Scan and Pan
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Mr. Bean's Holiday
Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) wins a holiday in Cannes and a video camera at a church raffle. After he inadvertently causes Russian film critic Emil Dachevsky (Karel Roden) to miss the train from Paris to Cannes, he finds the man's son Stepan (Max Baldry) alone on the train and, realizing his mistake, decides he must see the boy safely to Cannes to be reunited with his father.
Director Steve Bendelack (The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse) and writers Robin Driscoll (Bean), Hamish McColl, and Simon McBurney start out on unsure footing. The first two acts of the film are very hit and miss as they struggle to find the right tone, while many of the gags are stale and predictable. When they finally settle on a whimsical tone in the third act, the film hits a more confident stride and the gags improve. There's even some sharp satire on display when the Cannes Film Festival is parodied, but it's too little, too late.
I'm a fan of Mr. Bean, but I found this film unsatisfying for what's supposedly the character's final bow. There was only intermittent laughter in the cinema where I saw it, which is never a good sign for a comedy. The technical aspects of the film are competent but nothing more, although music supervisor Nick Angel (Smokin' Aces) chooses a good selection of songs to move the story along.
The cast is better than the script. Atkinson is once again in fine form as Mr. Bean, his skill as a physical comedian shining through even when faced with an inferior script. The winsome Baldry as Stepan comes close to stealing several scenes from Atkinson. Roden doesn't have many scenes as the boy's father, but his performance is solid enough. Willem Dafoe is hilarious as a self-absorbed American film director presenting his new film at Cannes. Emma de Caunes is delightful as an actress who helps the clueless Mr. Bean get to Cannes. Jean Rochefort is funny in a small role as a maitre d'. Atkinson's daughter Lily has a cameo as the girl operating the stereo at the church function at the beginning of the film.
Mr. Bean's Holiday owes an obvious debt to Jacques Tati's Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Mr. Hulot's Holiday), but if you're going to take your inspiration from a film that's considered a classic, you need to present more than just a decent third act if you want to succeed. If this is really Atkinson's final outing as Mr. Bean, it's a shame to see him go out with something decidedly less than a bang.
[2.5 out of 5 stars]
The bumbling, mumbling Mr. Bean returns for another adventure, but I'm sorry to report that this one is a disappointment. Even for devoted fans it's a tough slog to get to the good stuff.
Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) wins a holiday in Cannes and a video camera at a church raffle. After he inadvertently causes Russian film critic Emil Dachevsky (Karel Roden) to miss the train from Paris to Cannes, he finds the man's son Stepan (Max Baldry) alone on the train and, realizing his mistake, decides he must see the boy safely to Cannes to be reunited with his father.
Director Steve Bendelack (The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse) and writers Robin Driscoll (Bean), Hamish McColl, and Simon McBurney start out on unsure footing. The first two acts of the film are very hit and miss as they struggle to find the right tone, while many of the gags are stale and predictable. When they finally settle on a whimsical tone in the third act, the film hits a more confident stride and the gags improve. There's even some sharp satire on display when the Cannes Film Festival is parodied, but it's too little, too late.
I'm a fan of Mr. Bean, but I found this film unsatisfying for what's supposedly the character's final bow. There was only intermittent laughter in the cinema where I saw it, which is never a good sign for a comedy. The technical aspects of the film are competent but nothing more, although music supervisor Nick Angel (Smokin' Aces) chooses a good selection of songs to move the story along.
The cast is better than the script. Atkinson is once again in fine form as Mr. Bean, his skill as a physical comedian shining through even when faced with an inferior script. The winsome Baldry as Stepan comes close to stealing several scenes from Atkinson. Roden doesn't have many scenes as the boy's father, but his performance is solid enough. Willem Dafoe is hilarious as a self-absorbed American film director presenting his new film at Cannes. Emma de Caunes is delightful as an actress who helps the clueless Mr. Bean get to Cannes. Jean Rochefort is funny in a small role as a maitre d'. Atkinson's daughter Lily has a cameo as the girl operating the stereo at the church function at the beginning of the film.
