Monsters vs. Aliens

If this is the brave new world to which 3D is transporting us, stop the merry-go-'round. I want to get off.

Monsters vs. Aliens, one of the 2009 big movies designed to highlight where 3D could transport audiences, is an example of technology run amok. With a slight, light screenplay that required five credited writers, the film tells an unimaginative story about an alien invasion of Earth that is foiled by "monsters." Of course, they're not really monsters. They're just misunderstood. But since they're in the 3D, we're too busy watching whizzing comet fragments fly out of the screen to care about things like plot or character development. It's a good thing, too, because anyone on the lookout for those elements may be a little disappointed. This should not be confused with the vastly superior Monsters Inc.

I'm sure the average five year-old will be enchanted. But the average five year old watches Teletubbies and Sponge Bob Squarepants. The problem with Monsters vs. Aliens is that all those writers didn't think much about potential audience members on the hairy side of puberty. Oh, there are some clever one-liners and the occasional sight gag, but there are too few of those moments to keep the adults from becoming restless. Despite a multitude of opportunities to satirize '50s B-grade science fiction and monster movies, there's only a little of that (veiled references to Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, The Blob, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Fly). Too much would, after all, confuse the five year olds. And why put thought into a script when you can let the computers send something else whizzing at the audience?

Monsters vs. Aliens suffers from the common 3D problems: dim lighting, poor focus in fast-paced action sequences, and too many distractions for the movie to grab the viewer. With Coraline, it looked like things might be going in the right direction, but Monsters vs. Aliens is a major step backward. Last year, the "K" of "Dreamworks SKG" did a dog-and-pony show proselytizing skeptics to join the True Faith of 3D. It's too bad this is all he has to show for it. Had he come armed with something less obviously recycled, his words might not now ring hollow.

Susan Murphy (voice of Reese Witherspoon) is getting ready for her wedding day when a meteor strike complicates her perfect small town domestic existence. A substance contained in the meteor causes her to glow green then grow until she's big enough to be called Ginormica. The government arrives before she can say "I do" and incarcerates her in a prison for monsters, where she makes the acquaintances of other misfits: the blobby B.O.B. (Seth Rogan), the aptly named Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), and The Missing Link (Will Arnett). Things aren't looking too good for Susan until Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) comes calling. His goal has something to do with wiping out humanity and repopulating Earth with his own kind - typical megalomaniac space alien stuff. President Hathaway (Stephen Colbert) decides to let loose the monsters in the hope that they and the aliens will eliminate each other. Meanwhile, all Susan really wants is to be respected for who she is. Sniff sniff.

There was a time when Dreamworks looked like it might be poised to challenge Disney/Pixar for the digital animation throne. That day has long since passed and, as Pixar strives to improve with every new feature, Dreamworks offers us this. Visually, the film is okay, but nothing special, and certainly nothing on par with WALL-E. The idea seems to be that the presence of 3D eliminates the need to invest effort into striving for the highest quality animation. And this is the real danger of 3D - that the "wow" factor becomes so important that other elements are neglected.

This is not a movie. It's an amusement park ride. It's a chance for kids to "ooh" and "ahh" while parents catch a nap. Sure, the film is sweet and harmless but, take away the 3D, and all you're left with is a generic kids' movie, not unlike Madagascar and its sequel (both of which also came from Dreamworks). Monsters vs. Aliens is a gallery of missed opportunities. There are a couple of lame King Kong references, a nod to Star Trek, and a musical echo of Close Encounters, but that's about it. Yet, despite the presence of a War Room and a Buck Turgidson-type (named General W.R. Monger, and voiced by Jack Bauer), there's not a hint of Dr. Strangelove to be found. It's almost as if someone put the setup in place then forgot the punch line.

The 3D is distracting but, in this case, that's a good thing, because it livens things up. But it also indicates that had Monsters vs. Aliens been a good movie, it would have worked better in 2D. Katzenberg said he wanted to make 3D an integral part of the movie-going experience, but with Monsters vs. Aliens, he has provided one of the most gimmicky 3D movies since the resurgence of the format.

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The Great Buck Howard

A movie review by James Berardinelli
The Great Buck Howard offers John Malkovich an opportunity to do a little mugging for the camera as he plays a character who is, by nature, larger than life. Buck Howard, a fictional representation of The Amazing Kreskin, is part star and part lounge lizard. He's the proverbial legend in his own mind. The genial film, brought to the screen with a certain amount of compassion by director Sean McGinly, who could just as easily have taken the gloves off and made this a nasty, bitter satire, manages to score some telling points about the nature of stardom and how fast Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame can pass. Despite the presence of some A-list performers, The Great Buck Howard can't shake the feeling that it's more on the level of made-for-TV than something destined for theatrical greatness. Like its main character, the production rarely seems ready for prime time.

Our initial impression of Buck Howard, as seen through the eyes of the man who will become his personal assistant, Troy Gabel (Colin Hanks), is that he's a major figure in the entertainment industry. It turns out he's a classic has-been. A once-renowned mentalist who frequently appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in the '70s, Buck hasn't seen the business end of a camera in decades and is reduced to doing cheesy live shows in front of half-full auditoriums in small towns. Ever the optimist, Buck believes that his big break is "just around the corner." Troy is skeptical, as is Valerie Brennan (Emily Blunt), a local publicist brought in to help amplify Buck's image.

Hollywood is fond of making movies about aging celebrities who are past their "sell by" date. Old generals may fade away, but people used to the spotlight often sacrifice their last shreds of dignity trying to crawl back into it. Like a boxer whose punch-less comebacks are the fodder for countless punch lines, some stars simply can't recognize when it's over. In a way, The Great Buck Howard is about a man making the journey from self-delusion to recognition. And, while many films view this sort of odyssey as a tragic one (consider, for example, Darren Aronofsky's recent The Wrestler), The Great Buck Howard sees it in a gentler light.

McGinly focuses on three key relationships. There's the friction-filled one between Troy and his buttoned-down dad (Tom Hanks). Dad wants Troy to go to law school, but Troy wants to follow his dream of writing, and therein lies the conflict. There's a PG romance between Troy and Valerie. One is tempted to call Valerie a disposable character, but because she's played by Emily Blunt (who can also currently be seen in Sunshine Cleaning) and Blunt can do a lot with a little, the character ends up seeming more substantial than she is. The central relationship is the love/hate thing between Troy and Buck. Troy may never learn how Buck performs his signature magic trick, but he gets to peek behind the curtain and see what makes the man tick, and that's in some ways more intriguing.

As an actor, Colin Hanks doesn't have much gravitas, but the role doesn't require much in that direction. It's unclear whether he'll ever expand to fill his father's shoes; great things were expected for him after Orange County (although I'm not sure why), but they haven't materialized. Nevertheless, Troy appears tailor-made for him. Meanwhile, Malkovich has fun with Buck - this is a part an actor can sink his teeth into. But Buck isn't all big smiles, sunglasses, and gripes about Jay Leno. Malkovich modulates his performance in such a way that we, like Troy, see what's mostly hidden behind the curtain. Tom Hanks heads an idiosyncratic list of cameos: Tom Arnold, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, John Stewart, Martha Stewart, George Takei, and Gary Coleman.

If there's a glaring fault with The Great Buck Howard, it's that, although the character may linger in the mind after the end credits roll, the plot quickly evaporates like one of Buck Howard's magic tricks. All that's really left in the end is Malkovich's performance. The themes - how a tabloid-centered culture flocks to the celebrity of the day then discards him when the luster rubs off and how some people sacrifice everything for their job - are potentially rich, but they are soft-peddled here and don't have any staying power. Malkovich's Buck Howard may indeed be "great," but the film is not.

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Miss March

It's Friday the 13th - Figures. Where's Jason when you need him?

