Tag: movie

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Arts

Tenet: it won’t let you breathe, but it’s beautiful to look at

Christopher Nolan’s love affair with time continues, with mostly confusing results

Christopher Nolan is infatuated with time. Many of his films have manipulated time in different ways to try to show his audience that it’s not as linear as we understand it to be. While some have delivered greater results than others, like Inception and Memento, it’s clear that Nolan has no interest in telling a straightforward story. Tenet continues this theme and it ends up being Nolan’s most ambitious, but also his safest, movie in years.

Tenet doesn’t let you breathe. From the beginning of the 150-minute film, Nolan showcases his characters in exposition-heavy dialogue scenes that try to advance the plot without spoon-feeding its deeper elements. Meanwhile, Nolan is throwing John David Washington’s character, literally called The Protagonist, in various scenes across the world as he searches for answers regarding his mission.

But even when Nolan does try to clear up the convoluted plot, you can barely understand what the characters are saying because of poor audio mixing, whispered dialogue, and Kenneth Branagh’s sometimes-incomprehensible Russian accent as the oligarch antagonist, Andrei Sator. When all you hear is bass mixed with murmurs, it may be a sign that the movie is too loud.

Without giving too much away, The Protagonist and Neil (Robert Pattinson) team up to stop a potentially catastrophic disaster that could end human life on Earth. That’s all I’ll say. But even with a central plot so simple, Nolan manages to make it convoluted while rarely offering a slower pace to absorb what’s actually going down.

Nolan directly implicates his love affair with time in Tenet as well,, but his interpretation of it isn’t as intriguing as it was in many of his previous films. In fact, his storytelling is so obscure that it’s easier to just accept the banality of the plot than to try and decipher it.

Yet, even with these story-telling plunders, Tenet remains captivating, largely thanks to a great performance from Washington and excellent action sequences that make the audience feel like they’re watching a scene out of some futuristic Call of Duty game. Yes, the action doesn’t stop, but because of that, it makes the two-and-a-half-hour movie seem shorter than it actually is. It’s a fun experience, but shallow.

Tenet is Nolan at his safest. He knows all he has to do is come up with an ambitious plot and expensive action sequences to get the masses flocking to the theatres (despite a pandemic). It’s by no means Nolan’s greatest film — in fact, it probably ranks among his worst — but it’s still a visual feat and a fairly good time.

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Arts

It’s a Netflix Party: police corruption, fistfights, a crazy ex-girlfriend and a weird roommate

Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg collaborate on a fifth movie together, Spenser Confidential

Witty and sarcastic, ex-cop Spenser (Mark Wahlberg) is always quick to throw an amusing comeback. Yet, he is also a work in progress, taking every opportunity to help others and better himself.

Spenser Confidential is inspired by the book Wonderland by Ace Atkins, and the characters are loosely based on the ones Robert B. Parker created in his Spenser crime novels.

This action-comedy movie starts with a flashback from five years earlier, showing Spenser, who was then a cop, going to his captain’s house and beating him. At the same time, the narration is him pleading guilty for disturbing the peace, harassment in the first degree and for aggravated assault of a police officer. He ends his confession with “the son of a b*tch deserved it.”

After spending five years in prison, Spenser goes to live with Henry (Alan Arkin), a funny old man who only eats hot dogs, and Hawk (Winston Duke), Spenser’s new roommate.

The movie revolves around this team trying to solve the murder of a woman while looking for enough evidence to get dirty cops arrested. Boston police captain John Boylan (Michael Gaston), who Spenser had assaulted, is killed the night he gets out of prison, and the murder is pinned on officer Terrence (Brandon Scales), who, according to the police, killed himself after killing Boylan. Spenser claims that Terrence wasn’t a crooked cop and that he was murdered, which is why he starts another investigation into Boylan’s murder.

Fights are always happening in this movie. To be exact, Spenser gets into four significant fights and a dog attack. The first fight is during his last day in prison. While in the library, he gets jumped by a group, including Squeeb (Austin Post a.k.a. Post Malone). After the murder is pinned on Terrence, Spenser goes to a cop bar to find Terrence’s ex-partner, where he, once again, gets jumped, this time by a group of police officers. Later on, when Spenser is running after a car, he gets attacked by Lego, a dog. The third fight is at Marcela’s Burritos, where he gets attacked by members of a Dominican street gang involved in drug smuggling. Finally, the fourth and last fight is against Driscoll (Bokeem Woodbine), the main villain and the brains behind all the murders.

