The theme of using genetics to play God and create new life, and then have everything go terribly wrong, is hardly new to movies. From Jurassic Park to Species to Godsend to Deep Blue Sea, scientists creating and tampering with life and having everything go to hell has been done so many times before that any attempt to make a similar themed movie usually gets a “why bother” from people. The only way to have this movie theme executed successfully is if we take what we’ve seen before and offer a fresh approach to the subject. Which is what works best for the movie Splice. Everything we’ve previously seen in genetic tampering movies is taken here and used in very unexpected ways. This makes for an original and enjoyable movie.
Splice starts Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as Clive and Elsa, two genetic scientists who’ve been creating new life forms through gene slicing in order to create new protein strains that can be used to cure diseases. After successfully creating two worm like hybrids Elsa wants to create a hybrid that has human DNA in it. When the company they work for forbids it Elsa and Clive decide to secretly do it anyway, reasoning that they will destroy the creature before it ever carries to term. But once they fuse the DNA the creature is born within hours and forms far faster then they ever dreamed it could. First it resembles an armless rodent with a stinger. But after a few days it starts to look more human, resembling a hairless girl with impossibly large eyes, backwards jointed legs and a tail with a stinger at the end. Elsa begins to bond with the creature, naming it Dren and treating it like a child. Within a month Dren grows into an intelligent and curious adult sized woman (Delphine Chanéac) and is moved to Elsa’s old family barn for her protection. As time goes on the three individuals form a sick and twisted family unit, with Clive disgusted with what they have done and yet also protective towards Dren, Elsa becoming colder and more stern towards her surrogate daughter, and Dren yearning to explore and experience the world beyond her prison.
The obvious theme of this movie is not to mess with Mother Nature, because nature is unstable and unpredictable. This is shown early on when a presentation of Clive and Elsa’s original experiment goes horrifically wrong. The theme is explored even more so in Dren and how she grows and develops, both physically and mentally. She begins to communicate her frustration at being isolated and how she wants to explore the outside world. This frustration at her limited options in life has an unexpected parallel with many young people today, for like Dren many of us are trapped within the limitations of our own lives brought on by shrinking outside advantages.
What makes this movie work so well is that it avoids most of the clichés one would expect this kind of movie would have. While Clive originally is disgusted with Dren and comes close to killing her he later begins to truly care for the wellbeing of the creature. And while audiences would expect Elsa to become a mother like figure to Dren it’s harder to predict that she will become abusive and harsh towards her. What’s even more refreshing is how the character’s changing feelings (Clive’s caring and Elsa’s coldness) leads to each of them abusing Dren in very different but equally disturbing ways.
While both Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley play their roles extremely well, the real standout of the cast would have to be Delphine Chanéac. Communicating only through chirps and having to act through prosthetics and CGI she manages to create an engaging character audiences will feel real sympathy for. As she explores her limited world she conveys such wondrous excitement at her surroundings. But as she struggles to understand herself and her building frustrations her features contort and compress to clearly show off her feelings. By using her body to express her feelings she communicates more clearly then if she could form cohesive words.
While it is a good movie it is by no means perfect. The last fifteen minutes makes sure that will never happen. While I can’t reveal what happens without spoiling everything I will say that it goes from a disturbing thoughtful thriller into an almost campy by the numbers horror clichéd mess. What makes the ending worse is that it went so out of its way to avoid clichés before it reached the end. It’s almost as if the writer and director grew tired from all their previous work and went the lazy route with the ending.
But while the end of the journey is a bust, the lead up to it is anything but. If you are looking for a thoughtful and provocative sci-fi thriller, then Splice is one summer movie to see.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Prince of Persia: one movie that won’t withstand the test of time
According to recent internet chatter Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is being regarded as the best movie adaptation of a video game. If that is the case then it really says much about the quality of movies based on video games. Prince of Persia was both boring and uninteresting, with wooden acting and bloated yet unconvincing special effects. In short it was a complete mess and not worth the $10 ticket price.
Here’s the plot: in ancient Persia the king adopts a street urchin named Dastan after witnessing his bravery and kind spirit. Fifteen years later the adult Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) leads a preemptive attack on the holy city of Alamut after the king’s brother and adviser Nizam (Ben Kingsley) reveals that the Alamut people are selling weapons to their enemies. During the attack Dastan subdues a palace guard and unknowingly obtains the Dagger of Time, which allows the user to travel back in time if the dagger is filled with the mystical sands of time. Thanks to Dastan’s ingenuity the Persians overtake the city and capture Tamina (Gemma Arterton), the Alamut princess. But at the victory celebration the Persian king is killed after donning a poisoned robe Dastan presented to him. Dastan and Tamina flee and learn that Nizam killed the king and plans to take the dagger to the sands of time so he can ensure he rules instead of his brother. The two form an uneasy alliance as they race to stop Nizam from releasing the sands and destroying the world.
