Wednesday, March 30, 2011

March Double Feature: The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman/Jane Eyre

This past Monday I did my first double feature Matinee Monday since my very first post. I made my way back downtown to my new favourite theatre, Tinseltown. They get such an interesting mix of movies in and they're about $4 cheaper than the theatres closer to me. I saw two completely opposite movies for this double feature, 'The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman' [TBTCTS for the rest of the review] a Chinese action flick and 'Jane Eyre' the newest adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic. So be prepared for a long one, you know how tend to go on...
'TBTCTS' was, well, it was kind of all over the place. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I've seen some criticism that says the plot is confusing, I disagree, it's pretty straightforward; three stories intertwine with the tale of a powerful cleaver, how it was formed, and how it has been passed down from one person to another. Each sequence, Desire, Vengeance and Greed, has its' own look and feel to it. Desire is the story set most recently and revolves around a butcher who lusts after a beautiful courtesan. We then flashback to the other two sequences. Greed is the furthest in the past and tell the the tale of a swordsman who seeks a swordsmith to make him a new sword from a lump of iron that's made of many powerful weapons melted down together. Desire is really over the top, too silly to really be engaging. The butcher, Chopper, is a completely unsympathetic character, and you could really care less whether or not he achieves his goal. Greed isn't much more interesting, although it had a very interesting visual theme; all in black and white except for things that are red. However, it does reveal the origins of the cleaver used in the next story. The middle frame, Vengeance, was the most appealing portion of the film. The renowned chef at a restaurant is going to visited by a prestigious patron, known for his love of food, and his tendency to kill the chef if he doesn't like any part of the meal. Knowing his life is on the line, he takes an apprentice, a mute, who is working off a debt. He must learn the secret of the eight courses served by the chef, and most importantly the eighth course, [that has a long name that I can't currently recall, sorry!] where the chef must skin,slice and cook a fish so that quickly that it doesn't know it's dead and continues to swim in the soup. This middle frame is genuinely engaging and very well done. In fact, I would have been happy if they had been able to stretch that story out for the rest of the flick. Like I said, didn't love it, didn't hate, probably would only recommend it to those who have odder tastes in movies, like I often do, even though this particular one didn't really appeal to me that much.
The second part of my double feature on the other hand had me enraptured from beginning to end. Let me preface this with an important fact: I haven't read 'Jane Eyre.' I was supposed to read it in school and could never get into it, so I got by with the Coles' Notes version. I've also never seen any of the other many adaptations of this classic. I was coming to this movie with a general idea of the plot, but with a fresh point of view, which very rare for me when it comes to literary adaptations, I love to read, and am more often than not one of those people who say 'The book was much better'. But like I said, that was not the case here, although needless to say, I am reading it now.
This movie has a lot going for it on paper alone, well for me at least; it's produced by my favourite broadcaster BBC and Focus Features who rarely do wrong in my books, and has an excellent cast starting with rising star Mia Wasikowska as the eponymous heroine [you might remember her as the eponymous heroine of 'Alice in Wonderland'], she's joined by Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Sally Hawkins and the always wonderful Dame Judi Dench, pretty fantastic right? Well, that on paper goodness sure translates wonderfully onto the big screen under the watchful eye of director Cary Fukunaga. He wanted to bring a darker version of the book to the big screen, something I think he accomplishes perfectly, both in imagery and tone.
The film starts in media res, which is a fancy literary term for starting in the middle, with a distraught Jane wandering through the rain, alone, in the empty English countryside, finally coming upon a cottage where she is rescued. We are then launched into flashbacks, with each flashback informing the audience of how Jane has come to this place in her life. The character is on a near constant search for love and freedom, but was constantly trod upon as a child. By focussing on the darker aspects of Jane's youth, the maltreatment she receives while living with her aunt and cousins after the death of her parents, the poor conditions at the school she goes to attend, Fukunaga makes you want his plain and passionate heroine to succeed and escape from her terrible conditions. She finally seems to have found the life she's yearned for for such a long time at Thornfield Hall, as the governess to only one pupil. She loves to teach and is treated as an equal in the house, but there is something dark and ominous in Thornfield, it's not felt all the time, but is certainly there at night. And it's owner, Mr. Rochester, is as dark and moody as the estate he owns, but Jane eventually wins his heart, although not without the complications and hardships that every good romance needs.
Mia Wasikowska is pitch perfect as Jane, and I applaud director Fukunaga for choosing an actress close in age to Jane in the novel, only 19, [Wasikowska is 21] They've played down her looks to make her as plain as possible, but she has that passion that lies in Jane within her and it shines on screen. She has the ability to give Jane a naivete that older actresses might not have had the ability to do. She also easily holds her own against more veteran actors like Dame Judi and her older leading man, Michael Fassbender.
Michael Fassbender, who's name you might not recognise, was in '300' and 'Inglourious Basterds'. He's looking to have a good year, starting with his wonderful portrayal of the moody Mr. Rochester and then going on to star as Magneto in 'X-Men: First Class'. Rochester is tortured by his past, and while he is a kind employer, he keeps people at a distance. This complex type of character is not easily brought to screen and could have easily been over-acted, but Fassbender is both charming and complicated as Rochester and it's easy to see how Wasikowska's Jane could fall in love with her employer.
I'm going to leave the reveal of the climax out here for those who, like me haven't read the book. I think not being exposed to the novel might have actually been a blessing here. I was able to focus completely on the story being woven in front of me, one that bewitched me from beginning to end. It was beautiful and heart-wrenching, and I'll definitely be renting it when it comes out on DVD.
That's all for this week, and to sum up, see 'Jane Eyre' if you can, rent 'The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman' if you're looking for something a little odd. Until next time!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Change is good

