Movie Review - "Snow White and the Huntsman" (2012) ****

     I did not want to see this movie. I didn't bother reading any reviews, I just wasn't interested in the story. I was perfectly fine with Disney's original version, which is still one of my favorite hand-animation films. However, at the request of two friends, I joined them for a showing of the movie and I'm glad I took them up on that offer. This is a gem of a movie and it's for this reason that I continue to enjoy cinema as my favorite art form. You just never know when you're going to find that next surprise. It's one thing to go into a movie with high expectations and be satisfied, like I was recently with Prometheus. But when you go into a movie with zero expectations and come out raving about what you have just seen, those are the movies I love talking about the most. And it's that continuous search for the next one that lands me in the theater on a regular basis.

    Snow White and the Huntsman follows the story we know fairly closely but definitely veers off into it's own direction at times, most of them with great success. Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame stars as the title princess who is imprisoned by the evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) following the betrayal and murder of Snow White's father. When the magic mirror on the wall reveals to Ravenna that Snow White is the fairest in the land, Ravenna sends her brother Finn (Sam Spruell) to fetch the princess. Snow White utilizes this opportunity to escape and heads for the Dark Forest. Ravenna dispatches a hunter (Chris Hemsworth) to capture Snow White, but once he finds her he feels for her and decides to help her escape the queen's army. Snow White and the huntsman form a bond and he becomes her protector and trainer in an attempt to remove Ravenna from the throne, placing Snow White as the true ruler in order to bring peace to the kingdom. They are joined in their quest by William (Sam Claflin), childhood friend of Snow White who feels guilty for leaving her behind when the evil queen took over and he escaped. On their adventures we encounter a kingdom full of interesting creatures, including a troll who proves to be a dangerous foe, and of course a few dwarfs join in along the way.

     This is a much darker telling of the story than anything you have probably experienced in the past, and I enjoyed that aspect of it. I was surprised by how quickly the story hooked me in and it never really let up. There's only some slight pacing issues in the middle third of the film. I feel having about 10-15 minutes cut from the running time would have been an improvement but it's really nitpicking. The visual effects in this movie were the biggest surprise to me. I was reminded of lot of films like Pans Labyrinth, Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia while watching this. It's hard to believe, but this on that same level for sure. Even stranger is that this was made by a first-time feature director, Rupert Sanders. You sir, I will be watching for more of. Bravo. The acting is fine with the only standout performance coming from Charlize Theron as the evil queen. She gives her best performance since her Oscar winning role as Aileen Wuornos in Monster, and is having a great 2012 with this film as well as Prometheus. Kristen Stewart has never been my favorite actress, but she is fine here as Snow White. Hemsworth plays a role similar to his turns as Thor with equal success. Claflin is a bit flat as William, but I've seen worse. But for all the acting choices, this is a directors film and Sanders is the star here as he has put together a visual masterpiece that caught me completely off guard. I can't wait to see more. Highly recommended.

Movie Review - "Prometheus" (2012) ****

     When I first heard rumors that Ridley Scott was going to be making a prequel to the movie Alien, that immediately went to the top of my list of movies I was interested in. Then over the course of the last year, I've heard all the talk that yes, it is a prequel to Alien, with an equal number of sources saying no, that in fact it was not. The debate has gone back and forth. I didn't care anymore, I was invested and I just wanted to see it. Of all the 2012 summer releases, Prometheus is the one I have been looking forward to the most with Dark Knight Rises being right there at the top also. I still have to wait a little while for Rises but Prometheus has now come and gone. It was worth the wait. I'm happy with the outcome but to answer the original question; Is it a prequel to Alien? The answer is of course yes AND no....we'll get into it in a bit, first a quick summary of the story.

     A team of explorers led by Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discover a clue to the origins of mankind while exploring a cave. A drawing on the cave wall matches others that have been found in ancient civilizations all over the globe. They believe it points them towards a celestial body in the universe that might provide the answer to how we came to be. The duo joins the crew of the spaceship Prometheus on an expedition which is being led by Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) and financed posthumously by Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), who appears in a video recording to explain the mission which is taking place after his passing. Also on board are an android named David (Michael Fassbender), the ships captain Janek (Idris Elba), and other scientists. Upon arrival at the desolate planet, several members of the crew, led by Shaw, head out to explore a series of underground dwellings and passages. It appears nothing is alive. Of course, appearances are deceiving and before long the crew is battling for their lives in attempt to not only save themselves, but all of mankind.

