Wolves don't act that way - they are not intelligent enough to act that way. Sure they'll attack if starving, but they are personified as if they can understand human speech and actions.
Synopsis: Oil workers led by Ottway (Liam Neeson) must survive in the arctic wilderness, dodge ravenous wolves and try to make it out alive.
Liam Neeson - As the lead character, he does make a strong leader. Many people make fun of his monotone, but he's about as monotone as Nicolas Cage. His expression may not vary as much as, say Jim Carrey or Robin Williams, but he is a different type of actor. He does do the blank face quite well, though and that's probably more of a problem than his lack of tonality in his voice. Still, he is able to carry the movie as well as seem trustworthy and caring. It seems there is a theme to his characters - they are father figures or leaders, and they usually (but not always) die. As mentioned before, he does not die in the movie. Here he's the leader, the alpha to parallel the alpha for the wolves. There really isn't to much to his character or any of the characters, really. They could all just be called "Some Guy 1-7".
The rest of the characters slowly develop as they get picked off by the wolves. The longer they stay alive, the more the audience gets to know them. However, they never call each other by name, and if they do, it's very easy to miss. These characters who may or may not have names mentioned in the movie are static, flat characters. Most audience members will not care when they die.
The wolf pack is a character in itself. Yes, singular or mass noun, like money. The pack is ONE character made up of many parts. It has been anthropomorphized and personified in order to seem a more threatening and intelligent villain. Although the film makers make most of them puppets, they look like crap - like stuffed animals. The CGI wolves don't look any better. They are on the same level at the first version of the Twilight wolves. Again, wolves do not act this way, generally speaking. They would be hunting deer and small game, and if there's none of that around, why are they there? Also, the movie is open ended. Liam Neeson can continue his character death streak or he can live to see his family again.
Overall, the movie was a decent flick, a watch once sort of thing.
Grade: 2.5/5
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday, August 31, 2012
The Bourne Legacy
Long action, little character. This fourth installment to the Bourne franchise has some interesting ideas, but not enough time to flesh them out, concentrating on only the actions and not allowing the audience to actually care about what happens to the characters.
Synopsis: Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is betrayed by his operation and goes on a mission to find out why. Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) worked with operatives like Cross before the government shut down the operation and attempted to kill all the scientists. Cross and Shearing run from the government and must figure out how to survive.
Jeremy Renner - better known as Hawkeye from The Avengers - as Aaron Cross is no Jason Bourne. Unlike Bourne, Cross must take pills to enhance his intelligence, strength, speed, agility, and stamina. While Renner does an excellent job during the intense scenes, his softer scenes (which are extremely few) feel awkward and a bit bumbling. Cross kicks butt as easily as Bourne, although there's much more running involved than actual hand-to-hand combat. Renner should probably stick with Hawkeye.
Rachel Weisz as Dr. Marta Shearing is a FLI (Forced Love Interest). This is her purpose for the most part. Of course, being Cross' kind-of-but-not-really doctor/scientist does help in the long run as she knows how to get him to places he needs to go so he doesn't go into crazy withdrawal from the pills he's been taking.
Edward Norton is the... antagonist? He's a government official who's name the audience probably hears, but will never remember. He does stuff and tries to clean up his mistakes. Edward Norton plays his character so similar to other characters he's played that one might believe he's just acting like Edward Norton.
There were very few other big name actors of note who had big parts in the film. The biggest annoyance was that the motorcycle chase seemed to last forever! Then the movie just stops abruptly without resolution (probably due to a promised sequel). If one looks at the Jason Bourne series, all three of them are complete movies with a beginning, middle, and end - someone could watch the third without needing to see the first or the second. It seems that this will not be so with Aaron Cross' run as secret rogue agent man.
The coolest thing, though, is how they treat Jason Bourne. He does not appear in this movie, but he has a constant presence - especially at the beginning - in the film. He is mentioned, pictures of him are shown in files and on television. This looming presence at least lets the audience know that this is the same world as the original Jason Bourne.
Despite all of this criticism, a Bourne lover will probably like or maybe hate this movie, and it really is a good, brainless action flick.
Grade: 3/5
Synopsis: Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is betrayed by his operation and goes on a mission to find out why. Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) worked with operatives like Cross before the government shut down the operation and attempted to kill all the scientists. Cross and Shearing run from the government and must figure out how to survive.
