Now Playing Review - 9

Expanding on his short film, Shane Acker creates a really solid film with 9 as it follows the journey of a group of dolls in a post-apocalyptic world; but unfortunately this is not enough to keep me from being slightly disappointed with the end result.

As many have foretold before, man will eventually fall to machines. Seeing the doom in this inescapable future, a scientist decides to use his remaining time to go all Dr. Frankenstein on a group of dolls so that they may live on once man is gone. Nine dolls, to be exact. Now let’s skip ahead. When the film begins a doll marked 9 is coming to, still hooked up to the machines that brought him to life. What he finds when he ventures out into the world is a wasteland, full of the remains of the man made world that came before. However, he soon realizes that it is not as barren of life (sort of speak) as he originally thought, but filled with both the remaining dolls, numbered 1-8, and machines, which seem to have the sole purpose of hunting them down.

Though this sounds like a set up for a really intriguing story, there isn’t actually that much to it. In other words, nothing that occurs is unexpected; rather, the plot points are actually often boringly easy to guess as the story progresses. Furthermore, a lot of the information that I really wanted to know, such as why the dolls had been separated in the first place, and for how long, is never explained (here’s another question, why did the scientist choose tiny dolls? Technically their innards still make them machine like, which seems counterintuitive given the current predicament. But that’s just me… Yes there is one deciding factor that makes them different, but I can’t let that little detail slip without getting smacked… So my “why dolls?” question remains). With all that said, when I first saw the trailer for 9, it was not the story that grabbed my attention, but how they chose to depict this post-apocalyptic world.

The initial draw to this film is the animation style, taking the sharp angles, gloomier lighting, etc., from German Expressionism, which has proven before to make a great pairing (Coraline being a perfect example). However, this can only set the scene. Thankfully the animation was shot is such a way to really do it justice. Not only was it evident that a lot of work went into setting up interesting compositions for each shot, but I was actually really impressed by the action sequences, which are frequent. A key example of this is an escape scene involving a flying machine chasing the dolls through a cathedral. Not only is it really interesting to see how perilous this world within our world can be, but I really appreciated how fast paced and suspenseful they were able to make the movement through it.

Like I said before, I may never understand why the scientist chose to continue life with dolls, but that does not mean that I was not amazed by the individuality of the character designs. Not only does each doll have its own personality, but they are all created differently, both in concern to materials used, as well as how their costumes represent the role they play in the story. We start with the basic model with 9, representing the everyman in many ways, to the other dolls who have already decided who they want to be, and have therefore dressed accordingly. There is 1, the “king” who finds great meaning in the crown and cape he dons, 7, the warrior who hides behind her bird skull mask/helmet and ridiculous fighting skills, 6, the insane doll who is seemingly wearing the pinstripes of a jail suit, etc. Oh, and the twins, who bring some much needed comedy with their mute, childlike (yet monk-like) traits and in sync actions.

Though I really loved the look of the film and the world created, this could not keep 9 from dragging at times, creating a slightly underwhelming film.

Final Grade: B

Now Playing Review - Inglourious Basterds

Forgive me mom, because I am about to dole out a word you aren’t fond of numerous times. Does it count in my favor that it isn’t spelled correctly?

As far as I am concerned, Quentin Tarantino can rewrite everything we have learned from the history books, as long as he films his version.

Though Inglourious Basterds uses Nazi occupied France as its setting, there is little need to know more than the basics about WWII going into this film. Instead, Tarantino creates a history all of his own in this story of the resistance. The most notable are “the basterds,” a group of Jewish American soldiers whose goal is to kill and scalp as many Nazis as they can, inciting fear as the lore of their actions spreads throughout the German forces. Elsewhere in France is Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jewish cinema owner who witnessed the murder of her family at the start of the occupation, and eventually is led to seek revenge. Broken down into five acts, Basterds slowly builds towards the culmination of their efforts to hurt the Nazi party in any way they can. However, no film of this magnitude would be complete without an odious villain. As bad as Hitler is, Tarantino sticks with making a mockery of his power, and instead gives this role to Hans Landa, a Nazi Colonel who delights in his job of hunting down and slaughtering the Jewish people (he is also responsible for Shosanna’s family’s death).