     First off, this is one of the more visually stunning films I have ever seen. I saw this in 3-D and it joins Avatar and Hugo as the best use of the gimmick that I have seen. I don't think you need to see it in 3-D by any means, but if that's something you can consider, you won't be disappointed. The depth is really well done in many parts. This is just all around a visually stunning movie, nothing bad there. The pacing of the movie definitely has an Alien feel to it. This is a slow build, not much actually happens for the first hour of the movie, but Ridley Scott utilizes this time effectively to slowly build the suspense, just like he did in Alien.  There's a lot of surprisingly deep themes in this movie, and that was a nice surprise for me. Contact with Jodie Foster is one of my favorite films, and it goes a lot into the debate about how we were created. Did God put us here, or can everything be explained scientifically? I loved how that movie approached both sides equally and fairly, and I had some of the same feelings with Prometheus. I definitely have my viewpoint on this, but I love to see debates about things like this, debates that don't involve people yelling at each other. It's refreshing to see. All that being said, there's enough here to satisfy the horror fans too. This is not a horror film by any means, but when you're compared to the Alien franchise, you're expected to have some of that and this movie does. Trust me, all hell breaks loose in the second half of the movie, and there is some nice gore, it's just not what I would classify as horror.

     So, let's talk about that question we mentioned earlier; Is this a prequel to Alien? I stand by my yes AND no statement. Anyone who says this has nothing to do with Alien is just wrong, and I have heard that argument. I'm sorry, it's just not a true statement. There are definitive homages to Alien here. In fact, even though it's not necessary to see it beforehand, I would recommend watching Alien shortly before or after seeing Prometheus, and I think then you will agree with me. That being said, it's not a direct prequel...though I think it could be eventually. I feel Prometheus has more story to tell and I definitely feel at least one sequel should be made. It works as a stand alone movie, but I think there's a lot more here and I hope they approach it. I want more of this world. The acting ranges from satisfactory to pretty good. No Oscar performances here but everyone does a decent job. Michael Fassbender is the standout, in my opinion, as the android David. As you know, if you have seen the previous Alien films, it's not always clear where the android stands in the story. And Fassbender does a great job here straddling that line, we're not 100% sure if we should trust David or not. That's the way it should be. I've never been a huge Ridley Scott fan, when you look at the whole body of work, but Alien was a masterpiece in my book and he now makes Prometheus which I feel highly about and want to see again. He knows this world, and it is a world that appeals to me a lot. I want to see more and I hope he continues down this path. I give Prometheus a high recommendation and I think it's rating could go up even more upon repeated viewings.

Thoughts on "Citizen Kane"

     Whenever you see a list of the "Greatest Movies Ever Made" that is compiled by film critics or industry experts, there's a decent chance that Citizen Kane is going to be number 1 on that list. If it isn't number 1, it's going to be in the top 5 for sure. Once a decade, "Sight & Sound" magazine, a UK publication, compiles a list of film rankings from critics across the globe. Kane has been number 1 in each of the past five lists...yes, that's five decades, for those keeping score. Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, 2001:A Space Odyssey, and Vertigo, among others, will always have their supporters. But it's safe to say that the general consensus is that Citizen Kane is the single greatest American film ever made. So what do I think?

