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July 10, 2009

Days of Glory (Indigènes)

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2006, action, drama, entertainment, foreign, historical, movies, trailers, war | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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Directed by French-Algerian Rachid Bouchareb, Days of Glory is an exciting, action-packed war movie that many will consider akin to Saving Private Ryan or other combat adventure pictures. But there’s a difference here, as Bouchareb’s heroes are couched in a sense of historical injustice that has continued on into modern day France.

Days of Glory was the Algerian nominee for the Best Foreign Language Oscar and won an acting ensemble award at Cannes. It is a powerful, well-acted movie that tells a distinctive, easy-to-follow ensemble story. Bouchareb does well to shoot the performers and the settings, drawing the viewer in with a realistic but not overly bloody portrayal of World War II and the North African soldiers who fought on the side of the French.

The French title for the picture, Indigènes, is a term for the hundreds of thousands of colonial African soldiers who fought for the French in the War. They were Algerians, Tunisians, and Moroccan natives and many were Muslims. Enrolled in the French First Army of the Free French Forces, these men were tasked with liberating the motherland after Nazi occupation. The film chronicles the formation of the crew and highlights many of the campaigns they fought through Italy and France.

In an ensemble picture such as this, there’s no single plotline that springs to the foreground. Instead we experience this group of men as they should be. We are transported into their world and we experience the sights and sounds they experience. The performers bring the characters to life skilfully and passionately.

Among the characters are Saïd Otmari (Jamel Debbouze), an illiterate peasant with rough edges, Sgt. Martinez (Bernard Blancan), a straightforward leader-type who enlists Saïd as a sort of personal assistant, marksman Messaoud (Roschdy Zem), a man who considers himself unlucky until he meets a French girl (Aurélie Eltvedt), and Abdelkader (Sami Bouajila), a natural leader and intellectual who unofficially leads the group. Brothers Yassir (Samy Naceri) and Larbi (Asaad Bouab) steal from corpses and have joined the army to make money.

The story is unique in that it features characters fighting for a France that they have not experienced. They are fighting for a land that they perhaps will never go to, except on missions of liberation, and they are fighting for a people that likely consider them to be second-class human beings. The grungy treatment of the men is highlighted by a particularly powerful scene involving tomatoes and a small rebellion with the aim of treating all men equal.

The film closes informing us that injustice from the War continues on in the lives of the surviving North Africans. It tells us of the decolonization of Africa and how the French government froze pensions and benefits for the wounded for those soldiers who fought on their behalf in World War II from colonies. This occurred in 1959 as the countries began to win their independence. Former French President Jacques Chirac saw Days of Glory in 2006 and abruptly changed the policy to ensure that the pensions were paid.

Days of Glory is an important picture. The resulting justice drawn from the picture is hard to ignore, of course, and Bouchareb’s skill for shooting the piece is well worth a look. The performances are good without overshadowing the subject matter or showing off and the sense of adventure and danger are very real. For a slightly different take on the ensemble war adventure film, check out Days of Glory (Indigènes).

8.6/10

Trailer:

 

July 5, 2009

Watchmen

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2009, action, drama, entertainment, movies, science fiction, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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One of the great things about the superhero genre, when done right, is that it explores what ordinary people do when given extraordinary powers or circumstances to deal with. Alan Moore created the limited series Watchmen in the mid-80s, developing a compelling story about former vigilantes in a world where the United States and the Soviet Union are dealing with rising tensions. Moore’s piece is widely recognized as one of the greatest books of all time.

But Moore, after bad experiences with From Hell and A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, turned his back to Hollywood and never wished to return. He swore off of film projects of his works, choosing instead to give any cut of financial gain to Watchmen and V for Vendetta artist Dave Gibbons. As such, Moore’s name does not appear in the opening credits of the film.

Zack Snyder, director of 300, does a great job pulling this massive work together and snugly places it in a well-paced, well-delivered 162 minutes. He proves himself to be a capable director, using many of the same action shots from 300 but adding a sense of depth to the locations and passion for the characters. Snyder, strangely dubbed as a “visionary” in the film’s press, might prove to be one hell of a talent someday.

