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The Queen (2006)
Written by John Michael Decker
Jan 10, 2007 at 06:08 PM
At it's heart, The Queen is a film about clashing ideologies: past vs. future; ancient tradition (represented primarily by her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England) going up against more modern sensibilities (represented primarily by Prime Minister Tony Blair). I think that, as Americans, we often forget just how relatively young our country is compared to most European nations. Europe has a history that stretches back thousands of years. The United States of America has only been around a little over two centuries. Watching The Queen reminded me of some of the unique difficulties and advantages that can occur in a country as old as England with such rich and ancient traditions.
The story
The year is 1997. Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) has just been elected Prime Minister of England by a landslide. To Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren), who has already seen nine Prime Ministers come and go (her first being Winston Churchill), this isn't a big deal, and Blair has a lot of work to do to prove himself to her Majesty.
When Lady Diana Spencer is killed in an automobile accident in France, the royal family's reaction (as dictated by Queen Elizabeth) is restrained, to say the least. To the Queen, Diana was always something of an embarrassment. Since Diana and Prince Charles are divorced, Diana is technically not a part of the royal family at the time of her death. Elizabeth feels that a dignified silence is the way to handle the situation. The Queen has nothing favorable to say about the former Princess Diana, so the only polite thing to do is remain silent. Her Majesty's main concern is protecting her grandsons from the press, so she takes the family into seclusion.
This reaction does not sit well with the British people, who loved Diana and felt like she was their voice in the court. This leaves Tony Blair in the unenviable position of trying to convince the monarch to make a public statement about Diana and in doing so diffuse the public relations disaster. The Queen finds Blair's overtures presumptuous in the extreme. It is this fascinating conflict which carries us through the film.
The cast
When The Queen premiered at the Venice Film Festival, Helen Mirren's performance received a five-minute standing ovation. In my estimation this was well deserved. In the hands of a lesser actress, Queen Elizabeth II might have come across as an unlikable and cold shrew, but as portrayed by the incomparable Helen Mirren, we see a complex woman who must balance centuries of tradition against the fickle whims of the people. These are unimaginable pressures which would break most human beings. Mirren's Queen is made of stronger stuff. When the Queen shows a brief moment of all too human vulnerability it is especially touching.
Actor Michael Sheen's portrayal of Tony Blair makes a fine foil to Mirren's Queen. After Blair makes a powerful speech about the "people's princess" in the wake of Diana's death, he becomes more popular than ever. This only serves to make the Queen's silence on the matter seem even more insensitive. But Blair's conflict (well played by Sheen) is that he is really quite in awe of the Queen and the royal traditions even as he is trying to take England into the 21st century.
There is a wonderful scene where Elizabeth reminds the Prime Minister that although he is the golden boy of the moment, that kind of popularity is at best fleeting. It is a sobering moment for Blair.
In general the cast of the Queen is excellent. The standout supporting performances go to Helen McCrory as Tony Blair's monarchy-hating wife, Cherie; and James Cromwell as the Queen's stolid husband, Prince Philip. Sylvia Syms is also a hoot as the Queen Mum.
Production quality
The direction, score and script of the Queen are all rock solid. I would give special kudos to the cinematography. There were several wonderful long and lavish tracking shots that beautifully established the locations of the film. This technique helped to make the English countryside a character in and of itself. I was very fond of a scene were the Queen gets her car stuck in a muddy ravine. As she is waiting for assistance she sees a large stag that her husband and grandsons have been hunting. This was a beautifully shot scene where we can really see the connection between a woman and nature at it's most raw and powerful.
Overall
The Queen is a solid drama with wonderful acting. The film does a fine job of presenting several different points of view of a complex and emotional subject, and it accomplishes this in a fair and balanced way. The audience is invited behind the scenes of a world most of us will never see, and made to think about conflicts most of us will never face.
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Title: The Queen
Script quality: 8/10
Acting quality: 10/10
Production quality: 9/10
Format and length: Drama, 97 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13
Cast: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms, Alex Jennings, Helen McCrory
Director: Stephen Frears
Movie Web site: Click here (Flash required)
John Michael Decker is a struggling actor, comic book nerd, and self-avowed movie nut.
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberentino Del Faunto) (2006)
Written by John Michael Decker
Feb 02, 2007 at 05:47 PM
Pan's Labyrinth is a fairy tale written and directed by Mexican-born Guillermo del Toro, director of Mimic, Blade II, and Hellboy. But be warned: this is no namby-pamby, Walt Disney-type, "happily ever after" fairy tale. This film is a hardcore folktale in the style of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. del Toro understood that authentic fairy tales were cautionary stories with harsh life lessons, so beware to those who are faint of heart -- Pan's Labyrinth is not for the squeamish. However, if you can get past the few instances of intense violence, this is a fantastic film.
The story
This film takes place in Spain in the 1940s, with the postwar repression of Francisco Franco as the backdrop. The central character is a young girl named Ofelia, a highly imaginative child with dark, haunted eyes. As the story begins, Ofelia and her pregnant mother, Carmen, are on their way to live with Carmen's new husband, Captain Vidal. The Captain is a cruel, authoritarian figure who cares little for his new stepdaughter. He is primarily concerned with his unborn son and with his duty of putting down the rebel forces hidden in the forest. Meanwhile, under Captain Vidal's nose, his servant Mercedes and his personal physician, Dr. Ferreiro, are assisting the anti-Franco rebels.
In order to escape from her harsh surroundings, Ofelia loses herself in her books and fairy tales. Before long she encounters a real fairy, who leads her into an ancient stone maze on her stepfather's property. There she meets Pan, who claims to be a faun -- a creature who smells of the earth and looks like a cross between a man and a goat. The faun informs Ofelia that she is a fairy princess who has been reincarnated in the form of a human girl. If she can complete three tasks for him, he will return her to her true father, who is the king of an underground fairy realm.
From there the story unfolds in many exciting and unpredictable directions. The real question the viewer is left to ponder is whether the fairy folk Ofelia meets are genuine or just products of her vivid imagination. I have my own theories, but I will leave it to each viewer to determine where the truth lies.
The cast
It is difficult to find talented child actors, but young Ivana Baquero, who plays Ofelia, is exceptionally talented. She brings a dreamy, ethereal quality to her role, which makes one believe that she really could be a child of another realm. Likewise, the performance of Sergi Lopez as Captain Vidal is excellent. He plays a sadistic and evil man, and yet he is not two-dimensional. Though it is barely hinted at in the dialogue, we sense a complex back-story for the Captain involving the death of his own father.
I would also like to single out the work of Doug Jones, the only American actor in the cast. Although he is buried under layers of latex and prosthetics, he manages to give some incredible performances both as the faun, Pan and as the Pale Man, a creepy fairy monster who has one of the most memorable scenes in the movie. Many actors would get lost under all the makeup, but Jones manages to act through it to the point where we can see all of his complex emotions shining through the prosthetics and giving them life. This is no easy feat. In a world of CGI characters, I really admire a good makeup performance. Jones is a modern day Lon Chaney.
Production quality
This is a beautiful movie to look at. The harsh reality of post civil war Spain blends flawlessly with the fantastical elements of the fairy worlds that are shown. The makeup and costuming are top notch and the score is both evocative and haunting.
Guillermo del Toro's script is beautiful. This really felt like some ancient folktale, and yet it is completely original. Last summer M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed his own version of a fairy tale, Lady in the Water. Although I enjoyed Lady in the Water, there were times the script felt clunky and forced. Pan's Labyrinth has a more natural flow and is a much better example of a modern day fairy tale, with all due respect to Mr. Shyamalan's efforts. M. Night Shyamalan is widely acknowledged as an original and unique voice in modern cinema and I don't dispute that. But I would also point to Guillermo del Toro as a great cinematic visionary.
Overall
In the original Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, I believe it was one of the wicked stepsisters who cut off a part of her foot to try to fit into the glass slipper. This is the kind of lesson the characters learn in this film. In early folklore, the fairies were dangerous and chaotic trickster beings not to be trifled with. These are the kind of creatures we meet in this movie.
If you are not opposed to some graphic content and don't mind reading subtitles than I would say that Pan's Labyrinth is well worth your precious time and hard-earned cash. This movie works both as a period drama and an epic fantasy and combines its diverse elements very well. Had I seen Pan's Labyrinth last year, it most certainly would have made my top ten list.
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Title: Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)
Script quality: 10/10
Acting quality: 9/10
Production quality: 9/10
Format and length: Foreign/Fantasy/Thriller, 112 minutes
MPAA rating: R
Cast: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Alex Angulo, Doug Jones
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Movie Web site: Click here (Flash required)
John Michael Decker is a struggling actor and sometime freelance writer. Once a faun told him that he was secretly the King of a magical realm, but he's pretty sure that it was just his imagination. That or the concussion.
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
Primeval (2007)
Written by John Michael Decker
Jan 17, 2007 at 05:46 PM
Primeval is one of those suspenseful horror thrillers where an insane animal (or group of animals) runs amok. This kind of man vs. beast picture was most successfully executed by Steven Spielberg in his 1975 classic, Jaws, and perhaps also Inoshiro Handa's Godzilla, King of the Monsters (Is there any better representation of nature gone wrong than a four-hundred-foot, radioactive dinosaur? But I digress). The "monster" from Primeval is represented by a 25-foot crocodile with the unlikely name of Gustave. This film is not as successful as Jaws or Godzilla, King of the Monsters; it is not even as good as The Ghost and the Darkness (Stephen Hopkin's flawed but underrated rouge lion picture from 1996). But perhaps it does have some value for horror fans.
The story
An intrepid news crew from the United States is sent to South Africa to film a giant, man-eating, crocodile who has been marauding his away through the local villages. This would be a dangerous assignment in any circumstance, but this mission is made even more perilous by the civil war that is tearing the region apart. When the news crew's cameraman accidentally films a vicious warlord slaughtering a shaman and his family, he and his allies become the warlord's next targets. Meanwhile, Gustave the giant croc is merrily eating his way through the film's characters. Good guys, bad guys -- it doesn't matter to Gustave as long as his meals are alive and wriggling.
This film claims that the events it portrays are based on actual occurrences. I find this hard to believe since the story unfolds in such a predictable Hollywood fashion. There is one idea this movie puts forth that I think is cool, though: According to the film, Gustive became a man-eater by snacking on all the bodies the warlords had dumped into the river. Thus the civil war had literally created its own monster. Other than this fascinating tidbit there is nothing in Primeval that I haven't seen done better in many other films. Don't get me wrong -- I generally enjoy flicks with indestructible monsters, but this film claims that Gustive is a real animal, and then presents us with a crocodile who is immune to knives, bullets, grenades, and even a vehicular assault from a Land Rover. This really pushes the claim's credibility.
The cast
The characters in Primeval are a series of bad stereotypes. There is the ultra-macho newsman with a chip on his shoulder (Dominic Purcell); his smartaleck cameraman side-kick (Orlando Jones); and the plucky, hot, novice newswoman (clad mostly in tight t-shirts) whose job it is to argue with the hero and then fall into his arms at the first sign of danger (Brooke Langton). And let's not forget the Captain Ahab-like character whose obsession with destroying the croc endangers the party (Jurgen Prochnow). I could go on, but none of these characters are particularly memorable.
I would not fault the actors, however -- they were really doing what they could with the bad script they were handed. There just wasn't a lot to work with here.
Production quality
Primeval is helmed by veteran television director Michael Katleman, who used lots of jump-cuts and floating camera moves. This MTV short attention span style of directing is reminiscent of what one might find in a Michael Bay (not my favorite director) movie. All of the herky-jerky camera moves just made me feel isolated and removed me from the story, which as I said above, isn't that strong to begin with. It didn't help that the majority of the action happens at night, and the film is so murkily lit that often it is hard to tell what was going on.
I will have to confess, however, that the special effects used to bring Gustave to life are pretty cool and the scenes where the croc is munching away on his hapless victims are appropriately gruesome. This is a great looking monster; too bad he doesn't get to appear in a better film.
Overall
I wouldn't recommend this movie to you unless you're willing to turn your brain off and vicariously enjoy the carnage. Sometimes it can be satisfying to see jerky characters get eaten.
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Title: Primeval
Script quality: 3/10
Acting quality: 5/10
Production quality: 4/10
Format and length: Suspense/Horror/Thriller, 94 minutes
MPAA rating: R
Cast: Dominic Purcell, Brook Langton, Orlando Jones, Jurgen Prochnow, Gideon Emery, Gabriel Malema
Director: Michael Katleman
Movie Web site: No official site as of this writing
John Michael Decker is a struggling actor, comic book nerd, and self-avowed movie nut.
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
Ghost Rider (2007)
Written by John Michael Decker
Mar 02, 2007 at 03:48 PM
Ghost Rider is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. He first made an appearance in Marvel Spotlight #5 in August of 1972. By September of 1973, the Ghost Rider was appearing in his own self-titled comic book, which has been published on and off by Marvel ever since. Visually, Ghost Rider has always been one of Marvel’s most unique and interesting characters. The image of a skeleton, wreathed in fire, dressed in leather, and sitting astride a flaming motorcycle is visceral indeed. The concept of a hell-born spirit of vengeance fused with a human host (in this case, stunt rider Johnny Blaze) is also very cool. Unfortunately, this has not always been Marvel’s best-written comic book. The film version of Ghost Rider suffers from the same problem as many of the comics on which it is based. There are strong visuals, but not much substance to back them up.
The story
The movie begins by telling us that the devil has always used human beings as hosts for his personal bounty hunter, the Ghost Rider. Cut to a modern day carnival where a young stunt rider by the name of Johnny Blaze learns that his father, Barton Blaze, has developed a case of terminal cancer. Desperate to save his father’s life, Johnny rashly makes a deal with Mephistopheles, the Devil. Johnny will give the Devil his soul if he will cure his father’s cancer. The Devil is as good as his word and the next day Barton’s cancer has completely disappeared. But as with all Faustian deals of this kind, there are strings attached. That night Barton Blaze dies in a fiery motorcycle crash while performing a dangerous stunt. Mephistopheles informs Johnny that he is now his property and that someday he will come to collect. A guilt ridden Johnny abandons his one true love, Roxanne Simpson and rides away through a storm. The film next cuts to many years later. Johnny Blaze has become a world famous stunt rider. Roxanne is now a television reporter and just as she comes back into Johnny’s life, Mephistopheles also returns. He informs Johnny that he is to be the latest incarnation of the Ghost Rider and that his first mission is to hunt down the Devils own son, Blackheart, who is challenging his father for control of Hell itself.
With a plot like this, this movie could have been great. It should have been epic. Instead it is completely laughable -- and most of the laughs are unintentional. In order to enjoy a comic book movie, I don’t necessarily ask for logic. But the film does need to be true to its own internal logic. There are numerous plot holes and logic flaws riddling this movie. I will give an example that does not include too much of a spoiler: At one point a cop hits the Ghost Rider in the face with a billy club. The blow is strong enough to unhinge the Rider’s lower jaw. Being a supernatural being, the Ghost Rider simply snaps his jaw back into place and goes on his way. At another point in the film the Ghost Rider is struck by a Mack truck. He emerges from the wreckage completely unharmed. How is it that a club is strong enough to break his bones but the impact of a truck barely fazes him? Yes, I know this sounds like nit-picking, and if there were only one or two incidents like this in the film I would have ignored them. But this kind of logic error happens with such alarming frequency that one is left to wonder if the writers were paying attention.
The Ghost Rider is so powerful that he dispatches his enemies (both human and demonic) with relative ease. When the superhero has no great challenges from the villains he faces, the hero is substantially diminished. There is no sense that the Ghost Rider will ever fail. Even the Devil turns out to be a pretty weak foe. Is it too much to ask that a movie about a man who sells his soul to the devil be a little scary?
The cast
Nicolas Cage portrays the older Johnny Blaze in this film, and his character choices are bizarre. Cage’s Johnny Blaze is like a weird fusion of Evel Knievel and a bad Elvis impersonator. He eats jelly beans out of a champagne glass, listens to the Carpenters and loves watching monkeys on television. Now, it does make sense that Johnny Blaze would be a hapless dumbass. One would have to be a hapless dumbass to make a deal with the Devil. But never once did I see in Cage’s performance a sense of dread. Never did I feel that sword of Damocles hanging over Johnny Blaze’s head.
Peter Fonda plays Mephistopheles. It’s a neat bit of stunt casting to have the star of Easy Rider in a film about a motorcycle-riding superhero. Unfortunately Fonda is really just phoning his performance in. This film was clearly just a paycheck for Mr. Fonda. Eva Mendes makes for some voluptuous eye candy and not much else as Roxanne. Her performance is really just terrible. Note to Hollywood casting directors: there are a lot of pretty actresses who can really act. You should consider hiring them sometime. Likewise Wes Bentley’s portrayal of Blackheart was laughably bad. He came across as a sneering punk. It's disappointing because he was so good in American Beauty.
Not all of the acting in this movie was horrible. Veteran character actor Donal Logue was quite good as Johnny’s road manager, Mack. And Sam Elliott was excellent as the mysterious Caretaker, the Yoda-like teacher character. It’s nice to know that even in a thankless role in a cheesy film, Sam Elliott is still cool as hell. It’s a real shame that the Caretaker character was so under-utilized. Lastly, Matt Long does a better job playing the 17-year-old Johnny Blaze than Nic Cage does playing the older Johnny. It didn't seem like they were playing the same character.
Production quality
Ghost Rider was written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, who has worked with Marvel characters in the past, specifically as the director of Daredevil. I think I was one of only about three people on the planet who actually liked Daredevil. There were some scenes in this movie that were nice to look at. The motorcycle stunts were well-filmed, and the CGI effects looked great. The Ghost Rider himself really did look cool. The character moments, however, were uninspired, and the script was just sloppy and uneven. Overall, this was a mess.
There is a trend in Hollywood to make films that should be rated R, PG-13, or PG. This way they get a bigger audience and make more money. Sadly, this just dilutes the material and weakens the overall product. This could have been a dark supernatural tale about sin and redemption. Instead it is a joke.
Overall
I would not say that this film is a total loss. I certainly did get a lot of laughs out of it. This is the kind of movie you go to see with a group of friends for some Mystery Science Theatre 3000-style heckling. But be warned: You’ll enjoy this movie more if you check your brain at the door.
Title: Ghost Rider
Script quality: 3/10
Acting quality: 4/10
Production quality: 6/10
Format and length: Action, 114 minutes
MPAA rating: PG
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Peter Fonda, Sam Elliott, Wes Bentley, Donal Logue, Matt Long, Raquel Alessi, Brett Cullen
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Movie Web site: Click here
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John Michael Decker is a struggling actor, a comic book nerd and sometimes a freelance writer. John might sell his soul to the Devil for a cooler Ghost Rider movie.
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
300 (2007)
Written by John Michael Decker
Mar 20, 2007 at 01:53 PM
Action lovers, 300 is the movie for you! This film is a glorious ballet of severed limbs, arterial spray and gratuitous beheadings. A take-no-prisoners exploration of honor, duty, glory, combat, and victory. Now while I wouldn't recommend 300 to general audiences, for fans of hard-core combat sequences this will be nirvana.
The Story
This story takes place in 480 B.C. This is basically the tale of Leonidas, King of Sparta; the famed Greek city-state known for its remarkably disciplined soldiers. Early in the film an emissary representing Xerxes, the God king of the Persian Empire, pays a visit to Sparta. The emissary informs King Leonidas that he must make an offering of earth and water to Xerxes or be invaded by the massive Persian army. Leonidas kills the emissary in short order, but he has a problem. The ancient laws forbid any of the Greek city-states from declaring war on an enemy without the permission of the Ephors, inbred priests to the old gods. Leonidas lays out his battle plan to the priests, but they deny his petition to go to war. Unbeknownst to the Spartan King, the Ephors have been bribed with Persian gold. Knowing that he cannot "officially" go to war, King Leonidas decides to take a walk with 300 of his best-trained men. They just happen to be walking towards the advancing Persian hordes. Leonidas' forces are hopelessly outnumbered by the massive enemy troops, but they are Spartans -- the best warriors of their age -- and they know the Greek terrain.