     I've always been a movie watcher but as a kid I pretty well stuck to things that would interest most kids my age. I was hooked on Star Wars and other fantasy and Sci-Fi. Horror was also a hit with both my sister and I. I stuck with your basic hits that would show up on HBO every month, and that my parents found appropriate to watch. I didn't wander too far outside of your big name movies. My movie repertoire started expanding in the late 80's, when I was in junior high school. During this time, I was reading a LOT of Stephen King and other more mature subject matter and my taste in films was expanding at the same time. I started seeing movies that I had passed on before, either because I wasn't interested in the subject matter, or it wasn't on my parents approved list at a younger age. It was in this time that I saw movies like Scarface, The Godfather, and Apocalypse Now. These films, as well as many others, these are just examples, introduced me to different types of movies. For the first time I started being interested in specific actors and directors. I was introduced to Hitchcock via The Birds and Psycho, and immediately fell in love with his work. Who wouldn't? I met Kevin Costner, simply by accident, while on a family vacation in Washington D.C. He told us they were filming a movie called J.F.K. about the assassination of President Kennedy. Ironically, when that movie was released a year later it immediately became one of my favorite films and to this day, you will find it ranked number 3 of my favorite films list. It also introduced me to the political and courtroom thriller, opening up a whole new wave of films to see. It just all took off from there. I started watching anything and everything I could get my hands on. I was a weekly visitor to the cineplex and when I wasn't there, I was checking out movies by the handful from Blockbuster. I watched everything...with a couple of exceptions.

     For whatever reason, I stayed away from the "classics". Things in black & white, or pre-1960, I tended to avoid like the plague. That was stuff old people watched. I had started becoming interested in film criticism and couldn't understand why so many people thought these were the best films ever. Had they not seen Star Wars?? I mean, seriously. But you can only hear claims so many times, before you finally cave in and start giving some of it a try. I think Gone With the Wind was first and I remember thinking it was ok, but it felt like it lasted for days. I watched a few others here and there, with mixed results, but nothing was blowing my mind. I decided to jump all in and watch the ONE that was considered the best, Citizen Kane. I picked up the old VHS tape at the video store and popped it into the VCR at home. I didn't get it. THIS is the greatest movie ever. Hogwash. I returned the tape and went back to my new movies. Looking back on it, I blame the age mainly. I was your typical teenager and I knew more than everybody else (don't we all at that age). As I matured and became an adult, I did start more of these classics and many of them are truly that. Casablanca, To Kill a Mockingbird, and 12 Angry Men are all personal favorites now. I've seen Gone With the Wind a second time and while I still think it's way too long, I appreciate it's spot in film history. But I never went back and watched Kane, to me it was always the roadblock to film appreciation. That changed this past week.

     Cinemark Theaters is running a program this summer called the Cinemark Classics Series. For one day only, eight classic films are being shown on the big screen, each digitally enhanced. Kane was the selection this week and I took the opportunity to see it. I was so pleasantly surprised and I'm happy I decided to give it another chance. There's something about seeing a movie on the big screen the way it was intended to be seen. I believe in many instances it can alter a film from leaving a positive versus a negative opinion. Kane should be experienced this way if at all possible. Kane is always praised for it's inventive shots, the cinematography is considered some of the best ever because it was the first time anything like it had ever been accomplished. That's part of the problem with appreciating older films. You can get the joy of appreciating some things for the first time. Think about the shower scene from Psycho. In today's standards, we've seen 100 times worse than that. It's tame now. But in 1960, you just didn't see that. The shower and bathtub were taboo places that were very private so that would have been a shocking scene to witness then. Not so much anymore. The techniques utilized in Kane are commonplace now, but to see them for the first time, that's why Citizen Kane will always be praised, as it should. After seeing this, will Kane become one of my favorite films? No. There are many other stories that I have enjoyed a lot more, it's as simple as that. But I do appreciate it's place now and I understand it's significance to film. What has changed is that I do now recommend it. Yes, people should see this movie. At a theater if they can, but I realize that's probably not going to happen again too much. But it is out now on Blu-Ray in a commemorative 70th anniversary edition that was released last year and I intend to pick it up. You should too. Don't be afraid like I was. There are so many great movies out there...and yes some of them were made before we were born. That's hard to fathom sometimes.

