I, FRANKENSTEIN Review

There is little to say about a film or anything really when it feels the "artists" behind it didn't care enough to invest their own interests in it. There is little vision to be held with something like I, Frankenstein as it is nothing more than a typical January release, an ugly step-sister to the summer blockbusters that have equally silly stories or premises, but real vision and money behind them. With something like I, Frankenstein what we have is the writer of such blockbusters as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the first G.I. Joe, but who also has more credible fare like Australia (c'mon you know you liked it) and Collateral to his name and has now apparently earned the right to direct his own feature and so Lakeshore Entertainment, for some unknown reason, entrusted him with a rather large budget and gave him free reign to pen a script that concerned Victor Frankenstein's monster living on into the modern world and being caught in the middle of a war that has been raging between demons and gargoyles. Sound ridiculous? It is. Its essentially another attempt to capitalize on bringing well known, well respected properties back to the big screen in more gritty fashion. It seems Stuart Beattie, the aforementioned writer turned director, decided he'd go just outside the realm of fairy tales and instead chose to pick from the iconic roster of horror figures and give them an all CGI environment with dark and brooding attitudes that would be fine if this were a substantial take on the gothic romanticism of Mary Shelley's source material, but instead it seems to want to achieve little more than box office success and disregards any sense of deeper storytelling in order to fit squarely into this pre-ordained January genre. It is an ugly genre, one where we get movies year in and year out like any one of the Underworld films (which this so proudly touts as being produced by the same people) or last years Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters or even Season of the Witch from two years ago (see a trend?). It is one of those films, set in a period where set designs call for grotesque statues and worn out castles, where CGI baddies look ridiculous and we forget about character and story the moment we walk out of the theater. You'd think, given Beattie's track record in writing he would jump at the chance to make his own film and be keen on leaving a good impression so as to earn another turn behind the camera, but if I, Frankenstein is any indication he should never be allowed to direct or pen a script again.

ABOUT TIME Review

Maybe it is the point I'm at in my life, maybe it was the non-existent expectations, or maybe it is the simple fact that there is true emotion coming through on screen that translates to the audience in spades, but any way you cut it, About Time bowled me over and hit me like a ton of bricks. Billed simply as a romantic comedy I should have known to expect more upon seeing that Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Pirate Radio) wrote and directed the film and has also said this would be his final directorial effort, that we were in for something magical. For all intents and purposes the film looked to be nothing more than a light romantic comedy with the twist of time traveling all of which was plagued by the fact star Rachel McAdams had already starred in a movie where the central conceit was that her husband involuntarily time traveled causing all kinds of problems with their marriage. Still, despite these pre-conceived notions, I was more than anxious to see Domhnall Gleeson (Anna Karenina, Bill Weasley) get a leading role and the supporting cast of top notch British talent wasn't so off-putting and neither was the fact it was obvious the film would have that native sense of charm that director Curtis effortlessly sprinkles throughout each of his projects. It was watching the film progress, feeling it move in on you and being completely taken aback when you realized you were watching something truly great that took me by surprise. The pure characterization of these people brought to the forefront and developed so well throughout that we genuinely feel we've been on a journey with them, that we've come to be a part of their close-knit family gives the film the ability to transcend its time traveling plot device and help us understand the point it is trying to make with said device rather than succumbing to the inherent hokey nature it usually implies. This is a film about life and it is as equally funny, warm, heartbreaking and uplifting as any single day of any of our lives might be. It is a truly moving film that I didn't see coming, but am keen to place as one of my favorites of the year. It struck a chord no other film this year has and has serious replay value, something I've not been able to mention much at all this year. Hats off to you, Mr. Curtis.

First Trailer for I, FRANKENSTEIN

How movies like I, Frankenstein continue to get made is something that baffles me. They all have this cheap fantasy element to them and none of it comes off as particularly original, but rather and mixed bag of references to better, more established material and archetypes taken from other genres of film and applied to these age old stories and myths that hopefully turn out to be something truly original, yet the majority of the time are nothing more than half-baked ideas set into typical action film beats where our hero must save the world from some unknown threat he helped create or unleashed from his realm, world, galaxy, story...you get the picture. A movie like this is below Aaron Eckhart who, after The Dark Knight, I believed would have a prolific career that would produce several good films and performances, but his mix of direct-to-video movies combined with big action fare that has been more or less forgettable has made him that exact thing. This kind of role and film seems destined for the $5 bin at Wal-Mart and along the lines of every Underworld, Resident Evil, or Priest and Legion that studios decide to release in the doldrums of September or the early months of the year (in this case, January). I'm slightly engaged by the trailer only because the visual element at least seems to be going for something and as this is director Stuart Beattie's first major film there might be some real inventiveness and energy here that the whole vibe I'm getting from the film is covering up. We'll just have to wait and see as I, Frankenstein opens January 24, 2014 and also stars Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto and Jai Courtney.