Yup, you may have noticed that I've changed a couple little things here on the blog. The black and white was starting to be a little boring I think, so here's a little bit of colour, plus a few changes to the fonts here and there.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Paul

Wow. I think this is longest for me to ever get a post up. I apologise, but I will give you two very legitimate reasons for this. 1) My Xbox360 is evil. It's taken over my life this week with it's, and 'Assassin's Creed:Brotherhood's complete and utter awesomeness. I've never had time fly past me like this before, I'm sure it's some kind of evil Xbox/Microsoft/Ubisoft plot. And 2) as anyone who's read my blog with a modicum of regularity in the past two months will attest, I've been pretty psyched to see 'Paul'. Well, that might be a bit of an understatment. Anyways, now that I've seen it I wanted to let it soak in, writing various versions of the review in my head, trying to make it come off as non-nerdy as possible, however, I think I've come to the conclusion that that's just not going to be possible, so here we go!
Let me start by asking, do you like aliens? And no, not the stupid aliens that are always attacking the States for no good reason, but more benevolent aliens that pop-up in pop culture, like J'onn J'onzz, E.T. or Marvin the Martian. [I told you this was going to be nerdy!] Do you think a road trip to the alien hotspots across the US would be a fun way to spend your summer AFTER attending the San Diego Comic Con? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you'd probably like this movie. Actually, even if you said no to the latter, you'd probably still like it.
If you hadn't guessed, that's the basic premise of 'Paul'. Two British geeks, Graeme [Pegg] and Clive [Frost] fly to San Diego to attend the annual Comic Convention there, and then set out to visit sites such as Roswell, Area 51, and the Black Mailbox, only to have their road trip derailed when they pick up an intergalactic hitchhiker. I have to admit watching them do all kinds of fun things at SDCC made me even more excited for my trip there this summer [like that's possible!] with my awesome friend Craig. If we have even an eighth of the fun they have it will RULE!
Moving on, the most fun part of this movie for me was Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They are pretty much the perfect on-screen duo, they've done TV and movies together across the pond since 1998 and have a remarkable chemistry. I would compare them to Laurel and Hardy, but I'm really not that familiar with their work...Their movies 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' are in my top 10...well, at the very least top 25. [actually, that's a list I should maybe actually make sometime; note to self]. And while they are both amazing, Pegg's always been a little bit more the star, however, in 'Paul' Nick Frost gets to take a bit more of the screen, well, at least sharing it equally with Pegg. I don't know exactly what it is about the pair of them that just works, even when they're killing zombies, or stopping rogue townies they seem like the type of guys you could go down to pub and have a beer with and discuss the merits of original 'Star Trek' versus 'The Next Generation.' Mmmm...I think I might have just figured out why I like them so much. However, I think it quite possibly is an accurate guess since they wrote the movie. While it's not from 'actual' events, but there is a lot of love for the nerds that love them, and the nerds they obviously are themselves. One other thing in regards to the script, I was impressed at how few English references were put in, however, seeing as it's the first [of many, I hope!] movie they've made in the Hollywood studio system I guess I shouldn't be that surprised.
While I renewed my geeky love for Pegg and Frost, I do have to admit that they were slightly over-shadowed by Seth Rogen's awesomeness as the title character, Paul. Paul's been on Earth for years, sharing his knowledge and advising the government. Since being stuck here he's developed a penchant for government grade marijuana and practical jokes. Rogen couldn't have been more perfect for the voice of Paul. His comic timing and caustic delivery are absolutely perfect, and hilarious. He brings Paul to life in a way that kind of makes you wish you could have an alien for a friend, even if that friend is pretty rude and takes his pants off in public way more often than you care for.
The supporting cast in this movie were also all wonderful, most notably, Kristen Wiig, who is finally shedding her 'of SNL'-ness. I wouldn't be surprised if she left the show to pursue big screen stuff soon. She is one funny lady. She starts of as the worst kind of American: [in my eyes at least] the religious fundamentalist. But after a life altering encounter, or, well, literally a smack on the head, from Paul, her eyes are opened to all kinds of new things. The funniest part of her transformation is her attempts at cursing, it's all wrong, and because of that, all kinds of right for the flick. Also, the always amazing Jane Lynch makes a quick cameo, as you may have guessed, she was indeed hilarious.
A couple other little fun things that were great in the movie. Steven Spielberg makes an audio cameo as himself, getting advice on an alien movie from Paul, I wonder which movie that could be...? An alien that needs to get back to his home planet, sounds vaguely familar...Also, Agent Mulder from the 'X-Files' was his idea too. Apparently this was all a plot from the government who have been leaking images of Paul for years, so that when the aliens finally do come to meet the humans, we'll be desensitized and not freak out. Although if Graeme and Clive's reactions are any indication, it isn't working. Also, for the nerds in the audience this movie is also an ongoing showcase of awesome geek chic, in the form of Graeme's fantastic t-shirts. My favourite is his 'Empire Strikes Back' tee.
The best part of the movie is that it doesn't try to be anything more than a buddy comedy, which is actually perfectly summed up by Paul near the end of the movie. As he's saying his goodbyes to his new friends he says "Well, it's safe to say we've all learned something from this, be yourself, speak from your heart, some sh*t like that, I don't know." Aaah, I love a movie that doesn't try too hard! Needless to say all my anticipation was rewarded, I wholeheartedly enjoyed 'Paul' and now I guess I just have to wait for when Pegg and Frost reunite with their 'Hot Fuzz'/'Shaun of the Dead' director for when they finally do their take on apocalypse movies. But with the upswing in popularity for these guys in the US that might be a lot longer than I want to wait...sigh.
That's all for this week, sorry it took so long, again, I blame Microsoft and Ubisoft! I promise I won't be so late for this coming Monday's post, now if I only knew what I was going to see...

