The Lunchbox Review

I'm usually not a big fan of romantic films. I do like international films from time to time and films involving food is usually grab my attention. I don't recall where I heard about The Lunchbox (2013), but it's a charming movie set in India, though food isn't such a prominent feature as it was in other movies like The Hundred-Foot Journey. The Lunchbox was still a pleasant, light film even when it sticks to commonly used independent film tropes.

Lonely housewife Ila (Nimrat Kaur) decides to try adding some spice to her stale marriage by preparing a special lunch for her neglectful husband.  Through a rare mix-up of the famous "dabbawalas" of Mumbai (a complicated system that picks up and delivers lunches from restaurants or homes to people at work), the lunchbox Ila prepares for her husband ends up in the hands of Saajan (Irrfan Khan), an irritable widower on the verge of retirement who is frustrated with training his work replacement, Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Curious about her husband's lack of response, Ila adds a note to the next day's lunchbox, and thus begins an unusual friendship in which Saajan and Ila can talk about their joys and sorrows without ever meeting in person.

The dabbawala was something new to me. A dabbawala is a person in India, commonly in Mumbai, who is part of a delivery system that collects hot food in lunch boxes from restaurants or the residence of workers in the late morning, delivers the lunches to the workplace, predominantly using bicycles and the railway trains, and returns the empty boxes to the worker's residence that afternoon. I'm not clear why a lunchbox wouldn't be brought with the workers to their place of employment, but this creates a lot of jobs, so who am I to criticize? Harvard Bussiness School added a case study to their compendium for the dabbawalas' high level of service (equivalent of Six Sigma or better) with a low-cost and simple operating system. It's simply fascinating

When the movie started, I instantly recognized Irrfan Kahn. He's best known for his works predominantly in Hindi Cinema. He's been in a number of American films where I recognized him, such as Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire, Jurassic World, and The Amazing Spider-Man. He's very good in this film, and plays a character easy to relate to. Nimrat Kaur is a beautiful woman and displays some above average acting here. Nawazuddin Siddiqui's delivery seems a little stiff at times but he really sells his character's positivity and happiness.

The Lunchbox seems to be a romantic drama sort of story. It's got all the elements of a romance, but even though Ila and Saajan communicate through notes and form an emotional connection with each other, there's not really a romance that forms between them. Frankly, I'm okay with this. Saajan is at an age where he can retire while Ila is still a young mother. I feel that given the age gap between them would make any romantic interests awkward. It's less a love story as it is an evocative portrayal of loneliness.  Saajan and Ila are content to share their thoughts about life and their day with one another and that is sufficient for these characters.

Unfortunately, this epistolary exchange of pleasantries and philosophical musings lends itself to independent film tropes. Independent films often have long dialogues about life, what it is, it's fleeting nature, and how it's full of surprises. That is certainly present here, but it's actually well written and well incorporated and doesn't try to act like it's deeper than it actually is. The characters encounter major life changes, albeit common ones that most people experience; getting married, marriage trouble, problems at work, aging parents, caring for a child, beginning a new job, etc. These can make for some fascinating stories, but I felt the way they were handled here made them seem as mundane as real life actually is. Events seem very ordinary, even if they are well written and well acted. I think the what makes these things so interesting to me as a westerner is it peeks into the lives and customs of average residents in modern day Mumbai. What was happening was less interesting as how it was happening. I think that if this exact same story was set in Seattle, for example, it would be a hopeless bore.

The Lunchbox unknots the trials, tribulations, fears, and hopes of everyday people without the glamour that the city of Mumbai has become synonymous with. It's warm, affectionate, and sweet without being overly sentimental. It may have some independent film tropes but they are well incorporated and are good examples of these tropes. Other independent film makers could learn a few lessons from The Lunchbox. The camera work was solid and well shot. The acting was good and featured a talented cast. The only downside that western audiences might face is that it is not an English film. There are bits of English here and there, but the language used is Hindi with English subtitles. If that is too off putting, you're better off skipping this one. The Lunchbox is a good movie I'm glad I saw it, but it's not likely something I'd go out of my way to see again. It's an above average renter.

Have you seen a particularly good foreign romantic movie? Comment below and tell me all about it!

