X-Men: Days Of Future Past

Distributor:       20th Century Fox

Year:                  2014

MPAA:                PG-13

Content:             AC, AL, V

Genres:               SCI / ADV / FAN

Technical:           2.40:1 (HD)

Runtime:             131 mins.

Country:              USA

Language:           English

Budget:                $200M

 

 

CAST

Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult, Omar Sy, Shawn Ashmore, Evan Peters, Daniel Cudmore, Lucas Till, Fan Bingbing, Booboo Stewart, Josh Helman, Evan Jonigkeit & Adan Canto; cameos by Famke Janssen, James Marsden & Kelsey Grammer

 

CREDITS 

Director: Bryan Singer; Screenwriter: Simon Kinberg; Producers: Lauren Schuler Donner, Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg & Hutch Parker; Director Of Photography: Newton Thomas Sigel; Production Designer: John Myhre; Editor/Music Composer: John Ottman; Costume Designer: Louise Mingenbach

 

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

In the darkness of the future 2023, mutants have all been but wiped out by the Sentinels—government-created robots—with the exception of Wolverine (Jackman), Storm (Berry), Professor Xavier (Stewart), old nemesis Magneto (McKellen), Kitty Pryde (Page) and a few of the younger generation mutants. Hiding out in China, they are about to be destroyed when Xavier convinces Kitty to telepathically send Wolverine back to 1973—where his younger self will hook up with younger Xavier (McAvoy) and Magneto (Fassbender) to stop Mystique (Lawrence) from killing Dr. Bolivar Trask (Dinklage). The assassination will instigate the creation of his Sentinel Program and cause the future apocalypse.

Back in 1973, Wolverine encounters a drunk, broken Xavier and loyal friend Beast (Hoult) and convinces them to bust Magneto out of the Pentagon’s prison with the help of mutant Quicksilver (Peters) if they are to save the future—but the cunning Magneto may have devastating plans of his own…

 

THE (mini) REVIEW

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is a solid entry (the 7^th) in that other Marvel film series—and the first to feature original director Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2: X-Men United, The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns, Valkyrie) back at the helm since 2003—more on that in a moment. Eschewing bombastic spectacle for a surprisingly intimate point-of-focus yarn, the movie respects the history, characters and the stories while providing top-notch production/technical values and a big cast of familiar faces & characters.

Written in a compressed style by genre veteran Simon Kinberg (2004’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, X-Men: The Last Stand, Sherlock Holmes) and based on the 1981 comic book series Uncanny X-Men (issues #141-142) titled Days Of Future Past by Chris Claremont & John Byrne—the movie version juggles many characters, of which some roles are severely truncated in the theatrical release. Understandably, with so many X-Men characters and a movie that needs to run under a certain amount of time, plotlines and characters get snipped.

Also, a sense of internal logic and plotholes (per the other canon films) begin to tug at the organic fiver of DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. But they really do not interfere in the overall entertainment quotient, as least in my opinion—but remember (and full disclosure): I never read the comics. Feel free to scour the internet (or fist-fight those other wacky comic book geeks) to understand and analyze the internal logic & plotholes.

I must give credit to Singer for maintaining and respecting the story—it shines through in this movie. Under his helm, it DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (solemn, yet entertaining) is just as terrific as its immediate predecessor X-Men: First Class (2011)—directed by Matthew Vaughn, who retains a story credit along with Kinberg and First Class co-writer Jane Goldman. Singer is, of course, abetted by his grand cast—led by the versatile Hugh Jackman as the mercurial Wolverine.

It’s amusing to note how the most popular X-Men character (and the actor himself) has become the poster boy for the franchise. Still, Jackman excels in a part that he was born to play. Top scores are also in order for McAvoy & Fassbender as the young mutant frenemies—while veteran actors (and best buds) Stewart & McKellen buoy those actors’ performances the necessary gravitas to flesh out these inimitable characters. What suffers in comparison, however is the limited time given to the other actors—hello Halle Berry, Anna Paquin and Ellen Page! Nice extended cameos, but still…

On the flipside, young actors Nicholas Hoult (dignified) and Evan Peters (anarchic) almost walk away with the picture. Even Peter Dinklage exudes quiet, sinister resonance as the Frankenstein-esque creator of the robot apocalypse. And Jennifer Lawrence? A great actress who seems weirdly-removed in her role as Mystique—here the unwitting catalyst of what transpires—but seems to pop in and out of the movie as if she was still shooting those Hunger Games movies at the same time. Just sayin’…

Production values for this $200 million production (boxofficemojo.com) are top-shelf across the board. DAYS OF FUTURE PAST was lensed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada—both on location and in studio soundstages. Credit veteran production designer John Myhre (Oscar®-winner for Chicago & Memoirs Of A Geisha; also did X-Men, Dreamgirls & Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) and his crew for coming up with a versatile mise-en-scène spanning 50 years—including the White House, the monastery in China and about another 40 set pieces.

