Friday, October 07, 2005
The Constant Gardener (**** ½ Ninja Stars)
This movie explores the relationship of Tessa (Rachel Weisz) and Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) and their life as a British diplomat and his wife living in Africa against the backdrop of poverty and the wrong-doings of evil corporate (pharmaceutical) empires. Justin is a mild-mannered British diplomat who seems most concerned with his garden while Tessa is an activist at heart and is, behind Justin’s back, researching “free” drugs being administered to Kenyans by the pharmaceutical companies. It turns out that the drug companies are giving out free HIV meds but also simultaneously testing an experimental TB drug which is causing many to become sick and die. Her research and ensuing attempt to make her research public end in her mysterious death (not a spoiler, it happens in the beginning) and much of the movie is Justin trying to put the pieces together and figure everything out. Shot in the same fractious style as his “City of God” (hand-held camera too), director Fernando Mereilles successfully conveys the urgency of Justin’s search for the truth as his personality evolves, the plight of Africa and her political and economic struggles and the unforgettable loveliness of Justin & Tessa’s relationship. This movie was very well-acted and will stay in your mind long after the movie is over.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Welcome to 5 Ninja Stars!
So I took on the task of creating the blog for our movie posts/reviews (and whatever else anyone feels like talking about). Since everyone has the login information, anyone can post at any time and no one will be snobby about film selections. I say feel free to post your top 5 list, your bottom 5 list or whatever else comes to mind.
I'll leave it up to you if you want to pass out the login information if others want to post.
In the interest of consistency, we should establish some simple guidelines - just a few. How about 1) The post title should be the name of the film and # of stars 2) Spellcheck and 3) No bashing Orlando Bloom or Paul Walker films. ..Does that work?
I'll take a stab at the first post about the movie I saw last, "The Constant Gardener" and you guys can let me know what you think!
So I took on the task of creating the blog for our movie posts/reviews (and whatever else anyone feels like talking about). Since everyone has the login information, anyone can post at any time and no one will be snobby about film selections. I say feel free to post your top 5 list, your bottom 5 list or whatever else comes to mind.
I'll leave it up to you if you want to pass out the login information if others want to post.
In the interest of consistency, we should establish some simple guidelines - just a few. How about 1) The post title should be the name of the film and # of stars 2) Spellcheck and 3) No bashing Orlando Bloom or Paul Walker films. ..Does that work?
I'll take a stab at the first post about the movie I saw last, "The Constant Gardener" and you guys can let me know what you think!
