Platoon is one of the best and most realistic war movies of all time. It was directed by Oliver Stone, who is a veteran of the Vietnam war. It is a rate war film in that it does not fantasize war, make combat look like fun, or make the soldiers look like super heroes. Stone’s goal was simply to convey his experience in Vietnam. If you haven’t seen Platoon in a while or or were to young to watch it when it was released, I suggest you watch it soon.

When a young cellist’s orchestra in Tokyo abruptly disbands, he finds himself saddled with debt. Daigo Kobayashi sells his cello and returns to the house his deceased mother left him in a small town. Needing work, Daigo answers an add for “Departures,” thinking perhaps it is a travel agency. When he arrives at the office, he finds the position is for an encoffineer – one who prepares the dead for cremation. Daigo accepts the job, but conceals the nature of his work. When word gets out, everyone is abhorred. Daigo’s wife moves away and his friends shun him.
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The Passion of the Christ is not a popular film with critics. The general sentiment is that the film is too violent, too shallow and too sensationalist. David Edelstein of the New York Times calls the film The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre. My feeling is that there is a difference between The Passion of the Christ and slasher flicks or even more artful bloodbaths like the Kill Bill volumes. For those films, the impetus is the violence itself or perhaps to be novel by rendering a new ilk of gore. Mr. Gibson’s violence is motivated by a depth of feeling these films do not possess. If you do not believe that Jesus died for the sins of humanity, then Gibson’s conviction may be as lost on you as it was on many critics. But perhaps you can do what they could not and muster a moment of empathy.
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Jiro Dreams of Sushi tells the tale of 87 year-old Jiro Ono, the world’s greatest sushi master. Customers brave $300 a plate prices and month long waits for reservations at the 10 seat restaurant in the basement of a Tokyo office building. Despite its inauspicious appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a three star Michelin review.

You might be thinking, “I don’t even like sushi.” That is of no matter, Jiro will inspire you with his singleness of purpose. More →

The blockbuster hit The Hunger Games starring Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence streams on Netflix Instant beginning today! jennifer Lawrence is one of our best young actresses, don’t miss a chance to see one of her films.
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Memento is about a man, Leonard, whose last memory is of his wife being murdered. Since then, he has been unable to retain new memories for longer than a few minutes. Leonard’s quest to avenge his wife is a nightmarish mystery littered by the polaroids he shoots and the cheap ink he adorns himself with to help him remember the pseudo facts he discovers. More →