Abetting the production design is handsome HD-widescreen 3-D lensing by Singer’s usual cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel (X-Men, X2: X-Men United, The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns). Utilizing the ARRI Alexa M & ARRI Alexa XT Plus camera systems for stereoscopic principal photography shooting, Sigel has created a striking dichotomy of the 2023 future (clean, industrial) and the 1970’s past (warmer earth tones). The pièce de résistance is the use of the Phantom v642 Broadcast camera for the movie’s best sequence (Quicksilver’s freeing of Magneto in the Pentagon prison)—which was shot at over 3000fps for an incredible slow-motion ride! Very well done indeed.

Veteran editor/composer (and Singer associate) John Ottman (X2: X-Men United, The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns, Valkyrie) does double duty here, showcasing sharp cutting between time periods as well as providing a robust score that energizes the DAYS OF FUTURE PAST proceedings. And finally, another Singer associate, costume designer Louise Mingenbach (X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns) dazzles with the X-Men costumery as well as the sight of shaggy hairdos, mutton-chop sideburns and plenty o’ polyester for us ‘70s fans.

 

 

 

IMDB:                   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877832/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Men:_Days_of_Future_Past

Official Site:          http://www.x-menmovies.com

 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

MPAA/Content PG-13 (AC, AL, V)

Distributor Columbia Pics. [2014]

Technical 2.35:1 35mm

Genres  FAN ADV SCI

Runtime 142 mins.

Cntry./Lang. USA [English]

Budget $200M

 

 

CAST

Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Embeth Davidtz, Campbell Scott, Marton Csokas, Louis Cancelmi, Max Charles, B.J. Novak, Michael Massee & Denis Leary

 

CREDITS

Director: Mark Webb; Screenwriters: Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner; Producers: Avi Arad & Matt Tolmach; Director Of Photography: Dan Mindel; Production Designer: Mark Friedberg; Editor: Pietro Scalia; Costume Designer: Deborah L. Scott; Music Composers: Hans Zimmer and The Magnificent Six Featuring Pharrell Williams and Johnny Marr

 

THE SYNOPSIS

NYC. Running late for his high school graduation, Spider-Man—aka Peter Parker (Garfield)—foils the theft of radioactive vials by Russian criminal Aleksei Sytsevich (Giamatti). A call from his girlfriend/valedictorian Gwen Stacy (Stone) prompts Spidey to quickly foil Aleksei after saving the life of Max Dillon (Foxx)—a brilliant, introverted OsCorp electrical engineer who idolizes the web-slinger. After the graduation—attended by Aunt May (Field)—Peter breaks up with Gwen as he promised her father, Capt. Stacy (Leary) before his death. Seeing Stacy’s ghost everywhere reminds Peter that being Spider-Man can cause much pain to his daughter.

Elsewhere, the dying OsCorp CEO Dr. Norman Osborne (Cooper) is visited by his estranged son Harry (DeHaan), whom he informs will eventually die of the same hereditary disease. Before passing, Norman hands him a computer key to access all OsCorp files in an effort to beat this disease. Hearing of Osborn’s death, Peter visits his childhood friend to reconnect. Peter’s deceased scientist parents Richard (Scott) & Mary (Davidtz) worked for Norman Osborn, so the history is there; as is the mystery behind their deaths…

Harry humiliates the OsCorp Board—including VP Donald Menken (Feore)—and takes control to explore his father’s scientific projects…one of which involves harvesting energy from genetically enhanced electric eels. Max discovers them when he accidentally falls into a water tank during routine repairs. The eels bite him, causing their energy to mutate Max into a human electrical generator! Stumbling over to Time Square, the cops and Spidey appear when he reacts with hostile force. Spidey subdues Max—who promises revenge as the cops take him away…

Menken has Harry expelled from OsCorp, blaming the new CEO for a cover-up of Max’s “death”. Harry begs Spider-Man to do a blood transfusion in an effort to cure Harry’s disease, but Spidey vetoes the notion…fearing that the side effects may be too dangerous to his friend. Enraged, Harry vows revenge and breaks into the Ravencroft Institute to free Electro.  Sneaking into OsCorp, they kill Menken and access—with help of Harry’s loyal assistant Felicia (Jones)—the top secret advanced weaponry and armor suits that his father had designed and built. Vials of genetically altered spiders that made Peter Spider-Man are also there. Harry ingests a vial but mutates into something green and scary…

Having been accepted to England’s Oxford University, Gwen informs Peter that she is leaving New York. Realizing how much he loves her, Peter decides to go with her. Before they can head for the airport, however, Electro has knocked out most of the power grids in the city as Harry commandeers his father’s green armor suit and glider machine to cause mischief. A final battle is brewing as Peter/Spidey and Gwen take on the villains, but victory comes at a cost…

 

THE CRITIQUE

As far as sequels go, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 is enjoyable superhero entertainment that won’t tax the brain. It is an ambitious continuation to the preceding The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)—itself a “reboot” (ugh…I hate that word) of the popular Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007) starring Tobey Maguire, himself a descent actor who did a nice job sling those CGI webs around CGI New York City.

