Reviews
Star Trek
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | J.J. Abrams |
| Written by: | Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman |
| Starring: | Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho |
| Released: | May 7, 2009 |
| Grade: | B+ |
Captain’s Log, Stardate 2009.42. I have just retuned from a screening of the new Star Trek movie. I believe the film is non-hostile and safe to watch. The all clear has been given for other humans to approach. That said, I will closely monitor the situation and keep everyone informed.
There have been ten Star Trek movies up until this point. The last was Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002. More than seven years have passed since its release and in that time, Paramount Pictures made the decision to give the series a much overdue facelift. This new flick, simply entitled Star Trek, features a young, fresh cast and takes us back to where the story began… in a rather unique way.
There are plenty of characters but our main protagonist is James Tiberius Kirk (played by Chris Pine). James is a rebellious individual who has grown up without a father. Captain George Kirk sacrificed his life when James was born to help save the Earth from an alien attack.
James will have an opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps. After a chance encounter with the high profile Captain Pike (Greenwood), James accepts an offer to enter the Starfleet Academy. It is there where he meets his rival – an intelligent Vulcan known simply as Spock (Quinto). The two clash on several occasions with each trying to outsmart the other. After several years of rigorous training, both James and Spock are ready to take to the skies in search of adventure.
I admit to being a little concerned by these early scenes. It thought the filmmakers had tried too hard to make the story colourful and sexy. Was this going to be another cliché-ridden action flick with lame jokes?
Thankfully, the answer was no. One the character introductions are out of the away, the suspenseful drama kicks in and the film finds it feet. James, in his first mission aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, becomes caught up in a nasty alien invasion. It is very similar to that which his late father faced two decades ago. If the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are any hope of saving Earth, they will need to come together and work as a team.
I’ve alluded to it in my opening paragraph but there are some nice twists in this story that will require you to switch your brain to the "on" position. They explain why this series has gone back to the very beginning and has a different cast. That’s all I’m prepared to reveal. Thumbs up go to writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who worked together on films including Transformers and The Island.
I like the cast and think that Chris Pine does a terrific job as James Kirk. His infectious enthusiasm will endear him to audiences. He’s one cool character. He shares some great scenes with Zachary Quinto who plays Spock. Also worth a mention is English actor Simon Pegg (Shaun Of The Dead) who brings comic relief to the film as Scotty.
You don’t need to be familiar with the earlier films to enjoy this latest instalment and I think it sets the stage for many more films to come.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Gavin Hood |
| Written by: | David Benioff, Skip Woods |
| Starring: | Hugh Jackman, Live Schreiber, Danny Huston, Will I Am, Dominic Monaghan, Taylor Kitsch |
| Released: | April 29, 2009 |
| Grade: | C+ |
There have been three films in the X-Men series to date and I’ve liked them all. They explored some interesting moral issues against the backdrop of a rather complex storyline. The characters were cool too.
The last X-Men flick was released three years ago and instead of churning out another sequel, 20th Century Fox has taken a different path. They’ve made a prequel which focuses on Wolverine and how he came to be. It’s bound to be popular given that Wolverine was easily the most popular mutant from the earlier flicks.
Unfortunately, I didn’t like this movie. Hugh Jackman runs around punching bad guys and blowing stuff up like a stereotypical action hero. It lacks the suspense and the depth of the other films. It starts off poorly and isn’t improved by a finale which is all special effects and no emotion.
The bad guy is a power-hungry government official named William Stryker (Huston). He has a secret lair where he’s been committing scientific experiments on mutant beings. He’s trying to harness their powers so that he can create a super mutant. One of the guys is he wants is Wolverine – for his fighting skills and retractable metal claws.
Having lived a quiet life for a number of years, Stryker lures Wolverine out of hiding by having his long-time girlfriend killed. The killer is Wolverine’s brother, Sabretooth (Schreiber). As you’d expect, this enrages Wolverine and sets him on a quest to track down Sabretooth and Stryker.