I loved the lunchboxes used in the film. They're called a "dabba" or Indian-style tiffin box. It's a metal and cylindrical, and comes apart in four tiers making four compartments or bowls. I actually found one of these Four Tier Indian-Tiffin Boxes online. I'd love to have one! Go check it out for yourself!

Unicorn City Review

Independent films are generally hit or miss; they are often made and written by amateur film makers who haven't quite mastered the art just yet. As such, a lot of independent films are overlooked or never seen. Unicorn City (2012) is an obscure little title that ended up having a lot of heart and a remarkably low budget.

Voss (David McGinn) is a gamer who is unemployed and looking for work. After much searching, game developer company Warlocks of the Beach interviews Voss for a management position. He seems a good candidate but lacks evidence of the leadership skills necessary to land the job. Given one week to prove himself, Voss does the only thing a rational adult would do; create a Utopian society for gamers called Unicorn City, where everyone plays their characters in a Live Action Role Playing (LARP) Game. Voss convinces his gaming guild to follow him into the mountains and has Marsha (Jaclyn Hales) a long-time gamer and best friend to document his abilities. However, Shadow Hawk (Jon Gries), Voss's gaming nemesis likes having control over the game and, as much as possible, over the lives of those who play it. It's not long before Shadow Hawk shows up to overthrow Voss' Kingdom and claim it for himself. Things get progressively worse and Voss's geek utopia begins to fall apart along with his hopes at getting his dream job.

While there are a lot of fantasy elements in this movie, it's not actually a fantasy. It's literally a bunch of reality-deprived geeks, most of whom probably live in their mother's basement, pretending to be princesses, knights, elves, and even centaurs. They have obviously homemade costumes to help them enact their fantasies. This is primarily a comedy of errors with some romantic overtones, though it blurs the lines between real life and fantasy. At one point Voss has to save Marsha. While the danger is very much real, they both stay in their LARP characters during the conflict. It's surreal, ironic, and kind of funny.

There are only about three characters in Unicorn City who aren't super geeks. I enjoy my geeky pastimes, but I've got nothing on these ubergeeks. My knowledge of a few Klingon insults pales in comparison to these guys. The movie really captivates geek culture in all of its socially awkward glory without bashing it in any way. The dialogue is brilliant. There are lots of very clever nods to geek culture that will probably go over most non-gamers' heads. The game company Voss is interviewing at is called "Warlocks of the Beach", which is a play on the actual gaming company "Wizards of the Coast", who is responsible for the famous Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons games. This isn't to say that only gamers will get these references. Similar to how Galaxy Quest was probably much funnier to Star Trek fans due to all the in-jokes and references, audiences who have played D&D are more likely to get a bigger kick out of Unicorn City.

There's a catchphrase that goes, "Fake it 'til you make it." meaning to imitate confidence so that as the confidence produces success, it will generate real confidence. The purpose is to create a positive feedback loop so as to avoid getting stuck in a self-fulfilling prophecy related to one's fears of not being confident. That is essentially the theme here in Unicorn City. All the main characters have real-life issues they are facing, and they lack the confidence or skills to overcome them. They draw upon the strength they have given their in-game alter ego characters and learn to overcome their real world problems. "You are what you pretend to be," they are frequently reminded. I really like this theme of drawing strength from the fantasies these movie characters have created for themselves.

This is a hilariously low-budget film and it wouldn't surprise me of most of the wardrobe came from clothes lying on the floors of the cast members' bedroom closets. It looks pretty cheap, but since these characters are usually unemployed 20-somethings, it fits really well. There's a common folly in independent films where some shots are held just a little too long and ends up making the shot feel a bit awkward. This happens several times in Unicorn City, but that may have been intentional to accentuate the awkwardness of the bumbling geeky characters who seem to lack much self-pride in the first place. 

