I've been hearing about this more and more lately. Regal Cinemas has been testing a "Guest Response System" that allows their viewers to press a button on a small handheld device which will alert the theater staff to disturbances ranging from projector malfunctions to other viewers pirating the film. Apparently the testing has gone well, because there are now over a hundred Regal Cinemas locations throughout the United States that have begun making use of these devices.
As I continue to attend the theater with some regularity and spend upwards of nine dollars to see a film among strangers who give less of a shit about my personal enjoyment of the movie than they do about listening to one of the dozen pre-picture messages about turning off their cell phones or discussing their plans for the weekend during the feature, I wonder if it isn't time for some sort of "snitch" system like this. However I still feel like a feature of this caliber will cause more harm than good. I mean, does each and every person in the theater get one of these? How many idiotic high school students will be fucking with them during the movie and how many of them will get lost, stolen, broken, or covered with whatever sticky shit people manage to get on the floors and seats of the theater? And will the use of these things raise the price of going to the theater even more? My gut feeling is that it may, especially if they are broken or lost as I hypothesize will be the case. It almost doesn't seem worth the trouble.
Then again, I saw an evening showing of Bug yesterday with a friend and we were alone in the theater with only two other moviegoers. Even without the anonymity of a large crowd, the other two not only talked during the film, but one of them also neglected to turn of their mother fucking cell phone. How can human beings be such fucking selfish, moronic douche bags? Perhaps what we really need is a large, muscular, short-tempered man wearing a shirt with bold glow in the dark letters that read "SHUT UP!" and wielding a board with nails in it and the full immunity to use it in every theater. This may seem like I'm over-reacting a bit, but when I saw Spiderman 3 the day after it came out in theaters, a man with two small children in the packed theater sat quietly as one of them proceeded to repeatedly stand on the top of the seats in front of him and jump off as though he was in the playground area of a fast food restaurant, giggling and talking at normal volume all the while. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior, and I'm not talking about the kid. I'm talking about the parent that let this display continue uninterrupted. I'm telling you...big men with sharp objects will do the trick like no hand-held tattle-tale machine ever will.
To see if there is a Regal Cinemas location with a Guest Response System in your area, you may consult a list of locations here.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Episode 38
The Terminal - Tom Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a native of Krakozia, who wishes to visit New York City. Unfortunately, while he is in transit on a flight from his homeland to America, Krakozia's government is overthrown, and the country finds itself in the midst of a coup. When he lands at the airport in New York, Viktor is led to the office of the person who is second in command on the premises: Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci). Unable to understand each others' languages very well, Frank and Viktor have a confusing conversation, but the gist of it is as follows. As Krakozia is currently not recognized by the United States due to the coup in progress, Viktor is temporarily without a home country. Hence, it would be illegal for him to step foot on U.S. soil. Frank tells Viktor that he may reside within the walls of the airport until his country is once again recognized, but that once he exits the building, he'll be breaking the law. His assumption is that Viktor will get tired of waiting after a short period of time and leave the airport, becoming someone else's problem. However, after Viktor agrees not to leave the airport, Frank discovers that this eastern immigrant is a man of his word. Days become weeks, and weeks become months, and as Krakozia's government remains in a state of unrest, Viktor Navorski remains a resident of the currently under construction Gate 67. During his stay at the airport, Viktor makes several friends among the staff including janitor Gupta Rajan (Kumar Pallana), meal cart driver Enrique Cruz (Diego Luna), and baggage handler Mulroy (Chi McBride). Perhaps most importantly, though, Viktor has several chance encounters with a lovesick flight attendant named Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones). As time goes by, Frank Dixon begins to regret his decision to allow Viktor Navorski to remain in the terminal, but with a long-awaited promotion looming before him, he mustn't be too hasty to make a scene at the workplace. If only he could figure out what Viktor is keeping in that Planter's peanut jar that he carries around everywhere... The Terminal is the latest in a long line of films directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks. Many people and institutions consider Spielberg to be the best director of all time. While I don't agree with this statement, I certainly am not crazy enough to say that the man doesn't have an incredible talent for telling a story. In most cases his films feel like modern day fairy tales. The Terminal is a perfect example of this. The events in this movie would never happen. Ever. Yet, The Terminal does not tell an entirely outrageous story. There are no dinosaurs or aliens, but you'll have to suspend your disbelief quite a few times while watching it nonetheless. Characters do and say things that real people in their situations would never in a million years do or say. Yet while I was fully aware of the absurdity of the goings on, I never felt that any of it was done in bad taste. A machine ridiculously spewing quarters in Tom Hanks' face and numerous people slipping on wet floors didn't phase me in a way that they may have in another film because of Spielberg's care in crafting a story that can rip your heart out one minute and make you smile uncontrollably the next. Not all the credit goes to the director, though. Tom Hanks (as almost always) gives his standard great performance. In the first few minutes of the film I had my doubts that he'd be able to pull off the Russian accent and "fish out of water" role of Viktor Navorski, but before long he'd won me over. I was also a bit worried when the love interest was introduced because of the incredibly unbelievable circumstances under which she enters the main character's life, but I was very pleased with the way her role was ultimately handled. Another little tidbit that was a bit hard to swallow was the character of Gupta, or rather what part he ends up playing in the overall story. As with the rest of the absurdities in the film, though, Spielberg managed to ease my concerns with nothing more than a few facial expressions on the actors' faces. Perhaps the only problem that I had with the movie that wasn't fully remedied by the time that the climax rolled around was Stanley Tucci's Frank Dixon. The character was played well by Tucci, but it really didn't feel like he should have been so damn upset with Viktor all the time. Of course, as with any light-hearted drama in the vein of The Terminal, there needs to be a bad guy. Yet, I honestly still feel as though there needed to be a little more reason for Dixon to despise Viktor as much as he did. Outside of that, I found The Terminal to be an enjoyable viewing experience. It certainly won't be making my list of all time favorite films, but it's definitely worth a watch.
