A Movie A Week: Week 10 - Safe House

Movie: Safe House
Theater: AMC Colonial 18
Snack: Hot Dog and Coke

There's not a whole lot to say about "Safe House."  It was an enjoyable action movie, but not particularly memorable or special.  It follows the formula of a number of Denzel Washington's recent films where he plays a character who falls somewhere on a continuum from well-meaning asshole to genuinely bad guy.  He's paired with a pure-hearted rookie and the movie is as much about the clash of characters as it is about the plot.  So, you've probably seen this movie before in one of its earlier iterations, but it is an entertaining formula, and this version of it is satisfying if ultimately forgettable.

A Movie A Week - Week 9: John Carter

Movie: John Carter
Theater: AMC Discover Mills 18
Snack: Hot Dog and Coke

So, this one is way late.  I did see the movie on schedule, I just didn't get around to writing it up until now.  In my defense, I've been real busy saving the galaxy from the Reaper invasion in Mass Effect 3.

"John Carter" has gotten beaten up a bit.  The reviews haven't been great and it hasn't drawn blockbuster numbers in the ticket sales department.  The film is not without its flaws, but I found it to be a lot of fun.  The pacing is a little slow, which actually works for it in some places, letting the audience take in the world and get to know the characters.  In other places, however, the movie drags a bit and could probably stand to lose fifteen to thirty minutes.  This slow pacing, I think is one of the things that has hampered the movie's appeal to audiences.  It lacks the break-neck pace of most modern action/adventure films, and that fact may have thrown audiences more used to quicker movement in their stories.

Another obstacle is that Disney did not seem to know how to sell the film.  The ads were all kind of bland, with no hint of the things that work so well in the film, like the scope of the world or the character relationships.  I thought the love story aspect worked particularly well, and really should have been played up in at least some of the ads.  I don't think I ever even saw an ad with a "From the creator of Tarzan . . ."  The title is problematic as well.  Why no "John Carter of Mars," or "A Princess of Mars."  "John Carter," as a title, provides no context for the film and has to have hurt the ability to draw an audience.

Maybe, if the film had been stronger it could have overcome these problems.  Unfortunately, while very enjoyable, "John Carter" is just flawed enough to keep it from generating the kind of buzz that might have helped it find an audience.

A Movie A Week - Week 8: Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012 - Animated

Movie: Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012 - Animated

Theater: Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

Snack: Caramel Popcorn and Coke

For a second week, a shorts program at the Midtown Art Cinema saves me from a lackluster selection of feature films.  I found the animated shorts to be more of a mixed bag than the live action shorts I saw last week.  In fact, I thought the honorable mentions, which were included in this program along with the nominees, were stronger than a couple of the shorts that were nominated.  That said, there were some gems to be found here, and I find that I do agree with the Academy on the winner.  I'll start with the nominees:

A Morning Stroll (UK) - This one was kind of a one-note joke, as we see basically the same events over and over depicted in different animation styles and set in different eras.  Fortunately, the one-note joke is a funny one, and it takes an amusingly strange turn in the last section.

Dimanche/Sunday (Canada) - This one just didn't do anything for me.  I'm not saying it's bad, I just didn't get it.  This was probably my least favorite of the bunch.

La Luna (USA) - Here is the Pixar entry, and it is as charming as you would expect.  The story was a bit slight, but the character designs are fantastic and the gag in the final shot is genuinely funny.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (USA) - This short was the winner of the animated short Oscar and I definitely understand why.  It is sweet without being cloying and the animation is absolutely beautiful.  The character design is fantastic  and giving the books life and personality was well done.  This one rated pretty highly for me, and as I said, I understand why it won.

Wild Life (Canada) - I have mixed feelings about this one.  I liked the animation style.  The painterly look of the piece was different in a pleasing way.  I found amusing moments in the short and was enjoying the story in the beginning.  However, the dark turn the story takes at the end was a bit of a jolt and turned me off.

Following the nominees, four honorable mentions were screened.  All four were fantastic, I thought, and one of them was my personal favorite of the entire program.

Amazonia - Cute, well-done, and a real crowd-pleaser.  It is a fairly simple film in terms of story, while the art and animation are wonderfully complex.  This combination very much works in the film's favor.

The Hybrid Union - I don't know that I quite got this film, but that did not seem to impede my enjoyment.  The visual inventiveness of the film was captivating.

Nullarbor - This Australian import was one of the more traditionally narrative films of the bunch.  There's some great character work in this short and it is all in the "acting" as there is no dialogue.  A very impressive film.

Skylight - I've saved the best for last, as this was my personal favorite of all the animated shorts shown.  It was laugh out loud funny from start to finish.  The only complaint I have is that I thought the effect mimicking an old film skipping was over-used to the point of distraction.  Despite that, I still have a lot of love for this short.  If you have a chance to see it, do so.  You will not regret it.

A Movie A Week - Week 7: Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012 - Live Action

Movie: Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012 - Live Action
Theater: Landmark Midtown Art Cinema
Snack: Caramel Popcorn and Coke

We are in the February dumping grounds.  That time when studios fill theaters with the dregs of their release sechedules.  I was concerned that I would have a hard time finding a movie worth watching this week.  Fortunately, I discovered the Oscar nominated shorts were showing at the Midtown Art Cinema.  This year's live-action nominees form a strong crop of films.  I really enjoyed all five and I think any one of them would have been a worthy winner.

And the nominees are . . .

Pentecost (Ireland) - A strong beginning to this shorts program.  I know very little about altar boys or football (soccer football, not American football (though I don't know much about American football either)), but they meet hilariously in this short.  The look on the kid's face, that is the main character's, in the final scene just killed me.

Raju (Germany/India) - There is more drama and tension in the twenty-four minutes of this short than in a lot of features.  I was absolutely riveted.

