Like every zombie pandemic movie ever, but not classic or humorous.
"World War Z" follows Gerry Lane as he struggles to protect his family in the midst of a vicious pandemic that transforms the world's population into vicious, man-eating beasts. So nothing new there. Brad Pitt stars as Gerry, who is forced to step back into his old job as a vaguely-identified "investigator" for the UN to attempt to track down the source of the infection. Gerry travels around the world to discover the cause of the zombie apocalypse while trying to keep himself and his family alive.
I didn't like this movie that much. It may seem like I'm discussing my feelings on the film too early, but at least I presented an entire paragraph worth of supplementary information before doing so. I cannot say the same for "World War Z." The movie starts off with a series of vague newspaper headings and news reports discussing outbreaks of rabies and infections around the world before the title screen is shown. The footage then rapidly cuts to an innocent suburban family scene with Gerry Lane and his wife being awoken early in the morning by their two rambunctious young daughters. The children then immediately demand pancakes, which Gerry happily makes for them as the family goes about its morning business. They then proceed out to the streets to contend with early morning traffic.
This is approximately 90 seconds into the movie. The family is playing 20 questions in the car and just generally doing their damnedest to be adorable. However, outside, things are starting to look vaguely threatening. Traffic is backed up for miles and people are beginning to run down the sidewalk for reasons that are not apparent even to them. A police officer in a motorcycle rushes past the car and takes off Gerry's side-view mirror to general confusion. As Gerry steps outside and has a brief conversation with a fellow commuter, it becomes apparent that nobody has any fucking clue what is going on.
Not to be deterred by a complete lack of foreshadowing outside of the opening credits, the movie barrels down the tracks full speed and the city is overtaken. A random explosion caused by nothing is seen in the distance and a police officer orders Gerry back into his car and is immediately pulverized by a runaway truck. The truck, either driven by a zombie or driven by some dumb ass freaking out at the extremely early stages of apocalypse, then proceeds to tear through dozens of cars and human lives, clearing a path for Gerry and his family to escape from the debilitating traffic jam. The family crashes and forced to continue on foot as hundreds of people are already infected and taking down civilians.
This is about seven minutes into the movie. Come on, Hollywood, give me some foreplay for God's sake.
The movie progresses as rapidly as the imagined virus does: overly fast, without direction, and poorly executed. The action sequences are tense and engaging, but I found myself caring less and less as the film progressed. Gerry attempts to follow a trail of clues that leads him from an aircraft carrier off the American coast to South Korea, where the dumbest scene in the movie occurs.
In the plane headed to South Korea, where the virus possibly began, Gerry speaks with the leading virologist in charge of studying the pandemic. This guy is a fucking creep. He gives Gerry a three-and-a-half minute diatribe on the methods used by "Mother Nature" to attack the human race. He grins from ear to ear describing Mother Nature as the greatest serial killer. Really? As if a large majority of biological terrors on the planet were not invented and manipulated. by humans for the purpose of murdering millions of other humans. Psychopathic rant on how "Mother Nature is a bitch that loooooooves disguising her weaknesses as strengths" aside, the young Frankenstein doesn't turn out to be much of a scientist. The dumbest scene in the movie is set: the plane lands on a runway in South Korea, the night is dark and stained with pouring rain. The door underneath the rear end of the plane descends to the ground, releasing soldiers who stand ready to defend Gerry and the virologist from zombies. They mostly fail at this task, and one of the trained and experienced soldiers is easily murdered by a single zombie. The scientist, frightened by the combat, runs back up the ramp which, despite being UNDERNEATH an entire plane, is suddenly slick with rainwater. He falls and consequently shoots himself in the head with his own gun. So dies humanity's last hope.
Gerry quickly recovers from this minor setback, continuing the investigation with no former knowledge of virology, traveling from Korea to Israel and eventually to an WHO where the climax of the movie takes place. While the ending to "World War Z" is more original than the paths most zombie infection movies take, it cannot make up for the fact that the movie is disjointed and dysfunctional, the plot line is as thin and wavering as a kite string, and action sequences fall flat when there is little engaging storytelling to hang them on.
Additionally, I found that the zombies, being completely CGI failed to have any weight or realism in their actions. Despite the clear violence and aggression shown by the individuals in the mob, the mob itself seems like less of an inevitable force and more like a pile of nearly-liquid rag dolls being rolled down a hill. Also, the developmental hell and multiple rewrites and reworkings that the story underwent was extremely apparent in the viewing.
For disengaged storytelling and poor execution, I give "World War Z" a ranking of Avoid It. While mildly interesting at times, the movie just overall fails to properly convey a cohesive message to the audience. Not worth the time lost or the price of admission.
Until next time, what are your thoughts on the movie? I love to hear the opinions!
-kmaker
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Warm Bodies-A Delightful Zomb-Rom-Com
And the blokes behind "Shaun of the Dead" thought they were clever.
"Warm Bodies" is one of the few films in recent years that explores a territory that is truly unexplored in the world of movies. How many movies, outside of porn, feature a human kissing a zombie? Truly remarkable stuff. This film is not satisfied to skirt by on novelty, however, and also features great acting performances matched with well-executed cinematography, writing, and music to make a memorable film.
