Please excuse the lack of Bloggery in the past month or so, i've been doing some other shizzle and i've not been to the cinema much recently :(
So, me and the S-Man ventured out to the flicks last night so i could finally lay my peepers on Iron Man. I've been waiting for absolutely shitting ages to see this film. It looked amazing from the trailers and Robert Downey Jnr (in my opinion) looked like a great choice to play the title role. He reminded me of Michael Keaton's portrayal of Batman (easily the best Batman in my opinion, though Christian Bale may sneak it if Dark Knight is good) i.e that really uncomfortable type who looks at odds with the responsibility of defending the people.
The opening 30 minutes of the film are pretty typical franchise opening Superhero movie back story but it's still engaging and helps give you an insight into the main character Tony Stark (Downey Jnr). I would like to point out that you certainly don't need to know anything about the comic book series to enjoy this film as you learn all you need to know about it in the opening 30 minutes. The director (Jon Favreau. Note to self Mr Favreau: Don't appear in your own movie, you aren't Kevin Smith, even a Cameo is trite) doesn't treat those with prior knowledge of the comics like idiots by glossing over the improtant points but he also doesn't alienate newcomers with a ridiculously in-depth prologue within the film itself. It projects a good balance leaving it open for both casual cinema goer and genre geeks.
Downey Jnr is instantly likable in his role and his awkward demeanor coupled with his arrogance and aloof attitude creates an impression of a man at odds with himself (very much like Downey Jnr himself) which makes him a perfect choice for Tony Stark. The dialogue is fairly pedestrian but something about Downey Jnr's delivery reels it back in and adds a bit more life to it. That breath of life is desperately needed at times as the dialogue really does drag and without the dry sarcasm and interjected comedy asides it would stutter away uninterestingly throughout the film. Thankfully they didn't go overboard physically with Downey Jnr's training prior to the film and whilst he doesn't exactly look out of shape he's not exactly a rippling mass of muscle, owing more to the physicality of what you would expect from a fit middle aged man. This element of the character allows you to see that the man under the suit is after all just a man which really humanizes him rather than elevating him to a superior level. It acts as a rather good metaphor for the old adage: "It's what's on the inside that counts".
The supporting cast is really where the films inconsistencies lie. Jeff Bridges looks very imposing with a shaved head and a big bushy beard as Obadiah Stane but he just doesn't come across well as a villain. The whole time i was watching him on screen i was constantly reminded of "The Dude" from The Big Lebowski. It just didn't help in convincing me that he was the main villain in the film. I think it may be his voice that contributes most to that as he always sounds too laid back regardless of what role he is adopting, his physical presence was certainly adequate for his role in this film though. The role really would have benefited from having someone with an air of menace vocally.
On the other hand Gwyneth Paltrow fairs a lot better in her role as the rather ludicrously (but totally comic book) named Pepper Potts (i know her first name is actually Virginia before any comic book geeks have a go). She carries off the lovestruck secretary role very well. She looks the part and boy has she got better looking with age, there is something rather appealing about the way she walks and talks in her scenes. Her voice carries undertones of a certain fragility but her movements suggest otherwise, evoking more of an air of confidence and sexual power. As does the way she's been dressed. She looks amazing in that backless number during the charity ball scene but she really shines in the pencil skirt/suit jacket combos that her character looks more comfortable in. It's nice to see that they opted for a more realistic "look" rather than the whole sassy, busty heroine type that usually gets thrust into the token eye candy role. She certainly comes across as charming and demure. Plaudits must go to the make-up department for making her look realistically shattered and as if she'd been crying for days upon Tony's return from captivity (either that or someone had told Gwyneth that Chris Martin had named the new Coldplay album "Viva La Vida" and she'd spent days crying with laughter).
The other cast members are fairly low key and don't really add anything to the story as such. Terence Howard manages fine as James Rhodes though his role in this film is rather understated presumably as he plays a much bigger part in the next film (if they continue the story arc as it is within the comics). He's a bit bland in truth but isn't as out of sorts as Bridges and i don't know whether he'll be as good a choice in hindsight for the casting team when it comes to him donning the Iron Man suit further down the line. He really lacks depth and character as an actor in my opinion and i'm sure there would have been better choices out there for that particular role. I will stand corrected if he comes out of his shell in the future though. Shaun Toub (who? yeah, i've never heard of him either) is passable yet underwhelming as Dr Yinsen. The dialogue between him and Downey Jnr during the escape sequence in particular is laughably bad and a total cheese-fest. Interestingly, the only other supporting cast member of note, Paul Bettany, only lends his voice as Stark's personal A.I butler "Jarvis". But as far as voice acting goes it wasn't exactly laced with material to make it outstanding, which is a shame because Bettany is quite a charismatic actor.