This movie is not only funny, but it also examines corruption within the police system. It reminds us that justice is not always served and sometimes, more than we’d like, bad guys get to walk the streets free, framing innocent people for their acts. This movie serves as a reality check while making us laugh about Spencer getting beat up, his crazy ex-girlfriend Cissy (Iliza Shlesinger) and Hawk’s weirdness.

Spenser Confidential is also about relationships. We see Spenser and Hawk’s friendship grow during the movie. They start as rivals, Spenser being jealous that Hawk has been spending more time with his dog, Pearl, while he was away in prison. But the two roommates quickly bond and become friends. Spenser and Cissy’s relationship also improves and in the last scene together, they’re actually getting along and not yelling at each other.

This could easily be one of the best movies of the year, as it’s the perfect combination of an action-comedy and a drama. It’s funny, exciting, and we see the characters developing. For example, in the last fight, Spenser controls his anger and stops punching Driscoll, making a citizen’s arrest instead. As well, the performances are incredible and the plot keeps everyone alert. It keeps the audience wanting to know what Spenser’s next move will be, or when he’ll get beat up again, which is probably the funniest part.

Netflix Party, a new chrome extension, allows people to watch Netflix together virtually and offers a chat section to discuss the show or film. If one person pauses the video, it pauses it for the rest of the group, as if everyone were watching it on the same screen. This extension has gained popularity over the last few days, as people from all around the world are implementing social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Stay at home, talk with some friends and put Spenser Confidential on to enjoy together from a distance. Stay safe!

Categories
Arts

1917: A beautiful film on the tragedy of war

An immersive technical marvel with no shortage of emotion and intensity

The film 1917 is one of the best movies I’ve seen in the last few months. Everything from the tragedy the characters faced to the illusion of a long-take left me in astonishment. It’s a film that is absolutely fantastic on every technical level while also exploring the trauma of war.

I believe that 1917 can credit its emotional effect on audiences to two reasons: the performances by Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay, and the bold choice by director Sam Mendes to make the film look like one single shot. The Film has a very simple concept: two British soldiers are given a mission to deliver a message across enemy territory in order to stop an attack. However, there are rich visual details and emotional tones surrounding the story, which is what really builds the movie.

First, the performances by Chapman and MacKay were absolutely phenomenal. They inhabited their characters so well, creating people that were perfectly realistic, tragic and beautiful. Even though I only knew their characters, Blake and Schofield, for two hours, they offered the audience such an intimate connection during that time that it makes you feel like you’ve known them for a lot longer.  For two “unknowns” — which was why Mendes wanted to cast them in the first place — they make themselves not only known, but embedded into your mind and your heart. Their performances will haunt you in the best way possible.

If you’ve already heard a thing or two about 1917, you might have heard the word “seamless.” When describing 1917‘s editing and cinematography, that word is used accurately. Mendes approached his film with the idea of it being in real-time and it was an excellent choice. Following the characters during every minute of the film made it thrilling, tense and, above all, an immersive experience. You feel like you’re witnessing the lives of these two young soldiers, and brought along to experience the horrors of war yourself.

The film’s editor, Lee Smith, stitched together every shot seamlessly. Additionally, it had an incredible score by Thomas Newman that only added to the film’s powerful emotional effect. Even listening to the score without the visuals has the power to tell this tragic story. The striking and beautiful cinematography, done by the remarkable Roger Deakins, in addition to the musical score, completely engulfs you.

In the end, I was grief-stricken by the film’s events, but in awe of its technical wonder. I do believe that it deserves the hype it has in terms of its Golden Globe win for Best Drama Motion Picture and Best Director of a Motion Picture, and its 10 Academy Award nominations including Best Cinematography, Original Score, Director and Production Design. If you can see 1917 in theatres, do it whether it’s in IMAX or a regular theatre. The experience is worth every penny.

