In preparation of this week’s G-S-T Poll, here is a small writing exercise on Kevin Costner, which I call An Ode to Kevin:
Oh Mr. Locksley…or is it Mr. Brooks? I can never tell.
You save people from the from sheriff, but you yourself escape the law.
Law-man and serial killer??…does that weigh on your soul?
Is “The Upside of Anger” to mourn not “The Big Chill”?
A pitcher sits atop the mound, and “Love” is on his mind,
Build that “Field of Dreams” to meet the father left behind.
How can you love baseball so much when you desire to “Dance With Wolves”?
The “Open Range” calls to you, can you hear it underwater?
You’ve been past, future and present…
but all the while you have been Kevin. I thank you <end>
Wow, that’s some high quality (amateur) writing right there if I do say so myself…I didn’t know I had it in me:P Anyway, while I’ll never publish a book of sonnets or teach a writing class, I’m content to blog all the live long day here at G-S-T. <To all you English buffs out there, I promise, I will never to dabble in your waters again…sorry for any intellectual pain I may have caused>
So, to get to the point of this post, here’s a look back at the best work from one of my favorite modern actors. But I’ll leave it to you to tell me…What is the Best Kevin Costner Film?
Got this neat little picture from Flowingdata.com. It’s pretty simple but smart. I bet this may have fallen out of some high school art student’s notebook. Or maybe it was a grouping of abandoned ideas from Dimitri Martin:P Either way, take a look…I like it!
Anyone seen this yet? Any good quotes you might like to see depicted this way? I bet I can come up with one for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but I just don’t feel up to it today:P
I have always been a big fan of anything John Carpenter. Be it Big Trouble in Little China, The Thing, Escape From New York, hell, even In the Mouth of Madness was umm, interesting but watchable. But in the halls of everything JC (John Carpenter, not Jesus Christ) this is one of his more fun fares and is a definite quirky sci-fi 80’s staple.
They Live, riding high on the “aliens walking amongst us” sub-genre that made others like Alien Nation and V so popular in the 80’s, is really an enjoyable romp. The one shining jewel in this masterfully low-budget film is that it starred Rowdy Roddy Piper…yup, you read that right. A WWF Superstar acting in John Carpenter’s sci-fi social commentary? Boy I bet the stars aligned for this one. Now, in what can only be described as the decade where truly “anything goes” this film existed and I don’t believe could have been made at any other point in time. Yet looking back I think this does stand up fairly well…although my nostalgia may be getting the better of me.
To help clear my mind of all the Oscar buzz and hype, I watched this over the weekend along with a few other nostalgia ridden films that moonlight as “cult-classics”. They Live topped off the order and was followed by Army of Darkness, Cobra, and The Running Man where each proceeding film took me further down the ultra cheezy memory lane. Although, looking back They Live is probably one that held up the best and I think that’s because it really does say something about our society and is rather relevant. Here’s why:
In a world where the economy is falling all around us, people are not only obsessed themselves and their material consumption but wide-scale greed has put us in a perpetual haze. We are so uncontrollably ingrained in a system that allows the time old adage of ” the rich get richer and the poor get poorer” to ring more true everyday. Now I’m not some doomsday philosopher but I agree that the mindset of the people is incredibly tuned into the wrong elements. We could really care less about some world issues as long as our cable is working and we have a big screen TV in our living room.
Now enter the “Science” part of this high concept “sci-fi” film. Much like The Matrix, the plot of this film exists right in front of the depicted society (well, us really), yet they are so unable to perceive the deception that has them so deep in its grasp. So with a simple alteration of reality, the theme behind this movie borders on believable and the movie is more of a statement about a much-needed wake-up call than it is about making us believe Rowdy Roddy Piper is a legitimate actor.
Let me try to make one statement though, which is, if you haven’t seen this film, this may be a tough sell. Only fans of this or those of you who grew up in the 80’s will be able to appreciate this and see it as more than just 80’s channel-surfing disposable (and forgettable) entertainment. Although, and on a personal note here, I see this film as one of the best sci-fi interpretations of exaggerated social commentary. The concept is engaging enough to grab your attention and is insanely interesting and thought-provoking. While this doesn’t have the impact that District 9 has as a political statement, I still think this film explores a very intriguing idea.
So now that I got that out-of-the-way, let’s move on to the more brainless and fun side of the film (which I should have gotten to in the beginning). This film’s success is (aside from it being a John Carpenter film) solely because of the obscure casting decision for the lead role. Probably the wildest (and least talented) lead in any John Carpenter film, Rowdy Roddy Piper looked to be an incarnation of Jack Burton (What, was Kurt Russell busy?)ich is another reason I love this movie. Now to be a hero in a JC film you need two exemplary hero traits…basically a hard head and a thick neck. Pretty sure this movie only found interest with avid John Carpenter fans when kids like me snuck into the theater with our older cousins/brothers or when we rummaged through their VHS libraries of 80’s action gold. The toned down Roddy made for an interesting casting choice so say the least but much like other odd films from the 80’s, after all this time fans become endeared to him.
Now, what is a John Carpenter movie without the action? And what kind of action can you expect when you have Rowdy Roddy Piper in the lead roles?? Hmm…don’t know if I’ve ever had an easier question. Obligatory WWF inspired fighting of course!! The alley fight scene (which I still heavily enjoy) went on for just over six minutes…and just like watching a WWF match on TV, you’ll know that it went on 5 minutes longer that it needed. And they didn’t spare the WWF dramatics either. Someone tell me how, Keith David, who was just “suplexed” on the concrete parking lot, is still alive, let alone conscious.
There was so much back and forth in that scene that you almost expected to see someone hand down a metal chair from a second story window. Also, it should get you thinking that they were missing plot or dialog so they needed to milk the fight scene to make the film long enough. Either that or they were pandering to WWF fans and relied on them solely for box office sales. But who am I kidding, I loved every minute of it back then and still do today!
So with the human race nearly unknowingly enslaved by aliens hiding among us but controlling everything, it is up to Rowdy to uncover this all. And how does any 80’s hero do it? Right…by stumbling on it accidentally. Humans who know about the alien race have been trying to hack into TV signals and wake up the human race to the rouse. The only way that someone can tell a human from an alien is with “special sunglasses”…and what kind dominated the 80s? The one, the only, Ray Ban. (Can anyone say “anti-trust case”?) But while this does seem goofy, it really is pretty damn cool as it shows that everything we do and see everyday is subliminal mind control to keep the aliens in power. This just gets better and better, trust me.
