Avatar

So, it turns out James Cameron’s “masterpiece” was not divinely inspired from God therefore there was no way it could live up to the hype he had given it. But if I ignore the preconceived notions of the film, Avatar was actually pretty good. I cannot think of another non-franchise film that has been able to meld CGI characters with live action and not come off as completely cheesy or fake looking. With that being said the Na’vi were basically blue people who acted as if they were a native African tribe. Of course the customs were very different but their accents and songs were African in nature. That is fine but if Cameron was supposed to be creating this masterpiece couldn’t they have been a little more unique? I’m just saying.

I consider the acting to be Avatar’s bright spot. Sam Worthington who plays Jake Sully has cemented himself as a promising Hollywood lead after Terminator: Salvation put him into the spotlight. He did well playing a part that had enough layers to trip up even weathered actors. The other most noteworthy performance is Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine. I almost always hate Sigourney Weaver but she was very convincing and when the character’s turn occurs she becomes very likable.

As far as epics go I think Avatar fell a little short. The audience doesn’t have as much time to get acquainted with the characters as in something like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. While this was a long movie with a large battle in it there was only one film and I think it would have been better suited to be two or even three movies.

When discussing Avatar I think it has become necessary to address the “political undertones” that has the Internet all abuzz. Yes, the movie has environmentalist themes and yes the military is presented doing a job for the sake of gaining natural resources in a foreign land. But, if that is a metaphor for any real situation I don’t particularly care. Avatar is a movie and I will treat it as that. The blue people were the good guys in it so I rooted for them. Simple as that. (8 out of 10)

Brothers

Brothers had to be good. Starring Spider-Man, Queen Amidala and The Bubble Boy I thought it must be flawless. Actually, it’s a movie that includes war torture, post-traumatic stress and a lot of confused and sad people. So maybe it’s not the sci-fi epic I hoped, but that’s ok. The plot focused around three main characters, Sam (Tobey Maguire), Grace (Natalie Portman), and Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal). Sam who was presumed dead in Afghanistan returns and in his war torn state disrupts his family who has done well to recover from his death. It doesn’t help the Maguire’s character has gone completely crazy.

All three actors do well to prove they are talented performers. They each have some weak showings on their résumés and I think this film well help undo that a little bit. The pacing of the film was at times a bit slow but it worked well to portray a real life feel that connected the viewer to the characters. The small town scenes focusing on Grace and Tommy were very well done, presented with ups and downs and when paired with the terrifying scenes of Sam in Afghanistan the film becomes a multi-dimensional rollercoaster.

My biggest complaint comes with the resolution at the end of the film and its lack of Gyllenhaal’s character. This is a man who has gone through a major transformation throughout the film and the end mostly ignores that. Maguire of course is the focus but as the film is called Brothers I would have liked the role reversal to be played up a bit more. Like I said before it seems that when a movie holds back a little bit and doesn’t go overboard with theatrics and sitcom style resolutions than it becomes a little bit more realistic and close-to-home and Brothers was successful in this aspect. Peter Parker’s got a good shot at an Oscar… I mean Tobey Maguire does. (8 out of 10)

Ninja Assassin

It’s good to know that some quality martial arts movies are still being made. Although the title makes it sound pretty lame I found Ninja Assassin to be smart and pretty exciting. Rain was convincing in his first starring role as Raizo the ninja with a heart who turned rogue against his clan. The in depth back-story makes it more than just the average kick, punch Kung foo plot. It actually had a premise and a conscience. The protagonist did not just kill for the sake of killing and I liked that. Plus, Raizo was incredibly badass throughout the whole film.

But it was a ninja movie and the main focus was fighting, which was pretty amazing. The choreographed fight scenes rotated through different settings with swords, whip chains and sometimes they just stabbed each other with their bare hands. It’s tough to get off of the subject of the violence mainly because it was the most impressive and quality aspect of the film.