Unicorn City is a decent film. It's a fun idea, has funny relatable characters, a good theme, great dialogue, and manages to tell a decent story on a very low budget. It's not without its flaws, though. It features a couple of amateur actors, it slows down a lot in the second act, and features some bland camera work. These are hardly deal breakers, though. Unicorn City's weak points pale in comparison to what it manages to do well. The movie is rated PG, but probably won't appeal much to younger audiences. There's a lot of geek culture involved in this movie, so the geekier you are, the more you'll get a kick out of it. It's on Netflix Instant Play as of this writing, but you can also watch it for free (with commercials) on Hulu.com. I thought it was a fun movie, but not quite worth owning a copy of. It is good enough to seek out for a viewing sometime.

Here's the trailer for Unicorn City. Check it out:

Are you a gamer? Are there any table-top RPGs you'd like to see made into a movie? I wouldn't mind seeing a good Dungeons & Dragons movie made. I'd also love to see a Werewolf: The Apocalypse movie. Comment below and tell me about a game you'd like to see made into a movie and why!

Teddy Bear Movie Review

I heard about a foreign film through the grapevine last year which caught my attention. It's about a bodybuilder trying to find love. That alone sounded intriguing since we don't imagine those beefcakes are ever at a loss for female companionship. Teddy Bear (2012) foreign film from Denmark, it's written and directed by Mads Matthiesen, it's his first full length movie, and is based on Matthiesen's 2007 short film.

38-year-old bodybuilder Dennis (Kim Kold) would really like to find true love. He has never had a girlfriend and lives with his mother (Elsebeth Steentoft) in a suburb of Copenhagen. When Dennis's uncle Bent marries a girl from Thailand, Dennis decides to try his luck on a trip to Pattaya. Dennis knows his mother would never accept another woman in his life, so he lies and tells her that he is going to Germany for a competition. Dennis has never been out traveling before and hectic Pattaya is a huge culture shock for him. The intrusive Thai girls bruise Dennis' naive picture of what love should be like, and he is about to lose hope when he unexpectedly meets a very kind Thai woman named Toi (Lamaiporn Hougaard). They hit it off well, but Dennis dreads what may happen if his mother finds out the truth.

There are so many interesting aspects of this story. Generally, stories that revolve around someone seeking love usually feature a woman making an almighty struggle to find the right man to fill the void in her life, occasionally while being urged on by an impatient mother who wants grandbabies. Here the story revolves around the man simply seeking meaningful companionship, not necessarily sex. Men do want relationships, too, but social norms and gender roles tend to dictate that it's much more important to women. This story is honest enough to challenge traditional story tropes and do something unique.

Often to make a romance story more palatable to a broader range of viewers , they add "comedy" to the genre tag. This makes the story even less interesting since many "romantic-comedies" are so similar they are almost indistinguishable. I keep saying romance, but this movie is more of a drama. Yes, there are humorous bits and a few romantic scenes, but overall it's about Dennis taking a leap of faith to try to find fulfillment and keeping his overbearing mother at bay.

Dennis is such a good character. He is an enormous man who is 308 pounds of muscle. While at the Gym or at competitions he is in his element. Socially, especially when on a date, he is a very shy and awkward man. The movie doesn't have the comical elements revolve exclusively around Dennis' inability to talk to women as most romantic-comedies do; everything about the character is meaningfully done. Kold really is a professional bodybuilder, and even with his lack of acting skills he manages to bring a genuine sweetness to a fairly unique, gentle giant of a character. He's such an unconventional character that it's hard not do like him.

Dennis is a gentle giant seeking love.

Dennis discovers that "easy to find love in Thailand" actually means it's very easy to get a prostitute in Thailand. Dennis isn't after sex at all, and is very much put off by the prostitutes who try to get under his clothes. The movie had a lot of great potential to explore the differences between love and sex, but seemed satisfied to simply establish the fact that there is a difference. It's a bit of a wasted potential, but it doesn't make the movie less enjoyable. Teddy Bear does lean a bit towards being about sex tourism, but doesn't actually do it. There is no nudity or sex scenes. The movie is about finding love, not about getting laid.

Teddy Bear is really a pretty good movie. It has some issues with unnecessary shaky camera work and being a bit slow paced at times, but that's the worst I can say about it. It's got a unique spin on stories about seeking love and a unique character that you can't help but get drawn into. The languages in Teddy Bear include Danish, English, and Thai. There are sub-captions for the non-English speakers; that shouldn't put viewers off too much since roughly one third of the movie is in English. As an independent foreign film it is not rated, but if I were in charge of the world it would safely lie in the PG-13 area. If you're interested in movies that challenge social constructs of love or are a fan of foreign films, this is definitely one to catch. It won't appeal to everyone, but I think it's worth renting.

