The Film Geek’s Weekend Round-Up: 12/18/09
Hello everyone and welcome to AVATAR weekend. Besides Cameron’s extravaganza, we have DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? and THE YOUNG VICTORIA. Also opening at Lagoon is THE MAID and WILLIAM KUNSTLER, which I didn’t get a chance to see. But here’s what I thought about the three that I saw…
It’s been 12 years since James Cameron made his last feature film (I don’t count his IMAX docs). I am a loyal fan. Loved both TERMINATOR movies, TRUE LIES is alot of fun, and I even like TITANIC. But THE ABYSS and ALIENS are still 2 of my all time favorites. So yeah, you can say that I’ve been waiting awhile for his return. Well, the reason it’s been so long between films was because Cameron was developing the cinematic technology to make his new movie, which is AVATAR.
Fresh off of TERMINATOR: SALVATION, Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully, a crippled marine who arrives on the planet Pandora about 150 years in the future. Humans have come to this planet because there is an important element that can save the Earth, which is dying. But there are many creatures that live on this new planet, the most intelligent being the tall blue Na’vi, which are pretty much like native americans. They don’t want their beautiful planet destroyed and constantly resist the humans infiltration. Head of the operation is Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi), he doesn’t care about the Na’vi and wants them wiped out, so he puts hard ass Col. Miles Quartich (Stephen Lang) in charge of the mass destruction.
Meanwhile, Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) is trying to understand the planet by mingling with the Na’vi by using Avatars. The Avatars are simulated Na’vi bodies which are controlled by a human operator through some kind of brain science. Jake Sully is the rookie on this mission and he immediately loves being in the body of a Na’vi warrior. But soon, he is attacked by a creature and thought to be dead. He is rescued by Neytiri, princess of the Na’vi. She takes him to the tribe and they decide to teach him their ways. Even though he’s supposed to find a way to convince the Na’vi to move out of their homes, he ends up sympathizing with them, not to mention falling for Neytiri. This all leads up to a finale that has Jake siding with the Na’vi as they battle the humans for the salvation of Pandora.
The story isn’t original as it immediately recalls DANCES WITH WOLVES, but then again, ALIENS wasn’t original either. The reason that worked so well is because of the characters and execution. With AVATAR, it’s still very clear that Cameron is a master craftsman. Within seconds we are transported into his wondrous imagination. I loved the opening shots of Jake waking up from a deep space sleep, flying around inside the weightless spacecraft. Then we get to the planet. Even though it recalled some of the designs of DELGO, it’s beautiful. The neon blues and greens, the bright colors of the plants. The creatures are impressive and the Na’vi are amazing. In fact, most of the time I felt that they were real. The visual effects are that good. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The story isn’t perfect. I found a few holes and contradictions throughout, most of which are nitpicks (for example: The Na’vi don’t believe in killing a creature in self defense, but it’s okay to hunt them for food? Huh?). I also didn’t fully connect with Jake, most of the time he’s just a naive redneck who loves being a marine. He does change towards the end, but I still felt that he was cocky, and I always have a hard time liking anyone who is. Some of the moral messages were a little obvious. Like when Jake first meets the Princess and she teaches him not to harm the things around him. I kept waiting for her to break into these lyrics: “You think you own whatever land you land on…”, which is from the song Colors of the Wind from Disney’s POCAHONTAS. Yeah, I get it. Keep it green. Also some of the characters needed to be fleshed out, but I’ll get into that next.
The cast is pretty solid. While not a great actor, Sam Worthington does a fine job as Jake. He’s pretty much a blank slate but that makes it all the more easier to put yourself in his situation, which I think was Cameron’s intention. Sigourney Weaver gives her best performance in awhile. I loved her first scene when she demands a cigarette after waking up from a deep sleep. Giovanni Ribisi does a terrific job being sleezy as the passive-aggressive Parker, but after the first hour he basically disappears. His character really needed to be expanded upon. As did Michelle Rodriguez’s character. I also didn’t really care for Joel David Moore as Jake’s partner. I’m used to seeing him in goofy comedies like GRANDMA’S BOY, so it was hard for me to buy him in this. Zoe Saldana gives the best performance as Neytiri, even though it was entirely done through motion capture. Even more so than Gollum in LORD OF THE RINGS, this character feels like an actual living being. The facial expressions, vocal influctuations, and strong writing make this a very memorable character.
Probably the smartest casting choice was Stephen Lang as Quaritch. Holy shit is he awesome. I’ve always been a fan of Lang’s. Loved him as the villain in THE HARD WAY. I also thought he was the best thing in both PUBLIC ENEMIES and THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS. In AVATAR, he goes all out as the bad ass military man who doesn’t give a fuck about humanity. He just wants to blow shit up. His introduction as he lifts weights (he’s buff) was awesome. His dialogue is cheesy but that’s what makes his character so geeky cool. He’s a walking cliché and I enjoyed every second he was on the screen. People are going to love to hate him. I heard that the part was originally offered to Michael Biehn, and that would have been cool too, but I’m glad Cameron went with Lang. It’s one of those roles (which seems like it was written for Michael Ironside) that’s unforgettable in the world of a film geek.
