Movie Reviews 2010: Predators

(Casting an Arnie lookalike for the latest Predator film wasn't going well)

Cast: Adrian Brody, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Oleg Taktarov & Laurence Fishburne

Directed by: Nimrod Antal

Screenplay by: Alex Litvak, Michael Finch & Robert Rodriquez

Plot:

A group of elite warriors are parachuted on to an alien planet where they encounter an alien race known as Predators.

Verdict:

Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem was such a horrid mess it should have spelt the end for the Alien and Predator franchises. But two years down the line here we are again with Predators and some time next year, Alien will return as well. Interestingly though, a certain Robert Rodriquez first conceived this latest Predator flick a very long time ago and all though he decided not to direct, he still takes a producing credit.

Predators literally drops us right into the action and doesn't waste any time whatsoever trying to take the franchise in yet another direction - one of the fatal flaws of the A V P pictures - instead there is a real back-to-basics approach adapted here. For starters we are back in the jungle - no ordinary jungle though, the Predators home planet - where the Predators get to do some proper hunting. Also, Director Nimrod Antal handles the action scenes superbly with minimal fuss and minimal CG. It's almost believable that this could have been released all those years ago when Rodriquez first wrote the damn thing.

Still far from perfect though, Predators has plenty of problems. The plot is never given a moments thought and the ending suggests more films could follow. The characters are given similar treatment with no one standing out as either interesting or memorable. Topher Grace is a perfect example of poor casting and Laurence Fishburne's cameo as a sole survivor is just a bad excuse for filling screen time. Everyone else is just easy prey for the Predators, a bunch of walking cliches. Adrian Brody however fairs a bit better, beefing up considerably for the role, he is a convincing enough lead, playing well against type.

The most enjoyable aspect of Predators is the countless nods to the original film; hardcore fans of Predator will have a great time ticking off every one as they appear. The original Predator itself, check. The original score playing throughout, check. Jesse Ventura's giant gatling gun, check, and very neatly we now get to see a blade-versus-blade showdown between a Predator and a human, something that happened off screen in the 1987 film. And to round things off nicely, allowing you to leave with a smile on your face, a brilliant song choice that plays over the end credits.

DDD

Review Rewind: Shrek The Third (2007)

(Well it still beats going to the dentist right?)

Cast: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas & Justin Timberlake

Directed by: Chris Miller & Raman Hui

Screenplay by: Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman, Chris Miller & Aron Warner

Plot:

Shrek Goes on a quest to find Arthur, the rightful heir to the king's throne of Far Far Away, after refusing to take the throne himself.

Verdict:

There is a pivotal moment in Shrek The Third that perfectly sums up the disappointment of Shrek's latest adventure. After a magic spell goes slightly wrong, Puss In Boots and Donkey end up switching bodies and... nothing funny actually happens. A potentially ingenious gag that doesn't even muster a snigger let alone a decent laugh. Instead it just feels lazy and desperate; a feeling that more than once pops into your head during the course of Shrek The Third.

It's a great shame that when you have two hilarious and likable characters like Donkey and Puss In Boots - who both stole the show in parts 1 and 2 respectively - and you leave them on the sidelines in favour of, pop culture and fairy tale referencing. In fact there is so much of that going on here, it doesn't feel clever anymore, it just becomes irritating.

Frustratingly there are moments of genuine brilliance here. The opening scenes are snappy, playful and funny, gently reacquainting us with Shrek and co. And Fiona's amphibian father's overwrought death scene is expertly played out by John Cleese. While elsewhere, Shrek has a riotous nightmare about being a father, and the gingerbread man sees his life flash before his eyes in a sequence so brilliant, so funny, it deserves to be in a better sequel than this.

It would be harsh to also criticise Shrek The Third's threadbare story because to be fair, the previous Shrek's themselves weren't blessed with the greatest of stories to tell, but still you cant help but notice the poor repetition on show here; Shrek on a quest again, Prince Charming as the villain again. New character additions are highly unmemorable too with Merlin, voiced by Eric Idle, just plain annoying and hugely misjudged, and Arthur, voiced by Justin Timberlake, a whiny, bratty, uninspired hero.

