The Story of Anvil (2009) [* * * * * *]

I've been such a fan of rock and metal over the years that I've seen many documentaries - The Who, Led Zeppelin, etc. - but this must be the best I've ever seen.

For the first time in the history of music, you see the real struggle behind the passion to perform. There are so many things that can go wrong that it just isn't about the music anymore - its an industry.

Anvil, which inspired many bands like Metallica, Anthrax, etc. missed the boat when it came to fame. And in this movie you see them growing old, in their 50s, but not giving up. And you wish with all your heart that it pays for them eventually!

I loved it. In the movie, the band goes on a failed tour of Europe, struggle to make money to pay for the next album, then find all the record labels reject their work and leave them in debt! What stands out is their talent, incredible relationship and unbeatable optimism.

They fight, make up, cry, do crappy jobs, love their families, worry, hurt and yearn and fear -- its all so real you could be one of them, or it could be your life. And their fans come through for them - the documentary is made by one of their fans.

Don't miss it! And the irony is that the critically-acclaimed documentary brought them the fame that they so richly deserve - they've had great success since. lol

Tron Legacy (2010) [* * * * * *]

Its hard to describe how awesome a 3D movie can be unless you have seen it - this one was particularly superb. I didn't expect much when I went to the theatre (expect to spend a lot of money, which we did:) but thanks to St_Lightstorm, we got those 3D glasses!

I'd say this movie is a must-see for the visual, if you're watching it with those headachy 3D glasses - then its a spectacular treat.

The story is a different only because 2 software guys get trapped in their software world and have to race against time and fantastic bikes to get out.

The Iron Giant (1999) [* * * * * *]

This is a terrific story about a friendship between a boy and an iron alien and how their relationship changes both of them (and saves the world).

I think adults have children only to relive their own childhood differently, with more control, like a reeducation. I've believed that since my parents have enjoyed childrens movies and comics more than we kids have, and now that I'm older, I've got the same urge to understand my values through my inner child's eyes.

The boy saves the giant as he was getting electrocuted and they become friends. All children overcome their fear of animals or other humans only by doing something extraordinarily good in a very difficult situation, earning a trust that lasts a lifetime. Without that extra effort the two remain monsters to each other - if only more children (inside adults too) got the education of movies like this to learn some kindness, our streets would be safer for animals and our skies for aliens.

Shaolin Soccer (2001) [* * * * * *]

This is another brilliant movie by Stephen Chow. If we compare this to what has been produced previously or since 2001, you'll see there are very few Hong Kong and Hollywood movies that match up.

The story is of a group of shaolin kung fu students who're leading miserable lives in the real world despite being masters of their craft. One of them is a rag picker, Stephen Chow, who meets a soccer coach by accident and kicks a can into outer space. They round up the rest and begn training them into a team which goes on to win every game they play. In the finals though, they're pitted against an evil coach's team who has them taking super-drugs and the struggle is epic.

Its highly entertaining, very well-made and a neat storyline. Its fun to see the usual wire air stunts in a different context than choreographed fighting.:)

Kung Fu Hustle (2004) [* * * * * *]

I've always thought kung fu movies could have been more comic for relief from the endless choreographed fights, but until I saw Stephen Chow's movie, I didn't think they had it in them.

This movie had scenes that reduced me to helpless laughter. It had great action, terrific humour and a little romance. Well worth watching for a relaxed Sunday!

The story is of a young guy who can't succeed at anything and goes from being a petty thief to wanted to be a member of the Axe Gang. He gets injured in a fight with a kung fu master which sets his chi flowing freely and ends up a master fighter himself, for the good side.

An Inconvenient Truth (2006) [* * * * * *]

This is a terrific must-see documentary about the struggle of Al Gore to put global warming on the forefront of politics.

All his work as Vice-President to get the US to sign the Kyoto agreement was wiped out when the Bush administration decided it wasn't 'fair' for the developed world to reduce carbon emissions while countries like India and China didn't have to do as much work. (Duh, Bush Jr., that was because the first world countries have 5 times the emissions of ours and the US has 15 times higher emissions than any other country in the world! Grow up!)

Anyway, the world slapped Bush in the face for it by giving Al Gore the Nobel Peace Prize 2007 for his work to save the environment and he won an Oscar for this video! This movie is about that struggle and Al Gore's dogged determination - I never realised he was such a likeable guy until I saw it!

