wgamador
Posts: 20320
Joined: 17/1/2006
From: A polluted womb...
|
MARCH '08 Wow. Where does time go? I thought I had awarded the March winner only to learn that I had not. So here are the overdue March winners. Its another slow time here at Mini-review land, so I thank all of you who took time to review something. Enjoy the show.  1st Place: Matthewforan .............Page 62 Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Directed and Written by Woody Allen Starring: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz,. Plot Vicky (Hall) and Cristina (Johansson) best friends since college are heading to Barcelona, Vicky to learn about Catalan culture and Cristina to escape yet another failed relationship. The vacation starts off with a bit of sight seeing and the usually tourists things. This is until Juan Antonio (Bardem) an up and coming painter comes to their table with a proposition of a weekend of great wine, food and sex. The three go about the weekend without much conflict until Antonio's ex Maria (Cruz) walks through the door. Fifteen minutes into the movie I began to think to myself, what has he done? This voice over is terrible and the looping serenade to Barcelona is beginning to get annoying. When is this going to become a Woody Allen movie? So I started to think back over the last 3 years of Woody Allen's career and remembered that he has had some hash times of late, his London films haven't been warmly greeted by his fans or by the critics. But after seeing Vicky Cristina Barcelona it is clear what has been wrong, the weather just hasn't been nice enough he has clearly needed the sun because it has rejuvenated him bringing sun, sights and lust to our screens. We kicked off with a small voiceover intro to our characters; fair enough I thought at least we don't have to have the characters do it themselves which always seems so forced in many movies. But it continues and goes on to tell you about where they had dinner and what party they are at. I'm not going to lie I thought the worst. But then the voice over stops and we are introduced to the conflict with in the first 20 minutes, there is no messing about with formula for Allen and I love him for it. Bardem's Juan Antonio glides onto the screen and would melt the straightest of men with his voice as he propositions the two leading ladies to a weekend they'll never forget. Now this is where the directors eye earns its keep because he takes you on a tour of some of the most fantastic looking locations, and you'd be booking your ticket to Barcelona if you weren't transfixed by the stunning scenery. As with any love triangles there is the inevitable twists and turns especially since fiancés and ex-wives enter the picture making this a love pentagon of some kind. Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz are all on career best. Hall's cautious and tense Vicky is the yang to Johansson's Christina's ying. Christina is high on life trying to make the most of everything she can especially when it comes to men. The moment that she meets Antonio is a great bit of observational humour with Christina's eyes gazing at Antonio in a way that makes you jealous beyond all comprehension. And I firmly believe that she is the stand out of the movie, all of the awards and plaudits seem to be going the way of Cruz and she is fantastic as the psycho ex-wife of Antonio's a smart and savvy performance that any actress that would be proud to call their own.
But for myself I think Johansson is delightful, smart warm and with some nice lines and you really feel sorry that she isn't able to cut a break just when things seem to be going her way. Javier Bardem basically plays the only lead male, the others are just there to move the plot along. This is why his role is so important and he is yet again brilliant, it's hard to believe it's the same man that scared you shitless in No Country For Old Men. He's smooth, smart and caring not your typical depiction of a Latin male in movies. Verdict Vicky Christina Barcelona will make you want to do many things, go to Barcelona, take up Spanish guitar, sleep with Scarlett Johansson or Javier Bardem depending on your sexual preference but you feel as though you've done it all in the 100 minutes of Woody Allen's latest. He is back and he believe it or not has made one of the best films of the year so far not to mention the sexiest. 86% 2nd Place: Amelie_Scotland ..............Page 63 Watchmen (2009 - Zack Snyder) 
Set in an alternate 1985 where Nixon is still president, costumed vigilantes have been outlawed and the world is on the brink of nuclear war, The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is killed. Believing that former costumed heroes are being eliminated, the masked Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) sets out to solve the case.
Alan Moore is considered the king of graphic novels and Watchmen, illustrated by Dave Gibbons, is his magnum opus. Filled to the brim with excellent characterisation, several narratives and more questions than most novels, it's more than just a comic book. In fact, it's the only graphic novel on Time's 100 must read books. It was always going to be difficult to adapt such a monster of a story, especially with the hype and the fanboys (scary folks). But I think Zack Snyder deserves a well done for his work here. A self confessed fan of the comic, he clearly loves his source material and takes the time to draw attention to even the smallest detail. As a fan of the novel, I had a whale of a time spotting the miniscule details that probably went over the heads of the uninitiated, such as The Comedian's change in costumes over the years, and the numerous historical figures that pop up (David Bowie is in the best opening credits I've seen in a long time.) I took my friend to see it and she'd never read the comic so I did spend a little time running over a few plot points as the film went on. Snyder's clearly not pandering to the uneducated masses and as a fan I can only be happy for this. I worry that many people will go to see the film based on the action packed trailers, believing it's a huge superhero bust up block-buster. Despite it's excellent moments of action, it's not your typical story.