Skeleton Key - Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) has spent the years since her father's death as a hospice worker in New Orleans. However, after losing another in a long line of elderly patients and not being able to do much to help them, she decides to take a job as a live-in nurse on a plantation. Her feeling is that this will be less depressing than her previous job. Her clients are a secretive old woman named Violet Devereaux (Gena Rowlands) and her husband Ben (John Hurt), who was left an invalid following a stroke. Violet immediately disapproves of Caroline, but as the family lawyer Luke (Peter Sarsgaard) explains to her, it's nothing personal. Violet has disapproved of every girl who has taken the job thus far, which explains the number of girls who have previously quit the position. Caroline vows to keep the job though, as Ben reminds her of her own father whom she regrets ignoring in his final months. Before long Caroline becomes suspicious of Violet and all of her secrets involving the house. She doesn't allow mirrors inside, there is a locked room in the attic, and there's something strange going on with Ben. Looking into the mysteries further, Caroline discovers that the house has a history involving hoodoo, an old African American form of magic that only works if you believe in it. She brushes it off as an old wives tale, but when Ben, supposedly suffering from full body paralysis and an inability to speak, begins struggling to talk and attempts to commit suicide, Caroline discovers that there may be more to hoodoo than legends and folklore. Skeleton Key is neither a movie that I ever intended to watch, nor expected to enjoy. As fate would have it, I ended up doing both. In among the horror movie craze of late with films such as The Ring, The Grudge, House of Wax, The Return, and The Amityville Horror among others, Skeleton Key got lost in the fold for me. However, a chance viewing turned my preconceived opinion of this particular film around. Much like House of Wax, which I expected to be an entirely forgettable film, Skeleton Key actually had several redeeming factors. First of all, the acting is better than I would expect from a seemingly standard horror movie. Kate Hudson did a good job in the lead role and Gena Rowlands played the old woman you love to hate perfectly. John Hurt, though unmoving and silent for the duration of most of his screen time, achieves spectacular displays of emotion based purely on his facial expressions alone. Less than spectacular was Caroline's friend Jill, played by Joy Bryant, who is perhaps most recognizable as the girl who yells "Go Spidey, Go!" while jumping up and down in Spiderman 2. Can anyone say "over-acting"? At least she wasn't in the movie for very long. The movie starts out stereotypically enough, setting up a distrust for the character of Violet and introducing us to the creepy locale of the house on the plantation, as well as giving us some less than original back story for Caroline. However, once the concept of hoodoo is introduced to the viewer, Skeleton Key takes a whiplash-like turn for the better. At first the concept of magic is just used as an interesting way to instill terror in the audience along with the evil portrayal of Violet by Rowlands, but when the twist ending hits, it packs a huge punch. Seriously, Skeleton Key may contain one of the best and most unexpected twist endings that I've ever seen. It was so clever, original, and out of left field that I found myself uncontrollably grinning right up until the credits rolled and then some, as I worked out the events in my head again. For horror movie fans, Skeleton Key may not be the goriest or most frightening film you've ever seen, but I kid you not, the ending is reason enough to watch this movie. I can't think of another film with a similar ending to that of Skeleton Key, and that's what really sets it apart from the rest of the pack. Climaxes like this just don't happen every day.
Skeleton Key - Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) has spent the years since her father's death as a hospice worker in New Orleans. However, after losing another in a long line of elderly patients and not being able to do much to help them, she decides to take a job as a live-in nurse on a plantation. Her feeling is that this will be less depressing than her previous job. Her clients are a secretive old woman named Violet Devereaux (Gena Rowlands) and her husband Ben (John Hurt), who was left an invalid following a stroke. Violet immediately disapproves of Caroline, but as the family lawyer Luke (Peter Sarsgaard) explains to her, it's nothing personal. Violet has disapproved of every girl who has taken the job thus far, which explains the number of girls who have previously quit the position. Caroline vows to keep the job though, as Ben reminds her of her own father whom she regrets ignoring in his final months. Before long Caroline becomes suspicious of Violet and all of her secrets involving the house. She doesn't allow mirrors inside, there is a locked room in the attic, and there's something strange going on with Ben. Looking into the mysteries further, Caroline discovers that the house has a history involving hoodoo, an old African American form of magic that only works if you believe in it. She brushes it off as an old wives tale, but when Ben, supposedly suffering from full body paralysis and an inability to speak, begins struggling to talk and attempts to commit suicide, Caroline discovers that there may be more to hoodoo than legends and folklore. Skeleton Key is neither a movie that I ever intended to watch, nor expected to enjoy. As fate would have it, I ended up doing both. In among the horror movie craze of late with films such as The Ring, The Grudge, House of Wax, The Return, and The Amityville Horror among others, Skeleton Key got lost in the fold for me. However, a chance viewing turned my preconceived opinion of this particular film around. Much like House of Wax, which I expected to be an entirely forgettable film, Skeleton Key actually had several redeeming factors. First of all, the acting is better than I would expect from a seemingly standard horror movie. Kate Hudson did a good job in the lead role and Gena Rowlands played the old woman you love to hate perfectly. John Hurt, though unmoving and silent for the duration of most of his screen time, achieves spectacular displays of emotion based purely on his facial expressions alone. Less than spectacular was Caroline's friend Jill, played by Joy Bryant, who is perhaps most recognizable as the girl who yells "Go Spidey, Go!" while jumping up and down in Spiderman 2. Can anyone say "over-acting"? At least she wasn't in the movie for very long. The movie starts out stereotypically enough, setting up a distrust for the character of Violet and introducing us to the creepy locale of the house on the plantation, as well as giving us some less than original back story for Caroline. However, once the concept of hoodoo is introduced to the viewer, Skeleton Key takes a whiplash-like turn for the better. At first the concept of magic is just used as an interesting way to instill terror in the audience along with the evil portrayal of Violet by Rowlands, but when the twist ending hits, it packs a huge punch. Seriously, Skeleton Key may contain one of the best and most unexpected twist endings that I've ever seen. It was so clever, original, and out of left field that I found myself uncontrollably grinning right up until the credits rolled and then some, as I worked out the events in my head again. For horror movie fans, Skeleton Key may not be the goriest or most frightening film you've ever seen, but I kid you not, the ending is reason enough to watch this movie. I can't think of another film with a similar ending to that of Skeleton Key, and that's what really sets it apart from the rest of the pack. Climaxes like this just don't happen every day.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Episode 37 - The Films of Darren Aronofsky
Pi - Max Cohen (Sean Gullette) is a mathematician. He doesn't just work with numbers, though. He's obsessed with them. Max has a theory. His theory is that everything in existence is dictated by and revolves around numbers. By his estimation, there is a number out there just waiting to be found that can explain life itself and be used to dissect everything in nature. A social hermit, Max spends his days in his cramped apartment or quietly sitting in a coffee shop running numbers through his head. He then takes these numbers and programs them into a computer in his home that he hopes will help him discover the mysterious set of digits that he's searching for. His only means of recreation is visiting an elderly man named Sol Robeson (Mark Margolis) who spent the majority of his own life in pursuit of a number and tries to warn Max that nothing good will come of his tireless quest. Then one day a hasidic jew by the name of Lenny Meyer (Ben Shenkman) sits down next to Max in the coffee shop and proposes to him the idea that there is a number that can be used to unlock a secret within the Torah. Considering the similarities between the number that he is searching for and the one which Lenny seeks, Max offers to help him locate the number. Meanwhile, a business woman named Marcy Dawson (Pamela Hart) has been pestering Max to help her business discover the number he's searching for so that they can use it to predict stock trends and make themselves rich. As Max gets closer to finding the number which has ruled his life for longer than he'd care to admit, he begins to realize that some things are better left undiscovered. Pi is a peculiar movie. It was made with an extremely low budget as Darren Aronofsky's first major film project. It is entirely black and white and the film stock is very grainy. If I had to relate it to another film, that film would be Primer. Primer is a movie that is extremely technological, though the technology within the film is fake. The filmmakers get away with this because they've made the technology in the film so confusing that a lay person has no way of understanding what the actors are talking about half the time, making the premise believable since the average person can't disprove it. Pi is a lot like this. Unless you are a mathematician you will hardly ever really understand what exactly the actors in Pi are talking about, but because they sound so convincing you can take the premise with a grain of salt and just enjoy the events that are taking place. It's a very careful balance that the director must maintain. In the case of Primer, director Shane Carruth relies on the science fiction aspect of his film to keep the audience's interest among all the techno-babble. As for Pi, Aronofsky injects numerous visually interesting moments into the movie that keep even the least mathematically inclined person interested. One such example of the flashy visuals that Aronofsky offers up in Pi are known as "hip-hop cuts". Hip-hop cuts are a series of incredibly fast shots shown back to back, usually with some sort of defining, easily recognizable sound effects to accompany them. These shots are a trademark of Aronofsky's filmmaking. Opposing the very cold, confusing world of mathematics in Pi are the deeply personal problems that Max endures. He is obviously a troubled person, and the frequent back and forth between the scenes regarding numbers and the scenes regarding Max's inner struggles help this film to keep viewers on track. Also of great interest is the music which Aronofsky chose for this film. It is primarily electronic, which makes sense considering the technological leanings of the plot. Overall, Pi has a great premise with fingers in not only the science fiction pie, but also political intrigue and dark drama as well. As with all of Aronofsky's films, Pi is certainly not for everyone, but I'd certainly recommend it to anyone interested in science, science fiction, or quality cinema.
