PROMETEUS Review

PROMETHEUS Review

By Darin Skaggs

Ridley Scott’s Prometheus has been marketed as a prequel to another one of Scott’s films, the 1979 classic Alien.  Not really.  It might have something to do with Alien, but it is not a direct prequel to the film.  It is its own film and a pretty good one at that.

     The film’s focus is on a space mission that is sent to a set of stars in the universe that matches several drawings that are found on earth.  They believe that this is the area of the universe where the creatures that created us are. 

     Confused? So am I and I saw the film.  Most of the film is confusing.  There is a ton of unanswered questions and unexplained events that come up.  With a movie with all these plot holes and confusion it could turn off a viewer of this film.  Still, I found this film thrilling and entertaining.  There are many questions asked that interested me and many scenes that are horrific but still fun to watch.

     One of the best parts of the film is the set pieces and the special effects.  This is a science fiction film with futuristic sets and space ships.  They all look great in this film.  There were a few moments in which I thought it was dazzling and beautiful but there were other parts where some sets looked like they were used.  Scott creates a great world and makes you feel like you’re really there.

     One of the main problems that I’ve heard from others is that the characters are not really developed well.  I happen to agree with that these characters are just there to move the plot ahead and reveal information to other characters.  The only few characters that you care for or have a story is the main character Elizabeth Shaw and David, the man made robot. 

     The character’s problem could be blamed by the writing but I would also set blame to the acting.  Michael Fassbender, who plays David in the film, does a great job as well as Noomi Rapace as Shaw.  The rest of the cast members do a okay job, some more than others.  However, the worst performance in the film comes from Charlize Theron.  This upset me because Theron stared in my favorite film of last year, Young Adult.  Her performance in that film was fantastic, but in this film it felt like she was just phoning it in. 

     This film’s writing is a bit of a problem as well.  Like I said the characters were not development and to add to that, the dialogue wasn’t the best.  Plus the writing had many flaw in the plot.  There were so many confusing things that happen that were not explained.  At one point a character poisons another; we never get a motive, we never know if the character knew what they were doing was going to hurt the other character.  There are a lot of other things that happen that have no explanation.  Like I said the film asks many questions that we as humans ask ourselves.  Where do we come from?  Why are we here on Earth?  These questions are not fully answered, but it tries to examine them and how far we would go to find them.  This is why the film works for me and what draws me to it.

     This is a film that tries to examine our humanity, but it also becomes somewhat a thriller.  There are several scenes where there are impressive action sequences and a few more that drift toward the horror genre.  There is one scene involving Shaw that is a throwback to Alien while still being a great scene on its own.

     Near the end of the film I knew I was on board with what I just watched.  The remaining characters have a conversation and go about their way.  It was a great ending to a good film.  Fade to black.  Then, without getting into spoilers, another scene happens.  It was weird and way off from the tone from the rest of the film.  It seemed to only be there to connect this film with the Alien series even though it so much different than what I thought the rest of the film was trying to bring.

     This film is kind of a mess, but I still found it entertaining.  It was beautiful to look at, had me paying attention the whole time and made me think of my own existence.  It is not an amazing achievement, but it is a really good film.

MOONRISE KINGDOM Review

MOONRISE KINGDOM Review

By Darin Skaggs

     There is a point in everyone’s life during their teen years when they realize they have to grow up and there are some younger children that it just happened naturally for them. Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom is a film about both of these types of people.

     The movie focuses on two children, Sam, a young orphan boy and Suzy, a violent young girl with parents who don’t know what to do with her.  They go on a journey that ends up becoming one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever seen and an amazing addition to Wes Anderson’s discovery.

     In the “film nerd” community, Wes Anderson is either highly loved or completely hated for his quirkiness in his films.  I am one of the people that have loved almost everything he has done.  Moonrise Kingdom is one of Anderson’s best.  It is probably in the top three of his films for me; the two others being The Royal Tenembuams and his previous film Fantastic Mr. Fox which is a Claymation film.  Moonrise Kingdom is a live action film but some shots seemed that they could have been inspired by what he learned from making Fantastic Mr. Fox.  This style suits me just right and it makes me excited for what is to come next for Anderson.

     This film, much like all other of Anderson’s work is really funny.  Most of the jokes come from his quirkiness and surrealism of this reality. At one point in the film you see a tree house on the top of a very tall, slim tree but somehow it stays up.  Other jokes come from the script and like always with his films, the acting.

