Well, the summer movies have come out and what a year! Machines, monsters, maniacs, and mutants have exploded on the big screen in huge blockbusters with huge budgets. Why has Hollywood taken such an interest in what was once only the domain of geeks and nerds?
You had to be a big comic for a movie to even be considered. Offerings of the past have included Superman, Batman, and Spiderman. The film industry has continued in this vein, offering the classic stand-bys of The Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, and Dare Devil. Comics that sell should translate easily to movies that sell. But an independent comic book printed by a no-name publisher wasn't the kind of thing that would draw audiences to the screens. Can you imagine a silver screen version of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac-in live action? What about The Watchmen? Stop the average Joe on the street and he might not be able to tell you who wrote the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but at the very least he knows the characters from required school reading.
Then there's the realm of video games. We've seen a pretty full spectrum of Sunset Strip's capabilities there: from Mario Brothers to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Offering the same light-hearted "rompish" feel of the Mummy franchise, the Tomb Raider films offer a back-story to a pixilated femme fatal that fan-boys and the innocent should enjoy. More importantly, Tomb Raider has offered something we never had before in a video game inspired film: an Oscar winner. Even this most recent installment of The Matrix has a certain video game quality to it (travel to point X to meet character Y who will give you quest Z, then get buddies for final level where you re left with a cliff-hanger that will make you by the next game).
Hollywood translated science-fiction fan fare to big bucks and threw it out for mass consumption. It made comics and video games more than just a teen-ager fantasy, but a simplified version of what nerds thought was très cool. You didn t have to turn the page or wait until next month s installment to see what your favorite spandex-clad super-hero would do next; there it was, on the big screen for all to see. Who cares about beating level six? It doesn t take any skill to slap down seven dollars and sit for two hours. Hollywood took things that required patience or ability (at the very least, literacy) and turned it into t-shirts, tie-ins, and happy meals.
Enjoyable, painful, or just blah, this year s summer offerings have been a feast on multiple levels. For this 70th issue of Ibn Qirtaiba, we offer a veritable cafeteria of film reviews. You may not like it all, but surely there s something there you can at least find appetizing.
This movie has been touted as a modern-day zombie flick;
depending on what you think a zombie is, this may or may not be
correct. If you
believe that zombies are reanimated dead bodies pulling themselves from
the
grave to consume living flesh, then this would not really be a zombie
movie to
you. In this version zombies (or infected as classified by the movie)
are not
dead and did not seem to be intent on eating living flesh.
Now that we have the vocabulary out of the way, let s move on to the actual plot. The concept of the movie is the ever-popular humans- playing- God- and- something- went- horribly- wrong coin.
The film starts with a montage of man s-inhumanity-to-man in a lab where chimpanzees have undergone vicious experiments isolating the one thing in humans that causes so much misery: rage. The catalyst of the plot is a group of well meaning animal rights activists who quickly meet their unwitting demise.
Infection, which takes somewhere between ten and twenty seconds, ceases all higher functions of the brain and the only thing the infected can feel is blind anger. Infection victims show evidence of only wanting to hurt non-infected humans, to spread the rage. So, factoring in the time it takes to infect, and the after effect of the virus, it only takes twenty-eight days before the United Kingdom has been literally shut down.
The movie follows Jim (Cillian Murphy) after he wakes up from a coma. He awakens to a very changed Great Britain and begins a slow sorrowful walk through downtown London. Evidence of the disaster is present (including a make-shift memorial similar to the ones we saw in New York after 9-11). After a run-in with a group of infected in a church (history has taught us that in great times of distress, people flock to the church), Jim meets Selena (Naomie Harris) and friend. They outline what happened and make for some nice exposition. Selena s friend also helps illustrate how life after infection can change a person. As Selena explains, if you think someone is infected, you take them out, In a heartbeat.
A more humanistic approach is taken with the introduction of Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and his teen-age daughter Hannah (Megan Burns). They cannot stay in London, or in Frank s flat, beautifully illustrated by a close-up shot on a tank a fish with very little water. Water is the main reason for leaving the area, as Frank is incapable of collecting enough from his myriad containers on the roof (the irony here being it hasn t rained in London). Possible salvation is a radio broadcast about safety with soldiers and a cure for the infection. After a quick run through a tunnel (and the quickest tire-change that didn t involve a circle track), our band of heroes makes it to the country.
