News Archive - August 2009
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8-15-2009
Sci-Fi at its best
I've had a day to digest the new movie, District 9, and I stand by my first assessment, it's one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, possibly ever. I will take a small step back on one point I made yesterday, that the movie is original and unique. The fact is that there are a few elements and themes that are borrowed from other science fiction movies such as Alien Nation and Blade Runner, but it takes them and blends them in a new way to create a very thought provoking and entertaining film.
District 9 uses South Africa's history of apartheid to tell the story of aliens living in a segregated slum in present day Johannesburg. The aliens, called prawns, arrived over the city 28 years ago. Humans, investigating the ship, found the aliens living on board, leaderless, malnourished and in rough shape, and set up a camp for them to live in. The prawns had no standing as sentient beings and District 9 eventually devolved into a slum where violence and exploitation was a daily occurrence. As the movie opens, the Multi-National United (MNU) corporation, which oversees District 9, is tasked with evicting the prawns and moving them to a new camp 200 kilometers outside of Johannesburg.
District 9 is an expanded movie based on a short film called Alive in Joburg which was directed by Neill Blomkamp in 2005. Peter Jackson produces the feature length version and it was shot on a tight budget of just $30 million, a drop in the bucket compared to other summer movies such as Transformers ($200m) and G.I. Joe ($175m).
Very few of the actors and actresses have any previous film credits, including the star of the movie, Sharlto Copley who plays Wikus Van De Merwe. Copley is brilliant as Van De Merwe as we follow him from excited MNU employee overseeing the eviction of the prawns through the climax of the film where he's an alienated figure whose survival is tied to the prawns and their plight.
District 9 is shot on location in Johannesburg and while some sets were used, it doesn't take long to recognize that many parts of District 9 were filmed on location in an actual slum. The realistic feel of this movie is jarring. Blomkamp is a visual effects guy and you can tell by how well the CGI is blended with reality. There are many parts of District 9 that are more well done than the incredibly more expensive Transformers. Hollywood directors, take note of this.
Much of the beginning of District 9 is a documentary, mixing in candid video of Van De Merwe with interviews of scientists and historians who discuss the prawns and their history on Earth. Blomkamp also blends in footage that appears to be from security cameras as well as using standard filming techniques. The end result is very seamless and although you recognize which is which, it never stands out or interrupts the flow of the movie. As the film progresses there are also news reports and news papers that add to the story. There is a lot to look at in this film and a second or even third viewing is almost required. However, you can miss some of the small things but never feel like you're missing part of the plot. Blomkamp has created a very rich, realistic feeling movie.
As I mentioned, there are very few actors in this movie that have previous film experience and even those that do, you've probably never heard of. Unlike other movies with first-time actors, District 9 doesn't suffer from this. Nearly every performance is spot on for what is needed whether it's a civilian on the street doing a news interview, a historian or a military soldier doing his job while trying to decide how to act with the documentary cameras in his face. Not only does that speak of the talent of those involved but also about how well Blomkamp does as a director to get what he needs for the movie.
Even though there are other movies this year that I've really liked, I think that District 9 is one that everyone should see at some point. The movie has an interesting story and is an achievement in both acting and directing. This is what good filmmaking is about, and should be a wake-up call to Hollywood that you don't need hundreds of millions of dollars and a bevy of accountants and overpaid market research specialists to make a good film. And you don't need to pay actors $20 million to get good acting. If the Academy Awards doesn't find this film and reward it for its accomplishments next March then it will be a travesty.
I give District 9 five out of five stars for it's incredible story, acting and directing achievements.
8-14-2009
No Humans Allowed
I'm not going to take the time to write a full review of District 9, but I just got home and have to tell you that this is one of the best films I've seen in a very long time.
The story is very original and unique, the acting and directing is absolutely incredible and the most amazing thing is that there is not a single person involved with this film that you can name.
District 9 may, in fact, be the best film I've seen yet this year, and that's saying something as I loved Harry Potter and Star Trek and Watchmen was one of the most well done films since The Dark Knight.
I'm hitting the sack now, I'll be back tonight with a proper review of the film. Still, if you can go see this film this weekend, do it!
8-7-2009
And now I know!
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra does NOT suck. It was not an art film by any means but I'd guess it was about on par with Transformers; plenty of action, not a lot of acting skill required, shit blows up good...that kind of thing.
