Cowboys and Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens

Cowboys and Aliens, the new film from Jon Favreau, is a fun mix of contrasting genres as aliens invade the old west.  The “demons” scour the terrain in search of gold.  On their scouting mission they destroy the towns and conduct experiments upon the townsfolk that their drones had abducted.

The film opens with Jake, played by Daniel Craig, as he awakens in the middle of a vast wasteland.  Startled and confused, without any recollection to whom he is, how he arrived where he was and what in the world this immovable metal bracelet attached to his left wrist could possibly be, he’s met by a group of outlaws.  We can see that Jake doesn’t want a conflict but is more than able to take care of himself when it comes to fighting.

Cowboys and Aliens, on the surface, is a classic tale of Invasion & rescue.  A deadly invader threatens normalcy, the deck appears stacked in the predator’s favor, until a mysterious stranger appears, initiating a two-fold mission, rescue those taken captive and completely destroy the enemy forces.  However, it’s beneath the surface, on the character level, where the true story is found.

Cowboys and Aliens is really a story about finding identity and redemption.  The entire film is framed within these parameters.  Briefly I’ll go through a number of examples:

1.            Jake Lonergan (Craig) 

Suffering from a memory wipe, his journey is both a literal and a figurative search for identity.  The majority of the film we consistently hear Jake reply, “I can’t remember,” when posed questions pertaining to his past.  But for Jake the theme of redemption is conjoined to his identity quest.

We find out that Jake was not a good person.  In his “prior” life he ran a gang of thieves and miscreants, unafraid and unrepentant of whatever bloodshed their actions may cause.  Throughout the story we see bits and pieces come back to him.  These moments draw nice contrasts between the Jake we see and the person Jake was before. 

Along the road to redemption we see individual plot points that push the theme and story forward.  We see, on a few occasions, Jake leave the others, casting the impression that he’s abandoned them; that he’s reverted to his old habits.  Yet quickly we see that not only does he return, he comes back regrouped and reinforced.  The preacher sums up what I believe to be the prevailing theme, when he says, “God’s not concerned about who you were, he only cares about who you are.”   Jake’s transformation and redemption is complete when he acts selflessly, forgoing personal safety in order to save the abducted and defeat the enemy.

2.            Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford)

Woodrow is shown as a relentless businessman with no tolerance for error.  We see a perfect illustration early, when a ranch hand is in the process of being drawn & quartered over some missing cattle.  The scene is brilliant, in that we see the brutality of Dolarhyde, then get a brief glimpse of his compassionate side, as he cuts free the rope from the workers hands, even gaining a “thank you” from the ranchman, only to, seconds later, revert to his ruthlessness again, as he strikes the behind of the horse that the worker is still connected to, thus taking the ranch hand for a painful ride.

His son Percy acts out improperly in order to gain his father’s approval.  In this, we gain insight into their relationship and into the type of father Dolarhyde is.

After his son is abducted though we see desperation and regret surface; we see a father who has not only lost his child, but a man who is aware of his parental shortcomings.  Throughout his arc we see a transformation: from a tough, overbearing “master of the universe” character to one that finds out what it means to be a father and a friend; From a man with an ever-present rough exterior to one that acknowledges that it’s okay to be weak from time to time.  We also see a man that was as stubborn as he was overbearing turn into a man that is able to put bias and preconception aside and be able to rely upon, as well as assist, others in times of need.

3.            Doc (Sam Rockwell)

Doc’s character is seen as a man filled with shame and low self-opinion.  As the story progresses we see him work on his problems, as he eventually stands up for himself and take action under dire circumstances, empowering himself with pride and confidence in the process.

4.            Ella Swenson (Wilde)

Like most of the characters in the film, Ella is not who we initially believe her to be. Her redemptive arc plays a key role in the film’s overall plot.  For this reason, I don’t want to spoil anything for those considering seeing the film, but do feel that it’s necessary to mention in this discussion.

