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It's a funny thing when a culture so universally liked can have so little known about it. Yet it appears to be the case when it comes to Australia. While it continually ranks as the best viewed country in the world, most people don't register more than sun, surf and sandals when it comes to the continent. Although all three are large and incredible parts of the culture, it took a recent movie to show what the country is all about.
"Australia," Bazz Luhrmann's epic movie with an all Australian cast, shot on location, set forth to depict the creation of today's most well-loved country. Except rather than focus on the beach and laid-back nature of his home, Luhrmann focused the movie on the tensions between the white settlers and Aboriginal cultures in Australia. To do this, Luhrmann got Aboriginal actors to play key roles alongside the more publicized superstars, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. The beauty of this decision is that it not only gave the movie more credibility and believability, but the Aboriginal actors proved more than capable of sharing the same screen. David Ngoombujarra, as Magarri, the only character at all linked to The Drover's (Hugh Jackman) past and Brandon Walters, who plays Nullah, the boy loved by The Drover and Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) as the two most prominent Aboriginal actors and also provided most of the movies emotional center.
The plot revolves around Lady Ashley, who has come to Australia to confront her husband, only to find that he was killed due to the importance of his cattle farm. She remains in Australia to save the farm from the clutches of cattle baron, King Carney (Bryan Brown). With the help of the Drover, who she hires to run her farm, she sets out to make money and hold off her scheming ex-foreman, Fletcher (David Wenham). However, as can be expected, her love for the country, Nullah and the Drover keep her in Australia longer than she expected.
While the movie suffers from being far too broad (it stretches over many years and doesn't exactly skim over events), it is to be expcted when telling the story of a countries foundation. It is understandable that Luhrmann suffered through cutting out parts of his story and what results is basically a three part series tied together into one movie. The beauty in the project is in what it represents. An all Aussie cast and crew telling the story of their country and the trials that it had to overcome. It presents a story that is not known to the majority of the world, but hits home on many levels due to most countries past issues with similar civil rights discrepancies.
The film is beautifully shot and although it focuses on the deserty and rock sections of Australia instead of the blue oceans, the movie still captures the vast beauty of the country. Many people may be scared off by the two hour and fourty-five minute timing that the movie clocks in at, but the story is more than full enough to hold your attention and the images on screen are compelling and emotionally resonant. It truly is a greta example of films ability to bring people together to tell stories that need to be told and Mr. Luhrmann deserves all the credit in the world for that.
When I heard Marc Forster was going to be helming the new Bond movie, I was reasonably excited. I've been a fan of his movies for the past few years now. "Stranger Than Fiction" and "Finding Neverland" are two movies whose stories are both magical and subtly poignant. In addition, "Stay" is, in my opinion, a very underrated and under-viewed mind-bender with another emotionally centered plot-line. Taking over the Bond series just after the central character was dealt the most vicious emotional blow of his life seemed to be a great fit. Then I saw the movie.
Of the 106 minutes that "Quantum of Solace" lasts, I'm convinced that 90 of those minutes take the form of some type of chase or action sequence. Daniel Craig, reprising his role as the new blond Bond, does more running in the first twenty minutes of this movie than he did in the entirety of the last movie. While the movie tried to film this sequences in the hectic, but stylish way that Paul Greengrass filmed the last two Bourne movies, the execution failed to deliver. The action sequences were chaotic, rushed and ultimately draining on the audience.
Instead of going overkill on the action-packed nature of the Bond series, Forster and writer, Paul Haggis ("Crash"), should have used the skills they have shown in previous movies and created a more character-centered piece. Granted, this is a Bond movie, so I am in no way calling for a tear-jerker. However, look what Christopher Nolan did for the "Batman" franchise when he dove into the emotional make-up of Batman.
This movie was primed for a similar type of story. We have a world-class special agent, who has trust issues steming from the loss of Vesper, the only woman he has ever loved, who also happened to betray him. He is left emotionally ruined and calous, yet he is still driven by the need to avenge her death. How do the love/hate feelings he holds for Vesper affect his decisions throughout the movie, his work, his relationships with the other woman in his life, especially M. These crucial elements are merely glossed over in favor of axe fights and oil-related deaths.
