BY RICK JACKSON
Zoe Saldana is back in another action flick as Cataleya. The star of Avatar and The Losers holds your interest as you watch her fight back in an urban jungle where thugs rule and the FBI and police are powerless to do anything because they are ill-equipped.
The action is at full throttle right from the beginning when Cat,age 10(Amanda Stenburg)witnesses her parents'murders and resolves to catch them perpetrators by enrolling in a school for assassins. When she realizes she has to do it alone,there is a jolt of excitement to keep you glued to the screen.
In their screenplay,Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen do their best to be original but the plot resembles La Femme Nikita and The Professional and you are left with a predictable series of events that lead just as you might expect.
Saldana is perfect as the tough female protagonist who,like other actresses like Sigourney Weaver (Alien and Aliens),Linda Hamilton(Terminator),and Angelina Jolie(Wanted and Salt)have impressed moviegoers with their moves and athletic prowess.Saldana obviously has worked hard to be the action star she has become and you can expect to see her in more of the same.
Olivier Megaton directs with a steady hand and there is plenty of thrills and spills to keep your eyes glued to the screen.
The supporting cast features Beto Benites as Don Luis Lennie James as the FBI's Ross and Michael Vartan from the TV series Alias as Danny.
Had the screenwriters not tried to copy previous efforts with their limited ideas,Colombiana might have worked better and scored better as a top rated action movie. As it is, it manages to deliver and that is all that matters for now. Let's hope there is more input into being more original so we can all have a better experience at the movies for the next female star who aspires to be famous.
It is rated 14A,with the warnings: language may offend and graphic violence.
August 29,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
BEGINNERS (ALLIANCE,2011)****
BY RICK JACKSON
Based on writer/director Mike Mills own experience when his father announced he was gay,Beginners is a compelling love story starring Ewan McGregor as Oliver Fields and veteran actor Christopher Plummer as his father,Hal. What resonates with their portrayals of father and son is funny,touching and poignant and by film's end,you are also deeply moved by a film that couldn't have been made when Plummer starred opposite Julie Andrews in the Oscar-winning The Sound Of Music(1965).
What immediately captures your attention is the choice of songs to get you in the mood for a sophisticated and simple tale where the laughter is a defense mechanism against the seriousness of the main theme: death from terminal cancer. Although the dog Arthur gets some funny lines courtesy of sub-titles,there is an undercurrent of humanity most comedies avoid and Beginners brings to the surface the utter dependence of understanding and patience among family members and this contributes to your overall appreciation of the true nature of the film.
McGregor conveys a different reality when as an artist he feels differently about the world and you are touched by his temporary leanings toward fulfilling a life of his own when he meets Annie(Melanie Laurent). Together they forge a relationship that is honest and deeply felt on a superficial level because the two of them want to share in life's funnier moments, and who can blame them.
Laurent's condition also contributes to the mystery of a girl Oliver and us have never met and this arrangement courtesy of Mills' literate script brings to the surface a je ne sais quoi of love and laughter that is endearing and wonderful to see.
What distinguishes the story is Plummer's honesty in portraying his character as if he really was gay and this reality along with his behaviour and gentle demeanor in respecting gay partners there is a perspective that benefits by the director's own feelings that are spoken through Oliver and Hal. The cheerfulness and simplicity of Hal's relationship with Andy(Goran Visnjic)underlies the sexuality between them and is symbolic,perhaps,of most gay marriages and Beginners doesn't exploit but ,more reticently, accepts this as acceptable in today's society without drawing your personal disgust or embarrassment as something new. Neither is it awkwardly presented in such films as Making Love(1982). It is on the same level as Personal Best(1983) and My Beautiful Laundrette(1985) and this shows that the cinema is not afraid to be consistent in being bold, funny and touching at the same time.
Editor Olivier Hugge Coutte carefully bridges the scenes between McGregor and Plummer with brevity and realism, and their individual reactions speak volumes.
The songs by Hoagy Carmichael(Stardust),Gene Austin(Everything's Made For Love),Veronica's Blues (Roger Neill,Dave Palmer and Brian Reitzell) and Josephine Baker(Breezin'Along With The Breeze)anchor the sweet side of a story that can only be touching as it is here. The simple lyrics symbolize the inherent plot threads with the same oneness in spirit and frivolity. As you watch it all come together you are left with a more than satisfying result but an outstanding film of such magnitude that you may want to see it again to capture, for a second time, the magic of the movies from a perspective rarely presented with such honesty and conception.
It is rated 14A,with the warnings: mature theme,sexual content and coarse language.
August 27,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Based on writer/director Mike Mills own experience when his father announced he was gay,Beginners is a compelling love story starring Ewan McGregor as Oliver Fields and veteran actor Christopher Plummer as his father,Hal. What resonates with their portrayals of father and son is funny,touching and poignant and by film's end,you are also deeply moved by a film that couldn't have been made when Plummer starred opposite Julie Andrews in the Oscar-winning The Sound Of Music(1965).
What immediately captures your attention is the choice of songs to get you in the mood for a sophisticated and simple tale where the laughter is a defense mechanism against the seriousness of the main theme: death from terminal cancer. Although the dog Arthur gets some funny lines courtesy of sub-titles,there is an undercurrent of humanity most comedies avoid and Beginners brings to the surface the utter dependence of understanding and patience among family members and this contributes to your overall appreciation of the true nature of the film.
McGregor conveys a different reality when as an artist he feels differently about the world and you are touched by his temporary leanings toward fulfilling a life of his own when he meets Annie(Melanie Laurent). Together they forge a relationship that is honest and deeply felt on a superficial level because the two of them want to share in life's funnier moments, and who can blame them.
Laurent's condition also contributes to the mystery of a girl Oliver and us have never met and this arrangement courtesy of Mills' literate script brings to the surface a je ne sais quoi of love and laughter that is endearing and wonderful to see.
What distinguishes the story is Plummer's honesty in portraying his character as if he really was gay and this reality along with his behaviour and gentle demeanor in respecting gay partners there is a perspective that benefits by the director's own feelings that are spoken through Oliver and Hal. The cheerfulness and simplicity of Hal's relationship with Andy(Goran Visnjic)underlies the sexuality between them and is symbolic,perhaps,of most gay marriages and Beginners doesn't exploit but ,more reticently, accepts this as acceptable in today's society without drawing your personal disgust or embarrassment as something new. Neither is it awkwardly presented in such films as Making Love(1982). It is on the same level as Personal Best(1983) and My Beautiful Laundrette(1985) and this shows that the cinema is not afraid to be consistent in being bold, funny and touching at the same time.
Editor Olivier Hugge Coutte carefully bridges the scenes between McGregor and Plummer with brevity and realism, and their individual reactions speak volumes.
The songs by Hoagy Carmichael(Stardust),Gene Austin(Everything's Made For Love),Veronica's Blues (Roger Neill,Dave Palmer and Brian Reitzell) and Josephine Baker(Breezin'Along With The Breeze)anchor the sweet side of a story that can only be touching as it is here. The simple lyrics symbolize the inherent plot threads with the same oneness in spirit and frivolity. As you watch it all come together you are left with a more than satisfying result but an outstanding film of such magnitude that you may want to see it again to capture, for a second time, the magic of the movies from a perspective rarely presented with such honesty and conception.
It is rated 14A,with the warnings: mature theme,sexual content and coarse language.
August 27,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
FRIGHT NIGHT(3D)(DREAMWORKS,2011)***
BY RICK JACKSON
Colin Farrell injects new blood (pardon the pun)in this 3D remake of Fright Night. The original opened in the summer of 1985 with Chris Sarandon as Jerry, the role Farrell plays with surprising new vitality. Director Craig Gillespie maintains the spirit and familiarity of the original despite being too over the top, a distinctive stamp of the horror films of the 1980s. What distinguishes the two films is Gillespie's attempt at creating an art film from the horror by making Jerry a more sophisticated character so you won't be too repulsed by him too early,in case you don't like blood. As far as I can remember, the original didn't have a lot but your imagination made you think there was. It is the same here,too.
What similarities there are between both Fright Nights is the utter predictability because you know what is going to happen next. However,I must add that Farrell injects Jerry with a sense of humour and virility thatSarandon didn't convey in the original. That and Gillespie's solid direction keep you entrenched in your seat with the unexpected and this helps you appreciate the sappy dialogue and near-camp mentality that sends the film in a quick downward spiral just before the end credits roll.