Mika, played by Naomie Harris was one of the only non-ninja character characters in the story. SPOILER WARNING: And there is no way that she should be alive at the end of this blood bath. If hundreds of the world’s best assassins were easily chopped up then this one untrained woman who is frequently alone and unprotected would not stand a chance. I apologize if I ruined it for you but that point really baffled me.

From there my biggest complaint is the massive amounts of blood and guts the audience is drowned in. It definitely gets better after the first scene, which is so shockingly gory I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people walk out in favor of a more family friendly picture. Apparently, a human head looks like play-doh if a ninja cuts it in half… interesting. I learn something new every day. (7 out of 10)

Twilight Saga: New Moon

So it took me awhile but I finally saw New Moon. Let’s just begin by saying it definitely exceeded expectations. Since Twilight was so laughable there really was nowhere to go but up. New Moon’s definite downfall was with the acting, which came out of the casting before the first film. Yes, sure the kiddies love Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner as their leads but none of the three are particularly great actors, which films of this magnitude should have. All of the characters first appearing in New Moon seemed to be more convincing and actually emit a level of acting that was able to convince me of their purpose as a member of the audience. Pattinson and Lautner definitely improved between the first two films though. Stewart is pretty terrible.

The roles I am thinking of in particular are the members of The Volturi. They include Michael Sheen as Aro, Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius and Dakota Fanning as Jane. When their portion of the film came I was completely hooked. It took a film and a half but the vampires are finally badass and all I can say is it’s about time.

Directed by Chris Weitz who had the visually impressive Golden Compass on his résumé coming into this movie successfully eliminated a good portion of the cheese that Catherine Hardwicke put into Twilight. He did well to make sure that stupid subplot points and underdeveloped characters did not ruin the project as a film. There are a number of great shots littered throughout the story that gave the movie credibility. And I have to admit that the werewolves looked pretty cool and I didn’t keel over laughing this time when Edward got all sparkly. I give Weitz most of the credit for the drastic improvement but unfortunately he won’t be returning for Eclipse so I don’t know what to expect. I just hope it has more of Edward and Jacob with their shirts off… so dreamy. (7 out of 10)

Top Five Albums of 2009

5: Cartel- “Cycles”

Cartel’s comeback this year was one I didn’t expect. I was one of the few people I know of who stayed loyal to the group after the “Band in the Bubble” fiasco of their last, self-titled album. I’m glad I did. The number of catchy songs on this album is so great that every time I put on one song I listen through the rest of the album entranced in the catchiness.

Check out: “27 Steps”

4: Ace Enders & A Million Different People- “When I Hit The Ground”

As a big fan of The Early November my disappointment from their split left me a little disinterested in the various projects that came out of it. Then I slowly but surely became a fan of Ace and his new band. This album is one of the best collections of Solid melodic rock that the “Warped Tour” scene has received this decade. The tracks cycle between acoustic, heavy and everything in between leaving me satisfied with every listen. A Million Different People will most likely be a band that will follow me through my 20s like The Early November did with my teen years.

Check out: “Leader”

3: Brand New- “Daisy”

I would be the first to admit that this album is not as good as everyone expected. Then again the expectation was basically that Jesse Lacey and Co. would make a Radiohead album, and seeing that they aren’t Radiohead they were unable to achieve that hope. There are a few duds in this batch but the songs that succeed really stuck with me. From haunting muted tracks to screaming melodies that would put most current hardcore bands to shame Brand New is the best at what they do. While “Daisy” may not be their most successful effort it is still a solid record in a catalog that not only revolutionized the genre but also made millions of people admit that they not only love “emo” music but if you have a problem with it they’ll kick your ass.

Check out: “Daisy”

2: A Day To Remember- “Homesick”

ADTR is the only band on my list that I started listening to in ’09. I had heard their previous effort and I was not very impressed. With “Homesick” the Florida based band went with pop infused hardcore and the result was a “best of both worlds” hybrid that pleased the old fans and brought in hoards of followers from the neighboring genres. There aren’t many other bands out there that boast countless 15-year-old girl fans and still have the street cred to get a shout out by a band like The Acacia Strain. I’m not sure if the band has the durability to create a lasting career but for now plenty of fans (including me) are enjoying this mashing of styles.

