The Fading of Face-to-Face Fellowship
6 days ago
Showing posts with label movie review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movie review. Show all posts
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The Green Zone: Video Review
For more of my thoughts on The Green Zone HERE is a link to my review of Roger Ebert's review of the film
Friday, April 3, 2009
Monsters vs. Aliens Review
Overall Grade: CUnless you’re really aching to see something animated or animated in 3-D, then I suggest you skip Monsters vs. Aliens. It’s not that there is anything wrong or bad about the film, it’s just that it doesn’t get anything really right either. The film is built to be a mediocre crowd pleaser with silly characters (all lacking any back story outside of their personalities), mild action, and a plot so thin that the film title aptly sums it up. Monsters vs. Aliens is one of those theme park 3-D films, except they took away the moving car and stretched the film to 80 minutes.
When it comes to the 3-D in this film. I really think it’s an overall distraction. There are a couple moments where I enjoyed it, but by and large I forgot the film was even in 3-D and just remembered that I was wearing a pair of uncomfortable glasses that darkens the film unnecessarily. I’ve seen several films in the 3-D format now and I think this whole “step forward” is really over hyped.
I’m not going to give up on the format yet though, not until James Cameron’s Avatar comes out. That will be THE make or break film for 3-D. If it doesn’t work there, I’ll never pay another up charge at the theatre for 3-D again. For Monsters vs. Aliens, don’t wait for the 3-D, if your going to watch it then the regular screen is probably just fine.
Overall, this film isn’t much to get worked up about. It’s a semi-entertaining distraction, but doesn’t really achieve anything beyond a few chuckles and some decent action. I’d go see Coraline again or just hold out for Up next month.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
2008 Movie Year: Reviews and Awards
Below you will find links to all the material I wrote for 2008 including, grades, reviews, and awards. This post is mostly so I could catalogue easily all the content I've written. This way I can clear the sidebar of all 2008 grades and reviews, while still giving you a place to find them all. Enjoy!
2008 Leaman Awards:
- Top Ten List and Beyond
- Major Awards and Commentary
- Technical & Minor Awards
- Supplementary Awards
2008 Leaman Awards:
- Top Ten List and Beyond
- Major Awards and Commentary
- Technical & Minor Awards
- Supplementary Awards
- Top 25 Quotes
Film Grades and Reviews
10,000 BC (C-)
21 (B-)
27 Dresses (C-)
American Teen (C)
An American Carol (D+)
Appaloosa (C)
Australia (B-)
Baby Mama (C+)
Bangkok Dangerous (C+)
Bank Job, The (B)
Be Kind Rewind (C-)
Bedtime Stories (C-)
Body of Lies (B-)
Bolt (B+)
Burn After Reading (B-)
Cassandra's Dream (C+)
Changeling (C+)
Charlie Bartlett (D+)
Chronicles of Narnia, The: Prince Caspian (C+)
CJ7 (C-)
Cloverfield (B)
Counterfeiters, The (B+)
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (C+)
Dark Knight, The (A)
Death Race (B-)
Defiance (B)
Doomsday (B-)
Doubt (A-)
Duchess, The (C-)
Eagle Eye (C+)
Encounters at the End of the World (B+)
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (C+)
Fall, The (B-)
Fireproof (C+)
Flash Point (B)
Foot Fist Way, The (C-)
Forbidden Kingdom, The (C+)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (C-)
Frost/Nixon (B-)
Film Grades and Reviews
10,000 BC (C-)
21 (B-)
27 Dresses (C-)
American Teen (C)
An American Carol (D+)
Appaloosa (C)
Australia (B-)
Baby Mama (C+)
Bangkok Dangerous (C+)
Bank Job, The (B)
Be Kind Rewind (C-)
Bedtime Stories (C-)
Body of Lies (B-)
Bolt (B+)
Burn After Reading (B-)
Cassandra's Dream (C+)
Changeling (C+)
Charlie Bartlett (D+)
Chronicles of Narnia, The: Prince Caspian (C+)
CJ7 (C-)
Cloverfield (B)
Counterfeiters, The (B+)
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (C+)
Dark Knight, The (A)
Death Race (B-)
Defiance (B)
Doomsday (B-)
Doubt (A-)
Duchess, The (C-)
Eagle Eye (C+)
Encounters at the End of the World (B+)
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (C+)
Fall, The (B-)
Fireproof (C+)
Flash Point (B)
Foot Fist Way, The (C-)
Forbidden Kingdom, The (C+)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (C-)
Frost/Nixon (B-)
Frozen River (B+)
Funny Games (B)
Get Smart (C-)
Ghost Town (B-)
Gran Torino (B)
Hancock (C+)
Happening, The (D+)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (C)
Horton Hears a Who (C-)
House Bunny, The (C+)
In Bruges (B)
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (D+)
Incredible Hulk, The (C+)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (C+)
Iron Man (C+)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (B)
Jumper (B)
Kung Fu Panda (A-)
Love Guru, The (D+)
Mamma Mia! (B-)
Man on Wire (B)
Milk (C+)
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (B-)
Mongol (C)
Mummy, The: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (C-)
Other Boleyn Girl, The (C+)
Pineapple Express, The (C)
Quantum of Solace (B)
Rachel Getting Married (A-)
Rambo (B)
Reader, The (C)
Redbelt (C+)
Revolutionary Road (C+)
Role Models (B+)
Ruins, The (C)
Saw V (B-)
Semi-Pro (C)
Seven Pounds (C+)
Sex and the City - The Movie (B-)
Slumdog Millionaire (B)
Snow Angels (B-)
Son of Rambow (B)
Speed Racer (B+)
Spiderwick Chronicles (B)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (C)
Step Brothers (C-)
Step Up 2: The Streets (C)
Strangers, The (C-)
Street Kings (B)
Superhero Movie (C)
Synecdoche, New York (C+)
Traitor (B+)
Transporter 3 (C)
Tropic Thunder (B-)
Valkyrie (B)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (C+)
Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show (B-)
Visitor, The (B-)
W (C-)
Wall *E (C+)
Wanted (C+)
What Happens in Vegas (C-)
Wrestler, The (B)
Yes Man (C-)
You Don't Mess With the Zohan (B-)
1500th Film -
Funny Games (B)
Get Smart (C-)
Ghost Town (B-)
Gran Torino (B)
Hancock (C+)
Happening, The (D+)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (C)
Horton Hears a Who (C-)
House Bunny, The (C+)
In Bruges (B)
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (D+)
Incredible Hulk, The (C+)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (C+)
Iron Man (C+)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (B)
Jumper (B)
Kung Fu Panda (A-)
Love Guru, The (D+)
Mamma Mia! (B-)
Man on Wire (B)
Milk (C+)
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (B-)
Mongol (C)
Mummy, The: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (C-)
Other Boleyn Girl, The (C+)
Pineapple Express, The (C)
Quantum of Solace (B)
Rachel Getting Married (A-)
Rambo (B)
Reader, The (C)
Redbelt (C+)
Revolutionary Road (C+)
Role Models (B+)
Ruins, The (C)
Saw V (B-)
Semi-Pro (C)
Seven Pounds (C+)
Sex and the City - The Movie (B-)
Slumdog Millionaire (B)
Snow Angels (B-)
Son of Rambow (B)
Speed Racer (B+)
Spiderwick Chronicles (B)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (C)
Step Brothers (C-)
Step Up 2: The Streets (C)
Strangers, The (C-)
Street Kings (B)
Superhero Movie (C)
Synecdoche, New York (C+)
Traitor (B+)
Transporter 3 (C)
Tropic Thunder (B-)
Valkyrie (B)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (C+)
Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show (B-)
Visitor, The (B-)
W (C-)
Wall *E (C+)
Wanted (C+)
What Happens in Vegas (C-)
Wrestler, The (B)
Yes Man (C-)
You Don't Mess With the Zohan (B-)
1500th Film -
1500th Film Viewed All-Time. Here is the Review
2008 Leaman Awards: Supplementary (Web Edition)
In order to cap off the film year that was 2008, I decided to post a stripped down version of my 2008 awards. For quite a while I wondered how I should go about posting my film awards and since the actual printed and bound version is over 30 pgs. long (front and back, and avaliable in the Leaman Awards Archives), I felt it was just too difficult to reprint them all here, graphics and all. So, for those who have been following along with me, I am posting a stripped down version, in order to make it avaliable online. What follows are my "SUPPLEMENTARY AWARDS", and my favorite aspect of the entire awards experience.