The 3D effects are limited at the beginning but don't dispair with your 3D glasses for the end credits are good in 3D along with some scenes throughout which I won't divulge.
Anton Yelchin plays Charley,who believes Jerry,his next door neighbour, is a vampire. You don't know for sure right away and the suspicion as to his identity is raised long enough until the obvious becomes true. It is,again,Farrell's approach to Jerry that makes the film much better than expected.
When Charley seeks the help of a TV vampire named Peter Vincent, there is also much to be excited about for David Tennant breathes new life into Fright Night with a touch of sarcasm and wit that you didn't see in the original with Roddy McDowall's uninspiring and boring Peter in the original.
Production designer Richard Bridgland and makeup artist Aurora Bergere deserve special mention for their artistry effectively creates the proper mood and atmosphere when it is needed to entertain you and,besides,it worked for me.
Ramin Djawadi (pronounced Java-Dee)adds the requisite atmosphere to keep you in suspense at what you hope will happen and this also helps in creating the right scary moments.
The supporting cast ably delivers the chills the film benefits nicely,notably, Toni Collette as Charley's mother Jane and Imogen Poots as Charley's girlfriend.
As a horror flick,Fright Night in 3D is not anything great, but if you like horror films in general,this one is above average.
It is rated 14A,with the warnings: coarse language,frightening scenes and graphic violence.
August 25,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Colin Farrell injects new blood (pardon the pun)in this 3D remake of Fright Night. The original opened in the summer of 1985 with Chris Sarandon as Jerry, the role Farrell plays with surprising new vitality. Director Craig Gillespie maintains the spirit and familiarity of the original despite being too over the top, a distinctive stamp of the horror films of the 1980s. What distinguishes the two films is Gillespie's attempt at creating an art film from the horror by making Jerry a more sophisticated character so you won't be too repulsed by him too early,in case you don't like blood. As far as I can remember, the original didn't have a lot but your imagination made you think there was. It is the same here,too.
What similarities there are between both Fright Nights is the utter predictability because you know what is going to happen next. However,I must add that Farrell injects Jerry with a sense of humour and virility thatSarandon didn't convey in the original. That and Gillespie's solid direction keep you entrenched in your seat with the unexpected and this helps you appreciate the sappy dialogue and near-camp mentality that sends the film in a quick downward spiral just before the end credits roll.
The 3D effects are limited at the beginning but don't dispair with your 3D glasses for the end credits are good in 3D along with some scenes throughout which I won't divulge.
Anton Yelchin plays Charley,who believes Jerry,his next door neighbour, is a vampire. You don't know for sure right away and the suspicion as to his identity is raised long enough until the obvious becomes true. It is,again,Farrell's approach to Jerry that makes the film much better than expected.
When Charley seeks the help of a TV vampire named Peter Vincent, there is also much to be excited about for David Tennant breathes new life into Fright Night with a touch of sarcasm and wit that you didn't see in the original with Roddy McDowall's uninspiring and boring Peter in the original.
Production designer Richard Bridgland and makeup artist Aurora Bergere deserve special mention for their artistry effectively creates the proper mood and atmosphere when it is needed to entertain you and,besides,it worked for me.
Ramin Djawadi (pronounced Java-Dee)adds the requisite atmosphere to keep you in suspense at what you hope will happen and this also helps in creating the right scary moments.
The supporting cast ably delivers the chills the film benefits nicely,notably, Toni Collette as Charley's mother Jane and Imogen Poots as Charley's girlfriend.
As a horror flick,Fright Night in 3D is not anything great, but if you like horror films in general,this one is above average.
It is rated 14A,with the warnings: coarse language,frightening scenes and graphic violence.
August 25,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN (20TH CENTURY FOX, 2011)***
BY RICK JACKSON
From director Wayne Wang(The Joy Luck Club) comes the film adapatation of Lisa See's 2005 best selling novel,Snow Flower And The Secret Fan. Already moviegoers are comparing the film to the book and realizing that the film falls short because it doesn't explain enough of the story. Regrettably, it does lack cohesion and editor Deirdre Slevin succeeds in pulling the story together by film's end. Its episodic nature gives it an epic feel like 1993's far superior Farewell My Concubine and,more recently, it is also inferior to 2005's Memoirs Of A Geisha where the novel and film were equally exciting in comparison.
Rachel Portman's score for Snow Flower creates the proper mood and atmosphere, as does Richard Wong's colourful cinematography. Filmed on location in Shanghai,there is a distinct Asian feel that distinguishes it from the other two films because the story demands your undivided attention.
Set in the 19th century,screenwriters Angela Workman,Ron Bass and Michael K.Ray focus on the strong relationship between the two sisters or the laotong(pronounced loo'tong),a choice each has made emotionally for the purpose of emotional companionship which they must each be held responsible throughout their entire lives together. It is different from marriage because it does not involve childbirth.
As you become immersed in this deeply personal story,you see the letters they write to each other on fans with Nu Shu,a phonetic form of women's writing.
Born under the same sign of the Horse, Lily(Li Bingbing) and her friend Snow Flower(Gianna Jun) go in different directions: Lily,the more practical of the two,has her feet firmly on the ground,while Snow Flower has desires of being free and breaks the constrictions placed on women in the 19th century. You soon learn Lily is also called Lady Lu,an influential woman and a mother of three sons and a daughter. She is also poor compared to Snow Flower who comes from a prosperous family. She dates a butcher who beats her up. The children she bears all die.
Although the film skirts over this plot point by obscuring it with an overlap of time and space, the screenwriters could have made the film more powerful by creating more sequences that would've made everything easier to follow.
The depiction of human suffering is symbollically told through the physical and psychological pain of foot binding but time ruins its importance as an important thread to the entire story. It may well be better covered in the book.
What redeems the film is the close relationship between the sisters. Snow Flower's name changes to Sophia and it all makes more sense when you realize this.
Portman is careful to not let her music overcome you with sentiment and this contriibutes to your enjoyment of this simple tale effectively told in a voice that takes some getting used to as the years pass and the two sisters begin to show their age. Their private secrets written on their fans are part of the symbolic lives hthey lead with one of their fans acting as the gossip of the day that ruins her reputation,however, unclear as it is pointed out in the film. The last few minutes of the film bear a distinctive stamp in presenting an unexpected and stronger conclusion as a result of its visual impact.
Wang's use of closeups help explain better than any words what is going on throughout the entire story and this helps keep you absorbed.
hugh Jackman lends excellent support as Arthur,one of Sophia's suitors and, without explaining completely his presence,his appearance evokes the bittersweet experience of love and sex and,to the director's credit,it is all done with a touch of civility and sophistication where Hollywood films of this type rarely often go.
Gianna Jun and Li Bingbing (who also plays Nina)bring to their roles a welcome sense of conviction by not upstaging each other so you can appreciate the different attitudes and lives lived as a central part to your understanding of the whole concept of the laotong(loo-tong) as it is depicted here.
Had their been a more literate script, Snow Flower And The Secret Fan might have been a much more powerful film. Still, it is worth seeing for the strong sense of storytelling despite its limitations. The overall production values add up to something totally more enjoyable and a more of a welcome surprise for the summer movie season.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance,with the warning:mature theme.
August 22,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
From director Wayne Wang(The Joy Luck Club) comes the film adapatation of Lisa See's 2005 best selling novel,Snow Flower And The Secret Fan. Already moviegoers are comparing the film to the book and realizing that the film falls short because it doesn't explain enough of the story. Regrettably, it does lack cohesion and editor Deirdre Slevin succeeds in pulling the story together by film's end. Its episodic nature gives it an epic feel like 1993's far superior Farewell My Concubine and,more recently, it is also inferior to 2005's Memoirs Of A Geisha where the novel and film were equally exciting in comparison.
Rachel Portman's score for Snow Flower creates the proper mood and atmosphere, as does Richard Wong's colourful cinematography. Filmed on location in Shanghai,there is a distinct Asian feel that distinguishes it from the other two films because the story demands your undivided attention.
Set in the 19th century,screenwriters Angela Workman,Ron Bass and Michael K.Ray focus on the strong relationship between the two sisters or the laotong(pronounced loo'tong),a choice each has made emotionally for the purpose of emotional companionship which they must each be held responsible throughout their entire lives together. It is different from marriage because it does not involve childbirth.
As you become immersed in this deeply personal story,you see the letters they write to each other on fans with Nu Shu,a phonetic form of women's writing.