Requiem For a Dream - Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) is a heroin addict living in Coney Island, New York. To feed their addiction, he hand his friend Tyrone Love (Marlon Wayans) constantly take Harry's mother's television and pawn it for money with which to buy drugs. They then share those drugs with Harry's girlfriend Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), who has dreams of becoming a clothing designer. The three of them are living empty lives when they decide to set a goal for themselves. The plan to open a store for Marion to sell the clothes she designs from is innocent enough, but the method of raising the money to do so is less than innocent. Tyrone and Harry hit the streets, buying heroin and reselling it to raise funds. Things seem to be going well until the supply of drugs dries up and the three of them are forced to dig into their earnings to feed their own addictions. From there things only get worse as the three of them discover what their poor judgement has cost them. Meanwhile Harry's mother is dealing with an addiction of her own: an addiciton to television. Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) is a lonely, elderly widow who spends her days in her apartment watching tv. When she gets a call from a tele-marketer who promises her an appearance on a television show, Sara is ecstatic with joy. She decides to begin dieting to fit into the dress she wore to her son's graduation for her big onscreen debut. Going to a less-than-reputable doctor, she receives a variety of weight loss pills which soon become Sara's new addiction. Requiem For a Dream is, simply put, one of the most depressing movies ever made. As it's characters spiral ever downward it can even become hard to watch. We're told from childhood that drugs are dangerous and that we shouldn't go near them. In my opinion, if schools want to teach children not to touch drugs they should just show them this movie. Depressing, frightening, and disturbing are all good words to describe this film. However, this is not to say that the movie is not worth watching. In fact, it is very much the opposite. Requiem For a Dream is a great movie. Full of trippy visuals and hip-hop cuts, it's obvious from the get-go that you're watching a Darren Aronofsky film. Where Pi's flaws were mostly found in it's acting, such is not the case here. The entire cast of Requiem For a Dream is outstanding. Jared Leto gives a career-defining performance as Harry. Jennifer Connelly is beautiful as usual, but also really brings it to the table as her character falls deeper and deeper under the control of her addiction. Ellen Burstyn, an actress I wasn't previously familiar with, devotes herself entirely to the role of Harry's mother Sara. She offers a haunting performance that will rip your heart out by the time the finale rolls around. Christopher McDonald is darkly comedic as the television personality with whom Sara is obsessed and Keith David has never been so disturbing on film as he is in his role in Requiem For a Dream. However, perhaps most impressive (and surprising), is Marlon Wayans' performance as Tyrone. Did anyone know that he could actually act? I sure as hell didn't. Again, the music in this film is wonderful, almost becoming a character in and of itself. Just as with Pi, Requiem For a Dream isn't for everyone, but it's a damn fine movie.
The Fountain - Tom Creo (Hugh Jackman) is a medical scientist whose wife Izzi (Rachel Weisz) has an inoperable brain tumor. As such, Tom is testing methods by which he might be able to cure his wife. Just when it seems as though all hope may be lost, Tom's team injects a test monkey with a serum containing the sap of a tree in South America that seems to have some healing capabilities. The new drug has some astonishing effects, including apparent anti-aging properties. Time is running out for his wife, though, and in his haste to complete the new drug his co-workers begin to question his judgement. For some time now Izzi has been working on a manuscript called The Fountain, which is one chapter from completion when she asks Tom to read it. As he reads the manuscript the viewer is treated to the story as well. It follows a medieval Spanish conquistador (also played by Jackman) who, at the behest of his queen (also played by Weisz), sets out to search for an ancient temple that is meant to house the "tree of life" that is mentioned in the bible. To complete his mission he must first find the temple, which would be difficult enough on it's own, but also survive attacks from an invading army. Along with these two plot lines, we are also treated to a third in which a bald man (Jackman once again) floats through space in a large translucent bubble with an oddly shaped tree which he consumes the bark of to maintain eternal life. Alright, this is gonna be a tough one. I must begin this review by saying that I didn't completely understand The Fountain. However, I'm not sure if the audience is necessarily meant to understand it or not. If so, writer/director Darren Aronofsky isn't making it easy for us. The three plots of the film are interspersed throughout, making their confusing stories even more confusing. The relationship between the stories is obviously that of the tree which grants eternal life in one way or another, depending on the story. The fact that all of the stories involve both Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz makes sense depending on how you personally view the events of the film. In all honesty, I can't really comment much on the plot of the film as it didn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense to me. However, there are plenty of other things to discuss. The film is visually very beautiful. The lighting in each scene is superb, and the magical imagery of the medieval and outer space stories is all magnificent. Hugh Jackman delivers a damn fine performance in each of his three roles. Rachel Weisz isn't bad, but doesn't reach the same level that Jackman does. The direction of The Fountain is a bit different from that of Pi and Requiem For a Dream. Most notably, there isn't a hip-hop cut to be found. The soundtrack isn't quite as notable as that of either Pi or Requiem For a Dream, but it remains one of the highlights of The Fountain. In conclusion, I personally wasn't a big fan of this film, as I like my movies to make at least a little sense. Now, there are probably people out there who think that The Fountain is a slice of genius, but in my opinion Aronofsky was a bit too ambiguous in getting his point across. If you like his other works you should at least give The Foutnain a try, but in general it is not a film that I would recommend to the average Joe.
