1939
2/4 Stars
Gunga Din is a racist 1930's adventure serial starring Cary Grant. The basic premise is that the murderous Thuggie Cult (this group should be familiar to Indiana Jones fans) has sprouted up in colonial India and it is up to a band of three soldiers- led by Grant- to stop the Thuggie plot to conquer first India, and then THE WORLD.
Pretty cheesy stuff. The action is swashbuckling and fun, with lots of low-budget effects and explosions. Hordes of Indians are killed along the way with impunity.
Enter the title character- Gunga Din- a "water carrier" and "low bred" Indian. Gunga Din dreams of one day becoming a real soldier like the (white) British. Throughout the film, he marches about and pretends to be a real soldier. Grant, and the other "real" soldiers, tend to humor him a bit, but clearly don't take him seriously.
In the end though, Gunga Din proves himself to be worthy of respect- EVEN from the whites. The film concludes with a Kipling poem, bearing Din's name, that has a final line that goes something like: "even though you were from a no-good race and we beat on you like a dog, you had some courage, and I respect that".*
Overall, if one can get past the racist portrayal of the Indians, this is a very standard action movie from this era. The humor is lame, but the overall experience is kind of fun. Be sure to watch for the "terrifying" snake pit, where the strings attached to the snakes are almost as big as the snakes themselves.
* The actual line is slightly less offensive: "Tho' I've belted you and flayed you, By the livin' Gawd that made you, You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!"
Friday, April 24, 2009
Paris, Je T'Aime
2006
2/4 Stars
This is an uneven collection of vignettes that have little in common other than their themes of love, loss, and Paris. The directors assembled as well as the cast is star-studded. Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, Juliette Binoche, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bob Hoskins, Elijah Wood, Natalie Portman, and many others are featured in a series of five minute shorts.
The film is a touch sadder than one would anticipate. Juliette Binoche's storyline, revolving around a mother who has recently lost her young son is positively tragic. Another piece, depicting an African immigrant who is mortally stabbed is also difficult to watch. Other pieces, such as one featuring a pair of mimes are whimsical and strange.
All in all, this is an a film that has a wide variety of pieces that vary in quality. Chances are equal that the viewer will find a piece that s/he likes and one that s/he does not (or several of each). This makes for an uneven experience and for a mediocre film.
2/4 Stars
This is an uneven collection of vignettes that have little in common other than their themes of love, loss, and Paris. The directors assembled as well as the cast is star-studded. Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, Juliette Binoche, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bob Hoskins, Elijah Wood, Natalie Portman, and many others are featured in a series of five minute shorts.
The film is a touch sadder than one would anticipate. Juliette Binoche's storyline, revolving around a mother who has recently lost her young son is positively tragic. Another piece, depicting an African immigrant who is mortally stabbed is also difficult to watch. Other pieces, such as one featuring a pair of mimes are whimsical and strange.
All in all, this is an a film that has a wide variety of pieces that vary in quality. Chances are equal that the viewer will find a piece that s/he likes and one that s/he does not (or several of each). This makes for an uneven experience and for a mediocre film.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2008
2/4 Stars
The opening sequence of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in many ways epitomizes the two directions that this movie seems to be pulling in. With Elvis blasting through the speaker, a 1950's hot rod rips across the screen at high speed. This is playing to George Lucas' strong points- his love of high velocity vehicles is shown in everything from the drag racing in American Graffiti to the TIE Fighters whipping across the screen in the original Star Wars film. There is another element in this sequence however- a pack of computer generated prairie dogs that are intended (I think) to provide some comic relief for the audience. This is pure cheese.
This is Indiana Jones IV- a movie that has some fun adventure elements combined with a lot of camp and bad jokes. On a personal level, I desperately wanted to love this movie. I have seen it 8 times now. I have come up with creative ways to justify certain things. Nevertheless, my conclusion is that this is a cheesy "B" adventure movie that has Indy, Russians, and aliens. This seems to be the point though. According to a featurette on the main disk of the DVD, an original title for the movie was going to be "Indiana Jones and the Saucermen"- another was "Indiana Jones and the Giant Ants"- and the goal was to make a 1950's B movie with Indy in the starring role. The logic was that the first three films were based on 1930's serials, so now that Indy had aged and the film was set in the 50's, they should make it like a 1950's aliens attack film. But does it work?
The results are mixed. The film is laced with a variety of bad jokes- including one too many "I'm getting too old for this" references. Not that there weren't bad jokes in the earlier films, but they just were not this campy. Also, any sort of "edge" that Indy had in the previous films is gone. The image of Indy drinking himself into a stupor after the "death" of Marion in a Cairo cafe seems a distant memory.
