2012

I saw this and let me just say I am not impressed. It does happen to be the best catastrophe movie I have ever seen. It also happens to be the only catastrophe movie I have ever seen with the exception of genre mix-ups regarding Cloverfield, War of the Worlds (and other such alien-type movies) and that movie with Will Smith where everyone had become a vampire of some sort. (which I must say I rather enjoyed, somewhat due to the Bob Marley "Three Little Birds" song in the bath scenes) (I am Legend is the title by the way, just remembered). Anyway.

And there is a very good reason for me not generally watching catastrophe movies - they are crap. Let me bring a few examples before you go on to claim me a daft idiot. The car runaway-chase-thing sequence quite at the beginning was simply horrid, not that it was scary, but it was just unbelievably poor. Then there was the bit where he climbed up the edge of the cliff at the Yellowstone airfield - he must have been dead... I mean, surely! Furthermore, at the end, the ark opened its decks and the people went for a wander. I would quite want to meet the designer who decides that as the fate of the human kind depends on his ark he should "add some sunbeds, a pool and maybe a few lilos... you know, give give it a bit of a swing" [in the voice of Eddie Izzard impersonating Sean Connery]. Listen, mate, if there is a huge tsunami coming your way you would want to make your ship as impenetrable and strong as possible and huge lift-up iron curtains sure as hell aren't the way forward.

That is exactly what pisses me off when watching such films. They are not realistic. I'm not going to get down and dirty with the acting, directing, camerawork or soundtrack. Someone I follow on Twitter said that the graphics were amazing and the rest of the film was crap. And he should know his stuff, having done green-screen stuff for the Wolverine etc. Many others agreed on that. I, however, do not.

The fact that I just saw Avatar may have something to do with things, but it just did not do it for me. Yes, it is the graphics I am talking about here. You can say it is much harder to realistically depict people dying under world famous buildings like the Apostolic Palace than make a giant blue dude browse about in wonderland. And fair play to you, that is a valid argument. But I just was not impressed, I can't help it, I wasn't.

So this is what I say: You get dragged into the story... sort of, anyway... but would I watch it again? No. Would I recommend it? No. Would I tell you it was a waste of your time if you did decide to watch it? Well, I simply couldn't care less, but probably, yes! Then again, you are free person in a free country (hopefully), so watch whatever you want and make your own mind up about it rather than taking my word for it. Even though it is the truth.

AVATAR

Right, this is the big one. I will try to keep it a little shorter than an encyclopedia. So, finally, I managed to see Avatar. And it gets better. I saw it in 3D which for me is like taking a pair of skis for a test run... in Morocco.

But I was surprised, and I do mean genuinely surprised. When my friend suggested seeing it in 3d I obviously thought he had lost it completely and I would have to spend the next few decades visiting him in a mental institution. But let's keep calm, children, for I saw the future today. Now, don't think I have lost it as well, because the last time I saw anything in 3d was at the IMAX more than 5 years ago. Luckily for all of us, people have actually done stuff since then and the experience was thoroughly enjoyable. Sure, my eyes were a tad tired afterwards and occasionally the corners of the screen went slightly blurry. But truth be told, I couldn't give a toss.

What I did care about were the limitations of the screen. When it comes to something so visually extraordinary, whale-length inches x mammoth-width inches cinema screen simply isn't big enough I'm afraid. And I was sat in the front half of the theatre. I wanted the screen to consume me, I wanted the guy in front of me to chop off his head as it sometimes rammed into my bubbly dream. I wish it could have been just me in the cinema, so I could wander up to the screen and stand there gazing in awe, feeling part of the whole thing. And I am not putting make-up on a minger here, it simply was visually outstanding. In a class of its own. Maybe, being a designer and highly influenced by graphic design, I am inadequate in judging this objectively, but sod it! Like I said before, I don't intend to be a professional film critic here... It looked absolutely stunning!

Best film I have seen this year? I would have to say no, because for me to make that judgement I would have to compare it to other films, which is quite impossible as it simply IS in a league of its own. The plot was... well "epic", as my friend suggested after the film. It had to be, otherwise it would have given it the feel of a cartoon. And this certainly was no cartoon. Matrix meets LOTR meets Star Wars meets Jurassic Park is the closest I can do and I am still miles from what it was. There is just no way of describing it to be frank. So do yourself a favor and see for yourself.

