The Quiet Earth

Recently I had a movie night with some friends, which always turns out to be ridiculously good and bad in a good way. After much deliberation on the theme of the evening we went with one of my favorite genres in film (or books for that matter) post- apocalyptic or apocalyptic in general. I spend a great deal of time putting together a list of little known or seen mad-max clones and went to the local indie video store only to find out that they didn't have any of them. So in order to save the night I had to forgo the B-movie craziness and pick up a few more serious apocalyptic films...this did not turn out well. Among them was, what many consider on the net, a classic of post-apocalyptic media: 'The Quiet Earth'. While this film had great potential, with the last man on earth scenario, numerous New Zealand film awards, and 1985 special effects, my friend put it best when he said "it was just too ok."
If a post-apocalyptic film is going to take itself seriously it NEEDS to be amazingly executed or else it just becomes mediocre and incredibly boring. While I respect what the film was trying to do, and it does make you think about how long it would take you to crack when your left alone in a world that you helped destroy, its just lacked believability. Everything about it is barely passable from the acting to the story-line to the special effects and so on, and in this genre barely passable comes across as worse than laughably bad. Now there is enough potential there that if a talented director wanted to attempt a remake I would be the first one in line, but as-is like 'Waterworld' your just left with would could have been.

Goemon

Ok, I apologize for not posting to the blog for quite a few weeks now as I have been transitioning back into the States, but now that I am settled, I hope to bring you more of the good stuff. I am proud to have my first official post of the new year be some very exciting news. First off, if you have never seen the Japanese movie 'Casshern' go rent it now. It is a visual feast of pure CGI live action anime...it is what movies like 'Sin City' could only hope to look like. Outside of the visuals the storyline falters and it becomes overly long and self-indulgent. So rent it once, soak it in in all its glory and let it leave you wanting more, because it will and I am here to tell you that the more is here now (did that sentence make any sense?) Director Kaz Kiriya is about to unleash his sumptuous next film entitled 'Goemon'. While not based on an existing anime, it is firmly within the same realm. This is a martial arts epic, and it looks to trump 'Casshern' in every way. Here's the trailer:

In Bruges

In Bruges is one of those films that will completely mind-whip your moral fabric, as it throws you into the lives and whacked out perspectives of two hitmen, one of which (played by Colin Farrell) is on the tale end of a job gone horribly wrong (sorry can't tell you how). Their boss, having found out about this atrocity, sends them to quaint Bruges in Belgium to lie low while things get sorted out. While the elder (Brendan Gleeson) and more experienced of the two enjoys the scenery, Colin Farrell's character is going out of his mind with boredom and dealing with flashbacks of the prior incident of which he is responsible. I can't reveal much more of the plot without ruining things, but let me say that things get very complicated as both men have to deal with reconciling very different moral dilemas and their resulting inward and outward battles. Seriously, there are so many crazy bits in this film that I am dying to write about, but you just gotta see for yourself.

The film has fantastic dialogue that is well matched by every actor, including Ralph Fiennes as their temperamental boss. It adeptly mixed priceless dark comedy with a real sense of human drama. Colin Farrell may have never put together a better performance. Mind you this is NOT the feel good film of the year, but you will laugh, you will cry, and yes there is a midget. Here is the trailer which doesn't do the film justice:

(WARNING--this film is at times very violent, and contains sexual situations (no nudity) and drug usage)

OldBoy

There has been much talk recently about the prospect of Will Smith and Steven Spielberg teaming up to do a remake of the Korean classic "OldBoy". While I think no matter who acts and directs this film, there will be die hard "OldBoy" fans out there groaning (including myself), I think there is legitimacy to the fear of this teaming. Personally I think Spielberg could handle this, but with Will Smith involved it will most definitely go from a stylish, yet gritty dark revenge story, to a slick, flashy commercial piece, with Will Smith crackin' the occasional hip joke.

The most recent news is that Will Smith has reportedly said that the film will not be a direct remake of the Korean film, but an interpretation of the manga the Korean film was based on. Apparently the Korean film added a lot of the more unsavory elements that made us squirm through the final third. Personally while the Korean film is still a masterpiece as far as style, acting, pacing, and crawl out of your skin surprise ending, I'm all for doing without the gag inducing reveal (which makes it a hard one to justify repeat viewings). But the reality is that, while this news may calm some angry fans who scoff at someone remaking their beloved film, it still will produce the same result. Seriously Will Smith, I would be delighted if you would prove me wrong. Here's the trailer to the original:

Sicko

Let me start by saying I am not liberal or conservative, and I am just as skeptical as anyone of Michael Moore and his tactics. I'm sure that just like any good documentarian he was able to spin some of the stories that were told in this film to fit his agenda. But I will also say that there are too many facts presented here to ignore, and by the end of his film I felt quite ashamed to be an American. I am the first to admit that in my country, money is definitely King, and power is used to fatten pockets rather than meet the needs of the community. Our healthcare system is so morally bankrupt and it will stay that way as long as conservatives, the working class and the uneducated continue to be manipulated by fear-mongering (Socialism is evil!!!), political heavyweights, who are members of congress one day and paid employees of Healthcare companies the next.