Born under the same sign of the Horse, Lily(Li Bingbing) and her friend Snow Flower(Gianna Jun) go in different directions: Lily,the more practical of the two,has her feet firmly on the ground,while Snow Flower has desires of being free and breaks the constrictions placed on women in the 19th century. You soon learn Lily is also called Lady Lu,an influential woman and a mother of three sons and a daughter. She is also poor compared to Snow Flower who comes from a prosperous family. She dates a butcher who beats her up. The children she bears all die.
Although the film skirts over this plot point by obscuring it with an overlap of time and space, the screenwriters could have made the film more powerful by creating more sequences that would've made everything easier to follow.
The depiction of human suffering is symbollically told through the physical and psychological pain of foot binding but time ruins its importance as an important thread to the entire story. It may well be better covered in the book.
What redeems the film is the close relationship between the sisters. Snow Flower's name changes to Sophia and it all makes more sense when you realize this.
Portman is careful to not let her music overcome you with sentiment and this contriibutes to your enjoyment of this simple tale effectively told in a voice that takes some getting used to as the years pass and the two sisters begin to show their age. Their private secrets written on their fans are part of the symbolic lives hthey lead with one of their fans acting as the gossip of the day that ruins her reputation,however, unclear as it is pointed out in the film. The last few minutes of the film bear a distinctive stamp in presenting an unexpected and stronger conclusion as a result of its visual impact.
Wang's use of closeups help explain better than any words what is going on throughout the entire story and this helps keep you absorbed.
hugh Jackman lends excellent support as Arthur,one of Sophia's suitors and, without explaining completely his presence,his appearance evokes the bittersweet experience of love and sex and,to the director's credit,it is all done with a touch of civility and sophistication where Hollywood films of this type rarely often go.
Gianna Jun and Li Bingbing (who also plays Nina)bring to their roles a welcome sense of conviction by not upstaging each other so you can appreciate the different attitudes and lives lived as a central part to your understanding of the whole concept of the laotong(loo-tong) as it is depicted here.
Had their been a more literate script, Snow Flower And The Secret Fan might have been a much more powerful film. Still, it is worth seeing for the strong sense of storytelling despite its limitations. The overall production values add up to something totally more enjoyable and a more of a welcome surprise for the summer movie season.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance,with the warning:mature theme.
August 22,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
ONE DAY(ALLIANCE,2011)**
BY RICK JACKSON
Danish-born director Lone Scherfig's latest is a lukewarm comedy about two grads who fall in love on graduation night,July 15,1988. The two celebrate it every year as a meeting place where they talk about their lives and sort out what bothers them the most. At least, this is what you hope to see instead of the usual boyfriend-girlfriend talk that endlessly goes on for no apparent reason. Granted,Scherfig's direction is slow paced,it matches the slowly drawn out story of Emma and Dexter whose uncertainty about all things related to life are one boring episode after another.
Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway are perfectly cast so why don't they get on with their lives instead of show us how complicated life can get. Moviegoers don't want to see how trivial life is in the theatre, they want to escape from it. It would have been better had David Nicholls come up with something more exciting than his own novel because it doesn't transfer well enough to impress. The anniversary of Emma and Dexter's one night love affair means so much to them, why then aren't we enthralled by it and eagerly await the next year with anticipation. We don't and this is the major reason the film doesn't work as a memorable love story.
The suceeding years of their big night are nothing but an emotional diatribe about how bad life is and who wants to see that repeated again and again.
Hathaway does a good job behaving like an adult but why does she have a British accent at the beginning and not throughout the rest of the film. Her girlishness and maturity work for Emma and you are drawn to the uplifting moments that take too long to arrive or not get there at all. She has proven to be a good actress and it's too bad this role didn't give her to chance to grow as an actress.
Sturgess' wooden acting doesn't give you hope for a lasting relationship no matter what they individually pretend to confess about to each other.
What is more interesting is Patricia Clarkson's character. As Alison,Dexter's ailing mother there could have more scenes to help you understand better the reason why July 15 is so important beyond the fact it is one day,hence the film's title.
At times, the story is more irritating and when tragedy strikes one of the young lovebirds, you are not moved enough to care.
Had there been more substance to Emma and Dexter's romance over the years,One Day might have been more wonderful to expect and,as a result, a movie to cherish for years to come when visited again on DVD or Blu-ray.
It is rated PG,with the warning:sexual content.
August 21,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Danish-born director Lone Scherfig's latest is a lukewarm comedy about two grads who fall in love on graduation night,July 15,1988. The two celebrate it every year as a meeting place where they talk about their lives and sort out what bothers them the most. At least, this is what you hope to see instead of the usual boyfriend-girlfriend talk that endlessly goes on for no apparent reason. Granted,Scherfig's direction is slow paced,it matches the slowly drawn out story of Emma and Dexter whose uncertainty about all things related to life are one boring episode after another.
Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway are perfectly cast so why don't they get on with their lives instead of show us how complicated life can get. Moviegoers don't want to see how trivial life is in the theatre, they want to escape from it. It would have been better had David Nicholls come up with something more exciting than his own novel because it doesn't transfer well enough to impress. The anniversary of Emma and Dexter's one night love affair means so much to them, why then aren't we enthralled by it and eagerly await the next year with anticipation. We don't and this is the major reason the film doesn't work as a memorable love story.
The suceeding years of their big night are nothing but an emotional diatribe about how bad life is and who wants to see that repeated again and again.
Hathaway does a good job behaving like an adult but why does she have a British accent at the beginning and not throughout the rest of the film. Her girlishness and maturity work for Emma and you are drawn to the uplifting moments that take too long to arrive or not get there at all. She has proven to be a good actress and it's too bad this role didn't give her to chance to grow as an actress.
Sturgess' wooden acting doesn't give you hope for a lasting relationship no matter what they individually pretend to confess about to each other.
What is more interesting is Patricia Clarkson's character. As Alison,Dexter's ailing mother there could have more scenes to help you understand better the reason why July 15 is so important beyond the fact it is one day,hence the film's title.
At times, the story is more irritating and when tragedy strikes one of the young lovebirds, you are not moved enough to care.
Had there been more substance to Emma and Dexter's romance over the years,One Day might have been more wonderful to expect and,as a result, a movie to cherish for years to come when visited again on DVD or Blu-ray.
It is rated PG,with the warning:sexual content.
August 21,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
CONAN (3D)(ALLIANCE, 2011)*
BY RICK JACKSON
from director Marcus Nispel based on the character Conan The Barbarian created by Robert E.Howard, Conan The Barbarian in 3D) is a loud and bombastic mess. Screenwriters Dean Donnelly,Joshua Oppenheimer and Sean Hood have come up with a more original opening compared to the 1982 version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, their silly dialogue is so repetitious and boring, you are waiting for some action to keep the film interesting.
Jason Momoa is well cast in the title role and he injects some credibility but it is short-lived. After he is introduced as a baby, the story immediately gets involved in a sword and sorcery subplot that ruins the integrity of the film. It is this B movie mentality that ruins,ultimately,any enjoyment.
The supporting cast is filled with unmemorable characters who do their best to advance the plot but only drag it down in a muddled sea of mediocrity. They include Rachel Nichols as the beautiful Tamara from a monastery where she is being trained to be a Queen's servant;Stephen Lang as Zym, a ruthless warlord, Rose McGowan as Marique, Zym's daughter and a powerful witch;and Rob Sapp as Ukafa,the leader of Kushite tribesmen. All of them lack the integrity of an ensemble cast and as you watch them interact in implausible but predictable situations, you are wondering where Conan fits and,miraculously,he does.
Filmed in Bulgaria, this Conan has some decent 3D fun and there is a lot of violence in keeping with the time period of the story and to justify the warnings by the Ontario Film Review Board.
The music score by Tyler Bates fails to underscore the action and,as a result, the few thrills that exist are boring and almost redundant long before the end of the first half.
This Conan deserves a quick death.
It is rated 18A,with the warnings:gory scenes,sexual content and graphic violence.
August 20,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
from director Marcus Nispel based on the character Conan The Barbarian created by Robert E.Howard, Conan The Barbarian in 3D) is a loud and bombastic mess. Screenwriters Dean Donnelly,Joshua Oppenheimer and Sean Hood have come up with a more original opening compared to the 1982 version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, their silly dialogue is so repetitious and boring, you are waiting for some action to keep the film interesting.
Jason Momoa is well cast in the title role and he injects some credibility but it is short-lived. After he is introduced as a baby, the story immediately gets involved in a sword and sorcery subplot that ruins the integrity of the film. It is this B movie mentality that ruins,ultimately,any enjoyment.
