Category: Movies

…for a viewing.

Instead of heading to the theater to see White House Down last night as I'd originally planned, I came home and curled up in front of the television and ordered Europa Report on cable.

I read yesterday that this geekly-anticipated film—while not released to theaters until August 2nd—was for some reason immediately available via VOD.

Europa Report was something I caught wind of several months ago and found the premise intriguing: a "hard" science fiction story (aka 2001, or Moon) without the usual epic space battles and prosthetic aliens we've come to expect from the sci-fi genre.

When all was said and done, I wasn't disappointed—but I wasn't wowed either. Good, but not great. I didn't feel like I'd wasted ten dollars to see it, but it left me wanting more. If you've read any of the speculative fiction written about Europa since the Galileo mission back in the 1990s, you knew how the storyline was going to play out from the very first scene, but it was still nice to see  some of those ideas finally realized on screen. It was interesting, but not particularly surprising.

I was hoping the film would be more along the lines of The Frozen Sky by Jeff Carlson, a book I highly recommend and another one of those novels that's begging to be filmed.

Oddly enough, it's still something I'd like to add to my library when it's available on disk. Take from that what you will.

Today, while reading this, I was reminded of one of my favorite short stories—and one of my most despised movies of all time—Nightfall, by Isaac Asimov.

When I first read this as a young adult, the story fired my imagination, and actually inspired a painting that I started but never completed. That's why—some twenty-five years later, I was thrilled to hear that it had been made into a film. It was with great anticipation that I went to one of the first screenings, and never have I been so throughly and completely disgusted. Most of the audience had walked out long before the film finished, but I—and probably about a couple dozen others—lasted until the bitter end.

As we were walking out something happened that has never happened since: the theater manager actually offered to give us our money back without anyone asking.

It was that bad.

While there are many, many films that should never be touched because they are already perfect in their original incarnations (The Women immediately comes to mind), there are  hundreds of others that beg for an update. So my question to you is this: what film would you remake if you could?  Nightfall is definitely at the top of my list, but there are others. What piece of literature (of any genre) would you like to see on the silver screen that hasn't been put there yet?

 

I saw Man of Steel yesterday. I know I'm going to catch a lot of flack for saying this, and based on the reviews that are pouring in it's obvious that I'm in a decided minority, but I wasn't thrilled.

It wasn't one of my "must see" summer movies, but since I had the day to myself and Ben had no desire to see it I took advantage of the situation.

I started yawning about half way through. Two hours into it I began checking the time on my phone.

For me, it was one of those movies that made me wonder if it was ever going to end, and more than once I thought about just getting up and leaving.

I have no problem with each generation feeling the need to put their own cinematic mark on our cultural mythology, but what annoys me the most about this continually re-telling is that these stories (which we all collectively know by heart) are never moved forward. I mean, how many Superman/Batman/Spiderman  origin stories must we endure without ever adding to the narrative? By now everyone knows how Superman came to be on Earth; how Spiderman was bitten by a rare and/or radioactive spider, and how Batman's deep-seated psychological issues stemming from the death of his parents led him on his path to become the caped crusader.

So why does this story have to be retold again and again? We know it. Let's go on with something new and original. God knows the original comics provide more than enough story lines to sell tickets.

Which reminds me…aren't we about due for another Three Musketeers reboot?

And—ducking—unlike the majority of my gay peers, Henry Cavill just doesn't get my motor running. Sorry, guys. He's decent enough looking (especially when bearded) and has a killer body in this film, but he's still far from leaving-a-wet-spot-on-the-seat hot in my opinion.

Being of a certain age, there will only be one cinematic Superman for me, and that will forever be Christopher Reeve.

And lastly, maybe it's because I'm getting old, but I'm also over all the gratuitous violence in these films. I've never been a fan of it, but I think Man of Steel really went over the edge and could've cut a full half hour of that shit and nothing would've been lost from the story. The time the final fight between Kal-El and General Zod occurred, I kept thinking, "Oh for Chrissake can we please wrap this up already?"

I give it a 5 out of 10. But then, I'm in a mood today.

Last Thursday, Ben and I treated ourselves to a date night. It had been a while since we'd done one, and was a welcome change from our usual routine. We grabbed dinner at Larkburger (the grilled portobello Amy Burger is delish!) and then went to The Landmark at Greenwood Village to see This is the End.