Check out: “Welcome to the Family”

1: Paramore- “Brand New Eyes”

Yes, I definitely wanted this album to be awesome and kept playing it through the first disappointing listens. Then I realized that this disc was ridiculously good. There’s a batch of songs for the old school Para-fans to enjoy and a bunch of new style songs that have better guitar parts and more intense drumming than either of the previous full lengths. Plus, I can’t leave out the fact that whether you love her or hate her Hayley Williams has the best vocals of any band in the scene. In “Turn it off” she throws a note out there that she would have never hit two years ago. She also hit it when I saw them live this fall so get the T-Pain auto-tune theory out of here. Paramore is for real and one of a handful of bands that are not only keeping pop punk alive but also feeding it to the masses through your mom’s top 40 radio station.

Check out: “Turn it off”

…And it seems every year more and more of my favorite bands bite the dust. Some claim to be on “hiatus” and others are officially done. Either way these are some who I have enjoyed listening to throughout the years. I miss them already.

-Armor for Sleep

-Copeland

-Cute is What We Aim For

-Fall Out Boy

-Houston Calls

-The Matches

-MeWithoutYou

Quidditch on Campus

Invictus

A movie based on rugby and Nelson Mandela? How could this miss? Only if it were to be released in a country where Rugby is considered irrelevant and history is frequently ignored outside of classrooms. But while the plot might not peak American’s interests the academy award winning leads made a legitimate attempt. Morgan Freeman’s performance as former South African president Nelson Mandela was, as far as I could tell, spot on. There were moments where his accent faltered and the façade was a bit weak but it didn’t have much of an affect on the movie so we’ll give him a pass. Matt Damon bulked up to play rugby legend Francois Pienaar and he was completely believable. I tip my hat to whoever got these two stars to sign on. However, it was a little tough connecting with the characters due to lack of personal plotlines. I understand that isn’t the focus of the film but Mandela’s daughter storyline and Pienaar’s racist father storyline are just dusted over and never resolved.

I was a little skeptical going into the movie because movies directed by Clint Eastwood usually mean sadness, or death to some extent. But hopefully I don’t ruin anything when I say that this surpasses Space Cowboys as the happiest movie “the man with no name” has ever directed. I almost expected Nelson Mandela to pull out a 44 magnum at the end and shoot someone. Well not really but you never know with Clint.

In regard to the film itself the tone was very realistic. After seeing other sports epics like Miracle or The Replacements I found myself waiting for the epic speech that inspired generations. That wasn’t the case with Invictus. The script seemed completely real with some motivational talks but I can honestly believe that the ’95 South African team received the same words. The story was amazing enough on its own and didn’t need fluff added in. …And The Replacements is a good movie. I could feel you rolling your eyes.

With good pacing and a nice balance between rugby and politics Invictus deserves some accolades from critics and moviegoers. Still not interested? Then go check out how jacked Matt Damon is in it. Sold. (8.5 out of 10)

Facebook v. Twitter at SHU

Translating a World: Harry Potter

Frequently in the realm of modern film, movies are pigeonholed into certain groupings, excluding them from award categories and positive critical responses. The label of being a blockbuster tends to mean one of two things for the film: big money, or big disappointment.

One such series of blockbusters that repeatedly find themselves reshaping their pigeonhole is the Harry Potter franchise. Rarely before has such a beloved story been able to make some of the highest grossing numbers of the year and at times been considered a failure by its studio. Everyone from critics to fans vary on their appreciation for the films as individual works as well as a collection due to the large schism between the novelization and motion pictures.

The reason Harry and his friends have proven to be such an enigma of story telling boils down to the subtlety of themes and the embrace of the mediums they are presented in. With the book saga completed it is far more relevant to give the films the focus they deserve after being overshadowed for nearly a decade by avid fans.

