Super

You know the realization during a movie you get when you know exactly why it came out, with no fanfare, and have difficulty finding it in theatres, only to see it pop up randomly on home video or PPV randomly? That feeling where there's plenty of star power, but the studio - for one reason or another - just doesn't back the movie up? That moment came fairly early on in Super, where Rainn Wilson's character Frank, dressed up in a cheap super-hero outfit begins his first night out as a crime fighter. The brutal way in which he dispatches his foes makes everyone in the room lean forward, opening their hands and mouths in disbelief and shock. It is brutal, and it takes you by surprise.

When first approaching the movie, you get the impression it's going to be quirky and independent, in that special way that Ellen Page and Rainn Wilson bring themselves to these little projects. But then the hardcore violence starts, and it doesn't really let up. I'm perfectly fine with this - taken aback with a bit of shock at first, sure, but I understand. It has to be this way.

Frank loses his wife to the drug war, and falls into a deep depression. He tries to get her back but she seems brainwashed, and after a fairly weird vision, Frank decides to fight back. It's good for him, to stand up for himself but as the plot summary points out, his fight deals real damage: he becomes a real vigilante inflicting grievous harm upon people who yes, are criminals, but no, probably don't deserve everything that comes to them. We're quickly reminded of the movie Kick-Ass, where regular people take up the hood and do real violence to protect themselves and innocents. While Kick-Ass features "real" people, it certainly takes place in a fictional, cartoony world, whereas you never get that indication in Super: this is a real town, real people and terrible repercussions. There is no stretch of truths here. Frank is presented as depressed, then motivated and quite frankly, seems mentall unstable.

Frank becomes a hero of sorts in the news and whatnot - of course, and gains the attention of Libby (Ellen Page). She desperately wants to join Frank, and become his side-kick: she is lost in the comic book store she works at, not really realizing the seriousness at hand here. To her, the Crimson Bolt is an invincible comic book hero (as all comic book heros are), come to life in her home town. What better chance for adventure, fame and excitement to become a comic book side-kick? Perhaps she hasn't read enough comics: side-kicks don't always get the best treatment, and are not impervious. Her ignorance of Frank's mental condition and the reality she lives in results in one of the most brutal, surprising moments I've seen in cinema for a while now. Brutal, because you get caught up in the reality too: Frank's pipe wrench is no match for a squad of goons armed with guns: the suddenness and finality of what we see on screen is unsettling and rips you off your seat. But then the movie keeps going.

Super is one of those films I barely heard about: perhaps I downloaded a trailer a long time ago, mentally stored it and forgot it. Of all the places to be reminded of it, it was in Hawaii last May that my friends and I saw it listed in the pay-per-view hotel lineup. It would be a night of shocks, the first one being that it was here to begin with. A few dollars later and we would be watching it, shocked at each moment as it went by.

Super is a good movie; it's dark, and if you can get past that, I think you'll appreciate it. Plus: Ellen Page.

The Grey

Warning - Spoilers within

Death. It's all around us, all the time regardless if we're paying attention or not. It hits every so often, in the death of a loved one, or friend, or pet, and the reality of it comes full forced, but we mourn, move on and for the most part, don't let it spend much time in our thoughts. But every time it does, you can't help but think about your own death, and what it means to face it. The Grey explores just that: a hopeless situation that forces you to come face to face with the inevitable.

The film centers around Liam Neeson's character, Ottway, and a group of workers heading home after a stint in the arctic. Ottway's responsibility is to protect the others from wildlife threats. Equipped with his rifle, Ottway is an excellent marksman and knowledgeable about his surroundings. Their plane crashes, and the survivors are immediately thrown into an unimaginable situation: the dead seem to be the lucky ones, as a pack of wolves immediately begins to hunt them, and slowly but surely, starts picking them off. For some, there is hope, for others, fear overtakes them. And as they progress, a certain acceptance washes over them. There is one particularly poignent scene just after they crash that will set the tone for the rest of the movie, and the tone that the survivors must learn to accept. A man is severely injured immediately after the crash; Ottway finds him and knows there is no chance for him to survive. He asks how it looks - the standard thing to do, and looks for reassurance as others look on. But Ottway doesn't sugar-coat it, he tells the man that he's dying. Anger, shock and resentment. But then acceptance, as Ottway tells the man to remember everything that makes him happy: his family, a child, anything. Within seconds we see a range of emotion and finally, a peaceful death. The other survivors experience a similar transition, albeit more slowly as they journey away from the wreck, initially making their way to the tree line and beyond, hoping to find rescue, shelter, and safety.

