Month: December 2011

Sean and Ben are two young hotshot software developers hoping to make a killing with a new internet venture with Russian financing.  After getting shot down by a rival, they hope to drown their sorrows in a trendy nightclub where they meet a couple of girls also traveling abroad, Natalie and Anne.  They’re all having a great time and then a huge blackout occurs.  Everyone in the bar assembles to the outside streets where they see something like a Northern Lights effect over the sky dropping globes of light to the ground.  It looks beautiful but it’s quickly revealed that they’re very deadly and in actuality… are aliens from space here to strip mine the planet!!

That’s the premise to The Darkest Hour the second movie from director Chris Gorak (Gorak’s first movie was called Right At Your Door which unfortunately I haven’t seen and prior to that he’s served as Art Director and Production Designer for a number of films including Minority Report, Fight Club and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).  One of the film’s producers is Timur Bekmambetov who’s better known for his directorial efforts; the Russian-made Night Watch and Day Watch, and the comic book adaptation of Wanted. With a pedigree like that and the promotion this has been getting, one would certainly hope for the best…

… keep hoping (said by my inner smart-ass).  Actually, it’s not as bad as that would imply.  There’s some good ideas here, a terrific locale (you don’t necessarily think of Moscow as a location for an alien invasion film) and an amiable cast.  The visual effects are serviceable as is the 3D (though more for depth than anything else).  Where this falters is with a disjointed second act that gets pretty flat in it’s pacing, some pretty listless bits of dialogue and some acts by some of the main characters that are just stupid but move the story forward.  It’s all of the hallmarks of a “B” movie and there’s nothing wrong with that necessarily.  But considering the major push this film has been given and the fact that it’s been released right alongside new movies from Tom Cruise, David Fincher and two releases from Steven Spielberg, it has a lot to live up to.  I can certainly understand a studio wanting to give their film a major push and make as much money as they can, but there’s a part of me which thinks that The Darkest Hour could’ve been better served as a smaller release and not competing with bigger films but acting more as a bit of a palette cleanser.

Emile Hirsch plays Sean and Max Minghella plays Ben and they’re certainly likable enough and have good chemistry together (which is something that I couldn’t say about the leads in the movie this most resembles, Skyline)  Olivia Thirlby plays Natalie and Rachel Taylor plays Anne and unfortunately for them they’re the two major characters who get to do the stupid things that drive this forward.  Of course that’s not really their fault, but other than that they don’t really do anything that special or memorable and really just the “girls” of this film.

The Darkest Hour ends with the idea that this could be the first in a series of films and I almost hope that happens just because there are some good ideas here that could certainly be expanded upon.  I don’t expect that to happen though considering the film’s poor box office performance domestically.  As it is, The Darkest Hour is pretty lackluster compared to what it’s being released against right now and I can only really recommend to those that will appreciate it’s “B” movie aspects.

Famous boy reporter Tintin is having his portrait drawn in a town square, when an object from a vendor catches his eye.  The object is a model of a sailing ship from days past.  Tintin is intrigued enough to buy the model when all of a sudden he finds that there are others who are in pursuit of the very same model.  Tintin, of course smells a mystery and soon he and his trusty canine companion Snowy are off on a big adventure to find out the real secret behind this ship model.

The Adventures of Tintin is one of two holiday releases from director Steven Spielberg (the other being War Horse) and it marks the prolific director’s first foray into both computer generated animation and 3D.  For those that don’t know, Tintin is a comic book character created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé back in 1929.  I’ve never read any of the Tintin stories my own self (something that I should rectify) but I do know that this character and his adventures are a pretty big deal abroad and highly influential in the greater appeal of comic storytelling in Europe.  From what I understand, Tintin is to European comics as Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy is to Japanese manga.  His stories have been published worldwide and due to his classic adventure background, one could certainly see the appeal to both director Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson in bringing the character to the big screen.