Cowboys and Aliens is getting some subpar reviews, 2.5 stars here locally.  I feel these reviews are unjust, as the film delivered on what it set out to do, adapt a graphic novel that places aliens in the old west to the big screen, in a unique and clever manner.  Favreau is one of my favorite people in the business, rarely does he put forth a lackluster effort, and I wasn’t disappointed with the one on display in Cowboys and Aliens either.  The acting was fine, probably a bit better than what should be expected in this type of film.  The cinematography was breathtaking at times. While the action was not overpowering, it certainly packed a punch throughout, being strong when it needed to produce.

I recommend Cowboys and Aliens, as it’s a fun film to get caught up in on a hot summer afternoon.  A film where contrasting genres, are persistently at odds yet seemingly so willing to meld with one another. 

Captain America

Captain America was never my favorite comic book super-hero.  He was always the one I thought was just okay.  I tend to enjoy the characters that have a bit more of a darkened side to them.  While I understand that there are the occasional times when this type of illustration & shading does occur, but he just never resonated with me, the way a wolverine, punisher or batman had.  This all said, I’ve always been a big fan of the Avengers series though and have been eagerly looking forward for all the pieces to be put into place, leading up to the Avengers launch. 

I read a lot about this film before it was released and that information all sounded pretty good.  I’ve seen numerous trailers for the film as well, where each time I wanted to see this film a little more.  So I did have a bit of anticipation for this film.  After finally seeing it, I can honestly say that it didn’t disappoint.

All the films in the Avengers franchise seem to take the origination story approach, which I ‘m fine with.   As someone who likes to see adaptations, providing I’ve read the book/comic prior, because they put a motion picture twist upon the stories our minds have painted for us.  Sure you can say comics are already visual, which you’d be correct, but there is a major difference watching something in live action, on the theater screen, which in part, is one of the major attractions for many with film in general. I also understand the rationale for beginning with an origin story angle, it’s not only logical, but it also attracts a wider audience, enabling those newer fans or those unfamiliar with the history and/legacy of the hero. 

I really enjoyed all the films in the Avenger franchise family, but I do have to say that this film happens to be my favorite of the lot, just barely topping the original Iron Man. 

Holding with the pattern I’ve established for my reviews, I won’t reveal the plot for this film.  You can easily find it if you want to though, articles on Capt. America are everywhere, and have been for some time.  I’m not going to discuss the acting, outside saying I thought it was fitting for the genre and for the type of film it is.  What I’m going to discuss here are the reasons why I really enjoyed this film.

First off I’m going to tell you that Red Skull/ Johan Schmidt was about as good as it gets for a rogue super-villain, vicious, megalomaniacal, formidable, seemingly invincible and appearance-wise evil.  Perhaps some of these played a part as to why Red Skull was voted on as one of the top comic book super-villains of all time. 

The entire scenario revolving around Hydra takes me back to the Nick Fury: Agent of Shield comics, which I always enjoyed.  The blind, almost brainwashed cult of Hydra followers is brilliantly displayed.  The film just shows you, without making too big of a deal about it how powerful Hydra is and can be.  Yet, it is a big deal, which is the case anytime world domination is a foreseeable consequence if the hero fails his/her journey.  

Hydras presence as a formidable, almost unbeatable opponent can be seen alluded to each time their catch phrase, “cut off one head, two take its place,” is repeated throughout the film, each time accelerating the stakes for our hero.   The connection and subsequent separation of Hydra with Nazi Germany is also well defined.  We first hear how Hydra is a special scientific division of the Nazis and by the time we reach the climax, the Nazis are no longer being discussed, as we’ve seen that Hydra has grown larger and stronger than the party itself.   This element increases the threat that these villains possess, by taking a very real historical enemy power and illustrating a force more deadly we not only see the hero’s stakes increase but also we see an increase in the emotional aspect of the audience.

My next point revolves around costumes and setting.  The dress of the citizens, the uniforms of the soldiers were appropriate for the time period, while Hydras’ soldiers draw a stark contrast, to not only the then present-day style, but also in relation to the battle between good and evil, in their futuristic attire, looking more like revamped storm-troopers than they do soldiers from 1942. 

