I barely remember the first Hellboy. I know I saw it, but I remember no details other than some pretty spectacular visuals courtesy director Guillermo del Toro. I suspect that in four years, I'll have similar feelings about its sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The frankly silly plot will fade away (Golden Army? Elves? Twins?), and I'll be left with just the sights, but those are more than good enough for me.
The good-hearted demon Hellboy (Ron Perlman, fantastic as always) is still toiling away at a government agency for paranormal research. Joined by girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) and friend Abe Sapien (del Toro favorite Doug Jones), Hellboy saves the world from creatures that, like he and his friends, aren't really supposed to exist. The plot of the film centers on a power-mad elf who wants to destroy the world of man by awakening an invincible army of golden machines, and it's up to the feuding Hellboy and Liz, as well as a newly smitten Abe, to save the day.
But that bare-bones summary (and the plot it represents) are really secondary to the imaginative creations of del Toro. The creatures he imagined for previous films, including those for Pan's Labyrinth, only seemed to be preparation for the menagerie here. Some creatures are funny, but many are what might populate the nightmares of some of the stranger artistic geniuses, and del Toro couldn't have created them if he weren't among those high ranks.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tell No One
For those that imagine French cinema to be stuffy and esoteric, there's Tell No One to prove them wrong. It's an entertaining, twist-filled film from actor/director Guillame Canet that would be the best adaptation of an American thriller novel of the last few years...if it weren't for those pesky (and fantastic) Bourne films. Though I haven't read the Harlan Coben book it's based on, Tell No One is one of the few adaptations that might just surpass its source material.
It all starts off innocently enough: there are babies, puppies, summer homes in the country, and Otis Redding playing on the soundtrack. Alex (Francois Cluzet) and his wife Margot (Marie-Josee Croze of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) share an enviable romance that began in childhood and has continued on into adulthood. The couple goes for a late-night swim, but their quiet evening--and idyllic life--is interrupted by a horrific attack that leaves Alex in a three-day coma and his wife dead. Eight years later, Alex still dwells on that night, and he is filled with hope and confusion when he receives an email that points him to a live webcam with video of his (supposedly) dead wife. The email cautions, "Tell no one. They are watching." Developments in the formerly closed case cause Alex to become the suspect in his wife's death, causing him to go on the run.
What follows moves in unexpected directions. Yes, Alex is accused of a crime he didn't commit, a la The Fugitive and a million other films, but there's plenty here that makes Tell No One feel fresh and fun. He's on the run from the law, but it happens in such an interesting way (I won't spoil it) that you forget that this is a familiar plot point. The denouement caused my jaw to draw a few times (with each successive revelation), but I didn't find any of it to be pushing logic.
Cluzet deserves praise for carrying the film on his shoulders. In a film with this much suspense and multiple plot twists, it'd be easy for the performances to get lost in the shuffle. But he's
sympathetic as Alex, and more importantly, he feels genuine. As his sister-in-law, Kristin Scott Thomas displays an excellent grasp of the French language to match her always top-notch acting skills.
It all starts off innocently enough: there are babies, puppies, summer homes in the country, and Otis Redding playing on the soundtrack. Alex (Francois Cluzet) and his wife Margot (Marie-Josee Croze of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) share an enviable romance that began in childhood and has continued on into adulthood. The couple goes for a late-night swim, but their quiet evening--and idyllic life--is interrupted by a horrific attack that leaves Alex in a three-day coma and his wife dead. Eight years later, Alex still dwells on that night, and he is filled with hope and confusion when he receives an email that points him to a live webcam with video of his (supposedly) dead wife. The email cautions, "Tell no one. They are watching." Developments in the formerly closed case cause Alex to become the suspect in his wife's death, causing him to go on the run.
What follows moves in unexpected directions. Yes, Alex is accused of a crime he didn't commit, a la The Fugitive and a million other films, but there's plenty here that makes Tell No One feel fresh and fun. He's on the run from the law, but it happens in such an interesting way (I won't spoil it) that you forget that this is a familiar plot point. The denouement caused my jaw to draw a few times (with each successive revelation), but I didn't find any of it to be pushing logic.
Cluzet deserves praise for carrying the film on his shoulders. In a film with this much suspense and multiple plot twists, it'd be easy for the performances to get lost in the shuffle. But he's
sympathetic as Alex, and more importantly, he feels genuine. As his sister-in-law, Kristin Scott Thomas displays an excellent grasp of the French language to match her always top-notch acting skills.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Hancock
I could spend my review delving into Hancock's larger commentary on love or perhaps America's role in the world, but there's a reason that it came out the first week of July (newly christened "Will Smithsmas"): at its core, it's a fun, summer movie. But even though there are effects aplenty, Hancock still flies on the strength of its cast.