Watchmen introduces us to a parallel universe where Richard Nixon (Robert Wisden) is still the President of the United States thanks to a law passed to eradicate term limits. The America we’re shown features superheroes, of course, operating under the restraints of their humanity. The world is dangerous, with nuclear war predicted by the Doomsday Clock and Nixon’s recent outlawing of “superhero activity.” The bastard.

The story sets up with the murder of Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) by an unknown force. This draws other superheroes, a team called the Watchmen, together to figure out what’s going on. Each brings his or her past to the table in solving the mystery and each wonders who’s next to die. Interestingly, only one of the Watchmen appears to have superpowers in the literal sense. He is Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) and he lives outside of space and time. He’s blue.

The Watchmen also include the world’s smartest man Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), the Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), Rorshach (Jackie Earl Haley), and Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman). Each character has his or her own cross to bear. In the case of Silk Spectre II, she has to live up to her own mother, the first Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino). There are interesting family dynamics, compelling back stories, and the final matter of figuring out just what the hell is going on.

The plot is labyrinthine and broad in scope, yet it remains entirely understandable on screen. Snyder does a remarkable job composing this symphony of characters, placing their stories and their histories where they ought to go. Because he takes his time with the project and is meticulous in his approach, we are able to get to know each character and, subsequently, care about where they’ve been and where they’re headed.

The beauty of Watchmen lies in the fact that Snyder chooses to dwell on the contradictions presented by these characters. They are more than mere anti-heroes, which is ultimately Moore’s doing, but Snyder doesn’t hide from their realities and keeps them concise, clear visions of opposition and passion. We learn of relationships between characters, flaws, and nihilistic attitudes towards humanity and damn near everything else. And we learn of this substance without sacrificing one iota of Snyder’s action-packed style.

Snyder’s typical slow-mo action sequence style is evolved somewhat here, although he utilizes many of the same tricks from 300. The scenes have a visceral quality and are given time to develop. They are creatively choreographed and often gory, lending more darkness and depth to the storyline. Even within the action sequences, we are treated to characters that kill indiscriminately for different reasons.

Watchmen is one of my favourite comic book movies. It is enthralling, intelligent, and briskly-paced. Snyder’s work is good and his delivery of the complex storyline eclipses The Dark Knight and Iron Man in terms of depth and thought. There’s a lot to like about Watchmen and a lot going on, but that’s nothing several repeat viewings won’t fix in a hurry.

9.1/10

Trailer:

 

June 27, 2009

Sanjuro

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1962, action, adventure, comedy, entertainment, foreign, historical, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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Akira Kurosawa’s 1962 film Sanjuro is a tremendously enjoyable action-comedy led by a terrific performance (as usual) by Toshirō Mifune and a whole lot of clever fun. The movie is the sequel to 1961’s Yojimbo, a Kurosawa classic that starred Mifune as a wandering nameless ronin. Yojimbo was reflective of the early “Man with No Name” storylines, offering up a sort of antihero without a clear identity to step into a problem situation, solve it, and head on his merry way.

Sanjuro picks up our nomadic ronin (Mifune) in interesting fashion. In essence, Mifune’s character simply appears out of a side room during a critical opening scene in which a group of samurai discuss corruption in their clan. Kurosawa’s tale is based on Shūgorō Yamamoto’s short story Peaceful Days and deals with concepts of youthful exuberance as relates to patience and cleverness.

As the story unfolds, we start to learn that these nine young samurai misunderstand who the real mastermind behind the corruption is. They act hastily and are often saved by this mysterious ronin who has arrived to help them. The young samurai are divided as to what they think of this character, often electing to go about their own plans to discover the source of corruption and rescue the chamberlain (Yûnosuke Itô).

Along the way, there is a rescue of the chamberlain’s cheerfully unaware wife (Takako Irie) and daughter (Reiko Dan) that changes the entire dynamic of the crew thanks to their feminine influences. The two women take issue with the ronin’s use of violence to solve problems, for instance, and suggest an alternative to the traditional “burning down the house” signal that results in one of the movie’s funniest conversations.