Captain Americas costume in particular, was extremely well done.  Instead of wearing a modernistic suit he wears one appropriate to the era.  As it turns out these historically appropriate costumes assist the film’s believability by remaining true to the realistic vision of the filmmakers, where being historically accurate was equal, if not more-so, in importance then cinematic splash. 

This vision led to some incredibly constructed historical landscaping; some great attentive detailing of 1940’s New York City, where current events are combined with a language appropriate for this era.  Anyhow I can’t say enough about how impressed I was regarding this aspect of the film.     

My last point is how the writers and directors did a tremendous job foreshadowing the cohesion and connection of this film to the other Avenger storylines.  This film is chock full of intertwining threads, here are just a few:

The Cosmic Cube

While I don’t recall this cube having any connection to Zeus in either mythology or in the Thor comics, I do like the fact that they took this liberty, by facilitating a prop that effectively connects Capt. America, Iron Man and Thor.

The cube not only adds a supernatural element to the Red Skull’s ability, but it also linked the Capt. America franchise to the Thor Franchise.  Howard Stark, father to Tony, aka Iron Man, is a key player in Capt. America’s reason for being, as he helps create Steve Rogers transformational procedure.  This involvement is an obvious yet key connection between Capt. America and Iron Man.   In a quick scene, near the film’s end, we see the cube being discovered by Howard thus linking the Iron Man franchise to the Thor franchise.

Without going too much further in detail, the conclusion of Capt. America breeds an obvious connection with shield, therein laying the groundwork for the Avengers films yet to come.

But there is one more thing I’d like to mention here, that being the manner of Red Skull’s defeat.  Without spoiling, Schmidt’s defeat is not in question, yet the possibility of a return remains alive, a la Loki in Thor.   I mention this, not only for the obvious potential for a Red Skull vs. Capt. America rematch, but also because, if my memory serves me correctly, he also had some epic conflicts with Spiderman, which could lead to a potential crossover event, as Spiderman has also crossed over on different occasions with each of the Avenger characters, whether it be as a friend or as a foe.  This idea is purely speculative on my part, but I thought it would be fun and interesting connection to make in this regards.

To close out this review, I’ll simply say go see the film.  You will like this if you enjoyed the comic book, are a fan of comic book to screen films or even a fan of wartime dramas.   I left the film greatly impressed, in what they tried to do, and for the most part how they accomplished it.   Capt. America can stand alone, but the real fun is watching the film with an open eye, looking for the various teasers as they relate to the upcoming Avengers franchise. 

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Shia Labeouf (Sam Witwicky), Josh Duhamel ( Lennox), Tyrese Gibson (Epps) and John Turturro (Simmons) return for Transformers: Dark of the Moon.  Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (Carly) replaces Megan Fox’s role as Sam’s love interest.  Patrick Dempsey (Dylan), Frances McDormand (Mearing), Ken Jeong (Jerry Wang) and John Malkovich (Bruce Brazos) join the franchise for Dark of the Moon.

The latest Transformers film is, well, what you probably have come to expect from the franchise.  A summer blockbuster that is filled with amazing special effects, action and a few laughs. 

I have a few points to mention regarding this film.  The first, which I’ll get out of the way early here, is that the 3D didn’t do much for me.  I’ve yet to find the perfect 3D film yet.  There were some neat moments that I wonder how they’d look in 2D, but for the money, which is what it typically comes down to for me, I’ll be recommending this film for the 2D format.  Take the $5.00 difference and buy a soda.

The second point I’d like to make is the length of the film.  Transformers: Dark of the Moon runs for 257 minutes, not counting the additional 20 minutes of previews.  The film is about a ½ hour too long.  There is about 35-40 minutes of footage that could have been cut from the final version.   

We didn’t need to see all of the job interviews that Sam went on.  Sure, some of these scenes were funny to a point, but that’s the problem.  It seemed to me that there was an inordinate amount of comedic sequences in this installment.  

I am fully aware that the previous efforts did have their comedic moments, but this one exceeding the earlier offerings and plainly just weren’t all that necessary and certainly not intrinsic to this film’s storyline.  

I would also severely, if not entirely cut the scenes that dealt with Sam’s parents.  They just weren’t necessary to the overall plot of Dark of the Moon.  All these scenes did was add a little more transition from the previous Transformer films to this one as well as adding a little more humor and to drive home Sam’s disappointment.  Again, not necessary, and to some extent a bit condescending in the fact that the writers felt the need to include their roles, as I can only guess they felt the audience couldn’t piece things together on their own.

My final point with this film is the story itself.  I really like what the writers did in this respect.  I believe the storyline is the most creative and the best of the Transformer films.  The way they twisted history to fit their need was incredibly intelligent and almost flawless in the entwining reality with fiction. 

The story shows how an Auto-bot ship is damaged leaving their home planet of Cybertron.  The ship winds up crashing on the moon.  The Transformers on the ship go into a type of hibernation.  The US & USSR arms race plays a role in the discovery of the ship.  What follows is a well-formed plot that includes underhanded activity and betrayal, by Decepticons as well as human involvement.  The story that takes place is in direct relation to this backstory and obviously leads to Auto-bots Vs. Decepticons, where the Earth’s fate awaits the outcome of their battle.

The Transformers films provide a nice reprieve from the every day experience.  They offer a good deal of Sci-fi action complete with state of the art special effects.  The subtraction of Megan Fox made no difference to this film whatsoever.  Rosie Huntington-Whiteley did a very good job in the role Megan would have played.  The main reasons to see Dark of the moon, in my opinion are:

1.            The already discussed storyline

2.            The special effects

3.            Optimus Prime. 

I won’t go into too much detail with this here, but the points of the film, as can be said for the previous Transformers films as well, when Optimus Prime engages in battle is worth the price of admission alone.  In Dark of The moon however, Optimus had viciousness, a resolve for destruction that we did not fully see in the previous films.  This “kill them all” mentality brought a brand new dimension to his extremely entertaining battle scenes.

As I mentioned, I recommend this film, but go see the 2D version, the drop off from 3D won’t be enough to warrant the higher ticket price. Also make sure you plan accordingly, as this film is almost 3 hours in length when you add in the time it takes for the trailers.  Let me know what you thought of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, I’d love to hear your take.

The Green Lantern

Green Lantern

I have to admit I was really, really looking forward to this film.  Although I've forgotten much of the history and origin of The Green Lantern Corps., growing up I was a huge Green Lantern fan.  Not completely obvious, but nonetheless, Hal Jordan was always my favorite lantern.

I think my favorite lantern memories have to do with his epic battles against Sinestro.  Going in to see this film I was a bit baffled, seeing Sinestro was shown as an ally of Hal Jordan.  From some talks I've had, it appears it was pretty close to the comic origin.  Sinestro it seemed has a similar arc to Anakin Skywalker, from Star Wars fame, in how the dark side can seduce even the strongest Heroes.  That all said, despite a recent trend towards comic book accuracy, it wouldn't surprise me if some scripting liberties had taken place.  I'll update the review if I hear something contrary.

So without giving anymore plot away, which I already hinted around a bit, I'll break down my experience with The Green Lantern.

So how did this film live up to my expectations?

It was about what I expected but less than what I had hoped for.  I was hoping there wouldn't have been so much backstory, in regards to Hal Jordan's personal life.  I would have liked to see a little more training, which was pretty neat. Killowog sure does know how to train them.

I would have liked to see more of the corps in general, but this is Hal Jordan's story. So while slightly disappointed, I probably would have scripted it in a very similar fashion myself.  The back story was necessary & the writers did a really good nice job of handling something that could have been, for all intents & purpose, played out much more.

I liked the comedic aspects added to the story. The humor fit well with Ryan Reynolds acting as well as with the Hal Jordan we were presented with.

