War of the Worlds

In a lot of ways I believe that today is the true golden age of science fiction films. Not only are great new works like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” available, but Hollywood is revisiting old classics like this one.

This film, “War of the Worlds” is a remake of the 1953 story of the same name, based on the H.G. Wells book of the same name. Despite all that repetition, this film delivers what the previous incarnation couldn’t, but the changes in story make a number of oddball plot holes that need to be ignored if one is to enjoy this film.

I don’t want to get too far into the plethora of problems with the updates version of story, as it might act as a spoiler to the film. However, the big question that persists in my mind was “when did they bury the tripods?” In the film, the aliens are transported to their killing platforms, called “tripods” by lightning. However, that just begs the question, when were they put there? Why weren’t they detected when the subways were built, how did they know they would need shields, and how did they know where the major cities would be?

If you can get past this major point, you’ll enjoy this film. Spielberg puts forth a classic work of science fiction in a way the filmmakers of 1953 could only dream. The death ray, the aliens, the carnage, all are incredible. This is a great looking film, and the special effects are on par with any movie out there.

One of the more notable points in the movie is when the main character, Ray Ferrier, is walking with a large group of refugees when they stop at a railroad crossing that is signaling that a train is coming. Then the train crosses the screen, it’s on fire, the whole car. This glimpse of devastation (we get plenty) is rather poignant, and it ended up being rather humorous. It was a very powerful scene; it showed the total desperation in the faces of those that were taking on the mental pressure of knowing that they were being exterminated.

Another element that was enjoyable in this film was the shift from the floating craft of the 1953 film to the “tripods” that matched the described craft from the book. The movie shifts between the retro look that matches the book, to the modern aspects of war fighting. This it accomplishes quite well, like I said, it’s a good looking film.

As for the acting, there’s nothing really all that spectacular. Tom Cruise is what he always is. Dakota Fanning plays the young daughter of Mr. Cruise’s character, and does so well. There are some noteworthy performances by bit players in the film, one of whom is Camillia Sanes, who plays a TV producer that encounters the Ferrier family and fortuitously describes all the “need to know” details that would have required a narrator. Of course, the beginning and ending of the film were narrated by Morgan Freeman anyway.

This movie is not perfect, it’s not great, it’s not grand, it’s just an okay production of an aged sci-fi yarn. The special effects are spectacular, the plot holes are many, the desperation feels real, and the aliens are stolen from “Independence Day”. Have your popcorn in hand, and let you rational mind wander for awhile.

Batman Begins

Do not be afraid, fear no darkness, and unleash all expectations. This film is as good as the all the hype, and more.

I was fortunate enough to have seen the film before I read any of the standard assortments of critical reviews out in the press. I had heard hearsay that Roger Ebert had said that this movie accomplished exactly what comics to movies should accomplish. Nothing more, just the standard rumblings you’d expect from the standard summer blockbuster.

This film is not a regular summer blockbuster. It saves the Batman movie genre single handedly from the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tommy Lee Jones and other terrible performances from the past five films based on Batman Comics. This film is also the greatest achiever in the category of “Comic Book based film.” This film beats Spiderman II and X2: X-Men United.

This is one of those movies that accomplishes all that it could. It is an achievement from every element, writing, directing, acting, special effects, and production. It will be difficult to describe fully.

This film is directed by Christopher Nolan, who also directed the underground favorite “Memento.” Nolan holds viewers in this comic book world effortlessly. The movie is 2 hours and 21 minutes in length, but the viewer doesn’t notice this at all. Even in films that are really good, like the LOTR trilogy, you still feel some dissonance as you realize you’ve been watching for a considerable length of time. Not in this film. There is only great disappointment that the movie has to end. Nolan accomplishes much in this film, but most of all he brings the viewers into a different world, and keeps them their without complaint.

There are some great acting performances in this film as well. Christian Bale plays the lead role as the young and troubled Bruce Wayne; he flees to another country before returning to Gotham to try to pick up whatever was left of his life. Liam Neeson plays Ducard, the man who takes the young Wayne under his wing into a secret Ninja society before he and Wayne part ways and Ducard become an antagonist. Neeson plays a character caught between good and evil: someone who has noble goals but dangerous means. He’s sympathetic, which makes him the perfect villain in this role.

