Thoughts on Cinema

The harder sell in the movie Thor was not the CGI but convincing us that a winner of the genetic lottery, Natalie Portman had a hard time finding a decent guy. By decent she meant, a beefcake straight from the cover of Playgirl magazine.

The Gods are angry and there will be hell to pay in the movie Thor directed by Shakespearean legend, Kenneth Branagh. In a house of two princes, the relationship between two worlds will once again, come into play as a banished warmongering young prince learned nobility wasn’t a birthright but earned through peace and understanding.

Branagh’s film might not be of the classical comic book interpretation of Thor but he did succeed in creating a credible interpretation of his own, a super hero tale of romance. He channeled his Shakespearian stage play experience into decent dialogue that epitomized rhythmic wordy monologue derived from comic books. As the All Father Odin, Anthony Hopkins set the tone having established a regal presence within these characters by carefully weighing his words with every breath. Chris Hemsworth worked within his limitations but it was Ray Stevenson as Volstagg who was one line away from bellowing, “What’s in your wallet?” Within the realm of Asgard, these ornate caped warriors are convincing as something one would see at the Metropolitan Opera. The transition of taking these characters and putting them into the world an audience might relate to wasn’t quite as seamless but Branagh did spare his audience the obligatory, “You must be European…”

Screenwriters Ashley Miller and Zach Stentz best known for their work on Agent Cody Banks weren’t very efficient in terms of balancing out the scenes between Asgard and Midgard headed into the second and third act. The time and care invested to make the budding romance between Thor and Jane Foster credible was not as caring when it came to the Odin sleep and Loki’s somewhat convoluted plot.
As the brilliant astrophysicist Jane Foster who can’t drive, Natalie Portman worked well with the limited material as a giggly girl who hasn’t met many desired beefcakes. Arguably more wasted talent than Rene Russo’s appearance was Kat Dennings who played a useless demographic named Darcy. She was an intentional character shoehorned into the story to provide campy laugh every time the studio execs feared Thor might turn its audience off by taking itself a little too seriously. Gotta ask, was Hilary Duff too busy at the time?

Thor faltered in the last act. The much hyped battle against the Destroyer was over before it even started. Loki’s lie within a lie within a lie just had too many plot points that didn’t make any sense. It was the plot equivalent of Bernie Madoff lying to his investors in order to gain the presidency by dooming those evil rich people. Silly and misguided, one wondered if the god of lies and mischief lied to himself. Thankfully, the film never wasted too much time with super villain explanations. Instead, it’s one hammer strike away from the credits.

Thor rates a Strong Bow cider. Sweet tasting and easy going down so long as you don’t get too carried away trying to make sense of it.

Cheers,
Ron

Bradley Cooper may be onto something bigger when it comes to pill popping for financial gains.

It’s been said, with great power comes great responsibility but don’t tell that to Eddie (Bradley Cooper). As a struggling writer, he yearned to be a more clear minded individual that was smarter, more successful in order to ultimately live a better life. When Eddie was left in the dust of his last girlfriend, his drug dealing ex-brother-in-law offered him the means to bridge the gap, his quality of life improved in such large increments that it was bound to attract attention and trouble. Unfortunately every cheat comes with a price.

Limitless was a thinly veiled tale of drug addiction except it threw a curve ball by making the drug addiction more seductive. Most individuals with a strong sense of morality might not find value in taking even Tylenol for a headache but even the morally strongest individuals could make use of a drug that could solve all your problems. The set up was almost Philip K. Dick-ish because it made a good argument for amorality in a world that never accepted middle aged mediocrity and underachievers.

Director Neil Burger and screen writer Leslie Dixon do a decent job of adapting Alan Glynn’s novel by keeping the film focused on the benefits and stowing away the science that would lose 90% of the audience. Burger capitalized on the materialistic gains, suspense of losing it all, and not overextending the reach of his actors. Similar to JJ Abrams’ Red Matter, NZT didn’t have any explanation of what it does other than dress a clean shaven Bradley Cooper in 20 GQ outfits and lush Manhattan surroundings. However, it did give some interesting allusions to time, space variable and how Eddie was able to see the future before working out in his mind what possibilities laid before him.

