Scan and Pan
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
1408
Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a writer who cynically produces best sellers about hauntings even though he doesn't believe in the supernatural. After he learns about an allegedly haunted hotel room in New York City, he's determined to write about it. When he arrives, the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson) stubbornly refuses to let him stay in room 1408, warning that no one lasts more than an hour and 56 people have died in the room. Mike finally persuades the manager to let him stay overnight in the room, a room that looks normal on first glance but Mike soon learns that first impressions can be very wrong.
Mikael Håfström, a Swedish director whose 2003 drama Ondskan was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, crafts a stylish film where the scares are generated by psychological tension and unexplained events rather than from overt violence and gore. Most of the film takes place in a hotel room, yet Håfström continually finds ways to make it interesting to the viewer. The screenplay by Matt Greenberg (Halloween: H20) and writing team Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood) is generally faithful to King's short story while expanding the backstory of the main character and balancing horror with a surprisingly sly wit. At times, it verges on being a subversive dark comedy.
Cinematographer Benoît Delhomme (Sade) and production designer Andrew Laws (The Number 23) achieve the seemingly impossible by making a brightly lit room as disturbing as any wrapped in shadows. The score by Gabriel Yared (The Lives of Others) is suitably creepy without being too obvious.
Cusack is excellent as the cynical writer who begins to question his own sanity as he faces the strange occurrences in room 1408, selling the audience on the story's reality by sinking his teeth into his character and never letting go. Jackson's role is only a small one, but he's masterful as the charming hotel manager who's willing to do anything to prevent Mike from staying in the room. Leave it to Jackson to take a role that exists primarily for exposition and make it a memorable one. Good performances also come from Mary McCormack as Mike's estranged wife, Jasmine Jessica Anthony as their daughter, and Tony Shalhoub as Mike's editor.
Blessed with some top notch acting and a director who gets great mileage out of a limited setting, 1408 is one of the best Stephen King adaptations in a very long time and an entertaining horror film that's refreshingly back to basics.
[4 out of 5 stars]
ased on a Stephen King story, this is a good old-fashioned throwback to The Uninvited, The Haunting, and, yes, even The Shining, haunted house/hotel films that generate chills by creating an evocative atmosphere that gets inside your head even before anything goes bump in the night.
Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a writer who cynically produces best sellers about hauntings even though he doesn't believe in the supernatural. After he learns about an allegedly haunted hotel room in New York City, he's determined to write about it. When he arrives, the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson) stubbornly refuses to let him stay in room 1408, warning that no one lasts more than an hour and 56 people have died in the room. Mike finally persuades the manager to let him stay overnight in the room, a room that looks normal on first glance but Mike soon learns that first impressions can be very wrong.
Mikael Håfström, a Swedish director whose 2003 drama Ondskan was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, crafts a stylish film where the scares are generated by psychological tension and unexplained events rather than from overt violence and gore. Most of the film takes place in a hotel room, yet Håfström continually finds ways to make it interesting to the viewer. The screenplay by Matt Greenberg (Halloween: H20) and writing team Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood) is generally faithful to King's short story while expanding the backstory of the main character and balancing horror with a surprisingly sly wit. At times, it verges on being a subversive dark comedy.
Cinematographer Benoît Delhomme (Sade) and production designer Andrew Laws (The Number 23) achieve the seemingly impossible by making a brightly lit room as disturbing as any wrapped in shadows. The score by Gabriel Yared (The Lives of Others) is suitably creepy without being too obvious.
Cusack is excellent as the cynical writer who begins to question his own sanity as he faces the strange occurrences in room 1408, selling the audience on the story's reality by sinking his teeth into his character and never letting go. Jackson's role is only a small one, but he's masterful as the charming hotel manager who's willing to do anything to prevent Mike from staying in the room. Leave it to Jackson to take a role that exists primarily for exposition and make it a memorable one. Good performances also come from Mary McCormack as Mike's estranged wife, Jasmine Jessica Anthony as their daughter, and Tony Shalhoub as Mike's editor.
