Movies

Thor: review

Rob

By Edward Gambichler

 

Thor

 

“…You don’t know what your actions would unleash……”

 

Frost Giant ( Thor )

 

When it comes to cinema of the past, comic book adaptations used to have an easier time making the jump from printed page to the screen. There existed an unspoken agreement between the filmmakers and their audience in regards to a suspension of disbelief. The filmgoer of the past did not need a character or concept rooted in practicality ( by way of proven scientific fact or pure common sense ). Nor did they need a film’s premise explained or justified to them when it flew in the face of logic. As the tagline in Richard Donner’s “Superman: The Movie” (1978) stated, “You’ll believe a man can fly”. Not just because of the special effects wizardry of the various production technicians, but by the audience’s willingness to be carried away by the illusions crafted by these FX masters. Fantasy was always taken at face value. Today’s film audiences, however, seem unable to make that great leap of faith that is required for the success of these comic book properties. Now the average filmgoer wants the subject matter to adhere to a certain amount of plausibility found only in the laws of their “real world”. Simply put, “If you want me to believe a man can fly, you better explain to me how the hell he can do it”.

Now, in 2012, the filmmakers behind the upcoming movie, “The Avengers” ( 2012 ) , must navigate that viewer mindset and the limits it places on them. With the release of “Iron Man” ( 2008 ), “The Incredible Hulk” ( 2008 ), and the upcoming movie , “Captain America: First Avenger” ( in July ), Marvel Studios inches closer to realizing its goal of depicting a shared cinematic universe between its characters ( something that has never been attempted by any other comic company before). And although the individual main characters between these properties have been made cohesive at best, the one character that seemed destined to rock the “plausibility” boat is the character of “Thor”. The technology of armored battle suits depicted in “Iron Man” are reflected in actual military projects such as the Raytheon Sarco exoskeleton.

And the subject of human enhancement depicted in “Captain America: First Avenger” and “The Incredible Hulk” is reflected in today’s stem cell research as well as developments in human growth hormones. “Thor”, on the other hand, has its origins in Norse mythology and not science. Also, the fact that Thor is one of the founding members of the Avengers, makes the task of bringing him to celluloid life that much more difficult. The fans expect him to be in it, and in their eyes it will not be a true Avenger’s movie if filmmakers have to shoot around him. Yet despite these hurdles, Marvel Studios ( under the unlikely direction of Shakespearean actor Kenneth Branagh ) released Thor in theaters last Friday.

Thor is the story of an extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Asgardians. There existence on Earth ( known to them as “Midgard” ) is known only through Norse mythology where they were worshipped by early Man as gods. Asgard, along with Earth, is part of the “Nine Worlds” that make up what is known as the “Tree of Life”. These worlds are separated by an inter-dimensional gateway, a “rainbow bridge” known as the “Bifrost” ( which is guarded by an omniscient sentry called Heimdall, played here by Idris Elba of HBO’s series, “The Wire” ). Long ago, Asgard went to war with one of the Nine Worlds, an ice-encrusted planet known as Jotunheim ( occupied by a race known as the Frost Giants ) in order to stop their invasion of Earth. At the conclusion of this war, an uneasy truce was brokered by Odin, ruler of Asgard ( played by Academy Award winner Sir Anthony Hopkins )and Laufey, ruler of Jotunheim ( played by Colm Feore of Showtime’s “The Borgias”. In order to force Jotunheim to adhere to the truce, Odin confiscated the source of their powers ( an ancient relic known as the “Casket of Ancient Winters” ).

The movie begins as Odin enters the “Odinsleep” ( a period of hibernation which serves to rejuvenate his powers ). He chooses as his successor to the throne his warrior son , Thor ( who wields a mystical hammer known as Mjolnir which gives him superhuman strength, the ability to fly and control over the atmospheric elements ). The proceedings are interrupted by three Frost Giants who have broken into the trophy room containing the Casket of Ancient Winters. Although the three giants are killed by an armored sentinel called the Destroyer, Thor ( played by actor Chris Hemsworth ) becomes incensed by the breach of Asgard’s walls. Despite Odin’s wishes to maintain the truce, Thor resolves to cross the Bifrost and invade Jotunheim and strike back. He is aided by his close friends, Lady Sif ( played by Jaimie Alexander ), Volstagg ( Ray Stevenson ), Fandral ( Joshua Dallas ), Hogun ( Tadanobu Asano ) and Loki, Thor’s brother who is trained as a sorcerer and is second in line to the throne of Asgard ( played by Tom Hiddleston ). A fever pitched battle ensues between the four and  King Laufey’s forces ( despite Loki’s pleas for Thor to withdraw and honor their father’s treaty ). Before the fray escalates further, it is interrupted by Odin on horseback, who orders the four back to Asgard. As punishment for his arrogance and for disobeying his decree ( placing all of Asgard in danger as a result of his actions ), Odin strips Thor of his power and banishes him to Earth. He also sends Mjolnir on the other side of the Bifrost to Earth as well ( with the condition that , henceforth, only a person who proves himself worthy would be able to wield its power ).

