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Reviews
After Earth (2013)
excellent scifi well worth a watch
I had a good time watching this film, I don't know what all the criticism was about we must be watching different films. It is interesting to see how Jaden Smith is a coming of age actor that parallels a story in which his character is essentially coming of age.
You gotta love what actors do. Acting is a sensory art. I appreciate moments, where Jaden Smiths character 'Kitai' has to take a knee, to plant himself in the here and now, feel your breathing. This is all very important for acting and to see such a simple acting drill being employed by a cadet soldier character is an interesting story device. To offer a criticism, there is a section at the start where Jaden is running with a group of soldiers. He breaks rank and runs for base but it doesn't quite work, its a bit quirky, not quite sure if its a long distance run or a sprint. Look at athletes, their long gate; the way their shoulders pull back; the way your chest expands to pull in vast amounts of air into your lungs. He is however not just a young actor but a young person. Kids are often funny to look at, particularly when they do sports, just arms and legs. Im sure that's why parents turn up to their children's football game, not to encourage or support the child, but to get some self esteem boost watching their children torture themselves trying to catch, run tackle etc. Alas I digress, research is important and often comes up when you least expect or like.
Will Smiths character is the ultimate soldier, fearless, respected and a tough father. Its a struggle between two worlds. Indeed there is something in that performance. Every movement is purpose, every sound is purpose, its researched and methodical. At the denouement, the winding up of loose ends, Jaden Smiths character has been through the journey, come through the climax killing the beast, before completing the mission sending a signal to the rescue ship to save his father and himself. he walks up the corrode of the rescue ship not knowing if his father is alive or dead. He passes a guard who is watching a replay of Jaden killing the beast, you know he is thinking 'right on, respect man'. Its a slow moment, Will smith pushes the medics aside, he's alive. He then salutes his son, a sign that he is finally a man or similar title. Its a wow moment, I reach for the tissues because I am a sook, my 7 year old daughter is crying and yes I know she shouldn't be watching but unlike Will Smith I am a crappy father. I guess the point is you don't get that moment without the father being tough, seemingly unloving, that is an immense barrier for character to resolve compared to the simple matter of killing some beast.
M.Knight always has something deep to say. Its difficult to keep reading that every movie since 6th sense has been a flop, its a silly proposition. Yes the 6th sense has the big mufassa twist when we discover bruce was dead all along and we get that tingle. To keep looking for the exactly the same moments in each film you miss the meaning in his other films.
The moment I like in this film is where Will Smiths character explains how he can stay tough and relives that moment when he felt no fear. He describes the proposition of no fear as an insanity. One of the big story ideas is how the characters deal with fear. They have an enemy that is blind but can find people through the smell of fear. The creature sets up fear traps, such as leaving a pile of baboon limbs, the same baboons shot earlier chasing Jadens character in a menacing manner, or pinning dead bodies to trees. Yes there is a leap of faith in that how can a blind creature find dead bodies that don't excrete fear, so lets move on. Taking a step back you see the humans left earth 1000 years ago because of various natural disasters, rioting, climate change etc. You see the humans living in a new world, they live in eco friendly apartments. A question arises why didn't the humans stop what they were doing to save the earth? When you look at current debates and how they are arrested by fear tactics eg climate change; health care; welfare etc you name it the big questions, the big bold action is always arrested by our fear to take action. This is a good sci fi, to take the issues we face in our society and put them into a completely imaginary world in which we can deal with these issues.
Nude Nuns with Big Guns (2010)
why lord why
The Mexican cartel have stooped to a new low. They are now resorting to kidnapping people and forcing them into b grade soft porn flicks.
Please give generously to stop this form of human trafficking.
On the lighter side of things, it is a difficult movie to watch. At least everyone had a turn at speaking some lines which would be a plus for any actor. The downside would be the level of flesh you would have to reveal in order to get those lines. You'd be working pretty hard to keep your clothes on in this flick. Sympathy goes out to the pizza boy who had the unfortunate luck to make a delivery to the set and forced to work as evil Hench men number 6 for the extra tip.
Earthstorm (2006)
omg Stephen does it again
Just when you though there was now way you could top the effort in 'Darkstorm', Baldwin has come up with a beauty in 'Earthstorm'. We pray that he gets over his drug addiction or replace the word drug with any other vice that comes to mind, there must be some excuse for taking these roles. But we live in a world of relativism, and relatively speaking he may not be as good as Alec, or have Adam's comedy. But enough said on that matter, because those boys look like they could put down. Anyhow the movie is worth the trouble if you need to play a practical joke on a friend, how you seen this great movie and couldn't stop watching it. Good trick on getting your name marked off on someones xmas list.
I'm Still Here (2010)
what a film
This film was a pleasant surprise. Casey Affleck and Phoenix have produced a masterpiece. It is a shame that the film has stirred up so much bad press with one review comparing box office revenue of this film to Casey's brother Ben Affleck's film. It's not too subtle message that his brother's film is somehow superior. I also enjoyed Ben's film however they are different entities, being the difference of chalk and cheese, of comparing apples to oranges.
I love the loose documentary style and excellent motivated editing. The film also has a wonderful denouement, where several scenes appear to have little to no action. A ferry crossing where two men share a quiet beer. A father and son that sit at a table and say nothing. They are scenes with little action but speaks volumes to the underlying story.
Blue Valentine (2010)
beautiful tragedy
A portrait of the struggling working class American family. It's the guy with the low paid backbreaking removal job. It is the parents that argue over the meat loaf. It's the couple that buys discount vodka, that rents the cheap motel room to rekindle lost love.
Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling are improvising, inventive masters of their craft. Gosling is blessed with a concentration and natural fluidity of body movement. I love the way both actors can pressure each other to search and find those buttons That turn the narrative around.
It's the narrative of love at first sight juxtaposed to the narrative of domestic violence. Gifted filmmakers that can be both cruel and kind toward the story matter.
Stargate Universe: Intervention (2010)
just love it
I wasn't sure about the coverage when Alaina Huffman comes out of her coma, lack of creativity and intensity. I thought it was an odd decision. However excellent payoff when she goes onto the deck to see the bright blurry Galaxy thingy. It was such a nice moment. Alaina Huffman is a pleasure to watch. I guess it puts the previous moment in context, you don't get the lift if you play the previous scene too big. Together with another kick ass sound track, wish I knew the song, wish I could download it, hope they can make available on itunes.
I have been a fan of the SG series, but not a fan of performances. Battlestar did a lot to lift the performance bar in the scifi genre, maybe to high. Just love watching Alaina Huffman, and the actor that plays the col. Great technique, excellent to watch. The show would be difficult without them.