The journey to perceived safety is made in the Frank s super taxi to Manchester (featuring many beautiful scenes of an uninhabited countryside and some music by Brain Eno). The need to remain human is fully explored by examining Jim s relationship to Selena, Frank s relationship with his daughter, and the fact that a fourteen-year-old city girl has managed to come this far without completely breaking down. Selena is all about how to survive the apocalypse; Hanna is all about why.
Once our group arrives in Manchester, though, the lesson is learned that old rules no longer apply in this new world. It is not until this moment in the film, when the social contract is completely broken, that the film is truly frightening. What follows is an amazing show of what humans are capable of, the good and bad.
It is a poignant story of survival: without the creature comforts of modern life, with the agonizing loss of loved ones. It is about trust in strangers, for good or bad, and learning that even without some things, life is still worth living.
Back to Contents 
Back to Index
For those of us who remember the graphic novel League of Extraordinary Gentlemen this movie was long overdue. We waited with bated breath for the adventures of Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, Henry Jekyll, Hawley Griffin (Rodney Skinner in the film), and the unflappable Mina Murry (Miss).
The plot is a simple stop the end of the world , rich with the intrigue of 1800 s Europe, like a giant game of Diplomacy . Our villain, the Phantom , is working to up the ante at every step. If you re wondering what the motivation could possibly be for someone to try to get a world war started, try greed. The Phantom plans to sell advanced weaponry to the warring factions. Really advanced weaponry for 1899, like machine guns and tanks. Pretty spiffy stuff.
Sean Connery is
perfect as Quatermain. As a representation of an
aging
empire, Connery pulls off the role with crusty dignity. Shane West s
portrayal
of Special Agent Thomas Sawyer is a fabulous blend of cockiness and
naivety. As Dorian Gray, Stuart Townsend drips with refined exhaustion.
And Peta Wilson shines with subdued savagery as Mina. The real star of
the show
is the Nautilus. Disney s version was a sulking monster wielded by a
madman; this
Nautilus is a shining vengeful sword of the sea . Besides its TARDIS
like abilities
to compress a five-star hotel into something that fits in the canals of
Venice,
the Nautilus contains technological marvels: missiles, escape pods, and
Nemo s fantastic car (which closely
resembles a modified Mid 30 s Auburn
Boat-Tail Speedster). If there s one thing you ll take from the
film, it s
the image of a silver-encrusted aircraft carrier doing an emergency
surface. The casting was brilliant, the costumes were
fantastic, and the design of the film was straight out of the comic. It
should
have made a fantastic movie.
The only problem was it didn t. Sure, there were mild changes made to the basic characters; Mina Murry retains her married name of Wilhelmina Hawker--only she s a true vampire this time and no longer the leader of the League. For anyone who read Volume One of the graphic novel, the extraordinary thing about Mina Murry was that she was there. She didn t have any super powers except being uppity and (*gasp*) smoking-in public even. She went against the long-standing Women in Refrigerators mentality that is so prevalent in comics. It s a shame that her vampire past had to be brought up in order for her to help save the world. It s also a shame that her character has been shoved out of the forefront and shuffled into the shadows; but then, I guess they d never be able to get Connery onboard for the project unless he was lead. Changes aside, the film still should have been good, right?
Well, there was a vampire in this movie, and from the looks of it, it was a Malkavian. This is evidenced by the amount of confusion and obfuscation in the film. For some reason, action scenes make little sense and some of the League member s abilities are lost in a fugue of images. It s hard to tell which is more to blame: poor editing or poor cinematography.
One of the better fight scenes takes place in Dorian Gray s library. It s a split-level building, so the main floor of the library resembles the floor of a coliseum-replete with romantic arches, exits, and entrances. Once the shooting begins, papers start flying and don t stop until Mina picks off the last straggler. It should be an extraordinary scene, but it isn t. You can t tell what s going on half the time. I mean, I understand that Quatermain s a badass, but it sure would be nice to see just how much of a badass he really is. Dorian is certainly handy with a cane-sword, but really, what style is he using? And Nemo sure is fast with that scimitar, but I d rather see him cut someone to ribbons than watch an extreme close-up on his face while he cuts someone to ribbons. We ve already seen that fight before at the end of Attack of the Clones.