Visually the film is stunning and the CGI is nearly faultless though judging from ILM's recent work (Pirates of The Caribbean: At Worlds End and Transformers) that is no real surprise. The visual effects were in your face enough to give that "wow" factor but still realistic enough to not leave you asking too many questions. They managed to maintain a gritty realism with the machines and suits of armour that help make it a little more believable. Directors should take note of ILM's treatment of this film as very often the CGI in modern films can look a little too processed, see the Spiderman series and the fight sequences in the Blade films for reference.
Sound-wise, the film score was great with the music underpinning scenes rather well. However, the overall effects dynamics were a little drab compared to some of the more pulsating sound effects used in other recent films (Transformers being one that springs to mind instantly). The explosions, for example, go off a little like a damp squib, lacking the punch and force that they really needed. That may well have been Favreau's intention so as to not make the film seem like it was just a run of the mill action romp and that it had a bit more depth to it than just gut churning rumbles and overly theatrical sonics, but i really feel that it needed a little more oomph just to make it a little more of an audio spectacle as well.
Overall where this film lacked in areas, it more than made up in others and while i'm still left searching for that quintessential Superhero film Iron Man has really raised the bar. I only hope that they can push the boundaries a little more with the sequel so that we can really be talking about something genre defining.
Stay Epic
Buddy
x
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Jumper
Not the woolly malarkey that your Nan knits, but the Doug Liman directed sci-fi romp.
I hit the flicks on Monday night to see this, a film I'd been quite eager to see after being reasonably impressed by the Trailers. I was not impressed.
I didn't realise how much i despised Hayden Christensen's acting until about 2 minutes in when he started narrating the rather flimsy "back story". His voice over was excruciatingly drawl and devoid of any urgency. His on screen "presence" carries all the charm and charisma of a festering piece of roadkill. He was terrible in the Star Wars films as well. He seems to carry the same cinematic traits as Jennifer Garner, i think I'm going to call it "Thumb Up Ass Acting". Like Garner, he seems to look so uncomfortable facially when acting that it becomes the focal point of his performance. I have honestly yet to see him in anything where his acting is actually good or even passable.
As for the supporting cast: Samuel L. Jackson what in the name of hell are you doing? This is not the place for an actor of your caliber! The man who delivered perfect performances as Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction) and Zeus Carver (Die Hard With A Vengeance) should not be rotting away in a film like this. His character was terrible and the dialog awful. Rachel Bilson was nauseatingly one dimensional as well. She was clearly only there to attract the seething hordes of teenage male O.C fans and they were rewarded with: a brief shot of her in a pair of jeans and a bra. Nice work Liman? She's not a terrible actress at all and i really hope she is appalled by her role in this film. The actress who played her character in the opening 10 minutes of the film (AnnaSophia Robb) was much better and if they'd developed the character better over the film we might have seen the more interesting side of her talents rather than her being wasted as a token piece of skirt. I don't even know what to say about Jamie Bell's performance other than if anyone can tell me what accent he was trying to achieve, please let me know. Yes, you did Billy Elliot. Bravo.
As for the film itself. The story was so unintelligible that i honestly don't know exactly what the point of it was. It was the sort of throw away short attention span nonsense that i just really can't bring myself to dig deeper into. Maybe that's the intention though as if you started to over analyze the story itself it would be riddled with bizarre plot holes and continuity lapses. I felt no affinity for the characters at all. The script was abysmal and it lacked the sharp wit that should be expected in a sharp, modern Sci-fi action thriller. The special effects were uninspiring as well. With the techniques that are currently available in CGI (used to great effect in things like 300) this film came off as more CBBC mid-day schedule than box office and with a reported budget of $85m that really isn't good enough.
I can't even attribute my dislike of this film to the genre as i generally enjoy films of this type on some level at least and i don't expect them all to be overtly intellectual either. After all, everyone enjoys the odd explosion or fast paced, well choreographed fight sequence.
I can't think of any good reason to go and check this film out at all but I'm loathed to say avoid it completely.
Buddy
x
I hit the flicks on Monday night to see this, a film I'd been quite eager to see after being reasonably impressed by the Trailers. I was not impressed.