In order to see Miss March, which was not screened for critics, I spent 90 minutes trapped in a multiplex auditorium on the day it opened. For about the first half-hour, I tried to be optimistic, thinking things certainly had to get better. For the next 30 minutes, I prayed that the projector would break. For the balance of the movie, I felt like crying out, "Please God, just let it end!" There were a total of ten people in the theater, and all of them stayed until it was over. I know why I didn't leave, but I can't figure out what was wrong with the other nine. Maybe there's a masochist convention in town?

This is bad. Not bad in a way that it might be fun to see when inebriated. Bad in a way from which only death provides immunity. Forget waterboarding - just show Guantanamo detainees Miss March and they'll say anything. Or maybe pair it with The Hottie and the Nottie, although that would be considered cruel and unusual punishment. Even though it's only March, I'm prepared to go out on a limb and declare this the worst movie of the year. (It helps that Friedberg & Seltzer don't have any 2009 releases scheduled, although I'm sure Uwe Boll has a title or two in the pipeline.) If something worse arrives in theaters between now and December, I don't want to experience it. I can only take one of these a year.

Miss March wants to be a sex comedy, a road trip movie, and a romantic comedy all rolled into one. I was going to describe it as Rip Van Winkle meets the '80s hit song "Centerfold" until I realized what a monumental insult that would be to Washington Irving and the J. Geils Band. The film introduces us to Eugene Bell (Zach Cregger) and Tucker Cleigh (Trevor Moore) as kids, then catches up to them on prom night. Eugene, a staunch advocate of abstinence, is about to lose his virginity to his girlfriend of 30 months, Cindi (Raquel Alessi). He's nervous, drinks too much, falls down a flight of stairs and ends up in a coma for the next four years. When he awakens, he discovers that his father has abandoned him and his girlfriend is a Playboy centerfold. Only Tucker has stuck around. So, to claim Eugene's lost love and escape a scrape with some firemen that Tucker finds himself in, they head west toward the Playboy Mansion.

Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore (of the TV show The Whitest Kids U Know) are wearing three hats here - directors, writers, and stars - possibly because no one else wanted to be associated with this production. The biggest name in the cast is Hugh Hefner, and this is a sad comedown for him. I know his magazine hasn't been relevant in about a quarter century, but is he so hard-up for publicity that he feels it necessary to lend his support to something this abysmal? I didn't like The House Bunny, but I could understand why he would be involved. Even all the ass-kissing Cregger and Moore do isn't worth the humiliation of being associated with Miss March.

For a movie that's purported to be a sex comedy, there's not much in the way of sex or nudity. And, even though the lead actress is supposedly a centerfold, she keeps her clothes on at all times. There's not even a digitally created image of her naked. Then again, Cregger and Moore could have put a nude woman in every frame and it wouldn't have saved Miss March. The humor is divided into three categories: profanity-related, having to do with bodily fluids, and a tedious, often-repeated line about a hip-hop artist whose name is Horsedick.MPEG. It's as if the screenwriters are eight years old and, having just discovered the word "fuck," they want to use it as much as possible and think its mere utterance is hilarious. For variety, they toss in stuff like an explosion of diarrhea in all of its graphic glory and a Playmate savoring the sweet nectar of dog pee. And those are the tasteful bits.

While Eugene is merely one-dimensional and boring, Tucker is a vile individual. During a scene when a fireman is about to behead Tucker, I was rooting the would-be executioner on. For some unknown reason, the filmmakers expect us to like this misogynist pig, as if we're intended to ignore personality defects like causing his girlfriend to go into an epileptic seizure then stabbing her in the face with a fork. This guy would be perfect for a horror movie. I'd be the first one cheering when Jason or Freddy or Michael drilled a spike through his eye. Sadly, none of these things happen here.

Miss March isn't only inept from a storytelling perspective, it's technically primitive. Camera angles are unsophisticated, recalling Kevin Smith in his early days; shots are poorly framed; transitions are awkward; and the lack of budget frequently calls attention to itself. Most bad films at least look competent, but this is a member of the rare group that looks like the shit that it is. At least it was in focus, although I'm not sure that can be considered a benefit. The experience might have been less traumatic had everything been blurry. My plea to Hollywood: exile Cregger and Moore to the same bleak oblivion where Tom Green, Carrot Top, and Pauley Shore reside.

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Race to Witch Mountain

Race to Witch Mountain is the latest Disney "made for kids only" effort. It takes all the usual Disney hooks - cute children, a likeable protagonist, lame action and lamer jokes, some special effects, poker-faced bad guys, and an animal - and throws them into a story that makes no sense whatsoever. So, while children will be entertained by the flashy eye candy and pointless running around, adults will be obsessed with determining how such a nonsensical script could get made into a movie without at least a little more polishing. One supposes Disney is hoping to cash in on the inevitable nostalgia factor associated with the name "Witch Mountain." But, although this is technically a remake of the 1975 feature, Escape to Witch Mountain (which was subsequently re-done in 1995 as a made-for-TV production), it's mostly a different movie. While a few of the basic building blocks for the story remain, that's where similarities between Race and Escape end.

Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig) are the Wonder Twins - two aliens who end up in the back of a cab driven by Jack Bruno (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson). She can read thoughts (maybe not such a good thing in Las Vegas) and perform levitation tricks. He can transmute matter. They are apparently not very good drivers because they have managed to crash land their spaceship on Earth. Now, it's in the hands of Dick Cheney's disciples, led by Man in Black Hat Henry Burke (Ciaran Hinds), who needs the kids to complete his collection of alien artifacts. Sara and Seth, having completed their hush-hush mission, want to go home. Despite their seemingly limitless powers, however, they need Jack to drive them around. And, even though Sara can disable cars with a flick of her wrist, she seems content to let them chase the cab through the desert outside of Las Vegas. Maybe she thinks it's fun. Eventually, when Jack's knowledge of things extraterrestrial proves to be limited, he confides in astrophysicist Alex Friedmen (Carla Gugino), who is more than happy to help out a couple of blonde-haired, blue-eyed ETs.

The more powerful the filmmakers decide to make the kids, the less sense the entire movie makes. To quote Kirk from Star Trek V (admittedly, not the most quotable of movies, unless you're into "Row Row Row Your Boat"): "Why does God need a starship?" Or, as it applies here, why do these kids need The Rock? Simply because AnnaSophia Robb (as talented an actress as she may be - see A Bridge to Terabithia) and Alexander Ludwig aren't going to sell many tickets. The Rock meanwhile, has decided to abandon Schwarzenegger mayhem in favor of something kinder, gentler, and more boring. But, as charismatic as Dwayne Johnson may be (and he has a ton of screen presence), there's no logical reason for him to be in this movie.

The movie has not been made for post-pubescent viewers in mind. With productions like this, it's possible for children to get caught up in the moment without really caring why something is happening. Race to Witch Mountain isn't intended for families to enjoy together. It's made so that the children can capture 98 minutes of candy-light sweetness while their parents are tortured for not electing to treat their offspring to something more intelligent. The Rock keeps the film from becoming unwatchable, but there's only so much he can do. The experience of sitting through Race to Witch Mountain is more numbing than painful. One can consider the picture to be cinematic novocaine.

For those who care about such things, the twins from the 1975 Escape to Witch Mountain (Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann) have small parts. He's the small town sheriff who faces off against Ciaran Hinds' agents and she's the blonde waitress who aids the new kids escape. If nothing else, their presence shows a little reverence for the past. Of course, it would have been more reverential if Disney had let Witch Mountain lie buried. This is not a story that cries out to be remade every 15-20 years. And, while the special effects and acting are getting better, the story isn't. Too bad this won't be the last time I'll say this for a Disney motion picture. No one is as adept as the Magic Kingdom when it comes to recycling. But the green they're looking for has nothing to do with conservation.