Requiem For a Dream - Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) is a heroin addict living in Coney Island, New York. To feed their addiction, he hand his friend Tyrone Love (Marlon Wayans) constantly take Harry's mother's television and pawn it for money with which to buy drugs. They then share those drugs with Harry's girlfriend Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), who has dreams of becoming a clothing designer. The three of them are living empty lives when they decide to set a goal for themselves. The plan to open a store for Marion to sell the clothes she designs from is innocent enough, but the method of raising the money to do so is less than innocent. Tyrone and Harry hit the streets, buying heroin and reselling it to raise funds. Things seem to be going well until the supply of drugs dries up and the three of them are forced to dig into their earnings to feed their own addictions. From there things only get worse as the three of them discover what their poor judgement has cost them. Meanwhile Harry's mother is dealing with an addiction of her own: an addiciton to television. Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) is a lonely, elderly widow who spends her days in her apartment watching tv. When she gets a call from a tele-marketer who promises her an appearance on a television show, Sara is ecstatic with joy. She decides to begin dieting to fit into the dress she wore to her son's graduation for her big onscreen debut. Going to a less-than-reputable doctor, she receives a variety of weight loss pills which soon become Sara's new addiction. Requiem For a Dream is, simply put, one of the most depressing movies ever made. As it's characters spiral ever downward it can even become hard to watch. We're told from childhood that drugs are dangerous and that we shouldn't go near them. In my opinion, if schools want to teach children not to touch drugs they should just show them this movie. Depressing, frightening, and disturbing are all good words to describe this film. However, this is not to say that the movie is not worth watching. In fact, it is very much the opposite. Requiem For a Dream is a great movie. Full of trippy visuals and hip-hop cuts, it's obvious from the get-go that you're watching a Darren Aronofsky film. Where Pi's flaws were mostly found in it's acting, such is not the case here. The entire cast of Requiem For a Dream is outstanding. Jared Leto gives a career-defining performance as Harry. Jennifer Connelly is beautiful as usual, but also really brings it to the table as her character falls deeper and deeper under the control of her addiction. Ellen Burstyn, an actress I wasn't previously familiar with, devotes herself entirely to the role of Harry's mother Sara. She offers a haunting performance that will rip your heart out by the time the finale rolls around. Christopher McDonald is darkly comedic as the television personality with whom Sara is obsessed and Keith David has never been so disturbing on film as he is in his role in Requiem For a Dream. However, perhaps most impressive (and surprising), is Marlon Wayans' performance as Tyrone. Did anyone know that he could actually act? I sure as hell didn't. Again, the music in this film is wonderful, almost becoming a character in and of itself. Just as with Pi, Requiem For a Dream isn't for everyone, but it's a damn fine movie.
The Fountain - Tom Creo (Hugh Jackman) is a medical scientist whose wife Izzi (Rachel Weisz) has an inoperable brain tumor. As such, Tom is testing methods by which he might be able to cure his wife. Just when it seems as though all hope may be lost, Tom's team injects a test monkey with a serum containing the sap of a tree in South America that seems to have some healing capabilities. The new drug has some astonishing effects, including apparent anti-aging properties. Time is running out for his wife, though, and in his haste to complete the new drug his co-workers begin to question his judgement. For some time now Izzi has been working on a manuscript called The Fountain, which is one chapter from completion when she asks Tom to read it. As he reads the manuscript the viewer is treated to the story as well. It follows a medieval Spanish conquistador (also played by Jackman) who, at the behest of his queen (also played by Weisz), sets out to search for an ancient temple that is meant to house the "tree of life" that is mentioned in the bible. To complete his mission he must first find the temple, which would be difficult enough on it's own, but also survive attacks from an invading army. Along with these two plot lines, we are also treated to a third in which a bald man (Jackman once again) floats through space in a large translucent bubble with an oddly shaped tree which he consumes the bark of to maintain eternal life. Alright, this is gonna be a tough one. I must begin this review by saying that I didn't completely understand The Fountain. However, I'm not sure if the audience is necessarily meant to understand it or not. If so, writer/director Darren Aronofsky isn't making it easy for us. The three plots of the film are interspersed throughout, making their confusing stories even more confusing. The relationship between the stories is obviously that of the tree which grants eternal life in one way or another, depending on the story. The fact that all of the stories involve both Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz makes sense depending on how you personally view the events of the film. In all honesty, I can't really comment much on the plot of the film as it didn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense to me. However, there are plenty of other things to discuss. The film is visually very beautiful. The lighting in each scene is superb, and the magical imagery of the medieval and outer space stories is all magnificent. Hugh Jackman delivers a damn fine performance in each of his three roles. Rachel Weisz isn't bad, but doesn't reach the same level that Jackman does. The direction of The Fountain is a bit different from that of Pi and Requiem For a Dream. Most notably, there isn't a hip-hop cut to be found. The soundtrack isn't quite as notable as that of either Pi or Requiem For a Dream, but it remains one of the highlights of The Fountain. In conclusion, I personally wasn't a big fan of this film, as I like my movies to make at least a little sense. Now, there are probably people out there who think that The Fountain is a slice of genius, but in my opinion Aronofsky was a bit too ambiguous in getting his point across. If you like his other works you should at least give The Foutnain a try, but in general it is not a film that I would recommend to the average Joe.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Episode 36 - The Godfather Triple Threat Review
The Godfather - Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is the head of a New York crime family. People in the city come to him for assistance in solving their various problems and in return they offer their loyalty and services to the man whom they refer to as The Godfather. Unlike the common conception of a criminal, Don Vito has a very high and strict set of standards. He yearns to continue the ways of the old country (Sicily). The times are changing, however, and some of the city's other crime families don't have the same visions for the future that he does. Virgil 'The Turk' Sollozzo (Al Lettieri), the head of another family, wants to work the distribution of drugs into the collective business of the New York families, but Don Vito is strongly opposed to this move. As such, Sollozzo orders a hit on The Godfather which results in him being badly wounded by several gunshots to the back. While Don Vito recovers in a hospital bed, his family scrambles to decide what to do. His hot-headed son Santino 'Sonny' Corleone (James Caan), and his recently married daughter Connie (Talia Shire) are quick to go to war with the other families despite the family lawyer, Tom Hagen's (Robert Duvall) advice. Meanwhile, Vito's more level-headed son Michael (Al Pacino) has recently returned from the war. Despite his reluctance to get involved with his family's life of crime, he cannot let those responsible for the act of violence perpetrated upon his father go unpunished. He offers to meet with Sollozzo and his attorney to attempt to settle the conflict while secretly planning to kill them both. After the deed is done, the Corleone family sends Michael off to hide in Sicily, cutting him off from everyone including his girlfriend Kay (Diane Keaton). In Michael's absence things begin to go back to normal, but there is still an uneasiness among the New York families. Something must be done to make things right again and with Don Vito's health waning, the question of what will happen to the Corleone family hangs over each of it's members heads. The Godfather is yet another movie that seems as though it should not have taken me so long to finally see it. It is widely regarded as one of, if not the best movie ever made. For proof of this you can check out it's place on IMDb's Top 250 Films list. While it is certainly a good movie, The Godfather wouldn't make it anywhere near my personal top ten. In general I'm not the biggest fan of mafia/mob films, however The Godfather definitely made me rethink this generalization. The film is much more about the characters involved than some kind of