I didn't realise how much i despised Hayden Christensen's acting until about 2 minutes in when he started narrating the rather flimsy "back story". His voice over was excruciatingly drawl and devoid of any urgency. His on screen "presence" carries all the charm and charisma of a festering piece of roadkill. He was terrible in the Star Wars films as well. He seems to carry the same cinematic traits as Jennifer Garner, i think I'm going to call it "Thumb Up Ass Acting". Like Garner, he seems to look so uncomfortable facially when acting that it becomes the focal point of his performance. I have honestly yet to see him in anything where his acting is actually good or even passable.
As for the supporting cast: Samuel L. Jackson what in the name of hell are you doing? This is not the place for an actor of your caliber! The man who delivered perfect performances as Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction) and Zeus Carver (Die Hard With A Vengeance) should not be rotting away in a film like this. His character was terrible and the dialog awful. Rachel Bilson was nauseatingly one dimensional as well. She was clearly only there to attract the seething hordes of teenage male O.C fans and they were rewarded with: a brief shot of her in a pair of jeans and a bra. Nice work Liman? She's not a terrible actress at all and i really hope she is appalled by her role in this film. The actress who played her character in the opening 10 minutes of the film (AnnaSophia Robb) was much better and if they'd developed the character better over the film we might have seen the more interesting side of her talents rather than her being wasted as a token piece of skirt. I don't even know what to say about Jamie Bell's performance other than if anyone can tell me what accent he was trying to achieve, please let me know. Yes, you did Billy Elliot. Bravo.
As for the film itself. The story was so unintelligible that i honestly don't know exactly what the point of it was. It was the sort of throw away short attention span nonsense that i just really can't bring myself to dig deeper into. Maybe that's the intention though as if you started to over analyze the story itself it would be riddled with bizarre plot holes and continuity lapses. I felt no affinity for the characters at all. The script was abysmal and it lacked the sharp wit that should be expected in a sharp, modern Sci-fi action thriller. The special effects were uninspiring as well. With the techniques that are currently available in CGI (used to great effect in things like 300) this film came off as more CBBC mid-day schedule than box office and with a reported budget of $85m that really isn't good enough.
I can't even attribute my dislike of this film to the genre as i generally enjoy films of this type on some level at least and i don't expect them all to be overtly intellectual either. After all, everyone enjoys the odd explosion or fast paced, well choreographed fight sequence.
I can't think of any good reason to go and check this film out at all but I'm loathed to say avoid it completely.
Buddy
x
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Tuesday 12th Feb '08
I went to see Juno last night at the cinema. Initially i was very skeptical about this film because on first impressions it looked like an a-typical rom-com for the "kool kids", and having read a plot summery on IMDB it looked like that's what i had in store. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Whilst Juno did have the schmaltzy "first love" styling of a million other films aimed at the 14-25 age group there was no americanised high gloss to it. The fact that it forsook the sheen of Hollywood and headed down the "indie" film route instead (despite having some reasonably high profile and up-and-coming stars) reminded me more of films like Napoleon Dynamite and Chasing Amy.
The relationship between Juno (Page) and Paulie (Cera) had a charming awkwardness to it and left an underlying feeling of maturity belying their character's years. In fact, Ellen Page delivered a performance that highlights and expands upon the foundations she laid with her previous film, Hard Candy. Her line delivery is so dry and natural that it's instantly believable and the script writers provided her with some outstandingly witty material that recalled the often inappropriate and naive dialogue heard between teens and adults. Another charming facet to Page's performance was that despite her title role in the film her character was not the sole shining light and she held back on occasion to allow others to step forward. Her ego does not take up the screen, as is often the case with younger charismatic actors/actresses. As a result we get to see the acting talents of her co-stars as well.
Michael Cera doesn't have much screen-time until nearer the end but he is so ungainly and likable that you can't help but feel some empathy for his situation and it was like looking in a mirror and recalling how awkward i felt personally as a teenage boy. Jennifer Garner portrays her character well though she carries with her a "wooden" acting style that's been evident throughout her career, though it's maybe not as noticeable here as it is in Pearl Harbor and Elektra. Allison Janney and J.K Simmons both have interesting moments as Juno's oft put upon parents and they each deliver some poignant dialogue that helps the viewer not only identify with them but also with Juno. Even though she is very much a periphery character in the film Olivia Thirlby, as Leah, has some mood lightening moments, especially when Juno breaks the news of her pregnancy to her parents. Having said that it would be very easy for Thirlby to be typecast as "miscellaneous quirky friend" in similar teenage flicks which could sadly see her fade into obscurity as she outgrows that particular role (See Corey Feldman)
The character I most identified with was Jason Bateman's portrayal of Mark, one of the prospective adoptive parents for Juno's unborn child. His character as a put upon, trapped and stifled male in his early 30s clearly unready for his role as a parent and grasping to hold onto his younger self is both saddening and reassuring at the same time. Although he could come across, depending upon how you view his role in the film, as an unlikable person I found it hard not to feel sympathetic towards his character and ultimately couldn't bring myself to dislike him in the end.