Jeremy Renner - better known as Hawkeye from The Avengers - as Aaron Cross is no Jason Bourne. Unlike Bourne, Cross must take pills to enhance his intelligence, strength, speed, agility, and stamina. While Renner does an excellent job during the intense scenes, his softer scenes (which are extremely few) feel awkward and a bit bumbling. Cross kicks butt as easily as Bourne, although there's much more running involved than actual hand-to-hand combat. Renner should probably stick with Hawkeye.
Rachel Weisz as Dr. Marta Shearing is a FLI (Forced Love Interest). This is her purpose for the most part. Of course, being Cross' kind-of-but-not-really doctor/scientist does help in the long run as she knows how to get him to places he needs to go so he doesn't go into crazy withdrawal from the pills he's been taking.
Edward Norton is the... antagonist? He's a government official who's name the audience probably hears, but will never remember. He does stuff and tries to clean up his mistakes. Edward Norton plays his character so similar to other characters he's played that one might believe he's just acting like Edward Norton.
There were very few other big name actors of note who had big parts in the film. The biggest annoyance was that the motorcycle chase seemed to last forever! Then the movie just stops abruptly without resolution (probably due to a promised sequel). If one looks at the Jason Bourne series, all three of them are complete movies with a beginning, middle, and end - someone could watch the third without needing to see the first or the second. It seems that this will not be so with Aaron Cross' run as secret rogue agent man.
The coolest thing, though, is how they treat Jason Bourne. He does not appear in this movie, but he has a constant presence - especially at the beginning - in the film. He is mentioned, pictures of him are shown in files and on television. This looming presence at least lets the audience know that this is the same world as the original Jason Bourne.
Despite all of this criticism, a Bourne lover will probably like or maybe hate this movie, and it really is a good, brainless action flick.
Grade: 3/5
Monday, August 6, 2012
Captain America: The First Avenger (On Netflix)
A great taste of the superhero 1940s world. Of course this is nothing like what actually happened in WWII. There was no Tesseract (how did Red Skull know what it was called in the first place? If I remember correctly, everyone called it the Cosmic Cube until someone corrected them.). Since Stark wasn't around, no one had massive weapons that we don't even have now.
Synopsis: During WWII, the United States creates a Super Soldier, Captain America, to help with the war effort and eventually to battle with Hydra and its leader Red Skull.
Chris Evans - who also played the Human Torch in the Fantastic 4 movies - is a stout-hearted Steve Rodgers an a strong Captain America. His character is constant, shy, humble, bashful, and self-sacrificing. The CGI with his thin body is sometimes distracting as it looks like his head is much bigger than his body at times, but it's not enough to ruin the film. Although there is little major character development due to the fact that there is a huge montage of battles that probably covers years, it is easy to see that through those fights Captain Rodgers gains a bit more confidence in his new body.
Hugo Weaving plays Red Skull (and evil Hugo Weaving). He's very much channeling his Agent Smith from The Matrix series. Red Skull's goal? Trying to take over/destroy the world. Of course! Hugo Weaving has tried this before with previous villains he has portrayed. Red Skull is a bit boring, and not really threatening to the point of being campy. Casting an unknown or someone who has a little fame, but not enough to be globally known would have been better. Furthermore, why wasn't he speaking German to his German scientist? They used subtitles in Norway for Norwegian, why not German?
Sebastian Stan plays Bucky Barns, the best friend. It's a cliche part because of the movie trope that in war movies the best friend always dies. Since Bucky is absent through most of the movie and doesn't do much, there is not much to say about him. He seems to be a ladies' man and he flirts a bit, but those scenes are very few. Hopefully he will have a bigger part in the sequel, which probably takes place during the montage of battles in this movie.
Natalie Dormer plays Peggy Carter, who is the strong female type - and British for some reason. She is there to play the love interest. That's about it.
Tommy Lee Jones plays Colonel Chester Phillips (or Tommy Lee Jones or Agent K). He's hard core about the war, and it's obvious that he's tired and has seen far too much fighting. Philips probably participated at the end of WWI as well, which adds to his tiredness. This shows when he is forced to write letters of condolences to families on the home-front; he hates writing them and being the bearer of bad news.
Minor characters of note:
Dominic Cooper plays Howard Stark. Being Robert Downey Jr.'s dad probably has its perks. Cooper definitely tries to channel a bit of RDJ's charisma (and succeeds in the scenes where it's used), but Howard seems to be much more put together and concentrated than Tony.