Blessed with some top notch acting and a director who gets great mileage out of a limited setting, 1408 is one of the best Stephen King adaptations in a very long time and an entertaining horror film that's refreshingly back to basics.
[4 out of 5 stars]
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Captivity
Actress/model Jennifer Tree (Elisha Cuthbert) is stalked, drugged, and awakens in an isolated cell, where she's subjected to psychological and sensory torture by a merciless sociopath (Pruitt Taylor Vince). She discovers a man named Gary (Daniel Gillies) in the next cell, and together they try to escape from their sadistic jailer.
Oscar nominated director Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields, The Mission) plays in the horror genre sandbox for the first time and the result is a disturbing yet compelling thriller made with a high degree of craftsmanship. Joffé builds and maintains the tension throughout, and the violence is more psychologically shocking than graphic in most instances. The screenplay by Larry Cohen (It's Alive, Maniac Cop) and first time screenwriter Joseph Tura isn't particularly subtle and the ending is hardly original, but it knows exactly what's necessary to tell this kind of a story.
The film belongs to a subgenre of horror that's been erroneously labeled by some critics as "torture porn". The 'porn' part of the label implies that audiences are supposed to become aroused by it, but I would suggest that the filmmakers are actually trying to push the limits of what can be done to disturb an audience. In this film, you're supposed to be disturbed by what the main character experiences and sympathize with her, not excited by observing her abuse. Far from being misogynistic, I think it's actually about how misogyny leads to violence against women.
Cinematographer Daniel Pearl (1973's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its 2003 remake) and production designer Addis Gadzhiyev work with Joffé to create a claustrophobic atmosphere that disorients the audience as much as the characters, with most of the film being shot in a Moscow studio. Marco Beltrami (The Invisible, Live Free or Die Hard) contributes a solid score.
Cuthbert (24) delivers a believable performance as Jennifer, and her terror seems genuine rather than forced. This is the type of film where a performer could easily go over the top, but Cuthbert doesn't. Gillies is merely average as her fellow captor, but he also avoids going too far over the top towards the end. Vince creates a chilling characterization in limited screen time. Laz Alonso and Michael Harney are solid as two cops looking for the missing Jennifer, although one gets the feeling that some of their scenes were edited out.
Captivity isn't going to garner another Oscar nomination for its director, but it achieves what it sets out to do in an unsettling fashion and isn't really deserving of the moral panic it seems to have generated in some quarters. It's a decent B-movie that doesn't overstay its welcome at only 85 minutes of running time.
[3.5 out of 5 stars]
After a controversial marketing campaign lead many critics to declare that this film was contributing to the fall of civilization, I decided to see it and make up my own mind. To my surprise, it's actually an effective horror film.
Actress/model Jennifer Tree (Elisha Cuthbert) is stalked, drugged, and awakens in an isolated cell, where she's subjected to psychological and sensory torture by a merciless sociopath (Pruitt Taylor Vince). She discovers a man named Gary (Daniel Gillies) in the next cell, and together they try to escape from their sadistic jailer.
Oscar nominated director Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields, The Mission) plays in the horror genre sandbox for the first time and the result is a disturbing yet compelling thriller made with a high degree of craftsmanship. Joffé builds and maintains the tension throughout, and the violence is more psychologically shocking than graphic in most instances. The screenplay by Larry Cohen (It's Alive, Maniac Cop) and first time screenwriter Joseph Tura isn't particularly subtle and the ending is hardly original, but it knows exactly what's necessary to tell this kind of a story.
The film belongs to a subgenre of horror that's been erroneously labeled by some critics as "torture porn". The 'porn' part of the label implies that audiences are supposed to become aroused by it, but I would suggest that the filmmakers are actually trying to push the limits of what can be done to disturb an audience. In this film, you're supposed to be disturbed by what the main character experiences and sympathize with her, not excited by observing her abuse. Far from being misogynistic, I think it's actually about how misogyny leads to violence against women.