Will Smith stars as Hancock, a surly, swigging superhero who does more harm than good. He crashes through Los Angeles, leaving more damage than a minor earthquake and boasting breath so potent that lightweight bystanders could get drunk off the fumes. When he saves a good-hearted P.R. guru (Jason Bateman), his rescuee sees a chance for the hero's redemption. He even takes him home for dinner, where Hancock meets his adoring son and beautiful wife (Charlize Theron).
There's plenty going on here, and I won't give away the nicely done twist, but it certainly gives way to one of the better comic scenes of the year. There's plenty for Smith to do here--comedy, drama, action--and he is equally strong at each. Bateman departs nicely from his best role to date (Michael Bluth, of course), and Oscar winner Theron does a hell of a lot more than just look pretty as his wife, Angel. There are plenty of nice action sequences, but not a one is trumped by the performances of this trio.
Will Smith stars as Hancock, a surly, swigging superhero who does more harm than good. He crashes through Los Angeles, leaving more damage than a minor earthquake and boasting breath so potent that lightweight bystanders could get drunk off the fumes. When he saves a good-hearted P.R. guru (Jason Bateman), his rescuee sees a chance for the hero's redemption. He even takes him home for dinner, where Hancock meets his adoring son and beautiful wife (Charlize Theron).
There's plenty going on here, and I won't give away the nicely done twist, but it certainly gives way to one of the better comic scenes of the year. There's plenty for Smith to do here--comedy, drama, action--and he is equally strong at each. Bateman departs nicely from his best role to date (Michael Bluth, of course), and Oscar winner Theron does a hell of a lot more than just look pretty as his wife, Angel. There are plenty of nice action sequences, but not a one is trumped by the performances of this trio.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Wanted
There's little poetry in the script for Wanted. In fact, the sometimes silly dialogue and logic-testing script should be very happy to be called prose. But the words aren't the draw for this comic book adaptation; it's the visuals that will draw audiences in, and they're approaching fine art.
For anyone who's seen director Timur Bekmambetov's first two films, Night Watch and Day Watch, the visual mastery in Wanted shouldn't come as a surprise. But even though they were record-breakers in their native Russia, they barely dented the U.S. box office, and it's a shame. On a purely visual scale, the films are just as innovative as The Matrix, though the story about clashing good and evil supernatural beings can veer towards nonsense at times. Regardless, they're absolutely worth seeing, as is Bekmambetov's third film, as long as you go in expecting a visual feast (and a narrative famine).
James McAvoy, who is best known for roles in period films such as Atonement and Becoming Jane, is perfectly cast as Wesley Gibson, a self-admitted nobody who is miserable in his less-than-average life. But when a beauty aptly named Fox (Angelina Jolie in sexy, ass-kicking heroine mode) invites him to join a league of assassins, Gibson's daily grind is replaced with brutal training to kill the man who murdered his long-lost father.
Bekmambetov creates some of the most impressive action scenes to grace the screen in recent memory. Not only are there some grand set pieces, but each is also executed with such imagination that it's hard not to gasp a little. The director may only be three films in, but I'm curious--and excited--to see if he can maintain this three-Red-Bull-fueled level of energy in work to come.
For anyone who's seen director Timur Bekmambetov's first two films, Night Watch and Day Watch, the visual mastery in Wanted shouldn't come as a surprise. But even though they were record-breakers in their native Russia, they barely dented the U.S. box office, and it's a shame. On a purely visual scale, the films are just as innovative as The Matrix, though the story about clashing good and evil supernatural beings can veer towards nonsense at times. Regardless, they're absolutely worth seeing, as is Bekmambetov's third film, as long as you go in expecting a visual feast (and a narrative famine).
James McAvoy, who is best known for roles in period films such as Atonement and Becoming Jane, is perfectly cast as Wesley Gibson, a self-admitted nobody who is miserable in his less-than-average life. But when a beauty aptly named Fox (Angelina Jolie in sexy, ass-kicking heroine mode) invites him to join a league of assassins, Gibson's daily grind is replaced with brutal training to kill the man who murdered his long-lost father.
