Déjà Vu (2006) January 28, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Cinema, Recently Viewed , 1 comment so farDirected by: Tony Scott
I quite like Tony Scott. There, I said it. Every time he has a movie out, he always takes flak for his fast-paced direction and ‘MTV style’ editing - but that is a Tony Scott movie. That’s what he does, and moreover, that’s what he does well. I really enjoyed his last outing with Denzel Washington, Man On Fire, so a return for the duo was no bad thing in my eyes.
The subject matter did trouble me slightly though. To summarise the story; a terrorist bombing on a ferry carrying hundreds of US navy crewmen and their families starts a huge multi-organisational search for the bomber. Among them is ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington), and FBI agent Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer), who wants to use Doug’s detective skills to utilise a new kind of ‘surveillance’ technology. But this is more than just cameras and satellites. By creating a wormhole in space, the team are able to look anywhere inside a specific radius, exactly four and a half days in the past. Using the wormhole makes Doug question his capabilities: does a second chance to see the truth bring a second chance to prevent it from ever happening?
It’s basically a movie about the possibilities of time travel. This often causes all sorts of problems and if not handled correctly can pretty much ruin a movie (The Lake House [review] for example). Here, it is dealt with well for the most part, with everything up until the last half an hour or so staying clear of any major paradoxes. By the end it loses grip of course, opening the story up to all kinds of discrepancies and plot holes. I guess you’ve just got to let some things go.
Tony Scott’s usual fast-paced direction is in play, but it’s well toned down from the saturation and flash cutting of Domino. While his style is still very apparent in this movie, I’d say he’s reigned himself in quite a bit to deliver a film that doesn’t look too dissimilar from a regular high-tech blockbuster. The cast are pretty good too. Denzel Washington always delivers, and makes it look easy, even as the implausible circumstances unfold around him. 
Val Kilmer and Adam Goldberg also put in fine performances as two agents who unveil the unique surveillance equipment. The script is lacking depth, although that’s a slight criticism for what is essentially an action movie, while the running time is well judged at just over two hours.
In fact, there are some interesting parallels to be drawn between this film, and Scott’s other directorial effort, Enemy Of The State. While they both end up being different movies, from the outside they look similar. Whether Scott intended this I can’t be sure, although I know that if you took the espionage elements from Enemy, and the action pieces from this flick, you’d end up with a really solid film. What I’m saying is that while Déjà Vu might look intriguing and complex, it’s actually not much more than your standard blockbuster fare - but that’s not to say it isn’t entertaining, and good fun while it lasts. Then again I would say that, I like Tony Scott.
Now Judging With Greater Accuracy January 27, 2007
Posted by gproject in : News , add a comment
After putting it off for some time, I’m very pleased to finally unveil the much talked about MovieProject rating system! It’s an ‘out of five’ judgement which will give a better indication of my overall feeling towards a movie for the loyal readers, and a quick glancing-point for those people too lazy to interpret consecutive words and form an understanding of their intended meaning (I call it ‘reading’).
It was originally going to be in whole numbers only, but with my fickle nature I was aware that there would come a point when I’d need half-points too. So I’ve pre-empted the stress, and given myself halves right from the off – which technically makes it an ‘out of ten’ system I suppose.
I am aware that this now means updating my past reviews to include a rating but this will be a progressive change, not an immediate one. The final year of university is keeping me so busy that I’m barely getting the time to watch or review any films recently, never mind deal with the technicalities of my journal’s presentation. I’ll get round to the updates as soon as I can.
And as always, thanks for reading,
Gp.
London (2005) January 23, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Hunter Richards
Released in a very covert fashion early last year, London only really came to my attention once it hit DVD. I saw it gracing a few shelves, and immediately wondered if it was any good. It had an intriguing title, a hard ‘18’ certificate, and Jason Statham with hilarious hair. What’s not to like?
The plot follows Syd (played by Chris Evans) as he attends a leaving party in New York for his ex-girlfriend. The girl in question is called London (Jessica Biel), so if you were hoping for anything set in merry old England, you can turn off now. Syd holes himself up in the bathroom, too scared to talk to the girl himself, and discusses his predicament with friends, including the man (and provider of drugs) he just met: Bateman (Jason Statham).
That’s really all there is to it. A simple story told in a fairly simple way, with scenes mostly taking place in one location (the bathroom) except for a few flashbacks and additional scenes dropped in here and there. It’s definitely trying hard to be one of those cool ‘socially aware’ movies, showing life as it really is: a drug and profanity filled world where New York nobodies hang out and discuss their personal neurosis. Apparently.
There are decent performances from the cast, although only a handful really have much to contribute to the proceedings, while first time writer / director Hunter Richards keeps things interesting with the visuals. His script may rely on a lot of bad language (I mentioned it was an ‘18’ certificate, well there’s very little sex or violence), however it’s to his credit that these bathroom conversations sustain the film through its neat and tidy ninety minutes.