TOTAL RECALL Review

I never really knew how great of an impression Arnold Schwarzenegger left on Hollywood, but for at least the past four years there has been some type of summer blockbuster that either continued a series he began or a remake hoping to cash in on his originals success and widespread adoration. While Terminator Salvation, Predators, and last years remake of Conan didn't exactly live up to anyone's expectations set by those originals this years Arnie tribute is easily the best of the bunch. While I was aware of the original film I never had any real interest in seeing Total Recall until the other night in preparation for this Colin Farrell re-make. While I found it to be classically cheesy in the best ways the Austrian actor makes things over-the-top cheesy it did indeed ask some interesting questions and as with any film based on a Philip K. Dick short story delve into its interesting premise with entertaining action and clever techniques. While I enjoyed this years update of the film more than the original simply due to the look of the updated special effects and overall quality of acting I can see where loyalists to the original will find faults with what is ultimately an unnecessary remake. Though it may be without cause, it has come to be and so I will take it in with summer action glee. There is plenty here to enjoy, though it does run out of steam about half way through and from there on repeats itself with one too many chase scenes and ten too many Kate Beckinsale comebacks.

Lori (Kate Beckinsale) and Chancellor Cohaagen
(Bryan Cranston) do away with the resistance.

For the first forty-five minutes we are strapped to our seat. Director Len Wiseman (the Underworld films) is a pro at orchestrating intricate action scenes and opens with a bang here before settling into the exposition his newly envisioned world requires. We meet Farrell's Doug Quaid and his beautiful wife Lori (played by Wiseman's real life wife Kate Beckinsale) as they go about their day to day and it becomes ever the more clear that Quaid is not content with his routine life that has him and his factory-like co-workers traveling in a tunnel through the middle of the earth for their cheap labor jobs building robot cops. You see, in this re-make their is no Mars, what we instead are given is an earth that is now uninhabitable because of chemical warfare with the exception of two areas: the British islands and a colony that was formerly Australia. Quaid and many others with his mid to low social status live in the colony but travel to the British islands or federation that is controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (a criminally underused Bryan Cranston) who is seemingly the leader of the free world. This all becomes much more important when harmless ole Quaid goes to a place called Rekall, a company that turns your dreams into real memories. Quaid is unable to avoid the temptation his ambition seeks and so when he visits Rekall one day after work things take a turn for the unexpected and Quaid lives out his "fantasy" of being a secret agent that is now on the run from Cohaagen and the robots he helped build due to the fact he joined the side of an underground resistance that includes the girl from his dreams (Jessica Biel) and is led by a mysterious and also underused Bill Nighy.

Doug Quaid (Colin Farrell) goes under at Rekall.

While the changes from the original are plenty and as a matter of fact, really understandable, there is one thing that changed I wished they would have kept the same. I don't know why it brought me so much annoyance, maybe the fact Beckinsale was given more work because her husband is in charge of the thing, but like Sharon Stone, she should have been killed off early on. Other than this, Mars isn't really necessary and the creativity the early scenes contain with the advancement in technology was impressive. The everyday appliances seemed logical next steps from where we are now and the sprawling city scape of the federation is easily the most impressive thing about the film. I hate to even criticize a movie on its lack of good storytelling methods when the thought and design of the universe these characters exist in has so clearly been labored over and thoughtfully rendered. Still, while the film may look nearly flawless the script is far from it. After that engaging first hour or so we start to see the pattern of Farrell and Biel being chased in a car, or through elevator shafts or on the transport through the core of the earth. These fast paced and overlong sequences wouldn't be so tiresome if they contained any sort of thrill or tension, but they simply exist to put in more action; the story is hardly moved along. Only when our protagonists come to a halt do we get a piece of interesting dialogue or a confrontation that deals with the questions the great set-up poses. The best parts feature Quaid deducing whether what is happening around him is real or fabricated, where he has to decide who is truly his friend and his enemy. These don't happen often enough and the movie doesn't keep the truth as vague as it should, but when they do we catch a glimpse of what could have been had the movie not got caught up in its own action.