Bekmambetov creates some of the most impressive action scenes to grace the screen in recent memory. Not only are there some grand set pieces, but each is also executed with such imagination that it's hard not to gasp a little. The director may only be three films in, but I'm curious--and excited--to see if he can maintain this three-Red-Bull-fueled level of energy in work to come.
Gunnin' for That #1 Spot
Maybe it's the fact that I'm notoriously klutzy and nonathletic, but I couldn't get excited during Gunnin' for That #1 Spot. There were certainly feats that had the basketball lover in me (I swear she's in there somewhere) standing and cheering, but for the most part, I was checking my watch, hoping for the clock to run out. Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys fame directs this documentary, and it shows plenty of the style he honed as helmer of the group's music videos such as "Shadrach" and "Intergalactic." But even though the film has style in spades (an achievement for a sports doc), none of the slow-motion shots or graphics did anything for me. It's not a bad film; it's merely a fine one, a film to add to the end of the Netflix queue if you're a fan of the band or the sport.
Gunnin' for That #1 Spot does take an interesting approach to the sports film. One of the hallmarks of the genre is to have the audience cheering for the underdog, but the players featured here are all high schoolers playing in an all-star game at Harlem's historic Rucker Park. And therein lies the problem with Gunnin': its lack of suspense. Most of them aren't old enough to vote, but they each perform moves that most college players would covet. There's little doubt that, barring injury or a rather surprising breakdown, that each of these players will go on to fame and fortune. And that fact was confirmed when several of the featured players were drafted by NBA teams this year. If it doesn't make for a compelling film, it'll certainly lead to a nice post script or an extra when the DVD is released...
Gunnin' for That #1 Spot does take an interesting approach to the sports film. One of the hallmarks of the genre is to have the audience cheering for the underdog, but the players featured here are all high schoolers playing in an all-star game at Harlem's historic Rucker Park. And therein lies the problem with Gunnin': its lack of suspense. Most of them aren't old enough to vote, but they each perform moves that most college players would covet. There's little doubt that, barring injury or a rather surprising breakdown, that each of these players will go on to fame and fortune. And that fact was confirmed when several of the featured players were drafted by NBA teams this year. If it doesn't make for a compelling film, it'll certainly lead to a nice post script or an extra when the DVD is released...
Finding Amanda
Although this may seem obvious (and perhaps a bit cruel), Matthew Broderick is not Ferris Bueller. That fact has been made abundantly clear in the 1990s and 2000s with his habitual casting--and pitch-perfect performances--as losers. Whether in the new classic Election or in the less-seen Then She Found Me (one of my early favorites from this year), Broderick can act as dopey, listless, and lazy as a D student. Which is why Finding Amanda is such a disappointment. Broderick does another turn as a loser, but this time no one's laughing. The film is billed as a dark comedy, but I laughed once, and I wasn't very proud of myself for giving up that giggle (apparently I find pimps who aspire to careers in TV writing a little funny).
Finding Amanda features an autobiographical script from Rescue Me's Peter Tolan, with Broderick playing Tolan's alter ego Peter, a TV writer who has seen better days. Alcoholic Peter has a few years of sobriety under his belt--at least that's what the habitual liar tells us--but he can't seem to kick his gambling addiction. His longsuffering wife (the always spot-on Maura Tierney, who's more than a little wasted here) has had enough, but Peter imagines that he can win her back if he's able to rescue her niece from a life of prostitution. Of course, he just has to go to Vegas to save her, and it's no surprise when he begins to slide into old habits. Normally, this would be an incredibly painful descent to watch, and none of the humor manages to lighten the mood. It's all made even worse by the knowledge that this all--more or less--happened to Tolan. He may have exorcised his demons by writing and directing this film, but he might be the only one who's the better for its creation.
Finding Amanda features an autobiographical script from Rescue Me's Peter Tolan, with Broderick playing Tolan's alter ego Peter, a TV writer who has seen better days. Alcoholic Peter has a few years of sobriety under his belt--at least that's what the habitual liar tells us--but he can't seem to kick his gambling addiction. His longsuffering wife (the always spot-on Maura Tierney, who's more than a little wasted here) has had enough, but Peter imagines that he can win her back if he's able to rescue her niece from a life of prostitution. Of course, he just has to go to Vegas to save her, and it's no surprise when he begins to slide into old habits. Normally, this would be an incredibly painful descent to watch, and none of the humor manages to lighten the mood. It's all made even worse by the knowledge that this all--more or less--happened to Tolan. He may have exorcised his demons by writing and directing this film, but he might be the only one who's the better for its creation.
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