Like most Green Lantern fans, it was the ring that kept bringing me back.  Quickly, the Green Lantern's powers stems from his ring.  The ring is linked to the chosen recruit.  It provides the wearer the ability to create waves of green energy, taking the shape of whatever he sees in his his head.  The writers played around with this, using the objects as a developmental tool for Hal Jordan.

A brief example being early in the film, an immature Hal Jordan saves a banquet from disaster.  He does this by producing a race car to house a falling helicopter and the track it proceeded to run on.  This scene, while showing Hal's ability to be a Hero, it also shows he's yet to gain command of his power; he's not ready for the big time yet.  More scenes like this can be seen where it's interesting to see what objects Hal creates, and how these objects fit in to the particular points of the film they happen.

As mentioned, the film centers around Hal Jordan. A nice portrayal is painted, of a hero and his personal battles, overcoming his fear of loss & failure, in addition to coming to terms with his father's death, a death he witnessed at a young age.  Oh yeah, he does this all the while trying to save the world from the film's two antagonists.

The film's main antagonist is a force from space called Parallax that feeds off the fear of others.  Parallax spends his days & nights traveling around the universe, eating planets & stealing the life-force from each planets' inhabitants.  The secondary antagonist is Hector Hammond, played by Peter Sarsgaard, who, without further spoilage, has a connection with parallax as well as a connection to Hal Jordan.  Hector is the films link between the world we know, and the world that may become.

The relationship between Hector and Hal, is not only protagonist vs antagonist, but also alter-ego vs alter-ego.  It's an interesting dynamic that not only showcases the opposite ends of the power spectrum but also produces a triangle effect. As with most triangles in film, this one centers around a love interest.   Carol Ferris, played by Blake Lively is the girl Hector Hammond has always loved, and Hal Jordan, in Hector's mind, has always been the one in his way. This dynamic played out in a very entertaining fashion, as Hector's once figurative obstacle/foe transforms into a literal obstacle/foe.  In their stories climax, Hal sums up Hector's delusion perfectly by saying something to the effect of "Let her go & let her decide who she wants."  

While I enjoyed most of the elements in this film, I have to admit Sarsgaard was a consistent scene stealer.  His portrayal of Hector was spot on, pre and post transformation.   This isn't any indictment against the rest of the cast, as they were all good or better.  It's just Sarsgaard's portrayal of Hector was on a completely different level, and it was really fun to watch.

If you're a fan of the comic book you have to see it.  If you like super-hero films in general you should see this movie. If you like action films you'll like The Green Lantern as well.

It's filled with wonderful visuals & offered a celestially picturesque viewing environment. This, however, leads me into recommending you go see the 2D version over the 3D format.  You'd think, with what I just described, 3D would be stunning, vivid & gorgeous. Well that's what I expected to experience as well.

I saw the 3D version & while offering some beautiful scenery, it just didn't do enough to justify, let alone recommend, the extra cost incurred.  While there were a few wow moments you won't find with 2D, I just didn't see enough of them to say the 2D viewer is really missing out.  But then, after leaving a 3D show, I feel this way quite often.

I'm still waiting for the perfect 3D film; I'm hoping that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part II, Transformers:Dark of the Moon or Conan The Barbarian can come close.  I'm not a fan of remakes, but from what I'm reading & from the trailers I've seen, Conan looks to have the makings of a real 3D winner, but again we'll have to wait to see.

Hope you enjoy the film. As always let me know what you think and if my experience helped you out.

X-Men: First Class

A great many of the people I speak with regarding film had been anxiously awaiting the release of X-Men:First Class.  Typically I'm all about comic books taking the leap to the silver screen, however, in this case, for whatever the reason, I really wasn't looking forward to this film.

Perhaps keeping up to date on the ins-and-outs of Filmdom spoiled this film a bit for me, at least regarding my anticipation level.  Cyclops, Wolverine and Colossus have always been my favorite characters.  I knew ahead of time Cyclops and Wolverine wouldn't be in the film, which was a bummer in and of itself.  I knew the plot centered around the cuban missile crisis with the Hellfire Club involved edging the USA and Russia against each other.  Seeing that I had a feeling perhaps they'd ink Colossus in their somehow, but because of character age I kind of doubted his inclusion, which turned out to be a valid assumption.