While the new Spidey movies lack the dark Wagnerian scope of Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece Batman/Dark Knight trilogy (2005-2012), the snark of the well-oiled Iron-Man series (2008-Present) or the operatic chaos of the infinitely expanding X-Men saga (2000-Present—including spin-offs and origin movies), they do feature an immensely likable (but wise-ass) teenage superhero we can all relate to…almost. Most of our heads lack the prominent spiky pompadour adorning the head of the current Spidey, Andrew Garfield. Just saying…

The newest Spidey movie was written by prolific scribe team Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner (the three men responsible for TV’s Alias & Fringe; Kurtzman & Orici are also responsible for writing such movies as Mission: Impossible III, Transformers & Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, Star Trek [2009] & Star Trek Into Darkness) —and I can only say that they stuffed everything into this one except the kitchen sink (which was probably shattered during the epic battle in The Avengers movie, a MARVEL movie like this one).

One of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 screenplay’s glaring problems is the lack of focus. Why do these movies insist on throwing in 300 freakin’ name villains into one movie? Batman Forever (1995), a fun movie in its own right, did the same thing. Pick a villain! The Green Goblin is Spider-Man’s scariest foe—go with it!! Here, they throw in Electro and The Rhino (to almost no effect) and leave GG to pick up the pieces. I can only assume that GG will return in the next movie, but I cannot focus on that one right now. Is it me? Just saying…

Another issue is throwing in a prologue involving a sub-plot involving Peter Parker’s deceased parents and their involvement with OsCorp. While I understand that it is probably essential to the overall multi-movie arc, this one seems thrown in just because. On the other hand, the Sally Field/Aunt May character gets some mileage out of this plot element during her BIG SCENE. Add in the likable romance between Peter and Gwen—and their amiable personalities—and the screenplay earns back some of its points.

Speaking of the cast, the likable Andrew Garfield reprises his role as Spidey, bringing charm and humility to a role that also requires him to be a New Yawk wise-ass—so much so that my Queens-born/bred actor friend Matthew found his interpretation to be a tad excessive. Three hours of arguing about it with dear Matt confirms (to me anyway) that Garfield is right on the money. Then again, I’m Jersey-born/bred…so wise-ass is a natural prerequisite for growing up in the NYC metropolitan area! Just saying…

Bringing balance to the fore is the lovely Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. Smart, spunky, hot—wow, I’m jealous of Spidey—the young lass holds up her end of the chemistry quotient with Andy. Sally Field, one of the great actresses of her generation, does her part to bring stability to the Parker household—even earning her own aforementioned BIG SCENE.

The villains on the other hand…meh. I was intrigued with Jamie Foxx’s casting as Electro, but was disappointed with his interpretation. Same with Dane DeHaan, an interesting actor who was a much better antagonist in the underrated sci-fi thriller Chronicle (2012). So much attention is given to Foxx’s Electro and Feore’s villainous Menken (another great character actor who can always play a heavy)—among other matters—that DeHaan’s conversion into the new Green Goblin is so anti-climactic. Again, an issue with the screenplay more than the actors involved.

In fact, the only villain that I really liked was the underused Paul Giamatti as the Russian criminal Aleksei Sytsevich, aka The Rhino. We only see him causing bedlam at the beginning and then suiting up as The Rhino at the end to take on Spider-Man. Giamatti is a talented actor who gives it his all here—and I’ll assume that we’ll see him again in one of the forthcoming sequels. But still, why add him in at all? Just saying…

Part of the blame goes to director Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, 500 Days Of Summer) for not streamlining the screenplay more. Really—did the theatrical cut of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 need to be 142 minutes? That’s 18 minutes shorter than it took for the Titanic to sink way back in 1912! Still, it’s not bad news for Webb, whose strength as the director of this movie is in the human aspects of the story (Peter & Gwen; Aunt May & Peter; etc.). Also, Webb manages to helm the complete package with a growing sense of craft and entertainment value—because let’s face it: this isn’t the visually-operatic retelling of a Dostoyevsky novel or the existential tomes of Kierkegaard. It’s Spider-friggin’-Man…entertain me without giving me a headache!! Comparing Part 1 to Part 2, the latter is more ambitious while the former is better focused. I’m not sure if director Marc Webb is returning for Part 3 (and he should, for the sake of parity)—but I’m pretty sure that he’ll hit his stride—as will the series.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 earns top marks for production values for the estimated $200+ million endeavor (imdb.com). The film was shot entirely in New York State, with a majority of the production occurring within the New York City area—with the exception of an extended chase sequence filmed in Rochester, NY. It has been said that this movie is the largest production ever filmed in New York State.

