Film Review: "Brave"

Starring: Kelly McDonald, Emma Thompson, Craig Ferguson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters

Initial Release Date/s: 07/10/12 [Seattle International Film Festival]

Running Time: 93 Minutes

Pixar has sealed its fate. They have commanded their destiny, as the true powerhouse of 3-dimensional computer animation. Yet, Its latest feature does not live up to its name by tottering itself as either one of the production's best or not even close.

The film's is based in Medieval-era Scotland, during the 10th century. Merida (McDonald) is the name of the protagonist, she is a princess that wants to break from tradition by not being "betrothed" to unite the kingdom that her ancestors had built from ages ago. Her mother & kingdom's reigning queen, Elinor (Thompson), is a very uptight, conservative lady who has been grooming her since she was a wee-one. Making her act more like a "lady," rather than what she wants to be, an adventurer-slash-equestrian-archer.

On the day Merida was to be wedded to one of the first-born son's of the leaders of the other 3 clans, she runs away and manages to stumble upon a witch's home through the guide of these will-o'-the-wisp. She requests for a spell from the witch, to help change her mother's mind about the decision of giving her hand in marriage. The witch grants Merida's wish and gives her this enchanted pastry. But all goes awry when her mother eats a slice of the magical quiche and turns into this large black bear. The thing is that Merida's father, King Furges (Connolly), does not know about what has occurred and he absolutely despises bears, because one took his left leg. Little do they know, is that same black bear was a prince of an older kingdom, that turned into a bear by the same hex. It's up to Merida and Queen Elinor to journey on this quest, to find a way to reverse the enchantment, before the second sunrise, or she becomes a bear forever.

It's no mistake that Pixar has outdone itself in the design department. Lush greenery, well-detailed characters with perfectly rendered hair, flawless lighting, and amazing voice acting was the film's true showcase. Sadly it's the plot that falls, which snips my plethora of praises for this Oscar-caliber animated film. It sort of feels generic, story-wise. It's like they decided to take their parent company, Disney's route, and assemble something for this summer's box office. It definitely is a visual masterpiece, but it doesn't live up to hype or standards of Pixar filmography that millions and I have grew up with.

The character developments weren’t special, and too by-the-book for Pixar’s standards. Where are the wild card characters, which Pixar is known to conjure? I get that Pixar bases their story off of an old Scottish folklore, but did they have to call it by the book. It was highly unlike them to create such basic personae. All I saw was a rebellious princess, an overprotective parent, a wily family, and villain of unfathomable strength.  

Even though the film's plot and typical folkloric archetypes may not have been something to truly marvel at with awe, they still had a that cute Pixar charm. The crowd favorite, which is the traditional pre-movie Pixar shorts, was another spectacle to behold. Aptly titled, “La Luna”, for it's lighthearted story and bright array of three simple characters. Initially premiered at the Annecy International Film Festival of last year. This is my first time viewing this particular animated short. I also caught a quick whiff of it, because of its nomination for Best Animated Short in the 84th Academy Awards.

I really found myself immersed in the folktales of Scottish history through the movie. The wide range of digitally generated images was something to truly behold. Then it really got me to thinking about what lies ahead for Pixar: Have they lost touch? What has Cars 2 [2011] done to their psyche? Are they goanna concentrate on the digital aspects? Will they ever recover from that automotive disaster? Only time can tell and answer those questions. But even after seeing "Brave," I know that they can return with that great counter-punch and take back their rightful spot as the Royals of Digitally Animated Films.


 Final Verdict: See it on DVD/Blu-Ray/NetFlix.

Film Review: "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Starring: Quvenzhane Wallis, Dwight Henry, Gina montana, Joseph Brown, Levy Easterly 

Director: Benh Zeitlin

Initial Release Date/s: 01/20/12 [Sundance Film Festival] & 06/27/12 [Limited United States]

Running Time: 92 Minutes

I found myself watching something with a gritty charm and childish quality. I also found myself strongly absorbed, from the film's start, to its end. Encapsulated in a dystopia that seems truer than what most perceive, while delivering a strong flare of pulsating emotions.