2008 Supplementary Awards
-Top Ten Tag Lines-
10. “They’re about to get more than they plea-bargained for” –Role Models
9. “Take a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget” –Mamma Mia!
8. “Make believe. Not war” –Son of Rambow
7. “He sees dead people…and they annoy him” –Ghost Town
6. “Welcome to a world without rules” –The Dark Knight
5. “This summer, our only hope is something incredible” –The Incredible Hulk
4. “Why so serious?” –The Dark Knight
3. “Some will fall. Some will fly” –Snow Angels
2. “1974. 1350 Feet Up. The artistic crime of the century” –Man on Wire
1. “The true story of a heist gone wrong…in all the right ways” –The Bank Job
9. “Take a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget” –Mamma Mia!
8. “Make believe. Not war” –Son of Rambow
7. “He sees dead people…and they annoy him” –Ghost Town
6. “Welcome to a world without rules” –The Dark Knight
5. “This summer, our only hope is something incredible” –The Incredible Hulk
4. “Why so serious?” –The Dark Knight
3. “Some will fall. Some will fly” –Snow Angels
2. “1974. 1350 Feet Up. The artistic crime of the century” –Man on Wire
1. “The true story of a heist gone wrong…in all the right ways” –The Bank Job
-Bottom Five Tag Lines-
5. “Life isn’t measured in minutes, but in moments” –The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. “To find her son, she did what no one else dared” -Changeling
3. “It’s not where your from, it’s where your at” –Step Up 2: The Streets
2. “Same planet. Different world” –Journey to the Center of the Earth
1. “Big science has expelled smart new ideas from the classroom…What they forgot is that every generation has its rebel” –Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
4. “To find her son, she did what no one else dared” -Changeling
3. “It’s not where your from, it’s where your at” –Step Up 2: The Streets
2. “Same planet. Different world” –Journey to the Center of the Earth
1. “Big science has expelled smart new ideas from the classroom…What they forgot is that every generation has its rebel” –Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
-Top Fifteen Dramatic Scenes-
15. “Frank finds something in the bathroom closet and confronts April about it” –Revolutionary Road
14. “The child is shot off-screen” –Funny Games
13. “Suicide Attempt” –In Bruges
12. “Philippe makes his walk across the towers” –Man on Wire
11. “Sister Aloysius discusses her suspicion about Father O’Flynn with the mother of the child” –Doubt
10. “Ben Thomas fulfills his plans and blesses his strangers” –Seven Pounds
9. “Lee Carter gets to see the finished film” –Son of Rambow
8. “A lone penguin walks off to the mountains to certain death” –Encounters at the End of the World
7. “Dishwasher Showdown Ends with an Unexpected Plate” –Rachel Getting Married
6. “Final Moments with Batman and the Joker” –The Dark Knight
5. “The Final Stretch into the checkered at the Grand Prix” –Speed Racer
- It’s a good action sequence in its own right, but the complete synergy of the action, editing, color bursts, and dialogue is outstanding.
14. “The child is shot off-screen” –Funny Games
13. “Suicide Attempt” –In Bruges
12. “Philippe makes his walk across the towers” –Man on Wire
11. “Sister Aloysius discusses her suspicion about Father O’Flynn with the mother of the child” –Doubt
10. “Ben Thomas fulfills his plans and blesses his strangers” –Seven Pounds
9. “Lee Carter gets to see the finished film” –Son of Rambow
8. “A lone penguin walks off to the mountains to certain death” –Encounters at the End of the World
7. “Dishwasher Showdown Ends with an Unexpected Plate” –Rachel Getting Married
6. “Final Moments with Batman and the Joker” –The Dark Knight
5. “The Final Stretch into the checkered at the Grand Prix” –Speed Racer
- It’s a good action sequence in its own right, but the complete synergy of the action, editing, color bursts, and dialogue is outstanding.
4. “Surprised by an Old Friend at the Salon” –Rachel Getting Married
- For whatever reason, this sequence had the greatest emotional impact on me. The way in which the Old Friend stares directly in the camera was just moving and unnerving.
- For whatever reason, this sequence had the greatest emotional impact on me. The way in which the Old Friend stares directly in the camera was just moving and unnerving.
3. “Final Confrontation between the Sister and the Father” –Doubt
- A master’s class of acting. Two heavyweights in a classic fight.
- A master’s class of acting. Two heavyweights in a classic fight.
2. “Rachel Readies Kym for the Wedding” –Rachel Getting Married
- A genuinely touching moment of forgiveness and grace. A scene that dialogue, but speaks volumes.
- A genuinely touching moment of forgiveness and grace. A scene that dialogue, but speaks volumes.
1. “Batman interrogates the Joker leading to Rachel Dawes’ lasts moments, Harvey Dent’s downfall, and the Joker’s freedom” The Dark Knight
- My favorite sequence in the film. There is so much going on here, its riveting, its full of deep thoughts and competing ideas, a visual masterpiece, and an authentically moving piece of cinema.
- My favorite sequence in the film. There is so much going on here, its riveting, its full of deep thoughts and competing ideas, a visual masterpiece, and an authentically moving piece of cinema.