Here's a good place to view An Inconvenient Truth

Fanny & Alexander (1982) [* * * * * *]

This is a fabulous movie about 2 children and their mother after the husband dies. The children are born to a theatrical family and he led a free and creative existence with little or no discipline, having fun in a huge family full of love and joy and freedom.

After her husband's death, the actress catches the bishop's eye and he begins to woo her in the form of episcopal emotional support. Alexander is growing out of childhood and into a psychically sensitive teen who sees ghosts as easily as he sees hidden motives.

He takes an instant dislike to the bishop, but his mother falls in love. The bishop takes them home to a life of hardship and punishments for the smallest offenses. Alexander is repeatedly subject to humiliation and required to apologize to his tormentor. His one wish is to see the bishop dead.

The mother is unable to protect her children as the bishop threatens to use the marriage laws of Sweden to take away the children. Finally her former husband's family is forced to intervene to rescue the children.

During this act, we're made aware of how much of a rascal the Bishop really is, for all his hypocritical talk. The penury of the house is due to his financial excesses and his womanizing. The theatrical family turn to a Jewish merchant to abduct the children from the prison of their new home so that the mother is free to act. She puts bromides in her nightly broth to help her sleep and the suspicious bishop asks to drink it and is helpless to stop her from leaving him. The jewish merchant has a psychically talented son who sees the rage in the boy and channels it to set the bishop's house on fire, in which the Bishop dies.

Finally we see the theatrical family reunited and happy again. But Alexander is pushed down by the ghost of the Bishop who tells him that now he'll never escape him again.

I have never seen a catholic filmmaker's that I haven't identified with. Having been in catholic schools and colleges, I am deeply aware of their hypocrisy, the special humiliations and torment they reserve for children and the gilded cage they weave with words - whether the movie is about sexually abusive priests or punitive relationships between natives and missionaries, I identify with the rage and pain that goes into the telling of those stories.

The Secret Dairies of Anne Lister (2010) [* * * * * *]

I downloaded this movie by mistake because it was under 'Toy Story 3', but I'm so glad I did. I've always been terrified of lesbians, because women tend to get quite close as friends. When they hit on you, its a violation of your privacy and gross manipulation. I'm sure hetero men would feel the same when confronted with a secretive gay man - probably why there's so much fear of it. I'd say lesbians are more pushy and domineering than even men at getting their own way with you.

This is a story of a lesbian in England (1791 - 1840), a rich orphan, who seduces several women in her lifetime, though she's madly in love with one, Marianna, who betrays her to get married to a man (for social approval). But you see a love as deep and true as in any forever-romance, from Anne Lister's side anyway.

She kept a secret diary, 1/6th in code (greek and algebra), with enormous output - 4 million words written at 2000 words a day(!) about her life and relationships. You see none of the usual tiptoeing around the truth that women do to protect tthe male, the social 'niceties' that conceal deep lying to oneself - just the raw woman and her clear comprehension. Fantastic, unusual even today, but in Jane Austen's contemporary ... unbelievable!

The movie is, barring a few racy scenes, a fabulous reminder of how hard women have struggled to come this far, 150 yrs of internal struggle - to reject marriage, which suits few, for security and social acceptance; to withstand patriarchal mockery when they take to industry or managing finances; above all, to put their own thinking mind as equal to a man's, and their own passions first. Women of substance and character.

Its a herstory of feminism: a woman's struggle to be who she truly is - written by a woman, about women and for the women she loved. Hats off and many thanks to the Anne Listers for freeing themselves, so that my choices and freedom aren't a struggle today!
Trailer of 'The Secret Dairies ...'

Food Inc. (2008)(* * * * * *)

The total control of the food industry over the US is amazing. Its a painful video for a vegan to watch, but if you're eating meat and dairy, its a must-watch.

For a doctor, it would be interesting to see how salmonella and e.coli were created by the meat and dairy industry practices in the US, early onset diabetes and a resistance to antibiotics.


In terms of agriculture, the story is quite as bad with Monsanto monopolizing the seed production. They've developed a similar hold in India as well - virtually every seed bought in agricultural shops is Monsanto and genetically modified. Saving and selling your own seeds will push your shop out of business.

I'd like to see a similar story of the milk dairy industry in India which is far larger than any other single industry with very similar lobbying practices as the US.
Watch 'Food Inc.' in 11 parts here..

Equilibrium (2002)[* * * * * *]

Once in a while I see a movie that obsesses me - Equilibrium is one of those. The sci fi story is of a nazi-like fascist future after a 3rd World War, when people who feel emotion are persecuted to prevent wars by an SS-like militia called 'grammaton clerics'.

