My 7-year-old brother, Landon, begged me to take him to watch “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”.  Ever since the previews were shown on the Disney Channel weeks ago, he has been counting down the days until its opening.  He enjoyed “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” and had high expectations for this movie.  So, in “good sister” style, I decided to placate his desire to be mesmerized once again with the characters in C.S. Lewis’ books. 

The movie begins as a baby boy is born, son of King Miraz.  Prince Caspian needs to die in order for the newborn to take over the throne.  In trying to escape, Prince Caspian gets hold of the “horn” and blows it to summon the Pevensie siblings.  They return to Narnia to help Prince Caspian restore freedom and peace to the land, along with Aslan and others.  The simplicity of the plot was complicated by the factual details.  Maybe if I had read the novel before seeing this movie, I would have been more well-informed about intricacies of the storyline. 

The duration of the film was 2 hours and 24 minutes, but seemed much longer, which was validated by Landon whispering to me every five minutes: “I told you it was three hours long”.  The first hour unveiled the plot, consisted of a re-cap of important information from the first movie, and provided time for the Narnians to assemble.  The second hour officially starts the core of the action. 

The comic relief was incredible in this film.  Just as the movie was going into intense dramatization mode, the hilarious mouse would appear and throw out a funny line or two.  Ah, yes, the mouse… I think the mouse was the funniest part of the movie (I’m not sure if this was an original character from the book or if this creature was formulated for comical purposes?).  However, the mouse somehow was an eyesore and did not blend into the “Narnian” feel of the movie.  The mouse came right out of “Stuart Little” for sure! 

The 411 Fo’ Reel:  The special effects are worth seeing, as well as the beautiful settings in New Zealand.  The first movie was better, and if you can tolerate the length of this movie, then go for it!  The kids might learn some life lessons, for instance: “A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes.” 

Here are a couple of questions I posed to myself when I left the theater, which made me wonder if the film accurately portrayed the book, or if the filmmakers went off on their own tangent to include every possible version of a derived fantasy world and threw it all into the melting pot: 

1)  How old were the Pevensie siblings when they went back to Narnia and why did they still look so young?  Supposedly the siblings were thousands of years old when they returned to Narnia…

2)  Why was there such an inconsistency in the way the Narnians looked?  You have some with a half-horse, half-human body, others who were dwarfs… the list goes on… 

The Big Island Film Festival, held in Kona, started yesterday at the Waikoloa Beach Resort’s Queen’s Marketplace and ends on May 18th.  You can get all the details at www.BigIslandFilmFestival.com. 

For those of you who are at the Festival, feel free to leave comments on the films you watched or are planning on viewing in the days ahead.  Mahalo!

Ahhh… “Mom”… the one person who you know is always right about everything (well, most of the time anyway).  Throughout film and television, there are many different roles and characteristics that have defined “mom” over the years.  In cinema, the 1950’s version of the mother in her apron has evolved to include other depictions that are less conventional but more relevant to modern-day society.  Let’s look at the many faces of “mom” in film and on the tube:  

Far From Heaven (Clear Blue Sky Productions, 2002)  “The Conventional Mom”  Julianne Moore plays a stereotypical mom in this not-so-conventional film that also stars Dennis Quaid.  Moore’s character is a homemaker who finds out her husband is homosexual, which puts an end to the typical 1950’s mom role for Moore, and adds an element of deviance. 

Because I Said So   (Gold Circle Films, 2007)  “The Overbearing Mom” Diane Keaton is splendid in this film, as we witness her obsession with finding her daughter, played by Mandy Moore, the right man.  She is just short of psychotic as she plays an overly caring mother to her daughters.   

Psycho (Paramount Pictures, 1960)  “The Ghost Mom”  Norman Bates dresses as his mother while the audience peers into the upstairs bedroom throughout the film.  At the end, Norman takes on the role of his mother and speaks in her voice, which is creepy, but makes you wonder what kind of childhood he endured. 

American Pie (United Artists, 1999)  “The ‘I Still Got It’ Mom”  Stifler’s mom in this film is the envy of all of her son’s friends.  She has an above average sex appeal for a woman her age, and is still workin’ it after all those years of raising her son.  This movie coined the term “milf,” which will be left to interpretation! 