From this point on, the film is basically a big, very engaging battle scene. This is real over-the-top action with larger-than-life characters and epic stakes. Although some viewers may be turned off by the extremely graphic violence, I absolutely loved it. This was not meant to be hyper-realistic like the battle scenes in Saving Private Ryan, but heightened reality more akin to the battles from the Lord of the Rings pictures. There was one unnecessary subplot involving the Queen dealing with the machinations of devious politicians back in Sparta, but it was not so distracting that it took away from the overall story.
The Cast
This is not the kind of movie that requires classical acting. Like the story, the performances in this film are over-the-top. But the scenery chewing is appropriate for this kind of epic yarn. The actors are all up for the task and do a fine job, but I will mention a few of my favorite performances.
Leading the cast is Gerard Butler as King Leonidas. His performance is powerful and charismatic. One could really believe that he is a leader of men, and that his soldiers would die for him. I also loved the fact that Leonidas was given a dry sense of humor. It made him feel well-rounded and less like a soulless combat machine. Lena Headey is also very good as Queen Gorgo, who has the warrior heart of her husband, Leonidas. David Wenham plays Dilios, who is a great warrior, but his true gift to his Spartan brothers is his storytelling ability. And Rodrigo Santoro is excellent as Xerxes, the Persian King who fancies himself a god. A hero is nothing without a great villain to test his mettle, and Xerxes is a fantastic villain.
Production quality
300 is based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, the man responsible for writing and co-directing Sin City. Miller's graphic novel was inspired by the 1962 film The 300 Spartans, which he saw as a child. As with Sin City, the visuals from 300 are lifted right off the comic book pages and splashed onto the screen. Miller has a very dynamic visual style that translates well to the big screen. Although this is a live action film, the look was very stylized and animated.
Zack Snyder directed 300 and co-wrote the screenplay. He also directed the excellent remake of Dawn of the Dead a few years ago. It is obvious that Snyder has a great love and respect for the comic book graphic novel that spawned this story and that is reflected in every aspect of the production. The visuals are spectacular, the soundtrack is stirring, and the fight scenes are breathtaking. The computer special effects blend effortlessly with the costume and make-up work. I just can't overemphasize how spectacular this film looked.
Overall
Now if all this film had to offer was pretty pictures, seeing it would be an empty experience. But the core of 300 is about valor and sacrifice for a greater good. It's about a few men who are willing to walk into the arms of death itself if that means that their wives and children can continue to live as free people. I know how corny that sounds. But it is also glorious.
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Title: 300
Script quality: 9/10
Acting quality: 7/10
Production quality: 10/10
Format and length: Action/Historical, 117 minutes
MPAA rating: R
Cast: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham, Vincent Regan, Michael Fassbender, Tom Wisdom, Andrew Pleavin, Rodrigo Santoro
Director: Zach Snyder
Movie Web site: Click here (Flash required)
John Michael Decker is a struggling actor, a comic book enthusiast, and sometimes a freelance writer. As an admitted nerd, John freely admits to "geeking out" upon seeing one of his favorite graphic novels translated to screen.
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
Black Snake Moan (2007)
Written by John Michael Decker
Mar 23, 2007 at 10:14 AM
At its heart, Black Snake Moan is a movie about the blues. That deep ache that one can only feel if they’ve first experienced the bliss of love. The pain the characters in this film feel is almost palpable, as is the Tennessee heat, which seems to waft off the screen. Black Snake Moan is a love story, albeit a twisted one. It reminded me of a modern Tennessee Williams play on crack. This flick starts out well enough, but somewhere along the line it goes terribly wrong.
The story
Samuel L. Jackson plays Lazarus Woods, a former Memphis blues musician who is now a poor farmer in rural Tennessee. Lazarus’ wife Rose has just left him for his younger brother, and as the film opens Lazarus is a walking time bomb. Christina Ricci plays Rae, a survivor of childhood abuse who has grown up to be sexually promiscuous wild child. Rae is in love with Ronnie, played by Justin Timberlake, who is a nervous young man with a stomach condition.
When Ronnie leaves town to join the army, the pain is almost more than Rae can take, and she falls back on old habits, which include abusing alcohol and drugs and sleeping with any man with a pulse. One morning Lazarus finds Rae, beaten near to death, feverish, and clad in her underwear, lying on the road in front of his farm. Since Lazarus is a God-fearing man, and is still feeling raw and helpless due to his own heartbreak, he decides that God has put Rae in his path so he can cure her of her wickedness. One way that he accomplishes this is by locking Rae to his radiator with a forty-pound chain.
Now up until this point, I really enjoyed this movie. The story was warped, but entertaining. Then suddenly, the script gets very preachy. The characters bond a little too quickly and the resolution was a little too simplistic and pat. Such complicated and interesting characters deserved better. I’m sorry, but if a stranger chains you to a radiator it’ll take you a lot longer than a few days to warm up to them.
I think that the hardest thing for any writer to do is to devise a satisfying ending for their stories. Perhaps this is because in real life things don’t end the way they do in the movies. Situations change, but life goes on. I felt that this story tried too hard to tie up loose ends and resolve conflicts, and the ending came off as being ridiculously insincere. Not to mention cloying and, “holier than thou.”
The cast
Samuel L. Jackson is an excellent actor and his character choices are both interesting and compelling. Unfortunately the script does not do him service. Through the course of the film, Jackson’s character Lazarus goes from a guy who tries to open up his younger brother’s face with a broken beer bottle, to a sage father figure. Now there is nothing wrong with a character going through a dramatic change through the course of a story, but this script just doesn’t connect the dots.
Christina Ricci’s performance as Rae is also excellent. She manages to play sexy, predatory, vulnerable and damaged all at once, and is wearing next to nothing for most of the film. This would be a challenge for most actresses, but Ricci pulls it off with style and aplomb. Unfortunately, the resolution to her storyline was just simplistic and unbelievable.
There were some nice supporting performances in this film, especially from John Cothran Jr. as Reverend R.L., Lazarus’s friend and conscience, and S. Epatha Merkerson who plays Miss Angela, the town pharmacist who has an inexplicable crush on Jackson’s volatile Lazarus. Justin Timberlake was fine as Ronnie, the dim boyfriend who is blind to his girlfriend’s flaws, although he was never good enough to make me forget that he is pop icon Justin Timberlake.
Production quality
Black Snake Moan was written and directed by Craig Brewer. This is a good-looking film and it is obvious that Mr. Brewer has talent, but the script just got bogged down with self-righteousness and preaching. Issues like adultery, nymphomania and child abuse just can’t be washed away with chains, a little kindness, and down home southern cooking.
The blues music that serves as the soundtrack to Black Snake Moan is very fitting for this film and Jackson does a nice job on the guitar and with his vocals. The productions values are all very nice. I guess that my real problem is that this tries to be a “message film” and the message just didn’t fit with the movies lurid sensibilities.
Overall
I think the best way to sum up this movie is, “nice try, but no cigar.” The film tries to balance being an exploitation picture and a Baptist sermon and comes up short on both counts. Fans of Sam Jackson’s acting or of Christina Ricci’s body may want to check it out, but the overall experience left me feeling empty and a little bit dirty.
