Destiny - Slumdog Millionaire

The end of this year seems to be filled with 'art house' films that I am just dieing to see. Unfortunately, Kansas City/Lawrence doesn't get the first run of these films. The likes of Doubt, The Wrestler, and Let the Right One In are just a few that have recently reached a larger audience. Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire is another film that falls in that very same category.

I had heard the incredible buzz around Slumdog awhile ago, and to be honest I really doubted that it could live up to the hype. A lot of littler Oscar-contending movies get so much hype that they won't live up to your exceeding expectations when you actually come around to seeing them. I have to be 100% honest when I say that Slumdog Millionaire is everything that everyone says about it. And now since it has swept the Golden Globes [best film, director, screenplay and score] it will hopefully get the attention of mainstream audiences that it rightfully deserves.

Slumdog encompasses everything that makes a great all around film: great storytelling, intriguing characters, beautiful cinematography, honest acting, an incredible score... I could go on but there's no need, upon viewing it speaks for itself. Danny Boyle has honed in on every little aspect of Indian life and culture. He has given us an incredible love story that takes us through the slums of Mumbai to the harsh lights of television fame. Our 'slumdog' Jamal has found himself being accused of cheating on India's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". Through flashbacks during Jamal's interrogation, we get the story of Jamal's life and his pursuit of the love of his life, Latika. At its heart, Slumdog is not only a love story, but a fairy tale. While the love story of Jamal and Latika is the heart of the film, it is really the story of 'the three musketeers' of Jamal, Latika, and Jamal's brother Salim. Through the highest highs and the lowest of lows, these three give the audience a breathtaking and truely heartfelt story. It succeeds at telling a truthful love story more than the recent The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is in its own right a solid movie, but it still doesn't come close to Slumdog.

To tell anymore of the story would be robbing a new viewer of the wonderful discovery and surprises of Slumdog Millionaire. Despite what Danny Boyle may say, he has an incredible style and a very uniqure way to tell a fresh, new tale. Plus, any film that ends with a Bollywood-style dance sequence is just fantastical.

Maybe this isn't so much a review, but a plea for everyone to see this film if they can. It's something new, it's something fresh, it's something the likes you will never see again. My favorite film of 2008 [thus far, I still have just a few to check off the list...].

4 out of 4

[EDIT]

On a side note, why is this film rated R? It has a few torture scenes and a few 'fucks', but seriously? I didn't have much hope/respect for the MPAA to begin with, but I'm really losing everything now...

Terminator Salvation, Watchmen and Dante's Inferno video games

Video games in general haven’t really excited me in the past couple years, at least most of the new ones. I also find myself inching away from as I get older. Of course, there are the classics that I’ll always love and play like Smash Bros. and the old MegaMan cartridges (yeah, cartridges). But for the most part, there just doesn’t seem to be anything new that’s worth my time. Or maybe I just don’t want to spend my time like I used to.

Anyway, I’ve had my eye on a few games that are in development recently: the new Terminator, Dante’s Inferno and, naturally, the Watchmen game. The Terminator 4 movie looks beast and the game could be, too. Christian Bale rules and the story sounds pretty legit as far as I know. The whole semi-reboot of the franchise seems like a good idea and, if anything, Bale should be able to pull much of the weight. Plus, they finally decided to get into what everyone’s been waiting for: the actual judgment day. Nobody’s trying to pork John Connor by going back in time or postpone some shit that happens. Back to the game. It looks a little like Terminator mixed with Call of Duty. I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to playing it, but it looks pretty badass. Nerdy, but badass. Probably something I wouldn’t tell my friends I played, but badass. Who wouldn’t want to play as Christian Bale and stomp some Terminators?