     The preview for this film said that the film’s stars great actors such as Anderson vet Bill Murray and new comers Bruce Willis, Francis Macdormand and Edward Norton. These are all great actors and they give great performances, but they are secondary to the main characters, the children in this film.  The children in the story are both neglected by their peers. Such as the girl’s parents who don’t pay that much attention to her as well as the boy’s foster parents.  Along with that, Sam’s Boy Scout troop who do not like him and pick on him.  So after meeting at a church play and becoming pen pals they make a plan to run away and live with each other.

     They go off and start to form a connection that has been evolving since the moment they met.  Their time together only last a few days but they go through an entire romantic relationship.  This is the way the young group grows up naturally.  They encourage each other, Sam provides for her by hunting and like anyone in love they become best friends.  In a way they have an adult relationship, while still being kids in the process.  The other kind of person I mentioned was the ones that realize that growing up is a need.  The adults in the film fit this bill.  When they realize the children are missing they are screaming and throwing a tantrum, some characters are in constant worry. 

In this film the roles are almost reversed, the kids act like adults and the adults like kids.  Anderson handles this aspect of the film very well.  He has the roles switched, but still having the roles they are supposed have.  Bill Murray’s character at one point is so upset about his missing daughter that he announces he is going to cut down a tree with an axe and a bottle of alcohol in his hand.  This is a funny line but I also see it as a calm temper tantrum.  At the same moment his boys are listening to classical music, as they do throughout the film, and they are the only ones appreciating the music like mature music critics would.

     Anderson’s film is hilarious and might be his most touching. It is one of the greatest films of the year so far and probably will stay on my greatest of the year list.  I love this film and am very excited to see what Wes Anderson has next. You know, three years from now.

MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS Review

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS Review

By Darin Skaggs

     When I watch a film I look for what it did for me emotionally, what it made me think of and what were the themes and metaphors were in the film.  Rarely after seeing a film do I just say “Cool!” I rarely just have pure fun during a film.  In Joss Whedon’s The Avengers I had a ton of fun.

     The Avengers has been in the works for years; it has had several films leading up to it.  Films including The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger.  I have only seen Iron Man, Thor and Captain America.  When I went into this film I wondered how they were going to make a movie with all these characters and let all of them have a big moment and a character arc, but somehow the film pulls it off.  Literally every character has something cool, interesting and even some have emotional parts happen to them.

     The film opens with Nick Fury played by Samuel L. Jackson studying the tesseract from Captain America.  Then Loki, from Thor, comes in.  He steals the tesseract and a few S.H.I.E.D members with his staff and then destroys the area.  Then the film goes into Nick Fury assembling the force including a character only seen for a few moments in a previous film Black Widow.  The film sets her character up well.  When we meet her she is tied up being interrogated, but then with almost no effort at all she gets out of it.  The rest of the characters are also set up nicely.  It takes a little longer than I would like for the characters to get together, but there are still good moments in between.

     The film has all around great acting.  The villain, Loki, has great chemistry with all the Avengers.  The Avengers all work well together also.  You can tell they are ticking each other off at points and feel the bond they eventually form for the end battle scene.

     This film has great special effects and great action scenes.  Unlike other films with CGI action scenes where I can’t figure out what is happening to the characters fighting I can actually figure out what is going on, where the explosion is coming from, what caused it and who caused it.  This is true for the entire film especially the final battle scene where every character from the film seems to be doing something and there is none to little confusion to what is going on.

     For the films tone it is a really funny film.  It has great one liners from each character, great jokes and references.  This film stays really funny while still keeping every character true to form and taking everything seriously.  It does not make fun of The Avengers series nor its fans.  Another clever aspect of the film is that the writers realized that mostly all these characters are invincible.  During the second act many of the Avengers they are fighting each other, but they are not easily scratched. Every hit they take they fly across the room.  When Thor first appears there is a big fight between him, Iron Man and Captian America where they hit each other so hard they knock over a few trees. I’m glad the writer knew the ridiculousness of the situation at hand and took full advantage of it.

If it was even possible, the one character who steals the show is the Hulk. He is wonderfully played by Mark Ruffelo.  It takes him a while to turn into the Hulk, but it doesn’t bother you.  You’re too invested in Ruffelo’s performance.  Then when he turns into the Hulk it is terrifying and later when he transforms it is constantly cool and funny. 

     There are some flaws in this film, but the film is so entertaining they are not much of a bother.  Hawkeye is under used even though he is set up as a very important character.  The control that Hulk has with his powers during his second transformation is confusing.  Nevertheless these problems are not big and do not make the film any less fun.

     This film is a blast.  It offers everything a film could give laughs, scares, drama, and action.  It is a good way to start the summer movies and a great entry into the superhero genre.