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The Last House on the Left

In a graphic example of how creatively bankrupt Hollywood has become, it's no longer good enough merely to remake older films - now the studios have begun to remake remakes. 1972's The Last House on the Left, the first feature effort of Wes Craven, was a reworking of Ingmar Bergman's controversial 1960 picture, The Virgin Spring, which captured the 1961 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. The third version of the story, which sticks more closely to the 1972 edition than its predecessor, is helmed by Greek filmmaker Dennis Illiadis, who has only one previous credit to his name. 2009's The Last House on the Left is

a more accomplished movie than Craven's 1972 film - the technique exhibits sophistication, the screenplay is smoother, and the tone is less erratic. The wheels fall off toward the end but, until that point, Illiadis does an excellent job of generating and maintaining an intense sense of dread. This is an uncompromising film. It is unapologetically violent, to the point where those who are upset by screen brutality will have a tough time sitting through it. It features one of the most upsetting rape scenes committed to film (behind only Irreversible and The War Zone). The MPAA's decision to award an R to The Last House on the Left is yet another example of how flawed the U.S. classification system is. If anything is deserving of an NC-17 for adults-only content, this is it. The violence is not cartoonish or in any way sanitized; it is grim and gut-wrenching. Nothing is spared. Consider, for example, a scene featuring a hand and an in-sink garbage disposal. There's no need to use your imagination regarding what happens - the movie shows it in bloody detail. The film begins with the Collingwood family arriving at their lakeside summer home for a vacation. Once, there were four, but the son has been dead for a year. Now, there's only John (Tony Goldwyn), Emma (Monica Potter), and their 17-year old daughter, Mari (Sara Paxton). On the first night there, Mari decides to go out for a night on the town with her friend, Paige (Martha MacIsaac). The two meet a shy, disheveled guy named Justin (Spencer Treat Clark), who invites them back to his motel room to smoke some weed. While they're there, Justin's traveling companions arrive: his father, Krug (Garret Dillahunt); his uncle, Frank (Aaron Paul); and his father's girlfriend, Sadie (Riki Lindome). They kidnap Mari and Paige, killing the latter and raping and seriously injuring the former. They then leave her for dead. In the wake of a car accident and with a violent storm approaching, the four murderers seek refuge at the only nearby house which, unbeknownst to them, is occupied by Mari's parents. The movie's center act is The Last House on the Left's best part. The first third of the film is at times difficult to watch and the climax descends into abject, cliché-strewn silliness (with a final scene that is as dumb as it is gratuitous). But the middle portion is masterfully executed, with a buildup of tension worthy of Hitchcock. We, the omniscient audience, know who all the characters are and what the four newcomers are capable of (even though they seem perfectly civilized upon their entrance into the house). But the killers don't realize they are enjoying the hospitality of their victim's parents, and John and Emma don't know that their daughter is on death's door and those who put her there are under the same roof. Ultimately, this is a revenge thriller not a horror film and, like many movies of the genre, it raises questions about the morality of how the director manipulates the audience into rooting for the deaths of characters. It's this slippery slope that was questioned in Funny Games, which displayed contempt for this kind of motion picture as mass entertainment. Illiadis is a master of playing his audience. When the good guys start fighting back, the audience lets out a rousing cheer. While not dissimilar to the reaction Craven strove for in 1972, it's much different from the emotions elicited by the vengeance in The Virgin Spring. Bergman's view of violence was darker and more somber, and not in any way like the rousing experience provided by The Last House on the Left. Do I recommend the film? It's a tough call. There is much to admire about the production, and it held my attention for its entire length. Viewed from a detached perspective, it is well-made. The camera work is top notch and the movie never resorts to the quick cutting that has become the bane of too many thrillers. The actors do solid jobs. And the film is taut and arresting. There are serious credibility problems with the ending. In his zeal to give the audience too much, Illiadis goes over-the-top. Characters do stupid things for no reason other than that they are driven to do so by the screenplay. And, as is often the case in thrillers, human beings become superhuman. They can survive being cracked over the head with fire extinguishers and fireplace pokers and still keep fighting. Some, however, will view The Last House on the Left as morally bankrupt and reprehensible, and I can understand that point-of-view. I am not comfortable with the idea of depicting a brutal rape for the purpose of getting viewers to despise characters so their eventual comeuppance can be cheered. I suspect that hard-core horror fans, who can view torture porn without blinking or considering its ethical ramifications, will revel in what Illiadis has crafted. Other viewers are advised to stay away. This film is only for those who go in with open eyes and understand what they're in for. The Last House on the Left is hard to like, but difficult to forget.

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Ip Man

If you look at the last 5 movies in Donnie Yen’s filmography, I feel that his better works had resulted from his collaboration with director Wilson Yip. In Painted Skin and An Empress and The Warriors, he was relegated to supporting roles, with the former being ineffectively cast against type, and the latter playing second fiddle to the leads Kelly Chen and Leon Lai. With Yip, he’s the able star of the show, and in each of the movies, was put to do what he does best – numbing arse kicking action, with SPL sparring with Sammo Hung and Wu Jing, Dragon Tiger Gate having to lead Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue battling bad hair days, and introducing some wildly kinetic Mixed Martial Arts action in Flash Point. So how does his latest collaboration with Wilson Yip fare?

They do no wrong. I shall now proclaim unabashedly that I absolutely love this movie! It’s been some time since we last saw a biopic on one of the Chinese’s martial arts folk heroes, with Jet Li’s Fearless being the last memorable one to hit the big screen. While Li lays claim to three of such roles in the iconic Wong Fei Hung (in the Tsui Hark movies), Fong Sai Yuk and Huo Yuan Jia in Fearless, after which he felt he had to hang up his martial arts roles because he thought that he had communicated all that he wanted about martial arts through these films. And thank goodness for Donnie Yen still being around to pick up from where the genre left off, and presenting a memorable role which he truly owned, with Ip Man being the first cinematic rendition of the Wing Chun martial arts grandmaster.

In this bio-pic, Ip Man, one of the earliest Wing Chun martial arts exponents credited to have propagated its popularity, gets portrayed as the best of the best in 1930s Fo Shan, China, where the bustling city has its own Martial Arts Street where countless of martial arts schools have set up shop to fuel the craze of kung fu training. With each new school, the master will pay their respects to Ip Man and to challenge him to a duel. Ip Man, an aristocrat who spends most of his quality time developing and perfecting his brand of martial arts, will take them on behind closed doors, so as not to damage his opponents’ reputation nor embarrass them in public. His humility is his virtue, and his style is never violent or aggressive, which often gets assumed and mistaken for being effeminate, since Wing Chun after all was founded by a woman.

The bulk of the story gets set in the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war, and it’s not all fight and no story. Witth this historical setting, at times it does seem that there is an air of familiarity with the type of stories told, with how the Japanese Imperial Army had made life really miserable for the Chinese, and how the Chinese being fragmented in spirit, fail to unite during dire straits. More often than note, martial arts become a unifying force, and this aspect of the narrative might seem to be a walk in the usual territory.

But with its array of charismatic supporting cast with the likes of Simon Yam as Ip Man’s best friend and industrialist Quan, and Lam Ka Tung as a cop turned translator, there are little nicely put sub plots which seek to expand the air of respect that Ip Man commands amongst his community. The story by Edmond Wong did not demonize all the villains, often adding a dash of empathy and sympathy to the likes of the Japanese General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), a highly skilled exponent from the North called Zhao (Fan Siu Wong) as well as Lam’s translator character who is deemed as a traitor for being in the service of the Japanese. Ip Man the family man also gets put under the spotlight, where his passion could sometimes leave him neglecting his wife and kid, and through the course of the story this focus often leaves one quite exasperated for his family’s safety as he puts his countrymen above self and family when going up against the oppressive Japanese forces.

