Across the Universe (2007)
Genre: Musical; Director: Julie Taymor
Stars: Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood

It’s so hard to review this film. Whenever I’m asked what I think about this movie, I can’t give a straight answer. It’s not bad but it’s not great, either. What I’m sure of is that I enjoyed it immensely. 99.9% of that — music. If you love the Beatles‘ songs, you’ll enjoy it. But that’s beside the point. We all know that films are not just about music.

The problem with Across the Universe is that it doesn’t have much of a story. Or, there are too many subplots. Unlike many musicals today, this Taymor film is cluttered and in total disarray. The filmmakers obviously wanted to squeeze all the Beatles songs they could into the film that everything is just all over the place. Loopholes everywhere.

Yes, there is no other treatment that best suits this concept other that surrealism but it’s a bit over the top, too. Nevertheless, it’s a cinematic feast (bordering on visual masturbation). There are a lot of memorable scenes. Excellent cinematography, production design and editing. It’s not the best musical in the world but it is tremendously entertaining. 3.5

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Atonement (2007)
Genre: Drama; Director: Joe Wright
Stars: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan

After watching Atonement, I was reminded of Brokeback Mountain. Not that there are gay cowboys in this film but I muttered “All that hype for this?” Don’t get me wrong. The film isn’t bad. It’s excellent. It’s just that I don’t think it deserves all the buzz that has been around it. I don’t know, maybe I just expected too much. I had been waiting for this film for, like, forever. I remember feeling the same way about Brokeback two years ago. I set the bar too high. After watching it, I immediately declared my desire for Crash to snatch the Oscar.

Going back to Atonement, it is great. Screenplay, production design, cinematography and musical score — stunning. It kinda tends to be a little dragging at times but it’s tolerable. Nice, nice, nice. But, ugh, I’m still disappointed. Hehe. Too much expectations, darn it. 4.5

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A Mighty Heart (2007)
Genre: Drama; Directors: Michael Winterbottom
Stars: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman

I admit, unlike Atonement, I wasn’t really expecting much from this film. I just wanted to see if Angelina Jolie deserved the Oscar snub. And, er, after seeing it, yeah, Jolie not being nominated is a travesty. But heck, the film is bigger than Angelina. I LOVE IT. Simple. Piercing. Poignant. It tells the story of a French wife excruciatingly waiting for the release of her husband Daniel Pearl, a Jewish American journalist captured by terrorists in Pakistan. What’s amazing about it is that I knew exactly how it would end because heck, everyone knows about what happened to Daniel Pearl, but I was still moved. The simplicity of the film is its key asset. It just revolves around a desperate woman’s staggering dedication and struggle to “wait” for a potentially devastating “uncertain.” Compelling. Riveting. Breathless. 4.0

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