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Sam_Focak
Reviews
Black Hawk Down (2001)
A great *war* movie
I recently took in Black Hawk Down, a film chronicling a US special forces mission in Somalia in 1993. Originally scheduled for release in March of this year, the studio decided to try and capitalize on the recent peak of patriotism in the States and moved it to January.
They also did something else unusual for a war movie, and opened it in LA and New York for Oscar consideration. Having seen the movie now, I believe it truly raises the question "What makes a great movie, rather than just a great genre movie?"
There is no doubt that Black Hawk Down is a great war movie. Hell, with Ridley Scott directing (Blade Runner, Gladiator) and Jerry Bruckheimer producing (Top Gun, The Rock, Pearl Harbor), you were almost guaranteed a great war movie. After a brief 20-minute introduction to the situation in Somalia and the mission assigned to the soldiers, you are thrown right into the middle of war. Not as a spectator, but as a participant.
For the next two hours, your senses are assaulted by a barrage of automatic weapon fire, explosions, helicopters crashing and people dying, and you are right there along with them. This is no small feat of directing. Even Saving Private Ryan, which opens with one of the most incredible battle scenes ever put to film, never managed to draw you right into the fight -- there was always that feeling of being a horrified observer.
Nor do you feel overwhelmed by flag-waving patriotism. The film certainly chronicles some moments of true bravery and heroism, but the entire mission was a disaster, and the movie pulls no punches there either. The efforts to retrieve two top henchmen of a Somali warlord quickly turns ugly when one of their Black Hawk helicopters gets shot down. This small group of soldiers was grossly outnumbered and seriously got their asses kicked all over the screen.
Filmed in Morocco, in and around a US military base, the movie maintains its' gritty third-world feel, and I'm certain Bruckheimer used *every* last ounce of pull he had to get the US government to lend four real Black Hawk helicopters to the production, and I'm certain that much of the cool technology we see on display was also straight from Uncle Sam's storehouses.
Yet despite all the attention to detail, despite creating an incredibly intense movie-going experience, I still can't bring myself to call it a great movie. A truly great movie would have done everything above, and still managed to teach me about the conflict in Somalia. A truly great movie would have made me care about at least a few of the men who risked, and lost, their lives, rather than assuming I would empathize with them just because they are soldiers. Quite simply, the movie lacked the heart it needed to be elevated to the next level of greatness.
Then again, with the level of mediocrity in Hollywood these days, just being a great type of movie is still an impressive accomplishment.
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)
A fun, fast-paced adventure for kids and kids-at-heart
I'm always a sucker for the latest CGI film, but with Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (produced by Nickelodeon, a kids' cable channel), I was a *little* worried that the humour would be too childish, but even the trailers seemed to show an understanding that the best way to make a kid's movie these days is to include stuff for the adults too.
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is about, umm, a boy, named Jimmy Neutron who, in a surprising twist, is a genius. Jimmy Neutron (James Isaac Neutron to his mother) is an inventor, of course, and we are treated to dozens of his crazy inventions throughout the movie -- stuff that only a kid could possibly come up with!
After trying to make contact with an alien civilization, all the adults in the neighbourhood are kidnapped, and Jimmy and his friends have to use his inventions to go get their parents back. Definitely a kid-friendly (ie. simple) plot, with plenty of eye-candy and bright colours for the little ones, but never gets 'dumb' either. There are plenty of in-jokes for the adults, and heck, even a few for us science geeks. So get out there, borrow a kid for an afternoon and check out Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Ignore that noise you hear off in the background, it's just the sound of a sequel rushing to a theatre soon.
In the Bedroom (2001)
Sissy's great, but Tom will blow you away
Ahh, January. Is there a better time of the year for us film-geeks? Everywhere you look, Oscar contenders, star-studded movies and stellar performances. The latest foray to the theatres was In the Bedroom, a drama about a family in rural Maine.