Moore's strengths lies in his characters. Watchmen's heroes are more human and complicated than the better known heroes, like Batman and Spiderman. Each has their problems and see their pasts as crimefighters as both gifts and curses. Nite Owl (the excellent Patrick Wilson) a.k.a. Dan Dreiberg, is a bored, middle aged, chubby man who finds himself weak and impotent (in more ways than one) without his former alias. Laurie Jupiter (Malin Ackerman, the weak link in the line up) yearns for normality she'll never have and Adrien Veidt (Matthew Goode, surprisingly good) has made a fortune from franchising his former alias, Ozymandias, yet fears for the state of the world. Overall the casting is good, with rhe stand out being Haley. Rorschach is a popular character with the fans. His unique form of do-gooding brings out gasps of shock and respect in equal numbers. Spending most of his time wearing an ink blot mask which changes with his mood, Haley still manages to bring out the complexities of his character, making him somewhat admirable but never shying away from his wrong doings, no matter what his intention. He sees himself as a man surrounded by filth which he needs to fix. Between this and his Oscar nominated role in Little Children, he's fast becoming onr of my favourite actors. The most normal of the bunch, if they can be called that, is Dan and Wilson nails the everyday monotomy of his thoughts and his awkwardness. I couldn't quite decide what accent Goode was using for Adrien but he played the role better than I thought he would. He's still too youthful looking but he gives you reason to understand and trust Veidt. I had a real problem with Ackerman as Laurie. Silk Sceptre II isn't a chatacter I particularly like. I found her to be whiny, self centred and a little slutty. But at least she had some sort of a personality. Here, Ackerman plays her like an orchid - beautiful but not up to much. The costume change works if you think about it (the fetishising of the super-hero) but other than a great pair of legs and a nice wig, she just doesn't have the necessary skills. Stand out supporting characters include Carla Gugino as the original Silk Spectre.
But the biggest challenge for Snyder was always going to be Doctor Manhattan. Formerly a nuclear scientist called Jon Osterman, Manhattan (Billy Crudup) gained super powers after a freak accident that left him with the ability to experience all of tie at once and be used as a weapon by the US military. He's almost completely devoid of emotion, detached from reality and he's a naked, glowing blue man with his cock out. Kudos to Crudup for giving Manhattan enough humanity yet keeping his cold exterior. The effects work better in close ups than they do in long shots (the overtly muscular physique is accurate to the comic but looks off on screen. And the penis is distracting.) I'm glad the film was made in a time where effects have come so far. The America of Moore's world is dirty, gloomy and occasionally grotesque. It's a world that could end at any moment and brief flashes to newspaper headlines and the cabinet meetings with Nixon (really bad make-up, he looks like a circus clown) heighten the fear.
While Snyder isn't completely successful in his adaptation (unavoidably, some bits are missed out and scenes are cut) but 80% of his work is excellent. He doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of the story which is both good (the unflinching violence is pitch perfect, especially when tied to Rorschach) and bad (The single funniest sex scene you'll see all year.) The fight scenes are perfectly choreographed and even though he lays on the slow motion a little too much, it looks pretty damn cool (a shallow thing to say but it's true, except for that sex scene.) Equipped with an excellent soundtrack it's good for the ears as well as the eyes. The biggest fanboy quibble is with the ending which has been changed from the comic, the only major change that has been made. I may be a little controversial here but I prefer the movie ending. It works better, doesn't lose any of the power of the finale and it allows Snyder to take out some of the plot lines that would have bogged down the story.
It's not an easy story, it's very long and if you go in expecting a big latex covered punch-up then you'll be underwhelmed by Watchmen. It's a film by a fan for the fans and Snyder has proven himself worthy with such a difficult project. It's obvious throughout the entire movie that he cares about this story and will do anything to protect it. It's not as good as The Dark Knight but between the two movies, the superhero is finally being taken seriously. Read the graphic novel, then see the film. Honorable Mention Award: SadFace........Page 61 
Positives:
- "Cat-in-a-bag!”
- Naomi Watts in her underbritches.
Negatives:
- Direction. What direction?
- Acting. What acting?
- Soundtrack. What soundtrack?
- Suspense. What suspense? Boredom, more like.
- Screenplay. What screenplay? I counted at least 6 occasions where someone said "Excuse me?”
Take a look at this:
- "What for?” "Excuse me?” "What for? What does she need the eggs for?”
- "That is a really great set of clubs ... Would you mind if I tried this? ... Thank you. Excuse me.”
- "He loves golf. We both do.” "Excuse me?” "We both do. We both love golf.”
- "Where's Tom?” "Who?” "Did you give him the eggs?” "Excuse me?”
- "I don't understand what's upset you but if you insist, just give Tom the eggs and we won't bother you anymore.” "Excuse me?”
- "Where is your dock?” "Excuse me?” "Where is your dock?”
There's probably more but I must have given up and started counting the individual hairs on my big toe.
Verdict:
"Excuse me?”
Rating:
Tripe.
-----------------------------
Is it me or is the year 2009 flying by? Its unbelievable.
Well spring has officially welcomed us and you know what that means, a few spring movies that serve as filler until the Summer Blockbusters arrive.
So please submit your reviews...and remember they dont have to be long or wordy. Just give us your educated opinions. I know it seems that the longer the review the more likely you are to win Review of the Month, but it really has more to do with the actual content and voice of the author.
Enjoy the spring and see you in about a week.
Thanks everyone!!
< Message edited by wgamador -- 28/4/2009 9:45:51 PM >
_____________________________
"And as he, who with laboring breath has escaped from the deep
to the shore, turns to the perilous waters and gazes..."
|
Printable Version
RE: Mini Reviews - 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread