Wrath of the Titans

April 15, 2012

At first, I did not really have any plan of watching this movie since the first film in its series, "Clash of the Titans," was so dismal. However today, since we were in the mall and my wife and daughter needed to get some shopping done, I brought my two sons to watch this. Hey, it was not as bad as I was expecting!

This film follows the story of Perseus 10 years after he killed the Kraken. He is a poor fisherman in a small town, a single dad with a son. When his dad Zeus was taken hostage by Hades and Ares in order to restore the powers and release the Titan Kronos (father of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades) from Tartarus, Perseus reunites with Andromeda (now queen) to embark on a rescue mission. Maybe because the director thought we all know how this will end, he throws us a preposterous surprise at the end.

On the debit side, their Greek mythology is mixed-up! What is the Minotaur doing in the Tartarus maze? It's like the writer was also inspired by the revisionist mythology by the Percy Jackson books instead of classical mythology. The supposedly immortal gods can even DIE here! The acting is not that important here. Sam Worthington is still a bland lead actor. Rosamund Pike does not convince as a warrior queen. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes (as Zeus and Hades respectively) were rather cheesy, as they appeared and acted more human than godly really. 

Overall though, this film is okay on the level of a CG action adventure. The visual effects are breath- taking, especially how they fiery way they envisioned Kronos! The creatures that battled Perseus and company during his quest, as well as the labyrinthine structure of Tartarus, are excellently executed. If you lower your expectations, this film will entertain you for that free one and a half hours that you have, as it did very well for us.

Battleship

April 12, 2012

This is one of those movies that we know we have already seen in one way or the other before. Earth is attacked by aliens and the US military (however cocky and dysfunctional the leader) winds up saving the world. When I heard that this movie was based on a Hasbro board game, I did not really expect much anymore, except for a slam-bang action movie, and that is what I got. Director Peter Berg goes for the patriotic card as he imbues the film with various dramatic (and practically cheesy) scenes of heroism against all odds. "Independence Day" anyone?

In "Battleship", the dysfunctional leader facing aliens is played by rising star Taylor Kitsch, who just played another character like that in his last starrer "John Carter." He's certainly got that brash jock role down pat. He did look much shorter here surrounded by taller actors around him, particularly Alexander Skarsgard who played his big brother. Brooklyn Decker, the "actress" who played his girlfriend Samantha, has got to have some of the most wretched acting recorded on screen in a major film, and she was not as hot as Megan Fox was in "Transformers." Rihanna, while expectedly wooden too as a Navy soldier,does a little better. Liam Neeson plays the Admiral who just happened to be Samantha's dad. He wisely just played it for fun, not too seriously as he did as Zeus in "Clash of the Titans".

If you go watch this film with low expectations, you will have fun with this film with all its fiery action and explosions. There was even an unbelievable mano-a-mano fist fight with aliens here! Do not think too hard about the numerous unbelievable or illogical scenes. My only complaint about this was the running time of more than two hours. You will feel the clock ticking as you watch.

The Hunger Games

March 22, 2012

Just came home from watching "The Hunger Games." I have read all three books by Suzanne Collins several months before, so I know what will happen already. Despite this knowledge, I remained excited and riveted by how the details of the story had been translated on screen by writer-director Gary Ross.

The first hour was dedicated to the events preceding the games, as the last hour and a half depicted the games themselves. This movie was the story of a future world, in a country with 12 districts controlled a central Capitol. Every year, they would commemorate the revolution by staging a "Hunger Games", where two tributes from each district would fight to the death until only one remains the victor. On this the 74th Games, the tributes of outlying District 12 would be Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and the central heroine of the series, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence).

I could say really that this movie was practically how I imagined the book while I was reading it. I guess you can also say that Suzanne Collins' description of this non-existent world was so vividly cinematic to begin with. First rate special effects were used to bring essential highlights of the book, such as the "girl on fire" costume and the control room of game-master, Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley). 

However, credit should also be given the intimate scenes that did not rely on any special effect, but the sensitivity of the actors themselves, especially Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role. These quiet scenes were also very well-executed, albeit some tender moments between Katniss and Peeta may sometimes border on cheesy (although that was how they really were described in the book!). This movie, like the book, is targeted towards the teenage group, and the reaction of the teen girls in the audience would attest to their appreciation of these particular moments.

Overall, I would say this movie achieved that rare balance between book and film interpretation. Fans of the book and those who never read the books both would appreciate the characters, story-telling, the set design, art direction and visual effects. The violence was mercifully muted for the target teen audience. This is a must-see, and sets up very well the upcoming sequels, as there is no doubt they will also produce the next two books, "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay". Well recommended!

This Means War

March 21, 2012

First of all, the poster with the three stars was quite striking. Chris Pine I have not seen in anything since "Star Trek." Tom Hardy is in a lot of big movies since he broke into the big time in "Inception." Reese Witherspoon is always the perky favorite rom-com girl. It was a very promising casting to say the least! I had to see what this was about.