Which brings me to another big concern. What the hell is the movie actually about? I get that a global company facilitates government coups to place itself in profitable positions regarding the countries natural resources. And one of these people responsible tried to kill M. But how else is Bond involved? What does this have to do with Vesper? Or British intelligence for that matter? With secret deals and shady characters abound, the movie gets lost in its own ambiguity, leaving the movie unresolved and the climactic turns rather uninspiring.
The movie also fails to make use of the signature of all Bond films, the Bond woman. In the past, multiple woman have vied for Bond's attention. In this movie, there is really only one woman, Camille (Olga Kurylenko), and we never really get the sense that her and Bond share anything other than a desire for revenge. There seems to be no emotional connection or bond between these two characters, which leaves Camille feeling under-utilized. Similarly, the other supposed Bond-girl, Starwberry Fields (Gemma Arterton) falls under Bond's seductive techniques, but is only in the movie for two or three scenes. We know that they sleep together, but it feels pointless seeing as how she has no connection to the story or to James whatsoever. And falls for one of the lamest Bond pick-up lines in any movie.
Other characters, like Jeffrey Wright's Felix Leiter are equally as insignificant and under-utilized, leaving a gaping hole in the movie. With two people at the helm so talented on bringing across character relationships and inner turmoil creating a sequel that was ripe with all the elements they would have required, "Quantum of Solace" is nothing more than a tragic letdown. It's a pure example of when good moviemakers are blinded by the glitz of action and adrenaline and lose sight of the movie as a whole.
Heroes returned recently for its third season (second full one) amidst much anticipation and a call to return to its promising first season form. The new season, deemed “Villains” plans to explore the inner workings of each character, attempting to demonstrate what special powers can do to the morality and judgment of those who possess them. We will supposedly find out who the true heroes are and who are easily manipulated by the powerful cravings and desires that their powers may create.
So far, the first few episodes have set up some intriguing storylines for the remainder of the season. Many of the characters from the previous seasons have returned, some in similar fashion and others in new forms.
Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) the most powerful of the pre-determined “Good Heroes” is now joined by a future version of himself who returned in the Season Premiere to prevent his brother, Nathan (Adrian Pasdar), from revealing their existence to the world. As future Peter traps his present-day counterpart inside another person’s body and shoots his own brother, we are left to wonder if he has truly remained the moral center of the show, or if the future has left him disillusioned and misguided.
Then there is his niece, Claire (Hayden Panettiere) a seventeen year old cheerleader who is indestructible. After surviving an early encounter with Sylar (Zachary Quinto), we learn that there is something more to Claire than initially meets the eye. As she is informed by Sylar, she is incapable of dying and is more special than even her father, Noah, or Horn-Rimmed Glasses (Jack Coleman) knows. Even if Claire outwardly explains that this knowledge makes it necessary for her to help fight the mischievous “villains” that her father chases, her motives are clearly in question. Maybe the knowledge of his indestructible nature has filled Claire with a craving much stronger than she can contain.
Sylar has become an integral part of the series again after not being around for much of Season Two. It is revealed that Sylar is actually a Petrelli, brother of Peter and Nathan that was left for adoption by Mrs. Petrelli (Cristine Rose) who is now the top of the power chain at The Company. When she entrusts Sylar to stop a bank-robbery as Noah’s partner, it opens up the possibility for Sylar to be transformed into a company agent, weeding out the villainous while keeping their powers for himself, the ultimate super agent. With the inclusion of Jamie Hector, who played Marlo in HBO’s series The Wire, into the Heroes regulars as Knox, it seems as though the creators have allowed for the possibility of a new villain to take Sylar’s place, should he permanently move down a more righteous path.
Other regulars have returned as well. Parkman (Greg Grunberg) has been teleported by future Peter to an unknown location in Africa where he meets a painter named Usutu (Ntare Mwine) who, like Isaac Mendez in season one is able to paint the future. In this instance, he only paints Parkman’s future.