Sanjuro is one of Kurosawa’s escapist films. It brims with vigour, clocks in at slightly over 90 minutes, and races with a brisk, oft-hilarious pace. Mifune makes everything work accordingly thanks to his captivating portrayal of the nameless ronin. His expressions are timeless, his energy is contagious, and his knack for napping while the nine samurai race around makes for some seriously funny sequences.

Kurosawa shoots his film flawlessly, as expected, and is effortlessly captures the geometry and beauty of various segments with glee. Kurosawa seems to take divine pleasure in shooting the formation of young samurai as they sit in a straight row and juxtaposing that with Mifune’s ronin as he slumps, snoozes, and slurs through the picture. It’s a compelling portrait of social order meeting, well, a guy who does whatever the hell he wants.

The music is especially noteworthy, too. Provided by Masaru Satô, there are some truly interesting and unique moments throughout the film’s score. When the nine samurai celebrate a certain breakthrough along with a captured enemy, for instance, the Satô offers bright horns playing a jaunty tune that certainly doesn’t belong in such a period piece. Other places feature extravagant, rolling strings while more understated pieces punctuate the film’s important moments.

Sanjuro is interesting not only because of its accessibility but because of its forceful juxtaposition and extravagance. When the ronin takes on the film’s final battle against Hanbei (Tatsuya Nakadai), there is an explosion of sudden bloodshed and violence that the rest of the movie lacked. Is this a symbol of some sort? What is Kurosawa illustrating about the violence at this point and time? Mifune’s ronin is not celebratory. Instead he suggests that he and his adversary are alike, telling the samurai that “the best sword stays in its sheath.” Indeed.

9.8/10

Trailer:

 

June 22, 2009

Fight Back to School

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1991, action, comedy, crime, entertainment, foreign, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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As a superstar of Hong Kong entertainment, Stephen Chow is the master of mo-lei-tau comedy. Mo-lei-tau can be translated to mean “with no source” or “makes no sense.” Chow, typical for mo-lei-tau comedy, uses a lot of double entendres, puns, and nonsensical parodies and contrasts in his films. If you’ve seen Kung Fu Hustle or Shaolin Soccer, you have a rough idea as to what mo lei tau can be.

But for a real sense of Chow using mo-lei-tau to a more understanding target audience, you need to dig back further in Chow’s career. That’s where 1991’s Fight Back to School comes in. A nonsense comedy in just about every sense of the word, Fight Back to School can be a little tricky at first. In Hong Kong, however, it was extremely popular and spawned two sequels and a spin-off.

Directed by Gordon Chan, Fight Back to School is one of Chow’s more successful films. He stars as Star Chow, a cop about to be kicked off the force. Luckily the police commissioner (Barry Wong) gives him one last chance after he loses his gun. The clues to the gun’s whereabouts lead to the Edinburgh High School in Hong Kong, so it’s up to Star Chow to go undercover as a student to find the thing.

Star is partnered with Uncle Tat (Ng Man-Tat), an aging police detective already stationed at the school. The mission is further complicated by the usual trappings of high school, but luckily Star Chow makes a friend in Turtle Wong (Gabriel Wong) and falls in love with the school’s guidance counsellor Miss Ho (Sharla Cheung). Once a gang involved in arms-dealing is discovered in the school, it’s up to Star Chow and Uncle Tat to spring into action.

The slapstick is really the top selling point for Fight Back to School. There’s not much point in ruminating about the plot or its details, nor is there any real character development or great script to speak of. Fight Back to School is simply a very zany comedy, done up Hong Kong-style with a little touch of action and gunplay to help wrap up the plot’s loose ends (somewhat) during the final frames.

Chow is entertaining as Star Chow, as you’d probably expect. His command of slapstick is very amusing, from battling with flying chalk erasers to attempting to play hero during the movie’s final action sequence. Chow as Chow is convincing, too, and his facial expressions help give us a sense of who he is without unnecessary monologues or “why me?” speeches. Instead, Chow’s proof is in the pudding and his interactions with the other characters tell us all we need to know.

Fans of Hong Kong cinema, especially some of Jackie Chan’s stuff, will catch a lot of the parodies in Fight Back to School. The opening sequence is lifted from Chan’s bizarre Sammo Hung-directed Heart of Dragon, while another scene owes a lot to Police Story. The entire premise of the picture is based somewhat on 1987’s Hiding Out, a comedy about a stock broker hiding out in a high school.