The intense opening sequence tells us that Frank (Pine) and Tuck (Hardy) are CIA operatives and good friends. Lauren (Witherspoon) is a consumer goods quality researcher. Through an online dating site, Lauren meets up with Tuck. And by sheer chance, later she also meets Frank in a video store. The two men later discover they were dating and falling in love with the same girl, and she is falling for both of them! This results in a mad-cap game of no-holds-barred oneupmanship as the two guys both use their over-the-top spy tricks in order to get on the better side of Lauren.

The three stars all had great chemistry with each other which makes the movie fun to watch. The competitive banter between Pine and Hardy was electric and energetic. The character of Lauren's sex-obsessed friend Trish (Chelsea Handler) is blunt and hilarious. The respective staff of the Frank and Tuck were also very funny as they loyally spied for their respective bosses. This film by Director McG has varied scenes of action, comedy and romance which will keep both men and women entertained. Fun! I think you will all have a good time watching this. There is definitely something for everyone to enjoy here.

John Carter

March 15, 2012

At this time "John Carter" had already received so much bad press, with people already calling it a massive box-office flop for the Disney company. I went to watch this with the whole family yesterday despite all that. At least I am not expecting too much out of this movie already.

"John Carter" is based on a 100-year novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs called "Princess of Mars." "Tarzan" aside, I did not know that Mr. Burroughs had any other books, sci-fi at that, so ahead of his time, so I was interested. Here, a Civil War captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) was transported by a mysterious blue medallion to a foreign planet inhabited by tall lizard-like beings with four arms, where he could "leap tall buildings in a single bound". This planet turns out to be Mars, and he gets involved in its political turmoil as he rescues red-skinned Dejah (Lynn Collins), the plucky and scientific-genius princess of the Helium tribe.

The set-up for me took a little bit too long, and I felt the whole movie go by so very slowly. So I felt that was a really stuffy screenplay by Director Andrew Stanton (who also wrote and directed a number of Pixar classics like "Nemo" and "Wall-E"). However, the visuals and the action were all excellently executed. You can see where the $200+M production went. The sets, props, costumes and CGI were top-notch. So my final verdict is that "John Carter" is not really a bad film. It was very good when it is good. It is just unfortunate that the good parts would have to come after the first hour. (And Taylor Kitsch is the real jerky Hollywood jock-bimbo that his David Letterman interview showed him to be.)

Devil Inside

March 1, 2012

I watched "Devil Inside" without seeing the trailer. From the first frame, it already tells us that it would play out like a documentary about Exorcisms, unauthorized by the Catholic Church. Aha! Another found-footage film in the tradition of "Blair Witch" and "Paranormal Activity."

Like those other two aforementioned films, the build up of the action was very slow. This film follows Isabella Rossi (Fernanda Andrade) as she investigates how to help her mother Maria (Suzan Crowley), who had been locked in a mental institution in Italy after she killed three religious personnel who were apparently in the process of exorcising her. 

The first 30 minutes or so were spent as a rather pedantic discussion about exorcism. When the investigator goes with a young exorcist Fr. Ben (Simon Quarterman) to an actual exorcism, that is when the film becomes interesting. The team encounters Maria only by the first hour already. The last 15 minutes were an unexpectedly bizarre turn of events which unfortunately end as soon as they were built up. 


I don't know how to rate this film. Maybe there is only so much that can be done about exorcism in film, and there had certainly been so many such movies already, almost every year. "The Devil Inside" at least tries to be different with a serious documentary approach to the events. It is not as bad as scathing reviews would have you believe. These bad reviews may actually be good for you as they would temper your expectations, and make you like this film more. And no, they did not play the INXS song here.

My Week With Marilyn

February 26, 2012

"My Week With Marilyn" is just what is its title says, a film about a young man named Colin Clark, who strikes a friendship with Marilyn Monroe for a week while she filmed a movie with Sir Laurence Olivier. The fame of this movie was based on the Academy Award nominated performance of lead star Michelle Williams as the Monroe.

The mystique of the legendary actress is very well-portrayed by Michelle Williams. I do not know Ms. Monroe enough except for her iconic photos and videos, but I believe Ms. Williams captures Monroe's essence very well indeed -- her smiles and sexiness on-screen, her insecurities and desperate pain behind the screen. Loved that sequence where Marilyn toured Windsor Castle and Eton with Colin (a nondescript Eddie Redmayne). So carefree! Michelle deserves this Oscar nomination more than the one she got for "Blue Valentine" last year. And as far as biopics this year are concerned, I liked Michelle's sincere performance more than that of Meryl Streep's in "The Iron Lady," which can occasionally come across as caricature.

Aside from Michelle, the rest of the cast was okay, but much more ordinary in comparison. Kenneth Branagh, though also Oscar-nominated also here, does not look a thing like Sir Laurence Olivier! Ms. Judy Dench simply has such a distinct face so all her characters feel the same, but she is quite delightful here as a sympathetic senior actress. It was a nice surprise to see Emma Watson here not wearing her Hogwarts uniform. I like this movie very much as a light breezy romp, a wish-fulfillment fantasy for a number of star-struck plain young men (like me, haha!). The build-up and progression of the story is light and straight-forward. This is a very nice and entertaining movie without too much artsy pretension.

