Paper_Hanger’s Weblog
Performances, movies and book reviews …Archive for Film
Terminator Salvation
I had a spare three hours so I went to see the latest Terminator movie. Warning: plot elements revealed.
I found Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles kind of interesting, so I thought “give it a go.”
Christian Bale gets to play the first adult potrayal of John Connor. I found the rest of the rest of the cast looked like the cast from The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Marcus (Sam Worthington) for Derek (Brian Austin Green); Blair (Moon Bloodgood) for Cameron (Summer Glau) and Kyle (Anton Yelchin) for John Connor (Thomas Dekker ). Nice to see Yelchin showing some versatility (vis-a-vis playing the part of Chekov in Star Trek.
It is an action movie. It is loud and violent, and maybe a little formula-ish. John has to save his future father without revealing too much to those around him. Still, it pays homage to the earlier Terminator movies in a number of places; there is even a ‘tip of the hat’ to Arnold Schwarzenegger
The film stay consistent with the previous Terminator movies. It fills in some of the missing pieces; and does not try to re-invent things.
I have two questions: (i) was that really Arnie in the final confrontation? (ii) John knows that Skynet will one day produce human tissue covered terminators, so why is he so surprised?
0.3
Young@Heart – Young at Heart Choir
Warning: plot elements revealed
This is a documentary about a choir, whose average is over 80 years old! The Vienna Boys Choir they are not !! But they retain a passion for music and performing. The documenatry is shot over 7 weeks in a hand-held-video-camera style, and is very engaging. The story of the Choir and its members make for a lightedhearted exploration of a serious subject – what does one do as one approaches the twilight years? how show one deal with the loss of a friend and comrade?
The Choir makes regular trips abroad – from their native Northampton, Massachusetts, USA. Stephen Walker and follow the Choir as they put together their next show.
Key to the Choir is their director – Bob Cilman. Who keeps the Choir’s repertoire upto date and re-arranges the music for choristers’ older voices. He works the Choir hard and does not let them settle into the comfortable music of ther ‘youth’. So we see the Choir working on a Sonic Youth number – Schizophrenia!
The Choir members are constantly confronted with their mortality. By the time the documentary is filmed two of their number has died; By the time the documentary has completed post-production, a third member has died. And sadly, just before I saw this film, a fourth member, featured in the documentary has also passed away.
But, it is the way that the Choir deals with the loss of these fellow choristers and friends that is so moving. They resolve to go on performing. One chorister, talking about the death of Bob Salvini, says that if she dies on stage, that they should just push her off stage and keep on singing.
For me, the most moving part of the film was the Choir’s rendition of Bob Dylan’s Forever Young to an audience of inmates at their local prison. The Choir had been informed just that morning of Bob Salvini’s death.
Singing seems to improve the quality of life for the Choir’s members – they were mentally alert (Bob Cilman makes them learn the words to all the songs they sing) and active (regular rehearsals and the choir has some light dance moves). And I think creates a support network for them – something to focus on, other than themselves.
The filming of the documentary must have been fun for the Choir too. Stepping out of a strictly documentary mode, Walker shot three music videos for the Choir – covers of: I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones), Road to Nowhere (Talking Heads), and Staying Alive (Bee Gees). The Ramones video had the Choir dressed in hospital gowns in a hospital setting and was just surreal. NB: Bob Cilman is a huge Talking Heads fan.
The documentary team get quite close to a trio known as the Three Musketeers; today there is only one Musketeer left. Joe Benoit died before the filming of the documentary’s final concert. Eileen Hall, died at the young age of 93, during post-production; the film was dedicated to her.
The documentary does not dwell on the loss of Choresters, because the Choir doesn’t. The losses hurt, but people are remembered for their contributions and perfomances.
The Choir’s is pretty good – just don’t expect the vienna Boys! Eileen Hall’s rendition of The Clash number Should I stay or should I go, backed by the rest of the Choir, brings the house down. There are also some renditions of classic James Brown and Bruce Springsteen numbers.
0.3
During research for this review, I discovered that Fred Knittle passed away on the 11th of this month. I will remember his solo of Fix It – originally intended to be a duet with Bob Salvini.
The Forbidden Kingdom
While stuck on a plane, I watched this king fu movie.
The highlight of the film is the fight between Jet Li (a silent monk) and Jackie Chan (a drunken monk); and the film is worth seeing mainly for this sequence.
The rest of the film is some contrived – but then aren’t they all – story about a kung-fu obsessed American teenager who goes backwards in time and sideways in reality to rescue monkey (as in Journey to the West) who has been frozen as a statute by an enemy. He provides the apprentice figure that is well intentioned and generally a menace to everyone around him, but eventually comes right; pretty standard story line.
To ‘balance out’ things there is also a young girl – Golden Sparrow (played by Liu Yifei) – who wants to kill the said enemy of monkey for her own personal reasons.
A ‘must see’ if you are a Jet Li or Jackie Chan fan.
0.3
Nim’s Island
Breslin plays Nim Ruscoe – a girl who lives on an island in the South Pacific with her marine biologist father, Jack; the the film takes its title from her. The father is played by Gerard Butler. The location of the island is secret, and dad and daughter secluded themselves there ever since Nim’s mother was lost at sea – when Nim was four years old.
