The absolute adoration of Terrence Mallick is something that has always been a mystery. Admittedly I was drawn to TM when he was releasing Thin Red Line and the word on the street was that the amazing genius of the 70s who up and vanished from the film making business for no reason -- isn't it because his family has huge oil money? -- was coming back with a movie about World War II. Get ready! Get ready! After all these years it's coming! And you wouldn't believe the cast!
Now, let's not forget that this was also the year of Saving Private Ryan and Life is Beautiful. We were on the brink of "Band of Brothers." This was SUPER World War II sentimentality season and this mystery man was returning with a dish we'd all been enjoying anyway? Well, right this way, Mr. Mallick.
And I was a fan or Thin Red Line. I hear stories of what's left on the cutting room floor for Adrien Brody and a few others would have made their careers years ago if it hadn't just been Mallick out there shooting a hundred hours worth of stuff and then trying to whittle it into some kind of three-ish hour mood story about the war. Hey -- I heard all sorts of things. But I was a fan. I thought he really pulled it off.
And I like Badlands. For some reason that movie really works for me.
But I'm not a Mallick crazy who sits down and admires the fact that he only filmed during certain times of the day to get the exact sunlight he wanted. To me that sounds like an absolute pain in the ass and frankly impossible. This may also be a rumor.
What I admire is that his films are stunningly beautiful when it comes to their photography. It's like nothing I've seen. The same is true for The Tree of Life.
Let's first go through the positive stuff.
Once again, as I was saying, Mallick has created a visual masterpiece. It is probably the most beautiful film of the summer in that regard. I will be stunned if something with better imagery comes down the pike between now and the full blown tirade of award season.
The problem is that the images are not backed up by a great deal.
Frankly, I'm incorrect in saying that -- if I were a studio executive I would have to say that there is plenty to back it up -- more needs to be cut.
We were all sold a movie where Brad Pitt was a tough love father and Sean Penn was the resultant adult son. Somewhere between these two great actors' lives was a male emotional history that was somehow going to unlock some family or personal secret that was probably going to make me cry my eyes out. Right? Isn't that what we were sold or is that just what I was sold?
Well, the movie sure starts like it's going down that road showing us the past, showing us Sean Penn, Brad Pitt -- locked away in their respective decades. Showing us the turmoil, a sour moment, the longing, the wondering -- initially, I was hooked. I've seen The Hours. I regularly listen to Phillip Glass. I thought to myself "I'm on the line, Mallick, start reeling in!"
And the truth is that the movie didn't need all that. Somehow the past is all that matters and there is absolutely no need for Sean Penn or the modern era to be in this film. It lends nothing. But the story that took place in Brad Pitt's household is excellent.
I was repeatedly awed by Mallick's ability to pick random moments of raw emotion. To jump from one side of the spectrum to another in such a real life way. He lets his characters make mistakes, he lets them hate for the wrong reason, he lets them knowingly choose the terrible option -- from this regard it was a remarkably brave movie that I deeply adored.
I worship at the altar of Brad Pitt, so let's all keep that in mind. But I thought it was another act of bravery for him -- of all Hollywood people -- to have taken the role of the despicable father -- who isn't actually that horrible. He is way worse than Hanks in Road to Perdition. But he's certainly not some psycho from the wrong side of town in To Kill A Mockingbird. Yet it's a hateful role -- and Brad played it well. The things this man has done with his career. Astounding.
Every single one of the children is excellent. Straight down the line. They're the best part of the film.
Jessica Chastain is a revelation. I would be surprised if folks remember this film -- let alone her stellar performance -- once we hit ballot season. I'm happy to see she is also in The Help and will get great reviews there and be seen by a wider audience.
So what's wrong with the film?
I don't know what the heck the point of it is. I don't know why it can't just be a family drama and then lead up to something. Somehow Mallick put this insane construct of the universe and creation and God and fate and all this nonsense -- that frankly does nothing more than get this film into a hole deeper than The Fountain. Hell, if I thought I knew how to pull Brad Pitt and Sean Penn into a movie together wherein they could be father and son -- well, I'd come up with something.
But nothing is there. There is no connection. And there needs to be one. I can't simply be ACTUALLY floating through space while I watch this movie. Then we are never given the absolutely essential information about how this film got from POINT A to POINT B (or was it POINT Z?). No.
After three hours of my time -- where I had to watch the earth cool and dinosaurs act out some kind of a morality play -- you owe your audience clear answers. I wonder if there was one. I wonder if it's on the cutting room floor or if it simply was never there.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
X-Men First Class - It's not Singer, but it's solid.