Unfortunately it's not meant to be: the wolves are after them, and they must move quickly but smartly. After half of them are gone, either taken by the wolves or the elements, they find brief safety and reflect on what drives them: their children, their wives, and what have you. This would be their "happy moment" that follows them into death: their most cherished memories. You can't help but put yourself in their spot, and are forced to roleplay what your happy moment would be, or how you would spend the last hours or minutes of life. And it's terrifying.

I certainly wasn't expecting something so heavy, or insightful, but that's what you get here. A coworker of mine "ruined" the ending by saying it ends suddenly, as though they chopped the climax of the of movie off and the screen just went to black. Does Ottway survive his fight? Does it matter? No, it doesn't, and to me it's clear that he does not make it. See, the wolves are not wolves, the wolves are death. When I first saw the trailer I kind of groaned when I saw the wolves in all their CGI glory. Animated animals in these sorts of things can be a tricky act, but to me, it makes perfect sense in this film when you accept that these aren't your typical wolves. My friend, Voices, is much more insightful and pointed out this metaphor clearly; althoug subconsciensly I must have know. I asked if the people in the audience who were audibly upset over the ending simply didn't get it, but I think we all get it to some degree, we must. For me, the exact scene in which I knew this was much more about facing death than just surviving the wilderness is when they make their way across a gigantic ravine. A sheer cliff drops hundreds of feet below, and they manage to assemble a rope of sorts to the trees across the way. The lateral length of this cliff is staggering, as the camera frames the shot to give you a sense of the size of mother nature. The characters themselves even note that they are doing this to escape the wolves, that they wouldn't be able to follow, which makes perfect sense. But immediately, on the other side of this ravine, are the wolves, hungry and malicious as ever. Indeed, it doesn't matter what you do, death is here for you.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time; the suspense is played out perfectly. The characters are interesting, and while mildly depressing, the film was fantastic.

Once more into the fray.
Into the last good fight I'll ever know.
Live and die on this day.
Live and die on this day.

Real Steel

Real Steel is one of those movies I would be quick to dismiss simply because it looks ridiculous, but as it turns, the ridiculous nature of the movie works for it, and is quite enjoyable. Quite, instead of quite, simply because it's not that great of a movie but it doesn't fail to entertain. I could go on and on about differing levels of being entertained, and the quality thereof, but it's too much: this movie doesn't really deserve it.

I'm in the mood for something light, and Real Steel is perfect. The picture quality is astounding, and everything looks grimy as it should in the near-future world where human boxing has ceased to exist. Indeed, humans have been replaced by robots, as our desire to see violence and carnage increase to an unacceptable level that couldn't be satisfied by more extreme sports or underground fight clubs. And if movies are to be believed, we'll have highly advanced, ten foot tall robots that can duke it out and entertain the masses.

Not once do we concern ourselves with some kind of Terminator-style robot uprising, although it seems simple enough. The "big boss" of the movie fights almost autonomously, continually learning and adapting during its fights. Essentially, become more human in nature but that's OK, because it's not nearly as advanced as a real human. Charlie (Hugh Jackman) and his son find an old training robot with some nifty shadow features, and you know where that's going. Charlie is a retired boxer, and we look forward to his robot shadowing him during the big fight - you know it's inevitable. It's man versus machine, a longtime obsession of ours, most recently highlighted by the best Jeopardy contestants taking on a supercomputer of sorts, Watson.

