Invasion, The (2007)

SCIENCE FICTION
United States, 2007
U.S. Release Date: 8/17/07 (wide)
Running Length: 1:39
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Violence, profanity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jackson Bond, Jeffrey Wright, Veronica Cartwright
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Screenplay: David Kajganich, based on the novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
Cinematography: Rainer Klausmann
Music: John Ottman
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers

Based on the evidence at hand, it's impossible to say whether director Oliver Hirschbiegel's (Downfall) original cut of The Invasion would have been any good. What can be said is that the mismatched blending of Hirschbiegel's low-key horror and the Wachowski Brothers' anything-but-low-key action sequences results in a cinematic dud. The Invasion doesn't know what it wants to be - an action film, a horror movie, a science fiction allegory, a mother/son bonding picture - and , as a result, it ends up being none of the above. After an atmospheric and well-paced first two reels, the movie loses coherence as it rushes through potentially slower sequences to get to the pyrotechnic payoffs that result in an abrupt, unsatisfying conclusion.

This is the fourth screen adaptation of Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers. The strong beginning promises an effective re-imagination of the Cold War tale, but the film never delivers. As the tone vacillates between creepiness and mayhem, we begin to wonder if the movie has a split personality. Poor test screenings caused Hirschbiegel's final cut to be scrapped. The Wachowski Brothers and their (uncredited) hand-picked director, James McTeigue, were brought in to do substantive re-shoots designed to position the film less as an "art house" offering and more as "mainstream" fare. The new sequences are so awkwardly incorporated that they couldn't be more obvious if a neon sign was displayed above them. Hirschbiegel's material is moody; it inspires unease. McTeigue's is over-the-top and ridiculous; it inspires either contempt or laughter (depending on your mood). There may be a good movie in there somewhere, but it's not the one I saw projected on the screen.

Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) is a divorced psychiatrist who is upset about being parted from her son, Oliver (Jackson Bond), when he goes to spend time with his dad, Tucker Kaufman (Jeremy Northam). Her (platonic) best friend, Ben (Daniel Craig), tells her not to worry but Carol's unease is well founded. It seems that Tucker has been taken over by an alien species and his #1 goal is to make everyone like him. It doesn't take long before humans are being converted en masse, and the transformation happens easily: all it takes is being sneezed or spat on by someone already infected followed by a good night's sleep. The government is calling the epidemic a "flu" and is setting up "vaccine centers" - but those with inside knowledge like Carol recognize that the only way to avoid contamination is to stay awake. The infection takes control during the REM phase of sleep, and those who succumb to slumber will no longer be themselves when they awaken.

Most of the movie consists of Carol searching for her son and, once finding him, trying to keep him from the aliens' clutches. This results in a lot of running around that climaxes with an idiotic car chase in which Carol's burning car is guided to its destination by a helicopter. This sequence might not seem out of place in a Die Hard movie but its incorporation in The Invasion is a miscalculation that singlehandedly torpedoes the film's final quarter. The movie has other problems - most notably the way significant exposition and transition scenes have been eliminated - but this is one it cannot overcome.

Fans of Nicole Kidman's acting will be disappointed. Despite a lot of screen time, she doesn't do much. She's mainly on hand to look good (as in an early shot where she's dressed in a sheer white tee-shirt) while playing the damsel-in-distress turned mother-protector. The role is physical but not challenging. One assumes that had Daniel Craig been offered this part after winning the 007 sweepstakes, he would not have taken it. The word "thankless" comes to mind, although Craig's limited involvement doesn't come close to the way Jeffrey Wright (as a scientist investigating the epidemic) is underused. The film tries to pay homage to one of its predecessors by giving a small role to Veronica Cartwright (one of the leads in 1978's Invasion of the Body Snatchers).

Jack Finney's source material was a thinly veiled commentary about the Red Scare (not unlike Arthur Miller's The Crucible). For The Invasion, an attempt is made to tie the body snatchers' work into a myriad of real-life current events: mistrust of government, the situation in Iraq, and the fear of a worldwide medicine-resistant pandemic. It's done sloppily and haphazardly, however. In the end, allegorical aspirations have been shunted into the background by the need to enhance the film's action quotient. Likewise, the pyrotechnics put an end to suspense and tension. Both are present for a while, as Carol fights off sleep to protect her son, but the desire to "dazzle" audiences with spectacle undermines these fragile elements. In its current form, The Invasion is an erratically assembled mess that fails to satisfy the expectations of any genre's adherents. It moves fast enough that boredom is unlikely, but the ending is so weak that it will leave many viewers wondering why they bothered going along for the ride in the first place.

