Scan and Pan
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) is a barber convicted of a crime he didn't commit by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who covets Barker's beautiful wife (Laura Michelle Kelly). Fifteen years after being deported to a penal colony, Barker returns under the pseudonym of Sweeney Todd to take his revenge. His landlady, the pie-making Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) tells him that his wife took poison and he also discovers that his now teenaged daughter (Jayne Wisener) is Turpin's ward. Twisted by anger and despair, Todd returns to barbering with a wicked twist: he murders his clients and allows the adoring Mrs. Lovett to use their bodies as the main ingredient in her meat pies.
It's the kind of opulently gothic story that director Tim Burton (Batman, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) has running through his veins, and it's hard to imagine another director being as successful at transforming it from the stage to a sumptuous cinematic feast. From the ominous notes of an organ over the studio logos at the beginning to the final shot of Sweeney Todd, it's an exhilarating journey through the macabre that represents Burton at his best, a film that's at once tragic and wickedly funny. Burton approaches the material as if he was directing a performance at the Grand Guignol, with multiple throat slashings spewing blood on everything from the characters to the camera lens. The first time Todd draws blood brings a genuine sense of shock to the audience. In many ways, Burton has made something more gruesome than any recent outright horror film even as it's highly stylized.
Screenwriter John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator) streamlines the stage version's book by Wheeler from three hours to a two hour film without losing its essence. One might have wanted more scenes between Todd's daughter and her sailor suitor to remain in the production to better flesh out those characters and their relationship, but I think that's a minor quibble. The deletions usually work to the film's advantage because they allow an even greater focus on Sweeney Todd's obsession.
Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (The Crow and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) uses low lighting and desaturated colors to suggest a grey world where there are no happy endings, but adds glorious colors to the "By the Sea" sequence. Production designer Dante Ferretti (Interview with the Vampire, Gangs of New York) creates a vividly drawn Victorian-era London of dark alleys, old buildings, and belching smokestacks, while costumer designer Colleen Atwood (Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow) provides a gothic touch to the wardrobe.
Most of Sondheim's great songs are here, transformed by music producer Mike Higham and original stage orchestrator Jonathan Tunick into versions that fit seamlessly into what Burton is trying to accomplish. Some of them are abbreviated, but all of them display a rich sonic palette because a much larger orchestra was used than the stage version had available.
In his sixth collaboration with director Burton (their first was 1990's Edward Scissorhands), Depp is simply magnificent as the vengeance obsessed title character. He stalks the screen with a deranged gleam in his eye, but the biggest surprise is that he's up to the task of singing Sondheim's songs, which he delivers with a snarling rage in his voice. Bonham Carter displays splendid comic timing as Mrs. Lovett and has good chemistry with Depp's Todd, which offsets her adequate but sometimes thin singing voice. Rickman is perfectly cast as a man who uses his power as a judge for his own corrupt purposes, while Timothy Spall puts his comedic skills to good use as the judge's obsequious henchman.
Sacha Baron Cohen is gleefully flamboyant as the Italian barber and snake oil salesman Pirelli who engages in a public duel of barbering with Todd. Ed Sanders is a find as Pirelli's abused boy servant who finds his way into the employ of Mrs. Lovett. Young Irish actress-singer Wisener is like a precious doll as Todd's daughter, Johanna. Jamie Campbell Bower looks too pretty to be a sailor man, but he brings just the right amount of romantic yearning to his role. Kelly previously played Mrs. Barker on stage, and although her performance here is small, it's a polished one. Although Anthony Stewart Head's character of a victim turned ghostly narrator was removed from the film, he appears to still have a blink and you'll miss it cameo.
As the latest collaboration of director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is bloody good fun in all the right ways.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
The award-winning stage musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler arrives on the screen as part of a recent renaissance of film musicals (including Hairspray and Across the Universe), and it's a marvelously twisted tale of obsession and revenge put forth with great style.
Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) is a barber convicted of a crime he didn't commit by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who covets Barker's beautiful wife (Laura Michelle Kelly). Fifteen years after being deported to a penal colony, Barker returns under the pseudonym of Sweeney Todd to take his revenge. His landlady, the pie-making Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) tells him that his wife took poison and he also discovers that his now teenaged daughter (Jayne Wisener) is Turpin's ward. Twisted by anger and despair, Todd returns to barbering with a wicked twist: he murders his clients and allows the adoring Mrs. Lovett to use their bodies as the main ingredient in her meat pies.