While this sounds exciting the actual result is much less so. The movie was boring and lost my interest after about a half an hour. While the sequences where the dagger was used were done well, it only happens a couple of times in the movie. While it didn’t need to be used every second it feels like a cheat when it’s hardly used at all. In addition some of the effects, like the deadly vipers, look cheap and unconvincing. The computer effects looked like something that would be seen in 1990, not 2010. I also noticed there were way too many jerky jump cuts, making the viewing experience awkward.
While Jake Gyllenhaal can give engaging performances, such as in Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain, here he came off as annoying and dull. Not great when the character is suppose to be engaging. Gemma Arterton seemed to have one default emotion in this movie, anger. Otherwise she seemed to simply be eye candy instead of an interesting character. Alfred Molina, who played shady entrepreneur Sheik Amar, was painfully jokey and seemed more meant to portray people’s outcry on resent tax hikes then to be an actual character. And Ben Kingsley came off like any generic epic movie villain, which is a shame when you cast such a strong actor in the role.
I will say that the creators of the trailers for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time deserve an award. They managed to take a mess of a movie and recut the footage to make it look like an epic. They managed to take my $10 from me. Hopefully I can save you from losing your hard earned money. Save your cash for another trip to the theater this summer by avoiding Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
Here’s the plot: in ancient Persia the king adopts a street urchin named Dastan after witnessing his bravery and kind spirit. Fifteen years later the adult Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) leads a preemptive attack on the holy city of Alamut after the king’s brother and adviser Nizam (Ben Kingsley) reveals that the Alamut people are selling weapons to their enemies. During the attack Dastan subdues a palace guard and unknowingly obtains the Dagger of Time, which allows the user to travel back in time if the dagger is filled with the mystical sands of time. Thanks to Dastan’s ingenuity the Persians overtake the city and capture Tamina (Gemma Arterton), the Alamut princess. But at the victory celebration the Persian king is killed after donning a poisoned robe Dastan presented to him. Dastan and Tamina flee and learn that Nizam killed the king and plans to take the dagger to the sands of time so he can ensure he rules instead of his brother. The two form an uneasy alliance as they race to stop Nizam from releasing the sands and destroying the world.
While this sounds exciting the actual result is much less so. The movie was boring and lost my interest after about a half an hour. While the sequences where the dagger was used were done well, it only happens a couple of times in the movie. While it didn’t need to be used every second it feels like a cheat when it’s hardly used at all. In addition some of the effects, like the deadly vipers, look cheap and unconvincing. The computer effects looked like something that would be seen in 1990, not 2010. I also noticed there were way too many jerky jump cuts, making the viewing experience awkward.
While Jake Gyllenhaal can give engaging performances, such as in Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain, here he came off as annoying and dull. Not great when the character is suppose to be engaging. Gemma Arterton seemed to have one default emotion in this movie, anger. Otherwise she seemed to simply be eye candy instead of an interesting character. Alfred Molina, who played shady entrepreneur Sheik Amar, was painfully jokey and seemed more meant to portray people’s outcry on resent tax hikes then to be an actual character. And Ben Kingsley came off like any generic epic movie villain, which is a shame when you cast such a strong actor in the role.
I will say that the creators of the trailers for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time deserve an award. They managed to take a mess of a movie and recut the footage to make it look like an epic. They managed to take my $10 from me. Hopefully I can save you from losing your hard earned money. Save your cash for another trip to the theater this summer by avoiding Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
One Broadway Show That Lives Up To It's Promises
I must confess something at the beginning of this review. And that is I was not to familiar with the play “Promises, Promises” before seeing it last week, aside from knowing only a basic outline of the plot. My main reason for wanting to see it lay not with the overall story or even the catchy songs. It had to do with the fact that the play stared Kristin Chenoweth, an actress I’ve longed to see on stage ever since hearing her amazing voice on the soundtrack to the play "Wicked". Thankfully I was not disappointed, as Miss. Chenoweth was an absolute delight, both singing wise and acting wise, in this play. Even more enjoyable was the fact that I loved the entire production. It was funny and left me with a big smile on my face by the time the house lights regrettably came back up.
The play stars Sean Hayes as Chuck Baxter, an imaginative and charmingly nervous bachelor who works for the Consolidated Life Insurance Company. He dreams of someday getting promoted and recognized for his hard work and winning the heart of Fran Kubelik (Chenoweth), a charming waitress he admires from a distance. When it is discovered that he has his own apartment business associates persuade him to let them use the apartment as a place for them to entertain women, always promising to recommend him for a promotion as a reward for his “generosity”. After a few months of this personal director J.D. Sheldrakes (Ken Land) informs Chuck that he knows about Chuck’s apartment shenanigans. But rather then report him he offers to make him a deal. If Chuck allows Sheldrakes to exclusively use the apartment to entertain his mistress then Chuck will be promoted in no time. Reluctantly he agrees to this arrangement. But Chuck’s already fragile world is truly turned upside down when he finds out that the woman Sheldrakes is having a affair with is non other then his beloved Fran.