Brothers and Sisters (ABC, 2007) “The ‘Keepin’-It-All-Together’ Mom” Sally Field plays Nora Walker, who learns about her husband’s secret affair and illegitimate daughter after he dies in the pilot episode.  She is the epitome of a worried mom, who is always there for her family.  Nora seems overly involved in her childrens’ lives, but her tough spirit keeps her family together through the hard times. 

Gilmore Girls (The WB, 2007)  “The ‘Best Friend’ Mom”  Although in syndication on The ABC Family Channel, Gilmore Girls was a WB hit a few years back.  Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory, shared a bond that could not be hindered.  The hip Lorelai is the “cool” mom who could talk to her daughter about everything and vice versa. 

John & Kate Plus 8 (Discovery Health Channel, 2008)  “The ‘I Have Multiples’ Mom”  Kate Goslin has a set of sextuplets and twins.  Despite the incomprehensible number of children she has to care for, she was blessed with organizational skills and an “in control” attitude.  Her love of family is obvious and her keen sense of parenting is remarkable. 

The Duggars (Discovery Health Channel, 2008)  “The “I Like Being In Labor” Mom”  Last I read, Michelle Duggar is pregnant with her 18^th child.  That is absolutely insane!  The Duggars are a sort of eccentric bunch, but overall, they are a disciplined gang with untainted morals. 

Happy Mother’s Day!       

From the start of the movie, the storyline in “Redbelt” seemed a little elusive.  It started off on a dreary tone, which made it all the more somber with the cliché pouring rain in the background.  The film basically pinned two components against each other as the underlying theme: the pureness of mixed martial arts vs. the commercialization of fighting. 

Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ojiofor) is the head of Southside Jiu Jitsu Academy and places a high value on the purity of mixed martial arts.  He does not believe in fighting competitively because he claims it ruins the essence of the art.  He teaches his skills to others so they may “prevail” when combat is needed for personal protection.  Money is the recurring motif in this film which ruins the lives of many, and ultimately, plagues fighting at the commercial level.  Mike gets involved with bad business and is sucked into a domino-effect reaction that deals with issues of loyalty, suicide, corruption, and honor. 

Joe Ryan (Max Maritini) plays a cop who is extremely dedicated to the academy and earns his black belt.  Joe is an ideal student in the eyes of Mike, who does everything to help him in his personal life, but ironically ends up destroying Joe at the same time.  Joe earns meager wages as a cop, which is the root of his eventual demise.   

A noteworthy character in the film is the lawyer who was a rape-victim, played by Emily Mortimer.  Her name in the film is not important because she is symbolic of the general population of individuals who are victims of crimes.  Mortimer’s acting is remarkable and her sense of fear and rage is chilling. 

I have two qualms about this film.  The first of which is: just as the plot was swelling, there would be some elements in the storyline that was distracting because it just did not parallel the realistic goals of the film.  For instance, the entire part of the film that dealt with the moviestar Chet Frank (Tim Allen) seemed like the wrong puzzle piece to make this movie work.  The second problem was that the novelty of the “redbelt” was only mentioned passively throughout the movie, and ends up making a huge statement at the end of the film.  The symbolism of the belt could have been more potent in order for the closing of the film to have meaning for the viewer.  It reminded me of the term “Rosebud” in the film “Citizen Kane” (one of the best films ever made) as its symbolism lacked any context until the end of the movie, which still elicited confusion among audiences. 

The 411 Fo’ Reel: If you want to watch some fighting sequences, go see it.  It’s a heavy film with great acting, especially by Chiwetel Ojiofor.  I was not a fan of the storyline because they tried to do too much with it, which led to a sort of attention deficit on the main intentions of the film.

Calling all McDreamy fans!  “Made of Honor” surely does not disappoint if you are infatuated with Patrick Dempsey, but there is so much more to love about this movie than Grey’s Dr. Shepard.  Dempsey’s character, Tom, plays the Maid of Honor to his best friend Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), hence the correlation with the title.  The movie was somewhat cliché in that there is a last minute attempt by a male to steal the bride away from her fiancé before they say their “I dos”.  However, there is a refreshing element that Dempsey and Monaghan bring to the film, especially because their on-screen chemistry is purely magical.