It's the kind of opulently gothic story that director Tim Burton (Batman, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) has running through his veins, and it's hard to imagine another director being as successful at transforming it from the stage to a sumptuous cinematic feast. From the ominous notes of an organ over the studio logos at the beginning to the final shot of Sweeney Todd, it's an exhilarating journey through the macabre that represents Burton at his best, a film that's at once tragic and wickedly funny. Burton approaches the material as if he was directing a performance at the Grand Guignol, with multiple throat slashings spewing blood on everything from the characters to the camera lens. The first time Todd draws blood brings a genuine sense of shock to the audience. In many ways, Burton has made something more gruesome than any recent outright horror film even as it's highly stylized.
Screenwriter John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator) streamlines the stage version's book by Wheeler from three hours to a two hour film without losing its essence. One might have wanted more scenes between Todd's daughter and her sailor suitor to remain in the production to better flesh out those characters and their relationship, but I think that's a minor quibble. The deletions usually work to the film's advantage because they allow an even greater focus on Sweeney Todd's obsession.
Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (The Crow and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) uses low lighting and desaturated colors to suggest a grey world where there are no happy endings, but adds glorious colors to the "By the Sea" sequence. Production designer Dante Ferretti (Interview with the Vampire, Gangs of New York) creates a vividly drawn Victorian-era London of dark alleys, old buildings, and belching smokestacks, while costumer designer Colleen Atwood (Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow) provides a gothic touch to the wardrobe.
Most of Sondheim's great songs are here, transformed by music producer Mike Higham and original stage orchestrator Jonathan Tunick into versions that fit seamlessly into what Burton is trying to accomplish. Some of them are abbreviated, but all of them display a rich sonic palette because a much larger orchestra was used than the stage version had available.
In his sixth collaboration with director Burton (their first was 1990's Edward Scissorhands), Depp is simply magnificent as the vengeance obsessed title character. He stalks the screen with a deranged gleam in his eye, but the biggest surprise is that he's up to the task of singing Sondheim's songs, which he delivers with a snarling rage in his voice. Bonham Carter displays splendid comic timing as Mrs. Lovett and has good chemistry with Depp's Todd, which offsets her adequate but sometimes thin singing voice. Rickman is perfectly cast as a man who uses his power as a judge for his own corrupt purposes, while Timothy Spall puts his comedic skills to good use as the judge's obsequious henchman.
Sacha Baron Cohen is gleefully flamboyant as the Italian barber and snake oil salesman Pirelli who engages in a public duel of barbering with Todd. Ed Sanders is a find as Pirelli's abused boy servant who finds his way into the employ of Mrs. Lovett. Young Irish actress-singer Wisener is like a precious doll as Todd's daughter, Johanna. Jamie Campbell Bower looks too pretty to be a sailor man, but he brings just the right amount of romantic yearning to his role. Kelly previously played Mrs. Barker on stage, and although her performance here is small, it's a polished one. Although Anthony Stewart Head's character of a victim turned ghostly narrator was removed from the film, he appears to still have a blink and you'll miss it cameo.
As the latest collaboration of director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is bloody good fun in all the right ways.
[4.5 out of 5 stars]
Thursday, December 20, 2007
American Gangster
The story depicts the rise of Harlem heroin dealer Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) in the early 1970s and how he's brought down by doggedly honest Detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe).
Director Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) never fails to put together a polished film, but what this one lacks is energy. As well-made as it is, the momentum switch seems to be set to 'coasting' from start to finish, as if Scott simply couldn't muster the passion for it. Although the screenplay by Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List, Gangs of New York) is competently written, there's absolutely nothing in it that we haven't seen before in similar films. It's scripted by the numbers and pays scant attention to developing its characters or their motivations. We learn that as a child Lucas witnessed police murder his cousin. We learn that Roberts is as dishonest in his personal life as he is honest in his professional one. That's about as developed as the characters get.
The moody cinematography by Harris Savides (Finding Forrester, Zodiac) nicely captures the gritty, urban feel of the story, while production designer Arthur Max (Se7en, Gladiator) and costume designer Janty Yates (Gladiator, Miami Vice) provide an authentic period look. The score by Marc Streitenfeld (A Good Year) is simple but effective, with songs from the period also being used.
Despite his character being underdeveloped, Washington delivers a good performance as Lucas. His charisma always makes him watchable even in lesser films, and that trait serves this production well. Crowe's performance is respectable, but pales in comparison to his work in 3:10 to Yuma earlier in the year. The only time he gives off sparks is in the few scenes he shares with Washington.
It's certainly true that the best thing about the film is its cast, even if it seems that some good actors are wasted on routine roles that don't require them to stretch their acting muscles. That cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lucas' brother Huey, Josh Brolin as a corrupt detective, Lymari Nadal as Lucas' beauty queen wife, Cuba Gooding Jr. as a rival gangster, Ted Levine as Roberts' superior, Armand Assante as a Mafia boss, John Hawkes as Roberts' partner, Ruby Dee as Lucas' mother, Carla Gugino as Roberts' ex-wife, Joe Morton as an associate of Lucas, and Clarence Williams III as Lucas' mentor Bumpy Johnson.
