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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

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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

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May 15, 2009

Princess Mononoke

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1997, adventure, drama, entertainment, fantasy, foreign, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , |
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Hayao Miyazaki’s dazzling 1997 film Princess Mononoke is an enthralling meditation on humanity’s inevitable conflict with nature and, to a lesser extent, one another. For Miyazaki, Mononoke was a 16-year journey that partially began with his 1983 manga The Journey of Shuna. The story for Mononoke became more cohesive for the writer/director after a visit to the ancient forests of Yakushima Island.

Upon its release, Princess Mononoke was the most expensive anime ever made. It is mostly hand-drawn and Miyazaki meticulously went through each of the animation cells personally, redrawing several of them himself. There is computer animation for about five minutes of the motion picture, with another ten minutes of digital paint utilized as well. The computer animated portions work to augment the hand-drawn traditional animation; they do not overshadow or stand out.

Princess Mononoke is timeless. As a tale discussing the conflict between humanity and nature, it finds special relevance during our time. When American politicians and moronic talk show pundits argue over the possibility, cause, and effects of “global warming,” the changes to our planet are observable and very real. We cannot go about living the way we do without some form of consequence drawn upon the earth. That is simple common sense and it does not matter what buzzword or talking point you attach to that.

Miyazaki is mindful of this and it shows with the grandeur of Princess Mononoke. Set at the dawn of the Iron Age in medieval Japan, the story centres around some individuals living in harmony with nature and others asserting dominance over it. We are introduced to Ashitaka first. He is a prince destined to become the leader of his tribe, but an encounter with a demonic boar god leaves him afflicted with a curse that will ultimately kill him. He is forced out of his village, so he heads to locate the source of the cursed boar and to possibly find a cure.

Ashitaka discovers a human settlement called Iron Town in the English version of the motion picture. Iron Town is the site of the blossoming iron trade and it is filled with workers clearing the nearby forests for charcoal. The leader of Iron Town is Lady Eboshi and she informs Ashitaka that the giant boar that cursed him was once a forest god. The gods of the forest and the beasts are trying to defend their home from human encroachment, leading to many conflicts between man and animal.

There is also San, a young woman raised by the wolf goddess Moro. She is concerned with protecting the forest at all costs and wishes to kill Lady Eboshi. This leads to several strikes on Iron Town. She has lost the majority of her humanity, but Ashitaka becomes infatuated with her and she begins to also yearn for harmony over the course of time.

Princess Mononoke is compelling in its refusal to simply draw certain characters as black and white villains. Take Lady Eboshi, for instance. In a Westernized movie she would have been sketched as a sort of Cruella de Vil character. Miyazaki offers her sympathetic characteristics, for instance. She has a deep concern for her people, for instance, and wishes to use the charcoal and iron to build weapons to secure independence from enemies. She also employs lepers and treats them with rich humanity.

Indeed, Miyazaki’s motion picture is primarily concerned with exploring our conflict with nature. Is it unavoidable or can we, as Ashitaka wishes, live in peace? As human beings, we tend to view ourselves above and beyond nature. It is something we keep “out there” while we stay indoors. Yet we are a part of nature, all of us, and it is a part of us. We are one and when we damage nature and the earth, our only home, we damage ourselves. This principle goes beyond the idiotic right and left politicking of the United States and to our very future and wellbeing. Miyazaki’s understanding of this basic principle forms the foundation for Princess Mononoke and the majority of his work.

Princess Mononoke contains dazzling animation as one would have to expect from Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. It is a surprisingly violent motion picture at times, which adds to the staggering experience. There is also Miyazaki’s humanism to consider here, as he develops a love story that no Hollywood movie version would ever have the balls to put to film. In the end, Princess Mononoke is a truly unique, compelling, engrossing, magical movie that should be experienced by all serious lovers of cinema and, indeed, this world.