Cinematographer Daniel Pearl (1973's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its 2003 remake) and production designer Addis Gadzhiyev work with Joffé to create a claustrophobic atmosphere that disorients the audience as much as the characters, with most of the film being shot in a Moscow studio. Marco Beltrami (The Invisible, Live Free or Die Hard) contributes a solid score.
Cuthbert (24) delivers a believable performance as Jennifer, and her terror seems genuine rather than forced. This is the type of film where a performer could easily go over the top, but Cuthbert doesn't. Gillies is merely average as her fellow captor, but he also avoids going too far over the top towards the end. Vince creates a chilling characterization in limited screen time. Laz Alonso and Michael Harney are solid as two cops looking for the missing Jennifer, although one gets the feeling that some of their scenes were edited out.
Captivity isn't going to garner another Oscar nomination for its director, but it achieves what it sets out to do in an unsettling fashion and isn't really deserving of the moral panic it seems to have generated in some quarters. It's a decent B-movie that doesn't overstay its welcome at only 85 minutes of running time.
[3.5 out of 5 stars]
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) enter their fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under a cloud of controversy after the Ministry of Magic refuses to accept the claims of Harry and Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) that the evil wizard Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned. Dumbledore is increasingly pushed aside at Hogwarts in favor of the cruel Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), who delights in making life miserable for students. Harry takes it upon himself to lead a rebellion and properly teach other students in the use of magic skills needed for the coming conflict, all while the machinations of Voldemort begin to come to fruition.
Noted British television director David Yates tackles his biggest project to date, and his take on the venerable franchise is darker and more realistic than that of previous directors. This is a grim film about a boy being forced to grow up and take on adult responsibilities. War is coming, and Harry has to be ready to play his part. Anyone expecting the light-hearted fun of the early films will be sorely disappointed, but if you're prepared to accept that even a fantasy world has its deep shadows you'll be richly rewarded. It's also the first Harry Potter film to be more character driven than visual effects driven, and Yates' background in gritty television dramas like State of Play and Sex Traffic makes him the right man for the job.
Screenwriter Michael Goldenberg (Contact) replaces usual adapter Steve Kloves, who was busy directing a film of his own, but the transition is seamless. Goldenberg's script is faithful to the plot of J.K. Rowling's novel, although a lot of compression is required to turn an 870 page book into a film that's only 138 minutes long. Clever montages are used to move the narrative along without slowing things down with too many expository scenes.
Veteran Polish cinematographer Slawomir Idziak (The Double Life of Veronique, Gattaca) conjures a darkly subdued look that matches the tone of the story while also grounding it in a more realistic interpretation. There are times where the lighting is simply beautiful while remaining practical. Production designer Stuart Craig, who's worked on all five Potter films, continues his tradition of excellency in set design, adding some brilliant Ministry of Magic sets this time. Nicholas Hooper (The Heart of Me) contributes an ominous but compelling score that's almost entirely his own, with only one of John Williams' original themes being reused. Although there are fewer visual effects scenes this time, the quality of those effects remains high with Industrial Light & Magic leading the way, and the climactic battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort is stunning.
Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson have grown up before our eyes over the past six years, and this film reveals that their acting skills have also matured. All three handle the darker material with aplomb, but Radcliffe stands out with a complex performance as the titular wizard, digging deep within the character's psyche as he grows out of boyhood. This is without a doubt the young actor's best performance and suggests a fine future is ahead of him after the Harry Potter series ends.
The usual suspects are as good as ever, including Gambon as Dumbledore, Fiennes as Voldemort, Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall, Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, Emma Thompson as Sybil Trelawney, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye, Mark Williams and Julie Walters as Mr. & Mrs. Weasley, and David Thewlis as Remus Lupin. Katie Leung returns as Harry's love interest Cho Chang, but the romantic subplot is given short shrift (my one quibble with the film).
