"The Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is the origin story for a B-movie franchise. Pretty good idea. Get a top shelf actor and use the technology of the day to give a B-movie franchise an A-list face lift. Here's the problem--this origin story remains about as B-movie as you can get. Cheesy plots, cheesy dialogue and flat-lined performances are all over this film. Only the motion capture technology is an upgrade from the original.
It must have seemed like a good idea to cast a good actor like James Franco in the lead but his performance is as flat and uninteresting as his hosting work on the Oscar telecast and at times he seems just as out of place as he was as a host. In fact, this movie fails in all things human. The love story between Franco and Freida Pinto has less chemistry than a Performing Arts High School, John Lithgow's alzheimer's-afflicted Dad is cliched and predictable (a fault of the writing, not Lithgow) and the bad guys are tepid at best (Tom Felton from the Harry Potter franchise has seemingly found a niche as the go-to teenage creep). And it is a long haul suffering through the human elements of this thing before you get to the good stuff...ie. the monkeys.
And the monkeys are pretty darn good. They use motion capture (on that motion-capture specialist, Andy Serkis) to find real emotional intricacies in these apes. Too bad they didn't use it on Franco. Once the revolution kicks in, the movie finds its momentum and becomes a decent entertainment, in a B-movie sort of way. It will serve as a Saturday matinee escape. But really, if you are in a prequel and find yourself longing for the acting and entertainment value of the Charleton Heston-lead originals, aren't you kind of in a whole lot of trouble?
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Crazy, Stupid Love
I was very much looking forward to this film. Steve Carrell is the best comedic actor going and the cast was stellar- Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Marissa Tomei and Emma Stone, heavy hitters all. No surprise then, the best thing about this film is the afore mentioned cast. They are by turns charming, honest, funny, sincere and totally likeable. The reason this is such an accomplishment is because the script to this film is by turns hokey, dishonest, predictable and altogether unoriginal. What a disappointment.
Steve Carrell and Julianne Moore are married with children. They've grown apart, and Carrell is blindsided at dinner one night to find that Moore has had an affair and wants a divorce. Carrell is deeply hurt and obliges. Now the meat of this story kicks in. The two must find away to live life without each other. Elaborate and convoluted hijinx involving a baby sitter, a womanizer, various love interests and Moore's lover ensue. All these elements converge in Carrell's backyard (or former backyard, as it were) for an obligatory scene so contrived that it would make a James Bond screenwriter blush. There are a whole lot of complicated romantic sub plots in this movie but none are more problematic than the one involving Carrell's 13 year old son and his babysitter. It is alternately goofy, creepy, and dishonest. No thirteen year old boy would behave this way....EVER. The plot line wraps up with a scene at the kids graduation where gushy platitudes are uttered rendering the entire thing almost unwatchable in a goofy, uncomfortable way. It hamstrings the movie.
There is, however, a revelation in "Crazy, Stupid Love" and that revelation is Ryan Gosling. I'm beginning to believe that he is a bit of an on-screen miracle worker. He takes a character that is written on the fringes of unlikeability and fleshes out a character with depth and complexity...mostly on his own. It's official. He can do anything. He's the best young actor going.
In totality, this film fails in more ways than it succeeds but its trump suit is in the casting, and there it has a strong hand. For many people I imagine, it will be enough. For me it was ultimately a major disappointment.
Steve Carrell and Julianne Moore are married with children. They've grown apart, and Carrell is blindsided at dinner one night to find that Moore has had an affair and wants a divorce. Carrell is deeply hurt and obliges. Now the meat of this story kicks in. The two must find away to live life without each other. Elaborate and convoluted hijinx involving a baby sitter, a womanizer, various love interests and Moore's lover ensue. All these elements converge in Carrell's backyard (or former backyard, as it were) for an obligatory scene so contrived that it would make a James Bond screenwriter blush. There are a whole lot of complicated romantic sub plots in this movie but none are more problematic than the one involving Carrell's 13 year old son and his babysitter. It is alternately goofy, creepy, and dishonest. No thirteen year old boy would behave this way....EVER. The plot line wraps up with a scene at the kids graduation where gushy platitudes are uttered rendering the entire thing almost unwatchable in a goofy, uncomfortable way. It hamstrings the movie.
There is, however, a revelation in "Crazy, Stupid Love" and that revelation is Ryan Gosling. I'm beginning to believe that he is a bit of an on-screen miracle worker. He takes a character that is written on the fringes of unlikeability and fleshes out a character with depth and complexity...mostly on his own. It's official. He can do anything. He's the best young actor going.
