By Désirée I. Guzzetta

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (2006)
Warner Bros. Pictures

A companion piece to his Flags of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood’s Japanese-language Letters From Iwo Jima is the emotionally gripping story of the other side of WWII. The film is infused with melancholy, which is echoed by the grayish hues of Tom Stern’s cinematography and informed by the knowledge of the outcome of this battle. That knowledge doesn’t diminish the effect of the film’s events, though. Ken Watanabe plays Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who is sent to Iwo Jima to shore up the troops and lead them against the oncoming American invaders; his performance is a marvel. Also affecting are the performances of Kazunari Ninomiya as the reluctant baker-turned-soldier, Saigo, and Tsuyoshi Ihara as Baron Nishi, an Olympic equestrian champion who brings his horse with him to the island. Above all else, Eastwood’s film (from a wonderful screenplay by Iris Yamashita from a story by Yamashita and Paul Haggis) stresses that though these soldiers may have been the “enemy,” they were as human as anyone, with some of the same fears and desires as their American counterparts. Eastwood is especially sensitive to the Japanese notion of honor; some of the scenes where that honor is carried out are heartbreaking. He also delves into the nature of heroism, which isn't always found where one expects it. Even though Letters from Iwo Jima is not an anti-war diatribe, it’s hard to come out of it not questioning the necessity of any war or the images we are given of who our “enemies” are.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Iris Yamashita from a story by Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis; based on the book by Tadamichi Kuribayashi
Starring: Ken Watanabe (Gen. Kuribayashi), Kazunari Ninomiya (Saigo), Tsuyoshi Ihara (Baron Nishi), Ryo Kase (Shimizu), Shidou Nakamura (Lt. Ito), Hiroshi Watanabe (Lt. Fujita),
Takumi Bando (Capt. Tanida), Yuki Matsuzaki (Nozaki)
Running time: 2 hours, 21 minutes
Rated: R

Letter from the Official Site

NOTES ON A SCANDAL (2006)
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Though marketed as a thriller, Notes on a Scandal contains biting bits of humor. Fierce performances from Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett fuel this ferociously delightful yet sobering tale of a lonely obsessive, Barbara (Dench), who befriends a new teacher, Sheba (Blanchett), at a tony private school in England. Strangely, the story’s darker material—Sheba’s affair with an underaged student—seems almost incidental to the friendship-gone-bad between the older, uptight Barbara and the younger, free-spirited Sheba; given Barbara’s clinginess, the friendship is doomed even before the catalyst and catastrophe that is Sheba’s affair comes to light. The pleasure in viewing this film comes not just from the showcase of two well-matched actresses playing off each other’s strengths in their intense interactions, but also from the wicked wordplay provided by screenwriter Patrick Marber. Bill Nighy as Sheba’s husband scorned and Andrew Simpson as her teen lover provide excellent supporting turns, and director Richard Eyre molds everything into an entertainingly disturbing film. Dench has been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the manipulative, creepy Barbara, while Blanchett has gotten the Best Supporting Actress nod for her vulnerable, confused Sheba. Seek ye out this film post-haste.

Director: Richard Eyre
Screenwriter: Patrick Marber; based on the book "What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal" by Zoe Heller
Starring: Judi Dench (Barbara Covett), Cate Blanchett (Sheba Hart), Bill Nighy (Richard Hart), Andrew Simpson (Steven Connolly)
Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Rated: R

Notes on an Official Site

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