The whole film is a wild ride but my favorite thing about any John Carpenter films is that they never really tie anything up. They always hint at and allude to a grander adventure right around the corner. I absolutely love how this movie plays like an epic but just shows you one small but important portion of it. There’s just so much going on that it would be impossible (and even more far-fetched than the plot) to have Rowdy save the world. To me the brilliance of the story was knowing the bounds and sticking within them. The ending was actually the best part of the movie because it left it all so open and in a very Twilight Zone way, where it (should have anyway) let your mind wander and think about “what happens next?“
All in all, I really don’t want to give too much away in this recommendation but those of you curious in the least should be moderately entertained. Hopefully you’ll get some laughs, be it at the effects, Piper’s rocking mullet or one of the best lines of the 80’s (spoken when Rowdy is in the bank). If you do give it a whirl,please keep in mind,this is an 80’s movie, so have your grain of salt ready:P
G-S-T Seal of Approval: GRANTED
P.S. For all Roddy fans, here’s a little video showing off some of the professional wrestling antics that made him wildly popular in the first place. You know, I kind of miss the old WWF days…
Well boy was I very very impressed with the Oscars last night. While I’m not going to do a very thorough recap of the Oscar, I’ll simply say that they again were an amazing success. Following a similar path to the look and feel of last year’s show (hosted by master-classman Hugh Jackman), the 82nd Oscar ceremony went a slightly more funny route but still retained oodles of class. That’s something that I believe has been missing in recent years and I’m glad to see the return to form.
So while I’m not going to give the nominees, the winners and an entire dissertation of my thoughts, here’s a quick rundown of the things I believed worked so well (plus a few biased “hell yeahs” for some of my favorite wins).
Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin had a great chemistry throughout the night (plus the Snuggie cut away had me in stitches). While they didn’t try in the least to disguise their “we’re reading the teleprompter” deliveries, they sold some really great lines that were suited to their comic stylings.
Much love was felt for Christoph Waltz (plus a few cartwheels and backflips from yours truly) with his win for Best Supporting Actor. His win for that performance was so very deserving and the acceptance speech was extremely heartfelt. You could see him shaking as he was walking away from the microphone and that really make me smile. Even mighty actors get nervous too…or was it acting? “Genius! Thank You!! Thank You!!”
In my eyes, the best award presentation “set-up” was definitely the Tina Fey/Robert Downey Jr. skit. To me, they really characterized the contempt the writers and actors have for each other in a way that was both satirical and almost a real life shoving match. So hilarious were their deliveries and their back and forth was the stuff of legend. Best part of the show if you ask me…oh, and look, here’s the video of it. Skip to 3:10 to see their segment:
Now I find it difficult writing anything about this next guy but his skit deserves just a little attention. Ben Stiller (who to this day I’m still am not a fan of) proved yet again how he is straying further and further from ever being taken seriously, and now embraces the fact that he is the unofficial Academy Awards ‘mascot’. While I don’t subscribe to his brand of humor, he did get a few chuckles out of me, so I will give him that small credit.
The best acceptance speech, hands down, was (of all people) given by Mo’nique who took the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. I believe her one line, where she quoted her husband as saying that sometimes you have to “forgo doing what is popular in order to do what is right”, is something I believe everyone in all walks of life can and should take note of. It’s something like that which I believe people need to keep that kind of spirit in their subconscious as it will make us all better people if we did.
Next Up (little play on words there), I got so very happy (even more elated than for Christoph Waltz‘ win) when Michael Giacchino won for Best Score. Up truly was the most deserving score as it was, to me, the most impacting emotional music of all 5 nominated films…and for an animated picture, that really really says something. Although I was impressed by the dance routines, I really found myself asking “what was the point of that?” when it was over.
While it seems that The Hurt Locker picked up steam and never looked back this year, I found it particularly funny that Kathryn Bigelow was sat right in front of James Cameron. I bet there were some eyes boring holes in Kathryn’s head for a good part of the show. However, much love for Cameron aside, Biglelow deserved the win for Best Director, but (and I will probably get heat for this) but The Hurt Locker wasn’t everything that everyone is saying it is. It’s a good movie but it’s been hyped beyond tolerable capacity. I was really expecting it to come down to Inglourious Basterds (my top choice) and Precious, personally but hey, with 10 nominees, everyone’s a winner, right?
So we got some laughs, some tears and the utter strike-out for the majority of awards for Avatar. Sorry James, I feel your pain. You spent almost 4 Olympics’ working on the most profitable movie in history, you may have masterminded the 2 biggest movies ever created, but in the Academy’s eyes, you’re just another George Lucas. Hell, even Peter Jackson took home gold for his fan boy film so I know a great many people thought you were a lock. Man, I bet it was sooo tough to watch your ex-wife steal your thunder (and a whole lot of categories while she’s at it) huh?. I feel for you but props to Bigelow for the huge upset. She really didn’t expect the win as the look of sheer (or shell) shock looked genuine for the back to back wins…or was it acting? “Genius!…Thank You!! Thank You!!”
So that was what we humble 3 at Go, See, Talk! thought of the 82nd Academy Awards. What about you? Agree, disagree, anyone have anything in particular they want to comment on?
Certain films out there have twist endings that really make your jaw drop. However to be a successful “twist ending” usually the film will be able to perform and amaze on repeat viewings. Lucky Number Slevin isn’t one of them. However it still has quite a lot going for it and a fairly impressive “twist ending” despite being directed by virtually unknown Paul McGuigan and scripted by multiple cancelled show script-writer Jason Smilovic.
A case of mistaken identity couldn’t have put Slevin Colevra (Josh Hartnett) in a worse situation than today. Losing his job, having his apartment condemned, finding out his girlfriend’s infidelity and getting mugged are only the beginning of Slevin’s bad day. While on the way to a friend’s apartment, Slevin is unwillingly caught up between the two top crime bosses in NY as he is ordered to carry out their will against the opposing crime boss in order to lay off the outstanding debt of his friend Nick’s, all the while believing that he is his friend, Nick Fisher. Confusing for Slevin and more so for the audience. But in this clever, witty and layered film, the identities are revealed and someone (in a crooked crime world, no less) isn’t throwing straight dice.