For a real sense of mo-lei-tau and a great look at the master of the nonsense comedy genre in Hong Kong, Fight Back to School is the best place to start. It is fast-paced, hilarious, oft-perplexing, and out-and-out silly like a Looney Tunes cartoon. It’s a great precursor to the hilariously awesome Kung Fu Hustle, too, and demonstrates why Stephen Chow is so popular in Hong Kong.

7.6/10

Trailer: (sorry, no subtitles):

 

June 4, 2009

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2009, action, adventure, drama, entertainment, fantasy, movies, science fiction, thrillers, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Built on a foundation of wild and woolly fun, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is way better than it has any business being. Directed by Gavin Hood, the South African filmmaker behind the incredible Tsotsi, this is one superhero movie that plays the angles properly and comes across with a neat story bolstered by good performances and some pretty exciting action sequences.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a background story of the popular Marvel Comics superhero. Writer David Benioff used the Weapon X storyline from Barry Windsor-Smith as well as Chris Claremont’s comic series from 1982. In some ways, the movie could be considered a prequel to the X-Men series of films. The X-Men Origins series is expected to take off, too, with several other characters receiving their own planned features.

Hugh Jackman stars as the titular character. We are given some set-up, of course, that includes the first appearance of his claws back when he was a child (Troye Sivan) in 1845. The claws, originally made of bone, send young James fleeing with his brother Victor Creed (Michael-James Olsen). The two grow up together, with Victor (Liev Schreiber) and James fighting in various wars and eventually joining up with a man named Stryker (Danny Huston) in order to more effectively use their talents.

Stryker operates Team X, a group of mutants. Eventually, James leaves the group due to their disregard for the consequences of their actions and heads off to the Canadian Rockies to live. He changes his name to Logan and lives with Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins) in relative harmony. One day, however, their peaceful lives are changed forever when Victor reappears and causes some trouble. This leads Logan to dedicate his life to revenge and he goes back to Stryker for help. Stryker infuses him with adamantium and Wolverine heads out on his quest for revenge, only to discover that nothing is quite what it seems.

 The cast of characters is a lot of fun, with Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), John Wraith (will.i.am), Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds and Scott Adkins), Bradley (Dominic Monaghan), and Blob (Kevin Durand) all factoring in. We also get early looks at Cyclops/Scott Summers (Tim Pocock), Emma Frost (Tahyna Tozzi), and Charles Xavier (a digitally enhanced Patrick Stewart).

Hood is a capable, exciting director and he proves that he can handle a blockbuster built with tonnes of explosive action sequences. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is fast-paced and exhilarating, with very few breaks in the stimulation. Hood keeps things moving at a fair click, even infusing some of the duller back-story sequences with frenetic energy. At the same time, he isn’t overzealous or showy.

The casting is great, with Jackman leading the charge as a brilliant and amusing Wolverine. He is a character to root for and his pain is more emotional than physical, clearly. We are made aware of his vulnerabilities and, as such, are presented with an incredibly human character. Wolverine/Logan has issues with trusting people, rightly so, and is presented as a man who has had his world taken away from him. He is to be used as an object of destruction, but his conscience won’t allow it.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a well-tuned summer blockbuster. It isn’t needy, it isn’t top-loaded with speeches and tedious moralizing, it isn’t overly long, and it offers glossy, cool action sequences with great frequency. The fight scenes are enjoyable, the one-liners are clever and entertaining, and the plot holes are easy enough to ignore thanks to some great acting and cool special effects. It’s far from the best superhero movie ever made (that one goes to Spider-Man 2, of course), but it’s a lot of fun without being too heavy.

