Edited by R. Allen Leider
December 18th, 2009
Edited by R. Allen Leider
December 18th, 2009
''Avatar'' in Digital 3-D by R. Allen Leider
| AVATAR is aruguably the most expensive film yet and from the looks of it, every penny shows on screen. It takes us to an amazing world where a reluctant hero Jake Sully embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of “Titanic,” got the idea for Avatar 15 years ago, but the technological means to realize his vision did not exist. Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film/CGI with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story. |
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The story's protagonist, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is a former Marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down in combat on Earth. Jake is selected to participate in the Avatar program, which will enable him to walk. Jake travels to Pandora, a lush jungle-covered extraterrestrial moon filled with incredible life forms, some beautiful, many terrifying. Pandora is also home to the Navi, a sentient humanoid race that are more physically capable than humans, although considered primitive. Standing three meters tall, with tails and sparkling blue skin, the Navi live in harmony with their unspoiled world. As humans encroach deeper into Pandora's forests in search of valuable minerals, the Navi unleash their formidable warrior abilities to defend their threatened existence. Jake has unwittingly been recruited to become part of this encroachment. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Navi hybrids known as "Avatars" . |
| The Avatars are living, breathing bodies that are controlled by a human "driver" through a technology that links the driver's mind to their Avatar body. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake can walk once again. Sent deep into Pandora's jungles as a scout for the soldiers that will follow, Jake encounters many of Pandora's beauties and dangers. There he meets a young Navi female, Neytiri (Zoe Saladina ), whose beauty is only matched by her ferocity in battle. Over time, Jake integrates himself into Neytiri's clan, and begins to fall in love with her. As a result, Jake finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth under Colonel Miles Quaritch ( Stephen Lang ) , and the Navi, forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world. |
The Players: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saladina, Stephen lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel Moore and CCH Pounder
The Filmmakers:
Directed by James Cameron
Screenplay by James Cameron
Release by Twentieth Century Fox
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The British sure know how to make those costumed period pieces. “THE YOUNG VICTORIA” concerns the young Queen Victoria in the first years of her reign and that which led up to her becoming Queen of England. It was indeed a turbulent time. A short time before, she was being forced to relinquish her ascendance to the throne by her own mother ( Mirand Richardson )because she was deemed too young and frivolous, but she refused her mother and brother who would have formed a regent reign upon the death of the present king, King William ( Jim Broadbent), who is dying. She is even kept from court by her overbearing mother and her ambitious advisor. We gain great insight into the machinations of power. Coming forth, with a push from her Belgian uncle King Leopold ( Thomas Kretchmann), is the man who will become the love of her live, Prince Albert, and this is said to be one of history’s greatest romances. There were numerous letters that went back and forth between the two until she, as Queen, eventually invites him to marry her. |
| There was a great deal of intrigue
at court with the dilemma of who to trust. The young Queen had to battle
and outmaneuver sleek and slick foes that had their own hidden agendas.
She was also prone to make mistakes which at one point angered the common
folk she ruled. Her clashes with Parliament were great but she managed
to smooth things over, as she eventually included Albert in her decisions
of state. They had nine children together, who eventually became a substantial
number of the rulling royalty in so many countries as did their children.
When World War One rolled around, cousins were battling cousins. Albert
died at age 42. Victoria reigned for twenty years. Albert has been remembered
through the ages for his name on the Royal Albert Hall and the Victoria
and Albert Museum, both in London. There are also many reforms that Victoria
and Albert put forth in education, welfare, and industry.