9.7/10

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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

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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

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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

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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

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May 1, 2009

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2003, action, adventure, entertainment, fantasy, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Peter Jackson’s monstrous Lord of the Rings trilogy comes to a marvellous end with 2003’s The Return of the King. As has been broadly reported, the final film in the saga has become one of the highest-grossing motion pictures of all time. It also scooped all eleven Academy Awards for which it was nominated, tying it with Ben Hur and Titanic for the most Academy Awards ever won by a single movie. Among the awards, The Return of the King won the Best Picture Oscar and marked the first time a fantasy film won the big prize.

There is again some shuffling of the deck from Jackson for storyline purposes. Events from the middle of The Two Towers book were moved to the film version of The Return of the King. The portion with Shelob, for instance, occurs at the end of The Two Towers book but Jackson has placed it pretty snugly near the middle portion of the film. In my opinion, this was done to further impress the notion of trust on Gollum and save the revelation of his true intentions for the conclusion of the second film. This allows more tension to build within the Frodo and Sam storyline, too, and toys with the weight of the Ring to further effect from a cinematic perspective.

With a world designed by former Tolkien illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe, The Return of the King picks up where The Two Towers left off. We are granted some insight into Gollum (Andy Serkis) back when he was Sméagol. Sméagol murders his cousin Déagol for the One Ring and eventually falls into a lifetime of loneliness and despair, leading to his becoming the creature Gollum. Back in present time, Gollum is still taking Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) to Minas Morgul. As we learned at the conclusion of The Two Towers, however, Gollum’s motivations have become more clouded and he has foul intentions.

Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortenson), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Merry (Dominic Monaghan), Théoden (Bernard Hill), Pippin (Billy Boyd), and Éomer (Karl Urban) meet up to discuss that the threat of Saruman is over. In the Extended Edition, we get to see what happened to Saruman and are treated to a sequence that, in my opinion, really should have made the theatrical release. Nevertheless, the mysterious palantír is discovered and Pippin looks into it, revealing that Sauron is planning to attack Minas Tirith. He and Gandalf ride there to warn the massive city.

The pair arrives at Minas Tirith to find Denethor (John Noble) fallen into madness after the death of his son Boromir. He is unfit to lead the city in a defence of what is to come, so Gandalf and Pippin must find a way to rally the troops while Frodo and Sam continue to move closer to Mount Doom. The impending battle also leads Aragorn, Legloas, and Gimli to seek some unlikely assistance. Frodo and Sam continue to Mount Doom, only to find out that Gollum has tricked them into a rather sticky and alarming situation.

The Return of the King rumbles with the finality that a saga of this magnitude deserves. It is also entirely conclusive, offering up what was, to many, far too much conclusion. Indeed, much of the criticism of the film lay with the “long ending.” A re-watching of these scenes, especially in the context of seeing the other two movies in relatively short succession, adds more weight to them and they feel necessary. It is necessary to see Sam get back to his normal life in The Shire, for instance, and it is necessary to see Aragorn’s story conclude in spectacular fashion.

Jackson’s final film in the trilogy features three times as many effects shots as in Fellowship and double the effects shots as in The Two Towers. The battle at Minas Tirith is staggering in its scope, matching the intensity of Helm’s Deep and often exceeding it. My only gripe would be the Army of the Dead, as I think Tolkien’s original idea of using them to defeat the Corsairs was far superior to Jackson’s final conclusion. It seems to almost cheapen the battle and quicken its conclusion, which I wasn’t overly pleased with.

Nevertheless, oversimplification of the final battle aside, The Return of the King really is a masterful piece of work. The effects are brilliant and it is terrific to see this saga come to such a rousing and satisfying conclusion. The Howard Shore score once again adds depth and the brilliant work from Weta is seamless in digital effects. The Return of the King ends the tremendous accomplishment of Jackson and Co. on a high note, concluding the story in ultimately rewarding fashion.

9.5/10

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April 29, 2009

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2002, action, adventure, entertainment, fantasy, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Wrapping up where The Fellowship of the Ring left off, The Two Towers continues Peter Jackson’s mammoth Lord of the Rings saga. Released in 2002, The Two Towers was the most critically-acclaimed film of the trilogy according to Rotten Tomatoes. It featured more special effects and more action than its predecessor and picked up the tempo significantly, utilizing the well-laid introduction to spring the continuing story.

