Super 8 Review

J.J. Abrams’s Super 8 certainly pays homage in its visual style to early Steven Spielberg films, for it is full of eerie night scenes, kids wandering around on bicycles, and flashlights that form visible beams in the air (this is particularly fitting since Spielberg was a producer for this movie). Taking place in a small town in Ohio, the story poses as a toss up between The Goonies and E.T. Even though elements of other films are used in this feature, it does not deviate from its creativity and entertainment value.

The film is centered on a group of kids who are trying to make a zombie movie with a Super 8mm camera (hence the title). The two heads of the gang are Joe (Joel Courtney), who is dealing with the death of his mother, and Charles (Riley Griffiths), an intense kid that will do almost anything to get this zombie flick accomplished. On one of their nights of shooting, they film at an old train station. By chance, a train happens to come along the tracks. For “production value,” Charles shouts, “Action!” and the child actors try to deliver their lines over the thunderous locomotive. Joe briefly turns his head and notices a truck driving erratically. It rides onto the train tracks and collides head-on into the locomotive. Then follows the longest crash sequence ever. Train compartments fly and smash into one another like dominoes as the kids desperately run, dodging debris and explosions. With the surround sound system on in my house, this was a treat to watch and listen—no doubt the SFX editors had a blast in creating this scene.

After the train crash, there is a loud bang; a compartment door flies off, landing in front of Joe. What caused this, we don’t know. Shortly thereafter, strange occurrences arise; people begin to vanish, packs of dogs run away from their homes, electricity lights flick on and off, and mysterious military personnel show up at the crash site, who are obstinate to inform the town’s people what is really happening. Joe and his friends begin their investigation. Joe’s indifferent father (Kyle Chandler), who is the deputy of the town, also begins his inquiries. Here is where the meat and potatoes of the story appear. I will not delve further into the plot; for it is that good.

Much of the success in Super 8 is the characters. There are human elements added to them, which makes them thoroughly developed and likable. We feel for Joe as he tries to cope with the death of his mother alone. We also feel for the relationship that he develops with Alice (Elle Fanning), who happens to be the daughter of the man that is in part responsible for his mother’s death. There is a particular touching scene where Joe applies zombie makeup to Alice’s face. Not many words are exchanged in this moment, but the emotions that Joe and Alice convey show that they deeply care for one another. It is also hard to resist the comic nature of the rest of the kids, especially Cary (Ryan Lee), with his obsession of blowing things up, and Martin (Gabriel Basso), with his tendency of losing his food every time something horrible occurs.

Though the kids are the main focus of this film, the few adults that are present do a decent job. Ryan Chandler as Joe’s father meshes into the role well as a man that does not know how to cope with his wife’s death, nor is able to control, much less understand his son. Ron Eldard as Alice’s father is extremely limited in screen time, but he plays a good drunk that is plagued by his past sins.

In short, director J.J. Abrams is not interested in blatant visual effects (unlike a Michael Bay film). He is more concerned with unraveling a wonderful, well-paced story that has believable, compelling characters and intertwining the elements of action, suspense, mystery, humor, and drama all into one entertaining flick. My final opinion, Super 8 is the reason why I go see movies!

The Descendants Review

The Descendants is not meant to be an entertaining movie, nor is its goal to be a pure tearjerker (thought this film has elements of both). Instead, its objective is to reflect a family dealing with a tragedy and the repercussions it causes. Keeping the film’s plot to a minimum, it is about Matt King (George Clooney), a Hawaiian land baron whose wife ends up in a coma via a boating accident. While trying to a close a deal that could get him rich, he tries to take care of his two rambunctious daughters, 17-year old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and 10-year old Scottie (new comer Amara Miller). In addition, he has to handle estranged family members and also learns the truth that his wife was having an affair.

This movie sounds like a typical family drama along the lines of Robert Redford’s Ordinary People, which also happens to be a movie about a family dealing with tragedy. Even so, The Descendants is nothing like Robert Redford’s film, for its focus is not on a messed up teenager, but on a parent who is clueless about his family life. As Matt King says in his voice-over, “I’m the backup parent…I never took care of my kids, that was my wife’s job.” Now, Matt has to be the parent. As a result, he is both baffled and terrified.