Loosely adapted from a stage play, called “Juicy and Delicious” [awesome titles], by film's co-writer, Lucy Alibar. The film is panned to a cool visual tone, properly complimenting the heavy-set drama. Showcasing stunning & shockingly astounding footages, makes you feel well-immersed in its awe-evoking atmosphere Some scenes hold a genuine feelings and light-hearted humor, which act as tiny palette cleansers.  The movie had almost a Slumdog Millionaire [2008] quality, mixed-in with some The Road [2009] and Water World [1995].

The film's story revolves around a curious and fearless 8-year-old girl with a brown wavy afro that's as big as her personality, and as peculiar as her name, Hushpuppy (Wallis). She lives with her father, Wink [The writers of this movie choose the most interesting names] (Henry), in " the Bathtub" – a Delta community south of Louisiana. The whereabouts of Hushpuppy’s mother is not directly discussed in the film. It can only be assumed that she is either left or had died. Wink’s love for Hushpuppy can only be described as tough; because he does his best to prepare for when he will inevitable pass away & for the unwinding of the universe. Hushpuppy finds out that her father is gravely ill, but is not sure as to what it exactly is. During this period, a quarrel occurs between the two and the universe suddenly begins to fall apart. This particular incident causes a violent storm that floods the Bathtub, and releases these prehistoric creatures, known as Aurochs, which are portrayed as these primitive giant ancestors of modern bovines. At this point, Hushpuppy, Wink, and the other survivors of the Bathtub, go on adventures in hopes to make their lives better without having to leave the Delta that they love so much. Little do they know that what awaits for them is a world of fantasy and surprising twists.

Plot–wise it was kind of hard to keep up, because the film seems to pan from reality, to flashes of bizarre surrealism. The themes introduced, like climate change, social schisms, and an allusion to metaphysics. Though most are approached through a child’s perspective, and the paintbrush of a post-Katrina Louisiana wetland, it almost completely understandable. Yet I seem to feel that the story could’ve told more.

  

Two of the movie’s leading performers, Quvenzhane Wallis and Dwight Henry, who are literally fresh in the business, manage to perform like veterans. Quvenzhane [Does movie run out of awesome names?] was 8, when the film was first shot, delivers an Oscar-worthy performance that made my goose bumps crawl like crazy. Her projection of words and actions made the movie what it was. The way she carried her character felt almost like the transformation of the smallest kid in the playground, into this larger-than-life superhero. Dwight, on the other hand, was just the owner of a local bakery, managed to deliver another quality performance too. His prtral of a strong-willed, but stubbornly loving father was truly a treat. And his "closing act' was truly the film's most touching moment. Their on-screen chemistry is something very great that it seems  to overshadow other father-child/mentor-student relation of films like “The Ballad of Jack & Rose [2005],” “Karate Kid [1984]” and “Pursuit of Happyness [2006].” I was surprised to find out that both had no formal training of whatsoever, which made their performances very special. The film doesn’t have long wordy dialogues between characters, but their performances felt so candid you wouldn’t care about the dialogues’ length.

The footages shot in the film were very brilliant. Fireworks; boars dressed as their Neolithic relatives; an assortment of swamp treats; a dog’s mangled carcass; and a brothel by the everglade, give a great sense of stunning imagery. Employing an almost Guerilla-style of filming, which is highly common in independent film culture, helps increase the emotional drama by tenfold. I can only imagine, how Quvenzhane felt when she initially saw the corpse of that dog with its organs scattered all over the mucky dirt road.

Given that the film was a first for the general cast and most of the production crew, you would imagine it to be something less. But you are dead wrong, if you think that. Entwined by a spectrum of fantasy, drama, and profundity, into a tale of heroism. “Beast in the Southern Wild” is something bigger than it’s small budget and small-scale setting, because of its large heart, which puts a great emphasis on its endearing spirit.

