Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Second Star to the Right
Stardust is an odd little gem of a movie. It's like Princess Bride, but not. Slightly off-kilter, a little offbeat, and never panders to the audience. Once you realize its from a graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman, the stylistic choices make more sense.I wanted to like it more than I did. Parts are excellent, but the gaps in between are a little inconsistent. Plus, the film hinges on the discovery of true love, which feels forced, as the part of the film most concerned about the development of that love is given to us in a montage sequence, rather than from an actual appreciation of characeter growth and understanding. It left me feeling a bit cheated, cause if that element had been present, I would have cherished this as a great fairy tale film.
Labels: My Cinematic 2 Cents
------------------------------------------------
Cause I've Got a Golden Compass
I liked this film, but just like Stardust, I felt it ultimately did not deliver. It had a tremendous build-up, but required leaps of logic far larger than the ice crevasses of the north to reach its conclusions. Deep, laming wounds disappear when running is called for, and the airship is notoriously absent when it is most needed until it can make a deux ex machina entrance. The film ends on such an expectant note that the sequal is soon to come that the ending feels flat, making the film feel like a bookend that is missing its matching set.It would be a perfect children's family film, except for that jaw-dropping moment of violence two-thirds through that feels wildly incongrous with all that came before or after.
Labels: My Cinematic 2 Cents
------------------------------------------------
1 Cents Added:
I like what you said here. I just have to make one little correction for you. The term is deus ex machina not deux. It is a Latin term. Thanks for reading my 2 cents worth!
Your pal!
Dawnie ;p
By 
, at 6:12 PM
I Am Legend
I Am Legend starts out incredibly strong. Will Smith once again proves his ability as an actor; even more so than Tom Hanks did in Castaway, he carries a film literally by himself.Indeed, it's when others join him on the screen that it falls apart.
The monsters are distracting - all CGI, with little or no emotive power. One of the interesting facets of the original novels and the earlier two film versions is lost by making the creatures less than human in intelligence (at least at first), and drops the character introspection that made the title ironic and meaningful. Similarly, when other survivors join up with Smith's character, the narrative loses focus, plot holes appear like voracious wormholes, and the film ends far to fast and far too tritely.
Still, I have to recommend the film. The opening scenes and setup are creepy and create tension that is palpable and get your heart racing. Save your trip to the bathroom or to get popcorn until the third act.
Labels: My Cinematic 2 Cents, Science Fiction
------------------------------------------------
Friday, January 18, 2008
The Holiday
Speaking of Holiday, Kristin and I finally got a chance to see the movie The Holiday (I have an ENORMOUS stack of DVDs I pick up on discount at the local video store when they are ready to get rid of them).This movie is a pleasant way to spend the time, but by no means a great film. Cameron Diaz's and Jude Law have chemistry, to be sure, but the films barely addresses the problems inherent in their relationship and never explores their tryst but at the most superficial levels. Nevertheless, they fit together like an old shoe; comforting, but something we've seen time and time again. In contrast, Jack Black and Kate Winslet's onscreen budding romance is wildly off-kilter; at times, it feels charming, and in others, scary and a bit creepy. I attribute that mainly to Jack Black's off-kilter persona more than anything.
The most satisfying elements of the film are in Kate Winslet's interactions with the other secondary characters - her on-again off-again lover and the elderly screenwriter that lives next to her in Beverly Hills. If the film had solely been about them, this could have been fantastic instead of just so-so.
Labels: Movies, My Cinematic 2 Cents
------------------------------------------------
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Fantastic Four, Plus One Dweeb
Kristin and I got to see both of the Fantastic Four films, and although I wasn't blown away, I found there was a lot I liked about them. I admit I've never been a huge fan of the World's Greatest Comic, but once thing I have liked about the Fantastic Four is the family aspect, and I think the four principles in these films capture that dynamic perfectly.
If only Doom would live up to his name.