What movies have you seen that challenged social norms and gender roles? Are there particularly good ones worth seeing? Comment below and let us know!

Sunshine Cleaning Movie Review

I'm kind of a sucker for stories about underdogs and those who strive to make their lives better in spite of circumstances and poor decisions in the past. I'm sure most people do, actually. It gives us a kind of optimism and hope for our lives. Sunshine Cleaning (2008) is one such story that goes about that sort of theme in a unique way; by having the protagonists clean up after dead bodies.

Back in high school, the future looked pretty bright for Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams); not only was she the cheerleading captain, but she was also dating the star quarterback. Flash forward a little over a decade, and Rose is working overtime in hopes of getting her son into a better school. Her sister, Norah (Emily Blunt), is still living at home with their father, Joe (Alan Arkin), a failed salesman whose penchant for jumping into get-rich-quick schemes has left the family without a financial net to fall back on. Rose may be down, but she certainly isn't out, and when she hatches a plan to launch a crime-scene cleanup business, the money starts rolling in. Sure, cleaning up murder scenes and suicide sites may not be the most glamorous job in the world, but death is a fairly profitable business, and as the phone keeps ringing, Rose and Norah finally begin to experience the closeness of sisterhood that has eluded them all these years while also providing their family with true security.

Sunshine Cleaning is a comedy drama that is full of tense emotional states, a somewhat dark comedy, with some all too real life problems. It's more sobering than funny; there is a great deal of death involved in the movie, and it gives full weight to the impact of death without actually showing us grisly crime scenes. The unpleasant subjects of suicide and murder permeates the movie, but we don't actually see anyone die. We see just the crime scenes after the fact, and one incident of a man about to do himself in, but the scene changes before anything graphic can be shown. Even scenes where Rose and Norah are cleaning up the mess aren't really graphic.

It doesn't sound like pleasant movie to watch, but it features some interesting character developments in both women as they remove blood and body fluids and help console the individuals affected by the death of their loved ones. In an excellent scene, Rose is explaining her business to old high school cohorts, it dawns on her what kind of an impact she's having on other people. Rose explains, "We come into people's lives when they have experienced something profound - and sad. And they've lost somebody, you know? And um, the circumstances, they're always different. But that's the same. And we help. In some small way we, um, we help." Sunshine Cleaning is about connecting with people and how that makes all the awful experiences and circumstances in life more bearable. I genuinely love that theme and can relate to it.

Sunshine Cleaning is not without its flaws. It has a considerable "indie film" vibe; as if too much time was spent developing the characters and plot to the point that they somehow feel sterile and without believable imperfections. It also has kind of an run-of-the-mill bitter sweetness that a lot of indie films have; as if carefully measured amounts of sad drama and quirkiness were put into the prescribed "indie film recipe" so to speak.

The best reason to watch Sunshine Cleaning is to see Amy Adams in action. She's an outstanding actress and she does a exceptional job here. Adams sweeps through a wide array of emotions; the character struggles to remain optimistic and enthusiastic while trying to suppress her own self-anger and it makes her character and her role much more interesting. Most everyone did a good job with their acting, but Amy Adams really shines above the rest in this movie.

Sunshine Cleaning was pretty good. I loved the actors; they did a great job. I loved the theme; I thought the quirky way of going about interpersonal connection via a bio hazard removal/cleaning service was highly interesting. There's some profanity in it, but it's usually pertinent to the despair and emotional tension of the scene. I'll bet that if the one sex scene and only a couple of F-bombs had been left out Sunshine Cleaning would have easily had a PG-13 rating. I didn't feel that the few things that gave it a higher rating were all that necessary. I enjoyed the movie for what it was, but I felt that other movies achieved the same themes a little bit better. I doubt I'll bother seeing it again, but if you can tolerate overtly "indie films," it's not a bad selection for an indie-comedy-drama.