The scenes in court and the countryside are magnificent in cinematography. The coronation is simply a thing of beauty, well done and seemingly accurate. The acting is of the marvelous British school of those who know how to portray historical figures in manner and style. Emily Blunt is a terrific Victoria, with all the mannerisms of frivolity and then the austere rule and manner of a true monarch. Rupert Friend is Albert, her handsome cousin, whom King Leopold of Belgium, his uncle, hopes to get a foothold in the British court by pushing him upon Victoria. At first, Albert is manipulated but finds his true love and cause in Victoria. The rest of the cast are the people whom Victoria must deal with: Paul Bettany as Lord Melbourne, Mark Strong as Sir John Conroy, Jesper Christiansen as Baron Stockmar, Harriet Walter as Queen Adelaide, Michael Maloney as Sir Robert Peel, and Julian Glover as the Duke of Wellington. When Victoria ascends the throne, the people love their young queen, but are outraged and dislike her when she opposes the public’s will. With advice from Albert and realizing that compromise is important in any dispute, she manages to make matters settle down. He reorganizes the palace staff with the household being more efficient than ever. Important to note is the symbolic gesture by the Queen to have Albert’s desk moved next to hers and for the rest of their lives they rule together. “THE YOUNG VICTORIA” is a film well worth your trip to the movies. |
The Players: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany,
Miranda Richardson,Jim Broadbent, Thomas Kretschmann, Mark Strong,
Jesper Christensen,
Harriet Walter, Michael Maloney, and Julian Glover
The Filmmakers:
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee
Screenplay by Julian Fellowes
Director of Photography; Hagen Bogdanski
Music Supervisor: Maureen Crowe
Composer: Ilan Eshkeri
A GK Films presentation through Apparition
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Another big splashy musical from the Broadway stage has been transported to the screen by director-producer-choreographer Rob Marshall who gave us “CHICAGO” as a motion picture. Based on Fellini’s “8 ½” and concerning Guido Contini , the renowned Italian film director whose ideas for a film have completely dried up, with his new film going into production in a few days and not even having a script. He reflects back on his life and all the women he’s encountered. Married with a lovely wife, he’s still the womanizer and seeks every opportunity for a new encounter, plus having a mistress who’s married. What a piece of work! Very little sympathy I found for him, more for those abused females in his life. The film version is a complete reinvention of the stage presentation and of Fellini’s film as well, according to press notes. It has its “spirit and voice.” |
| The cast is marvelous. Daniel
Day-Lewis never fails to amaze me with the different roles he undertakes
in film with his varied characters being so different, even in physical
appearance. Singing and dancing in this one, something he had never done
before, really surprised the viewers including myself. His brooding got
to be a bit much at times, but he spoke with an Italian accent, sung with
it, and appeared to be the typical wealthy and egotistical director who
just craved the opposite sex.
Marion Cotillard is terrific once more in still another screen performance as his devoted wife. The other outstanding members of the cast are Penelope Cruz as his tempting mistress acting the role and singing well, Judi Dench who has a terrific musical and dance number as his costume designer and confidant, Kate Hudson also singing and dancing as a flirty journalist from Vogue magazine, Nicole Kidman as a sort of actress muse who appears in a great number of his films, Stacy Ferguson (“Fergie”) as instructive prostitute Saraghina from when he was a young boy, and even Sophia Loren who plays Guido’s mother in flashbacks and fantasy, looking amazing for her age. One line in the film, uttered
by his wife, sums up what Guido is all about: “You’re greedy, you take
everything and I’m empty.” The musical numbers are well accomplished, but
not at all that memorable, except for the rousing “Be Italian,” which has
the lyric, “Live today, as if it may be your last.” Life is shown to be
a kind of circus for Guido with his passion, fantasy, lust, love, art,
style, delusions, and dreams. But now he has his back up against the wall
artistically and also romantically (if you can call it that in his case).
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The Players: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Fergie, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren
The Filmmakers:
Directed and Choreographed by Rob Marshall
Writers: Michael Tolkin, Anthony Mingella
Director of Photography: Dion Beebe
Music Supervisor: Matt Sullivan
Released by The Weinstein Company
Have You Heard About the Morgans?
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Fish out of water romantic comedy
is luke warm if that die to a total lack of chemistry between the stars
and a lackluster plot.
New Yorkers Paul (Hugh Grant) and Meryl (Sarah Jessica Parker) Morgan seem to have it all -- except for the fact that their marriage is crumbling around them. But their romantic woes are small compared to the world of trouble they find themselves in after they witness a murder. To protect them from an assassin, federal agents whisk Paul and Meryl away to small-town Wyoming, where their marriage will either finally crash and burn, or their passion will re-ignite. A ho-hum for a rainy day on DVD |
The Players: Sarah Jessica Parker, Hugh Grant, Sam Elliott, Sharon Wilkins, and Mary Steenburgen
The Filmmakers:
Directed by Marc Lawrence
Screenplay by Marc Lawrence
Released by Universal Pictures
Crazy Heart Reviewed by Andrew Johnson
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Bad Blake is an over-the-hill
aging western singer. Right now, the glories of his life in singing pure
western ballads lie in the past as he’s relegated to traveling great distances
for various gigs in small bars and even bowling alleys, one worse than
the other. He’s a hard drinker, smokes excessively, and abuses his body
big time. There’s always a female who remembers his career and gets into
bed with him, as he travels from place to place in his station wagon on
the road.