The Disaster that is X-Men 3 -- whose correct title I will not expand and will not officially employ -- was such a grandiose Brett Ratner disaster and such an out and out insult to X2: X-Men United (see what I did there?) that one had to consider the franchise absolutely dead. If that didn't convince you, surely the X-Men Origins: Wolverine saga taught you a thing or two about the franchise that was only going to be a thing or two long.
So why this fourth film? This X-Men First Class? The total reboots that are taking place across the board?
Is it that the brilliance of what Sam Raimi did with the Spiderman movies, what Nolan did with the Batman movies and what Donner did with the Superman movies has finally taught the studios a long overlooked lesson ----> You've already got a whole series of pre-existing stories -- not just pre-existing characters! Why not use the material that's already there to create some great movies rather than picking a couple of super heroes you think are great and then trying to figure out a plot that could possibly apply to them -- and that hasn't been done yet?
As an origin film X-Men First Class is a great. It is not nearly as good as X-Men 2 and any films that come in the subsequent -- and clearly definite series -- will never be as good as the work of Bryan Singer. There is simply no way that is ever going to happen. But this film was good. It came as no surprise to me that this latest installment was directed by Matthew Vaughn -- director of Kick Ass. Kick Ass was one of the most under-rated films last year. While not nailing it the way Scott Pilgrim did, Kick Ass remains an excellent movie folks should check out -- and hopefully will once they enjoy his steady, smooth, creative, and cool direction in X-Men First Class. For those of you naysayers that are going to leave Kick Ass in the dust, let me also point out that Vaughn directed Layer Cake. That's right. Some "kick ass" stuff happens in Vaughn's X-Men.
The cast is excellent -- the younger members of the team simply don't pack the wallop the teen actors clobbered us with back in Singer's originals. Do not expect acting of that caliber or banter of that level -- you will not find it here. What you will find is a rivalry between three great male actors: Kevin Bacon, Michael Fassbender, and James McAvoy. The battle between these seasoned actors in their archetypal X-Men roles is the bread and butter -- as well as the bones, brains and balls of the entire film. There are few great moments that don't involve at least two of them -- either teaming up in some unforeseen way or flat out trying to kill each other. It's well done.
Magneto -- like most super villains -- has always been my favorite Marvel character of all time. There was a period before X-Men where I thought the casting of Ian McKellan was completely moronic. The man I had always seen as this domineering holocaust survivor was Rutger Hauer. I obviously loved McKellan's performance -- but there was always a part of me that wished someone just plain bigger and tougher had been given the role. Watching the lovely Brit from Inglorious Basterds -- the handome as a devil Michael Fassbender take on the role of the evil, tortured mutant was a joy.
Seeing McAvoy in another giant film -- after the much underrated Wanted -- not forgetting his roots in big studio Narnia... well it made me pleased as punch. He is a great actor with a great face. He should be constantly pursuing all levels of film acting.
Bacon has the swagger of the summer -- no questions asked. That Footloose smoothie cruised straight through the Nazi ranks to a Las Vegas strip club like he was half high and pushing his way through a beaded curtain. This dude is Bacon to the max. And it plays.
Enjoy X-Men First Class. Let it be what it is -- and you'll have a great time. If not, you can come home and watch X2.
-Matthew J. McCue
So why this fourth film? This X-Men First Class? The total reboots that are taking place across the board?
Is it that the brilliance of what Sam Raimi did with the Spiderman movies, what Nolan did with the Batman movies and what Donner did with the Superman movies has finally taught the studios a long overlooked lesson ----> You've already got a whole series of pre-existing stories -- not just pre-existing characters! Why not use the material that's already there to create some great movies rather than picking a couple of super heroes you think are great and then trying to figure out a plot that could possibly apply to them -- and that hasn't been done yet?
As an origin film X-Men First Class is a great. It is not nearly as good as X-Men 2 and any films that come in the subsequent -- and clearly definite series -- will never be as good as the work of Bryan Singer. There is simply no way that is ever going to happen. But this film was good. It came as no surprise to me that this latest installment was directed by Matthew Vaughn -- director of Kick Ass. Kick Ass was one of the most under-rated films last year. While not nailing it the way Scott Pilgrim did, Kick Ass remains an excellent movie folks should check out -- and hopefully will once they enjoy his steady, smooth, creative, and cool direction in X-Men First Class. For those of you naysayers that are going to leave Kick Ass in the dust, let me also point out that Vaughn directed Layer Cake. That's right. Some "kick ass" stuff happens in Vaughn's X-Men.