100 FAVORTIE FILMS - JUNE 15, 2012

100 FAVORITE FILMS AS OF 6/15/12

1. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
2. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
3. PSYCHO (1960)
4. THE CONVERSATION (1974)
5. JAWS (1975)
6. VERTIGO (1958)
7. NETWORK (1976)
8. DR. STRANGELOVE OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964)
9. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
10. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
11. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
12. BICYCLE THIEVES (1948)
13. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007)
14. THE GODFATHER (1972)
15. WALL-E (2008)
16. BAMBI (1942)
17. THE KING OF COMEDY (1983)
18. ALIEN (1979)
19. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)
20. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
21. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974)
22. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
23. TOY STORY (1995)
24. M (1931)
25. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
26. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
27. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002)
28. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
29. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
30. THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE (1977)
31. BEING THERE (1979)
32. DUCK SOUP (1933)
33. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
34. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
35. STAR WARS (1977)
36. IKIRU (1952)
37. GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)
38. REAR WINDOW (1954)
39. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
40. FACES (1968)
41. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966)
42. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
43. BLADE RUNNER (1982)
44. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
45. THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977)
46. HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971)
47. UP (2009)
48. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)
49. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
50. FARGO (1996)
51. ANNIE HALL (1977)
52. THE LORD OF THE RINGS (2001)
53. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
54. ONCE (2006)
55. MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRAIN (1979)
56. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
57. FINDING NEMO (2003)
58. THE APARTMENT (1960)
59. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
60. SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
61. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
62. PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (1987)
63. ZODIAC (2007)
64. SPIRITED AWAY (2001)
65. THE LAST LAUGH (1924)
66. LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (1961)
67. 8 ½ (1963)
68. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968)
69. TOUCH OF EVIL (1958)
70. THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985)
71. LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003)
72. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (2009)
73. SEVEN SAMURAI (1954)
74. IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)
75. HARVEY (1950)
76. FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009)
77. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)
78. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988)
79. OUR HOSPITALITY (1926)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1968)
81. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
82. BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)
83. BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945)
84. THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
85. MODERN TIMES (1936)
86. MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2004)
87. THE GENERAL (1926)
88. LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945)
89. AMADEUS (1984)
90. MAGNOLIA (1999)
91. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951)
92. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
93. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001)
94. BLACK SWAN (2010)
95. DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO A SON ABOUT HIS FATHER (2008)
96. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (2009)
97. HOOSIERS (1986)
98. SOLARIS (1972)
99. PLANET OF THE APES (1968)
100. DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975)

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS Review

 

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS Review

By Darin Skaggs

     I’m not a big fan of horror films.  The popular ones are just basically the same thing over and over again.  If I search to watch a horror film, I search for a film that is trying something different.  Drew Goddard’s The Cabin in the Woods does just that.

     This story is the normal way that many horror films start.  A girl with some irrelevant problem is packing for a trip to a cabin in the woods.  She meets up with her friend and her boyfriend.  Then another friend of the boyfriends comes too.  This is normally the love interest for the main girl and then of course the “stoner” character or the comic relief through most horror films.  These are the normal characters that are in the popular horror films.

     The first scene of the film however starts as what looks like two scientists talking about something vague that comes into place later.  They start driving away on a cart and one of them says “Are you even listening to me?” Then the title comes up in surprising way and that’s when I realized I was in for a treat.  I don’t want to spoil the film, but I will say we follow two stories: the cabin story and these “scientist” story.  The scientist story is very interesting and it has some of my favorite parts in the film.

     Your basic horror film scenarios happen throughout this film.  The kids meet an old man that warns them not to go any farther and even just the setting being in a cabin is part of the horror film cliché.  This part of the story sticks to the cliché way that horror stories work, but it adds a reason why they are always the same type of characters (jock, “blonde” chick, virgin, nerd, comic relief) and it gives a reason of why they’re always making bad decisions and letting the “killers” get the upper hand.  Without getting into spoilers this film explains why there are many different monster films and why the monsters are attacking these people.

     Another thing about the film, it’s hilarious which should not be a surprise because it is co-written by Josh Whedon who wrote Buffy, Firefly and recently The Avengers.  He is always a very funny writer and it shows in this film.  The writing is not the only thing that makes the film funny, the acting helps it out as well.  The second story plot actors were some of the best performances of the film.  Also the main characters are really good at playing the clichés of the horror genre.

The second story plays out very well and takes the horror cliché to a whole new level.  The third act of this film, for me at least, was just pure fun. The film left me wanting more of that particular scene.  The ending of the film was a very satisfying conclusion to this very fun, hilarious and interesting ride.

I went into this film knowing almost nothing about it and that was the right way to see it.  I enjoyed it very much and was glad to see a “meta” kind of approach to the horror genre.