Scan and Pan
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Knocked Up
Ben (Seth Rogen) is a contented slacker who spends most of his time smoking marijuana with his roommates. Alison (Katherine Heigl) works for the E! television network and has just been promoted to being an on-screen interviewer of celebrities. The two meet at a nightclub and a drunken one night stand ensues. The next morning, a sobered up Alison tells Ben that she doesn't want to see him again. Eight weeks later, Alison discovers that she's pregnant, throwing both of their lives into sudden disarray.
Writer/director Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin) successfully blends romantic comedy, raunchy comedy, and relationship drama into a satisfying whole. It's the funniest film I've seen in awhile, but it also manages to say something about human relationships and what it means to take responsibility for our actions. The film makes us care about the characters and the choices they make. Apatow demonstrates that he can write believable characters of either gender without sacrificing comedic value. Despite being relatively long for a comedy at 129 minutes, it never feels padded with filler and never feels as long as its actual running time.
On the technical side, cinematographer Eric Edwards (My Own Private Idaho, Cop Land) goes for a bright, natural look that's good without distracting the audience from the characters or their situations. The score by Joe Henry (Jesus' Son) and Loudon Wainwright III fits the story's tone without being obvious or obtrusive. In addition, Wainwright writes and performs the excellent song playing over the end credits.
Rogen's adroit performance as Ben makes his evolution from stoner to father seem believable. Ben genuinely wants to do the right thing even if his immaturity sometimes gets in the way of that. Rogen brings an almost sweet charm to Ben that makes him very likable, and the strong on-screen chemistry he shares with Heigl is what really makes the film work. Heigl is quite funny as the young career-minded woman whose life plans are altered in a single night, and shows good comic timing in her character's hormonally induced mood swings.
Leslie Mann (Apatow's wife, and their children are in the film as the children of Mann's character) and Paul Rudd are funny as Alison's controlling sister and her browbeaten husband. Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill (the star of the upcoming Apatow-produced, Rogen-written comedy Superbad), and Martin Starr are hilarious as Ben's fellow stoner roommates. Also notable are Harold Ramis as Ben's father, Joanna Kerns as Alison's mother, Alan Tudyk as Alison's boss, Wainwright as Alison's doctor of choice, and Ken Jeong as one of the doctors she rejects. Saturday Night Live's Kristen Wiig is a scene stealer as Alison's co-worker who tries to verbally undercut her at every opportunity. Ryan Seacrest, James Franco, Andy Dick, and Steve Carell have genuinely amusing cameos as themselves, while Jessica Simpson, Eva Mendes, and Jessica Alba also appear as themselves.
Knocked Up is an enjoyable comedy with engaging characters. It succeeds in making its audience laugh while also making some good points about responsibility. Recommended.
[4 out of 5 stars]
This hilarious comedy is the perfect counter-programming to the action and effects films that make up the bulk of the summer release schedule. Surprisingly, it also has a lot to say about growing up and becoming responsible without taking anything away from the humor.
Ben (Seth Rogen) is a contented slacker who spends most of his time smoking marijuana with his roommates. Alison (Katherine Heigl) works for the E! television network and has just been promoted to being an on-screen interviewer of celebrities. The two meet at a nightclub and a drunken one night stand ensues. The next morning, a sobered up Alison tells Ben that she doesn't want to see him again. Eight weeks later, Alison discovers that she's pregnant, throwing both of their lives into sudden disarray.
Writer/director Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin) successfully blends romantic comedy, raunchy comedy, and relationship drama into a satisfying whole. It's the funniest film I've seen in awhile, but it also manages to say something about human relationships and what it means to take responsibility for our actions. The film makes us care about the characters and the choices they make. Apatow demonstrates that he can write believable characters of either gender without sacrificing comedic value. Despite being relatively long for a comedy at 129 minutes, it never feels padded with filler and never feels as long as its actual running time.
On the technical side, cinematographer Eric Edwards (My Own Private Idaho, Cop Land) goes for a bright, natural look that's good without distracting the audience from the characters or their situations. The score by Joe Henry (Jesus' Son) and Loudon Wainwright III fits the story's tone without being obvious or obtrusive. In addition, Wainwright writes and performs the excellent song playing over the end credits.
Rogen's adroit performance as Ben makes his evolution from stoner to father seem believable. Ben genuinely wants to do the right thing even if his immaturity sometimes gets in the way of that. Rogen brings an almost sweet charm to Ben that makes him very likable, and the strong on-screen chemistry he shares with Heigl is what really makes the film work. Heigl is quite funny as the young career-minded woman whose life plans are altered in a single night, and shows good comic timing in her character's hormonally induced mood swings.
Leslie Mann (Apatow's wife, and their children are in the film as the children of Mann's character) and Paul Rudd are funny as Alison's controlling sister and her browbeaten husband. Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill (the star of the upcoming Apatow-produced, Rogen-written comedy Superbad), and Martin Starr are hilarious as Ben's fellow stoner roommates. Also notable are Harold Ramis as Ben's father, Joanna Kerns as Alison's mother, Alan Tudyk as Alison's boss, Wainwright as Alison's doctor of choice, and Ken Jeong as one of the doctors she rejects. Saturday Night Live's Kristen Wiig is a scene stealer as Alison's co-worker who tries to verbally undercut her at every opportunity. Ryan Seacrest, James Franco, Andy Dick, and Steve Carell have genuinely amusing cameos as themselves, while Jessica Simpson, Eva Mendes, and Jessica Alba also appear as themselves.
Knocked Up is an enjoyable comedy with engaging characters. It succeeds in making its audience laugh while also making some good points about responsibility. Recommended.
[4 out of 5 stars]
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Two years after the end of the first film, where Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd) proposed to his girlfriend the Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba), the couple are still trying to actually get married. There's always some disaster interrupting their weddings, and this time it's the appearance of the mysterious Silver Surfer (body movements of Doug Jones, voice of Laurence Fishburne) and the return of the villainous Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon). When Mr. Fantastic learns that the Surfer's appearance heralds the end of worlds at the hands of his master, Galactus, the team--including the Human Torch (Chris Evans) and the Thing (Michael Chiklis)--must find a way to save the planet from certain destruction.
Director Tim Story (Barbershop, Fantastic Four) displays a surer hand with a big action and effects film this time around (the previous film was his first attempt at an effects-laden blockbuster), and the result more consistently provides entertainment value for the audience. Screenwriters Don Payne (My Super Ex-Girlfriend, which was similarly light and entertaining), Mark Frost (co-creator of television's Twin Peaks), and John Turman (Hulk) do a good job of combining action, humor, and fun characters into a satisfying whole. It may not rank among the elite superhero films, but its lighter approach to the genre is consistent with the tone of the classic Fantastic Four comic book stories. The X-Men and Spider-Man did the angsty stuff, the Fantastic Four were a family of adventurers. My only complaint is that more could have been done with Galactus, but the shorter running time does keep it from becoming bloated by unnecessary elements.
Cinematographer Larry Blanford (Operation Sandman) goes with a bright, polished look that's perfectly suited to the material. Production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli (Mystery Men, Ghost Rider) expands the visual universe of the Fantastic Four with a redesigned Baxter Building, our first look at Latveria and Castle Doom, the Fantasticar, and a military base in Siberia. John Ottman (X2, Superman Returns) contributes a light but dramatic score that fits the film's tone.
The visual effects are, well, fantastic, which is just what one would expect with Weta Digital (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) and The Orphanage (Sin City, Superman Returns) involved. The Silver Surfer, digitally animated over the movements of Doug Jones, is particularly impressive. Fans of the comics may be disappointed by the non-traditional appearance of Galactus, but the effects still provide him with an awesome presence.
Gruffudd and Alba were solid as Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman in the first film, but they've really grown into their roles. Gruffudd is a more commanding presence but he also deftly handles some funny scenes. I dare you to not have the urge to cheer when he tells off a certain character. Alba is more assured and her portrayal is much closer to the character in the original comics this time. Chiklis continues to literally rock the screen as the perfect actor to play the Thing and Evans shines again as the cocky, womanizing Torch. The chemistry of Chiklis and Evans again brings the Thing-Torch rivalry to life.
I thought McMahon was poorly cast as Doom the first time, lacking the charisma or the voice for the character, and nothing here makes me reconsider that opinion. The Silver Surfer doesn't have much dialogue, but combined with Fishburne's rich voice it gives him emotional depth and completes the illusion began with Jones' body movements and the visual effects to make the character come to life.