In this weaving story, the plot itself is a slow reveal which tries to lead to the…surprise…”twist ending”. This almost felt like a Guy Ritche film without trying to call attention to it (lest it be considered a knock-off) and the overlapping story lines, the varied and colorful characters and the dialog all worked. The down side to the movie was that it couldn’t continue the pace it started with. It begins very witty and quasi-humorous but then it stops as if they ran out of jokes. Not complaining, but for what seemed to be a stateside interpretation of a Guy Ritchie film, Slevin didn’t know what kind of movie it wanted to be. At times it was really funny but once the humor wore off, it never came back. Also it got intermingled with a forced love story and that just had me scratching my head because it felt almost obligatory for an American film and out of place for this type of genre.
Amidst the unknown writing and directing, this film (a Weinstein production) called in the big guns and is filled soup-to-nuts with major acting talent. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Danny Aiello, Stanley Tucci…WOW is about all I could muster when I read the opening credits. While I have always been a huge fan of Bruce Willis, he actually (almost) got upstaged by Josh Hartnett (of all people), who proved to exhibit some of the best acting in the film. While he was kind of useless in most of his other films I think he really pulled his weight. Hartnett threw around a pretty likeable and confident demeanor while in the presence of true acting legends like Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley. Now to me that says a lot. I wish he could find more films or roles of this nature to develop his talents more….but that’s just me.
However, little tangent here, and maybe some of G-S-T readers can help me out, but aside from Ghandi and Schindler’s List, when has Ben Kingsley played an impressive role? Where are the multiple tour de forces that justify his being “knighted“? Because as far as I know, I haven’t seen them. He was better in this than in other films I’ve seen such as Suspect Zero, but I just don’t think he can be compared to the likes of Daniel Day Lewis…especially when he was in BloodRayne (which I haven’t seen but, on principle, any talented actor in a Uwe Boll picture loses major points).
Aside from the acting eye candy, personally, being in the hotel design industry, I loved the art direction and the sets were impressive. A little retro and eccentric for some but I found them enchanting. I’d like to see this level of detail in future films, or check out more films with that Production Designer attached. Sadly the visuals rounds out the extent of the value I found in the film.
Still, all in all Slevin (if you haven’t seen it), is worth a look and I’m pretty sure you’ll like it. But be advised that as I said in the beginning, it doesn’t perform as well on repeat viewings. It loses quite a lot in the second and even more so on the third viewings. I guess that’s what happens when you know the ending to the film…kind of like a magician telling you the secrets to his tricks. Either way this movie has some high points but they don’t keep it from giving me an over all luke-warm feeling at the end. Truth be told, I bought this DVD after seeing it and loved it, but that was then and this is now and luke-warm is as hot as this water’s going to get. Yet I still would watch it if it came on TV while I was channel-surfing…saves me a trip to my DVD shelves anyway.
I can proudly say that after years of being a “born and raised” Star Wars fan, I am now starting to lean the other way…no, not the Dark Side, but I believe I am becoming a “neo-Trekkie”. Weird, but this is the best ’sci-fi’ film I’ve seen in a while and it really got me considering the other Space Opera property that I had overlooked for so long. Also Star Wars has just become continually disappointing since Epidose I, so for me this is a welcomed change of pace. So here we are with J.J. Abrams‘ masterful direction of a Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman screenplay (we’ll forgive them for their Revenge of the Fallen script) which was just awesome. He breathed new life in to the franchise and brought hoards of new fans, like myself, on board the Enterprise for a kick-ass space adventure!!
Now this is how you reinvigorate something. Boy was I (rather unexpectedly) a big fan of Star Trek in the theaters, but even more so after seeing this on Blu Ray. J.J. Abrams knocked this out of the park, and I can honestly say that I am now on-board with anything that has his name attached (hell, I even like Fringe). While not a fan of the original show (in light of my upbringing), I think Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto were cast to perfection in their iconic roles. I don’t have to be a Trekkie to understand just how big a pair of shoes they had to fill. With the same success that Brandon Routh had in capturing Christopher Reeve’s essence, much the same can be said for their work in this “Kirk and Spock” origin story. I believe I have the liberty of knowing only the basics of the Star Trek universe which made this feature film a bit of an unbiased step into unfamiliar water. That way, all the little (fan-oriented) details that may have eluded me actually made the movie, as a whole, entirely enjoyable as I was able to see this story unfold with fresh eyes and ears. Boy, I never thought I’d say that I “liked” a Star Trek movie, but I didn’t…truth is I “loved” it.
Above all the elements that worked and really stood out, the lasting bond of friendship that Spock and Kirk begin to develop in this film really hit me. The only other reference to this deep-seeded fraternal storyline was in an episode of Futurama. So while I haven’t been following these two characters over the last the 40+ years, I still felt what this movie was trying to accomplish which was to identify and establish that friendship.
OK, now that I got the mushy stuff out of the way, I’ll get on to the action…which was so intense that I can forgive all the “lens flares” that ran ad-nauseum. CGI has come a long way and worked absolute wonders on the old NCC-1701 as this rendition of the Enterprise was both believable and awe inspiring…even with just the glimpses we got to see of the shipyards in the teaser trailers. The plot was entertaining, engaging, definitely not condescending (to all us non-fans) and if you’ll excuse the pun, went at “warp speed“. This is what they mean when people say a film was a “roller-coaster ride“. Star Trek was paced perfect, and while I found some (what I thought were) gaps/inconsistencies with the plot, the screenplay worked and the crew of the Enterprise (nearly achieving “ensemble cast” status) embarked on their first mission with the kind of hiccups you’d expect with rookies…and it was so much damn fun!!
Now, the perfect complement to the visuals and the ‘jaw-dropping’ sets and locales was Michael Giaccino’s score. It was incredible and really gave it the emotional impact as well as a reverent weight that just worked. It even made me feel like I had been a fan my whole life if that makes sense to anyone. However, one draw back to having Giaccino score a film is that I find his themes (while impacting and continually some of the best movie music I’ve heard in recent years) do get a bit repetitious. Much like James Horner, Giaccino creates great and very catchy themes but they do get stretched out too long without much more than just variations on the main theme. Still he’s one of the best around and with his beautiful work on Pixar films I’m eager to hear much more from him.
Some obscure bits I still am note sold on were with the casting of minor roles. In the case of Eric Bana and Clifton Collins Jr., I can’t really tell if having them in the role, or just using some unknown actors instead, would have proved to work better in telling this story. As villains, I found they were neither threatening or charismatic. Sometimes you want to either “cringe at”, or “root for” the bad guy and with the entire Romulon race, I found neither emotion. Was it necessary to get any named talent at all playing the Romulons? My guess would be no, as you couldn’t really tell who they were in the first place, and even when you found out, it didn’t get that big of a reaction, like “oh, look, Eric Bana is the bad guy“. But maybe that was just me.