The musical numbers are very entertaining, particularly the numbers “A House Is Not a Home” and "A Fact Can Be a Beautiful Thing". And the dancing was entertaining and fun. As for the actors they were stellar. I will say that the big surprise for me was Sean Hayes. His likability and stage presence was a delight to see. And while I had heard him sing occasionally on the show Will and Grace, here he’s shown he has an incredible range and can more then lead a show, which was proven with his recent Tony nomination. Hopefully this is just the first of a long and successful career on Broadway.
While I’ll admit I may be a little bias in saying this, I’ll say it anyway. And that is that Kristin Chenoweth was spectacular in her role and was robed for not receiving a Tony nomination. In addition to her powerhouse voice she was quick witted and empathetic. But the truest demonstration of her abilities occurred when her character was at her most vulnerable. It was during the second act when Sheldrakes gives her a hundred bucks for her “services”. In a true moment of desperation Fran strips down to her slip and painfully tries to live up to her role in Sheldrakes life, that of a high class call girl. The pain and rawness of that moment would cause an audience to either sympathize with the character, who is essentially the “other woman”, or feel disgusted by her actions. Chenoweth’s talent invoked the former desired effect and should have been recognized.
Though I will say I was not disappointed that another actress was recognized for her work in the show. In addition to Sean Hayes actress Katie Finneran was also nominated for a Tony. She played Marge, a bar fly Chuck meets in the second act when he goes to drown his sorrows over Fran. Her character flirts wildly with Chuck, constantly saying she’s not looking for casual sex while her body language and innuendo’s prove otherwise. She throws herself completely into the character, contorting her body as affectively as a drunken ballerina while pouring on the charm through a husky raspy voice. Though she was only on stage for about fifteen minutes she stole every moment she appeared in.
If one is looking to experience a Broadway show, “Promises, Promises” is the way to go. It’s one that will not disappoint.
The play stars Sean Hayes as Chuck Baxter, an imaginative and charmingly nervous bachelor who works for the Consolidated Life Insurance Company. He dreams of someday getting promoted and recognized for his hard work and winning the heart of Fran Kubelik (Chenoweth), a charming waitress he admires from a distance. When it is discovered that he has his own apartment business associates persuade him to let them use the apartment as a place for them to entertain women, always promising to recommend him for a promotion as a reward for his “generosity”. After a few months of this personal director J.D. Sheldrakes (Ken Land) informs Chuck that he knows about Chuck’s apartment shenanigans. But rather then report him he offers to make him a deal. If Chuck allows Sheldrakes to exclusively use the apartment to entertain his mistress then Chuck will be promoted in no time. Reluctantly he agrees to this arrangement. But Chuck’s already fragile world is truly turned upside down when he finds out that the woman Sheldrakes is having a affair with is non other then his beloved Fran.
The musical numbers are very entertaining, particularly the numbers “A House Is Not a Home” and "A Fact Can Be a Beautiful Thing". And the dancing was entertaining and fun. As for the actors they were stellar. I will say that the big surprise for me was Sean Hayes. His likability and stage presence was a delight to see. And while I had heard him sing occasionally on the show Will and Grace, here he’s shown he has an incredible range and can more then lead a show, which was proven with his recent Tony nomination. Hopefully this is just the first of a long and successful career on Broadway.
While I’ll admit I may be a little bias in saying this, I’ll say it anyway. And that is that Kristin Chenoweth was spectacular in her role and was robed for not receiving a Tony nomination. In addition to her powerhouse voice she was quick witted and empathetic. But the truest demonstration of her abilities occurred when her character was at her most vulnerable. It was during the second act when Sheldrakes gives her a hundred bucks for her “services”. In a true moment of desperation Fran strips down to her slip and painfully tries to live up to her role in Sheldrakes life, that of a high class call girl. The pain and rawness of that moment would cause an audience to either sympathize with the character, who is essentially the “other woman”, or feel disgusted by her actions. Chenoweth’s talent invoked the former desired effect and should have been recognized.
Though I will say I was not disappointed that another actress was recognized for her work in the show. In addition to Sean Hayes actress Katie Finneran was also nominated for a Tony. She played Marge, a bar fly Chuck meets in the second act when he goes to drown his sorrows over Fran. Her character flirts wildly with Chuck, constantly saying she’s not looking for casual sex while her body language and innuendo’s prove otherwise. She throws herself completely into the character, contorting her body as affectively as a drunken ballerina while pouring on the charm through a husky raspy voice. Though she was only on stage for about fifteen minutes she stole every moment she appeared in.
If one is looking to experience a Broadway show, “Promises, Promises” is the way to go. It’s one that will not disappoint.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Kick-Ass: An Enjoyable Fun Ride
While it seems almost nauseating to write the following pun, I feel there’s no way around it. Kick-Ass kicked ass, pure and simple. This modern interpretation on super heroes and heroics was a delight from start to finish. It’s both over the top entertainment and an interesting look at what exactly it means to be a hero.