Following the example of Nation’s Pride, the fictional film that a lot of the story revolves around, Inglourious Basterds plays out as a sort of propaganda film for a past event. One major example of this is how many symbols of America make it into the film. There are “the basterds” themselves, led by Lt. Aldo Raine, a man with a thick, deep south accent and pride of being part native American, which he shows in his rule that all his men bring him the scalps of the men they kill. Another member of the group is Sgt. Donny Donowitz, or “The Bear Jew,” a man from Boston who loves to beat Nazis to death with a baseball bat. As horrific as most of these acts are, especially up on the big screen, there is a feeling of electricity that flows through the audience in these moments. Personally, I couldn’t help but delight in Raine’s carving of a swastika into a Nazi soldiers forehead. And finally, as I mentioned before, Hitler is shown in a more comical light, hiding away in his gigantic office, cursing the acts and power of “the basterds” as his portrait is painted on the wall behind him.

To fill these roles, a great group of actors is needed to bring these (often) ridiculous characters to life. At the forefront in Brad Pitt, who does a perfect job as Aldo Raine, whether he is using foreheads as canvasses or horribly smothering his attempted Italian with his southern accent. Lucky enough for us this didn’t become a one-man show, with a cast that is more than able to live up to this high standard. Mélanie Laurent fleshes out the more emotional side of the film in her depiction of Shosanna, and as hilarious as “the basterds” were, I found myself more drawn to her story line, praying that she would succeed in her revenge plot. With all that said, Christoph Waltz deserves a standing ovation for his portrayal of Col. Hans Landa, especially considering how he plays all aspects of that lunatic’s psyche. More often than not he plays him for the scary man that he is, however, there are a few moments, especially towards the end, where the more unrestrained aspects of his personality slip out, making him all the more intimidating and off-putting.

With a film like this it is easy to get engulfed in the character/story driven aspects of the film, however, it would not have the impact it does without the visuals to back it up. At the beginning of the film I was really drawn in by the musical selections, a lot of which again played on the feeling of national pride with strong undertones of the Wild West, similar to what Tarantino does with the music in Kill Bill. And then towards the end at the premiere of National Pride, there are more allusions harking back to Kill Bill (the crazy 88 scene to be more specific), such as the grand open rooms of the screening room, the birds-eye-view shots moving over the walls as the camera follows Shosanna as she walks towards the premiere in a bright red dress, sticking out in a the sea of neutral military dress suits (similar to The Brides yellow tracksuit), all of which build anticipation for the events to come.

Inglourious Basterds plays the part of a modern propaganda film beautifully, but it becomes much more than a statement about a war with its aesthetics, characters, comical elements, etc. And because of this, I forgive Tarantino’s rewriting of history. I like his version better anyway…

Final Grade: A

Suggestion Box (Sept. 7 - 13)

The Guild - Season 3 Episode 2 was posted this week. Not as good as the others in my opinion, but you should still check it out here.

The Legend of Neil - 4^th episode of season 2 released this week. There is much bonding over drinking. Check it out here.

Borderlands Claptrap Movie – Okay, so this doesn’t really have too much to do with the gameplay or anything like that, but it’s pretty funny. And this short does show off the look they are going for in the game, as well as the humor it will have (hopefully). Check it out here.

Assassin’s Creed 2 Gamplay Walkthrough - This time we do get to see some of the new features in the second Assassin’s Creed. Check it out here.

Inception Trailer – The trailer doesn’t really help with the fact that I have no idea what this film is about, but it looks awesome. Check it out here.

New Moon Trailer – That’s right, I like the Twilight series. Laugh it up… Okay, now to business… A new trailer for New Moon was shown during the MTV Music Video Awards, and you can check it out here.

Fringe – Fringe's 2nd season is starting up this Thursday, so if you need to catch up, or want to see some hints of what’s coming, then check this out. (Ahead) Okay, apparently the (Back) link leads to the "ahead" video, so you will just have to navigate around the bottom of the page when watching the ahead video and find it on your own. Don't worry, I have faith in you.

