The Tree of Life centres on the O’Brien family in the US: three boys growing up with their mother and father. The middle son dies unexpectedly and unexplainedly, and the rest of the movie wrestles with the why. The mother’s questions to God are answered by a Planet Earth-like history of the Universe. It is haunting, beautiful, poignant (and slightly boring). You can hear God answer her: “Who do you think you are?” “Who is man that I be mindful of him?” “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth?” (emphasis mine)

I forgot until now that there are some hauntingly beautiful special effects. The creation of the universe and the evolution of life are miraculously rendered. A cute dinosaur drinks and plays possum on the same river bend that the boys go to later in the film. The dinosaur scene even plays out the nature vs. grace dichotomy that is at the heart and soul of this film. Death is dealt with, and light, windows and trees are used so incredibly often you’ll wonder if you are watching in a greenhouse.

The film sets up two ways to live: by grace or by nature. Jessica Chastain, the beautiful Mrs. O’Brien opines that grace is living for others, and by nature we seek only to serve ourselves. She models, imperfectly, how to live gracefully. Brad Pitt plays her husband: a tough father who loves his children, but seems to live out his oldest son’s fears of wanting to do what’s right, but not being able to, and hating the way that he acts. If you are a father, or a brother or a son, you will see yourself here in one way or another, and as the oldest son devolves into acting the way he knows he shouldn’t, one wonders how such seemingly small decisions can lead one down a road that is almost impossible to turn from.

Dialogue is sparse over the nearly two and a half hours of film, and therefore viewers will sift all they can from every single uttered line. What do you make of lines like: “He sends flies to wounds that he should heal”?

There is wisdom here. Shared almost exclusively by the mother. When told by the pastor that her son is in God’s hands now after he has died, she replies with, “He was in God’s hands the whole time. Wasn’t he?” and “Grace doesn’t try to please itself. Accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Accepts insults and injuries.”

This is a movie that needs to be watched. Sure there are too many butterflies and weird dog shots. I didn’t need to see kids climb up that treehouse ladder 43 times, and I could have done without all of the skyscrapers. I nearly laughed when a mask floated underwater 2 minutes from the end. I’m sure Malick has reasons for all of these symbols, and I could watch it again and come up with another list. But sitting through this incredibly personal family drama against the backdrop of the birth of the entire universe made me think more about myself than any other movie I’ve seen this year. Go into it with no expectations, and you’ll be amazed at where it takes you – farther in than maybe you were prepared to go.

What do Jude Law’s crooked tooth, Demetri Martin in a spacesuit and Gwyneth Paltrow’s scalp removal have in common? They all figure prominently in the movie Contagion – directed by Steven Soderbergh. The cast, which also includes Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Gould, Kate Winslet and John Hawkes (an incredible amount of Oscar winners all gathered under one roof here) is stellar. I caught myself laughing out loud each time a new scene began and another a-lister came around the corner in small role. (Think Expendables, with little to no violence)

The story centers around Paltrow, a working woman who does the unthinkable, eats pork and has an affair while on a work retreat. Not only that, she comes in contact with half the world on her trip to China, and, you guessed it, people start getting sick. I’ve heard of reviewers who are upset that the sickness is originating in Asia (like how original), but seriously, after H1N1, SARS, Swine flu, etc. where else would you start a world-wide epidemic? Well that’s exactly what this turns into. People are getting sick and the WHO, CDC, Homeland Securities are involved to help keep things under control. The second act is really about people’s reaction to the disease, and how and what they are capable of doing – stealing food, looting – the expected.  Jude Law is a blogging technophile who’s sole purpose seems to be to incubate conspiracy and foster a run on the banks. He is handing out (mis)information (we’re never quite sure who is telling the truth) about the disease, possible cures and homeopathic remedies. A great scene has Fishburne’s Center for Disease Control Doctor arguing with Law on Sanjay Gupta’s doctor show on CNN.

In terms of story, there’s really nothing new here. If you’ve seen Outbreak or even the scene after the credits in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, you know how disease spreads – hint: think quickly and at major cities.

But it’s interesting to see it’s rise, and the reactions to it. Soderbergh make’s interesting choices with his allstars. Conversations are muted, scenes are low-key (almost to the point of the viewer wondering if some should have been re-shot), offices are drab. The whole thing has a feel that if only you could have convinced 20 of your famous buddies and evacuated the Pearson Airport, you too would have had a chance of filming this.

The story works, though, and even the camera’s focus on a door handle after someone exits the bathroom without washing their hands is enough to have the audience squirming in their seats. Maybe the reason this movie is so effective is because if something like this happened, this is how it would happen.

In the end, the little jabs at deforestation or marital infidelity are taken with a grain of salt. Or is the real message just not to eat pork?

So I did a potentially silly thing the other day. I agreed to ride 70 Km on a Saturday around a lake. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but the subsequent bike rides I’ve taken have really done a number on my heiny. So, the plan is to ride a bit everyday, and hope that by October 1, I’ll have some callouses to protect me.

