Movie Reviews
You may browse my movie reviews in the following two ways:
(*Updated 11/21/08*)
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Dear all my beloved readers,
I'm currently doing research in the health industry and have uncovered important information that needs to be fully disclosed to you and everyone you know. Food and beverage companies often use Processed Free Glutamic Acid as a cheap flavor enhancer. According to independent studies/researchers/insiders such as neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock, ex-food processing scientist and engineer Carol Hoernlein, consumer advocate Debbie Anglesey, Dr. John W. Olney, and MSG activists and investigators Jack Samuels & Dr. Adrienne Samuels, the founders of the Truth in Labeling Campaign, Processed Free Glutamic Acid is a harmful neurotoxin that leads to and/or worsens many health problems ranging from headaches, migraines, mood change, nausea, pains in joints/bones, sleep disorders, chronic post nasal drip, heart irregularities and excessive perspiration to Asthma, ADD, Depression, Obesity and many more. It is also implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Lou Gehrig’s (ALS), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. According to the FDA, though, it’s regarded as natural and generally safe. The FDA allows companies to hide Processed Free Glutamic Acid in many seemingly benign ingredients without disclosing its presence or precise quantity on labels. Monosodium glutamate is the most commonly known of those ingredients. The FDA considers all of those ingredients to be natural even though they contain the unnatural chemical, Processed Free Glutamic Acid. My overall goal is to bring democracy back into the health industry and to encourage debate. Recall that the FDA had once claimed that cigarettes were healthy for the public. Do you trust independent studies/researchers or the FDA? Please decide for yourself by visiting www.msgmyth.com, www.msgtruth.org and www.truthinlabeling.org to find answers and, most importantly, to ask questions and to promote discussions about the issue. After all, what could possibly be more paramount than health?
Must-See Movies or Events:
Pray the Devil Back to Hell
Directed by Gini Reticker.
This moving and inspirational documentary focuses on the plight of Liberian women to bring peace to Liberia during a time when Charles Taylor, the tyrannical dictator of Liberia, brought violence to the country. A few Christian women gathered to spoke out to promote peace, which soon led to dozens and then hundreds more joining them in unison. Director Gini Reticker wisely allows the subjects to speak for themselves without excessive voice-over narration. Each of the brave Liberian women, such as Leymah Gbowee, speaks articulately and you can tell that what they say comes from the heart. Many of them even went to the extent of denying sex to their husbands until they reached their goal. The lively footage of these women relentlessly protesting and speaking their minds not only shows their courage, but their compassion as well, which feels quite moving to watch. In many ways, they’re much like heroes who do all that they can to save their country with their ardent voices and perseverance. At a running time of only 72 minutes, Pray the Devil Back to Hell manages to be inspirational, moving and uplifting. It deservedly won the Best Documentary Award at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Number of times I checked my watch: 0. Released by Balcony Releasing. Now playing at the Cinema Village. 
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
Directed by Kurt Kuenne.
This riveting, informative and emotionally stirring documentary follows the murder of Dr. Andrew Bagby, whose ex-girlfriend, Shirley Turner, killed him in a fit of rage on November 5th, 2001. Family members and friends of Andrew describe him as a genuinely loving and charismatic guy while his colleagues say he had always been friendly and arrived promptly to work. That’s why they were suspicious on the morning of November, 5th 2001 when he didn’t show up for work. Shirley Turner premeditated his murder to make it look like a suicide. The situation became more complicated when she fled to Canada where she was arrested and then went to court where a Canadian judge set her free on bail while awaiting extradition her to the United Sates. That’s around the time when she gave birth to Andrew’s baby, Zachary, and had joint custody of him with David and Kathleen, Andrew’s loving parents. Director Kurt Kuenne, a childhood friend of Andrew, documents so much dramatic tension, surprising twists and emotion on camera that you’ll end up forgetting that you’re watching a documentary film. The audio recordings of telephone conversations between Shirley and David show how creepy, selfish and psychotic Shirley became as time progressed. After Shirley kills again, the Bugbys felt more distraught than ever. Why couldn’t the justice system protect the Bugby family from such a deranged madwoman? Kuenne explores that important issue thoroughly and with sensitivity. While the archival footage and testimonies describe the events compellingly, the rest of the film feels poignant and enlightening as Kuenne allows those interviewed camera to analyze the events and to openly share their emotions and thoughts about them with you. Moreover, he moves the film along at an appropriately fast pace with stylish editing and a musical score that keeps your eyes glued to the screen from start to finish. Ultimately, Dear Zachary manages to be an intelligent, gripping and profoundly moving documentary. Number of times I checked my watch: 0. Released by Oscilloscope Pictures. Now playing at the Cinema Village. 
Let the Right One In
Directed by Tomas Alfredson.
Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist. In Swedish with subtitles. Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), a 12-year-old boy who’s bullied at school, befriends Eli (Lina Leandersson), the daughter of his new neighbor, Hakan (Per Pagnar), at an apartment complex. During the opening scenes, Hakan slowly squeezes blood out of a corpse hanging like meat from a tree branch. Just when you think the film will turn into familiar Saw or Seven territory with reliance on gore or gimmicky plot twists, it suddenly switches to psychological horror mixed with some surprisingly poignant drama. It takes a while for Oskar to notice that his new friend, Eli, isn’t human. She’s actually a vampire and he must keep that as a secret even during an investigation of mysterious serial killings. Writer/director Tomas Alfredson wisely creates a chilly atmosphere through the use of cinematography, pacing, lighting and a well-chosen musical score. Also, the snowy settings provide an added sense of eerie calmness and foreboding terror. Nothing will prepare you, though, for the third act’s visual and dramatic surprises, none of which will be spoiled here. Let the Right One In never overstays its welcome at a running time of 114 minutes and manages to be one of the most refreshingly poignant, atmospheric, haunting and intelligent vampire films in recent memory. Number of times I checked my watch: 0. Released by Magnet. Now playing at the Angelika Film Center. 
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