Thursday in TV - The Vampire Diaries Series Premiere

Coming from Glee’s premiere Wednesday night to the premiere of The Vampire Diaries is like jumping into a pool right after stepping out of the hot tub. Gone is most of the comedy, the general feelings of happiness, and worst of all, gone is the singing. But as much as I wish Diaries were a comical musical about longing and vampires, I will have to make do with what was dealt. And what we have right now feels like a serialized version of Twilight, just with more characters that seem like they are seriously contemplating slitting their wrists.

The show is based on a book series by L. J. Smith, but all I know about the story is what has been shown so far in the pilot, which is: At the beginning of the summer, Elena and Jeremy Gilbert’s parents were killed in a car crash, which Elena survived. However, she bas been able to deal with it a lot better than her brother has, where she has turned to soul searching with her diary, he has turned to drugs, alcohol, and black nail polish. Now it’s the beginning of the school year, and here come Stefan Salvatore, the hot new guy/vampire who seems to be making it around just fine in the daylight hours (semi sidenote – did you check out that ridiculous ring? I know it has the power to prevent sun damage, but it sure is a little gaudy…). They “meet cute” and the pining begins.

Now I know I am giving this show a hard time, but it is just another addition to the long list of films/shows of the vampire genre, and with shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood, it has the hard task of finding its own place (though as I did before, it will most likely be compared to Twilight more so than anything else). Here are my thoughts (that’s right, I have to digress to bullet points):

• My main problem with the pilot is that it goes straight for the melodrama, lathering enough intensity and teen angst to give anyone clogged arteries. However, it is not the two leads at fault for this, but Elena’s friend Matt and brother Jeremy, who spend the entire episode looking like wounded puppies. As much as I want Matt to stop hoping for a relationship with Elena, Jeremy is far more annoying in his pining for Matt’s slutty sister Kayla. Let’s just say that I was slightly hoping she was going to die after being attacked in the woods just so I wouldn’t have to deal with this anymore.
• I almost expected Elena and Stefan to delve into a full-blown relationship by the end of the episode. And I don’t understand why she is not freaking out more about how he is always just showing up out of nowhere. If I were her I wouldn’t care if he says he just wants to see if I am okay; if I caught him watching me through my window I would freak out, not invite him in out of the cold. But I guess his furrowed brow, constipated look doesn’t appeal to me as much as it does to her.
• And another little thing about one of their interactions. How on earth did neither of them realize just how much she was bleeding after falling in the cemetery? I know this may seem stupid, but that is a huge detail not to notice, especially because it looked like she was going to bleed out when she pulled her pant leg up.
• Though I do like the two leads, I am on the fence about the majority of the supporting cast. My biggest issues are with Bonnie (Katerina Graham). Usually the best friends are the most loveable characters, however, I am really indifferent to her. Not only is her comedy falling flat (take the Heath Ledger comment), but I am really hoping that this whole psychic thing disappears as the series progresses. Plus, the acting in this role seems a little weak to me, and is easily overshadowed by Candice Accola’s performance as Caroline Forbes.
• Speaking of the comedy: I really hope this show takes some notes from The OC, which was able to balance extreme drama with pop culture references and comedy. There seems to be a lot of promise, but the only jokes I really remember laughing at were when Elena laughs off the crow and fog in the cemetery, saying “it was all very Hitchcock,” as well as later, when someone makes a reference to What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
• Speaking of the crow and fog; what the heck is that all about? Damon Salvatore, Stefan’s douche of a brother makes light of it during the episode when Stefan asks if the crow is a little much, to which Stefan responds, “you should see what I can do with the fog.” This is funny, but its not really effective because as much as they make a joke out of it, he clearly thinks it works because it happens repeatedly in the episode, something I hope gets used less and less, if it doesn’t stop altogether. Though this brings him down a notch, he is the most promising source of comedy and entertainment on the show with his weird blend of hatred, narcissism and wit. And as long as he doesn’t try to enroll in school with his brother (since he looks about 30), as well as does something with his hair, he will continue to be my favorite.
• On a similar note, I really hope that sometime soon we learn why Stefan and Damon hate each other as much as they do. Damon says something about promising to ruin Stefan’s life for all of eternity, and that’s not something someone decides on a whim. I am assuming it has something to do with Katherine, the girl from the past who looks identical to Elena, which I also hope to learn more about soon.
• One last thing: another note they should take from The OC is how to choose music. The playlist for the episode consisted of a lot of songs that I love, but they seem a little more forceful than they need to be. It’s all a little too Now That’s What I Call Music.