Of course, it might be Christian Bale or the role of a grammaton cleric that might have been so sexy. The role is so asexual - and there's nothing more attractive than an asexual man; He's also exploring emotion illegally for the first time. Repression is common enough - but emotionally exploring innocence in a man is rare and exotic. Then there's the eastern mystique of training in gun kata, an imaginary martial art invented by Kurt Wimmer.

The movie itself is philosophical, romantic without being mushy, with a clean feel. A real thrill after the confused mumbo jumbo of Matrix. Perhaps one of the best sci fi movies made about a very probable future, if men don't learn to appreciate their emotions more.

X-men Trilogy: Origins, X2: United, X3: The Last Stand

This is another fascinating trilogy out of the comic books. First of all, this comic alone was a runaway hit with 8 million copies sold at the first printing. The movies followed as the highest grosser for Marvel after Spiderman.

Several elements seem to have combined to make this the comic of this age. First of all the genetic references, so apt to our times, about the human gene getting modified to create mutants with special skills.

These mutants are different enough to frighten the ordinary population as freaks. The conflict leads to two possible solutions - merging into the majority by controlling the skill or open war with the ordinary humans since mutants might be the advanced race.

The photography is fantastic and each individual fascinating. The tendency to elitism in youth was bound to make this trilogy popular.:)

Lord of the Rings Trilogy [* * * * * *]

Just like Star Wars, this is another saga that I'm addicted to. The story written by J R R Tolkein to be a never-ending story (like our own superlong Ramayana and Mahabharatha) of a time before ours when there were many species living together on earth.

We arrive at the story at a time when great evil threatens Middle Earth and all who dwell on it.

The power of that evil rests in a Ring, and a fellowship forms between hobbits, men, elves, dwarfs and wizards to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom where it was created. The adventure and relationships that follow are fascinating in a very mythic setting. It's a must-watch despite a lot of battle and gore!

Sister Kenny (1946) [* * * * * *]

This is a true-to-life story of a nurse called Elizabeth Kenny. Because she was working alone in the Australian bush without doctor support, she discovered a cure (no less!) for polio or infantile paralysis.

But the 'specialists' in the field were busy putting the 30% survivor-children in what she called "medieval torture instruments" or crutches, clamps and collars which deformed them altogether.

For 30 years the medical professon persecuted and banned her right to help children because she was a nurse, not a doctor!! Homeopathy has suffered a similar fate for its undeniable success.

If her 'Kenny Concept' of physiotherapy and treatment survived today for all kinds of paralysis, its only because the public rose up to support her though she was never allowed to treat an acute case, only those rejects of medicine (as with ayurveda and homeopathy today). You'd think that a profession that's supposed to dedicate itself to healing would reach out with open arms to purge its worst abuses, but it never has.

A fantastic story and a fantastic woman! Must watch.

Pray the Devil Back to Hell (2008) [* * * * * *]

Fantastic documentary about how a bunch of Liberian women brought their country to peace.

After 14 years of brutal dictatorship by Charles Taylor opposed by equally brutal warlords, both pillaging, raping and brutalizing the people of their country into starvation, Liberia (created by freed slaves of America in 1820) was on the verge of self-destructing by 2003.

One woman, Leymah, had a dream that the women could come together and pray for peace. So the women started gathering in the fish market to pray. Over the weeks they were about 2500 of them, they marched to his presidential palace and got Charles Taylor to attend the UN peace talks. They sent women to invite all the rebel forces to do the same. When the peace talks went on like a vacation while the fighting continued, they barracaded the doors by interlocking arms and forced the peace talks to come to an agreement - "No food or water so that you know how our people have been living for 14 years."

When one rebel leader tried to kick his way out, the UN chief negotiator dared him to try and said, "You aren't real men, because real men wouldn't kill and rape their own people, that's why they treat you like boys."

After the UN Peacekeeping Forces moved in, fighting broke out again, so the women took over the disarmament (!). But still they felt they hadn't finished until there was a democratic election, so they campaigned night and day and got Liberia the first woman president in Africa, Ellen-Johnson Sirleaf.

Wow, talk about empowerment!

Deliver Us from Evil (2006) [* * * * * *]

Religion is in crisis - finally! For the first time in centuries, religious clergy have been outted for their habit of abusing children.

This movie follows the serial abuser, Oliver O'Grady, a priest of the catholic church who has raped and sodomized children as young as 9 months old for over 30 yrs, protected by the church even today. It shows the rage of the parents who trusted him, and the horror of the children (who're 40+ now) who were forcibly held down and told that their parents wanted it to happen.

