Dexter: Season 3

TV Series - Season 3

Genre - Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller

The light has gone out from one of telly's greatest finds. We are still in mourning for the demise of this series in regards to its previously phenomenal writing and plots which never failed to shock and give us endless goosebumps. In this instalment though, Dexter Morgan the monster battling forever with his 'Dark Passenger' is suddenly replaced with a softer, more sentimental version prone to bouts of self-doubts and needy moments of which we couldn't bear to watch. Even the jokes which made the first and second Seasons such fun to us are almost non-existent here. We're also peeved that there are no worthy rival here to challenge Dexter's supremacy in the killer's jungle. Now that's the biggest mistake.

2.5 STARS!

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Doubt

Director - John Patrick Shanley

Genre - Drama/Mystery

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep spar in this performance-driven drama. We get a double dose of the legendary cinema diva, madame Streep and Hoffman, who more than holds his own against the scene-stealin' queen. What could be better? Hoffman plays a priest who gets in the way of Streep's mother hen of a nun in every way. When word got out that the priest may not be what he seems, the mother hen must protect her chicks at all cost. Even if it means surrendering her beliefs and destroying the very foundation of her faith. Powerful but not overbearing.

3.5 STARS!

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Penelope

Director - Mark Palansky

Genre - Comedy/Fantasy/Romance

As fairy tales go, this isn't half bad. But then, fairy tales have a certain "been there, done before" curse which almost always takes away their appeal. Christina Ricci is a rich girl born with a pig's snout as a result of a witch's wrath. After numerous efforts to get her married off fail, James McAvoy turns up at the door unperturbed it seems by a life-sized, in the flesh version of Miss Piggy. Is McAvoy the dashing gentleman come to rescue our cute pork-pie or the big bad wolf who wants to blow her whole house down? Do you really need a bedtime story at your age? If the answer's yes then put on your pajamas and go bananas!

2.5 STARS!

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In The Mood For Love

Director - Wong Kar Wai

Genre - Drama/Romance

Wong Kar Wai has taken the plight of the rejected to the utmost extreme here. Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung play two lost souls abandoned by their respective spouses. They then find themselves confiding in each other, their bleedin' hearts laid bare in the grim, cavernous chasm of the unloved. Wong is a master in manipulating our emotions. Utilizing exquisitely compelling music, formidable performances and Doyle's ravishing cinematography, he has managed to tug at the pliant strings of our beating hearts. The period costumes and sets are first-rate, evoking a classy, unforgettable time.

5 STARS!

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YAM Issue 006

Check out our Peru friend Amy Wong's YAM Magazine (yetanothermagazine) Issue 006 October edition for her reviews on Inglorious Basterds, Mother and many more!

Brüno

Director - Larry Charles

Genre - Comedy

Comedy is actually very very hard to do. If you're Sacha Baron Cohen though, making people laugh appear to be what you were born to do in this world. Your god-given gift. We loved 'Borat' and had high hopes for this. Alas, lightning didn't strike twice and we ended up with some genuine laughs and some, not so. The fault lies in 'Brüno' being decidedly more staged than 'Borat' was. This is more of a film than 'Borat', with more scripted scenes and story arcs, which isn't necessary better. We feel robbed of the element of surprise here as it is more predictable than Cohen's last film. It feels like Cohen is channeling Adam Sandler with this. The fact that the whole film revolved mostly around gay jokes also didn't help. It gets really uncomfortable after awhile. Trust us.

2.5 STARS!

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Fight Club

Director - David Fincher

Genre - Crime/Drama/Thriller

Based on cult author Chuck Palahniuk's novel, this is a movie that will throw you violently out of your comfort zone and into a grungy, unhinged world. 'Matrix' was science fiction. This, horrifyingly, could actually happen in real life. Edward Norton and Brat Pitt both turned in edgy performances but it's Fincher who is the true star here, directing from a script that many directors might not even have the balls to attempt. Ballsy and rife with cynicism courtesy of Palahniuk's angst-ridden mind, this is a film which put Palahniuk's name on everyone's lips while firmly securing Fincher's place in the arena of cinema. Warning: may turn mild-mannered chaps into full blown terrorists or to a lesser extent, terribly fond of picking fights with close friends and people at work (the latter may only refer to us).

4 STARS!

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