The basic plot of The Rise of Cobra is that James McCullen's M.A.R.S. corporation has created a new technology called nanomites for NATO, and he's looking to steal it back and use it to take over the world.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra uses characters from Hasbro's 1982 - 1994 toy line, including Dennis Quaid as General Hawk, Channing Tatum as Duke, Marlon Wayans as Ripcord, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Heavy Duty and Ray Park as the silent Snake Eyes.
McCullen is played by Christopher Eccleston, while Sienna Miller brings the Baroness to life and Byung-hun-Lee is the ever-popular Storm Shadow.
Spoilerish stuff...
The film starts out with a little history on the McCullen family and their arms dealing ways, which date all the way back to the 1600's. James McCullen is continuing the family business, developing arms and weapons for a majority of the countries and military organizations in the world. He's just developed a new technology for NATO called nanomites. They're microscopic machines that can be programmed to heal injured soldiers or destroy enemy equipment, even cities.
Duke and Ripcord take possession of the new technology to deliver it but their convoy is ambushed by the Baroness and her troops. Duke, Ripcord and the nanomite technology are saved by the Joe team as the film kicks into high gear.
While the film moves along at a fast pace it does manage to take time for flashbacks and exposition to flesh out the characters. Most of the flashback sequences are spent on the history of Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes as well as Duke and his relationship with the Baroness and his ties to M.A.R.S.
The film is a worldwide affair with the Joes travelling from the deserts of Egypt to Paris, Washington DC and even the North Pole.
G.I. Joe has always been known for its cutting edge and futuristic equipment and plenty of that was on display in the film. From the airships to the mind probes and the new accelerator suits, the Joes were equipped to handle about any situation, but M.A.R.S. was equally equipped to put them to the test.
The plot of the film was decent, stop M.A.R.S. from stealing the nanomite technology and releasing it on the world. The execution was spotty at times, however, and the dialog was overly serious at times and a bit campy at others. Pretty much what you would expect from a script that was, by all accounts, rushed out before the writers strike kicked in.
The film has a few continuity problems, especially in the Paris pursuit that we've seen in the trailers. The CGI effects on that chase were especially lacking. The accelerator suits were used during the scenes in Paris and they, along with Scarlett's motorcycle chase, were more goofy looking than nail biting. Ronin did a lot more with a lot less.
The final battle between the forces of MARS and the Joes had some decent CGI work and it makes you wonder if they blew the budget on the finale and let the Paris scenes slide. Still, that chase sequence had other problems and while it was supposed to be a very important and key sequence, I found myself distracted.
The actors did a decent job with what they had to work with. Rachel Nichols as Scarlett was one of the more interesting characters, both well written and acted, making her stand out in the film. I had reservations about Wayans as Ripcord but the humor he provided was balanced out with the action and kept him from becoming too goofy. Ripcord, while being treated for wounds received in the opening ambush, was the outlet for several lines giving nods to the G.I. Joe toy lines of the 60's and 70's as well as the Real American Hero line of the 80's.
Saïd Taghmaoui, as Breaker, had a key role in the film and added his own humor and I really enjoyed his character. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a very good actor but his Heavy Duty character, while important to the film, wasn't used as well as he could have been. Still, hearing him yell the classic "Yo Joe" at the climax of the film was fun without being forced.
While the Joe team from the 80's was large, the only other character that we saw much of was Covergirl, played by Karolina Kurkova.
On the other side of the fence, Arnold Vosloo took on the role of Zartan and while some of the character's classic chameleon abilities went unused, Vosloo didn't miss a beat in putting a sadistic look in his eye as he offed several characters.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, probably best known as Tommy from "3rd Rock from the Sun," generated some WTF internet chat when it was announced that he would play the character of The Doctor in the film. We now know that the Doctor becomes Cobra Commander and not Dr. Mindbender, who did have a cameo. While some may still shake their heads at his casting, I have no problem. I thought he did an excellent job and would love to see him reprise the roll in any sequels.
As I mentioned, I thought the plot of the film was decent but I do feel that the nanomite technology was overused. This single technology was used as a crutch to prop up nearly all of the villains from mind controlled Vipers to Zartan's shape shifting, The Doctor's injuries to the Baroness' motivation. They even used them to explain McCullen's transformation into Destro.