As much as I complain about the pilot, I still believe that this show has a lot of promise, especially with how the episode ends, as well as the footage in the trailer for upcoming episodes. However, something needs to happen fast if The Vampire Diaries wants to be more than just something to compare to Twilight.

Final Grade: B-

Wednesday in TV - SYTYCD and Glee Premieres

Every year there is a day that seems more beautiful than most, a day that has been done the great injustice by not being named a holiday. What is this holy moment of divinity? The start of the fall season of television.

So You Think You Can Dance

Though I am more than pleased that SYTYCD has returned within weeks of the last summer season, I was a little unenthused about what we must go through before the real magic begins. Not only that, but a lot of the faces showing up for this season already had a lot of face time with the cameras only a few months ago. That, and I must be a little tired of watching auditions because I am starting to grow indifferent to the performances the judges rave about, including the great tap dancing uprising. Three whole tap dancers with talent? Golly G. The problem with them is that out of the three, Evan’s brother (for lack of remembering his name) was the best, but because of that freak of nature event known as Evan being in the top three last time, I don’t think I can deal with keeping the show in the family. However, tap dancing is always fun, so I will mock giddiness for them, but what I will not do is pretend to understand what they saw in the girl mixing hip hop moves (or what was supposed to be hip hop moves) into her salsa routine. It looked a little inconsistence and awkward to me. But what do I know?

Lucky for me, that was only the first half of the night.

Glee (sort of) Series Premiere

Tonight was the first new episode of Glee since the episode shown this summer, and it raised the bar quite high for all the shows in the fall lineup. Not only that, but it finally found it’s stride (namely comedic timing), which I felt was lacking in the first episode.

A lot of Glee’s charm is in its depiction of the high school experience. Sure, it reminds me nothing of my own school because it is still an extreme representation, similar to all the teen dramas on TV right now; however, instead of feeling overpowered by the ridiculous melodrama, we get to laugh at the more dramatic moments, especially those that hold some truth. For one thing, I never thought I would laugh so much about an encounter between a self conscious girl and a guidance counselor about bulimia, but how can you resist finding the humor in it when her first response to finding the girl in the bathroom stall is to tell her that her lack of a gag reflex will be thought of as a gift later in life?

However, what really came to life this episode were the characters, especially Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) and Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays). The past few roles I have seen Lynch in have been a little disappointing following her character in Role Models, but she has made her way back to that as the ridiculously narcissistic cheerleading coach, who always seems to be offended by others, only to follow their comment with the most distasteful thing that you just can’t help but laugh at. So far, the only other actor to match Lynch’s portrayal of her character is Mays, who plays the counselor with some major issues of her own. You can’t help but cheer for her as she pines over the married glee club coach, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison).

As the title suggests, the songs are going to be a driving force of this show, and this episode was no exception to that assumption. Though I would argue that there was something a little more special for me with the musical selections of the first episode (how can you top “Don’t Stop Believin’”?), all of the songs flowed well with the story of the episode, and were amazing in performance. However, I will say that I did have a little problem with Rihanna’s “Take A Bow.” There is no question that Lea Michele (playing Rachel Berry) sang the heck out of that song, but it was all a little too Dreamgirls for me. Every other song that has been performed so far has been based in reality, whether it is through auditioning for the club, practicing, or creating a video youtube style. So what was so off-putting with this final song was that it was shot like a music video, going between Rachel on stage and her singing while watching Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) and his girlfriend talking in the hallway. I half expected someone to make a comment about how ridiculous it was for her to be belting out a song like that, or at least throw another slushie in her face (which I don’t think will ever lose its hilarity for me).

