Hey folks, thought I’d share some quick takes on three flicks I saw over the past week. The first was from a filmmaker and actor that guaranteed quality and was no surprise when it delivered the goods. I didn’t have very high hopes for the second entry, and after watching it my low expectations were proven accurate. But the last one was a pleasant surprise from a filmmaker that I had never heard of before and a flick I’ve only heard small bits and pieces about. Read on and enjoy!

RESCUE DAWN…
Would it be totally H-Mo of me to say that I got a mad Man-Crush on Christian Bale? I mean, is there any thing this guy can’t do? Not only does he do amazing work in the world of “respected” cinema (i.e. THE NEW WORLD, THE MACHINIST, LAUREL CANYON, etc.), but he’s taken on and excelled in various Genre films that range from Action (EQUILIBRIUM) to Horror (AMERICAN PSYCHO) to Superhero (BATMAN BEGINS) to Western (3:10 TO YUMA). He’s even going to venture into the realm of Sci-Fi (in the new TERMINATOR flick) soon, and will undoubtedly kick much ass while doing so. The thought of him teaming up with Auteur Werner Herzog, who has brought the world of cinema so many unforgettable films (like NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE and GRIZZLY MAN), to bring the true story of a Vietnam POW to cinematic life would make any self-respecting film lover excited. The film RESCUE DAWN follows the plight of U.S. Navy Pilot Dieter Dengler after being shot down over Laos during a Top Secret bombing mission in 1966. He’s eventually captured by a local militia and taken to a prison camp where he meets other captives. He soon begins plotting an escape plan and recruits his fellow prisoners to join, much to the chagrin to one of the captives who believe their release is imminent. What follows is a story of survival, courage, and unshakable optimism that is at once both unfathomable and moving.

Bale once again does his best Skeletor impersonation (ya know, the same one he did for THE MACHINIST) and looks utterly emaciated by the end of the film. It’s subtle this time, as he slowly degrades to this state due to his circumstances, so its not as off-putting or horrifying. Which is a good thing. You want to feel for Dieter and his plight, not be horrified by his appearance. Audiences that identify Steve Zahn as mainly a funnyman (SAVING SILVERMAN, SAHARA) will be very surprised at his performance as another POW that finds himself at Dieter’s side during his escape. If they didn’t tell me this was based on a true story, I would’ve never believed it. The film has a quiet intensity that floors you. Scenes of terrible violence are presented in a very unstylized and reserved manner, making the unspoken but inherent horror all the more potent…
Highly Recommended!

THE INVASION…
Did we really need another remake of THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS? After watching this boring and predictable flick, I would vote “NO”. If you’ve seen INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956), the 1978 remake (which is by far my favorite adaptation of the original story), or BODY SNATCHERS (1993), you know what to expect. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel (THE EXPERIMENT, DOWNFALL) had originally intended the film to be less obvious, and more psychological in execution. Unfortunately the Powers That Be decided they didn’t like that approach and had the Wachowski Bros. (THE MATRIX) come in and rewrite some of the film, with James McTeigue (V FOR VENDETTA) doing reshoots to make the flick more action-packed. I really wish I could see Hirschbiegel’s original vision of the film, at least for a chance to compare both versions. Now all we get is a pretty mindless Action film with only scarce traces of intriguing ideas and possibilities. I’m sure the Wachowskis and McTeigue did the best they could in a less than ideal situation, but not even the Action stuff is all that exciting. Well maybe a scene or two, but for such a big budget flick with major stars, a scene or two just doesn’t cut it. Big time flopper…
Skip It.

JOSHUA…
I’m a firm believer that a Horror film doesn’t have to be a gore-filled or blood-soaked affair every time out of the gate. Psychological Horror films most of the time pack more horrifying wallop than any flick with a Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, or Michael Myers ever could dream of offering. Some recent examples include IRREVERSIBLE, HARD CANDY, and BUG. Now the film JOSHUA can join those ranks. I hate to spout lazy comparisons like this, but for the sake of space, let’s just say it follows in the same time-proven traditions of other Kids-As-Monsters flicks like ROSEMARY’S BABY and THE OMEN, but without any of that Supernatural mumbo-jumbo. In this case however, the film is more of an psychological exploration of the question: what if you just don’t like your kid? The film takes its time to slowly dole out the story and characters, smartly pushing the plot forward with sometimes mundane and sometimes tragic events that can be interpreted in at least three different ways: The sociopathic manipulations of a very intelligent but disturbed child, the flawed misperceptions of stressed and troubled parents, or simply terrible but plausible coincidences. However you see it, one thing is for sure, the film has a great understanding of tension and how to effectively use it. And the last two minutes are some of the creepiest I’ve seen in recent Horror cinema. All thanks to relative newcomer George Ratliff. Previously only having worked on documentaries, the writer/director has done a remarkable job the first time out.