American Gangster wants to be a gangster film, a police procedural, a study of police corruption, a morality play, and a biography, and its inability to decide which it really is leaves it feeling unfocused. It's an uninspired attempt from filmmakers who have proven that they're capable of much more, and that's the most disappointing thing about it.
[2.5 out of 5 stars]
On paper, the combination of a noted director, an Oscar-winning screenwriter, and two really good actors probably sounded like a sure-fire winner, so why doesn't it work?
The story depicts the rise of Harlem heroin dealer Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) in the early 1970s and how he's brought down by doggedly honest Detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe).
Director Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) never fails to put together a polished film, but what this one lacks is energy. As well-made as it is, the momentum switch seems to be set to 'coasting' from start to finish, as if Scott simply couldn't muster the passion for it. Although the screenplay by Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List, Gangs of New York) is competently written, there's absolutely nothing in it that we haven't seen before in similar films. It's scripted by the numbers and pays scant attention to developing its characters or their motivations. We learn that as a child Lucas witnessed police murder his cousin. We learn that Roberts is as dishonest in his personal life as he is honest in his professional one. That's about as developed as the characters get.
The moody cinematography by Harris Savides (Finding Forrester, Zodiac) nicely captures the gritty, urban feel of the story, while production designer Arthur Max (Se7en, Gladiator) and costume designer Janty Yates (Gladiator, Miami Vice) provide an authentic period look. The score by Marc Streitenfeld (A Good Year) is simple but effective, with songs from the period also being used.
Despite his character being underdeveloped, Washington delivers a good performance as Lucas. His charisma always makes him watchable even in lesser films, and that trait serves this production well. Crowe's performance is respectable, but pales in comparison to his work in 3:10 to Yuma earlier in the year. The only time he gives off sparks is in the few scenes he shares with Washington.
It's certainly true that the best thing about the film is its cast, even if it seems that some good actors are wasted on routine roles that don't require them to stretch their acting muscles. That cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lucas' brother Huey, Josh Brolin as a corrupt detective, Lymari Nadal as Lucas' beauty queen wife, Cuba Gooding Jr. as a rival gangster, Ted Levine as Roberts' superior, Armand Assante as a Mafia boss, John Hawkes as Roberts' partner, Ruby Dee as Lucas' mother, Carla Gugino as Roberts' ex-wife, Joe Morton as an associate of Lucas, and Clarence Williams III as Lucas' mentor Bumpy Johnson.
American Gangster wants to be a gangster film, a police procedural, a study of police corruption, a morality play, and a biography, and its inability to decide which it really is leaves it feeling unfocused. It's an uninspired attempt from filmmakers who have proven that they're capable of much more, and that's the most disappointing thing about it.
[2.5 out of 5 stars]
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
I Am Legend
The film opens with an announcement that a cure for cancer has been found. Cut to three years later, where New York City is an abandoned wasteland. We learn that the cure for cancer was a virus that instead killed 90% of the world's population and transformed most survivors into flesh-eating zombies. The only apparent surviving human is Robert Neville (Will Smith), a military scientist who spends his time searching for any other humans and trying to find a cure, all while hiding from the sunlight-averse zombies.
Director Francis Lawrence (Constantine) began his career in music videos and is known as a visual stylist, so the film really plays to his strengths in scenes of a post-apocalyptic New York City that's abandoned, overgrown with weeds, and filled with wild animals. He provides a vivid glimpse of a city bereft of civilization. He also generates some suspense when needed and there are some decent action scenes, but the film is mostly an atmospheric study of a man in isolation. The problems with the film don't stem from his direction.
Matheson's novel was previously realized on film as The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price in 1964 and The Omega Man with Charlton Heston in 1971. The former was the most faithful to the novel, while this film is based on both the novel and the latter film (with its screenwriters John William Corrington and Joyce H. Corrington receiving credit). For the first two acts, the screenplay by Mark Protosevich (The Cell, Poseidon) and Akiva Goldsman (Batman & Robin, The Da Vinci Code) provides an interesting profile of a man who's been alone and suffering from emotional trauma for three years, with his only companion a dog.
However, it often seems more like a series of set pieces strung together rather than a complete film, which reflects that it went into production without a finished script and with re-writes by Goldsman continuing throughout shooting. It starts to sag a bit in the second act until it falls apart in an overly compressed third act that culminates in an unsatisfying ending. There are also some lapses in story logic that are never properly explained.
Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie (The Lord of the Rings, King Kong) and production designer Naomi Shohan (American Beauty, Constantine) create a very believable setting for the story, as disturbing as it is sometimes beautiful in a state of ruin, and a combination of location shooting and CGI are fit together seamlessly. Where the CGI isn't as successful is in the creation of the zombies, who just aren't as believable as the low-key vampire-like monsters of the novel. The brooding score by James Newton Howard (Batman Begins, King Kong) is a plus mark for the film.
Smith's combination of movie star charisma and acting ability is the key to I Am Legend's success. So many scenes are essentially monologues that it could quickly become tedious if the actor delivering them wasn't able to hold your attention. He does, and in doing so makes us believe in who he is and what he has to do to survive. At times you wonder if the isolation has finally driven his character over the edge, and Smith achieves this effect with subtlety. The rest of the cast is solid, including Emma Thompson as the scientist who creates the virus, Salli Richardson as Neville's wife, Willow Smith (Will's actual daughter) as Neville's daughter, and Alice Braga (niece of noted actress Sônia Braga) as a survivor who escapes from Brazil on a Red Cross ship.
I Am Legend is above average for entertainment value, and that's entirely due to the presence of Will Smith and the visual sensibilities of Francis Lawrence, who keep the film afloat despite a leaky script.
[3.5 out of 5 stars]
The third film adaptation of Richard Matheson's classic 1954 novel offers a winning performance by its star and some stunning visuals, which are just enough to offset its flaws.
The film opens with an announcement that a cure for cancer has been found. Cut to three years later, where New York City is an abandoned wasteland. We learn that the cure for cancer was a virus that instead killed 90% of the world's population and transformed most survivors into flesh-eating zombies. The only apparent surviving human is Robert Neville (Will Smith), a military scientist who spends his time searching for any other humans and trying to find a cure, all while hiding from the sunlight-averse zombies.
Director Francis Lawrence (Constantine) began his career in music videos and is known as a visual stylist, so the film really plays to his strengths in scenes of a post-apocalyptic New York City that's abandoned, overgrown with weeds, and filled with wild animals. He provides a vivid glimpse of a city bereft of civilization. He also generates some suspense when needed and there are some decent action scenes, but the film is mostly an atmospheric study of a man in isolation. The problems with the film don't stem from his direction.
Matheson's novel was previously realized on film as The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price in 1964 and The Omega Man with Charlton Heston in 1971. The former was the most faithful to the novel, while this film is based on both the novel and the latter film (with its screenwriters John William Corrington and Joyce H. Corrington receiving credit). For the first two acts, the screenplay by Mark Protosevich (The Cell, Poseidon) and Akiva Goldsman (Batman & Robin, The Da Vinci Code) provides an interesting profile of a man who's been alone and suffering from emotional trauma for three years, with his only companion a dog.
However, it often seems more like a series of set pieces strung together rather than a complete film, which reflects that it went into production without a finished script and with re-writes by Goldsman continuing throughout shooting. It starts to sag a bit in the second act until it falls apart in an overly compressed third act that culminates in an unsatisfying ending. There are also some lapses in story logic that are never properly explained.
Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie (The Lord of the Rings, King Kong) and production designer Naomi Shohan (American Beauty, Constantine) create a very believable setting for the story, as disturbing as it is sometimes beautiful in a state of ruin, and a combination of location shooting and CGI are fit together seamlessly. Where the CGI isn't as successful is in the creation of the zombies, who just aren't as believable as the low-key vampire-like monsters of the novel. The brooding score by James Newton Howard (Batman Begins, King Kong) is a plus mark for the film.
Smith's combination of movie star charisma and acting ability is the key to I Am Legend's success. So many scenes are essentially monologues that it could quickly become tedious if the actor delivering them wasn't able to hold your attention. He does, and in doing so makes us believe in who he is and what he has to do to survive. At times you wonder if the isolation has finally driven his character over the edge, and Smith achieves this effect with subtlety. The rest of the cast is solid, including Emma Thompson as the scientist who creates the virus, Salli Richardson as Neville's wife, Willow Smith (Will's actual daughter) as Neville's daughter, and Alice Braga (niece of noted actress Sônia Braga) as a survivor who escapes from Brazil on a Red Cross ship.
I Am Legend is above average for entertainment value, and that's entirely due to the presence of Will Smith and the visual sensibilities of Francis Lawrence, who keep the film afloat despite a leaky script.
[3.5 out of 5 stars]
Friday, December 07, 2007
The Golden Compass
On an alternate Earth where people's souls take on animal shapes known as daemons and where the powerful Magisterium reigns supreme, young Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) is entrusted with a golden compass that allows her to see the truth of things. After her uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) leaves on a journey, she's taken into the care of the sinister Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman). When Lyra learns that Mrs. Coulter is behind the mysterious disappearances of children, including her best friend Roger (Ben Walker), she flees with her daemon Pan (voice of Freddie Highmore) and begins an epic adventure to rescue the children and find her uncle. Along the way she gathers crucial allies in the ice bear Iorek Byrnison (voice of Ian McKellen), the Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), and the witch queen Serafina (Eva Green).