"Warm Bodies" begins with the internal monologue of one of the millions of zombies wandering the earth, shuffling from place to place until hunger draws them closer to human dwellings. I was immediately hooked. R, the protagonist, describes the way he goes about each and every day which is, indeed, the same as every other zombie. R takes up his residence in an airport with dozens of others, but R is inherently different. In addition to the fact that we, the audience, are inside his head, we also see that he enjoys his own private residence in an airplane and enjoys hoarding away trinkets from the world before it was destroyed. Like WALL-E, but a zomb-E.
"Warm Bodies" follows the adventures of R as he falls in love with a living human girl, Julie, and saves her from the rest of the zombie population while taking her as a pseudo-prisoner in his home. He provides for her every need and always attempts to "stop being creepy" while around her. Interesting concerns for a zombie. Julie undergoes a strange Stockholm Syndrome in which she is at first understandably terrified of R but soon sees that he is different from the others. R protects Julie and loves her, so much so that he begins to come back to life. R inspires other zombies to do the same, and the zombie population begins to regain its humanity.
A movie in which an actor plays a zombie that is able to talk for most of the movie seems like an opportunity for overacting and cheesy dialogue, but Nicholas Hoult portrays R very believably, and the progression from a zombie to a human seems not only natural, but inevitable. The dialogue offers many laughs and the casting was generally superb.
What is fascinating about this film is that humans are not even onscreen for the first ten minutes, and I already found myself empathizing with R in his continual restlessness as he shuffled among the other zombies. This empathy for zombies is the root of the movie, and allows the audience to not only connect with R, but with the entire zombie population.
Another interesting thing about this movie is that it may be the first movie featuring zombies in which precisely 0 of the antagonists are zombies. The problem of "Who's the antagonist then?" is solved by the "Bonies." Bonies are the zombies of the zombies, un-dead people that gave up on any attempt at humanity and ate any extraneous flesh off of their own bodies until they were nothing more than bones and muscle. Bonies are faster and more vicious than any zombie, and are obviously willing to consume zombie-flesh.
The most important aspect of this movie is that it flips the script on everything we have been taught about zombies and movie monsters in general. Not only does a zombie fall in love with a human girl, but he inspires others to do the same. The zombies have their own monsters to be wary of. We empathize with zombies so much that we begin to view humans as the enemies until one of them learns to have sympathy for a zombie herself. Several mediums have shown us the concept of a group of humans disguising themselves and walking among a large group of zombies, such as "Shaun of the Dead" and "The Walking Dead," but "Warm Bodies allows the opportunity for R to walk unnoticed among the humans as he becomes more and more lifelike.
The movie pays its tributes to George A. Romero, advocating the stern "Zombies can't run" rule...until they are no longer zombies. And the movie even makes fun of this rule in one of the earliest scenes: as R and a group of "friends" begin their long march to the city, the narration remarks "God, we move slow. This might take a while..." Another classic zombie trope that is turned on its head is the concept of "BRAAAAAAINSSSSS." Zombies still eat brains in this world, but for entirely different reasons. When zombies eat human brains, they catch glimpses of the memories of that person's life. This seems like a strange idea to throw into an already strange movie until R is able to see through the eyes of a person he killed and witness himself as a monster. "Warm Bodies" changes the perspective on zombies in so many ways that it could almost create a new genre in itself.
The "rom" part of zomb-rom-com, a term I came up with myself but honestly probably didn't, is also handled quite well. Just another way in which this movie flips expectations around is that R manages to fill all the rolls held by Edward Cullen but much better. R protects Julie, provides for her, loves her, and watches her while she sleeps because he cannot. Edward does like, half of these things. And when R watches Julie sleep, it's endearing and not fucking creepy like Edward. Fuck vampires. No, don't fuck vampires, I meant...forget it.
The movie is often self-referential in its humor, including a scene in which R is about to be given a makeover to appear human and "Pretty Woman" begins playing in the background. However, Julie cuts the montage short by saying its "not funny" and the music is changed. The way in which the zombies are shown coming to life, namely, by a large animation of a glowing heart in their chest beginning to beat, is a bit cartoonish but enjoyable nonetheless. I noticed a scene near the end of the movie that was obviously and overtly reminiscent of "Romeo and Juliet," in which the girl is sitting wistfully upon her balcony, daydreaming of her lover who appears just below her and calls her name in the night.
This may be obvious to many of you already, but it took me a full eighty minutes to realize that "R and Julie" was, in fact-shock and awe!-"Romeo and Juliet." It may seem paltry and a little bit lame, but the concepts fit the ideals of the movie. The Montagues and the Capulets are now the humans and the zombies. The funny part is that the zombies accept Julie much faster and with much less pressure than the humans are able to accept the zombies. However, this movie has a much different and much more cheerful ending then the classic tragedy.
"Warm Bodies" is a thought-provoking and entertaining film, showing the extents of love on a battlefield to the inherent awkwardness of young men, regardless of vital signs. This movie earns a Watch It rating, and I would definitely recommend it for a first date...if your date doesn't mind a touch of gore with their rom-com. And really, why would you?