To call The Two Towers a sequel would be erroneous. It is simply a continuation of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, so it does feel odd to compare the films. I had thought of providing simply one review for the entire trilogy, but decided against it on the basis of it being much too long. It is reasonable to criticize each individual film as a part of a larger whole, of course, and that’s what I shall attempt to do here.

Interestingly, The Two Towers almost didn’t come to be. Miramax had originally planned for the series to be two films, but luckily Jackson and Co. opted to create a trilogy and some script shuffling took place. With some timeline issues, the movie takes some liberties with the story in ways that Fellowship didn’t. The battle at Helm’s Deep becomes the climactic keystone, for instance, and the entire film’s tone builds towards that epic encounter. Other aspects are left for the third movie, while others are left out altogether.

As the motion picture opens, we learn of what happened between Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. It is an impressive way to start the movie and it clearly links it to Fellowship while expanding upon what we’ve already learned. We’re then reintroduced to Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) as they continue their quest to deliver the One Ring to Mount Doom. They are being followed, clearly, and we are soon brought face to face with their stalker, the marvellously-designed Gollum (Andy Serkis).

Frodo and Sam soon get Gollum to serve as a sort of guide, although distrust peppers the relationship. Gollum agrees to lead them to the Black Gate of Mordor, presumably in exchange for proximity to the Ring. Meanwhile, we also catch up with the Uruk-hai and their captives, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd). They are being tracked by Aragorn (Viggo Mortenson), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies). As we learn, the pursuit through Rohan is interrupted by the conflict in the land between King Théoden (Bernard Hill) and his people. Théoden is under the spell of Gríma Wormtongue (Brad Dourif).

The task at hand is to get Théoden out from under Wormtongue’s spell and back to leading his people properly. Rohan has been taken by Orcs and wild men who roam the land and cause destruction, working ever closer towards the ultimate destruction of the race of men. It is up to Théoden to save his people, but he needs the help of Aragorn, Gandalf, and the rest to do so. Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin are safe in the arms of the Ents in Fangorn Forest and must lead them to action against Saruman (Christopher Lee) at Isengard. Frodo and Sam move closer still towards Mount Doom.

There are a few compelling aspects to The Two Towers that really stand out above and beyond the masterful production from Jackson as discussed previously in the Fellowship review. For starters, the creature Gollum is breathtaking and impressive. Animation on Gollum got underway in 1998, as Weta Digital began to hammer it own. Serkis wore a motion capture suit, like he does in King Kong, and effectively played Gollum on screen. It is, as most of the effects in the series, absolutely seamless.

The battle at Helm’s Deep is the elegant core to The Two Towers. It is a massive battle, featuring loads of action and tonnes of effects. It is, quite simply, an absolute joy to watch. Jackson films with energy and style, always delivering the goods. The cutaways to other stories during the main battle are important and surprisingly don’t interrupt the flow. The monstrous and delightful Howard Shore score pumps even more energy into the battle.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a blast. It is a fast-moving, exciting, compelling centre to Peter Jackson’s massive undertaking. Obviously a viewing of the Fellowship of the Ring would be necessary before starting The Two Towers, as the picture doesn’t stand on its own at all. Nevertheless, The Two Towers still remains a powerful notation of the magic of modern cinema and its rousing possibilities.

9.5/10

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April 27, 2009

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2001, action, adventure, entertainment, fantasy, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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In what will be remembered as the quintessential modern saga of our generation, The Lord of the Rings trilogy begins with 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring. Peter Jackson’s enormous project sparkles with detail, depth, and grandeur. It is safe to say that the epic scope of the series has gone unmatched, with other movie series matching similar filming patterns. The Harry Potter series, which started in the same year as Fellowship with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, would also help usher back the fantasy film to the big screen.