The evolution of the Harry Potter movies is one that could not be duplicated if the powers at Warner Bros. ever decided to reboot the franchise. Ever since director Chris Columbus left the helm after the Chamber of Secrets release in 2002 the results have turned towards more self-sustaining ventures that aim to impress the viewer through quality film making and a unique presentation of a story that millions of people already know the ins and outs of. A drop in grossing of close to $350 million between the first two films could also have been what affected the Warner approach going into Prisoner of Azkaban. David Yates, director of Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince, says that Warner Bros. has a different approach.

“With all the stories you read about the studio coming in, they’re actually really nuanced, and sophisticated, intelligent people who have felt the success of the franchise is based on the filmmakers having some integrity about what they are doing.”

Each director has brought something different to the Potter series that in one way or another produced the end result we have now going into the final chapters. It’s not difficult to praise Alfonso Cuaron’s Azkaban vision that provides an eerie autumn like feel throughout and really plays on the Halloween themes that were lost after the first book.

I would suggest though that the real success lies with Yates’ films. These movies are the best examples of balancing important plot with good filmmaking. While the Potter storyline is memorable on its own, the movies can be visually defined by a number of breathtaking scenes most of which fall on Yates. They are not necessarily the most important scenes of the story either.

One such example is in Phoenix. The repetitive boarding of the Hogwarts express is switched out for a nightmare sequence with Harry noticing Voldemort on platform 9 ¾. This is not in the novel, but tells the viewer so much more about what is going on in the protagonist’s mind. This train is Harry’s portal to a world that saved him from a life of abuse. Voldemort’s presence shows that Harry is no longer safe in the places of his fairytale journey into the wizarding world. It also works to show Voldemort’s infiltration into Harry’s head early in the storyline.

Of course, the casting has also proven to convince both new comers and the diehards of the movie’s legitimacy. The cast have become the faces of these characters, and each individual personality has allowed for story developments not seen in the JK Rowling’s chapters. One example is Emma Watson’s portrayal as hard-nosed bookworm Hermione Granger. The character calls for serious transformation through each book in the series. I would argue that Watson’s portrayal grows even more than the novelization, and it helps the story along. Abandoning her obsession with homework and magical creature rights allows her to be more compassionate and interested in her friends. She still has all the answers in the films but the later releases boast her as less of a “know-it-all” and more of a caring friend who happens to be really smart.

The Half-Blood Prince film saw a new bond created between Harry and Hermione. They turn to each other for more personal, or sad moments. In the book these instances were shared between the full trio, Ron being the third. However the film played on the romantic tension between Ron and Hermione in order to develop this plutonic bond between Harry and Hermione.

The best example of this effort is in Prince’s final scene. Harry and Hermione stand looking over the edge of the astronomy tower discussing relationships, their future, and the mission Dumbledore gave Harry. This is obviously a vital part of their future, and the direction in which the final two films are going. However Ron, who will be an integral part of Deathly Hallows, sits on a stoop a few dozen feet behind them out of earshot. The best explanation is that the character, Ron, or actor, Rupert Grint, would take away from the thoughtful discussion. So, in order to not neglect a member of the famous Gryffindor “trio” Ron is basically a prop in the background.

According to the Internet Movie Database, each of the six released Harry Potter films have grossed over $795 million and fall in the top 25 highest grossing movies of all time. Yet somehow fans still manage to gripe about the movie they went out and saw three or four times in theaters. A lot of this comes from the changing of plotlines and minimizing supporting cast for time and money’s sake. I used to heartily object to this move until I realized that the miles deep cast of characters was something better expressed through written word. The solution on film was the award-winning cast brought in to play the vital parts with some cameos slipped throughout to please fans. Producer David Heymann, who has been with the series from the beginning, agrees,

“For all the scale and all the magic what it’s really about is these characters, and I think that the characters are fantastic.”

Both the novelization and silver screen version of the Harry Potter epic are successful in their presenting of one of the best fantasy epics of this generation. While translating a world of imagination into a world of sights and sounds, aspects need to be sacrificed and retooled. Some think the films ruined Harry Potter and his adventures. $4.47 billion in total grossing says that the movies are doing just fine and I happen to agree with them.