If you could have any kind of weird job (regardless of pay) what would it be? I'd probably be an old-timey soda jerk! Comment below and tell me about your odd job!

The Call of Cthulhu Movie Review

Chances are that if you enjoy science fiction, role-playing games, or are familiar with internet culture, you've heard of Cthulhu somewhere along the way. The  H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society (which is actually a real thing) distributed an interesting silent film adaptation of the Lovecraft classic, The Call of Cthulhu (2005).

Set sometime in during the 1920's, a dying professor (Professor Angell) leaves his great-nephew (Matt Foyer) a collection of documents pertaining to the Cthulhu Cult. The cult followers believe in an ancient deity which lies under the ocean waters, and they await the day that he will return to rule over the Earth; the Cthulhu cult are convinced that the day of reckoning is at hand. The Nephew begins to learn why the study of the cult so fascinated his great-uncle. Bit-by-bit he begins piecing together the dread implications of his great-uncle's inquiries, and soon he takes on investigating the Cthulhu cult as a crusade of his own. As he pieces together the dreadful and disturbing reality of the situation, his own sanity begins to crumble.

I have read Lovecraft's short story The Call of Cthulhu. Lovecraft's stories all took place in a similar setting, but The Call of Cthulhu is the only one where the legendary deity actually appears and frankly, it's not all that exciting a story. In fact, it's a pretty dull, slow read up until the end. I truly do not understand why it has become such a cultural icon. It has inspired and been referenced in art, music, video games, and even Saturday morning cartoons. I suppose it's just fun to toy with the idea of a fictional, all powerful deity destined to awaken and consume the world as we know it, much like we enjoy entertaining the idea of a zombie apocalypse.

The option to make this film adaptation into a silent black and white film was genius. This made the movie seem like it was contemporary to the 1920's, when the short story was first published, almost as if this were a long forgotten film from a bygone era and was only recently uncovered. It also allowed the film makers some liberty to use less expensive materials for sets and models; everything looked black and white in the final product so there was no need to spend extra money on making the color palette look exceptionally pretty.

The camera work and special effects were very much inspired by films in the 1920's. The camera angles were fairly basic and were only lopsided once in awhile to help depict character's psychological breakdown. The movie had several dream sequences that were much more surreal than movies were in the period of film style it was emulating. The visual effects were charming; lots of miniatures, blue screen, and stop-motion animation was used. There are model boats used instead of actual boats. Impressive miniature models were created and had actors in front of blue screens to show these model sets being explored. Best of all was probably the stop-motion Cthulhu which brings to mind the iconic stop-motion monsters in the 1933 King Kong movie. The whole thing feels like an old classic movie in terms of its art direction, camera work, and special effects.

But how is it as a movie? I've stated earlier that the short story which The Call of Cthulhu is based on is rather boring. The movie adheres very closely to the Lovecraft classic. Even though it is a mere forty-seven minutes in length, it is pretty slow moving. Since there is only background music and no dialogue to listen to, it's not unlikely that this movie would bore you to sleep. Reading the intertitles of dialogue might keep you engaged if you can read fast enough; they aren't on screen very long. The story still captures Lovecraft's style; the movie perfectly embodies his nihilistic world view, his cosmic perspective, and his sense that mankind is doomed by its own insignificance. It is, therefore, kind of a downer to watch. 

On the one hand, I'm glad I got to see The Call of Cthulhu for its excellent work in mimicking a basically dead filming style. But I probably would have been just fine had I not seen the film as it was boring and slow moving up until the end. I would only recommend The Call of Cthulhu to anyone who appreciates old silent films. Such fanatics will enjoy the nostalgic quality The Call of Cthulhu has to offer. I'd also recommend it anyone who is a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos (the fictional universe of H.P. Lovecraft's works). This was made by Cthulhu fans for Cthulhu fans; it was without a doubt a labor of love. If every "fan-made" movie was this well filmed and held this closely to its source material, it would put a lot of Hollywood suits out of a job. If you're not a Lovecraft fan or don't enjoy silent films, I'd pass on this one. But if you are interested, it is on instant play on NetFlix and on Hulu.com for free (as of writing this, of course).