Toby Jones plays Dr. Armin Zola. He gives Red Skull weapons made from the Tesseract's energy. He also feels guilty that his creations are being used to destroy (well, duh, they're weapons and you gave them to a madman!). Since he also plays the Dream Lord in Doctor Who, it feels like the Tesseract weapons are really reminiscent of Dalek weapons.
Very tiny character parts:
Richard Armitage has a bit part as Heinz Kruger. He doesn't do much except be the gateway guardian (the first step into the actual plot/rising action) for Steve Rodgers.
Overall, the film was enjoyable.
Rating: 3/5
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises
Not as good as the previous films.
Synopsis: Eight years after the last film, Bruce Wayne must reemerge as Batman to fight off a new threat to Gotham, Bane.
In the wake of the tragedy in Colorado, The Dark Knight Rises may no longer have the enthusiastic following it had previously, however I went to honor those loyal movie-goers who attended the midnight movie and never got to actually finish the film they waited so long to see.
Characters:
Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale): His character has gotten a lot weaker since TDK. He is completely broken in more ways than one and, despite the actual symbolic and literal rising, he is not at the same strength as he was before. His voice is still annoyingly raspy, but his Batman dialogue is very much cut down. This Bruce Wayne is similar to the character from the beginning of Batman Begins. He has gone full circle (aka nowhere).
Alfred (Michael Caine): He is awesome as usual, but he disappears half way through the movie. There really is not much to say about his character, although I think he needs a big hug. He works so hard only to have Bruce Wayne return to being Batman and endangering his life for a city that doesn't appreciate him and blames him for a crime he didn't commit.
Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway): She is a modern femme fatale in leather spandex and heels (which can't be practical). She is just... there. She is an instigator of some plot threads, but does not do too much else.
Bane (Tom Hardy): He is not as threatening as the Joker. He stands around a lot when he's not fighting Batman and makes speeches in a Sean Connery voice that's amplified so much that it sounds like a dubbing rather than someone speaking through a mask. The times he does fight Batman, he is really a threat to the characters, but he did not induce fear in the audience like the Joker (at least not for me). He seems to be more talk than fight, although that might be because he could crush most people like bugs. His plan: Destroy Gotham as Ra's al Ghul planned. However, he pointlessly draws it out in an attempt to break the spirits of the Gothamites, thus allowing Batman and the police to retaliate and (as this is a melodrama superhero movie) win.
Commissioner Gordan (Gary Oldman): Like Alfred, Gordan is incapacitated through most of the movie. However, I liked how his character arch and relationship with Batman was completed at the end of the film.
John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt): The rookie cop who is suddenly catapulted to detective because of plot conveniences. Also... side-kick!
Other characters were not really memorable, but there were a few minor characters/cameos that made me smile like the nerd I am.
Cillian Murphy returns as Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane, although he is not mentioned by name. He is clearly recognizable and his role is a bit humorous. It makes me wonder whether it was originally written for the Joker, but was redone due to the death of Heath Ledger.
Liam Neeson pulls an Empire Stikes Back Obi-Wan Kenobi thing to move the plot forward and reveal something about a character that Bruce Wayne misinterprets.
Lastly, for those who have watched the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, Burn Gorman (Owen Harper) has a minor role in the movie, and he does a great job with the material he has.
This movie is the weakest of the trilogy and has much more in common with the first film than the sequel. One could take out The Dark Knight entirely and not really miss a thing due to the fact there are flashbacks from both films within this one (although they are luckily few and far between).
Overall rating: 3/5
Synopsis: Eight years after the last film, Bruce Wayne must reemerge as Batman to fight off a new threat to Gotham, Bane.
In the wake of the tragedy in Colorado, The Dark Knight Rises may no longer have the enthusiastic following it had previously, however I went to honor those loyal movie-goers who attended the midnight movie and never got to actually finish the film they waited so long to see.
Characters:
Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale): His character has gotten a lot weaker since TDK. He is completely broken in more ways than one and, despite the actual symbolic and literal rising, he is not at the same strength as he was before. His voice is still annoyingly raspy, but his Batman dialogue is very much cut down. This Bruce Wayne is similar to the character from the beginning of Batman Begins. He has gone full circle (aka nowhere).