Hiro and Ando are teaming up again, even after Hiro (Masi Oka) has a vision of Ando (James Kyson Lee) killing him in the future. They were chasing new hero, Daphne (Brea Grant), the speedster who works for an unknown Boss, until they were caught and placed in Level 5 security by The Company.
Nikki Sanders (Ali Larter) is back, this time however, she is Tracy Strauss a political aid who has no knowledge of her look-alike and her multiple-personality driven powers. We find out that both Nikki and Tracy were created by a Californian doctor named Dr. Zimmerman, but does that mean there is more of them?
Lastly, Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) as returned and by using blood brawn from one half of Los Wonder Twins, Mya (Dania Ramirez) he has been able to isolate the “stuff” that gives her power and place it into an injection that would give anybody their own power, specific to their blood type and DNA. However, after injecting himself, he seems to undergo serious side effects.
As the season continues two themes seem to pop up over and over again. One is the notion of the Butterfly Effect: the future that these heroes can see is not necessarily the future that will in fact come to realization. Each event changes the events of the future to the extent that nothing is certain to come true. The second theme is individualization. Each person reacts to their powers differently, sees a different path for themselves and uses their powers for different reasons. Each person also has a unique set of powers, as they are determined by the DNA inside each specific individual. No two are alike.
It seems as though, in its Third Season, the series has gone back to its character-centered roots and strayed from the gimmicky, showy storylines of the strike-shorted second season. We see the characters we have come to know struggle with what their next step is now that they have come to accept their distinction as “special” people. If Tim Kring and his writers can continue to put us inside the minds and emotions of these characters, Heroes, will undoubtedly be able to regain the luster of its initial season. Instead of making the audience watch the characters play with their new toys, the creators seem to have realized that it’s the connection the viewers have to the characters that propels the show. After all, what made the drama so intriguing was the notion that these were simply ordinary people who were blessed, or cursed, with extraordinary powers. What would you, or your brother, or your neighbor do if they suddenly realized that they possessed a talent unlike anybody elses? What decisions would you make? These are the questions that marked the foundation of the Heroes series.
It doesn’t happen often; when a celebrity is both over-exposed and under-appreciated. It occurs when a celebrity spend so much time in the limelight that their fame begins to work against them. People begin to view them simply through their image and not through their specific talents. For some so-called celebrities, like the Paris Hiltons and Tila Tequila’s of the world, this is what they want: an image that is more important than any talent. But for others, their fame casts a shadow of the attributes that put them in the public eye in the first place. There might not be a better example of this than Brad Pitt.
It seems as though he’s been in every tabloid or every entertainment news show for about ten years running. Every time you open a magazine or turn on a TV you are bound to hear something about Brad Pitt. First it was simply his looks, than his break-up with Jennifer Anniston or Gwyneth Paltrow. People talk about his different hair cuts, and now his ongoing relationship and multiple adoptions with Angelina Jolie. But all the media hoopla has caused everybody to forget a simple fact: Brad Pitt is an exceptionally talented actor
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September 24th 2008 04:07
My mind wandered the other night while I was flipping through the channels of primetime television and I had a brilliantly enjoyable flash of what it would look like if reality talent show contestants acted, well, realistically.
It seems to me that in every single reality competition that is on right now, whether it be American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway or any other talent-based competition, there is a egregious decision made by the American public, or the panel of judges. Contestants are allowed to remain on a given show long after they have worn out their welcome (and their skill), or qualified contestants are cast off too early. Whatever the specifics are, the trend is easily identifiable and not likely to end soon
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September 16th 2008 15:51
A few weeks ago I posted a preview of some of the films that were drawing the most early interest at this years Toronto Film Festival. As the smoke cleared, a few underdog movies have emerged, hoping for Juno type success upon release.