Lets talk about acting. Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) did alright. The only reason for me to be so modest is the "slight hunch" that he did not do the motion capture scenes himself. Zoe Saldana (Neytiri) the same. I liked the accent the whole way through and that combined with the african rhythms, which accompanied the tribal scenes throughout just took me somewhere else. I was impressed Giovanni Ribisi's work as Parker Selfridge. Never mind the suggestive name that accidentally implies selfishness, he did his part proud and I thought he managed to create a sub-layer to the character. Well done indeed.

What else is there... soundtrack - epic. That's all I can say. Camerawork and screenplay.. actually, wait! I'm gonna stick with this. Combined with the 3d, the way scenes were shot really involved the user in the scene, in the situation. And for this, I think credit is due. Cameron did well. As epic as the Titanic was and as visually great as the Terminator trilogy was, this simply tops it all for me. I'd take this over them, and maybe due to the heat of the moment, any other film any day of the week. I simply enjoyed it that much. I could easily have spent another 3h in the theatre carrying on watching it. At which point I just don't understand why instead of doing three films of the Terminator, couldn't they focused their efforts in making Avatar, say, 9h long? I would not have objected and I do not think anyone else would have. Maybe it was because the graphics team would have died of old age before they finished. Then again beauty demands a sacrifice...

Read & See!

I recommend it a thousand times over and let me just say that if this doesn't bring home the golden men I will actually start a riot. Even if it's a riot of one.

The Science of Sleep

Right, so I watched this film because a friend suggested it on her blog. Now, normally I don't do this, but I thought you might want a heads-up on this one. Its about this guy who has a condition where he merges reality with dreams. There is a fancy name for it, naturally, but it is completely irrelevant. The film reminded me a bit of Amelie, as to me not understanding what the overall storyline was and thoroughly enjoying what I was seeing. Was it as good? No. Was the acting particularly good? No. Was the plot good? Well... no. So what do I think of it? The best film I have seen this year. And I'm not joking, I have seen some damn good films this year, "Inglorious Bastards", "Public Enemies" and "Angels and Demons" only a few to mention. Yet, this is a good contender for bringing home the money.

Let me explain. First of all, I enjoyed the dream sequences so much. They are so wonderfully random and yet seeming to make perfect sense, just as we question nothing obscure that occurs in our dreams, but accept it as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Paintbrushes used as drumsticks seems to make perfect sense because they have the same quality of making the soft-hitting sound as those drumsticks that are actually meant to do that. Yet they are completely wrong, there is no point in having them there. Paintbrushes aren't supposed to be there. The detail to which these sequences are planned is simply exceptional. And the use of cardboard is simply stunning.

Another thing that simply blew me away was the dialogue between the "show" going on inside his head (his thoughts) and the reality. The window-eye system was ingenious and the cuts of Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal) walking through a door in the dream into a situation in the real life nothing short of a masterpiece. The dialogue extends into the plot in a similar way the brain actually works. Our dreams deal with problems in our real lives and his dreams provided a multitude of solutions, endings, options to solve his unfortunate crush on Sephanie.

When I started watching this film it seemed as if I had made my mind up on disliking it but it made me laugh and simply enjoy the shear nothingness of what is currently in front of my eyes. The plot has no real backstory, the timeframe the film depicts - Stephane meeting Stephanie and the development of the relationship on the backdrop of Stephane's new job - well, let's just say that other films may have told the story in 10 minutes with time to spare. But I simply... or should I say thoroughly? Yes, I'm sticking with thoroughly... THOROUGHLY enjoyed every second of the film. Every movement, every new concept, every new scene made me smile inside in a way not many things can make me do.

So last, but definitely not least, the "fuzziness" of the film - the abstract in the dream sequences. I do not think magnificent would be an exaggeration here. The felt creatures, even the "scary" spider-like-typing-legs-hairy-thing in the cave. I mean, don't you just want to take all of that stuff and put it in a room somewhere in your house because it is just so nice and cozy-looking? I know I do.

My friend said on her blog: "Fancy something a little alternative? Try this out." I don't care whether you are into alternative, popular, weird, mainstream or anything else, or you don't watch films at all but happened to read this. I encourage you, I urge you, I command you... do yourself a big favor and watch this film!

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

So what does happen when you take a bunch of relatively unknown actors, a somewhat has-been, a good director and a catchy plot? A damn good film, that's what. Give me the benefit of the doubt here, please, and let me explain.

There were a lot of dragging scenes, the film really never got going until the second half, the acting... wait, I'm gonna come back to that. Well, it just didn't do it for me. I was bored and just wanted to finish it for the sake of it. The actors did their job as if nothing really was falling for them: the alarm went off just a bit too late that morning, the water in the shower was a bit too cold and the breakfast was a bit cold. But I will give them all the credit they deserve, maybe we are all too brainwashed by the over exaggeration of human behavior by most Hollywood films. There was always a sense of subtlety in Jesse Metcalfe and others' acting. Or was it simply the fact that it was a remake of a 1956 film and not all of the "oldness" was shrugged off.