The film’s protagonist is high schooler Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson); a self proclaimed average guy who has a deep love for comics and super heroes and has always wondered why no one has ever become a superhero in real life. After seeing a bystander doing nothing to help him while being mugged his patience reaches the breaking point. He buys a green wet suit from EBay and christens himself the superhero Kick-Ass, despite having no powers or training.
Right away we start to understand why more people don’t become real life superheroes; it’s dangerous. On his first attempt to be a hero Dave is stabbed by a carjacker and then hit by a car. His accident gives him superpowers in a rudimentary sense (his bones are held together by medal plates and nerve damage increases his tolerance for pain) and after he is healed he goes right back out on the street. On his second venture out he manages to stop a man from being beaten by three gang members. His actions are recorded by bystanders and posted on you-tube. This causes Kick-Ass to become an on-line sensation, with thousands of people contacting the night stick wielding superhero via MySpace for help.
As it turns out Kick-Ass isn’t the only superhero who’s been fighting crime. Damon Macready (Nicolas Cage), aka Big Daddy, has been working for years to eliminate crime boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) ever since Frank framed Damon for possession and caused his wife to commit suicide. Along with his 11 year old daughter Mindy (Chloë Grace Moretz), aka Hit-Girl, the two have been violently killing D’Amico’s crew and business associates along with stealing his drug money. The heroes cross paths one night after Hit-Girl and Big Daddy save Kick-Ass from being killed by rival drug dealers. They tell Kick-Ass they are on the same side and leave him instructions on how to contact them.
Meanwhile, D’Amico believes Kick-Ass is responsible for the deaths of his men and gives orders to have him hunted down and killed. But his son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), wanting to please his father and be involved in his life, proposes a different plan. He will pose as a new superhero and gain Kick-Ass’s trust, then lead him to D’Amico. Chris creates the identity Red Mist and pretends to perform acts of heroism. His plan works as Kick-Ass accepts his invitation to meet. But before Red Mist can deliver him to his father the warehouse D’Amico owns is burned down by Big Daddy, with everyone who was inside dead. This act sets off a chain of events that will change the lives of all four of our costumed fighters forever.
This movie is enjoyable from start to finish. It moves at a fast pace while giving plenty of time to develop the characters, both heroes and villains. Yes it is extremely violent, but it’s mostly done in a very over the top and sickly humorous way. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who chuckled when a drug dealer’s head explodes in the oversized microwave. Sure it was gruesome, but the way it was set up made it funny as hell.
As for the actors I really dug all of their performances. Aaron Johnson really brought out the determination of the character, making us root for him as he started his journey. Even when he pretends to be gay in order to hang out with his high school crush Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca) you don’t fault him for his actions. But later once he realizes he’s gotten way over his head he makes you feel for him as he is steeped in misery. This was especially true after he returns home after being saved by Big Daddy and Hit-Girl and lies on his bed terrified as he realizes he’s asked for more then he ever bargained for.
Nicolas Cage does a fine job at taking a possibly appalling character and making him likable. He goes around talking like a soft spoken Mr. Rogers, except what comes out of his mouth is battle tactics and fighting strategies. Although he has essentially brainwashed his daughter into become a living weapon he loves her more then anything and in his own way has raised her the best way he sees fit. Their relationship is the true emotional crutch of the picture, and a nice counterpoint to the relationship between the two D’Amicos. Both Mark Strong and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are very good as the villains of the piece. Mark Strong brings real creepiness to the role with just the right amount of increasing instability. And Mintz-Plasse nicely showcases awkward vulnerability with simmering anger in his role.
But the true standout of the cast is Chloë Grace Moretz as the ultra violent Hit-Girl. Displaying a maturity well beyond her young years she captivates you into rooting for her no matter how ghastly her actions are. While the novelty of her character is the fact that she slices bad guys to ribbing and curses like a sailor with coprolalia she really showcases a true depth of vulnerability not always seen with child actors. At the same time this is balanced with moments that remind the audience that Hit-Girl is still a child and does act like one, although in fairly unconventional ways. One moment that truly showcases this is when she gets a pair of balisong knives for her birthday and continually asks her dad to watch her use them while he is busy working. Although she is using a weapon the scene plays just like a kid asking a parent to watch them perform a dance move while they are busy on the phone.
Kick-Ass has drawn a lot of criticism for its violent content, claiming that is glorifies violence. But I didn’t get that impression. If anything it realistically shows what would happen if someone did try to become a superhero in real life. When Kick-Ass gets hurt he doesn’t just get up and shrug it off. He yells out in pain and actually bleeds blood. This is way more realistic then many superhero movies when the hero can take punishment and doesn’t react to it until well after the fight is over.