The supporting cast is filled with unmemorable characters who do their best to advance the plot but only drag it down in a muddled sea of mediocrity. They include Rachel Nichols as the beautiful Tamara from a monastery where she is being trained to be a Queen's servant;Stephen Lang as Zym, a ruthless warlord, Rose McGowan as Marique, Zym's daughter and a powerful witch;and Rob Sapp as Ukafa,the leader of Kushite tribesmen. All of them lack the integrity of an ensemble cast and as you watch them interact in implausible but predictable situations, you are wondering where Conan fits and,miraculously,he does.
Filmed in Bulgaria, this Conan has some decent 3D fun and there is a lot of violence in keeping with the time period of the story and to justify the warnings by the Ontario Film Review Board.
The music score by Tyler Bates fails to underscore the action and,as a result, the few thrills that exist are boring and almost redundant long before the end of the first half.
This Conan deserves a quick death.
It is rated 18A,with the warnings:gory scenes,sexual content and graphic violence.
August 20,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
L'AMOUR FOU (MONGREL MEDIA,2011)***
BY RICK JACKSON
L'Amour Fou(Mad Love)is an incisive and thoroughly entertaining documentary about French fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent. Director Pierre Thoretton opens with a tracking shot of Laurent's palatial house where you see his collections of paintings,books and esoteric furniture that made the man the near reclusive figure he became because of his singular attitude about the world. Although Saint-Laurent died in 2008, his memories live on in the words of his lover and friend, Pierre Berge,whose personal and private opinions of the man help you learn and understand the real Yves Saint-Laurent and this contributes to the film's authenticity as a documentary. In archival footage from various sources, you also get to see the fashion designer at work and share in the many people he influenced throughout his short lifetime.
Born in Oran on August 1,1936,he left for Paris where he attended school. In his late teens he pursued a career in Fashion and was hired as an assistant couturier for Christian Dior where under his tutelage Yves recognized the importance of fashion and where Dior was impressed enough to promotedhim to a full fledged designer. After Dior died, Saint-Laurent opened his own fashion house and he soon became one of the world's most influential and respected designers.
In 1953 he began winning awards for his work and studied his craft. The media found his hyphenated last name hard to spell but it was his flare and insight in the fashion world that made him the envy of the world. In 1958 there was controversy when he was going to be drafted into the French Army during the Algerian War. Marcel Boussac, owner of the House of Dior, managed to get it delayed until after the disastrous 1960 season.
Although this is not mentioned in the documentary, it fills in the gap by allowing you to understand the man better because he was loved by so many.
What is important to remember is Saint-Laurent's affinity toward alcohol and drugs and his years when his depression almost destroyed him. Still, Saint-Laurent succeeded in returning to his first love. In 1983 he became the oldest living fashion designer to be honoured by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2001,he was awarded the rank of Commander of the Legion d'Honneur by French president Jacques Chirac. After this, you learn of Saint-Laurent's desire to be alone and he lived his remaining years between the two homes he had in Normandy and Morocco. He also created a foundation with Berge in Paris devoted to the history of the house of Yves Saint-Laurent.
As you watch the documentary you are not told why he felt the way he did and the fact there are not many interviewed about him leaves you with the impression that he became the man he wanted to be and everyone respected him for it. It's something that the film avoids saying outright.
L'Amour Fou celebrates the life of Yves Saint-Laurent not so much as the celebrity he became but as the man he really was behind the scenes and it is this you are left to think about. It just might be his one last dying wish to be remembered and nothing else and this documentary sets out to do just that.
It is rated PG,with the warning: substance abuse.
August 19,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
L'Amour Fou(Mad Love)is an incisive and thoroughly entertaining documentary about French fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent. Director Pierre Thoretton opens with a tracking shot of Laurent's palatial house where you see his collections of paintings,books and esoteric furniture that made the man the near reclusive figure he became because of his singular attitude about the world. Although Saint-Laurent died in 2008, his memories live on in the words of his lover and friend, Pierre Berge,whose personal and private opinions of the man help you learn and understand the real Yves Saint-Laurent and this contributes to the film's authenticity as a documentary. In archival footage from various sources, you also get to see the fashion designer at work and share in the many people he influenced throughout his short lifetime.
Born in Oran on August 1,1936,he left for Paris where he attended school. In his late teens he pursued a career in Fashion and was hired as an assistant couturier for Christian Dior where under his tutelage Yves recognized the importance of fashion and where Dior was impressed enough to promotedhim to a full fledged designer. After Dior died, Saint-Laurent opened his own fashion house and he soon became one of the world's most influential and respected designers.
In 1953 he began winning awards for his work and studied his craft. The media found his hyphenated last name hard to spell but it was his flare and insight in the fashion world that made him the envy of the world. In 1958 there was controversy when he was going to be drafted into the French Army during the Algerian War. Marcel Boussac, owner of the House of Dior, managed to get it delayed until after the disastrous 1960 season.
Although this is not mentioned in the documentary, it fills in the gap by allowing you to understand the man better because he was loved by so many.
What is important to remember is Saint-Laurent's affinity toward alcohol and drugs and his years when his depression almost destroyed him. Still, Saint-Laurent succeeded in returning to his first love. In 1983 he became the oldest living fashion designer to be honoured by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2001,he was awarded the rank of Commander of the Legion d'Honneur by French president Jacques Chirac. After this, you learn of Saint-Laurent's desire to be alone and he lived his remaining years between the two homes he had in Normandy and Morocco. He also created a foundation with Berge in Paris devoted to the history of the house of Yves Saint-Laurent.
As you watch the documentary you are not told why he felt the way he did and the fact there are not many interviewed about him leaves you with the impression that he became the man he wanted to be and everyone respected him for it. It's something that the film avoids saying outright.
L'Amour Fou celebrates the life of Yves Saint-Laurent not so much as the celebrity he became but as the man he really was behind the scenes and it is this you are left to think about. It just might be his one last dying wish to be remembered and nothing else and this documentary sets out to do just that.
It is rated PG,with the warning: substance abuse.
August 19,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
RACING WITH THE MOON (PARAMOUNT,1984)****
BY RICK JACKSON
Set at Christmas 1942, Racing With The Moon is a wonderful coming of age story between two close friends who grow up during the six weeks they have left before they serve their country during World War II.
Screenwriter Steven Kloves celebrates life in small town America in examining these two young men's hopes and dreams as the before the reality of war sinks in and their thoughts of whether or not they will return home weigh heabily on their minds.
Henry"Chopper"Nash(Sean Penn)lives at home and works with his buddy Nicky(Nicolas Cage)at the local bowling alley. Life for them both is getting to and fromwork and enjoying the fruits of their labour. Before Henry and Nicky leave they each have a romance with their girlfriends. It is a time of lost innocence that fades when the reality of having sex closes in on their remaining time left at home. Both Penn and Cage symbolize what it must have been like and this reality is the beginning of their maturity as adults. They both inject a believable sense of credibility. While Cage brings solidarity to his role by portraying the average recruit,Penn's strength as an actor is how he can be serious compared to his role as Spiccoli in Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982).
By film's end, both actors remind you of how real soldiers may have felt as their last day of freedom draws closer.
In an excellent supporting role, Elizabeth McGovern is well cast as Caddie,the young girl who is mistaken for being rich. Her sensitivity and maturity speak volumes as you watch her play Caddie as your average country girl who still lives at home with her mother.It is interesting to see her behaviour change when she sees Nash and Nicky are not serious about the realties of war during a practice bombing.
Her innocence,too,is broken by her own fears of the war.
When Hopper and Caddie say goodbye,you can only hope for the best and it is this thought you are left with as the end credits roll.
Directed by Richard Benjamin,Racing With The Moon doesn't hold back on the true emotions of the boys who leave home tofight and neither does it eschew the reality of what they are going to face as brothers-in-arms. As the train carries them away,there is that poignant moment that sticks in your throat when you realize the memories of their hometown will soon fade to be replaced by the horrors of war on the battlefield where victory is left in their hands.
It is rated AA/Adult Accompaniment,with the warning: coarse language.
April 4,1984
Copyright Rick Jackson 1984
Set at Christmas 1942, Racing With The Moon is a wonderful coming of age story between two close friends who grow up during the six weeks they have left before they serve their country during World War II.
Screenwriter Steven Kloves celebrates life in small town America in examining these two young men's hopes and dreams as the before the reality of war sinks in and their thoughts of whether or not they will return home weigh heabily on their minds.
