Children of Men: A glimpse of what might be...

Films, in general, do not have much to say anymore. They simply go about their business of (trying to) entertain the audience. However, a film like Children of Men is a rare exception for it not only entertained but also attempted to take a deep philosophical look at the modern world and some of its issues.

In the year 2027 humans can no longer reproduce and society has begun to rip apart as extinction seems inevitable. However, hope is rekindled when a young woman becomes pregnant and the responsibility of keeping her safe from the numerous factions who want her unborn child fall upon a despondent government officer named Theo.

Director Alfonso Cuaron gave the audience a terrifying glimpse into the future, one where playgrounds and schools were devoid of children and refugees were tortured and kicked out of the last country not knee deep in anarchy (Britain). It was a bleak and nihilistic portrait, but the most disturbing thing was the realistic way in which it was presented. Given the fact that we as people are facing things such as global warming, Europe’s population becoming older with fewer young people, intolerances of all types flourishing and Armageddon still only the push of a button away, it is hard not to be the least bit dismayed every time someone turns on the news. Those disturbing facts we face everyday made it easy to relate to Theo (a wonderfully broken Clive Owen), a man who long ago lost faith and had only been drifting along in life thanks to a bottle of whisky. But he rediscovered that faith when he met up with Kee, the pregnant refugee. Through her and the baby growing inside of her, he hoped to find mankind’s second chance at peace in the midst of chaos. And even though Kee eventually gave birth to her child, Cuaron was not above indicting modern man and his propensity towards violence. In one of the most surreal scenes, the violence between the government and rebel forces finally spilled into the streets, erupting into some of the most gritty and intensely filmed urban combat seen. But when people caught sight of Kee and her child, the guns stopped and for just that moment life was about hope and change. But as soon as she and the baby moved out of range, the gunfire (symbolically) started up again with man killing man in the name of something neither of them could ever truly understand. Intelligent and significant, Children of Men is not to be missed.

Grade: A

Bringing Up Baby: Blame it on film class

Before I ever stepped foot in a film class I thought all old films were the same. I thought my parents and grandparents would watch them so they could relive their younger years and point out to me that "this is the way movies should be, not littered with violence and bad language like most modern films." For the longest time I didn't believe them, but then I walked into my first film class and I was blown away by the classic films, like the one I'm going to talk about, we watched. I gained an appreciation for movies that were not bursting at the seams with CGI or curse words that would make even a sailor blush.

Doctor David Huxley’s life appears to be heading in the right direction. He has just received the final bone that will complete the brontosaurus skeleton he’s worked on for four years, plus he’s about to marry his fiancé Ms. Swallow. Everything seems great, until he meets Susan Vance. After the two share a series of unfortunate events, they head to Connecticut in order to deliver a leopard named Baby to her aunt.

The premise of the film was very screwballish, but the film itself was fun and entertaining. The main reason for that were the performances of the lead actors, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. Grant’s Huxley was a bit of a bumbler prone to pratfalls and other physical humor. He was a book worm, the type of character one would not have expected the usually suave Grant to portray. He played the perfect foil to Hepburn’s Susan. She was the exact opposite of David, free-spirited and wanting to have a good time at any price. When they were together on screen the dialogue snapped back and forth and it was hard to not laugh uncontrollably as Susan antagonized David into another precarious situation. It's a shame that more modern filmmakers cannot seem to duplicate what happened on the screen in this movie for director Howard Hawks gave the audience everything they could want in a comedy. Not only did you get Grant slipping on his hat, or Hepburn imitate a gangster's moll but you got to see those characters interact and actually build their relationship. They were not just slapped together due to some silly happenstance as is so rampant in a modern romantic comedy rather, they were allowed to figure each other out and grow so that when they finally did get together the journey they endured seemed believable and satisfying. Bringing Up Baby was a classic screwball comedy everyone could enjoy.

Grade: A

The Descent: (or why I'll never go into a cave ever again!)

Today's film audiences have acquired a sort of "seen it all, heard of it all" attitude toward movies and this is especially true in the horror genre. Think about the number of Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween movies you yourself have watched. Now think about how pedestrian the scares and chills have become as each successive sequel has come out. You might start to wonder if there are any films out there that can actually scare you? I think this one might do the trick.