Screenwriter/director Chris Weitz (best known as one of the producers of the American Pie films, but also the co-director of Down to Earth and About a Boy) succeeds on the whole in bringing Pullman's novel to the screen. The film is mostly faithful to the plot of the novel, and even though Pullman's philosophical views are watered down, the story still works as a more broadly anti-authoritarian tale, even if it has become more about spectacle than ideas. Weitz is up to the task of visualizing the story, ably blending live action and visual effects while displaying a competent handling of the action scenes. It's an enjoyable film, but one that's not without flaws.
What makes it merely good rather than great is that a certain degree of character development, plot development, and pacing has been sacrificed on the altar of creating a film that's less than two hours in running time, but it's hard to say if that's the fault of Weitz or of New Line Cinema. Even an extra thirty minutes would have improved the pacing and allowed for more development of the key characters and themes, potentially making it a better film. A decision was also made to end the film at a slightly earlier point in the story, leaving the novel's final chapters to be used as a prologue for a sequel if one is produced. Combined with the relatively short running time, the ending leaves one feeling as if there should have been a little more to it.
Cinematographer Henry Braham (Nanny McPhee, Flyboys) contributes gleaming lighting that stylishly conjures up the appropriate mood for an epic fantasy, while production designer Dennis Gassner (Field of Dreams, Waterworld) and costume designer Ruth Myers (Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Addams Family) create an amazing world to feast your eyes on. The visual effects, produced by several effects houses, are skillfully rendered, and convincingly portray such creatures of the fantastic as daemons and talking bears. If a fantasy film can be judged solely on how well the story's world is brought to life, then The Golden Compass is a smashing success. Alexandre Desplat (Syriana, The Queen) provides a solid musical score, although the song during the end credits written and performed by Kate Bush is surprisingly unmemorable.
Despite having limited acting experience, Richards makes her film debut with a spirited performance as Lyra. Kidman plays against type as a villainess, but her icy delivery really captures the character of Mrs. Coulter. Craig is only in a few scenes as Lord Asriel, but he makes the most of them with his usual magnetism. Although Weitz wanted to use a lesser known actor to voice Iorek, the rich voice of McKellen really adds another dimension to the character. Elliott is just perfect as Scoresby. While they may have only limited screen time as leading members of the Magisterium, does it get any better than Derek Jacobi and Christopher Lee hatching evil plots together? I think not.
The rest of the cast is effective, including Green as Serafina, Walker as Roger, Ian McShane as the voice of King Ragnar of the ice bears, Highmore as Pan's voice, Jim Carter as Gyptian leader John Faa, Tom Courtenay as Farder Coram, Clare Higgins as Ma Costa, Charlie Rowe as Billy Costa, Kristin Scott Thomas as the voice of Asriel's dameon, Kathy Bates as the voice of Scoresby's rabbit daemon Hester, and Simon McBurney as Fra Pavel.
While The Golden Compass may not be on the same level as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it's still a good fantasy film that offers much entertainment value while generally remaining faithful to its literary source.
[4 out of 5 stars]
The long-awaited film version of Philip Pullman's fantasy novel is an entertaining if somewhat uneven adaptation.
On an alternate Earth where people's souls take on animal shapes known as daemons and where the powerful Magisterium reigns supreme, young Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) is entrusted with a golden compass that allows her to see the truth of things. After her uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) leaves on a journey, she's taken into the care of the sinister Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman). When Lyra learns that Mrs. Coulter is behind the mysterious disappearances of children, including her best friend Roger (Ben Walker), she flees with her daemon Pan (voice of Freddie Highmore) and begins an epic adventure to rescue the children and find her uncle. Along the way she gathers crucial allies in the ice bear Iorek Byrnison (voice of Ian McKellen), the Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), and the witch queen Serafina (Eva Green).
Screenwriter/director Chris Weitz (best known as one of the producers of the American Pie films, but also the co-director of Down to Earth and About a Boy) succeeds on the whole in bringing Pullman's novel to the screen. The film is mostly faithful to the plot of the novel, and even though Pullman's philosophical views are watered down, the story still works as a more broadly anti-authoritarian tale, even if it has become more about spectacle than ideas. Weitz is up to the task of visualizing the story, ably blending live action and visual effects while displaying a competent handling of the action scenes. It's an enjoyable film, but one that's not without flaws.