Henry"Chopper"Nash(Sean Penn)lives at home and works with his buddy Nicky(Nicolas Cage)at the local bowling alley. Life for them both is getting to and fromwork and enjoying the fruits of their labour. Before Henry and Nicky leave they each have a romance with their girlfriends. It is a time of lost innocence that fades when the reality of having sex closes in on their remaining time left at home. Both Penn and Cage symbolize what it must have been like and this reality is the beginning of their maturity as adults. They both inject a believable sense of credibility. While Cage brings solidarity to his role by portraying the average recruit,Penn's strength as an actor is how he can be serious compared to his role as Spiccoli in Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982).
By film's end, both actors remind you of how real soldiers may have felt as their last day of freedom draws closer.
In an excellent supporting role, Elizabeth McGovern is well cast as Caddie,the young girl who is mistaken for being rich. Her sensitivity and maturity speak volumes as you watch her play Caddie as your average country girl who still lives at home with her mother.It is interesting to see her behaviour change when she sees Nash and Nicky are not serious about the realties of war during a practice bombing.
Her innocence,too,is broken by her own fears of the war.
When Hopper and Caddie say goodbye,you can only hope for the best and it is this thought you are left with as the end credits roll.
Directed by Richard Benjamin,Racing With The Moon doesn't hold back on the true emotions of the boys who leave home tofight and neither does it eschew the reality of what they are going to face as brothers-in-arms. As the train carries them away,there is that poignant moment that sticks in your throat when you realize the memories of their hometown will soon fade to be replaced by the horrors of war on the battlefield where victory is left in their hands.
It is rated AA/Adult Accompaniment,with the warning: coarse language.
April 4,1984
Copyright Rick Jackson 1984
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
30 MINUTES OR LESS (COLUMBIA,2011)*
BY RICK JACKSON
30 Minutes Or Less ia based on a real-life bank heist that went wrong on August 28,2003 when Brian Douglas Wells, a pizza delivery man entered a bank in Erie,Pennsylvania with a bomb strapped around his neck. Although the filmmakers denied any previous knowledge of this, it gives a twisted sense of credibility by changing the truth for purposes of creating something altogether fictional. The end result from director Ruben Fleischer and screenwriter Michael Diliberti is a deeply flawed and ridiculous mess from the start. The dialogue and sense of purpose are so stupid, one has trouble believing the actual event from which it was based could have really happened.
The film's title comes from a pizza company's promise to deliver your pizza in 30 minutes or less, or it's free. Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) plays Nick who gets yelled at by his boss (Brett Gelman). It is a scene that only sets up the level of stupidity that gets worse as the story goes along.
There are so many supporting characters to sort out, you are left wondering when the heist will happen, if at all. When two delinquents named Dwayne(Danny McBride) and Travis(Nick Swardson)rebel against their tyrannical father (Fred Ward), there is supposed to be just cause for the ensuing scenes that you see recreated in a hilarious way but underneath the sarcastic streak of familiarity is a sad excuse for comedy. At the matinee I attended I only heard people laughat the coarse language and sexual innuendos that made the entire film appear to be, in a more reliable context,a wasted film which,alas,it never recovers.
One critic praised 30 Minutes Or Less as a relevant film compared to the 1980s but without any examples, you are left scratching your head at his perception and opinion.
It's a wonder after walking out of the theatre how Hollywood would waste good money in making such a sleazy comedy without the sleaze.
No actor is spared from being anything but clear idiots and I hope Fred Ward will star in something much better next time. Remember him in The Right Stuff in 1983!
It is rated 14A,with the warnings:coarse language and violence.
August 14,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
30 Minutes Or Less ia based on a real-life bank heist that went wrong on August 28,2003 when Brian Douglas Wells, a pizza delivery man entered a bank in Erie,Pennsylvania with a bomb strapped around his neck. Although the filmmakers denied any previous knowledge of this, it gives a twisted sense of credibility by changing the truth for purposes of creating something altogether fictional. The end result from director Ruben Fleischer and screenwriter Michael Diliberti is a deeply flawed and ridiculous mess from the start. The dialogue and sense of purpose are so stupid, one has trouble believing the actual event from which it was based could have really happened.
The film's title comes from a pizza company's promise to deliver your pizza in 30 minutes or less, or it's free. Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) plays Nick who gets yelled at by his boss (Brett Gelman). It is a scene that only sets up the level of stupidity that gets worse as the story goes along.
There are so many supporting characters to sort out, you are left wondering when the heist will happen, if at all. When two delinquents named Dwayne(Danny McBride) and Travis(Nick Swardson)rebel against their tyrannical father (Fred Ward), there is supposed to be just cause for the ensuing scenes that you see recreated in a hilarious way but underneath the sarcastic streak of familiarity is a sad excuse for comedy. At the matinee I attended I only heard people laughat the coarse language and sexual innuendos that made the entire film appear to be, in a more reliable context,a wasted film which,alas,it never recovers.
One critic praised 30 Minutes Or Less as a relevant film compared to the 1980s but without any examples, you are left scratching your head at his perception and opinion.
It's a wonder after walking out of the theatre how Hollywood would waste good money in making such a sleazy comedy without the sleaze.
No actor is spared from being anything but clear idiots and I hope Fred Ward will star in something much better next time. Remember him in The Right Stuff in 1983!
It is rated 14A,with the warnings:coarse language and violence.
August 14,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
MEEK'S CUTOFF (KINOSMITH,2011)****
BY RICK JACKSON
The image of covered wagons as Meek's Cutoff opens is as timeless as the western film. Ghosts of John Ford (The Wagonmaster and Drums Along The Mohawk), Raoul Walsh(The Big Trail) and James Cruze (The Covered Wagon) and George Stevens (Shane)can be felt in director Kelly Reichardt's tribute to a fading genre that is slowly making another return thanks to the success of True Grit last Christmas.
Moviegoers from another generation who grew up with the western obviously miss it and it is good to see thundering back to the big screen to help us forget the latest incarnation of the 3D film which I hope won't last for very much longer.
In 1845 a band of settlers is travelling across the Oregon High Desert. You can hear the ripples in the water before and during the wagons as they cross a river.
Cinematographer Chris Blauvelt is careful not to recreate the deep colours of the coloured westerns of yesteryear (Shane,Mohawk to name just two) with the muted texture of Meek's Cutoff in 1845 a fond tribute also to the black and white sagebrush sagas that several more generations past enjoyed every Saturday afternoon.
Reichardt's latest predates Ford's Wagonmaster which took place in the 1870s but it is provides a singular vision of the western as the type of film audiences are begging to see. Although the box office for Reichardt's is not as good as True Grit because her film was not distributed by a ,major studio, it is the opening shot that echoes in the memories of myself and the western fan.
Written by Jonathan Raymond, the plot is simplistic and easy to follow. The wives of the frontiersmen are the focus of the trip west and it is not until the apparance of an Indian does the story take on a deeper significance as an adult western for the 21st century. Survival is the key to their existence and since humans need water (a common plot thread in westerns)there is hope the Indian will guide them to it. At the same time, there is an undercurrent of fear because the women especially feel threatened their small wagon train will be destroyed by more Indians later. It is this dichotomy of survival and the determination to reach their destination that instils Meek's Cutoff with the necessary tension and excitement
to hold your attention.
In his biography of John Ford, Andrew Sinclair points out that the director's 1950 film, Wagonmaster was a response to a world of increasing complexity and a tribute to the abiding values of courage and endurance that you can also see throughout Meek's Cutoff. This is common symbolic thread that draws you closer to the main themes of the film and allow you to enjoy it that much more diligently in your seat.
Michelle Williams plays Emily Tetherow,one of the wives whose fears are grounded in the reality of her fear that reaches a boiling point after the Indian appears. Her natural fear for him is as omnipresent as the wilderness that offers nothing safe and secure ahead because the leader of the wagon train, Stephen Meek, quickly becomes a scapegoat when the settlers believe he doesn't know where he is going. Another common thread from the old westerns.
The power of positive thinking takes over as their journey leads them possibly in the right direction for it is left unclear. What makes the film work is its propensity to almost be a near-great western on the same level as any of the directors mentioned earlier.
Bruce Greenwood gives the film its centre as Meek and it is his skill and experience that you hope will pay off by film's end. You have to stick with the story to find out. The emotional and tense scenes in the second half visually give you a major hint about the outcome of their trip but it is the Indian,well played by Rod Rondeaux,whose silence and facial reactions tell you if he is who Emily and the others fear or not.