In totality, this film fails in more ways than it succeeds but its trump suit is in the casting, and there it has a strong hand. For many people I imagine, it will be enough. For me it was ultimately a major disappointment.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two
Muggles and wizards live in a wonderful world, we do, and last night I was smack dab in the middle of it. I knew I was in for a magical night when my first sight was a half dozen teens (quite normal looking really, except for the full-on Hogwarts robes and regalia). They were gathered around a table in the courtyard of the movie theater staring at a Sorting Hat (read the books). I was peeking in on a Sorting Ceremony of some kind. This would not be the strangest thing I saw last night. Besides the usual array of black robes and Griffyndor scarves, there was a fan dressed as the Hogwarts Clock Tower (no shit), a spitting-image double of Ginny Weasley complete with Weasley-red hair in a circular braid, and a six foot six Hagrid with padding and tangled beard. And the wands, dozens and dozens wands, casting imaginary spells. The girl next to me had her fingernails painted with HARRY POTTER lettering in the lightening bolt script, one letter per nail except for the middle finger of her right hand (two T's). How she could text with those nails I'll never know. You may never hear me say this again but I kinda wished I had a cell phone with a camera. It was a spectacular gathering. It made me feel young.
Now onto the film itself. If you aren't wrapped up in an invisibility cloak of all things Potter then you have missed the Hogwarts Express, because this film fulfills all the promises of the last four films. They were all prelude. The Deathly Hallows Part 2 is payoff. It has a mature feeling to it that has more to do with its tone than the chronological age of the lead characters. It's a more sophisticated action adventure, grittier, with darker and more complex themes. Mortality. Loyalty. Dedication to Cause. It's also a hell of a ride. It doesn't muck about for very long before the battle is engaged and boy, is it engaged. Spells fly and the wizarding world is in mortal peril. If you read the book you know who dies, but the film skillfully plants the seeds of doubt about what you've read. Could they, would they change the written word? The movie keeps us guessing, even with prior knowledge of the outcome, no small trick.
I have enjoyed every film in this series but until last night, I could never say that I enjoyed the film more than the book. That has changed. This film is clearer about what is happening and how its all going down than the book is. It's actually more skilled than the book. Rowling's strength has always been character and the detail of the world more so than plot. This film cleans up the ragged edges of the book's plot line. It answers all the questions seamlessly, flawlessly. And the Battle of Hogwarts takes your breath away. To see that place of joy look like a bomb-ravaged WWII city just breaks your heart.
The word I keep hearing about this film is "satisfying". Perfect. Any storyteller will tell you that the hardest thing to do is to end a great story greatly. That has been accomplished in the Harry Potter series, and that will ensure that more generations will fall in love with these young wizards. But me, I'm melancholy. I want more. I hate the mortality of these stories, even if that's the point of the whole thing. I think I'll drown my sorrows in a chapter of "Game of Thrones".
Now onto the film itself. If you aren't wrapped up in an invisibility cloak of all things Potter then you have missed the Hogwarts Express, because this film fulfills all the promises of the last four films. They were all prelude. The Deathly Hallows Part 2 is payoff. It has a mature feeling to it that has more to do with its tone than the chronological age of the lead characters. It's a more sophisticated action adventure, grittier, with darker and more complex themes. Mortality. Loyalty. Dedication to Cause. It's also a hell of a ride. It doesn't muck about for very long before the battle is engaged and boy, is it engaged. Spells fly and the wizarding world is in mortal peril. If you read the book you know who dies, but the film skillfully plants the seeds of doubt about what you've read. Could they, would they change the written word? The movie keeps us guessing, even with prior knowledge of the outcome, no small trick.
I have enjoyed every film in this series but until last night, I could never say that I enjoyed the film more than the book. That has changed. This film is clearer about what is happening and how its all going down than the book is. It's actually more skilled than the book. Rowling's strength has always been character and the detail of the world more so than plot. This film cleans up the ragged edges of the book's plot line. It answers all the questions seamlessly, flawlessly. And the Battle of Hogwarts takes your breath away. To see that place of joy look like a bomb-ravaged WWII city just breaks your heart.
The word I keep hearing about this film is "satisfying". Perfect. Any storyteller will tell you that the hardest thing to do is to end a great story greatly. That has been accomplished in the Harry Potter series, and that will ensure that more generations will fall in love with these young wizards. But me, I'm melancholy. I want more. I hate the mortality of these stories, even if that's the point of the whole thing. I think I'll drown my sorrows in a chapter of "Game of Thrones".
Return of the Prodigal Blogger
I have been away. My writing skills were needed elsewhere for a few months and it isn't easy for me to get out to a film these days. I'll try to play catch-up in the upcoming few months. So I'm back and what better way to reboot than with a trip to Hogwarts.....
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Oscar Nominated Shorts-Live Action
Well, another Oscar ceremony is in the books and as far as I can tell James Franco is still in hiding. The show that was supposed to be about youth and the new horizon was the stodgiest, most predictable, and boring Oscar ceremony in a long while. Hope they learned a lesson. The chronological age of your hosts doesn't place a show on the cutting edge. I had an off year in the pool (damn you "Alice In Wonderland"!) and was dethroned as the reigning winner of the bottle-our Oscar trophy (congrats Cathy and BJ).