Mr. Bean's Holiday owes an obvious debt to Jacques Tati's Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Mr. Hulot's Holiday), but if you're going to take your inspiration from a film that's considered a classic, you need to present more than just a decent third act if you want to succeed. If this is really Atkinson's final outing as Mr. Bean, it's a shame to see him go out with something decidedly less than a bang.
[2.5 out of 5 stars]
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The Invasion
After a space shuttle crashes, an alien virus begins to spread that turns its victims into emotionless drones. Psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) begins to notice people around her changing, including her ex-husband (Jeremy Northam) who has their son Oliver (Jackson Bond) for a sleepover. With the help of her colleague and close friend Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig), Carol discovers that the transformation occurs when a victim falls asleep. Although infected herself, she takes drugs to stay awake so she can rescue her son and make it to the safety of a military base where a cure is being worked on by a molecular biologist (Jeffrey Wright).
The film went into production with acclaimed German filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel (Der Untergang aka Downfall) in the director's chair. After shooting was completed, studio executives decided they weren't satisfied with his work and brought in the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) to rewrite the script and supervise seventeen days worth of re-shoots. The Wachowskis hired James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) to direct the re-shoots, although only Hirschbiegel receives on-screen credit.
It's hard to tell if the film would have been better or worse without the re-shoots, but the clash of styles between the two directors doesn't help matters. The end result is a very uneven work, a slick but empty film. There are some effective scenes in the second half which evoke an atavistic response to seeing a mother and child in danger, but they quickly give way to routine action scenes. The original 1956 film directed by Don Siegel and the 1978 remake by Philip Kaufman both evoked a paranoid, disturbing mood. This version succeeds in doing so in only a precious few scenes, which simply isn't enough to sustain itself with.
Ostensibly based on Jack Finney's classic science fiction novel The Body Snatchers, which was the basis for three previous films, first time screenwriter Dave Kajganich and the Wachowskis have refashioned the story into something very different, keeping only the theme of humans being taken over by something alien while they sleep. The film also has a happy ending, but that's actually consistent with the novel. The message in the film about human nature is absurd and actually makes one sympathetic to the pod people, but it's impossible to say if Kajganich's script or the Wachowskis' rewrite should be blamed.
Cinematographer Rainer Klausmann (Der Untergang) sets an appropriate mood for the story and a few scenes, like the one set in a nearly abandoned subway station, work well because of his lighting. The score by John Ottman (Superman Returns) is atmospheric and deserves a better film to go with.
Despite the troubled production, Kidman manages to deliver a solid performance as Carol. She makes us feel her panic when her son is threatened and is believable enough with the character as written. Craig evinces the charisma that made him so good as the new James Bond, but the script doesn't provide him with a compelling character to work with. Wright is too good of an actor to be wasted on a few scenes of technobabble. Bond is believable as Oliver, but Northam is unconvincing as his pod person father. Josef Sommer and Celia Weston are suitable as the Czech ambassador and his wife, while Roger Rees makes his appearance as a Russian diplomat a memorable one. Veronica Cartwright, who starred in the 1978 version, has a small role as one of Carol's patients.
The premise of The Invasion may be familiar, but it can still be an effective one if handled properly. If not, you get a film like this which should be avoided like an alien plague. Unless there's a director's cut released on DVD, we'll probably never know who really deserves the most blame for this disappointing cinematic exercise. Just watch the 1956 or 1978 versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers instead.
[2 out of 5 stars]
The latest remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a mess, no doubt in part due to its troubled production history.
After a space shuttle crashes, an alien virus begins to spread that turns its victims into emotionless drones. Psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) begins to notice people around her changing, including her ex-husband (Jeremy Northam) who has their son Oliver (Jackson Bond) for a sleepover. With the help of her colleague and close friend Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig), Carol discovers that the transformation occurs when a victim falls asleep. Although infected herself, she takes drugs to stay awake so she can rescue her son and make it to the safety of a military base where a cure is being worked on by a molecular biologist (Jeffrey Wright).