The movie begins in 1998, as Tom and Hannah meet at Cornell University.  The concept of their first encounter might be familiar to college coeds who have been to one-too-many alcohol-induced parties.  Tom, dressed as Bill Clinton for a Halloween bash, enters a dorm room where he is supposed to rendezvous with a woman named Monica (I was enthused with the political reference here), but he accidentally gets into bed with her roommate, Hannah.  Although a strange first meeting for both, Hannah instantly intrigues Tom with her quick-witted sarcasm and intelligence.  After Hannah puts him in his place, she and Tom become best friends.  Fast forward ten years to the present, when the almost-thirty Hannah meets her fiancé on a trip to Scotland.  Tom becomes the Maid of Honor and “one of the girls” as he is now in the bridal party. 

Tom formulates rules which governs his relations with women and makes him the epitome of a man who is not turned on by the notion of marriage.  He claims he has the best of both worlds.  He sleeps around, yet he has Hannah to fulfill his need for a meaningful relationship.  The movie makes a point about what males really want in a woman: substance.  Despite the unlimited number of women Tom can get, there is only one woman that satisfies his emotional cravings. 

The camera breaks the 180 degree rule in filmmaking during the restaurant scene where Tom unexpectedly meets Colin for the first time.  The camera spins around and around as Tom is going insane while listening to how the newly engaged couple met.  The camerawork draws the audience in as we experience the utter frustration Tom is enduring.  His desperation is humanizing and reinforces universal truths about love.

The 411 Fo’ Reel:  I absolutely loved this movie!  You will be rooting for Tom as he yearns to be with Hannah.  The guys will learn a few romance pointers from watching the movie, and women, you will be romanticized by the refined Dempsey.  

F.Y.I… I think it’s apparent that I like chick flicks!  I promise to watch something of a different genre for the next movie.   

“Baby Mama,” directed by Michael McCullers, was released nationwide in theaters yesterday, and I had the opportunity to view it last night. My interest in seeing this movie was motivated by its trailer, in which the theme jumped out at me as being original for a film in the comedy genre. Some might disagree, but the last time I saw a movie that dealt with surrogacy in some form was in a melodrama on Lifetime television. Aside from this, the title was catchy, in that “Baby Mama” is a part of the African American vernacular and gave me a sense that this movie would be fresh, edgy, and modern. On the movie poster, the title is juxtaposed with a picture of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, which was quite awkward at first glance when trying to associate both with the term “Baby Mama”.

The main character in the movie was Kate (Tina Fey), a career-minded woman who yearns to have a child at 37 years of age. After hearing her chances for pregnancy are non-existent because of her aged T-shaped uterus, she explores other options and ends up at a surrogacy agency. Enter Angie (Amy Poehler), a young blonde woman who wants to be a surrogate mother for the money. Angie is referred to Kate, and the storyline takes off from there. Be mindful that there are unexpected twists in the plot which keep the viewer intrigued till the very end.

The movie exposed stereotypes and made constant references to class, race, and gender. The characters’ sly remarks and the character roles hinted at society’s hierarchical structure. Kate is anal retentive and is a part of the upper class. Angie, on the other hand, is typical “white trash” as Kate calls her in one particular scene. The gap in classes is brought closer together as we realize that everything aside, they are just two women who want to be fulfilled in life.

Either way, the “girl power” is highly noticeable. Kate’s executive job (which has been known to belong to the white male) and her belief that a woman does not need a man in her life (just a sperm donor) to have a baby, speaks volumes about her independence and coincides with the values of many women. Kate spent a majority of her adult years climbing the corporate ladder to become the Vice President of her company, and in doing so had no balance in her life. This scenario prompts the question: “Can women have it all?”

The jokes are somewhat pointed and raw. In the beginning of the movie, Kate’s mom tells her: “Don’t get a black baby”. Her reasoning for this was that movie stars are always showing off their black children (Brangelina?). Kate also argues that her “single” status is not considered to be an alternative lifestyle, which infers that single people are the minority. Food for thought: Do we have more persons who are “in a relationship” here in the islands rather than “single”? No wonder there is a lack of eligible men.

