Avatar rekalled...

James Cameron's AVATAR, his sci-fi adventure many years is the making, is finally upon us. Dubbed the "game changer" by those involved and some of the early reviews by those in the industry this film had much to live up to and early an early negative backlash to the early shots and marketing. This film was pretty much exactly what I expected, a good action film with nice special effects but laughable at moments. Avatar is not a subtle film or original in story structure, I was not blown away or surprised at any moment like some wanted me to believe. I enjoyed the performances of most of the actors; Sam Worthington does an adequate job handling the action lead, Sigoureny Weaver adds a hard nosed humor and is probably the most believable character in the film and Zoe Saldana is the best of the motion captured characters. Stephan Lang was the most wooden and one-dimensional characters in the film and unintentionally funny with some of his dialog, not a strong or compelling villain. While the special effects, action and actors are strong points of the film the story is just weak which for a film with so much riding on it inexcusable. The points James Cameron tries to hammer home aren't subtle and while I agree with what he is saying it felt so spoon fed and trite that it comes off as corny and preachy. As for the 3-D, another gimmick I don't need, it just doesn't WOW me. I can't say I was let down by this film since my expectations were low but I won't say I was impressed. Just another film that should have been more.

The Road rekalled....

The Road is the film adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name. Since I have not read the novel I can not delve into the accuracies of the translation but the film was a bleak one indeed. I had heard much before seeing the film about how bleak it was but I was prepared for worse I guess since I thought it ended on a happy tone, relatively. I enjoyed the film for as much as one can enjoy a film about human misery and man trying to remain human. A grey color pallet and dreary settings worked really well in setting the mood and reality of this film. It is a film that I keep thinking about and makes me wonders which is a great sign of a good film, entertaining and challenging. Just be prepared for the atypical hollywood film.

Bad Lieutenant rekalled...

Bad Lieutenant, the new Nicolas Cage staring vehicle directed by Werner Herzog, is not a remake or sequel to the Harvey Keitel in story or soul as it seems. Having not seen the original can't vouch for how closely they are but I have heard from others that the original is reprehensible. After seeing the red band trailer for this film I was hoping for a crazy acting Nicolas Cage film from start to beginning, I was let down. There are a few crazy/odd moments, such as the "soul dancing" segment but on large it seemed to follow the standard hollywood formula with a happy ending. Not a terrible film, just a big letdown. I expect more from Werner Herzog. The picture above seems like it is from a totally different film.

the FANTASTIC MR. FOX rekalled...

The Fantastic Mr. Fox is the new stop motion animated film from Wes Anderson. Based on a children's book by Roald Dahl, one which I have never read so I can't opine on the validity of the adaptation but I can vouch for the quality of the film. A unique piece of animation in this day and age of the pixar and dreamwork computer generated film, the Fantastic Mr. Fox does a great job of crafting a children's film into something an adult can enjoy. Odd, quirky and completely everything a Wes Anderson fan would want in one of his films, he seemed to have recaptured what I feel he had lost in his last couple of films. I came into this thinking I wouldn't like it after seeing a preview of it and it not quite clicking but I was won over by the charm with laughs of the film and the wonderful aesthetic and universe crafted in this story. I highly recommend it for any early Wes Anderson fan and anyone who enjoys children's films that remember the adult audience.

A Serious Man Rekalled...

A SERIOUS MAN, the new Coen Brothers film about a Jewish professor and a glimpse into his world an his reaction to it as it comes crashing down around him. I am a longtime Coen brothers fan since I first saw Raising Arizona and I feel well versed in their offbeat style of humor and also count the Big Lebowski among my favorite films. This film is not their finest work, far from it. The film has quite a bit of oscar buzz around it for picture of the year and for me it isn't even the best film I have seen this week. There are some interesting characters that you wish had more time to flesh out their stories and the film is left with an unfinished feeling. I was more interested in the son's story and he is left hanging at the end of the film. A few scenes work and there is a bit of humor here and there but an underwhelming film as a whole.

On a side note, I was in a theater that was almost full an the audience was terrible. They seemed to easy to laugh at anything that happened and their laughs sounded fake or forced. It was like being in an audience of bad actors. I would be afraid to see a true comedy with these people, I am sure they would have an heart attack if that happened. And there was a lady who would question everything that happened in the film without giving it a chance to answer what just happened. I don't think she was too bright. These factors didn't help my opinion of the film I bet.

2012 rekalled...

2012 is the new Roland Emmerick epic disaster film. Staring John Cusack as the everyman trying to save his family from the terrifying forces of nature this film is ever bit the "disaster porn" moniker that some have given it. Harkening back to the 70's disaster film heydays, this film shows not only the rampant destruction on a scale not seem before but the tried and true formula of mankind coming together to survive and at other times to make sacrifices. The scenes of people making their peace with one another and doing what ever it takes to help others is all part of the fun of the disaster film genre. The first action sequence in the film is a destructive chase scene through LA where the earth is the pursuer is well worth the price of admission. While not capturing the fun of Independence Day, it does surpass the destruction on an entertainment level and was more rewarding than the Day After Tomorrow both of which are Roland Emmerick films I enjoyed. I did enjoy this film and was thoroughly entertained, it had a couple laugh out loud moments for me which is a good thing. This movie is a long one clocking in at 158 minute, I heard complaints of the length but it didn't bother me, the movie flew by. The movie does have a President played by Danny Glover named THOMAS WILSON which is also awesome.

the BOX rekalled...

The Box is the new Richard Kelly film with James Marsden and Cameron Diaz. Trying to be a sci-fi story with moral implications this movie comes up way short on entertainment. A really boring film. A lot of slow zooms really drew out each scene unnecessarily, the film felt like a lot could have been trimmed from it. Except at the end the film seemed to be missing some scenes that might have been interesting, that might have just been my imagination trying to make this better. The score almost seemed to be mocking the story, like an added punchline to things that I don't think were supposed to be funny. The set design and the art direction were rather interesting, we are far enough removed from the 70's(of which the movie takes place) to enjoy revisiting the style without reliving it. Even though I loathed the movie I wouldn't mind have a replica of the button, it is a cool looking piece. Overall this seemed like a movie that could could have been told in a much shorter amount of time and was just an unsatisfying experience.