The supporting cast is not as strong as Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott (Marcus Brody), and John Rhys-Davies (Sallah). Instead we have the characters like "Mutt" (who is ok), Oxley (who is bizarre), and "Mac" (who sucks). The "mcguffin" of the film is also weaker than the Ark or the Holy Grail. The Crystal Skull is pretty lame in fact and I'm not sure if anyone believes Harrison Ford when he exclaims "It's BEAUTIFUL!" upon its discovery.
The greatest moment in the picture was the portion that was filmed in New Haven. The motorcycle chase around Yale following the greaser/jock brawl is a true highlight. This chase is vastly superior to the seemingly never ending chase that is the second half of the film.
In this portion, Lucas and Spielberg went wild with CGI special effects as computer generated monkeys and ants team together to "add" to the adventure. There are a number of low points here, including Shia LeBeouf's Tarzan impersonation, the "crotch shot" as he performs a split while fencing, Marion's "tree jump" into the river, and the lamest fist fight in Indy's career against an over sized Russian. This is followed by Oxley's line: "Three times it drops" after which the audience is subjected to not one, but three increasingly impossible falls off of a waterfall by the group of protagonists.
If the audience wasn't aware of it already, this is about the point where the movie gets really stupid. Quotes like: "No more forever waiting", "Not space, but the space between spaces", and
"Knowledge- knowledge was their treasure" sum up the experience.
So why 2 stars? Well, if one can get past the sheer camp of the film, it is action driven and a pretty fun experience. It is not a great film by any stretch, but somehow quite watchable. It is a film that sought to capture a "B" movie experience, and for better or worse, it seems to have succeeded. Now who wants to watch Raiders or Last Crusade?
2/4 Stars
The opening sequence of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in many ways epitomizes the two directions that this movie seems to be pulling in. With Elvis blasting through the speaker, a 1950's hot rod rips across the screen at high speed. This is playing to George Lucas' strong points- his love of high velocity vehicles is shown in everything from the drag racing in American Graffiti to the TIE Fighters whipping across the screen in the original Star Wars film. There is another element in this sequence however- a pack of computer generated prairie dogs that are intended (I think) to provide some comic relief for the audience. This is pure cheese.
This is Indiana Jones IV- a movie that has some fun adventure elements combined with a lot of camp and bad jokes. On a personal level, I desperately wanted to love this movie. I have seen it 8 times now. I have come up with creative ways to justify certain things. Nevertheless, my conclusion is that this is a cheesy "B" adventure movie that has Indy, Russians, and aliens. This seems to be the point though. According to a featurette on the main disk of the DVD, an original title for the movie was going to be "Indiana Jones and the Saucermen"- another was "Indiana Jones and the Giant Ants"- and the goal was to make a 1950's B movie with Indy in the starring role. The logic was that the first three films were based on 1930's serials, so now that Indy had aged and the film was set in the 50's, they should make it like a 1950's aliens attack film. But does it work?
The results are mixed. The film is laced with a variety of bad jokes- including one too many "I'm getting too old for this" references. Not that there weren't bad jokes in the earlier films, but they just were not this campy. Also, any sort of "edge" that Indy had in the previous films is gone. The image of Indy drinking himself into a stupor after the "death" of Marion in a Cairo cafe seems a distant memory.
The supporting cast is not as strong as Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott (Marcus Brody), and John Rhys-Davies (Sallah). Instead we have the characters like "Mutt" (who is ok), Oxley (who is bizarre), and "Mac" (who sucks). The "mcguffin" of the film is also weaker than the Ark or the Holy Grail. The Crystal Skull is pretty lame in fact and I'm not sure if anyone believes Harrison Ford when he exclaims "It's BEAUTIFUL!" upon its discovery.
The greatest moment in the picture was the portion that was filmed in New Haven. The motorcycle chase around Yale following the greaser/jock brawl is a true highlight. This chase is vastly superior to the seemingly never ending chase that is the second half of the film.
In this portion, Lucas and Spielberg went wild with CGI special effects as computer generated monkeys and ants team together to "add" to the adventure. There are a number of low points here, including Shia LeBeouf's Tarzan impersonation, the "crotch shot" as he performs a split while fencing, Marion's "tree jump" into the river, and the lamest fist fight in Indy's career against an over sized Russian. This is followed by Oxley's line: "Three times it drops" after which the audience is subjected to not one, but three increasingly impossible falls off of a waterfall by the group of protagonists.
If the audience wasn't aware of it already, this is about the point where the movie gets really stupid. Quotes like: "No more forever waiting", "Not space, but the space between spaces", and
"Knowledge- knowledge was their treasure" sum up the experience.