 

Graphic by @joeybruceart

Categories
Arts

Midsommar: A Nightmare Bathed in Sunlight

Midsommar, directed by Hereditary’s Ari Aster, is a truly disturbing film, but undeniably beautiful and expertly crafted. Both its beauty and disturbing nature lie in the same vein, a horror film which almost entirely takes place under the bright, white Swedish sunlight. The plot is filled with people who have committed terrible acts, have malicious intentions, and traumatic pasts.

Midsommar takes place in the aftershock of the death of Dani’s family, who were killed in a murder-suicide by her sister. Meanwhile, Dani’s boyfriend Christian doesn’t want to be with her but feels obligated to stay due to her trauma and grief. Out of pity, he invites her to join him and his friends on a trip to Sweden, where they plan to witness the Swedish midsummer tradition for their anthropology PhD theses. A series of events unfold and reveal not only the dark and gruesome traditions of the Swedish commune but also troubling issues within Dani and Christian’s toxic relationship.

There’s a certain type of film that feels completely motivated, as in you can tell the director and filmmakers put thought and effort into every frame. Everything is truly there for a reason. I was lucky enough to have seen Midsommar in its two forms: the theatrical release and the director’s cut. One thing I can say for sure is that Aster uses perfectly planned out and motivated camera movements to lure the viewer into the film. Aster takes advantage of a bright colour palette to lull you into a sense of safety for most of the movie’s runtime.

Plus, nothing can go wrong in the light of day, right? The setting is well-chosen to bring the characters and the audience into a location that feels simultaneously isolated and welcoming as the characters are surrounded by bright green grass and friendly people in bright garments. Along with the stunning cinematography, Aster directs this film with intent, purpose, and a slow but compelling pace. Although the film does feel slow in the middle, especially in the director’s cut version, every second of the footage feels important regardless of the pacing.

Florence Pugh plays the main character, Dani. Her incredible performance is genuine and heartbreaking. Pugh constantly keeps Dani’s grief directly under the surface and you can see it pour out or slowly seep through in every shot. Her strained relationship with Christian, played by Jack Reynor, is also effectively portrayed to show that trust and love have been long gone. The supporting cast, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter and Vilhelm Blomgren also stand up to the challenge. Harper plays a convincingly stressed and defensive PhD student while Poulter acts as the selfish, inconsiderate but funny friend who’s only coming to gawk at Swedish women. Meanwhile, Blomgren remains a kind and mysterious figure who possibly has ulterior intentions for his friends’ trip. However, Reynor’s performance doesn’t match up to Pugh’s in terms of emotional believability and depth. Out of the cast, he feels like the weakest link.

Some have expressed discontent for the film, due to its disturbing, confusing and uncomfortable nature. However, I would argue that these things are what make Midsommar so fascinating. Aster was able to manipulate the audience to feel these emotions in such small but impressive ways. Something as simple as not cutting away from a shot changes a movie from being simply frightening to distressing.

What I have learned from watching Midsommar is this: just because something makes you uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s bad. It means that the filmmakers did a good job of using the medium to make you feel a certain way. It also means that this could be a good time for you as a viewer to reflect on what you saw, think about what made you uncomfortable, and why. Are you distressed by the graphic violence? Or are you distressed by Christian’s treatment of Dani? And why are these different?

Midsommar allows us to examine a relationship from the inside out while also dealing with the disconcerting series of events occurring outside of them. Overall, this film is well-crafted, full of artistic motivation, great performances and sickening feelings. Since both the objective and subjective aspects of Midsommar were of great quality and because of how deeply it fascinates me, I give this film 5/5 stars.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost, feature photo A24 films

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Music

Rami Malek brings Freddie Mercury to life in Bohemian Rhapsody

Malek delivered an exceptional show of love and tension with minimal words.

“Is this just fantasy?”

Open your eyes, look up to the screen, and see just a poor boy make the most legendary music of all time. Rami Malek delivered an honest and stunning portrayal of Queen’s frontman in Bohemian Rhapsody.

I walked into the movie theatre with my friend at 1:20 p.m., thinking I’d catch a relatively empty theatre. I found most seats taken by elderly people; I knew I was around real fans.

When the movie was first announced in 2010, I believed Sacha Baron Cohen would have made the perfect Freddie Mercury. Boy, am I glad that didn’t go through. From the constant pursing of the lips to the jittery head movement, Malek had Mercury down to a tee. It’s no surprise that critics, despite some negative feedback about the film’s production, had nothing but praise for him.