So what’s the verdict on the action? Action junkies won’t have to wait too long before watching Ip Man in action, and to Sammo Hung and Tony Leung Siu Hung’s credit, they have intricately designed some of the most varied martial arts sequences in the movie, such as private fights in his home, a factory melee, a Japanese dojo battle as seen in the trailer, (which I know has actually sent some positive vibes amongst moviegoers, mouth agape at that incredible scene of Yen continuously beating down a karateka) being somewhat of a throwback and reminscent of Bruce Lee in Fists of Fury, and a ringside duel amongst others. And it’s not just Ip Man who gets in on the action, but specialized martial arts moves designed for the various practitioners as well. It’s so difficult to name any particular one as a personal favourite, though I must add that you definitely won’t feel short changed by the time the inevitable final battle comes rolling along and gets delivered with aplomb.

I’m no Wing Chun practitioner, but Donnie Yen has this marvelous calm and zen like approach with his Ip Man taking out his opponents quite effectively with the minimal of moves. Like Huo Yuan Jia, he doesn’t deliver the killing blows to friendly opponents, but rather simulates the various hit points, which actually calls for some astonishing control of strength and precision. This approach will change of course as the opponents become anything but friendly. And unlike the usual martial arts stance of crouching low, here we see him standing tall and striking with such precision and efficiency, it’s like poetry in motion with some astounding closed quarter combat utilizing plenty of upper limb strength.

With Wong Kar-wai at one point also declaring interest in making a Ip Man movie, I thought that this effort will be hard to beat, just like how Tsui Hark has crafted some of the more definitive movies in modern times about Wong Fei Hung and Jet Li benefiting from a major career boost, I’d say Ip Man just about cements Yen’s reputation as a martial arts leading man, which I guess the cinematic world these days severely lacks. Definitely recommended, and surely a thrill ride for Donnie Yen fans!

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The Pink Panther 2

I approached The Pink Panther 2 with the firm belief that, no matter how ill inspired it might be, it certainly couldn't be worse than its 2006 predecessor, which set a new low bar for all things Clouseau. In fulfilling those expectations, The Pink Panther 2 represents an improvement, although not so great than many would notice. It is admittedly baffling that a cast with so much talent - Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, John Cleese, Lily Tomlin, Jeremy Irons - can be responsible for something so misbegotten. It's easy to lay a lion's share of the blame at the feet of director Harald Zwart, whose sterling résumé includes Agent Cody Banks, but there's culpability aplenty to go around. No one involved with The Pink Panther 2 escapes unsullied, least of all Martin, who should have given up after recognizing how badly he was miscast three years ago. His "interpretation" of Clouseau makes one suspect the corpse of Peter Sellers would do a better job.

For those searching desperately for silver lining to this black thunderhead, it is there, found early in the proceedings. Peter Sellers is dead and Blake Edwards is enjoying retirement at the ripe old age of 86, but The Pink Panther cartoon character is as lively as ever, making mischief all through the opening credits to the tune of Henry Mancini's unforgettable theme. But when the music ends, the boredom begins. That people are amused by this movie is a good indication of how low standards for comedy have fallen. Viewers often laugh not because something is genuinely funny but because it is supposed to be funny. This allows Hollywood to be sloppy and lazy when it comes to comedies, and few are more sloppy or lazy than The Pink Panther 2.

The story, to the extent that it has enough substance to warrant being called a "story," has Clouseau heading up an international "dream team" of detectives on the hunt for a thief called The Tornado, who has pilfered the Magna Carta, the Japanese Emperor's sword, the Shroud of Turin, and the Pink Panther diamond. Clouseau's fellow sleuths are the Italian Vicenzo (Andy Garcia), the British Pepperidge (Alfred Molina), and the Japanese Kenji (Yuki Matsuzaki). Also along for the ride is Sonia (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), who is an expert on The Tornado. As usual, Clouseau is generally clueless for the first 3/4 of the movie, bumbling along in a haze of ineptitude, until inspiration strikes and he solves the case. I'm tempted to describe the mystery as Scooby Doo lite, but that might be considered insulting to the venerable dog detective cartoon series. There's also a romance between Clouseau and his assistant, Nicole (Emily Mortimer), that is more embarrassing than cute. Like seemingly everything else in this movie, it's wide of the mark by more than a little.

The breath of fresh air, to the extent that one can be identified in the staleness of this recycled refuse, is John Cleese. Cleese, replacing his good friend Kevin Kline as Chief Inspector Dreyfus, has reached into his past for inspiration. Dreyfus is, in fact, none other than Basil Fawlty. For the first time in years, Cleese has abandoned the laid-back persona he has donned for one high-profile cameo after another, and returned to his roots: high-strung, explosive mania. Unfortunately, he isn't on screen much more than he was as Nearly Headless Nick in the first Harry Potter movie. (Interestingly, he's the only "French" character who does not affect a silly French accent.)

The Pink Panther 2 is not completely devoid of laughs. Some of the Cleese stuff is funny and there are a few mildly amusing slapstick moments (although many of them, such as the bit with the globe, recall how much better Sellars was at this kind of material). But the bulk of Clouseau's antics are examples of poor writing and bad timing. The latter is surprising since, throughout his career, Martin has been a master of timing. Too many jokes, such as one in which Clouseau is dressed as the Pope and wanders onto the balcony many times waving his hands, last for so long that their comedic momentum is lost by the time the punch line arrives. Yes, they're supposed to be funny and we know why they're supposed to be funny, but the urge to laugh isn't there. Getting the joke before it has been told is not a good recipe for boundless mirth.

Those with a nostalgic yearning for The Pink Panther may find it hard to stay away, even if the cartoon character isn't around for much longer than in a fiberglass commercial. The solution is to buy a ticket to The Pink Panther 2 then, when the opening credits are done, slip into the next-door theater to see something else. It doesn't much matter what that movie is - it's not likely to be worse than what was left behind.

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Everlasting Moments

A moment frozen in time through the lens of a camera - that's one of many images director Jan Troell uses to cement the foundation of his new period piece, Everlasting Moments. The chronicle of a woman who lived and died in the early part of the 20th century, this film covers the period between 1907 and 1921. Troell asks hard questions about love, fidelity, and responsibility and, perhaps most intriguingly, paints the portrait of a woman whose life could be considered a success or a tragedy, depending on the shading of the lens through which it is observed.

When we first encounter Maria Larsson (Maria Heiskanen), she is a mother and the wife of Sigfrid (Mikael Persbrant), a hard-working, hard-drinking manual laborer. Although generally a good fellow, Sigfrid can become a tyrant when he has imbibed too much - something that happens with increasing regularity. Maria thinks about leaving him but words from her dying father about the sanctity of marriage ("what God has put together let not man put asunder") keep her at home. The film then follows her through good times and bad (more of the latter than the former), through war and peace (although Sweden stayed neutral during World War I), and through the births of many children. Maria's constant companion during these years is her camera, which she nearly sells at one point to put food on the table and which later becomes the means by which she earns money while her husband is in prison. Although she never fully grasps the artistic implications of her photography, she grows into her talent and, without realizing it, leaves behind images of simple beauty that will never fade. In the end, Maria does not become a famous photographer but her story is no less touching because of it.

As told through the eyes of her daughter, Maja (Callin Öhrvall), Maria's story is a slightly fictionalized account of a real woman. Had this tale not been related to Troell and had he not elected to commit it to film, Maria Larsson would have vanished into history the way nearly everyone not conventionally famous does. It's easy to understand what fascinated the director about this project, because Maria's story is not fundamentally unique. This is a representation of how millions lived 100 years ago. Their names have vanished into the mists of anonymity, but many of their faces - preserved through photographs - have not. To tell the story right, Troell does what all directors of period pieces do: effectively re-creates the era. And, as one would expect from a production that's about pictures and images, the director carefully establishes and frames every shot. He is, in fact, creating his own everlasting images.