plot filled to the brim with murders and deception. Don't get me wrong, it has it's fair share of those things too, but in my mind The Godfather is about the Corleone family itself more than anything. Each character is thoroughly and perfectly fleshed out and feels like a completely real person. While I honestly couldn't point out anything outstanding about the direction of the film, the writing and acting are, dare I say, perfect. I didn't even recognize half of the actors in the film because they were so much younger than I'm used to them looking, but watching the movie it becomes obvious why they've all had such long and noteworthy careers. Al Pacino, James Caan, and Robert Duvall play wonderfully off of each other and their scenes together are some of the best of the film. However, holding it all together is Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone. People rave about this performance, and there's a reason for it. Brando manages to make Don Vito imposing and demanding of respect and fear one moment and loving or helpless the next, all the while completely convincing the viewer that he is a real person. It is because of the acting, I believe, that such a slow film manages to be entertaining through the entirety of it's two hour and fifty five minute running time. Yet while the acting and writing are great and the pacing is very good, The Godfather is not a film that I am desperately looking forward to seeing again. Nor did it change the way I look at film or have an incredible impact on me personally. I guess that's where I differ from most people. It's certainly a great movie worthy of anyone's time for at least one viewing, but I don't hold it in such a high regard that I'd place it among the list of my favorite films of all time. I'm sure that most people who love The Godfather and/or it's two sequels would scoff at said list of my favorite films, but that's for a later post, I suppose.
The Godfather Part II - Picking up where The Godfather left off, The Godfather Part II begins with Michael Corleone serving as the new head of the Corleone family. He has relocated the family headquarters from New York to Las Vegas in an attempt to expand his business. When an attempt is made on his life and the two men responsible are found dead, Michael begins a search for the truth behind who attacked him. Simultaneously the story of how Michael's father Vito became the original Godfather is told via a series of flashbacks to the 1920's. In these scenes, the young Vito Corleone is played by Robert DeNiro. After his parents were both killed in Sicily, Vito was smuggled into America by some people from his town before the man responsible for their deaths could get to him as well. After arriving, Vito gets a job, however before long he is let go. With no money to support his new wife and child, Vito assists an acquaintance in robbing a rich person's home. Afterward, a man named Don Fanucci (Gastone Moschin) tells them that he wants some of their money in exchange for his protection. Unhappy with this threat, Vito sets out to kill Fanucci and unwittingly becomes the man whom people go to when they need help. As time passes Vito comes to be known as The Godfather and is loved by much of the community because of the fair way that he treats them as opposed to Fanucci's reign of terror. Meanwhile, doing business in Cuba, Michael has discovered that his brother Fredo (John Cazale) had a hand in the attempt on his life. Also, the head of one of the other crime families has agreed to testify to the government against Michael, and his wife Kay has announced that she wishes to leave him. As tensions rise, what lengths will Michael Corleone go to in order to save his family? As mentioned in the review above, The Godfather is viewed by some as the best movie of all time. As such, it comes as no surprise that there are also those who view The Godfather Part II in the same light. It resides a mere two spots below the first film on IMDb's Top 250 Films list at #3 (#2 being The Shawshank Redemption). It is rare that a sequel exceeds the quality of the original, and I don't personally feel that The Godfather Part II is an exception to this rule. Whereas The Godfather felt well-paced despite it's length, The Godfather Part II dragged at some points for me. Of course, it does clock in at a whopping three hours and twenty minutes, topping the previous film by almost half an hour. The acting isn't as noteworthy as that of The Godfather, and the story isn't as interesting. I believe that part of the reason for this is that Al Pacino's Michael Corleone isn't as likable of a character as Marlon Brando's Don Vito. This makes for a very interesting bit of character development when we see how Michael reacts to his empire beginning to crumble around him in the wake of his father's death, but I just wasn't as interested in Michael's plight as I was with Vito's. As a matter of fact, my favorite parts of The Godfather Part II were the flashback sequences starring DeNiro as a young Vito Corleone in 1920's New York. Even portrayed by a different actor, Vito remained a much more likable character than Michael. John Cazale was a good addition to the cast as Fredo, although I couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't played a part in the previous film. His sudden inclusion in the sequel felt a bit odd to me. Another thing that I disliked about the film was the fact that it was set primarily in Las Vegas and Cuba. It didn't feel right to take the Corleones out of New York. The Godfather Part II is not a bad film, but for me it just didn't stand up to the original. I would almost recommend not seeing it if you've seen the first film because I liked the ending of the original so much. However, if you listen to the majority vote you'd be crazy not to see both. Call me crazy, I guess.
The Godfather Part III - The Godfather Part III takes place many years after The Godfather Part II, which makes sense as it was made fifteen years after it's predecessor. Michael Corleone is now in his fifties and his children are grown. The family business is finally on the verge of becoming legitimate, but this doesn't stop Michael from wishing his son Anthony (Franc D'Ambrosio) to be a lawyer. However, despite many years of school in preparation to become an attorney, Anthony wants to become a singer. After some convincing by his son and angry ex-wife Kay, Michael gives Anthony his blessing, and before long he gets a part in an opera in Sicily. Meanwhile, Michael's daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola) has fallen in love with her first cousin Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), the illegitimate son of Michael's deceased brother Sonny. The two of them continue to have a not-so-secret relationship despite Michael's disapproval. As part of Michael's plans to legitimize the Corleone family business, he holds a meeting of heads of the New York families to tell them that he's "out" and gives each of them a monetary parting gift to keep them in his good graces. Insulted by Michael's refusal to pay him off, Vincent's former boss Joey Zasa (Joe Montegna) orders a hit that results in the deaths of almost all of the family heads and causes Michael to suffer from a diabetic stroke. With the end obviously nearing for Michael Corleone, he wants merely to see his family continue on. However, with his son's refusal to be a part of the family business, legitimate or not, Michael is left with the decision of who to name the new Godfather. The Godfather Part III doesn't receive the same amount of fanfare that it's two predecessors do, and there's a reason for it. Simply put, The Godfather Part III doesn't hold a candle to the previous two. Michael Corleone has gone from a strong young man to a bitter mafia boss and, in this film, settles into a role as a useless, uninteresting personality. While I wasn't very fond of Al Pacino's character in The Godfather Part II, I found him to be essentially incapable of keeping my interest in this film. More interesting was the character of Vincent as played by Joe Montegna, but he didn't achieve the level of worth that any of the former Corleones had. Not to mention, the subplot of his romance with his cousin was a bit distracting. I'm not sure if their attempt to overcome adversity and be together was supposed to be heartwarming or something, but I just found it odd. Michael's wife Kay was always a bit bitchy, but came off as overly so in The Godfather Part III. Every line she spoke was like nails on a chalk board. Diane Keaton really overdid it in this performance. Really what this film was lacking was exactly what made the first one so good: character. By this point The Godfather series was no longer about showing audiences great characters and the trials and tribulations they endure, but more about stories of revenge and crime. Of course I realize that they've all been mafia films, but this particular mafia film stood out as being more of a cheap grab for appreciation based on the popularity of it's previous installments than a story worthy of being told. If you're going to go to the trouble of sitting through the six hours and fifteen minutes that it will take you to watch The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, you may as well tack on another two hours and forty five minutes by watching the conclusion to the series, but don't expect much from this final chapter.