As Matt King, George Clooney delivers a rollercoaster of emotions without going over the top or remaining bland and distant. There are so many great scenes in this movie that show this man’s talent. One that comes to mind is when he learns the news that his wife was going to die. Shock, despair, disbelief, and even a hint of anger develop on his face. He maintains these emotions so well that in this scene that I no longer see the great movie star George Clooney. I see a middle-aged man who’s thrown into a situation that any person can and possibly may have experienced…a tragic loss of a loved one. I consider this to be his greatest performance of all time and the best of 2011.

Though the lead, Clooney is not the only driving force. There is a great supporting cast. Shailene Woodley steals the show as 17-year old Alexandra. She at first comes off as a foulmouthed, belligerent teen, but as the plot progresses, her character grows and matures as she helps her dad in not only keeping the family together, but also assist in trying to find the man who had an affair with her mother. I am very disappointed that she was not nominated for an Oscar in the supporting actress category.

Amara Miller plays a good brat as Scottie, yet she maintains a hint of likeness as a comic relief. This is apparent in a scene where she shouts, “You mother loving whore!” When her father scolds and demands where she learned such language, Scottie merely points at her older sister Alexandra. Nick Krause as Alexandra’s boyfriend, Sid, comes off at first as an ass, but like Alexandra, he matures as the plot progresses and becomes an unlikely ally for the King family. In one pivotal scene, Sid ends up giving Matt parental advice from the experiences his father had shared with him. This is very surprising from someone who laughs at a woman with dementia.

Though slow moving at time, the film’s story never gets dry or uneventful. Director Alexander Payne makes sure of this with his witty screenplay and beautiful composition shots, whether it is the tight close-ups or beautiful landscapes. The music creates a nice undertone and feel for the movie, but I could have done without the Hawaiian vocals. One thing that I wish Alexander Payne put into this movie was the perspective of the comatose wife. I think it would have made this movie even more impactful if there were flashbacks of tension between her and the family, as well as how she was driven into the arms of another man. Since there is no back-story in her character, I feel nothing for her. She’s just a body lying in a hospital bed, as shown vividly in this film. This may have extended the length a bit, but it certainly would have made it a better feature in my opinion. Then again, Alexander Payne’s objective is to focus on those affected by her condition, not her.

The Descendants is one of those movies you’ll want to leave the kids at home and go see. Purely an adult movie, it’ll play with your emotions and may strike home to those of you who have ever lost a loved one. It certainly made me shed tears.

Black Hawk Down Review

Years ago, I read Mark Bowden’s novel Black Hawk Down. I found it engaging, powerful, and emotional. What made the novel such a successful was how well the author described the perspectives of the men who fought that long day battle in Somalia. Though it is usually unfair to compare the book to the movie (since the book is generally better), the film Black Hawk Down is a visually gripping adaptation. Like the novel, the sum of movie’s story is about how things go to hell in a handbag. This film is unlike most other war pictures. There is no hidden, anti-war propaganda like in Platoon. Nor is it even about heroism like Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. Instead it is about trying to survive from the gates of hell, and working as a team to do so.

It is 1993. The Somali leader holds an iron fist over his people. 123 soldiers are sent to capture a warlord and his lieutenants. The operation is supposed to take no more than an hour. The mission immediately goes wrong when one of the soldiers falls from one of the helicopters. Medics rush in to take the injured soldier out of action. As this happens, the entire city turns on the US ground troops. Within less than an hour of fighting, two helicopters are shot down. It then becomes a game as to which platoon of soldiers can reach the crashed choppers and rescue any potential survivors. The phrase “No man left behind” took on a new meaning for me as more and more soldiers attempt to rescue these survivors (as well as the dead) at the expense of their own lives. In the end, the 19 American soldiers are dead and another 70 are wounded.

Like the novel, the movie has the tendency of jumping around a bit. This is intentional, for as the battle gets worse, the divisions of soldiers become separated and lost within a sea of hostiles. This puts our confusion with the characters. We feel for them for we don’t know what is going to happen next. Most of the time, we do not even know where they are within the city. The lack of radios and walkie talkies make it harder for the soldiers to communicate with another and the limited gear, such as no night vision goggles, body armor, or canteens, makes it all the worse.

Cinematographer Slawomir Idziak gives us the grittiness of the situation. The use of the handheld camera makes you feel as if you are right with the soldiers as bullets and RPGS whiz by. The various color filters used throughout the movie reiterates the grim and sad experience of death and destruction. For instance, the opening sequence of the dead and dying Somalis has a tungsten (blue) setting. This is an unusual filter to use for a desert location. It would seem more suitable to use bright, highly saturated colors. However, the use of the bluish tint creates a very forlorn, almost dreamlike experience. The green tint that is used during the night fighting in Mogadishu is not only reminiscent to night vision goggles, but it also creates a chilling feeling as the American soldiers desperately fight to survive.