Alfred (Michael Caine): He is awesome as usual, but he disappears half way through the movie. There really is not much to say about his character, although I think he needs a big hug. He works so hard only to have Bruce Wayne return to being Batman and endangering his life for a city that doesn't appreciate him and blames him for a crime he didn't commit.
Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway): She is a modern femme fatale in leather spandex and heels (which can't be practical). She is just... there. She is an instigator of some plot threads, but does not do too much else.
Bane (Tom Hardy): He is not as threatening as the Joker. He stands around a lot when he's not fighting Batman and makes speeches in a Sean Connery voice that's amplified so much that it sounds like a dubbing rather than someone speaking through a mask. The times he does fight Batman, he is really a threat to the characters, but he did not induce fear in the audience like the Joker (at least not for me). He seems to be more talk than fight, although that might be because he could crush most people like bugs. His plan: Destroy Gotham as Ra's al Ghul planned. However, he pointlessly draws it out in an attempt to break the spirits of the Gothamites, thus allowing Batman and the police to retaliate and (as this is a melodrama superhero movie) win.
Commissioner Gordan (Gary Oldman): Like Alfred, Gordan is incapacitated through most of the movie. However, I liked how his character arch and relationship with Batman was completed at the end of the film.
John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt): The rookie cop who is suddenly catapulted to detective because of plot conveniences. Also... side-kick!
Other characters were not really memorable, but there were a few minor characters/cameos that made me smile like the nerd I am.
Cillian Murphy returns as Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane, although he is not mentioned by name. He is clearly recognizable and his role is a bit humorous. It makes me wonder whether it was originally written for the Joker, but was redone due to the death of Heath Ledger.
Liam Neeson pulls an Empire Stikes Back Obi-Wan Kenobi thing to move the plot forward and reveal something about a character that Bruce Wayne misinterprets.
Lastly, for those who have watched the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, Burn Gorman (Owen Harper) has a minor role in the movie, and he does a great job with the material he has.
This movie is the weakest of the trilogy and has much more in common with the first film than the sequel. One could take out The Dark Knight entirely and not really miss a thing due to the fact there are flashbacks from both films within this one (although they are luckily few and far between).
Overall rating: 3/5
Monday, July 16, 2012
Moonrise Kingdom
With a star studded cast like this, one would thing it would be more dynamic. Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Harvey Keitel are all minor characters as the story focuses on the romance between two troubled pre-teens.
Again, a short summary: Two young lovers, Sam and Suzy, run away from their homes in a small island village causing the girl's parents, the police Sheriff, and Sam's Scout Troop to comb the island in search of them.
Describing this movie in one world: Bland. It is supposedly a comedy-drama, but the only comedy comes from little quirks from Suzy's parents (Bill Murray (Zombieland and Ghostbusters) and Frances McDormand (Fargo)), such as the mother using a megaphone to call her family for a meal. However, they and many of the other adult actors are wasted and expressionless - as is the entire child cast.
Few of the characters have any depth and some of them feel contrived or one-note. However, the most interesting character is probably Captain Sharp, the police sheriff, played by action star Bruce Willis. He gets a tiny bit of character development that does not go anywhere.
The children do not have much to work with as they seem like lifeless and expressionless mannequins. They do well for child actors and Sam (Jared Gilman) is even likable at times.
Overall, if the audience either grew up in the 1960s (the time setting of this film) or was part of the Boy Scouts, they would enjoy this film. It was okay, but nothing to write home about.
Rating: 2.5/5
Again, a short summary: Two young lovers, Sam and Suzy, run away from their homes in a small island village causing the girl's parents, the police Sheriff, and Sam's Scout Troop to comb the island in search of them.
Describing this movie in one world: Bland. It is supposedly a comedy-drama, but the only comedy comes from little quirks from Suzy's parents (Bill Murray (Zombieland and Ghostbusters) and Frances McDormand (Fargo)), such as the mother using a megaphone to call her family for a meal. However, they and many of the other adult actors are wasted and expressionless - as is the entire child cast.
Few of the characters have any depth and some of them feel contrived or one-note. However, the most interesting character is probably Captain Sharp, the police sheriff, played by action star Bruce Willis. He gets a tiny bit of character development that does not go anywhere.
The children do not have much to work with as they seem like lifeless and expressionless mannequins. They do well for child actors and Sam (Jared Gilman) is even likable at times.