A year after a tragic event, six friends decide to go caving. However after they become trapped in those caves, their friendships are tested as they must struggle to find a way out and also face a horrifying terror that unknowingly stalks them.

Writer/director Neil Marshall was able to turn what could have been a cheesy and predictable horror flick into an absolutely terrifying white knuckle experience that had the audience pinned to their seats until the final credits rolled. He was able to do this by first creating a group of characters that the audience could identify with and feel for. It’s true that the group of friends was comprised of all women, but they were far from damsels in distress. Each had their own uniqueness and held their own against not only the natural elements, but the evil creatures they encountered. Marshall, paying homage to Ridley Scott’s Alien (an obvious influence on the film), only gave the audience noises and quick glimpses of those creatures in the early parts of the movies, building the tension to an overwhelming degree until they finally appeared and scared the bejesus out of everyone (cast and audience). The audience was so unnerved and on edge throughout due to not only the lack of light in the caves, but their cramped nature as well (claustrophobics need not apply for this one). The Descent will make you sweat, laugh, cringe, scream and everything else a good horror film should.

Grade: A

Alien Vs. Predator Requiem: This time, it's a bore.

If you ever wanted to see an example of a film that was not only horrible, but also succeeded in alienating its built - in fan base then look no further than this wretched movie.

The film picks up where the previous AVP left off, this time around the Alien/Predator hybrid escapes to earth and, along with a menagerie of other Aliens, begins to tear up a small town in Colorado. So it's up to a Predator to hunt them down and destroy them (along with anyone who gets in its way).

Herein lies the part where I explain how I could despise a film which featured two of my favorite movie monsters. For starters, the story was a mess and really had no narrative to speak of other than, "Alien fights Predator in sewer, Alien fights Predator in hospital, etc." The whole purpose of the film was to allow the monsters the room to kick each other's butts, which might work for some viewers but not everyone. It also didn't help that the actors (a bunch of no - namers that I swear the filmmakers snagged from a community theater troop close to where they shot this "masterpiece"), were just included to be fodder for said monsters. When they did try to deliver serious lines of dialogue it came off as hokey and just made you laugh. Finally there was the directing. My Mother always said that if you don't have anything nice to say about someone then don't say anything but I'm sorry Mom, I have to. The directors (The Strause Brothers) were uninventive, repetitive and dilluted. Even to the untrained eye it looked as though they simply reframed some of their favorite scenes from the previous Alien and Predator films in lieu of a fresher more dynamic look. In their minds I'm sure they thought they were paying homage to those great films, but it just came off as lazy and uninspired. They seemed to forget that what made those original films so good was the fact that every one of them was unique and brought something new to the table. Alien Vs. Predator Requiem was just a dreadful attempt at filmmaking which failed miserably at even being entertaining.

Grade: D

Public Enemies: It stars Johnny Depp, what else do you need to know?

I have to confess, I came into Public Enemies hoping to see another Heat (one of the best crime dramas ever made, which was directed by Michael Mann), this one set in the 1930's gangster era. With two strong actors in the lead roles (Johnny Depp and Christian Bale) and the man behind films like Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans and Manhunter (Miami Vice really shouldn't be counted in the canon of Mann) doing the directing, my expectations were high.

For those of you unaware, Public Enemies tells the story of notorious bank robber John Dillinger and Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent tasked with bringing an end to his reign of terror. The film certainly delivered the same kind of intense action that most Mann films are known for, with tommy guns and BAR's blazing every time Dillinger and his gang were holding up a bank or shooting it out with the Feds. Johnny Depp absolutely killed it as Dillinger, turning a true life criminal into a sympathetic anti - hero whom you not only rooted for and cared about but wanted to see survive until the last reel. Part of that has to do with the love story between Dillinger and Billie Frechette (played by Marion Cotillard). We learn that she is cut from the same cloth as Dillinger (raised in a broken home, never really done much of anything with her life) and, due to that kindred nature, she is able to bring out a side of him that makes him human. Sure the love story sub-plot is a tad clunky but it gives Depp the time and space to create a wholly realized character, a character whose every action exuded cool, confidence and believability.

