Part 1 of Winter-Spring 2011-2012 Movie Preview

I like when I get to this period of the year. I'm even thinking to do this in more detail = with more titles, and more often = every season, not only at the beginning of Winter and Spring. Besides the "Oscar month" these are the only entries where I don't really need to desperately try to find a reasonable movie to see so I'll have something to write that won't transform the blog intro something like "movie junkyard blacklisted titles". On the other hand I have to admit that usually almost half of what's mentioned here proves to be after release a successful candidate for such a list. So, for the nth time, again & repeated :) - this is just a preview - not a recommendation. Now, let's start with the winter season ...

The first title of December - "Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy" - was already presented on a few festivals + released in UK. I don't know yet what the critics say. What's on IMDb looks good but not exceptional. For me however is enough, this movie being the one that interests me the most from the upcoming period. One reason is that's a sort to speak "old fashioned spy thriller", a genre that for me always worked, so I'm probably subjective due to this. To give some detail it's based on a novel by John le Carre - "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", "The Russia House", "The Tailor of Panama", "The Constant Gardener". Who has seen something from the ones mentioned can say that's expected probably not to have any extremely alert action, the author having something like a typical style among the others ( as Ludlum, Forsyth, Higgins, Clancy ... :) ok, I'll stop .. I said that I like the genre :) ). In the end it's after all a movie, and it's not only about the book, and on this side the only thing that I really must say is that the director is Tomas Alfredson. I know that probably the name doesn't tell anything. He directed something called "Lat den ratte komma in" in the original Swedish - or "Let the Right One In" in the US remake which I preferred to skip, movie that for me is one of the best vampire (non-commercial) flicks I've ever seen. To conclude ( I promise it won't take that long for the next ones :) ) what I expect is quite a lot from this combination of director - book author ...



I'm staying in the "British" area with a sequel: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" . Considering that the team - Guy Ritchie & co. - from the first movie seems to be the same, I hope the quality will be also consistent (stuff that for me was surprisingly ok considering the approach taken for the "classic" subject).



I thought a bit, but in the end I said myself to give some credit for the end of December to ... "War Horse", in front of some other remakes or sequels, although the trailer, the way the story looks like, and the title are not helping a lot in recommending the movie ... Still the director is Spielberg, and even if my feeling is something like a mix between "Secretariat", "Seabiscuit", "Black Beauty", "pick your favorite horse movie" and "Saving Private Ryan", I still hope for something at least at the level of "Empire of the Sun" (I don't know why this is the title that popped into my head just now ...). Anyway, I foresee some Oscar nominations for the technical part, so ...



For January I'll be extremely subjective in previews :D, sorry but I can't help it ... The first title is "Haywire" = this time is a bit of a more modern version of the classical "spy thriller" above, this one being directed by Steven Soderbergh. Excepting "The Informant!" this guy pretty much left me unimpressed with any movie he did, but as I was saying this time I'm subjective. The reason should be obvious :p ...



Number two on the list of the next year is the fourth "Underworld: Awakening". What I hope is that the level to rise again towards the one in the first two, which on the area of "commercial vampire movies" I think they're top of the list for me = above "Blade" or others (for "Twilight" I didn't resist to see more than the first). The third "Underworld" was .. a semi-wreck to be gentle. So worse would be a disaster ... And since this one seems to be given a higher budget, in theory the investment should be for something a bit better (although ...). All in all, Kate Beckinsale is back ;), so that's enough for me ...



I don't know how much is left to be seen besides what's in the trailer of "Man on a Ledge", but I didn't have any other better option to look for to close January. To add more, the action seems to be sort of original as a thriller idea. And besides that, I finally have the opportunity to see Elizabeth Banks in a role that seems a bit more consistent :) ...



Following the "one spy thriller per month", starting from the classic genre up to what seems to be more an action movie, in February we have "Safe House". Starring Denzel, stamped with a "cool" look on a poster saying something like: "No One is Safe .. Safe House" (lots of "imagination" there ..). Not much else to say, the trailer looks better though ...



Besides the general opinion I liked the first "Ghost Rider". For me the second looks really really different (and I won't say it's something good, even if, once again, pretty much everybody bashed the first). The directorial "couple" Neveldine/Taylor a was anyway ok in "Crank" (not also in "Gamer" ...). So, I don't know ...