The main attraction are the robot fights, of course, and there are plenty. It's best not to focus on the human characters behind the controls: Charlie sells his child to his sister-in-law's husband, so that the husband can take a summer-long vacation in Italy or something. This is the first time Charlie has met his son, and they bond quickly over their love for intense robot fighting. Who couldn't bond over that, really? The fact that money was exchanged over this child was never really addressed, as we get a corny, nicely wrapped up ending that mirrors Rocky eerily. In fact, you might consider this a modern-day remake, but replace Rocky with a robot. The movie ends quickly after the final fight, so that you don't have a chance to forget the awesome robot action, and to remember the inane plot that lead to the fight and the wonderful special effects.

I just wanted to make a comment regarding the futuristic world we're put in. Surprisingly it's not too far off: less than a decade really. Going by this timeline we should start seeing our first generation of robots in the next year or so. The movie doesn't take a lot of liberty - aside from the robots themselves - in the tech in this alternate future. Cell phones look more advanced (and not ridiculous) and the most noticeable are some of the neat controls inside cars. Touch screens, holographics: it's all plausible a few years down the road. Just look at the progress in those devices in the past  five years. So there it is, good old fun robot action set in a neat and realistic future, combined with a terrible plot and characters, and you have a good romp of a film.

A Story, A Dream

There is a thin, wafting fog streaming through the trees, briefly settling on the path in front of me then drifting off again. The large, heavy leaves hang off the trees in the same way that the thick droplets of moisture hang off their stems. Occasionally one jumps off, hurtling itself down to a small puddle to join its fallen comrades.

I encroach upon the dimly lit path slowly, stepping into the puddle and watching the displaced water rush to cover my foot, a vain attempt to recover it's territory. The water always wins, and I'm distracted: as uncomfortable as it is, the water is not my enemy.

The creatures are out there, or at least, supposed to be. I picture a cat standing at attention, sharp eyes straight forward and ears rotating to home in on the slightest noise coming from the bush. My ears aren't built like that and my eyes play tricks on me; prancing shadows appear and disappear quickly, all of them illusions.

The Call of Cthulhu

A few months back now, I took in The Call of Cthulhu, another great Netflix gem. Now, reverse time a bit further and you can understand why I would want to watch a modern silent movie done up to look like it was from the actual Silent Film Era. We started playing a board game called Arkham Horror, a complex game with many components, infamous for the dedication and learning curve it requires. The first time we played, it took two days: we started at night, played for as long as we could, then came back to it the next day for another go. It was a success, and we were hooked. We continue to play it regularly to this day, but it's mostly thanks to our persistence and gradual understanding of the rules. The game is set in the weird fiction world of H.P. Lovecraft, a name you may/should recognize. People use the term Lovecraftian to describe the atmosphere of various things like movies, or books, and is often credited as the most influential horror writer ever, and every aspect of the macabre is influenced in some fashion by the mythos he created.

Indeed, ol' Lovecraft created an entire world of monsters, supernatural beings and heroes, all of which get representation in Arkham Horror. So as I play this game, I get familiar with the names and see them all over. Perhaps the most popular is Cthulhu himself, which is why the movie grabbed my attention one night while I was searching for something to watch. It struck me that although I enjoy the mythos, I've never read one of Lovecraft's books or watched a film based directly on his work. So the fact that The Call of Cthulhu is a silent movie would not deter me, but instead spur quite the opposite: a modern interpretation of a classic film genre, set in the exact time that Lovecraft coming up with Cthulhu.You really can't go wrong.

In today's age, it's easy to become distracted with a laptop, or smart phone, but when you put a movie on with subtitles, you're forced to pay attention. Likewise, play a movie with speech cards thrown up, and you're forced into a similar situation. When you're mind is distracted with Facebook, you may hear the words of characters in the film, but you're not actually listening. So this movie requires your full attention, deservedly so. While a bit slow to get started, it gets into the action through a series of events that lead the characters onto an island where the mysterious Cthulhu awaits. They awaken him and flee in terror, as well they should: Cthulhu is pretty terrifying.