But I did get to see all of the nominated shorts from the live action category. Had I seen them before the Oscars I might have.....ahhhh who am I kidding. It wouldn't have helped at all. I still would have picked the loser. But there is some good news. This year the shorts are uniformly excellent and not nearly as downbeat as last years batch. And they're on pay-per-view so you can watch them in your own living room. It is absolutely worth it. (Time Warner cable people it's under Video on Demand --Award Season) Unlike last year, it's totally worth the five bucks. Here we go:
The Confession (UK)- This is the longest of the films (26 min) and takes itself the most seriously. It's full of religious icons and allegory. Crosses everywhere. Two young boys are about to have their first communion but one doesn't have much to confess so they pull a prank that has far more serious consequences than either can imagine or handle. It's a meditation on sin and guilt and what we will always bear with us and it is meticulously crafted and beautifully executed. This was my least favorite, but I liked it better than every one of last years crop.
Wish 143 (UK)- This may have been my favorite. A sixteen year old boy is dying of cancer (stick with me). A make-a-wish organization asks what he might want as his wish. Easy. He wants to have sex. I told ya he was sixteen. He becomes "the cancer kid who wants to lose his virginity" and how the rest of this plays out is the most intricately plotted, emotional, charming, and funny film of the lot. Let me repeat that-CHARMING and FUNNY. There is a scene toward the end that will tug on your heart and may be the most powerful cinematic moment of 2010. Worth the five bucks just for this one.
Na WeWe (Belgium)- In this short, lives are at stake. A van full of people in Africa is stopped by a band of armed Hutu militia. They are looking for Tutsi tribesmen to kill. The question is who is Hutu and who is not. A series of miraculous interventions ensue, the last of which is from Bono (yes that Bono). Sound ridiculous? It's not. Tense and powerful it is. Might have easily been the winner in this category.
The Crush (Ireland)- This was my choice in the pool and had I seen it beforehand, I might have just stuck with it. It's that good. An Irish schoolboy has a crush on his teacher. A deep, serious crush. The kind of crush you can only have from the purity of a schoolboy's eyes. She is of course in an adult relationship and one that isn't, well, so sweet. Is the young boy a hero or a stalker/psychopath in training? It keeps you guessing, this little film. I like it.
God of Love (USA)- Here's our winner. I thought this was going to be about Mormon missionaries or Bible camp. Boy was I wrong. Our hero is a wild-haired crooner in a band with an affinity for torch songs and throwing darts. He's good at both. He loves the pretty young lady who is the drummer, but she only has eyes for his best friend. Enter a love package sent straight from Olympus and maybe, just maybe, a modern day Cupid is born. Sweet and whimsical and totally hip, the wild-haired lead should have been James Franco's replacement as Oscar host. A short film that is cool and funny and made in the USA? Of course it won. And actually it kind of deserves it.
Next up, the Animated shorts
But I did get to see all of the nominated shorts from the live action category. Had I seen them before the Oscars I might have.....ahhhh who am I kidding. It wouldn't have helped at all. I still would have picked the loser. But there is some good news. This year the shorts are uniformly excellent and not nearly as downbeat as last years batch. And they're on pay-per-view so you can watch them in your own living room. It is absolutely worth it. (Time Warner cable people it's under Video on Demand --Award Season) Unlike last year, it's totally worth the five bucks. Here we go:
The Confession (UK)- This is the longest of the films (26 min) and takes itself the most seriously. It's full of religious icons and allegory. Crosses everywhere. Two young boys are about to have their first communion but one doesn't have much to confess so they pull a prank that has far more serious consequences than either can imagine or handle. It's a meditation on sin and guilt and what we will always bear with us and it is meticulously crafted and beautifully executed. This was my least favorite, but I liked it better than every one of last years crop.
Wish 143 (UK)- This may have been my favorite. A sixteen year old boy is dying of cancer (stick with me). A make-a-wish organization asks what he might want as his wish. Easy. He wants to have sex. I told ya he was sixteen. He becomes "the cancer kid who wants to lose his virginity" and how the rest of this plays out is the most intricately plotted, emotional, charming, and funny film of the lot. Let me repeat that-CHARMING and FUNNY. There is a scene toward the end that will tug on your heart and may be the most powerful cinematic moment of 2010. Worth the five bucks just for this one.
Na WeWe (Belgium)- In this short, lives are at stake. A van full of people in Africa is stopped by a band of armed Hutu militia. They are looking for Tutsi tribesmen to kill. The question is who is Hutu and who is not. A series of miraculous interventions ensue, the last of which is from Bono (yes that Bono). Sound ridiculous? It's not. Tense and powerful it is. Might have easily been the winner in this category.