What makes it merely good rather than great is that a certain degree of character development, plot development, and pacing has been sacrificed on the altar of creating a film that's less than two hours in running time, but it's hard to say if that's the fault of Weitz or of New Line Cinema. Even an extra thirty minutes would have improved the pacing and allowed for more development of the key characters and themes, potentially making it a better film. A decision was also made to end the film at a slightly earlier point in the story, leaving the novel's final chapters to be used as a prologue for a sequel if one is produced. Combined with the relatively short running time, the ending leaves one feeling as if there should have been a little more to it.
Cinematographer Henry Braham (Nanny McPhee, Flyboys) contributes gleaming lighting that stylishly conjures up the appropriate mood for an epic fantasy, while production designer Dennis Gassner (Field of Dreams, Waterworld) and costume designer Ruth Myers (Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Addams Family) create an amazing world to feast your eyes on. The visual effects, produced by several effects houses, are skillfully rendered, and convincingly portray such creatures of the fantastic as daemons and talking bears. If a fantasy film can be judged solely on how well the story's world is brought to life, then The Golden Compass is a smashing success. Alexandre Desplat (Syriana, The Queen) provides a solid musical score, although the song during the end credits written and performed by Kate Bush is surprisingly unmemorable.
Despite having limited acting experience, Richards makes her film debut with a spirited performance as Lyra. Kidman plays against type as a villainess, but her icy delivery really captures the character of Mrs. Coulter. Craig is only in a few scenes as Lord Asriel, but he makes the most of them with his usual magnetism. Although Weitz wanted to use a lesser known actor to voice Iorek, the rich voice of McKellen really adds another dimension to the character. Elliott is just perfect as Scoresby. While they may have only limited screen time as leading members of the Magisterium, does it get any better than Derek Jacobi and Christopher Lee hatching evil plots together? I think not.
The rest of the cast is effective, including Green as Serafina, Walker as Roger, Ian McShane as the voice of King Ragnar of the ice bears, Highmore as Pan's voice, Jim Carter as Gyptian leader John Faa, Tom Courtenay as Farder Coram, Clare Higgins as Ma Costa, Charlie Rowe as Billy Costa, Kristin Scott Thomas as the voice of Asriel's dameon, Kathy Bates as the voice of Scoresby's rabbit daemon Hester, and Simon McBurney as Fra Pavel.
While The Golden Compass may not be on the same level as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it's still a good fantasy film that offers much entertainment value while generally remaining faithful to its literary source.
[4 out of 5 stars]
Thursday, December 06, 2007
No Country for Old Men
Texas, 1980. Vietnam veteran Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is out hunting when he comes across the results of a drug deal gone bad--several dead men, a truck full of heroin, and $2 million in cash. He takes the cash, which immediately places him in the fatal path of hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), who also wants the money. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) investigates the drug killings, coming to the realization that Moss took the money and his life is now in danger.
Screenwriters/directors (also editors and co-producers) Joel and Ethan Coen (Miller's Crossing, Fargo) generally remain faithful to Cormac McCarthy's novel while placing their own unique signature on the material. The dialog is sparse but revelatory. The story is bleak but a vein of sardonic humor lurks just below the surface. It's a dark thriller that owes a debt to the film noir and western genres, while it projects itself onto the cinema screen with an unwillingness to conform to a conventional narrative path.
The Coens suggest that exploring the forces of fate that draw the characters into the same orbit is more important than neatly tying things up at the end, and they're correct. Real life isn't as neat as a bow on a Christmas package. Real life is messy and usually leaves us with more questions than answers. So does No Country for Old Men, and therein lies its brilliance.
Cinematographer Roger Deakins, who has collaborated with the Coens since 1991's Barton Fink, captures the nihilistic mood of the material with simple and realistic lighting, along with careful framing of each shot. Production designer Jess Gonchor (Capote, The Devil Wears Prada) and costume designer Mary Zophres (Fargo, Lions for Lambs) credibly evoke the place and time of Texas in 1980. The minimalist score by Carter Burwell (Fargo, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) perfectly suits the starkness of the story.
The cast is superb. Brolin is outstanding as Moss, revealing more about his character through body language than dialog. He remains a sympathetic lead throughout, adding impact to the story as the dark clouds of inevitability form above his head. Bardem is disturbing as the remorseless and seemingly unstoppable assassin tracking Moss. Some of his scenes will send shivers down your spine. Jones is pitch perfect as the aging lawman whose investigation triggers an existential crisis in his life. Also noteworthy for their performances are Woody Harrelson as a second hitman tracking Moss, Kelly Macdonald as Moss' wife, Garret Dillahunt as Sheriff Bell's eager deputy, Barry Corbin as Bell's uncle, and Rodger Boyce as the Sheriff of El Paso.
No Country for Old Men is easily one of the elite films of 2007. It also proves once again that the Coen Brothers are some of the most strikingly creative filmmakers of this era. It's difficult to single out one of their films as the best, but without a doubt this one is a highly qualified candidate.