Michael Douglas was good, not that one could really expect anything less of an actor of his caliber. Only two scenes in the film gave me the impression of excitement and even that in a quirky, old-fashioned way.

So if you are looking for a nail-biter, don't bother, but if you don't mind spending an hour and 40 minutes watching something that will make you go "well that was pretty damn decent" at the end (which has a splendid twist as a matter of fact), Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is a good choice for you. I definitely would recommend this film.

Staying Alive in Jo'burg

I watched a most graphic documentary about the life in Johannesburg and what the city is like await of the 2010 World Cup. I do not have much to say at this point.

The life on the streets was depicted in a true manner and the battle between the people and the government rather visible. The film depicts a world where people rule. By that I mean that people make their own rules: they live in houses they do not own. They constantly break the law just to survive.

What the government is trying to do in order to help them... well, it's just not working because how do you control the uncontrollable. It seemed to me that in that society a person had no value. People were seen as a mass of matter, not identities. Regardless of the efforts of the government, the mass reverts to its ways in an act of prevention against change, which just makes me sad.

What I would take away from the last hour of my life is this: it will be interesting to see the legacy of the 2010 World Cup on the Jo'burg community... but also the place's legacy on the event itself. Will they manage? Right now, I would say no.

Its definitely not the best documentary I've seen, but a very illustrative one. However, not one I would recommend.

Gamer

On my flight to Helsinki I took some time off between naps to finally watch "The Gamer". It's been on my list of films to watch for a very long time and I'm glad to finally get a chance to see it.

The camerawork was splendid and this especially prevailed in the action-scenes as quick shots and rapid camera movement really gave the scenes the feel of uncertainty and urgency of a battle. Well done, guys, it really was an exciting watch.

AS for the plot, I was disappointed and positively surprised at the same time. Having had a glimpse of what the film was about from a trailer, I expected a lot more of the "games" in which Kable (Gerald Butler) would be fighting for his life. Speaking of the man, he did an excellent job and It is good seeing him adapt somewhat well to different roles after "The Ugly Truth". But back to the plot. What I was really impressed by was the way the film conveyed the experience of division within the society and show the dialogue between the ones in control and the controlled.

I found some scenes of the "society" somewhat of bad taste but I guess it was necessary to depict the moral degradation of the mankind once they are given the option of "playing dirty" using another human body and having full control over it. The darkest side of a person with all its suppressed fetishes and cons, which is unleashed in such circumstance is explored and depicted to excellence.

As for the overall feeling i got from the film... well I liked it. It's not anything hugely outstanding and if I had the choice, I would probably not watch it again, as I would with the likes of "Public Enemies", but if a bunch of friends would watch it, I would stay put on the couch.

500 Days of Summer

For about the last month or so, I have been watching films that just did not do it for me. "The Boat That Rocked" was decent, but I had clearly built up my hopes for it to be amazing and it just wasn't. So soon I found myself watching 500 days with two friends and it saved the movie industry for me.

Firstly, the whole sequence of events was brilliant. The counting of days and breaking the story into fragments, going back and forth from relationship to break-up was ingenious. Combined with the scene in which Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is telling his friends and sister what happened, the story line becomes his feelings. Feelings anyone faces in a break-up: in your mind you simply go over and over things, through moments of happiness and of sorrow. It seems to create another layer to the whole film and talks to you through what is currently happening but also through what Tom must feel at the moment.

I loved the "expectations" "reality" sequence. Once again it draws the viewer into the character's mind in a way I have not seen a film do so far. It is what we all do when we think about dates, parties or any other big events. Reality... well loneliness, perhaps the most unromantic first kiss in the world, being alone with a bottle of beer, or wandering the streets alone. You pick one.

Scene of the main character leaving the party into the street with the street being erased just made me sincerely happy.

But perhaps most importantly for me, the film did not follow the standard "chickflick" plot and ending. I have been frustrated by those (the kind of "The Prince & Me", which my housemates made me watch... followed by the usual "I want a boyfriend" routine) since I saw "Spread" and this really was a breath of fresh air. I was quietly hoping for this and telling myself I didn't want a bad taste in my mouth because of the ending. I wasn't disappointed.

I think this film is definitely worth watching even if you are not into the romantic comedy types of films.

Watch the trailer here or check out the facts & figures.