English director Michael Winterbottom is truly leaving a magnificent cinematic testament of our times. Being also responsible for the unforgettable "Welcome to Sarajevo" (1997) and "Road to Guantanamo" (2206), he is successfully documenting the horrors of war and terrorism like nobody else, making them accessible to everybody, though well-conceived scripts. Once again, he achieves success with the insightful and penetrating "A Mighty Heart."

Based on a book by Mariane Pearl, "A Mighty Heart" chronicles in detail the disappearance and the subsequent execution of Daniel Pearl, her husband.
At the time -January 2002 –, Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman) was the South Asia Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal, and Mariane (Angelina Jolie) was a journalist for French Public Radio. Because Mariane was pregnant, they were ready to leave Karachi, Pakistan, where they were established since the day after September 11, 2001. However, Daniel wanted to conduct one last minute interview with a religious leader. Once he left for that meeting, he was never seen again.

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"Reign Over Me" is a truly touching film, one of those movies that takes you by surprise and doesn’t let go. Mike Binder, who also helmed the critically acclaimed "The Upside of Anger" (2005), has probably directed, in an indirect and smart way, one of the best features in tribute to 9 / 11.

Don Cheadle plays Alan Johnson, a successful dentist, living a dream life with an equally successful practice and a beautiful family. All that will change when he sees Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler), skateboarding in the streets of Manhattan. Johnson recognizes him, because they used to be roommates in college, when both where going to dental school. Alan tries to establish contact with Charlie, but he is elusive. Once he succeeds, and Charlie finally recognizes him, they begin getting together at Charlie’s apartment, where they play video games and listen to music all day. Very soon, Alan gets addicted to Charlie’s lifestyle.

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Michael Winterbottom is truly one of the most original, provoking, and creative directors making movies today. Films like "9 Songs" (2004), "Code 46" (2003), "Jude" (1996), plus others, are great evidence of this. The well-crafted and powerful "The Road to Guantánamo," which he co-directed with Mat Whitecross, follows this trend. This film is important for anybody that cares and want to be informed about the actual events taking place in the Middle East.

What makes "The Road to Guantánamo" original is the feeling that you are watching a documentary, yet you are actually watching a feature movie, with real actors. The feeling stays with you from beginning to end.

Based on true events, this is the story of three young men, of British citizenship and Muslin descent; they were referred to as ‘Tipton Three’ from Birmingham. They went to Pakistan some time after the September 11, 2001 attacks on US soil; they claimed that they were going to a friend’s wedding. They then decided to go to Afghanistan. Big mistake. It turned out to be the beginning of their misery and odyssey into hell. Due to a series of circumstances, involving the US fighting against the Taliban, they are apparently mistaken as part of Al-Qaeda, and apprehended. After some extended period of humiliation, degradation and interrogation by the US intelligence agencies, they are transported to Guantanamo, Cuba, where the US has a permanent base, and has constructed a special area to house the most dangerous terrorists.

We see how these young men are traumatized and tortured in several ways, with their British citizenship amounting to nothing. The filmmakers are fair enough also to show some caring intelligence officers and soldiers that in some way mitigated their pain. Despite the strong evidence that corroborated their innocence, it takes a long time for the truth to come out.

Many things have been said in regards to the torture of prisoners in Guantanamo. This film successfully documents the process in detail, by brave filmmakers and the testimony of some of its victims. (UK, 2006, color, 95. min)

Tags: dvd, dvd reviews, movies, movie reviews, the road to guantanamo, michael winterbottom, mat whitecross

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British director Christopher Nolan is truly gifted. His movies are a must-see for critics, and should be the same for the general public. Maybe he is too cerebral. But the truth is that his legacy, so far, with great films like "Memento" (2000), "Insomnia" (2002), and "Batman Begins" (2005) - the best of the series - make him one of the most exciting filmmakers in recent years. The engrossing and majestic "The Prestige" surely is no exception.

In "The Prestige," based on a novel by Christopher Priest, Nolan examines the fabulous world of magic. It begins with Cutter (Michael Caine) telling a little girl that every magic trick has three parts: The Pledge, in which we are shown something ordinary; The Turn, where that something ordinary becomes something extraordinary; and The Prestige, which is the closing and hardest part. Every magician thrives to get that prestige and be unique in his act.

In the early part of the film, which takes place near the turn of the century, we see two young and eager to learn men: Robert Angler (Hugh Jackman), who will later become "The Great Danton," and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who will be known as "The Professor." As time goes by, they become known, and a dangerous professional rivalry begins to occur. They are constantly trying to outdo each other, with Angler being the most obsessive. They invest their lives - especially relationships and money - in their craft, all in the name of the prestige, which comes by the name of the "transported man," that is, the ability to disappear in front of the crowd. Nolan successfully examines obsession and desperation, and builds a climax in which we learn that "getting your hands dirty, that’s what a good trick costs."

With a very special cast that, in addition to Caine, also includes Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie, plus astonishing cinematography by Wally Pfister - who captures the period beautifully –, "The Prestige" is another triumph for Christopher Nolan. The DVD also features the documentary "The Director’s Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight Of Hand of Christopher Nolan," plus "The Art of The Prestige Gallery." (USA /UK, 2006, color, 130 min. plus additional material)

Tags: dvd, dvd reviews, movies, movie reviews, the prestige, christopher priest, michael caine, hugh jackman, christopher nolan

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[tag-ice]dvd[/tag-ice],[tag-ice]dvd reviews[/tag-ice],[tag-ice]movies[/tag-ice],[tag-ice]movie reviews[/tag-ice],[tag-ice]the prestige[/tag-ice],[tag-ice]christopher priest[/tag-ice],[tag-ice]michael cane[/tag-ice],[tag-ice]hugh jackman[/tag-ice],[tag-ice]christopher nolan[/tag-ice]

"By the time someone has gone from heroin to speedballs, to methadone, and prescription drugs, the magic is over. The fantasy now is what other people might call a routine day." These words are said at the beginning of the powerful and very informative documentary "Methadonia," by one recovering addict featured in the film, and they truly reflect its contents. They tell us that the cure of an addiction is not as easy as we think, and it can take the rest of the life of person to totally recover from it.

Director Michel Negroponte successfully follows the lives of a group of recovering addicts at the New York Center for Addiction Treatment Services over a period of eighteen months. Under the tough supervision of Millie, a 20-yr old ex-addict (nine years clean and sober), these individuals include Steve, Bill, George, Susie, Eddie, Jeff, and Mario. Susie is pregnant with Eddie’s child, and we get to see, almost step by step, the fruition of this pregnancy. Needless to say, their child has to be detoxified before being released from the hospital. Jeff, on the other hand, is fifty-six years old, and has been addicted since he was seventeen.

The film basically documents the treatment that these individuals follow to get rid of a heroin addiction by means of methadone. However, methadone itself is also addictive, and we see how these people struggle to detoxify themselves from methadone. It is a painful process, and apparently very few succeed.. This method is referred to as "opiate replacement therapy," and it is described as "a slower acting drug that doesn’t produce the extreme highs of heroin, but stops the addict from going into withdrawal." In fact, the saying goes "you are as sick as your secret."

"Methadonia" is a well-researched film that makes you feel the pain that this people go through and reminds us about the precious daily comforts of our life. The DVD also features the short film "Addiction and Methadone 101" and ""Follow ups." It also includes director’s notes and biography, and resources. (USA, 2005, color, 88 min. plus additional materials)

Tags: dvd, dvd reviews, movies, movie reviews, methadonia, michael negroponte, heroin

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