It Lives!

And I thought this place was done, over, kaput (or however you spell it). For some time now, all that I've written on here have been movie reviews and upcoming movies. Not quite what I intended it for. And sure enough and soon enough it pretty much irked me to post yet another movie review on here, as if watching movies were the only thing I did. Something about a thing not fulfilling its purpose leading to its own demise.... sort of.

Irk led to disillusionment coupled with a severe lack of time and/ or inspiration (take your pick) and so led to the ghost town effect in my blog. Heh.

Man I've not toyed with this place for so long I don't even know what that 'Monetize' tab is.

Either way, I'm back and this place is back. More out of a need to write than anything. As it is fast becoming the only outlet through which I feel I can express myself to the best of my ability and through which I can be best understood. More of that in another post, later on.

Suffice to say that I'm back to writing again. On here at least. For a long time to come this time.

Movie Review: Watchmen

Language: English

Run Time: 163 mins

Distribution: Warner Bros
Paramount

I feel compelled to write a disclaimer to all those who are planning to watch this so dubbed super-hero movie. And so I shall. This is not your typical super hero movie. This is not a feel good movie. And you definitely need to have your brain and sadly, your heart switched on to be able to relate to all that is going on in it. So people who are looking for the next X-Men, do please stay away.

Set in the period of the late 1980s in alternate history/ reality (take your pick) where the US was having its standoff, as in our reality and history with the then, Soviet Union. The world was on the brink of nuclear disaster, the coming of a Third World War. And Nixon was, for all intents and purposes the leader of the free world. The main difference of the reality portrayed in this movie is the existence of masked heroes and vigilantes.

I was and still am a huge fan of the comic book it was based on. And though I was slightly dismayed that aspects of the critically acclaimed comic book such as The Tales of The Black Freighter were excluded from the movie, I can fully understand how these same aspects could be difficult if not altogether impossible to incorporate into a full blown movie. Added to the notion that I've always held that some comic books were never written with the big screen in mind.

The imagery throughout the movie seemed at times inconsistent though the digital imagery was amazing. to say the least. The plot tried to remain true to the comic book. And in that sense I guess would have a hard time enticing fresh viewers though those who already know of the backstory details would most definitely enjoy it. Casting was excellent, as I felt all of the actors chosen fit their roles as perfectly as possible. I was particularly impressed by Jackie Earl Haley who played the role of Rorscharch, my favourite character throughout the whole printed series as well as the movie due to his moral absoluteness. If there was ever an actor that managed to capture the essence of Rorscharch, he was definitely it.

The flashbacks though great in the comic book format, did not really pan out so well on the big screen. And though it was needed to give more insight into each characters' background and history, it unfortunately added on to the already draggy feel that the movie sometimes exudes. What with there being near a total of 8 characters by which the story revolve around. Twists and turns in the plot that was consistently maintained throughout the original comic book was also lost through these flashbacks.

All in all, I loved the plot, though one had to sift through a multitude of force fed information to get at it. And the ending, which I shall not divulge here, is one of the best endings, literarure wise of most of the books I've read.

As I said before in the disclaimer, expect a grittier, more real version of a world with superheroes than have ever been seen in the movie theatres. This movie is not a joyride, no thrills, just dreary dark floodings of reality. And it will test your gray matter and patience (especially if you've never read the comic book) to its limits.

Somehow

There seems to be no end to the strife in the Gaza strip. As for seven days straight Israel continues their bombing of targets in that region of the Middle East, to much disdain of the world and denouncement by several of the world's state and religious leaders.

And that pretty much is what the rest of the world can do at this point, show our disdain and anger at the deaths of innocents. Denounce their barbaric actions. Gather together in groups to write petitions against this assault on human lives or to parade in protest in front of the respective embassies. What does all that accomplish though, really?

The killing continues still, regardless of how it began or whomsoever began it.

We do so in the hope of pressuring the respective military powers of this world into action into stopping this mess that has dragged on for decades and seemingly without end. And yet all they could muster is a meeting to denounce and condemn these acts. Isn't that what we normal, average, every day people are doing already? Save for the phonecalls to the governments of both countries to end the bloodshed.