300

ACTION/ADVENTURE
United States, 2007
U.S. Release Date: 3/9/07 (wide)
Running Length: 1:57
MPAA Classification: R (Violence, nudity, sexual situations)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Cast: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham, Vincent Regan, Rodrigo Santoro
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad and Michael B. Gordon, based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley
Cinematography: Larry Fong
Music: Tyler Bates
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers

Whatever else 300 may be, it is destined to become beloved for a group of devotees. The size of that group will determine whether it achieves mainstream acceptance or attains cult status. Distilled to its essence, this is a graphic novel come to life - one of those rare instances in which filmmakers seek not merely to adapt a comic book but to interpret it for the screen. Both approaches are valid and have their strengths, but 300 would not be the experience it is had it not clung to the hyper-reality of the images of Frank Miller's graphic novel. From a visual standpoint, 300 (like Sin City before it) exists at a vertex where comic books and motion pictures intersect.

At its most basic, 300 is a retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae, which took place in 480 B.C. Although the particulars are clouded in legend, the facts are not in dispute: an inferior number of Spartan soldiers (generally accepted to be 300) under the command of King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) held out against a vastly superior Persian force (estimated to be anywhere between 200,000 and 2,000,000) led by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). Although the Spartans did not win the battle, they dealt serious losses to the Persians which contributed to the defeat of Xerxes' forces a year later at the Battle of Plataea. For 300, director Zack Snyder, staying true to the graphic novel, emphasizes the mythology of the battle rather than seeking historical accuracy. The resulting texture is more like that of the Battle of Helms Deep in The Two Towers than something one might assume to be a closer kin, like the war scenes in Troy.

300 is about heroism in the face of insurmountable odds. It is a masterpiece of images, style, and testosterone. An ode to masculinity and machismo, it captivates the eye and gets the blood pumping. It is heroic spectacle at its finest. Expectedly, the movie lacks subtlety and ignores things like characterization. The few characters we come to know are types: The Great Warrior-King, The Strong Wife, The Treacherous Betrayer, The Dark Enemy. It should be acknowledged, however, that the thrust of the movie leaves little room for three-dimensional protagonists, and that's not what viewers are looking for anyway. They get what they come for: a rousing action/adventure tale that, once it gets rolling, rarely takes time to catch its breath. Knowing the fate of the Spartans doesn't diminish the bloody exhilaration of getting there.

Snyder has dug deep into his bag of tricks in order to make 300 into what it is. His approach is not unlike that of Sin City and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow in that he uses color desaturation and blue screen background work to craft the film's otherworldly look. The film could just as easily be taking place in Middle Earth as in ancient Greece. The men are buff beyond belief, with bulging biceps and chiseled chests. The women (or at least the only woman that matters) are voluptuous. There are bare butts (from men) and unclothed breasts (from men and women). It's a cornucopia of flesh. The film also revels in gore, although not to the extent one might suppose. There are decapitations and splashes of blood, but nothing happens that could be described as especially shocking, gruesome, or gut-wrenching. The images recall not only the panels of Frank Miller from the graphic novel but the paintings of another Frank - Frank Frazetta, the fantasy illustrator who gained popularity with swords-and-sorcery fans by illustrating the iconic covers of various Conan books during the 1960s and 1970s.

The cast is populated by character actors - an effective approach because it makes it easier to lose sight of the actors than might be the case if they were readily identifiable. Gerard Butler, who plays Leonidas, is no screen neophyte. He has starred in big budget productions like The Phantom of the Opera and Tomb Raider II. But his visage is unremarkable and that makes him clay in the filmmakers' hands. His performance is larger than life, full of passion and vigor - just what the director ordered. Lena Headey plays Leonidas' queen, a woman of equal strength and passion (although the performance is more restrained). Like Butler, she is often seen on the big screen but rarely recognized. The cast is rounded out with names like Dominic West, David Wenham (as the narrator, Dilios), Vincent Regan, and Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes. All are believable in this setting; none is immediately recognizable.