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

February Trailer Round Up

Yes, I'm aware that we are sixteen days into the month of March, so the round up of the February trailers is super overdue, but here they are now!!
Now, technically I saw '127 Hours' in January. But its' trailers didn't get included in the last round up and since February is a short month we're going to go ahead and tack them on to this post. First we have Disney's new Earth Day, feel good documentary 'African Cats.' I didn't go and see their other ones, but I kinda love big cats, so there is a possibilty I might see this one...but probably at home. It feels like a renter. Then came the first of the 'Paul' trailers I saw this month. I honestly CAN NOT WAIT for this movie to come out already. I know I mentioned it before, but I love Simon Pegg and NIck Frost, so be prepared when that review comes, I'm pretty sure I'm going to love the movie even if it's awful, which I sincerely doubt it will be. Then we had a trailer for a festival-y movie that I've never heard of 'Today's Special'. And I'm sure any other Canadian that grew up in the 80s will immediately think of that show with the mannequin in the department store, but sadly this is not a big screen adaptation of that one. This is instead the story of an Indian man who is a sous-chef in a fancy restaurant who has to take over the [failing] family restaurant when his dad gets sick. It looks like one of those sweet rediscover-your-roots kind of movies...thaaaat I'll probably rent. Last and most certainly least was 'Sanctum.' I don't think I can over emphasize enough how much I am done with James Cameron. It's not that I think he makes bad movies, although this one looks pretty stinky, it's just that I can't stand him. And unlike Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers, who's movies I never miss in theatres, Cameron's starting to make me want to miss all his movies so that he might not ever talk in public again. Also, he's a big 3D pusher, and I think we all know how I feel about 3D...no? It's the worst.

Next up was 'The Illusionist'. Despite being a total not for kids animated movie the trailers for this were both for animated kids flicks, 'Gnomeo and Juliet' and 'Rango'. Obviously, I've already seen 'Rango'. Thought it was great, think you should see it too. I think 'Gnomeo and Juliet' looks adorable, but I think it's yet another renter from this round of trailers.