The respect for the Indian conveys the authority of a true western that started with Broken Arrow in 1950 and was further explored in Dances With Wolves in 1990.
Jeff Grace's music score doesn't stand out like it should,but it is a minor quibble in a western that retains the dignity of the human spirit when it is tested against the elements and our own basic determination to arrive safe and sound in hostile territory, the one and same commonality most westerns aspired to but Meek's Cutoff nicely avoids so as to keep you guessing without being repulsed by gratuitous vilence and,thereby,ruin your emjoyment.
Reichardt's strength as a director is in her ability to keep you guessing with each long and wide shot as a symbol of the vastness of the wilderness while the story contributes to its magnificence and creativity as a worthy addition as a fine example of the western film today.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance,with the warning:substance abuse.
August 13,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
The image of covered wagons as Meek's Cutoff opens is as timeless as the western film. Ghosts of John Ford (The Wagonmaster and Drums Along The Mohawk), Raoul Walsh(The Big Trail) and James Cruze (The Covered Wagon) and George Stevens (Shane)can be felt in director Kelly Reichardt's tribute to a fading genre that is slowly making another return thanks to the success of True Grit last Christmas.
Moviegoers from another generation who grew up with the western obviously miss it and it is good to see thundering back to the big screen to help us forget the latest incarnation of the 3D film which I hope won't last for very much longer.
In 1845 a band of settlers is travelling across the Oregon High Desert. You can hear the ripples in the water before and during the wagons as they cross a river.
Cinematographer Chris Blauvelt is careful not to recreate the deep colours of the coloured westerns of yesteryear (Shane,Mohawk to name just two) with the muted texture of Meek's Cutoff in 1845 a fond tribute also to the black and white sagebrush sagas that several more generations past enjoyed every Saturday afternoon.
Reichardt's latest predates Ford's Wagonmaster which took place in the 1870s but it is provides a singular vision of the western as the type of film audiences are begging to see. Although the box office for Reichardt's is not as good as True Grit because her film was not distributed by a ,major studio, it is the opening shot that echoes in the memories of myself and the western fan.
Written by Jonathan Raymond, the plot is simplistic and easy to follow. The wives of the frontiersmen are the focus of the trip west and it is not until the apparance of an Indian does the story take on a deeper significance as an adult western for the 21st century. Survival is the key to their existence and since humans need water (a common plot thread in westerns)there is hope the Indian will guide them to it. At the same time, there is an undercurrent of fear because the women especially feel threatened their small wagon train will be destroyed by more Indians later. It is this dichotomy of survival and the determination to reach their destination that instils Meek's Cutoff with the necessary tension and excitement
to hold your attention.
In his biography of John Ford, Andrew Sinclair points out that the director's 1950 film, Wagonmaster was a response to a world of increasing complexity and a tribute to the abiding values of courage and endurance that you can also see throughout Meek's Cutoff. This is common symbolic thread that draws you closer to the main themes of the film and allow you to enjoy it that much more diligently in your seat.
Michelle Williams plays Emily Tetherow,one of the wives whose fears are grounded in the reality of her fear that reaches a boiling point after the Indian appears. Her natural fear for him is as omnipresent as the wilderness that offers nothing safe and secure ahead because the leader of the wagon train, Stephen Meek, quickly becomes a scapegoat when the settlers believe he doesn't know where he is going. Another common thread from the old westerns.
The power of positive thinking takes over as their journey leads them possibly in the right direction for it is left unclear. What makes the film work is its propensity to almost be a near-great western on the same level as any of the directors mentioned earlier.
Bruce Greenwood gives the film its centre as Meek and it is his skill and experience that you hope will pay off by film's end. You have to stick with the story to find out. The emotional and tense scenes in the second half visually give you a major hint about the outcome of their trip but it is the Indian,well played by Rod Rondeaux,whose silence and facial reactions tell you if he is who Emily and the others fear or not.
The respect for the Indian conveys the authority of a true western that started with Broken Arrow in 1950 and was further explored in Dances With Wolves in 1990.
Jeff Grace's music score doesn't stand out like it should,but it is a minor quibble in a western that retains the dignity of the human spirit when it is tested against the elements and our own basic determination to arrive safe and sound in hostile territory, the one and same commonality most westerns aspired to but Meek's Cutoff nicely avoids so as to keep you guessing without being repulsed by gratuitous vilence and,thereby,ruin your emjoyment.
Reichardt's strength as a director is in her ability to keep you guessing with each long and wide shot as a symbol of the vastness of the wilderness while the story contributes to its magnificence and creativity as a worthy addition as a fine example of the western film today.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance,with the warning:substance abuse.
August 13,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
CONAN THE BARBARIAN (UNIVERSAL,1982)***
BY RICK JACKSON
Arnold Schwarzenegger brings Robert E.Howard's pulp fiction hero to life in Conan The Barbarian. Set in the Hyborean Age of 12,000 years ago, this is a mythical time of witches,wizards and snake cults. Director John Milius(The Wind And The Lion) effectively recreates the period and atmosphere, but not without adding excessive bloodshed.
Filmed on location in Spain,it is not as gory as last year's Excalibur or as fatuous as this year's The Sword And The Sorcerer. Conan is based on a character created by Howard who committed suicide in 1936 when he learned of his mother's death. The film opens with the young Conan witnessing the brutal slaying of his parents by Thulsa Doom,head of the evil Snake Cult. Forced into slavery,he grows up to be a trained master pit fighter, part gladiator,part part swordsman,part animal. Through some twist of fate he is freed from captivity and avenges his parents' death and kills Doom.
The brawny Austrian-born Schwarzenegger makes a perfect Conan. Although he speaks with a bit of an accent, he can wield that sword like a pro. To prepare for the role he cut his weight from 250 to 228 pounds.
Sandahl Bergman(All That Jazz)plays the voluptuous Valeria and proves she is an equal match for Conan when she demonstrates her athletic prowess with a warrior. When you first see her,she helps our hero steal the precious Eye of Set in the Tower of the Serpent.
In other roles, James Earl Jones plays Doom,ex-Oakland Raider Ben Davidson stars as Rexor,Doom's chief henchman,and Max Von Sydow appears briefly as King Osric.
The supporting cast includes Gerry Lopez as Subotai,Valerie Quenessen as the princess of Shadizar and William Smith as Conan's father.
Milius and Oliver Stone's screenplay is well balanced. Except for two very violent scenes near the end,it is not too hard to take. Basil Poledouris'music score is well paced and Ron Cobb's production design is excellent.
The most exciting sequence is in the Tower of the Serpent where Conan fights a 50-foot snake. It's reminiscent of the All-Seeing Eye in Alexander Korda's 1940 classic,The Thief of Bagdad.
Conan The Barbarian offers an escape into a world of black magic and barbaric warfare. You see heads chopped off and other assorted killings, but the real star is Schwarzenegger.
It is rated R/Restricted,with the warning: violence.
Originally appeared in The Heritage Newspaper on May 19,1982.
Copyright Rick Jackson,1982
Arnold Schwarzenegger brings Robert E.Howard's pulp fiction hero to life in Conan The Barbarian. Set in the Hyborean Age of 12,000 years ago, this is a mythical time of witches,wizards and snake cults. Director John Milius(The Wind And The Lion) effectively recreates the period and atmosphere, but not without adding excessive bloodshed.
Filmed on location in Spain,it is not as gory as last year's Excalibur or as fatuous as this year's The Sword And The Sorcerer. Conan is based on a character created by Howard who committed suicide in 1936 when he learned of his mother's death. The film opens with the young Conan witnessing the brutal slaying of his parents by Thulsa Doom,head of the evil Snake Cult. Forced into slavery,he grows up to be a trained master pit fighter, part gladiator,part part swordsman,part animal. Through some twist of fate he is freed from captivity and avenges his parents' death and kills Doom.
The brawny Austrian-born Schwarzenegger makes a perfect Conan. Although he speaks with a bit of an accent, he can wield that sword like a pro. To prepare for the role he cut his weight from 250 to 228 pounds.
Sandahl Bergman(All That Jazz)plays the voluptuous Valeria and proves she is an equal match for Conan when she demonstrates her athletic prowess with a warrior. When you first see her,she helps our hero steal the precious Eye of Set in the Tower of the Serpent.
In other roles, James Earl Jones plays Doom,ex-Oakland Raider Ben Davidson stars as Rexor,Doom's chief henchman,and Max Von Sydow appears briefly as King Osric.