However, with all my complaining about that, I won’t be that upset if they do this again. I just hope that if they choose to do so, they mix them in more so that when it does occur, it doesn’t seem so out of place.

IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE EPISODE YET, YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO CALL IT QUITS NOW. SEE YOU NEXT TIME! All right, now onto the spoiler and/or trailer moments. I knew the wife wasn’t going to be pregnant! That whore. I am glad that they chose to have her really believe that she was pregnant when she told him the first time, however, she definitely gets points deducted for not telling him when she found out that she was just getting fatter (The doctors line about seeing a whole chicken wing in there was priceless…). But this gives him an out so he can go get with the counselor, which I am already praying is going to happen. Now for the question round of the spoilers: Did Finn really kill the mailman? How are they going to get out of this whole only singing songs with the Jesus or balloons in the title? Do you think Quinn will eventually turn away from the dark side when she realizes how awesome the glee club is? Why on earth is Kurt auditioning for the role of kicker on the football team? Oh, and one last thing (not a question): I am really excited for the Mercedes’ solo we see in the trailer. How bout you?

Final Grade: A

Rental Review - Duplicity

Duplicity has drawn a lot of comparisons to Mr. And Mrs. Smith, which does a great disservice to both films. Smith is the far superior film of the genre, and there is no way for Duplicity to reach its high level with this story, style, and quite frankly, the weaker acting.

Duplicity follows two spies, Ray Koval and Claire Stenwick (Clive Owen and Julia Roberts), who work for two different big name corporations. After first meeting five years prior to the present day, a meeting which did not end as Ray hoped, they are forced to work together when Ray is assigned to be her handler in bringing down Claire’s boss. However, in order for it to work they will have to trust each other, something not easy for people in their line of work.

The problem with this film is not in the premise itself, but rather, in how it is edited. The movie begins five years ago, skips to the present, and for the rest of the film the story jumps back and forth between past events and current actions. Though this is an interesting way of slowly releasing information to the audience, who can then slowly piece together the story, it is not as affective as one would hope. Instead, by the time the pieces start fitting together and making sense, most interest in what is happening is already lost to the frustration of not understanding what was going on before the slow divulgence of information.

Another problem with this editing choice is that the lack of information for the audience to work with for the first part of the film leaves them to only focus on the characters, most of which are more annoying than not, especially the title characters. They are constantly bickering, playing mind games with each other and working through their paranoia, failing to grasp the chemistry of Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s leads.

And finally, the visual editing style seemed overdone, alluding strongly to Ocean 11, 12 or 13 (they all kind of run together). It was quite standard for the body of the film, but during certain situations it was too flashy, trying to seduce the audience with slow motion and spilt screen images. Though I actually enjoyed the slower dance/battle depicting the childish rivalry between the two bosses, I could have done without the numerous images moving around the screen at once, especially because it wasn’t used to draw tension (instead of flashing between two shots, like when Claire is running around trying to find something as the man she is supposed to be watching slowly breaks his way out of his restraints, which is when the split screen could have been effective used), but was instead used to show Claire as she worked her way through Ray’s hotel room, as well as to transition between settings or times. It should have only remained in the end credits, where it belongs.

Though Duplicity actually has a promising story, it takes too long to get to the interesting parts of the story, and the cuing in of information is met with indifference on the audience’s part because of it.

Final Grade: C

TV Review - Legend of the Seeker: Season 1

I don’t know how, but the first season of Legend of the Seeker managed to avoid my detection when it was on the air this past year. I think I got it confused with Merlin or something. However, it is available through Netflix’s instant queue, and I am really glad that my roommate and I decided to check it out.

Legend of the Seeker tells the story of Richard Cypher (Craig Horner), a 20 something year old, who’s world is quickly turned upside down when he is told of his destiny to fulfill a prophecy that says he is the only one who can defeat the evil Darken Rahl (it’s okay to laugh at his name).

