Raphael Suter’s Blog

Edge of Darkness

So how did Mel Gibson’s dive back in front of the camera go after a seven year absence?……   Ehhhhh.

Slowly paced and under scored, Edge of Darkness moves along at even clip. The little action that’s in this film feels under baked and tame compared to what I expect from a Mel movie.  The acting was all fine enough, but the movie itself just felt so slow, which is odd considering it’s a compressed version of a mini series.

If your going to make a revenge move of this kind it either needs to be tightened up, actioned up, or smartened up. Taken is a good example of a film that plays to the base. It’s not fantastic but it delivers as advertised.  Now i’m not suggesting that Edge of Darkness needs to be dumbed down. This is fact would seem to go against the source material it’s based on. However, it’s original mystery does need some pruning if your going to fit it into it 2 hour runtime.

I also never felt a sense of fun and revelation as the facts were uncovered. Every time Mel found a clue my reaction was always… “umm hmm, and?”   It lacks the power of a good mystery drama, and the satisfying over the top action and violence of a good revenge picture. Edge of Darkness just is, and what it is just isn’t enough.

The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli is a movie that I can see causing a bit of polarization when it comes to ones enjoyment of it’s main ideas. This split may come from the viewers religious beliefs, and depending on those the ending may come off as preachy, or an uplifting tale of faith. I myself fall into the category of one who thought of the whole movie as a bit on the preachy side, but I also feel as the middle and end of this film were week regardless of my beliefs. The bad guy Carnegie, played by Gary Oldman, I thought was not convincing. This was not because of his acting but because of his motivation. The idea that he is willing to do the things he does for the possession of a book seemed down right silly.

The effects were ok, and the violence was fun and over the top, and sometimes boarding on cartoonish, but these few action scenes represent the few points at which I took away some entertainment value from this movie.

The acting was ok. Denzel did his Denzel thing. Gary Oldman did fine acting with the material he was give, and Ray Stevenson, who plays Carnegie’s right hand man was one of the more compelling bad guys to watch due in part to his limited use of action.  On the other hand, Mila Kunis, who played Solara was not so good. There was nothing really unique or compelling about her, and some of the sequences with her towards the end of the movie were super cheesy. This may be more of a product of the writing and direction, but that character was one of the worst in the movie.

Overall, I thought it was a pretty week, and almost forgettable presentation, where great actors appear to suffer under shotty writing and direction. There are some fun moments to this movie and a few surprises that I admit I never saw coming, but the total package is just to flawed. I personally found it a tad on the preachy side, but you may not want to listen to me. I’m what they call a Liberal Elitist.

Avatar

A very predictable film with themes we have seen in countless movies before, but… It does what what it does so well, it really doesn’t matter. James Cameron certainly seems to know how to make a fun movie, though for as log as he claims he has had it in his head it certainly should be. There are however, moments that are unnecessarily cheesy such as naming the coveted mineral, “Unobtainium.” as well as dialogue that is just as bad. I also thought that Michelle Rodriguez’s character development was not setup well for her character arch which I can not tell you about without spoiling it.

The 3d character technology is noticeably better in this movie than most. This does not mean that the Navi are free from stiff expressions, but they are much less of them. The expressions seem to work the best when they are showing extream emotions, and falter the most when smaller moments need to be conveyed.

The Music was good, but I thought could have been better. One instant improvement would be to tell James Horner to not use the now obnoxious and self aware trumpet flair, that he puts into all the movies that he does. (It was in Troy, and in The Mask of Zorro, to name a few.) It pulls me right out of the film, though I think this is something that wont bother most people or those who are less faniliar with his work.

All in all, this is a solid movie that while not flawless, is fun, effective and environmentally poignant.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes was a fairly amusing romp. Robert Downey Jr, brings his usual dry wit and uniquely paced banter, and Jude law plays his role as the strait man fair enough. Guy Ritchie also has his finger prints all over this as his style, and love of the all connecting reveal ending make their appearances in spades. The Music fits well to this type of film but is unmistakably Hans Zimmer and could – at times – be interchanged with A Pirates of the Caribbean movie with out skipping a beat. While the movie works for the most part it feels a bit too much like it’s experimenting with ideas, and that too many chefs might have been in the kitchen. Also the sequences of Sherlock Holmes explaining what he is going to do, then showing him doing it could have been shortened in some places and removed from others. This was an entertaining film but feels like it’s more of a setup for a much better, and more refined squeal, all-la Xmen.

The Road

A, depressing and meticulously paced look at and an end of civilization scenario that has some truly disturbing moments but keeps everything within a framework of a believable reality. It can be a little slow at times, and the back and forth jumps through time are nice but are occasionally distracting and slow a very even movie down even more. I liked the subtle and toned down score of the film, and especially appreciated the moments were there was none, and all you could hear was wind over uncomfortable silence. The Road was not a great film but was a good experience made from superior source material.

Where The Wildthings Are

I had waited to see this film as my original hype for it had died after reviews came back a little under what I was expecting. I recently got a chance to check it out and I’m glad I finally did. It has some wonderful imagery and fairly unique soundtrack. The acting is fairly solid with my only real complaints coming from acting choices made by the director and writers as apposed to the actors abilities. The main character in the film, Max, is Psychotic to the point of being a tad unrelatable, and the Wildthings are equally as negative and neurotic. While these attitudes do have there place in the film I thought that they dominated way to much of the arch.

The Wildthings looked great. I always love it when movies use practical effects, and they are used well here. Once again the great Jim Henson company was charged with bringing them to life, while an effects house was brought in to add life to the face that would impossible and most likely financially impracticable to build into any rig made today.