If you remember, my mum accompanied me to 'Barney's Version' The first trailer was a second 'African Cats' for me, but it was the first one for her. But, she adamantly told me she wouldn't see it, and I quote, "because one of them will die." This is her reasoning for not seeing a LOT of movies, but she may be right. Then came 'The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman' which is this cool looking Chinese action flick. The movie's foreign, filled with stylized violence and humour. Check, check and check! If it comes to a theatre here in VanCity, I will most definitely go to see it. The last trailer was a Sundance flick, the Jodie Foster directed 'The Beaver'. It stars Mel Gibson, and I think we all know what kind of 2010 that guy had...that being said, this movie about a man who finds a stuffed beaver and starts to use it to relate to his world looks interesting and something that I might like...despite the leading man being bonkers in real life as well.

My last flick of February, and this trailer round-up was 'Cedar Rapids'. Four trailers and four yes' from this girl! First up was 'Paul'...again. I know, you would think that after seeing the trailer so many times my excitement would diminish, but NO! I still want to see it just as much as the first time I saw it! Next was the trailer for SNL's Kristen Wiig's first leading lady role in 'Bridesmaids'. This lady is hilarious. And this movie looks like it probably will be as well. Look for scene stealer, Melissa McCarthy, also hilarious.

Then came the new X-Men flick, 'X-Men: First Class'. I have to share, I'm a GIANT comic's nerd, and I love the X-Men. And while the last couple of X-Men movies were pretty disappointing, I think this one looks like it has promise...and James MacAvoy[!!!] But I'll reserve judgement until I see it. Until then, enjoy the pretty awesome trailer.

The last trailer for February was for 'Water for Elephants'. Let me say first and foremost, READ THIS BOOK! It's amazing and beautiful. That being said, this looks like a pretty good movie in and of itself. Christoph Waltz and Reese Witherspoon are both amazing actors and I'm still on the fence about 'Twilight' pretty boy Robert Pattinson. He's not fantastic, but that could be because he's in a franchise that's written to appease millions of rabid fans [I mean the dialogue's a tad wooden] Other than 'Harry Potter' where he was pretty good I haven't seen anything else with him in it. I feel if he does well it will give me new respect for him but if he ruins one of my new favourite books, SO HELP ME ROBERT! I WILL TRACK YOU DOWN AT COMIC-CON AND GIVE YOU WHAT FOR!!!

That's all for this month's [very late] trailer wrap up! I know what I'm going to see, what about you?

Monday, March 14, 2011

Rango

I'll say it. I love cartoons. I still watch them on TV, well, if there isn't anything else on. [Most of the time, at least] I still consider several animated series to be among my favourites of all time; 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' and 'Samurai Jack' among those. But these are all things I can watch at home, without paying anything other than my cable bill. I don't shill out the big bucks at the theatre for just any animated/kids flicks, that being said there are some of these movies that I don't feel any shame going to, namely anything from Pixar and most of the movies that Dreamworks Animation puts out. 'Rango' falls squarely into this category. Actually 'Rango' falls into a unique category of its' own. It's being advertised as a "family movie" but I honestly don't know if I would take kids to this one. It has a LOT of adult references that would fly right over even the smartest 7 year old's head. More than it's fair share of violence, and a story that's a little bit complicated for munchkins.
'Rango' follows a pet chameleon with a penchant for the dramatic who gets lost in the Mojave Desert. He comes to the drought ridden town of Dirt, where he takes on a heroic persona to ingratiate himself with the townfolk and then must transform into that hero to save the town. A common enough archetype, true, but the wit and charm with which it's done in this movie make it a winner. Rango is verbose to say the least, he likes to hear himself talk, and, for a long time in his terrarium, that's all he has, but he can't seem to break the habit once he meets real people. But it's so well written and delivered by Johnny Depp that you really don't mind.
Not only is the dialogue great but the movie is also visually stunning. There's no doubt in my mind that director Gore Verbinski has done his research watching Sergio Leone and John Ford's old Westerns. The scope that was present there is more certainly present here. One of the best examples of this is near the end as Rango walks over sand dunes in the moonlight, just gorgeous, you almost forget you're watching something animated. There's another interesting visual that anyone who's watched 'Pirates 3' will recognise. While Rango is searching for the Spirit of the West, he comes to a dreamlike place that's white as far as the eye can see, and then he's carried to meet the Spirit [who looks like Clint, of course, but is voiced by Timothy Olyphant] by some hard shelled insects. Sound familiar 'Pirates' fans? When Jack's in Davey Jones' Locker, and is carried on the backs of those white crabs? Perhaps he's reminding us that the next 'Pirates' flick is out later this year. Nonetheless it didn't feel out of place in the movie, it actually fit quite well with the oddball-ness of Rango himself.
There are a lot of little things that I really loved that really made me love whole all the more. There's a charming quartet of tiny mariachi owls that narrate the story, who are adorable and hilarious, often predicting Rango's not-so-inevitable demise, and providing tunes for Rango's heroic sequences. There's also a quick homage to 'Fear and Loathing Las Vegas' when Rango gets stuck on the windshield of the Red Shark. Those are my favourite little bits, but there are plenty of other great parts as well.
As for the not-kid-friendliness I don't want to get too much into it, but let's just say we meet an armadillo that's been run over by a car in the first 10 minutes. It's literally in two halves folks. Don't worry, it survives, but still....
So, overall 'Rango' was a super enjoyable film that I would recommend to anyone over the age of 12 or 13. Kids might enjoy it, but they won't get it. Take my friend Kim's 8 year-old son, when asked what the movie was about, he said 'a lizard,' which I suppose is technically correct, but he seems to have missed the whole water, hero, town-coming-together thing...That's about all for now! See you next week, when I will be reviewing 'Paul'! Which I'm super excited for, I really hope it doesn't let me down...Pffft! What am I talking about!? It has Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and an alien! How can it fail!?!