Now, this is not to say the entire flick is choppy and confused. As a matter of fact, once of the most chilling sequences is of the League listening to a wax recording left behind on the ship for them. The director decided to show the recording of the record and the effect is bone numbingly similar to the opening credits of Se7en (or PBS's Secrets of the Dead"). The only problem is it feels like it was done by a different director, a different cinematographer, and a different editor.
Other from that, it s an enjoyable film. You might not want to walk out while it s playing, but you may regret that you didn t. I m glad I saw it, but I m not happy with what I saw. It s troublesome; the film has an aftertaste that isn t obvious until it s over.
Back to Contents Back to Index
Let me start this off by warning you that I am comic-book geek, so some of the opinions in this article may appear biased. I will do my best to be fair and honest about this movie. But first let me let the geek out so I can try to be fair... OMG the Hulk looked so cool and when he picked up the tank and the running and the jumping and the fighting& IT WAS SO AWESOME!
Ok, now that I have that out of my system, let me honestly tell you
what I
feel. When the Hollywood trend of going
to comic books becomes so blatantly obvious that mainstream magazines
are
noticing it, then you can almost expect to have a few million bad ones.
The
last two Batman movies aside, there have recently been some very good
and
entertaining movies made from comic books.
The X-Men series, while making some die-hard fans cringe in fear of having to see some horrible X-Men stories played out on the screen, is a good example of an entertaining good movie. It s not going to win any major mainstream awards, but it was a genuinely good time. The Hulk isn t going to win any awards either, but that doesn t mean it shouldn t be nominated.
The Hulk is different from the more recent movie adaptations in that it spends more time developing the characters and setting up the situations before you ever see the big special effects. Before Big Green ever hits the screen, you ve been given character history on the major characters. You understand that Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) is an obviously emotionally repressed man, unable to even remotely convey his feelings to the woman he loves, Betty (Jennifer Connelly). Betty has her own personal issues with her father, an Army general (Sam Elliot).
Bana, in what amounts to his North American debut, has the unhappy job of playing Bruce Banner. The main problem with having to play that character, in that phase of the stories, is the fact he, Bruce Banner, really has no personality to speak of. I would assume that would make it hard to play him interestingly. It s a hard role to play, the man with no personality, but Bana did a great job in playing Bruce and had the right amount of personality spike when it was necessary in the film.
What can I say about Jennifer Connelly that won t sound contrived? She was, at times, the greatest part of the movie, even going so far as to manage to steal a scene from the CGI Hulk (one of the earliest times you see him in the movie). She has the ability to convey the emotions of her role just in her eyes, which is noticeable in The Hulk just as much as it was, though nowhere near the same emotions, in Requiem For A Dream. She s a highly talented actress and should be very proud of her role in The Hulk.
Now, to the star of the movie, the massive green skinned behemoth himself. Though the preliminary shots of the creature (released as Super-Bowl trailers back in January of 03) had fans of the book and non-fans alike groaning at the choppiness, that problem was eliminated by the final version. In the most worrisome shots for the animators, the day shots and fight scenes, the Hulk looks amazingly, frighteningly real. In fact, the scenes where it is slightly obvious of the CGI are the night scenes. Even that is negligible when looking at the overall technical value of the film.
An amazing amount of respect must be given to director Ang Lee for his help in bringing The Hulk to the screen. I seriously believe that the movie wouldn t have been half as good as it was if Mr. Lee hadn t been involved. Without him at the helm, this could have become just a huge CGI bad movie. Ang Lee brought out the side that makes the Hulk as popular as he is, and has been, for over the past 30+ years. He showed you the man behind the monster, and, with that, you understand that the monster really isn t really that bad.