Thor and Mjolnir both wind up in New Mexico. Thor is soon discovered lying in the middle of the road by Jane Foster ( played by last year’s Academy Award winner for Best Actress Natalie Portman ), an astrophysicist who was in the middle of tracking the wormhole anomaly which brought Thor to Earth. Along with her mentor, Erik Selvig ( Stellan Skarsgård ) and assistant, Darcy ( Kat Dennings ), she gives Thor shelter. On the other side of town, a large group of locals try to remove Mjolnir from the ground. Due to Odin’s spell, however, they are unable to make it budge. The crash site is soon placed under quarantine and the jurisdiction of S.H.I.E.L.D. ( the anti-espionage government agency which serves as the underlying thread through all of Avenger’s films ). Once Thor discovers Mjolnir’s location, he storms the S.H.I.E.L.D. compound to take it back. Despite overpowering a whole unit of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, he is unable to lift Mjolnir from the ground and is taken into custody and interrogated by Agent Phil Coulson ( Clark Gregg ), S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nicholas Fury’s right hand man ). To make matters worst, Loki ascends to Asgard’s throne and refuses to lift Odin’s ban on Thor. It seems Loki  ( who has secretly harbored a deep jealousy of Thor ) is in liege with Laufey and the other Frost Giants and was behind the attempted break in of the trophy room. Loki soon dispatches the Destroyer to finish off Thor once and for all, a move that soon places the whole town of New Mexico in mortal danger. Thor must find it in himself to be worthy of Mjolnir, in order to stop Loki’s final plan and protect his new found friends. What surprised me the most about this film was how well director Kenneth Branagh handled and respected the material, hitting all the right “fanboy” notes.

When I heard that the producers had hired him to direct, I didn’t know what to think. Known primarily for his adaptations of the works of William Shakespeare and indie films, he’s not exactly the traditional choice to direct a summer blockbuster ( let alone a comic book adaptation ). However, he balances all the performances as well as the various elements and plot devices with an assured hand. Also, I felt the explanation of the Asgardians as a race of extra-dimensional beings rather than deities went a long way in  anchoring the film in the common scientific ground of the other Avenger films. What makes this film come alive though is the performances of its two leads, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Not since Christopher Reeve in Superman: The Movie has there been a case of an actor so suited to a role than these two actors. Hemsworth rises to the occasion and portrays Thor with the right mixture of arrogance and charm ( as well as deftly handling the comedic elements of the “fish out of water” aspect of Thor’s arrival on Earth ). And Hiddleston avoids playing Loki as a one note villain and conveys both sympathy and treachery in equal and nuanced measures. It is going to be a treat watching these two go head to head next year in “The Avengers” ( 2012 ). Also, do not forget to stay after the closing credits for a scene that ties the film to Captain America and gives audiences a clue as to a major plot point in next year’s movie.

Scream 4 review

Rob

By Edward Gambichler

Scream 4

“…This isn’t a comedy, its a horror film. People live, people die……..and you better start running……”

Ghostface ( Scream 4 )

Do you like “scary movies”? With this one simple question, the declining genre known as “slasher” films was revitalized. Slasher films were generally defined by film historians and fans alike as films in which the primary antagonist ( a psychopathic killer ) stalks an innocent group of people ( mostly teenagers ) and dispatches them in violent and graphic means. Usually the victims are cut off from the outside world ( secluded cabins in the woods, severed phone lines,etc. ) and the killer’s motives are tied to a shared history or relationship with his/ or her victims. One by one, the group is eliminated until the main protagonist ( traditionally, a beautiful and virginal young woman ) remains. The genre became so popular that many of the actresses who were cast in this role were referred to by fans as “scream queens”. Among the more classic entries in this type of movie were “Black Christmas” ( widely regarded as the first true slasher film ), “Prom Night”, “Terror Train”, “Friday the 13th”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” ( a slasher film with a supernatural twist ) and the most famous of them all, “Halloween” ( starring Jamie Lee Curtis, cinema’s most famous “scream queen” ). The genre reached its peak in the late 70’s and mid 80’s. However, the rise of independent films like “Sex, Lies, and Videotapes”, “Drugstore Cowboy” and “Reservoir Dogs” and the popularity of filmmakers such as Stephen Soderbergh, Richard Linklater, and Quentin Tarantino relegated slasher films to the film purgatory of “straight to video” DVD release. It wasn’t until 1996 that the genre received a much needed jumpstart when Miramax ( thru their Dimension Films label ) released “Scream”.