Wait, did I say “filmed”? Yes! Lensed on 35mm film in the classic PANAVISION^® scope format by ace South African cinematographer Dan Mindel (Spy Game, Star Trek [2009], Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek Into Darkness), this movie looks fantastic. I say this with amazement because Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man was shot in HD by veteran cinematographer John Schwartzman (Armageddon, Seabiscuit, The Green Hornet) and the look of the two movies cannot be more different. Not to knock Schwartzman—he’s one of my favorite cinematographers—but Mindel actually convinced Webb to go for the film/anamorphic package—and to terrific results. I am so very happy to see that film is not yet on its way to the morgue.

Unnecessarily-long running time excluded, the movie’s cutting is an exercise in elegance by veteran Sicilian editor Pietro Scalia (Oscar^®-winner for JFK & Black Hawk Down; also cut Ridley Scott’s Hannibal, Gladiator, American Gangster, The Counselor). And speaking of elegant, the musical score by Hans Zimmer (Oscar^®-winner for The Lion King; also composed Ridley Scott’s Black Rain, Gladiator, Hannibal, Matchstick Men as well as Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy) with The Magnificent Six supergroup earns kudos as well. To read more about them, click here.

I’d also like to extol the grandiose production design by New Yawker Mark Friedberg (The Ice Storm, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Across The Universe, Noah)—who beside creating a cool lair design within OsCorp—actually created a great mock-up of Times Square for the Electro vs. Spider-Man sequence—aided in VFX by the artisans at Sony Picture Imageworks. Easily the best set-piece in the movie, one day of shooting on location in the real Times Square—in addition to capturing all visual references for later studio work (per the production notes)—gets props for intricate detail orientation.

The cool Electro VFX make-up was designed by prolific house KNB EFX Group while the new Spidey costume was designed by veteran Deborah L. Scott Oscar^®-winner for Titanic; also costumed Back To The Future, 2000’s The Patriot, Transformers 1-3) in an effort to harken the MARVEL comic book incarnation’s original design—including the white eyepieces…heretofore never done for any Spider-Man movie.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

With everything but the kitchen sink thrown in, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 manages to score as overall entertainment—but sputters in its individual minutiae (unfocused screenplay, excessive villains, etc.)—hence the ½ star reduction. However, a strong cast, handsome production values, nifty VFX and that classic New York state-of-mind vibe slings this flick forward into the future with the next movie already on the horizon. You keep slinging, Spidey baby…just saying!!

 

 

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872181/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_2

Official Site:          http://www.theamazingspiderman.com/site/

Captain Phillips

MPAA/Content PG-13 [AC, AL, SV]

Distributor Columbia Pictures

Technical 16mm 35mm 2.40:1

Genres THR ADV HIS

Runtime 134 mins.

Country USA

Budget $55M

 

CAST

Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali, Michael Chernus, Corey Johnson, Max Martini, Chris Mulkey, Yul Vazquez & David Warshofsky

 

CREDITS 

Director: Paul Greengrass; Screenwriter: Billy Ray; Producers: Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti & Michael De Luca; Director Of Photography: Barry Ackroyd; Production Designer: Paul Kirby; Editor: Christopher Rouse; Costume Designer: Mark Bridges; Music Composer: Henry Jackman

 

THE SYNOPSIS

The Gulf of Aden, Oman, 2009.  Captain Richard Phillips (Hanks) takes command of Merchant Vessel Maersk Alabama, an unarmed cargo/container ship on a routine mission south to Kenya.  A highly competent seaman and martinet, Phillips engages his men in safety and security drills, knowing that pirates roam the waters in this part of the world.

The vessel is indeed attacked by skiffs piloted by young Somali pirates—desperate young men…some of whom serve their greedy warlords; others who must commit these crimes to feed their families.  The pirates are temporarily deterred by the Alabama’s anti-pirate countermeasures; but the determined young Somali Abduwali Muse (Abdi) returns the next day with another skiff and three able (and heavily armed) young men: Najee (Ahmed), Assad (Ali) & Bilal (Abdirahman) and successfully board the ship.

Muse warns Phillips that he is now the captain.  His goal (like that of all pirates) is to hold the ship and crew for a hefty ransom.  The plan goes awry when a crewmember cuts the power off to the entire ship.  After being overpowered, Muse is convinced to take Phillips as a hostage and leave the Alabama on a lifeboat with his men.

During this time, the USS Bainbridge arrives on the scene to delegate, although its master, Commander Frank Castellano (Vazquez) is under strict orders to not engage.  Other US ships arrive with the same orders.  A harrowing game of cat-an-mouse is underway as Phillips attempts to escape from the enclosed lifeboat more than once—testing the patience and limits of Muse, his men and himself.

The terror comes to an end when a sniper team of Navy SEALs arrives and takes out Najee, Assad & Bilal.  Muse, sent to the Bainbridge under the assumption that his tribal warlords will be there to negotiate Phillips’ release, is taken into custody and charged with piracy.  Captain Phillips, now safe on the same ship, finally breaks down in tears of shock and gratitude as he realizes that he is safe…and the ordeal over.