Until next time, what are your thoughts on "Warm Bodies?" I love to hear the opinions!
-kmaker
"Warm Bodies" is one of the few films in recent years that explores a territory that is truly unexplored in the world of movies. How many movies, outside of porn, feature a human kissing a zombie? Truly remarkable stuff. This film is not satisfied to skirt by on novelty, however, and also features great acting performances matched with well-executed cinematography, writing, and music to make a memorable film.
"Warm Bodies" begins with the internal monologue of one of the millions of zombies wandering the earth, shuffling from place to place until hunger draws them closer to human dwellings. I was immediately hooked. R, the protagonist, describes the way he goes about each and every day which is, indeed, the same as every other zombie. R takes up his residence in an airport with dozens of others, but R is inherently different. In addition to the fact that we, the audience, are inside his head, we also see that he enjoys his own private residence in an airplane and enjoys hoarding away trinkets from the world before it was destroyed. Like WALL-E, but a zomb-E.
"Warm Bodies" follows the adventures of R as he falls in love with a living human girl, Julie, and saves her from the rest of the zombie population while taking her as a pseudo-prisoner in his home. He provides for her every need and always attempts to "stop being creepy" while around her. Interesting concerns for a zombie. Julie undergoes a strange Stockholm Syndrome in which she is at first understandably terrified of R but soon sees that he is different from the others. R protects Julie and loves her, so much so that he begins to come back to life. R inspires other zombies to do the same, and the zombie population begins to regain its humanity.
A movie in which an actor plays a zombie that is able to talk for most of the movie seems like an opportunity for overacting and cheesy dialogue, but Nicholas Hoult portrays R very believably, and the progression from a zombie to a human seems not only natural, but inevitable. The dialogue offers many laughs and the casting was generally superb.
What is fascinating about this film is that humans are not even onscreen for the first ten minutes, and I already found myself empathizing with R in his continual restlessness as he shuffled among the other zombies. This empathy for zombies is the root of the movie, and allows the audience to not only connect with R, but with the entire zombie population.
Another interesting thing about this movie is that it may be the first movie featuring zombies in which precisely 0 of the antagonists are zombies. The problem of "Who's the antagonist then?" is solved by the "Bonies." Bonies are the zombies of the zombies, un-dead people that gave up on any attempt at humanity and ate any extraneous flesh off of their own bodies until they were nothing more than bones and muscle. Bonies are faster and more vicious than any zombie, and are obviously willing to consume zombie-flesh.
The most important aspect of this movie is that it flips the script on everything we have been taught about zombies and movie monsters in general. Not only does a zombie fall in love with a human girl, but he inspires others to do the same. The zombies have their own monsters to be wary of. We empathize with zombies so much that we begin to view humans as the enemies until one of them learns to have sympathy for a zombie herself. Several mediums have shown us the concept of a group of humans disguising themselves and walking among a large group of zombies, such as "Shaun of the Dead" and "The Walking Dead," but "Warm Bodies allows the opportunity for R to walk unnoticed among the humans as he becomes more and more lifelike.
The movie pays its tributes to George A. Romero, advocating the stern "Zombies can't run" rule...until they are no longer zombies. And the movie even makes fun of this rule in one of the earliest scenes: as R and a group of "friends" begin their long march to the city, the narration remarks "God, we move slow. This might take a while..." Another classic zombie trope that is turned on its head is the concept of "BRAAAAAAINSSSSS." Zombies still eat brains in this world, but for entirely different reasons. When zombies eat human brains, they catch glimpses of the memories of that person's life. This seems like a strange idea to throw into an already strange movie until R is able to see through the eyes of a person he killed and witness himself as a monster. "Warm Bodies" changes the perspective on zombies in so many ways that it could almost create a new genre in itself.
The "rom" part of zomb-rom-com, a term I came up with myself but honestly probably didn't, is also handled quite well. Just another way in which this movie flips expectations around is that R manages to fill all the rolls held by Edward Cullen but much better. R protects Julie, provides for her, loves her, and watches her while she sleeps because he cannot. Edward does like, half of these things. And when R watches Julie sleep, it's endearing and not fucking creepy like Edward. Fuck vampires. No, don't fuck vampires, I meant...forget it.
The movie is often self-referential in its humor, including a scene in which R is about to be given a makeover to appear human and "Pretty Woman" begins playing in the background. However, Julie cuts the montage short by saying its "not funny" and the music is changed. The way in which the zombies are shown coming to life, namely, by a large animation of a glowing heart in their chest beginning to beat, is a bit cartoonish but enjoyable nonetheless. I noticed a scene near the end of the movie that was obviously and overtly reminiscent of "Romeo and Juliet," in which the girl is sitting wistfully upon her balcony, daydreaming of her lover who appears just below her and calls her name in the night.
This may be obvious to many of you already, but it took me a full eighty minutes to realize that "R and Julie" was, in fact-shock and awe!-"Romeo and Juliet." It may seem paltry and a little bit lame, but the concepts fit the ideals of the movie. The Montagues and the Capulets are now the humans and the zombies. The funny part is that the zombies accept Julie much faster and with much less pressure than the humans are able to accept the zombies. However, this movie has a much different and much more cheerful ending then the classic tragedy.