Kerry Washington is good in her few scenes as Alicia, the Thing's love interest, while Beau Garrett is right for the role of Frankie Raye, an attractive military officer who catches the Torch's eye. Andre Braugher is well-cast as General Hager and has several good scenes with Gruffudd. Comedian Brian Posehn is funny as the minister who keeps trying to officiate during the wedding attempts. Fantastic Four co-creator Stan Lee makes his usual cameo appearance, and this time it's an amusing one as a wedding crasher.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer should entertain comics fans and general audiences alike. Its light tone and lack of bloat easily puts it ahead of Spider-Man 3 as the best superhero film of 2007.
[4 out of 5 stars]
The second chapter of this superhero film franchise is one of the rare sequels that's better than its predecessor, being more consistently entertaining than 2005's Fantastic Four. It's also lighter in tone than most superhero films these days, making it a refreshing change of pace.
Two years after the end of the first film, where Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd) proposed to his girlfriend the Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba), the couple are still trying to actually get married. There's always some disaster interrupting their weddings, and this time it's the appearance of the mysterious Silver Surfer (body movements of Doug Jones, voice of Laurence Fishburne) and the return of the villainous Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon). When Mr. Fantastic learns that the Surfer's appearance heralds the end of worlds at the hands of his master, Galactus, the team--including the Human Torch (Chris Evans) and the Thing (Michael Chiklis)--must find a way to save the planet from certain destruction.
Director Tim Story (Barbershop, Fantastic Four) displays a surer hand with a big action and effects film this time around (the previous film was his first attempt at an effects-laden blockbuster), and the result more consistently provides entertainment value for the audience. Screenwriters Don Payne (My Super Ex-Girlfriend, which was similarly light and entertaining), Mark Frost (co-creator of television's Twin Peaks), and John Turman (Hulk) do a good job of combining action, humor, and fun characters into a satisfying whole. It may not rank among the elite superhero films, but its lighter approach to the genre is consistent with the tone of the classic Fantastic Four comic book stories. The X-Men and Spider-Man did the angsty stuff, the Fantastic Four were a family of adventurers. My only complaint is that more could have been done with Galactus, but the shorter running time does keep it from becoming bloated by unnecessary elements.
Cinematographer Larry Blanford (Operation Sandman) goes with a bright, polished look that's perfectly suited to the material. Production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli (Mystery Men, Ghost Rider) expands the visual universe of the Fantastic Four with a redesigned Baxter Building, our first look at Latveria and Castle Doom, the Fantasticar, and a military base in Siberia. John Ottman (X2, Superman Returns) contributes a light but dramatic score that fits the film's tone.
The visual effects are, well, fantastic, which is just what one would expect with Weta Digital (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) and The Orphanage (Sin City, Superman Returns) involved. The Silver Surfer, digitally animated over the movements of Doug Jones, is particularly impressive. Fans of the comics may be disappointed by the non-traditional appearance of Galactus, but the effects still provide him with an awesome presence.
Gruffudd and Alba were solid as Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman in the first film, but they've really grown into their roles. Gruffudd is a more commanding presence but he also deftly handles some funny scenes. I dare you to not have the urge to cheer when he tells off a certain character. Alba is more assured and her portrayal is much closer to the character in the original comics this time. Chiklis continues to literally rock the screen as the perfect actor to play the Thing and Evans shines again as the cocky, womanizing Torch. The chemistry of Chiklis and Evans again brings the Thing-Torch rivalry to life.
I thought McMahon was poorly cast as Doom the first time, lacking the charisma or the voice for the character, and nothing here makes me reconsider that opinion. The Silver Surfer doesn't have much dialogue, but combined with Fishburne's rich voice it gives him emotional depth and completes the illusion began with Jones' body movements and the visual effects to make the character come to life.
Kerry Washington is good in her few scenes as Alicia, the Thing's love interest, while Beau Garrett is right for the role of Frankie Raye, an attractive military officer who catches the Torch's eye. Andre Braugher is well-cast as General Hager and has several good scenes with Gruffudd. Comedian Brian Posehn is funny as the minister who keeps trying to officiate during the wedding attempts. Fantastic Four co-creator Stan Lee makes his usual cameo appearance, and this time it's an amusing one as a wedding crasher.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer should entertain comics fans and general audiences alike. Its light tone and lack of bloat easily puts it ahead of Spider-Man 3 as the best superhero film of 2007.