Among the new cast members, Staunton is pitch perfect as Dolores Umbridge, Evanna Lynch is ever so ditzy yet charming as Luna Lovegood, Helena Bonham Carter is suitably deranged as Bellatrix Lestrange, and Natalia Tena is just right as Order of the Phoenix member Nymphadora Tonks.
Some critics have suggested that the magic has gone out of the Harry Potter franchise, but I think they're victims of their own expectations that these films should remain light-hearted and ignore the maturation of Harry, as well as of Rowling's themes. That said, because this film is so grim at times, it'll probably play better to Harry Potter fans than to general audiences looking for some summer fun. It's also the first of the films that's not likely to hold the interest of children.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix dares to take itself down some dark paths as it explores another year in the life of a wizard who's now less boy and more man. That it does so with intelligence and a more realistic style is commendable. It's not just the best Harry Potter film, it's a good film period. Highly recommended.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
Everyone's favorite boy wizard returns for a fifth adventure that sheds the lighter entertainment of earlier films in favor of a darker, more challenging effort that represents the best film in the series yet (although my personal favorite remains Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in terms of pure entertainment).
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) enter their fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under a cloud of controversy after the Ministry of Magic refuses to accept the claims of Harry and Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) that the evil wizard Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned. Dumbledore is increasingly pushed aside at Hogwarts in favor of the cruel Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), who delights in making life miserable for students. Harry takes it upon himself to lead a rebellion and properly teach other students in the use of magic skills needed for the coming conflict, all while the machinations of Voldemort begin to come to fruition.
Noted British television director David Yates tackles his biggest project to date, and his take on the venerable franchise is darker and more realistic than that of previous directors. This is a grim film about a boy being forced to grow up and take on adult responsibilities. War is coming, and Harry has to be ready to play his part. Anyone expecting the light-hearted fun of the early films will be sorely disappointed, but if you're prepared to accept that even a fantasy world has its deep shadows you'll be richly rewarded. It's also the first Harry Potter film to be more character driven than visual effects driven, and Yates' background in gritty television dramas like State of Play and Sex Traffic makes him the right man for the job.
Screenwriter Michael Goldenberg (Contact) replaces usual adapter Steve Kloves, who was busy directing a film of his own, but the transition is seamless. Goldenberg's script is faithful to the plot of J.K. Rowling's novel, although a lot of compression is required to turn an 870 page book into a film that's only 138 minutes long. Clever montages are used to move the narrative along without slowing things down with too many expository scenes.
Veteran Polish cinematographer Slawomir Idziak (The Double Life of Veronique, Gattaca) conjures a darkly subdued look that matches the tone of the story while also grounding it in a more realistic interpretation. There are times where the lighting is simply beautiful while remaining practical. Production designer Stuart Craig, who's worked on all five Potter films, continues his tradition of excellency in set design, adding some brilliant Ministry of Magic sets this time. Nicholas Hooper (The Heart of Me) contributes an ominous but compelling score that's almost entirely his own, with only one of John Williams' original themes being reused. Although there are fewer visual effects scenes this time, the quality of those effects remains high with Industrial Light & Magic leading the way, and the climactic battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort is stunning.
Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson have grown up before our eyes over the past six years, and this film reveals that their acting skills have also matured. All three handle the darker material with aplomb, but Radcliffe stands out with a complex performance as the titular wizard, digging deep within the character's psyche as he grows out of boyhood. This is without a doubt the young actor's best performance and suggests a fine future is ahead of him after the Harry Potter series ends.
The usual suspects are as good as ever, including Gambon as Dumbledore, Fiennes as Voldemort, Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall, Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, Emma Thompson as Sybil Trelawney, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye, Mark Williams and Julie Walters as Mr. & Mrs. Weasley, and David Thewlis as Remus Lupin. Katie Leung returns as Harry's love interest Cho Chang, but the romantic subplot is given short shrift (my one quibble with the film).
Among the new cast members, Staunton is pitch perfect as Dolores Umbridge, Evanna Lynch is ever so ditzy yet charming as Luna Lovegood, Helena Bonham Carter is suitably deranged as Bellatrix Lestrange, and Natalia Tena is just right as Order of the Phoenix member Nymphadora Tonks.