 

THE CRITIQUE

Based on the best-selling book A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, andDangerous Days at Sea by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty, the film version CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is an instant masterpiece.  The screenplay, written with verve by veteran scribe Billy Ray (Shattered Glass, Breach, The Hunger Games), plays it straight—and perhaps more importantly…instigates parity in the moral dilemma regarding the pirates’ motives for the actions they are about to commit.

These men are hungry, frustrated, uneducated and trying to navigate the warlord fiefdom ecosystem imposed on them by their fragmented society.  Not that piracy is the answer—and not that every Somali pirate is merely trying to “pay the bills”, but at least this plight is presented to us in Ray’s screenplay before the action commences.  The end result (at least for me) is that someone—anyone—with human empathy can at least understand the motives.

Filmed over 60 days in open water, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is directed with bravado by veteran British director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, United 93, The Bourne Ultimatum, Green Zone)—who once again proves that he is a master of the “shaky camera” action genre.  Rumor has it that Ron Howard was supposed to direct the movie, but switched up with Greengrass—who was to direct the equally-terrific Formula One flick Rush instead.  Sounds like the right call!

One thing is for certain: Greengrass gets a lot of nautical miles out of his cast.  What more can I say about Tom Hanks that hasn’t already been said?  He is our generation’s Jimmy Stewart; a fine actor and a sweet guy.  Playing Richard Phillips with a degree of old sea dog common sense and a martinet sense of duty to his crew and vessel, I would want no one (besides Harrison Ford, of course) being my captain!

Although he was (surprisingly) not nominated for an Oscar^®, Hanks owns the role.  After playing Capt. Richard Phillips and Walt Disney (in Saving Mr. Banks), Hanks should maybe next consider playing Capt. Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger (the heroic pilot of US Airways Flight 1549) or even St. Francis of Assisi.  The actor’s on a roll, so why stop now!

As great as Tom Hanks is in the movie, the real breakout is newbie Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi, who hails from Minnesota by way of Mogadishu.  This dude nails IT…desperation, cunning, bravado, violence; even a hint of humanity, in the portrait of the real life Abduwali Muse—who is currently alive and well in a US Federal Penitentiary.  The rest of the Somali actors (also newbies from Minnesota) are solid too.  The remaining cast members do what they need to.

Production values of the modestly-budgeted $55 million (boxofficemojo.com) film are top shelf across the board.

Credit CAPTAIN PHILLIPS ‘ handsome widescreen-lensing to veteran British cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (United 93, The Hurt Locker, Green Zone, Contraband)—who does a fantastic job combining different formats to create a realistic mise-en-scène.  Per his interview in American Cinematographer (November 2013), Ackroyd had stated that he and Greengrass decided to shoot the movie on film (hallelujah!) in this fashion: Super 16mm (using the workhorse Aaton XTR Prod) for the Somali and skiffs sequences; Super 35mm (using the Aaton Penelope & ARRICAM cameras Lite, 235 & 435) for the main shoot; and HD digital cameras such as the compact-but-versatile GoPro for the SEAL skydiving sequences.

Besides being able to conform all of the footage into a cohesive film, I admire the taut cutting schema of veteran American editor/Greengrass collaborator Christopher Rouse (Oscar^®-winner for The Bourne Ultimatum; also edited The Bourne Supremacy, United 93, Green Zone).  Taking this yarn and ratcheting up the tension is what great editing is about.

Having been given the Maersk Alabama’s sister ship Maersk Alexandria to utilize in the shoot, production designer Paul Kirby (The Devil’s Double) brings to the mise-en-scène the veritas needed to make it all believable.  Appropriate costuming by veteran American designer Mark Bridges (Oscar^®-winner for The Artist; also clothed Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, The Master) and a strong score by British composer Henry Jackman (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier) round out the talent behind the camera.

The movie was filmed in Malta, Morocco (standing in for Somalia), Massachusetts & Virginia (USA) and England (for certain interiors).  Much of the lifeboat sequences were actually filmed in the famous water tank at Malta, while the denouement rescue mission was filmed in the Atlantic Ocean near Norfolk, VA.  And yes, the US Navy and Maersk offered their full support in the making of CAPTAIN PHILLIPS.

Man, what a flick!  I enjoyed it as much as it terrified me.  Are there some issues with the film?  Sure.  There are historical inaccuracies abundant in the yarn—but in the spirit of dramatic conflict and good freakin’ Cinema, I shall forgive the filmmakers.  To read more about the reel-vs.-real conundrum, check out the History Vs. Hollywood article here.  But highjack yourself and see the movie anyway!

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

Steering this movie in the right direction, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS earns its stripes as a terrific, action-packed thriller.  That it’s based on a verifiable true story gives the movie an august sheen of respectability.  Although we know how the story ends, it does not take away from the thrill of watching it.  Now, that’s filmmaking at its best!

 

 

 

IMDB:                     http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535109/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Phillips_(film)

Official Site:          http://www.captainphillipsmovie.com/site/

Gravity

MPAA/Content PG-13 [AC, AL, V]

Distributor Warner Bros.