- Top Twenty-Five Action Scenes -
Alternates30. Two Civilians Escape the Cops and End Up at the Docks -Eagle Eye
29. Paladins follow them to their lair: Jumping a Bus -Jumper
28. Getting Revenge: Taking Out the General and Mr. Green -Quantum of Solace
27. Bolt takes on Helicopters and Bikers in an Opening Extravaganza -Bolt
26. Skyscraper Showdown with Swat and the Joker -The Dark Knight
------------
25. Chasing Cross On The Train -Wanted
24. Through the University by Motorbike -Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
23. On the Rope Bridge -Kung Fu Panda
22. Telmarines Attack the Narnian Stronghold -The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
21. Opening Car Chase Through the Italian Mountains -Quantum of Solace
20. Suprise Attacked by Mauraders When Examining a Site -Doomsday
19. Casa Cristo Race Part 1: In the Deserts -Speed Racer
18. Fighting Over a Detonator...While Jumping Through Countries -Jumper
17. Extracting the Prisoners leads to Rambo Using a Giant Gun -Rambo
16. Lu Yan and Jason take on Soldiers in a Restaurant -The Forbidden Kingdom
15. Death Race Stage 1: Last Place Finish -Death Race
14, Chase Through Brazil and Into the Bottling Factory -The Incredible Hulk
13. Assassin Fight: From Elevator to the Street -Flash Point
12. Sneak Attack on the Castle -The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
11. Dragon Warrior Showdown Finale -Kung Fu Panda
29. Paladins follow them to their lair: Jumping a Bus -Jumper
28. Getting Revenge: Taking Out the General and Mr. Green -Quantum of Solace
27. Bolt takes on Helicopters and Bikers in an Opening Extravaganza -Bolt
26. Skyscraper Showdown with Swat and the Joker -The Dark Knight
------------
25. Chasing Cross On The Train -Wanted
24. Through the University by Motorbike -Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
23. On the Rope Bridge -Kung Fu Panda
22. Telmarines Attack the Narnian Stronghold -The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
21. Opening Car Chase Through the Italian Mountains -Quantum of Solace
20. Suprise Attacked by Mauraders When Examining a Site -Doomsday
19. Casa Cristo Race Part 1: In the Deserts -Speed Racer
18. Fighting Over a Detonator...While Jumping Through Countries -Jumper
17. Extracting the Prisoners leads to Rambo Using a Giant Gun -Rambo
16. Lu Yan and Jason take on Soldiers in a Restaurant -The Forbidden Kingdom
15. Death Race Stage 1: Last Place Finish -Death Race
14, Chase Through Brazil and Into the Bottling Factory -The Incredible Hulk
13. Assassin Fight: From Elevator to the Street -Flash Point
12. Sneak Attack on the Castle -The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
11. Dragon Warrior Showdown Finale -Kung Fu Panda
10. Across the Rooftops: Chasing Down M's Killer -Quantum of Solace
- A great visceral action sequence, but clearly Bourne derived
9. Ogre and Goblins Attack the House for the Book -The Spiderwick Chronicles
- It’s a full on battle mixing great camera work, excellent CGI, and some truly suspenseful moments. Who would of thought from a family film?
8. Racing the Marauders to the Walls -Doomsday
- Its an excellent extended car chase scene straight out of The Road Warrior
7. Breaking Out of Prison -Kung Fu Panda
- A great visceral action sequence, but clearly Bourne derived
9. Ogre and Goblins Attack the House for the Book -The Spiderwick Chronicles
- It’s a full on battle mixing great camera work, excellent CGI, and some truly suspenseful moments. Who would of thought from a family film?
8. Racing the Marauders to the Walls -Doomsday
- Its an excellent extended car chase scene straight out of The Road Warrior
7. Breaking Out of Prison -Kung Fu Panda
- A detailed prison escape that truly defines the idea of epic.
6. Casa Cristo Race Part 2: In the Mountains -Speed Racer
- Its part car race, part gun fight, part actual fight, and it’s an overall great action sequence.
5. Jackie vs. Jet: Enough Said -The Forbidden Kingdom
- It’s not the instant classic that true fans desire, but it’s an great fight filled with several styles, good pacing and all of the staples we look for.
4. Transporting Harvey Dent and Capturing the Joker -The Dark Knight
- It may not be the outright grandest scene, but the buildup, the camera work, the sound design, and the pacing all work together for a bulldozer of a scene.
3. Battle Royale Finale -Role Models
- Witty, creative, and completely original.
2. Try and Eat...If You Can -Kung Fu Panda
- An absolute delight. All the best Kung Fu staples, translated perfectly into the context of the film.
1. Abandoned Home Fight -Flash Point
- One of the greatest martial arts sequences of all-time (I've seen my fair share of fight scenes as well). It’s a long and brutal fight scene that never relents. A fight for the ages. (WATCH and ENJOY!)
6. Casa Cristo Race Part 2: In the Mountains -Speed Racer
- Its part car race, part gun fight, part actual fight, and it’s an overall great action sequence.
5. Jackie vs. Jet: Enough Said -The Forbidden Kingdom
- It’s not the instant classic that true fans desire, but it’s an great fight filled with several styles, good pacing and all of the staples we look for.
4. Transporting Harvey Dent and Capturing the Joker -The Dark Knight
- It may not be the outright grandest scene, but the buildup, the camera work, the sound design, and the pacing all work together for a bulldozer of a scene.
3. Battle Royale Finale -Role Models
- Witty, creative, and completely original.
2. Try and Eat...If You Can -Kung Fu Panda
- An absolute delight. All the best Kung Fu staples, translated perfectly into the context of the film.
1. Abandoned Home Fight -Flash Point
- One of the greatest martial arts sequences of all-time (I've seen my fair share of fight scenes as well). It’s a long and brutal fight scene that never relents. A fight for the ages. (WATCH and ENJOY!)
Special Recognition
- Best Compilation of Work: Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!, Doubt) and Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Charlie Bartlett, Tropic Thunder). Both actors gave great performances in wildly different films.
- Eric Bana Award: (For the Best Performance in a Bad Film, as Bana gave in Troy) Brendan Fraser in Journey to the Center of the Earth and Kathryn Heigl in 27 Dresses. Both were able to take films that were otherwise pedestrian and give make them just a pleasure to watch.
- Hairspray Award: (For the best 1st Half of a Movie Ruined by a Terrible 2nd Half, like Hairspray) After a wonderful first half that takes place mostly in Brazil, The Incredible Hulk settles down into a mindless and boring Superhero film.
- Spider-Man 3 Award: (For the most awkward moment of the year, like Peter Parker becoming Emo and walking down the street) Drinking beer and singing songs together in Hellboy II: The Golden Army
- Gary Oldman Award: (For the most over the top performance of the year) Mr. Blue in The Incredible Hulk, and Boss in Wanted.
- Best Song: “The Wrestler” from The Wrestler
- Guilty Pleasure of the Year: Saw V
- Special Achievement in Visual Effects: The “jumping” effect for Jumper. Water God destroying an entire army on a bridge in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. All the different versions of the iron man suit in Iron Man.
- Creative Ideas That Made Me Happy: The batpod coming out of the damaged Batmobile in The Dark Knight. The Joker’s disappearing pencil trick in The Dark Knight. The idea of putting Michael Buffer as a bad guy in You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. The “Russian Roulette” scene in Semi-Pro.
- Best Comedic Bit Roles: Jane Lynch in Role Models and Steve Martin in Baby Mama.
- Best Documentary: Encounters at the End of the World beats out a close Man on Wire.
- Worst CGI of the Year: The blue screen work for the jungle car chase sequence in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
- Worst Make-up of the Year: Another Indiana Jones shout out here as Karen Allen is given some of the worst make-up I’ve seen for a leading lady.
- Worst Performances: Mos Def in Be Kind Rewind, Natalya Rudakova in Transporter 3 and Jack McBrayer in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
- Worst Performance in a Good Film: Mary Louise Parker in The Spiderwick Chronicles
- Terrible 3 Award: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is a triple winner: the worst third part of a trilogy, the worst re-cast (Maria Bello), and the worst movie to come out of a good trailer
Stay Tuned for the rest of The 2008 Leaman Awards!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Slumdog Millionaire Review
Overall Grade: BThe film that the critics and audiences alike are raving about this year is Slumdog Millionaire, and indeed it is a good film. Directed by Danny Boyle, Slumdog is a feel-good story about a boy from the slums of Mumbai triumphing over the odds and finding his life-long love.
It’s an interesting and involving story that’s made better by the director’s choices to film the story on location with a dynamic camera and a dynamic eye for color. The story is also helped by a clever decision to use the “who wants to be a millionaire” portion of the story to give us the platform to jump into the flashbacks of our main characters life. Each flashback is purposeful in that it gives us insight into how our main character was able to answer each question from his life experience.