Stylistically and visually Juno comes across as charmingly low budget but it certainly doesn't suffer from it. The rotoscoping at the start over the opening titles was cute and the recurring theme of runners throughout the film acted as an interesting metaphor that underpinned the whole film: running from your problems.
The music chosen for the film is perfect and the songs by anti-folk singer Kimya Dawson (and her band The Moldy Peaches) in particular are aptly chosen for the points in the film where they are used. The inclusion of bands like Sonic Youth, Belle and Sebastian and Cat Power on the soundtrack as incidental music smacks a bit of standard "indie" film fare but it's not unwanted or out of place within the film.
In all Juno is a smart film. Despite it's gloomy subject matter and the resulting effects of Teenage Pregnancy on it's characters i left the screening feeling happy and fulfilled. It's more than worth the ticket money and is definitely a worthwhile purchase on Blu Ray/DVD when it is released. Don't go in closed minded, allow Juno to entertain you and immerse you in her world. You won't regret it.
Buddy
Whilst Juno did have the schmaltzy "first love" styling of a million other films aimed at the 14-25 age group there was no americanised high gloss to it. The fact that it forsook the sheen of Hollywood and headed down the "indie" film route instead (despite having some reasonably high profile and up-and-coming stars) reminded me more of films like Napoleon Dynamite and Chasing Amy.
The relationship between Juno (Page) and Paulie (Cera) had a charming awkwardness to it and left an underlying feeling of maturity belying their character's years. In fact, Ellen Page delivered a performance that highlights and expands upon the foundations she laid with her previous film, Hard Candy. Her line delivery is so dry and natural that it's instantly believable and the script writers provided her with some outstandingly witty material that recalled the often inappropriate and naive dialogue heard between teens and adults. Another charming facet to Page's performance was that despite her title role in the film her character was not the sole shining light and she held back on occasion to allow others to step forward. Her ego does not take up the screen, as is often the case with younger charismatic actors/actresses. As a result we get to see the acting talents of her co-stars as well.
Michael Cera doesn't have much screen-time until nearer the end but he is so ungainly and likable that you can't help but feel some empathy for his situation and it was like looking in a mirror and recalling how awkward i felt personally as a teenage boy. Jennifer Garner portrays her character well though she carries with her a "wooden" acting style that's been evident throughout her career, though it's maybe not as noticeable here as it is in Pearl Harbor and Elektra. Allison Janney and J.K Simmons both have interesting moments as Juno's oft put upon parents and they each deliver some poignant dialogue that helps the viewer not only identify with them but also with Juno. Even though she is very much a periphery character in the film Olivia Thirlby, as Leah, has some mood lightening moments, especially when Juno breaks the news of her pregnancy to her parents. Having said that it would be very easy for Thirlby to be typecast as "miscellaneous quirky friend" in similar teenage flicks which could sadly see her fade into obscurity as she outgrows that particular role (See Corey Feldman)
The character I most identified with was Jason Bateman's portrayal of Mark, one of the prospective adoptive parents for Juno's unborn child. His character as a put upon, trapped and stifled male in his early 30s clearly unready for his role as a parent and grasping to hold onto his younger self is both saddening and reassuring at the same time. Although he could come across, depending upon how you view his role in the film, as an unlikable person I found it hard not to feel sympathetic towards his character and ultimately couldn't bring myself to dislike him in the end.
Stylistically and visually Juno comes across as charmingly low budget but it certainly doesn't suffer from it. The rotoscoping at the start over the opening titles was cute and the recurring theme of runners throughout the film acted as an interesting metaphor that underpinned the whole film: running from your problems.
The music chosen for the film is perfect and the songs by anti-folk singer Kimya Dawson (and her band The Moldy Peaches) in particular are aptly chosen for the points in the film where they are used. The inclusion of bands like Sonic Youth, Belle and Sebastian and Cat Power on the soundtrack as incidental music smacks a bit of standard "indie" film fare but it's not unwanted or out of place within the film.
In all Juno is a smart film. Despite it's gloomy subject matter and the resulting effects of Teenage Pregnancy on it's characters i left the screening feeling happy and fulfilled. It's more than worth the ticket money and is definitely a worthwhile purchase on Blu Ray/DVD when it is released. Don't go in closed minded, allow Juno to entertain you and immerse you in her world. You won't regret it.
Buddy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)