The Godfather Part II - Picking up where The Godfather left off, The Godfather Part II begins with Michael Corleone serving as the new head of the Corleone family. He has relocated the family headquarters from New York to Las Vegas in an attempt to expand his business. When an attempt is made on his life and the two men responsible are found dead, Michael begins a search for the truth behind who attacked him. Simultaneously the story of how Michael's father Vito became the original Godfather is told via a series of flashbacks to the 1920's. In these scenes, the young Vito Corleone is played by Robert DeNiro. After his parents were both killed in Sicily, Vito was smuggled into America by some people from his town before the man responsible for their deaths could get to him as well. After arriving, Vito gets a job, however before long he is let go. With no money to support his new wife and child, Vito assists an acquaintance in robbing a rich person's home. Afterward, a man named Don Fanucci (Gastone Moschin) tells them that he wants some of their money in exchange for his protection. Unhappy with this threat, Vito sets out to kill Fanucci and unwittingly becomes the man whom people go to when they need help. As time passes Vito comes to be known as The Godfather and is loved by much of the community because of the fair way that he treats them as opposed to Fanucci's reign of terror. Meanwhile, doing business in Cuba, Michael has discovered that his brother Fredo (John Cazale) had a hand in the attempt on his life. Also, the head of one of the other crime families has agreed to testify to the government against Michael, and his wife Kay has announced that she wishes to leave him. As tensions rise, what lengths will Michael Corleone go to in order to save his family? As mentioned in the review above, The Godfather is viewed by some as the best movie of all time. As such, it comes as no surprise that there are also those who view The Godfather Part II in the same light. It resides a mere two spots below the first film on IMDb's Top 250 Films list at #3 (#2 being The Shawshank Redemption). It is rare that a sequel exceeds the quality of the original, and I don't personally feel that The Godfather Part II is an exception to this rule. Whereas The Godfather felt well-paced despite it's length, The Godfather Part II dragged at some points for me. Of course, it does clock in at a whopping three hours and twenty minutes, topping the previous film by almost half an hour. The acting isn't as noteworthy as that of The Godfather, and the story isn't as interesting. I believe that part of the reason for this is that Al Pacino's Michael Corleone isn't as likable of a character as Marlon Brando's Don Vito. This makes for a very interesting bit of character development when we see how Michael reacts to his empire beginning to crumble around him in the wake of his father's death, but I just wasn't as interested in Michael's plight as I was with Vito's. As a matter of fact, my favorite parts of The Godfather Part II were the flashback sequences starring DeNiro as a young Vito Corleone in 1920's New York. Even portrayed by a different actor, Vito remained a much more likable character than Michael. John Cazale was a good addition to the cast as Fredo, although I couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't played a part in the previous film. His sudden inclusion in the sequel felt a bit odd to me. Another thing that I disliked about the film was the fact that it was set primarily in Las Vegas and Cuba. It didn't feel right to take the Corleones out of New York. The Godfather Part II is not a bad film, but for me it just didn't stand up to the original. I would almost recommend not seeing it if you've seen the first film because I liked the ending of the original so much. However, if you listen to the majority vote you'd be crazy not to see both. Call me crazy, I guess.
The Godfather Part III - The Godfather Part III takes place many years after The Godfather Part II, which makes sense as it was made fifteen years after it's predecessor. Michael Corleone is now in his fifties and his children are grown. The family business is finally on the verge of becoming legitimate, but this doesn't stop Michael from wishing his son Anthony (Franc D'Ambrosio) to be a lawyer. However, despite many years of school in preparation to become an attorney, Anthony wants to become a singer. After some convincing by his son and angry ex-wife Kay, Michael gives Anthony his blessing, and before long he gets a part in an opera in Sicily. Meanwhile, Michael's daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola) has fallen in love with her first cousin Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), the illegitimate son of Michael's deceased brother Sonny. The two of them continue to have a not-so-secret relationship despite Michael's disapproval. As part of Michael's plans to legitimize the Corleone family business, he holds a meeting of heads of the New York families to tell them that he's "out" and gives each of them a monetary parting gift to keep them in his good graces. Insulted by Michael's refusal to pay him off, Vincent's former boss Joey Zasa (Joe Montegna) orders a hit that results in the deaths of almost all of the family heads and causes Michael to suffer from a diabetic stroke. With the end obviously nearing for Michael Corleone, he wants merely to see his family continue on. However, with his son's refusal to be a part of the family business, legitimate or not, Michael is left with the decision of who to name the new Godfather. The Godfather Part III doesn't receive the same amount of fanfare that it's two predecessors do, and there's a reason for it. Simply put, The Godfather Part III doesn't hold a candle to the previous two. Michael Corleone has gone from a strong young man to a bitter mafia boss and, in this film, settles into a role as a useless, uninteresting personality. While I wasn't very fond of Al Pacino's character in The Godfather Part II, I found him to be essentially incapable of keeping my interest in this film. More interesting was the character of Vincent as played by Joe Montegna, but he didn't achieve the level of worth that any of the former Corleones had. Not to mention, the subplot of his romance with his cousin was a bit distracting. I'm not sure if their attempt to overcome adversity and be together was supposed to be heartwarming or something, but I just found it odd. Michael's wife Kay was always a bit bitchy, but came off as overly so in The Godfather Part III. Every line she spoke was like nails on a chalk board. Diane Keaton really overdid it in this performance. Really what this film was lacking was exactly what made the first one so good: character. By this point The Godfather series was no longer about showing audiences great characters and the trials and tribulations they endure, but more about stories of revenge and crime. Of course I realize that they've all been mafia films, but this particular mafia film stood out as being more of a cheap grab for appreciation based on the popularity of it's previous installments than a story worthy of being told. If you're going to go to the trouble of sitting through the six hours and fifteen minutes that it will take you to watch The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, you may as well tack on another two hours and forty five minutes by watching the conclusion to the series, but don't expect much from this final chapter.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Episode 35
The Prestige - In the late 1800's Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) began their careers as magicians working together as part of The Amazing Milton's act. The two of them were similar in that they both had a great respect for and love of magic, but aside from that they couldn't have been more different. During one of Milton's shows, Angier's wife (Piper Perabo), whose hands were tied by Borden as part of the trick, drowns in a large tank of water. After this incident Milton's act breaks up and a rivalry is begun between Angier, who is sure that Borden tied the wrong type of knot around his wife's wrists, and Borden, who claims that he cannot remember which knot he'd tied. Working with Cutter (Michael Cain), he and Borden's old friend and creator of magic tricks, Angier puts together a stage show that draws a fair crowd. However when Borden reappears on the scene after two years with a wife and newborn child, Angier's anger toward Borden grows, seeing his rival enjoying a life that he was robbed of. Over time the two men continue to up the ante, creating and performing better and more amazing feats onstage while plotting against one another outside of the limelight. As their game of cat and mouse becomes more and more dangerous, Angier enlists the aid of scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla (David Bowie) in building a machine that he hopes will provide him with actual magic as opposed to merely another illusion. At the same time, Angier has also placed his stage assistant Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johansson) undercover in Borden's personal and professional life. Tensions rise as the two magicians lose interest in everything except discovering one another's secrets. I saw The Prestige in the theater when it came out in late 2006, however this was before I began reviewing movies on this site. Having just seen the film a second time I feel as though I may have enjoyed it even more than the first. I was originally drawn to The Prestige based on the incredibly mysterious trailers. All that they really revealed was that there was some kind of mystery involving magic and that the film starred Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. This was enough for me. Much like with the trailer for The Village, it immediately peaked my interest. The Prestige is a wonderfully acted movie with a great cast. Michael Cain is more fitting in this role than that of the other Christopher Nolan film that he's in: Batman Begins. He exhibits a great presence onscreen even as a second-tier character. Scarlett Johansson doesn't do much more in The Prestige than stand around looking pretty, which she does a wonderful job of. David Bowie is great as Tesla. I'd never seen him act before and honestly wasn't very familiar with his physical appearance until I'd seen the movie, so the first time I watched it I had no idea who was playing his role. His performance was all the more impressive knowing that I just viewed him as another actor and he didn't feel out of place at all. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are equally outstanding in this film. In the case of Jackman, his role in The Prestige is definitely the strongest I've seen from him. He hits a menagerie of emotions that I was previously unaware that he could pull off, having only really seen him as Wolverine in the X-Men franchise before. I loved him in those films because of the character he was portraying, but after watching The Prestige I truly respect him as an actor. Christian Bale is fast becoming one of my favorite people to see onscreen. After seeing him in American Psycho, The Machinist and more recently Harsh Times, I've become a huge fan of his work. Placing these two men in one film as equally important and polar opposite roles, it's easy to understand why I consider The Prestige one of the best films to be released in 2006 along with Children of Men, Slither, and The Departed. The film begins as a very personal look at the lives of it's two main characters, but as the plot unfolds it becomes a magical (no pun intended) story with so many more angles than those that you'd expected. I personally fell in love with the movie as it neared the climax, taking a sudden and surprising turn into the science fiction genre that will hit you out of left field. Looking back on it though, perhaps the most incredible aspect of the film is the ambiguity of right and wrong. It's like the plot of the movie is a tennis match in which the ball represents "the bad guy", and Bale and Jackman hit it back and forth so that by the end of the game you may be confused about who to root for. I recommend The Prestige to anyone with eyes. If you don't have eyes, get someone who does to watch the movie with you and describe what's onscreen.
Unknown - James Caviezel, Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantoliano, Barry Pepper, and Jeremy Sisto wake up one by one in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the desert. Well, they don't, but their characters in the movie do. When they awake they discover that they've all lost their memories, so none of them can remember their own names. In the credits of the movie their characters are called "Jean Jacket", "Broken Nose", "Bound Man", "Rancher Shirt", and "Handcuffed Man". Anyway, after waking up, James Caviezel hears a phone ringing and answers it to discover, by talking to the voice on the other end, that some of the men in the building are terrorists and some of them are hostages. The only problem is that not a single one of the five men can seem to remember which of them is which. As their trust is tested inside the warehouse from which there is seemingly no escape, in the outside world the police are attempting to diffuse the situation that put the men in the warehouse in the first place. A large amount of money has been stolen from the government and the people who stole it are on their way back to meet up with their buddies at the abandoned warehouse. While the cops try to apprehend the terrorists with the money and recover the hostages, the five men inside the warehouse attempt to decide what to do with themselves until the rest of the terrorists return. They're each afraid that they may be a hostage and could be killed upon their return, but as they could each just as easily be terrorists themselves, none of them want to trust each other. As their time becomes shorter the men inside the warehouse must begin to make potentially devastating decisions. To my knowledge, Unkown wasn't a widely released film. After seeing and being excited by the trailer I awaited news of it's release. After months of waiting I came to discover that it had already been released on DVD. Unfortunately I couldn't locate the DVD in any stores. A friend who was equally interested in the film and I were eventually forced to acquire the movie from Blockbuster Video. In the end I'm not sure that it was worth all the trouble that we went through to see it. Unknown has a great premise. The concept of having a few people trapped in a confined space and dealing with one another reminded me of such great films as Alien and Cube. In fact, after relating Unknown to those films in my mind prior to seeing it, I was disappointed to find that the entirety of the plot doesn't take place inside the confined area of the abandoned warehouse. All of the scenes within it were interesting while all of the events that took place in the outside world felt unnecessary, forced and cheesy as though a studio executive had forced the filmmakers to throw them in during post production. This is not to say that such is the case, because I doubt that it is. This is also not to say that everything within the warehouse is cinematic gold, either. Despite the great acting talent of Caviezel, Kinnear, Pepper, and Pantoliano, much of the dialogue was unrealistic and just plain poorly written. It's as though even the writer, who came up with the concept of the film, wasn't quite sure how to make it work. This is really too bad as I feel that the idea behind Unknown is a great one. Another problem that I had with the movie is that very early on the men inside the warehouse begin to get their memories back. I was really hoping that there would be more mystery to the story, but it's hard to be mysterious when the director plants obvious flashback sequences revealing each character's involvement in the plot so often throughout the film. It's my opinion that these problems with the writing and directing are the reason that so few people have seen, much less heard of, Unknown. With so many high profile actors I can't think of another reason that the movie was shunned by the public. Try as I might, I find it hard to honestly like Unknown, but if you're willing to give it a chance it's fun to imagine what could have been. In the hands of someone like Christopher Nolan (who directed the somewhat similar Memento), this could have been a great film. However as it stands I have a feeling that Unknown is doomed to remain unknown
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - For anyone who doesn't know (and really, who doesn't by now?), Borat is a fictional news reporter from Kazakhstan created by British actor/comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Along with the clueless wannabe gangster character Ali G and the sexually ambiguous personality of Bruno, Borat is a character whom Cohen created for his former television program Da Ali G Show. The concept of the show is that Cohen, disguised as one of these three characters, would interview real people while making a fool of himself to film their reactions. In this way The Ali G Show was a bit like a hidden camera show that didn't need to hide the cameras because they were part of the charade. After the great success of the show and the moderate success of a standard comedy film by the name of Ali G Indahouse, Sacha Baron Cohen set out to make the film Borat by travelling across the United States creating controversy. But as I remarked earlier, who doesn't know all that by now? After seeing Borat in the theater I proclaimed quite proudly that it was perhaps the funniest movie I'd ever seen. Pound for pound I probably did laugh more while watching Borat than I have while viewing any other film that I've seen. I'll never forget that first viewing of Borat. However, upon a second viewing, I may have jumped the gun a little with the whole "funniest movie ever" comment. I rented the DVD not long after it's release and sat down to watch the film in complete silence. I didn't so much as chuckle a single time during my second viewing of the film. It may have been that the theater packed with other people laughing uproariously brought out my own laughter a bit more than it would normally have shown itself, but I don't think that's the case. I fear that the Borat film may just be funny for that initial viewing. I didn't find the experience at all entertaining the second time through. This doesn't change the fact that I laughed my ass off the first time I saw it, but it's a bit disconcerting watching the film again and just not seeing why the last time was so great. Taking all this into consideration, I would say that everyone should see Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan at least once. At this point I'm not sure if I would condone repeat viewings, though.