Technical HD 65mm 2.40:1

Genres SCI THR ADV

Runtime 91 mins.

Country USA UK

Budget $100M

 

CAST

Sandra Bullock, George Clooney; voices of: Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen & Phaldut Sharma

 

CREDITS

Director: Alfonso Cuarón; Screenwriters: Alfonso Cuarón / Jonás Cuarón; Producers: Alfonso Cuarón / David Heyman; Director Of Photography: Emmanuel Lubezki; VFX Supervisor: Tim Webber; Production Designer: Andy Nicholson; Editors: Alfonso Cuarón / Mark Sanger; Costume Designer: Jany Temime; Music Composer: Steven Price

 

THE SYNOPSIS

Miles above the Earth floats Space Shuttle Explorer (Mission STS-157), where medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and veteran astronaut Commander Matt Kowalski (Clooney) are in the midst of a spacewalk on the Hubble Space Telescope.  They are warned by Houston Command (voiced by Harris) that debris from a defunct satellite fired upon by a Russian missile is heading their way.

Minutes later, the projectiles smash into the Explorer, vaporizing it and the rest of the crew onboard—causing Stone and Kowalski to float away from the telescope.  Using their thrusters, they aim for the International Space Station a mere 900 miles away.  The goal is to reach the ISS before the debris slingshots around the Earth on its deadly orbit.

Along the way, Matt urges Ryan to tell him about herself (to keep her calm and focused so as not run out of oxygen).  Turns out that Ryan lost her daughter a short time ago and carries that pain with her.  They reach the ISS, but so does the debris projectiles—causing another explosion.  Ryan and Matt are about to be sucked into the darkness of space—but Kowalski saves her by detaching himself and drifting off into space towards certain death.  Before he disappears, Matt calmly relays to Ryan the details of what she must do next to survive.

She climbs into the ISS and into a Soyuz capsule—launching it before the whole station explodes.  Per Matt’s pre-death advise, she is to navigate the Soyuz capsule to a Chinese space station, Tiangong, a mere 100 miles away.  Reaching her limit, Ryan decides to power down the Soyuz and die peacefully.  Suddenly, Matt climbs into the capsule with her and scolds her for giving up.  The hallucinatory pep talk works, as Ryan gets her second wind.

Unable to dock the Soyuz with the Tiangong, Ryan suits up and uses a fire extinguisher to propel her over to the station.  Once inside, she launches the last escape module and heads towards Earth, though more debris compromises her trajectory.  Miraculously, Ryan makes it back to terra firma and crash lands in a lake.  She fights her way out of the ship and swims to safety.

 

THE CRITIQUE

Whenever you think you’re having a bad day, do yourself a favor and take a look at GRAVITY.  What Sandra Bullock goes through will make you appreciate the (most likely) un-severity of your own situation!  But seriously…this movie is exciting, intense, frightening, hopeful—I could go on to Infinity…AND BEYOND!!  But I shan’t.

Written by director Alfonso Cuarón and his son Jonás (himself a budding multi-hyphenate filmmaker), the screenplay and its structure are deceptively simple in the Classical Literature sense: (Wo)Man vs. Nature, (Wo)Man vs. Fate, (Wo)Man vs. (her)himself.  However, its themes are far more complex than that.

Maternity plays a big part of the structure: Dr. Stone is a mother who lost her child; she performs her maternal duties by repairing damages and coaxing her fellow astronauts to focus on the mission (like any mother would…clean up the boo-boos and have their child focus on the daily tasks); Stone plies her trade in the shadow of Gaia (Mother Earth), at first attached to the ship (like an umbilical cord)—but yearning to return home to Mama Earth… get it?  Man, I’m good!

Other themes surface as the movie progresses: the balance of light and dark (hope and desperation) prevalent in outer space; survival of the fittest vs. survival of the most resourceful vs. survival of the most faithful; rebirth through the crucible of death; and ultimately… the grand theme of Life itself.  Yes: breathing fresh air is good!

Directed with flair, poise and cojones the size of Skylab by Mexican auteur Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También, Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, Children Of Men), GRAVITY works more as science fiction that science fact.  No matter.  Cuarón plays up the human element as much as the fantastical celestial element with equal parts.  Even more so, he gets terrific performances out of his main actors.

Sandra Bullock buoys the entire movie on her lovely shoulders and she sells it with class, empathy and determination.  What can I say about George Clooney’s extended cameo?  The guy makes it all look too easy.  For such a limited role (originally to be cast with Robert Downey Jr.), Clooney imbues Matt Kowalski with levity, calm and (unfortunately) brevity—when he shuffles off into the darkness of outer space…my only complaint in this otherwise excellent movie—but I will elaborate further down the review.  Nevertheless, bravo to Clooney for taking a throwaway role (no-pun intended) and giving it the main character’s impetus for survival.  Oh, and it was great hearing Ed Harris representing Houston Control yet again (after doing so in Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 [1995]).  If the shit ever hits the fan, you’ll surely want Ed Harris on the other end of the line to help!

