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Red Dawn
1st Trailer
Watch It Here
Person of Interest: Young Marine Chris Hemsworth, a very whiny Josh Peck, blink or miss him Josh Hutcherson, blink or miss her Adrianne Palicki, badass father Brett Cullen, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as not Power Boothe, Conner Cruise as Mr. Nepotism, and Isabel Lucas as Peck's very pretty, never talking girlfriend.
Scene Pop: A plane crashes into a house.
Briggs Breakdown: 2 planes destroyed, 2 houses destroyed, 4 cars destroyed, 4 building and store explosions, 1 crashed school bus, and rampant gunfire.
Effective?: Yes, yet cookie-cutter and tiresome.
Check it Out?: Matinee at best. I don't know what dates this film further: how young Chris Hemsworth is, the many new stories and delays it had, or the use of Filter's "Hey Man Nice Shot." Teens may head to it for an escape but it will not have the genuine "what if" fear the original film had during the 1980's. Whether anyone will like it or not, the film will certainly be a "camel."
Despite what anyone may tell you, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is not something new. Sure, it does bring a new cinematic voice, that being director Benh Zeitlin, and a breakthrough performance for its main character, eight-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis, but the art film relishes on using popular and theatrical tropes of melodrama to go with its random fantastical moments. From the dysfunctional alcoholic parent to the mama search to the medicine run, the film actively wants to push all your buttons of emotion, mashing them when a scene calls for a purposeful reaction. It is all fun and games until it comes time to be super-serious; once there, bust out the tissues or use your butter-stained napkins because Zeitlin wants tears to be flowing out of those eyes.
I may have some strong criticism against its deliberate direction but it doesn't stop BEASTS from being the most affecting film of 2012. It may feel familiar but the film is genuinely fresh and moving, brimming with hurtful looks and bridled up sadness. This family depression is pureed with a plentiful bevy of surreal metaphors, which are sometimes literally punched into the plot, and scenes of all-out joy. For an allegory of Hurricane Katrina, it is nice that the film would rather capture human strength and happiness amid a destroyed world far more often than all-out exploitation of suffering.
On a lonely but uproariously civilized island near New Orleans, dubbed the Bathtub by its residents, lies the perplexing lifestyle of young Hushpuppy and her father Wink. They live in separate fabricated houses, both composed of dilapidated junk but made suited to their current states of mind, only to briefly meet up with each other for evening's supper and rampant town celebrations. Calling their relationship strained is putting it mildly, especially since Wink will disappear for a time without telling Hushpuppy, nor seems to care. However, the two must stay together and alive once a mighty, prophetic storm hurdles upon and drowns the island. That is, if they can survive from their malicious American neighbors behind the leeves and an incoming flux of formerly extinct aurochs, who seem destined to go after Hushpuppy for some reason.
Despite the film's curtain and guise of being set in a magical realm, the painful realism of a father-daughter relationship is the real story. Zeitlin can throw out more goofy characters with strange habits, odd tattoos, and giant rampaging animals but they can not subside the venom and nervousness between the two compelling characters. This will be the crux for many who wish to view this, as the constant switch between artificiality and despair could be a fatal mixture for some. I frankly enjoyed it though I do feel that the kookiness factor and off-putting dialogue is a bit groan inducing at times, despite the knowledge and awareness that the story's view point is from a child.
Going the Terence Malick approach also helped the movie, as the evocative cinematography, done on ole reliable 16 millimeter film, captures unfiltered and untouched jollies and frights. The score adds another layer to the beauty but is often rendered muted by the sheer powerfulness in the lead performers. Quvenzhané Wallis is of course getting the most cheers from the majors, as she does convey maturity and professionalism beyond her years. Every big protagonist needs someone to put the person over, however, and that is why I believe Dwight Henry as Wink is really the star of the show. An untrained actor who has lived through several hurricanes in New Orleans, Henry just exalts abrupt emotions that exemplifies a man broken down by distrust with loved ones and his own body. His loose cannon antics make the screen pop and create boundless endings to scenes, causing audiences to hold their breath and await either a slap, a chuckle, or something more deep and personal.
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is very devastating yet cheerful. I may feel abused by Zeitlin into feeling something on a moment's notice but this factor doesn't take away the fact that there is so much goodness upon the screen. BEASTS is one of the films to be celebrated from this year's Sundance and throughout all of 2012. Despite its PG-13 label, this is a good fairy tale for kids, sure to help them feel important in life and give them a good dose of ambiguity.
FINAL REVIEW: 4 / 5
Marvin Hamlisch has died. He was 68 years old.
The renowned American composer has crafted some of the most memorable tunes of the 20th century, on screen, on the radio, and on Broadway.
For many, he is treasured for his work with Barbra Streisand, particularly creating the theme song of The Way We Were. While I'm not a fan of either the film or the song, I am a supporter of his other memorable works. His score for The Sting is still noteworthy in the pop culture zeitgeist, with "The Entertainer" being a highly used piece for commercials, television, and films. He also made many great Oscar-nominated or winning songs, including one of the best Bond tunes, "Nobody Does It Better." His highest acclaim, winning both a Tony and a Pulitzer, was his excellent musical score for A Chorus Line.
He will surely be missed.