The reason I’m doing it is to support the Ride for Refuge, an organization that helps the cause of people who are marginalized, displaced and needing support. In addition, I’m able to partner with Burnt Thicket Theatre and Raise Their Voice, two organizations that do great work, and are currently raising moolah to put Andrew Kooman’s play She Has a Name in theatres across North America.

Great idea? Well, my body might argue with that one on October 2. Great cause? You bet! If you’d like to sponsor me, check out my page at Ride For Refuge. Every little bit helps!

Hollywood has a tendency to revisit the same franchises over and over again, so when the Rise of the Planet of the Apes was announced I was admittedly not very excited. If you’ve seen Tim Burton’s 2001 flick, you can’t really blame me. But then, in May when I was in the theater for some long-forgotten super-hero movie, and the trailer for Rise came on, I was genuinely excited.

The plot isn’t that different from any of the old films, but acts as a bit of a back story for the entire franchise. (Think Batman Begins.) James Franco plays a young and talented doctor who is searching for the cure to Alzheimer’s – motivated by the fact that his own father (John Lithgow) is suffering late stages of the disease. He develops a virus that not only stops the onset, but actually helps sufferers increase in intelligence – side effect? Of course this is a Sci-Fi flick, it causes chimps (we test everything on them, don’t we?) to get really smart, really fast. If you’ve seen the trailers, none of this is news: The chimps get smart, and *SPOILER* Rise up.

So in 2011, how do you revisit a campy 60′s B (or C if you’re talking about the sequels) movie? First, you dump the latex chimp suits and cast Andy Serkis as the lead role Caesar – leader of the Apes. The motion capture format used for Gollum and King Kong has been nearly perfected, and to see how far they’ve come over at WETA is really quite amazing. After watching the film for the first time (yes I went twice) I told my brother that Andy Serkis out-acted James Franco – and I wasn’t trying to be rude, the guy has invented a new way of acting, and the results are  astounding. The facial expressions, movements, etc. are decidedly ape-like, and would look, I imagine, as perfect as if you had an actual ape doing all of the things you could never get one to do. How the Apes can be simultaneously terrifying and lovable is a trick that director Rupert Wyatt pulls off without hitch – I caught myself thinking on more than one occasion, Who are we supposed to be rooting for here?

The movie isn’t perfect, of course. I’m not sure if the apes were supposed to out-act the humans. Most of the people’s roles seemed a tad stiff. Freida Pinto seems wasted (but beautiful) as Franco’s love interest chimp veterinarian, who you would think on at least one occasion could offer some information/advice/expertise on apes. Brian Cox is the owner/operator of an ape ‘shelter’. His role has him looking grim and throwing out some warnings about apes sticking to their own kind. His son is Tom Felton (AKA Draco Malfoy) who works in the ape shelter and is a torturous jail guard. You couldn’t create a more caricatured guard if you tried, and so I suppose Felton plays it perfectly. With the exception of Franco, the humans are either torturing the apes, or trying to use them to make money.

These people aren’t really problems for the film, in fact they act as inspiration for the rise, and in a way, we can’t blame the apes for wanting a better life for themselves.

I do remember watching the original, and cheering like crazy for Charlton and his compadres when they finally beat those ‘damn dirty apes’. This time, the roles are reversed, and in the sequels (because there will be sequels) I wonder how and who I’ll be cheering for. As a sci-fi film this could be a warning of genetic engineering, animal testing, etc. Things we’ve seen before. But where it really works is in the relationships between Franco and Caesar, and (I’m just gonna c0me out and say it) between the apes themselves. Buck, the huge silverback gorilla, can communicate more in a few grunts and head bobs, than Thor or the Green Lantern could in a huge voice-over. Caesar and the resident Orang-utan have a couple of great sign-language conversations that are a joy to behold.

The highlight of the film was when, for the first time, Caesar finds his voice. After being tortured by Felton, he stands up and shouts, “NO!” My reaction was one of shock and pleasure, but the audience reaction was summed up perfectly by someone sitting farther down our row, who shouted out, “Ho-oly Shi-it!” It’s moments like that that tell you a story is working.

For fans of the original, there are plenty of references, inside jokes, winks and nudges. There are also a number of hints as to possible sequels opportunities. If you haven’t got out to this film yet, see it. Highly Recommended!

400 have been repatriated back into Mexico, the other 100 or so are still being detained/processed.

Just how do you think you’re going to get away with this??

What was, was her chance encounter with the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it blasted through the cloud cover and (reasonably) close to her plane. She happened to have an iPhone with her, pointed it at the window, snapped a couple of pics, tweeted them, and became a sensation.

Some very cool shots made her famous! Sweet!

The Details.

I took my kids to Sunshine on Easter Monday. They’ve had one of their best years for snow ever! The base is amazing, and the crowds were non-existent. No line-ups on any lifts, 2 degrees above zero and sunny! A great day to get my littlest out on the slopes!