The effects are done in a way that seems appropriate for movies of the '30s, although I can't really say that with conviction as I've never seen a movie that old. It's black and white, full of scratches and quite engrossing. I also can't say how well it's been adapted from the novel, although I'm going to hazard a guess and say they do quite a good job. Browsing the user reviews on the IMDB message board for this film seems to dictate that this is the best adaptation of Lovecraft's work, which is unfortunate for movie lovers only for the reason that while as good as this movie is, there is not much more for us to consume.

The Matrix

The first thing that strikes me when watching old trailers is how different they've become. How they give away so much, and I'm not certain that this trailer for The Matrix is any different. It showcases Bullet Time quite heavily, in fact, I think it includes a shot from every BT scene in the film. That's alright, cause it was drawing us in at the time, without giving away the concept of the film itself. I swear they were talking about this new tech on the news, showing that bullet-dodging scene numerous times. It's one of the few times the news watching public gets to see behind the scenes footage of a movie before and during it's theatrical release. Yes, the technique was that revolutionary, and this is proven by the numerous imitations and parodies that have followed throughout the years since. By the way, it's been nearly thirteen years since release.

You see, it reminds me of science fiction classics that showed us mind-bending special effects and helped push along technology and movie effects. When you see how they film certain scenes, the simplicity is baffling, but it's the innovation and implementation of those techniques that truly amazes. Certainly, there are regular advances that are used here, like the ever-marching movement of CGI.

But putting all the effects aside, which puts aside what many people associate with this movie, you have to look at the science fiction that drives the entire experience. A world within a world; it's certainly not a new concept but as I said before it's the implementation that makes this story unique. Set in a bland world, we find Keanu Reeves playing a computer hacker by night and chained to a desk in a boring office job by day. Some agents take in interest in him - he thinks for his hacker-ish ways - but really for the role he is going to play. Through a series of events that you're all too familiar with, Keanu finds himself transformed into Neo, and transported into The Matrix: the real world.

The world as we know it is just a computer simulation run to keep us happy, as we provide quintessential energy for our robot overlords. Neo is introduced to the real world and we're taken along for the ride, learning as he does. As we watch the movie our adventure mirrors that of Neo's exactly, and although Keanu's emotions can't quite match our own (he is so subdued) we're still astonished when he becomes astonished. When he pulls an incredibly impossible move, he's just as full of wonderment as we are. That plays a big factor, as every single person watching this can put themselves into his shoes. It's also not a stretch for us to think that we're just in a virtual world. This movie came out as computer games were going online and there were virtual worlds that people could lead second lives in, i.e. Everquest and it's this knowledge that makes it so believable. We've been exposed to robot uprisings before, and we see artificial intelligence explode in real life. It's just a matter of time before we run into judgement day, and it's just a matter of time before we're turned into human batteries.

The Matrix is one of my favourite movie-going experiences. In high school, many of my friends were nighthawks, save for one. We hung out all the time (still do) and enjoyed the sunshine whenever possible. So after a meal at Burger King, we found ourselves downtown standing in front of the marquee of a local multiplex. The Matrix was listed, and while we were aware of the movie through the advertising campaign and news-worthy bullet time, we had no idea if it was good or not. Lovers of the sci-fi though, we had to entertain the movie, and the movie - exactly - entertained us. My friend couldn't stop moving with excitement throughout the film, while I took an opposite approach and didn't move a muscle. When we came out, we were both of the same mindset, that we consumed something that was far beyond a simple movie, but that we had just watched the starting of a movement. The sun was still shining, unlike the world of The Matrix, and since then we've always had a love affair for afternoon viewings.

Drive

In just a short period of time Ryan Gosling blasts out another great performance; I mean, this guy can deliver. And this entire movie delivers, right there. Of course, I had no idea it was coming out, and no idea at the level of quality to expect. When you first see the title, and perhaps the poster, you begin to formulate what you think the movie will be, and that's basically a heist film centering around Gosling as the driver. Well, that is only partially true, as the film opens up with exactly that. But you get the distinct impression that this is a bit different.