I really enjoyed the early parts of the film and felt like I could really settle in with the film and walk out truly satisfied. However, as the film began to lengthen, it unfortunately begins to thin as well. While the excellent first half of the film begins to ask interesting questions about life, “Do we all have a destiny?”, “Will we be rewarded if we stick to the truth and goodness?”, “Should we persevere in the things we want?”; the second half of the film failed to investigate those questions with any depth. By the end of the film, while I enjoyed the story, I felt conflicted about several of the messages the film ended with. Was it destiny or was it sheer determination that led him to winning out in love?
The film seems to present both (which are inherently contradictory) without offering an explanation. At odds is also the overall tone of the film for me. It seems as though the film wants to be a gritty, this is how bad the poverty is, City of God kinda film; but its general idealism, romanticism, and belief that good people are destined for happiness (or at least our main character), is at odds with the reality of the situation in Mumbai.
Slumdog Millionaire is a good film, and is quite enjoyable as a great story well told. Unfortunately, I found any messages in the film to be superficial at best and contradictory at worst. Slumdog Miollionaire is a good film, just don’t think about it too much.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Rachel Getting Married Review
Overall Grade: A- Rachel Getting Married is a breath of fresh air in the 2008 film landscape. After watching so many disappointing or merely satisfying films, Rachel Getting Married (which shall now be refereed to as RGM) literally re-invigorated my interest and hope for the remaining films of 2008. RGM is an intimate and brutally honest film that works as a modern day Ordinary People.
Our lead in the film is oddly enough not named Rachel, but Kym. She is played excellently by Anne Hathaway and is the sister to our title character Rachel (who if you didn't guess it, is getting married). The film begins with Kym just getting out of rehab (for reasons best revealed by the movie) in order to attend Rachel’s wedding for the weekend. What follows is an entire weekend of wedding activities, including the wedding itself, and then the eventual goodbyes. What makes the film work so well for me is the way in which we (the viewer) are allowed to watch Kym interact with her family and friends. We are able to glean (as each conversation reveals more and more) past histories, and present conflicts. It’s a fascinating watch and one that reminded me of Robert Altman’s Gosford Park in its ability to naturally introduce an entire ensemble of fully realized characters.
The film is shot by handheld camera (in what seems to be every shot) giving the viewer a literal feeling of watching our characters through home movies. One would seem to get the sense that the handheld camera would give us the position of the causal observer, something akin to being a cinematic voyeur. This isn’t actually what takes place. Rather than placing the camera in neutral positions to allow us to observe the events, the camera operates with omnipotence, diving the emotion or truth of each scene and supplying us with the appropriate shot. There is one scene in particular where Hathaway’s Kym is confronted in a hair salon. Her confronter is in almost complete close-up and speaks so brazenly honest and confident to her, that I squirmed along with Kym. Rather than an observer to this families conflicts and dilemmas, I felt completely engrossed and found myself questioning how I would act in their circumstances. What more could a viewer ask for?
I’m reminded of how the director Jonathan Demme in his film Silence of the Lambs wisely made use of straight on camera shots. Several of the scenes in Lambs consisted of us looking directly at Foster or Hopkins, while they looked nearly directly in the camera. It fit perfectly the idea of objectification that was so crucial to the central themes of Lambs. The camera is no less truthful here, and its matched in truthfullness by the screenplay, and the natural performances (Rosemarie Dewitt and Bill Irwin are great). It has been a long time since I felt a family drama feel so honest and truthful, and much of that comes from the well-roundedness of the characters. Kym (a troubled problem child all her life) presents her family with difficult decisions. It’s her big sister’s big wedding weekend, but can they really focus on Rachel when Kym is out of rehab and making scenes and building tension with family everywhere? How Kym’s entire family responds to her features such honesty, that it brought me to tears several times.
I wholeheartedly recommend this film, but there are a couple reservations. You should be warned that the film does tend to linger a bit in scenes and can be slightly melodramatic at points. I felt as though the last twenty-five minutes of the film could’ve been trimmed dramatically without much loss as well. While maybe RGM isn't the types of stories that I seek out, or typically pop into my DVD player for re-watches, RGM is a fantastic film, filled with great performances, and great rewards for those willing to engage with this family and the questions they deal with it.
Our lead in the film is oddly enough not named Rachel, but Kym. She is played excellently by Anne Hathaway and is the sister to our title character Rachel (who if you didn't guess it, is getting married). The film begins with Kym just getting out of rehab (for reasons best revealed by the movie) in order to attend Rachel’s wedding for the weekend. What follows is an entire weekend of wedding activities, including the wedding itself, and then the eventual goodbyes. What makes the film work so well for me is the way in which we (the viewer) are allowed to watch Kym interact with her family and friends. We are able to glean (as each conversation reveals more and more) past histories, and present conflicts. It’s a fascinating watch and one that reminded me of Robert Altman’s Gosford Park in its ability to naturally introduce an entire ensemble of fully realized characters.
The film is shot by handheld camera (in what seems to be every shot) giving the viewer a literal feeling of watching our characters through home movies. One would seem to get the sense that the handheld camera would give us the position of the causal observer, something akin to being a cinematic voyeur. This isn’t actually what takes place. Rather than placing the camera in neutral positions to allow us to observe the events, the camera operates with omnipotence, diving the emotion or truth of each scene and supplying us with the appropriate shot. There is one scene in particular where Hathaway’s Kym is confronted in a hair salon. Her confronter is in almost complete close-up and speaks so brazenly honest and confident to her, that I squirmed along with Kym. Rather than an observer to this families conflicts and dilemmas, I felt completely engrossed and found myself questioning how I would act in their circumstances. What more could a viewer ask for?
I’m reminded of how the director Jonathan Demme in his film Silence of the Lambs wisely made use of straight on camera shots. Several of the scenes in Lambs consisted of us looking directly at Foster or Hopkins, while they looked nearly directly in the camera. It fit perfectly the idea of objectification that was so crucial to the central themes of Lambs. The camera is no less truthful here, and its matched in truthfullness by the screenplay, and the natural performances (Rosemarie Dewitt and Bill Irwin are great). It has been a long time since I felt a family drama feel so honest and truthful, and much of that comes from the well-roundedness of the characters. Kym (a troubled problem child all her life) presents her family with difficult decisions. It’s her big sister’s big wedding weekend, but can they really focus on Rachel when Kym is out of rehab and making scenes and building tension with family everywhere? How Kym’s entire family responds to her features such honesty, that it brought me to tears several times.
I wholeheartedly recommend this film, but there are a couple reservations. You should be warned that the film does tend to linger a bit in scenes and can be slightly melodramatic at points. I felt as though the last twenty-five minutes of the film could’ve been trimmed dramatically without much loss as well. While maybe RGM isn't the types of stories that I seek out, or typically pop into my DVD player for re-watches, RGM is a fantastic film, filled with great performances, and great rewards for those willing to engage with this family and the questions they deal with it.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Synecdoche, New York Review
Overall Grade: C+It’s hard to review a movie like Synecdoche because the film is (even after my very best efforts) nearly indecipherable. Just twenty minutes in and the film already begins to tip us off that there will be some time twisting and funny tricks going on, but what eventually happens in the film is not at all what I was expecting. The time twisting isn’t in the flavor of Tarantino, Nolan, or even something Gilliam would do, its time twisting that doesn’t serve any purpose storytelling or narrative wise, its primarily thematic and character driven.
In other words, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character says its only been days since his wife left him, when other characters say its been over a year. There are several instances where the movie plays with the ages, voices, and names of characters in order to achieve this same goal. One of the character’s houses are on fire during the duration of the film, something that is never made mention of by anyone at anytime. Is this because Hoffman was drugged like in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or in a coma, or like in A Beautiful Mind to give us insight into how a disease works? Clearly not. So what exactly is it for?
