Prometheus

With the 30th anniversary of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner coming up later this week (which I will be writing about), I thought it quite appropriate to see his new sci-fi thriller, Prometheus. Despite the ridiculous price, IMAX 3D was a must for last night's showing, and so after getting the full effect here is what I thought:

I'd been excited to see Prometheus for some time. In fact, when I first saw the trailer I thought to myself, "now here is Ridley Scott, gonna show James Cameron how its done, and no Pocahontas crap either." Needless to say I wasn't terribly far off. As a matter of fact I found the premise to this film absolutely fascinating. I don't know if it was an original screenplay or came from some book or other source material or what but its a fantastic idea to build a film around. With a core structure of steel already put in place, however, I feel they slapped on the facade in clay or plaster. The characters were somewhat flat and at times wholly irrational, to go along with acting that was just a tad unconvincing on occasion, and there were some rather large gaps in the plot. I for one didn't enjoy the enormous jump from 'we just found these cave paintings' to 'oh look, we've arrived at this planet a billion light years away' that happened in the span of about 2 minutes to the viewer with only limited explanation later. Clocking in at only a pinch over two hours, they could have elaborated on the back-story a little more.

My grievances now aired, I have to admit that I really liked this movie. The effects were absolutely gorgeous, as was Noomi Rapace (the original girl with the dragon tattoo), and Charlize Theron played a total bitch in the role I swear she was born for. I read somewhere that one of the main criticisms was that a lot of people left the theatre feeling confused, but I see this as a good thing. This movie doesn't spoon-feed you its themes. It wants to leave you thinking and asking the big questions, and there's  nothing wrong with that at all. I love a sci-fi film when its done right, and despite Prometheus' shortcomings its hard to mess up a film with a premise this intriguing. 3 stars out of 4, go see it.

*Also, having not seen Alien, I can't really comment on the similarities/differences/tie-ins etc.

Iron Lady/Devil Inside

To mark the momentous occasion of my long awaited and much anticipated return to blog posting, I am doing something unique in the history of this esteemed publication. That is, I'm review two (that's right, two) new films in the same post. Please try to contain your excitement, and we will begin.

The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady, if you don't already know, is basically a biopic about the life and more important achievements of former British PM Margaret Thatcher. The film is composed of flashbacks into her early political career and time as PM, set into the framework of her life now as an aging and mentally fading symbol of British politics in the 1980's. Although the film has been criticized by some for its reliance on Thatcher's dementia as a core plot device, overall I think it is done in a justly sensitive manner and serves as a useful vehicle for the flashbacks.

One of the things I found odd about this particular film is that it depicts the life of a political leader so (relatively) recently after her time in office. For a major motion picture, I find this strange, because it seems as if this timing may trim the perspective audience. Personally, I could readily name several acquaintances who would forgo the film on principle, based on a dislike for the former PM and her policies. We mustn't forget that Thatcher is better remembered in the U.S. than other British PMs because of her close relationship with our president of the time, Ronald Reagan. In what is a very partisan country at the moment, a film chronicling a famous and controversial conservative leader is perhaps not such a good idea. Only some 20 years after her resignation, history has not yet judged the greatness of her achievements, and there are still a great many who do not think fondly of her time as PM at all.

That said, and being someone with a great interest in history, I found the picture quite enjoyable. Although the plot didn't reveal a whole lot about her early political career and rise to prominence, I thought it did do justice to her motives and principles. Of course as with any film of this nature, the lead must carry the load, and I think history has shown that you can't really go wrong with Meryl Streep. Her acting prowess is well known and there is no need for me to detail it here, so suffice to say that in that facet the film was excellent. I thought that the dialogue was, at times, spotty, and to be honest the film ends on a rather strange and slightly unfulfilled note, but overall the picture was a quality look into the life and times of a most famous and polarizing figure, and I'd recommend it if you have any interest at all in history or politics. Three stars our of four.

The Devil Inside

Now for this... attempt at a horror film. I have to admit, and some of you may be surprised to note, that this was the very first horror flick I've ever seen in theatres. I've just never had any intense desire to go see one, and even though this film only currently holds a 6% on Rotten Tomatoes, I was invited to go with friends so I figured, why not?

Why not indeed...when I say this film was horrible, please do not underestimate the power of that word because it really and truly was an abominable attempt at a film. Meant to feel like a documentary (reminiscent of the Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, etc.) about a young woman who travels to Rome to see her mother, who had killed three people 20 years previous during an exorcism, this sad excuse for a horror film is not only terribly acted and written, but it is also utterly un-scary and sports one of the worst endings I have ever seen- and you do not want me to tell you how many movies I have seen. Produced on a budget of $1m, this movie was somehow picked up by Paramount, and somehow managed to gross over $46m so far, topping the box office its opening weekend.

