge tells one of his commanding officers, after he asks how he is doing, he says that his team leader is inspired, and mentions sarcastically that his team leader is going to get him killed, the commanding officer, mentions that he shouldn't be having these kinds of thoughts, that war is a one in a lifetime opportunity, as Elridge looks distantly, the audience cannot help wondering at the indirect sarcasm in that statement, as Elridge tells asks him if he knows what it is he and the other men do every day, his commanding officer states that he has had his time on the field, to which Elridge sarcastically asks "Where was that...Yale"?

Matters come to a heated exchange when James attempting to disarm a bomb, that is extremely complicated, removes his bomb suit, so as to get comfortable, as he puts it "If I am going to die today I might as well die comfy", even going as far as to throw away his radio as Sanborn constantly tells him that there are "too many eyes" watching them and they have to move.

We get a little glimpse at the difficult problems facing the military in Iraq, attempting to liaison with the local population (there is a charming boy who sells DVDs that has made friends with some of the soldiers; nicknamed Becks; who James gets friendly with over a game of soccer, and the ice is broken over his namesake, Beckham, but the boy states he is much better than Beckham), often meeting language barriers, and at the same time not trying to seem dictatorial, but requiring them to keep at a safe distance while they try and do their job.

The acting in the Hurt Locker is top-notch all the way, and the movie is shot almost documentary style, with close-ups of the soldiers and the mass of emotions they go through during many tense moments. You can see why this is the first movie to have a woman, Kathryn Bigelow winning the Best Director Oscar.

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Labels: Anthony Mackie, bomb disposal, Brian Geraghty, film review, film reviews, films, Guy Pearce, Iraq, Jeremy Renner, Katheryn Bigelow, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, The Hurt Locker, the hurt locker movie, War