The film went into production with acclaimed German filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel (Der Untergang aka Downfall) in the director's chair. After shooting was completed, studio executives decided they weren't satisfied with his work and brought in the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) to rewrite the script and supervise seventeen days worth of re-shoots. The Wachowskis hired James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) to direct the re-shoots, although only Hirschbiegel receives on-screen credit.
It's hard to tell if the film would have been better or worse without the re-shoots, but the clash of styles between the two directors doesn't help matters. The end result is a very uneven work, a slick but empty film. There are some effective scenes in the second half which evoke an atavistic response to seeing a mother and child in danger, but they quickly give way to routine action scenes. The original 1956 film directed by Don Siegel and the 1978 remake by Philip Kaufman both evoked a paranoid, disturbing mood. This version succeeds in doing so in only a precious few scenes, which simply isn't enough to sustain itself with.
Ostensibly based on Jack Finney's classic science fiction novel The Body Snatchers, which was the basis for three previous films, first time screenwriter Dave Kajganich and the Wachowskis have refashioned the story into something very different, keeping only the theme of humans being taken over by something alien while they sleep. The film also has a happy ending, but that's actually consistent with the novel. The message in the film about human nature is absurd and actually makes one sympathetic to the pod people, but it's impossible to say if Kajganich's script or the Wachowskis' rewrite should be blamed.
Cinematographer Rainer Klausmann (Der Untergang) sets an appropriate mood for the story and a few scenes, like the one set in a nearly abandoned subway station, work well because of his lighting. The score by John Ottman (Superman Returns) is atmospheric and deserves a better film to go with.
Despite the troubled production, Kidman manages to deliver a solid performance as Carol. She makes us feel her panic when her son is threatened and is believable enough with the character as written. Craig evinces the charisma that made him so good as the new James Bond, but the script doesn't provide him with a compelling character to work with. Wright is too good of an actor to be wasted on a few scenes of technobabble. Bond is believable as Oliver, but Northam is unconvincing as his pod person father. Josef Sommer and Celia Weston are suitable as the Czech ambassador and his wife, while Roger Rees makes his appearance as a Russian diplomat a memorable one. Veronica Cartwright, who starred in the 1978 version, has a small role as one of Carol's patients.
The premise of The Invasion may be familiar, but it can still be an effective one if handled properly. If not, you get a film like this which should be avoided like an alien plague. Unless there's a director's cut released on DVD, we'll probably never know who really deserves the most blame for this disappointing cinematic exercise. Just watch the 1956 or 1978 versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers instead.
[2 out of 5 stars]
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Stardust
Poor shop boy Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox) sees a shooting star and promises to bring it back to win the hand of the rich young woman (Sienna Miller) he's trying to woo. The star lands on the other side of a stone wall near his village, a wall which is actually a portal to the magical land of Stormhold. He discovers that the star has assumed the form of a beautiful young woman who calls herself Yvaine (Claire Danes). He vows to fulfill his promise to Victoria and then set Yvaine free, but Yvaine's heart is coveted by the evil witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) and the ruby she carries is needed by the scheming Prince Septimus (Mark Strong) to lay claim to Stormhold's throne. As Tristan and Yvaine flee the evil forces that are after them, they're aided by the flamboyant sky pirate Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro).
Director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) skillfully blends fantasy, romance, comedy, swashbuckling, and suspense into a finely polished gem that recalls The Princess Bride. At its heart this is an old-fashioned fairy tale, and Vaughn's direction of both action and actors wonderfully captures that feeling. If you could bottle that feeling, what a magical elixir it would be, and that's exactly what the clever screenplay by Vaughn and Jane Goldman is. Their screenplay is mostly faithful to the novel, but the changes they made with the author's approval work exceedingly well in the context of the film.