The script is where the weakness lies. Now, while it’s not bad at all, it’s very ordinary and predictable. You know what’s going to happen from minute one. But it’s entertaining because of the direction. Cameron is one of our best filmmakers, and when it comes to pure spectacle this film delivers 100%. It probably has some of the best visual effects I have ever seen in a movie. Watching it was always a pleasure.
While I had a tough time getting into the characters in the first half, I finally got involved during the second. The first scene that really impressed me was when Jake takes his first flight on a flying dragon. Every single aspect of this scene is mindblowing. I was completely enthralled. I finally felt a little emotion during the destruction of the planet towards the end. And of course the final battle is nothing short of amazing. Flying dragons Vs. Warships! It’s awesome!
Now saying that this is the best looking movie I’ve ever seen (special effects-wise), makes me contemplate what kind of rating I should give it. It’s just a fun popcorn movie with fantastic visuals. But does having the best visuals make this the best film of the year? Well, no. Is a beautiful model perfect because she looks better than anyone else? Of course not. Same thing goes for this movie. Those that easily succumb to visual effects will think this is one of the best films ever made. But I’d like to challenge that opinion. If AVATAR had the same visual effects of LORD OF THE RINGS (which are great, but have many flaws) would people still think highly of it? The reason why I think the LORD OF THE RINGS movies are more successful is because the characters and the story are more compelling. It may not look as good as AVATAR, but when a story is that compelling you’re willing to accept the visual effects as they are. With AVATAR, the visual effects are easily better than the story. So if the movie had just average visuals, would people like it as much? I don’t really think so. And that is the reason I don’t think it’s more than just a good solid popcorn movie. But people that are obsessed with Blu-Ray visuals are probably going to jizz all over themselves watching this.
I do have to mention the song at the end credits. It’s fucking terrible! It’s alot like that TITANIC song, which means it’s very corny and shamelessly manipulative. It worked for TITANIC, but for AVATAR (which is a fun action epic) it doesn’t fit at all! I started laughing the moment the song began! I was also disappointed in James Horner’s score. It’s appropriately energetic during the action scenes, but I couldn’t help but notice his themes from WRATH OF KHAN, ALIENS and even GLORY mixed in. He needs to make original music again. But by no means did these things ruin the movie for me.
It’s definitely one to see in the theater. Don’t wait for DVD on this one. I liked it quite a bit. It was alot of fun. It didn’t change my life or anything, but it’s pure escapism told with expert craftsmanship. I’ll probably bring my daughter to see it and anyone else that hasn’t, cause it is a movie event. I don’t think it’ll hold up like ALIENS or THE ABYSS have, but I am glad James Cameron is making movies again.
Next is screenwriter Marc Lawrence’s 3rd film behind the camera. His first one was TWO WEEKS NOTICE, which was like an unfunny sitcom and his second was MUSIC AND LYRICS. That one wasn’t so bad. The original 80’s songs were great and I have the soundtrack, but the romance just wasn’t there for me. Now he’s back with Hugh Grant as his leading man… again.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? stars Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker (Sandra Bullock was busy, I guess) as Paul and Meryl Morgan, a recently separated New York couple. Paul wants to reconcile the marriage, but Meryl can’t forgive his infidelity. While arguing one night on the streets of New York, they witness a murder. Now the hitman responsible is after them. The authorities send the couple off to Ray, Wyoming.
I believe this is supposed to be funny for 2 reasons. One: Paul and Meryl don’t get along with each other and now they have to hide out together, and two: They are city folk and are now living out in the sticks. Ha Ha. We all know what’s going to happen. They get back together after countless fish out of water jokes. Most of the humor comes from tired attempts at humor about how closeminded and coldhearted city people are and how simple rednecks are. If done right (CROCODILE DUNDEE), it can be funny. But no one really seems to be trying here.
Hugh Grant has the same stammering delivery he’s had in his past 38 films. Occasionally a zinger is successful, but most of the time, no. Sarah Jessica Parker seems completely lost as Meryl. None of her timing works and she hasn’t aged very well. She at least looks 10 years older than her actual age and kind of looks like one of those good guy creatures, the Mystics, from THE DARK CRYSTAL. The worst part about these two actors is that there is absolutely no chemistry between them. I never bought them as a couple.
The supporting cast fares a little better. The always reliable Sam Elliott plays the marshall in Wyoming who takes the couple in. He delivers every line as if he were in a groundbreaking comedy. Good effort buddy! Mary Steenburgen as Elliott’s wife is also decent. Michael Kelly is menacing enough as the hitman, but he doesn’t get any substantial material to work with. Wilfred Brimley is in this just enough so you can say, “Hey, it’s Wilfred Brimley”. Jesse Liebman and Elisabeth Moss play the Morgan’s assistants, and while they do an okay job, giving them a minor romantic subplot didn’t help any.