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Title: Black Snake Moan
Script quality: 5/10
Acting quality: 7/10
Production quality: 7/10
Format and length: Drama, 115 minutes
MPAA rating: R
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake, S. Epatha Merkerson, John Cothran Jr., Michael Raymond-James
Director: Craig Brewer
Movie Web site: Click here (Flash required)
John Michael Decker is a struggling actor and sometimes a freelance writer. Given the chance, he would probably chain Christina Ricci to a radiator. Not to cure her of her wicked ways, but because it would just make such a good story to tell his friends.
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
The Last Mimzy (2007)
Written by John Michael Decker
Apr 03, 2007 at 11:40 AM
The Last Mimzy is based on the short story "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" by Henry Kuttner & Catherine L. Moore under their pseudonym Lewis Padgett. I've never read the story myself, so I can't say how faithful an adaptation this film was to the source material. I can say that this is a science fiction movie aimed at family audiences and that it wasn't entirely successful.
The story
The Last Mimzy begins in a utopian future. In the opening scene we see a teacher telling her students to "tune in" because she's going to show them how their future was saved. We then flash back to modern times where we meet Noah and Emma Wilder, two seemingly normal kids from Seattle. While on a family vacation, Noah and Emma discover a strangely-shaped box on the beach that is filled with mysterious toys. The siblings decide to keep this box a secret from their parents. Before long their exposure to the toys starts altering the children in fantastic ways. Noah goes from being an underachieving C student in school to winning the national science fair. He stops wearing his glasses and becomes an expert at golf overnight. Emma develops the ability to levitate objects and to seemingly separate her molecules and then reconstitute them. When Noah accidentally blacks out the power grid for half the state, Homeland Security zeros in on the Wilder family, thinking that they are a national threat.
My main problem with this film is that from the very first scene, we know that everything is going to turn out for the best. We can see that the future is safe, so there is no real jeopardy when we flash to the main story. The "Mimzy" in the title of the film is a futuristic artificial intelligence in the shape of a stuffed rabbit. But the rabbit has no personality. We only ever see it as a lifeless toy that makes vaguely disturbing purring sounds. Why didn't the filmmakers animate Mimzy? Give it a personality? When it was revealed that Mimzy was a living thing that might die, I was unmoved because they failed to make me believe that Mimzy was anything more than a child's toy.
The premise of this story is great. The idea of two kids from the present being given the responsibility of saving the future is rife with possibilities. The execution of the story is bland and as lifeless as the stuffed rabbit we are supposed to care so much about.
The cast
Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn are the young actors who portray Noah and Emma Wilder respectively. Their performances are decent but uninspired, and I was never convinced that the future of the human race was at stake. Timothy Hutton and Joely Richardson play David and Jo Wilder, the parents who are blind to the fact that their children are radically changing until it is almost too late. I didn't think that the performances of Hutton and Richardson were bad, but I found it hard to believe that the characters could be so dense. Rounding out the unbelievable performances is Michael Clarke Duncan as Nathanial Broadman, who is in charge of homeland security. This film portrays homeland security as being embarrassingly paranoid and incompetent. Well, maybe that last part isn't so far-fetched, but I digress.
The best performances in the movie come from Rainn Wilson, who plays Mr. White, the science teacher who first notices that something in not right with the Wilder children, and Kathryn Hahn as his hippy girlfriend, Naomi. Their relationship was quirky, but at least seemed real. Rainn Wilson is hilarious on the television show The Office, and it was nice to see him playing a totally different kind of character.
Production quality
The special effects in The Last Mimzy, much like the performances, are fine but uninspired. There was no visual effect that really blew me away or that sticks out in my memory as being particularly spectacular. Likewise, when I try to remember the score of the movie, I just can't recall what it sounded like. I doubt that I will remember much about this film in a year's time.
It seems to me that director Robert Shaye really played it safe in this film. There is nothing in this story that is too scary for children or that would really offend anyone and the result is a very bland film.
Overall
In trying to sum up my thought about The Last Mimzy, the words that spring to mind are "wasted opportunity." This is not a horrible film, but neither is it great. Families taking their children to see The Last Mimzy will not be offended, but neither will they be inspired.
This could have been the story about an epic struggle to save the future. This should have been about the end of childhood and the loss of innocence. In some alternate universe this might have been a film with a message about how we need to wake up now if we are going to save the future later. I wanted to see a film that would break my heart and yet give me some hope for things to come. What I saw was a whitewashed disappointment. Perhaps my expectations were just too high.
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Title: The Last Mimzy
Script quality: 4/10
Acting quality: 5/10
Production quality: 6/10
Format and length: Fantasy/Science Fiction, 90 minutes
MPAA rating: PG
Cast: Chris O'Neil, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Joely Richardson, Timothy Hutton, Rainn Wilson, Kathryn Hahn, Michael Clarke Duncan
Director: Robert Shaye
Movie Web site: Click here (Flash required)
John Michael Decker is a struggling actor, a freelance writer and a science fiction nerd. If John ever found a talking robo-bunny from the future, he would ask it for lottery numbers.
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
Grindhouse (2007)
Written by John Michael Decker
Apr 19, 2007 at 12:22 PM
Nowadays when a film is produced, multiple copies of the print are made and sent to movie theaters around the country. It was not always done like this. Back in the 1970s, when a low-budget movie was produced, often they would only make three or four prints of the film, which would be passed from theater to theater. Because of the constant recycling of the material, the prints would get scratched and damaged. Sometimes entire reels of the film would be missing. The kinds of sleazy exploitation flicks that would get this treatment usually featured excessive gore, violence and sex. The theaters that would show these kinds of films came to be known as "grindhouses" because they would "grind" out these movies. Directors Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction) and Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) have banded together to recreate a good, old fashioned, grindhouse double feature experience -- scratched film, missing reels, and all. To accomplish this, Rodriguez directed a zombie flick called "Planet Terror," and Tarantino directed a serial killer thrill ride called "Death Proof." To enhance this experience they even got some of their friends to produce fake trailers to be inserted between the two feature films. These fake trailer segments included Eli Roth's "Thanksgiving," Edgar Wright's "Don't," Robert Rodriguez's "Machete" and my personal favorite, Rob Zombie's "Werewolf Women of the S.S." The end result of this experiment is a highly enjoyable, over-the-top filmgoing experience called Grindhouse.
The story
The first full-length feature we are treated to in Grindhouse is Rodriguez's loving homage to the '70s zombie flick: "Planet Terror." When an experimental gas is accidentally released on a military base in Texas, pus-covered, flesh-eating, undead abominations start running amuck in Austin. The only hope for humanity lies with a go-go dancer named Cherry (Rose McGowan) and her boyfriend, a windmill of destruction named Wray (Freddy Rodriguez). Early on, Cherry loses her leg to a zombie attack, but it is soon replaced by a fully functional machine gun, which Cherry puts to good use, mowing down zombies in strangely sexy and acrobatic ways.