Also who in the hell though putting Winona Ryder and Tyler Perry in this movie was a good idea?? Perry, I guess, I could tolerate as his part was very minimal, but Ryder (who I’ve never really cared for) was, to me, a mis-cast as her wooden acting and similarly limited screen presence failed to elicit an emotional response (little Vulcan humor for you fans). Also, she had too little interaction with Quinto to see and empathize for the bond which he felt for her. I felt more for Thomas Wayne in Batman Begin than I did for Amanda Grayson and they had about the same amount of screen time. Oh well, the rest of the movie more than made up for my small little knit picking issues. I guess if that’s the case I’d have to point out the oddities surrounding my favorite casting decisions where Simon Pegg (British) played Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott and John Cho (Korean) played Hikaru Sulu. Oh well, it all worked in the end didn’t it?
While being another home-run script from Kurtzman and Orci (proving to me at least that they made up for Revenge of the Fallen), I still think, viewing it for a 3rd time, that the story’s weak plot points and not entirely threatening heavies were also forgivable because of the nature of this origin story. You can’t really have the rookie crew of the universe’s most famous ship saving the whole universe (although just the one Romulon ship proved very daunting and intimidating) on their first go-round. Re-introducing the beloved characters for both a fresh take and a way to introduce them to new generation was genius. Especially for me because it sort of let me in on the ground floor to learn what made this series so popular in the first place.
So following the success of Batman Begins and Casino Royale (and similar approach) with an “origin story”, the winning choice for this movie was going back to the beginning. While reboots and remakes abound in Hollywood circles, this one was an acceptable (and necessary) effort and one I plan to enjoy again and again.
Yesterday was a boring, boring day, replete with yours truly performing his civic duty of dun dun dun, ‘Jury Duty’. That is if you could call sitting around waiting for 7 hours then not getting picked for the trial “Jury Duty”. Usually I watch the classic film 12 Angry Men the night before I have Jury Duty to kind of get myself in the right mindset and to learn how to sound intelligent during a jury deliberation. Maybe it was coincidence but I broke tradition by not watching it Monday night then wouldn’t ya know it, I wasn’t selected for the jury either.
However that didn’t save me from being at the courthouse ALL DAY LONG, only to be sent home in gratitude for my time spent (I now some-what understand the concept of “time served”). But after that waste of a day I was completely wiped out. The only thing that got me through it was watching movies on my phone while waiting in the jury selection room. Yet even with the help of the movies, I now have slight idea of what Hell might be like.
Anyway one of the movies I watched was Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I know, I know, not my first choice believe me, but despite my dislike of the movie and the absolutely awful (and intelligence insulting) plot, it can be quasi-enjoyable eye candy when you’re not really paying attention to it. Such was the case yesterday.
Long story short, I didn’t get selected for the jury, I was moderately entertained and after that terrible ending, I remembered this clever little video which makes me smile. This is yet another in the long line of funny videos from the guys at How It Should Have Ended. So if you’re like me, and nearly despise the drivel that is the so-called “plot” to Revenge of the Fallen, hopefully this funny video will erase some of the bad memories forced in your head after having watched it in the first place. Enjoy!!
Boy it’s been a while since I’ve seen Vin Diesel in anything worth mentioning. To me, Boiler Room was his very best work. Why do you ask?? Because the movie wasn’t centered around him, that’s why. I may be alone in thinking this but he doesn’t have the chops to carry a film all by himself, and so he makes more of an impression when playing a bit part or part of, and I use the phrase loosely, an ensemble…i.e. Saving Private Ryan and Boiler Room. Admittedly I liked Pitch Black but that was a bit of an anomaly. In short, Babylon A.D. was yet another lack luster Vin Diesel vehicle that didn’t play out as well as trailer would make you think. It wasn’t totally forgettable but it still had trouble rising above the very weak parts of the film.
Because I don’t have the time or energy to write my own pithy account of the film’s plot, I’ll refer you to the IMDb write-up which gets the job done: “In a near future, the mercenary Toorop is hired by the powerful criminal Gorsky to bring a woman named Aurora from a Noelite Convent in Central Asia to New York. In return, he would receive a high amount of money and a clear passport. Toorop joins Aurora and her guardian Sister Rebeka and they cross the dangerous Russia chased mercenaries that also want Aurora. Along their journey, Toorop discovers that Aurora has special abilities and once in New York, they see on the news that the Noelite Convent has been just bombed. When Aurora discloses that she is virgin and pregnant of twins, Toorop realizes that there is something dirty behind and Sister Rebeka and he will not be left alive by Gorsky.”
Now I will say that I kind of liked this movie…in parts that is. While this isn’t a terrible movie (there were some very cool scenes) this still wasn’t that great either. Babylon A.D. suffered quite a bit from not knowing which way it was supposed to go. Without much of a back story, Vin is protecting this girl (who nearly has superpowers) as he and Michelle Yeoh attempt to “smuggle” her into the U.S. Now, for a man as rich as Gérard Depardieu’s character, why not just fly this girl to some private airstrip yourself, pay off some officials and leave Vin alone? Also, the one reason I gave this a try was because Mark Strong was said to be in it. Strong had about 35 minutes of screen time and gave a pretty forgettable performance sadly…but on the bright side, so did Russell Crowe in Virtuosity. Gotta start somewhere right? I really didn’t think Vin did too bad with his role. Sure he’s nearly the same in all his films but I think what saved him from earning a Razzie was that he didn’t go overboard with his acting. If he had amped up his intensity he could have seemed too guttural and bear like which was not the right direction for someone who is supposed to be a product of a life of quasi-military lifestyle.
The plot seemed disjointed and it spent far too much time on heightened and tense portions of their journey but no clear reasoning of things or trying to establish who the girl was or why she was being transported. Essentially Vin was a cabbie…well more like a bodyguard but the could care less attitude of a cabbie. Michelle Yeoh would tell Vin things about the girl but they didn’t really help put things into perspective. If they took the time to tell the audience why she was so important in the first place maybe the journey would have been more meaningful and you could have felt something for the characters. Instead, it was like Vin on a delivery run for a meat packing company.