DeNiro played opposite of Cooper with very limited material. He wasn’t he main antagonist but the obstacle that kept Eddie from seeing all the angles and when the real opposition appeared, the plot began to dissolve away much like Eddie coming down from NZT. Alas, the movie never captured the first 2/3rds of fun but it did entertain and played every character to their strength.

If I had to rate Limitless, I’d give it a nice smooth Brooklyn Lager but limit myself to just one for the road. Memorable moments but nothing worthy of having another.

Cheers,
Ron

Patrick Breen led new credence to, “Guess who’s coming to dinner?”

When a curious stranger sought shelter in the home of a troubled family far removed from the nearest town, a dark brooding tale of tragedy unfolded in the Bleeding House. First time director/screen writer Philip Gelatt was inspired from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and it’s easy to recognize its atmospheric influence once the camera gazed upon an isolated home in the middle of nowhere before a stranger came knocking. Nick, the mysterious stranger was played by the well versed Patrick Breen who channeled a convincing creepy, soothing predator dressed in the iconic white suit and pontificating with a Southern accent. The more unpredictable variable was the proverbial elephant sitting in the room suffocating every member in the family. The nightmares of the mother, the selectively catatonic daughter’s obsession with dead things, and the father’s financial troubles gave the audience pieces of a puzzle to play with. With Nick’s introduction, the careful controlled development of family psychology was undermined and reduced to a predictable linear suspense thriller. With very little material to work with beyond the first 20 minutes, Alexandra Chando never quite convinced the audience of the one plot twist in the film because there was no development but rather, creepy imagery. Nick did all the talking, sometimes for other characters, and perhaps explained too much of the plot. While Gelatt created a serviceable film, he didn’t have to spoon feed the audience at every juncture. A charismatic weirdo can carry a film but he or she can also take the audience out of the film to the point where he was overbearing. Nonetheless, the Bleeding House was still a serviceable film with form and function.

The Bleeding House rates as a house brew on tap. It has taste but less character, it could have been so much more.

Cheers,
Ron

With at least 10 Christ the Redeemer pan shots, was Director Justin Lin paying tribute to Ministry’s Jesus Built my hotrod?

The Fast Five was every thing a thrill seeker wanted out of a guilty pleasure: Fast cars, cool stunts, hot women, exotic locales, a major heist followed by ultra intense chase scenes. Like a short order chef, director Justin Lin served it all up with the right ingredients of testosterone, chrome, and attitude. Having never kept the audience waiting, this film was easily the most satisfying action film in the first third of 2011.
Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), and Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) are on the run after busting Dominic out of prison. When a Rio de Janeiro kingpin of crime Reyes crossed the line in a deal gone badly, Toretto called in a team of previous Fast & Furious characters to clean him out, literally. Unfortunately Hobbes, a Special Forces agent played by Dwayne Johnson, was brought in to bring down Toretto’s crew. Can these thick as thieves’ characters stay alive long enough to buy back their freedom? Well look at it this way, the ending after the credits should tell you the premise of the 6th F&F

Released on bond from the Disney contract, Dwayne Johnson delivered a much-needed sizable threat to Vin Diesel. He was every bit as intimidating and his fight scene with Vin Diesel invoked the JR WWE RAW comment, “Bah Gawd King! The Rock is Back!” By ante up the complexity of the heist with various threats, this heist was the best of the series. Every character complimented the other, as the focus never went away from being a Heist movie. Most of all Fast Five has a fantastical look at romanticizing good-looking actors living a life on the run. For doing the time to see this film, you’re rewarded with every thing it has to offer.

If I had to rate Fast Five, it’s easily a shot of Jameson…fast, smooth, with a kick. Cheers!