Whether this will be the last time we see Shrek and co. is debatable but it is probable Shrek The Third will still take big bucks at the box office. So another sequel could materialise and if it does lets hope the writer's look to Shrek 1 and 2 for inspiration, rather than this uninspired sequel.

DD

Review Rewind: Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem (2008)

(Scare tactics were required to speed along the birthing process)

Cast: Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz & Johnny Lewis

Directed by: The Brothers Strause

Screenplay by: Shane Salerno

Plot:

Aliens and Predators at war land in a small American town and the residents must band together to fight them off.

Verdict:

It would seem, that to all but kill off an already dying franchise is a popular thing in Hollywood. It happens all the time and the latest to receive the death sentence is actually two franchises in one. Alien and Predator were, once upon a time, classic motion pictures, and in the form of James Cameron's Aliens, we were treated to at least one good sequel, a bona-fide classic in its own right.

So Predator lost its momentum with a limp, city based sequel and after the tortured productions of Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, Alien Vs Predator emerged back in 2004 but failed to do justice to the characters. However by comparison to this latest mess, Alien Vs Predator doesn't look so bad after all. The Brothers Strause as they call themselves have taken two iconic characters and thrown them into an awfully cliche ridden teen horror picture; yes there is even a token hot chick who takes her clothes off.

The acting is risible at best and you wont care for a single character on screen, in fact you have a better chance at cheering on the Predator instead. But even that is still reaching because by the time any Alien Vs Predator action comes into play you wont actually be paying much attention anymore, add that to the fact that nearly every action sequence takes place in complete darkness and pouring rain, making it practically impossible to tell what is going on, and you have the final nail in the coffin for this movie and most likely, the franchise as well.

D

Movie Reviews 2010: Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call: New Orleans

(They really shouldn't have mentioned, The Wicker Man, remake)

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes & Val Kilmer

Directed by: Werner Herzog

Screenplay by: William M. Finkelstein

Plot:

A rogue cop investigates the brutal massacre of a family in post-hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, whilst dealing with an escalating drug problem.

Verdict:

Where else this or any year, are you likely to see the carcass of an Alligator in the midst of a road traffic accident, and then see the scene again from the point of view of another on looking Alligator? How about some Iguanas popping up for a music montage? Or how about a soul break dancing - "Shoot him again." "Why?" "Because his soul is still dancing!" Werner Herzog's update of 1992's cult picture Bad Lieutenant is the only place you will see all of the above.

These audacious scenes all randomly pop up in an otherwise conventional cop thriller with the plot wrapping itself up in a single scene lasting little more than a minute. But that is beside the point; this is a character study through and through. And who better than Nicolas Cage to represent said character study. Cage is absolutely mesmerising, on the kind of crazy, compelling form that makes him the most gifted actor of his generation; when he chooses the right material of course. Importantly, a wise decision was made by screenwriter Finkelstein to give Cage's Detective Terrence McDonagh's escalating drug problems some kind of excuse, by having McDonagh forced to continuously take prescription medication for his back injury, sustained in a rare moment of generosity at the start of the picture. This allows Cage to remain somewhat likable during his downfall.

And that downfall - drugs, gambling, woman, dirty cop dealing, threatening old ladies - has the perfect backdrop with post-hurricane Katrina, New Orleans. Every shot of the film captures the decaying city allowing it to become a character in its own right. And as the film reaches its redemptive finale, its one of those 'it really shouldn't work' but hey guess what, it does in spades.

DDDDD

Review Rewind: Walk The Line (2006)

(hmmm... what was that song again?)

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Patrick & Ginnifer Goodwin

Directed by: James Mangold

Screenplay by: Gill Dennis & James Mangold

Plot:

A biopic of legendary singer, songwriter Johnny Cash.

Verdict:

As James Mangold's, Walk The Line opens outside a prison facility, the distant sound of a guitar being plucked and the heavy beat of foot tapping can be heard. If you are already a fan of the man in black, then you will recognise the familiar sound immediately and find your foot joining in, if you have never heard a Johnny Cash song before, well you will start tapping anyway and by the time the end credits begin to roll you will have a new list of songs ready to download.