You know from a previous post that I find Seth Rogen un-bear-ably delicious, and his appearance in this movie did nothing to lessen that. But the movie itself? Uneven is probably the best review I can muster. I'd give it maybe a 5 out of 10. This is the End just didn't seem to know if it wanted to be a full-on self-referential comedy or if it wanted to be taken seriously. Yeah, I loved the not-so-subtle homoerotic jokes (Danny McBride alluding to how he was regularly ass-fucking Channing Tatum—who appears in the film in a dog collar and leash, no less!) and there were several laugh-out-loud and jump out out of your seat scenes, but overall I have to say my feelings overall can be summed up thusly:

Coming in August…

Ben and I saw INTO DARKNESS Saturday afternoon and I have to say I was blown away. I love love love the Abram's reboot of the franchise. He manages to remain faithful to the core—the "soul" if you will—of the mythology yet breathes new life into the stories and characters in unexpected ways.

My only fear is that with him now becoming wrapped up with Star Wars, he won't have the time to do any more Trek movies, and that would be unfortunate.

Instead of rambling on at length about how awesome I thought this film was, I'm just going to copy verbatim what one of my readers posted on his blog because it sums up my own thoughts exactly:

GREAT!

INTO DARKNESS is not only the best of aaallllllllll the Star Trek movies, it is one of the best action movies in years. GO SEE IT! I'll be seeing it again if I get the chance. I'll leave it at that but for one more thing:

INTO DARKNESS breaks almost all movie rules:

• Sequels are not as good as the 1st.
• Reboot/Remakes are not as good as the original.
• Sequels which are reboots/remakes suck!
• Remakes of great movies are never as good as the original.
• Remakes of great movies which are also reboots are never as good as the original.

I had forgotten/didn't know the main plot for INTO DARKNESS so I'll not reveal it here but it took until 40% through that I realized what I was seeing. [And when I did, I giggled like a schoolgirl; it amazes me that they've managed to keep it quiet for so long—VR] When the action stopped the plot moved forward and the interaction among the characters was just as entertaining.

While I am not a big fan of Tom Cruise, Oblivion was surprisingly good. In fact, I'd go so far as to give it an 8 out of 10. It's one of those films that left me thinking about it hours later.

As many reviews have stated, the visuals are absolutely stunning. In a lot of films, CGI often overpowers the storytelling, but in this case it it simply blended seamlessly into it. And while I hate to admit it, Mr. Cruise is a decent enough actor that I can ignore the Crazytown bubbling beneath the surface of his real life to accept the character he's playing as believable.

Damn, I want that house in the sky. (And of course the vehicle required to go to and from the place.)

I also have to applaud the storyline. Yes, it used a dozen well-worn tropes of science fiction, but combined them in a way that still seemed fresh, and while there were a few plot holes left unanswered (exactly how did that mountain paradise escape destruction?) they were minor in comparison to some other recent big-budget highly anticipated sci-fi I've seen (cough, Prometheus, cough).

I didn't see the plot twist coming, which is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Surprise me, Hollywood. Make me walk out of a theater not feeling like I'd just fed fifteen dollars into a shredder.

It was also a very pleasant surprise that when the true nature of the invaders was finally revealed, it wasn't a hoard of rubber-masked applied-prosthetic bipeds.

And the OST by M83 is pretty damn good too.

 

It wasn't bad. I mean, I knew going in that it wasn't going to be a life-changing experience, but more just mindless fun; something that both Ben and I desperately needed to get us each out of our own heads for a few hours, and to a large degree it was exactly that. Every alien abduction trope used in the last thirty years was given screen time, with more than one overly obvious nod (that had audience members—all 15 or so of us—giggling) to Close Encounters.

Overall, it really wasn't anything we hadn't seen before, but it was entertaining enough—and Josh Hamilton provided enough yummy, scruffy eye candy—that it was worth the $6.50 we paid at the matinee.

My only real complaint was that there were a few glaring continuity issues and that they could've easily left off the last ten minutes of the movie. There was enough of a resolution at that point that they should've simply walked away and ended it there, making for a much better film. All those additional "three months later" minutes did was leave the door open for a sequel of some kind or another.

So I'd give it a 6 out of 10. Good enough for an afternoon romp, but definitely not worth paying full ticket price if you can avoid it.