Now picture this. It’s the Green Day Concert at Hyde Park in London in 2017, but the band is late. On comes “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and more than 65,000 people chant along to the anthem, word for word, tone for tone, melody for melody. The whole five minutes and 50 seconds. That’s the kind of timelessness that Rami Malek brought to the screen. And for me, that’s how epic the movie was.

The opening scene followed Freddie Mercury from his home bathroom, to the backstage of the Live Aid concert. Fans could tell it was him from the white sleeveless undershirt, tight jeans, black belt with silver studs, and black leather bracelet around his bicep, along with silver studs—the outfit he was best known for wearing at his concerts.

In the background, “Somebody to Love” played. Fitting, considering the scene showed a lonely Mercury. Right before he set foot on stage, the screen faded to Farrokh Bulsara—the man before the stage. This is the beginning of Freddie Mercury.

Subtlety was the movie’s main controversial aspect: some critics and fans were disappointed that the movie did not explicitly showcase Mercury’s sexuality and substance-use. It’s true, those aspects are fundamental when it comes to portraying Mercury’s personality. But so much more value was added to the performances and to Mercury’s emotional struggle by focusing on that instead of sex and drugs.

In a scene where Mary Austin goes to Munich to see Mercury, there’s cocaine on the table, but it doesn’t show him snorting it. During Queen’s first tour in America, there’s a scene where a male truck driver gives Mercury a look before they both enter a bathroom, and it’s clearly implied that they hook up.

The tension between Mercury and his father was almost tangible—both Ace Bhatti (who played Mercury’s father) and Malek delivered an exceptional show of love and tension with minimal words.

When it comes to recent movies, sex and explicit scenes are a huge part of the equation—more often than not it’s because they never fail to get people’s attention. Bohemian Rhapsody’s subtlety is a breath of fresh air to me, and it allowed the viewer a lot of room to focus on Mercury as a person. People know that he did cocaine and was gay, and I don’t think it’s necessary to expand on those details. The close-up shots of Malek’s eyes while the party continued in the background showed more of his pain than a shot of him snorting cocaine would. The way he spoke to Jim Hutton showed more of his homosexuality than a sex scene would.

When Mercury buys a house, only Roger is able to be there. Through Malek’s performance and the trembling of his voice, you can tell how desperately lonely Mercury felt. The singer going above and beyond to throw a party showed the extent to which he tried to hide his loneliness.

The production did a great job at portraying the struggle with depression and loneliness in someone as flamboyant and out-of-the-ordinary as Mercury. I think Bohemian Rhapsody—considering the different interpretations of the song that include suicide attempts, demons in your head and death—showed how sneaky darkness can be.

The most heartbreaking part, to me, was the press conference during which reporters practically attacked Mercury.

“I’m not the band leader, I’m just the lead singer,” said an exasperated Mercury. “There are four of us, why are you only asking me?” With flashes and cameras and zooming in and out, sunglasses on, and his hand on his head, Malek’s performance and the direction of the scene were engaging and devastating. I could feel him suffocating, and still trying to deal with answering extremely personal questions that had nothing to do with his music.

Much room was left for the actors to get as personal as possible—to me, creating scenes from an omnipotent-narrative stance (a third party) gives more information to the audience, but doesn’t allow us to go through the story with them as confusingly as the characters themselves.

The end took the viewer back to the Live Aid Concert and the same steps that Mercury took in the opening scene. This time, we’re shown the whole of it: Roger Taylor, Brian May and John Deacon surrounding Mercury as they prepare to step onto the stage. This scene is difficult to describe in words, but I will say that it will rock you.

The film ended while the credits rolled over “The Show Must Go On,” and the audience did not move. Every criticism of the film I heard prior to then completely disappeared—not only because of the movie itself, but also because of the energy in that room; a silent, collective appreciation of Malek as an actor, and the beauty of storytelling.

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Arts

Blair Witch: A return to the Black Hills Forest

While not fully living up to the original, Blair Witch still has frights and fights

Hidden under the title of The Woods during production, Blair Witch is the latest sequel to The Blair Witch Project (1999), a film that is considered one of the pioneers of found-footage horror. While this new instalment is a significant upgrade from the catastrophe that was Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), viewers should still not be expecting a classic this time around.