Directed by horror maven Wes Craven ( “A Nightmare on Elm Street” )and written by Kevin Williamson ( “Dawson’s Creek”, “The Faculty” and another slasher entry, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”), Scream is the story of a group of high schoolers from the town of Woodsboro who are rocked by the brutal murder of one of their classmates, Casey Becker ( played in a brilliantly staged opening scene by actress Drew Barrymore ). The main protagonist, a lovely girl named Sydney Prescott ( played by “Party of Five’s” Neve Campbell ) is particularly affected by the murder, due to her own mother’s brutal rape and murder one year earlier. This mysterious killer plays a sick and twisted game with his prey by quizzing them on the subject of scary movies ( calling them first over the phone ), then killing them with a hunting knife when they give a wrong answer. The assailant conceals his/ or her identity by wearing a dark cloak and a Halloween mask resembling a screaming ghost. The cast also includes Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy, David Arquette ( playing the town deputy, Dewey Riley ), and Courtney Cox ( in the role of Gale Weathers, news reporter and author of the book on the subject of Sydney’s mother’s death ). Scream became such a book office success that two sequels soon followed: Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000). Both of these movies continued the character’s story arcs and the movie that was made about their lives, “Stab”.

Now, 2011,comes the release of Scream 4. This time out, the town of Woodsboro is rocked again by the double homicide of two young high school girls. The killer utilizes the same methods as the original Woodsboro killer ( Ghostface disguise, hunting knife, and cellphone ). Heading up the investigation is Dewey Riley ( who is now sheriff ) and married to Gale Weathers. Sydney Prescott has just arrived in town to start a book tour of her memoirs and when evidence linked to the murders is uncovered in her rental car, she becomes a suspect ( and is forced to stay in Woodsboro ). This time, the stakes are higher because it is Sydney’s niece Jill Roberts ( played by actress Emma Roberts ) and her friends ( played by Hayden Panetierre, Rory Culkin, Nico Torterella, Marielle Jaffe, and Erik Knudsen ) who are being hunted. As the body count gets higher, Sidney, Dewey, and Gale must race against time to catch the killer before tragedy strikes Sidney’s family again.

The one thing that made the first Scream movie unique from other slasher films of its kind was the level of self awareness ( especially in the character’s reactions to the events unfolding around them ). The characters in the film ( especially the “film geek” Randy Meeks, played by Jamie Kennedy ) would comment on how the situations they were in were like something out of a “scary movie”. The film was not just a straight up slasher movie, but also a commentary on traditional horror conventions. When Wes Craven directed the first “Nightmare on Elm Street” film and the third sequel “Dream Warriors”, he used the same structure as any other slasher film. When he was invited back to direct the sixth film in the series “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare”, however, his approach to the material was “out of the box”. The main characters of the film were not just Freddy Krueger and his victim Nancy, but their respective “real” world counterparts, actors Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp ) and the plot centered around the actual production of a new Nightmare movie. Two years after, in 1996, he directed the first “Scream”.

I went to see the fourth film with a friend of mine, Juan. When we started to discuss the series of Scream films, Juan asked me to place them in order of 1 ( being the one I liked the best ) to 4 ( being the worst of the series ). I answered that I liked the first Scream first, Scream 4 second, Scream 3 third, and Scream 2, the last. Truth be told, Scream 4 would have been a lot better if the second and third one were never made. The same self awareness that made the first one unique, had by then been beaten to death. Also, the return of the three principal cast members ( Campbell, Arquette, and Cox ) fifteen years later, would have had a more nostalgic feel to it ( if the other two sequels hadn’t marred the original by convoluting the back story to Sidney Prescott’s family history ). When Neve Campbell first appears on the screen in the fourth film, I should have had the same reaction as when I saw Jamie Lee Curtis in “Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later” ( when she came basic to reprise her iconic role of killer Michael Myer’s sister, Laurie Strode ). There are times when I think that some film franchises would “feel” better to us fans, if we could just drop the second and third sequels from our collective consciousness ( Die Hard, Halloween, Highlander, etc. ). Unfortunately, hindsight is not foresight.