A Better Life

February 25, 2012

I was only interested to watch "A Better Life" because of the Best Actor Oscar nomination given its "unknown" (to me, at least) lead actor, Demian Bichir. Before watching the film, I did not even know what nationality Mr. Bichir was. I even thought he might be from the Middle East. Although the title was suggestive enough, I did not have an idea what the movie would be about.

This is about a Mexican father who wishes for nothing more than "a better life" for his son, even if it means resorting to illegal immigration into the United States. He buys a truck to help his "illegal" gardening business progress, knowing fully well the risks if he was discovered. He also struggles to bond with his head-strong Americanized 14-year old son, who also struggles to resist peer pressure among the Latino gangs in East LA. I will not spoil the story anymore from here. 

Coming from the Third World myself, the story is something very familiar. I did not really find anything extraordinary about the whole film. It felt like a B made-for-TV family drama movie. The actors were generally amateurish, especially the young actor playing the son (Jose Julian). As for Mr. Demian Bichir, does he deserve the Oscar nomination? Okay, he is quite good, especially in those scenes where he shows desperation and despair. But overall, for me, it is nothing we have not already seen before in dramas like this.

Warrior

February 25, 2012

"Warrior" is about two "Rocky"s in one movie set in the rough world of Mixed Martial Arts. Tommy Reardon (Tom Hardy) is a guilt-ridden war hero who wants to help the widow of a dear friend who died in battle. Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton) is a high school physics teacher who is about to be evicted from his house. The movie follows their training and winning matches en route to the inevitable finale at the big-time Sparta Tournament. We also get a peek into their troubled family lives which paints a more dramatic background to the main sports story.

I am sucker for movies about brothers. There was "A River Runs Through It," "The Mambo Kings," "The Fighter," and now "Warrior" is another one. Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton don't really look like brothers, but both look credible in their roles as mixed martial artists. Hardy has that brooding aggressiveness on him. Edgerton has the more underdog role. Nick Nolte shines as the absentee drunkard father who is trying his best to reform, but is still facing rejection. Nolte is now rewarded with an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

The story takes its time in the beginning, but you will be hooked once the competitions begin. You will definitely want to know who wins in the end and how. The action in this movie is very realistic. Choreography is not evident as everything seems to be happening in actuality. We are brought to ringside seats to see this extremely strenuous sport up close. A sad and brutal masterpiece, you will be moved to tears.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)

February 24, 2012

Can you really say that you liked a movie even if you do not fully understand the story it just told? After watching this latest film incarnation of John le Carre's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", I fully agree with several reviewers who said that they know they have seen a cinematic masterpiece, yet cannot grasp the complicated story that just unfolded on the screen. 

I caught this film mainly because of Gary Oldman's Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He is very subdued, but very good in his characterization of retired agent George Smiley, who was called out of retirement to flush out a Russian mole within their spy organization. The way Oldman really disappears into his roles, I am not really sure what he looks like in real life! In my opinion though, this movie was more of a ensemble cast acting, rather than a showcase for a single actor. Colin Firth, Mark Strong and especially Tom Hardy all shine in their respective roles, which I cannot really label as merely "supporting." 

The film was beautiful to watch, with those imaginative camera angles, the energetic editing (but an slam-bang action film this is NOT), the stark colors of the 1970's set design. Is it the fault of Director Tomas Alfredson (of "Let the Right One In" fame) then that I, who had not read the novel nor seen the 1979 Sir Alec Guinness TV- mini-series, did not get all the details of the story right away? Had he put too much stock on visual style rather than focus on the story-telling? I am reserving my right to judge this film with finality on my second watching.

Albert Nobbs

February 23, 2012

"Albert Nobbs" is an unusual film set in Victorian England. Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close) is an odd, quiet little man who worked as a waiter in a hotel for several years, saving up money while dreaming to put up his own tobacco shop when he retires. As accidentally exposed by the hotel painter Mr. Page (Janet Mc Teer) who later became his only friend, Albert is actually a woman who took on this male persona to survive. He wished to "marry" one of the hotel maids, Helen (Mia Wasikowska), who was unfortunately in love with an unscrupulous ruffian handyman named Joe (Aaron Johnson).

Glenn Close rightly deserves to be nominated for Best Actress in her outstanding work here. She manages to convince us that she is a man, as slight and fragile as she was physically. Janet Mc Teer likewise deserves her Supporting Actress nomination as she played Nobbs' kindred soul "Mr." Page with so much confidence and bravado. This was so much evident during the scene where Close and Mc Teer don female frocks to take a walk on the beach. It was so delightfully ironic how these two women actually looked so funny and awkward dressed as women, as opposed to them dressed as men! That is a testament to both of their amazing character work.

The movie is as quiet, lonely and claustrophobic as Albert him/herself. Because of its unusual and potentially uncomfortable story line which not so subtle hints about lesbianism, this is art-house fare, not really for the general viewership. Sensitivity and understanding will be required to fully appreciate this film.