Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)
Yeah, I see what you're doing here, and no, I don't care. It's all too Waiting For Godot for me. Fifteen minutes in I had a headache.
Approach with caution.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Should I Waste Two Hours On This?: Sunshine
Sunshine (Fox Searchlight, R)
I blame Alien. That movie gave us an oft repeated sci-fi formula which goes like this: big space ship + small crew + the future + a dangerous mission = impending doom. It might not be the most original concept anymore, but Sunshine takes the formula to new heights.
The small crew in question was charged with reigniting our dying sun. After years in space, and when they’re just days away from completing their mission, they get a most unlikely surprise. They also entrust a major decision to their ship’s physicist, Capa (Cillian Murphy), who admittedly isn’t sure which of their two choices is better. Once Capa announces a verdict, though, the crew is on their way to a task much different from the one they planned for.
Because of the science fiction prescription, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that things will go from bad to worse to pretty damn fucked up really fast, and all the audience can hope for is to have fun getting there. Thanks to director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland (both of 28 Days Later fame), we do.
Boyle fills the screen with dazzling and disturbing images: the sun rising slowly over the ship’s horizon and incinerating a man trapped outside during a spacewalk, a nuclear reactor sparking to life, and a white room flowing with a crew member’s spilled blood. The visuals of Sunshine have all the more impact because while everything is futuristic, the technology and characters are still relatable.
For instance, there are few Star Trek moments in Sunshine. As stunning as the sight of the space ship is, it’s not much more super-charged than the kinds of space travel we have now. They do have something holodeck-like aboard their ship, but the experience isn’t fully interactive. And after a couple of years seeing the same people everyday, the crew is going a bit (understandably) batty.
The credit for this goes to Garland, who also smartly populates the crew with the right mix of likeables, crazies, ultimately-unsuitables and villains. Among the cast, all work well for their parts. Murphy continues his streak of strong, silent types who are forced to prove their worth. Michelle Yeoh is her usual steely, gorgeous self as the calm and very practical Corazon.
The biggest revelation in the cast for me was Chris Evans. He gives believable effort to tough, efficient Mace, and shows us that maybe there’s more to him than the grinning man-whoredom of Johnny Storm (The Fantastic Four).
I blame Alien. That movie gave us an oft repeated sci-fi formula which goes like this: big space ship + small crew + the future + a dangerous mission = impending doom. It might not be the most original concept anymore, but Sunshine takes the formula to new heights.
The small crew in question was charged with reigniting our dying sun. After years in space, and when they’re just days away from completing their mission, they get a most unlikely surprise. They also entrust a major decision to their ship’s physicist, Capa (Cillian Murphy), who admittedly isn’t sure which of their two choices is better. Once Capa announces a verdict, though, the crew is on their way to a task much different from the one they planned for.
Because of the science fiction prescription, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that things will go from bad to worse to pretty damn fucked up really fast, and all the audience can hope for is to have fun getting there. Thanks to director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland (both of 28 Days Later fame), we do.
Boyle fills the screen with dazzling and disturbing images: the sun rising slowly over the ship’s horizon and incinerating a man trapped outside during a spacewalk, a nuclear reactor sparking to life, and a white room flowing with a crew member’s spilled blood. The visuals of Sunshine have all the more impact because while everything is futuristic, the technology and characters are still relatable.
For instance, there are few Star Trek moments in Sunshine. As stunning as the sight of the space ship is, it’s not much more super-charged than the kinds of space travel we have now. They do have something holodeck-like aboard their ship, but the experience isn’t fully interactive. And after a couple of years seeing the same people everyday, the crew is going a bit (understandably) batty.
The credit for this goes to Garland, who also smartly populates the crew with the right mix of likeables, crazies, ultimately-unsuitables and villains. Among the cast, all work well for their parts. Murphy continues his streak of strong, silent types who are forced to prove their worth. Michelle Yeoh is her usual steely, gorgeous self as the calm and very practical Corazon.
The biggest revelation in the cast for me was Chris Evans. He gives believable effort to tough, efficient Mace, and shows us that maybe there’s more to him than the grinning man-whoredom of Johnny Storm (The Fantastic Four).
Monday, August 6, 2007
Blockbusterish: Live Free or Die Hard
Live Free or Die Hard (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
No one can say John McClane (Bruce Willis) doesn’t try. No New York City cop has single handedly thwarted as many terrorist plots or killed as many Euro-trash bad guys. And just when McClane has settled into a cozy life of divorced, over-protective dad-dom...guess who needs his help?