Though by far most of the criticism has been directed towards Hit-Girl, and how it is appalling that an 11 year old would be made to curse and kill people on screen. Though if you’ll notice there was far more criticism over her swearing then her violently killing people. Once again, while people will admit violence is a problem, it takes a back seat to another agenda. First of all Hit-Girl is meant to be over the top. Her character is an exaggeration on steroids. Second, the fact remains that the character Hit-Girl and the actress Chloë Grace Moretz are two separate people. As the actress has stated in interviews she doesn’t go around swearing up a storm in real life. She fully understands that this is a character she is playing, not herself. It should also be mentioned that the film does address that it is wrong to put children in these situations. In one scene an old friend of Damon’s confronts him about how he’s basically brainwashed his daughter for his own purpose of revenge, declaring “You own Mindy a childhood.” The fact that the film itself is even saying that kids should be kids shows that this isn’t real life but fantasy entertainment.
In short, Kick-Ass is a delight that should be seen. It’s a thrilling combination of on-the-top action, depthful emotion, memorable characters, and wicked humor. Don’t miss this fun fanboypalooza.
The film’s protagonist is high schooler Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson); a self proclaimed average guy who has a deep love for comics and super heroes and has always wondered why no one has ever become a superhero in real life. After seeing a bystander doing nothing to help him while being mugged his patience reaches the breaking point. He buys a green wet suit from EBay and christens himself the superhero Kick-Ass, despite having no powers or training.
Right away we start to understand why more people don’t become real life superheroes; it’s dangerous. On his first attempt to be a hero Dave is stabbed by a carjacker and then hit by a car. His accident gives him superpowers in a rudimentary sense (his bones are held together by medal plates and nerve damage increases his tolerance for pain) and after he is healed he goes right back out on the street. On his second venture out he manages to stop a man from being beaten by three gang members. His actions are recorded by bystanders and posted on you-tube. This causes Kick-Ass to become an on-line sensation, with thousands of people contacting the night stick wielding superhero via MySpace for help.
As it turns out Kick-Ass isn’t the only superhero who’s been fighting crime. Damon Macready (Nicolas Cage), aka Big Daddy, has been working for years to eliminate crime boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) ever since Frank framed Damon for possession and caused his wife to commit suicide. Along with his 11 year old daughter Mindy (Chloë Grace Moretz), aka Hit-Girl, the two have been violently killing D’Amico’s crew and business associates along with stealing his drug money. The heroes cross paths one night after Hit-Girl and Big Daddy save Kick-Ass from being killed by rival drug dealers. They tell Kick-Ass they are on the same side and leave him instructions on how to contact them.
Meanwhile, D’Amico believes Kick-Ass is responsible for the deaths of his men and gives orders to have him hunted down and killed. But his son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), wanting to please his father and be involved in his life, proposes a different plan. He will pose as a new superhero and gain Kick-Ass’s trust, then lead him to D’Amico. Chris creates the identity Red Mist and pretends to perform acts of heroism. His plan works as Kick-Ass accepts his invitation to meet. But before Red Mist can deliver him to his father the warehouse D’Amico owns is burned down by Big Daddy, with everyone who was inside dead. This act sets off a chain of events that will change the lives of all four of our costumed fighters forever.
This movie is enjoyable from start to finish. It moves at a fast pace while giving plenty of time to develop the characters, both heroes and villains. Yes it is extremely violent, but it’s mostly done in a very over the top and sickly humorous way. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who chuckled when a drug dealer’s head explodes in the oversized microwave. Sure it was gruesome, but the way it was set up made it funny as hell.
As for the actors I really dug all of their performances. Aaron Johnson really brought out the determination of the character, making us root for him as he started his journey. Even when he pretends to be gay in order to hang out with his high school crush Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca) you don’t fault him for his actions. But later once he realizes he’s gotten way over his head he makes you feel for him as he is steeped in misery. This was especially true after he returns home after being saved by Big Daddy and Hit-Girl and lies on his bed terrified as he realizes he’s asked for more then he ever bargained for.
Nicolas Cage does a fine job at taking a possibly appalling character and making him likable. He goes around talking like a soft spoken Mr. Rogers, except what comes out of his mouth is battle tactics and fighting strategies. Although he has essentially brainwashed his daughter into become a living weapon he loves her more then anything and in his own way has raised her the best way he sees fit. Their relationship is the true emotional crutch of the picture, and a nice counterpoint to the relationship between the two D’Amicos. Both Mark Strong and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are very good as the villains of the piece. Mark Strong brings real creepiness to the role with just the right amount of increasing instability. And Mintz-Plasse nicely showcases awkward vulnerability with simmering anger in his role.
But the true standout of the cast is Chloë Grace Moretz as the ultra violent Hit-Girl. Displaying a maturity well beyond her young years she captivates you into rooting for her no matter how ghastly her actions are. While the novelty of her character is the fact that she slices bad guys to ribbing and curses like a sailor with coprolalia she really showcases a true depth of vulnerability not always seen with child actors. At the same time this is balanced with moments that remind the audience that Hit-Girl is still a child and does act like one, although in fairly unconventional ways. One moment that truly showcases this is when she gets a pair of balisong knives for her birthday and continually asks her dad to watch her use them while he is busy working. Although she is using a weapon the scene plays just like a kid asking a parent to watch them perform a dance move while they are busy on the phone.