I’d say that it was an interestingly skewed look at the pain involved in a break-up, although it would’ve been just as effective without all the drug-taking I’m sure. If there’s one problem the film has it’s that it ends up feeling slightly empty at the conclusion, and you wonder whether you ever really cared about anyone in the story. And in a movie like this, you have to care about the people. There’s really not much else.
The tagline: “One young man’s incredible journey of self-discovery” is way overselling it, believe me. More like: “One young man’s night of hiding in a bathroom, and then making one decision”. All right, so it’s not that bad, although that is an accurate plot summary. London is not a truly awful film, and I’m sure that some people will enjoy its simplicity. For me however, simplicity at the expense of a point is not something I’m willing to trade.
The Day After Tomorrow (2004) January 18, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Roland Emmerich
Post-apocalyptic visions of the future are no new thing in 20th century cinema - but when the ‘apocalypse’ is global warming, and it’s not a vision of the future but an alternative present that’s being effected, you can’t help wonder if it’s not just another ‘disaster’ movie. And it is. Although of course, this one has a timely message.
Now to say it’s about global warming isn’t strictly correct, as it’s actually about global cooling, an effect brought on by global warming. The story follows climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid), who theorises that the world is going to enter the next ice age sometime in the future. Unfortunately, it begins happening right away, causing entire regions of the world to become covered in ice and snow, as tornados and hurricanes destroy the other areas. Jack’s son Sam (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is in New York, and becomes trapped after the weather takes a turn for the worst. Against all the odds, Jack packs a rucksack and goes out to rescue his son from the elements.
So a disaster movie then: the story of a large-scale catastrophe affecting the lives of the human characters within it. This was not what I had prepared myself for, but it wasn’t the only element of the film that surprised me. From the posters I was expecting a Twelve Monkeys style future, where things had already turned bad. It’s actually more like the global warming version of Deep Impact. Don’t judge a book by its cover I suppose. Lesson learned.
I was also under the impression that Jake Gyllenhall was the lead, but it is Dennis Quaid who performs most of the heroics – apparently I must not have paid any attention to the deluge of marketing this movie received. Although it is worth saying that both actors do a fine job in their roles and neither the main cast, nor the supporting characters played by Ian Holm, Emmy Rossum or Dash Mihok, are any reason to avoid this film.
What might be a sticking point is your tolerance for computer-generated special effects, as this is without doubt the most CG-reliant movie I’ve ever seen. And it’s not all positive either, varying in quality from the great (the water flooding New York), to the not so great (some of the sequences with the wolves, for example). Also, while the science of what is happening is well explained throughout most of the story (I can’t be sure that it all makes complete scientific sense, but it seems fairly solid), as with lots of films in this vein, when the ending appears, the explanations fade away and we are left to accept what is happening without question.
It’s certainly not completely awful, but neither is it a standout film. While nowhere near as much fun as writer/director Roland Emmerich’s earlier blockbuster Independence Day, there’s a mixture of good and bad that eventually comes together to form an interesting, if uninspiring, two hours. Predictably, the obligatory global warming message appears at the end to remind you that this is not just a movie; it’s an environmentally-aware geography lesson too. To be honest though, it’s more fun as a straight disaster piece. So put the books away and break out the popcorn instead. You’ll have a much better time.
Tsotsi (2005) January 14, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Gavin Hood
Last years ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ Oscar went to a country with little previous exposure at the event. South Africa has only ever had one nomination in the category (the previous year with Yesterday), which made this win all the more important.
Based on a novel by Athol Fugard, the story revolves around the leader of a gang in Johannesburg. Nicknamed Tsotsi (the rough translation of which is ‘thug’), he and his small crew steal and even kill to survive. But when a dispute in the group spills over, Tsotsi is forced to flee towards the upper class city. There he steals a car from a woman at gunpoint, shooting her in the stomach when she tries to apprehend him. It is not until he runs the car into a ditch that he discovers why she risked her life – there’s a baby in the car. Tsotsi has a moment of clarity, and takes the child with him as he returns home. His situation forces him to rethink the past, and discover how to take care of a life that is not his own.
The movie is certainly well written for the most part, and beautifully directed at times. Director Gavin Hood makes full use of the frame, shooting Johannesburg in a glorious way, despite the slums and hard conditions. There are some great performances on display too, especially central lead Presley Chweneyagae, who holds the balance of a dangerous street thug and caring individual with great skill. The story of a ‘bad guy turned good’ is not too overplayed either, and Tsotsi’s criminal roots are not quickly forgotten, even as the story moves towards its resolution.
If there’s one problem I had with the film, it’s that I didn’t quite take to the central premise. I kept wondering why Tsotsi kept the child, since he clearly could not give it a better life. We learn that he had lost his mother when he was young, and that his father was quite abusive, but does that really lead to him taking a baby away from a comfortable upbringing? He knew how to get back to the house, so I couldn’t quite understand what was stopping him. For me, that eroded the point of the movie slightly.
However, it is no less of an emotional tale despite its inherent problems. As director Gavin Hood said in his Oscar speech: “our stories are the same as your stories”. Tsotsi certainly proves that human emotion is global, and not even language barriers can stop a good character-story from being effectively told.