Relative newcomer Nick Stahl plays Frank Fowler, a young college-bound man who spends his last summer at home fishing and dating an older woman, Natalie Strout (a surprisingly good Marisa Tomei). The problem? Well, it turns out Natalie has two kids and an ex-husband who isn't too happy about this new relationship, which leads to increasingly violent confrontations between the two men. In itself, an interesting story with solid performances that probably could have carried the movie by itself.
The real strength of this film, however, is Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkenson who play Frank's concerned parents, and how the events in their son's life affect them. You will hear lots of talk in the next few months about Spacek's performance and likely an Oscar is in her near future, but to me, it's just the choice of a sentimental favourite. Don't get me wrong; she does a wonderful job, but her screen time is quite limited in comparison to Tom Wilkinson and he, to be honest, steals the show.
In the first half hour of this film, I thought In the Bedroom was a decent movie, but nothing special, until Wilkinson took over, and from that point on dominated scene after scene in what I consider one of the strongest performances of the year. Without saying too much more about the plot of the movie, suffice it to say that Wilkinson takes you through the full range of emotions, and you can't help but be focused on the presence he exudes throughout.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
My biggest disappointment of 2001
At the beginning of each year, I do a quick overview of the coming releases, and in 2001, The Royal Tenenbaums most certainly made my 'most anticipated' list. Written and directed by the same people who put out the brilliant Rushmore three years ago, and Bottle Rocket before that, the pedigrees were in place for a brilliant followup.
Royal Tenenbaum (played by Gene Hackman) is the head of an estranged family, curiously full of child prodigies, who brings them all together when he announces he is terminally ill. The cast in this film is stellar. Angelica Huston as his ex-wife, Danny Glover as her new boyfriend, Ben Stiller, Gwynneth Paltrow and Luke Wilson as their children, how can you possibly go wrong?
<polite pause>
Well, I don't know either, but somehow, somewhere, this movie lost its' way. Despite (very) occasional moments of brilliance, for the most part, I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of them. Unfortunately if you're going to try and tell a clever, witty, character-driven family dramedy, that's just a death sentence. For the better part of two hours, the movie just plods along, never really doing anything, or showing us anything interesting in these many people's lives.
And that's a shame, because with the talent available in this film, the Tenenbaums could have been one hell of an amusing family.
Ali (2001)
He just wasn't that interesting a guy
In another stroke of good luck this past week, I was on my way to a movie that I didn't really want to see when I got handed a pass to a sneak preview for a movie I was looking forward to -- Michael Mann's Ali, starring Will Smith.
It is clear that Smith worked hard for this role -- he trained for six months to become a boxer, not just to look like one. He has the trademark Ali mannerisms, often times sounding just like him, and occasionally even looking like him. It's too bad that it turns out Ali just wasn't that interesting a guy. The performance itself was impressive, but the overall experience really wasn't that good.
I usually enjoy Mann's directing style, I like the slow-paced detailed storytelling he did in The Insider, but it just didn't work in Ali. In three hours, I felt like I really didn't know much more about the man than I did going in, and that's not a whole lot of information. Either Mann didn't manage to delve inside Ali's "head" or there just wasn't that much to say about his motivations.
They seem to gloss over some of the most defining moments of Ali's life, like his involvement with Malcolm X, but then spend torturous amounts of time delving into the most insignificant events that really don't lend you any insight. I really wanted to like this movie, I remember growing up watching Ali on TV, and vaguely remember the controversy around him, I hoped Mann would really blow the cover off the stories and myths, but this time around, he fails to land the knockout punch.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Movie Magic lives on
Epic. Instant classic. Masterpiece. Sweeping vision. Stunning. Spectacular. Breathtaking. Amazing. Wondrous.
These terms are bandied about by reviewers for far too many movies, so much so that when it comes to discussing The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, they don't seem to do this movie justice. And I'll admit, I've struggled with writing this review and how to quantify the appeal that's taken me back to see it four times in the first eight days it's been playing.