I like Julian McMahon as an actor. He was the main reason I stuck with Charmed for so long, and once his character went from series regular to an occasional appearance my attention to the show waned. But he is woefully miscast as Doom. He never portrays the right amount of menace or sinister intentions. He never acts arrogant enough, and never refers to himself in the third person. In both films his confrontations with the Fantastic Four are laughably short, as they take the upper hand way too fast. Everything about his character, from his background as a European monarch to his costume and powers, and never fully explained or fleshed out enough to give him any resonance, and so ultimately the films fail as a hero is most often defined by the villain. The inclusion of the Surfer and Galactus in the second give it the edge as the better film, though, and precisely for the same reason.
Now if the film Doom had looked this, and sounded like Udo Kier or Arnold Vosloo, we would have had a sure fire winner:
I'm wondering if this film has set up a possible third film. Doom is sent to the bottom of the Atlantic, teasing us with a possible Namor tie-in. However, part of me feels that the universe of the movie Fantastic Four is ground too much in reality to preclude an Atlantic civilization. Of course, that grounding in reality would hamstring many plots, as one of the biggest appeals to a Fantastic Four story is that science can cause all sorts of wacky things, and invasions by Mole Men and other-dimensional insect lords are an everyday occurrence. Plus, given the emphasis on children, I'd imagine a third film would have Franklin Richards in it, and a Reed-Sue-Namor triangle would feel a lot more uncomfortable when children are also involved.
Labels: Hey Kids - Comics, Marvel Zombie, My Cinematic 2 Cents, Spot the Pop Culture Reference
------------------------------------------------
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Children of Men
Children of Men is one of the most grounded science fiction films I've ever seen. Science fiction always has a tendency to predict revolutionary technological leaps far and above our own - in the latest Planet of the Apes, we have military training space stations in orbit around the gas giants, and in Blade Runner, we have mile high skyscrapers, androids and flying cars, and all before 2030. Children of Men, however, keeps the technology level pretty consistent with today, which makes the story and its themes all the more accessible to today's audiences, because it is all too comfortably familiar.The film is taut and thrilling, with some amazing camera work that adds to the suspense. The director makes extensive use of long takes that follow the characters, and the lack of breaks in editing add to the tension (there's one sequence in the middle of the film using a car that is unlike anything I've seen in film before).
Children of Men hits all the right notes and is an excellent film that I'd recommend to everyone. I'd less recommend the documentary that accompanies the film on DVD, in which professors from around the world only briefly touch on the themes of the film, but instead paint a dismal, weary world view. Although some of the points they make are salient, they don't really offer practical solutions, so it all comes off as nihilistic.
------------------------------------------------
Pursuit of Happyness
There's something about this movie that keeps it from connecting the way I wanted it to. Perhaps it was the omniscient narration and splitting sections of the film into chapters - it kept me from really connecting and empathizing with Will Smith's character. About the only scene in the film that gave me that emotional connectivity was in the subway bathroom, and that's 2/3 of the way through the film. As good as Will Smith is in playing to an audience normally, this one just misses the mark, and one can;t help but ask why?Labels: My Cinematic 2 Cents
------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Death Wish Redux
I went into The Brave One thinking I had low expectations as the trailers made it seem to be almost a carbon copy clone of Death Wish, except with a female lead. And it was.
Oh, I can easily admit that Jodie Foster is a much more compelling actor than Charles Bronson. But not even her or Ternece Howard's acting can rise above the hackneyed script. At times compelling,t he film often devolves into camp and strangely inappropriate humor, as Nicky Katz' character channels Lenny Brisco at off moments throughout the film. Ultimately, the film can't decide if it was to be a serious character drama or turgid action-revenge fantasy like its predecessor, and so ultimately fails to be either.
Labels: Movies, My Cinematic 2 Cents
------------------------------------------------
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Hurl Harbor
TBS runs a promo for Pearl Harbor that says “before they were great fighters, they were also great lovers.” I’d like to think this statement was written by a staff member that holds this film with as much contempt as I.
Labels: Hooray for Hollywood, Movies, My Cinematic 2 Cents
------------------------------------------------