The more I think about this story, the less sense it makes. New characters are introduced late in proceedings for no apparent reason. Are they there for possible sequels? It’s also hard to work out who’s pulling the strings. Stryker seems to be in control but why everyone is helping him to become a super villain are beyond me. Dr. Evil is Austin Powers had better motives… and that film was a comedy!
With all the marketing hype, moviegoers will stand in queues like lemmings to buy tickets to this film this weekend. I’m willing to bet that the majority will leave the cinema unsatisfied.
Fast And Furious
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Justin Lin |
| Written by: | Chris Morgan |
| Starring: | Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso |
| Released: | April 16, 2009 |
| Grade: | B |
The Fast & The Furious was one of the biggest success stories of 2001. It made a lot of money at the box-office and was well received by the public. In my initial review, I described it as being "edge of your seat stuff".
Since then, the series has had a few "accidents" and to use another metaphor, has spent a fair amount of time in the repair shop. Paul Walker was the only member of the cast to return for the sequel (2 Fast 2 Furious) and the less that is said about The Fast The Furious: Tokyo Drift, the better.
The good news is that this franchise is back on the open road and is travelling at full speed. As the advertising points out, all of the original cast have returned for Fast & Furious. None of them have gone onto super stardom since the first flick so perhaps they’ve returned for the pay cheque? Maybe they’ve reunited to do a little reminiscing.
Whatever their motivations, their appearance has gotten the public off their backsides and into movie theatres. When it opened in the United States last week, it made $71m in its first three days. That’s the biggest opening since The Dark Knight in July 2008.
When I went to the preview screening, my attention was largely on the action scenes. The special effects are obvious but it’s still exhilarating. The problem I now have is that I’m a little sketchy about the plot. Maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention? Maybe there wasn’t any story to begin with?
All I’ll say is that Dominic (Diesel) and Brian (Walker) are both out to capture a nasty Mexican drug dealer. They have differing motivations but are equal in terms of their unrelenting passion. They throw their bodies around with reckless abandon. Their juiced up cars go through the ringer as well. Presented with the same situation, I think I would have died 20 times over.
The best parts of the movie are when the actors keep their mouths shut and the action does the talking. The dialogue is laughable in places. But like I said, there are some very cool action sequences that more than compensate. One of the highlights is a car chase through an underground tunnel on the Mexican border.
Vroom, vroom!
Fired Up
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Will Gluck |
| Written by: | Freedom Jones |
| Starring: | Nicholas D’Agosto, Eric Christian Olsen, Sarah Roemer, Philip Baker Hall, John Michael Higgins, Molly Sims |
| Released: | April 23, 2009 |
| Grade: | B |
Fired Up is about two football jocks who go to cheerleading camp over the summer so that they can have their choice of over 300 chicks. Need I say any more?
I do enjoy a deep, meaningful drama. Already this year we’ve been treated to great films such as The Wrester, The Reader and Milk. That said, trashy comedies such as this still have their place in the world of cinema. Sometimes the best thing to do is sit back, turn off the brain and have a few laughs. Fired Up is a perfect example.
The two leading dudes are Nicholas D’Agosto (Heroes) and Eric Christian Olsen (Dumb And Dumberer). Nicholas plays Shawn - the smart, conservative guy. Eric plays Nick – the bold, outgoing guy. The girls at the camp know exactly what our two protagonists are up to but most don’t seem to mind.
Given the limited storyline, it’s no wonder that screenwriter Freedom Jones had trouble dragging it out for 90 minutes. His attempt at creating a semi-dramatic ending was ridiculous. On the other hand, he doesn’t seem to have had any trouble crafting some funny jokes. There are a few "laugh out loud" moment and the highlight involves a scene from the iconic cheerleading flick Bring It On.
I don’t think any of us are going to remember this film in six months time but it’s the only major new release showing in our multiplexes this week, so I guess it’ll just have to do.