“Where The Wildthings Are,” may not be what you expect. It’s subtly acted, and has fantastic visuals. It’s pacing is slow allowing the viewer time to take in the creatures and world. However, there are many times when the movie is to slow for it’s own good. All in all, it’s a nice trip to take even if it contains textbook examples of why parents sometimes turn to drugs.

2012

I God awful piece of over produced and under acted celluloid vomit.

This Is It

I was never a devoted fan of Michael Jackson, but nevertheless was familiar with his hits that played on the radio, and on MTV of course. After his nose fell off, and his child molestation scandal kicked into full gear – in order to save my sanity – I stopped paying any attention to the media coverage and thusly the man himself. Now that this documentary of what was to be his final performance has been released I figured I should give it a watch as my interest had been sparked by his sudden death, and the one again, nearly unescapable coverage.

The film itself was not really what I expected, in that it was not really even a documentary. Instead it was a compilation of behind the scenes footage of Michael Jackson practicing this concert. It even goes so far as to reconstruct some of the performance that was – at the time – bare bones and not ready to show. With this in mind, the enjoyment you will pull from this film is in direct relation to how much you liked the man and his music.

I was surprised at just how many of the songs I new, which is to say, all of them. It was also amazing to see Michael still able to pull all of his moves at 50. Regardless of what you believe when it comes to his guilt, he definitely new how to preform and put on a show and, “This Is It,” as close as many of as we will ever get to seeing a new production from him.

As I may have mentioned before, I’m a huge zombie movie fan.  Be the movies good or bad, I’ll take time to watch them all.   Lately however, there has been a huge trend for the new additions to this genre to make there undead have the ability to run.  I hate this.  One of the main things that make zombies so creepy is there slowness, and how characters are eventually overwhelmed not by speed but my numbers.  When the zombies run, they become like any other monster out there, and while the prospect of fast monsters has it’s own terror merits, it’s not something I like to see in a zombie flick.

I think ultimately it may come down to what a film calls it’s undead.   The “28 Days Later,” creatures are simply infected, and change almost instantly, and while they share the undead aspect, they are never called zombies.  This may be a petty nuance, but this simple edit makes them ok in my book.  On a side note, I have the same problem with calling the sparkly daytime dwelling fairies that populate “Twilight,”  vampires.

…………  But I digress  …………..

“Zombieland,” is a fun well written romp into a undead ravaged world.  The characters are all well acted and funny, and the story flows nicely from gag to bit.  It sags a little in the middle act but this was the only kink in an otherwise smooth comedy pipe.  There is also a cameo in this film that’s hysterical and though it plays out to a telegraphed conclusion, is none the less satisfyingly funny.  There are a few choices towards the end of the movie that ruins it a little for me but it’s by no means a deal breaker.

The zombies in this movie were ok.   My major problem is that they’re even referred to as zombies but with that aside, they are serviceable.  I also have to deduct points for the lack of degradation and overall rot that is shown.  None of the undead seemed to show any wear and tear past to dripping blood and pasty skin.  The first time I noticed this lazy zombie work was in the “Resident Evil” movie where they’re all just painted blue.

So how is the gore level?  I would give it a B+.  There are some great moments and one kill at the end that’s fantastic, but most of it is nothing special.  There aren’t a whole lot of over the top, and extra graphic dismemberments that I love to see in movies like this, but what is there works for this film.

The music was also ok with the only real theme piece at the end, which in my opinion was the best part of a rather subdued rock filled score.

Overall, “Zombieland” is a great comedy with laughs a plenty.  It fires on all cylinders most of the time, with a few instances here and there of slowdown and questionable behavior.  This is fun film to see, and is only enhanced when your fellow movie goers are just as into it as you.  So far as zombie comedies go, I think “Shaun of the Dead” is a pinnacle that has yet to be touched, but Zombieland’s reach isn’t that to far away.

If they weren’t called zombies then…

The Hurt Locker.

I had heard nothing but great things about this movie and was very interested in seeing it, but because it was in such limited release it was hard to find a location close enough to go see it.  When it eventually came to a local theater I went immediately to give it once through.

This is a gritty and seemingly realistic take on the lives of soldiers who are responsible from the safe removal of bombs from Iraq.  The scenes were bomb disposal is taking place are intense and nerve racking and are the best part of the film.  The movie also focuses on the lives of these men when they are off duty and how they each deal with stress.  These are done well but are less successful then the scenes with ordinance removal.  I would have also like to have seen a more cohesive story line with a tangible arch, but that’s a personal desire and some may certainly prefer it as it is.

This film does not paint the war to be glamorous or fun, and it certainly makes you wonder why anyone would want to be on the bomb squad in Iraq.  It’s well shot, well acted and a sold war movie that belongs up there with the good ones but falls just short of the best ones.

Inglorious Bastards

I liked the trailer for this movie when it came out but I was a little gun shy as Quentin Tarantino’s movies have been hit or miss for me.  So with great trepidation I went to see it, and thankfully, I’m glad I did.  It’s fun and as long as you don’t mind Quentin Tarantino’s writing style – which can be a little self aware – it’s also well written.  The main antagonist is fantastically cast well acted, and format of separate stories that tie together works great.  Some of the scenes could have benefited from a little editing, and Mike Myers Cameo bugged me (to reminiscent of Austin Powers).  But this movie has one of my new favorite last lines coming in behind, “I’m finished” from There Will Be Blood.