Final Verdict: A Must See!

Film Review: "The Amazing Spider-Man"

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Dennis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Fields

Director: Marc Webb

Initial Release Date/s: 06/13/12 [Japan] & 07/03/12 [United States]

Running Time: 136 Minutes

 

For a DC man, it's difficult for me to praise a Marvel film, like what I'm about to do.

Looking back at it's former franchise, this latest reboot of the Spider-Man title is a distant forerunner. Granted that the previous franchise's first installment was one of the greatest things to happen to the comic book film genre and summer box-office opener standards, while its following sequels weren't as explosive. This quick comeback is one to be remembered, for several summers to follow.

As a child, his parents, due to mysterious reasons, abandoned Peter Parker [Garfield]. He is personally left, by his parent, in the parental custody of his father's brother, Ben [Sheen], and his wife, May [Fields]. Even after turbulently confusing childhood, Peter manages to become a well-learned teenage boy, with an affinity for photography and a crush on a delightfully cute schoolmate, Gwen Stacy [Stone]. The story picks up when Peter discovers a leather satchel that belonged to his father, which had a secret compartment with research notes that had a peculiar equation written on one of the papers. He later finds out that his father, who was a scientist, worked with this man named Curtis Connors [Ifans]. When Peter tries to visit Dr. Connors in his office, at Oscorp, he stumbles upon this room with genetically engineered spiders that are spinning these industrial-strong webs. Due to his awkward clumsiness, he causes a stir in the spider's den, which leads him to the iconic "spider bite" that transforms him to (you guessed it) Spider-Man. Curtis Connors, on the other hand (pun intended) was continuing the research that him and Peter's father were doing, before he went away.

The film was NOT the debacle, which I thought it would be. Instead it weaved an intricately intriguing lattice-of-a-plot by harnessing it's characters' development elegantly, which is very rare nowadays. The casting may have looked a bit iffy, when they initially came out in early trailers, but the end product was something to lo' and behold. As a comic book fan, this is something that really caught my eye, and undying attention. Though the film may not have been 100% faithful to the old panels'n'pencil, it was still a very interesting take on such an iconic franchise.

I don't usually dwell into the romantic aspect of an action film, but the director, Marc Webb, did an excellent job in directing the chemistry between Peter and Gwen. Both performers played off of each others' character, so well. It's gonna be hard for non-comic fans to see Gwen die (Almost every comic fan knows this) in either the next, or following sequel.  The production house should really work hard on how to properly "off" her, and introduce Mary Jane into Peter's life. Emma Stone should really be commended for her role, in this film, as she managed to bring in her quirkiness and perfect comedic timing. The awkward humor brought in by Andrew Garfield was something to also be noteworthy of, because it brought a sense of juvenility to the story of a young Peter Parker.

I also liked the subtle nods to several things in the Marvel, particularly the Spider-Man universe, without really over saturating it with needless references to giveaway as to what will occur in the sequel. This gives the film a teasing atmosphere for what is to come in future installments. I would really love to see how this coincides with the Avengers film franchise, since I see a lack of the Stark Tower in the fictional Manhattan skyline. And, it's always amusing to see Stan Lee lend his presence to a Marvel film.


Another aspect that surprised me the most was how much the film made Los Angeles look like New York city. Yes, over the course of shooting the film was reportedly being shot, on location, in Los Angeles. Especially when news got loose that South Grand Avenue was being used for one of Spider-Man's stunt scenes. The only thing about the digitally modified skyline of NYC, was Oscorp. Tower. It looked like a CGI-sore-thumb sticking out.