This is not the first movie to be based on The Battle of Thermopylae. 1962's The 300 Spartans told the same story using a different approach. 300 is indirectly inspired by the earlier film; Miller admits that a childhood obsession with The 300 Spartans led to the graphic novel. In nearly every way (except perhaps attempts at historical accuracy, which is difficult when the facts are not well known), 300 is a better movie than The 300 Spartans. It's more energetic, features better performances, and generates a bigger on-screen splash. This is a movie theater film. Audiences deserve to be immersed in what it offers.

The pitch Snyder (Dawn of the Dead) used to secure financing is that 300 would change the way "sword and sandal" movies were made and viewed. To an extent, he is correct: 300 is unlike any movie to have previously reached the screen. Its larger-than-life characters, frenetic action sequences, lush visuals, and unabashed embrace of the over-the-top nature of comic books makes it something to be enjoyed in a way that is normally reserved for summer blockbusters. 300 may not offer masterful storytelling in a conventional sense, but it's hard to beat as a spectacle and that makes it worthwhile viewing for all but the most squeamish of potential audience members.

No Country for the Old Men

THRILLER
United States, 2007
U.S. Release Date: 11/9/07 (limited)
Running Length: 2:02
MPAA Classification: R (Violence, profanity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper
Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen
Screenplay: Joel & Ethan Coen, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Music: Carter Burwell
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films

Expecting normalcy from a Coen Brothers production is a pointless endeavor, but anticipating brilliance isn't outlandish. Their latest feature, which has about zero box office potential, provides plenty of the latter and a little of the former. It’s mostly an off-kilter road trip that accomplishes what the Coens do best - seamlessly merging drama, violence, and quirky humor into a whole. They also accomplish something many would have believed to be impossible: providing a coherent and reasonably faithful adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy novel. (Many would place McCarthy in the "unadaptable" category.) However, following their own nonstandard trail, Joel and Ethan - following McCarthy's lead - decide that just because a story is worth telling, it doesn’t demand a clean ending. This is a decision that will infuriate some members of the audience. Done right, I have always believed open ended conclusions can be assets, and I think that's the case here. Nevertheless, those who openly hissed at John Sayles' Limbo or declared the finale of The Sopranos to be a tease will not be pleased by how No Country for Old Men elects to wrap up its diverse storylines.

The movie essentially follows three characters whose paths are destined to cross. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is a heartless killer who - as we see early in the proceedings - is dangerous even when handcuffed and under police guard. He wanders the plains of Texas, killing pretty much everyone he encounters except those lucky enough to win a coin toss in his presence. Moss (Josh Brolin channeling Nick Nolte) is an ex-welder who, while on a hunting trip, stumbles across a drug deal gone bad. There are a lot of bodies, a truck full of "Mexican brown," and a suitcase of cash. Moss takes the latter but eventually wishes he hadn't since the surviving owners want it back. Meanwhile, local sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is drawn into all of this because Chigurh escapes from one of his deputies and the drug deal massacre happens in his territory.

The Coens know how a thing or two about pacing, and it's relentless here. The story is full of unexpected twists and switchbacks, and opportunities for the audience to gear down and take a breath are few and far between. Like Alfred Hitchcock with Psycho, the filmmakers don’t want viewers to become too comfortable with any of the characters - they might not be around for long. This is not a comedy (at least not in the sense that Raising Arizona and Intolerable Cruelty are), but that doesn’t keep the Coens from inserting little moments of dry, dark humor, many of which are the result of Tommy Lee Jones’ laconic wit.

The leads all do tremendous jobs, working them into Oscar nomination territory. Javier Bardem is unforgettable with his shoulder length mane of dark hair, his remorseless expression, and his ever-present high-pressure air gun. Chigurh is the kind of guy you wouldn’t want to meet in the middle of nowhere, let alone in a dark alley. He's probably the most compelling screen villain since Anthony Hopkins brought Hannibal Lecter to life in The Silence of the Lambs. Terms like "mercy" have no meaning for him - he neither asks for nor gives quarter. Tommy Lee Jones is his usual reliable self; it's hard to ask for someone to be more comfortable in these boots. Josh Brolin is unrecognizable as the beleaguered Moss. This fall has provided Brolin with a twin chance to re-invent himself and enhance his reputation; he also has a plumb role in the recently released American Gangster. He's a bad guy there, but a good guy here. Finally, Kelly Macdonald (as Moss' wife) and Woody Harrelson (a small but memorable part as a cock-sure bounty hunter) provide effective supporting turns.