The action was well done for most of the film, the Paris scenes being the biggest example of what didn't quite go right. The showdown between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow as adults was very anticipated, but nearly overshadowed by that of Leo Howard and Brandon Soo Hoo who played them as young teens. The flashback scenes with Soo Hoo and Howard sparring were excellent.
I mentioned the CGI earlier and it ranged from poor to excellent. Anytime you replace humans with CGI you run the risk of having it go sideways and it definitely did that in the Paris scenes. The final battle was well executed and the static scenery, for the most part, was well done. The blend of sets and CGI were seamless for most of the film and the falling Eiffel Tower was brilliant.
I mentioned the other day that if this film didn't suck I would update my opinion. The film does not suck. I think it could have been better had there been more time to polish the script but I think the actors did well with what they had. Stephen Sommers, who directed, has done fine jobs before with The Mummy and The Mummy Returns but anyone who has seen Van Helsing and its shortcomings will notice them here as well. All things being equal, I think a Spielberg, Scott or even Bay would have done better things with the film.
There are a lot of cool visuals in the film that make watching this in theaters a definite plus, but with less than 50 people in the midnight showing last night, I don't think a lot of people are going to come out for this. It will be a fun movie for some teens, however, and may draw on them as the weekend progresses. If the bank warrants a sequel, it would be more than welcomed. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra gets 3 wheels of cheddar out of 5.
8-5-2009
And now you don't know?
It appears that Paramount will not preview the new G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra for the media before it opens this Friday. Apparently the powers that be decided that the brutal drubbing that Transformers 2 took was something they didn't want for this film that, unlike the TF sequel, had no track record.
Plus this film is going to really suck, unlike Transformers.
I kid. Sort of. There have been some screenings of the film but according to an article on IMDB.com, the audiences were picked from the film's target audience, including bloggers who were more likely to give the film positive buzz.
While I may not have posted it, I've made no secret of the fact that I think there are a lot of things wrong, or potentially wrong, with this film. The most glaring issue is that the script was rushed out right before the big writers strike in Hollywood. A lot of shit came out of that time period, especially on weekly TV shows.
Second, they're screwing with some of the basic mythology of the Real American Hero aspects of Joe. And Ripcord is being played by a Wayans brother. Really?
Being a fan of the G.I. Joe team from the 1980's, the Real American Hero that I love is lead by Duke but relies on Stalker and Flint, and Snake Eyes and Scarlett are an item. Storm Shadow is an ass kicker and Cobra Commander is off his rocker. Destro is the consummate mercenary and the Baroness is a cold blooded femme fatale. Okay, Zartan and the Dreadnoks are pretty ridiculous, but they're fun.
Not fun? Snake Eyes and Scarlett have a brother/sister relationship? No Stalker? Ripcord is a stand-up comedian? Accelerator suits? Blah.
I am going to go see this film and I'm going to try to keep an open mind about it. If it's good, I'll definitely correct my opinion here in a review, but if it sucks, I'm going to be pissed.
8-3-2009
Joel Stein is off his rocker
Joel Stein published an article on Time.com last Thursday about Judd Apatow and how his hard work in Hollywood has paid off with hits such as The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. While the praise is well deserved, he goes on to talk about how Apatow's characters have transcended the dick and fart jokes to be come "Alan Aldas who talk like frat boys." He mentions characters that "push aside their comic books and triumph over themselves." Then he goes on to compare Apatow's films to negative examples in the 90's by the Farrely brothers, Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler.
The kick in the ass happens when nowhere in his article does he even make a single acknowledgement of Kevin Smith's accomplishments in the same genre. Or John Hughes before.
There's no mention of Clerks and the relationship between Dante and Randal and how the payoff to their relationship comes a dozen years later in Clerks II when Dante finds love and the best friends take control of their destiny. There's not so much as a passing mention of Jason Lee's Brodie in Mallrats or how he overcomes his mall and comic addiction to recover the girl he's nearly lost, and passing over the bromance between Lee's Banky and Ben Aflleck's Holden in Chasing Amy? Utterly ridiculous.
I have no problem giving Apatow his due for the caliber of actors he uses and polish he puts on his films, but nobody writes more honest and poignant relationships than Smith. Apatow has Smith, Hughes and others to thank for creating a genre that he's now cashing in on. Doom on Stein for missing a brilliant opportunity to point that out.