But the best thing I can say about JOSHUA are the performances. Without a doubt, Vera Farmiga’s heartbreaking and traumatic performance as the mother of the title character truly sets this film in arousing motion. Looking haggard and wholly wasted, she has moments here where she simply explodes onscreen. Those scenes are frightening to say the least, but she also has quieter moments of distress that reach and even surpass those louder moments. Sam Rockwell, who has been quite an interesting actor to watch since he broke into the mainstream in films like THE GREEN MILE, GALAXY QUEST, and CHARLIE’S ANGELS, once again brings his eccentric and volatile nature to a leading role that could have very easily been played boringly straight. Playing the father of an odd child, he himself comes off rather odd also, making for an interesting dynamic. So when the film approaches its end, and Rockwell’s character also begins breaking down, the shocking developments hit harder. Dallas Roberts as the boy’s uncle also provides one of my favorite portrayals in the film. He plays a seemingly well-adjusted and unassuming guy (if a bit on the “Fruity” side), who comes to a dreadful realization in the film’s final moments. But what about the kid that plays Joshua? Eh, he does ok. I mean, there ain’t much there to work with. He acts and sounds creepy, with rare moments when his true darkness (and innocence) comes out.

There are a lot of levels and different layers to this film, not everything is spelled out for you. Which means paying close attention and seeing things for what they might mean and not necessarily what appears on the surface. This subtilty leaves a lot of room for different interpretations (some viewers may even come to the conclusion that Joshua is the hero of the film, exposing his parents’ own hidden “evil”). But if you take the time, JOSHUA will undoubtedly leave you with a disturbing but fulfilling movie-watching experience. Oh and be sure to stick around for the theme song that plays over the credits. It perfectly spells out Joshua’s perspective and injects one last bit of creep factor in an already uber-creepy flick…
Highly Recommended!

Well that’s all for now folks. Until next time, see you at the movies!

One of the newest demos that is available for us Xbox Live users is FRONLINES: FUEL OF WAR. This game looks to once again take global war from CNN and put it in our hands using a persistent struggle against 2 factions. The developer is promising to deliver nonstop action, where huge amounts of players will be able to affect a massive online conflict. The only conflict I was a part of was me vs. this demo, as this game does not look promising so far. Of course, I will preface this by reminding you that a demo is not the perfect barometer to judge a game. The Halo 3 demo was missing many features, and the final game was far more polished than the demo was. Demos are used to whet the appetite of the gamer; this game is a simple hamburger, when I was promised a steak and lobster. The game has a familiar premise, but an interesting was of executing that premise. 2 factions are vying for control of the planet. Basically it’s Democracy vs. Communism. You fight to gain control of certain waypoints on a map. If you team controls the point, it pushes the front line of the war forward, keeping your enemies falling back. The outcome of each battle will affect the entire online community. The idea is that every single soldier can have an effect in a global conflict. It is similar to the style that was found in Chromehounds, and Tribes.

The controls for FL are fairly standard; the game feels like Halo mixed with Call of Duty 4. I did like the game lets you choose various special weapons (like airstrikes) via a translucent radial menu that overlays the action. The lets you have many options at your fingertips, but you will still feel keep connected to the game since you can see all the action. Too bad there is not much to look at.

Graphics are almost always polished in the transition from demo to final game, and let’s hope that is the case here. This game just feels bland. The environments seem generic, the special effects are simply standard… there is nothing here that is going to grab you. The animations of the players aren’t all that impressive, and the weapons don’t look of feel like anything you haven’t seen before. COD: 4 pulls you in with its incredible graphics. Halo has exceptional level design…so far I see neither in this demo.

Once again, I’m willing to give FL the benefit of the doubt. The final product could be a huge improvement from the demo offered now on Xbox Live. I do like the idea of a global battle being fought, I’m just not sure this game can put up much of a fight against COD: 4 and Halo, not to mention the upcoming title Rainbow 6: Las Vegas 2. Stay tuned and find out!

