1041. Life of Pi

Life of Pi
2012
Directed by Ang Lee

I read this book awhile ago on a transatlantic flight.  I was flying coach and had strep throat.  So much like Pi, I know something about stressful travel situations.  Anyway, the book was amazing but it took prompting from the List to get me to see the film.

Pi Patel, an Indian man who survived a horrific shipwreck when he was 16, tells his story to an author (everyone knows shipwreck stories can only be told through flashback and narration).  Pi was an unusual boy who decided to adopt Christianity and Islam as his religions, in addition to Hinduism, which was his family's faith.  Pi's father owns a zoo and decides to take his family and all his animals to Canada to settle there.  During a storm, the ship founders and Pi escapes on a lifeboat with a wounded zebra, an orangutan, a hyena, and a tiger.

Visually, this is obviously a gorgeous movie, but it has more to offer than that.  At one point, Pi says, "Hunger can change everything you ever thought you knew about yourself."  While I am not religious, let alone triple religious, I have my own tenets, which include practicing vegetarianism and not killing anything (except other people's good times).  It was fascinating watching Pi try to hang on to his humanity in his situation, when we all know it's going to be a losing battle.  It's not a movie like Lifeboat or The Belko Experiment that tries to answer these questions (and in the case of Belko, gleefully revels in its chosen response).  It is a much more personal story and it also has a really cool tiger.  Ahem. 

Suraj Sharma was such a compelling actor and I can't wait to see what else he will do.  I don't want to spoil the ending, but I also thought it was brilliant.  And fuck hyenas.


RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Suraj Sharma only went to the audition to support his brother.

CGI tiger was used for most of the film, but they used a real tiger in the shot of it swimming in the ocean.

985. Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain
2005
Directed by Ang Lee

I know everyone has to say it, but I can't believe this didn't win Best Picture.  Well, I guess it's not so unbelievable, as the people who decide these things are stuffy old white men.  But this is clearly the superior film and I am still going to bitch about it anyway.

In 1963, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist are hired by Joe Aguirre to herd his sheep during the summer.  The pair fall in love, with Jack wanting to be more open about their relationship while Ennis is afraid of coming out.   Both end up living virtually separate lives that only overlap with the occasional fishing trip.  Still, their love is strong enough that it becomes noticeable to the people around them.

I was rage reading about the controversy surrounding this film, particularly how certain theaters wouldn't even play it.  There are so many horrible things happening in the world every single minute, but these people choose to take their stand against love.  It's so sickening.

Well, that went off the rails a bit.  Ahem...back to the movie.  The performances were incredibly inspired; I have never been too impressed with Anne Hathaway before but thankfully her cowgirl accent isn't as scary as her British one.  It's truly a touching romance, particularly since Heath Ledger passed away.  What an artist that man was.

Definitely one of the better romance films out there.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Heath Ledger nearly broke Jake Gyllenhaal's nose when they filmed a kissing scene.

Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams met and fell in love on set.

955. Wo hu cang long

Wo hu cang long
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2000
Directed by Ang Lee

I just realized the sequel for this movie has been out for awhile without me realizing it.  Well, I know what I am doing tonight!  Things just got a little wilder at my house.

In the Qing dynasty, trained warrior Li Mu Bai decides to give his treasured sword, Green Destiny, to a friend but the sword is soon stolen by a mysterious stranger.  Li Mu Bai pursues the sword with his pseudo lover, Shu Lien.  He also hopes the avenge the death of his old master, who was killed by the cunning Jade Fox.

I am sorry if that summary was vague/inaccurate.  It is hard to keep track of the plots of movies like these.  Basically, the story is just an excuse to have the coolest fight scenes ever filmed.  The action sequences remind me of a ballet I saw once only, you know, about ten times more exciting.  The cinematography was surprisingly gorgeous for a martial arts film.  That's Ang Lee for you, I suppose.

Anyway, I realize some people have an aversion to martial arts movies and certainly if you don't enjoy this, you probably aren't going to enjoy any film of this genre.  Fortunately, martial arts movies are my guilty pleasure.  Or, in this case, just my pleasure.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

The actors performed almost all of their own stunts.

Holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for a foreign film.

918. The Ice Storm

The Ice Storm
1997
Directed by Ang Lee

I have to officiate a wedding tomorrow (tomorrow meaning April 29th when I wrote this) and my anxiety about the whole thing is reaching a fever pitch.  Today I am just trying to stay distracted and not think about my impending speech.  I am doing a good job so far, don't you think?

Ice Storm is about two miserable, dysfunctional families during the 1970s who escape their problems through alcohol and sexual experimentation.  Ben, the patriarch of the Hood family, is having an affair with Janey Carver, a depressed, middle age housewife.  Meanwhile, their children play sexual games of their own.   Paul, Ben's son, compares his family to the Fantastic Four, citing similarities between the level of dysfunction in each group.

I really expected this to be much more atmospheric.  I thought everything (the music, the colors, etc) would contribute to an icy feeling like the elements of Zero Kelvin did.  I really didn't get that with this film, but as I seem to be the only one that feels this way, I am willing to accept that the subtlety was lost on me.

In any case, Sigourney Weaver truly shines in this and oddly enough, so does Tobey Maguire.  I never thought of him as an acting powerhouse.  Definitely an interesting find.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The author of the novel this film was based on, Ricky Moody, was so impressed with the movie that he sobbed during the credits.

864. Hsi yen

Hsi yen
The Wedding Banquet
1993
Directed by Ang Lee

I am quite glad that a decent Taiwanese film has come along, as I have been bashing them pretty regularly on this blog.  Usually, the culture gap is just a bit too wide.  However, I really enjoyed this film, proving that I can enjoy Chinese/Taiwanese films that don't include kung fu.  I was beginning to worry myself there.

Wai-Tung Gao lives a happy existence with his boyfriend Simon in New York City.  Unfortunately, his traditional family is unaware of (or willfully ignoring) Wai-Tung's sexual orientation and are eager to find him a bride.  With Simon's blessing, Wai-Tung decides to marry Wei-Wei, one of his tenants who desperately needs a green card, in order to placate his parents.  Much to Simon and Wai-Tung's horror, the Gao family decides to come to New York to attend the wedding.  Hilarity ensues.

I am not used to "madcap comedies" having any sort of message other than maybe don't try to develop an elixir of youth.  It is always interesting to see homosexual relationships on film, because for some reason, it is still considered taboo and not usually done.  But more than that, I liked seeing Lee blending Western and Eastern methods of filmmaking, demonstrating that our enjoyment of films doesn't have to be limited to which country we are from.

So a funny and enjoyable film.  I am excited to see what else Ang Lee can do.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Winston Chao was a flight attendant with no experience in acting when he was cast in this film.