Also, the film convention that Scream 4 seems to be “ripping apart” this time are remakes of classic horror movies and how filmmakers change the rules making them fresh and less predictable. It’s not as enticing as the ones being parodied in the first film. Before the movie started, I saw a trailer for an upcoming film called “Apollo 18” ( a movie about the supposedly last and secret lunar landing ). The movie utilizes the now popular “found footage” structure present in movies like “Blair Witch Project”,”Cloverfield”, and”Paranormal Activity”. For a second, I thought it would have been interesting to see a Scream movie produced in this vein. What makes this Scream film stand out this time is the killer’s motives behind the murders. The conclusion is logical and, at the same time, unsettling. All the character’s performances hit the right notes. Courtney Cox is especially funny this time out ( as well as “Mad Men”‘s Alison Brie in the role of Sidney’s publicist ). However, the standout in this film is Emma Roberts. She handles the young ingenue “scream queen” role just as well as Campbell or Curtis. Expect great things to come from this young actress. And I’m not saying that because her aunt is Julia Roberts and her father is Eric Roberts. Refrain from accusations of Hollywood nepotism, if you please.Trust me…..after this performance…….she doesn’t need to ride their coattails.

Sucker Punch

Rob

By Edward Gambichler

 

Sucker Punch

 

 

“…If you don’t stand for something……you’ll fall for anything”

….Wise Man (Sucker Punch)

 

 

A few years back, I remember hanging out with a friend of mine from work named Ragnar during our lunch break.  Ragnar was thumbing through the Victoria Secret Spring catalog and without so much as a word held up a picture of Stephanie Seymour adorned in a red satin teddy and shot me an approving nod. I, in turn, held up the swimsuit issue of Flex magazine showing a centerfold spread of female bodybuilding champ Rachel McLish giving it the same “ME LIKE, ME LIKE” approving nod. Ragnar turned to me and asked, “Hey Ed……..you love women who can beat the living s#!t out of you…..don’t you”?  I didn’t give him an answer, but my sly grin conveyed it. I’ve never made it a secret, my admiration for powerful women. Mind you, you’ll never catch me in a hotel room, handcuffed to the bed, getting my nether regions shocked with an electric cattle prod by a $300 an hour leather clad S & M bondage hooker named Mistress Andromeda ( then again……maybe you would…..hey….some of you out there are my “real” friends…..you know me….). However, I can certainly tolerate a little “female empowerment” in today’s cinema. Could you blame me. Just look at some of the films this particular theme has offered to us in the past. From director Russ Meyer’s “Faster, Pussycat Kill Kill”,

Jack Hills, “Switchblade Sisters”, and as recent as Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof” ( the second segment in the double feature film “Grindhouse” ), this sub-genre has provided us with not only a plethora of beautiful kick-ass babes, but also some of the most fun and campy film premises ever committed to celluloid. When news that one of my favorite directors, Zack Snyder was shooting a movie with an all female cast and calling it…..of all things…”Sucker Punch”….I couldn’t buy my ticket fast enough. And as the highly stylized character posters from the film were being distributed around the subway stations ( in the weeks leading up to the film’s release ), I couldn’t wait to see his contribution to this time honored female exploitation theme. That is….until I actually saw it….and either Zack Snyder or somebody at Warner Brothers dropped the ball.