7.7/10

Trailer:

 

May 15, 2009

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2009, action, comedy, crime, entertainment, family, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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There’s really no reason on earth to take Paul Blart: Mall Cop the least bit serious. This is an inoffensive, cute, amusing, entertaining little comedy that performed extremely well at the box office considering its lack of A-list stars and crude humour. It was panned by critics, to be sure, with a few exceptions like Roger Ebert spotting what was really going on with the Steve Carr-directed comedy and letting it go for a few laughs.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop comes courtesy of producer Adam Sandler and has that typical Happy Madison Productions vibe with a bit of a family movie spin. Indeed, Blart lacks the crudeness of the majority of today’s modern comedies and actually preserves a touch of slapstick for modern audiences while still being self-aware enough to pass off as decent. Naturally Carr’s movie isn’t an earth-shattering piece of cinema, but it never sets out to be. As to what it does set out to accomplish, it’s pretty safe to say that Blart lands the target.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop features Kevin James in his first feature film starring role. James, who most people will recognize from the television series King of Queens, does a pretty darn good job carrying this comedy and has the charisma and physical comedy chops to garner some big laughs. And I’ll say this, perhaps just to beef up the controversy: he makes for a much, much better comedic leading man than Seth Rogen. Yeah, take that.

James stars as the title character and he’s a lovable lug. We meet Blart as he’s training to become a police officer in New Jersey. Unfortunately he fails at the last minute after collapsing from hypoglycaemia. He is shown to be a competent candidate, however, and it appears that his condition is all that is keeping him from a career as a police officer. Blart heads back to his job as a mall security guard and life continues as normal.

Blart apparently lives with his mother (Shirley Knight) and his daughter Maya (Raini Rodriguez). Maya was left to Blart after her mother ran out on him once she got her green card. Blart is working on getting back into the dating scene and he develops somewhat of a crush on the cute wig girl Amy (Jayma Mays). He also must train a new employee, Veck Sims (Keir O’Donnell), who eventually turns out to have something to do with a ridiculous plot to steal from the mall. It is Blart who winds up needing to spring into action to save Amy and the mall from sure destruction…or something.

The plot is ridiculous enough, but it gives James enough room to rumble as he fires up his Segway and springs into action to take on the mall baddies. He utilizes plenty of mall goodies, too, and gets creative with a venting system. Using the continuity of Blart’s hypoglycaemia, we’re able to feel as though there is some risk to the action sequences as well and this thickens up the movie somewhat.

Overall, however, most people are going to check out a film like Paul Blart: Mall Cop for the laughs and there are plenty of those. James makes for a great physical comedian, knowing how to draw the line effectively and never overcooking his sequences. He does well as an awkward oaf, too, and comes across as genuinely likeable. It is easy to cheer for his Paul Blart and it feels good when he prevails, if even for a moment. The relationship between Amy and Paul may be blown off by some cynics as being unrealistic, but who cares? It’s a movie.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop demonstrates that comedies can still be made without copious amounts of rude humour and profanity. It is preposterous, fun, and ultimately satisfying and I wouldn’t mind seeing a franchise spring out from James’ character. With such great box office results, I think you can bet on a second run through and I, for one, wouldn’t mind a bit.

7.3/10

Trailer:

 

May 12, 2009

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2000, action, adventure, drama, entertainment, fantasy, foreign, movies, romance, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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Built on a theme of resistance to gender inequality, Ang Lee’s 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon builds the fourth novel in Wang Dulu’s Crane-Iron Pentalogy into a terrific motion picture. Lee, known for his patience and carefully constructed films, is well in control of this film and delivers breath-taking action sequences with minimal special effects alongside two deeply meaningful love stories and a slight critique of the conception of ancient patriarchal roles.

In placing three female characters in prominent ass-kicking roles, Lee is making no bones about what his Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is really all about. We have Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei) denied entrance to the legendary Wudan monastery on the basis of her gender, so she steals the training manual from the master after poisoning him. Her determination to learn the skills herself propels her bitter journey through life.

We also have Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi) as a young woman on the verge of her wedding. Her life is firmly out of her hands, apparently, and she wishes to be free from the role her family has assigned to her. When she talks to wandering warriors, she is envious of their existence and their freedom. When she is taken captive in the desert by Dark Cloud (Chang Chen) she falls in love with him and becomes engrossed in his lifestyle despite a necessity to return to how things were. She also threatens the male-dominated structure by stealing the Green Destiny, a legendary sword passed among male warriors.

Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) is the third female leading character. Her love for the hero Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) remains hidden much in the same way his reciprocated feelings remain hidden. But she is respectful of the male-dominated world, advising Jen Yu to maintain a sense of order towards her family and generally follow the rules. She doesn’t challenge the limitations of the power structure, especially those that cause her love for Li Mu Bai to go unrequited, and in this she is ironically the film’s most passive character.

Merely categorizing Lee’s picture as a martial arts film is an error, I think. This is much more than that, yet the martial arts are beautiful and akin to musical numbers in a theatre production. They highlight what we already know and draw a more dynamic portrait of some of the story’s emotional complexities. Consider, for instance, when Yu Shu Lien fights Jen Yu the second time. Yu Shu Lien loses control and fights forcefully, swinging heavy weapons in her direction and even losing her balance attempting to manipulate one. This occurs because she is, in her mind, protecting the honour of Li Mu Bai.

Yuen Wo Ping’s action choreography could fill volumes in the history of film. His work here is expectedly fantastic, as the wire movements of the characters are seamless and the lack of computer technology running assistance is admirable. The flight of the characters, the running up walls, and the lively combat sequences are all simply dazzling. The tree fight sequence is astonishing in every way, as Yuen Wo Ping’s choreography creates a sort of dance between Li Mu Bai and Jen Yu. It’s a treat to experience.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Taiwan and won Peter Pau a cinematography Oscar, too. To say the award was well deserved for Pau would be an understatement. His ability to capture the grand scope of the project is complemented beautifully by his capturing of the smaller moments. His work, along with the Tan Dun score, creates an elegant mood for the entire project that helps deepen the bigger moments and grants the film a character all its own.

With one of the biggest actors in the world in Chow Yun-Fat and mesmerizing fight sequences, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a true spectacle. But for me it was the deeper moments and Lee’s great attention to subtlety that really puts this motion picture over the top. It is not perfect, for certain, and there are a few pacing and editing issues that could have used some work, but Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is still as close to a cinematic masterpiece as it gets.

9.7/10

Trailer:

 

May 7, 2009

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2007, action, adventure, entertainment, fantasy, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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The third and final picture in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is 2007’s At World’s End. After the success of 2003’s The Curse of the Black Pearl, the cast and crew signed on to create two sequels back-to-back. Obviously Dead Man’s Chest was up first, with At World’s End utilized as the wrapping point on Gore Verbinski’s saga. Featuring 750 effects shots from ILM and another 300 from Digital Domain, the third Pirates movie is one of the most expensive films ever produced.

Like the rest of the films in Disney’s tailor-made series, At World’s End rumbles with what audiences pay to see in a blockbuster. Unfortunately, the whole ordeal is ultimately unsatisfying and somewhat cheap. As with the other two movies, effects sequences are far from seamless and most of the CGI looks sloppy and rushed. Even the final battle sequence is a giant letdown, with the presentation of countless ships aligned for war given up in favour of focusing on just two of them.

At World’s End is even more muddled and even more perplexing than the first two films combined, which is no small feat. The entire process feels created on the fly, with storyline additions and concessions creating much confusion. The “rules of engagement” by which the creatures and characters operate are flimsy, especially in the case of Davy Jones’ curse and what it really means to be the captain of the Flying Dutchman.

Johnny Depp is back as Captain Jack Sparrow and continues to remain the most interesting aspect of the series. In the third instalment, he’s often hilarious as he does battle with numerous other Jack Sparrows embedded in his consciousness. Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) now possesses the heart of Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and, coincidentally, the chest it came in despite Dead Man’s Chest concluding with Jones staring into an open, heartless chest. Nevermind the details, though, this here’s a blockbuster!

Anywho, there’s a meeting convened of the nine pirate lords at Brethren Court at Shipwreck Cove. Sparrow must attend, but he’s captive in Davy Jones’ locker. It’s up to Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), and Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris) to go get him. First, though, they’ll need a map. Captain Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) just so happens to be in possession of it, so the gang heads off to Singapore to get it. A battle erupts in Feng’s bathhouse and Will strikes a deal with Feng to trade the Black Pearl for Sparrow. Feng wants to deliver Sparrow to Beckett. And so on.