The Dante’s Inferno game looks utterly stupid. The original text is good as it is. I haven’t read it, but I know the story. This begs the old adage: Why fix something that’s not broken? Better yet, why break it in the first place? Even if you can, that doesn’t mean you should. Unless it’s Christmas tree ornaments. And Dante’s Inferno is definitely not a Christmas tree ornament. Another thing that bothers me about this whole ordeal is the fact that a number of movie studios were vying for the rights to make a movie of it before the game was made. Yeah…what? According to SlashFilm.com, Universal won. Haven’t studios figured out yet that movies based on games generally stink like an unwashed dick? {see Street Fighter, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, Mario Bros., Hitman} Personally, Resident Evil 2 is one of those guilty pleasure video game movies for me…very guilty. When I first heard about a Dante’s Inferno game, I thought, “Hmm, that could be…cool.” Immediately after, I thought, “But how do you make a game out of that?” From what I can tell, the creators of the Dante’s Inferno game have added a hero character to the story. What? Yes, added a character. I’m guessing he goes through the nine circles of Hell and kills stuff. I’m all for brainless hack-and-slash, but it seems like the creators took the most basic concepts of Dante’s Inferno and the name and ran with it. This is probably how it went down:

Couple guys meet for lunch at a Steak N Shake. One guy brings up classic plays to sound smart. Another guy, the tool of the group, brings up Dante’s Inferno to sound smart. Another guy, to make the tool feel like he brought up something worth discussing at Steak N Shake and to cover up the fact that it isn’t a play, says that it would look pretty cool as a 3D computer-type game. A third guy, currently a computer analyst and part-time program writer, says he could probably make that happen. The fourth guy, a hack fantasy writer and video game blogger, says it would need more swordplay and dragons.

Next thing we know, we’re looking at a dumpy transcription of Dante’s Inferno. I predict flashy graphics that are unoriginal, repetitive gameplay, and probably crusty controls. Guess how many levels it’s going to have? If you guessed anything other than nine, feed your hands into a paper shredder. If Constantine and 300 had a baby, Dante’s Inferno the game would be their offspring. If you can’t already tell, I don’t have high hopes for this game.

Another disappointment, sadly, is the Watchmen game. As much as I want everything Watchmen to succeed and be awesome, I can’t honestly say the game looks much good. Parts of it may be cool, but that slight chance doesn’t offset the greater chances of my Watchmen experience being farted on. The game is probably going to be a shoddy, rushed piece that was made to capitalize on the emerging franchise. Want a piece of that Watchmen video game ass, Fox? Well, too bad for you because from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t look very big or hot. Pregnancy may increase size as we get closer to [the movie’s] birth, but it doesn’t look promising.

Unsettling metaphors aside, I really don’t feel the need to play as Rorschach or Nite Owl. Unless I get to crash the owl plane into buildings and/or people. Or shoot Rorschach’s grappling hook through a dude’s chest. I hope the game’s creators haven’t added (which they undoubtedly have) a bunch of useless backstory to the Watchmen characters. For one, listen up Fox and Warner Bros. (but more Fox), it’s not their story to tell. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created Watchmen over twenty years ago. Not you.

One last thing that turned me off of this game was when I was watching the trailer for it. It shows a clip of Nite Owl shooting electricity out of his body like he’s Thor god of thunder. I’m guessing it’s supposed to be from some gadget he has in the game, but it made me grimace like someone just barfed right in front of me and maybe it splashed on my shoes a little. “My shoes” meaning my Watchmen experience.


It would be cool if…
· Terminators were made playable in the upcoming game
· The Watchmen game played like The Warriors game
· In Dante’s Inferno you could be Dante and summon Chaucer to aid you in battle
· Dante’s Inferno wasn’t going to be made into a game or a movie

Always remember, as a rule of thumb, games based off movies and vice versa are rarely ANY good. Period.

M

Hancock and Yes Man

Yes. Yes. YES. Happy new year to all. Cheers to a new chapter.

I’ve got a little catching up to do. Maybe I should try to stay on top of things.

[THE FOLLOWING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS] Last night I saw Hancock. I know, a bit late in the game, but whatever. Here’s my take: First act good, second act sucky, third act good. I liked the story and the concept, but it got really stupid when you find out about Charlize Theron being a superhero. Everything leading up to it was nice and smooth. I liked the different take on superheroes and how real the story made them. I’m not talking about how they could be transposed off the screen and into real life, but that their actions actually had reactions. This was kind of taken away in the second act, making it crappy.

