21 (2008)

This movie had the best trailer I have seen all year. With The Doors rockin’ in the background, youth and money set the adrenaline pumping with a dark and almost illicit excitement. Did the movie live up to that? Well, let’s get to that later.

Based on the book “Bringing down the House” by Ben Mezrich and bits taken from his other book “Busting Vesgas”, 21 is totally the pre-summer hit of the year.

It stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, and Laurence Fishburn, and tells the story of how a team of M.I.T. students take Vegas for millions.

The main appeal of this movie, I think, isn’t all the stuff that’s good about it. I think it’s the money. Like a television game show, people like to dream about making mad money in a casino. In the movie, the kids are card-counters, and audience walks out feeling “Hey, I can do that too” and in this economy, wouldn’t THAT be nice.

What the film doesn’t show is the hours of practice each member of the team gave and the fact that these true event transpired in the roaring 90’s, when the casinos were a lot less sophisticated. In the book, there is an essay from one of team members about card counting, which gives an idea that this was much more completed than even the book lead on. I read the book.

Ok, but why spoil people’s fun. Let’s focus on other aspects of the film besides card counting.

Something I found irritating was that it was shot like postcard or travel show of Boston and Las Vegas. There is nothing original or interesting in the cinematography.

The cast is stronger than the script. Jim Sturgess does his best American ascent and shows he is a very decent actor in a way that was much to my surprise. One thing that the film did that was very right, was to show the very nerdy/geeky lifestyle of most of those at M.I.T. Trust me it was on target. Sturgess, who seems like he in his real life ever had any difficulty getting a date, was ON on every beat in his reactions on screen to having an attractive woman interact with him.


Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburn act very much like you would except them too. They carry there roles well adding some believability to the rest of the young cast. Aaron Yoo, who was in Rocket Science, shows himself again to be interesting and entertaining presence.

The biggest criticism I have heard about 21 has been from the Asian community. The real team was mostly Asian, mainly Chinese, and in the film the main characters are white, while the two Asians in the movie have small and almost unimportant roles.

My thoughts on that are, the criticism is justified but not entirely. I think maybe the movie wouldn’t be as commercial if it was a race movie. In America we like to believe that race doesn’t matter and we make anyone suffer who points that it really does. In real events the main characters were half-Asian. They were half white and Asian or half Hispanic and Asian. This mixed creates a look that the team wanted, because they could pass a multitude of nationalities that are best known for being obnoxious with money. Mainly, that Asian, Greeks, Arabs, et cetera, with money are seen as so distasteful in their behavior that it would distract the casino pit bosses from card counting system going on. By the time story of “Busting Vegas” takes place, which is a few years after this story, a group of Asian kids at blackjack table was very suspicious. So, that’s one side it. The other, I think, is the fact that there are a lot of Asians at M.I.T. and is reflected in the Blackjack club. The people in the story were almost all from Asian decent in one way or the other. So, it seems to me that probably a big reason not to show that is because, the producers figured that only Asians and few others would go see a movie full of Asians without Martial Arts. Finally, someone can argue that making a movie full of Chinese makes the movie about something other than students playing blackjack, and that is just the society we live in. I am sure you have your own thoughts.

A side from that long digression, the movie is good. The story is really exciting. I imagine this movie being a big hit with older people who doesn’t make it out to the movies very much, when it comes out on DVD and T.V.

It’s a bit long; somewhere around 2 hours, but you don’t really feel it. In short, this is a good one!

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

This movie is so bad that it is funny. I am not sure what is up with these sexy historical dramas. With the cable show The Tudors and this one, it seems to be a trend. Also, let’s not forget all those Elizabeth movies.

The Boleyn Girl is a quasi-historical telling of the English King Henry the 8th, and his many women. Specifically, the divorce of Catherine of Aragon, which lead to the English split with the Roman Catholic Church, and beheading of Anne Boleyn; who gave birth to Elizabeth the 1st. The story, albeit, is told from a feminists’ point of view.