Fans of the original should be advised to leave their expectations for another Blair Witch at home, as this instalment feels like a fan fiction that somehow managed to become a feature film. The filmmakers did make the effort to continue the found-footage tradition and even staged the film in its original location. However, the shaky camera style quickly becomes distracting and the woods somehow feel smaller than in the original film.

The story is painfully straightforward. James, the brother of Heather (who disappeared in the original), finds newly discovered footage on YouTube that he thinks features his sister. This opens up the possibility that she could still be alive. He decides to round up his three closest friends to go investigate, reluctantly bringing along the two people who found the footage for guidance. What follows is the typical, predictable filler of character conflict that leads to the group splitting up for no good reason, a flurry of jump scares and some mediocre deaths, which all lead up to the abandoned, decrepit house from the original.

Blair Witch manages nothing new, despite having an acre of potential. photo: Chris Helcermanas-Benge/© Lionsgate

There are many fatal flaws that plague the film, the biggest being that there is never a sense that these characters have any kind of chance of making it out alive. It resembles a one-sided fight between a wolf and six blind lambs. Moreover, rather building up any kind of substantial suspense, Blair Witch is just a basic monster movie shot exactly like Cloverfield (2008). The monster in this movie being an amalgamation of Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Slender Man, and a self-aware forest. Worst of all, there really is not much of a point to the film. It fails to build on the original, all the while being predictable just like every other horror movie made in the last 10 years.

However, for all of Blair Witch’s faults, it must be said that the third act inside the house is well worth the price of admission. This is where the film finally jumps into top gear. It is the kind of scary that will keep most viewers frozen in their seats. There really isn’t a logical reason for the characters to go into the house, but the movie needs to go inside more than its characters do. While the ending is not something that will stick with many people, the sequence is a genuinely fun time. If I were to compare the film to anything, it would be to a rollercoaster ride. There is a lot of time spent waiting for something to happen, then a few bumps to get your attention, and finally a sudden rush that slows down right before you’re let off.

Those who are looking for something new should stay away, but anyone who enjoys a fright should check it out.

Stars: 2.5

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Arts

Merton of the Movies: singing and dancing for a place in your heart

A rollicking musical set in the silent movie era.

It was a packed house this Saturday at the Calixa-Lavallée Centre, for a performance of the musical comedy Merton of the Movies.

Within the crowd of eager musical theatre aficionados, there sat at least one person who could not accurately be called a fan of the art form: this very writer. But over the two-hour performance, that didn’t stop me from having one hell of a good time!

Merton of the Movies tells the story of Merton Gill, a general store clerk who moves to Hollywood with grand ambitions of becoming a silent movie star in the 1920s. The lovable character was played by Jerome Roy, whose sincere and innocent performance immediately endeared him to the crowd. From Gill’s first number about his dreams of silver screen success, Roy had the whole room smiling from ear to ear.

Jerome Roy’s performance immediately endeared him to the crowd. Photo by Danica Couture.

Gill eventually meets Flips Montague, a seasoned – and somewhat jaded – actress who instantly falls for his hopeless, wide-eyed naiveté. Actress Tina Mancini carried the role of Montague with an endless supply of spunk, providing a satisfying counter-balance to Gill’s underdog persona.

The two were joined by a stellar supporting cast, who took on multiple and varied roles, each with equal determination and enthusiasm. This was further bolstered by impressive vocal performances from all those involved – including a few harmonies that tapped directly into my spine for a fresh infusion of chills.

Much of the success of Merton of the Movies goes to the inspired script written by Doug Katsaros and Donald Brenner, and the focused direction of Stephen Pietrantoni. The sets and props may have been modest in nature, but this ultimately served to highlight the feel-good story and the infectious rhythm of the show.

The writers, actors and director also deserve credit for a mature experience overall. Merton of the Movies was sweet, but not saccharine; irreverent, not farcical; moving without being melodramatic.

Toward the end of the show, Gill’s inner voice (taking the form of an entertainment journalist) extols the pleasures of his chosen craft: “To touch [the audience] and, yes, to lift them up for a single moment, make them forget their troubles and…laugh!”

The show’s greatest achievement was living up to those words, even with a relative stranger to musical theatre such as me. Just as Gill ended up winning over Hollywood, I was quickly won over by Merton of the Movies.