The supporting cast includes Gerry Lopez as Subotai,Valerie Quenessen as the princess of Shadizar and William Smith as Conan's father.
Milius and Oliver Stone's screenplay is well balanced. Except for two very violent scenes near the end,it is not too hard to take. Basil Poledouris'music score is well paced and Ron Cobb's production design is excellent.
The most exciting sequence is in the Tower of the Serpent where Conan fights a 50-foot snake. It's reminiscent of the All-Seeing Eye in Alexander Korda's 1940 classic,The Thief of Bagdad.
Conan The Barbarian offers an escape into a world of black magic and barbaric warfare. You see heads chopped off and other assorted killings, but the real star is Schwarzenegger.
It is rated R/Restricted,with the warning: violence.
Originally appeared in The Heritage Newspaper on May 19,1982.
Copyright Rick Jackson,1982
Sunday, August 7, 2011
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (20TH CENTURY FOX, 2011)***
BY RICK JACKSON
With trepidation I went to see Rise Of The Planet of the Apes. To my surprise I liked it more than I thought. Thankfully not in 3D as originally promoted months ago, this prequel to the series(1968-1973) is the beginning of what may possibly be more sequels. The 1968 original was a groundbreaking in the field of makeup because it introduced a new adhesive which allowed for foam rubber masks (cheeks,chins,brows,lips and ears) to be used on actors without irritating or clogging their pores. It was also been experimented before the film's release to help repair faces of the war wounded in Vietnam.
In looking back at the Planet of the Apes starring Charlton Heston, one may find it hard to believe it almost never was made. After producer Arthur P.Jacobs bought the rights to Boulle's novel, no studio in the United States and Europe wanted to make the film. Top movie producers laughed at the idea of a movie about talking apes. Jacobs never gave up hope and finally convinced Daryl and Richard Zanuck at 20th Century Fox to make a screen test with Edward G.Robinson in ape makeup and Heston. The 15-minute test was all it needed and with a budget of six million dollars, they made The Planet of the Apes. Makeup expert John Chambers developed an innovative technique that allowed actors to wear makeup for fourteen hours. Filmed in Utah and Arizona,it was a blockbuster hit although you have to remember this was 1968. It competed with Stanley Kubrick's 2001:A Space Odyssey which was also an immediate hit.
Rod Serling and Michael Wilson wrote the screenplay and it became the first of five movies in the franchise and today is one of the most successful movie series because it combined an intelligent and thought provoking story for mass entertainment. Judging by its box office triumph this weekend, Rise of the Planet of the Apes has renewed interest in moviegoers to see something old,new again.
The simian character of Caesar was originally played by Roddy McDowall in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes(1972). He was the offspring of Zira and Cornelius.
In Rise, Andy Serkis plays Caesar all grown up. Best known as Gollum in Lord of the Rings, there are ample opportunities to see him in action.
James Franco stars as Will Rodman,a scientist who has developed ALZ 112, a possible treatment for Alzheimer's. He then tests it on chimpanzees whose IQ goes up as a result, including their ability to communiCate in sign language. When Rodman tests it on a human, his father (John Lithgow) who has Alzheimer's, there are interesting results I won't divulge.
What makes this prequel a phenomenal film to begin with is the way director Rupert Wyatt slowly introduces the other apes by focusing on their facial and eye movements before showing us the apes full throttle in action. Sure, there is much anticipation and despite some predictability in the story the outcome of it all is well worth it.
Freida Pinto is well cast as caroline,a primatologist and Brian Cox is John Landon, the owner of an ape sanctuary, and Tom Felton stars as his son Dodge.
It is clear by the second half, the apes upstage the humans ans prove their intelligence in a well executed climax that will make you want to see the next film just to see where the story is going to lead.
Screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver were inspired to write a plot suggested by Boulle's novel and they have come up with an original idea that is in keeping with the other films.
Patrick Doyle's music score is inferior to Jerry Goldsmith's in the 1968 original but it does help stir up the action long enough to hold your attention from beginning to end.
There is a lot more to praise in this prequel and it nicely sets up the proper mood and atmosphere which you can expect in the sequels you hope will come over the next five or more years.
Under Rupert Wyatt's capable direction, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is a phenomenal film. You may want to seek out the previous five films to see where it all fits unless you've already done it.
It is rated PG,with the warning: violence.
August 7,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
With trepidation I went to see Rise Of The Planet of the Apes. To my surprise I liked it more than I thought. Thankfully not in 3D as originally promoted months ago, this prequel to the series(1968-1973) is the beginning of what may possibly be more sequels. The 1968 original was a groundbreaking in the field of makeup because it introduced a new adhesive which allowed for foam rubber masks (cheeks,chins,brows,lips and ears) to be used on actors without irritating or clogging their pores. It was also been experimented before the film's release to help repair faces of the war wounded in Vietnam.
In looking back at the Planet of the Apes starring Charlton Heston, one may find it hard to believe it almost never was made. After producer Arthur P.Jacobs bought the rights to Boulle's novel, no studio in the United States and Europe wanted to make the film. Top movie producers laughed at the idea of a movie about talking apes. Jacobs never gave up hope and finally convinced Daryl and Richard Zanuck at 20th Century Fox to make a screen test with Edward G.Robinson in ape makeup and Heston. The 15-minute test was all it needed and with a budget of six million dollars, they made The Planet of the Apes. Makeup expert John Chambers developed an innovative technique that allowed actors to wear makeup for fourteen hours. Filmed in Utah and Arizona,it was a blockbuster hit although you have to remember this was 1968. It competed with Stanley Kubrick's 2001:A Space Odyssey which was also an immediate hit.
Rod Serling and Michael Wilson wrote the screenplay and it became the first of five movies in the franchise and today is one of the most successful movie series because it combined an intelligent and thought provoking story for mass entertainment. Judging by its box office triumph this weekend, Rise of the Planet of the Apes has renewed interest in moviegoers to see something old,new again.
The simian character of Caesar was originally played by Roddy McDowall in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes(1972). He was the offspring of Zira and Cornelius.
In Rise, Andy Serkis plays Caesar all grown up. Best known as Gollum in Lord of the Rings, there are ample opportunities to see him in action.
James Franco stars as Will Rodman,a scientist who has developed ALZ 112, a possible treatment for Alzheimer's. He then tests it on chimpanzees whose IQ goes up as a result, including their ability to communiCate in sign language. When Rodman tests it on a human, his father (John Lithgow) who has Alzheimer's, there are interesting results I won't divulge.
What makes this prequel a phenomenal film to begin with is the way director Rupert Wyatt slowly introduces the other apes by focusing on their facial and eye movements before showing us the apes full throttle in action. Sure, there is much anticipation and despite some predictability in the story the outcome of it all is well worth it.
Freida Pinto is well cast as caroline,a primatologist and Brian Cox is John Landon, the owner of an ape sanctuary, and Tom Felton stars as his son Dodge.
It is clear by the second half, the apes upstage the humans ans prove their intelligence in a well executed climax that will make you want to see the next film just to see where the story is going to lead.
Screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver were inspired to write a plot suggested by Boulle's novel and they have come up with an original idea that is in keeping with the other films.
Patrick Doyle's music score is inferior to Jerry Goldsmith's in the 1968 original but it does help stir up the action long enough to hold your attention from beginning to end.
There is a lot more to praise in this prequel and it nicely sets up the proper mood and atmosphere which you can expect in the sequels you hope will come over the next five or more years.
Under Rupert Wyatt's capable direction, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is a phenomenal film. You may want to seek out the previous five films to see where it all fits unless you've already done it.
It is rated PG,with the warning: violence.
August 7,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
THE TRIP (ALLIANCE, 2010)****
BY RICK JACKSON
The two stars and director of Tristram Shandy:A Cock And Bull Story are responsible for the audaciously funny new British comedy, The Trip. The essence of timing and the ability to turn what is so utterly simple into something wildly hilarious like they did in Tristram is also another rare treat at the movies.
Based on the BBC documentary series, Winterbottom just lets his two stars, Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden entertain you with their brand of humour, whether it's talking in harmony over nothing in the car,or competing with their impersonations of Michael Caine, Sean Connery,Woody Allen,Ian McKellen,and others.