This is probably the most frustrating aspect of the film for me. I don’t necessarily think that films should spell out completely what it is about, but at the same time, I don’t think that the film should feel so indecipherable and insular that it remains distant and hard to engage. Synecdoche definitely leans heavy on the undecipherable side. Clearly, there is a strong sense of nihilism that runs strong through this film. In fact, its this theme of nihilism that gives me my strongest Rosetta stone in trying to understand it. I feel like the movie is telling us that most of the things we experience in life (falling in love, falling out of love, grief, fear of death, selfishness, desire to love our kids, disappointment with others and life) is in reality vane and pointless. Synecdoche is not a film that endorses a nihilistic set of morals (although one could be extracted from it), but is more content to examine the meaningless of life and interpret it artistically. In this way, I think the movie has great merit.
However, your humble Part-Time Critic is more than willing to concede that there is probably much more merit to the film than I give it credit. In fact, there is probably mountains and mountains of meaning and purpose behind everything in the film. I, unfortunately, am not able to discern it.The fact that the movie doesn’t present a typical narrative and typical characters that presented me with a few likable features to them makes me hesitant to re-visit Synecdoche. It’s a disappointment for me because I am such a big Charlie Kaufman (he’s the writer of Synecdoche), with Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind being two of my favorite films.
I’ve read several reviews that call it a masterpiece and a new achievement in art. If that’s true (and it probably is), then it’s one of those odd abstract paintings that people read so much into, yet remain remote and messy to me. If any of what I have said sounds interesting to you, then I recommend a viewing. In fact, a good rule of thumb might be David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, if you liked that, then you’ll get a kick out of this!
In other words, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character says its only been days since his wife left him, when other characters say its been over a year. There are several instances where the movie plays with the ages, voices, and names of characters in order to achieve this same goal. One of the character’s houses are on fire during the duration of the film, something that is never made mention of by anyone at anytime. Is this because Hoffman was drugged like in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or in a coma, or like in A Beautiful Mind to give us insight into how a disease works? Clearly not. So what exactly is it for?
This is probably the most frustrating aspect of the film for me. I don’t necessarily think that films should spell out completely what it is about, but at the same time, I don’t think that the film should feel so indecipherable and insular that it remains distant and hard to engage. Synecdoche definitely leans heavy on the undecipherable side. Clearly, there is a strong sense of nihilism that runs strong through this film. In fact, its this theme of nihilism that gives me my strongest Rosetta stone in trying to understand it. I feel like the movie is telling us that most of the things we experience in life (falling in love, falling out of love, grief, fear of death, selfishness, desire to love our kids, disappointment with others and life) is in reality vane and pointless. Synecdoche is not a film that endorses a nihilistic set of morals (although one could be extracted from it), but is more content to examine the meaningless of life and interpret it artistically. In this way, I think the movie has great merit.
However, your humble Part-Time Critic is more than willing to concede that there is probably much more merit to the film than I give it credit. In fact, there is probably mountains and mountains of meaning and purpose behind everything in the film. I, unfortunately, am not able to discern it.The fact that the movie doesn’t present a typical narrative and typical characters that presented me with a few likable features to them makes me hesitant to re-visit Synecdoche. It’s a disappointment for me because I am such a big Charlie Kaufman (he’s the writer of Synecdoche), with Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind being two of my favorite films.
I’ve read several reviews that call it a masterpiece and a new achievement in art. If that’s true (and it probably is), then it’s one of those odd abstract paintings that people read so much into, yet remain remote and messy to me. If any of what I have said sounds interesting to you, then I recommend a viewing. In fact, a good rule of thumb might be David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, if you liked that, then you’ll get a kick out of this!
Anyone else seen this film that can help this Part-Time Critic out? Your thoughts are most welcome!
Monday, October 27, 2008
High School Musical 3 Review
Overall Grade: CI am not exactly sure how someone like me (a 25 year old male) could review this film and truly give it a fair hearing; I'm not the target demographic this movie aims for (considering I've gone through puberty). For example, when Zac Efron removed his jersey during the film, it wasn't me giggling uncontrollably in the theatre. I thought the first High School Musical was alright and that the second one was mostly a disaster (Efron singing his solo "Bet On It" on the golf course being the lowest point). So why exactly did I even go see this film do you ask?
The initial reason I made the trip to the local AMC was because my friend Julie wanted to see it, and I thought if I was gonna watch it, I should watch it with her (besides, she has to now watch Saw with me). Outside of my film goals (attempting to watch any film that is of any significance; critical, popular, cult, etc.), the High School Musical series does offer a few pleasures. I feel the film is at its best when it presents a catchy pop tune with some great choreography. The series also wears a huge grinning smile in each of the films, and I have to admit, that smile does have its appeal. Its nice to watch a movie that is so gosh darn optimistic. So, having given all that background, how does High School Musical 3 fair?
For the most part, if you enjoyed the first two films, then you will enjoy this one as well. Nearly all the same elements are back in this one, which for many fans should be a comfort. However, for me, it made the film quite a bore. I know picking at the story in High School Musical is like picking at the story in a Jackie Chan film, but can we honestly get some new conflicts? Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) is still trying to decide between Music and Basketball (his shocking conclusion is that he will do BOTH!), Sharpee (sp?) is still trying to take the spotlight and snag Troy (even after two films of comeuppance), Troy's Dad is still an idiot and a terrible actor, and Sharpee's brother is still struggling to get noticed. Alongside these returning conflicts are also nearly the same conflicts for every other minor character in the film. Its as if film three just thought that everyone would essentially forget that the first two films also featured all these storylines as well. At least the filmmakers were smart enough to not bring back the "your not spending time with your friends" storyline in film two, probably the best decision the writing team could have made.
Two new characters are introduced in this film, and they are basically admirers of Troy and Sharpee who will rule East High when this Senior Year is over (Read: Disney making sure that this franchise could continue if they wanted). The characters basically do nothing and effect nothing, making them even more obviously a "securing the franchise" move.
Making the film even harder to watch are the songs and dance numbers, of which there are plenty (all featuring much the same beat). The first film had a few memorable numbers like "Stick to the Status Quo", "Breaking Free", and "We're All In This Together". The second film had a couple good songs, "What Time Is It" and "We Can Work It Out". However, this film really doesn't have one. Alongside several yawn inducing numbers are some truly bad "groaners" (The Boys Are Back being a standout). Top that off with the director's truly annoying habit of filming direct head on POV (point of view) shots with Efron and others staring straight at the audience (ala Jonathan Demme in Silence of the Lambs), and "uncomfortable" would be a good word to sum up my experience.
In the end though, High School Musical 3 retains that golly gee whiz optimism and good nature that make the first two films so attractive, and thats enough to forgive it of a lot of faults...just not all of its faults.
The initial reason I made the trip to the local AMC was because my friend Julie wanted to see it, and I thought if I was gonna watch it, I should watch it with her (besides, she has to now watch Saw with me). Outside of my film goals (attempting to watch any film that is of any significance; critical, popular, cult, etc.), the High School Musical series does offer a few pleasures. I feel the film is at its best when it presents a catchy pop tune with some great choreography. The series also wears a huge grinning smile in each of the films, and I have to admit, that smile does have its appeal. Its nice to watch a movie that is so gosh darn optimistic. So, having given all that background, how does High School Musical 3 fair?