The (unbiased) spats I have for this film are with how rushed they were in trying to reboot the Spider-Man film series. But then again, the last one, which was five years ago, was too horrendous to even try to remember. Another spat goes to Aunt May. Sally Fields is one of the most outstanding actresses to date, but the managing of her character could've been better. Hopefully, future installments will put more depth into her character, and the iconic grey hair in a bun. My cinephilic senses are tingling, and they tell me that this film has proven base as to how superhero movies should be handled in the coming future. Let's hope that the future sequels, will not repeat a half-decade-old mistake.

Now all I have to do, is wait until the "Rising," and give my final verdict as to which film deserves to be personally called: "Superhero Film of the Year." 

Verdict: A Must See!  

Film Review: "Gegen Die Wand"

Starring: Birol Ünel, Sibel Kekilli, Meltem Cumbul, Catrin Striebeck, Stefan Gebelhoff, Güven Kiraç

Director: Fatih Akın

Initial Release Date: 04/12/04 [Berlin Film Festival]

Running Time: 123 Minutes

A magnificently beautiful passenger liner sailing across the Atlantic; A luxurious Northeast African city; Some greeting card office in America; A Sex Pistols Concert; The psychiatric ward at a German Hospital, what do those five specific venues have in common? All are places where strange, but interestingly complicated romantic relationships began.

“Are you Turkish? Would you marry me?” Those are the last few words Cahit Tomruk would ever expect to hear from a random woman, but then again he was inside a psychiatric ward. After surviving a failed attempt at suicide, by a direct head-on drunk-driven collision with his car and a wall, Cahit is brought to this medical facility, where he meets a fellow-psych ward patient, Sibel Guner. She is the woman who awkwardly asks Cahit to marry her. Sibel is admitted to the same hospital, due to attempting suicide as well, by slashing her wrists.

Growing up in a very conservative Turkish household in Germany, Sibel has always felt disenfranchised from her family. This is why she is very distressed. The only thing keeping her from running away her family is the love she has for her mother. It is through her idea of marrying Cahit, a German-Turkish man; she can be liberated from the household. The thing is, Cahit doesn’t want to be married. He recently lost his wife, which the film sadly does not reveal. This is why he acts out by diverting his attention to alcoholism and cocaine. The other reason Cahit does not want to marry Sibel, is because he despises the Turkish culture and it’s people, which is the most ironic plot device in the entire story. Even though he was born in a small province, in Turkey, he speaks the language poorly. The only thing truly attaching him to his Turkish heritage is his best friend, Seref, who also acts as his Jiminy Cricket.

For some reason Cahit feels pity for Sibel, which is why he decided to marry her. He manages to persuade her family, even though he is 20 years older than her. They have a civil wedding, followed by a big Turkish reception. This plays as a nice contrast to the cultural aspect of the film. Sibel also invites her cousin, Selma, to be her witness at the wedding ceremony, and also acts as Seref’s female counterpart. After they wed, Sibel finally feels liberated and doesn’t feel the need to cut her wrists anymore. As for Cahit, he still drinks heavily, smokes like a chimney, and managed to get his “new wife” hooked on cocaine.

During the course of their “marriage,” Sibel sleeps around with other men, which they both agreed upon before tying the knot. At times, Cahit would accompany Sibel to dance clubs and watch her hook up with other men. Cahit also does some other extra marital sexual encounters with a friend of his former deceased wife, which he’s been probable having sex with a few years/months after she passed away. Even though the two haven’t had a true intimate connection with each other, and have been treating the streets of Hamburg like the temple of Dionysius. They still manage to slowly fall for one another, but it doesn’t manifest overtly fast.

During one evening, when both already have strong feelings for each other, yet the manifestation wasn’t obvious. Niko, one of Sibel’s many one-time sexual partners, falls madly in love with her and finds out that she is married to Cahit. Both men are patrons at this bar, which is where Niko goes to verbally taunt Sibel’s estranged husband, by calling him a “pimp” and other derogatory terms. In a fit of drunken rage, he smacks an ashtray to his harasser’s temple, killing him instantly. Sibel reaches the bar, only to find Niko’’s lifeless body and her husband hovering over the lifeless body.