Oscar winner Michael Caine plays Alfred, the beloved butler of the Wayne family. Caine’s performance overshadows all others, including the abilities of Morgan Freeman, who plays another Bruce Wayne confidant. The only dim bulb in this cast was Katie Holmes, who does well, but her role is limited as the love interest and damsel in distress.

What makes this story so great is it escapes what I call the “superhero problem.” All movies that deal with how a superhero becomes a superhero are boring. Superman is just an alien. Spiderman gets bit by a radioactive spider. The Fantastic Four are hit with extreme radiation. The X-Men are just mutants, the next step in evolution. None of this is interesting alone. Even the non-super power superheroes have boring background stories. The Punisher is just a guy whose loved ones were gunned down. While this is the setup for Batman (the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents as a child) it isn’t the full story.

Bruce Wayne becomes Batman in the event described in this film. The persona evolves. First Wayne tries to understand the man who murdered his parents by becoming a criminal himself, running away to the Orient for seven years. There he ends up in prison, but is released and studies to become a Ninja at a mountain school under Liam Neeson’s character. The two have a falling out, and Wayne returns home. His concern for Gotham and Katie Holme’s character (a local district attorney) leads him down the path of vigilante-hood.

However, Wayne never fully embraces the idea, the persona “Batman” until he forced to deal with a super villain, in this movie Scarecrow. As the movie escalates, we see Wayne evolve. Despite my description, the plot is very fast paced and interesting.

Sure, there are some weak points. Christopher Nolan felt the need to intersperse small tidbits of humor at inopportune times. Some of the plot is wholly unbelievable, but we forgive these transgressions because even a diamond has imperfections, and this film is still a diamond in a sea of cruddy summer blockbusters. Enough reading already, go see this film!

Not my standard bargain bin fare

Cinderella Man

Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger

2005

Boxing movies tend to be tougher to work than other sports movies. Boxing matches tend to be long and drawn out, there’s a lot of back and forth, and it’s a lot of intensity all the time. The average viewer will eventually lose interest in watching two actors fake pummel each other. There is also the issue of scoring. In many sports, scoring makes sense. Points are assigned to explainable acts; a run in baseball, a point in hockey, even judged sports like figure skating can be understood. But in boxing, points are given for hits, knock downs, and penalties, and even I have a difficult time scoring a match even when I know what to look for.

Add to all that the fact that many boxing matches are decided not by knockouts but by scoring, it makes pulling off a boxing movie tough. And if the movie is a true story, where you lack the Hollywood ability to knock a guy out to avoid the issues I mentioned, entertainment is nearly impossible. These facts simply broaden the accomplishment that is “Cinderella Man.”

This movie is an adaptation of the life of James Braddock, a depression era boxer who went from a washed up fighter who had to go on public assistance to world champion. The story takes place during the depression of the 1930’s. We get to see the effects of the depression straight up, in a very accurate way.

This movie also accomplishes something else that is very hard to do, and that is to keep the interest of an audience that already knows the plot. Stories about comefrombehindunderdogsthatwinbig are not new at all. From the outset, we know that Braddock will win, yet win he does there is still exaltation left for this 75 year old story.

Ron Howard does a superb job directing this movie, and gets great performances out of everyone in the cast. Zellweger is very strong as the wife of Jimmy Braddock, but her performance has been hyped a little too much. Russell Crowe is surprisingly good. There are plenty of other great performances, including my favorite performance in the entire film, Chuck Shamata playing Father Rorick, the Braddock family priest and former sparring partner of Braddock’s. The scenes involving Shamata, who is an award winning actor in Canada, never fail to provide some comedic relief during some of the most intense fighting scenes in the movie. This helps the viewer not overdose of brute violence.

Not that this film doesn’t have brute violence. The boxing scenes in this movie are believable and impressive. The film does spend a lot of time on these scenes though, which should be expected. The cinematography is excellent, and this film looks good.

Definitely see this film, it is not just for boxing enthusiasts.