Overall, if the audience either grew up in the 1960s (the time setting of this film) or was part of the Boy Scouts, they would enjoy this film. It was okay, but nothing to write home about.
Rating: 2.5/5
Sunday, July 15, 2012
People Like Us
This is a tear jerker. For those of you who don't read the summaries online or in the paper, here's one: Sam (Chris Pine) a barter salesman must deal with the death of his estranged father, his estate, and the skeletons in his closet. One of the skeletons turns out to be a daughter, and Sam's dad asks him to take care of her. Single mom Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) must deal with the death of her estranged father and her son's misbehavior at school.
This film is very much character driven. It examines the emotions that link family together, no matter how thick or thin the blood is. It is also a journey of self rediscovery (Sam) and self discovery (Frankie). The film also looks at how difficult it is to be a single mom with no one to help in a time of need.
Chris Pine, who is famous for playing the new James T. Kirk in Star Trek (2009) and the upcoming sequel, is wonderful as the conflicted Sam and plays the awkwardness of the situation well. Because Sam and his family are not close (that's an understatement), he has become cold due to his work and need to persuade people to see things his way. He has an entire character arch throughout the film, and the change is miraculous.
Elizabeth Banks, famous for playing Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games, plays Frankie. As a single mom, she tries to juggle her job as a bartender and her son's life in and out of school. Just like her son, Frankie has many problems, but she is trying to better herself for the sake of her child. Unfortunately, she does not have much money and can barely scrape by on her salary. Through the movie, Frankie discovers that she can stand up for herself and move forward, and Sam and her son are instrumental in this journey.
This is the first time I have seen Michael Hall D'Addario, and he did wonderfully as Frankie's son Josh. The movie even gives the audience a peek into the bullying in school and how some children act out to either be cool or stave off the more belligerent kids. He unfortunately doesn't get much dynamic and can seem to be a bit of a one tone character for most of the film, but that changes once Sam reveals his relation to Frankie.
Michelle Pfeiffer, who has been in many films but is probably most remembered for her role as Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992), plays Sam's mother, Lillian. Although this is a smaller part, Pfeiffer shows the grief of a widow in emotional pain, along with her character's own issues that need to be worked out through the course of the movie.
The film shows a lot of heart and drew a lot of sniffles and even some tears from the audience. It touches the hearts and souls of anyone who has unexpectedly lost or found a loved one. If you enjoy films that make you smile while you cry, this film is for you.
Rating: 4/5
This film is very much character driven. It examines the emotions that link family together, no matter how thick or thin the blood is. It is also a journey of self rediscovery (Sam) and self discovery (Frankie). The film also looks at how difficult it is to be a single mom with no one to help in a time of need.
Chris Pine, who is famous for playing the new James T. Kirk in Star Trek (2009) and the upcoming sequel, is wonderful as the conflicted Sam and plays the awkwardness of the situation well. Because Sam and his family are not close (that's an understatement), he has become cold due to his work and need to persuade people to see things his way. He has an entire character arch throughout the film, and the change is miraculous.
Elizabeth Banks, famous for playing Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games, plays Frankie. As a single mom, she tries to juggle her job as a bartender and her son's life in and out of school. Just like her son, Frankie has many problems, but she is trying to better herself for the sake of her child. Unfortunately, she does not have much money and can barely scrape by on her salary. Through the movie, Frankie discovers that she can stand up for herself and move forward, and Sam and her son are instrumental in this journey.
This is the first time I have seen Michael Hall D'Addario, and he did wonderfully as Frankie's son Josh. The movie even gives the audience a peek into the bullying in school and how some children act out to either be cool or stave off the more belligerent kids. He unfortunately doesn't get much dynamic and can seem to be a bit of a one tone character for most of the film, but that changes once Sam reveals his relation to Frankie.
Michelle Pfeiffer, who has been in many films but is probably most remembered for her role as Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992), plays Sam's mother, Lillian. Although this is a smaller part, Pfeiffer shows the grief of a widow in emotional pain, along with her character's own issues that need to be worked out through the course of the movie.
The film shows a lot of heart and drew a lot of sniffles and even some tears from the audience. It touches the hearts and souls of anyone who has unexpectedly lost or found a loved one. If you enjoy films that make you smile while you cry, this film is for you.
Rating: 4/5
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