[5 out of 5 stars]
The Coen Brothers' latest film can be summed up in one word: brilliant.
Texas, 1980. Vietnam veteran Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is out hunting when he comes across the results of a drug deal gone bad--several dead men, a truck full of heroin, and $2 million in cash. He takes the cash, which immediately places him in the fatal path of hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), who also wants the money. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) investigates the drug killings, coming to the realization that Moss took the money and his life is now in danger.
Screenwriters/directors (also editors and co-producers) Joel and Ethan Coen (Miller's Crossing, Fargo) generally remain faithful to Cormac McCarthy's novel while placing their own unique signature on the material. The dialog is sparse but revelatory. The story is bleak but a vein of sardonic humor lurks just below the surface. It's a dark thriller that owes a debt to the film noir and western genres, while it projects itself onto the cinema screen with an unwillingness to conform to a conventional narrative path.
The Coens suggest that exploring the forces of fate that draw the characters into the same orbit is more important than neatly tying things up at the end, and they're correct. Real life isn't as neat as a bow on a Christmas package. Real life is messy and usually leaves us with more questions than answers. So does No Country for Old Men, and therein lies its brilliance.
Cinematographer Roger Deakins, who has collaborated with the Coens since 1991's Barton Fink, captures the nihilistic mood of the material with simple and realistic lighting, along with careful framing of each shot. Production designer Jess Gonchor (Capote, The Devil Wears Prada) and costume designer Mary Zophres (Fargo, Lions for Lambs) credibly evoke the place and time of Texas in 1980. The minimalist score by Carter Burwell (Fargo, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) perfectly suits the starkness of the story.
The cast is superb. Brolin is outstanding as Moss, revealing more about his character through body language than dialog. He remains a sympathetic lead throughout, adding impact to the story as the dark clouds of inevitability form above his head. Bardem is disturbing as the remorseless and seemingly unstoppable assassin tracking Moss. Some of his scenes will send shivers down your spine. Jones is pitch perfect as the aging lawman whose investigation triggers an existential crisis in his life. Also noteworthy for their performances are Woody Harrelson as a second hitman tracking Moss, Kelly Macdonald as Moss' wife, Garret Dillahunt as Sheriff Bell's eager deputy, Barry Corbin as Bell's uncle, and Rodger Boyce as the Sheriff of El Paso.
No Country for Old Men is easily one of the elite films of 2007. It also proves once again that the Coen Brothers are some of the most strikingly creative filmmakers of this era. It's difficult to single out one of their films as the best, but without a doubt this one is a highly qualified candidate.
[5 out of 5 stars]
Monday, December 03, 2007
Beowulf
Denmark in the sixth century: King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) is celebrating the construction of his new mead hall when it's suddenly attacked by the monstrous giant Grendel (Crispin Glover), who kills many of Hrothgar's subjects. Hrothgar offers half of his gold to any hero who can slay Grendel. Every man who takes up the challenge dies. Enter Beowulf (Ray Winstone), a boastful warrior who vows to slay Grendel and bring peace to the kingdom once more. To achieve his goals, he must contend not only with Grendel, but also with Grendel's demonic mother (Angelina Jolie).
The classic poem is reinterpreted for the 21st century by screenwriters Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere, MirrorMask) and Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, The Rules of Attraction). The film covers the three major events in the life of the titular hero--the slaying of Grendel, the encounter with Grendel's mother, and the slaying of a dragon--while cleverly expanding on the source material to transform it into a more complete and emotionally involving story while maintaining its heroic epic qualities. In the poem, Beowulf is a one dimensional archetypal hero, but here he becomes a more interesting character with emotional conflicts and better definition as an individual. There's also a fine sense of humor that keeps it from becoming too grim.
The film's weakness is the choice made by director Robert Zemeckis (best known for Back to the Future and Forrest Gump) to use motion capture and digital animation by Sony Pictures Imageworks to bring the story to life, just as he did for 2004's The Polar Express. It looks like a fancy video game rather than an epic film, and you may well wonder where your game controller is at times. There are other ways to do a film like this. For example, using live actors and real sets enhanced by visual effects (Lord of the Rings), or using live actors and digital backgrounds (300).
Call me old fashioned, but when I plunk myself down in a cinema seat, I want to see something that looks like a film instead of an oversized video game. As good as the animation may be, the motion capture simply can't quite fully render facial expressions and complex motions without looking fake. However, Gaiman and Avary's screenplay is strong enough to mostly overcome the problems with the animation and suck the audience into the story. It must also be noted that this film would have been pushing an R rating if it had been filmed live action, and the unreality of the animation may have allowed it to get by with a PG-13 rating instead.