The pacing of "Planet Terror" is rocket-ship fast, and the story is unashamedly zany. Blood and gore are unloaded by the bucketful and just when you think the boundaries of decency and good taste can't be pushed any further, they are. I loved the all-or-nothing attitude of this segment. The plot is too insane to be taken seriously, so all you can do is hang on and enjoy the ride.
The second part of this double feature is Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof." In this segment, Kurt Russell plays a sociopath named Stuntman Mike. Because Stuntman Mike is too emotionally damaged to meet women in traditional ways, he hunts them down, plays head games with them, and then kills them with his tricked-out muscle car.
The pacing of Tarantino's "Death Proof" is much slower and more deliberate than Rodriguez's "Planet Terror." Because of this, the pacing of the entire film slows down at the start of "Death Proof." As a viewer I found this to be quite jarring. But at least we were treated to Tarantino's fantastic dialogue, which took a bit of the sting out of the lumbering pace at the start of the feature. Although I must confess that Tarantino's use of language, while impressive, is not as sharp here as in some of his other films. And even though the beginning of "Death Proof" is slow, once it gets going, it is quite thrilling. The conclusion of this feature literally had me holding my breath and clutching my seat. There was not as much violence and gore in "Death Proof" as there was in "Planet Terror," however the violence that is there is much more intense and disturbing. As with many films that I personally enjoy, I would not recommend this to the squeamish.
The cast
Grindhouse features an enormous ensemble cast, many of whom appear in both features. Rose McGowan goes from playing the death-dealing Cherry in "Planet Terror" to the hapless victim Pam in "Death Proof." It's a nice contrast and shows some real acting range.
Marley Shelton plays Dr. Dakota Block in both features. The great character actor Michael Parks plays Sheriff Earl McGraw in both features as well. This is a character he also portrayed in the Rodriguez-directed From Dusk Till Dawn and the Tarantino-directed Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2. Little Easter eggs like this are sprinkled all throughout Grindhouse, and that is a big part of the fun for hardcore movie geeks like me.
Grindhouse is filled with all sorts of fun character performances. Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Jeff Fahey, Michael Biehn, and Naveen Andrews all stand out in "Planet Terror," and some of the better performances in "Death Proof" include Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Zoe Bell, Vanessa Ferlito, Tracie Thoms and Sydney Poitier. There are even some fun, "blink or you'll miss them," cameos by Nicolas Cage and Bruce Willis.
The acting style of the film is frenetic in "Planet Terror" and more real and grounded in "Death Proof." Since the style of each feature is different, this change in acting style is appropriate. Quentin Tarantino has his requisite cameo in both features. Tarantino is only a mediocre actor, but I can forgive him for this because he is such a brilliant writer and director.
Production quality
As with the rest of Grindhouse, the production quality of each feature was very different. Rodriguez relied on cutting-edge computer generated special effects for his segments, and Tarantino stuck with more old-school film techniques and stunts, including the most exciting car chase this side of the French Connection. Robert Rodriguez wrote his own score for "Planet Terror" and Tarantino used rock classics to supplement "Death Proof." Either of these films presented by themselves would have been enjoyable, but by putting them together in this format something unique was created.
Both features were deliberately scratchy and worn-looking, which made one feel that at any time the film could fall apart. In a strange way this added to the overall tension of the experience. Both major segments featured a "missing reel" which allowed the audience fill in the lost scenes with their imaginations. Although this technique might annoy some film-goers, I thought it was really cool.
When you get more than one creative mind on a project, often the result can be disastrous when egos clash. This was not the case with Grindhouse. This production was nothing short of brilliant, and what the directors created is both retro and unique. A lot of love went into this production.
Overall
Tarantino and Rodriguez succeeded spectacularly in recreating the grindhouse experience for a modern audience. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed myself this much at the movies. For film aficionados who are feeling nostalgic for '70s exploitation cinema, this is a must-see.
Title: Grindhouse (Planet Terror and Death Proof)
Script quality: 8/10
Acting quality: 7/10
Production quality: 10/10
Format and length: Horror/Thriller, 191 minutes
MPAA rating: R
Cast: Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Jeff Fahey, Michael Biehn, Naveen Andrews, Michael Parks, Quentin Tarantino, Rosario Dawson, Sydney Poitier, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zoe Bell, Danny Trejo, Bruce Willis
Director: Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie
Movie Web site: Click here (Flash required)
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John Michael Decker is a struggling actor and sometime freelance writer. John feels that he was born to be in a 1970s style exploitation flick. He could easily have played 'cowardly zombie victim #8' in "Planet Terror."
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
Pathfinder (2007)
Written by John Michael Decker
Apr 23, 2007 at 01:04 PM
I first heard about Pathfinder last summer, and the only thing I heard was that it featured Native Americans battling Vikings. That was all I needed to know -- I was hooked. It was supposed to open last summer, but the release date kept getting pushed back. Usually this is a bad sign, but my enthusiasm did not wane. The idea of a battle for America five hundred years before Columbus set foot in this country was just so epic. And now, almost a year after I saw the first Pathfinder trailer, I finally got the chance to see it.
The story
A Viking ship lands in North America and leaves behind a young boy. The child is discovered by a woman from the Wampanoag tribe. She and her husband raise him as their own. The young man, who is named 'Ghost' because of his pale skin, is inundated in the tribe's culture, but he is never completely accepted by them. When the Viking hordes return in force, set on destroying the Wampanoags and settling on their land, Ghost must use both Viking and Native American skills to save his adopted people.
There is a scene in this film where Starfire, the beautiful daughter of the great leader, Pathfinder, tells Ghost that every man has two wolves fighting inside him, vying for control. One of those wolves is Love and the other one is Hate. When Ghost asks Starfire which wolf wins, she tells him that the victorious wolf is the one that gets fed. I can tell you that the Love wolf starves in this picture. Ghost pretty much becomes an unstoppable engine of revenge, with little time for romance. Of course, this doesn't stop the bad guys from abducting Starfire and using her against her hero.
Pathfinder is a non-stop action picture with very little characterization. However the action is so well done that I didn't mind so much. The film lunges from one graphic battle scene to the next and moves at an exciting pace. I love the archetype of the outsider characters -- people who belong to two worlds and yet because of this are rejected by both. To the Wampanoags, Ghost is a child of the "Dragon People." They fear he will become one of them. To the Vikings, Ghost is an abomination who has turned his back on his culture and become a savage. One of the problems is that Ghost is just an archetype and not a fully fleshed out character. The same can be said for every character in this movie.
The cast
Karl Urban, best known for playing Eomer in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, portrays Ghost in Pathfinder. Although Urban pretty much plays anger and little else, he is physically imposing and a very charismatic performer. I liked the fact that Ghost used guile and cunning as well as brute force to fight the Vikings.