For the most part, if you enjoyed the first two films, then you will enjoy this one as well. Nearly all the same elements are back in this one, which for many fans should be a comfort. However, for me, it made the film quite a bore. I know picking at the story in High School Musical is like picking at the story in a Jackie Chan film, but can we honestly get some new conflicts? Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) is still trying to decide between Music and Basketball (his shocking conclusion is that he will do BOTH!), Sharpee (sp?) is still trying to take the spotlight and snag Troy (even after two films of comeuppance), Troy's Dad is still an idiot and a terrible actor, and Sharpee's brother is still struggling to get noticed. Alongside these returning conflicts are also nearly the same conflicts for every other minor character in the film. Its as if film three just thought that everyone would essentially forget that the first two films also featured all these storylines as well. At least the filmmakers were smart enough to not bring back the "your not spending time with your friends" storyline in film two, probably the best decision the writing team could have made.
Two new characters are introduced in this film, and they are basically admirers of Troy and Sharpee who will rule East High when this Senior Year is over (Read: Disney making sure that this franchise could continue if they wanted). The characters basically do nothing and effect nothing, making them even more obviously a "securing the franchise" move.
Making the film even harder to watch are the songs and dance numbers, of which there are plenty (all featuring much the same beat). The first film had a few memorable numbers like "Stick to the Status Quo", "Breaking Free", and "We're All In This Together". The second film had a couple good songs, "What Time Is It" and "We Can Work It Out". However, this film really doesn't have one. Alongside several yawn inducing numbers are some truly bad "groaners" (The Boys Are Back being a standout). Top that off with the director's truly annoying habit of filming direct head on POV (point of view) shots with Efron and others staring straight at the audience (ala Jonathan Demme in Silence of the Lambs), and "uncomfortable" would be a good word to sum up my experience.
In the end though, High School Musical 3 retains that golly gee whiz optimism and good nature that make the first two films so attractive, and thats enough to forgive it of a lot of faults...just not all of its faults.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Updates!
Hey Everyone
I've posted new reviews of Funny Games and Wall *E (just scroll down a bit to see them) and updated my 2008 list with all apropriate movies. I've got reviews for Wanted (C+) and Hancock (C+) coming soon so keep a look out for those!
I've posted new reviews of Funny Games and Wall *E (just scroll down a bit to see them) and updated my 2008 list with all apropriate movies. I've got reviews for Wanted (C+) and Hancock (C+) coming soon so keep a look out for those!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Wall *E Review
Overall Grade: C+
The latest entry into the Pixar canon is a generally good one. Wall *E features all the requisite Pixar craftsmanship and truly does push the boundaries and standards have computer animated films yet again. Sincere congratulations and acknowledgment should be given for yet another step forward in the genre of animation for the guys and gals at Pixar.
This is Pixar’s most visually epic endeavor to date, and on visuals alone they succeed immensely. There is a simple charm about Wall *E that certainly does evoke some of the great silent comedians of the past, whether that’s Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin. Like those comedians (especially Chaplin), the Pixar team here (headed by director Andrew Stanton of Finding Nemo) is able to use simple slapstick comedy and shtick to touch a deeper nerve, so Wall *E may have some funny moments with a few objects he finds left behind in the trash, its his connection and desire to keep those things that really hits home with us. I think Wall *E can be recommended for a viewing, on these merits alone. Unfortunately, there is much more to this movie than just what is mentioned above.
This is Pixar’s most visually epic endeavor to date, and on visuals alone they succeed immensely. There is a simple charm about Wall *E that certainly does evoke some of the great silent comedians of the past, whether that’s Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin. Like those comedians (especially Chaplin), the Pixar team here (headed by director Andrew Stanton of Finding Nemo) is able to use simple slapstick comedy and shtick to touch a deeper nerve, so Wall *E may have some funny moments with a few objects he finds left behind in the trash, its his connection and desire to keep those things that really hits home with us. I think Wall *E can be recommended for a viewing, on these merits alone. Unfortunately, there is much more to this movie than just what is mentioned above.
I included the positives of Wall *E within the first paragraph because if you just wanted to know whether or not it’s worth a viewing, the answer is yes. If you want my full opinion and review of the film, follow me for the next few paragraphs as I analyze what I felt to be major drawbacks and faults of the film. Please note that there are spoilers about key plot points contained in the following review, so proceed only if you don’t want to know most of Wall *E’s plot.
My main criticisms of Wall *E is that it’s half-hearted, convoluted and contradictory. The film takes place many years into the future when over consumption by the human population (that seems oddly limited to Americans only) has left the earth a barren wasteland of trash, completely uninhabitable by humans. The humans have taken off and live in a giant spaceship where they await their eventual return to Earth. Left behind is Wall *E, a trash compacting robot who’s job is to compact all the trash into little squares and stack them tall like skyscrapers. Eventually, along comes Eve, a sleek scout robot whose mission is to search for signs of life on earth, so that the humans may re-inhabit it. The film clearly blames over consumption by humans as the clear cause of the environmental disaster and apocalypse that engulfs the earth, and it also indicts large corporations like Wal-Mart for their comprehensive success (In Wall *E’s world the company is Buy-N-Large, or BNL for short).
This BNL Company also runs the spaceship that the humans currently reside in, and their reach is total. On the spaceship, humans (through years of inactivity and self-absorbing consumerism) have turned into fat blobs of human beings, eternally residing on floating sofa chairs while they chat away on their virtual screens, at times with their chat partner floating right next to them. Of course, this is all by design of the BNL company who wishes to cater to every need and I guess have 100% market saturation, they even created food in a cup, to make the job of eating even easier.
I charge the movie with half-heartedness because the setting that the film takes place in (post apocalyptic environmental disaster zone, spaceship filled with humans who have turned into gelatinous blobs) is a setting that begs for explanation. We are told that the humans are responsible for it, but we aren’t given any insight into just how this took place. What was the process that leads humans to a fate of inactivity and mindless chatting? I honestly feel that a setting that seems to not only blame humans for ecological disaster and then insult humans by insinuating that this is the eventual future for us, begs for more context and more specificity in how we can turn from this terrible fate. This is what makes the robot meet cute scenes a little disingenuous; for while they are having one cute slapstick moment after another, the movie never takes the time to explain itself. The movie is less interested in explaining its inherently insulting premise than bowling us over for cuteness. Even the film’s resolution and the return of the humans rings hollow, for how could the preceding events in the film have actually lead to real change from these humans?
I say the film is convoluted and contradictory because the messages of the film are all over the place and even at odds. If over-consumption is really the problem that the film wants to tackle, then why not show how over-consumption has ruined their spaceship as well, instead of the ship being a perfectly cleaned and pristine environment? Why not have dwindling resources? Instead, over consumption manifests itself as producing too much trash and producing all encompassing corporations. So is the film not so much about over-consumption as it is about producing too much trash? Or is really about the danger of companies that grow to large? These issues are not the same and they are only loosely connected to over consumption. On the spaceship, the movie seems to be saying that over consumption has lead people to be fat, lazy blobs, but I don’t see how that makes sense. Just because I consume things doesn’t make me lazy. If the film wants to take on human laziness that’s alright, but to connect it to over consumption is a stretch.
It’s the same with communication technologies, how are these part of the over consumption problem? Are cell phones, internet chatting and texting really leading us down a path where human interaction will be out the door? I tend to feel its opposite, humans interact with each other more today than ever before. Most people use these as tools, but I don't think the human spirit would ever accept the future that is presented. Isn’t the film really warning against becoming absorbed in a virtual world and not enjoying others around you? Isn’t that really an argument about true human interaction and not consumerism? One of my favorite examples is the food in a cup joke; point being that humans have become so lazy and consumer driven that we enjoy our meals in shake-style. Does anyone think that’s where our society is headed? I could never conceive of a future where humans accept that, we idolize food too much. Heck, we have entire TV channels devoted to it. It just rings not true.