The Men Who Stare at Goats

With the semester in full swing I am saddened to say that I have rarely found my way to the theater. But with the titles that have come out this fall there are only a handful of movies I regret missing. Luckily I found the time to see The Men Who Stare at Goats. All I kept hearing about before I saw the film was how “critics” and others didn’t think it lived up to the hype. I don’t know where I’ve been but I hardly saw any hype. The occasional commercial was about it and those left me confused as to what the movie was actually about.

The first thing that worked for the film was definitely the star power. I figured that if so many big names signed on to this project that the script must be good and it turns out I was right.

Multiple times throughout watching it I thought a different actor stole the performance but it was a constant cycle. From George Clooney and Jeff Bridges who both played out of touch military men with ambitious imaginations, to Ewan McGregor’s level headed thrill seeker the players kept me on my toes. I tend to find that many big names blur a film like this because it’s tough to get by their past performances. But this time I found it was the opposite. I was so convinced of their roles in Goats that it even took me a second to figure out why the audience was laughing at McGregor’s reaction to the Star Wars Jedi references. He of course played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise.

On the other hand I wasn’t as thrilled with Kevin Spacey’s performance. He definitely was convincing and played his part well but I just kept thinking he was basically repeating his performance as Lex Luthor from Superman Returns without the money, and fame. Nonetheless I believe he was the best man for the power hungry, betrayer role.

I found the plotline of The Men Who Stare At Goats to be completely unique. I have never heard of or seen anything like it. With the constant run of cookie cutter slasher movies “with a twist” that came out in October. I am glad to see that studios are now putting out some quality as we close in on the Christmas blockbusters and award season.

When the lights dimmed and the text “More of this is true than you think” came up on screen director Grant Heslov, and all the players involved got me hooked into a maze layered with truth, fiction, and tons of moustaches. The possibility of there actually being psychic spies in the U.S military should be enough for you to check out this movie. The jokes aren’t all stitch in your side funny but every scene was a surprise and every shot threatened to bring you something you couldn’t believe. It was really that good. (9 out of 10)

Inglourious Basterds

Everyone involved knew exactly what they were doing when they made Inglourious Basterds the last summer blockbuster of 2009. Before I even get into the specifics I have to say that I did not see this coming. I’ve always enjoyed World War II films but Basterds takes the best aspects of that genre and turns them on their heads. So, let’s start with Brad Pitt who put on the best performance of his career. His ridiculous accent worked perfectly for the over the top Lt. Aldo Raine. Beside Pitt there was a truly unique and awesome cast. They definitely deserve individual shout outs, but I’ll skip that for brevity’s sake. Nonetheless everyone from Christoph Waltz to BJ Novak was terrifying, hysterical and convincing throughout.

Can you believe someone as crazy as Quentin Tarantino actually functions in society? Well he does and he has made the best film of 2009. All of his influences ran so thick throughout the entire storyline it was a film lovers dream. From the spaghetti western opening credits and musical themes through the propaganda story arch I was unable to predict anything that was coming. If you have seen Basterds you know that the plot doesn’t exactly mirror the true events of WWII but I found that this put some freedom to a frequently visited period in history. Every scene was a uniquely shot success and every chapter was a flawless short film. There were even a handful of scenes that sent chills down my spine both the first and second times I saw the film, it was that good.

I can’t guarantee that everyone who sees Inglourious Basterds will like it. Nor can I be sure they’ll find the dark humor as funny. And I’ve already been told that the graphic violence isn’t as acceptable to some other viewers. But I thought everything was near flawless. Maybe if one of the few awkwardly drawn out scenes was cut down I could give the mark but either way this movie deserves some trophies come winter. (9.5 out of 10)

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

In 2009, a comedy film without Judd Apatow in the credits is anything but a sure thing. With that being said Jeremy Piven stars in The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. This scarcely promoted film was drastically overshadowed by the weekend’s other releases District 9 and The Time Traveler’s Wife though it proved to be a fairly strong comedy. The deep cast of comedy regulars helps bring the laughs much easier and faster than Apatow’s Funny People, but these two movies landed on opposite sides of the comedy spectrum.