And when the one major military power that in itself would be able to end this states their claim of support for the onslaught, whatever the reason may be, things can and do look pretty grim. Makes the call for Obama to step in much earlier than the 20th of January all the more vociferous I guess.

It's sad but I guess it's true in such cases when all us normal people can do is hope for the right outcome to bear fruit, somehow. Taking up positions in groups and discussions or parade demonstrations against this debacle would definitely help alleviate and distract us from what is actually happening. And though it does not really make much significant impact, it does give us the feeling that we are making a difference, somehow, in some way. That our stand against this atrocity would somehow give those afflicted the same hope to perhaps to be able to end what has been thrust upon them.

Movie Review - Local Color

Language: English

Run Time: 107 mins

Distribution: Empire Film Group
Media 8 Entertainment

(Warning: Spoilers included)

It’s a coming of age story. It’s a love story. It’s a story about pursuing your passions in life. It’s a take on the beauty that is around us and the insanity that has fogged our view of that beauty. Most of all it was based on a true story.

Armin Mueller-Stahl gave one of his best performances to date as the aged and troubled painter Nicoli Seroff, whose words of wisdom were almost always ironically in conflict with his actions. And Trevor Morgan as John Talia Jnr. completes this somewhat mismatched duo of painters. One of accomplished background with a bleak perspective of his own future and another an eager talented young dabbler whose enthusiasm is yet to be dimmed by the world around him.

The movie begins with a monologue of supposedly John Talia Jnr.'s older self, though throughout the movie one never really gets to see this narrator in full view. The scene focuses on the younger John in a museum, sketching while others look on in either ridicule or envy all while the monologue attempts to introduce the scope and path of the story.

The setting shifts then to John's house where his father, John Talia Snr. (Ray Liotta) utters his disdain at his son's interest in paintings and sketches. The narrator every so often coming in with bits of information on his dad and his mom, giving a brief overview of what life in that household would have been like. Fast forward to a store where John Jnr. attempts to get one of his art pieces framed but is instead getting tips on how to capture the moment from the store's owner Yammi (Charles Durning). Noticing a painting of Nicoli Seroff, John Jnr inquires on how Yammi came about it and thus the path towards the young John meeting Nicoli was made.

Early meetings between the two were expectedly abrasive but the dogged determination of youth made Nicoli relent in time. Nicoli's refusal to impart the skills of his art were a constant feature and yet he also gave John insights into the perception of things. A push and tug routine that brought them closer as time trodded on.

The introduction of Carla (Samantha Mathis) then gave insight into how Nicoli's bitter self came to be. It was through Carla as well that John was finally able to make headway both for his own self and towards reaching the Nicoli that he come to admire so.

I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Nicoli was made to judge a local art festival in Pennsylvania. As well as scenes of where he helped mentally challenged children draw and paint and what became of those sketches afterwards. Most of all, I enjoyed the transformation of Nicoli from the beginning to the end, perhaps telling us that it is never to late to change. Never too late to be able to see beauty again in all the things of this world. And most importantly, never too late to see the beauty in oneself.

By far my most favourite of 2008. Of course if you're one of those action flick seeking fans, then avoid this at all cost. But for me, personally, my movie of the year.

Movie Review - The Day The Earth Stood Still

Language: English
Run Time: 103 mins
Distribution: 20th Century Fox

(Warning: Spoilers included)

The title sounded familiar when I first heard it. And rightly so as it's a remake of a 1951 film of the same name, one which I did not have the opportunity to catch.

The movie begins with an explorer (Keanu Reeves) on a mountain range somewhere in the 1950s who encounters a shimmering orb. Attempting to initiate contact with the object, the explorer is knocked off his feet and becomes unconscious. When he comes to, the explorer notices a mark on his hand.