I honestly believe the film has things it wants to say, and I want to give the film the benefit of the doubt, but reading an interview with the director himself has kind of cemented my view.Stanton
My main criticisms of Wall *E is that it’s half-hearted, convoluted and contradictory. The film takes place many years into the future when over consumption by the human population (that seems oddly limited to Americans only) has left the earth a barren wasteland of trash, completely uninhabitable by humans. The humans have taken off and live in a giant spaceship where they await their eventual return to Earth. Left behind is Wall *E, a trash compacting robot who’s job is to compact all the trash into little squares and stack them tall like skyscrapers. Eventually, along comes Eve, a sleek scout robot whose mission is to search for signs of life on earth, so that the humans may re-inhabit it. The film clearly blames over consumption by humans as the clear cause of the environmental disaster and apocalypse that engulfs the earth, and it also indicts large corporations like Wal-Mart for their comprehensive success (In Wall *E’s world the company is Buy-N-Large, or BNL for short).
This BNL Company also runs the spaceship that the humans currently reside in, and their reach is total. On the spaceship, humans (through years of inactivity and self-absorbing consumerism) have turned into fat blobs of human beings, eternally residing on floating sofa chairs while they chat away on their virtual screens, at times with their chat partner floating right next to them. Of course, this is all by design of the BNL company who wishes to cater to every need and I guess have 100% market saturation, they even created food in a cup, to make the job of eating even easier.
I charge the movie with half-heartedness because the setting that the film takes place in (post apocalyptic environmental disaster zone, spaceship filled with humans who have turned into gelatinous blobs) is a setting that begs for explanation. We are told that the humans are responsible for it, but we aren’t given any insight into just how this took place. What was the process that leads humans to a fate of inactivity and mindless chatting? I honestly feel that a setting that seems to not only blame humans for ecological disaster and then insult humans by insinuating that this is the eventual future for us, begs for more context and more specificity in how we can turn from this terrible fate. This is what makes the robot meet cute scenes a little disingenuous; for while they are having one cute slapstick moment after another, the movie never takes the time to explain itself. The movie is less interested in explaining its inherently insulting premise than bowling us over for cuteness. Even the film’s resolution and the return of the humans rings hollow, for how could the preceding events in the film have actually lead to real change from these humans?
I say the film is convoluted and contradictory because the messages of the film are all over the place and even at odds. If over-consumption is really the problem that the film wants to tackle, then why not show how over-consumption has ruined their spaceship as well, instead of the ship being a perfectly cleaned and pristine environment? Why not have dwindling resources? Instead, over consumption manifests itself as producing too much trash and producing all encompassing corporations. So is the film not so much about over-consumption as it is about producing too much trash? Or is really about the danger of companies that grow to large? These issues are not the same and they are only loosely connected to over consumption. On the spaceship, the movie seems to be saying that over consumption has lead people to be fat, lazy blobs, but I don’t see how that makes sense. Just because I consume things doesn’t make me lazy. If the film wants to take on human laziness that’s alright, but to connect it to over consumption is a stretch.
It’s the same with communication technologies, how are these part of the over consumption problem? Are cell phones, internet chatting and texting really leading us down a path where human interaction will be out the door? I tend to feel its opposite, humans interact with each other more today than ever before. Most people use these as tools, but I don't think the human spirit would ever accept the future that is presented. Isn’t the film really warning against becoming absorbed in a virtual world and not enjoying others around you? Isn’t that really an argument about true human interaction and not consumerism? One of my favorite examples is the food in a cup joke; point being that humans have become so lazy and consumer driven that we enjoy our meals in shake-style. Does anyone think that’s where our society is headed? I could never conceive of a future where humans accept that, we idolize food too much. Heck, we have entire TV channels devoted to it. It just rings not true.
I honestly believe the film has things it wants to say, and I want to give the film the benefit of the doubt, but reading an interview with the director himself has kind of cemented my view.
“To be honest, I reverse-engineered the whole idea. My first idea was “the last robot on earth.” I knew I wanted him to be a trash robot because that would allow him to be able to go through the evidence of humanity and be able to convey that without having to use dialogue. Trash is very visual. I was raised in the 70s where I was told not to litter every ten minutes on TV. So I went backwards from that and I had to go “Okay, I still can’t talk about it. I still have to just get it in the first fifteen minutes going through this movie, so how would you explain so much stuff?” And I decided, “Well, we just bought too much.” So I reverse-engineered it. It wasn’t that I had an agenda of any sort.”
It’s a little telling of the movie and is a bit disheartening that the topic of over consumption and the destruction of earth from trash was born out of the desire to have a sole robot rummage through garbage. Wall *E isn’t truly aware of message, because its more interested in making a robot that rumaged through the remnants of humanity. Stanton then goes on to say, “I do think it’s a cautionary tale about taking anything too far. I wasn’t necessarily pushing “anti-consumerism,” I was just pushing against something that has gone to an extreme.” I think this is a bit disingenuous of him, how is it not anti-consumerism if your main cause (and the sole on-screen cause) of the apocalypse is (in his own words) buying too much stuff and all from one all encompassing company that controls and advertises to every aspect of our lives?
I know that my review is in the minority, but I feel strongly about it. As I stated in the beginning, it’s definitely worth a view, as Stanton and Pixar give us a beautifully conceived piece of art. It’s a marvel of art direction and sound as well. However, the story feels sloppy and at odds with the message in several parts. I ask everyone to look past the cute two robots (and boy they are cute, a point beaten to death), and ask of the film, what does it say about humanity? Is the message something that rings true? I think the answer to that question is no.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Kung Fu Panda Review
Overall Grade: A-
Can we say surprise of the season? The early trailers and TV spots for this film did absolutely nothing for me, and actually served to turn me off to it. I watch about 100 films a year and the trailer for this one actually forced me to write this film off the list...that was until the early reviews began to roll in for this film. So what was it about this film that surprised me so much?
This is a film that hits every note its supposed to, and really delivers the goods. To start, Jack Black is perfectly cast as the panda, and his usual schtick here is kept to a minimum. In fact, I found much of his lines in the trailer to be poorly written and most likely just comedic riffing, but within the context of the movie and the story, the lines are absolutely perfect.
Secondly, the story is a spot-on parody and homage to kung fu stories. If you've ever seen any of the old chinese kung fu films, a Jackie Chan film (who is also in this one), any of the recent Zhang Yimou films, or even the Matrix films (as there is some Matrix thrown in as well), then you'll recognize some of the same story elements here as well. Its not exactly an epic and sweeping story, but its very light, good-natured, and most importantly, its consistent with its reality and characters. In fact, the world this story inhabits is beautifully drawn out and inhabited by its residents. Refreshingly gone from this world is the self consciousness of most animated fare these days, and suprisingly few scatalogical jokes.
Lastly, the action is expertly crafted and animated, and really beats most of the great action scenes I have seen this year. Several people have compared the action scenes in this film to those found in The Incredibles, but I actually think that they are much superior. I would put two scenes (a fight over a dumpling and a breakout from prison) in Kung Fu Panda against any action scene in any animated film I've ever seen. It was wonderful to walk into this film not expecting engaging and exciting action.