As is often the case with foreign productions, the actors are largely unknown in the United States. Maria Heiskanen is memorable as the long-suffering, courageous Maria. The actress brings humanity and strength to her character without transforming Maria into a martyr. Explicitly left open is the question of whether Maria loves Sigfrid to the end, and Heiskanen's performance allows it to be read either way. Meanwhile, for his part, Mikael Persbrant finds some dignity and kindness in Sigfrid. He is not a monster (at least when he's sober) and he is not portrayed as such. Jesper Christensen has a supporting role as the kindly owner of a photography studio who falls in love with Maria.

Troell has been making films for more than 40 years and takes his time in between projects. Internationally, he is perhaps best known for 1971's The Emigrants, for which he received both Best Director and Best Screenplay Oscar nominations. His 1996 feature Hamsun was also well received around the globe. He has a keen visual sense, often serving as director, writer, cinematographer, and editor on his movies. Despite emerging from the country of Ingmar Bergman during the era of Bergman, he is not often compared to the master filmmaker, but there are elements of Everlasting Moments that echo aspects of Bergman's The Best Intentions (which Bergman wrote for director Bille August). Perhaps this is unsurprising since Bergman's parents (the subject of The Best Intentions) married in the Sweden depicted in this movie.

There's something old-fashioned about Everlasting Moments. Although the shots are beautifully composed, they are classically represented. Both the filmmaking methods and the storytelling are uncomplicated. There's nothing flashy about either one of them. Troell's goal is to tell Maria's tale and he succeeds. To the extent that he conveys information about the time, place, and politics of the era, these are all necessary to flesh out Maria's three-dimensionality and make her world seem real. Period pieces like this were once more popular than they are today. It is refreshing to see a solid one like this from time-to-time.

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Milk

A movie review by James Berardinelli

30 years have passed since the assassination of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and, the ballot passage of California's recent Proposition 8 notwithstanding, advances have been made in the area of gay rights, although there are still many hurdles left to be cleared. Gus Van Sant points his camera back to the 1970s to capture a small series of similarities to today's climate as filtered through huge refracted differences. By imbuing the characters with humanity and personality, Van Sant avoids the obvious traps of making Milk a sycophantic tribute or a slickly made piece of propaganda. The story sticks as close to the facts as any bio-pic I can think of and Van Sant uses plenty of genuine '70s stock footage to amplify the period verisimilitude. As important as is Milk's contribution to understanding the turbulent world of three decades past, the film is equally notable for its ability to reflect how the fight for which Milk died still rages.

Milk represents a "hybrid" film for Van Sant - a fusion of two phases of his career. In the late 1990s, Van Sant had an extended flirtation with mainstream movie making (most notably Good Will Hunting), a period that had many wondering aloud whether he had "sold out" or "cashed in." In response to this, he began a series of non-commercial, deeply personal motion pictures, culminating in last year's Paranoid Park. With Milk, Van Sant weds a straightforward linear narrative and high-profile cast with a subject matter that has genuine resonance for him. This is his most accessible film since 2000's Finding Forrester, but it remains to be seen whether the viewing public is ready to accept a non-campy, openly gay protagonist like Harvey Milk.

Those who have grown up within the gay subculture or who have spent any significant time in San Francisco probably know who Harvey Milk is. For almost everyone else, however, he is at best an historical footnote and more likely an unknown. As depicted in the movie, Milk (Sean Penn) and his lover, Scott Smith (James Franco), depart New York for Frisco in 1972. They move to Castro Street and spend their pooled savings to open a camera store. Although the neighborhood is fast becoming a gay hangout, many of the "holdover" businesses are hostile as are the police. The flamboyant Milk soon becomes an activist and attracts a small group of devoted followers, including Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), who would become one of Milk's closest confidants. In 1977, following several unsuccessful runs for office, Milk wins an election for Supervisor, becoming the first openly gay man on an already liberal board. Milk soon becomes embroiled in a struggle against the so-called Proposition 6 - a referendum designed to allow school boards to fire gay teachers - and shows Americans there is nothing pernicious about being a homosexual. He wins the battle but is gunned down shortly thereafter at the age of 48. (Lest some consider this a spoiler even though it is a matter of the historical record, Van Sant shows a newsclip of Diane Feinstein announcing the assassination early in the film.)

While Milk's fight was specifically for gay rights, it's easy to see him as a civil rights champion in a broader sense, and this is the light in which Van Sant illuminates him. Even homophobes should be able to appreciate the importance of equal rights for any group, regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation. It is not unreasonable to surmise that, at some point in the future, current majorities could become minorities and, at that point, they will be grateful for the protections that Milk and others like him fought so long and hard for. As a result, the struggle depicted in this movie takes on the more universal aspect of one man warring against a better funded, intractable system.

According to Van Sant, the California vote with respect to Proposition 6 represented a cultural fork in the road for this country, and Milk places its audience at ground zero. Milk is struggling against a tide of evangelical homophobia whipped up by pop-star-turned-activist Anita Bryant. The template of where such intolerance can lead - 1930s Germany - gives too few people pause. Milk's tactic is simple: humanize those the evangelicals would demonize. He asserts that two out of three who know a homosexual will not vote to have his/her rights stripped away.

Sean Penn is a chameleon of an actor who shows uncommon discipline when it comes to choosing his roles, although one would have to be naïve to assume that the potential of an Oscar nomination didn't enter his thinking when it came to accepting the part. Despite its low budget, Milk is clearly being positioned as an Oscar contender - if not for Best Picture then at least for Best Actor. Sometimes, so much prestige surrounding a performance can make it seem artificial or overhyped but, to his credit, Penn shrinks his ego and allows us to see only Harvey Milk. A more remarkable transformation, however, belongs to Josh Brolin, who portrays Milk's political opponent and fellow Supervisor, Dan White. Brolin is getting a lot of kudos for his caricatured portrayal of George W. Bush in W. , but his work here is more complete. White is a divided, tortured individual and Brolin shows us this more through expressions and mannerisms than by reciting Milk's dialogue. Emile Hirsch, who starred for Penn in Into the Wild, co-stars with him here, perhaps reflecting an off-screen mentor/protégé relationship.

Milk feels like an important picture, but not in a way that makes it tedious to watch. There's no pretentious sheen to the proceedings. In fact, the essential story is comprised of basic elements: the triumph of the underdog, David vs. Goliath, and the American tragedy of a strong voice silenced too soon. Knowing how the story ends merely emphasizes the importance of the steps taken to get to that point. Van Sant is cognizant of the film's political applicability to current events, but chose to release the film after Election Day rather than have it pigeonholed as propaganda whose entire purpose was to sway voters. For those who are not dissuaded by the homosexual subject matter (and it would be unrealistic to pretend that the film's potential box office will not be depressed as a result of this), Milk represents a thought provoking, cathartic, and mostly true tale of politics and courage.

http://www.reelviews.net/

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Terminator Salvation

Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, “Terminator Salvation” stars Christian Bale as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

The latest installment of “The Terminator” film franchise, “Terminator Salvation” is directed by McG, from a screenplay by Michael Ferris and John Brancato. The film is produced by Moritz Borman, Derek Anderson, Victor Kubicek and Jeffrey Silver, and executive produced by Peter D. Graves, Bahman Naraghi, Mario F. Kassar, Andrew G. Vajna, Joel B. Michaels, Dan Lin and Jeanne Allgood. The film also stars Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Brewster, Moon Bloodgood as Blair Williams, Helena Bonham Carter as Serena Kogen, Common as Barnes, and Jadagrace as Star. The Halcyon Company Presentation of a Moritz Borman Production of a McG Film, “Terminator Salvation” is being distributed in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures, with Sony Pictures Releasing International handling distribution in most international territories (excluding Korea and select Mideast territories).