It is clear from the start that Coogan and Bryden are a great comedy team and the director wisely concentrates on them with no distractions to destroy the comic momemtum after it starts. As you see them enter enter and exit each restaurant and hotel in the north of England, you are also edified by their tastes in food that go along with their sense of humour. The each pick items on the menu that are astonishingly funny looking on their plates and Winterbottom takes advantage of it by the closeups and long shots so you can see the innocent reactions on their faces that never give away what funny lines they will each say.
There is no script just Coogan and Bryden's improvisational technique and it works better than any American comedy because it is not crude. In fact, the restaurants and hotels they visit are equally funny as you watch them travel in the typical British way that the Ealing comedies of the 1940s and 1950s captured. The Trip never loses your undivided attention because you eagerly await to hear and see what is next.
The documentary feel of the entire film makes it appear more as a documentary shot with a hand-held camera and this allows you to laugh more at the antics of Coogan and Bryden as they come up with one entertaining tidbit after another.
It is on the same level as the 1981 American comedy classic, My Dinner With Andre which was equally funny and entertaining thanks to Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory who shared their lives over the course of an evening meal at a restaurant.
The funniest film where two people sit down to eat is still the 1925 silent classic,The Gold Rush where a starving Charles Chaplin shares his shoe with his pal Mack Swain.
When I think back to The Trip,I will always remember the faces of Coogan and Bryden as they engaged in a domestic,peaceful war of words and sounds in a setting that is constantly acted so innocently, you are bound to laugh almost uncontrollably without hesitation. This may well be the most memorable trip you will take all year.
It is rated 14A,with the warnings: coarse language and substance abuse.
August 5,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
The two stars and director of Tristram Shandy:A Cock And Bull Story are responsible for the audaciously funny new British comedy, The Trip. The essence of timing and the ability to turn what is so utterly simple into something wildly hilarious like they did in Tristram is also another rare treat at the movies.
Based on the BBC documentary series, Winterbottom just lets his two stars, Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden entertain you with their brand of humour, whether it's talking in harmony over nothing in the car,or competing with their impersonations of Michael Caine, Sean Connery,Woody Allen,Ian McKellen,and others.
It is clear from the start that Coogan and Bryden are a great comedy team and the director wisely concentrates on them with no distractions to destroy the comic momemtum after it starts. As you see them enter enter and exit each restaurant and hotel in the north of England, you are also edified by their tastes in food that go along with their sense of humour. The each pick items on the menu that are astonishingly funny looking on their plates and Winterbottom takes advantage of it by the closeups and long shots so you can see the innocent reactions on their faces that never give away what funny lines they will each say.
There is no script just Coogan and Bryden's improvisational technique and it works better than any American comedy because it is not crude. In fact, the restaurants and hotels they visit are equally funny as you watch them travel in the typical British way that the Ealing comedies of the 1940s and 1950s captured. The Trip never loses your undivided attention because you eagerly await to hear and see what is next.
The documentary feel of the entire film makes it appear more as a documentary shot with a hand-held camera and this allows you to laugh more at the antics of Coogan and Bryden as they come up with one entertaining tidbit after another.
It is on the same level as the 1981 American comedy classic, My Dinner With Andre which was equally funny and entertaining thanks to Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory who shared their lives over the course of an evening meal at a restaurant.
The funniest film where two people sit down to eat is still the 1925 silent classic,The Gold Rush where a starving Charles Chaplin shares his shoe with his pal Mack Swain.
When I think back to The Trip,I will always remember the faces of Coogan and Bryden as they engaged in a domestic,peaceful war of words and sounds in a setting that is constantly acted so innocently, you are bound to laugh almost uncontrollably without hesitation. This may well be the most memorable trip you will take all year.
It is rated 14A,with the warnings: coarse language and substance abuse.
August 5,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
FIRST GRADER (MAPLE, 2010)****
BY RICK JACKSON
unkn
Filmed entirely in Kenya, The First Grader may appear, on the surface, to be similar to other films about teaching students but this one rises above the familiar by the sheer weight of its subject matter and a cast of unknown actors to bring based this true story of Maruge, an octogenarian who became the oldest man to receive primary education which paved the way for more adults to learn the basic skills of reading,writing and arithmetic. Oliver Litondo brings to the screen a heartfelt and powerful performance as Maruge, whose young adult years saw him as a Mau Mau freedom fighter in the 1950s who fought against British rule. Haunted by the memories of his capture and torture by the insurgents he is an old man when you first see him but it is strong will and determination for the education denied him is the central point of the story and where the entire film returns with an unerring sense of courage as you watch Maruge fight against the school system's policies that rear their ugly head when all he wants is to learn to read.
In her screenplay, Ann Peacock understands the plight of the uneducated at any age and she captures a balance between the politics of a system designed to work for the young only. Peacock who was born and raised in South Africa imbues a sense of urgency underneath the simple two-tiered plot: Maruge's desire for an education and the country's need to update their thinking when it comes to serving the public needs for everyone not just a privileged few.
When Mr.Kipruto (Vusumuzi Michael Kunene), a ministry inspector, sees Maruge he appoints him a teaching assistant to appease Jane Obinchu(Naomie Harris) the local teacher. However, some of the parents object to his presence, Jane is transferred to another school. Unbekownst to the school board Maruge's story is told on Kenyan radio and the international press. What happens later when Maruge addresses the board in Nairobi is one of the year's most poignant scenes in a movie this year and also one that may move you to cheer when it is all over.
Under June Chadwick's capable direction,The First Grader is more to do with Maruge and less about his teacher. Politics aside, Litondo conveys by his understated performance an opportunity to convey the importance of an education and by film's end it is still the point being made in an equally and undeniably powerful way. His quiet mannerisms and attitude toward life rise above the violence he endured at the hands of the British and hopes his country will remember the past in order to learn for the future. In essence, the actor is dispensing wisdom gained by his education and life experience and the point is not lost on the individual moviegoer.
Cinematographer Rob Hardy captures the rustic domesticity of the Kenyan countryside by showing it with muted colours. The story illuminates itself with a brighter glow by the acting of local school children hired to play the students and this elevates the entire film to become an important testament to the power of humanity not just one man's cry for his beloved country.
It is rated PG,with the warnings:violence and not recommended for young children.
July 30,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
unkn
Filmed entirely in Kenya, The First Grader may appear, on the surface, to be similar to other films about teaching students but this one rises above the familiar by the sheer weight of its subject matter and a cast of unknown actors to bring based this true story of Maruge, an octogenarian who became the oldest man to receive primary education which paved the way for more adults to learn the basic skills of reading,writing and arithmetic. Oliver Litondo brings to the screen a heartfelt and powerful performance as Maruge, whose young adult years saw him as a Mau Mau freedom fighter in the 1950s who fought against British rule. Haunted by the memories of his capture and torture by the insurgents he is an old man when you first see him but it is strong will and determination for the education denied him is the central point of the story and where the entire film returns with an unerring sense of courage as you watch Maruge fight against the school system's policies that rear their ugly head when all he wants is to learn to read.
In her screenplay, Ann Peacock understands the plight of the uneducated at any age and she captures a balance between the politics of a system designed to work for the young only. Peacock who was born and raised in South Africa imbues a sense of urgency underneath the simple two-tiered plot: Maruge's desire for an education and the country's need to update their thinking when it comes to serving the public needs for everyone not just a privileged few.
When Mr.Kipruto (Vusumuzi Michael Kunene), a ministry inspector, sees Maruge he appoints him a teaching assistant to appease Jane Obinchu(Naomie Harris) the local teacher. However, some of the parents object to his presence, Jane is transferred to another school. Unbekownst to the school board Maruge's story is told on Kenyan radio and the international press. What happens later when Maruge addresses the board in Nairobi is one of the year's most poignant scenes in a movie this year and also one that may move you to cheer when it is all over.
Under June Chadwick's capable direction,The First Grader is more to do with Maruge and less about his teacher. Politics aside, Litondo conveys by his understated performance an opportunity to convey the importance of an education and by film's end it is still the point being made in an equally and undeniably powerful way. His quiet mannerisms and attitude toward life rise above the violence he endured at the hands of the British and hopes his country will remember the past in order to learn for the future. In essence, the actor is dispensing wisdom gained by his education and life experience and the point is not lost on the individual moviegoer.
Cinematographer Rob Hardy captures the rustic domesticity of the Kenyan countryside by showing it with muted colours. The story illuminates itself with a brighter glow by the acting of local school children hired to play the students and this elevates the entire film to become an important testament to the power of humanity not just one man's cry for his beloved country.
It is rated PG,with the warnings:violence and not recommended for young children.
July 30,2011
Copyright Rick Jackson 2011
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