Another significant feature film has been scheduled to a new date in 2013. Joining next to a gung-ho war toy flick, with its necessary new revisions of more Channing Tatum, will shockingly be The Great Gatsby, a film whose trailer I was not particularly fawned of.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. will move the film from its original, profitable, and Oscar-possible release date on December 25 of this year to an unknown date in summer 2013. The presidents of Warner Bros' distribution departments, who executed the release change, sent out a quote, saying they wished, "this unique film reaches the largest audience possible." No possible reason for the delay has been released yet.
The Hollywood Reporter does have a good first theory from this shocking news: Overcrowding the DiCaprio. Christmas Day would have featured two big-time film releases, both featuring Leonardo DiCaprio in prominent roles: The Great Gatsby and Django Unchained. The former would have been given more money love, with its expected PG-13 rating and popular source material, compared to the latter, which obviously will be rated R and have an adults-only crowd and lower weekend gross.
Outside of troubles with the 3D footage or possible creative differences between Luhrmann and the studio, I have no clue why Warner Bros. did this maneuver. Their pull quote rings a bit false for my tastes, though it does make sense to get a bigger box office take with a summer release. The thing is, other than the 3D aspect, what kid would want to see this during the dog days of summer? Why slog through moral falsehood, heavy-handed allegories, and the destruction of the American Dream when I can watch superheroes, or a peculiar art indie, or more superheroes? To make matters worst, especially for the American youth, this new release date will certainly cause some teachers around the nation to schedule and require their next year English students to read the book, see the film, and write an essay before the first day of school. With the December 2012 release date, these students could have had a field trip to the local mall. Way to piss off your audiences, Warner Bros.
I guess I just hate little boys as my main characters, especially those who are orphans. Last year, I reviewed HUGO, a film that was simply good, not great. Here today is MOONRISE KINGDOM, another film that is just good, not great. The major critics and audiences may prove to say otherwise, since the film is getting great notices and is a big sleeper hit. I don't think or believe that those people are incorrect at all in their own opinions, so I will just choose to sit elsewhere, far away from the cool kids table. Why join the herd when you personally feel something is wrong with the picture?
The comparison between MOONRISE and HUGO isn't finished though. Other than both having a lonely but self-sustaining little boy as the protagonist, they both have two key flaws that undermine their characterization. The first flaw is that they both have a truly lame life goal. For Hugo, it was repairing his late father's cockamamie robot that honestly did nothing to the plot that couldn't have been skipped over. For MOONRISE's Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman), he wants to run off with a kindred spirit, his first childhood love, away from the rest of his island community and her goofball parents. Certainly a better goal but doomed to fail, since he is just a lowly boy scout and they have a walking deus ex machina/narrator in the form of Bob Balaban. The second flaw is that both boy protagonists have a far more engaging and compelling female character at their side. Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) is Sam's partner in crime, though she has the opposite personality of Chloë Grace Moretz's character in HUGO. They both have an affinity to books with globe traveling escapades, but Suzy is a dangerous product of low self-esteem and a turbulent family home where love is dead.
Outside of comparing it to another film with an auteur surrogate, MOONRISE KINGDOM doesn't have anything noteworthy about itself other than discovering new child actors and beautiful cinematography. Robert Yeoman has been a long time ally of director Wes Anderson, and also co-writer Roman Coppola, and he creates one of his best recent displays of artwork. Feeding off of Anderson's dream of crafting a moving children's storybook, he utilizes the dolly shot constantly and to its fullest, as scenes transform into expansive tapestries. As for the piles of child actors pulled and hired for the film, they are all good and have the potential for a great future in the business. Jared Gilman is fine as Sam though hampered at times by his mumbling and low key nature. Kara Hayward is a bit better, nearly a revelation, as her crooked eyes and deep emotional depths show off a dark but hurt individual.
The rest of the cast aren't so lucky. One of Anderson's best features as a film director is that he can make nearly every character memorable and have substantial material. Despite having another great cast listing, featuring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, and long time Anderson collaborator Bill Murray, none of them have much of a presence, especially since their scenes are drastically limited. A possible exception could go to Norton, as Sam's boy scout master, who does receive a nice little character arc but is often silent and standing behind the other adult actors in many scenes. However, Jason Schwartzman is the only true exception, since his funny cameo is tied into the plot with all of the kids.
MOONRISE KINGDOM is a film for cinematographers. Plot and direction wise, it is completely uneven. The movie can be labeled as Anderson's most middling output to date. His usual artistic flares and heavy flagrant art direction can't overcome and hide the problems in the foreground. The sheer non-threatening conflict is too much to bear, even with the hilarious sight of young kids with extremely violent weapons. You might always recall your first love and the feelings that overcame you at that age but that doesn't it would make an interesting story.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
Today, prestigious/pretentious Sight & Sound released their newest poll of the Top 10 greatest films ever made, as according to those surveyed. From the large pool of film critics and filmmakers all around the globe, there certainly was a stunner, as Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo came out on top over the long-time reigning champion, Citizen Kane.
Though I love the two films, I will say both as a follower and fan of the poll that I am happy for the upset. I tend to prefer Hitchcock's masterpiece over Citizen Kane, since it balances its visual direction and story, unlike Kane which is more of a spotfest of great cinematography.
Other big news from the poll was the newly included presence of experimental silent film classic The Man With The Movie Camera and John Ford's The Searchers. Both are well worth checking out, if you haven't already done so.