The cast is excellent -- the younger members of the team simply don't pack the wallop the teen actors clobbered us with back in Singer's originals. Do not expect acting of that caliber or banter of that level -- you will not find it here. What you will find is a rivalry between three great male actors: Kevin Bacon, Michael Fassbender, and James McAvoy. The battle between these seasoned actors in their archetypal X-Men roles is the bread and butter -- as well as the bones, brains and balls of the entire film. There are few great moments that don't involve at least two of them -- either teaming up in some unforeseen way or flat out trying to kill each other. It's well done.
Magneto -- like most super villains -- has always been my favorite Marvel character of all time. There was a period before X-Men where I thought the casting of Ian McKellan was completely moronic. The man I had always seen as this domineering holocaust survivor was Rutger Hauer. I obviously loved McKellan's performance -- but there was always a part of me that wished someone just plain bigger and tougher had been given the role. Watching the lovely Brit from Inglorious Basterds -- the handome as a devil Michael Fassbender take on the role of the evil, tortured mutant was a joy.
Seeing McAvoy in another giant film -- after the much underrated Wanted -- not forgetting his roots in big studio Narnia... well it made me pleased as punch. He is a great actor with a great face. He should be constantly pursuing all levels of film acting.
Bacon has the swagger of the summer -- no questions asked. That Footloose smoothie cruised straight through the Nazi ranks to a Las Vegas strip club like he was half high and pushing his way through a beaded curtain. This dude is Bacon to the max. And it plays.
Enjoy X-Men First Class. Let it be what it is -- and you'll have a great time. If not, you can come home and watch X2.
-Matthew J. McCue
Super 8 - J.J. goes Amblin
To say that I am anything short of one of the greatest Steven Spielberg fans walking the face of the earth is not an overstatement. I am endlessly nourished at the fountain of Steven Spielberg and see the genius in everything he has done. As much as he is the most successful filmmaker of the American 1970s generation -- which is what we're all currently considering the greatest time to have made movies -- he is far and away the least recognized given his endless successful ventures. If any other director had directed Jaws, Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, A.I., Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can -- if any other person had directed just one of those films it would have been the film of their career. That list is his resume. That should be about 30 Oscars deep and it doesn't even come close.
Having said that... when I saw that Spielberg was getting behind J.J. Abrams to make a movie about a bunch of kids who are in the middle of making their own movie and accidentally get the Area 51 train jack-knife derailment on footage. Well, excuse me, I was stunned. This was going to be the movie of the summer. I am here to report that so far -- with the exception of Midnight in Paris, a vastly different kind of picture -- it is. J. J. has done it again. Is anyone surprised?
The thing is an absolute homage to Spielberg's work right down to the fact that there are shots and sequences completely lifted from Spielberg's movies. If that is going to be a problem for you as a viewer and you're not going to be able to dive right in, you're going to miss the whole point. It's Goonies (which I realize is Donner with a Columbus script, but that was a Spielberg movie) colliding with the E.T. era and going on the kind of adventure Spielberg has been taking us on each time. If you're able to just hook into that fact, you are going to have the time of your life.
The action sequences are creative and near flawless. The child actors are astounding. I have to say there have been a slew of impressive kids out there this summer and you can just sign this entire cast right onto that list. They were playing such tightly scripted roles that made each character such a remarkable stereotype but such a real teen that the raw talent there is something that could be taken and molded into any youthful character. It was like watching the greatest "Freaks and Geeks" episode of all time -- without the lackluster pace of most Apatow projects -- much as I love them.
These kids kept this film's foot on the pedal.
You throw in the "emotionally milking overtly set up character interactions" established before an alien enters the picture -- and you're in Abrams wheelhouse. This is what this guy can do. It's not that different from an episode of "Lost" or Star Trek when you look at it tonally. Hell, even Mission Impossilble 3 felt the Abrams stamp good and hard. But I'll tell you what, the emotional moments -- while so obvious and simple -- worked. When J.J. is directing or producing he knows how to walk a ridiculous tightrope of sentimentality few directors can manage. I think the proof is in the pudding with Armageddon -- obviously that thing is a stinker -- Criterion Collection or not -- if Bay is at the helm. But Abrams can steer a giant action film right down the Hallmark aisle while keeping it all kick ass. The man knows his thing.
And it works here. This was the perfect melding of burgeoning director and massive iconic producer. Make Abrams the next Zemeckis. Why not? If the guy was 25 years older you think he wouldn't have eventually directed Forrest Gump along side another landslide resume of success?