Melina (Jessica Biel) has to fend for herself as a part
of Matthias's resistance against the Chancellor.

In many ways the effect that this re-make leaves you with is very much the same as the original. It is too much, it really is. Everything about it, from the bombastic set pieces to the extravagant fight scenes. The difference here is that everything looks much better. But while everything may be more slick in the new Total Recall there is the obvious absence of any kind of soul. While Farrell has always been an intriguing actor and gives the character more depth as to the line between fantasy and reality that he is walking what the actor lacks is that undeniable charisma Schwarzenegger brought to a man that felt betrayed by his own mind. We see in Farrell's performance that he is confused by the whole thing, baffled even, but in the original Quaid is clearly wounded by what his life has become and it is out of desperation that he searches for the truth rather than going along with the events that present themselves as Farrell's version does. It goes back to the idea that while there is better execution, maybe even more creativity in the justification for Quaid's story in the re-make we never feel emotionally connected with any of the characters. I literally can't remember one memorable aspect about Jessica Biel's Melina and she is the main love interest in the film. No matter how well you dress something up, the lasting resonance with an audience will undoubtedly come from the feeling the film left them with. Total Recall leaves you with nothing more than a shrug and maybe the occasional recollection of how cool something looked. It will take much more than that though to make me want to retain any memory of the film.  

         

TOTAL RECALL Review

I never really knew how great of an impression Arnold Schwarzenegger left on Hollywood, but for at least the past four years there has been some type of summer blockbuster that either continued a series he began or a remake hoping to cash in on his originals success and widespread adoration. While Terminator Salvation, Predators, and last years remake of Conan didn't exactly live up to anyone's expectations set by those originals this years Arnie tribute is easily the best of the bunch. While I was aware of the original film I never had any real interest in seeing Total Recall until the other night in preparation for this Colin Farrell re-make. While I found it to be classically cheesy in the best ways the Austrian actor makes things over-the-top cheesy it did indeed ask some interesting questions and as with any film based on a Philip K. Dick short story delve into its interesting premise with entertaining action and clever techniques. While I enjoyed this years update of the film more than the original simply due to the look of the updated special effects and overall quality of acting I can see where loyalists to the original will find faults with what is ultimately an unnecessary remake. Though it may be without cause, it has come to be and so I will take it in with summer action glee. There is plenty here to enjoy, though it does run out of steam about half way through and from there on repeats itself with one too many chase scenes and ten too many Kate Beckinsale comebacks.

WRATH OF THE TITANS Review

It's not really saying much that "Wrath of the Titans" is better than the first one. Usually, for a sequel to be made audiences have to like the first one, not just spend enough money opening weekend to warrant one. Not the case with this franchise, because despite the ads for "Clash of the Titans" back in 2010 making it look amazing and drawing enough of a crowd in to have a whopping $60 million opening weekend, the aftermath was not pretty. The movie just wasn't that good. It should have been simple, B-movie escapism but instead was a mess of a story that tried to do too much while not delivering any of the real excitement that the trailers promised. This is all in the past now as this weekend we have the sequel that no one demanded opening in a theater near you where again the trailers have made it out to look pretty awesome. No matter how low my expectations might have been for "Wrath of the Titans" I can't deny that I wasn't at least slightly intrigued by the fact they were able to get the majority of the cast back for this second one and so maybe, just maybe the script was an improvement. Turns out the whole movie is pretty much an improvement as it covers the same basic plot points of that first entry while doing things the way a sequel should be done: bigger, louder and more epic. While it isn't epic in the way a movie with these characters and their lush history deserve epic, it is at least what "Clash" should have been if it was going to fit into the cheesy action/adventure genre.

Agenor (Tony Kebbell) is the demi-god son of Poseidon.

"Wrath" picks up about ten years after "Clash" and our heroic Perseus (Sam Worthington) has lost his wife Io for unknown reasons but does now have a son named Helius (John Bell) who provides a reason for consistent theme in the movie. The screenwriters have given the more credible actors like Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as Zues and Hades bigger roles this time around and have even managed to somehow get Bill Nighy in a few scenes that he absolutely steals as Hephaestus, the widow of Aphrodite. The beautiful Rosamund Pike replaces Alexa Davalos as princess Andromeda here and the studio also dumped director Louis Leterrier for "Battle Los Angeles" helmer Jonathan Liebesman. Liebesman at least seems to have a better handle on the story that Leterrier did. The first one simply did not add up, I was lost and confused as to the motivation of the characters and why their was so much conflict in the first place when to settle things Zues and Hades should have just sat down to have a little brother to brother talk. The same could be said for the scenario here as it involves the Gods losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. Hades is naturally seeking revenge again on Zues for banishing him and even persuades Zues's Godly son Ares (Edgar Ramirez) to join his side and make a deal with Kronos. I'm sure you can see where this is going as Perseus is forced to come and save the day.