Score: 2/5

Sometimes a movie can be like a piece of music you hear for the first time. Initially, you may not like it for one reason or another, but upon subsequent hearings you soon begin warming up to it. Next thing you know, that piece of music that you couldn’t stand at first is now your favorite song. While that situation isn’t exactly how I would describe my recent change of heart towards the musical ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, I still think it’s flawed and definitely not coming anywhere near my Favorite Films list, I certainly have a higher opinion of it the second time around. You see, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE was one the most hotly anticipated films for yours truly in 2007. The marriage of some of the Beatles greatest musical contributions and director Julie Taymor’s bigger-than-life visuals had me foaming at the mouth. One of my favorite films in the last ten years was Taymor’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s TITUS ANDRONICUS, simply titled TITUS, so having her direct a film using the timeless music of the BEATLES spelled C-L-A-S-S-I-C to me. Upon seeing it on the big screen, I was left feeling sadly disappointed at what I thought was a missed opportunity. What I saw the first time in a dark and empty movie theater was a movie filled with laughably obvious visual interpretations of some songs (However I did enjoy WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND, I WANT YOU, STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER, and HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN thoroughly) and a simple sleep-inducing story. So it was with much hesitance that I chose to re-watch the flick on Blu-ray. Surprisingly enough, my disdain for certain shortcomings was not as fiery the second time around. I also began to see and understand what may have been Taymor’s true intentions, however misplaced they might have been. And this time I enjoyed pretty much all of the musical compositions, no matter how humdrum that may have been. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, I like it. That is I think I disagree with my initial and fervent dislike of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE.

Again, that’s not to say that I don’t still have any quibbles with the film. Far from it. All the cameos (featuring U2′s frontman Bono, 60′s Rocker Joe Crocker, Brit Comedian Eddie Izzard, and Sexpot Salma Hayek) are totally unnecessary (while some are handled well, like Izzard’s Hayek’s). And I still find the film’s string thin plot to be terribly unoriginal and shallow. We essentially see every 60′s Hippie, Vietnam War, Civil Rights, up-and-coming Rock Star cliche you can think of. Perhaps what Taymor was going for was more of a vague or superficial “memory” of these events, people, and culture rather than an accurate portrayal or even semi-involved attempt at accuracy. In the end, its not such a bad idea since no one wants a film centered around the music of The Beatles that becomes muddled up in Politics and Social issues (while some may argue that their music was very much that). Having very broad representations of these elements are a better accompaniment for these songs and visuals. And really, that’s what saves this film for me. The music that only the Beatles could have created (and only composer Elliot Goldenthal could have rearranged and re-envisioned) and the visuals that could have only been brought to life like Taymor’s theatrical scope could. The younger unknowns (and the fairly well-known Evan Rachel Wood) do a pretty remarkable job as they act and sing their hearts out at every turn. And If nothing else, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is an amazing technical achievement on many fronts. From the Art Direction, Cinematography, and Visual Effects, to the Choreography, Sound Design, and Musical arrangements. Made all the more stunning in Blu-ray.

Speaking of the Blu-ray disc, I can’t help but mention how chock-full of great supplemental material and special features it is. Thankfully, they stay away from feeling like most of the promo-heavy featurettes that usually waste space on DVDs. This is in-depth and really interesting looks at the behind-the-scenes of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Good stuff. I recommend it. And that’s all I got to say about that. Until next time, keep those discs spinning.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
Movie: 7
Blu-Ray: 10
Bobert’s Overall Score: 7 – Recommended

Hey folks, its been awhile. Sorry I havn’t called or kept in touch. I was pretty swamped for a while there. But now I have found myself with loads of free time. This means a lot of movie watching and a little bit of video-game playing. In case you didn’t know, I’ve jumped into the Hi-Def wars (which just as recently as today seem to have to come to an end) and chosen to side with Sony and their Blu-Ray players. I got myself a PS3 and it’s been a wild love affair ever since popping in my copy of SPIDER-MAN 3 on blu-ray. I’ve been renting Blu-Ray discs quite a bit from Blockbuster, both online and in the stores. Mere minutes ago I finished watching THE BRAVE ONE. Ya know the female DEATH WISH Revenge flick starring Jodi Foster? Well the picture was excellent as always, the movie however…only so-so. These recent Revenge flicks (including the Kevin Bacon starrer, DEATH SENTENCE) are a bit lacking in something that the best ones in the past had in spades. Not sure what it is exactly. Perhaps a feeling of Right and Wrong, real raw emotion, or something else entirely that I can’t put into words? Anyways, I’ve also finally caught up on all the Best Picture nominees for this year’s Oscar Awards. I’ll be writing up my own impressions on the nominees, as well as my own favorites from the past year. Hopefully I’ll have that up by Monday or somewhere around there. Until then, keep spinning those DVDs (or Blu-Ray discs in my case), and keep those gamer thumbs twitching. Later.