"Warm Bodies" is a thought-provoking and entertaining film, showing the extents of love on a battlefield to the inherent awkwardness of young men, regardless of vital signs. This movie earns a Watch It rating, and I would definitely recommend it for a first date...if your date doesn't mind a touch of gore with their rom-com. And really, why would you?
Until next time, what are your thoughts on "Warm Bodies?" I love to hear the opinions!
-kmaker
Friday, June 21, 2013
Source Code-OK, Hang On Just 8 Minutes...
Not a review, more of a demand...
"Source Code" is an action thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Colter Stevens, a army helicopter pilot who finds himself suddenly thrust into a government program in which his mind is supplanted into the body of a man who died in a tragic train bombing. However, he only has eight minutes in the body for each jump before he is ripped away from the memory and forced to start again. Colter has to discover the cause of the bombing and its bomber and relay the information to the technicians who are communicating with him in the interrim and help prevent further terrorist attacks.
This premise may seem like a lot to swallow, especially since I'm not that great of a writer. However, the action sequences are tense and thematic, the dialogue is smartly written, and Mr. Gylenhaal gives a great performance as the struggling pilot attempts to make sense of the events on the train.
Now, I'm not going to go into the details of the plot because this is not a review, I just have a bone to pick with this movie.
SPOILERS: I have already spoiled some things in the other movies I have reviewed, but this is a suspenseful sci-fi action thriller, so I feel obligated to warn those that haven't seen it, for it is definitely worth a See It rating...I guess I lied about this being a review. Also, for anyone who has seen this movie or plans on seeing it, I would love to hear your theories on this movie, because I am honestly a little lost.
Now, my issue with this movie comes from the mechanics of the Source Code machine, which is able to project Colter's mind into the body of the man he is controlling, Sean. Now, the creepy inventor of Source Code, who seems to be attempting to act as if he is equal parts Agent Smith and Severus Snape, details that the machine works by accessing the eight minutes of short-term memory stored in the mind of Sean before he died, thus the time limit. So at first, it appears that the machine is nothing more than a simulation based on the data provided by Sean's mind, which is what Colter initially believes.
HOWEVER, this makes no sense at all, because Colter is privy to plenty of information that Sean could not possibly have seen or known before he died, including the location of the bomb and plenty of environmental information of events that occurred outside of the train. Colter is able to roam freely within and without the train, and unless Sean scanned his eyes over every inch of the surrounding world during his eight minutes, this cannot be a simulation.
The inventor later states that Source Code is actually giving Colter access to an alternate reality...this is extremely different from just accessing the memory of Sean's deceased mind. Regardless, I think I can assume that the machine somehow generates a parallel reality from the information of Sean's brain, while not actually using the memories stored therein. Okay, that's a little more involved and a little less explained, but it's a movie, right?
Now, keeping in mind that Colter is able to view and interact with the alternate reality generated by the Source Code device, the inventor still clearly states that the world within the source code, but Colter comes convinced otherwise. After completing the mission of gaining the necessary information, Colter reenters the machine saying he is going to save everyone on the train, including the woman he has fallen in love with. Colter succeeds in his task and stops the bomb within the alternate world as his body dies within his own world. Even after he succeeds, Colter expects the world to be once again ripped away from him.
However, the simulation does not end. Colter finds that he is able to continue living as Sean, despite the intended purpose of Source Code. The machine has somehow managed to transport Colter into a world in which he is able to stop the terrorist attack and sends a message to the technician that helped him get there, telling her that "Source Code worked even better than you imagined."
So what the hell happened? Did Source Code just manage to manufacture an entirely real, alternate reality from nothing? How did the inventor think he was creating a simulation generated from the short-term memory and instead become the God of an entire dimension?
Also, at the end of the movie, Colter is walking in Chicago and sees a shiny metal monument in the park that he, as well as the audience, realizes that he caught glimpses of as he jumped in and out of Sean's mind multiple times. So how the hell did that happen? Is Source Code not only able to generate entire universes, but also able to show the user flashes of the best possible reality that could exist within the constraints of some dead guy's mind?
Now, I'm not saying this makes "Source Code" a bad movie-in fact, you should See It-but this brings up too many questions for me to ignore. I'm already making concessions for the fact that Gylenhaal gets to steal Sean's body away and make off with the girl that already wanted to bang him. I like the ending to the movie, but I feel as if I was tricked by the premise of the Source Code device, and just saying "It worked better than we thought" is not good enough to satisfy the movie critic in me.
Maybe you guys know what's up?
Until next time, what are your thoughts on the film? I love to hear the opinions!
-kmaker
Cloud Atlas-A Metaphysical Dance Across Time
If I had a religion, it would be Cloud Atlas.
"Cloud Atlas" is a movie that attempts to reach further than most movies have any right to. Adapted from the novel of the same name, the film weaves together six narratives that span the course of thousands of years, from a 19th century ship upon the Pacific to a post-apocalyptic future. I will not bother to attempt to explain the plot, because each time period has its own story line and unique characters that would take an entire novel to explain-go figure.