The Crush (Ireland)- This was my choice in the pool and had I seen it beforehand, I might have just stuck with it. It's that good. An Irish schoolboy has a crush on his teacher. A deep, serious crush. The kind of crush you can only have from the purity of a schoolboy's eyes. She is of course in an adult relationship and one that isn't, well, so sweet. Is the young boy a hero or a stalker/psychopath in training? It keeps you guessing, this little film. I like it.
God of Love (USA)- Here's our winner. I thought this was going to be about Mormon missionaries or Bible camp. Boy was I wrong. Our hero is a wild-haired crooner in a band with an affinity for torch songs and throwing darts. He's good at both. He loves the pretty young lady who is the drummer, but she only has eyes for his best friend. Enter a love package sent straight from Olympus and maybe, just maybe, a modern day Cupid is born. Sweet and whimsical and totally hip, the wild-haired lead should have been James Franco's replacement as Oscar host. A short film that is cool and funny and made in the USA? Of course it won. And actually it kind of deserves it.
Next up, the Animated shorts
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Oscar Picks
My Oscar Picks (What I think will win, not what I would vote for if I was voting)
Picture-The King's Speech
Actor-Colin Firth The King's Speech
Actress-Natalie Portman Black Swan
Sup Actor-Christian Bale The Fighter
Sup Actress- Melissa Leo The Fighter
Director-David Fincher The Social Network
Original Screenplay-The King's Speech
Adapted Screenplay-The Social Network
Foreign Film- Dogtooth Greece
Animated Feature- Toy Story 3
Cinematography-True Grit
Film Editing- The Kng's Speech
Art Direction- Inception
Sound Editing-Inception
Sound Mixing-Inception
Visual FX-Inception
Documentary Feature-Restrepo
Costumes- The King's Speech
Orig. Score- The Social Network
Song-We Belong Together Toy Story 3
Make-up Wolfman
Documentary Short-Killing In The Name
Live Action short-The Crush
Animated Short-Night and Day
Picture-The King's Speech
Actor-Colin Firth The King's Speech
Actress-Natalie Portman Black Swan
Sup Actor-Christian Bale The Fighter
Sup Actress- Melissa Leo The Fighter
Director-David Fincher The Social Network
Original Screenplay-The King's Speech
Adapted Screenplay-The Social Network
Foreign Film- Dogtooth Greece
Animated Feature- Toy Story 3
Cinematography-True Grit
Film Editing- The Kng's Speech
Art Direction- Inception
Sound Editing-Inception
Sound Mixing-Inception
Visual FX-Inception
Documentary Feature-Restrepo
Costumes- The King's Speech
Orig. Score- The Social Network
Song-We Belong Together Toy Story 3
Make-up Wolfman
Documentary Short-Killing In The Name
Live Action short-The Crush
Animated Short-Night and Day
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Barney's Version
Paul Giamatti plays a Jewish curmudgeon with a self-destructive streak, especially when it comes to the woman in his life in an adaptation of the Mordecai Richler (The Aprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz) novel,"Barney's Version". Giamatti won the Golden Globe for best Lead Performance by an Actor in a Comedy. I have no problem with that. He gives an excellent performance but if the Foreign Press Association thinks that this film is a comedy they're taking more powerful hallucinogens than I originally suspected. This movie is in no way, shape or form a comedy. In fact it's even less of a comedy than the eventual winner in the Golden Globes Best Comedy category "The Kids Are Alright" (also not a comedy). Really, the foreign press is either high or corrupt. I lean toward the second.
But that doesn't mean the movie isn't good. It is. This is a character study wrapped in a Jewish love story. It takes Giamatti through Barney's youthful idealism and two failed marriages, to his discovery of the love of his life. It shows Barney with all his raw flaws and weaknesses, some of which sabotage his happiness. The film takes him all the way to an early grave, which might just break your heart. But by that time the richness of a life lived fully, if not perfectly, has made the cinematic journey worth taking. And that's due in no small part to a smartly adapted script, a beautifully nuanced supporting turn by Rosamund Pike and Giamatti's layered performance. He deserves to have an award on his mantle for "Barney's Version". Just not one that says "Comedy" on it.
But that doesn't mean the movie isn't good. It is. This is a character study wrapped in a Jewish love story. It takes Giamatti through Barney's youthful idealism and two failed marriages, to his discovery of the love of his life. It shows Barney with all his raw flaws and weaknesses, some of which sabotage his happiness. The film takes him all the way to an early grave, which might just break your heart. But by that time the richness of a life lived fully, if not perfectly, has made the cinematic journey worth taking. And that's due in no small part to a smartly adapted script, a beautifully nuanced supporting turn by Rosamund Pike and Giamatti's layered performance. He deserves to have an award on his mantle for "Barney's Version". Just not one that says "Comedy" on it.
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