So why 2 stars? Well, if one can get past the sheer camp of the film, it is action driven and a pretty fun experience. It is not a great film by any stretch, but somehow quite watchable. It is a film that sought to capture a "B" movie experience, and for better or worse, it seems to have succeeded. Now who wants to watch Raiders or Last Crusade?
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Auf der Anderen Seite
(USA: The Edge of Heaven)
2007
3/4 Stars
While not a household name in the US, Turkish-German director Fatih Akin has established himself as a leading director in the German film industry. In his 10th film, “Auf der Anderen Seite”, Akin continues to show a distinctive eye for cinematography and a unique style of story-telling.
Revolving largely around the theme of German/Turkish relations and identity, the film zooms from Hamburg to Istanbul and back again, weaving a complicated web of personal relationships along the way. Characters speak in German, English and Turkish to communicate with one another in spite of their varied lives.
While the story can be marginally unbelievable at times (is Charlotte really that idealistic/gullible?), what keeps the film together is the sense of shared humanity- for better and for worse. There are some shocking twists and turns along the way, but this densely layered film deserves the widespread critical acclaim it received and is a distinct piece of art.
2007
3/4 Stars
While not a household name in the US, Turkish-German director Fatih Akin has established himself as a leading director in the German film industry. In his 10th film, “Auf der Anderen Seite”, Akin continues to show a distinctive eye for cinematography and a unique style of story-telling.
Revolving largely around the theme of German/Turkish relations and identity, the film zooms from Hamburg to Istanbul and back again, weaving a complicated web of personal relationships along the way. Characters speak in German, English and Turkish to communicate with one another in spite of their varied lives.
While the story can be marginally unbelievable at times (is Charlotte really that idealistic/gullible?), what keeps the film together is the sense of shared humanity- for better and for worse. There are some shocking twists and turns along the way, but this densely layered film deserves the widespread critical acclaim it received and is a distinct piece of art.
The Terminator
1984
2.5/4 Stars
James Cameron’s “The Terminator” tells the tale of a robot sent from the “distant future” (2029) to “present day” (1984) LA with the task of killing the mother of a future commando who leads a rebellion against the robot hordes who come to dominate earth. His target, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), has to rise quickly to the occasion of not only preserving her own life, but ultimately defeating this “terminator”. Aided by the mysterious Kyle Reece (Michael Biehn), Sarah’s character evolves from a clumsy waitress to a cold-blooded cage fighter in the course of 107 minutes.
In perhaps his most famous role, Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfectly suited to play the emotionless robot killer as he punches through car windshields and even cuts out his own eyeball. (“I feel no pain.”)
The movie is undeniably based in the 1980s. The hair, the clothes, and the music are all on full display here, giving it a dated feel. While this is not necessarily a knock, it is clear that the special effects technology is also decidedly 80s. There is more than one occasion where this shows – the aforementioned “eye cutting” sequence looks fake and when the Terminator is stripped down to his steel skeleton the animation is reminiscent of “Jason and the Argonauts”.
The film also has some decidedly cheesy dialogue. “Come with me if you want to live!” or “I came across time to save you Sarah… I LOVE you.” It is worth noting that some of these lines have since become classics- obviously- “I’ll be back.”
Overall though, the movie holds up. Most of the action is intense and up-tempo. The overall flow of the movie keeps the viewer on edge as one action scene flows into the next. The police station shootout is classic. While the “machine” theme can be heavy-handed and tedious at times, this is still a solid action movie and gets a thumbs-up.
2.5/4 Stars
James Cameron’s “The Terminator” tells the tale of a robot sent from the “distant future” (2029) to “present day” (1984) LA with the task of killing the mother of a future commando who leads a rebellion against the robot hordes who come to dominate earth. His target, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), has to rise quickly to the occasion of not only preserving her own life, but ultimately defeating this “terminator”. Aided by the mysterious Kyle Reece (Michael Biehn), Sarah’s character evolves from a clumsy waitress to a cold-blooded cage fighter in the course of 107 minutes.
In perhaps his most famous role, Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfectly suited to play the emotionless robot killer as he punches through car windshields and even cuts out his own eyeball. (“I feel no pain.”)
The movie is undeniably based in the 1980s. The hair, the clothes, and the music are all on full display here, giving it a dated feel. While this is not necessarily a knock, it is clear that the special effects technology is also decidedly 80s. There is more than one occasion where this shows – the aforementioned “eye cutting” sequence looks fake and when the Terminator is stripped down to his steel skeleton the animation is reminiscent of “Jason and the Argonauts”.
