Columns
Columns
‘Immortals’ Is Pretty Looking, Pretty Bloody, And Pretty Dumb
Old Man: Only in numbers do they have courage. You have it while standing alone. The beauty of director Tarsem Singh’s Greek Myth 3D action film, Immortals, is definitely the most interesting thing about it. At this year’s San Diego Comic Con, Tarsem, known for his work in music videos as well as his two previous films, The Cell and The Fall, made a point of noting that story comes after the fact for him. His focus lies in the visuals and Immortals is a fine example of this in action. The movie is gorgeous to look at and the audience is certainly given enough opportunities to focus on the visuals, as there is not much to this story, which is treated deadly serious, even though it is just as silly as many of the sword and sandal fantasy films that have come before it. As long as the characters were in the midst of combat I was pleased enough, but the time for talk certainly slowed down the excitement.
|
.jpg)
Back to the ‘Paranormal’: Part III
Dennis: Katie and Kristi, say hi to the camera. It is easier to latch onto some horror series than others. Much like what people laugh at in comedies, things that can scare someone differ from person to person. For me, the Paranormal Activity movies have been quite effective, both in the theater and then later at home, when I am left to sleep during the quiet night in my room. While the initial experimental quality of the first has worn off, along with the simplicity of its plotting, which I really admired, this third entry still effectively makes me worrisome for the things that go bump in the night.
“Real Steel” Is Built From Likable Spare Parts
Charlie: You know you’re bringing him home in pieces right?
As if one giant freaking robots movie was not enough for one year, we now have a new one that involves the seedy underbelly that is robot boxing. Well not quite, Real Steel is a fairly standard sports action/drama, which happens to be set a small amount of time in the future where robots have replaced humans in the world of boxing. However, despite the Rock ’Em Sock ‘Em concept of this film, the central plot of this story revolves around a father and his estranged son learning to come to terms with each other, bonding over the accomplishments of a robot boxer they turn from an underdog into the people’s champ. Despite its adherence to clichés and many other issues that I had with the film, there was enough heart, likability, and sweet robot fighting action to have kept me involved with what was going on.
|
‘The Thing’ From Another Decade…Was Much Better
Sam: The last thing you want to be is cooped up with 12 Norwegian guys. A pointless retread, cleverly disguised as a prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 horror classic. Sure it is set before the events of the previous ‘Thing’, but this film so wishes to be just like its predecessor, it’s just too bad no one wanted to concentrate on a decent script or finding what it takes to recreate the sense of dread and paranoia that made that film so rewarding. I could try to be less harsh with this movie, but what is the point? I did not enjoy it, found many problems throughout, and have very little praise to give to it. I guess I’ll keep going, but the gist of this thing is that anyone unfamiliar with the previous version of The Thing should go seek that film out right away and avoid this film.
Buckle Up And ‘Drive’
Driver: If I drive for you, you give me a time and a place. I give you a five-minute window, anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours no matter what. I don't sit in while you're running it down; I don't carry a gun... I drive. Seeing the pieces fall together in a film all so perfectly is a beautiful thing. The right combinations can sometimes still make for chaos, but at other times work in perfect rhythms. Drive presents this very positive latter angle. Taking a standard crime-story and turning into a piece of neo-noir art makes for a great cinematic experience. This film accomplishes that. Drive is stylish, pulpy fun. The type of inventive film that makes an old plot feel very fresh; and its lead by Nicolas Winding Refn’s fantastic direction and Ryan Gosling’s quiet cool as the lead.
|