However, the stories manage to fit into the medium of a movie nonetheless-albeit a movie almost three hours in length. The movie features the acting of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, and Hugo Weaving, among others. Each actor plays several characters, which perfectly fits into the film because each actor is representative of the reincarnated soul of the characters, so we are able to see how the soul progresses throughout the ages. This is the true magic of this movie, as the characters are so well fleshed out that each could be described as 3-dimensional, but should instead be described as 4-dimensional, because the souls are the true characters that bend and weave through time as many different characters.
The main theme of the movie is the distinction between "Us and Them." "Cloud Atlas" shows that this distinction is a complete falsehood, as in another life, you could be one of "Them" and they could be "Us." All barriers are an illusion, and in the grand scheme of the history of the world, race and gender are just characteristics that can easily be changed in the next lifetime. The movie shows slavery, homophobia, discrimination against women, discrimination against the elderly, fabricants forced into a new form of slavery, and the distinction between Islanders on Hawaii and the race of futuristic beings that live above them. All of these differences are meaningless, because in the end, all souls are equally valuable and bodies are just vessels for the "stuff" that is human life.
The first forty-five minutes of this movie are incredibly confusing, as the film quickly jumps through all six narratives without much explanation. The six stories describe Adam Ewing on a sailing ship to San Fransisco, a young bisexual composer in Europe, a female reporter working in California, an elderly British man, a cloned Korean woman in Neo Seoul, and a tribal goat-herder living in a demolished Hawaii. The stories span the centuries but are united through the incredible use of themes that fill in gaps in the narratives by showing how the characteristics of these people are reverberated throughout time.
Tom Hanks easily gives the best performances of the movie, and each of his characters shows the true scope of his acting abilities. For example, Hanks starts out as a slimy, racist doctor who befriends Ewing during their voyage. He later appears as a reserved scientist who quickly falls in love with reporter Luisa Rey, played by Halle Berry. His next role is a spurned, vulgar British novelist who casually murders a critic who gave his book a bad review. Hanks' final role in the movie shows him as a goat-herder in post-apocalyptic Hawaii who once again meets Halle Berry in the form of Meronym, a woman from a race of people with superior technology who are separated from the island dwellers.
Tom Hanks' roles are so incredible in this film because his character arc does not confine itself to one lifetime, but rather all the lifetimes that we view throughout the movie. Hanks plays some truly despicable characters, but he is later shown as a good man plagued by guilt and fear. The character arc shows how an evil man can seek redemption, even if it takes thousands of years.
The most visually gripping story by far is the tale of Sonmi-451, played by Doona Bae-a fantastic South Korean actress-a "fabricant," or clone, living in a futuristic version of Seoul, South Korea. This part of the movie is directed by the Wachowskis, and they show they still have the ability to create a fantastic setting for the story. Neo Seoul feels like a massive, living city with transparent highways and high speed vehicles in a truly epic police chase as Sonmi is freed from her slavery as a fabricant and pursued by authorities. Hae-Joo frees Sonmi from her captivity and shows her the real world while falling in love with her. Sonmi is eventually able to release her Orison to the world, a proclamation that details her understanding of life and the world. "Our bodies are not our own," she states. Every sin and every kindness affects all the people around us, and those actions reverberate throughout all of time.
Sonmi's story is truly moving because it once again shows the power of this movie. We see Sonmi executed for her crimes against the established order of the world, and we see Hae-Joo brutally murdered in battle. Sonmi states that she still loves Hae-Joo and, in fact, she will always love him. As we see both these lovers die, we see their souls, thousands of years earlier, reunited in San Francisco. Adam Ewing and his wife meet once again and it seems that the dead are resurrected decades before they were even born.
"Cloud Atlas" is an incredible story, and I could honestly write about it for hours, especially if there is any aspect of the story that you would like to discuss in the comments. This movie earns a Watch It Twice and then some, and is probably my top movie of 2012.
Until next time, give me your thoughts on the film. I love to hear your opinions!
-kmaker
"Cloud Atlas" is a movie that attempts to reach further than most movies have any right to. Adapted from the novel of the same name, the film weaves together six narratives that span the course of thousands of years, from a 19th century ship upon the Pacific to a post-apocalyptic future. I will not bother to attempt to explain the plot, because each time period has its own story line and unique characters that would take an entire novel to explain-go figure.
However, the stories manage to fit into the medium of a movie nonetheless-albeit a movie almost three hours in length. The movie features the acting of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, and Hugo Weaving, among others. Each actor plays several characters, which perfectly fits into the film because each actor is representative of the reincarnated soul of the characters, so we are able to see how the soul progresses throughout the ages. This is the true magic of this movie, as the characters are so well fleshed out that each could be described as 3-dimensional, but should instead be described as 4-dimensional, because the souls are the true characters that bend and weave through time as many different characters.
The main theme of the movie is the distinction between "Us and Them." "Cloud Atlas" shows that this distinction is a complete falsehood, as in another life, you could be one of "Them" and they could be "Us." All barriers are an illusion, and in the grand scheme of the history of the world, race and gender are just characteristics that can easily be changed in the next lifetime. The movie shows slavery, homophobia, discrimination against women, discrimination against the elderly, fabricants forced into a new form of slavery, and the distinction between Islanders on Hawaii and the race of futuristic beings that live above them. All of these differences are meaningless, because in the end, all souls are equally valuable and bodies are just vessels for the "stuff" that is human life.
