Stylishly shot action thriller with a teenage waif (Saoirse Ronan) in the role of Jason Bourne. Not much of a plot, not many answers, not much emotional connection and identification with the audience, atrocious German and American accents from Australian actors Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett, but it has some nicely set up cinematography with references to dark fairy tales, e.g. the main villain emerging from within the darkness of a wolf’s gaping maw.
Tag Archives: movie
Hanna (2011, dir. Joe Wright): stylishly shot but shallow Bourne-style action thriller starring a teen waif
Space Battleship Yamato (2010, dir. Takashi Yamazaki): fun, streamlined, Japanese take on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica
Fun, live action anime adaptation that screams streamlined, Japanese version of Battlestar Galactica (Ronald Moore’s reimagined series, that is): immersive space action and desperate, human drama – even romance – set against an apocalyptic backdrop. The original cartoon series (released in US and Australia as “Star Blazers”) predates both the original BSG and Star Wars, but many of the familiar military SF tropes clearly have been cross-pollinated and honed back and forth across the Pacific over the decades.
Ip Man (2008, dir. Wilson Yip): one of the few martial arts films worthy of breaking out of its niche
Every few years, a martial arts movie comes along that’s worth watching by mainstream audiences – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) was one, Ip Man (2008) is another. Very loosely based on the life of Bruce Lee’s kung fu teacher, the plot tracks how he, his family, friends and rivals struggled through the Japanese occupation of China in WWII. While Yip Man’s exploits are exaggerated to the level of legend and even sainthood, viewers can still connect with Donnie Yuen’s conflicted martial arts master-protagonist.
The King’s Speech (2010, dir. Tom Hooper): didn’t deserve the Oscar – then again, not all of them do – but it’s enjoyable enough
Light, fluffy feel-good confection that dramatizes the friendship (even ‘bromance?’) of a British king (Colin Firth) and his speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush). Well-scripted with spare comic touches, the movie shines when the two leads share the stage, and in examining the vestiges of still-class-conscious Britain – such as the prejudice of an overweening Archbishop of Canterbury against an un-Oxbridge educated commoner using new controversial techniques – from Australia no less!
WetWareGames: Initiating Coverage with a Strong ‘Read and Discuss’ Rating!
Welcome to WetWareGames, and pleased to make your acquaintance! This a personal blog for sharing thoughts and discussions on hopefully interesting topics with friends and colleagues – and perhaps make some new friends along the way. According to Wikipedia, the fount of all human understanding, “wetware” refers to 
both the physical brain and the human mind. So the name “WetWareGames” covers a breadth of subjects on which I might write:
- Games, especially unplugged, acoustic or analog games (aka boardgames, cardgames or tabletop games) – since these are games that can be played with just your wetware
- Passive Media (books, film, TV) – as the most intelligent media can set off a around of mental gymnastics (wetware games)
- Tech Disruptions – while tech is about software and hardware, in the end it’s wetware that drives the biggest innovations
- Social Commentary – as not everything is a game
- Cognitive Development – with a young family, it’s fascinating to watch a child’s wetware develop, and for them, learning is play!
WetWareGames 
The Social Network (2010, dir. David Fincher, script Aaron Sorkin): entertaining, sometimes gripping, but not the great classic it could have been
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Posted by Jokersmiley on March 30, 2011 in Film Reviews, Social Commentary, Tech Disruptions
Tags: Aaron Sorkin, Academy Award, David Fincher, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, movie, Oscar, The Social Network