It took us a while, but we finally got around to seeing Skyfall last night. We paid an extra $2 per ticket and went for the "VIP" seating at the Landmark theater where we saw it, and I have to say, it was worth the extra money just for the larger, more comfortable seats. We'll definitely be returning to this particular venue; even non-VIP seats are treated to complimentary soda and popcorn.

I thought the movie itself was fantastic. I found the opening sequence and the cinematography in general to be absolutely stunning. In fact, of the three Daniel Craig Bond films, I think this one is the best of the lot.

All I can say is if you haven't seen it yet, don't waste another minute. Skyfall definitely makes up for the incoherent mess that was Quantum of Solace.

Via

People have been raving about it, so I went to see The Hobbit yesterday. It wasn't something that Ben had any desire to see, so I knew it was a film I'd have to go to on my own. Since he was in Phoenix, I took the opportunity and walked down to the train station and jumped on light rail for a ride to the theater.

I never read The Hobbit (Yeah, yeah, I know. How can a teenager of the 70s have not read The Hobbit?), but I loved The Lord of the Rings as well as the Harry Potter films without ever having read their source material either, so I expected to once again be greatly entertained by this journey to Middle Earth.

Sadly, I was not amused. I can't honestly say I gave a flying fuck about any of the characters, and it seemed to be little more than one pointless CGI creature battle after another. After the mountains finished fighting, I quietly gathered up my belongings and left.

Maybe I missed something in that last half that would've awed me and changed my opinion. But the theater was freezing (I had my heavy coat on), I had an hour's trip home and still needed to get my turkey breast in the oven; all of which seemed more interesting than what I'd seen on the screen thus far.

I've been meaning to write this all week. We saw Cloud Atlas last Saturday and both Ben and I came away very impressed and wanting to see it again.

In my humble opinion, this film showcases the concepts of karma and reincarnation in the most beautiful manner I have ever seen on film. There have been other movies over the years that attempted to do this, but none have succeeded the way Cloud Atlas does.

Sadly, like many reviewers have noted, it's also a bit of a hot mess. The so-called "yellow face" makeup was somewhat of a distraction, but necessary to telling the story and keeping the thread of "same soul, different lifetimes" intact.

While I consider myself an atheist, I cannot deny that the idea of reincarnation still resonates on a deep level with me, and if I had to choose from and embrace any of the multitude of belief systems that—like reincarnation—have no scientific proof to back them up, reincarnation would definitely be my selection.

In fact, this pretty much would sum up my belief—if I believed in karma and reincarnation.

If nothing else, the movie has reminded me to be a little more mindful of my interpersonal relationships…just in case.

"I sometimes have the feeling that we should kiss."

"I sometimes have the feeling I should do crystal meth, but then  I think, hmmm…better not."

This past weekend Ben and I saw Pitch Perfect. It wasn't a film that was even on my radar, but it had been months since we'd gone to a movie and this seemed to be a good escape.

I went in with no expectations and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It was everything—and more—that made the first season of Glee so delightful until it transformed into the hot mess it's become. Great songs, good singing, cute boys (and girls, if you're into that) and characters that you generally come to care about (or at least want to bitch slap).

"Nothing makes a woman feel more like a girl than a man who sings like a boy."

I liked it so much I even got the soundtrack off iTunes…

Highly recommended. Go see it.

Sam Raimi and James Franco are working on a Wizard of Oz prequel, telling the story of the arrival of the wizard.

Everything I've seen about it so far looks intriguing, but I have to be honest: since reading Wicked and it's sequels, I've never been able to look at the Oz story the same way again.

Now that is a something I would love to see brought to the big screen—and not as a musical.

…we thought it was a harmless romantic comedy.

I saw Prometheus for a second time today, curious to discover if my opinion of it would change any with a subsequent viewing.

Short version: there was no ambiguity walking out of the theater this time. I really liked it now that I'd had ample time to process what I'd seen last Friday night.

The plot holes that stood out so starkly upon my initial screening weren't so bothersome the second time around. The cut from the archeological site to the ship in space, however, remained just as jarring for me. There simply wasn't enough transition; none of the backstory to support Vicker's statement later on to Shaw that, "You convinced him [Weyland] to finance this trip." (I'm paraphrasing.)

The things that I hadn't even noticed on first viewing were more pronounced this time after reading reviews online; especially Elizabeth Shaw running all over creation after just having gone through major abdominal surgery. To the actor's credit, she did double over in pain a few times to remind us that she shouldn't be doing this stuff so soon after having a squid cut out of her uterus.