[4 out of 5 stars]
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Hostel: Part II
In the first film, three male tourists in Slovakia are abducted by a shadowy group that auctions people off to be tortured and killed for the pleasure of wealthy patrons. This time the main characters are three female American students in Italy: wealthy lesbian Beth (Lauren German), party girl Whitney (Bijou Phillips), and bookish Lorna (Heather Matarazzo). They meet model Axelle (Vera Jordanova) in an art class and then again while traveling by train to Prague. Axelle tells them she's going to a spa in Slovakia and invites them to come with her. They accept her offer, and that's when thing start to go really wrong for them.
Roth's first two films, Cabin Fever and Hostel, were fresh contributions to the horror genre, and the latter film was good because it turned genre cliches on their head. Its sequel, on the other hand, is predictable to the point of boredom. The central concept doesn't work nearly as well with women as the victims because that's the oldest horror cliche of them all, and Roth can't find anything new to do with it. Horror films are the most successful when the monsters, whether supernatural or human, retain some element of mystery. Explain too much, and they lose their power. Here, we learn too much about the group behind the torture factory and their clients, and mysterious turns banal. It doesn't even succeed as a gore film because the violence is far too tame. With one exception, it's routine rather than extreme.
The protagonists in the first film may not have been three dimensional, but they were often vivid and interesting (like Óli). Not so this time. Some critics have suggested that Roth isn't as good at writing female characters, but the male characters are even more poorly conceived here. The two American businessmen who want to experience the thrill of torturing and killing a human being are absurd, even more so when the personality of one of them abruptly changes. Roth's characteristic dark humor plays out as flat and uninspired this time, except for the nicely twisted soccer scene at the end.
The cast is generally solid enough, with German, Phillips, and Matarazzo making more of their characters than the script gives them to work with. Jordanova is charming and seductive as Axelle, while Milan Knazko is chillingly restrained as the leader of the shadowy group. Richard Burgi and Roger Bart play the American businessmen, but they're not up to the task of salvaging their characters. Jay Hernandez returns as the only survivor from the first film and Patrik Zigo is once again spot on as the leader of a group of feral children known as the Bubblegum Gang.
Hostel: Part II displays a lack of originality and to all appearances is simply a cynical attempt to cash in on the success of the first film without putting any effort into it, which is not what one has come to expect from either Tarantino or Roth.
[2 out of 5 stars]
Executive producer Quentin Tarantino and writer/director Eli Roth serve up a disappointing sequel to last year's surprise horror hit.
In the first film, three male tourists in Slovakia are abducted by a shadowy group that auctions people off to be tortured and killed for the pleasure of wealthy patrons. This time the main characters are three female American students in Italy: wealthy lesbian Beth (Lauren German), party girl Whitney (Bijou Phillips), and bookish Lorna (Heather Matarazzo). They meet model Axelle (Vera Jordanova) in an art class and then again while traveling by train to Prague. Axelle tells them she's going to a spa in Slovakia and invites them to come with her. They accept her offer, and that's when thing start to go really wrong for them.
Roth's first two films, Cabin Fever and Hostel, were fresh contributions to the horror genre, and the latter film was good because it turned genre cliches on their head. Its sequel, on the other hand, is predictable to the point of boredom. The central concept doesn't work nearly as well with women as the victims because that's the oldest horror cliche of them all, and Roth can't find anything new to do with it. Horror films are the most successful when the monsters, whether supernatural or human, retain some element of mystery. Explain too much, and they lose their power. Here, we learn too much about the group behind the torture factory and their clients, and mysterious turns banal. It doesn't even succeed as a gore film because the violence is far too tame. With one exception, it's routine rather than extreme.
The protagonists in the first film may not have been three dimensional, but they were often vivid and interesting (like Óli). Not so this time. Some critics have suggested that Roth isn't as good at writing female characters, but the male characters are even more poorly conceived here. The two American businessmen who want to experience the thrill of torturing and killing a human being are absurd, even more so when the personality of one of them abruptly changes. Roth's characteristic dark humor plays out as flat and uninspired this time, except for the nicely twisted soccer scene at the end.
The cast is generally solid enough, with German, Phillips, and Matarazzo making more of their characters than the script gives them to work with. Jordanova is charming and seductive as Axelle, while Milan Knazko is chillingly restrained as the leader of the shadowy group. Richard Burgi and Roger Bart play the American businessmen, but they're not up to the task of salvaging their characters. Jay Hernandez returns as the only survivor from the first film and Patrik Zigo is once again spot on as the leader of a group of feral children known as the Bubblegum Gang.