Some critics have suggested that the magic has gone out of the Harry Potter franchise, but I think they're victims of their own expectations that these films should remain light-hearted and ignore the maturation of Harry, as well as of Rowling's themes. That said, because this film is so grim at times, it'll probably play better to Harry Potter fans than to general audiences looking for some summer fun. It's also the first of the films that's not likely to hold the interest of children.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix dares to take itself down some dark paths as it explores another year in the life of a wizard who's now less boy and more man. That it does so with intelligence and a more realistic style is commendable. It's not just the best Harry Potter film, it's a good film period. Highly recommended.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
Friday, July 06, 2007
We've just passed the midpoint of the year, so here's my list of the top 10 films of the year so far.
10. Music and Lyrics
9. Puccini for Beginners
8. Hot Fuzz
7. Knocked Up
6. Transformers
5. 28 Weeks Later
4. Grindhouse
3. Black Snake Moan
2. Zodiac
Finally, the best film that I've seen so far in 2007. It's one that could still be in the top spot when I make my official top 10 films of 2007 list come January.
1. The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Transformers
After the war between the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons destroys their home planet, they scatter throughout the universe looking for a powerful device that was lost to them, which is eventually located on a little planet called Earth where geeky high school student Sam (Shia LaBeouf) has just purchased his first car. It's an old yellow Camaro that's actually the Autobot Bumblebee (voice of Mark Ryan) in disguise. Bumblebee helps Sam woo popular school beauty Mikaela (Megan Fox) before Sam finally learns that his car can transform into a giant robot. Soon they're caught up in a battle between Autobot leader Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) and Decepticon leader Megatron (voice of Hugo Weaving) with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
Director Michael Bay (Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon) is known for celebrating spectacle and cinematic eye candy, and those are the traits that serve this film so well. It's a kinetic, edge of your seat experience with big, bold action scenes that thrill you without becoming pointlessly bombastic. If you want to see giant robots fighting and widespread mayhem, Bay delivers both in spades. He also bring a sense of wonder to the story that will appeal to kids and adults alike, and will make the latter feel like wide-eyed kids again.
The screenwriting team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (The Legend of Zorro, Mission: Impossible III, and the upcoming Star Trek film) are fans of the original cartoon and their affection for the material bleeds through in every scene. Even the changes they've made to the fictional universe feel right in the context of the film. Their screenplay has it all: humor, action, drama, more action, sentimental scenes ala Spielberg, and even a little romance, all wrapped up in a satisfying package. Films like this aren't about deep exploration of character, but when they work it's because they give us likable heroes to cheer for and villains we love to hate, and this is one that works. Even the robots are brought to life as individual characters in their own right. And how can you not like a film where a geek saves the world and gets the beautiful girl?
Cinematographer Mitchell Amundsen (Transporter 2) employs bright lighting with lots of texture and shading to create a high octane look for the film. Production designers Jeff Mann (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) and Nigel Phelps (Judge Dredd, Alien: Resurrection) bring the story's fictional universe to life with a combination of mind-blowing science fiction imagery and down to Earth settings. Composer Steve Jablonsky (The Island, television's Desperate Housewives) provides a suitably rousing score.
Industrial Light & Magic revolutionized the field of visual effects in 1977 with Star Wars, and they and the other effects studios involved here may have just done so again. The effects are so seamless that you have to remind yourself that what you're seeing isn't real. The robots may only be CGI effects, but you'll respond to them just like the characters in the film do, as real beings.
LaBeouf has the natural charm and comic timing of a young Tom Hanks, and he puts both traits to good use in making Sam a believable and compelling lead for the film. At its heart, this is a story about a boy and his sentient robot car, and LaBeouf's performance sells us on the reality of that relationship. Fox has the beauty for the role of Mikaela, but her performance also makes her a strong character who's more than just the requisite love interest. LaBeouf and Fox have good on-screen chemistry.