Cinematographer Ben Davis (Layer Cake, Hannibal Rising), production designer Gavin Bocquet (Star Wars: Episodes I-III), and costume designer Sammy Sheldon (V for Vendetta) perfectly capture the fairy tale mood and create an enchanting fantasy land using the lovely landscapes of England, Scotland, Wales, and Iceland. Ilan Eshkeri (Layer Cake, Hannibal Rising) contributes a memorably rousing score. A modern touch is added by the Take That song over the end credits.
Cox is outstanding as the awkward young man who must grow into a courageous hero to save the true love of his life. He more than holds his own against the big name actors in the cast with his seemingly effortless charm and boyish good looks. Danes is also quite charming as the star who falls to earth and becomes a woman, convincing us that she really is such a magical being. She finds the necessary balance between innocence and an ancient soul that makes Yvaine who she is.
For the second time this summer (after Hairspray), Pfeiffer gives a deliciously wicked performance that lets us see just how much fun she's having. De Niro delivers a fine comedic performance as Captain Shakespeare, and reminds us that he's more than just a great dramatic actor. Strong makes a great scheming villain, but finds just the right amount of humor to prevent his performance from being one note.
There isn't a bad performance in the film, and other performers worthy of note include Peter O'Toole as the dying King of Stormhold; Nathaniel Parker and Kate Magowan as Tristan's parents; Ricky Gervais as Ferdy the Fence; Miller as Tristan's spoiled object of affection and Henry Cavill as a rival for her hand; Sarah Alexander, Joanna Scanlan, and Melanie Hill as witches; Jake Curran as a peasant who's bewitched by Lamia; Olivia Grant as the peasant after he's transformed into a woman; Mark Williams as a goat transformed into a human; Dexter Fletcher as Captain Shakespeare's first mate; and Rupert Everett, Jason Flemyng, Mark Heap, Adam Buxton, David Walliams, and Julian Rhind-Tutt as Septimus' similarly scheming brothers. Also, the wonderful voice of Ian McKellen is perfect for the story's narrator.
Stardust effortlessly captures the feel of a classic fairy tale with modern touches. A star has indeed fallen to earth and brought magic into the lives of mortals if only for two hours. See it. You won't regret it.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
Neil Gaiman's novel comes to the screen as a truly magical experience that's easily the best film of the summer and the most compelling fantasy film since The Return of the King graced cinema screens.
Poor shop boy Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox) sees a shooting star and promises to bring it back to win the hand of the rich young woman (Sienna Miller) he's trying to woo. The star lands on the other side of a stone wall near his village, a wall which is actually a portal to the magical land of Stormhold. He discovers that the star has assumed the form of a beautiful young woman who calls herself Yvaine (Claire Danes). He vows to fulfill his promise to Victoria and then set Yvaine free, but Yvaine's heart is coveted by the evil witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) and the ruby she carries is needed by the scheming Prince Septimus (Mark Strong) to lay claim to Stormhold's throne. As Tristan and Yvaine flee the evil forces that are after them, they're aided by the flamboyant sky pirate Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro).
Director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) skillfully blends fantasy, romance, comedy, swashbuckling, and suspense into a finely polished gem that recalls The Princess Bride. At its heart this is an old-fashioned fairy tale, and Vaughn's direction of both action and actors wonderfully captures that feeling. If you could bottle that feeling, what a magical elixir it would be, and that's exactly what the clever screenplay by Vaughn and Jane Goldman is. Their screenplay is mostly faithful to the novel, but the changes they made with the author's approval work exceedingly well in the context of the film.
Cinematographer Ben Davis (Layer Cake, Hannibal Rising), production designer Gavin Bocquet (Star Wars: Episodes I-III), and costume designer Sammy Sheldon (V for Vendetta) perfectly capture the fairy tale mood and create an enchanting fantasy land using the lovely landscapes of England, Scotland, Wales, and Iceland. Ilan Eshkeri (Layer Cake, Hannibal Rising) contributes a memorably rousing score. A modern touch is added by the Take That song over the end credits.