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Race to Witch Mountain

Race To Witch Mountain is a fun and thrilling adventure movie featuring incredible special effects. For years, stories have circulated about a secret place in the middle of the Nevada desert, known for unexplained phenomena and strange sightings. It is called Witch Mountain, and when a Las Vegas cab driver (DWAYNE JOHNSON) finds two teens with supernatural powers in his cab, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of an adventure he can't explain. When they discover that the only chance to save the world lies in unraveling the secrets of Witch Mountain, the race begins, as the government, mobsters and even extraterrestrials try to stop them.

Race to Witch Mountain is an upcoming re-imagining of the original 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain, using elements from the originating book of the same name. The film is directed by Andy Fickman and stars Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, and Carla Gugino. Filming began in Los Angeles in March 2008. Race to Witch Mountain is scheduled to be released on March 13, 2009.

Directed by Andy Fickman
Produced by Andrew Gunn
Mario Iscovich (executive)
Anne Marie Sanderlin (executive)[1]
Written by Andy Fickman
Mark Bomback
Matt Lopez
Starring Dwayne Johnson
Carla Gugino
AnnaSophia Robb
Alexander Ludwig
Tom Everett Scott
Music by Trevor Rabin
Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Release date(s) March 13, 2009
Country United States

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Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience

The Jonas Brothers head to the big screen--in Disney Digital 3-D--in a high-energy Walt Disney Pictures rockumentary feature film event from director Bruce Hendricks ('Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert'). The film blends excerpts from the Brothers' red-hot 'Burning Up' concert tour, including guest performances from Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift, with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, off-the-wall segments, a never-before-heard song ('Love Is On Its Way'), swarming fans and a lot of JB-style humor--giving fans never-before-seen insights into the lives of Kevin, Joe and Nick.

Starring : Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift

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Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen

The robots in disguise return for a second dose of mechanical carnage this summer in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Set for release on the day marking the 25th anniversary of Transformers, director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg team up again following the massive global success of Transformers in 2007. They reignited interest in the much-loved franchise once confined to 2-D animation by pumping $150 million into a live action spectacular featuring eye-popping CGI. A box office haul of more than $700 million worldwide later means the robots in disguise will be back in June in an even more action packed cinematic event.

Bay has attempted to be tight-lipped over plot details for Transfomers: Revenge of the Fallen, but details are slowly coming out with the release of the first trailers and a comic book series in the States. “The Fallen” of the title refers to both Megatron being taken out of action in the first movie as well as a new Decepticon character called The Fallen featured in the initial trailers battling with Optimus Prime. Megatron is said to make a re-appearance after being awakened by Scorponok’s spark, most likely transforming into a tank in reference to his upgraded Galvatron form most famously seen in the 1986 animated movie. These two main villains will be joined by Starscream who returns to Cybertron to assume command of the Decepticons and lead a force to capture Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) who has learnt secrets of the origins of the Transformers on Earth. Huge battles and use of the Egyptian pyramids suggests there will be an air of mystery in this sequel.

Action is promised from the start, unlike the slow burning first hour of Transformers, giving helmer Bay the chance to let his flamboyant direction run wild. The a Cloverfield-esque trailers show scenes of destruction as the Decepticons attack Earth while the humans shout a lot and look bewildered by all the robotic mayhem going on around them. The cast of Transformers returns, including Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox and Matthew Marsden, however there are numerous Transformers making a debut appearance in this live action version building on the select few seen in 2007. One fan favourite given a big screen makeover is Soundwave, here re-imagined as a satellite rather than his traditional tape recorder. The Constructicons will also be making an appearance as seven robots join to form a giant robot, although original Constructicons Bonecrusher and Devastator who featured in the first movie will not be part of the group. Jazz will also return in a new form along with others including Bumblebee, Ironhide, Sideswipe, Scorponok, Barricade and Sideways to make up about 40 transformers in the whole movie.

Fans of the original cartoon will be relived to hear that the original score will be introduced after being left out in 2007 to many complaints from the audience and many scenes have been shot in IMAX format to provide maximum impact from the explosive action scenes. A lot is riding on Revenge of the Fallen as it is expected the Autobots will be pushed into a dire situation ahead of an expected third movie to complete a trilogy and perhaps feature Unicron. An exciting prospect which Bay seems intent to oversee himself – he decided against making a movie before this one in case someone else took over - and, by the look of the trailers so far, he is set on delivering effects-laden epics.

UK Cinema Release Date: Friday, 26 June 2009

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Watchmen: A Beginner's Guide

One of 2009’s most anticipated films, Zack Snyder’s adaptation of the most revered graphic novel of all time has had no shortage of media attention since it began production in 2007. But for those unfamiliar with the world of Watchmen - created in a series of 12 comics from 1985-6 by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons - finding a way in can be daunting, particularly with most of the online discussion revolving around spoilerific plot details. So with newcomers in mind, what follows is a spoiler-free list of the ten things you really should know about Watchmen.

1. It’s about superheroes – Except they’re not that super. Telling the story of a disbanded group of masked vigilantes (only one of whom has any real super-powers) who are forced to reconnect after one of their number, The Comedian, is mysteriously murdered, Watchmen addresses the issues that most comic book movies conveniently avoid, like how the average superhero’s actions are morally dubious and their minds are clearly unhinged. While Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies have shown a move towards this kind of investigation, Gibbons and Moore’s comic takes it on big-style, resulting in some pretty bleak conclusions.

2. It’s timely – No cinemagoer can have failed to notice that, since Bryan Singer made superheroes equal big box office with 2000’s X-Men, spandex-clad crusaders have dominated the last decade’s movie scene. With Marvel Comics recently announcing a slate of upcoming releases that will surely push the genre well past saturation point, Watchmen has the potential to be a healthy corrective to these increasingly one-dimensional heroics.

3. It’s ambitious – That’s something of an understatement, as just a cursory glance through Watchmen’s 350-odd intensely detailed pages is enough to cause the most accomplished director to leave well alone. The timeline jumps in and out of multiple flashbacks, each chapter contains additional documents – letters, magazine articles etc. - which fill in important backstory details and one minor character reads a comic-within-the-comic entitled Tales of the Black Freighter, which parallels the wider narrative themes. Oh, and it’s set in an alternate 1985 where Nixon is still President and America won the Vietnam War. Appropriating all of this into a digestible form could be beyond the possibilities of one movie, which is probably why…

4. It’s been a long time coming – Since its publication in 1986 one movie version or another of Watchmen has been in the works, with directors Terry Gilliam, Darren Aronofsky and Paul Greengrass all attached for considerable periods. Greengrass’s take, a present-day version that focused on the war on terror, came closest to actually going before cameras in 2004, but fell apart, paving the way for 300 director - and huge Watchmen fanboy – Zack Snyder to come in. Against all seeming inevitabilities, he’s actually succeeded in completing a film of Watchmen.

5. The jury is out on its director – Snyder showed he can do butt-clenching action with his Dawn of the Dead remake, then proved himself a master visual stylist with the empty-headed but beautiful 300, but Watchmen is a much more complex beast than either of these. The film’s various trailers have shown off a collection of beautifully realised, heavily detailed and largely slo-mo recreations of frames from the comic that are breathtaking to look at but tell us nothing of the substance beneath. Reassuringly, Snyder has been vocal in assuring fans of his great respect and appreciation for Watchmen’s complexities, and his publicised changes – an opening montage that contextualizes the film’s alternate history, a decision to excise Tales of the Black Freighter and release it separately – seem like wise choices. But his constant habit of calling everything to do with Watchmen either “pretty cool” or “awesome” can’t be filling the comic’s grown-up fans with confidence.