This is a film for all ages, and its really just a great film to enjoy. It fails to be an (A) film for me because its themes are well drawn, but not neccesarily true. Just thinking that something is special doesn't necessarily make it special, and it really flies in the face of the theme that The Incredibles pushe which is that there truly are some people who are special, and that should be celebrated and not brought down. Aside from that, this film is a great time. If you liked The Incredibles and you also liked Over the Hedge orThe Emperor's New Groove then I think that this film is for you!
For your viewing pleasure I've included the movie trailer below as well as a scene from the film. If you don't want any spoilers, don't watch the scene. If you want an idea of the action, here's a clip from that prison break scene I reference above. Skidoosh!
Can we say surprise of the season? The early trailers and TV spots for this film did absolutely nothing for me, and actually served to turn me off to it. I watch about 100 films a year and the trailer for this one actually forced me to write this film off the list...that was until the early reviews began to roll in for this film. So what was it about this film that surprised me so much?
This is a film that hits every note its supposed to, and really delivers the goods. To start, Jack Black is perfectly cast as the panda, and his usual schtick here is kept to a minimum. In fact, I found much of his lines in the trailer to be poorly written and most likely just comedic riffing, but within the context of the movie and the story, the lines are absolutely perfect.
Secondly, the story is a spot-on parody and homage to kung fu stories. If you've ever seen any of the old chinese kung fu films, a Jackie Chan film (who is also in this one), any of the recent Zhang Yimou films, or even the Matrix films (as there is some Matrix thrown in as well), then you'll recognize some of the same story elements here as well. Its not exactly an epic and sweeping story, but its very light, good-natured, and most importantly, its consistent with its reality and characters. In fact, the world this story inhabits is beautifully drawn out and inhabited by its residents. Refreshingly gone from this world is the self consciousness of most animated fare these days, and suprisingly few scatalogical jokes.
Lastly, the action is expertly crafted and animated, and really beats most of the great action scenes I have seen this year. Several people have compared the action scenes in this film to those found in The Incredibles, but I actually think that they are much superior. I would put two scenes (a fight over a dumpling and a breakout from prison) in Kung Fu Panda against any action scene in any animated film I've ever seen. It was wonderful to walk into this film not expecting engaging and exciting action.
This is a film for all ages, and its really just a great film to enjoy. It fails to be an (A) film for me because its themes are well drawn, but not neccesarily true. Just thinking that something is special doesn't necessarily make it special, and it really flies in the face of the theme that The Incredibles pushe which is that there truly are some people who are special, and that should be celebrated and not brought down. Aside from that, this film is a great time. If you liked The Incredibles and you also liked Over the Hedge orThe Emperor's New Groove then I think that this film is for you!
For your viewing pleasure I've included the movie trailer below as well as a scene from the film. If you don't want any spoilers, don't watch the scene. If you want an idea of the action, here's a clip from that prison break scene I reference above. Skidoosh!
Kung Fu Panda Trailer
Prison Break Clip
Rambo Review
I don't really have any history with the Rambo movie series, outside of some viewings as a kid, but most of my memory just remembers the cool ways that Rambo was able to hide in the woods, pop up and then kill someone. So its with little expectation that I went popped the Netflix dvd in and decided to give it a chance.
The movie is a surprisingly good watch. As an action film, Rambo really delivers, and from what I rememeber of the series, it really fits nicely into the mold. Sylvester Stallone was able to craft a solid entry into the Rocky series back in 2006, and again he shows that he really understands what the Rambo series is all about, and he truly delivers it.
The film is really formulaic, yet it because it knows what kind of film it is, it takes it's cliche's very seriously and really imbues some seriousness into the setup, which really makes the all-out action ending very satisfying. Thats really what this movie is all about, the buildup to Rambo springing free prisoners (this time its Christian missionaries), and it really is an engaging event. I enjoyed the central theme that a soldier shouldn't run from helping people (and that means killing enemies, in extremely brutal ways apparently), because thats the nature of a soldier. Its an admirable theme, but its been done before (in this series no less), and its really just a movie about action. For that, I give the film a solid B
The movie is a surprisingly good watch. As an action film, Rambo really delivers, and from what I rememeber of the series, it really fits nicely into the mold. Sylvester Stallone was able to craft a solid entry into the Rocky series back in 2006, and again he shows that he really understands what the Rambo series is all about, and he truly delivers it.
The film is really formulaic, yet it because it knows what kind of film it is, it takes it's cliche's very seriously and really imbues some seriousness into the setup, which really makes the all-out action ending very satisfying. Thats really what this movie is all about, the buildup to Rambo springing free prisoners (this time its Christian missionaries), and it really is an engaging event. I enjoyed the central theme that a soldier shouldn't run from helping people (and that means killing enemies, in extremely brutal ways apparently), because thats the nature of a soldier. Its an admirable theme, but its been done before (in this series no less), and its really just a movie about action. For that, I give the film a solid B
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Indiana Jones 4 Review
Overall Grade: C+I keep a private collection of movie databases and lists on my computer at home and show them to a rare few. One of those lists is titled "Movies to See" and is a running list of every movie I want to eventually see in my lifetime organized by year. Obviously this list is kept up to date as there are new films coming out all the time.
For 2008, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (which from here on out will be called IJ4) was in the top five of my most anticipated films list. So to say that I had high expectations going into the film, is a bit of an understatement. I saw the film with a great group of friends on Memorial Day at the AMC Theatres, my favorite theatre in Tallahassee. The setting was just right, it was one of my most anticipated films, it had to be good right?
Well, the answer is mostly no, but a little bit of yes. It should be known that most people when they review a film take their time to convey the plot of the film and give the reader a good summary before posting their commentary. I will be up front with you, I don't like doing it, never have, and hopefully I never will. Mostly I like posting my thoughts about the film however they come out of my brain. That means, a little less cohesiveness for you, but it means that I actually get it written down. This is why I don't write and professional reviews, I can't stand the formats they require. Anyways, back to the movie.
IJ4 is clearly the runt of the Indiana Jones series. The first three Indiana Jones films were all made in the 80s and really kinda had the same feel and look. It's been twenty years since The Last Crusade and as much as I would've liked for IJ4 to look the same as the other three films, the entire look of the film felt like a blockbuster in the late 2000's; and thats not a good thing. As much as I like Janusz Kaminski (he's won a Leaman Award), he creates a new look to an Indiana Jones film that looks far too modern and more comfortable at home in a Pirates of the Caribbean film (which oddly Dead Man's Chest was an homage to in lot of ways, and its action scenes dwarf ID4's). Its the same with much of the action scenes as well.
The first three films relied heavily on practical stunts and certain moments were punctuated by special effects (like the opening of the ark). In IJ4, we get entire action scenes with green screen backdrops. Imagine if the entire truck chase scene in Raiders was done with a moving backdrop on a set, or if the bridge scene in Temple of Doom was done with a green screen, and you'll begin to see what I mean. There is an over reliance upon CGI for the backdrops, and it takes it completely out of the Indy look and feel, and places it more in the line of todays CGI blockbuster.
Are the action sequences fun? I think for the most part the answer is yes, but its a muted yes. I could tell that people in the theatre enjoyed them, but for the most part, I found myself rather bored with them. There is however a decent motorcycle chase that does its best to reach the standards the previous films have made, but its over far too quickly.
Overall, the film was quite a dissapointment for me. I didn't care for the story and thought that several storylines were cut short and unnecessary. Several ideas were too wacky and too out of place (I vote Shi Lebouf's tarzan monkey scene as this years Spider Man 3 dancing down the street Emo style scene). Of the four Jones films, this has got to be the least for me.