Kick-Ass has drawn a lot of criticism for its violent content, claiming that is glorifies violence. But I didn’t get that impression. If anything it realistically shows what would happen if someone did try to become a superhero in real life. When Kick-Ass gets hurt he doesn’t just get up and shrug it off. He yells out in pain and actually bleeds blood. This is way more realistic then many superhero movies when the hero can take punishment and doesn’t react to it until well after the fight is over.
Though by far most of the criticism has been directed towards Hit-Girl, and how it is appalling that an 11 year old would be made to curse and kill people on screen. Though if you’ll notice there was far more criticism over her swearing then her violently killing people. Once again, while people will admit violence is a problem, it takes a back seat to another agenda. First of all Hit-Girl is meant to be over the top. Her character is an exaggeration on steroids. Second, the fact remains that the character Hit-Girl and the actress Chloë Grace Moretz are two separate people. As the actress has stated in interviews she doesn’t go around swearing up a storm in real life. She fully understands that this is a character she is playing, not herself. It should also be mentioned that the film does address that it is wrong to put children in these situations. In one scene an old friend of Damon’s confronts him about how he’s basically brainwashed his daughter for his own purpose of revenge, declaring “You own Mindy a childhood.” The fact that the film itself is even saying that kids should be kids shows that this isn’t real life but fantasy entertainment.
In short, Kick-Ass is a delight that should be seen. It’s a thrilling combination of on-the-top action, depthful emotion, memorable characters, and wicked humor. Don’t miss this fun fanboypalooza.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Why Do We Care So Much When Someone Changes Their Hair?
Like many people I am always on the lookout for a new show to watch and get into. After asking some friends for suggestions I was recommended the show V, a remake on the 1980’s serial about aliens infiltrating earth. Wanting to catch up before the show returned I started watching the first episodes on-line. As I watched the show I discovered that several actors from past sci-fi and fantasy shows were cast as regulars on the show. One nice surprise was seeing that the head alien Anna was played by Firefly cast member Morena Baccarin. Although I must admit it took me a minute to recognize her, for while on Firefly she had long wavy hair on V her hair has been cut into a short pixyish style.
After watching the first four episodes I visited various message boards to see what others had to say about the show. And interestingly most posts about Morena Baccarin focused on her hairstyle instead of her acting ability. Her performance on the show is reflected on only a little. But her choice in hairstyle causes everyone to post their opinion.
It’s not that surprising when you think about it. Our society is very fixated when it comes to hair. May it be finding the right style to maximize one’s appearance, spending tons of money on hair coloring and hair care products, or finding the right solution to regain confidence when one loses their hair. People are even going the other route and are embracing a no hair look, either by excepting their own hair lose or willing shaving their head and choosing to go bald. I’ll admit I’m not immune to this obsession with hair, as I’m bitter at already begining to lose my hair in my twenties. So it’s not surprising for people to focus so heavily on an actor’s hair.
There have been many instances on people focusing heavily on the hair style of performers. When the movie V for Vendetta came out people’s main focus wasn’t if the movie would remain true to the Alan Moore comic, but on the fact that Natalie Portman had shaved her head for her role in the movie. And when the ratings for the show Felicity fell during the second season people blamed it on lead actress Keri Russell’s change in hair style, rather then on the show’s move from Tuesday nights to Sunday nights. The second reason seems like the more realistic one, for if the show’s success hinged entirely on the hair of its lead character then it really reveals the shallowness of its audience. If an actress changing their hairstyle is a ratings disaster, then why did the ratings for Buffy the Vampire Slayer go up during the second season when Sarah Michelle Gellar started the season with a new shoulder length do?
And it’s not just women who face this hair scrutiny. It affects men also. When Daniel Craig was cast as the new James Bond people complained left and right at the thought of a blond haired Bond. When Brad Pitt shaved his head for the movie Fight Club several news stories focused on his new look. So it’s not just women performers who fall under this obsession with hair, but men also.
I’ve recently given some thought as to why people are particularly focused on the hair style of celebrates. And I have come to believe that it goes deeper then a simple preference for one hair style over another. I think it has to do with people’s initial recognition with a performer. That just as we tend to associate an actor and actress with the first role we saw them play, we also freeze them in our mind’s eye with the look they had during that initial performance. And when they take on a new role and change their look for the role we feel uncomfortable with this change since it differs with how we originally saw them. Often it takes a bit of time for us to get used to their new look. Even when we end up preferring their new look over the old one we often still remember how they looked in the first role we saw them in. Like baby ducks imprinting onto the first thing they see people seem to imprint onto the initial appearance they first see on an actor or actress. And since a performer’s hair style frequently changes from role to role we find ourselves at unease when their appearance differs from how we first saw them.