The first forty-five minutes of this movie are incredibly confusing, as the film quickly jumps through all six narratives without much explanation. The six stories describe Adam Ewing on a sailing ship to San Fransisco, a young bisexual composer in Europe, a female reporter working in California, an elderly British man, a cloned Korean woman in Neo Seoul, and a tribal goat-herder living in a demolished Hawaii. The stories span the centuries but are united through the incredible use of themes that fill in gaps in the narratives by showing how the characteristics of these people are reverberated throughout time.
Tom Hanks easily gives the best performances of the movie, and each of his characters shows the true scope of his acting abilities. For example, Hanks starts out as a slimy, racist doctor who befriends Ewing during their voyage. He later appears as a reserved scientist who quickly falls in love with reporter Luisa Rey, played by Halle Berry. His next role is a spurned, vulgar British novelist who casually murders a critic who gave his book a bad review. Hanks' final role in the movie shows him as a goat-herder in post-apocalyptic Hawaii who once again meets Halle Berry in the form of Meronym, a woman from a race of people with superior technology who are separated from the island dwellers.
Tom Hanks' roles are so incredible in this film because his character arc does not confine itself to one lifetime, but rather all the lifetimes that we view throughout the movie. Hanks plays some truly despicable characters, but he is later shown as a good man plagued by guilt and fear. The character arc shows how an evil man can seek redemption, even if it takes thousands of years.
The most visually gripping story by far is the tale of Sonmi-451, played by Doona Bae-a fantastic South Korean actress-a "fabricant," or clone, living in a futuristic version of Seoul, South Korea. This part of the movie is directed by the Wachowskis, and they show they still have the ability to create a fantastic setting for the story. Neo Seoul feels like a massive, living city with transparent highways and high speed vehicles in a truly epic police chase as Sonmi is freed from her slavery as a fabricant and pursued by authorities. Hae-Joo frees Sonmi from her captivity and shows her the real world while falling in love with her. Sonmi is eventually able to release her Orison to the world, a proclamation that details her understanding of life and the world. "Our bodies are not our own," she states. Every sin and every kindness affects all the people around us, and those actions reverberate throughout all of time.
Sonmi's story is truly moving because it once again shows the power of this movie. We see Sonmi executed for her crimes against the established order of the world, and we see Hae-Joo brutally murdered in battle. Sonmi states that she still loves Hae-Joo and, in fact, she will always love him. As we see both these lovers die, we see their souls, thousands of years earlier, reunited in San Francisco. Adam Ewing and his wife meet once again and it seems that the dead are resurrected decades before they were even born.
"Cloud Atlas" is an incredible story, and I could honestly write about it for hours, especially if there is any aspect of the story that you would like to discuss in the comments. This movie earns a Watch It Twice and then some, and is probably my top movie of 2012.
Until next time, give me your thoughts on the film. I love to hear your opinions!
-kmaker
The Perks of Being a Wallflower-A Soul-Wrenching Hipster Bildungsroman
At the risk of sounding cliche, this movie is an emotional merry-go-round.
Charlie is a quiet, shy, freshman starting high school and becoming a small fish in a big pond and you might already feel like this story has been told more times than "Hero saves a princess," but bear with me. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a great ride to be on, and while it touches on dozens of subjects that have already been covered in literally hundreds of high school/coming-of-age movies, it approaches them in a refreshingly new way and is fueled by the stellar acting performances of the entire cast. Additionally, I hesitate to describe the behavior in this movie as "hipster," as the movie takes place in the early 90s, so people actually did make mix tapes and some even listened to records non-ironically.
As Charlie enters high school in early 90s Pittsburgh, he has fewer friends than most, as his best friend shot himself several months prior to the events of the movie. Additionally, Charlie has suffered from an unspecified mental ailment which made him suffer visions and depression and forced him to spend time in the hospital. Charlie does not feel that he is in an optimal position for friend-making until he sees a senior from his wood shop class and takes the big leap to approach him at a football game.
Patrick is a likable, homosexual senior who is not afraid to be kinder to the freshmen than most other seniors. He quickly begins talking to Charlie, unaware that he is the only friendly contact that Charlie has met at school. Charlie is introduced to Patrick's senior step-sister Sam-wow, alliteration!-to whom Charlie is instantly attracted. Sam, played by Emma Watson, and Charlie begin talking about music and find they have similar tastes, and Charlie feels connected to the two seniors.
Charlie is standing by himself at Homecoming until he sees Patrick and Sam dancing energetically to "Come On Eileen" and decides to join him. They let him into their circle to dance and Charlie feels accepted. They later bring Charlie to a party where he is given a brownie laced with marijuana and amuses Patrick and Sam's friends Mary Elizabeth and Alice. While still high, Charlie reveals to Sam that his friend committed suicide, prompting Sam to tell Patrick, who gives a toast to Charlie, welcoming him into their group.
While driving home, Sam hears a song on the radio-"Heroes" by David Bowie-which inspires here to stand in the back of Patrick's truck as they drive through a tunnel. Charlie admires Sam's ritual as they listen to the song and states that he feels "infinite."