Also in the news today:

Military choppers seen in downtown Miami.

Three satellites were carried into space by a single Indian rocket.

And tomorrow’s soldiers of the future?

Yesterday, 30 years to the date of the first launch, and 50 years after the first manned space flight, three museums were awarded the remaining orbiters:

The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in D.C. is currently housing the test prototype Enterprise, but will send it to Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, housed aboard an aircraft carrier permanently docked in New York City, and permanently keep the flagship shuttle Discovery.

NASA awarded the Endeavour to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Kennedy Space Center in Florida gets Atlantis. This makes great sense. It is the nation’s best space museum, and the launch site of all of the shuttles.

Of course Challenger and Columbia were shuttles that now no longer exist.

So what does this leave Houston, Texas – space city? Home of the central command of all of the shuttle flights, rocket launches and NASA? They get a few computer screens and seats.

The reasoning is that the museums who get the shuttles will have the most traffic, and therefore more people will be exposed to the shuttles there than anywhere else.

Too bad…

More on the story

10. The Matrix

When the first Matrix movie came out, many people including me, were dumbstruck. The visuals, special effects, kung-fu fighting, leather pantsuits, properly timed ‘Whoas’ by Keanu combined for an epic movie. The soundtrack is an amazing energy-filled powerhouse that propels the movie and fits perfectly with the action.

9. Empire Records

Terrible movie, fantastic soundtrack. A little bit Indy Rock, a lot of cool tunes. Evan Dando, The Gin Blossoms and the Dirt Clods. How can you go wrong?

8. The Crow

Pumped up by death metal? Haven’t listened to The Cure lately? Love that grating, metallic, techno mix? Me either. But if you’ve seen the movie, and were inspired by the simply touching revenge tale, you’ll realize this is the perfect mix of music to power a dark, creepy, effective thriller.

7. Romeo and Juliet (1996)

Not only is this one of Leonardo’s movies I actually don’t mind watching, but the soundtrack is a masterpiece. Garbage, Everclear, Radiohead and the Cardigans contribute to one rockin’ track. The sound editing for the movie is also fantastic, and whoever put these songs together with classic Shakespeare delivered in a modern setting was pure genius.

6. Top Gun

From Kenny Logins to Berlin, the Top Gun soundtrack offers music lovers a little bit of everything. Tense rock for flying into combat, check. Tender love songs for intimacy, check. One of the greatest anthems ever (picture Tom Cruise giving fist pumps on the deck of that air-craft carrier), check.

5. So I Married an Axe Murderer

Not only does Mike Meyers sing “If you want my body/and you think I’m sexy’ as an old Scottish guy, but this movie includes a modern combination of Soul Asylum, the Boo Radleys, Toad the Wet Sprocket and The Spin Doctors. If you haven’t seen the movie or enjoyed these tunes, it’s about time…

4. The Sound of Music

I debated whether or not to include musicals on the list. Isn’t that kind of cheating? I don’t know. There aren’t any real rules here. But watch the movie and try not to sing along – it’s impossible. Do-Re-Mi, Edelweiss, I am 16 going on 17 and My Favorite Things are simply infectious!

3. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

A strange update on Homer’s Odyssey, the soundtrack is like an odyssey in itself. Taking the listener/viewer on a journey across the country, through different styles and exposing us to country, blue grass and folk, the CD is powerful, melancholy, haunting and delightful. A must listen-to!

2. Reality Bites

This one’s so good, I had to copy paste the list from Wikipedia, just so you could believe it:

Track listing

1. “My Sharona” - The Knack
2. “Spin The Bottle” - Juliana Hatfield Three
3. “Bed Of Roses” – The Indians
4. “When You Come Back To Me” - World Party
5. “Going, Going, Gone” - The Posies
6. “Stay (I Missed You)” - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
7. “All I Want Is You” - U2
8. “Locked Out” - Crowded House
9. “Spinning Around Over You” - Lenny Kravitz
10. “I’m Nuthin’” - Ethan Hawke
11. “Turnip Farm” - Dinosaur Jr.
12. “Revival!” - Me Phi Me
13. “Tempted” - Squeeze
14. “Baby, I Love Your Way” - Big Mountain
15. “Stay (I Missed You) (Living Room mix)” - Lisa Loeb
16. “Add It Up” – Ethan Hawke (Violent Femmes cover)
17. “Confusion” - New Order
18. “Disco Inferno – The Trammps
19. “Give a Man a Fish” - Arrested Development
20. “Fools Like Me” – Lisa Loeb

1. Forrest Gump

Like the movie, the soundtrack is a tour de force, exposing us to what really is the history of modern-America through music. From Elvis to CCR and Jefferson Airplane to the Doobie Brothers, this is a two-disc set you could listen to over and over. Beautiful!

What am I missing? Any tracks you’d replace? Let me know!