Production values for this $100 million (boxofficemojo.com) US/UK co-production are upper stratum all the way.  Now get ready for the kudos, folks—because I’ve got plenty in my rocket pocket!

First and foremost, my hats off to the talented Mexican cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki (Y Tu Mamá También, Sleepy Hollow, The New World, Children Of Men)—who has created a clean, super-realistic visual palette in his striking, HD-widescreen lensing.  95% of the production utilized the ARRI AlexaM high definition camera system for the celestial and capsule sequences while the remaining 5% (the final sequence on Earth) was actually shot at Arizona’s Lake Powell on 65mm film utilizing the workhorse ARRIFLEX 765 camera. 

Per American Cinematographer (November 2013 issue), veteran Kiwi cinematographer Michael Seresin (Midnight Express, Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes) stepped into the role when Lubezki had to leave.  The end result is seamless and flawless.  For the record, GRAVITY was conceived in 2D and later converted to 3D for exhibition.  As I understand it, the 3D version is very well-rendered.  Aiding the cinematographers in creating the celestial effects is veteran VFX Supervisor Tim Webber (Children Of Men, The Dark Knight, Avatar)—whom I mention in this review as one of the pillars of the GRAVITY production because of the praise heaped on him and his crew by both Cuarón and Lubezki.  From working on realistic wiring rigs to facilitating zero gravity replication to the CGI rendering of costume minutiae and the illusion of outer space, Webber gets a kudo too.

Edited with restraint by Cuarón and British cutter Mark Sanger (assistant editor on Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough & The Mummy), the movie clocks in at a brisk 91 minutes.  Utilizing long takes—the first shot alone is 13 minutes long (!)—the editors manage to use the infinite expanse of outer space to ratchet up the tension, which never lets up until the very end.  GRAVITY is rumored to contain something like 150 shots in its entire runtime.  Wow!

The rest of the technical credits are also top-shelf.  The realistic (and NASA-consulted) sets & costumes are courtesy of former architect-turned-production designer Andy Nicholson (The Host, Divergent) and veteran costume designer Jany Temime (Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, Children Of Men, Skyfall), respectively.  The percussive and intensifying score is courtesy of British composer Steve Price (Attack The Block, The World’s End). 

You can obviously tell that I am a huge fan of GRAVITY.  If I had one gripe (besides some of the scientific inaccuracies evident in the movie; for a list that someone actually complied, please see them here), it has to be the way Clooney shuffles of his mortal coil.  In my opinion, he lets go way too easy. But then again, I’m sure that his Kowalski character isn’t from Jersey like I am!  No oxygen?  No problem.  You ever try to breathe the air in Jersey?  Fuhgeddaboudit…

All told, this should be the movie to beat at this year’s Academy Awards^® ceremony (with 10 nominations to boot).  Oh—and by the way: all of the production artisans listed in this review were nominated for an Oscar^®.  Whatever happens, GRAVITY still gets my vote as the best movie of 2013.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

GRAVITY sucks you in for frame one and doesn’t let go until the end credits.  Impressive for a movie that contains only two actors (albeit mega A-listers) and plenty of open space (no pun intended).  Technological aspects are groundbreaking and will become a harbinger of great filmmaking VFX to come.  The best film of 2013…I’d say hand down—but you may need those hands to prevent you from floating away into the æther!

 

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_(film)

Official Site:          http://gravitymovie.warnerbros.com/#/home

Riddick

MPAA/Content R [AC, AL, SV]

Distributor Universal Pictures

Technical HD 2.40:1

Genres SCI ADV THR

Runtime 119 mins.

Country USA

Budget $38M

 

CAST

Vin Diesel, Jordi Mollà, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, Dave Bautista, Bokeem Woodbine, Raoul Trujillo, Nolan Gerard Funk, Conrad Pla, Noah Danby, Neil Napier, Danny Blanco Hall & Karl Urban

 

CREDITS

Director/Screenwriter: David Twohy; Producers: Vin Diesel & Ted Field; Director Of Photography: David Eggby; Production Designer: Joseph Nemec III; Editor: Tracy Adams; Costume Designer: Simonetta Mariano; Music Composer: Graeme Revell

 

THE SYNOPSIS

Years after becoming Lord Marshal of the Necromonger fleet, galactic convict Richard P. Riddick (Diesel) has grown restless and yearns to find his home planet of Furya.  Striking a deal with heir apparent Lord Vaako (Urban), Riddick travels with Vaako’s men—but is instead marooned on a hostile, deserted planet after killing his would-be assassins.

Nursing a fractured leg, Riddick wanders the hostile environ and settles into a savannah cave, where he encounters carnivorous jackals and slimy water creatures called “mud demons.”  He adopts a jackal pup and begins his healing & training curriculum…which includes the continuous injection into his body of the mud demons’ venom to build an immunity.