Set in the 1950’s, Sucker Punch is the story of a young girl by the name of Baby Doll (played by actress Emily Browning). The movie starts with the tragic death of Baby Doll’s mother and she and her younger sister are left in the care of her lecherous and evil step-father. When the step-father learns that he is cheated out of the mother’s will, he decides to take his anger out by trying to molest the two girls. When Baby Doll locks herself in the closet, the step-father turns his attention to her younger sibling. However, Baby Doll gets her hands on a gun and shoots at her step-father to stop his rampage. Tragically, the bullet misses him and ricochets, killing her sister. As a result of the shooting, she is committed to an insane asylum. Upon arrival, Baby Doll overhears her step-father close a financial deal with the hospital’s head orderly Blue Jones (played with eerie menace by Oscar Isaac). In order to silence Baby Doll from testifying to the authorities regarding the real events surrounding her and her sister’s attack, Blue will forge the signature of the head therapist Dr. Vera Gorski ( played by Watchmen’s Carla Gugino ) to approve an lobotomy performed by the Doctor ( an underused Jon Hamm ). Baby Doll has five days until the Doctor comes and completes the procedure. In the all-female wing of this institution, Dr. Gorski has the girls participate in a sort of “theater” therapy group. It is in this group that the girls adopt a shared alternate psychological universe. In this reality, the hospital is transformed into a burlesque nightclub owned by the gangster Mr. Blue (actually orderly Jones ) and the girls are the house’s exotic dancers trained for the clientele’s pleasure by Madam Gorski ( Dr. Gorski ). It is here that Baby Doll befriends four other dancers: Rocket ( played by Jena Malone ), Blondie ( played by Vanessa Hudgens ), Amber ( played by Jamie Chung ), and Rocket’s big sister and the club’s main dancer, Sweet Pea ( played by Abbie Cornish ). It is also in this setting that Baby Doll discovers a valuable talent for spellbinding dancing. With the clock ticking away till her inevitable appointment with the lobotomist, Baby Doll plans her escape from the club with her new “sisters”. In order to escape, they must retrieve four items from their orderlies/ employers: a map, a knife, fire, and a key. To obtain them, Baby Doll must dance and place each of their holders under a spell while the five girls do battle with hostile forces across four alternate fantasy worlds guided by a Wise Man ( played by actor Scott Glenn ).

 

Now on to the positives it’s a Zack Snyder film. The man who directed “Dawn of the Dead”, “300”, and what many have considered to be an impossible film to make, “Watchmen”. As a visualist, he ranks up there with Victor Fleming, Ridley Scott, and Tim Burton to name a few. The range of his palette is reflected in the set pieces of the fantasy battlefields (ranging from feudal samurai Japan, WWII goth steampunk, to Barbarella-esque futuristic Metropolis). The fight scenes are also well choreographed and emphasized by the “slo-mo” technique that has become Snyder’s staple. And I have to give special mention to the film’s soundtrack. It contains some truly exceptional covers to classic songs like Eurythmic’s “Sweet Dreams” (in the opening scene), Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit (during the WWII segment ), and my own personal favorite, The Pixies “Where Is My Mind?”. What is also surprising is that the covers “Sweet Dreams” and “Where Is My Mind” contain vocals by lead actress Emily Browning. She has a lovely voice which lends a soft melancholy vibe to these traditionally off-kilter tracks.

Unfortunately, of the five actresses, only Emily Browning and Jena Malone’s characters really stand out. This theatrical release is only one hour and forty nine minutes long. The other actresses’ characters are not strong personalities and they disappear into the background. I don’t blame the actresses, but the way their roles were written for the screen. According to interviews with Zack Snyder, the studio made extensive cuts and trimmed the movie from an R-rated to a PG-13 Rated release. However, a Director’s Cut will be made available for DVD and Blu-Ray release and that, as a reviewer, leaves me in a quandary. It’s hard to render a final judgment on a film or a director’s capabilities, based upon a studio edit. I and other reviewers run the risk of being too harsh on a film only to put our feet in our collective mouths when a re-release proves we “jumped the gun” in our initial negative assessment. I did not think too highly of Mark Steven Johnson’s theatrical version of “Daredevil”, but his Director’s Cut made it a different viewing experience altogether ( lending the movie a more nuanced tone ).

Another problem with this film in regards to a fantasy genre film-maker of Snyder’s stature is that its subject matter has given him too much to work with. Not to say the CGI in this film is not impressive……it is just too much. After awhile, the effects have a tendency to take the audience out of the film due to sensory overload (making a PS3 fed generation of movie-goers especially susceptible). There isn’t a particular “money shot” that stands out from the rest of the scenes. What Snyder needs to do is take a step back in his next film, like Tim Burton did with “Ed Wood” and concentrate on substance rather than presentation. The one director who seems to be immune from this overindulgence is Christopher Nolan (who’s dream within a dream narrative in “Inception” worked better and made more sense than the structure in this film).

Nolan’s emphasis is on large scale physical effects and it gives real weight to it’s surroundings and the characters that appear within. And last, the dark and somber mood to this film has torpedoed my initial hopes for a real fun and carefree femme fatale fest. I wish this level of CGI and Zack Snyder were around in the 60’s or 80’s. A sort of Mamie Van Doren meets “Tank Girl” hybrid, instead of Avril Lavigne meets Marilyn Manson. I like my “good girls gone” BAD, not MANIC DEPRESSIVE SUICIDAL.