Back to
Contents Back to Index
Believe it or not, you have a choice in whether or not you see this movie. You don t have to see it. Life will go on whether you choose to see it or not. The completeness of the first film gave away the ending of the series, remember? Neo is The One , he heralds the destruction of the Matrix, ending the war with the machines. The Oracle said so, and though she may not know everything, she at least knows enough, right?
So wanting to see
what happens next is not a particularly valid
pretext for going. Cool CGI and wire-fighting kung fu scenes have been
extensively employed and perhaps
transcended in other films which seemed specialized to their respective
exposition (Final Fantasy, Crouching Tiger, et al.), so the eye
candy
consideration has lost some teeth. Some
might feebly argue a desire to complete the trilogy, but this is wrong.
With apologies, a trilogy is a story told in three parts. The
Matrix is a film franchise, a single movie with a
sequel in two parts. Not a trilogy. Not yet, anyway. We'll have
that discussion after Revolutions is released.
Why go see The Matrix, Reloaded? What could be so interesting about a story when you already know the ending, in a film that employs techniques and technologies that are no longer novel?
It could be you re simply a fan. The Animatrix shorts developed their own following which seems to me to leave in-roads for fan-fiction of the order of the Star Wars or Battletech universe. Some say the huge appeal of the original lies in it being a wet dream of computer geeks everywhere. After all, here s this guy, he keeps to himself, suddenly the entire human race is depending on him, he gets super-powers, gains absolute control over a massive virtual-reality system (without having to know the API!!), and a model-type girlfriend with a leather and latex fetish. Hmmm.... In light of the fact that I m saving up right now to buy a second computer, I choose to dismiss that perspective on grounds it s too close to home.
Let s instead focus (briefly) on the mythic formulation of the franchise, as it received a broad acceptance and infected the media with a need to both be imitate and steal from that intimacy. Neo is clearly revealed as a Corn-God Redeemer figure in the first installment, and throwing around names like Morpheus and Trinity, visiting Oracles, opposing Agents, it s got the dream-like simplicity one finds in a myth of the variety Joseph Campbell popularized. Those familiar with esoteric traditions can perhaps make quite a lot of The One in The Matrix and related considerations, and they will not be disappointed to see this carried into further exposition in Reloaded. It is there if you want it, but at this point some cry out Don t bring plot into my CGI!
Never. Not me.
Which brings us to the graphics, which are, in a word, breathtaking. The fight sequences are extensive (read extensive) and frequently shift into slow motion, providing the viewer precious time to digest every drop of detail. It is particularly demonstrative of the technology becoming properly a part of the filmmaker s toolkit, rather than a gimmick. Gone (hopefully) are the days when CGI eclipsed film fundamentals, creating scenes with the feel of a video game gone awry. None of that here, and yet the film is uncompromising in its defiance of normal reality in practically every fight scene. The effects, for most of the cast, strain reality consistent with our understanding of the Matrix, without venturing into the abject unreality of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Neo s effects, in at least one climactic case, are an exception, but even this is palatable given his special relationship to his environment.
But neither fandom, nor an epic storyline, nor exceptional graphics make this movie a must-see, so what s the appeal? Integration, that s what. The elements of the story, the sleekness of its presentation, the questions it raises are artfully combined; they interweave and create a film that is more than the sum of its parts. The content of the Animatrix shorts are referenced without leaving the viewer feeling like they missed something important. The plot s depth is symbolic rather than rhetorical, providing meaning to those who seek it without boring those who don t. The graphics are spellbinding, yet comprehensible to those with only average visual acuity. The performances are solid, the established characters consistent, and the newcomers sparkling, but never stealing the limelight. The cliffhanger ending is forgivable, given the scope of the expanded storyline, and closure with the primary thrust of the plot is achieved, resulting in a satisfying tale that baits the audience to the next installment, while at the same time it doesn t leave one feeling robbed or required to see the conclusion.
I will not characterize this movie as a must-see; I will not try to impel you. You have a choice, and choice is important, even though the Architects of this franchise have known all along how you will choose.
Back to Contents Back to Index
I apologize now for the focus of this review. There will be no, "how they did those neat-o effects?" details. There will be no plot synopsis. Also lacking, will be a run-down of characters in the film. If you have the ability to read this review, those details can just as easily be had. But what you, the intrepid reader, may be having trouble finding in the mass on-line discussions, is "why did they do it this way?" After a few months worth of in-depth conversations, with fans and non-fans alike, here is something "new" to ponder.