For one, nerdy computer hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) needs his help. McClane is sent to bring Farrell in for questioning after the FBI realizes that their computer files were hacked. What starts off as a routine suspect transport quickly turns into a life-or-death struggle, as McClane faces off against a band of henchmen sent by super-hacker Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) to kill our favorite Mac advocate.
Remember when McClane was the baddest hero on the block? No? Well, that’s because it’s been a long time, my friend. McClane is still a real guy who can think (or, more often, shoot) his way out of any problem. But do we care anymore?
Honestly, the answer is a little bit yes and a little bit no. Any action fan is going to love the adrenaline in the fast paced, almost non-stop action. McClane and the baddies are up to their old tricks: jumping, running, shooting, crashing and bleeding with the best of them. I’ve read that most of the action sequences were actually stunts as opposed to being filled with CGI and other computer-assisted whatnot, and you can tell. You feel like you’re in the action a lot of the time; whether it’s a blackout that causes a dangerous traffic jam in a New York City tunnel, or an explosion that threatens to flatten McClane and Farrell.
So, what’s the problem? Well, I was surprised that I didn’t feel very…excited. There was no edge-of-the-seat-nervous-stomach stuff that usually comes with rooting for an underdog in an impossible situation. Can McClane get out before the room blows up? Will he survive an attack by a karate-chopping badass? Is he going to get past Gabriel’s disciples to face off with the man himself? Of course! He’s John McClane, fucker!
My only real issue with Live Free or Die Hard (cool title, by the way) is that for all the magnificent action, the series is just tired. We know McClane is going to win. Everything. Against everyone. All the time. Yes, he gets banged up, but we never believe he’s in actual danger because he’s always made it through before.
And Willis? I like him, so I hate to say it, but he’s tired, too. At least he looks and sounds tired throughout the film. Frankly, that doesn’t help things a bit. To a certain extent I understand that may have been a conscious choice. The guy’s got to be thinking, “I’ve got to save the country by myself, again? Really?” But we don’t need that telegraphed to us for the entire movie. Every time Willis appeared on screen I sensed lethargy. The exact opposite of what you need in an action movie.
Listen to me, Bruce. When they try to talk you into Die Hard 5: Even Harder Dying, yell “yippee ki yay,” turn, and slowly walk away.
No one can say John McClane (Bruce Willis) doesn’t try. No New York City cop has single handedly thwarted as many terrorist plots or killed as many Euro-trash bad guys. And just when McClane has settled into a cozy life of divorced, over-protective dad-dom...guess who needs his help?
For one, nerdy computer hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) needs his help. McClane is sent to bring Farrell in for questioning after the FBI realizes that their computer files were hacked. What starts off as a routine suspect transport quickly turns into a life-or-death struggle, as McClane faces off against a band of henchmen sent by super-hacker Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) to kill our favorite Mac advocate.
Remember when McClane was the baddest hero on the block? No? Well, that’s because it’s been a long time, my friend. McClane is still a real guy who can think (or, more often, shoot) his way out of any problem. But do we care anymore?
Honestly, the answer is a little bit yes and a little bit no. Any action fan is going to love the adrenaline in the fast paced, almost non-stop action. McClane and the baddies are up to their old tricks: jumping, running, shooting, crashing and bleeding with the best of them. I’ve read that most of the action sequences were actually stunts as opposed to being filled with CGI and other computer-assisted whatnot, and you can tell. You feel like you’re in the action a lot of the time; whether it’s a blackout that causes a dangerous traffic jam in a New York City tunnel, or an explosion that threatens to flatten McClane and Farrell.
So, what’s the problem? Well, I was surprised that I didn’t feel very…excited. There was no edge-of-the-seat-nervous-stomach stuff that usually comes with rooting for an underdog in an impossible situation. Can McClane get out before the room blows up? Will he survive an attack by a karate-chopping badass? Is he going to get past Gabriel’s disciples to face off with the man himself? Of course! He’s John McClane, fucker!
My only real issue with Live Free or Die Hard (cool title, by the way) is that for all the magnificent action, the series is just tired. We know McClane is going to win. Everything. Against everyone. All the time. Yes, he gets banged up, but we never believe he’s in actual danger because he’s always made it through before.
And Willis? I like him, so I hate to say it, but he’s tired, too. At least he looks and sounds tired throughout the film. Frankly, that doesn’t help things a bit. To a certain extent I understand that may have been a conscious choice. The guy’s got to be thinking, “I’ve got to save the country by myself, again? Really?” But we don’t need that telegraphed to us for the entire movie. Every time Willis appeared on screen I sensed lethargy. The exact opposite of what you need in an action movie.
Listen to me, Bruce. When they try to talk you into Die Hard 5: Even Harder Dying, yell “yippee ki yay,” turn, and slowly walk away.
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