6. It’s long – 2 hours and 43 minutes to be precise, so those who thought The Dark Knight stretched the patience should probably steer clear. But the pertinent question with Watchmen is whether even this length can do the material justice; when Terry Gilliam left the project he commented that the material would be best served by a 5-hour mini-series. Heroes has recently demonstrated how effectively a grand superhero narrative can be treated in small-screen form, so the pressure is definitely on for Snyder to make every minute count.

7. It’s not for kids – While most comic-book movie directors are forced to edit themselves into the 12A/PG-13 rating category in order to give the studios a widest possible target audience, Snyder appears to have convinced Warner Bros that Watchmen’s story has to be told without compromising the comic’s more extreme elements. With a plot centred on conspiracies, psychological trauma and violent vigilante justice, it goes without saying that this film won’t be playing to the Spider-Man audience.

8. It’s got a great cast – One of the clearest signs that Snyder’s respect for the comic is genuine is his excellent casting decisions, shunning big names in favour of great character actors. The key role of Rorschach – the comic’s somewhat unreliable narrator – is played by Jackie Earle Haley, a previous Oscar nominee with an uncanny ability to channel seething rage, one of the character’s defining traits. Equally exciting is the presence of Matthew Goode who, having made his mark with roles in Woody Allen’s Match Point and the little-seen heist drama The Lookout, is a great fit for shady billionaire Ozymandias. Added to these are two actors who immediately make any film more interesting, Patrick Wilson (Lakeview Terrace, Hard Candy) and Billy Crudup (Almost Famous, Stage Beauty), although Crudup’s presence will be felt rather than seen as his character, the superhuman Dr Manhattan, is the big blue computer-generated guy you’ve seen in the trailers. Completing the merry band are charmer Jeffrey Dean Morgan, cast against type as the violent and abusive Comedian, and lone female Malin Ackerman (27 Dresses). Together they make one of the most interesting casts ever seen in a blockbuster: let’s hope that’s a good thing.

9. Not everyone is happy about it – One person who won’t be lining up on opening night is the comic’s writer Alan Moore, whose name is nowhere to be seen on the credits. Thankfully that’s no reflection of the quality of the finished film, since Moore removed his name before Snyder began production, and has been dead set against any involvement in filmed versions of his stories following particularly bad experiences with The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and V for Vendetta.

10. It’s sequel-proof – Okay, so one should never underestimate the ability of studio executives to squeeze redundant sequels out of stand-alone films, but unlike most other comic-book adaptations Watchmen comes with a definite ending that seals the fates of its characters and, more importantly, will leave audiences satisfied. No unfinished storylines, pointless sub-plots or superfluous characters whose relevance won’t be revealed until part two, just one killer narrative that, as long as Zack Snyder does his job right, will combine several parallel stories into one genre-busting adventure. All will be revealed on 6th March, which really can’t come soon enough.

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The Class (Entre les murs) Movie Review

Laurent Cantet's docu-drama set in a tough Parisian school was a worthy winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival last year, and is a serious contender for an Oscar in the foreign language category.

The film is based on Francois Begaudeau's compelling book about his real life experiences as a teacher in a multi-racial school in the French capital. Begaudeau himself plays the lead as he battles to control a classroom of 14 and 15 year old kids from varying backgrounds. Begaudeau and Cantet (along with co-scriptwriter Robin Campillo) decided to use real students to play the characters and they were allowed to improvise several scenes making the whole film feel like a documentary.

The camera rarely leaves the classroom, so we are forced to make judgements of the students and the teacher simply based on the way they behave within the four walls (Entre Les Murs). We are instantly introduced to a smart student from China called Wei (who we later find out is an illegal immigrant), a troubled boy from Mali called Souleymane, a confident, loud mouthed girl called Esmerelda, a smart, sulky girl called Khoumba, and several more, each with their own distinct characteristics. However, background stories are only brought to light at the end in dramatic fashion when Souleymane is threatened with expulsion from the school and as a result his whole family could be deported.

Our sympathies mostly lie with Begaudeau's role as the teacher who does an admirable job keeping some semblance of order to proceedings, while also allowing the students to freely express themselves. He is often challenged on his teaching methods as he attempts to get them interested in words, language and verb tenses. His efforts at getting across the imperfect subjunctive, for example, are met with derision by the students whose ways of speaking differ greatly from Begaudeau's.

There are some genuinely funny exchanges between the students and with the teacher who gradually gains their respect. However, this is no Dead Poet's Society. The moments of comedy are equally matched with some very serious situations where violence and abuse break out, and one scene in particular where the teacher is challenged by the students in the playground is actually quite shocking and uncomfortable viewing.

The beauty of this film is the fact that it is presented in a very simple, no holds barred manner and yet it also reflectes some major, wider concerns prevalent in France at the moment. There are several immigrants in the country who feel they are not getting their voices heard and are being pushed to the fringes of society. This film is a brave attempt to make not only the French, but hopefully audiences worldwide, understand and appreciate the complexities, but also the thrill and enjoyment of mixing cultures together in one place.

Fortunately Cantet avoides the cliched, Hollywood approach and tackles these meaty issues without the need to over explain or ellaborate their importance. Begaudeau and the students pull off superb performances and I can say without hesitation that this is one of the best films I have seen in a while. Few movies have left me in awed silence after I've seen them, but this is certainly one of them.

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Review City of Ember

Other than the Narnia movies, and more recently Inkheart, there really haven’t been many good fantasy films aimed at families. That’s why 20th Century-Fox’s City of Ember proved to be such a major disappointment.

The film opened last fall after an extensive marketing campaign aimed not at the families but at the fans who might have kids. The mainstream marketing was lackluster and may have resulted in the film earning just under $8 million at the box office and vanishing without a trace. Which also goes to explain the plain vanilla DVD release, now on sale.

Based on the book series by Jeanne Duprau, the film quickly introduces us to the concept of the underground city of Ember, constructed and populated in the case of global calamity. The elders who conceived of this audacious plan prepared a container with instructions on how to exit the city and set a timer to unlock the box some 200 years hence. The box became a sacred relic, passed on from mayor to mayor until the seventh mayor unexpectedly died and the box was lost. The movie opens more than 200 years later, well after the city’s warranty ran out.

The film focuses almost exclusively on the youngest generation, led by Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway), and their discovery of the box, its contents, and the race to find the exit before the massive power generator shorts out once and for all. Standing in their way is the inept and possibly corrupt current mayor, played with dead-eyed nonchalance by Bill Murray.

The movie entirely fails to enter by being all surface and no substance. We never understand how the society functions, what the hierarchies are, and why all the adults are idiots or sheep. It appears out heroes are the only two in the entire city, population unknown, who can think for themselves. And of course they get that genetically, since their fathers had both tried to escape the city in the past, costing Lina’s father his life. Doon’s dad, in a wasted performance by Tim Robbins, is defeated and has given up. In fact, the film suffers from poor performances by actors ill-used including Robbins and more notably, Martin Landau.

There are countless gaps in story logic right up until the conclusion. One example is when the kids activate a mechanism that begins launching lifeboats, only to see them crushed under a waterwheel. Quite some time passes by before our heroes get in one of these boats but there’s no sense of how many have been crushed in the meantime, costing who knows how many people the chance to leave the city for the surface.

It’s entirely possible to make entertaining children’s fantasy fare as witnessed by the more successful adaptations of Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling. This movie, directed by Gil Kenan, fails on every level with the exception of nice set design and a winning performance by Ronan.