The strongest part of the film is its star power. Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, and Eric Bana are the main characters. I would probably would not see this obvious soap opera if it did not have Portman and Johansson, probably the two most beautiful women in film right now. From what my sister tells me Bana is also attractive. So this is the selling point all three of them in the same movie.

Not advertised but The Boleyn Girl also stars Jim Sturgess. He is the charismatic leading man from the recent hits Across the Universe and 21.

Another interesting aspect is that it seems that the movie was shot on location at the Tower of London; so that actual places where these events really took place.

Sadly, that’s where the realism ends. The rest of movie is a bit of a joke, and not even a cheeky one at that. There is such high drama it is suffocating. It is easy to laugh at it, because it is so over-the-top. It makes a Mexican soap-opera look like a BBC special.

On a bit of a disturbing note, Anne Boleyn, the agent of deceptive change that causes everyone great suffering and also the split of the church, is played by Natalie Portman; a Jewish girl is the icon of Semitic beauty. The good girl, who is blond and very Nordic looking, is played Scarlett Johansson. In the end Boleyn, Portman, gets beheaded. This is the classic anti-Jewish myth. I hope I am wrong in seeing this anti-Semitic theme.

Anyway, the movie is bad. Even the eye candy doesn’t make it worth it. The events are so laced with a feminist residue so that it spoils any historical relevance. It would be a good Mystery Science Theater 3000 movie, if anyone remembers that old Comedy Central show. I am not even sure that this movie is still out in theatre as I have taken forever to get this review out. Nevertheless, skip this one.

Across the Universe (2007)

I have to admit that this is probably the best time I have had at the theatre in a while. This movie is basically “The Beatles, the musical.” There is barely a story here. It is just an excuse to make movie set in the 60’s and sing a lot of Beatles songs. In fact, they murder the songs most of the time. However, as my grandma used to say, you can murder a good song, but you can’t kill it. Basically, what you do with this film is to stop paying attention to any kind of narrative, and sing aloud with your favorite Beatles songs. They are mostly sung in a cheesy musical theatre fashion, which makes it easy to follow along. If you can't do that, then just enjoy the interesting visuals. If you can do both, then you will have a great time with this campy movie.

Of course, you might have some intellectual tension with the fact that this movie is constantly taking Beatles references literally to a point of nausea. Nausea ain’t fun! That is exactly why it is important not think too much while watching this.

Probably the best part of the movie are the visuals, which would be somewhat artistic if the movie just wasn’t so damn cheesy, but you are going to the listen to Beatles songs anyway, so who cares!

Bono is in the movie. He plays Dr. Robert. Dr. Robert is a John Lennon song from the Revolver album. Get it, the Beatles have a song called Dr. Robert and Bono plays Dr. Robert. OK, forgot it. Well, this was no stretch for Bono who basically played his Macfisto role from the Zoo TV tour. U2 constantly barrows from the Beatles anyway, so Bono was right at home here. You can here Bono sing “I am the Walrus,” which is pretty good, and “Lucy in the sky with Diamonds” with The Edge.

Did I mention that the Paul McCartney look-a-like, played by Jim Sturgess, is named Jude? His love interest, who was just 17, was played Evan Rachel Wood is named Lucy. And you have a Jojo, Sadie, Prudence, and lets just say, it gets worse. At one point Jude says, “She came in through the bathroom window.” oi, really! Now, she could have just done that and the audience would have gotten the picture, but no, the filmmakers had to go for 120% cheesiness. If you not a purest, it is possible to really enjoy this shtick.

I am not one to have an opinion on choreography, but I like it in this film. I really seems to have work well. There are a thousand and one references to people and events of the sixties that are so NOT subtle.

This film is directed by Julie Taymor.

Just think of Across the Universe as Beatles sing-a-long and you will be in great shape, and don’t forget to clap when they have John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo in the credits, because it is the only mention of the actual Beatles in this movie. This feels like a cult classic!