One portion of the film I should have liked was the Parkour segment, but ultimately it was just a waste. After the cinematic success in films like B-13 and Casino Royale, this should have been cool. To see the lame free-running, I thought it was like the a bunch of amateur stuntmen pretending to free-run, but to see that an actual “practicing” free-running team was hired for this film made me think the producers wasted their money. They could have gotten a bunch of 15 year olds running around and you’d essentially have the same effect. Let me get something straight. Free running is not fighting, and also, what is the point of free running when the escape scene makes they group look like fleeing rats?
Yet, the one element that was even more mis-cast, mis-used and poorly executed above all else was the presence of Michelle Yeoh. Now this woman was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The House of Flying Daggers. She is a talented and gifted martial artist. But the director of photography, the cameraman and the choreographer (still not convinced one existed on set) should all be shot. The fight scenes were pathetic because of two reasons: 1. the cameraman didn’t know how to “zoom out” while filming or 2. Noone except Michelle Yeoh knew how to fight, so it looked like they just zoomed in and hoped noone would notice the cluster fuck of action that unfolded. A bit harsh I know but I’m just telling you like it is.
I would have liked to read the novel “Babylon Babies” to understand just what the hell was going on in this film. I take that back, I knew what was going on, I just wish I could have had some more exposition. My thoughts are that the film focused too much attention to a boring journey of the girl and did not give us enough understanding of the who and why of the people pursuing her. The film suffered from focusing on the unimportant elements hoping flash and action would make up for poor pacing and story. To make this a success I believe it could have been a miniseries or a TV show, not a movie. I thought 105 minutes should have been enough time to tell the story…it wasn’t.
I did however like a lot more elements of the film than I thought. One exceptional portion of the movie was how it fore-casted just how commercialized our society may become. I found the inference that almost every commodity could be opened up to a free market system ”that” future bold yet probable and grinned upon seeing the airliners and even entire skyscrapers (a blatant nod to Blade Runner) became merely advertising canvas. With a generous heart, I’d say that with an 85% believability rate, the production crew “got” the future in most other aspects of the movie.
For example, they made Eastern Europe look even more dirty inferring that that area of the world would NEVER recover. Next up, seemingly important people continually moving around in mobile armored transports, although no clear authoritative military presence seemed to exist. The map Vin Diesel looked at in the trunk of the car seemed to have taken the idea of the “zoom” feature on the iPhone and made it work on an actual (paper) map….very cool. The ideas of both refugee movements and rampant mercenary militarization were also kind of a nod to Mad Max but worked OK by me. The overblown population projection for New York City possibly modeled after Tokyo’s over growth was a nice touch, and even the idea that water is still scarce creating a “pay as you go” system of use in hotels and other establishments. All these examples combined to make me both eagerly await, and also fear the future.
That said, the one thing about the future that I have always found problem with was how some people imagine the future. Who was the first person to say from a mountain top “In order to have a movie about the future you need to have one to 2 people in power wearing all white, and try to cram as many “blue” lights in to things we use everyday…that shall make it futuristic“? That goes beyond this movie and is really a problem I have with all sci-fi films.
In the end, the sum of the parts (which individually some were just awesome) does not warrant a passing grade. If the futurist vision of this world has told me anything, Vin Diesel will not be the savior of the world (or win an Oscar), but he may just have another good movie or two in him.
Years and years ago, Walt Disney and his Nine Old Men, gave us some of the best animation ever seen. Well in the wake of Walt’s death the company seemed to take more interest in maintaining the empire than continuing to win audiences. Animation got sloppy and lazy and worst of all, in more recent years, Michael Eisner seemed to have no problem releasing sequels to legendary and classic Disney animated films. This all but began the demise of the 2D films but also severely diluted the memory of all the great work that had been done before.
So with a disgust bordering on rage, I naturally turned to the one place where I could feel that old Disney spirit alive and well. Enter Studio Ghibli. Now some people are calling Hayao Miyazaki’s legendary studio, The “New” Disney and I for one believe that. With my attention turned to the wonderful world of…Ghilbi, I found renewed interest in hand drawn animation but also the undeniable fact that “these guys could tell a story“. The heavy push to 3D animation was never going to hit Miyazaki and so they considered the technology a “new tool” not a “new religion”. I greatly respect them for that and their intent on not giving up the old ways.
Ghibli is the one heavy-weight animated film company, known the world over, who still believes int he traditional “hand-drawn” animation but is able to sell a story better than with singing cows and a lame plot. But redemption may be at hand as Disney has come to realize they messed up. Scrapping 2D was a bad move as was the cash grab at unneeded sequels. So thanks in large part to it’s Pixar contract is beginning to win hearts again. Also with a reinvigorated 2D methods, Disney could start walking on their own feet again. But this so many bad moved and bad blood, will they ever get back to where they were before? I for one will always love the “old” Disney but that’s where the love ends. Studio Ghibli has my vote but you never know what the future will hold. So recalling all the memories you have for either Animation Juggernaut, I’ll ask you to decide…”Which one are you?”
Now I know what you’re thinking, this title sounds pretty “gangster” inspired but despite it being goofy looking, the trailer is actually pretty interesting. It is the US trailer (meaning more style than substance) but it’s infinitely better than the kinda drab international versions I’ve found out there.
Sean Bean (Golden Eye) and Chris Hemsworth (Perfect Getaway) star in CASH, which is essentially a “payback” story (get it?…money humor) but is more about what motivates a person who is fueled solely by desperation. Kind of like a more serious Fun With Dick and Jane. This crime/thriller was both written and directed by Stephen Milburn Anderson and shows what a person is capable of when pushed to the limit. Have a look at the trailer and see if this is you cup of tea…
To me, Sean Bean can play in terrible movie after terrible and I’ll still come back to the video place (now Netflix) looking for anything else he’s in. From Alec Trevelyan to Boromir to a slew of great British roles I’ve yet to see, his track record may have plenty of highs and lows, but I think he’s still talented and his efforts seem to fly under the radar. I think it’s high time he rose and made another standout and memorable performance…and this looks to be it. But who knows, we’ll see right? Also, good news is that we’ll be able to see more of Chris Hemsworth (as I liked him in the beginning of Star Trek) before his role in 2011’s THOR. CA$H is set for release on March 26, 2010. What do you think of the trailer?
Well now this is a sweet way to end the day. Cinematical has written an awesome post featuring these AWESOME looking “retro” posters for each of the 5 nominees for Best Picture at this year’s BAFTAs. If you haven’t seen these yet, click the picture below to be taken to the gallery. Man they’re so sweet looking. What do you think?