The rest of the cast is just as good, including Jon Voight as the US Secretary of Defense, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson as Special Ops soldiers, John Turturro in a hilarious turn as the head of a secret government agency, Rachael Taylor as a signal detection and decoding expert, Anthony Anderson as a master hacker, comedian Bernie Mac as a used car salesman, Kevin Dunn and Julie White as Sam's parents, Amaury Nolasco as a Spanish-speaking soldier, Sophie Bobal as a little girl who mistakes a robot for the tooth fairy, W. Morgan Sheppard in flashbacks as Sam's famous explorer great-grandfather, and
Ravi Patel as an annoying phone operator.
The voice cast is also strong. Standing out in particular are Cullen as he returns to the role he created in the original cartoon, Weaving as a menacing villain, Ryan as a suitable Bumblebee in limited speaking time, and Reno Wilson mining laughs as Frenzy.
Motor vehicles that turn into giant robots? Check. Giant robots fighting and causing mayhem? Check. Cool geek heroes? Check. 144 minutes of non-stop entertainment? Check. There are some people out there who probably won't like this film. I feel sorry for them, because Transformers is one awesome thrill ride from start to finish and is an example of Hollywood summer entertainment at its finest. Longtime fans may just get teary-eyed when they see their favorite robotic characters for the first time.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
First came the toys and a television cartoon series in the 1980s, and now executive producer Steven Spielberg presents a live action theatrical film that's the best freakin' giant robot movie ever. Quite simply, this may be the most awesome summer movie of 2007 in terms of sheer entertainment value.
After the war between the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons destroys their home planet, they scatter throughout the universe looking for a powerful device that was lost to them, which is eventually located on a little planet called Earth where geeky high school student Sam (Shia LaBeouf) has just purchased his first car. It's an old yellow Camaro that's actually the Autobot Bumblebee (voice of Mark Ryan) in disguise. Bumblebee helps Sam woo popular school beauty Mikaela (Megan Fox) before Sam finally learns that his car can transform into a giant robot. Soon they're caught up in a battle between Autobot leader Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) and Decepticon leader Megatron (voice of Hugo Weaving) with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
Director Michael Bay (Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon) is known for celebrating spectacle and cinematic eye candy, and those are the traits that serve this film so well. It's a kinetic, edge of your seat experience with big, bold action scenes that thrill you without becoming pointlessly bombastic. If you want to see giant robots fighting and widespread mayhem, Bay delivers both in spades. He also bring a sense of wonder to the story that will appeal to kids and adults alike, and will make the latter feel like wide-eyed kids again.
The screenwriting team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (The Legend of Zorro, Mission: Impossible III, and the upcoming Star Trek film) are fans of the original cartoon and their affection for the material bleeds through in every scene. Even the changes they've made to the fictional universe feel right in the context of the film. Their screenplay has it all: humor, action, drama, more action, sentimental scenes ala Spielberg, and even a little romance, all wrapped up in a satisfying package. Films like this aren't about deep exploration of character, but when they work it's because they give us likable heroes to cheer for and villains we love to hate, and this is one that works. Even the robots are brought to life as individual characters in their own right. And how can you not like a film where a geek saves the world and gets the beautiful girl?
Cinematographer Mitchell Amundsen (Transporter 2) employs bright lighting with lots of texture and shading to create a high octane look for the film. Production designers Jeff Mann (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) and Nigel Phelps (Judge Dredd, Alien: Resurrection) bring the story's fictional universe to life with a combination of mind-blowing science fiction imagery and down to Earth settings. Composer Steve Jablonsky (The Island, television's Desperate Housewives) provides a suitably rousing score.
Industrial Light & Magic revolutionized the field of visual effects in 1977 with Star Wars, and they and the other effects studios involved here may have just done so again. The effects are so seamless that you have to remind yourself that what you're seeing isn't real. The robots may only be CGI effects, but you'll respond to them just like the characters in the film do, as real beings.