The Shore (Northern Ireland) - I resisted this movie at first.  The opening scene had me worried that I was about to be overwhelmed by sentiment.  Fairly quickly, however, the sheer charm of the film won me over.  It is certainly sentimental, but in the best possible way.  It is a crowd pleaser, and I understand why it was the winner in this catagory.

Time Freak (USA) -A time travel comedy is right in my wheelhouse.  I really enjoyed the film, but more than that I am hugely jealous that I didn't make this movie.

Tuba Atlantic (Norway) - This was a strange one.  It took me a while to really get into it.  Ultimately it was the unabashed silliness in the face of death that I found the most appealing.  A fine finish to an excellent shorts program.

A Movie A Week - Week 6: The Artist

Movie: The Artist
Theater: Carmike 12
Snack: Coke

When I set out to find a movie to see this weekend, I expected I'd end up seeing the latest entry in the "Liam Neeson is a bad-ass" genre (that would be "The Grey"), but then I discovered that a local theater had begun showing "The Artist."  I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one.  Sure, it's gotten glowing reviews (97% on Rotten Tomatoes), but it is a silent, black & white film and I am a product of my age with the attendant attention span.  I suppose I shouldn't have been concerned, I have seen and enjoyed silent films before, but it's been a while.  As it turns out, "The Artist" managed to hold my attention for the duration.

The story is good, but it doesn't break any new ground.  What makes this movie special is not the actual story, but how it goes about telling that story.  The thing that is probably the biggest obstacle to the film garnering wider release and a larger audience, turns out to be one of its greatest storytelling strengths.  The film is not, of course, completely silent.  Like the old silent films, it is accompanied by a score.  Sadly, however, unlike the silent films of yesterday it is not live accompaniment, but it is an excellent score.  There are other sounds that are present at various points in the film, and the silence that surrounds them makes those sounds potent tools in the filmmaker's toolbox.  There's a weight to these sounds that they wouldn't have in a conventional film.  Director Michel Hazanavicius makes effective use of this.  The actors, particularly the two leads, all do a good job using physicality to compensate for the absence of dialogue.  This must have been an exciting challenge for them, being so far outside the modern film acting experience.

I liked "The Artist" and I find the more I think about it, the more I like it.  I have a lot of respect for the daring and artistry of the thing.  I'll be interested to see if the critical buzz and Oscar attention drives a larger audience to seek it out.  A silent film is not a terribly commercial thing in 2012, and is a tough sell for modern moviegoers.  Those willing to give it a shot, though, will come away satisfied.

A Movie A Week - Week 5: Chronicle

Movie: Chronicle
Theater: AMC Discover Mills 18
Snack: Popcorn and Coke (aka The Classic)

Note: Sorry for the lateness.  Illness, school, and work just took up too much of my time this week and so this is a day late.  So to my one reader, I apologize.


Here is an example of a film I probably would have passed up had I not committed to this whole movie a week thing.  I'm a bit wary (and, for that matter, a bit weary) of these "found footage" style films.  The idea was a novelty when "The Blair Witch Project" came out in 1999, but recently there have just been so many of them that it just feels like a cheap gimmick.  That said, "Chronicle" isn't harmed by the gimmick.  The story probably could have been told just as well without it, but as I said, no harm done.

This is the story of three teenagers being granted super-powers after exploring a mysterious hole in the ground (as teenagers are wont to do).  From there, we get what turns out to be a very good "super-powers in the real world" story.  I do question one of the major dramatic choices, however.  This is going to take us into SPOILER territory, so if you have not seen the movie and don't want the ending spoiled, read no further.





I question the choice of POV character.  In this sort of movie, the character with the camera is the audiences POV.  In this case, that character was Andrew, played by Dane DeHaan.  In the early part of the movie, he is a largely unseen voice behind the camera.  His rather flat affect, while important and fitting when viewed in context of what happens later, leaves us with a dull narrator introducing us to the world of the film.  The fact that this character is the one who develops into the villain of the piece is an interesting choice, but I'm not sure if it was the best one.  It becomes difficult to empathize with him once he starts to exhibit sociopathic tendencies. I find that I'm a bit conflicted about the choice.  On the one hand, I laud the defying of conventions, but at the same time I really wanted more time to connect with the more heroic Matt (played by  Alex Russell), especially when the final confrontation occurs.  Ultimately, I don't feel the film was hurt by the choice as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A Movie A Week: Week 4 - Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Movie: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Theater: AMC Discover Mills 18
Snack: Hot dog and Coke

This was a catch-up week for me.  I've been wanting to see it since it came out in December but hadn't gotten around to it until this week.  This does highlight one of the advantages of digital projection; instead of seeing a film print that was noticeably degraded after more than a month of screenings, I saw a digital projection that was as pristine as it was on the first screening.

I've enjoyed the previous Mission: Impossible movies, though I have to admit I remember absolutely nothing about the second one.  The main draw of "Ghost Protocol" for me was the director, Brad Bird.  He's directed a number of animated films of which I've been quite fond; "The Iron Giant" in particular being a favorite of mine.  This film was Bird's live-action debut as a director, and you have got to admire the man's ambition tackling something this big the first time out.  More impressive is that he manages to pull it off.  The story moves along at a lively pace and even incorporates a bit of continuity from previous movies.  The film held my attention from start to finish and there weren't any of the lulls that so often happen in the middle of movies like this.

Tom Cruise is still a convincing action hero, even as he approaches his 50th birthday.  Meanwhile, Jeremy Renner continues to build a nice career for himself with a good performance here.  Simon Pegg is a welcome addition to any movie as far as I'm concerned, and I am so glad the powers that be decided to bring him back from the last Mission: Impossible.  Overall, the film is a well-crafted and immensely fun entertainment.