The other thing that was annoying to the point of distracting from the story is the ton of prosthetic makeup that was necessary for Guy Pierce to portray the aged Weyland. Really?  Did they do this simply because he appeared as a young man addressing TED in one of the pre-release videos?  Why not simply find an older actor who looks like what Pierce would at that age? If they were concerned about the voice they could've always dubbed it.  This one really left me scratching my head.

But then it dawned on me: Weyland's aged appearance was one of two nods to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. (The other being the voice of the ship's main computer.) Weyland in his dressing gown looks uncannily like David Bowman at the end of Odyssey.

I also came away with a completely different take this time on Shaw leaving to seek out the Engineers' home world . I think she not only wants answers, but having one of the Engineers' own bioweapon ships under her command, if she doesn't get what she wants she's more than prepared to rain down destruction.

If nothing else, a second screening provided more food for thought, and a lot of speculation about where exactly Ridley Scott intends to take this rebooted franchise…

 

I can't tell you how long it's been since I last paid full price for a ticket, queued up and waited with antici…pation to see a movie on opening day, but that's exactly what I did last night for Prometheus. (And I wish to extend my utmost appreciation to Ben for accompanying me, as I don't think this was on his "must see" list.) Of all the summer movies that were announced, this was the one film I have been most looking forward to, and now that I've seen it, one of the very few in recent years that I want to experience for a second time.

To be honest, before I saw the film I wondered if it would it be a stroke of genius from the man who brought us the original Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator, or would it be—as so many films have been of late—a total mind fuck, leaving me feeling like someone had reached in and plucked ten dollars out of my pocket?

At the end of the movie last night I walked out of the theater thinking, "Meh. 7 or 8 out of 10 on the live-up-to-its-hype scale," but the more I've thought about it since (and it is one of those films that stays with you long after you've seen it), I now think—despite some glaring plot holes—it was the one of the best sci-fi films I've seen in the last ten years.

The story was engaging and made you think. The acting was decent. I cared about the fate of the characters. The cinematography was sumptuous. I wanted to see more. The score was amazing; it's all I've been listening to for the last week.

Like all good movies of this type, Prometheus raises more questions than it will ever be able to answer. But the answers it does provide to some long-standing questions about the universe of Alien—like who the Space Jockey was and where the Xenomorph actually originated—are satisfying. Ultimately it allows you to form your own interpretations, probably the best thing any piece of art can do.

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

The biggest complaint I have with the film is with the editing. While I understand the filmmakers are constrained by time limits, I think too much was left on the cutting room floor. Early on in the film I found the transition between the discovery of the cave paintings and the arrival of Prometheus at LV-223 especially jarring. I would've loved to have seen more interaction between Weyland and the two lead scientists and what they said or did to convince Weyland Corporation to finance the expedition.

There are countless theories as to who the Engineers really were, and I confess I have no definitive ideas to add to the discussion. Was the Engineer who appeared at the beginning of the film a rogue, who created humanity against the wishes of his brethren (à la the real Prometheus from Greek mythology), or was he simply performing his role as an Engineer.  Were they truly the creators of mankind, and if so, why had they been planning on returning to earth and wiping us out before those plans were sidelined by whatever they were running from in the hologram? (A creature we never saw; one of those plot holes that demand explanation.)

What is the black goo? Is it something the Engineers created, or did it create the Engineers? Did the goo change the worms into the Hammerpede, and what ultimately happened to that creature after it had entered the biologist's body? Why did the goo affect the individuals who encountered it so differently?

Naturally, there is quite a bit of buzz about this film on the Internet. A writer on one site raised some obvious questions, but ultimately I think the most thought-provoking discussion of the deeper meaning of Prometheus can be found here.

Ridley Scott's explanation of how humanity came to be—even though entirely fictitious—makes about as much sense as any other, and is a topic I hope to explore in a subsequent post.

All I know for certain at this point is that I will be seeing Prometheus again, and will be eagerly awaiting the Director's Cut…

Wow. For the first time this summer I've left a movie not feeling like I'd been forcibly penetrated.

MIB 3 was a very fun romp, with an tear-at-your-heartstrings ending that was just about perfect. This is the type of movie that CGI was made for. It's unobtrusively there to help tell the story, but not be the story. (Are you listening, George Lucas?)

Casting Josh Brolin as a young Tommy Lee Jones was sheer genius.

All I can say is go see it—especially if you liked its two predecessors.