Charlie immediately takes to his new friends, exploring their musical interests through records and mix tapes, as well as seeing "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" live show, in which the seniors have rolls. Charlie later finds himself an actor in the show himself, causing him to further come out of his shell through ridiculous embarrassment. He also participates in their parties and often partakes in drugs and alcohol, including LSD, which almost gets him caught by his parents. Charlie is finally accepted by a group that loves him, and his relationship with Sam continues to develop, though she is dating someone else.
Charlie continues to grow in his new friendships until Mary Elizabeth asks him to the Sadie Hawkins dance and subsequently dates Charlie. Charlie is miserable in the relationship and thinks that he wishes one of them were dying of cancer so he wouldn't have to break up with Mary Elizabeth. He ends the relationships when Patrick dares him to kiss the prettiest girl in the room and Charlie chooses to kiss Sam.
Patrick warns Charlie to stay away for a while to allow the girls time to cool down. Charlie is completely abandoned by his friends and suffers from his visions and depression for several weeks. This low-point in the story is truly gut-wrenching, and I found myself genuinely concerned for how Charlie would fix the situation. He is able to regain the group's trust by attacking several seniors who attacked Patrick and called him "faggot." Charlie regains Sam's friendship as well as the rest of the group.
Charlie sees his friends go through prom and graduation, wishing he was graduating with them. Sam breaks up with her boyfriend and Charlie is able to declare his love to her before she leaves for Penn State. Soon after, Charlie suffers a mental breakdown and the true nature of his mental condition is revealed, causing him to be readmitted to the hospital.
After Charlie is released, he once again sees Patrick and Sam, fresh from two months of college. All three drive through the tunnel again, playing "Heroes" once again. This time Charlie stands in the back of the truck and states that his life is happening now, and he will not be a sad story. He once again feels "infinite."
As "Heroes" faded away from the end credits of this movie, just as all of the fantastic music in this movie faded from my ears, I sat and simply though about this movie. This movie hollowed me out and filled me up again, and I would recommend it to any teenager of any time, because it addresses all the road bumps of friendship, mental illness, family problems, loss, drug use, and love in a way that is as universal as it is beautiful.
While the movie may seem hipsterish at points, the story is well-crafted and emotionally moving. The acting is great all around, but the the true standout performance is Emma Watson. She easily sheds the appearance of Hermione Granger and takes on a real character that is fleshed out and gripping in its execution.
This movie inspired me to explore dozens of new artists that I would have never heard before, as well as inspiring me to write the Rocky Horror review. This movie takes all the obvious trends of "high school movies" and crafts a truly memorable experience that feels genuine and original.
Undoubtedly, I give "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" the rating of Watch It Twice, because that is exactly what I did, and I feel that it was worth every second.
Until next time, give me your thoughts on the film. I love to hear the opinions!
-kmaker
The Rocky Horror Picture Show-A Leap into the Depths of Madness
1975 was a weird year.
I hesitate to write my first review about this movie because in doing so I feel as if I am being forced to recount a particularly eventful LSD trip, but I wish to review it while the memories are fresh in my head. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is a true cult classic and is still viewed and celebrated to this day. For those unaware, this movie is renowned for having screenings in which actors dress up and perform the movie as it is being played on screen. The actors and, indeed, the audience, get completely caught up in the insanity of the show and screaming, singing, dancing, nudity, and elaborate costumes are all par for the course. A good friend of mine tells me that everyone should experience it at least once. When I see the live show, I'll write a review about it.
But the movie itself offers enough zaniness to keep this viewer satisfied. The movie starts up with the famous disembodied read lips singing the opening theme song. It then shifts to an innocent wedding scene, and the audience feels comforted by the normalcy of the setting and the characters, though the acting is a little over the top, but in a good, rock opera kind of way.
The movie soon jumps back and forth between the tale of Brad and Janet and exposition provided by a British man narrating the peculiar event from his dignified study. At this point, I was still on board, as the movie hadn't offered up anything more disturbing than those bizarre floating lips.
"Oh," I said to myself. "It's funny, it's using a strange man to tell parts of the story like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" or "The Princess Bride", I'm still on board with this." Little did I know.
The tale follows Brad and Janet as they seek out an old professor and close friend Dr. Scott but instead find themselves at the strange castle of Dr. Frank N. Furter and are greeted at the door by his version of Igor. Dr. Furter quickly announces himself as a " sweet Transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania," and the movie quickly flies down the rabbit hole.
Brad and Janet are stripped down to their underwear and watch as the members of the madhouse dance and sing along with their master. Furter proves himself equally capable in seducing Janet and Brad, who he pursues in addition to the muscular, blond Rocky whom he created for his own pleasure. Dr. Furter parades around with his dancing group of admirers and the film almost seems to be nothing more than a kitschy, off-kilter musical when he brutally murders Meatloaf with a pickax. As bizarre as the film was up until this point, the movie completely flies off the rails from hereafter.