As for the film Moore does a great job making such a despairing subject as watch-able and, dare I say, fun to watch as possible. Taking a bunch of 9/11 rescue workers who had, in America, either been refused health care, or were practically in the poor house because of its costs, to Guantanamo Bay was a stunt that really drove home his point. The soundtrack was also very effective and fitting, hilarious one moment, tear-jerking the next.

One thing that hit me hard was the fact that in Great Britain, where they have free universal healthcare, there are incentives in place where doctors are monetarily rewarded for how well they do their job (all the way down to how many patients they get to stop smoking). In America it is just the opposite, our physicians are rewarded by Healthcare providers for how much money they save them AKA refusing treatment, which often ends in death/murder. Listen everybody, why can we provide socialist services in America like free fire fighting, police, libraries, schools, postal, but not free healthcare? Don't be so close minded that you miss out on this film. Here's the trailer:

The Host

So there are reports on the net that director Gore Verbinski, of Pirates of the Caribbean fame, is set to direct the remake of Korean monster flick "The Host". Well, he'll get the monster action right, thats for sure, but not much else I fear. One of the things that made the Korean blockbuster so good, was the dis functional family coming together to bring back their daughter from the grips of a giant sea creature. Emotional depth has never been Gore's strong suit, so in my opinion this will be another brilliant Hollywood spectacle that nobody cares about. The last thing we need is another "Godzilla" with Matthew B. on our hands. If you haven't seen "The Host" go rent the DVD now, here's the trailer:

***CORRECTION---I've found out recently that Gore Verbinski will only produce the remake, while Fredrik Bond, who has previously done Nike commercials will direct. Well, the previous article still applies only things are slightly more bleak.***

Son of Rambow

I know this movie is out on DVD now, but I just thought I would give it my own personal stamp of approval. If there is anything this movie has an unlimited supply of is heart. It is about a wildly imaginative young boy who lives an extremely sheltered life, as a result of his cultish religious upbringing. Everything changes for him when he meets the misunderstood school bully and is shown a bootleg copy of Rambo. With he new found adrenaline pumping, he and his new friend, embark on a journey to make their own Rambo film, all the while trying to keep it a secret from his family. As word gets around to the coolest kid in school (a french exchange student) it becomes a bigger production and harder to keep under wraps. It is layered film about friendship, love, family and growing up, with enough quirky moments to satisfy any Napoleon Dynamite fan. Here's a trailer:

Chrysalis

I was able to locate a copy of first time French director Julien Leclerq’s sci-fi actioner Chrysalis recently. While its not the best sci-fi film I have ever seen, its one of the best I've seen recently. There is much to love in its deliberate pacing, cold noir atmosphere, and superbly staged action/fight sequences. And why wouldn't the fight scenes please me when they have Alain Figlarz of "Brotherhood of the Wolf" and the Bourne films behind them? I won't say much, but the film is about a hardcore detective David Hoffman who is obsessed with catching Dimitri Nicolov who killed his wife and partner in front of him, and in a parallel storyline, a teenage girl named Manon, who is recovering from being badly injured in a car wreck. I don't think it ruins anything to say that these two character's lives will intertwine, the interesting thing is how. While the plot suffers a little in place of style, it is clear that Julien Leclerq can direct with the best of them and I look forward to his next project, a real terrorist story called "Air France Flight 8969" (also with Alain Figlarz). Check out the trailer:

Special

This is another film in the Six Shooter Film Series (same series that is host to "Let the Right One In") that seems to take a genre and rethink it. This time they tackle the super-hero genre. Michael Rappaport, who I've liked ever since Higher Learning (forget that TV series he was in), plays Les a mild mannered comic book geek who begins to acquire special "abilities" after taking an experimental anti-depressant. Soon he is out in the world fighting the bad guys, including the pharmacutical company that created the drug. Looking forward to this quirky little film:

Let the Right One In

I going to start by saying I have not looked forward to a film this much in a long time. "Let the Right One In" is getting rave reviews on the festival circuit, despite the fact that its a vampire film. Yep...a vampire film, a very different take on the vampire mythos apparently as it is a coming of age story between a bullied 12 year old and his new friend, a female vampire named Eli, who is also 12 years old. It is supposed to be a slow burner that is as moving as it is unsettling. It is a Swedish film, and yes eventually it will probably be horribly remade in English, but do yourself a favor, use that elementary school education to read some subtitles and see the original. Hopefully it will get a wider release stateside soon. See for yourself (you should probably be 13 and up for this):

Hunter Prey

If you are anything like me and your inner geek starts drooling when you see a beautiful sci-fi shot like the one above then you might want to keep your eye on the upcoming film "Hunter Prey". Other than the juicy images, this film has an interesting name attached to it. Sandy Collera is the man behind the beautifully done fan short "Batman: Dead End" which apparently really made heads turn at the 2003 Comic-Con. I'll let you decide for yourself if this is exciting news or not after you watch this:



Anyways we all know that there are at least 30 bad science fiction films for every good one made, but if you love something enough you never give up on it. Kinda like being a Redskins fan. Here's an Interview with Collera about the film.