Red Riding Hood:Review

Rob

By Edward Gambichler

Red Riding Hood

 

“…What big eyes you have……”

Valerie ( Red Riding Hood )

 

In answer to the eternal question posed to fans of the series of Twilight films,  “Which team are you a member of….Team Edward ( vampires ) or Team Jacob ( werewolves )….I have to place myself firmly in the latter’s corner.  Not that I’m desperate to see Taylor Lautner with his shirt off anytime soon, ( although…gotta admit…the guy is buff…) I just sympathize more with the werewolf’s lot in life. It all goes back to Lon Chaney Jr.’s tragic performance as the doomed lycanthrope Larry Talbot in Universal Pictures “The Wolfman” ( released in 1941 ). Lycanthropy is more or less viewed as a curse the victim does not ask for. The human lycanthrope ( usually afflicted by the bite of another werewolf ) is unable to halt the change that comes upon it during a full moon cycle.  And as depicted in pop culture (  the 1981 movie ” American Werewolf in London” and the original BBC TV series “Being Human ), this change is not without a considerable amount of physical agony. He / or she also cannot control their actions in their lycan forms nor the killing of innocent victims and must bear the guilt and horror of being the cause of their deaths.  However, I mostly side with werewolves because I’m so sick and tired of vampires complaining about living forever and having abilities 10x times that of any normal human being……as well as being irresistible to women.

 

In literature, the Wolf is often portrayed as an antagonist to the hero or heroine. Examples can be found in stories such as  “Peter and the Wolf” and “The Three Little Pigs”. The most recognizable of these stories is “Little Red Riding Hood”, made popular by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. In this fairy tale, a young red cloaked Girl, on her way to her Grandmother’s house, is confronted by a hungry Wolf. The Wolf does not want to eat her in the open, so he suggests she go pick some flowers. The Wolf then steals away to her Grandmother’s house, consumes the old lady, then dresses up in her clothes and waits for the young Girl. When she finally arrives, the Girl mistakes the Wolf for her Grandmother. However, she grows suspicious about her Grandmother’s change in appearance ( she has larger eyes, larger nose, and teeth ). Before the Wolf can pounce on the Girl, a Hunter enters the house just in time and shoots the Wolf.

 

In the movie “Red Riding Hood” ( directed by “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke ), this time the werewolves are given the tortured romanticized facelift. In this adaptation of the popular folktale, Valerie ( the red cloaked heroine played by Amanda Seyfried ) is in love with the woodcutter Peter ( Shiloh Fernandez ). Unfortunately for the two lovers, Valerie’s parents, Cesaire and Suzette ( played by Billy Burke and Virginia Madsen ) promised her hand in marriage to Henry Lazar ( Max Irons ) in order to pay off a debt to his wealthy father, Adrian ( Michael Shanks ). Valerie and Peter decide to run away together, but their plans are tragically cut short by the vicious killing of Valerie’s sister, Lucy. It seems that similar killings have been attributed in the past by a powerful Werewolf. However, the townspeople had reached an agreement with the beast and monthly sacrifices had been offered to it in exchange for them being spared his hunger. The men of the town form a hunting party and soon capture and kill a large grey wolf ( thinking it is the culprit ). However, the local magistrate and experienced witch hunter, Father Solomon ( played by Gary Oldman ) arrives in town with an infantry of soldiers and deduces that the real Wolf is still at large ( stating that if the grey wolf were indeed a true werewolf then he would have reverted to his “human” form once killed ). And that not only is the real Wolf still at large, but that he is actually one of the townspeople.

First off, let me begin by stating the positive aspects of this film. The cinematography is beautiful and lush and the production design is a match for it. Also, Amanda Seyfried makes for a capable lead and the camera loves her. So few of today’s actresses are as capably photographed as Miss Seyfried is by this film’s cinematographer ( with my own personal gold standard example being Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” ).

Unfortunately, as far as an adaptation of the popular folktale of Little Red Riding Hood goes, this film falls short. The “whodunit murder mystery” aspect of the film feels forced as well as obvious and the same themes of forbidden love were already explored by Hardwicke in the first Twilight movie. Nothing new is being added to the  formula and not even the prestige of a brilliant actor of Gary Oldman’s class can lift this production. Also, today’s special effects teams have veered away from traditional physical makeup appliances to depict werewolves and instead rely on CGI depictions ( making the film’s Wolf look like something out of a “Big Boss” level in a PS3 video game ).