The Adventures of Tintin takes place in it’s own world and in an undisclosed time period.  Some might have a problem in accepting the fact that he’s this boy who lives on his own, has these jaunts that takes him all over the world (without any parental supervision) and that he uses a gun.  For some in the American audience, I could see this as being a pretty big deal to have get around to accept this story.  It’s not unheard of with a comic book character like this (and to cite an American example, Billy Batson- who says the magic word Shazam to become Captain Marvel- was also a boy reporter who lived on his own and had his own big adventures back in the day), but it’s something that you’ll definitely have to accept going into this.

From what I understand, Tintin himself was more of a device for Hergé to tell stories of other characters.  Tintin is certainly a proactive character, but not necessarily the main focus in each of his adventures.  That’s certainly the way this movie works.

For the most part, I had a pretty terrific time with this, but I do have a few quibbles and it’s mostly with the character of Captain Haddock, who Tintin teams up with to help solve this mystery.  Haddock is the main focus of the film and he’s this boozy sea captain who’s seen better days.  Haddock is the one who has the connection to the model ship and he sees that finding it is a way at some sort of redemption for his family name.  Whenever Haddock starts to go on about his past, it’s not so much about him as it is about his ancestor and these scenes (despite Andy Serkis’ considerable talent in bringing Haddock to life) are pretty laggy and the pace just slows down considerably.

Beyond that though, on a technical level, The Adventures of Tintin is just amazing.  Spielberg and company, in my opinion, go to new heights with this sort of motion capture CGI animated film. The characters look stunning and have a realism to them that fits this world design.  The world itself is bright, colorful and looks like the ideal place for a big adventure.  The action scenes are spectacular, with one chase scene near the end of the film being a huge standout and virtually worth the price of admission.  I thought the 3D was really nicely done, but again, I saw this in a room with great projection.  I don’t think it’s quite to the same level as what Martin Scorsese did with Hugo, and I also don’t think you necessarily have to see it in 3D, but if you’re inclined to it does work (particularly with the action scenes).

As I mentioned above, Andy Serkis plays Haddock and does a great job, though I think that character suffers more in the writing.  Jamie Bell plays Tintin and he’s just terrific, though I could see some seeing Tintin as a bland character (which I tend to think is by design).  Tintin himself is more of an audience gateway to the adventure but when he throws himself into the action, it’s in a way that’s pure Spielberg adventure not unlike Indiana Jones.  As cool as Tintin is himself, his dog Snowy steals the show being even more proactive than his master.

Daniel Craig plays Sakharine, the villain of the piece and in many ways may be the best character brought to life on the screen.  Craig’s performance combined with the animation has some real subtlety and nuance to it.  In some inspired casting, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are cast as Thomson and Thompson, two bumbling detectives who are staples of the series.  Just from their dialogue, you can tell they’re having some real fun with the parts.

But will that fun translate?  That’s hard to say.  I had a good time with this, but not in the same league that I had the previous evening with Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol (I realize that may be a bit of an unfair comparison, but actually the two films have more in common than you think- both are big globetrotting adventures with “big” characters and both are directed by directors who are working outside their normal comfort zones).  I had a problem with Haddock, which might have been a different thing if I’d actually read some of Hergé’s original stories, but technically you shouldn’t have to read them in order to get what the character is all about.  To me, that character wasn’t necessarily worth following, at least by what’s shown in the movie.  What did make this fun though was Tintin and Snowy, both being these great wish-fulfillment characters that harken back to a time when this sort of boy’s adventure was more acceptable.  The Adventures of Tintin is certainly set-up in such a way so that more movies could be coming, and for myself, I hope they get the chance to do so.

Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt and a small team of agents have been implicated in a devastating explosion at the Kremlin while on a mission.  Now, totally disavowed, Hunt and his team are off to stop a master terrorist called Cobalt (who’s actually behind the Kremlin explosion) from plunging the world into destruction following the theft of Russian nuclear missile codes.

That is all that I’m going to tell you about the premise to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. There is way more to it than just that, but you really should see it for yourself.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the fourth film in the series from star Tom Cruise and it marks the live-action directorial debut of Brad Bird.  Bird is better known for his work in animation.  He’s been part of The Simpsons team, his own first movie The Iron Giant is a masterpiece, and his two films for Pixar, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, are two of the very best movies the studio has released.  As terrific as his resume is, you’d think he’d be outside his comfort zone with this huge live-action blockbuster… that’s not the case at all.

