World Trade Center (2006) September 26, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Cinema, Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone’s latest is a story that resonates through the memory of almost everyone in the world today. Although it has been five years since the tragic events in New York, the constant media-lead reminders make it feel much less. Now, following Paul Greengrass’s United 93 which was released earlier this year, we have the movie that tells this well known story from a more obvious angle: the heart of New York.
It’s probably fair to say that the plot needs no explanation, although the points of perspective do require some attention. Following the true story of two port authority cops John McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Pena), who along with a team of others, entered the towers to search and rescue. After the first collapse they find themselves alive, but trapped under tons of rubble and debris. What follows is a story of incredible human spirit from the point of view of the officers, their families, and the hundreds of rescue workers on the scene that day.
If there’s one thing this film does well it’s to remain consistent in its approach. Being a character-lead view of the event we see almost everything in only as much detail as the people involved would. Just one long pull-out shot from the wreckage serves as a set-piece for cinematic effect, everything else being either news footage or close to a direct character perspective. You never see a tower collapse, or either plane crash – the closest you get is the aircraft-shaped shadow officer Jimeno watches fly by. An ominous sign of what is about to happen.
This movie is lucky to boast both good direction and strong performances, not just from the male leads but also from the distressed wives played by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Maria Bello. Their scenes break up the ones featuring our trapped heroes, and add the right amount of emotional depth to those characters. Director Oliver Stone has made a simple movie by all accounts, but I think this particular tale suits a traditional style over something more technically flash but emotionally vapid.
Another thing I admire about the film is that it really gets on with telling the story. There are some nice opening scenes showing the officers going to work, and taking their regular orders, but that’s all. No overlong character establishment, as this is smartly addressed after the part we all know is coming. Watching this movie it is clear how differently it would’ve been made if it weren’t based on an event we all know about. There’s no need for an overlong build-up, and the filmmakers have very wisely structured the film to focus on the people, rather than the event.
While the slightly heavy religious elements may not be for everyone, and the lack of hard hitting visuals during the crash sequence make this a slightly tamer movie than it could’ve been, there’s not much else to criticise. What stands out is the effort undergone to make it realistic, in both set design and mood. The confusion between people at ground zero is one example of this, with our main characters never finding out how many planes had hit, or where, despite the numerous rumours they hear.
Heartfelt but not tremendously negative, this is not a film that serves to mourn the dead (although it does do that). It tries hard to paint a picture of humanity coming together in times of need, whilst somehow remaining politically unbiased. Oliver Stone is known for being involved in controversial works after directing Natural Born Killers, and producing movies like The People vs. Larry Flint. So it’s interesting to see that this, a film that could’ve caused a lot of uproar, dodges all controversy and opts instead to tell a story of human spirit. In my opinion, a fine decision indeed.
Blood: The Last Vampire (2000) September 22, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Hiroyuki Kitakubo
There’s more to say about the history, creation, and subsequent popular following of this anime feature, than the actual film itself. And while it’s not without its merits, I’m surprised that such an incomplete piece of work has gone on to spawn both a TV show, manga sequels and an upcoming live-action feature. It has though, and all from less than 45-minutes of animation.
The story takes place in Japan just before the Vietnam war. Saya is a mysterious girl who works for a government agency, employed for the sole reason of hunting down and killing vampire demons. She is placed undercover at an air base during Halloween where she discovers two demons disguising themselves as students in the school. As everyone celebrates Halloween night, Saya is once again fighting for her life against the vampires.
It’s worth noting right away that the story is extremely simple and short because this is only the middle story of three, that together were supposed to make up an OAV series called ‘Blood’. As expected it’s therefore slightly disjointed, with an especially blunt ending that leaves you wondering “so what now?”. Reportedly it was a lack of time and money that lead to the other parts never being made, but rather oddly this 43 minutes was still released. It has gained much popularity since, although for some reason the creators have never gone back to complete the story.
The use of blended 2D and 3D animation techniques is one of this films big pulling points, and it is done very effectively (much better than in the previously reviewed [link] Titan A.E.). The 3D models are designed to fit the anime world extremely well, although there are some moments where they stand out a bit. The backgrounds are especially good though, and completely in-tone with the traditional anime characters. Voice work is adequate, but unlike many other anime titles it mixes English & Japanese voice talent together. I’d say the movie is about 70% English and 30% Japanese (subtitled).
Now, with the Blood+ TV series airing in Japan, and Ronny Yu attached to direct a live-action version of the story (hopefully the whole story, not just this section), it is easy to class this anime experiment as a success. I wasn’t overly impressed, but if a full-length version with all three parts was released, I’d be very interested to see it. Some of the animation work looks fantastic, and that’s the real highlight here, but this on it’s own isn’t quite enough to satisfy my desire for the story.
Team America: World Police (2004) September 20, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Trey Parker
Supermarionation, now there’s an underused style of making movies. Take a bunch of puppets, some backgrounds, some props, and you could make pretty much anything. That’s what South Park creators Matt Stone & Trey Parker must’ve been thinking when they decided to put strings back on the big screen. They just added swearing.
The plotline is straight out of a typical Hollywood action movie: Gary Johnson is an actor, and a damn good one. He’s working on Broadway when the mysterious Spottswoode recruits him to be part of an all-action taskforce called Team America. They need an actor so they can uncover the evil Kim Jong Il’s plans to destroy the world with weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, the members of the Film Actors Guild (FAG) are speaking out against the teams approach to justice. Will Team America be able to stop Kim Jong Il, and face the media backlash of their actions?