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

The Adjustment Bureau

As per the poll results,[which seven whole people participated in!] I hit up 'The Adjustment Bureau' for my matinee today. I made my return to Metopolis at Metrotown, after seeing the last couple of movies at Tinseltown, mostly 'cause movies there are $4, that right FOUR dollars cheaper, but I had a free ticket with my Scene card, so to Metrotown I went!
Now I know that 'The Adjustment Bureau' is billed as a thriller, but really and truly this is romance masquerading as a thriller, and it does a damn good job of it too.
The premise lies around David Norris [Matt Damon] a young politician who is running for the senate, but is undone by some antics from his college days. While in the mensroom composing his concession speech he meets Elise [Emily Blunt] a wedding crasher who's come to hide from security. The chemistry is instantaneous, and they flirt unabashedly culminating in, for David at least, a life-altering kiss. Instead of giving the approved speech he improvises and goes on about how everything about him and his campaign is carefully crafted to have the most positive impact on the voting public. I can only imagine that everything he says is completely true, especially in the incomprehensible [to this Canadian, at least] American electoral system. Instead of harpooning his political career, this honesty makes him more popular than ever...which it turns out was all a part of the Plan.
Now we come to the sci-fi-Philip K. Dick inspired part of the story. It turns out that while most of us believe that we make our own decisions and can trust to fate, there's actually a group of well dressed men in fedoras who make sure our 'fate' is as it should be. Not affecting every little detail of our lives, but if something starts to go off track, they jump in and adjust it, so that we get back on Plan. Sounds a little ridiculous right? I grant you that, but this film manages to pull it off.
Needless to say where we should maybe be concerned that this politician is being manipulated by the bureau and it's shadowy leader 'The Chairman' all we really care about is if he gets the girl, well, and if the girl gets him. I know I mentioned it before, but it still remains, the chemistry between Blunt and Damon is fantastic. There is an undeniable pull between them, and apparently, even though the Plan says they shouldn't be, chance keeps putting them together. When they're together there's an amazing magnetism and when they're apart the longing for the other is evident. I've always been a Matt Damon fan, but I can't really say I've ever seen him as a more romantic character. Although it could be that he just needed the right co-star. Emily Blunt is quirky and charming, and she brings out the best in Damon just as her character brings out the best in David.
In the climax of the movie when things come to a head, David is racing through New York using the Bureau's fancy hat travelling system [I know, it's silly, but at least they look good, right?] and brings a confused Elise with him. When it comes down to it, and she's faced with the decision to either follow David, despite the insanity of the situation, or returning to her life without him, you know the inevitable answer. There's no way one can go without the other.
Like I said, a romance masquerading as a thriller. Despite that it was very well done, extremely well acted, by both the leads and the supporting actors. There were also some nice touches that leant to the realism of the story, New Yorkers stopping David on the street and interviews with the always awesome Jon Stewart. These little things make up for the plot holes and varying tone in the film, so that you don't really notice them, well until you think about them afterwards anyways.
That's all for this week, and I promise I'll get my Feb trailer round up posted soon! Until next Monday!