Cox is outstanding as the awkward young man who must grow into a courageous hero to save the true love of his life. He more than holds his own against the big name actors in the cast with his seemingly effortless charm and boyish good looks. Danes is also quite charming as the star who falls to earth and becomes a woman, convincing us that she really is such a magical being. She finds the necessary balance between innocence and an ancient soul that makes Yvaine who she is.
For the second time this summer (after Hairspray), Pfeiffer gives a deliciously wicked performance that lets us see just how much fun she's having. De Niro delivers a fine comedic performance as Captain Shakespeare, and reminds us that he's more than just a great dramatic actor. Strong makes a great scheming villain, but finds just the right amount of humor to prevent his performance from being one note.
There isn't a bad performance in the film, and other performers worthy of note include Peter O'Toole as the dying King of Stormhold; Nathaniel Parker and Kate Magowan as Tristan's parents; Ricky Gervais as Ferdy the Fence; Miller as Tristan's spoiled object of affection and Henry Cavill as a rival for her hand; Sarah Alexander, Joanna Scanlan, and Melanie Hill as witches; Jake Curran as a peasant who's bewitched by Lamia; Olivia Grant as the peasant after he's transformed into a woman; Mark Williams as a goat transformed into a human; Dexter Fletcher as Captain Shakespeare's first mate; and Rupert Everett, Jason Flemyng, Mark Heap, Adam Buxton, David Walliams, and Julian Rhind-Tutt as Septimus' similarly scheming brothers. Also, the wonderful voice of Ian McKellen is perfect for the story's narrator.
Stardust effortlessly captures the feel of a classic fairy tale with modern touches. A star has indeed fallen to earth and brought magic into the lives of mortals if only for two hours. See it. You won't regret it.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Hairspray
Baltimore, 1962. Pretty but plump teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) dreams of dancing on the popular "Corny Collins Show" and meeting heartthrob Link Larkin (Zac Efron). Her father (Christopher Walken) supports her, but her mother (John Travolta) worries that her heart will be broken by failure. When Tracy's dance moves catch the eye of the show's host (James Marsden), she wins a coveted spot on the show and becomes an overnight sensation. Along with her best friend Penny (Amanda Bynes), Penny's new boyfriend Seaweed (Elijah Kelley), and DJ Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah), the idealistic Tracy is determined to bring racial integration to the show, opposed by the spoiled, untalented Amber (Brittany Snow) and her scheming mother (Michelle Pfeiffer).
The original 1988 film written and directed by John Waters is a highly regarded cult film, so director/choreographer Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner) has the unenviable task of trying to live up to that standard. This version may lack the original's sense of subversive satire, but Shankman succeeds by making the story his own and infusing it with a bubblegum pop art sensibility. His song and dance sequences are dynamic and just plain fun to watch.
Shankman and screenwriter Leslie Dixon (Outrageous Fortune, Mrs. Doubtfire) freely adapt both the original film and the Broadway show into something that's not quite a remake of the former and not quite a literal rendition of the latter. Instead, it's something new that stands up on its own merits. Waters had a much keener grasp on the class and racial divides of the story's milieu, and if this film is decidedly weaker in one area that's it.
The songs written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman for the Broadway musical are jubilant and catchy. They also composed two new songs for the film, and added another written for Broadway but unused in that production. It all comes together to make one of the catchiest film soundtracks in a very long time. They're the kind of songs that might lead to dancing breaking out in the audience.
Cinematographer Bojan Bazelli (The Ring), production designer David Gropman (Little Children), and costume designer Rita Ryack (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) effortlessly create a bright, kitschy atmosphere that perfectly captures the mood of the story.
First time film actress Blonsky absolutely shines as Tracy. She sings, she dances, she makes you fall in love with Tracy in the very first scene, and she exhibits a fresh-faced charm that helps to define the entire film. Casting an unknown is always a risk, but the rewards can be well worth it when it works, and, oh, does it work here.