More information about the show and The Next Wave: New Musical Theatre Festival can be found at cetm.ca.

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Arts

Val Lewton’s Cat People: otherness in the everyday

Teresa de Lauretis delivered public lecture at Concordia

“She was marked with the curse of those who slink and court and kill by night!” These words can be found on the original movie poster of Val Lewton’s 1942 horror film Cat People.

For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of watching this classic, Cat People is about a Serbian woman, Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), who has moved to New York to pursue a career in fashion. She falls in love with an American man, Oliver Reed (Kent Smith), and marries him. Darkness haunts Irena from her childhood in Serbia, however, where she was told about evil cat people who kill their lovers when aroused or jealous. Her worst fears come true when her husband begins to fall in love with his co-worker Alice (Jane Randolph) and the inner cat, or in this case panther, in Irena comes out to wreak havoc.

One aspect of the film that has stumped audience members and scholars since its initial release is that the viewer never actually sees Irena turn into a panther. Rather, the transformation is suggested by sounds and shadows alone. Does this mean that the transformation is purely psychological? That is precisely what Teresa De Lauretis, Professor Emerita of the History of Consciousness at the University of California, discussed in her lecture hosted by the Feminist Media Studio on Sept. 19 at Concordia’s EV building.

“Lewton’s 1940s films are about the presence in human life of an otherness or an alterity that is not an emanation of evil or supernatural powers… but comes from a place of darkness within the human,” said de Lauretis. To explain this inner darkness, we must turn towards the psychoanalytical work of Freud.

According to de Lauretis, Freud “postulated the existence, together with the sexual drive, of an aggressive, destructive, and above all self-destructive psychic force that he named death drive.” Freud wrote that as long as the death drive remains internal, it remains silent. In a famous scene of Cat People, Irena says, “Whatever is in me is held in, is kept harmless, when I’m happy.” This is what has led de Lauretis to believe that “the panther in Irena is a metaphor, a figure, of the death drive,” and that “the panther is not Irena, but in Irena as a source of her fears… and compulsions.”

“By desynchronizing sound and image, the film creates the figure of “pantherness”, an internal force that compels and transforms Irena,” de Lauretis said. Therefore, it is intentional that the viewer never sees Irena transforming into a panther because the transformation is meant to be in an inner, not an outer, one.

Lewton’s films went on to heavily influence the film noir genre and the suspense thriller, including the work of Hitchcock. His other notable films include I Walked with a Zombie (1943), The Leopard Man (1943), The Curse of the Cat People (1944) and The Body Snatcher (1945).

For more information on the Feminist Media Studio and their events, visit their website: feministmediastudio.ca.

Categories
Arts

Beloved live action space opera — take two

An adaptation of the original series that set the precedent for Japanese sci-fi anime genre, the film is a journey into space to save the human race. Press.

North America got one of its first tastes of Japanese Animation with Star Blazers, known in Japan as Space Battleship Yamato, in 1979. The adaptation from the graphic novel was dubbed in English and was among one of first pieces of Japanese animation to hit the western world. Space Battleship Yamato tells the story of humanity’s last hope against an invading alien force called the Gamilas. With the live-action version of this story hitting theaters next month, fans of the series and those wanting a taste of hard sci-fi are in for an adventure.

An adaptation of the original series that set the precedent for Japanese sci-fi anime genre, the film is a journey into space to save the human race. Press.

When ex-military pilot Susumu Kodai leaves his underground shelter to salvage metals on the surface of the radiation-laden planet, he is wounded by a crashing ship and awakens outside of his radiation suit. However, he’s unaffected by the hostile environment and he finds an alien pod by his side.

The pod found with him is picked up by the crew of Captain Juzo Okita’s ship, the last surviving battleship during the biggest altercation with the Gamilas.

The pod contains schematics to a super-weapon and a location far off in space, to a planet called Iskandar. With a government recruitment drive in full swing after this revelation, all civilians capable of serving aboard the newly built ship are brought onboard and prepped for the dangerous journey across space to Iskandar on the newly built battleship, believing that the co-ordinates will lead them to a device that will erase all radiation on earth.