I mean... I was actually going to type more about this movie but I just realized that I'm letting it waste even more of my time, so just listen. I don't care how much you value my opinion, but value it now, along with 94% of critics: this movie is an absolutely disgraceful waste of money and time. Try your best to forget it ever existed, as I will now begin to do. 1/2 a star out of 4.

Black Swan

Black Swan is exactly the type of movie that people find fashionable to adore. You'll hear people talking about it, praising its deep, multi-layered plot, its wealth of symbolism. "Oh, Black Swan was simply magnificent! It opened my eyes! It makes a statement!" And a bigger load of bullshit I have never heard about a film. If director Darren Aronofsky intended at all to entertain, he failed in large part. The plot at first seemed so interesting, so complex, but in the end you simply chalk it all up to an unstable mental state and move on. Yes the movie had beautiful aesthetics, lots of symbolism, etc., but to what end? It is all contributing to the portrayal of Nina Sayer's (Natalie Portman) slow descent into insanity, a plot device that has been revisited time and time again to the point of overuse.

If you are a person who likes others to think that you are sophisticated and discerning, then go see this movie, and tell everyone how magnificent it was. So basically, if you are an arrogant sophist who enjoys discounting truth on the basis of other's insufficient intelligence, this is the perfect movie for you! If you are an honest, practical member of society, skip this over-thought, over stylized, and over-praised disappointment. The movie is only mildly interesting, serviceable at best.

Why do critics love it so much? In a year of less than stellar releases, people need something to latch onto, some award-favorite. This is the movie they have chosen, and it will undoubtedly win many awards. Don't get me wrong, the acting was very good, the cinematography, set design, all lovely. What angers me are all of the individuals who think they know about movies, labeling this as some sort of masterpiece when it is so far from it. Excuse my base, clandestine understanding of what constitutes a good movie.  I've heard people call it a(n) Hitchcockian Thriller, a mantle it is highly unworthy of. I give it 2 stars out of 4. 

One person told me that this wasn't my type of movie. That is why I didn't like it. That person is 100% correct, because my type of movie is a good movie.     

Inception = Perfection

How do you write a critique of a movie that is perfect? The answer of course would be that no movie is perfect, but Inception comes so near to this lofty goal that I'm having trouble putting words to how I feel about it. I can hardly believe I'm even saying this. I never dreamed that I would ever think this much of a movie after seeing it in theaters, normally I am very critical. This one, however, just raises the bar for everything else, plain and simple.

Synopsis (skip if you've seen the film)

The movie, for those of you who are insane and haven't seen it yet, is about a man named Dom (Leonardo DiCaprio) who uses his unique knowledge of the nature of dreams to actually enter someone else's dream and steal valuable information from the person that would otherwise be unobtainable. A short ways into the film, Dom is offered a rather unorthodox job by a character named Saito (Ken Watanabe). Instead of extracting information from someone, as is the norm, Saito wants Dom to preform inception, or the introduction of an idea into someones mind so as they believe it is their own original inspiration. Other characters seem to agree that inception  is either impossible, or incredibly difficult, but Dom claims to have achieved it before so its all good. He accepts this job on the condition that after its completion, Saito will arrange his return to the U.S. where his children are, and where he is also wanted for murder (there is a lot more to this). To do this job, he puts together a team of various people, including among others the "architect", played by Ellen Paige, and right-hand man Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The plan is to create a three-tiered dream, or a dream within a dream within a dream, to plant the idea. Going that deep, however, is very unstable and unpredictable as the characters find out. Coupled with Dom's mysterious personal problems, the mission is very difficult.

The Critique

Lets start with the acting. This is literally DiCaprio's seventh film in eight years that I thoroughly enjoy watching. Inception only proves that right now, he is the most bankable star in Hollywood hands down. I found his performance, along with the other notables in the cast, including Cillian Murphy who played the mark, excellent. As far as effects go, you can't get much more seamless. Oh, and the plot? It makes the movie. Thrilling, mind-bending, engaging, all words I would use. I have never been literally on the edge of my seat for so long during any other film, ever. Everything comes together so perfectly, to try and describe it would not do it justice. 

The Verdict

You must see this movie. Does it have flaws? I suppose...I don't know of any personally. I don't take praising a movie lightly, and I could sit here and praise it all day. I was genuinely astonished by how good it was. My rating, out of 4 stars, is 4, and don't hold your breath until I award that to another film.