This opening scene perfectly sums up Walk The Line; catchy with a capital C. Director Mangold's brave decision to allow his leads, Phoenix and Witherspoon to personally sing every note sang in the movie allows for a fresh and exciting vibe in the concert scenes. With the duo haven never sang before, these scenes feel like witnessing the birth of new and thrilling vocal talent. Phoenix and Witherspoon come across so convincing and confident in their singing abilities it's a real joy to watch.

Being a biopic, Phoenix and Witherspoon have more than singing to do of course and Walk The Line's main focus is of there characters will they/wont they love story. This central relationship is appealing, sweet and convincing thanks to Phoenix and Witherspoon's terrific performances. Phoenix is great but Witherspoon is even better with an energetic turn perfectly graced with an underlying sadness.

Walk The Line only really hints at the darker side to Cash's life - being haunted by the violent death of his brother, addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs - but never fully explores them but it never hinders what is a perfectly paced and brilliantly acted film complete with a killer soundtrack.

DDDD

Review Rewind: Lord Of War (2005)

(Nicolas's new wardrobe made quite an impression)

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Ian Holm & Ethan Hawke

Directed by: Andrew Niccol

Screenplay by: Andrew Nicool

Plot:

Cage plays arms dealer Yuri Orlov as we follow him from small beginnings in America to bigger, more dangerous dealings in Africa.

Verdict:

The two main reasons to see Lord Of War are fairly straightforward. One reason is Nicolas Cage, clearly enjoying himself playing a role that is a perfect fit for him, with every word of his brilliant voiceover oozing with charisma, which is second nature to Cage when he is on this kind of form.

The second reason is, Lord Of War may well be a movie with a message at its core but it does not ever try to ram that message home. Just look at the brilliantly cruel opening credit sequence where we follow a bullet through production to the point it is loaded into a gun and shot directly through a young boy's skull, which is swiftly followed by our introduction to Cage's arm dealer Orlov, as he quips with a perfect grin about there being enough guns in the world for one in twelve human beings to own a personal firearm, and the only thing he is worried about, how he is going to get the other eleven to own one too.

A slight qualm with Lord Of War is the second half of the picture undeniably loses the fizz and fast pacing of the first half, but the ending itself is satisfying and somehow feels right even though it probably shouldn't; but then that is exactly what Director Andrew Niccol has achieved here, a perfect balancing act, beautifully highlighted by the opening and final scenes.

DDDD

Review Rewind: You Don't Mess With The Zohan (2008)

(Adam Sandler can surf using a car, apparently)

Cast: Adam Sandler, John Turturro & Rob Schneider

Directed by: Dennis Dugan

Screenplay by: Adam Sandler & Judd Apatow

Plot:

After faking his own death, legendary Israeli counter-terrorist agent, The Zohan moves to New York City to pursue his life long dream of becoming a male hairdresser.

Verdict:

You Don't Mess With The Zohan undeniably looked promising on paper; Sandler inked the script with current comedic kingpin, Judd Apatow and in the opening scenes things do shape up nicely. Sandler's Zohan performs all kinds of hilarious, crazy stunts. Catching bullets with his fingers and his teeth, and allowing a piranha to swim in his shorts are ingenious highlights. It appears, a potentially brilliant action/comedy could be on the cards.

Sadly once the films very thin story heads to the big apple, an entirely different, unfunny film kicks into gear. Running jokes about Middle Eastern traditions grow very tiresome whilst gags about the Zohan's seductive methods in the hair salon where older woman get more than they bargained for, also become very irritating.

To be fair to Sandler he does still remain a fairly charming presence throughout the picture but has no decent support whatsoever. Turturro in particular who is no stranger to creating silly characters in Adam Sandler comedies (See, Mr. Deeds & Anger Management), summons his most over-the-top creation yet with the Phantom but disappointingly fails to provide any laughs.

The film winds down to a strained finale that throws in a bunch of celebrity cameos in a desperate move to finish on a high but instead only adds to the overall disappointment of this fruitless comedy.

DD