Space Battleship Yamato is written like a classic space opera: action, drama and suspense are on the menu. While the live-action rendition remains somewhat faithful to the original material, some of the characters in the movie felt underdeveloped in comparison to the animated series. Given the time constraints of the film medium, this isn’t entirely surprising.

The film provides a very balanced amount of action and dialogue and sets a very comfortable pace for most of the movie.

On the other hand, the female cast was woefully underutilized, spending most of the movie crying, worried or being all around vulnerable. For a movie released in 2004 (in Japan), this kind of trope doesn’t exactly belong in modern tellings. While it’s true that this remains faithful to the original material, it ends up harming the quality of the movie in the long run, taking it down from something that could have been great, and making it only pretty good.

When it comes to the presentation and sound though, the movie is beyond stellar. The special effects were phenomenal and the space dogfights were action-packed and full of intensity. The score added the right tone to every scene and provided just the right amount of emotions to the high-end acting. Although the movie was not dubbed in English, the tone and expression of the cast speaks leagues for the intensity and drama that the movie conveys.

The movie’s 132 minutes may seem long, but the only sequence that felt tacked on was the final scene before the credits. Running for almost fifteen minutes, it felt like a lot of the dialogue could have been cut and the ending would have been no less dramatic.

Nonetheless, Space Battleship Yamato doesn’t disappoint. While it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, this retelling of an old fan favorite hits all the right chords and despite its flaws, the movie is never uninteresting. It may not move mountains, or be contender for movie of the year, but it’s a competent, enjoyable space opera that’s worth your time.

Space Battleship Yamato will be out in Cineplex theatres on Nov.11.

 

Categories
Arts

Captain, your storyline is highly illogical

A still from Star Trek: Into The Darkness. From YouTube.

Nail-biting. Emotional. And was that Kirk-slash-Spock fan service I saw? It was a great summer to be a nerd with releases like Man of Steel, Iron Man 3 and Wolverine, and of course Trekkies rejoiced when Star Trek received a sequel to its 2009 release.

Star Trek: Into Darkness follows the rule-bending Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), and the crew of the starship Enterprise, including the all-important Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto), after they’re recalled back to Earth, only to encounter a new threat from inside their very own organization. Kirk almost loses the Enterprise, a mysterious man turns out to be Khan, tribbles are useful for once and Scotty goes drinking.

A still from Star Trek: Into The Darkness. From YouTube.

But, as is the territory of movies based on series with dedicated fan bases, the movie had its pros and Khans (cons). On the upside, Benedict Cumberbatch plays the role of Khan. Enough said. There’s also a lot of toying with the fans’ emotions, which sounds cruel, but is actually quite fun once viewers get over the initial shock of Scotty walking off and leaving the Enterprise, and the ship being brought to the brink of destruction. The fight scenes, although sprinkled in, are a good watch and there are obvious tidbits in the movie from the 1982 Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, which can make fans feel like a little kid reliving those moments over again.

Unfortunately that does lead to one of the biggest cons in the movie. The Wrath of Khan inserts were enjoyable, but one line in particular is used out of context in a way that makes it feel almost wrong: Kirk’s iconic “KHAAAAAN” is flipped and ascribed to Spock. While it helps move Into Darkness’ story along, it’s a perverted twist on the Star Trek storyline on multiple levels. Spock continues to have inconsistent and illogical emotional outbursts. In one scene he is beating-in Kirk’s face, in the next, Spock is bemoaning his death.

Additionally, there’s an obvious use of foreshadowing which damaged, though not completely ruined, the climax at the end of the movie. Without giving too much away, tribbles (the lovely creatures from the episode “Trouble with Tribbles”) seemed to be thrown in just to prove the fact that Khan’s blood not only held special properties that helped make him demi-god-like, but could also bring the dead back to life. From that point on it wasn’t hard to see that regardless of whatever happened by the end, no one who sacrificed themselves to save the ship would stay dead for long.

Also, not enough Klingons.

All in all, if you’re looking for a good, entertaining movie to kill a few hours, you’ll definitely enjoy Into Darkness, especially if you’re a fan of the series and understand the character ties and references. However if you’re a hardcore fan looking for a storyline-accurate prologue to the series, you may find yourself shifting uncomfortably in your seat wondering if the tribbles, in addition to being featured in the film, had a significant role in writing the script as well.

Star Trek: Into Darkness comes out on DVD September 10, 2013.

 

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