This and the others were done by artist Travis Coburn. I haven’t heard of him before now but he’s got some talent!! Did any one you catch the BAFTAs? Did you agree with the winner?
I haven’t really been to keen to the neo-horror classic reboots (as they have fallen way short in living up to the originals) but something has surfaced today making me reevaluate my previous stance. The second full trailer for the Nightmare on Elm Street remake has surfaced and I am actually quite drawn to it. The reason you ask? Well it’s probably a culmination of three points. 1. I have been an increasingly interested fan of Jackie Earle Haley since he was Rorschach in The Watchmen (a role where he kicked major ass), 2. Twilight alum Kellan Lutz is in this movie (and so I get points with the wife for supporting Twilight cast flicks) and 3. Possibly the trailer wizards have done it again, making something so principally ill-fated look actually pretty damn intriguing.
So have a look and let me know what you think…
Again I may be blindly led into thinking this movie will work because of the kinda flashy, kinda spooky trailer. Unfortunately I felt the exact same way with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween and Friday the 13th trailers but they all were utter messes…and I don’t mean the body counts…Ba-Zing!
Seriously, my one hope for this is the performance of Jackie Earl Healey (who is also pretty funny in the TV show Human Target). SO we’ll see how he does in this. His voice seems to be some strange mix of Christian Bale’s ‘Batman’ in The Dark Knight and John Hurt’s ‘John Merrick’ in The Elephant Man. Also, what’s with Michael Bay making most of his movies with plot lines connected to the 80s? Coincidence or product of him liking the coolest decade ever?!? Who knows but if the trend continues, I’d like to see him have a hand at either a Thundercats or Voltron live action adaptation.
But as far as Elm Street goes, what do you think of the trailer? Are you “Ready for Freddy?”
I was watching Pumping Iron for the first time this weekend and after years of hearing how great of a documentary it was, I have to say I was disappointed. In the half documentary/half scripted account of Arnold’s journey to his 6th and final Mr. Olympia he and the other 1975 hopefuls and favorites yuck it up as they prepare for the competition. In the film Ah-nuld wins for the 6th and final time, then promptly (like at the end of the ceremony that day) retires from competition. Yet in the wake of the film and his retirement, his fame and attitude showed how he started laying the groundwork to move past “Mr. Olympia” and began the journey to the “big screen” as the future would find him becoming so much more than just a champion body builder to millions of film fans.
But while it was entertaining at times, what amazed me (more than the weirdness of a 6′-5″ 25 year old Lou Ferrigno still living with his parents while training to compete against Arnold) was the fact that Arnold is really kind of a dick. I guess it’s just the attitude of a man who knows he’s the best and that any legitimate threat in these competitions is a long way from catching up. So with that mind set he’s afforded (and looks to bask in) that breathing room. But man, the more I watched, them more pompous he became.
I like when Ferrigno’s dad says, “I wouldn’t turn my back on Arnold inside of 500 yards“. True, you don’t get to the top without being ruthless, and Arnie was no exception. Regardless, it’s that charisma and attidutde that helped establish himself as an actor, and helped him distance himself from the soft-spoken (perfect for the Hulk huh?) Ferigno and the dimunitive Franco Columbu. Still “Ah-nuld” has come a looong way from Austria. He’s been Hercules, Conan, Terminator and now he’s the “Governator”. So it’s with this trip down to the beginning of memory lane that we look back over the varied film roles of Mr. Olympia as I ask you to choose…What is the Best Arnold Schwarzenegger movie??
It’s Wednesday and I have been looking for something to move this day along. Well of all the terra bytes of space on YouTube.com (much of which is pure crap) this little gem popped up after I watched the VOTD at /Film.
Now this video is actually pretty clever. Taking sound bytes from his dialog in Field of Dreams and (I think) some Jack Ryan films, put a new spin on the famous Darth Vader scenes we’ve come to know and love. So take a look, have a laugh, but listen to see if you can tell which movies the voice-over lines came from…
Everyone knows that James Earl Jones did a fantastic job with Darth Vader. To me what made the movie work in the long run was having such an iconic heavy (in both a visual and auditory sense). While already a classically trained stage and film actor, his work (which funny enough was uncredited in the first SW film) solidified him as one of the world’s most recognizable voices. Now that I see this, I find it hysterical that he has been re-dubbed with his own voice…who would have thought to do that? I guess someone did:P
Well that got me smiling and I’ll never watch Star Wars the same way again thanks to this video…and the efforts of the Family Guy’s Blue Harvest spoof. But what do you all think? Funny, or has anyone seen it before?
If there’s on series I think needs to slow down it’s the Die Hard series. Supercop or not, I don’t know how many times one man can be thrown through the ringer and unknowingly stumble upon all these world crises. I like John McClane as much as the next cinephile but somethings just have to end. I mean, do I need you to recall the absurdity that was The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Now admittedly Bruce can sell the role of a tough older cop than a Harrison can play an over-the-hill archeologist on film (for as unlikely as it sounds writing it) so I am possibly willing to be on board with this. However after Live Free or Die Hard, how do yo top that?, fly to the moon and take on intergalactic bank robbers…or more Germans? For more on this check out these excerpts from Screen Rant:
There’s been speculation of another installment to the Die Hard series since Die Hard 4.0/Live Free or Die Hard released two-and-a-half years ago and this really heated up when Willis mentioned his interest in doing another around the time his last film, The Surrogates, released last fall.
Fast forward to present and we have what seems to be great news for those hoping to see the return of John McClane.
“I think we’re going to do a ‘Die Hard 5′ next year,” and regarding possible plot, “It’s got to go worldwide… That would be my contribution to it.”
Well, that’s good news to me, we just have to wait and see what develops. If all signs point to “Yippie Ki Yay”, Die Hard 5 will begin filming next year, likely for what should be a “tent-pole” summer 2012 release. For more info, check out the full write-up at ScreenRant.
Now to follow this up, if there’s one series that needs help, it has got to be Blade. Recall, if you will, the bad ass live action adaptation from way back in 1998. It was awesome and ended like it was going to kick-start a kick ass series. The second film got a little too wild and exaggerated (and personally it was the beginning of my hatred for shaky cam and indiscernible ”too close up” fight scenes). The third was just abysmal, with its terrible plot and all too short-lived ending…and who decided to making Jessica Beil an action hero was a good idea??