X2
opens with a scene straight out of many fan boys' dreams. A
"what if?", surrounding one demon-tailed, brimstone-smelling,
"blinking", German. If you know whom I am talking about, you will
enjoy the opening (and most of the movie) immensely. If the afore
mentioned
description does not trigger any urge to shout out "Bamf!", sit back,
and enjoy the little action-based romp that is about to begin.
X2 does not require an in-depth knowledge of Stan Lee's favorite issues to enjoy. As a matter of fact, "almost-fans" may enjoy the movie more than denizens of comic book conventions. And that, in my opinion, is the movie's "saving grace". It will sate the appetites of "True believers", but anyone can come along for the ride.
The effects are up to par for current big budget, Hollywood action flicks. The acting, while not Oscar material, does not feel as "strained" as X1. The details to "cannon" are there, sort of... if you stand by the idea that the movies will represent their own cannon, separate, but equal, to the long-standing traditions of yore.
And, that may be the real surprise about X2. The character creations are different than the comics, sometimes. The appearance of some of the X-Men has been changed, but not enough to make them unrecognizable. The timetable of events does not match any timeline I remember reading. If you let it stand on its own, the movie makes all the changes "worth it".
How does the movie do this? By staying "true" to the personalities of the characters. The attention to detail, even if just hinted at, is amazing.
Fans of the series will know exactly who the flower growing, pacifist, muscleman is, even if he is too young, too pretty, and, not "Russian" enough. You only see him for a few moments, during the absolutely frightening "home invasion" scene; but you know without a doubt it is the all-mighty man of steel, Colossus. And that s before he shows off his mutant ability.
This detail is very important for the possible continuation for the movie "universe". It follows the reasoning behind the series, as mentioned many times by "The Man", Stan Lee himself. The powers are fun, or, frightening to see, but the X-Men were never about super powers. The X-Men were about feeling "left out" of society; scorned, un-trusted, unwanted, unloved. X-Men had personalities. Characters in the X-Men universe had flaws, fears, and hang-ups". The X-Men represented a way for millions of young people to not feel so alone. And that is why this movie was such a successes in my eyes.
X2 did what any good celluloid telling of the Uncanny X-Men needed to do. It paid attention to the personalities of characters that so many people, around the globe, have come to care for. Logan may be rough around the edges, but he has a "soul". Magneto may not be the "best" mutant to "fight" for mutant right, but he can be victim, as well as villain. X2 remembered to tell the story of people, not super heroes. Extraordinary people, that like many of us, have felt locked out of society at large. Any movie that can let you in on the fears of a person, real or otherwise, is worth experiencing.
Back to Contents Back to Index
Wrong
Turn, is a horror movie
vehicle for Eliza Dushku, best known for playing Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In some
ways it is reminiscent of The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre, in that the villains of the piece are a
psychotic, deformed country family of cannibals (even more deformed in
this case, by inbreeding), who live in a creepy house, to which a group
of young people on a road trip are led by a gas station attendant. Wrong Turn is less oppressively
sadistic and unpleasant than TCM,
but more graphic.
Eliza is unremarkable, although there is some of Faith's wisecracking self evident (not enough, without Buffy auteur Joss Whedon at the helm). Slasher film conventions, well worn from one-too-many Friday the 13th sequels, are followed fairly strictly here, and so although there are many surprises in store in one sense, there are few in another. There is a world of difference, for my money, between supernatural horror in the Buffy mold (even leaving aside that Buffy is also a romance, comedy and soap opera) and slasher horror of the TCM ilk.
Production values are a high as one would expect for a mainstream horror release. Gore effects are realistic but not over the top. Suspense is maintained competently and there are one or two original ideas, such as a treetop stalking sequence. However the victims and their tormentors are mostly ciphers, and this is really the kind of movie you would have expected Eliza to have made before Buffy (and to be rather embarrassed by) rather than after. Oh, does Eliza's character survive? You'll have to watch Wrong Turn to find out!
2.5 stars.