Piven guided the film between cocky entitlement and idiot humor and to be honest I thought it worked. Taking the emphasis off of his own supremacy in the second half of the film allowed for Piven to gain some sympathy from the audience and opened the door for the film’s funniest moments. In a move that was probably bad for marketing Will Ferrell’s character was not shown in the trailers or commercials. So when he comes on screen prepped to jump out of an airplane in an Abraham Lincoln outfit and bushy mustache the theater was surprised and thrilled. While practically every one of Ferrell’s lines was laugh out loud funny it did shed some light on how the film was missing something. I guess that something was just the anticipation factor that the American public and I both lacked leading up to the release.

Unfortunately, the majority of America missed out on one of the summer’s best comedies. The Goods showcased a strong script with laughs from all of the movie’s big players. It kept my attention with the multiple subplots based around Ving Rhames, David Koechner and others. I don’t think the story has enough depth to last past one or two views on DVD like The Hangover, or Superbad does but that’s not for every comedy. It definitely was good enough to get Jeremy Piven some more film parts. Hopefully that’s true. (7.5 out of 10)

District 9

This was a different kind of summer movie. While aliens have been done before they usually aren’t portrayed as exploited refugees in South Africa. But the extra-terrestrial presence isn’t really the focus of District 9. The film poses great similarities to the true events of southern U.S segregation, and the lynching of African-Americans. Racism at its core is put on display and before long I was left feeling sympathy towards the slimy insect people. But even more than them the Wikus character, played by virtually unknown actor Sharlto Copley, worked as a powerful protagonist. Copley was so convincing in fact that his conversations with the CG aliens were authentic enough to trigger emotion from the audience and his constant discomfort left me with a lump in the pit of my stomach throughout most of the film.

As is the case with many of this style sci-fi movie it’s the abundance of unnecessarily gory deaths that proved to be District 9’s biggest weakness. Now I have no idea if an alien laser gun would cause a human to explode into a pile of red goo but I thought it was an unintelligent touch to an otherwise clever script. Surprisingly, the goo bothered me more than the bug looking aliens (or prawns as their called) who I thought would be distracting before I screened the film. They did seem like they belonged in a Star Wars pod-racer though.

The combination of documentary style storytelling and traditional 3^rd person scenes makes the movie easier to follow than the entirely first person Cloverfield that many critics have compared it to. Though I think District 9 in many ways builds on the foundations Cloverfield laid down. If these films prove to be the future of science fiction then I think there will be many great films coming our way. (8.5 out of 10)

G.I Joe: Rise of Cobra

I think a great place to start my blog is with one of the movie events I’ve spent years preparing for, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. Now I had seen the same weak trailers that you did leading up to its release and I admit it did not look promising, but being born in the 80’s (and being a childhood fan) it was my duty to embrace the film. So I saw it and I liked it much more than the critics who slammed it. Let’s start with the weak points. The dialogue was absolutely terrible, especially in the first half of the film. A bunch of cheesy one-liners and over the top acting often overshadowed what was meant to draw in the viewer, and Denis Quaid, I expected more from you. You were awesome in the cinematic epic that was Parent Trap but the performance as General Hawk… terrible.

In all seriousness, I think the script got stronger over time and I did get into the movie. Every scene that Snake Eyes (Ray Park), or Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) were featured in proved visually impressive. That accented with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s strong yet underutilized performance as the beginnings of Cobra Commander made the movie memorable. And who saw Sienna Miller, and Marlon Wayans coming? For the first time these two make a case that they belong in movies as legitimate actors. It’s not like either of them are going to win an Oscar but still, I’ll take it.

So I enjoyed the film and look forward to the inevitable sequel, which hopefully has a new director that can better handle the big name cast. Fortunately, I have season one of the G.I Joe cartoon on dvd and the 1987 animated movie to hold me over. (7 out of 10)