Theron’s character’s transition from stay-at-home mom/wife to god-like superhero was bumpy, too. One second she’s throwing Hancock through a wall, the next she has a tone of stupid superficiality that wasn’t apparent in previous scenes. Her stealing Hancock’s line also adds to the second act’s lameness. I’m also unsure how much I liked her scenes with black eye liner or whatever it is, although it does add to her hotness. The third act combined her mom/wife and superhero roles, subtracting the harshness of the black eye shadow and adding back in the maternal softness.

Will Smith is just pretty good in Hancock. He hardly overplays his character and I like that. I think he got that all out in Fresh Prince, which is good because I like his serious stuff {see I Am Legend}. There were a few too many unnecessary verge-of-tears scenes, though, and some of them seemed out of place. One or two of his lines were a little stupid, but I blame the writers.

I like Jason Bateman. He’s funny and his delivery is spot on and he makes an otherwise uninteresting character much more fun. That’s about all I have to say about him in Hancock.

Most of it looked like the film crew for The Office did most of the camera work. The action sequences are visually impressive, but the CGI is a little iffy sometimes.

Hancock shows how everyone can lose direction sometimes, even screenwriters, but that everyone has the ability to find that direction.

Worth a viewing.


Quick review of Yes Man. I saw it a week ago, so here goes.

Yes Man is simple and lighthearted, just the kind of viewing I need at Christmas.
I’m not a huge fan of Jim Carrey, but I still like him. He’s predictable, but still funny, and he proves this yet again in Yes Man. His delivery is still great but what sets his acting in Yes Man apart from other Carrey movies are the long jokes. There are scenes with Allison where he’ll start a borderline joke/not joke and carries it until it ends up being funny (Jim Carry? Yeah, mega-lame pun…). What I like most about these jokes that carry on is the reaction from her. Zooey Deschanel’s reactions are more like how a real person would react in such situations: wondering whether he’s joking or kind of serious or retarded.

I found the characters and plot in Yes Man likeable but not too deep, which I have no problems with since Yes Man is, again, simple and lighthearted. I do like that it showed how absurd some “programs” can be, even when not taken to the extreme.

There are a few scenes that bother me. One in particular (and the only one I can really remember) is when they’re at the airport about to go to L.A. (I think) and Carl/Carrey is worried for no apparent reason. Either this isn’t fully explained or I missed something. Is he worried about getting too close to Allison, is he running out of money, what’s the deal? And where does he get all this money anyways? Do bank employees make serious coin? If so, I should probably think about changing career paths…again.

Yes Man is a great, simple movie that plays much like an updated Liar Liar. It is worth a viewing, whether in theatres or at home. Solid.


Before I wrap this up, something caught my attention in both of these movies: the word "fuck." I must say, I was a little surprised to hear it in both of these. Both movies only used it once, and neither of the situations seemed to call for it. Plus, both movies are family oriented. And Hancock is a superhero movie so, naturally, kids are going to want to see it. I grew up and still live in the Midwest and most parents cringe at any language harsher than the word “poop.” Not that I care, because I don’t, but won’t parents be a little more cautious about taking their kids to a movie where the main character, someone you’re supposed to like, drops an F bomb? And couldn’t such a reaction, possibly caused by other Bible belt parents seeing the movie and passing the word around, hurt a movie’s turnout? I don’t really pay attention to movie ratings anymore, but I think both Yes Man and Hancock are PG-13. I don’t remember any PG-13 movies using “fuck” when I was younger. Maybe it’s just a sign of times achangin’. Or my memory failing.

M

Merry Christmas

Hello again to anyone who reads this. Steve and I have been quite busy recently, evident by the lack of posts. There is much to catch up on: reviews, want-to-sees, trailers, possible video game speculation (Terminator, Dante's Inferno (?) and Watchmen). And something that's been weighing heavily on my mind recently: the ruling of the rights to Watchmen - Warner Bros. vs. Fox.

We will pick this up with the beginning of the new year.

Merry Christmas and/or happy holidays to all.

New Movie Trailers

Friday was an excellent day for the world of movies: Quantum of Solace was released along with the new Star Trek trailer, there’s a new Watchmen trailer out, and there’s a new Harry Potter trailer out. All three trailers look stunning in HD. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am very excited about these three movies. Hurry up 2009. On a side note, it doesn’t feel like it should be the end of the year yet.