While David Goyer writes some great stuff, it’s not just concept but execution that makes for a successful movie. My guess is that they just didn’t have the right teams to bring his ideas to workable reality for Trinity. So here we are with a terrible ending to the trilogy and a TV series I’ve never seen because of it. But like Mickey Rourke, I believe Wesley Snipes is in desperate need of a career resurrection. From tax evasion troubles to a slew of straight to DVD shlock, Blade 4 could be the golden ticket to redemption. ScreenRant has more on this possibility:
Snipes specified that he was interested but would only do it if the script was right. What that translates to, is no more side-kick characters like the Nightstalkers of Blade: Trinity, played by Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel. Last year we heard some interesting news regarding the Blade franchise and it seemed that the plan was to go ahead with another trilogy, a set of spinoff prequels based on the character of Deacon Frost. Frost, played by Stephen Dorff, was the feature villain of the first Blade movie where he met his end. While Frost was a cool character, we need Blade.
Stephen Norrington, director of the first Blade, confirmed this to be the case and said he’d be returning to the franchise once he was done working on his remake of The Crow. Not long after that news, David Goyer revealed that there was some talk behindthe scenes about possibly doing another Blade movie.
Hmm, I’m not the only one who didn’t like the Nightstalkers huh?…imagine that! Also, it’s nice (albeit wishful thinking) to hear Goyer at least considering more Blade. He did write all three screenplays, directed the 3rd film and wrote the pilot for the show. But rumors are just that. If we’ve learned anything from Hollywood, it’s that ‘anything’ can happen, but it doesn’t hurt to dream. At the end of the day we’ll probably see John McClane before we ever see Blade, although I won’t be holding my breath for either of them.
So, that’s the extent of todays note-worthy rumor mill. Anyone got an opinion on the matter? Does this sound like something (either DH5 or Blade 4) you’d want to see?
I just watched Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Rocknrolla with the wife yesterday and she loved them all. After a 6 hour journey through the seedy criminal underworld of London, (aka “the Isle of Ritchie”), I am proud to say that I have made her into a Guy Ritchie fan (score!!) and that makes me smile. So coming into work with Mark Strong on the brain this morning (he was the best thing about Rocknrolla if you ask me) I am so happy to see the news on ScreenRant.
Mark Strong has officially signed on to play Sinestro in next year’s Green Lantern. While Martin Campbell’s upcoming film has already grabbed some great talent recently (Ryan Reynolds, Peter Sarsgaard) Strong looks to give the film incredible weight and even more distinguished credibility. That said, I am now expecting something closer to the other hot D.C. property as opposed to the lighter and more laughable (laughing at it, not with it) properties that Marvel has been pawning off on us fans.
While I had my doubts about Tim Robbins and certain reservations about Blake Lively (really? was EVERYONE else in the world booked?) Strong’s presence in the movie and the direction of 2 time 007 saviorMartin Campbellgive me lots of hope for this film. In the past rumors were out (fan based hopefuls I gather) that Jackie Earle Haley and Hugo Weaving might play Hal Jordan’s nemesis but although Strong doesn’t “look the part” per se, I think Strong is a fine attachment to any film. So far, this is great news to have on an overcast Dallas Monday. Anyone else excited about this casting news??
Well I bet many of you think that if I was going to post a Van Damme poll, surely it would pit him against Steven Segal, the other most popular martial arts icon of the same time period. Nope, nope and nope.
For one, I’ve never seen a single Segal movie (frankly I never saw anything vaguely impressive). Second, I thought it would be more interesting to see the outcome when asking folks to choose between his two most impressive films. This, much like the bloody Life of Brian/Holy Grail match ups I’ve had in the past, always brings out the die hards vowing their choice (mostly Bloodsport) is the better film.
So, let’s settle this once and for all. As the great Mills Lane once said, “Let’s get it on!“
Remember that insanely well researched, spot-on and hilarious “The Phantom Menace Review” by RedLetterMedia? Well those geniuses did it again. This time they have put Avatar through the ringer. Geeze guys, let the film get out of the theaters before you lambaste it for its faults…wait, what am I saying? I liked the movie but I will admit it had its lame plot points. Oh Hell, it’s Friday and I need a laugh. Bring it on!!
So for those of you who havent seen this yet, you’re in for a treat…it’s just the thing to get a laugh and bring us 20 minutes closer to the weekend. Oh, yeah:)
Wow, not as long as The Phantom Menace Review but still just as good and more importantly, hilarious. I am very eager to see what they come up with next. Any movies you want to see them rip apart? I’d sure like to see what they do with Wolverine Origins…or Couples Retreat and maybe Ghost Rider. With any luck, hopefully they will get back to the review that shot them to stardom and review Episode II and III. Now that I gotta see!! Happy Friday everyone!!
With this being the end of my first week back from my Honeymoon, I am now absolutely, positively caught up on all that I had missed while being in Australia. Wow, a lot can happen in 2 weeks, huh?!
So for anyone out there who also missed a sizable chunk of entertainment goodness, here’s a comprehensive collection of films trailers I’m going to call “The Trailer Round-Up“…well, comprehensive as far as films I want to see anyway. If you haven’t seen any of these, please enjoy them for the first time with me. If this is old news, perhaps some of you might think they’re worth a second look:
Toy Story 3 looks to be the most adventurous film in the Toy Story line up. Woody, Buzz and the rest of Andy’s toys have been donated to a Children’s Day Care and once again they attempt to make the wild, zany way back home…and as is Pixar’s forte, it looks an epic journey for the whole gang. Disney will be bringing Pixar’s Toy Story 3 to theaters everywhere in digital 3D starting on June 18th this Summer.
Previously we’ve shown the teaser for Les Aventures Extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec(The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec) and while this 2nd teaser doesn’t look to clarify anything more than that teaser it still looks pretty damn imaginative and fun. Also anything that is even remotely associated with Luc Besson will automatically have 3 things: 1. Style and amazing visuals 2. Insane action or story and 3. My ticket money. Best I can gather is that this is some sort of period piece mix-up of The Mummy and Harry Potter…oh yeah, I’m there!! No American release dates yet but fingers crossed, it’ll hit some smaller independent cinema…if not I know we’ll see it one day on Netflix:)
Who out there doesn’t just love Ricky Gervais? Admittedly his 2 attempts at winning American audiences in the cinema have met luke-warm results but the man is still comic gold. The Office and Extras are so damn smart, funny (in that dry British way) and his stand up is some of the best I’ve ever heard. It’s now good to see him associated with something where he can play off other smart (and British) actors. I love the guy but his efforts just seemed wasted amongst the stateside actors in Ghosttown and The Invention of Lying. With less of the spot light on him here, he and Stephen Merchant’s latest Cemetery Junction should prove to be a better vehicle (as they are writing, directing and Gervais’ role) for the two of them. Not to mention that the rest of the cast look to be pretty charming in this. Cemetery Junction is set for release April 14th this year. That’s the UK release date but hopefully is should hit stateside in the Fall.