Cahit is sent to prison, and the Sibel’s father and brother disown her completely. With nowhere to turn, she leaves Germany and goes to Turkey, in Istanbul, to live with Selma. Over there she kind of turns into what Cahit was in the start of the film; always self-abusive through intoxicating substances. Her fits of inebriation and rebellion cause her to alienate Selma, and get viciously beaten and stabbed by a group of men.

After a long unspecified duration of time, the Cahit is released from prison. He tells Seref that he really loves Sibel, and he wants to go after her, in Istanbul. Seref calls him crazy, but he retorts by saying that it is through his love and the letters of Sibel that kept him going in Prison. Seref understands his best friend’s wishes and gives him the money to buy a ticket to Istanbul. Once he gets to Turkey, he meets up with Selma, but is shocked to hear bad news. He finds out that Sibel has a daughter and a boyfriend. This doesn’t stop him from seeing or contacting her.

He manages to contact her, and they rendezvous at the hotel he is staying at in Istanbul. This is where they have their first moment of sexual contact. After they make love, she asks him about his plans. He tells her that he will go to his place birth, Mersin, which is also in Turkey. She tells him yes, and he tells her to meet him at the bus stop with her daughter. While packing she hears her child playing with her boyfriend, then she contemplates about her decision. Then, we see Cahit leaving on the bus, alone.

Sibel Kekilli’s (Yes, her character has the same name as her) performance was very enticing. Her range and depth was very thrilling. The way she manipulated the audience in a provocative fashion, was seductive to me. At first, she appeared to be this terribly insane woman, but in the long scheme of things she was just distressed and troubled from familial pressure and society. Her performance was the real standout factor in the entire film. Yes, all the actors and actress performed amazingly, in this film, but Sibel’s performance was just too riveting.

The film had some very strong scenes. From the scenes where a lot of blood was used, which sets as the film’s dark tones. Including the rampant drug-driven sexual encounters between Catih and Maren, where one of their trysts lead to a game of backgammon. My favorite scene is where Catih confronts Selma. The film’s language constantly pans from German to Turkish, which adds more to the film’s very rich diversity. But during their small (but powerful) chat, both sporadically break into small bursts of dialogues in English, which shows how the intensity of the scenario is developing.

This was the fourth film by Fatih Akın, who was it's director and writer. Basing some of the scenarios from his life as a Turkish German, Fatih manages to bring the viewers into a perspective only a few can witness. From the blatant racism towards the Turkish community in Germany, to the conservatism that strongly practiced in a Turkish German household. The film speaks more about culture than it does about Cahit & Sibel’s relationship. The usage of a Turkish band performing local songs, along the riverbanks of the Blue Horn as they are facing away from the famous Blue Mosque, from the beginning of the film until the credits hit was genuinely poetic.

Verdict: A Must See!  

Film Review: "Safety Not Guaranteed"

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake M. Joseph, Karan Soni, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Kristen Rice, Jeff Garlin 

Director: Colin Trevorrow

Initial Release Date: 01/22/12 [Sundance Film Festival] & 06/08/12 [Limited: USA]

Running Time: 86 Minutes

A fun and heart warming comedy about love is set to the backdrop of a cool small coastal town in America's Pacific Northwest. But, unlike all love stories this one has a very special twist, which some would even call - Scientifically fictional.

A journalist, two magazine interns, and a brilliantly clouded mind are the characters in this tale of love, heartbreak, discovery, and time travel. In a magazine publication based in Seattle, WA, is having staff meeting. In the prospect of finding new pieces to put in their next publication, Jeff Schwensen (Johnson), a senior writer at the magazine volunteers to write about this wanted ad he was emailed, by a fan. the wanted ad reads:

"Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed."

