Saturday, June 14, 2008

Film Review

The Happening

I wish M. Night Shyamalan would branch out into another genre. I assume he feels that horror/suspense is his niche, and it has served him well enough. He probably feels that this type of movie is what audiences expect of him. The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs were all great, or at least reasonably good films. The Village was ok (I'm one of those freaks that figured out the "twist" of that movie in the first few seconds) and Lady in the Water is best left unspoken about. The Happening falls into the "ok" category.

I had high hopes for the film, actually. Elements of the trailer were creepy and visually arresting. Yet, ultimately, it was disappointing on many levels.

The film starts out with a bang and immediately peaks your interest. Without giving away any plot details, it then degenerates into a preachy lesson. Another point: a reviewer recently wrote that Shyamalan has a way of getting poor performances out of good actors. While I don't agree with that wholeheartedly, it is true of this movie. Mark Wahlberg speaks in a higher register than we're used to hearing. He comes across as whiny and condescending (his acting when he talks to his students - he's a teacher - is abominable). Zooey Deschanel, as his wife, is completely out of her element here. She usually plays quirky roles, but this is supposed to be fairly straightforward...and she still tries to imbue it with some sort of quirkiness to no avail. They're supposedly having marital issues...and ya know what?...no one cares. Here's the ultimate proof: I have no idea what either of their characters' names were. No freakin idea.

John Leguizamo is wasted in a small role. Betty Buckley overacts in another small role. Shyamalan uses his usual tricks (like the character we've never seen/heard of before popping up to offer a different perspective/theory...and then whom we never see again), but I have to admit there are some truly horrifying moments (in a good way) along with a few truly humorous ones. However, there also seem to be major holes in the scenario/plot which I can't discuss here. Aggravating.

I don't know why this film was Rated "R," either. Must have been some sort of publicity stunt because there was nothing in this film which was any more gory than in The Sixth Sense and there was no major profanity and no nudity.

Did I like the film overall? No. I only liked moments of it. Shyamalan should put his ego aside and do something completely different.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Film Review

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

George Lucas ruins everything.

When I say "everything," I mean "every sacred childhood/adolescent/young adult movie-going experience and memory."

When I think back to the original Star Wars trilogy, I have terribly fond memories. More so of The Empire Strikes Back (directed by Lawrence Kasdan, not Lucas) than the other two films, but still, there were many thrills and surprises and genuine moments of awe. When it came time to do the new trilogy, I was sooooo looking forward to seeing them. Sure, the special effects were cool in all three newer films and there were moments where I was thrilled or awed. But, overall I came away from that trilogy with the thought: "You can't go back again, and ya know what? Maybe you shouldn't."

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull left me with that same thought.

Don't get me wrong - the performances were all good. Harrison Ford was Indy. Cate Blanchett was mighty hysterical as the villainess. Shia LeBeouf's character was a great addition to the series, and it was super-extraordinary to see Karen Allen again.

My expectations weren't incredibly high going in. But my expectations were to experience something akin to the original films. There was something magical about the original Indiana Jones films. Seeing him run through a cave fleeing a giant rolling boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark seemed somehow plausible. And it still does in re-viewing. Seeing him ride a mine car in Temple of Doom or take that "leap of faith" in The Last Crusade were the same way. Even though the series is somewhat modelled after 1950s serials and pulp adventure, there was a certain element of believability in the action sequences, through a tongue-in-cheek mentality. You knew it was implausible for Indy to get through some of these things the way he did. But you merely felt it was him heroicism and dumb luck that got him through.

In this latest film, that's all gone. Some of the situations are sooooooo (and now add 5,000 more o's to that) implausible that it ruined any feeling of "going home again" or revisiting my childhood. There were a few moments of humor, mostly due to Steven Spielberg's direction and there is definitely chemistry between all of the actors. This, despite some of the most truly awful, trite and beyond "pulp" dialogue I have ever heard in my life. You could actually see Ford wincing his way through some of those lines. (George Lucas had storyline credit, though many screenwriters waded through this morass).

There's also too many modern filmmaking techniques. There's way too much CGI and not enough good-old (style) special effects which helped make the original films feel so special and "period." My friend Michael also pointed out that the lighting was high-def. Way too modern a look for this film.

There were nice homages to Sean Connery and Denholm Elliott. There were occassional moments of magic due in large part to the actors. But overall, it was highly disappointing.

Look, I know you can't please everyone. And I know the die-hard fans are hardest to please. But when you take away the basic elements of the original films and replace them with technological advances that are supposedly "better" and throw such inane dialogue at actors and audience alike, you're bound to not please anyone.

Maybe it'll serve as a transition film - a passing of the torch from Harrison Ford to Shia LeBeouf. I wouldn't mind seeing Shia take the reins and give us more adventures with his character...minus Indy. It'd be much like the film Star Trek: Generations where both Patrick Stewart (as Picard) and William Shatner (as Kirk) fought side-by-side, until Kirk's demise...therefore handing over the reins of the Star Trek film franchise to The Next Generation cast. Generations was an inferior film...but set us up for some fantastic adventures with the "newer" crew of the Enterprise. If there's a God, that's what will happen with these films. Otherwise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will have been in vain.

Oh - and the Crystal Skull itself? It's supposed to be made of quartz, and it's very large. However, it looked like a hunk of plastic stuffed with aluminum foil...and was treated that way by the cast. It never seemed to have any weight to it. Much like the film itself.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Film Review

Sex and the City

Now that the WNY Theatre scene has calmed down for a while, I can get back to other realms of entertainment. I went to a movie for the first time in months to see Sex and the City.


I always enjoyed the HBO series. I was never a rabid fan. I was more like a "Oh, that's on tonight. Guess I'll watch" kind of fan. I always found the show, at the very least, engaging. I was happy in the series finale when Carrie ended up with Big. But was I ecstatic enough to hope for a movie? No. I wasn't sure how many more stories could be told about these women.


That being said, I really liked the movie a lot. I loved the fact that they didn't try to hide the actresses' ages. We saw the lines on their faces. They were real. The acting by the original cast was superb. Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Jessica Parker rocked my world. Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis were very good in "less meaty" roles. The men in their lives all performed well.


The worst thing about the movie was Jennifer Hudson. When she had to be "sassy" or "silly," she was fine. But when she had to be "real" - not so much. You could see the inexperience. While I thought she was very good in Dreamgirls, I never felt she deserved the Oscar. She won that award based on a being a performer, not a actor. There is a difference between the two. You can be a great performer in a multitude of places...theme parks, cruise ships, cabaret acts, concert tours to name a few. But doing those things well does not make you an actor or actress.


I've had friends of mine tell me they weren't crazy about the movie. Their reasons mostly centered on Chris Noth's character of Mr. Big. They say things like "Big would never act that way," or "Big's been through this before. It wouldn't be a big deal for him." Without giving away plot-points, all I can say is - I agree and disagree. I agree in that I don't know why Big got sooooo flustered at one point. It doesn't seem to fit his backstory, exactly. But, you also have to take into consideration: several years have gone by since we last saw/knew these characters. People's mind-sets change. People's insecurities bloom under pressure. I can "buy" the events of the film, because of those issues.


The other talking-point is (again, trying not to give away plot-points) whether Carrie's decision at the end of the film is the one I, personally, would have made. I don't personally think I would have done what she did. But, Carrie's Carrie...and I'm me.


Overall, the movie was like an entire season of the show, presented in two and a half-ish hours. And like any full season of the TV series, I liked a majority of it enough to want to come back for more.