This also affects people we know in real life in addition to performers. Often when someone we know changes their hair style we find ourselves debating which look is better. And often we find we preferred the hair style they had when we first met them. Not always, but often.
Hopefully I’ve given you something to think about the next time you find yourself mulling over the hair style of others. For while hair is at the top of a person, its roots seem to run deeply throughout us.
After watching the first four episodes I visited various message boards to see what others had to say about the show. And interestingly most posts about Morena Baccarin focused on her hairstyle instead of her acting ability. Her performance on the show is reflected on only a little. But her choice in hairstyle causes everyone to post their opinion.
It’s not that surprising when you think about it. Our society is very fixated when it comes to hair. May it be finding the right style to maximize one’s appearance, spending tons of money on hair coloring and hair care products, or finding the right solution to regain confidence when one loses their hair. People are even going the other route and are embracing a no hair look, either by excepting their own hair lose or willing shaving their head and choosing to go bald. I’ll admit I’m not immune to this obsession with hair, as I’m bitter at already begining to lose my hair in my twenties. So it’s not surprising for people to focus so heavily on an actor’s hair.
There have been many instances on people focusing heavily on the hair style of performers. When the movie V for Vendetta came out people’s main focus wasn’t if the movie would remain true to the Alan Moore comic, but on the fact that Natalie Portman had shaved her head for her role in the movie. And when the ratings for the show Felicity fell during the second season people blamed it on lead actress Keri Russell’s change in hair style, rather then on the show’s move from Tuesday nights to Sunday nights. The second reason seems like the more realistic one, for if the show’s success hinged entirely on the hair of its lead character then it really reveals the shallowness of its audience. If an actress changing their hairstyle is a ratings disaster, then why did the ratings for Buffy the Vampire Slayer go up during the second season when Sarah Michelle Gellar started the season with a new shoulder length do?
And it’s not just women who face this hair scrutiny. It affects men also. When Daniel Craig was cast as the new James Bond people complained left and right at the thought of a blond haired Bond. When Brad Pitt shaved his head for the movie Fight Club several news stories focused on his new look. So it’s not just women performers who fall under this obsession with hair, but men also.
I’ve recently given some thought as to why people are particularly focused on the hair style of celebrates. And I have come to believe that it goes deeper then a simple preference for one hair style over another. I think it has to do with people’s initial recognition with a performer. That just as we tend to associate an actor and actress with the first role we saw them play, we also freeze them in our mind’s eye with the look they had during that initial performance. And when they take on a new role and change their look for the role we feel uncomfortable with this change since it differs with how we originally saw them. Often it takes a bit of time for us to get used to their new look. Even when we end up preferring their new look over the old one we often still remember how they looked in the first role we saw them in. Like baby ducks imprinting onto the first thing they see people seem to imprint onto the initial appearance they first see on an actor or actress. And since a performer’s hair style frequently changes from role to role we find ourselves at unease when their appearance differs from how we first saw them.
This also affects people we know in real life in addition to performers. Often when someone we know changes their hair style we find ourselves debating which look is better. And often we find we preferred the hair style they had when we first met them. Not always, but often.
Hopefully I’ve given you something to think about the next time you find yourself mulling over the hair style of others. For while hair is at the top of a person, its roots seem to run deeply throughout us.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Nip/Tuck: Don't Ruin Another Classic Villian
This Wednesday Famke Janssen returns to the FX show Nip/Tuck as Ava Moore, the season two nemesis highly regarded by most fans as the best villain to appear on the show. Since Nip/Tuck has only two episodes left before it ends the writers are hoping that by bringing the infamous character back the show will go out on a bang. They need all the help they can get, as this show is suffering in a bad way.
This once great show has been going down in quality since the third season. When fans look back longingly at the third season, after they once complained that it was terrible, you know the show is in bad shape. At this point it’s just a shell of it’s former depraved self. I’ll even admit that I’m only watching the remaining episodes because the show is ending and I’ve stuck with the show for so long I should see it to the end. Obviously bringing Ava back is a last ditch effort to recapture its former glory. However, my fear is that this move will backfire and instead tarnish the memory of this deliciously vile character. Which is understandable since the last time they brought back a previous villain his former memory become tarnished. I’m talking about when they brought back season one villain Escobar.
During the first season Sean and Christian encountered Escobar, a sinisterly charismatic drug dealer who confronted the doctors when they performed surgery on one of his associates. After the associate died on the operating table Sean and Christian were forced to dump the body in the Florida everglades. Later in the season Escabar used the incident to force the doctors to remove heroin filled breast implants from desperate women. After several tense surgeries, one of which led to anesthesiologist Liz being shot in the leg, Escobar offered to leave the two alone in exchange for changing his face so he could leave the country and get off the top 10 most wanted list. The plan backfired as instead they altered his face so he looked like another man on the most wanted list and he was arrested at the airport.