Gosling is a loner, who knows how to drive. He's a rock star of driving, but still keeps to himself. His character's primary job is as a stunt driver, but gets involved in anything that requires the fine precision skill required behind the wheel. So the movie wasn't a series of heists, which was great. We get a love story with virtually no talking: when Gosling's character speaks, it has that much more weight. Every move is meaningful, every gesture, and it's fantastic. There are great performances from everyone involved, and the gore, oh my, the gore. This, I was definitely not expecting. Drive kicks it up a notch, and again, the violence is sparse but brutal, making it that much more effective.

Gosling's character is reserved, mysterious and cool; when he loses it, you go along with the ride. But I really appreciate the motivation behind him and the others. We never get a real back story to his character either, and I applaud the film for not trying to cram one in. Instead, it can focus more on the present. Indeed, we barely care about the future either, and I think the movie is able to engage you further because of it's sharp focus. It certainly had me. It had me right from the beginning, with the strong 80's vibe. The soundtrack deserves mention here; it's modern yet "retro" at the same time, and it all comes together perfectly.

So the movie was not as expected: it was much better. My friend said he loved it, and his wife said it was his favourite of the year. I can completely understand why. It blends everything I love into one movie (except perhaps giant monsters and sci-fi, but I can get over that).

I'm Still Here

In 2008 Joaquin Phoenix announced his retirement from acting, and indicated he was going to pursue a career in rapping. For me, it was a bit of a shocking moment but honestly, I didn't give it much thought. Actors are a strange bunch, and people are even more weird. If he wanted to pursue a dream of having a career in song, then so be it; he wouldn't be the first actor to at least moonlight in the music industry. I would also assume that he's made mad cash and could live comfortably off his box office scores, which is also fine. You have to do what you're passionate about, and if you lose the passions in acting and can walk away, then walk away.

Things got weird though, and I think the moment that most people took notice of was his appearance on Letterman. It was really strange, and a bit of a wake up call for people: Joaquin has lost his mind. Again, you just think it's typical of people in the spotlight, and things could be much worse. During this whole time, there were rumours that it was all an act, and I certainly considered that at the time but again, I just didn't care enough to devote any real thought to it.

A few years later and he's back in the lime light with the release of a "documentary" directed by his friend, Casey Affleck. It chronicles Joaquin's journey from retirement into his career in hip-hop, as well as his seemingly downwards spiral into insanity. The film is pretty interesting, and through most of it I was still deciding on whether it was real or not; the bug is in your ear and you have to second guess it all the time. Would this actor really perform this role for so long, just to produce this small documentary? Would he throw away his career to do so?

The film is absolutely littered with celebrities; their reactions to his retirement captured on screen, some of them getting into fights with him and other providing incredibly scripted advice to him. At some points you really feel for Joaquin: he's so incredibly passionate about his new career, and so driven. He really wants to succeed, but it all comes at a cost as he distances himself from his closest friends, treating them like garbage in some cases. The ironic thing is that he is completely terrible. Every time he takes the stage and does his act, you cringe with embarrassment. It's pretty easy to see how somebody could become delusional when they are surrounded by yes-men, and have the money to make things move. We see him unravel as the truth creeps up: his hair and beard grow with dastardly insanity, and his behaviour increases to the despicable. Joaquin plays a twisted version of himself, and does so very well.

When you step back and realize that this is all staged, you can't help but be somewhat impressed. It seems some people are upset when they discover it is a "hoax" while others are quick to point out the commentary of it all, that what he did was play the media, and the people who blindly believe anything they see on television or in the movies. Was Letterman in on it? The film is littered with real newscasts with speculation on just what Joaquin is up to, and the rumours of hoax are there from the beginning.