If I had one concern about the film going in, it was Travolta in drag as Tracy's mother Edna, a role originated by drag queen Divine. To my surprise, Travolta is splendid, even touching, as a shy woman whose own fears initially keep her from supporting her daughter's dreams. Instead of playing the role only for laughs, Travolta gets to the heart of Edna and makes her someone we care about. It's easily his best performance in years.
Walken's quirky but genuinely funny performance as Mr. Turnblad is another strength of the film, and he also displays good chemistry with Travolta. Pfeiffer is perfect as the evil Velma Von Tussle, and it's easy to see how much fun she's having. Marsden often comes across as wooden, but his turn as Corny hits all the right notes with just the right touch of sincerity. Queen Latifah is a vibrant scene stealer as Maybelle.
The rest of the cast sparkles as well, including Bynes as innocent-turned-rebel Penny, Efron as the good looking charmer Link, Kelley as Seaweed (and, oh, does he have some dance moves), Snow as Tracy's rival, Allison Janney as Penny's ultra-religious mother, Taylor Parks as Little Inez, Paul Dooley as the sponsor of the "Corny Collins Show", and Jerry Stiller as the owner of a boutique for big women.
The film offers several fun cameos if you watch for them. John Waters is the flasher in the opening sequence, Mink Stole is a woman smoking on the street in the same scene, Ricki Lake (the original Tracy) plays a talent agent attending the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant, and Shawn Thompson (the original Corny) is the tv reporter outside the studio at the end.
Hairspray lacks the explosions and reels of visual effects shots that are seemingly de rigueur for summer films these days, and that's what makes it so refreshing. It's an old school musical with modern sensibilities, one that makes you feel better leaving the cinema than you did when entering it. The original film will always remain first in my affections, but this version is more than good enough to share the love with.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
What do you get when you take a Broadway musical based on a cult film from the 1980s and make it into another film? You get this effervescent treat that's thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, with great songs and a great cast. The genre of the film musical is alive and well in the 21st century.
Baltimore, 1962. Pretty but plump teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) dreams of dancing on the popular "Corny Collins Show" and meeting heartthrob Link Larkin (Zac Efron). Her father (Christopher Walken) supports her, but her mother (John Travolta) worries that her heart will be broken by failure. When Tracy's dance moves catch the eye of the show's host (James Marsden), she wins a coveted spot on the show and becomes an overnight sensation. Along with her best friend Penny (Amanda Bynes), Penny's new boyfriend Seaweed (Elijah Kelley), and DJ Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah), the idealistic Tracy is determined to bring racial integration to the show, opposed by the spoiled, untalented Amber (Brittany Snow) and her scheming mother (Michelle Pfeiffer).
The original 1988 film written and directed by John Waters is a highly regarded cult film, so director/choreographer Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner) has the unenviable task of trying to live up to that standard. This version may lack the original's sense of subversive satire, but Shankman succeeds by making the story his own and infusing it with a bubblegum pop art sensibility. His song and dance sequences are dynamic and just plain fun to watch.
Shankman and screenwriter Leslie Dixon (Outrageous Fortune, Mrs. Doubtfire) freely adapt both the original film and the Broadway show into something that's not quite a remake of the former and not quite a literal rendition of the latter. Instead, it's something new that stands up on its own merits. Waters had a much keener grasp on the class and racial divides of the story's milieu, and if this film is decidedly weaker in one area that's it.
The songs written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman for the Broadway musical are jubilant and catchy. They also composed two new songs for the film, and added another written for Broadway but unused in that production. It all comes together to make one of the catchiest film soundtracks in a very long time. They're the kind of songs that might lead to dancing breaking out in the audience.
Cinematographer Bojan Bazelli (The Ring), production designer David Gropman (Little Children), and costume designer Rita Ryack (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) effortlessly create a bright, kitschy atmosphere that perfectly captures the mood of the story.