The film also has some decidedly cheesy dialogue. “Come with me if you want to live!” or “I came across time to save you Sarah… I LOVE you.” It is worth noting that some of these lines have since become classics- obviously- “I’ll be back.”
Overall though, the movie holds up. Most of the action is intense and up-tempo. The overall flow of the movie keeps the viewer on edge as one action scene flows into the next. The police station shootout is classic. While the “machine” theme can be heavy-handed and tedious at times, this is still a solid action movie and gets a thumbs-up.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Explorers
1985
1.5/4 Stars
Explorers is a kid's movie from the 80's that follows the story of three boys- Wolfgang (River Phoenix), Ben (Ethan Hawke), and Darren (Jason Presson)- as they communicate with aliens in their dreams and ultimately design a spaceship to visit the aliens themselves. Each character has a role to play- Wolfgang is the scientist, Ben has a wonderful imagination, and Darren is the skeptical drunk.
The movie is divided into two distinct halves- the first involves the boys designing the flying device and taking it around their home town. This is the best part of the film and captures the imagination of any child who wanted to fly. It is during this half that a character called "Old Creepy Charlie" is introduced. He stalks Ben for a time before discovering their ship. He is never mentioned again. His inclusion in the film is questionable.
The second half of the movie is a disaster. They meet the aliens, who are green, slimy, and obsessed with American television. Wolfgang develops an attraction to one of the aliens ("She is incredibly intelligent!"), but eventually accepts that it is not meant to be. This movie drags a great deal here and limps to the finish line.
It is pretty strange and seems to want to be a commentary on declining values in an increasingly media-driven society. In truth, it is just a weird kid's movie that has potential in the beginning before falling apart.
1.5/4 Stars
Explorers is a kid's movie from the 80's that follows the story of three boys- Wolfgang (River Phoenix), Ben (Ethan Hawke), and Darren (Jason Presson)- as they communicate with aliens in their dreams and ultimately design a spaceship to visit the aliens themselves. Each character has a role to play- Wolfgang is the scientist, Ben has a wonderful imagination, and Darren is the skeptical drunk.
The movie is divided into two distinct halves- the first involves the boys designing the flying device and taking it around their home town. This is the best part of the film and captures the imagination of any child who wanted to fly. It is during this half that a character called "Old Creepy Charlie" is introduced. He stalks Ben for a time before discovering their ship. He is never mentioned again. His inclusion in the film is questionable.
The second half of the movie is a disaster. They meet the aliens, who are green, slimy, and obsessed with American television. Wolfgang develops an attraction to one of the aliens ("She is incredibly intelligent!"), but eventually accepts that it is not meant to be. This movie drags a great deal here and limps to the finish line.
It is pretty strange and seems to want to be a commentary on declining values in an increasingly media-driven society. In truth, it is just a weird kid's movie that has potential in the beginning before falling apart.
Broken Arrow
1996
3/4 Stars
Broken Arrow is a great dumb movie. Essentially a series of climaxes, the film jumps quickly from one set piece to the next. The plot, which isn't really that important, revolves around bomber pilot Deke (John Travolta) attempting to steal a nuclear weapon. For some reason, the only man capable of stopping him is his co-pilot Hale (Christian Slater).
Director John Woo is known for his action work, and this does not disappoint. The film begins with a boxing match (between Deke and Hale- so symbolic!), follows up with a camp-ground shooting, a fist fight in a plane, a plane crash, a fight with a park ranger, a shooting on a ridge, a shooting in a canyon, a helicopter explosion, a humvee battle, a fight in mine, a vintage 2 pistol John Woo shootout, a nuclear detonation, another helicopter explosion, a fight on a train, another helicopter explosion, followed by a fourth helicopter explosion, another boxing match, and then a train explosion. That is the entire movie. Awesome.
3/4 Stars
Broken Arrow is a great dumb movie. Essentially a series of climaxes, the film jumps quickly from one set piece to the next. The plot, which isn't really that important, revolves around bomber pilot Deke (John Travolta) attempting to steal a nuclear weapon. For some reason, the only man capable of stopping him is his co-pilot Hale (Christian Slater).
Director John Woo is known for his action work, and this does not disappoint. The film begins with a boxing match (between Deke and Hale- so symbolic!), follows up with a camp-ground shooting, a fist fight in a plane, a plane crash, a fight with a park ranger, a shooting on a ridge, a shooting in a canyon, a helicopter explosion, a humvee battle, a fight in mine, a vintage 2 pistol John Woo shootout, a nuclear detonation, another helicopter explosion, a fight on a train, another helicopter explosion, followed by a fourth helicopter explosion, another boxing match, and then a train explosion. That is the entire movie. Awesome.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)