Gone are the brilliant effects that made “The Howling” and “American Werewolf in London” the classic films that they were. If you really want to see the story of Little Red Riding Hood done right, I suggest renting the movie “The Company of Wolves”starring Angela Lansbury as the Grandmother

( a 1984 film by Neil Jordan, director of “The Crying Game” ). This movie not only offers a unique take on the fairy tale but also goes deep into the folklore and myths associated with Lycanthropy. However, if you really want to treat yourself to a true “out of the box” depiction of this classic fairytale then look no further than the dementedly skewed dark comedy 1996 film “Freeway”,

starring Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland ( in the roles of the Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf characters respectively ). This re-imagining is pure genius and Sutherland’s take on the Wolf is no less inspired. It is Reese Witherspoon, however, who steals this movie and she is a revelation. Although she is known primarily today for her numerous high profile dramatic turns and rom-com roles, this earlier performance of hers just happens to be my personal favorite. I dare anyone watching this film to name another actress in recent history who could have “knocked it out of the ballpark” in the way Miss Witherspoon does in this one. She is, as they say, an absolute “hoot”!

The Adjustment Bureau

Rob 1 Comment

Review by Edward Gambichler

The Adjustment Bureau

“You can’t outrun your fate, David”

– Terence Stamp, The Adjustment Bureau ( 2011 )

In the two months of being a member of the staff of AlternativeMindz.com , I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of an exceptionally creative group of people ( whom I also have the honor of calling my friends ). And not only that, but I also get to contribute to this (in the words of the great philosopher and part-time pharmacist Charlie Sheen) EPIC collaboration by doing something that has long been close to my heart: watching and discussing films. I’ve written three movie reviews for the site so far. And when I write up these reviews……my only goal is to be hopefully as in depth and unique in my opinions as the movies I am discussing. For the “casual film-goer” who is asked to describe a film he/or she has seen, one of the most common phrases used in order to accomplish this task is “It’s like Movie A meets Movie B”. As a “film-lover” who takes great pleasure in dissecting a film’s themes, I am loathe to provide my fellow aficionados with so ham-handed and shallow a description. Unfortunately, I must fly in the face of my own approach and describe the subject of my fourth review…The Adjustment Bureau……as “An Affair to Remember” meets “Dark City” meets “Matrix Reloaded“.

I’d like to be able to say that the fault rests with me and my “oversimplified” view towards today’s box office releases. Unfortunately, the movie industry has not made it easier for me by sticking to time worn plot devices and genres. As I said to my good friend, Juan (and what would already be obvious to you), original films (ones consisting of a unique idea, plot, direction, or theme you have not come across before) are few and far between. Movie B is either derivative, a pointless sequel to, or an outright remake of Movie A. Although you are confidant you’ve never seen The Adjustment Bureau, it will no doubt strike several familiar chords.

The movie centers around a young up and coming politician named David Norris ( played by actor Matt Damon ) whose campaign for the New York Senate seat is derailed when questionable photographs of a drunken barroom “mooning” episode from his wild past come back to haunt him. Afterwards, he finds out he has dropped significantly from the polls and has lost the election to his older opponent. While rehearsing his concession speech in a men’s bathroom, he is startled by an enchanting young woman named Elise (played by actress Emily Blunt) who snuck in to use one of the stalls. To say their attraction to each other is strong is an understatement. and not only does David get a kiss from the young lady, but a second wind in the form of inspiration from his brief hookup. His concession speech goes from a humbling admission of defeat to a rousing and honest promise to bounce back and further pursue his political future.  From there, his Life is back on track and everything goes according to plan. Not David’s plan as we find out………but the Plan that has been implemented by a god-like being known as the “Chairman”. The race of human-like beings ( who are distinguishable in appearance from other humans only by the fedoras they wear ) who serve the Chairman to guide humans like David along their individual Path are referred to as simply, The Adjustment Bureau. They are the ones who are really in control of our reality and who make sure all the events in our lives are engineered towards the execution of this Plan.

David is  derailed from his Path one day,  however, when his assigned Adjuster Harry ( played by actor Anthony Mackie ) falls asleep and misses guiding David though a crucial window.  It is within this unexpected gap of time that David bumps into Elise again on a downtown bus (an event that was not supposed to happen ). The attraction between them is still palpable and she gives him her phone number. However, Harry was supposed to delay David and Norris arrives in his office ten minutes earlier than what was planned. There he is a witness to a bizarre event unfolding….. his co-workers and his best friend and campaign manager Charlie, frozen in place……while a team of Adjusters led by a man named Richardson (  actor John Slattery of Mad Men fame ) fine tune their victims memories and choices. When David observes the surreal scene unfolding him, he flees the office with the Adjusters giving chase. Despite his best efforts to shake them ( every time David seems to turn a corner………an Adjuster is there waiting for him..), they finally corner him and they take them into their custody. Knowing they have no other choice ( now that Norris has seen too much )…….they divulge their entire existence to David. Richardson informs Norris that he and his political ambitions are an important part of the Chairman’s Grand Plan. Unfortunately for David, and his budding romance, Elise was only suppose to inspire his rebound speech…….and that was the extent of her role.  However, David ( who is still infatuated with Elise ) is unwilling to acknowledge the stakes of his role in the Plan. He is then informed that if he does not turn away from a Life with Elise…..not only will he jeopardize his future in politics…..but her dreams of being a famous dancer.