If there's one thing that can always be said of a Coen Brothers film, it's that conventional rules and expectations can be jettisoned. That's certainly the case here, with a Western that's not a Western, a crime thriller that's not a crime thriller, and a comedy that's not a comedy. Like Fargo, the movie delights in making viewers scratch their scalps. And, while the ending may be a sore point for some, it will have others chuckling and nodding their heads appreciatively (albeit perhaps after a brief "WTF?" when the end credits begin to roll). That's what good cinema is expected to do, and the success in this area of No Country for Old Men puts it among 2007's motion picture elite.

Beowulf

FANTASY
United States, 2007
U.S. Release Date: 11/16/07 (wide)
Running Length: 1:55
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Violence, nudity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Cast: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Screenplay: Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary
Cinematography: Robert Presley
Music: Alan Silvestri
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Beowulf

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The legend of Beowulf, a mythical hero whose exploits were recounted in an 8th century epic poem, has gained unprecedented popularity some 1250 years after it was first told. With the success of The Lord of the Rings, which (along with the Harry Potter phenomenon) opened Hollywood's eyes to the potentially huge audience for big, bold fantasy movies, the inevitability of productions like this became established. Still, it's surprising that Beowulf has attracted so much attention, with three films released in recent years and another one on the way. Of all the cinematic variations on the theme, however, none is more ambitious and over-the-top than this one, the brainchild of director Robert Zemeckis and his screenwriters, Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman.

Beowulf is designed first and foremost as a visual spectacle of the first degree. Judged in those terms, it is a resounding success. Whether viewed in 3-D (the preferred way to experience it) or in a conventional theater, this is the sort of movie where the viewer can sit back and become immersed in the splendor of a wild, savage, colorful world. The movie opens up vistas previously undreamed of, providing viewers with a land that rivals the imagination-fueled panoramas of Middle Earth, Hogwarts, and 300's ancient Sparta. As eye candy goes, it's tough to find something more satisfying in theaters these days.

Beowulf is animated, but it employs what's commonly referred to as "photorealistic animation," which means that the characters in the movie look almost human. Their features resemble (to one degree or another) the actors who provide the voices. Zemeckis has used this technique before, in The Polar Express, but it still needs polishing. There's something a little eerie, bordering on unsettling, about seeing familiar faces rendered this way. There's no doubt that it gives the filmmakers unparalleled creative freedom - they can age characters without requiring makeup, allow modest performers to do "nude scenes" without taking off a stitch of clothing, and reduce the complexities of special effects that require the mixing of live-action and CGI. However, the human beings have a somewhat "waxy" look and their eyes, supposedly the windows to the soul, are more often dead than alive. An almost indefinable emotional element is thereby lost.

The story lacks neither scope nor complexity, relying on the ancient poem for its basic structure and embellishing shamelessly. Holes are plugged and new avenues explored. Attempts are made at character development, but they aren't entirely successful. While it's true that the Beowulf on screen during the final reel is not the same man we see at the beginning, this is not an individual we become emotionally attached to. Maybe it's because the visuals of Beowulf so resemble those of a top-flight computer game, but the film often feels more like something that's trying to bring an almost interactive experience to the big screen. Character identification - a key element of any complete motion picture experience - is limited in Beowulf.

The film opens in 6th century Denmark, in the mead hall of King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins). As the warriors feast and get drunk and the king and his young queen (Robin Wright Penn) look on appreciatively, the revelry becomes more exuberant. That's when tragedy strikes. The ugly troll-like monster Grendel (Crispin Glover) breaks into the hall and begins a slaughter. When he is done, many of Hrothgar's men are dead and the king sends out a summons for heroes to face Grendel. He offers half his treasury as a reward. Beowulf (Ray Winstone), a great warrior from Greatland (part of Sweden), arrives to battle Grendel. Driven more by a lust for glory than a lust for gold, Beowulf boasts of what he will do to the monster. He doesn't have to wait long for the encounter. During his first night enjoying Hrothgar's hospitality, Beowulf's slumber is interrupted by Grendel's arrival.