Anyhow, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.  The script was pretty good and Matthew Vaughn is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I thought Magneto's character pretty much carried the action, which somewhat made up for the lack of cyclops and Wolverine.  Havok and Banshee helped that loss a lot as they have some pretty wicked abilities.

Overall if you like the other X-Men flicks, you'll enjoy this one too.  Not much sense in rehashing the storyline, apart from what I've already said, seeing it is a prequel and all, and seemed from what I can remember pretty true to the origins from the book. So I figured for this review I'll list some of the high-points and low-points.

High Points

1.  January Jones-  Played an exceptional Emma Frost.  I look forward to more of her.

2. Banshee and Havok- As mentioned above, I've always liked their abilities, and while being supporting characters it was interesting to watch their development.

3.  Raven/Mystique-  I enjoyed the dynamics involved between the young Charles Xavier with her, representing a surrogate family ideal as well as the dynamic between herself and Magneto, who preaches truth to oneself.  Interesting how the line Charles used earlier in the film, Mutant and Proud, which she dismissed early on, empowered her as she made the decision to embrace what and who she is.

4.  Kevin Bacon- Not my favorite actor but he had a good role playing Shaw.

5.  Nathan Lane-  Probably not worth mentioning here, but I'm a Nathan Lane fan and albeit a small part it was nice to see him involved.

6.  Wolverine Cameo- Classic Logan

Low Points

1. Kind of a Snafu of script I picked up on.  Toward the climax, Mystique changes into Shaw, with the "Magneto helmet" on, to save banshee and Havok.  The problem is that there was no way she could have known that Shaw had the Helmet on.  A. She's not a telepath B. Professor X, at the time was trying to figure out what was blocking his connection to Shaw, which was the helmet.  Very minor detail but nevertheless something to mention.

2.  I'm sure they could have found a couple other character's besides "Darwin"  and the girl "Angel".  The Hellfire club had other interesting characters as did the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Blob would've been nice seeing the relationship between he and the Professor.

Anyhow worth seeing and much, much better than I had originally thought it would be.  Perhaps there's hope for Captain America, another film I'm not that excited for.

Next couple films I happen to be very excited for are Super 8, Green Lantern and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Thor

Thor Basic Helmet

Thor, starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman.

Opening May 6th, 2011

First off, I take these comic to film adaptations with a grain of salt.  They aren't going to do everything you had imagined.  They aren't going to live up to the lofty expectations you may have had.  With that aside, the overwhelming slew of comic book/graphic novels into movies are creating some of the better films, storyline and action wise.

This all makes sense though.  The groundwork has already been done for the screenwriter and in some part for the director.

Most do not live up to the hype.  Thor, does a better job than a lot, but this film is a bit different, in that the comic is actually a very loose interpretation of the Norse myth.

But from comic to film, this was well done.  Sure I would have liked to see more of Loki, especially at the very end.  Loki's actually in the movie close to equal camera time as Thor is, but the omission of a sequel set up was disappointing for me. That and the absence of the Midgard Serpent, which would have been cool but not really needed for the first film.

Really though, that's my biggest negative I have.  If I were to compare this film to Norse Myth, surely I would have many more, but that just isn't fair, seeing the film is based on the comic Thor.

What I liked:  I saw the 3D version so the visuals were great. Asgaard itself was a marvel to look at, as was Jotunheim.  The action took a second seat to storyline, which is rare for "action" films, but it was well done.

I also think they did a nice and SUBTLE job of foreshadowing the Avengers film.  The end of Hulk was painfully obvious.  We didn't see that hear.  All we had was Shield.  From Shield we heard Tony Stark's name mentioned as they faced off with Destroyer.  Besides that we had an obscure reference to Banner, The hulk.

If you didn't follow the comic book it may be a bit difficult to catch on to the Nordic names, but you'll catch on soon enough.  Besides that this is a film for anyone interested in heroes, engaging battle scenes and stories of internal conflict within the family unit.