The bare-bones DVD looks and sounds fine. There are some related trailers for other family films but not a single extra related to this misfire. Even Fox has lost faith in the franchise which is a shame since the award-winning book series has endured.

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Life Is Beautiful

Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita è bella) is a 1997 Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their internment in a Nazi concentration camp.

The first half of the movie is a whimsical, romantic comedy and often slapstick. Guido (Roberto Benigni), a young Italian Jew, arrives in Arezzo where he sets up a bookstore. Guido is both funny and charismatic, especially when he romances Dora (Italian, but not Jewish; portrayed by Benigni's actual wife Nicoletta Braschi), whom he steals – at her engagement – from her rude and loud fiancé. Several years pass, in which Guido and Dora have a son, Joshua (written Giosué in the Italian version; portrayed by Giorgio Cantarini). In the film, Joshua is around five years old. However, both the beginning and ending of the film is narrated by an older Joshua.

In the second half, Guido, Guido's uncle Eliseo, and Joshua are taken to a concentration camp on Joshua's birthday. Dora demands to join her family and is permitted to do so. Guido hides Joshua from the Nazi guards and sneaks him food. In an attempt to keep up Joshua's spirits, Guido convinces him that the camp is just a game – a game in which the first person to get 1,000 points wins a tank. He tells Joshua that if you cry, complain that you want your mother, or complain that you are hungry, you lose points, while quiet boys who hide from the camp guards earn points. He convinces Joshua that the camp guards are mean because they want the tank for themselves and that all the other children are hiding in order to win the game. He puts off every attempt of Joshua ending the game and returning home by convincing him that they are in the lead for the tank. Despite being surrounded by rampant death and people and all their sicknesses, Joshua does not question this fiction both because of his father's convincing performance and his own innocence.

Guido maintains this story right until the end, when – in the chaos caused by the American advance drawing near – he tells his son to stay in a sweatbox until everybody has left, this being the final test before the tank is his. After trying to find Dora, Guido is caught, taken away, and is shot to death by a Nazi guard, but not before making his son laugh one last time by imitating the Nazi guard as if the two of them are marching around the camp together. Joshua manages to survive, and thinks he has won the game when an American tank arrives to liberate the camp, and he is reunited with his mother.
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The Dark Night

The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role. The film follows Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale), District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and Police Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and their struggles and journey in combating the new threat of the Joker (Heath Ledger). The Joker's identity is left a mystery in the film, while Dent's transformation from heroic district attorney to disfigured killer Two-Face is presented entirely. Nolan's inspiration for the film was the Joker's comic book debut in 1940, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween, which retold Two-Face's origin. The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. Nolan used an IMAX camera to film some sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film.

On January 22, 2008, after he had completed filming The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger died from a toxic combination of prescription drugs, leading to intense attention from the press and moviegoing public. Warner Bros. had initially created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screen shots of Ledger as the Joker, but after Ledger's death, the studio refocused its promotional campaign.[2][3] The film was released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, on July 18, 2008 in North America, and on July 24, 2008 in the United Kingdom. Before its box office debut in North America, record numbers of advanced tickets were sold for The Dark Knight. It was greeted with positive reviews upon release,[4] and became only the second film to earn more than $500 million at the North American box office, setting numerous other records in the process. It is also the fourth highest grossing film worldwide, and only the fourth film to earn more than $1 billion. Following its critical and commercial success, The Dark Knight has gone to garner multiple awards ranging from Best Picture to Best Special Effects.

In Gotham City, the Joker robs a mob bank with his accomplices, whom he tricks into killing one another, ultimately killing the last one himself. That night, Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon contemplate including new district attorney Harvey Dent in their plan to eradicate the mob. However, Batman wonders if Dent can be trusted. Bruce runs into Rachel Dawes and Dent, who are dating, and after talking to Dent, he realizes Dent's sincerity and decides to host a fundraiser for him.

Mob bosses Sal Maroni, Gambol and the Chechen meet with other underworld gangsters to discuss both Batman and Dent, who have been cracking down on the mobster's operations. Lau, a Chinese mafia accountant, informs them that he has hidden their money and fled to Hong Kong in an attempt to pre-empt Gordon's plan to seize the mobsters' funds. In Hong Kong, Batman captures Lau and delivers him to the Gotham City police, where Lau agrees to testify against the mob. In retaliation, the mobsters hire the Joker to kill Batman and Lau. The Joker issues an ultimatum to Gotham, stating that if Batman does not reveal his identity to the public, people will die each day. When Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb, Judge Surillo and Gordon are murdered by corrupt police, the public's increasing pressure prompts Bruce to decide to reveal his identity. Before Bruce can turn himself in, Dent announces at a press conference that he is Batman and is arrested as part of a plan to draw the Joker out of hiding. The Joker attempts to ambush the police convoy carrying Dent, but Batman and Gordon, who had feigned death at Loeb's memorial to protect his family's safety, intervene and capture him. In recognition of his actions, Gordon is appointed the new police commissioner, succeeding the assassinated Loeb.

Later that night, Dent and Rachel disappear. At the police station, Batman interrogates the Joker, who reveals that Dent and Rachel are in warehouses rigged with explosives on opposite sides of the city — far enough apart so that Batman cannot save them both. Batman leaves to save Rachel, while Gordon and the police head after Dent. With the aid of a smuggled bomb, the Joker escapes police custody with Lau. Batman arrives to save Rachel but instead finds Dent. Batman, furious with himself, successfully saves Dent, but the ensuing explosion disfigures Dent's face. Gordon arrives at Rachel's location too late, and she perishes when the bomb detonates.

Aboard a cargo ship, the Joker burns Lau to death atop a pile of the mob's money and has the Chechen killed, before taking control of his men. The Joker goes to the hospital and frees Dent from his restraints, convincing him to exact revenge on the people responsible for Rachel's death, as well as Batman and Gordon for not saving her. The Joker destroys the hospital on his way out, and then escapes with a hijacked bus full of hospital patients.

Out of the hospital, Dent goes on a personal vendetta, confronting Maroni and the corrupt cops one by one. The Joker announces to the public that anyone left in Gotham at nightfall will be subject to his rule. With the bridges and tunnels out of the city closed due to a bomb threat by the Joker, authorities begin evacuating people by ferry. The Joker places explosives on two of the ferries—one ferry with convicts, who were evacuated in an effort to keep the Joker from freeing them, and the other with civilians—telling the passengers the only way to save themselves is to trigger the explosives on the other ferry; otherwise, he will destroy both at midnight. Batman locates the Joker and the hostages he has taken. Realizing the Joker has disguised the hostages as his own men, Batman is forced to attack both Gordon's SWAT team and the Joker's henchmen in order to save the real hostages.

The Joker's plan to destroy the ferries fails after the passengers on both decide not to destroy each other. Batman locates and subdues the Joker, preventing him from destroying both ferries. The Joker acknowledges that Batman is truly incorruptible, but that Dent was not, and that he has unleashed Dent upon the city. Leaving the Joker for the SWAT team, Batman leaves in search of Dent.

At the remains of the building where Rachel died, Batman finds Dent holding Gordon and his family at gunpoint. Dent judges the innocence of Batman, himself, and Gordon's son through three coin tosses. Because of the first two flips, he shoots Batman in the abdomen and spares himself. Before Dent can determine the boy's fate, Batman, who was wearing body armor, tackles him over the side of the building. Gordon's son is saved, but Dent and Batman fall to the ground below resulting in Dent's death.[5] Batman and Gordon realize that the morale of the city will suffer if Dent's murders become known, so Batman persuades Gordon to preserve Dent's image by holding Batman responsible for the murders. Gordon smashes the Bat-Signal, and a manhunt for Batman begins.

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