Butler also plays author Alexandra Rover’s fictional action alter-ego Alex Rover: an Indian Jones type of adventurer. Alexandra, played by Jodie Foster, is in ‘real life’ agrophobic and automysophobic and kinetophobic and lots of other obics! Nim loves the Alex Rover books – some kind of Electra complex no doubt! – and Alex lets Alexandra roam the world (‘in the company of her ideal man’), without every going outside her apartment. which she has not set foot out of in 16 years!!
Against this improbable background Jack sails off – in search of plankton – leaving Nim alone on her island to look after the hatchlings from her ‘pet’ turtle. Alexandra/Alex makes contact with Nim, thinking it is Jake, regarding the volcano on the island. Inevitably, storms and other crises arise to challenge Nim. The growing connection that Alexandra feels for Nim forces her to leave her apartment and travel to the south seas to save Nim.
Alexandra’s journey is just great! It gently pokes fun at all sorts of things, including travel and phobias. Eventually: Alexandra arrives, doesn’t exactly saving Nim, but having grown as a person; the crises are seen off; and goodness, Alexandra even starts to forms bonds with Jack.
All a little far fetched, but entertaining enough for the price of admission. If anything, this film is an example of the power of the Internet – Nim and Alexandra email each other throughout the movie!
0.3
The Golden Compass
An Alethiometer – it tells the truth. This review contains spoilers.
The film is based on Northern Lights – the first book in Philip Pulman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. I have not read the books, but I might be tempted – just to see how much they changed. Chris Weitz was the director.
The first chunk of the film sets up the story for the first book/film and the sequels. It got a little tedious. It was fascinating to consider a world where people (a) have souls, and (b) these souls have their own physical manifestations, and act more like a close companion.
Inspired decision to cast Nicole Kidman in the role of “Mrs Coulter” – the trouble shooter for Magisterium. The Magisterium is an example of the kind of government you can end up with when there is no separation between religion and civic government; they are not the good guys! Consequently, Mrs Coutler is at best a grey character – all the more fitting that she is played as pale skinned blonde haired woman who wear pale/light colours. Mrs Coulter is bright in a grey world; she is an assertive woman in a man’s world; she is ruthless. For me, she stole the movie !
The heroine is actually Lyra Belacqua – played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards. She has to rescue some children that the nasty Magisterium is conducting experiments on.
Between them, these two are the movie. Yes, there are lots of other characters – most notable, is somekind of polar bear. But they are just there to move the plot along and give Lyra and Mrs Coulter points to engage with. One of the reasons they engage so well, is that Lyra is not an orphan living with her uncle after all; she is actually living with her father, and Mrs Coulter, is actually Lyra’s mother. Presumably the parents split up when ‘uncle’ Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) had a falling out over scientific and polictical philosophy with Mrs Coulter. In many subtle ways, mother and daughter are alike – they are both: fearless, manipulative, willing to be frugal with truth, not unwilling to do what needs to be done, and resourceful. Daniel Craig is hopelessly under utilised – maybe he has a bigger role in the sequels.
The alethiometer – golden compass – is the major plot device for moving Lyra around and getting her into and out of trouble. It turns out that not everyone can use it.
The last part of the movie was really disappointing. There is a long segment after the climax that has no entertainment value – it just seems to set you up for the sequel. It had the effect of making the film seem like half a film; you just know that there is more story to come. It really pulls the rug out from under the film.
An interesting question that popped into my head, as I watched Mrs Coulter and Lyrac lie and manipulate: when is it, if ever, alright to do such things?
0.3
Eagle vs Shark
Filmed in Wellington, New Zealand: Titahi Bay, Plimmerton, Manners Street Mall, and maybe more; it was fun trying to figure out where the scenes were shot. The best was the Manners Street KFC.
Despite some very serious bouts of misfit-ness. It all ends happily.
The film is a little close to home, for most people; that might explain why there was less laughter during the movie. Most people have had bouts of misfit-ness, so some of the funnier scenes are tinged with ‘cringe’. American Pie this film is most definitely not – and a good thing too.
0.3
Stardust
Based on the best-selling novel by Neil Gaiman illustrated by Charles Vess.
This film is quite complicated: two parallel worlds – one ‘ours’ and the other a fantasy world where magic works – a love story and a coming of age story. It follows the adventures of Tristan – a 17 year boy coming into manhood. The film/story follows Tristan’s journey from adolescence through to manhood; along the way, he discovers true love, his courage, his true heritage, and some useful skills with a sword.
Tristan is the issue of a one-night-stand between Tristan’s father – from our world – and a market girl in the world of magic. It turns out that Tristan’s mother is actually a princess of the Royal House. So Tristan has a tenuous claim the the throne, and when Tristan’s seven uncles start dying off, his claim gets better an better. This thread of the story is obvious to the audience, but not to those in the story.
The other strong thread in the film is that of true love: Tristan thinks he loves one person, but actually loves another. This too becomes increasingly evident to all but Tristan.
Other threads: being true to yourself; ignorant young men should learn more before they set off; ignorant young men a well suited to the robust adventures, they stumble into due to ignorance, because their bodies can take the knocks!
Michelle Pfeiffer plays the evil witch.
Robert De Niro plays a camp pirate, who maintains a fierce fascade.
0.3