Jackson began storyboarding The Lord of the Rings in 1997, plotting the massive undertaking of making J.R.R. Tolkien’s incredible world into a reality. Locations like Isengard, Moria, and Lothlórien needed to be created. The various creatures of Middle Earth, such as elves and dwarves, would also need concept designs. The process, as you might imagine, was immense. The series was filmed in New Zealand, using computer effects to augment some of the gorgeous locations to give the film a more fantastical feel.

The Fellowship of the Ring starts it all off and it is absolutely dazzling. The introduction of Jackson’s interpretation of Middle Earth is no less than spellbinding, with the appearance of the characters from the books seeming larger than life. After a stylish and massive introduction outlining the Dark Lord Sauron forging the One Ring, Prince Isildur separating Sauron from the Ring, the Ring falling into obscurity, the creature Gollum getting hold of the Ring, Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) finding it, and the notion of Sauron’s power being bound to the ring, we’re underway.

Bilbo lives in The Shire and is on the doorstep of his 111th birthday. It’s a big celebration and he wants to see mountains again, so he plans to flee at the birthday party. Bilbo’s old friend Gandalf (Ian McKellen) arrives for the celebration and soon learns that Bilbo has passed the Ring on to his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood) as part of his departure plan. Gandalf suspects something is off about the Ring and begins to research it, only to discover that it is indeed the One Ring and that Sauron’s power is bound to it. The only way to rid Middle Earth of Sauron’s power and to stop the process of evil advancing on the land is to destroy the One Ring. And of course, the only way to do that is to take it to the fires of Mount Doom.

Things are further complicated when it is discovered that the head of Gandalf’s order, Saruman (Christopher Lee), is actually serving Sauron and reveals that Nazgûl have been sent to grab the Ring from Frodo. There are also Orcs and all sorts of other evil creatures at Saruman’s disposal, helping him serve Sauron by bringing home the Ring. Frodo decides to do what he must and heads out with his best friend Sam (Sean Astin) to take the One Ring to Mount Doom. Two other Hobbits, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) go along as well.

The group needs help, of course, and Gandalf arranges for them to meet at Rivendell, the haven of the elves. There’s plenty of trouble along the way, of course, and it was a bloody good thing Strider (Viggo Mortenson) is around to help protect the Hobbits. A company is formed at Rivendell that includes the elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), a man from Gondor (Sean Bean), and a dwarf named Gimli (John Rhys-Davies). The crew, dubbed the Fellowship, heads out to start the massive undertaking of getting the One Ring to the fires of Mount Doom.

I had the pleasure of watching the Extended Version of The Fellowship of the Ring, clocking in at around 208 minutes. The original cut, at around 178 minutes, doesn’t drag for a second. Jackson keeps things moving, directing beautifully with a combination of surprising close-up shots and sweeping panoramic shots. He covers the scale of the project with humility, granting the audience a hell of a picture thanks to his patience and poise behind the camera. Scenes unfold gracefully, without hurry, and the battle sequences are carefully choreographed and elegantly shot.

The creature design is flat-out impeccable. The orcs and other creatures fit seamlessly with the real backdrop of New Zealand and the character actors, making the combat scenes all the more breathtaking. The cave troll battle in Moria, for instance, stands out as one of the most jaw-dropping sequences to be created in recent memory. The characters interact, hop on top of the creature, and take it down all without ever looking out of the cut or out of the scene. Jackson never takes the easy way out, either, shooting the sequence at breakneck speed with realistic movements.

The Fellowship of the Ring is visually stunning, of course, and matchless in scale. That alone makes it a marvellous achievement, but Jackson’s people have actually been able to do Tolkien’s story justice as well. By dividing it up into a trilogy and allowing the stories and characters to exist realistically and breathe is quite the achievement. With an overall budget of $280 million and a project time of 8 years with all three films shot simultaneously, it is safe to say that this may be the most impressive saga ever made. If, for whatever reason, you haven’t experienced the glory of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring should be first up on your to-see list.

9.5/10

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