Elegy
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Isabel Coixet |
| Written by: | Nicholas Meyer |
| Starring: | Ben Kingsley, Penelope Cruz, Dennis Hopper, Patricia Clarkson, Peter Sarsgaard, Deborah Harry |
| Released: | April 9, 2009 |
| Grade: | A |
I’ve always liked the term "carpe diem" - a Latin term which is commonly translated into "seize the day". These were the thoughts I had walking out of the cinema after seeing Elegy, the new film from Spanish director Isabel Coixet (My Life Without Me, The Secret Life Of Words). Time is precious and we should make the most of it.
Before I get too melodramatic, let me explain why this film is so great. It’s the story of David Kepesh (Kingsley), a 62-year-old literary professor living in Manhattan. I’ll cut to the chase and say that he loves women. He really loves women. David has seduced and slept with countless beauties throughout his life. He was married once but it didn’t really suit his free-loving lifestyle.
Talking to a friend, David makes the comment that "the biggest surprise in a man’s life is old age". It’s a realisation that he’s struggling to deal with. He’s not as active, not as virile as he once was. I’d be interested to know what you make of David. Will you see him as a sleazy womaniser finally getting what he deserves? Or will you feel sorry for this lonely, insecure man and hope that he can find true love in the later years of his life? It’s a terrific two-sided performance from Ben Kingsley who ensures the character’s complexities are fully illustrated.
David’s eyes are currently fixated by a 24-year-old Cuban who is taking one of his classes. Her name is Consuela (Cruz). David has a rule of not getting involved with his students… while they’re still his students. And so, he makes his move at a special graduation party which he throws each year in his own home. His charms easily win over Consuela and she agrees to accompany him to an upcoming play.
Soon enough, a passionate relationship develops. They spend every moment they can together. Where is this heading, however? David realises he his falling in love with Consuela but doubts and jealousies are clouding his mind. With a massive age difference between them, he’s worried that she’ll leave him for someone her own age. He subsequently becomes possessive and controlling of Consuela’s behaviour.
There are no car chases, no vampires and no toilet jokes in Elegy. This is a heavy, powerful exploration of two people and the relationship that they share. I know it won’t set the box-office alight but I found it to be a credibly moving film. Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast) and Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona) deserve every piece of praise they have already received.
Based on the novel by Philip Roth novel, Elegy is one of the finest romantic dramas that I’ve seen in some time.
Let The Right One In
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Tomas Alfredson |
| Written by: | John Ajvide Lindqvist |
| Starring: | Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Peter Carlberg |
| Released: | April 23, 2009 |
| Grade: | A- |
Let The Right One In is a Swedish film that has been showered with acclaim since released last year. During the recent award season, it won numerous "best foreign language film" prizes. If you check out the Internet Movie Database, you’ll realise that it has also developed a cult-like following – it is ranked 192nd on the list of all-time greatest movies.
The central character is a softly spoken 12-year-old boy named Oskar (Hedebrant). He lives with his mother in an old apartment building and largely keeps to himself. Oskar is continually bullied by a group of kids in his class at school. Each time it happens, these bullies see a quiet, emotionless look on Oskar’s face. What they don’t see… is the burning desire that he carries within to get revenge.
Standing in the snow in the courtyard outside his building, Oskar meets Eli (Leandersson), a young girl who has moved in next door. When he asks how old she is, Eli responds with "12 years old… give or take". It’s a strange answer but we soon find out why. Eli is a vampire. She looks innocent enough but she has an insatiable thirst for human blood which will never be diminished.
Eli lives with her father, Hakan (Per Ragnar) who helps protect her daughter. He sneaks out at night, finds fresh victims, and drains them of their blood. This isn’t something that he enjoys doing. He’s not a pathological serial killer. Hakan does it for the love of his daughter and will do whatever is necessary to keep her alive and happy.
It may sound like a contraction but this is a beautiful film and a creepy film. I loved the world that has been created by director Tomas Alfredson. There isn’t a lot of dialogue but the visuals are striking. You will feel the coldness and hear the silence. Alfredson obviously subscribes to the theory that "a picture paints a thousand words".
So what becomes of Oskar and Eli? I’d like you to see this film to find out for yourself. It reminded me in many ways of Pan’s Labyrinth in that it is a modern day fairy tale with some dark themes. Without a doubt, it’s one of the best foreign language releases for the year.