First time film actress Blonsky absolutely shines as Tracy. She sings, she dances, she makes you fall in love with Tracy in the very first scene, and she exhibits a fresh-faced charm that helps to define the entire film. Casting an unknown is always a risk, but the rewards can be well worth it when it works, and, oh, does it work here.
If I had one concern about the film going in, it was Travolta in drag as Tracy's mother Edna, a role originated by drag queen Divine. To my surprise, Travolta is splendid, even touching, as a shy woman whose own fears initially keep her from supporting her daughter's dreams. Instead of playing the role only for laughs, Travolta gets to the heart of Edna and makes her someone we care about. It's easily his best performance in years.
Walken's quirky but genuinely funny performance as Mr. Turnblad is another strength of the film, and he also displays good chemistry with Travolta. Pfeiffer is perfect as the evil Velma Von Tussle, and it's easy to see how much fun she's having. Marsden often comes across as wooden, but his turn as Corny hits all the right notes with just the right touch of sincerity. Queen Latifah is a vibrant scene stealer as Maybelle.
The rest of the cast sparkles as well, including Bynes as innocent-turned-rebel Penny, Efron as the good looking charmer Link, Kelley as Seaweed (and, oh, does he have some dance moves), Snow as Tracy's rival, Allison Janney as Penny's ultra-religious mother, Taylor Parks as Little Inez, Paul Dooley as the sponsor of the "Corny Collins Show", and Jerry Stiller as the owner of a boutique for big women.
The film offers several fun cameos if you watch for them. John Waters is the flasher in the opening sequence, Mink Stole is a woman smoking on the street in the same scene, Ricki Lake (the original Tracy) plays a talent agent attending the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant, and Shawn Thompson (the original Corny) is the tv reporter outside the studio at the end.
Hairspray lacks the explosions and reels of visual effects shots that are seemingly de rigueur for summer films these days, and that's what makes it so refreshing. It's an old school musical with modern sensibilities, one that makes you feel better leaving the cinema than you did when entering it. The original film will always remain first in my affections, but this version is more than good enough to share the love with.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Sunshine
2057. The Sun is dying and humankind faces extinction on an Earth growing colder each day. After a mission to re-ignite the sun with a massive thermonuclear device is lost, a second mission is sent toward the Sun seven years later to complete the task. Since all of Earth's fissile nuclear materials were mined to make the two devices, it's literally a do or humanity dies mission. As the ship Icarus II passes Mercury, its crew receives a signal from its predecessor and they detour to investigate.
Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) tackles the science fiction genre for the first time (although 28 Days Later certainly had some SF elements in it) and proves that he can succeed in seemingly any genre. Screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later) plays loose with the science at times, but overall his script is a carefully crafted story about the greatest rescue mission of all time played out by a crew of disparate men and women coming under increasing stress in a claustrophobic environment.
As with his earlier films, Boyle showcases his style of gritty realism that makes this film feel very real at all times, and there's a certain coldness to the narrative that recalls the films of Stanley Kubrick. Boyle and Garland don't allow the audience to get close to the characters, but they still achieve a result that works on visceral and psychological levels with philosophy, suspense, elements of horror, and an edge of your seat conclusion.
Cinematographer Alwin Küchler (The Claim) approaches the setting of a spacecraft with an underlit look that recalls an airliner or a submarine, using cool colors so that there's a greater contrast between the interior sets and the exterior effects shots. Production designer Mark Tildesley (28 Days Later) presents a spacecraft that looks possible without being too futuristic and creates a sense of claustrophobia that bleeds off of the screen. The score by John Murphy (28 Days Later, Miami Vice) and electronic band Underworld creates an almost hypnotic mood that nicely complements the story. The visual effects by the Moving Picture Company (28 Days Later, Batman Begins) are outstanding.