I guess the main problem with this is that it’s lazy. The story is uninspired, which is fine I guess, but nothing about this movie is inspired. Not one joke. There isn’t really any scene that had me cringe in my seat (like OLD DOGS), but I was bored most of the time. No one seems to be trying here. The jokes were stale 25 years ago. Do these premises sound funny to you:
1. City folk being impressed with a store called a Bargain Barn.
2. Hugh Grant being confronted by a bear, then running away in terror.
3. Constant jokes about Vegetarians.
4. City Folk milking a cow.
5. City folk watching Dirty Harry (since all hicks watch are films by Clint Eastwood or John Wayne, HaHa!)
6. Hugh Grant trying to shoot a gun or chop wood.
If you think that sounds funny, then have a good time. I don’t know, I just feel that Marc Lawrence is insulting the audience by delivering something so mediocre. Everyone involved is above this material. I think Hugh Grant should’ve stepped aside and let Tim Allen take this one.
The reason for this film’s existence is so a 70-year old couple can walk out of the screening saying. “That was cute.” Then 5 minutes later not know what movie they just saw. Not that excruciating. Just insultingly mediocre.
It’s Oscar time, so of course we’re going to get period pieces. I never really look forward to them, but more often than not I end up enjoying them. I really liked BRIGHT STAR earlier this year, but I thought 2008’s THE DUCHESS was a bore. This one is called THE YOUNG VICTORIA.
The story is about how Queen Victoria’s first years on the throne. It begins when Victoria (Emily Blunt) is about to turn 18 and become ruler. Her mother (Miranda Richardson) wants to remain in charge so with the help of Sir John Conroy (Mark Strong), they try to convince her to sign a regency until she’s 25. Victoria’s uncle, King William (Jim Broadbent), is against this and encourages her to become queen right away. Meanwhile, suitors keep trying to woo Victoria including Prince Albert (Rupert Friend) and Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany). She doesn’t know who to choose. Melbourne seems to have his head on straight, but she has more of an emotional connection with Albert. If you know history, then you know how it all turns out. But of course since I’m an uneducated idiot, I knew nothing about this stuff, so I had fun guessing what was going to happen next.
The problem with alot of these period pieces is that the plot is overcomplicated and I have trouble following the story. Not the case here. The movie is fairly short for this kind of film (an hour and forty minutes) and the pacing is pretty brisk. I found the story more interesting as it went along. They do a great job establishing Victoria and Albert’s relationship. It felt real. When they kiss for the first time, you really feel the passion.
It also probably helped that it’s one of the most visually beautiful films of the year. The set design, the costumes and the cinematography especially. It’s so rich. There had to be some kind of rack focus in almost every shot. One that particularly stood out to me was a rack focus shot of a long line of champagne glasses. That “wowed” me.
The acting is excellent across the board. After a few years of showing potential, Emily Blunt finally proves what she can do as Young Victoria. She’s determined and stubborn, but also compassionate and vulnerable. I think the reason why the romance between her and Albert works so well is because her performance is very convincing. I haven’t really been a fan of Rupert Friend. He looks like such a pud. Every time he shows up in a movie I kind of chuckle. He’s always stiff and looks extremely nervous all the time. And at first, I felt that way about his Prince Albert but that could have been my preconceived notion. As the picture went on, he didn’t really bother me and I might even go so far as to say he was actually pretty good. His stiffness definitely fit the character this time. Paul Bettany is low-key, but effective as Lord Melbourne. Miranda Richardson does a great job as the jealous Duchess of Kent. Jim Broadbent is awesome as usual as King William. And Mark Strong is proving to be a wonderfully consistent actor as the evil Conroy. Can’t wait to see him as the villain in SHERLOCK HOLMES.
Director Jean-Marc Vallee has a wonderful visual style and he handles the actors quite well. There are some truly memorable images from this. One that sticks out in my head is is a beautiful long mastershot in a Cathedral with Victoria mourning. Breathtaking! The script by Julian Fellowes is lean. There isn’t any baggage in it. It’s quick, short and to the point. It’s also not without some humor too. My only complaint is that the film is a tad anti-climatic, but I can’t blame history can I?
In short, this is a visually stunning, and emotionally involving period piece with solid acting that moves rather swiftly. For this kind of film, you can’t ask for anything more.
Here’s a recap:
AVATAR [PG -13] – ***
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS [PG -13] – *1/2
THE YOUNG VICTORIA – [PG] – ***1/2
Of course see AVATAR. It’s not a groundbreaking story, but the visuals are breathtaking. If you like spectacle, you probably won’t get it with any other movie out there at the moment. I did like THE YOUNG VICTORIA better, but most people will ignore my opinion and see AVATAR so I don’t know why I even bother. Go ahead and skip DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? Pretty bland.
That’s it for now.
Take care!
Be geeky and watch movies!