It’s worth me saying up-front that while I like Matt & Trey’s writing I was never a massive fan of South Park. I like it in parts, I just never really got into it. The South Park Movie however, I loved (mainly down to the decision to turn it into a musical), so I didn’t quite know what to expect from this film. Luckily it’s very funny and thoroughly entertaining throughout, especially during the musical segments which are definitely the creators’ great strength. From Team America’s theme, to the montage song, and even the love anthem ‘Only a Woman’, the songs are always spot-on either in mood, or the lyrical genius.
The story isn’t too important although I love the way Stone and Parker have kept this movie true to action stereotypes. Especially the scoring which sounds like it could’ve actually featured in a real Hollywood blockbuster. Strangely, this movie climaxes in a stage-show just like South Park: BL&U, although I’m sure it’s just a coincidence and not a lack of ideas that lead to this. The puppeteers work overtime to bring the main characters to life, and the detail in the faces means you quickly get used to watching them. Some of the sets look fantastically detailed too, and are a credit to the designers. This is no Punch & Judy show, that’s for sure.
If you’re willing to put up with the language (a staple of the Stone & Parker movie), and distinct lack of humans, then this comes well recommended. Although it deals with current issues like terrorism, global America, and the role of celebrities in society, I don’t know how truly satirical it is. Satire involves a degree of subtlety that is lost in a film where puppets are shotgunning each other through windows. But on the action and comedy front it’s great fun, kicking Pinocchio’s ass into submission with a loud, proud boot called the USA!
You, Me and Dupree (2006) September 18, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Cinema, Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Anthony Russo / Joe Russo
Randy Dupree is an out-going, fun-loving guy who everybody just loves to love. When he is suddenly hit by hard times which leave him both jobless and homeless, it’s up to his best friend Carl to help pick up the pieces. Dupree moves in with the newly married Carl & Molly promising it’ll only be temporary, but he soon starts to outstay his welcome. Cue disaster, heartbreak, and life-lessons from Lance Armstrong.
Clearly the plot is fairly simple, it’s an expanded use of the ‘buddy comes to stay, turns everyone’s life upside-down’ plot device that you might find in many comedy movies (Uncle Buck comes to mind). There are certainly plenty of jokes although not to the extent of previous Wilson outings, lacking the banter of a movie like Wedding Crashers, or the zaniness of Zoolander. I enjoyed some of the sight gags, especially spotting Dupree’s trademark ‘lightning bolt’ symbol, the dream sequence was funny, and also the appearance of Seth Rogen who seems to be making inroads into being a comedy lead himself soon.
Owen Wilson is, of course, the driving funny man in this picture, and he pulls it off with apparent ease. Then again he almost couldn’t fail since he’s just playing a slightly exaggerated version of himself, something that he should be able to do blindfolded by now. Kate Hudson is also well cast as Carl’s caring wife who starts out dead against Dupree, but slowly warms to his charms. It’s Matt Dillon as Carl who I’m still unsure about, not being able to buy into him as the ‘perfect husband’ character he begins this movie as. In fact, he becomes much more comfortable and believable once he turns into the jealous, angry Carl later in the story.
There’s a comparison to be made between how the character of Dupree drifts through the movie, just like he drifts through his life, and it almost doesn’t seem like he’s actually gained anything until an epilogue scene right at the last minute. Although the story is supposed to be focused on Carl & Molly, with Dupree acting only as a catalyst to their already existing problems, it often gets too close to being ‘The Dupree show’ at times.
Overall, this is a comedy that while working comfortably within its boundaries, fails to do anything too imaginative. That said, it has got some nice lines, and it is a very easy & entertaining watch. Fans of Mr Wilson will absolutely adore it, and there’s certainly no reason not to join them.
The Ring (2002) September 16, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Gore Verbinski
Gore Verbinski is certainly not genre-biased when it comes to directing. In between making the first two action/adventure Pirates of the Caribbean movies he slipped in a comedy drama in the form of The Weather Man. But even before all that he’d already made the family feature Mouse Hunt, and crime comedy The Mexican. Both had relative success and afforded him the opportunity to take on his most ambitious project to date: a remake of the Japanese horror/thriller Ringu. Better known as The Ring.
There is a video tape, so the legend goes, that kills you seven days after you watch it. But is it a legend? Could it be real? That’s the mystery cynical journalist Rachel Keller (Niomi Watts) becomes wrapped up in after her niece dies in mysterious circumstances. She herself watches the tape, which forces her on a quest to discover the truth about its origin within a week, or die a frightening death. As her sleuthing begins to uncover the dark secrets of an island family, she becomes immersed in the images on the tape and the life of a little girl called Samara.
A strange premise indeed, but an interesting one. Using urban legend as a basis for horror movies is certainly no new thing, but so often the stories of ‘a killer in the woods’ fall flat because of their implausibility. Where The Ring works most effectively is in having a simple premise that you can believe. There’s no bunch of teenagers breaking down on a long road and experiencing weird things, no mask-wearing murderers or bizarre townsfolk. It’s just a tape, and a ghost story.
Gorb Verbinski translates his skills over to the horror genre with comfortable ease, although this isn’t really an all-out horror movie. The focus is on the mystery element, with the only traditional horror scenes falling at the beginning, and towards the end of the picture. The entire mid-section revolves around finding the clues which lead Rachel to the origin of the tape, almost like a detective story. Naomi Watts carries the movie nicely, bringing depth to her character and not turning it into a horror-cliché (I think she only has to scream once). Shortcomings include a script which sometimes falls down trying to be mysterious and just coming off as confusing (“don’t you understand, she never sleeps”), and a bumpy ending that almost renders her entire search pointless.
It’s easy to see why this did well, and went on to have a storming DVD release too. A PG-13 horror movie could so easily have turned into a complete joke, but there’s enough psychological fear implanted into the story to render violence or gore unnecessary. So while the mystery plotline stops this from being an out-and-out fright-fest, it still had plenty of people unplugging their TVs at night.