It's truly an ensemble cast, but Cillian Murphy stands out as the physicist who designed the bomb. He seems like a background character at first, but begins to come to the fore when a fateful decision is placed in his hands by the captain. He's a complex man who mostly keeps his emotions in check, but Murphy's performance allows us to subliminally comprehend the character's depth without having it spelled out. Chris Evans also impresses as the spacecraft's engineer, who makes several hard but necessary choices without flinching. He's all about the mission, and nothing or no one is more important, not even himself.
The rest of the cast is also strong, including Rose Byrne as the pilot, Cliff Curtis as the medical officer, Troy Garity as the first officer, Hiroyuki Sanada as the captain, Benedict Wong as the navigator, Michelle Yeoh as the biologist who loves her plants more than people, Mark Strong as the captain of the first mission, and Chipo Chung as the voice of the Icarus II computer.
Sunshine is the most satisfying science fiction film I've seen in a long time. On some levels it's a familiar story, but in the capable hands of Boyle it rises to another level and succeeds by finding the right balance between ideas and the need to entertain an audience.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
In an era where science fiction films too often mean mindless action and visual eye candy substituting for an actual story, this film stands apart as a serious science fiction film, but its seriousness doesn't mean it lacks thrills.
2057. The Sun is dying and humankind faces extinction on an Earth growing colder each day. After a mission to re-ignite the sun with a massive thermonuclear device is lost, a second mission is sent toward the Sun seven years later to complete the task. Since all of Earth's fissile nuclear materials were mined to make the two devices, it's literally a do or humanity dies mission. As the ship Icarus II passes Mercury, its crew receives a signal from its predecessor and they detour to investigate.
Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) tackles the science fiction genre for the first time (although 28 Days Later certainly had some SF elements in it) and proves that he can succeed in seemingly any genre. Screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later) plays loose with the science at times, but overall his script is a carefully crafted story about the greatest rescue mission of all time played out by a crew of disparate men and women coming under increasing stress in a claustrophobic environment.
As with his earlier films, Boyle showcases his style of gritty realism that makes this film feel very real at all times, and there's a certain coldness to the narrative that recalls the films of Stanley Kubrick. Boyle and Garland don't allow the audience to get close to the characters, but they still achieve a result that works on visceral and psychological levels with philosophy, suspense, elements of horror, and an edge of your seat conclusion.
Cinematographer Alwin Küchler (The Claim) approaches the setting of a spacecraft with an underlit look that recalls an airliner or a submarine, using cool colors so that there's a greater contrast between the interior sets and the exterior effects shots. Production designer Mark Tildesley (28 Days Later) presents a spacecraft that looks possible without being too futuristic and creates a sense of claustrophobia that bleeds off of the screen. The score by John Murphy (28 Days Later, Miami Vice) and electronic band Underworld creates an almost hypnotic mood that nicely complements the story. The visual effects by the Moving Picture Company (28 Days Later, Batman Begins) are outstanding.
It's truly an ensemble cast, but Cillian Murphy stands out as the physicist who designed the bomb. He seems like a background character at first, but begins to come to the fore when a fateful decision is placed in his hands by the captain. He's a complex man who mostly keeps his emotions in check, but Murphy's performance allows us to subliminally comprehend the character's depth without having it spelled out. Chris Evans also impresses as the spacecraft's engineer, who makes several hard but necessary choices without flinching. He's all about the mission, and nothing or no one is more important, not even himself.
The rest of the cast is also strong, including Rose Byrne as the pilot, Cliff Curtis as the medical officer, Troy Garity as the first officer, Hiroyuki Sanada as the captain, Benedict Wong as the navigator, Michelle Yeoh as the biologist who loves her plants more than people, Mark Strong as the captain of the first mission, and Chipo Chung as the voice of the Icarus II computer.
Sunshine is the most satisfying science fiction film I've seen in a long time. On some levels it's a familiar story, but in the capable hands of Boyle it rises to another level and succeeds by finding the right balance between ideas and the need to entertain an audience.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