Movie Review - "Haywire" (2012) ***

     Haywire is the newest offering from acclaimed Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh and boasts a cast of high-profile names including Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas and Bill Paxton. Yet, the film is a showcase for a first-time actress Gina Carano, who is best known for her role in MMA fighting. I started following MMA about 3 years ago and actually one of the first cards I ever saw had a fight that included Carano in it. She was beat in the fight (by a fighter who was found to be using performance-enhancing drugs later on) but you could tell she was a fan favorite and had lots of talent. Of course, it didn't hurt that she was beautiful as well. Carano never fought again after that fight, but it's apparent now that she had other interests outside of the ring, which included one in front of the camera. Haywire called for a female lead that kick major butt...not many people better at that than Carano so she landed the role. The ironic thing is, in this cast of big name talent, the newcomer Carano more than holds her own.

     Carano plays Mallory Kane, a highly-trained government operative who does the dirty work that only the best of the best can pull off. Think Jack Bauer. After freeing a Chinese journalist who is being held hostage, she is double-crossed by her own agency and left for dead. Mallory survives and must utilize all of her resources and training to fend off an international manhunt that finds her a target seemingly at every turn. While evading capture, and assassination, she must uncover the details of her double-cross and learn why her government has turned its back on her.

     That's a fairly quick and simple plot summary but this is one of those films that you should just go with. The plot is really secondary to the almost non-stop action and well-choreographed fight scenes that accompany Mallory from location to location. Carano is obviously at her best when she is simply kicking butt and she does plenty of it in this film, but pulls it off convincingly by doing almost all of her stunt work herself. It adds some credibility to the action for sure. She isn't given much dialogue for obvious reasons as that is not her strong suit, but she never feels out of place in the role, even during the few times when things slow down. Most of the other performances in the film are simply adequate. Nobody brings the movie down, but nobody gives an Oscar-worthy performance by any means either. I am a fan of several of  Soderbergh's works, Ocean's Eleven cracking my Top 100 favorite films list last year. You could tell he was having fun with this movie. I give Haywire a slight recommend. It's nothing great, it falls apart as it goes along, but you can do a lot worse when it comes to find something to kill some time on a weekend.

Movie Review - "The Innkeepers" (2012) ****

     I love the little films like this. Ones that sneak under the radar and end up being much better than most of the stuff you find at your local cineplex, especially in the horror genre. The Innkeepers was a movie that first caught my attention when it had a very brief, but positive, review in Entertainment Weekly magazine. It sounded like something that would interest me but in the coming weeks, it never played at a local theater (at least not one that I could find). So as usual I dropped it in the ole Netflix queue and proceeded with the long wait ahead. The wait was worth it.

     The Yankee Pedlar Inn, believed to be one of New England's most haunted hotels, is going out of business. During the last weekend of operation, two employees, Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy), are assigned the task of watching over the hotel and it's last four occupants...some of which, it's safe to say, have more to them then we initially think. Claire and Luke are also amateur "ghost hunters" and intend to spend the last boring hours at the inn proving that a spirit resides there. They walk around the halls with microphones and speakers hoping to find that one sure piece of proof so Luke can add it to his website that he has started about the inn. Sure enough, odd things begin happening and Claire and Luke start to realize that things may be more real than they believe.

     The Innkeepers is a slow-build film that takes its time, slowly increasing the suspense, and that style appeals to me a lot. For almost the first hour of the film, nothing really happens but all the while the tension is building as we learn bits about the inn's history and why it might be haunted. We get the occasional jump scene that gives us the opportunity to unwind for a second, but we always get right back to it. For those expecting non-stop action and violence, or if you like your horror more in the Saw style, this isn't going to be for you. You have to stick with this and go with it. Both Paxton and Healy, relative unknowns, give acceptable performances in the lead roles, with Paxton really standing out. She's an actress I think I would like to see more of, I like her screen presence. Kelly McGillis (Top Gun) is almost unrecognizable as one of the inns final guests, and one that knows more than she is letting on at first. The movie is directed by Ti West who had a bit of a cult hit with 2009's The House of the Devil, a movie I found pretty decent as well. He obviously has some talent and I look forward to seeing what he can do in the future. The Innkeepers is not going to be seen as a classic, or anything close to it. The ending is a bit of a letdown but for an hour and thirty minutes it had me hooked fully. It's not going to be for everyone, but I give it a very strong recommend.