To whet your appetities before the (what should be) awesome official trailer for The Expendables (oh man, I really can’t wait for that one), here’s another macho “shoot ‘em up” movie more or less in the same vein as The A-Team. I don’t know much about the D.C. Comic series that inspired this movie, but with so many comics getting the ‘Big Screen’ treatment this looks to be better than the rest of the drivel we’ve been treated to. I like the casting of Zoe Saldana , Chris Evans , Jeffrey Dean Morgan , Columbus Short, Idris Elba, and Óscar Jaenada so this looks slightly better than the run of the mill Summer popcorn film. Plus with The Losers coming to theaters on April 16th, 2010 it’s not quite a summer flick now is it? Who knows, it could be fun…plus the last 20 seconds look AWESOME!!
From Roman Polanski (Chinatown, The Ninth Gate, do I really have to tell you who Roman Polanski is?) comes his latest thriller/drama The Ghost Writer which looks complex, dark, and best of all cast perfect. Yup, I said it, and furthermore, I don’t think Pierce or Ewan can ever do wrong…OK they chose some bad films but it never keeps them from giving their all. In The Ghost Writer Ewan McGregor attempts to write the memoirs of a very controversial Prime Minister, the more he learns about the PM, the more secrets he discovers and the deeper his life gets into danger. Wow, this looks goooood! Have a look and let me know what you think. This film will be found in limited release today February 19th but no news if it will get a wide release later on.
So that’s what I’ve got and that’s what I’m really interest in seeing. How about the rest of you? Like what you see? Anything you’re looking forward to that I may not know of yet?
When Moon was first released, its awareness and later its success mirrored that old story of “The Little Engine That Could”. Moon slowly but surely made waves in the film circuit and was eagerly awaited and rightfully praised at each proceeding festival. With its popularity strongly brought about by great word of mouth, it quickly became one of the films to see of 2009. Now in a genre where it is very tough not to do anything cliché, overdone, and achieve something new. That said, Moon felt both refreshing and familiar, and in what I believe can only be described as alchemy, the elements in this film combined to produce a nearly perfect film.
In the scheme of great “sci-fi” I’d say this gets very close to joining the ranks of iconic films like Alien, 2001, and Blade Runner as far as (and solely for) its style, but also for it’s very note-worthy and groundbreaking special effects achievements. The baby of Duncan Jones, who is the son of “Mr. Glam” himself David Bowie, this film is just as stylistic as his father was before him, but maybe brought down a notch or two…well more like 87 notches down if you ask me. For Duncan, being that this his first feature-length film, I’d say his efforts here are impressive as all get out and Moon played like a movie from a very seasoned director, not a rookie.
The one thing I really loved about this movie was that you never knew where it was going. Was this movie all a dream? Is it a slow-paced horror movie? Is it going to rip-off 2001?….When it was none of those and yet resembled them all in parts, it really played out effectively. To me, the beauty of Moon was that it didn’t let you know what this movie was trying to be until the twist. For me I loved that it kept me guessing. It kept me much more interested than I imagined I would be as my mind spun to establish just what was going on. I guess you can liken it all to the way it cleverly seemed to recall Spielberg’s trademark ”slow reveal”.
In addition, like many Hitchcock films, I believe this movie is a classic example of more done with less. The beginning and the end were done so minimally that it was very easy to get the message and intent. With just the right amount of info (given very succinctly but tastefully stylized) you could then be fully on board with the plot of the movie without requiring too much of back-story or exposition. Movies that over-do that ultimately affected the pace of the film and bog you down with too much information.
Now to say that Sam Rockwell (who seems to like space movies I’ve noticed) hit this out of the park would be an understatement. He did such a fine performance in what was nearly a 1 man show. A la Tom Hanks in Castaway (which is a better movie and role than people seem to want to give credit for) Rockewell shows his complexity without going over the top way which can happen in a 1 man show. Agree or disagree with me but I find that Micheal Keaton and Don Cheadle act (sometimes) in the same way and all three of them are severely underrated for the talent they posses.
Also, I have to throw Kevin Spacey some credit for his faceless but still impressive voice work as “Gerty”. His simple line readings gave this ambiguous character a bit of life that, much like the, plot made you unsure if this ultra-sophisticated robot was smart enough to make decisions for himself or, as his programming was written, to work for Sam. But I couldn’t help shake feeling an uneasiness that he would ultimately go rogue. I guess I’m brainwashed by what countless robot films, space films, and robotic space films had done in the past. The fact that Jones script didn’t go that route made the plot it all the more mature (and relieving).
A complex SFX film involving amazingly convincing CGI (best multi-pass character layover I’ve seen yet), beautifully realistic sets and actually quite believable miniatures, Moon is utterly gorgeous throughout. You have wonder just how they did certain SFX scenes. In older films like The Parent Trap you’d see the old “split screen” method used. In more recent films like Multiplicity and The Nutty Professor, you would see the actors takes layered on one another but they’re still pretty much confined to one area of the screen. Yet here and also in The Island, you have the characters over lap each other, and even interact…actual (well apparent is more like it) physical contact, and that’s just astounding if you ask me.
Moon is gorgeous in almost the way that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or Up was “eye candy” on top of the great story. It was still beautiful to look at and even more so in the way it was portrayed in a very subdued manner. Moon had a sophisticated and muted pallet that would make Steven Spielberg jealous. But I guess that’s not hard to do when you use mostly all greys:) Paired ever so well with Clint Mansell’s melodic, ethereal and slightly haunting “spacey” score (big fan of his since Smokin’ Aces), his theme music gives life to the film’s desaturated imagery, in the same was Rockwell does with his performance, without trying to steal the scene.
All in all, Moon surpassed my expectations. The emotional toll the job had taken on “Sam” was played so well by Rockwell and the portrayal of his emotions and the undertones he exhibited throughout this film really showcase his talents (I guess it’s a bit easier to get into the character when the actor has the same name). Moon should take him to the next level of acting and give him the recognition he deserves in the near future. I truly hope to see more great things from Sam Rockwell because of his fine work here.