Unfortunately, it dragged in the parts where Depp was not on the screen. Christian Bale's Purvis certainly did not help the cause for he seemed to bring little to no energy to the fray. He was more uptight and straight laced than a librarian on a Tuesday afternoon (it figures, the one time his now infamous temper should be on display, he holds back). The result is that your interest wanes when he and the rest of his G-Men are sharpening their sticks in the office trying to come up with new ways to stop Public Enemy #1.

It's true, Public Enemies is no Heat, but Depp and Mann make it a welcome break from all those big, loud and dumb summer blockbusters currently littering the multiplexes.

Grade: B

Borat: It's very nice!

Before the madness that will be Bruno hits movie theaters, the world was introduced to another creation of Sacha Baron Cohen named Borat. A journalist with a peculiar slant on things in America.

Intrepid Kazahkstani journalist Borat travels to America to report on the greatest country in the world. But that endeavor is soon pushed aside when he decides to go on another quest, to find and marry Pamela Anderson.

Forget the fact that there are so many golden comedic moments during Borat that an audience found it hard to catch its collective breath (the destructive trip to the antique store and the driving lesson he undertook are shining examples), the thing they should come away with after watching the movie is a new perspective not only on themselves but of foreign opinions on Americans in general. Borat's journey across the "U.S. and A" shed light on some vicious bigotry and hatred still present in the supposedly enlightened modern American society, bigotry and hatred that seemed just as bad (if not worse) than what was going on in his backwater home of Kazahkstan. Sure there were the over the top comedic moments such as when he found an interesting way to use the facilities while he was dining with some Southerners and his naked wrestling match with his manager was enough to make any person cringe but there was a method to Cohen's madness. The viewer who simply chuckled and didn't realize they were laughing at their own ignorance and bigotry missed the point to the film. Not only this, but Cohen also took a swing at Americans obsession with celebrity and beauty. After seeing Pamela Anderson in full Baywatch mode while in an American hotel, he became obsessed and that desire to take her led to the cross country trek. Once he finally met her however, he came to realize that those things that are truly beautiful are usually the things right in front of you, not former Playmates with plastic parts. His incisive look at America made Borat a great success indeed.

Grade: B

Closer: Wait, this isn't an action film?

I'll admit, if you've looked at my blog the bulk of the films I've reviewed so far have had a definite action/sci-fi feel to them. So I decided to step out of my comfort zone and tackle a film about something I know little about (according my last girlfriend at least) relationships.

Four people have their lives turned upside down as they search for love. Even though Dan has a successful relationship with his girlfriend Alice, he can’t get another woman named Anna out of his mind. And although Anna is in a serious relationship of her own, with a doctor named Larry, she still finds herself attracted to Dan. Soon they begin a passionate affair which destroys their other relationships. But can it last or will it end with everyone being heartbroken?

Though it started out like one, the movie was not another maudlin romantic comedy with a predictable storyline and absurd plot. It was a sophisticated look at adult relationships and not really a love story per se. While all of the characters were in search of love, they certainly did not find it. The bleak ending, to go along with dialogue that seemed to pop from the screen for it sounded genuine, gave the film a true to life feeling that most romantic comedies and dramatic movies lack. The performances by the actors also made the film a pleasure to watch, specifically Natalie Portman and Clive Owen. Portman was dazzling as Alice, a free spirited woman whose innocent looks hid an old, world weary soul able to control her life on her terms. Owen was astonishing as Larry, the good doctor who seemed like such a gentleman on the outside but had a deviant sexual side which flawed him. Closer was a brutally honest look at how love could be seen in many different lights, sometimes very harsh ones.

Grade: A

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: No McG, three was enough.

It seems as though there is a lot of mixed emotion for Terminator fans concerning this film. They either love it (like me) or hate it (like my friends, who almost seem to question my sanity when I tell them why I thought it was a good film), there is no middle ground. One thing I'm sure they could all agree upon though, when you make a Terminator film, you should probably use Mr. Swarzenegger for more than just a virtual "cameo" appearance (see Terminator Salvation for an example of this).

John Connor thought he had stopped Judgement Day, but soon he discovers that was not the case. Once again the future leader of the war against machines is being pursued by one, a T-X model more than capable of destroying him. But he is aided by a familiar face in a T-101 Terminator model, (much like the one that helped him before), and a woman named Kate Brewster. Together they hope to once again avert the total destruction of the human race.