LaBeouf has the natural charm and comic timing of a young Tom Hanks, and he puts both traits to good use in making Sam a believable and compelling lead for the film. At its heart, this is a story about a boy and his sentient robot car, and LaBeouf's performance sells us on the reality of that relationship. Fox has the beauty for the role of Mikaela, but her performance also makes her a strong character who's more than just the requisite love interest. LaBeouf and Fox have good on-screen chemistry.
The rest of the cast is just as good, including Jon Voight as the US Secretary of Defense, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson as Special Ops soldiers, John Turturro in a hilarious turn as the head of a secret government agency, Rachael Taylor as a signal detection and decoding expert, Anthony Anderson as a master hacker, comedian Bernie Mac as a used car salesman, Kevin Dunn and Julie White as Sam's parents, Amaury Nolasco as a Spanish-speaking soldier, Sophie Bobal as a little girl who mistakes a robot for the tooth fairy, W. Morgan Sheppard in flashbacks as Sam's famous explorer great-grandfather, and
Ravi Patel as an annoying phone operator.
The voice cast is also strong. Standing out in particular are Cullen as he returns to the role he created in the original cartoon, Weaving as a menacing villain, Ryan as a suitable Bumblebee in limited speaking time, and Reno Wilson mining laughs as Frenzy.
Motor vehicles that turn into giant robots? Check. Giant robots fighting and causing mayhem? Check. Cool geek heroes? Check. 144 minutes of non-stop entertainment? Check. There are some people out there who probably won't like this film. I feel sorry for them, because Transformers is one awesome thrill ride from start to finish and is an example of Hollywood summer entertainment at its finest. Longtime fans may just get teary-eyed when they see their favorite robotic characters for the first time.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Live Free or Die Hard
After the FBI's computer systems are breached by hackers, they ask local law enforcement around the country to help them bring in known master hackers. Enter NYPD Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis), who's assigned to locate hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) and deliver him to Washington DC. Things start to go awry when assassins are sent after Farrell, who unknowingly supplied cyber-terrorists Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) and Mai Linh (Maggie Q) with code they're using to bring all of America's computer systems to a halt. Finding himself in the middle of another fine mess, McClane has to keep Farrell alive while trying to stop the cyber-terrorists.
Director Len Wiseman (Underworld, Underworld: Evolution) tackles his largest project to date but is unable to recreate the tight shooting style employed by director John McTiernan in the first and third films (or even the serviceable style of Renny Harlin in the second film). Instead of thrilling the audience, he bludgeons them with lifeless action scenes characterized by excess more than creativity. Only in the third act does Wiseman seem to realize he's making a Die Hard film and finally presents us with some action scenes befitting the franchise. Too little, too late.
The weakest element of the film is the screenplay by Mark Bomback (Godsend), from a screen story by Bomback and David Marconi (Enemy of the State), with its incomprehensible plot, lack of suspense, tired quips, and worst of all for a Die Hard film, a dull villain. John McClane is at his best when he knows he's fighting to save a loved one, but Bomback doesn't bring that into play until very late in the film, making it feel like a meaningless addition. There are numerous elements that seem to be borrowed from television's 24, only the writers of that show know how to create suspense and keep the audience guessing.
Willis steps into the shoes of McClane once again like he never left them, trading punches, bullets, and one liners (as tired as some of them are, he still knows how to deliver them with gusto) with his opponents and being a thorn in the side of a terrorist mastermind. He has one great scene after Farrell tells him he's a hero where he bitterly enumerates all the bad things that have happened to him (a divorce, estranged kids, etc.). For one moment the filmmakers get it right and we see what the film as a whole could be but isn't. Long, best known as the personification of a Mac computer in numerous Apple commercials, is a fresh face as the hacker who finds himself right in the middle of the action. Willis and Long make a surprisingly good partnership.