I’m a huge fan of Mission: Impossible. I absolutely love the old TV series and for the most part I think the film series has been nicely done, though for me the best of the films has still been the first one directed by Brian DePalma.  Thanks to Brad Bird, we’ve now got another film in the series which is right up there with the first one as far as I’m concerned.

Bird and writers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec not only give us a rollicking adventure piece, but they also manage to give every agent their due.  Tom Cruise is certainly the lead here, but this is also very much an ensemble piece and this just doesn’t tell us an Ethan Hunt story.  In the midst of some terrific action set pieces, Bird and company also bring back those moments that made Mission: Impossible really special; the tense and quiet moments of actually putting the pieces in their place to pull off these impossible missions.  In addition to that, Bird and company give this entire production a far lighter feel than say what the current James Bond series has.  it’s an almost retro touch that brings back a solid sense of fun to the whole thing.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol looks terrific and is especially charged up during it’s set pieces (in particular the scenes around Dubai’s Burj Khalifa hotel).    It’s tightly paced and all punctuated by a terrific score from Michael Giacchino, who’s no stranger to the franchise (he scored the third film) and certainly no stranger to working with Brad Bird (he scored both The Incredibles and Ratatouille).  Giacchino’s score not only pays it’s respects with it’s use of Lalo Schifrin’s original theme and show music, but in some places, there’s also what seems to me like some nods to John Barry’s work in some classic Bond films.  From a technical and production standpoint, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is as first-rate as it gets.

I thought that the main cast was terrific.  Tom Cruise has always had a great intensity in the part of Ethan Hunt, not just in his delivery but also in his physical presence.  Right from the start, you’ll see that he was totally up to reprising his role and when he says the best line in the movie (at least to me), “Light the fuse,” you just know that he’s here and ready to give the audience a great time.  Simon Pegg returns from Mission: Impossible III as Benji Dunn, who’s now a field agent and acts as Hunt’s tech specialist.  Pegg, as expected, acts as comedy relief for the film, but he’s never annoying as it and he also gets his moments to really shine as a serious member of this team.  Paula Patton plays Jane Carter, an agent who has her own personal score to settle through all of this.  She’s got great presence and just looks stunning.  Jeremy Renner plays William Brandt, the fourth member of this team.  Brandt is introduced as an “analyst” but there’s way more to him than that.  Renner can certainly stand toe-to-toe with Cruise on the intensity side and he’s just a terrific addition to this franchise.

Michael Nyqvist plays Hendricks, the terrorist known as Cobalt.  While he’s not necessarily i the same class of villain as Philip Seymour Hoffman was in Mission: Impossible III he still does a very capable job.  His final fight with Ethan Hunt is terrific and he just has the look of a classic Mission: Impossible bad guy.  For me, the biggest surprise in the cast was right at the start of the film with Lost’s Josh Holloway playing an IMF agent named Hanaway.  His appearances are really brief, but they set the stage and Holloway has real presence.  I always thought he was terrific on Lost and was certainly deserving of even bigger and better roles.  His appearance here proves that and I just hope he gets some bigger opportunities in the future.

Earlier this year, I saw Fast Five and up until now, it was my favorite action film of the year.  Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol hasn’t knocked it off of the top but it does share the space.  Both have a lot in common; they’re late films in established franchises, they have major over-the-top set pieces, engaging casts that make you want to follow their adventure, and they’ve both re-energized their franchises.  Tom Cruise may be the lead actor in this (and he is terrific) but the real star of the film is director Brad Bird and his terrific visual style and sense of pace and most importantly, sense of fun.  Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is a winner and of course, highly, highly recommended.

“Light the fuse.”

Famed consulting detective Sherlock Holmes is hot on the trail of a diabolical scheme from his arch nemesis Professor James Moriarty.  Moriarty plans to plunge France and Germany into a major war from which he will profit from in a heavy way.  Now Holmes and his trusted companion, Dr. Watson set out to thwart these plans.