Anyway. First up: Star Trek. I can’t expound enough on how awesome it looks. Everything about the Enterprise looks amazing: being built, flying, being shot at. All of the young reincarnations of the beloved original characters = great. I’m a Simon Pegg fan and I’m eager to see what he’ll do as Scotty. Even the robo-cop in the opening of the trailer is cool. Everything is so mind-blowingly cool about it. I really can’t wait much longer for this movie. My temperature is rising just writing this, so moving on.

Next up: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I’m going to put on my wizard hat and nerd out for a while. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. No lie. I think I finished books six and seven in a week. Granted, it was just this summer, so I’m a little behind the times, but that can’t change a good story. I also read the books out of order… But looking back on it, the first three are pretty much stand-alone titles. I read the second one first after I watched the first movie, skipped the third and read the fourth after the third movie then read five through seven. Basically, I substituted the first and third book for the movie, not something I would normally do or advise anyone else to do. But I have read them all now and and couldn’t get enough. I plan on reading Half-Blood Prince again before the movie comes out. Back to the trailer. Epic (a word that is sadly on the verge of blasphemous overuse) is written all over this trailer. And dear lord if you have read the book, it is precisely that. It’s unclear to me whether John Williams is doing this Harry Potter or not. I always enjoy Williams, even if he steals his own themes. The updated version of his original Harry Potter theme in the trailer is all the more monumental and totally awe-inspiring. And the smoke effects are just friggin’ magical. The visuals in the Harry Potter movies have always impressed me and it seems they’ve kept the same team (or forced the same style upon different teams) of visual effects people and subtly tweaked things with each successive installment. No complaints there. I do have one complaint about this trailer: when Harry is looking at a smiling girl and Hermione scorns him. He says, “But, I am the chosen one.” I like the delivery here, but he kills it only a second later. She hits him with a roll of paper, or parchment :-), and he says, “Umm…kidding.” The “kidding” bothers me. Radcliffe only bothers me on occasions like this, where it seems more like Daniel than Harry. Otherwise, I think he does a great job as Harry Potter and acting amidst so much CGI. Other than this one complaint, I am pumped for the next Harry Potter movie. Pumped I say. This was supposed to be short so I’ll wrap this one up. More thoughts on HP later.

Removing wizard hat and donning superhero costume.

Last, but DEFINITELY not least: Watchmen. I have a super-boner for Watchmen. The novel is pure genius. Sorry Rowling, but this one gets rated above Potter on my list. And I’m certain the movie is going to be every bit as enjoyable as the novel. I have very high hopes for this movie and I can honestly say I have no fear of them being let down in the slightest. That’s how good it’s going to be. Every character looks faithfully recreated from the pages of the novel. Dreiberg seems especially perfected. In my mind, Dr. Manhattan was more stoic and detached in the novel than in what we’ve seen so far of the movie, but I still think he will be amazing. I also think it’s pretty cool that they used a Muse song in the trailer. And the way it’s cut it matches the visual aspect of it nicely: “…you will burn…” with the shot of the Silk Spectre II and the fiery background. I love that album. The Smashing Pumpkins song in the previous trailers is ultra cool as well.
[POSSIBLE SPOILERS] And I’m eager to see the different ending. When I first heard about it, I was furious, but after hearing that it rated highly in test screening, many of the viewers being faithful Watchmen fans, I was relieved and am now curious. And after thinking about it, if the original ending was left, “the casual moviegoer” may walk out highly dissatisfied. But this could happen with the new ending anyway. I don’t know since I haven’t seen it. [END POSSIBLE SPOILERS] Either way, the novel is remarkable and I have no doubt that the movie will be too. I encourage everyone to read the novel. Even if it’s after you see the movie next spring, read it. You will chunk your pants.

M

Matt's Quantum of Solace review

First off, I liked Quantum of Solace. It is a nice return to a more classic “shaken, not stirred” James Bond, with maybe a hint of whiskey.