Early critical favorite Slumdog Millionaire proved to be an audience pleaser as well, winning the People's Choice Award at the Festival. The award has been known to be a big Oscar-boost, which helped previous winners such as American Beauty, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Whale Rider land in the public view. Director Danny Boyle has had previous success with Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, so his name attached to the movie could be a draw for the mainstream audience. The film's test may be the 15% of the dialogue that appears in Hindi with English subtitles. Subtitled films are historically harder to attract a mainstream audience to, but with a hopeful teen love story, Slumdog has a chance to make waves when it is released on November 28th
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September 16th 2008 15:48
A few weeks ago I posted a preview of some of the films that were drawing the most early interest at this years Toronto Film Festival. As the smoke cleared, a few underdog movies have emerged, hoping for Juno type success upon release.
Early critical favorite Slumdog Millionaire proved to be an audience pleaser as well, winning the People's Choice Award at the Festival. The award has been known to be a big Oscar-boost, which helped previous winners such as American Beauty, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Whale Rider land in the public view. Director Danny Boyle has had previous success with Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, so his name attached to the movie could be a draw for the mainstream audience. The film's test may be the 15% of the dialogue that appears in Hindi with English subtitles. Subtitled films are historically harder to attract a mainstream audience to, but with a hopeful teen love story, Slumdog has a chance to make waves when it is released on November 28th
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September 15th 2008 05:19
All I've been hearing for weeks was how genius the Coen brothers new movie, Burn After Reading was. It was hysterically funny, brilliantly goofy and charmingly quirky. But you see, sometimes hype works on a 2-way street. Sometimes it can build up an idea to be something that no movie, or person, or book or anything can match. Such was the case when I went to go see Burn, expecting the funniest movie I have seen since Forgetting Sarah Marshall hit the screen.
Now don't get me wrong, I am a fan of the Coen brothers and I did enjoy Burn. However, I think it was mistakenly billed as a laugh-a-minute comedy. The way the Coen brothers shape their humor, is not to give in solely to cheap laughs. They create characters and situations that are funny over time, with reactions or simply given the situation. Sure, there are some on-sight laughs, like George Clooney's present to his wife, or Brad Pitt running on the trampoline, but most of those laughs have been played out in previews the last few months. The remaining jokes take the shape of facial reactions, and the characters being placed in amusing situations. It creates funny moments, but not a comedic masterpiece
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There are few movies that get me really excited anymore. Sure, I was pumped to see Dark Knight and I was really looking forward to Pineapple Express, but there are no movies that I really hear about and anticipate so much that I actually check updates and wait for trailers. At least, there weren't any until they announced they were going to be making a biopic on the greatest rapper ever, Notorious B.I.G.
The movie, Notorious, is scheduled for release sometime in January of 2009, but it couldn't come soon enough for me. You see, as with any kid growing up in NYC in the early and mid 90s, I was listening to Biggie's music in what most consider to be your most formative years. I was immediately drawn to his flow, and later discovered the complexity with which he actually created his lyrics, which were all laid down freestyle (he never wrote down a single rhyme). Then Biggie blew up and he was all anybody could talk about. Whether it was his talent as an artist or his epic beef with Tupac that may, or may not, have resulted in both of their deaths. With simply the basics, a Biggie biopic makes for a great movie. A former crack hustler who used to freestyle on the street becomes a legendary artist, is involved in one of the most dangerous feuds ever and dies the same way as his supposed nemesis at the young age of 24
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The CW premiered their updated version of 90210 this week and while the cast may have changed, the problems haven't. You still have your old tales of drug use, cheating, lying friends, broken hearts and disappointed parents. Except now the kids are getting in trouble for sending text messages, flying on jets unsupervised and other dilemmas meant to highlight the modern era.
To catch everyone up in a few sentences, the new show centers around the Wilson family. Harry Wilson (Rob Estes) moves back to his hometown of Beverley Hills with his family to take over the principal job at West Beverley High School. His wife, Debbie Wilson (Lori Loughlin, still most famous from Full House) is a photographer and does not have a big fan in Harry's mom, played by the only actress now who seems to be cast as drunk grandmothers, Jessica Walter (Arrested Development). In tow they bring their moral, but beautiful daughter Annie (Shenae Grimes) and their adopted, athletic star son Dixon (Tristan Wilds from The Wire
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