Quarantined at home with not much to do? Now is as good a time as any to catch up on movies released a decade or so ago.
V FOR VENDETTA (James McTeigue, 2005). The story of a woman caught in one man's fiery revenge against the theocratic London government, "V for Vendetta" is a wham-bam, fireworks movie with a lot of brains in it. More than the explosions of famous London landmarks, what makes this flicker quite an astonishing experience are its interesting assertions and points relating to governments masquerading as savior of the people, but are in fact foremostly preoccupied with amassing power at all costs. Almost like an alternative PolSci class espousing anarchy, "V for Vendetta" is a definite must-see for folks bummed out by abusive, pseudo-religious, modern-day Dracos.
RENT (Chris Columbus, 2005). Adapted from one of the most enduring contemporary stage plays ever, Peter Jackson brings to big screen the vie boheme of a couple folks from New York's East Village struggling to succeed in their own carefree ways while at the same time trying to make ends meet and dealing with their own baggages, AIDS, and a possible eviction. The cast make for an interesting ensemble, great voice and acting in equal measure. But at the end of the day, "RENT" should have been left where it was originally made for: the stage.
LIFE, TRANSLATED (Kiefer Liu, 2005). It's not easy trying to fit in in a totally different country, much more to make cheap and pathetic laughs out of it. "Life, Translated" is, simply put, a tormenting watch due to both its plot and characters. This is one movie that doesn't even attempt to make a point, not even an inane one for that matter. You'd have to wonder why this movie was made in the first place, but then there would always be shitty movies. This one's better left in the dumpsters.
DATE MOVIE (Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, 2006). Spun from the old-school Hollywood tradition of humor, "Date Movie" is a collection of scenes shamelessly ripped from (and made more stupid than they really are) romantic comedy flickers ranging from "Hitch" to "The Wedding Planner" to "Meet the Fockers" and so on. Detailing the lovelife of an overly obese gal trimmed to a likeable figure "Pimp My Ride"-style, "Date Movie," like any other movie relying heavily on slapstick humor, tries too hard to please and miserably fails to bring out the laughs.