For the end of February we have "Gone". I have some fears because the screenwriter seems to have had a contribution also on "Untraceable" (which I consider a lousy excuse of a realistic thriller attempt). But maybe it was for the better parts in the script there. At a first sight the trailer looks quite promising ...



Well .. that was a short Winter upcoming list ;) next week comes the Spring ...

Chungking Express (1994)

I had a deadline this week and I decided to see something with a solid potential to recommend, considering that I didn't have time for more than a movie. The most accessible option I got was the current title, a bit older, but with a promising rating on IMDb. On top of that the directing is by Wong Kar Wai, one of the most appreciated names in the Asian cinema. However ...

For me, the movie failed. I don't know, maybe it's because I've seen it in two pieces, at late hours. Ironically, this syncs with the script structure - the movie is a romance made up from two completely distinct stories, placed one after the other, without any connection points besides the location where are set (maybe there is more, either clearly or with a "deep" meaning, but anyhow I missed it). The second reason for which it failed for me is the combination between the director's specific slightly chaotic style and the fact that the genre is the type of romance in which you don't have much of an action thread to follow (= in certain points gets totally incoherent, resulting in reactions of "what the ..." .. but it's possible that again, the hour I've seen it should be blamed for this + the degree of sleepiness). That's the cause for which I don't have many details to give about "the story", which resumes more to a combination of the something like "moments from X's life, moments from Y's life, etc ..." where "momente" can be more or less unusual & out of common (otherwise will definitely fail for more people than just me).

One of the main reasons that initially drawn me to the current title (besides the IMDb rating) was the cinematography by Christopher Doyle. And that's the main reason for which what I've seen wasn't completely disappointing. In my opinion this guy is the best director of photography in activity, although I've not seen much of his recent work. The reason for the lack of titles is that apparently he works more in Asia, and generally speaking in productions that are not very mainstream (probably the most known title is "Hero" with Jet Li from 2002). I don't have words to describe what I've seen in "Chungking Express" (this doesn't want to sound superlative, I've had better - I simply just have no idea how to describe it), but from the cinematography point of view is pure art. Without effects, only by the camera and filters, at the level of 1994's technology, with a Hong Kong budget. Maybe for some it won't be spectacular at all, or maybe even annoying sometimes, I don't know ... but anyhow is something different, and I honestly believe that either taken piece by piece, or as a whole it can be successfully used in a "camera handling" course.

Anyway, that was not enough for me to save the general impression. To conclude I couldn't recommend this movie, except for the reasons above, or if you're in the mood for a "slow romance", your brain is clear of stress and you're favorite tune is "California Dreamin'" (the original The Mamas & The Papas version) - at some point I've started counting how many times is "featured" in the film, but I lost track ...

Rating: 3 out of 5 (mainly for cinematography)

Drive (2011)

"Drive", as seen by IMDb is the best movie that came out this year. Based on the theory that the titles mentioned there in top 250 worth a look I can confirm it's not lost time (but for the best movie of 2011 up to now I'm a bit reserved ...). As a genre is somewhere between a noir film and a thriller. The story is simple ...

... And it's centered over a short period of time from the life of a guy who's working as daily job in an auto service having occasional contracts for movie stunts, and in parallel he's making also some money as a driver for illegal heists. I wouldn't say more because as I mentioned the plot is quite simple. The base idea is that when things start to get brighter for his future as a possible race driver, his extra hours (= the 2nd job above) that he decides to do for helping somebody, mess up pretty much everything. I'll stop here with the story and I'll say just that I find it interesting that the movie is based on a bool (interesting in the sense that I can't imagine how thick is the book). That's actually the part that for me seemed to drag it down and which stops me to fully recommend it. The subject itself is just too thin, and maybe I wouldn't have a problem with this, but if I think long enough I guess I'll find some other movies that match quite well the same line. Fortunately this subject is after all "placed" inside a movie ...