The sound design puts a heavy emphasis on the gunshots and explosions. When an RPG is fired, you know when it is time to duck. The movie does not shy away from bloodshed either. Though not nearly as bad as Saving Private Ryan there are many grisly images. One that still sticks to my mind is when a soldier is blown in half by a RPG. Even worse, the man is still alive when he should not be. This was vividly described in the novel and it is more alarming to see on a TV screen. Scenes like these are not meant to make us feel nauseated, but rather it depicts the inhumanity of war. It is an emotionally draining experience as we watch such brutality.

The final shot of the film shows all the caskets of the soldiers who lost their lives. This poses an important question to the audience. Why? Why did this happen? Why didn’t the strategists plan for such an ambush? Why were we in Somali in the first place? By the end of the film, you cannot help but think of the lunacy as to why all these men were maimed and killed.

Braveheart Review

Braveheart is not noted for its historical accuracies, for in the early 1300s, Scotsmen did not wear kilts and the Battle of Stirling was on a bridge (not an open battlefield). Even so, director Mel Gibson’s intent is not to retell 14^th century Scottish history. His focus is on a romanticized version of the Scottish folklore legend of William Wallace, who led a rebellion against the English king Edward the Longshanks.

The movie opens with Wallace as a young boy. Along with his father and older brother, he finds dozens of Scottish corpses hanging in a barn. Here, this quickly shows the violent tone that surrounds the film. Shortly thereafter, his father and brother are killed, and he is sent off to live with his uncle. He later returns as an adult in hopes of raising crops and a family. He is reunited with his childhood friend Murron, whom he deeply falls in love with. He then marries in secret to evade the English law that allows nobles to rape Scottish brides on their wedding day.

Wallace and Murron’s relationship is set like a romantic fairy tale; it is love at first sight for them and it is easy to sympathize and care for their romance. The love scene is particularly engaging, set at night with beautiful, chiaroscuro lighting that outlines their bodies as they passionately make love to one another in the forest. Like Romeo and Juliet, it is all too good to be true. Murron is brutally murdered and Wallace seeks revenge. This then leads to what I consider the most powerful scene in the film. Wallace rides into town, his arms outstretched as if surrendering, with melancholy painting his face. The constant shifts of close up shots between the faces of Wallace and the guards (who are to take him into custody), as well as the slow-motion of the horse’s hooves beating the muddy ground, and the emphasis of sound and music builds a sense of tension. When one of the guards stands before Wallace, grasping his horse’s reins, the expression of melancholy is replaced with rage as Wallace strikes the man in the head with a ball and chain. From here on, the romantic fairy tale is over. Violence and the brutal barbarity that we saw in the start of the film reappear with a vengeance. I found myself enjoying Wallace’s slaughter against the English guards. Why? Because I sympathize with Wallace’s rage. As a viewer, it makes you wonder on what you would do if you lost a loved one.

Though Braveheart may present as a revenge story, there is more to it than that. Wallace’s personal revenge starts an uprising in the village that soon leads to a rebellion against the English tyranny. This movie clearly shows the power and influence that one man can have over many. Like Wallace, the Scottish fighters want revenge for the atrocities that the English have forced upon them. They also want to be free from Longshanks tyranny. This is why I enjoy Braveheart so much—the concept of making a stand and fighting for what you believe in. As Wallace says before the Battle of Stirling, “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!”

With a simple, graspable theme, Braveheart is supported by gritty set pieces, elaborate costume designs, and some of the most epic battle scenes ever delivered to cinema. The fact director Mel Gibson used thousands of extras (versus the CGI ants we see running around in Troy) makes such moments visually stunning. He is not afraid to shy away from bludgeoning, skewering, and beheadings either. His direction is beautifully done (with the help of cinematographer John Toll) who uses countless aerial views of the fair land of Scotland. This pulls the viewer right into the film's romantic vision of a wonderful land that is plagued by violence. In terms of music, James Horner’s choice of strings and mournful bagpipes is enough to create sentimentality to the viewer’s ears. The music fits the story well; creating a powerful flow that deepens into something amazing. In short, Braveheart is a Hollywood, epic masterpiece that puts films like Spartacus to shame.