“CRAZY HEART” shows an individual who has lived fast and reckless but always hoping to redeem himself. Redemption seems elusive as he doesn’t try hard enough to accomplish it, but Bad Blake forever chases it. Humor and sorrow seem a great part of his life, similar to the ballads he sings, most of which he has written in the past. Having been married and divorced four times, with a son he has contacted since the boy was a youngster, it’s interesting when Jean Craddock, a newspaper woman wanting an interview with him, comes into his life. She discovers the real man behind the one who sings his heart out and is on a course of self-destruction. |
| In a role of mass proportions,
Jeff Bridges manages to capture every nuance of character with his marvelous
portrayal of Blake. He even performs and sings all the songs at the various
bookings his agent gets him, and the actor does a terrific job in putting
forth his very believable performance.
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Jean, who along with her young son, is the best glimmer of hope and redemption for Blake. But he must somehow change his ways from his having too many drinks too many times. You just root for something good to happen to these two. Colin Farrell (in an unbilled performance) plays Blake’s protégé Tommy Sweet, who doesn’t mind telling everyone that it was Blake who made him the great success he is today. Interesting how the actor seems to have come out of the southwest with his mannerisms and way of speaking and singing beautifully (an added surprise). Robert Duvall is Blake’s true friend and anchor who is always there for him in dire times of need; he the catalyst preventing Blake from totally going over the edge. Fine country music abounds in this sweet drama; T-Bone Burnett and the late Texas songwriter Stephen Burton responsible for the fine music. Based on Thomas Cobb’s novel of the same name, “CRAZY HEART” is well paced and directed by Seth Cooper, who also wrote the screenplay. The acting elevates the story as this character-driven tale takes hold of you and maintains your interest and attention throughout as you continue rooting for this supposed loser who is his own self-destructive enemy. The characters presented are straight out of Americana in depicting the roadside West, dance halls, beer joints, and the big concert scene. The dingy hotel rooms shown are what every striving country singer is accustomed to. Bad Blake carries a great many demons around and finds it ever so difficult to kick them out of his being, for beneath this obvious exterior lies a soul crying out for something better. The ending of the film is a bittersweet one, not a pat Hollywood cliché . . . realistic with no sugar coating. “CRAZY HEART” is a witty and gritty account of how a man comes to terms with his own human limitations and pushes for something better. It’s a well told story, a good film, and a possible Oscar nomination for the very talented Jeff Bridges. This is one you should see. |
The Players: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell
The Filmmakers:
Directed by Scott Cooper
Screenplay by Scott Cooper Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb
Director of Photography: Barry Markowitz
Music by Stephen Burton, T-Bone Burnett
Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures
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Brilliantly conceived with vibrant color, this stop-action motion animation feature from Belgium has a cowboy, an Indian, and a horse, whose names quite logically are Cowboy, Indian, and Horse. They even shower (except for Horse who doesn’t wear clothes) in their attire. Their legs are attached to a base as they are what toy soldiers were. An absurd world which kids will eat up gives much room for friendship, love, presents for a birthday, on-line shopping, music lessons, and home building and improvement. Horse is the most mature of the three as he goes about accomplishing what seem to be the important tasks at hand, while Cowboy and Indian go off at every opportunity to watch TV or play ping-pong. A gift for Horse is planned as his birthday is at hand, but instead of purchasing 50 bricks to build a barbeque, a coffee mug leans on the keyboard of the computer pressing on the zero key and 50 million bricks are ordered, beginning all the shenanigans. |
| “A TOWN CALLED PANIC”
(“PANIQUE AU VILLAGE”) is slapstick throughout with original visual style
and some truly silly voices to match. There were 260 days of production
needed for the 1500 plastic toy figures to be put through the stop-action
paces. It’s like a child imagining a scenario when playing with toy figures
and moving them around. A lot doesn’t logically make sense but it doesn’t
have to as you get into the spirit of the unbelieveability on screen.
What bungling! What mishaps! Something that the Three Stooges might have
encountered years back. The adventures of the trio plus neighbors and friends
are incredible, creative, and imaginative. One adventure after another
at breakneck speed envelops them. We journey with them to far off places
beneath the earth’s surface too. Nostalgically evoking toys we once played
with, the film has absurd settings, dialogue, and a story line that’s doesn’t
logically make sense, but the film grows on you and you accept what
is presented before you.
Three objections that I had with the film: English subtitles are not for very young viewers. Watching the fast action pace is practically impossible while reading the titles. Another consideration are certain objectionable expressions translated into English in the titles. The closing credits had one song, sung in English, with raw words as well. |
The Players: (voiceover) Stephane Aubier, Bruce Ellison, Vincent Patar, Jeanne Balibar, Frederic Jannin, and Bouli Lanners
The Filmmakers:
Directors: Stephane, Vincent Patar
Director of Photography: Jan Vandenbussche
A Zeitgeist Films Release
French dialogue with English subtitles
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