Like the two Terminator films which preceded it, Rise of the Machines was chock full of amazing gun battles, fight sequences and some truly astounding car chases. Arnold Schwarzenegger provided his usual Terminator-like performance and Kristanna Loken heated up the screen as the T-X, a terminator most men would enjoy being chased by (except for what would happen to them once she caught them, yikes!). But unlike most big budget action films, it had a compelling story to counterbalance the intensity of the action. The story connected elements of the first two films and expanded upon them as the audience discovered things such as the fate of Sarah Connor (John’s mom) and why Kate was so important to John’s future. Indeed John and Kate, and their adventure, were the main component of the film’s story. Both Nick Stahl as John and Claire Danes as Kate did outstanding jobs in making their characters believable and personable. One of the best parts of the film was the finale which could have caught some viewers off guard if they weren’t paying close enough attention throughout. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was a triumphant addition to a fine series of films.

Grade: B

Casino Royale: The reboot they got right!

Hollywood reboots, they are a growing scourge these days with studios seemingly unwilling to take a chance on an original story. But sometimes, reboots work, and can breathe new life into a film franchise that had become a shell of its former self.

British secret agent James Bond has just been given his license to kill and for his first assignment, he must face a mysterious villain named Le Chiffre in a high stakes game of poker. If he looses not only would the money help finance terrorists, but he could wind up dead as well.

Truth be told the James Bond franchise had been dying over the past couple of films. On the watch of former Bond Pierce Brosnan the films were wrought with lousy stories, an over-reliance on gadgets or ludicrous villains and Brosnan’s oh so smug turn as the British super spy. With Casino Royale, a new era in the 007 franchise was born, one that concentrated less on jet packs, stealth boats and vacuous quips everytime Bond did something cool and gave the audience the type of action they have come to expect from the series along with a richly developed story and fully realized characters. Speaking of which, Daniel Craig, though initially ridiculed as the choice for the new 007, just might be the best Bond since Sean Connery perfected the iconic character. His Bond was a brute when he had to be, unafraid of getting his hands dirty when it was necessary and yet human and vulnerable enough to worry about how his life as a trained killer might affect his soul. That vulnerability extended to the female agent along on his mission, Vesper. Their interplay and dialogue was among the best in the film, making the fate that befell her all the more bittersweet. I have not even gotten into the stylish black and white shot opening, the breathtaking high wire confrontation Bond had in the beginning or the collapsing building on the Italian Riviera at the climax but the action more than matched the marvelous story and made Casino Royale a film you do not want to miss.

Grade: A

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith; The circle is complete (for now)

Fans all over the world were excited when George Lucas announced he would be making a new trilogy which focused upon the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader but after the release of Episodes I and II, even the most ardent faboy wondered if any of the new trilogy would come close to matching any of the original films. Revenge of the Sith was their only hope.

As the Clone Wars draw to an end, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker finds himself at an impasse. His loyalty to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is questioned by his fellow Jedi Knights and their apparent lack of faith in him and his abilities leads to his seduction by Palpatine to the dark side of the force. Anakin is then consumed by his new persona, Darth Vader, and becomes the ultimate evil in the galaxy.

The film was chock full of wonderful special effects and CGI work, but two sequences stood out above everything else. The first was the epic space battle which opened the film. Even when one was following the main characters of Anakin and Obi-Wan in their respective ships, it was hard not to become distracted by the other layers of action happening all around them. That battle was topped only by the climatic lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. This was the lightsaber battle fans had been longing to see and writer/director George Lucas delivered with more than ten minutes of the most insanely cool swordplay ever committed to film. That battle alone was worth the price of rental. And while the prior two prequels were remembered for their excellent special effects/CGI work and dreadfully wooden acting, Revenge had not only the special effects, but also some effective acting. Ian McDiarmid brought an evil glee to his performance as Palpatine and Ewan McGregor excelled once again as Obi-Wan. One of the most emotional scenes, Padme’s confrontation with Anakin on the planet of Mustafar, was perhaps the finest in all of the prequels for it dripped with actual emotion. The film was everything a fan of the series could have hoped for, complete with the births of the heroes of the original trilogy; Luke and Leia, and of the most feared villain in the galaxy, Darth Vader. There will be critics who bemoan the fact that this film had stilted acting, no real emotion and only good special effects but don’t believe them. This one delivered the goods on all accounts

Grade: A-