The great character actor Clancy Brown was perfectly cast as Gunnar, leader of the Viking hordes. No one can put out an imposing, bad-ass vibe quite like Clancy Brown. Russell Means, a famous Native American activist, played Pathfinder, the wise old chief who points out to Ghost that his quest of revenge will eventually destroy him. Means was quite good, but didn't get enough screen time for my taste. Moon Bloodgood was very beautiful as Starfire, but she had a modern American vibe that didn't really fit in the period material. Still, she fulfilled the "damsel in distress" quotient admirably.
There were no other performances worth mentioning. In general the Vikings were portrayed as evil, soulless monsters bent on destruction. The Native American's were all noble and wise and completely outclassed by the superior weapons and the sheer savagery of the Norsemen. It was ironic that the Vikings were constantly referring to the Wampanoag as "savages," when they were the truly ferocious and inhuman tribe.
This is a beautiful picture to look at and I found the basic story engaging enough. If only the characters had been more fleshed out, this could have been a great film instead of just a good one.
Production quality
Pathfinder was directed by German native Marcus Nispel. Nispel also directed the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2003. The flair that Nispel showed for realistic gore in Chainsaw is translated to Pathfinder. The action sequences are excessively violent, but extremely well done.
The backdrop of the great northeastern American wilderness gives the film an epic feel. I love movies where the land itself becomes a character. The Vikings all look as though they stepped out of a Frank Frazetta painting, striding out of the mist with their swords and battle axes, adorned with animal skins and horned helmets. Historically Vikings never decorated their helmets with animal horns, but damn if it doesn't look cool. The cinematography is dark and moody, which conveys a nice sense of menace. The fight choreography is amazing.
Overall
I really enjoyed Pathfinder, however I have to confess that this is a guilty pleasure. It is bombastic, loud and lurid. The morality presented in this movie is pretty black and white; I prefer more shades of gray in stories. At least the Vikings are presented as a genuine threat and not just wimpy villains who would fold at the first sign of trouble. Through most of the flick Ghost is in over his head, and this is the way it should be. Although this is not as good as the recently-released historical action epoch 300, I do think the film has value for action and adventure lovers.
Title: Pathfinder
Script quality: 6/10
Acting quality: 5/10
Production quality: 8/10
Format and length: Action/Historical, 99 minutes
MPAA rating: R
Cast: Karl Urban, Moon Bloodgood, Clancy Brown, Russell Means, Ralf Moeller, Jay Tavare, Nathaniel Arcand, Kevin Loring
Director: Marcus Nispel
Movie Web site: Click here (Flash required)
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John Michael Decker is a struggling actor and sometimes a freelance writer. Last summer John had a small part in the independent film The Adventures of Don Juan and Miguel: The Hump of Destiny. John's character ran away when a telekinetic Frenchman hurled a large fish at him. He wonders how he would have faired against Vikings.
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Written by John Michael Decker
May 02, 2007 at 01:43 PM
In 2004, director Edgar Wright and actor Simon Pegg combined their considerable talents when they wrote the brilliant zombie spoof Shaun of the Dead, which was directed by Wright and starred Pegg. Now they have set their sights on a parody of the buddy cop genre with the hilarious Hot Fuzz. Not only was this a side-splittingly funny movie, but it was a better action picture than most of the flicks it was lampooning.
The story
Nicholas Angel is a super-cop. His beat is the mean streets of London. Angel is so focused on his job to the exclusion of everything else in life that his arrest rate is 400 times higher than the other cops in his precinct. Out of sheer jealously, Angel's superiors transfer him to a small, rural village. It is difficult enough for action junkie Angel to deal with life in the town with the lowest crime rate in England, but to make matters worse he is assigned a bumbling idiot as a partner.
Sergeant Angel's new partner is PC Danny Butterman, son of his new boss, Inspector Frank Butterman. Danny is an oafish man-child whose fondest wish is to be Keanu Reeves from Point Break or Will Smith from Bad Boys II. Danny instantly worships Nick Angel, but Nick can barely tolerate Danny or the rest of the cops in his new precinct (who are all just slightly more competent than Danny). It looks as if Sergeant Angel will be consigned to a life of chasing escaped swans and arresting underage drinkers, when a series of mysterious "accidents" seem to indicate that there is something more sinister going on in town that it at first appeared.
This movie could have gone for simple slapstick, and that would have worked fine, but it does more. The characters in the story are interesting and quirky. Nick Angel and Danny Butterman are fleshed out and not just simple movie parodies. The violence is quite graphic, but this keeps the humor from getting too light. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the last half hour of this movie had more action packed into it than ten regular action movies. And the action managed to be both exciting and funny. I was in a pretty full theater when I saw Hot Fuzz, and the final third of the film had the entire place howling with non-stop laughter.
The cast
Simon Pegg is excellent as the intense and over-serious Sergeant Nicholas Angel. I never would have dreamed that he would have been able to pull off a role as a credible action hero after his underachieving slacker in Shaun of the Dead. Before I saw this film I just didn't think Pegg had the proper bearing to portray a super-cop. I was wrong, he was terrific. By the end of the movie, Pegg's Sergeant Angel had managed to out-Dirty Harry Clint Eastwood and make Mel Gibson's Martin Riggs look like a sissy.
Nick Frost, who was so great as Ed the mega-slob in Shaun of the Dead, made a great foil for Pegg as the dimwitted Danny. His insane enthusiasm for buddy cop pictures and longing for real action was made even funnier when he found himself in the very situations that he had only previously seen at the movies.
This film was filled to the brim with colorful characters portrayed by some of the best old school English character actors like Bill Nighy and Edward Woodward. Jim Broadbent was terrific as the laid back, level-headed Inspector Frank Butterman. Former James Bond Timothy Dalton was just gleefully chewing the scenery as Simon Skinner, the oily owner of a local grocery store chain -- A terrific character performance. I also really enjoyed the performances of Patty Considine and Rafe Spall as detectives Andy Wainwright and Andy Cartwright respectively. Two clueless tough guys who refused to believe that the obvious murders taking place in their town were anything other than accidents.
Overall, this was a top-rate cast.
Production quality
Edgar Wright does a fine job directing this film. Though this is undoubtedly a comedy, it has the feel of an action picture. Many movie comedies look like television sitcoms, but Hot Fuzz does not fall into this trap. Though the characters are quirky and often bizarre, they always seemed real to me and never devolved into flat caricatures. The script is terrific and I hope that Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg will have many successful collaborations in the future.
Overall
I really enjoyed seeing American action movie sensibilities invading quaint small town England, like a steroid-engorged bull charging through a stodgy china shop. Though this film is intended to parody action films, it succeeds in surpassing many of them. For lovers of cop pictures and of dark humor, Hot Fuzz is for you.