The original Die Hard had Alan Rickman as the terrorist Hans Gruber, a memorable villain portrayed by a great actor. This film has a wooden Olyphant as the villain du jour, but he's about as intimidating and charismatic as a frat boy throwing a tantrum. Maggie Q is wasted as his partner/lover, seemingly here only to be the stereotypical Asian who happens to be skilled in martial arts.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is good as Lucy McClane and it's very easy to believe she's the daughter of John McClane. Cliff Curtis gives a solid turn as the FBI agent in charge of the investigation. Best of all, Clerks director Kevin Smith is spot on as a hacker and Star Wars fan who still lives in his mother's basement.
I wanted director Len Wiseman to recreate the magic of the first film, a justifiable classic of the action genre, or at least the entertainment value of the second and third films. Instead, Live Free or Die Hard (aka Die Hard 4.0 in some markets) is overblown and even dull, failing to muster much excitement until it's almost over. Stay home and watch the first film on DVD.
[2 out of 5 stars]
Nineteen years after the first Die Hard, the fourth installment arrives in cinemas uninspired and predictable. If you've seen the promotional trailer set to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, you've seen something much better than the actual product.
After the FBI's computer systems are breached by hackers, they ask local law enforcement around the country to help them bring in known master hackers. Enter NYPD Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis), who's assigned to locate hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) and deliver him to Washington DC. Things start to go awry when assassins are sent after Farrell, who unknowingly supplied cyber-terrorists Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) and Mai Linh (Maggie Q) with code they're using to bring all of America's computer systems to a halt. Finding himself in the middle of another fine mess, McClane has to keep Farrell alive while trying to stop the cyber-terrorists.
Director Len Wiseman (Underworld, Underworld: Evolution) tackles his largest project to date but is unable to recreate the tight shooting style employed by director John McTiernan in the first and third films (or even the serviceable style of Renny Harlin in the second film). Instead of thrilling the audience, he bludgeons them with lifeless action scenes characterized by excess more than creativity. Only in the third act does Wiseman seem to realize he's making a Die Hard film and finally presents us with some action scenes befitting the franchise. Too little, too late.
The weakest element of the film is the screenplay by Mark Bomback (Godsend), from a screen story by Bomback and David Marconi (Enemy of the State), with its incomprehensible plot, lack of suspense, tired quips, and worst of all for a Die Hard film, a dull villain. John McClane is at his best when he knows he's fighting to save a loved one, but Bomback doesn't bring that into play until very late in the film, making it feel like a meaningless addition. There are numerous elements that seem to be borrowed from television's 24, only the writers of that show know how to create suspense and keep the audience guessing.
Willis steps into the shoes of McClane once again like he never left them, trading punches, bullets, and one liners (as tired as some of them are, he still knows how to deliver them with gusto) with his opponents and being a thorn in the side of a terrorist mastermind. He has one great scene after Farrell tells him he's a hero where he bitterly enumerates all the bad things that have happened to him (a divorce, estranged kids, etc.). For one moment the filmmakers get it right and we see what the film as a whole could be but isn't. Long, best known as the personification of a Mac computer in numerous Apple commercials, is a fresh face as the hacker who finds himself right in the middle of the action. Willis and Long make a surprisingly good partnership.
The original Die Hard had Alan Rickman as the terrorist Hans Gruber, a memorable villain portrayed by a great actor. This film has a wooden Olyphant as the villain du jour, but he's about as intimidating and charismatic as a frat boy throwing a tantrum. Maggie Q is wasted as his partner/lover, seemingly here only to be the stereotypical Asian who happens to be skilled in martial arts.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is good as Lucy McClane and it's very easy to believe she's the daughter of John McClane. Cliff Curtis gives a solid turn as the FBI agent in charge of the investigation. Best of all, Clerks director Kevin Smith is spot on as a hacker and Star Wars fan who still lives in his mother's basement.
I wanted director Len Wiseman to recreate the magic of the first film, a justifiable classic of the action genre, or at least the entertainment value of the second and third films. Instead, Live Free or Die Hard (aka Die Hard 4.0 in some markets) is overblown and even dull, failing to muster much excitement until it's almost over. Stay home and watch the first film on DVD.
[2 out of 5 stars]