Unknown - James Caviezel, Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantoliano, Barry Pepper, and Jeremy Sisto wake up one by one in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the desert. Well, they don't, but their characters in the movie do. When they awake they discover that they've all lost their memories, so none of them can remember their own names. In the credits of the movie their characters are called "Jean Jacket", "Broken Nose", "Bound Man", "Rancher Shirt", and "Handcuffed Man". Anyway, after waking up, James Caviezel hears a phone ringing and answers it to discover, by talking to the voice on the other end, that some of the men in the building are terrorists and some of them are hostages. The only problem is that not a single one of the five men can seem to remember which of them is which. As their trust is tested inside the warehouse from which there is seemingly no escape, in the outside world the police are attempting to diffuse the situation that put the men in the warehouse in the first place. A large amount of money has been stolen from the government and the people who stole it are on their way back to meet up with their buddies at the abandoned warehouse. While the cops try to apprehend the terrorists with the money and recover the hostages, the five men inside the warehouse attempt to decide what to do with themselves until the rest of the terrorists return. They're each afraid that they may be a hostage and could be killed upon their return, but as they could each just as easily be terrorists themselves, none of them want to trust each other. As their time becomes shorter the men inside the warehouse must begin to make potentially devastating decisions. To my knowledge, Unkown wasn't a widely released film. After seeing and being excited by the trailer I awaited news of it's release. After months of waiting I came to discover that it had already been released on DVD. Unfortunately I couldn't locate the DVD in any stores. A friend who was equally interested in the film and I were eventually forced to acquire the movie from Blockbuster Video. In the end I'm not sure that it was worth all the trouble that we went through to see it. Unknown has a great premise. The concept of having a few people trapped in a confined space and dealing with one another reminded me of such great films as Alien and Cube. In fact, after relating Unknown to those films in my mind prior to seeing it, I was disappointed to find that the entirety of the plot doesn't take place inside the confined area of the abandoned warehouse. All of the scenes within it were interesting while all of the events that took place in the outside world felt unnecessary, forced and cheesy as though a studio executive had forced the filmmakers to throw them in during post production. This is not to say that such is the case, because I doubt that it is. This is also not to say that everything within the warehouse is cinematic gold, either. Despite the great acting talent of Caviezel, Kinnear, Pepper, and Pantoliano, much of the dialogue was unrealistic and just plain poorly written. It's as though even the writer, who came up with the concept of the film, wasn't quite sure how to make it work. This is really too bad as I feel that the idea behind Unknown is a great one. Another problem that I had with the movie is that very early on the men inside the warehouse begin to get their memories back. I was really hoping that there would be more mystery to the story, but it's hard to be mysterious when the director plants obvious flashback sequences revealing each character's involvement in the plot so often throughout the film. It's my opinion that these problems with the writing and directing are the reason that so few people have seen, much less heard of, Unknown. With so many high profile actors I can't think of another reason that the movie was shunned by the public. Try as I might, I find it hard to honestly like Unknown, but if you're willing to give it a chance it's fun to imagine what could have been. In the hands of someone like Christopher Nolan (who directed the somewhat similar Memento), this could have been a great film. However as it stands I have a feeling that Unknown is doomed to remain unknown
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - For anyone who doesn't know (and really, who doesn't by now?), Borat is a fictional news reporter from Kazakhstan created by British actor/comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Along with the clueless wannabe gangster character Ali G and the sexually ambiguous personality of Bruno, Borat is a character whom Cohen created for his former television program Da Ali G Show. The concept of the show is that Cohen, disguised as one of these three characters, would interview real people while making a fool of himself to film their reactions. In this way The Ali G Show was a bit like a hidden camera show that didn't need to hide the cameras because they were part of the charade. After the great success of the show and the moderate success of a standard comedy film by the name of Ali G Indahouse, Sacha Baron Cohen set out to make the film Borat by travelling across the United States creating controversy. But as I remarked earlier, who doesn't know all that by now? After seeing Borat in the theater I proclaimed quite proudly that it was perhaps the funniest movie I'd ever seen. Pound for pound I probably did laugh more while watching Borat than I have while viewing any other film that I've seen. I'll never forget that first viewing of Borat. However, upon a second viewing, I may have jumped the gun a little with the whole "funniest movie ever" comment. I rented the DVD not long after it's release and sat down to watch the film in complete silence. I didn't so much as chuckle a single time during my second viewing of the film. It may have been that the theater packed with other people laughing uproariously brought out my own laughter a bit more than it would normally have shown itself, but I don't think that's the case. I fear that the Borat film may just be funny for that initial viewing. I didn't find the experience at all entertaining the second time through. This doesn't change the fact that I laughed my ass off the first time I saw it, but it's a bit disconcerting watching the film again and just not seeing why the last time was so great. Taking all this into consideration, I would say that everyone should see Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan at least once. At this point I'm not sure if I would condone repeat viewings, though.
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