Dr. Furter proceeds to be violently jealous towards Rocky, who had sex with the now-corrupted Janet. Dr. Scott appears at the house to look for his nephew Eddy, played by Meatloaf. Dr. Furter serves a roast to the guests, but when asked about Eddy he answers, "That's a tender subject. Would you like some more?" He then reveals Eddy's mangled corpse and chases the guests around the house, turning them all to stone.
What follows in the movie is twenty minutes of a bizarre stage show put on by Dr. Furter in which all of his captives, like himself, wear high heels, fishnets, and lingerie, culminating in a bizarre pseudo-orgy in a swimming pool. The ending of the Picture Show is just as bizarre and out of place as everything else in the movie, and despite the movie approaching 40 years of age, I wouldn't want to spoil any more than I already have.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is filled with fantastic musical numbers, over-the-top acting, and bat shit insanity. The actors hold nothing back, and the acting blends well with the strange set pieces and powerful rock-like song and dance numbers. All in all, the film is a satisfying romp into the completely deranged.
I will not grade movies on a number scale but rather as follows:
No One Should See It-This movie should never have been made.
Avoid It- Not worth your time as a moviegoer.
See It-Worth viewing, but not great.
Watch It-Recommended. Worth viewing closely, but not the best.
Watch It Twice-You cannot take in everything this movie has to offer all at once and it is worth twice the amount of time.
This movie earns a solid See It. While it does have great music and is still a fantastic cult classic, it is more enjoyable as a delightful jump into insanity than a very deep movie. I do plan on seeing one of the live shows, but I cannot yet recommend it. Await that review!
Until next time, give me your thoughts on this movie. I love to hear the opinions!
-kmaker
I hesitate to write my first review about this movie because in doing so I feel as if I am being forced to recount a particularly eventful LSD trip, but I wish to review it while the memories are fresh in my head. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is a true cult classic and is still viewed and celebrated to this day. For those unaware, this movie is renowned for having screenings in which actors dress up and perform the movie as it is being played on screen. The actors and, indeed, the audience, get completely caught up in the insanity of the show and screaming, singing, dancing, nudity, and elaborate costumes are all par for the course. A good friend of mine tells me that everyone should experience it at least once. When I see the live show, I'll write a review about it.
But the movie itself offers enough zaniness to keep this viewer satisfied. The movie starts up with the famous disembodied read lips singing the opening theme song. It then shifts to an innocent wedding scene, and the audience feels comforted by the normalcy of the setting and the characters, though the acting is a little over the top, but in a good, rock opera kind of way.
The movie soon jumps back and forth between the tale of Brad and Janet and exposition provided by a British man narrating the peculiar event from his dignified study. At this point, I was still on board, as the movie hadn't offered up anything more disturbing than those bizarre floating lips.
"Oh," I said to myself. "It's funny, it's using a strange man to tell parts of the story like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" or "The Princess Bride", I'm still on board with this." Little did I know.
The tale follows Brad and Janet as they seek out an old professor and close friend Dr. Scott but instead find themselves at the strange castle of Dr. Frank N. Furter and are greeted at the door by his version of Igor. Dr. Furter quickly announces himself as a " sweet Transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania," and the movie quickly flies down the rabbit hole.
Brad and Janet are stripped down to their underwear and watch as the members of the madhouse dance and sing along with their master. Furter proves himself equally capable in seducing Janet and Brad, who he pursues in addition to the muscular, blond Rocky whom he created for his own pleasure. Dr. Furter parades around with his dancing group of admirers and the film almost seems to be nothing more than a kitschy, off-kilter musical when he brutally murders Meatloaf with a pickax. As bizarre as the film was up until this point, the movie completely flies off the rails from hereafter.
Dr. Furter proceeds to be violently jealous towards Rocky, who had sex with the now-corrupted Janet. Dr. Scott appears at the house to look for his nephew Eddy, played by Meatloaf. Dr. Furter serves a roast to the guests, but when asked about Eddy he answers, "That's a tender subject. Would you like some more?" He then reveals Eddy's mangled corpse and chases the guests around the house, turning them all to stone.
What follows in the movie is twenty minutes of a bizarre stage show put on by Dr. Furter in which all of his captives, like himself, wear high heels, fishnets, and lingerie, culminating in a bizarre pseudo-orgy in a swimming pool. The ending of the Picture Show is just as bizarre and out of place as everything else in the movie, and despite the movie approaching 40 years of age, I wouldn't want to spoil any more than I already have.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is filled with fantastic musical numbers, over-the-top acting, and bat shit insanity. The actors hold nothing back, and the acting blends well with the strange set pieces and powerful rock-like song and dance numbers. All in all, the film is a satisfying romp into the completely deranged.
I will not grade movies on a number scale but rather as follows:
No One Should See It-This movie should never have been made.
Avoid It- Not worth your time as a moviegoer.
See It-Worth viewing, but not great.
Watch It-Recommended. Worth viewing closely, but not the best.
Watch It Twice-You cannot take in everything this movie has to offer all at once and it is worth twice the amount of time.
This movie earns a solid See It. While it does have great music and is still a fantastic cult classic, it is more enjoyable as a delightful jump into insanity than a very deep movie. I do plan on seeing one of the live shows, but I cannot yet recommend it. Await that review!
Until next time, give me your thoughts on this movie. I love to hear the opinions!
-kmaker
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