With Sparrow finally retrieved from Davy Jones’ locker, Will wants to rescue his father (Stellan Skarsgård) from the Flying Dutchman and the nine pirate lords decide eventually to go to war with Beckett’s monstrous trading company. Much trickery and twists abound, with major characters frequently switching sides to do what suits them. It is interesting to note how willing the characters become to serve themselves or other interests, although it scarcely seems the result of character development and rather the result of rushed plot structures.

As mentioned, At World’s End plays host to an awfully convoluted and confusing storyline. There are so many rules, counter-rules, and counters to the counter-rules that it becomes difficult to keep track as to what’s going on. When Elizabeth finds her father (Jonathan Pryce) deceased, for instance, he tells her that he tried to stab Davy Jones’ heart. In the mythology, this would have made him the captain of the Flying Dutchman but instead he simply dies. Then, later, we’re told that it was Beckett who did the deed. And then we’re told something else. As you might imagine, keeping track of the details in a film as terribly elaborate as this is a bit tricky even for the most veteran of moviegoers.

Of course, we’re supposed to be into the effects and the action, aren’t we? At World’s End boasts plenty of that, but it all looks rather flimsy and rushed. There are no interesting sea battles; instead, we’re granted a prolonged and conventional clash between two ships and all of the main characters. They even sneak a wedding into the battle and close it off with one of the worst kisses in movie history. Yes, it’s that bad.

I liked Dead Man’s Chest, surprisingly, and after watching all three of Disney’s Pirates films in short succession I can honestly say that the middle portion of the trilogy is the best. This drawn-out, pugnacious jumble of a picture is absolutely the worst. At World’s End is a scary case of a blockbuster run off the rails. It is an unreasonable, bland, ridiculous, overly long piece of showy rubbish.

3.1/10

Trailer:

 

May 6, 2009

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2006, action, adventure, entertainment, fantasy, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Confusing, muddled, and overly long, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest somehow still manages to be a touch better than its predecessor and quite a bit of fun. Gore Verbinski continues Disney’s saga based on a theme park ride, doubling up on the effects and high seas adventure found in 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Let’s be clear: the Pirates film franchise is one born out of Disney executive marketing, a theme park ride, and blockbuster action with effects. It really has no business being the least bit artistic, even down to Johnny Depp’s fun but overrated portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow. This is a film franchise couched in marketing opportunities and loud, flashy stuff. The potential for fun is high, but at the end of the day Verbinski’s little series is quite meaningless.

Dead Man’s Chest was shot back-to-back with the third film in the franchise during 2005 and faced a 2006 theatrical release. The Pirates franchise certainly lacks the meticulousness and slow building drama of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings saga, of course, but it’s hard to reach such heights when there are so many limitations in the way. For one thing, Pirates doesn’t have much story to speak of. Plots seem carved up in boardrooms with the goal of effects-driven sequences in mind. Ideas came first, with storylines sculpted as loose structures to prop up the CGI and make-up segments.

With a structure designed exclusively to look and feel good based on market research, the Pirates franchise is a lot like a Big Mac. Happily, Dead Man’s Chest succeeds reasonably well at its task but remains ultimately unsatisfying. And, like a Big Mac, some things about Dead Man’s Chest are simply better left in mystery. There’s not much sense in asking about various plot holes or confounding sequences, just as there’s no much sense in asking about seemingly superfluous scenes or meaningless overtures.

Depp is back as Captain Jack Sparrow, of course, and that again is probably the best and most overrated thing about these franchises. We find Sparrow in the middle of the action, as per usual. The East India Trading Company has arrived in Jamaica and wants to extend its monopoly, purging piracy from its waters. Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) has shown up to lead the charge for the company and he wants to have Captain Jack Sparrow arrested and recruited to join as a privateer. He also wants Davy Jones’ heart, which will grant him dominion over the seas.

Beckett has arrested Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), threatening to execute them. He offers clemency, however, if Will agrees to help bring in Sparrow and his magic compass. Will agrees and heads off on an adventure that leads him to a cannibal-infested island, his father, and the Black Pearl. There is also Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) to contend with, as Sparrow owes him a blood debt.

As with The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest could use a heavier hand in the editing room. There are a few sequences that could have been smashed down or refocused entirely to give the film a much less convoluted flow. Some of the effects are impressive, but this really is C-grade stuff and it feels quite rushed. There are some shots of the monstrous Kraken, for instance, that just look embarrassing.