In any case, I would see this movie again just to catch another glimpse of the long-haired Steve Martin (Kate’s boss) playing his role as an eccentric spiritual guru. Sigourney Weaver’s character (owner of the surrogacy agency) is strange as well, which adds to the craziness. You’ll love the genuine role of Greg Kinnear in this movie (Kate’s boyfriend), and you’ll be irked by Dax Shepard’s character (Angie’s guy).

The 411 Fo’ Reel: “Baby Mama” is a quirky movie and the characters are goofy enough to hold your attention. The laughs are abundant as well. Overall, go see it!

Lights, Camera, ACTION! 

So my love for film flourished from the day I stepped foot in Norris Cinema Theater on the campus of the University of Southern California for my first day of Cinema 190.  My professor was the Alma and Alfred Hitchcock Chair of American Film, the infamous Dr. Drew Casper.  From this moment, it occurred to me that my exposure to cinema was limited, and I was a film virgin of sorts.    Film was more than going to the movies with mom and aunty and stuffing my ‘opu with the ‘ono kine ‘ohana sized popcorn that we spent way too much money for at the concession stand (don’t forget the furukake, arare mix, and sprinkles of li hing mui that was somehow snuck into an oversized bag before we left the house).  Film, I quickly learned, was an experience.  It was a way of escaping the reality that we so passively embrace as humans, and embarking into the realm of the unknown.   We sit in a darkened theater and become voyeurs of an art that is more potent in production value to the trained eye, than just simply a form of entertainment. 

Take 1: During my hanabada days, the extent of my movie-going experiences was limited to outings to Cinerama a.k.a Varisty Twin Theaters.  The theaters were a close enough distance from Maryknoll School, which allowed the entire student body to conveniently walk over there to have our last hurrah once every year before Christmas break began.  On one particular occasion, the movie was Maverick, a western film, which proved to be an unappreciated genre to a bunch of grade schoolers. 

Take 2: I must admit though, that I was, and continue to be, a fan of Blockbuster rentals.  I remember being around 7 years old when my family would make pit-stops at the Waianae Blockbuster to browse through shelves of VHS boxes before we headed to our weekend home in Makaha.  My dad was a fan of comedies, I liked the hopeless romantic chick flicks, and my mom was a melodrama maniac.  My brothers are your go-with-the-flow local boys who could have cared less what we rented as long as there was some ‘macho’ tough guy scenes inserted here or there; a few explosion sequences satisfied this prerequisite. 

Take 3: Fast forward once again to my days at USC.  I enjoyed my Cinema 190 class so much that I decided to earn my minor in the subject matter.  I majored in Political Science and sometimes both areas of my studies overlapped, like when I enrolled in Politics in Film.  I watched hours on end of movies that ranged from The Paper Chase to A Civil Action, but did not cease to include some sci-fi action, as was seen in The Minority Report.  

Take 4:  As I watched a countless number of movies, I was entranced by characters I had never met before in movieland.  I sang “Que Sera” with Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much, I dodged a plane with Cary Grant in North By Northwest, and I was enthralled with the notion of the free world with Eddie Murphy in Coming to America.

Take 5: In Hawaii, there has always seemed to be a disconnection with film culture, and I don’t mean moviegoing. I mean a raw, back-in-the-day appreciation for film.  We are currently gaining more access to cinema education in our islands, especially with the implementation of the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  This blog will allow me and others to utilize another medium of film discussion and to promote cinema awareness that will range from film criticism to film events.  

It’s a Rap!

E Komo Mai!  Welcome to my movie blog!  If you are a moviegoer and share the same passion for cinema as I do, then you have found your niche here in the blogging community.  I will watch some of the newest releases at the box office and give you my thoughts on these movies.  I want to give this blog a “local” feel, which is inherent in its title.  Please join in on the discussion and leave me comments about my postings.  Also, let me know about any particular movies that are coming out soon that you may want me to view or film events that are taking place in the islands that are of interest to you.  As my blog evolves, I will try to encompass a larger variety of topics in relation to film in my entries.  My subsequent posting will give you some insight into my love for cinema and then we’re off to the theater this weekend!  A Hui Hou!