To me though, it all comes down to what Phoenix says in the very beginning. It's a rant of sorts, but it has truth. To paraphrase, he says he's tired of acting because he's not actually creating something: he's making other people creations come to life, but is merely a helper in it all. He's not an artist. And to be an artist, you have to create something, something to call your own entirely. And that's exactly what he's done here. Sure, it may have been a financial ruin, and it could have damaged his reputation in Hollywood for a while (is he doing any more movies now?) but he can rest easy at night knowing that he has created, he has expressed himself and people have taken notice. That's incredibly empowering.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

As I've mentioned before, I know very little about Sherlock Holmes and his wondrous investigative adventures. But now I've taken in a feature Hollywood movie and a brilliant BBC television series, and it turns out I have expectations. The latest movie starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law was disappointing, very much so. Part of the problem lies in RDJ himself, who keeps playing the same character over and over again. I know Sherlock is played arrogantly, and that's fine, but I found that Watson here, was just a bit nasty the entire time (he should be frumpy, yes, but not this much...perhaps). And the big problem with this movie is that it wasn't a mystery at all, but a straight up action movie.

Seriously, that's all I took away from this film, was all the action. It starts with the melee fights, which started in the first outing where Sherlock would deconstruct the fight before it happened, then it would play out exactly as he had envisioned. They ramp it up and use it too much; the innovation is lacking. There are more "car chases" than I care to count, and you quickly realize each action sequence is loosely joined by convoluted "mystery." I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I'm not the dullest either, but I just couldn't keep track of all the names, all the beards and the motivations behind Moriarty. Perhaps I just didn't care enough.

By all means, the movie is shot beautifully and the effects are fantastic, but it's entirely too over the top. It felt uncomfortable. I saw a post on the IMDB boards regarding the film, and how you could have called it anything else; I couldn't agree more. It's a brand marketing device: you know the name Holmes, so you'll come see this, just as you are drawn to all the A-list celebrities in the film. But you could have put original characters in here and had a more compelling film, as (partly) the expectation for success is lowered. I can't explain it coherently. I saw it with a couple of friends and we walked out with the same somber attitude. Especially coming down off seeing MI:4, this movie was severely lacking.

The Fly (1986)

A short while ago I posted my take on the original The Fly, from 1958. I watched it because my friend noted he had taken in the movie and it was a shame that I've never seen it. So I watched it, enjoyed it, then discovered that same friend actually watched the remake starring Jeff Goldblum, so I had to follow suit.

Goldblum is a bit of a master of playing the brilliantly weird; my first exposure to him was in Jurassic Park. It's quite apparent the previous work he was channeling with the dinosaurs. His transformation is fantastic; at first he's powered up and loving it, but slowly things start coming apart. The way he tries to save himself is brilliant too: he's not thinking clearly. Obviously, if you found out that a fly's genes have been spliced into your own and is slowly taking over, you would find a way to undo it, but his mind goes in the opposite direction. He wants to combine more human into himself, pushing the fly out completely. Obviously this would create all sorts of problems, but perhaps it's the fly thinking here. At one point he tries to lure a woman into one of the tele-pods, unsuccessfully, but the curiosity is there on what would happen if he was successful. And we almost get there too, with a surprise pregnancy which most assuredly would result in a magnificent, stable fly-human hybrid.

Am I becoming a hundred-and-eight-five pound fly? No, I'm becoming something that never existed before. I'm becoming...Brundlefly. Don't you think that's worth a Nobel Prize or two?

Suffice to say, I was very pleased. Whereas the original was slow, plodding and focused on the shocking reveal of a half-man half-fly creation, the modern film focuses on the slow, gradual takeover of the scientist's body as he morphs into a fly. Certainly, the special effects allow for much more, and I wonder if the original film would go down this route if technically possible. But, they are completely different beasts, and if I had to choose it would easily be the modern version as the better. It was less a mystery and more of a thriller, with a more intriguing story and quite frankly, infinitely more interesting characters. The science fiction was heavier too and much more appreciated. I guess they weren't really testing the waters of what they could get away with here, as the path had been well traversed before.

And to top it all off, the fly names himself "Brundlefly." That's brilliant. I love his interaction with the computer responsible for controlling the teleportation. He speaks to it at times, it recognizes but he goes back to typing quickly enough. He understands and tells us computers are dumb: only as smart as what we tell them. In my line of business it's a wish we have that more people understood that. The dialogue is fantastic, the love story is perfectly placed next to the horror act, and the special effects - again - are quite good. In an age where most remakes of classics are absolutely terrible, this one really shines.