Cut scene to the present day in a laboratory where Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) was discussing with a group of students on the conditions required for life to exist. Class ends and the scene shifts to Dr. Benson's home. Her son, Jacob Benson (Jaden Smith) plays with his game console before an exchange ensues that highlights the friction in the relationship between mother and son. A theme that would run throughout the whole movie. She then receives an ominous phonecall signalling the start of cascading events in the whole movie.

Whisked away to a military facility along with a few other sceintists and professionals, they were briefed on the impending collision of an asteroid body with Earth and had selected them as men and women who would assist in the rebuilding of civilisation post impact. Though there was no impact as expected, rather the asteroid body, in the form of the orb seen at the start of the movie descends slowly upon Central Park. An alien being about the size of a human appears to exit the orb accompanied by a large automaton but was shot by one of the nervous soldiers that had gathered in the area, prompting the automaton to activate in an aggressive manner. The alien, suffering from a gunshot wound however prevented the automaton from doing any real damage.

I especially liked the special effects done during this scene. Especially the animation of both of the automaton and the shimmering sphere. One particular act of note that was especially emphasized was the shooting of the yet unnamed alien at this point. Perhaps stressing humans' natural fear of the unknown and our all too often aggressive reactions towards things we do not understand.

The alien was taken back to a military installing where scientists were attempting to heal it. As surgeons removed the bullet, more and more of the alien's outer exterior drops off until in the end it revealed a seemingly human infant. The infant then began to grow at a rapid rate to the point where it reached adulthood in the form of the mountain explorer we saw in the opening scene. Identifying itself as Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) to its captors, it explained itself as having come with a message to the leaders of the world. There was one particular exchange of words between Klaatu and Regina Jackson (Kathy Bates), the US Sec. Defense acting in the President's stead that brought about a subtle sense of realization.

Regina: Why have you come to our world?
Klaatu: What makes you think this is your world?

Klaatu then, with the help of Dr. Benson, escapes through the use of his alien abilities which seems to be tied into modern day technologies. A chase scene ensues with now fugitives Dr. Benson driving Klaatu and her son around as Klaatu searches for agents already implanted on Earth a long time ago. And as the movie progresses, Klaatu's intention became clearer. In that he was here to save the Earth though not necessarily humanity. A rendezvous with Klaatu's kin, another agent on Earth explains to him of the nature of humans. Of our destructive and aggressive nature and yet there is a side to us that he cannot explains. Klaatu's meeting with Prof. Barnhardt (John Cleese) a Nobel-Prize winning physicist was one of the highlights of the alien's trek across American. The argument of how a particular formula was supposed to equate done through writing reminded me a lot of the kids that I handled in my workplace. And the philosophical discussion on the nature of humans was something that for some reason ignited my perspectives of things at that point in time.

As all this was happening the military had already gotten control of the automaton, now dubbed GORT (Genetically Organized Robotic Technology) by it's captors. As experiments were being conducted on GORT, the automaton was transforming itself into tiny insect-like nanites and pretty soon into a swarm that began to disintegrate everything it touches. This was another excellent piece of CGI work, especially with the nanites.

Attempting to outrun GORT, Dr. Benson and company head towards Central Park in order to reach Klaatu's spaceship. When Jacob gets infected with the nanites, Dr. Benson pleads for Klaatu's help to cure her son before she herself got infected as well. Complying he cures them both before making his way through the GORT swarm, losing parts of himself as he does so before managing to release an pulse similar to that of an EMP blast sending the GORT swarm hurtling down to the ground. The blast also halted all forms of technology on Earth leaving everything in a standstill. A fitting end.

There is in my opinion nobody else who would play the role of Klaatu any better than Keanu Reeves. I mean, come on, slow speaking man with powerful abilities in a black suit? Who else? John Cleese's cameo performance was also a delight. Apart from those most of the acting was relatively normal with the special effects, cinematography and storyline playing a much larger role and effective role.

Special effects even though good were not anything that was extremely breathtaking.

The message was clear. Change the way we live or perish, which is pretty much what's going to happen to us regardless of whether an alien's coming to tell us so or otherwise. And it's a timely message what with all that is going on in the world at this time.

All in all a movie worth the full price whether you're a sci-fi fan like me or not.