Beowulf purists, and I'm sure there are such people, may be chagrined at the idea of a computer animated version of the tale penned by a noted fantasy/graphic novelist (Gaiman) and the co-creator of Pulp Fiction (Avary). However, while the movie diverts from the original text, it provides an explanation for the licenses it takes. The movie purports to be about the "true story" of the legend who inspired the poem. In fact, a portion of the epic tale is recited at one point during the movie, with a brooding Beowulf reflecting how it offers a departure from what really happened. As in the story, Beowulf battles three monsters: Grendel, the troll's mother (Angelina Jolie), and a dragon. The outcomes of those struggles do not necessarily mirror what one might expect based on the legend.

The film's content straddles the ratings boundary between PG-13 and R; had it been live action it probably would have garnered the latter, but the animated nature of the nudity and gore have allowed the producers to procure the more teen-friendly classification. Beowulf restricts the violence so there are limits to the blood and viscera shown being spilt. The nudity is coy. Grendel's mother is shown full frontal but she has no visible nipples. Beowulf is naked when battling Grendel; unlike Viggo Mortensen's similar activity in Eastern Promises, he manages to keep his privates hidden from the cameras with a precision that Austen Powers would envy. This way, the movie gets away with fooling viewers into thinking they have seen more than is actually on screen.

Beowulf delivers everything one could reasonably expect from it. It's the kind of film that will appeal immensely to the 300 audience, although it's not as visceral or as grandiose as the earlier production. Spectacle and high-wattage action interweave in the movie's two most impressive fight scenes: Beowulf's battle with Grendel and the soaring, dipping, weaving sequence with the dragon near the end. Zemeckis makes sure the camera takes in everything with a flourish. There are plenty of showy tracking shots and one could argue that the concept of a static camera is unknown to the filmmakers. We don't watch the action from a safe distance; we are put into it.

The actors are all well-chosen. Ray Winstone is bombastic enough and, via the magic of animation, he is de-aged and given a physique that Arnold Schwarzenegger would envy. Anthony Hopkins adds a little prestige to the production; it's always nice to have an Oscar winner in the cast. Angelina Jolie gets to shed a few years and grow a tail. Rumor has it that, while she didn't film her scenes in the nude, the animators referred back to some of her earlier efforts in the name of verisimilitude. Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, and John Malkovich are on hand in supporting roles.

While Beowulf stands up reasonably well in a traditional theater, this is a motion picture that deserves to be seen in a 3D digital environment (if you can stand wearing those annoying glasses for two hours). The film was obviously designed with 3D in mind, and is opening in more than 700 such venues. The movie is also being released in IMAX 3D, but I have to wonder if that experience might be overwhelming. At any case, regardless of the medium, this is an effectively brutal story of swords, sorcery, demons, and heroes, with an Oedipal hint or two thrown in for flavor.

Introduction

Hi friends first of all i want to tell about ,this is the second blog in my carrier.I am very much interested in Hollywood movies especially Chinese movies star such as jackie chan,Jet li,tony ja.So in this blog i gonna to write about the movie reviews for the top rated Hollywood movies.Please post your comment and publish my blog to all the members relevant to this blog.My first blog is symbian. my reviews may or may not suite with the other website.But this is the real review written by my clients and i am not responsible these reviews.Actually i am the owner of the blog and my friend named suresh is acting as the sleeping partner to this blog.If any queries about this blog please post as the comment or mail to suresh123@gmail.com.Latestly i watched the forbidden kingdom movie.It was the collaboration of jackie and jetli.Its an awesome movie.My kind request is to watch the movie without fail.The movie start with the suspense of Jetli miraculous fighting.Then the scene goes to young boy dreaming about this and he is very much interested in learning kungfu.Then he watched one magical stick in the shop and finally he has a job to give the stick to its owner and he went to another universe and there jackie is entering.Then the next scene jetli is entering and amazing fights of jackie and jetli is awesome fighting and finally stick is handled by to the right owner and kungfu is learned by the hero.