Production designer Doug Chiang (The Polar Express) and costume designer Gabriella Pescucci (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Brothers Grimm) provide the film with a strong visual sensibility that looks at once historical and fantastical. Longtime Zemeckis collaborator Alan Silvestri contributes an epic sounding score, along with some songs co-written by Glen Ballard that are hauntingly beautiful.
Because of the motion capture and animation, it's difficult to judge the actors on anything except their voice work, which is of top quality. Hopkins' rich voice is perfectly suited to Hrothgar, Winstone is appropriately heroic while bringing some depth to the role of Beowulf, Glover is strangely sympathetic as Grendel, and Jolie is perfectly cast as a seductive demoness who can make a man lose his powers of reason. The rest of the talented cast includes John Malkovich as Hrothgar's sharp-tongued advisor Unferth, Brendan Gleeson as Beowulf's friend and sidekick, Robin Wright Penn as Hrothgar's queen, and Alison Lohman as Beowulf's mistress.
Literary purists might not approve of some of the changes wrought by the screenwriters, but Beowulf the film is a good epic fantasy with a conflicted hero, a sense of humor, and a wonderfully ambiguous ending. Those qualities allow it to transcend the limitations of motion capture and digital animation, and by the end the story will win you over and you'll forget that it looks like a video game.
[4 out of 5 stars]
The past (an Old English heroic epic poem) meets the future (digital animation) in an entertaining fantasy film.
Denmark in the sixth century: King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) is celebrating the construction of his new mead hall when it's suddenly attacked by the monstrous giant Grendel (Crispin Glover), who kills many of Hrothgar's subjects. Hrothgar offers half of his gold to any hero who can slay Grendel. Every man who takes up the challenge dies. Enter Beowulf (Ray Winstone), a boastful warrior who vows to slay Grendel and bring peace to the kingdom once more. To achieve his goals, he must contend not only with Grendel, but also with Grendel's demonic mother (Angelina Jolie).
The classic poem is reinterpreted for the 21st century by screenwriters Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere, MirrorMask) and Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, The Rules of Attraction). The film covers the three major events in the life of the titular hero--the slaying of Grendel, the encounter with Grendel's mother, and the slaying of a dragon--while cleverly expanding on the source material to transform it into a more complete and emotionally involving story while maintaining its heroic epic qualities. In the poem, Beowulf is a one dimensional archetypal hero, but here he becomes a more interesting character with emotional conflicts and better definition as an individual. There's also a fine sense of humor that keeps it from becoming too grim.
The film's weakness is the choice made by director Robert Zemeckis (best known for Back to the Future and Forrest Gump) to use motion capture and digital animation by Sony Pictures Imageworks to bring the story to life, just as he did for 2004's The Polar Express. It looks like a fancy video game rather than an epic film, and you may well wonder where your game controller is at times. There are other ways to do a film like this. For example, using live actors and real sets enhanced by visual effects (Lord of the Rings), or using live actors and digital backgrounds (300).
Call me old fashioned, but when I plunk myself down in a cinema seat, I want to see something that looks like a film instead of an oversized video game. As good as the animation may be, the motion capture simply can't quite fully render facial expressions and complex motions without looking fake. However, Gaiman and Avary's screenplay is strong enough to mostly overcome the problems with the animation and suck the audience into the story. It must also be noted that this film would have been pushing an R rating if it had been filmed live action, and the unreality of the animation may have allowed it to get by with a PG-13 rating instead.
Production designer Doug Chiang (The Polar Express) and costume designer Gabriella Pescucci (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Brothers Grimm) provide the film with a strong visual sensibility that looks at once historical and fantastical. Longtime Zemeckis collaborator Alan Silvestri contributes an epic sounding score, along with some songs co-written by Glen Ballard that are hauntingly beautiful.
Because of the motion capture and animation, it's difficult to judge the actors on anything except their voice work, which is of top quality. Hopkins' rich voice is perfectly suited to Hrothgar, Winstone is appropriately heroic while bringing some depth to the role of Beowulf, Glover is strangely sympathetic as Grendel, and Jolie is perfectly cast as a seductive demoness who can make a man lose his powers of reason. The rest of the talented cast includes John Malkovich as Hrothgar's sharp-tongued advisor Unferth, Brendan Gleeson as Beowulf's friend and sidekick, Robin Wright Penn as Hrothgar's queen, and Alison Lohman as Beowulf's mistress.
Literary purists might not approve of some of the changes wrought by the screenwriters, but Beowulf the film is a good epic fantasy with a conflicted hero, a sense of humor, and a wonderfully ambiguous ending. Those qualities allow it to transcend the limitations of motion capture and digital animation, and by the end the story will win you over and you'll forget that it looks like a video game.
[4 out of 5 stars]