The character/creature of Davy Jones is decent enough, though. Nighy wore a motion capture suit to get the part down and, while it doesn’t always look seamless or crisp, his character is the best effects-based creation in the entire film and perhaps the series. Still, the lacklustre effects had me thinking twice about Industrial Light and Magic. The effects from Indy 4, also by ILM, were similarly underwhelming.

Verbinski does manage to pull together a relatively fun little piece of escapism despite some obvious glaring problems, however, and the second film in the Pirates franchise winds up being considerably entertaining once it all finally gets going. Like the first picture, Dead Man’s Chest would have benefited by being about an hour shorter. But it is, in many ways, a superior film to The Curse of the Black Pearl and leaves a lot waiting to be answered in the third movie.

6.3/10

Trailer:

 

May 4, 2009

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2003, action, adventure, entertainment, fantasy, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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Were it not for the particularly lively and entertaining performances, Gore Verbinski’s 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl would have been right on par with Cutthroat Island as a craptastic pirate adventure. Let’s face it: for whatever reason, the pirate genre’s never really taken off in Hollywood. There’s something about what the mythos of the pirate has become, something about the way a talking parrot and buried treasure and rum have become less than impactful. This mythos leads to films and books that leave a lot to be desired.

The notion of a motion picture being built around the concept of an amusement park ride is essentially a symbol for disaster, yet somehow a gang of screenwriters managed to pull something out of the pile and came up with a supernatural take on pirates. Disney had a guy named Jay Wolper work up a script based on the Pirates ride in 2001. That script was based on a story by a trio of executives and a direct-to-video transition was considered.

Suddenly, however, Jerry Bruckheimer was brought aboard and director Gore Verbinski was signed and the thing began to take off. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was born and the secret weapon was the one and only Johnny Depp. Released in 2003, one has to imagine what a risk it was to cast Depp in the leading role in this family friendly motion picture. Depp was mostly known, at this point and time, for risky little cult pictures like From Hell, Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow. But Tim Burton’s go-to guy was about to undergo some major changes.

Depp stars as Captain Jack Sparrow, a pirate arriving in Port Royal to commandeer a ship. He winds up right in the middle of a bit of a pickle after saving the lovely Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) from drowning due to fainting via corset pressure. Elizabeth happens to be wearing a mysterious medallion, which she received when she was a little girl from an unconscious boy found in a shipwreck. The medallion begins to draw some attention from Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who believes the medallion is the key to releasing a deadly curse.

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) loves Elizabeth from afar, but he is a lowly blacksmith. When Elizabeth is taken by Barbossa and his creepy crew, Will springs a plan into action to rescue her that involves Jack Sparrow and a whole lot of crackling pirate action. There is also Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport) to contend with, as he is also in love with Elizabeth and hates pirates with a passion.

Now Depp really is the secret ingredient here, as the plot is incredibly convoluted and the effects sometimes leave an awful lot to be desired. Depp’s creation of Captain Jack Sparrow is a thing of beauty, as his pirate has become somewhat of a cult figure. The character was enough to sprout out two follow-up movies, too. Depp based part of Sparrow on Keith Richards, invoking a bit of swagger and confusing the hell out of Disney execs who couldn’t peg him in his role.

But the risk paid off and Depp’s Sparrow is now the stuff of legends. Rush is deliciously evil as Barbossa, too, but his performance is offset a bit too much by the effects which comprise the latter half of his characterization. The effects, done by the usually reliable Industrial Light & Magic, actually don’t look all that good in contrast to other effects-driven sagas. Some of the designs are kind of sloppy and the entire conception of the curse comes off looking amateurish and dull.

Regardless, there’s quite a bit of swashbuckling fun here and some of the sea battles between ships are entertaining. The Curse of the Black Pearl does run nearly an hour too long, clocking in at 143 minutes when around 90 would have done just fine. Instead of being a light little piece of fun escapist cinema, Verbinski goes the epic saga route and the story simply doesn’t have the guts to pull it off. As such, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a bit like a fun dinner guest who simply stays too long.

5.9/10

Trailer:

 

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