The story is well constructed, but can’t survive as a stand-alone movie. It’s much more a sequel to Casino Royale and having not seen Casino since it was in theaters (I’m not sure why this is…I’m a little disappointed in myself) I had forgotten some of the finer details. Greene is an excellent villain, reminding me of The Dark Knight’s Joker in his fight scene. Mathieu Amalric did an excellent job of depicting him as a completely vile yet slippery fiend. Camille and Agent Field’s make for great Bond girls. [SPOILER ALERT] You can see Field’s crossover coming almost when she enters the scene. I especially loved the throwback to 007 past with her death. And I agree with Steve, she looks smoking hot covered in oil. Call me a weirdo. Go for it. [END SPOILERS]

Here’s my only real complaint. The editing during some of the action sequences bugged the crap out of me. The jerky camera and super fast cuts are getting really annoying. I tensed a little in the opening car chase thinking that the entire movie was going to be like this, but after the chase, it settled down a bit and we got a good look at the action. I honestly hope this “Bourne” style filming trend dies quickly or at least tames itself.

What I liked most was Bond’s portrayal as a crazed man so wrapped up in revenge. But they made him this way through his actions in the story, allowing Daniel Craig to retain a stylish Bond charm and demeanor. I thoroughly enjoy watching Craig as Bond and I hope he stays on for a while, since James Bond is forever.

Another point that I liked was, well, the title and how it was such a central theme throughout the movie. The characters really had very little [quantum] to hang on to [of solace]. I think the longest I sat without being thrust into a new bit of action was maybe ten minutes. My palms were sweaty when I left the theater. Seriously. This is by far the most action packed Bond movie to date.

All in all, Quantum of Solace is a solid action flick worthy of the Bond family name. Although it doesn’t quite live up to Casino Royale, I’m not sure there will be one for some time. I like the grittier and more realistic direction the franchise is moving in and hope they can fine tune a few points to turn out another great movie.

8 out of 10

M

Steve's Quantum of Solace Review

Where to start with Quantum of Solace; A pretty interesting flick to begin with, seeing as it’s the first actual James Bond sequel to directly continue a story where the previous left off. Solace picks up right where Casino Royale left off, so if you haven’t seen Casino Royale [I don’t know why you haven’t yet] you should definitely do that, or a lot of the back-story will leave you in the dust.

A lot of things were done right. The style of James Bond was really nailed; which was somewhat lacking in Royale. There are definite moments in the film where you find yourself asking, “Am I watching a 60s Bond movie?” The climax of the film especially feels classic Bond-esque [ala Goldfinger], which I’ll get to in a moment. The story’s decent; about what you’d expect from James Bond. The villain has a master plan for somewhat-world domination [or control of Bolivia, same thing] and Bond finds himself having to stop him. Once again, Bond goes through his adventure with limited gadgets and more realism. And it works a second time. Dominic Greene [portrayed by Mathieu Amalric] is a superb villain. He really rides the line of being a villainous, hateful rat, without going over the top. The rest, for the most part, seems average or a little above average of what you’d expect from an action flick. Oh, and Daniel Craig is a badass at getting people off a motorcycle.

For the cons, you have to start with the editing. When you weren’t asking yourself, “Am I watching a 60s Bond film,” you were asking yourself, “Am I watching a Bourne movie?” I know this editing is very in style right now, but sometimes it just doesn’t fit. It’s hard to decipher what’s going on in many of the action sequences because of the choppy editing. It also, in a way, kills the Bond style of the flick. The cold open, as well, is fairly weak. Just your standard car chase for the most part. M questions Bond’s actions throughout, like every other Bond flick. There’s a moment where she talks of limiting Bond’s actions and “shortening his leash.” It felt a little too reminiscent of the same plot point in Casino Royale

*SPOILERS*

A little anti-climactic. It’s not that hard to figure out the ending midway through the movie. However, the slightly ambiguous ending is done well. Bond handling Vespa’s death is dealt with, but not beaten to death. Agent Field’s death is a BRILLIANT homage to classic Bond. And might I add, does she look dead sexy covered in oil? Maybe I’m the only one… Greene’s death is also a very nice, off camera death.

To be honest, being a huge fanboy of both Star Trek and Watchmen, seeing their two new trailers was better than the film.

Quantum of Solace is no Casino Royale, but worth the time and money.

3 out of 4