In a study done, they've found 10% of the clergy are sexual abusers of children! 1 out of every 10 representatives of God on earth, imagine the foul nature of that!

100,000 victims of clergy abuse have come forward in the US alone; 556 priests have been abusive in LA county alone. Long ago I read that 1 in every 5 boys and 1 in every 3 girls goes through sexual abuse during the first 12 yrs. Be wary, parents, tell your children that they should talk about inappropriate behaviour by adults so you can take action!

Star Wars [* * * * * *]

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ..." nearly 35 yrs ago the story of a young Jedi trainee rocked the world. It was a story of heroism, a David vs the Goliath Empire. One of the best movies ever made, without doubt.

The following generations had the other 5 episodes of Star Wars - the Clone Wars and the Revenge of the Sith, but we had the original with the tai chi philosophy of flowing with the Life Force around one's self.

Our first Star Wars: A New Hope was based on two of the famous Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's post-war movies called The Hidden Fortress and Seven Samurai (also made as the Dirty Dozen). Japan had lost all its identity during americanized reconstruction and these movies did a lot to remind them of their 1000 yr old civilization. The first few scripts were an exact reproduction of The Hidden Fortress, except that it was in a galaxy far, far away, but later revisions changed it considerably to the polished adventure that it became.

Millennium Actress (2003) [* * * * * *]

This is a wonderful anime about how the heart yearns for the unreachable. And a story about the karmic origins of unquenchable love.

Chiyoko is a 70 yr old movie star who vanishes from the public eye. One of her devotees goes to get an interview from her about her life.

We're taken through many lifetimes starting with the one where she rescues and hides a painter from the authorities as a child. He goes on the run and leaves behind a key 'to the most important thing in the world' which she wants to return to him. She begins her acting career to follow him to Manchuria, hoping he'd see her movie and come to find her.

The movie spins a web of lifetimes and acting roles of a woman's longing for her first love. It keeps her young and rouses the jealousy of a co-star, the devotion of fans and suffering.

The cinematic style is surreal, but then, so is love.:)

Osmosis Jones (2002) [* * * * * *]

This is one cool movie! It's about an immunity cell, Osmosis Jones, who figures out how to fight a deadly virus, Red Death, all from the perspective of the human body as a city with numerous citizens.

The city of Frank is run by a mayor who wants to keep his seat in Cerebellum Hall and encourages the body to indulge in the most unhealthy lifestyle possible. It's incredibly funny, very well done, especially for preventative medicine to be taught to kids. Why healthy eating is so important to the colon, how a cold pill can only hide the symptoms of the greater viral infection - fascinating perspective!

(This is one you must watch, gardner48!:)

Porco Rosso [* * * * * *]

This is a fabulous movie about a flying pig (he's a human under a curse) and his refusal to take part in the WWII. The story is complex and very interesting - a very Casablanca kind of feel to it. Probably the wonderful music.

Lol, I love this! When one of his old airforce friends asks him to avoid arrest for being unpatriotic by serving in the italian airforce again, he says, "I'd rather be a pig than a fascist." Haha! A nice play on the 'fascist pig' insult.:)
The entire movie is very authentic in detail to the time of Mussolini. What a great way to learn history for kids.:)

Well worth a watch!

Howl's Moving Castle (2004) [* * * * * *]

This must be one of the most romantic movies of all time! My current heartthrob is Howl, a wizard who's handsome, gallant and brilliant along with being a demon, vain, selfish and cowardly. (He's got a touch of magic with all the essentials of the modern man's flaws.;) Howl is heartless, literally, from having swallowed a star.

The story begins with a gallant rescue of a girl, bringing upon her the curse of old age from a jealous ex-gf, the Witch of the Waste. The girl sets off to find a way to lift the curse and ends up as a cleaning lady in his moving castle, which is moved by a fire-demon. The plain girl falls in love with the complex man, and they both grow from it - Howl finds a purpose in life and the Sophie is transformed by her love.

The story was written by Diane Wynne Jones in 1986, which is probably why it's so deeply romantic for a woman to watch, but I'd class this as one of the finest romances I've seen in animated film. Can't believe how it lost in the academy awards to the very boring Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Miyazaki's traditional touches, glowing landscapes, a hatred of war, an absence of villains, a love of nature and simplicity, really suit the story and add to its rich detail. Most watchable (my 5th time!:)