Hostel: Part II displays a lack of originality and to all appearances is simply a cynical attempt to cash in on the success of the first film without putting any effort into it, which is not what one has come to expect from either Tarantino or Roth.
[2 out of 5 stars]
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Rise: Blood Hunter
Sadie Blake (Lucy Liu) is an up and coming reporter known for investigating the dark corners of modern life. After a young woman (Margo Harshman) she interviewed turns up dead, Sadie looks into some more dark corners and discovers a group of vampires preying on people. After she falls victim to them and becomes a vampire herself, her motivation becomes one of seeking revenge on the group and their leader (James D'Arcy), with the assistance of a bereaved detective (Michael Chiklis) whose daughter was Sadie's interviewee.
Writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez (writer of Snakes on a Plane and writer/director of the underrated Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature) had a good idea, but his execution of that idea leaves much to be desired. It needed to have the action of the Blade films and the humor of Snakes on a Plane, but instead it takes itself far too seriously and the action scenes are tame. Remove the strong language and multiple scenes of Liu in her birthday suit, and it could easily be a pilot for a television series. One wonders if the nudity was added simply because someone realized there wouldn't be any other selling point. Its technical aspects are all high quality, though, including the stylish cinematography by John Toll (Braveheart, The Last Samurai) and the atmospheric score by Nathan Barr (Cabin Fever, Hostel).
Liu is game as the sexy victim turned avenger, but the script simply doesn't give her much to work with. Chiklis is good as the grieving detective who wants revenge for his daughter's death, while D'Arcy isn't very compelling as the superficially charming vampire leader. Solid enough for the material are Harshman as the detective's daughter, Carla Gugino as the vampire who turns Sadie, and Mako as one of the vampire leader's henchmen. Marilyn Manson and Nick Lachey have small roles as a bartender (I didn't even recognize Manson at first) and a thug for hire.
There's so much that could be done with the story's basic concept, but Rise: Blood Hunter is too sedate and by the numbers for its own good, and is disappointing in light of Gutierrez's previous work. It's not a truly bad film as much as it's simply not a very interesting one.
[2 out of 5 stars]
Lucy Liu as a vampire turned vampire slayer? What should have been an entertaining distaff version of Blade turns out to be a rather bloodless cinematic exercise.
Sadie Blake (Lucy Liu) is an up and coming reporter known for investigating the dark corners of modern life. After a young woman (Margo Harshman) she interviewed turns up dead, Sadie looks into some more dark corners and discovers a group of vampires preying on people. After she falls victim to them and becomes a vampire herself, her motivation becomes one of seeking revenge on the group and their leader (James D'Arcy), with the assistance of a bereaved detective (Michael Chiklis) whose daughter was Sadie's interviewee.
Writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez (writer of Snakes on a Plane and writer/director of the underrated Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature) had a good idea, but his execution of that idea leaves much to be desired. It needed to have the action of the Blade films and the humor of Snakes on a Plane, but instead it takes itself far too seriously and the action scenes are tame. Remove the strong language and multiple scenes of Liu in her birthday suit, and it could easily be a pilot for a television series. One wonders if the nudity was added simply because someone realized there wouldn't be any other selling point. Its technical aspects are all high quality, though, including the stylish cinematography by John Toll (Braveheart, The Last Samurai) and the atmospheric score by Nathan Barr (Cabin Fever, Hostel).
Liu is game as the sexy victim turned avenger, but the script simply doesn't give her much to work with. Chiklis is good as the grieving detective who wants revenge for his daughter's death, while D'Arcy isn't very compelling as the superficially charming vampire leader. Solid enough for the material are Harshman as the detective's daughter, Carla Gugino as the vampire who turns Sadie, and Mako as one of the vampire leader's henchmen. Marilyn Manson and Nick Lachey have small roles as a bartender (I didn't even recognize Manson at first) and a thug for hire.
There's so much that could be done with the story's basic concept, but Rise: Blood Hunter is too sedate and by the numbers for its own good, and is disappointing in light of Gutierrez's previous work. It's not a truly bad film as much as it's simply not a very interesting one.
[2 out of 5 stars]