I first heard about this film about 4 years ago, and met the news with equal parts anticipation and trepidation. I could write for days about all the books that have been turned into movies with disastrous results. Make it too complex and you alienate the casual movie-goer who can't spell Middle Earth. Make it too simple, and you infuriate the readers who have embraced it for 50 years, scrutinizing even the smallest change.
Director Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners) has managed to walk that fine line and create a movie that approaches perfection.
Does the movie follow the book verbatim? Of course not. You would need ten hours to re-tell every word of dialogue and convey every emotion in Fellowship. Instead what Jackson has managed to do is capture the <i>spirit</i> of Tolkien's works.
From the simple grasslands of the Shire to the depths of Moria, the majestic beauty of Rivendell to the darkest corners of Isengard and Mordor, they are all created in stunning detail. The naive innocence of the Hobbits, the wisdom of the ancient races, the power of the wizards, the honour of the men of Gondor, the viciousness of the Orcs -- these things are all captured scene after scene.
Jackson has managed to pull all of these things together into a story so well told that it becomes easily accessible to any viewer, without betraying his love for the original material -- the movie is filled with details that would mean nothing to the new viewer, but which are there for the sole enjoyment of the Tolkien fan.
The casting is also superb. The fastest road to ruin would have been to fill this movie with Hollywood's A-list, but this was never an issue -- it's clear that the concern lay purely with the talent, not the names. Ian McKellan simply <b>becomes</b> Gandalf, Elijah Wood plays the role of reluctant hero to perfection while Viggo Mortenson excels as the dark, brooding Aragorn. Top to bottom this cast embodies the heart and soul of Tolkien's characters.
So take all the pieces...an epic story, a stellar cast, superb musical score, stunning scenery, a healthy mix of special effects and some terrific battle sequences, and you find yourself with an experience that approaches perfection.
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Another brilliant effort by the Coen brothers
After all these years, I should know better. I should know better than to be surprised by the consistently improving style and talent of the Coen brothers. Abby and Ray. Barton Fink. Norville Barnes. Jerry Lundegaard. The Dude. Ulysses Everett McGill. Has anyone else ever created so many memorable characters?
Allow me to introduce you to the Coen brothers' latest character masterpiece, Ed Crane. Ed Crane is a simple, unassuming man, who has lived most of his life in the background. He is a man of few words and even less action, content to observe the world around him. Oh, and did I mention he's a barber?
Set in post-WWII Smalltown, USA, The Man Who Wasn't There introduces us to Ed Crane, shortly before his life gets very interesting. Played to deadpan perfection by Billy Bob Thornton, his monotone voice and expressionless face is betrayed only by ever-seeing, ever-recording eyes.
Trapped in a passionless marriage to Doris (played by Coen brothers' regular, Frances McDormand) who he is quite certain is cheating on him with his friend Big Dave (Tony Sopr -- err, I mean, Jame Gandolfini), and working with his brother-in-law Frank (The Practice's Michael Badalucco), Ed seems content to just live out his pathetic existence while the rest of the 20th century passes him by.
That is until one day when a travelling huckster (another Coen regular, Jon Polito) crosses his barber chair and gets Ed excited about some crazy new idea -- "drycleaning"!! All he needs is a $10,000 investment from a silent partner -- and Ed starts to dream about making it big, just like Big Dave. Well, Ed sets off a scheme to get the money, and as with most Coen brothers' films, that scheme quickly awry, and his every effort to set things straight just makes them worse, yet you get the sense that Ed is enjoying actually living his life, even as he spirals towards inevitable disaster.
This movie is simply a delight to watch, the writing is clever, the pacing is near perfection and the casting is as always brilliant, not the least of which lawyer Freddy Riedenschneider (played by Tony Shaloub), another character that won't soon be forgotten.