It is clear that in the first couple of episodes the show is still trying to find its footing. It is riddled with cheesy moments, predictable plotlines, and stylistic choices that are clearly inspired by other films/shows. Take the use of slow motion. It is hard to avoid slowmo in anything these days because it looks awesome; however, there comes a point when it becomes overused. Seeker is no exception. Sure, it provides a lot of entertaining facial expressions and action moments, a lot of which can be defended because there are few ways to show just how close an arrow comes to slamming into the back of someone’s head; however, at first it resembled the slow motion fights of 300 a little too closely, especially considering how it moves in and out of slow motion and regular speed during the fight scenes. And there are only so many times you can see someone do their signature moves in slow motion before it gets to be a little excessive (I’m talking to you Richard, and your silly jump with your sword over your head. What are you trying to do? Split some logs for firewood?).

On a different note, another thing that got a little annoying was the dialogue. For the most part it was actually a lot wittier than expected, and I may roll my eyes at the lovey-dovey comments between Richard and Kahlan Amnell (Bridget Regan), but secretly (okay, maybe not so secretly) I was giddy with these interactions of sexual tension. What I could not stand was the use of the word “Seeker”. I understand that this show revolves around the role the Seeker/Richard must play, however, there really is no need to say the word almost 40 times in an episode (trust me, we counted).

As much as my roommate and I joke around about these things in the first few episodes (as well as how creepy Zed, the wizard is. How tall is Bruce Spence anyway?), eventually the show grows into itself, creating a really interesting world full of new mythology and story lines to flesh out the season. But what I appreciate most is that, for as serious as it takes itself at times, there are plenty of moments and episodes to even this out.

However, one thing that I am still a little hesitant to pin a gold star to is the finale of the season. (IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST EPISODE, SKIP TO THE LAST PARAGRAPH BECAUSE I AM GOING TO BE GIVING STUFF AWAY) For all the magic and supernatural elements found in this show, one thing I was not ready for was time travel, and because of this the last episode didn’t really fit with the rest of the season for me as much as it should have. Furthermore, with this time traveling plot line, the end actually seems a little anticlimactic. Richard, Kahlan, and Zed (when not wandering off on random side missions for a lot of the latter part of the season) spend the entire season fighting against Rahl’s (Craig Parker) forces in any way they can, hoping to find a way to destroy him. With all this happening, I thought a really intense, epic battle was going to ensue, but this never came to fruition. Instead, Richard spends the finale trying to get back to his place in time, so when he does and Rahl appears to stop him from using the boxes of Ordin against him, Rahl is killed by the boxes with no fight at all.

Speaking of these boxes: not only was I upset that Richard didn’t become all powerful again by using them, I was more upset by the fact that there is this big to-do about Kahlan’s whole purpose being to confess him in the end so that he doesn’t get out of control with power, yet nothing happens with this either. Again, I say anticlimactic. And one more thing that I need clarifying: confessing someone makes them fall in love with the confessor and do whatever they are asked; nevertheless, Richard seemed completely normal in the end, so I am going to assume that this was canceled out by the boxes power. Does this mean that they can now be together? Or rather, because Rahl destroyed the boxes, was this balance lost, and therefore the relation can still not happen? If the latter is true, I am going to be really upset because sexual tension can only go so far, and this whole “we love each other from a distance” can begin to hinder a show. For now it adds a lot of tension, such as with Buffy and Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer; however, it can also begin to weaken storylines, such as in Dark Angel.

One last thing about the finale: what happened to Richard’s sister? She brings the boxes to him, and then disappears. I am assuming she went into hiding again, but I feel like she should have been there in the end.

Though The Legend of the Seeker had a weaker start, it became a really immersive show, filled with comedy, love, great acting, and really interesting storylines, and should be given a chance by both people who love this genre, as well as those who are new to it. It may surprise you.

Final Grade: A-

If you don’t have the instant queue capabilities of Netflix, all 22 episodes of the show can be found on the official website here, or on hulu.com here. Be sure to check it out/catch yourself up before season 2 starts on November 7^th.