It works.
But what about what obviously doesn't work. Spoiler alert -- if you didn't know this movie was about an escaped alien, then yes, I just spoiled it for you. Then again, you're a fool. What do you think this movie is about? And if you were just reading this review to find out -- well that's what it's about and it's absolutely radical and I haven't ruined anything. However -- the thing that just doesn't work is the monster. It's amazing that we've made it this far and the monster usually doesn't work. Oh, that's what's doing it? What is that thing? What does it want? What the heck's going on?
When there are quick shadows -- quick snatches -- quick deaths -- I'm dying to know what the hell is going on. Once I see it -- eh. But they built a great story with the characters and this doesn't then fall into the bin with Jeepers Creepers -- you just have to ride this one out and it overcomes this seemingly unavoidable flaw for Alien movies. You really have to hand it to Ridley Scott and James Cameron with Alien and Aliens -- like... those things are some serious shit. Since then we've kind of been hedging our bets somewhere between there and Conmunion. Someone has to get back to the monster shop and work on this.
So far the best of the summer -- save Woody. I recommend it highly.
- Matthew J. McCue
Having said that... when I saw that Spielberg was getting behind J.J. Abrams to make a movie about a bunch of kids who are in the middle of making their own movie and accidentally get the Area 51 train jack-knife derailment on footage. Well, excuse me, I was stunned. This was going to be the movie of the summer. I am here to report that so far -- with the exception of Midnight in Paris, a vastly different kind of picture -- it is. J. J. has done it again. Is anyone surprised?
The thing is an absolute homage to Spielberg's work right down to the fact that there are shots and sequences completely lifted from Spielberg's movies. If that is going to be a problem for you as a viewer and you're not going to be able to dive right in, you're going to miss the whole point. It's Goonies (which I realize is Donner with a Columbus script, but that was a Spielberg movie) colliding with the E.T. era and going on the kind of adventure Spielberg has been taking us on each time. If you're able to just hook into that fact, you are going to have the time of your life.
The action sequences are creative and near flawless. The child actors are astounding. I have to say there have been a slew of impressive kids out there this summer and you can just sign this entire cast right onto that list. They were playing such tightly scripted roles that made each character such a remarkable stereotype but such a real teen that the raw talent there is something that could be taken and molded into any youthful character. It was like watching the greatest "Freaks and Geeks" episode of all time -- without the lackluster pace of most Apatow projects -- much as I love them.
These kids kept this film's foot on the pedal.
You throw in the "emotionally milking overtly set up character interactions" established before an alien enters the picture -- and you're in Abrams wheelhouse. This is what this guy can do. It's not that different from an episode of "Lost" or Star Trek when you look at it tonally. Hell, even Mission Impossilble 3 felt the Abrams stamp good and hard. But I'll tell you what, the emotional moments -- while so obvious and simple -- worked. When J.J. is directing or producing he knows how to walk a ridiculous tightrope of sentimentality few directors can manage. I think the proof is in the pudding with Armageddon -- obviously that thing is a stinker -- Criterion Collection or not -- if Bay is at the helm. But Abrams can steer a giant action film right down the Hallmark aisle while keeping it all kick ass. The man knows his thing.
And it works here. This was the perfect melding of burgeoning director and massive iconic producer. Make Abrams the next Zemeckis. Why not? If the guy was 25 years older you think he wouldn't have eventually directed Forrest Gump along side another landslide resume of success?
It works.
But what about what obviously doesn't work. Spoiler alert -- if you didn't know this movie was about an escaped alien, then yes, I just spoiled it for you. Then again, you're a fool. What do you think this movie is about? And if you were just reading this review to find out -- well that's what it's about and it's absolutely radical and I haven't ruined anything. However -- the thing that just doesn't work is the monster. It's amazing that we've made it this far and the monster usually doesn't work. Oh, that's what's doing it? What is that thing? What does it want? What the heck's going on?
When there are quick shadows -- quick snatches -- quick deaths -- I'm dying to know what the hell is going on. Once I see it -- eh. But they built a great story with the characters and this doesn't then fall into the bin with Jeepers Creepers -- you just have to ride this one out and it overcomes this seemingly unavoidable flaw for Alien movies. You really have to hand it to Ridley Scott and James Cameron with Alien and Aliens -- like... those things are some serious shit. Since then we've kind of been hedging our bets somewhere between there and Conmunion. Someone has to get back to the monster shop and work on this.
So far the best of the summer -- save Woody. I recommend it highly.
- Matthew J. McCue
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