The all might Zeus (Liam Neeson) is captured and
drained of his power in "Wrath of the Titans".

Good news for the audience is that his journey this time around is much more exciting and gives us a finale we feel justifies our matinee ticket price. In "Clash" Perseus destroyed the Kraken in a total of about two minutes. Here we not only get him bravely flying toward the lava-spewing Kronos on his beautiful winged Pegasus but we also get an all out, knock-down brawl between Perseus and Ares who turns out has some serious daddy issues. Then, to top that off Hades and Zues decide to join forces and "have some fun" the way they did when they were "young Gods" and just start ripping these Titans a new one with their powers. It is fulfilling for those who were left with an emptiness after leaving "Clash" and reminds us all how much of a badass Liam Neeson actually is (as if we needed any reminder). There are plenty of other action sequences littered throughout the film as well that will entertain, especially a creative little bit with some very CGI-looking cyclops. Oh well, they at least put some effort into the execution and other than this one slip, the special effects were overall genuinely flawless. Director Liebesman uses a good amount of handheld camera work here that puts us more inside the action while also allowing the special effects creatures to look less cinematic and more naturalistic with their surrounding world. There is also the welcome comic relief of Agenor (Toby Kebbell) another Demi-God son of Poseidon that has to help Perseus locate Hephaestus who can lead them into the underworld.

Perseus (Sam Worthington) finds a new love interest in
Princes Andromeda (Rosamund Pike).

While it may just be that my expectations for this film were ridiculously low, it was none the less a welcome surprise when I was more engaged with the movie than I was with my watch. I actually enjoyed myself where in the first one all I wanted to do was enjoy the back of my eyelids. Worthington, as a leading hero, is a solid personality that hardly cracks a smile and when he does the lines he breathes feel so horribly scripted as if every word he speaks is an action screenplay cliche. While his first two event films had enough things going on to distract us from his lack of charisma it was painfully apparent in the first "Titans" film and while earlier this year he seemed to be making strides in the ridiculous but entertaining "Man on a Ledge" he is back to his old self here as the humourless Perseus. There is no wink to the audience that he is in on the joke of his self-serious character, and in a way that kind of takes away the fun for me because as much as I like to see the tales of Greek mythology come to life; the way they have chosen to execute these stories deserve a little bit of self-awareness. Instead it is all business and that makes the audience let out a few chuckles when Worthington spews lines such as, "Oh, you gotta be kidding me," as he stares down a cyclops. No, he's not kidding you Mr. Worthington and neither are we, next time (yes, we know there will be one) how about you crack a few jokes or at least get in on the joke. Otherwise, we'll be requesting Kebbell's Agenor take over the lead role in the series.

  

WRATH OF THE TITANS Review

It's not really saying much that "Wrath of the Titans" is better than the first one. Usually, for a sequel to be made audiences have to like the first one, not just spend enough money opening weekend to warrant one. Not the case with this franchise, because despite the ads for "Clash of the Titans" back in 2010 making it look amazing and drawing enough of a crowd in to have a whopping $60 million opening weekend, the aftermath was not pretty. The movie just wasn't that good. It should have been simple, B-movie escapism but instead was a mess of a story that tried to do too much while not delivering any of the real excitement that the trailers promised. This is all in the past now as this weekend we have the sequel that no one demanded opening in a theater near you where again the trailers have made it out to look pretty awesome. No matter how low my expectations might have been for "Wrath of the Titans" I can't deny that I wasn't at least slightly intrigued by the fact they were able to get the majority of the cast back for this second one and so maybe, just maybe the script was an improvement. Turns out the whole movie is pretty much an improvement as it covers the same basic plot points of that first entry while doing things the way a sequel should be done: bigger, louder and more epic. While it isn't epic in the way a movie with these characters and their lush history deserve epic, it is at least what "Clash" should have been if it was going to fit into the cheesy action/adventure genre.