Which movie I can say it's brilliantly made from lots of points of view. First, I have to say that it's slow paced, which part is clearly sustained by the editing (you have a lot of "nothing happens silent scene" intertwined with the others), and also which part is probably potentially boring for some viewers, but for is ok as it is because it brings a necessary contrast for the violence degree (the movie is rated R by the way). The second aspect is the cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel, who has some known movies in his CV ("The Usual Suspects", "Valkyrie", etc) but nothing to come close to what you get here. I'll use a cliche because I don't find any other way to express it now: it's a visual feast from the beginning to the end. You have lots of scenes so nicely shot that at some moment I was actually having the impression that I'm seeing something similar to one of those continuous promos you get at the Oscars or in some other places showing something like "well known distinctive scenes from various movies". I could say more here and even try to analyze one or two, because there is also a possibility for interpreting them left quite often, but I'll resume myself to a mini spoiler after the trailer = just half from one of probably the best sequences in the movie. The third point that has a major contribution to the whole result is the score. I would be pleased if I would see at least a nomination at the next year's Oscars for Cliff Martinez, which would confirm after this year's Trent Reznor, that we have a new wave of synth based stuff a la '80s but brought to the level of the current time. Anyway, besides this part the movie has also integrated a number of excellently chosen songs (used in a way that seems a bit like Tarantino style). Overall, it is the best soundtrack I've heard this year ( you can get a glimpse of it below ;) ).

There would be also other stuff to be said. About the sound editing or the actors for instance (I would expect to see some nominations for Albert Brooks, in an excellent villain role), but I don't have much more time for writing :) To draw a line, I still have the minus given by the thin story and also the fact that the movie was mainly appreciated for the directing. I could go with this if I wouldn't have seen not very long ago "Valhalla Rising" by the same guy, and I'm really afraid that here is more about the independent decision of each responsible with the above mentioned parts than a general direction given by the director (and I could also add to have more, that there are a couple of scenes which are exaggerated theatrical, and break a bit the cold noir feeling). Anyway, it's a movie to be seen ;) ...

Rating: 4 out of 5

Unknown (2011)

Some time ago I've seen a trailer for a movie called "The Double". I didn't see the movie (I don't even know if it already had a wide release) but I'm afraid it doesn't make any sense to do it anymore ... Actually, I'm wondering if it wasn't postponed to allow them to redo/extend the ending. Because in the two-three minutes of the trailer you have pretty much everything: the intrigue, the action, and what seems to be the main twist. Yes, I know ... the title of the current posting is "Unknown", not "The Double". But besides the genre which seems common between the two = sort of a la Bourne spy thriller, there is also some other similar thing, guess which ... the trailer "effect" of course.

To be fair ... "Unknown" is still a bit more censored in the trailer contents, but if you have a pretty big amount of movies seen is impossible to not get the main idea. Which is also confirmed in the first seconds of the movie if you're paying attention. We have a couple formed from Martin & Liz Harris, he apparently being a biology doctor invited to a top level conference in Berlin. After they get to the hotel he realizes that one briefcase from the luggage was forgotten at the airport & goes back to get it. With a cab. Which cab (driven by an illegal immigrant woman) ends up in a river (I guess it's called Spree). After he's saved by the woman who was driving, Mr. Harris from the coma in the fourth day since he was hospitalized. Without having any papers, and intrigued that his wife didn't search for him does the obvious thing to do = runs quickly at the hotel to find her. But ... no love ... or more exactly big surprise ... he finds her along her .. husband, a new Dr. Martin Harris, with a passport, family pictures, memories, etc. And since Ms. Harris seems to like more the new one, the only option left (and strongly suggested by the hotel security) is to take the way back to the hospital, followed by the inevitable question "Who am I ?". Well .. I'm not going to continue further. I already said "a la Bourne" in the beginning and there is also the trailer (which I'm still in doubt to post or not). To "compensate", there is a sort of twist in the ending, but to be honest it's a bit to simple compared to the rest of the action to qualify as an event with a major impact in the story.

Except the fact that the movie is ultra-spoiled if you've seen the trailer, in the end if you draw a line you might end up with a relatively good production. And again I have to refer to Bourne = you might expect something that gets close to that level. Liam Neeson is ok as main character (which despite my expectations is quite different from the part in "Taken") and the action is pretty dense to be catchy for this genre. To add more you have also the cinematography which is really nice in some scenes (like the intro). However ... the script is a bit far fetched about many aspects = from the type of "amnesia" the main character got to the way the image of the scientific community is portrayed (financing from Arab princes who are invited at top tier biotechnology conferences ... come on ...).

The conclusion, to get back to the starting idea, is that if you're in the mood for a decent action thriller and according to what I wrote above this one looks like a feasible option, maybe it's better to skip the trailer. It's probably one of the few cases where it says more than my long writings :) ...

Rating: 3 out of 5

... but :p if you want the short version :