While he made a few appearances as a representation of Sean’s darker impulses the character didn’t physically reappear until the middle of the fourth season. He convinced the doctors to change his appearance back or he would reveal what they did. They performed the surgery and he was able to escape while recovering. If his story line had ended here it would have been fine. But instead it was later revealed that he was the ring leader in the organ harvesting plot of the fourth season.
This reveal made little sense. Not only was the character in prison while this was going on, but he looked like a different person. To me it’s a hard sell that he was able to convince his workers that he was really Escabar and run his operation behind bars. Furthermore this reveal seemed to only be created in order to lead to the character being shot and killed in the finale of that season. They should have just left his story line alone instead of bringing him back and ruining it.
The treatment of Escabar makes me very uneasy on Ava Moore’s return. In my opinion she is the best villain to have appeared on the show, even more so then Escabar and The Carver. She brilliantly manipulated everyone in her wake and led to several memorable plot turns, such as entering into a relationship with Matt and then revealing to him that Christian was his biological father. Like many intriguing villains you root for her even when she destroys the lives of the heroes. It would be terrible if her return destroys the integrity and perception of her character.
The only thing to do now is wait for Wednesday’s episode and hope the writers don’t mess it up.
This once great show has been going down in quality since the third season. When fans look back longingly at the third season, after they once complained that it was terrible, you know the show is in bad shape. At this point it’s just a shell of it’s former depraved self. I’ll even admit that I’m only watching the remaining episodes because the show is ending and I’ve stuck with the show for so long I should see it to the end. Obviously bringing Ava back is a last ditch effort to recapture its former glory. However, my fear is that this move will backfire and instead tarnish the memory of this deliciously vile character. Which is understandable since the last time they brought back a previous villain his former memory become tarnished. I’m talking about when they brought back season one villain Escobar.
During the first season Sean and Christian encountered Escobar, a sinisterly charismatic drug dealer who confronted the doctors when they performed surgery on one of his associates. After the associate died on the operating table Sean and Christian were forced to dump the body in the Florida everglades. Later in the season Escabar used the incident to force the doctors to remove heroin filled breast implants from desperate women. After several tense surgeries, one of which led to anesthesiologist Liz being shot in the leg, Escobar offered to leave the two alone in exchange for changing his face so he could leave the country and get off the top 10 most wanted list. The plan backfired as instead they altered his face so he looked like another man on the most wanted list and he was arrested at the airport.
While he made a few appearances as a representation of Sean’s darker impulses the character didn’t physically reappear until the middle of the fourth season. He convinced the doctors to change his appearance back or he would reveal what they did. They performed the surgery and he was able to escape while recovering. If his story line had ended here it would have been fine. But instead it was later revealed that he was the ring leader in the organ harvesting plot of the fourth season.
This reveal made little sense. Not only was the character in prison while this was going on, but he looked like a different person. To me it’s a hard sell that he was able to convince his workers that he was really Escabar and run his operation behind bars. Furthermore this reveal seemed to only be created in order to lead to the character being shot and killed in the finale of that season. They should have just left his story line alone instead of bringing him back and ruining it.
The treatment of Escabar makes me very uneasy on Ava Moore’s return. In my opinion she is the best villain to have appeared on the show, even more so then Escabar and The Carver. She brilliantly manipulated everyone in her wake and led to several memorable plot turns, such as entering into a relationship with Matt and then revealing to him that Christian was his biological father. Like many intriguing villains you root for her even when she destroys the lives of the heroes. It would be terrible if her return destroys the integrity and perception of her character.
The only thing to do now is wait for Wednesday’s episode and hope the writers don’t mess it up.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Return of the Deadpan Queen
Daria, the clever spin off of Beavis and Butt-head, is finally coming to DVD. I have just learned that MTV will begin releasing this hilariously deadpan series on May 11th.
So far conformation of a release date is all that is known. Other pressing questions are unavalible at this time, such as if the entire first season will be released on May 11th or just part of the season. Or if the episodes will contain the original broadcast music or generic filler tracks.
Daria aired on MTV from 1997 to 2002, containing five seasons and two TV movies. While both of the movies were released on DVD only a handful of episodes have been released on VHS. But now it seems the series will finally be avalible for repeated viewing.
Hopefully sales are strong enough for the rest of the series to be released. Otherwise the show could suffer the same fate as Gargoyles and only have part of the series released. Which in my opinion would be worse then having no episodes released at all. At least then there was hope of someday having the entire series avalible.
So far conformation of a release date is all that is known. Other pressing questions are unavalible at this time, such as if the entire first season will be released on May 11th or just part of the season. Or if the episodes will contain the original broadcast music or generic filler tracks.
Daria aired on MTV from 1997 to 2002, containing five seasons and two TV movies. While both of the movies were released on DVD only a handful of episodes have been released on VHS. But now it seems the series will finally be avalible for repeated viewing.
Hopefully sales are strong enough for the rest of the series to be released. Otherwise the show could suffer the same fate as Gargoyles and only have part of the series released. Which in my opinion would be worse then having no episodes released at all. At least then there was hope of someday having the entire series avalible.
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