The editor-in-chief, Bridget (Rajskub), approves on the topic, and Jeff chooses two inters to accompany him to do some research on who wrote the ad. Darius (Plaza) & Arnau (Soni), are the chosen interns who accompany him to the small fishing town of Ocean Shore, which is a few hours away from Seattle. As soon as they reach their motel, in town, they plan how they approach the ad's mysterious author. Immediately, they track him down by staking him out. The film's female lead, Darius, finds out that the owner of the ad is named, Kenneth Calloway (Duplass), a man in his mid-30s with a interesting fixation in quantum physics, and works at the local super market.

She regroups with her workmates and do further research as to where he lives, so they could their plans as to how they should approach Kenneth in answering his ad, without giving him the spooks. The next morning, they venture to his home, which turns out to be a run down raggedy old house in the woods that was left to Kenneth, when his parents passed away. Jeff takes the moment to be the first person to interact with Kenneth, but the wary homeowner sees through Jeff's insincerity, and feels alienated by the journalist. Rethinking his strategy with the group, he sends Darius to “seduce” with Kenneth into thinking that she is interested in joining his timer travelling excursion. She visits him at work, that very evening, and he sees her geeky awkwardly quirky church, which doesn't come too hostile to him. He accepts her as his time traveling partner and the adventure begins to gain momentum.

What the interns didn’t know was that their project leader actually chose to do the assignment, because it was where he had his first memorable romantic relationship, during his summers spent there as a teenager. The interns decipher his ulterior motives, when Jeff and Arnau are at the local pub, searching for the girl on Facebook. When you analyze the film, the only time traveling in the film is showcased through Jeff's character perspective. He ventures off to a place of his youth, trying to find some lost emotion & closure, but then it all collapses in front of him. The downward spiraling leads to a deterioration of his present. If only he knew that rekindling a nostalgic romance is never really guaranteed with a single grain of safety.

The film is an entity of it’s own. The dialogues aren’t extensive, but the characters are so in-depth and have dimensions that cause you to strongly invest in their every movement, you wouldn’t care about the lack of extensive talking parts. Mark Duplass’ portrayal of a pseudo-scientist who borders the limits of awkward sincerity and strong belief in one’s self. It’s like Dr. Emmett Brown paired up with Dale Doback and Brennan Hoback, in one charmingly disillusioned individual. Duplass has definitely showcases how he sheds the shell of him, always playing the character who is stern, mature, or socially apt. Darius Britt is just like the actress playing her, Aubrey Plaza. Quirky in her own respect, which gets you ardently endowed by her performance. Jeff is your typical journalist, with narcissistic behavior, which is also variegated through his pessimism & insecurity. The rut of the litter, Arnau, was my favorite. Embodying your typical nerdy Indian-American who perfectly fits the stereotypical category of the uber-studious Asian college kid in the Western world.

The complimenting of each relationship in the story, really gave the film an outstanding appeal. The strange bro-ish tandem of Arnau and Jeff is very noteworthy. They humorously joust off of each other’s personality. Jeff’s happy-go-lucky demeanor is contrasted to Arnau’s frail frame & gangly persona. Obviously Jeff gets the upper hand due to his seniority, and easy ability to overpower Arnau, but he does it with heart. He tries to help the kid, get the best out of his youth, and not squander over just education, and his evident love for his “super fast gaming laptop.”

Mark Duplass and his brother, Jay, team up with the producers of the 2006 indie film hit, Little Miss Sunshine, in creating this delightfully palatable tale. Director, Colin Trevorrow, utilizes the most intriguing aspects of the film’s characters, and emulating them to the point of believability. Even the cardboard flatness of the black suited government agents following Kenneth, had a more depth than most characters, in their role.

Though the film may not answer questions of whether the possibility of keeping the relinked flame of a juvenile amorousness for a long period of time, or further the human understanding of time travel. It still manages to serve its purpose as a fascinating look into man's fragile psyche, and its never-ending social paradoxes. Formulating a quaint and intimate atmosphere, you will surely be enchanted by its lovably complex simplicity.

Verdict: A Must See!