It's a shame that the Coen brothers movies never seem to get "discovered" by the general movie-going public until they get to video, but if the smaller expectations of their movies means that they will continue to be allowed to make this kind of intelligent and fascinating character studies, well, I'm OK with that.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
A Halloween bag full of eye-candy
I've always been a big fan of animated movies -- well, in my day we still called them "cartoons" -- but there is always a sense of wonder in watching a world unfold that could never be created otherwise. Whether it's one of the dozens of Disney films, the magnificent claymation of Nick Park, or the new generation of digital animation like Toy Story or Shrek, what we see on screen is a remarkable new world with characters often targeted at kids, even as the humour grew more adult.
The latest wave in animation, however, has been towards more adult-oriented movies, which for the most part has been a dismal failure. For every Iron Giant or Princess Mononoke, we have had to suffer through a dozen Anastasia's or Road to El Dorado's -- movies with neither a soul nor a sense of humour, and often trying to hard to be set in just an animated and slightly futuristic version of our world. When I first saw the trailer for Final Fantasy, I was struck by a sense of awe at how far the animation had come, yet everything about it reeked with the potential of another Titan A.E.
So last night, it was with both great excitement and extreme trepidation that I stepped into an advance screening of Final Fantasy : The Spirit Within. The theatre was as packed as I've ever seen for a movie preview, and it was clear that the geek factor was out in full force, this movie would be judged by the harshest of critics.
From the opening scene to the final credits, this movie is visually spectacular. The mix of colours, the unique dream sequences, the stunning landscapes create the best eye-candy you've ever seen. The attention to detail is phenomenal and the characters, at times, appear completely lifelike. There has been much talk about the effort that was put into making even the characters' hair flow properly in the wind, and there are absolutely times where you can't help but sit and stare at how real that looks too. Pay special attention to the character of Dr. Sid (voiced by Donald Sutherland) -- he was the last character to be animated and it's clear that the technology matured over the four years it took to complete Final Fantasy -- he is certainly the most life-like character.
The story itself is solid, though certainly not spectacular. At many points of the movie, you feel the strong influence of Japanese storytelling, but for the most part it is a standard good vs. evil, save the world from destruction story, but it's clear that the "star" of the show is the visuals. There is, however, strong characterization (for a cartoon) and it's a well-written script that elicited good reactions from the audience, with the occasional Hollywood "one-liner" tossed in.
The main character, Aki (voiced by Ming-Na of E.R. fame), is a scientist who is working against the odds with a small group of soldiers to free Earth from the grips of an alien "phantom" invasion, creature which are virtually invisible and strike by stealing the souls of their victims. Aki and Dr. Sid are working on a plan to eliminate the alien creatures through non-military means to prevent further damage to an already-ravaged planet Earth. Their nemesis, General Hein (brilliantly voiced by James Woods) is determined to use the Zeus cannon to destroy the aliens. Of course, Aki soon learns that things are not exactly as they seem and it quickly becomes a race against time to find a way to defeat the phantoms before life on Earth is completely wiped out. Just some classic storytelling that keeps this movie moving along from one gorgeous scene to another.
Is the movie perfect? Certainly not, although it absolutely raises the bar a few notches for anyone that decides to follow. There were times when the animation probably should have been a little "less" perfect -- everything flowed so brilliantly *except* for the facial expressions when a character is talking, the technology continues to be just off, so that when there is a close-up of a character, you just know something is wrong.
Some of the voices should have been chosen more carefully -- Steve Buscemi is simply not believable as one of the soldiers and Alec Baldwin does not match the image of the young, gallant Grey, the commander of these soldiers and part-time love interest of Aki. In most animated films, the characters are often drawn to somewhat resemble the actors whose voices are being used...in Final Fantasy, no such effort is made and at times this is VERY distracting, the sounds coming out of their mouths just don't match the "look" of the characters talking.
But these are minor points in a movie that leaves you with your mouth hanging open most of the time. Animation has taken a huge step forward with this movie, and while it may only appeal to the traditional sci-fi geek crowd, it will certainly be a predecessor to even more spectacular animation in the future.