Sometime later, Riddick vanquishes a pool of mud demons and sets off into the desert, pet jackal in tow.  Seeing violent storm formations in the atmosphere and realizing that those mud demons (who require constant hydration) will be out in full deadly force, Riddick activates the emergency beacon in an empty mercenary station and awaits the mercs who will come to capture him.  Sure enough, two ships arrive a short time later.

Ship One carries a group of unkempt mercs led by the sadistic Santana (Mollà) and including the massive Diaz (Bautista), pious newbie Luna (Funk) and trigger-happy Nunez (Danby), Rubio (Napier) & Falco (Hall).  Ship Two carries professional warriors: leader Boss Johns (Nable), beautiful-but-lethal sniper Dahl (Sackhoff), bounty hunter/tracker Lockspur (Trujillo) and mechanic Moss (Woodbine).  Riddick makes it clear via a message that all he wants is a ship to leave in: no one needs to die.  Fat chance.

Santana wants Riddick’s head to claim the huge bounty while Johns has ulterior motives in capturing Riddick.  With a dangerous storm approaching, and mercs dropping like flies, everyone must band together to take on the multiplying mud demons outside—while tensions run high inside.  Riddick must fight battles on all sides if he is to survive—as well as discover Johns’ motives for tracking him down in the first place…

 

THE CRITIQUE

Owing more in style & budget to its terrific progenitor Pitch Black (2000) than its big-budgeted/spectacle-based sequel The Chronicles Of Riddick (2004), the latest RIDDICK outing goes back to the basics and delivers a muscular yarn with some panache and a good helping of ass-whoopin’!

Written & directed with familiarity by Riddick series veteran David Twohy (Pitch Black, The Chronicles Of Riddick, Below), the movie plays out like an alien Jeremiah Johnson (1972)-meets-Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.  Yes, a weird combination for an action-based Vin Diesel vehicle—but follow along here.  There is some criticism by other reviewers (and movie-goers alike) that the first Act drags the movie down.  I disagree.

These First Act sequences are purposely measured and establishes Riddick’s survival skills as well as his intelligence and resilience quotients.  This is a testament to writer/director Twohy’s understanding of the character he created as well as Diesel’s mastery of the role.  Combine my theorem with the muscular action that follows and I posit that RIDDICK is well-structured and directed genre movie.

As aforementioned, Diesel carries the movie as the taciturn anti-hero Riddick.  While he’ll probably never win an Oscar^® for his acting style, the man does manage to convey various nuances in his stoic portrayal.  The rest of the cast acquits itself, with former rugby star Matt Nable’s turn as a military man with a paternal agenda and Spain’s Jorge Mollà as a despicable villain as the standouts.  Katie Sackhoff exudes testosterone in the token female role—but since she’s rather nice to look at—I have few complaints about the ass-kicking she doles out in regular intervals.

Production values for the mid-budgeted $38 million movie (boxofficemojo.com)—filmed on soundstages in Montreal, Canada —are top-shelf across the board.

Returning to the Riddickverse is veteran British cinematographer David Eggby (Pitch Black, Daylight, Dragonheart), whose textured, HD-widescreen lensing employs different lighting schemas throughout the movie.  The lensing of the interiors reminds me of late British cinematographer Derek Vanlint’s excellent widescreen-photography in Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979).  While I am not a fan of HD filmmaking for fiction features, I will tip my hat to any photography that is done with appropriate style (in this case, the ARRI^® Alexa system was utilized).  Kudos, Mr. Eggby…kudos.

Veteran cutter Tracy Adams (The Chronicles Of Riddick, Limitless, APerfect Getaway) also gets a nod for NOT hyper-editing the action-packed Acts II & III.  The economy of shots in Act I is a perfect antithesis for what follows.  Adding to the mise-en-scène is veteran production designer Joseph Nemec III (Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Patriot Games, APerfect Getaway)—who earns a shout-out for devising physical sets for the spaceships and the merc station.  He and the director employed real props and structures to convey the texture of the tale… and I for one am happy for the limited use of green screen technology.  Conversely, the realistic VFX are well-crafted and add—not take away—from the movie.

RIDDICK may not have been box-office burner—but it is a genre movie that has its fans (like me) and will possess a long shelf life on home video and TV.  It is Riddick’s anti-establishment disposition that will hit home with viewers who love a rebel.  He is a character as rebellious as Giles Corey in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible or Peter Fonda’s Captain America in Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider (1969)—though big muscles, fiery eyes and a perfectly shaved head are more suited for extraterrestrial adventures than Puritanism and Free Love will ever be!

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

The third time’s a wicked charm as RIDDICK returns the namesake main character to its stripped-down origins in this muscular sci-fi/thriller variation of an Agatha Christie novel.  Terrific mise-en-scène, realistic VFX and Vin Diesel’s perfectly-shaved head make this one a winner.

 

IMDB:                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1411250/

Wikipedia:             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddick_(film)

Official Site:          http://www.riddick-movie.com/