Check out the trailer to see if this is something you might want to watch:

Do you have a story about discovering Cthulhu? On a novelty bumper sticker? Through a Dungeons and Dragons game? On a South Park episode? Share you Cthulhu story here, I'd love to hear about it!

Beasts of the Southern Wild Movie Review

An item on my bucket list is to attend a film festival sometime. I’d get to see up and coming film artists showcase their work for the first time in a public domain. I imagine film festivals are really exciting. When a movie is a huge success at a film festival, movie critics will rant and rave about it. Such ranting and raving is how I heard about Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012). After seeing it, I have to wonder if these critics saw the same movie I did.

The Bathtub is a small, defiant, bayou island community off the coast of New Orleans, cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee. In The Bathtub is a brave six-year-old girl named Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) who is on the brink of becoming an orphan.  Hushpuppy makes it through the day with her child-like optimism and imagination. She believes that the world is in balance with the universe. Then a fierce storm changes the way she views things. The tough love exhibited by Hushpuppy’s father, Wink (Dwight Henry), prepares her for a time when he’s no longer able to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature, as Hushpuppy sees it, flies out of whack; temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt releasing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy sets out find her mother and repair the universe.

The best thing about Beasts of the Southern Wild is the art direction. There are lots of really neat shots that really are pretty to see. One of my favorites is captured on the movie poster where the residents of The Bathtub are shooting off fireworks and Hushpuppy is running around free spirited, waving sparklers in each hand. That was just gorgeous.  We primarily see life on the little island which the community lives and once in a while we see drilling rigs and oil refiners on the other side of the levees. They seem so alien and distant from the main setting that they may as well be mysterious ancient ruins. The visual contrast between the oil rigs and the green bayou is really interesting to see.

Cute as Hushpuppy was, I didn’t find her very believable. She’s six years old and has an uncharacteristically expansive comprehension of the universe and her own theory of how it all works. Most six year olds are just beginning to understanding that a world exists beyond their own needs let alone a whole universe. The accomplishments of a six year old involve something like tying their shoe on their own, not repairing the balance of the universe. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with having a childlike paradigm of the world and how it works when you’re a kid. But an understanding of the universe, simplistic and inaccurate as Hushpuppy’s is, suggests a much larger perception of the world than a six-year-old can comprehend. It just didn’t feel very believable to me.

Critics are almost unanimously impressed with the performance of Quvenzhané Wallis. She was five years old when the movie began production, and seven by the time filming was complete. She’s cute, but I didn’t really think she was all that impressive as an actress. Most of her lines are voice over narrations about ecumenical concepts. Other times she simply sits around while adults do the acting. Once in a while she actually does something and gives an acceptable performance, but overall she’s about as expressive as Kristen Stewart until she has to yell or scream at something.

Beasts of the Southern Wild has a lot of interesting ideas that were thematically tossed around, but never seemed to be pulled together into a solid, cohesive whole. I kept wondering what direction the movie would take with the new, interesting concepts. But nothing really came of it. It was rather disappointing.

Beasts of the Southern Wild wasn’t really awful, but it has a lot of amateur independent film clichés. There was lots of shaky camera work; I had to go sit in the back of the theater to avoid motion sickness. Actors stand very still, talking very deliberately, in nicely framed shots; almost like the director is trying to use visual style to cover up the fact that the actors aren’t all that good. Shots of puddles that are held for too long are used as segue between scenes. The drawn-out theme makes me feel like it should be profound, but very clearly is not. For an independent film, this isn’t really an awful movie; I’m just saying it’s not as good as a lot of critics are saying.

With lots of neat visuals and a creative narration from a six-year-old girl’s perspective, Beasts of the Southern Wild is still a rather convoluted independent film with a sub-par child actor. I imagine most hoity-toity movie critics will call it a “tour de force,” which in layman’s terms means it’s too artsy-fartsy for the average movie viewer to enjoy. If you get a chance to see Beasts of the Southern Wild I’d recommend seeing it if you really do not have anything better to do with your time; like I’ve said, it’s not awful. But if you never do get around to seeing it, you won’t be missing out on a significant piece of cinema art.

What’s one of the worst “tour de force” independent films you’ve ever seen? Comment below and tell me why.