That’s the premise to Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, director Guy Ritchie’s second outing with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic character with Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson.  I enjoyed their first film a great deal (though I wasn’t expecting so due to the initial trailers- those trailers led me to believe that this was going to be a snarky, jokey version of Holmes, yet another instance where movie marketing betrays a movie).

With all of the key players still in place and the able addition of actor Jared Harris in the role of Moriarty the promise was certainly here for a good movie and for the most part it is a lot of fun though I have a few quibbles with it.

On the plus side, the look of the movie is fantastic.  The production design is absolutely first-rate.  I was pleased to see Ritchie still use his “signature” for Holmes with his hyper-kinetic sequences where Holmes sees every important aspect of a scene and Holmes in turn already working out his solutions.  Some already have problems with this sort of slo-mo storytelling, but I think it’s fantastic and these scenes are real standouts for me.  I really enjoyed Hans Zimmer’s score in the first film and was certainly glad to see his return here.

Where this falters… well, it is a little too long and probably could’ve been tightened up by a good 15-20 minutes.  Some might attribute this to Ritchie’s signature scenes, but I see it more for taking a little too much time to hammer in some of their comedic parts, in particular a scene involving Holmes on a horse and another with Holme’s brother Mycroft and Watson’s new wife.

My second quibble is somewhat spoiler-ish in nature, so you’ve been given fair warning (jump to the next paragraph if you want to avoid this),  One thing that I really like about this film is the fact that it does borrow facets of Doyle’s “The Final Problem” which at it’s end kills off both Holmes and Moriarty.  Even though Holmes survives this by the end of the film (which isn’t a big surprise), this didn’t exactly seem to me the way to go with a second film in the franchise.  Considering how Moriarty wasn’t directly shown in the first movie, I think it would’ve been better to build up more to his first full-blown appearance in a Holmes film as the primary villain.  For a second movie, I would’ve rather had seen Ritchie and company take a story like “The Hound of the Baskervilles” as an primary story and still build up Moriarty as a secondary story which could’ve then lead right into A Game of Shadows. It’s still an enjoyable film as it is, but I thought Moriarty deserved more of a build-up rather than going straight to him for the second film.

Downey and Law are terrific though their chemistry is played down a little form the first movie, primarily due to Watson’s marriage.  Downey certainly surprises me at just how good he looks during the action sequences as I just don’t normally associate him with being an action movie guy.  Sure, he’s in the Iron Man films, but even then when he’s in action, he’s in the armor and you just don’t see his face when he’s at work.  I think he’s quite credible in those scenes and Guy Ritchie certainly milks it for all it’s worth.  Jude Law has the harder role of “grounding” Holmes.  It’s nowhere near as “showy” a part, but Law does a terrific job and now it would certainly be hard to not think of him in the part for this version of the franchise.

Jared Harris is probably better known to audiences for his appearances on the TV show Fringe. He was certainly a surprise here being cast as Moriarty, but not an unpleasant one (especially considering all of the bigger names that were first being bantered around).  His Moriarty is indeed the opposite number of Holmes and it’s truly in evidence in the film’s final scenes.

Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan and Geraldine James all return as Irene Adler, Inspector Lestrade and Mrs. Hudson respectively, but their parts are nowhere near as large as what they were in the first film and it would’ve been nice to see just a little more.  Considering the nature of this film, there really was nowhere to use them more.  Kelly Reilly also returns as Watson’s wife and fares better.  New additions to the series include Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes and Noomi Rapace as Madam Simza Heron.  Fry is terrific as Holme’s brother, though as I said above, the scene with him and Kelly Reilly does go on a bit long.  Rapace is important to the plot of the film, but mostly in getting things moving rather than having any sort of real character that you can get engaged with.  She looks terrific, but she deserved more than that.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows goes on a bit long and in my opinion, just shouldn’t have been the story used for the second in this film series, but with that said, I still had a good time with it.  That good time is largely due to Guy Ritchie’s terrific visual sense and fun performances from Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Jared Harris.  I no doubt expect this to series to continue beyond this film and certainly look forward to what they’ll spring on us next.