However, the attraction David feels for her is so powerful that he’ll risk everything he has to try to manipulate the forces and events surrounding him so he can keep Elise in his Life. In order to do that, he must go on the run with Elise, find the Chairman and convince him to forge a different Plan for the two……with a determined team of Adjusters hot on their trail.

This film is based on famous sci-fi novelist Philip K. Dick’s short story Adjustment Team. And like the majority of film adaptions of Dick’s work….it is “loosely” based. Dick is one of those rare authors whose story concepts and central ideas translate well to film……but not his overall tone. With the exception of Blade Runner and A Scanner Darkly…….most of these adaptations had to take on some of the aforementioned time worn devices to make it palatable to general audiences. With Total Recall…..it was an Action film.  With Minority Report….it was a Chase film. And finally with the Adjustment Bureau….we have the Love Story.

Unfortunately, we have seen some of the themes present here in other movies already. In Dark City the world is populated by sinister beings who can manipulate humans ( much like the Adjusters ) in order to make them respond in ways they dictate.  The Adjusters, in this film, utilize inter-dimensional doorways to travel from one geographical location to another (much like the corridors programs use to travel between two digital worlds (as in Matrix Reloaded). All in all………there is nothing that really makes this film stand out in the science fiction genre. People will likely recall this film ten years from now, but, it will not be first on anyone’s minds when they are asked to name the top sci-fi films of all time.

What this movie does benefit from is the extraordinary amount of onscreen chemistry between the two leads, Damon and Blunt. Damon has a gift for providing a relaxed atmosphere and rapport with his female co-stars (much like with Vera Farmiga in The Departed ). Based on their performances alone, this film would probably have found better success as a normal rom-com or drama ( without the sci-fi element ). Hopefully, this will not be the last screen pairing of the two.

Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he’s ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York. On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)-a woman like none he’s ever known. But just as he realizes he’s falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself-the men of The Adjustment Bureau-who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path.

Silent Bob in the Breakfast Club

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Silent Bob in the Breakfast Club

this was posted on www.popculturenetwork.com forums June 1 2010

Many of you here on the PCN forums know me as Rob Base, but what a lot of you may not know is that I have been active in the indie film scene now for the better part of ten years. I am currently working on my second feature film.  What does that have to do with Silent Bob?

Maybe almost nothing, but Kevin Smith has been a huge influence on me as a writer/director.

Watching someone like Kevin make a film about losers and stoners at a convenience store makes me realize that there is an audience looking for more than gun shots and cheap humor.

All this time Kevin talks about how much John Hughes affected him as a filmmaker. I never saw it before until I re-watched the Breakfast Club with my wife this past Memorial Day.

I see all the archetype standards usually seen in a Hughes film. None more so than Allison (Ally Sheedy) as the basket case. The non-verbal-hiding-her-body outcast who follows the others just because she has nothing better to do on her Saturday.

But how is this like Silent Bob? Simple, the first time I notice the similarities was in the running around trying to get to Judd Nelson’s locker before the principal sees them. All of them doing this Scooby Doo inspired dash around the halls. If you have ever seen Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back, it’s in there as well as in Mallrats.

There is one scene in particular where they are running back and forth and Allison is just leaning against the lockers. If you put a hat on her it’s Silent Bob all the way

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As for the wisdom that Silent Bob inflicts every once in a while …i.e. Clerks and Chasing Amy, one has to simply look to the scene where the Club wants Claire (Molly Ringwald) to open up and she won’t or can’t. Then Allison tells her tales of sex and what can only be called abuse by a therapist until Claire confesses.

Granted, the basket case then tells everyone that she was a compulsive liar. But who’s to say Bob isn’t lying. His hetero life mate, Jay, never once seen anything that Bob claims to have done.

But looking back on a simple film like the Breakfast Club and what it represents as a movie and a culture, it is nothing short of amazing and if it’s good enough to inspire Kevin Smith, it’s good enough to be seen by anyone at any time.