Title: Hot Fuzz
Script quality: 9/10
Acting quality: 8/10
Production quality: 7/10
Format and length: Foreign/Action/Comedy, 121 minutes
MPAA rating: R
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Edward Woodward, Bill Nighy, Patty Considine, Rafe Spall
Director: Edgar Wright
Movie Web site: Click here
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John Michael Decker is an actor and occasional freelance writer. John has always wondered what it would be like to leap through the air in slow motion while simultaneously firing two guns. Then he remembers that he really doesn't like guns all that much outside of films. Damn real world.
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Written by John Michael Decker
May 07, 2007 at 01:00 PM
May is here, and even though summer doesn't officially begin for a month and a half, with the release of Spider-Man 3, the summer blockbuster season has officially begun. As usual, the summer movie season is filled with sequels. Besides Spider-Man 3, we can expect to see Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End and Live Free or Die Hard, among others. When filmmakers produce a sequel, they try to top their previous work, but in this effort, often character development and substance is lost in favor of bigger explosions and more car chases. By the time the third film in a series comes out, many times it is far inferior to the films that preceded it. This seems to be especially true of the comic book film genre. X-Men 3: The Last Stand is not as good as X-Men or X2 X-Men United. Blade: Trinity was not as good as Blade or Blade II. Superman III was far worse than the first two excellent Superman flicks. True to form, Spider-Man 3 is not as good as the first two Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man films. That's not to say that Spider-Man 3 is a bad movie, though -- far from it.
The story
As Spider-Man 3 begins, life is going wonderfully for Peter Parker. His romance with the beautiful actress Mary Jane Watson is heating up. He is excelling in his science studies at Empire State University. And best of all, the public has embraced Peter's alter-ego, the Amazing Spider-Man. All this good luck is starting to inflate Peter's ego, but as any long time reader of the Spider-Man comics can tell you, any time it looks like smooth sailing for Peter Parker, bad luck is right around the corner, ready to smack him back down to earth.
Peter's bad luck begins when a meteor crashes into earth, releasing an alien life form that initially appears as an animated glob of black, viscous goo. The alien is a shape-shifting symbiote that attempts to bond with Peter Parker by taking the form of a sleek, black, Spider-Man costume. The costume grants Parker increased powers but also amplifies his aggressive tendencies and negative emotions. In addition to this, Peter learns that the man who actually murdered his Uncle Ben is still alive and has recently escaped from jail. This man is Flint Marko, a petty criminal who stumbles upon a bizarre particle experiment while fleeing from the police. The experiment gives Marko the power to morph any part of his body into sand. To make matters worse, Peter's former best friend, Harry Osborn, who mistakenly believes that Spider-Man killed his father (the super villain known as the Green Goblin), decides to punish Spider-Man by taking over his father's identity as the new Green Goblin.
One would think that these issues would be enough to keep Peter busy over the course of the two hour and twenty minute running time of the film, but he is plagued by even more problems. Peter has become so wrapped up in his life as Spider-Man, that he fails to notice when Mary Jane is having serious problems of her own. The rift between Peter and MJ only increases when she meets his beautiful lab partner, Gwen Stacy, who has a crush on Spider-Man. Gwen has been dating Eddie Brock, a freelance photographer who is Peter Parker's rival at the Daily Bugle. The two men are competing for a staff job and Brock is willing to cheat to get Peter out of the way.
The major problem with this movie, as you may have been able to guess by the above synopsis, is that it has way too many sub-plots. This film introduces so many new characters and situations that it is hard to keep up, and none of the storylines are as fleshed out as they need to be. The film pits Spidey against three villains: The Sandman (Flint Marko), Venom (the alien symbiote bonded to a jealous Eddie Brock), and Harry Osborn in the guise of the New Goblin. One villain with a more complete storyline would have made for a much tighter film.
That being said, this was a really enjoyable movie to watch. The fight scenes and special effects were incredible -- especially the fights between Spider-Man and the Sandman, which seemed to be ripped right from the comic book pages. And the major characters (Peter, Mary Jane and Harry) all had interesting, emotional, story arcs.
The cast
As this is the third Spider-Man film, the returning actors all know their characters very well and were able to imbue their performance with nuance and heart. As usual, Tobey Maguire was excellent as Peter Parker, the science nerd with the overwhelming sense of responsibility. The only flaw I found in his performance this time around occurred in the middle of the film when the alien symbiote was bringing out his darker personality. Maguire chose to play evil Peter Parker by wearing black, combing his hair over his eye and swaggering around as if he were Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever. Other than this unfortunate section of the film, Maguire's performance was grounded and multi-layered.
Kirsten Dunst does a fine job of portraying Mary Jane Watson's hurt and anger as she and Peter become estranged and her acting career hits some rough water. As a struggling actor myself, I could relate to the plight of this character. James Franco, as Harry Osborn, also does some nice work in this movie as he grapples with his darker impulses, a journey that mirrors Peter Parker's. J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson and Rosemary Harris as Aunt May Parker also turn in their usual fine supporting performances. It would be hard to imagine a Spider-Man flick without the excellent work of Simmons and Harris.
Out of the new additions to the cast, I was the most impressed with Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko. He played it not so much as a one-dimensional thug, but as a man who was trying to do right by his family and unfortunately kept making all the wrong decisions. Bryce Dallas Howard was very good as Gwen Stacy, who in the comic books was the great love of Peter Parker's life before he met Mary Jane. I just wish they had given her a little more screen time.
The weak link in the acting came from Topher Grace, who played Eddie Brock. He came across as a weaselly version of his "That 70's Show" character, Eric Forman. He just didn't have the gravity to pull off a serious villain. This was just a poor casting choice.
Production quality
The special effects in Spider-Man 3 were amazing. It is obvious that director Sam Raimi loves Spider-Man and the universe he inhabits, which is a key ingredient to bringing the four-color world of comic books to the big screen. Sandman's morphing effects were especially well rendered and Venom looked appropriately creepy. I hated the design of the New Goblin costume. He looked more like an extreme sports Power Ranger than a super villain. In the comics the Green Goblin always wore a rubbery fright mask that showed off his expressions. The look of the comic book Goblin is much more monstrous and visceral than anything they came up with in the films.
The rest of the production is just fine. From cinematography to score, this was what one would look for in a summer blockbuster. Sam Raimi is a skilled director; his films always move at a super-kinetic, fluid pace, and are exciting to watch.
Overall
Spider-Man 3 is a fun movie and should be especially enjoyable to fans of the comic book created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Had the filmmakers exercised a little more restraint and not tried to pack so much into it, it could have been epic.
Title: Spider-Man 3
Script quality: 6/10
Acting quality: 7/10
Production quality: 9/10
Format and length: Action/Science Fiction, 140 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Bruce Campbell
Director: Sam Raimi
Movie Web site: Click here (Flash required)
Discuss this article or get some movie or music recommendations on our forum.
John Michael Decker is a struggling actor, occasional freelance writer, and a comic book fanatic. He dreams of being a super-hero, but in his heart he knows he would be a more successful super-villain.
Copyright 2007 John Michael Decker. No reprints without written permission.
