Sunday, April 06, 2008

Nim's Island

























A friend and I went to see Nim's Island last night. When I read the plot synopsis a few days ago, I thought the plot sounded pretty good. I wasn't disappointed. What strikes me most about this film are a couple of things. One is that it is 100% wholesome! There's no sex, gratuitous violence or nudity, and significantly there isn't a mean bone in the body of this film. How can this be!? The closest thing to ill-will was the portrayal of the passengers on a cruise ship, but even then, was it a slam or an accurate portrayal. I would like to think it was good-natured fun and an attempt at throwing more humor into the film.

Not that there isn't light-heartedness galore in the first part. The critters are several, and they are not anthropomorphized as much as they are given distinct personalities that include empathy.

The little girl in the film runs the show as far as screen presence. When she's around, your eyes are on her. Abigail Breslin was the girl in the film, "Little Miss Sunshine", and she's as cute now as she was then. It's something to see how well she covers a wide range of emotions. The thing I think I like best about her is her competence.

The dad/hero in the movie, Gerard Butler, looked familiar throughout the film, but I couldn't quite place him. Boy was I surprised when I looked him up on imdb.com and discovered that he was the dude with the big white teeth in "300"! He is more life-like in "Nim's Island", but still larger than life in my view. What really impresses me about his character is that he's an outstanding parent and that he is a MacGuyver kinda guy. Anybody who likes to see what good modeling for a parent looks like and who is into gadgets will LOVE this movie. Don't worry, neither is over the top.

Now we come to Jodi Foster. She isn't the little girl in Taxi Driver anymore, but she continues to give solid performance. It's good to see her up on the screen again.

The messages in the film are that girls can be competent, fears can be overcome, and curiosity is a good thing. There are lots of other, more subtle messages as well.

This is a film that many adults will enjoy, and I can't think of any kid over the age of 6 that wouldn't enjoy it. Check it out.

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posted by ms_lili @ 9:28 AM 0 comments

Thursday, December 20, 2007

The Man Who Would Be King

Click on the title to take you to the rest of the following introduction to the movie's plot:

The film begins with author Rudyard Kipling (Christopher Plummer) working in his office, his privacy is broken by the arrival of a dishevelled old acquaintance and fellow Freemason, Peachy Carnahan (Michael Caine), Peachy begins to recount the incredible adventures of himself and fellow scoundrel Daniel Dravot (Sean Connery). The film then flashes back to an earlier meeting between Kipling, Peachy and Daniel, Kipling is asked to witness a document testifying to what they have told him of their plans.

The two rogue adventurers were British soldiers stationed in India, but were expelled from the country due to their criminal activities. Together they decide to travel to the remote city of Kafiristan in the hills of eastern Afghanistan to set themselves up as rulers. The two endure all the hardships of mountain trekking and severe weather before reaching the glorious valley and it’s remote city.


This is where things really begin to get interesting. The movie was made in 1975. It's something to see Michael Caine and Sean Connery, two consummate actors who exude masculine animal magnetism even at old men today, as young, virile men in their prime. Ooh la la. And the chemistry made between these two as they play off of each other leads me to believe that they should have made a lot more movies together. They click like Robert Redford and Paul Newman clicked in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting.

The story is an intriguing one, where you can sense a great adventure getting ready to begin. It's based upon a short story by Rudyard Kipling. According to one reviewer at http://imdb.com, the mythical kingdom is not mythical at all. Doesn't that make it even more intriguing.

Having John Huston (Anjelica's dad) as director, how can one go wrong?


Go to: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0073341/trivia for some interesting trivia on the movie.

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posted by ms_lili @ 8:15 PM 0 comments