![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Tuck and Roll!
Apr. 12th, 2009 10:54 amSo... three more days until the job's over and it's back to hunting for work again. I should start today, but it's the first real opportunity I have for getting some shots so I'm out!
Cinema - Double Feature
The Escapist breaks out with all the right mood.
Frank Perry's been in jail for life, but we barely know much about his life outside the bars. In fact, most of what the people do outside those bars is unknown. All we know about him is a single photo of a young girl, a stack of returned envelopes, and the first envelope that he ever received, with a message that forces him to one conclusion: he must escape. In between this, he has a new roommate who has the interest of a crack-addicted maniac who happens to be the brother of the alpha male of this prison.
Rupert Wyatt shows us a prison life that may perhaps be cliche after so many times, but executes the story with such precision in detail that you can't help but find it readily watchable. Done in a way that shadows the way they escape and what they prepare to do it, the film never seems to dull out. Not a single moment in the film seems to have empty space intended, as the characters are all fairly defined, albeit while understanding what it means to "show, not tell". For a movie that does not eagerly throw the audience details about the main character's past, it only seems that much more appropriate.
I griped a bit about the camerawork in the prison itself. Although I know there are limitations on what you can do within that sort of structure, I felt sometimes that they could have tried harder. The scenes inside the cells or away from the main open areas, and within the areas they escape, however, are gorgeous and very moody, and the character interactions are superb.
All this, and a really cool ending. I highly recommend this film! I can't say if it's better than "Sugar", but I can say that it's one of the reasons to love 2009's movie list.
and with that said...
WHY THE HELL DID MY FRIENDS TAKE ME TO SEE DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION?!
Okay, I could get into how much of Toriyama's original script was torn asunder. I could get into how awful the idea is to make a live movie off an animated series. I could even break into a vile rant about how much they completely revised the original premise of a multimillion dollar franchise that made Toriyama the Jim Davis of the anime world in terms of financial success.
Buuuuuut, that would be fanboyish of me, and I don't even like the original Dragonball that much. DragonballZ even less, so here's an attempt to get into what this movie's about.
A young teen named Goku becomes 18 years old and is offered a gift from his only guardian, his grandfather: a dragonball. With seven of these mystical items, a wish can be granted through the power of the great dragon itself. Unfortunately, 2000 years ago, a great evil came before the land in the form of a green beast named Piccolo and his guardian monster but were sealed away for all that time. Now he has returned, and with a... random asian chick (I really wish I didn't have to say that, but they never reveal her name).
Goku is the shy and awkward teen who goes to school holding back his martial arts powers. He has a thing for a teen named Chichi whom all the cool guys want a piece of but has no chance for. At the same time, a lady named Bulma is hunting for someone who stole her own dragonball which she is seeking to find a source of unlimited energy.
Can you see how many cliches this film is fulfilling just from the plot alone? The trailer itself hints a Transformers (2008 movie) feel, the storyline is a Karate Kid knockoff, and every single "boy becomes superhero" movie is fulfilled here. Add a wacky group of teammates and the only martial arts "veteran" to play senior (Chow Yun Fat is actually more of an actor than a martial artist), and you pretty much have this movie in a nutshell.
I'm trying to think of redeeming things to say about this film, and yet nothing is coming to mind. I wasn't awed by the cinematography, the dialogue was cliche, the character designs weren't original, and the premise is unrealistically lame. I question if this film even had someone in charge of continuity, let alone a good script editor, and it only saddens me that much more that this film probably will made some money just because of its name.
Could I recommend this movie to anyone? Maybe little kids unfamiliar with the original series. A DVD of the first 13 episodes would be more gratifying and probably cheaper than seeing this. I don't know what they were thinking, but I really hope they don't try this idea again.
Cinema - Double Feature
The Escapist breaks out with all the right mood.
Frank Perry's been in jail for life, but we barely know much about his life outside the bars. In fact, most of what the people do outside those bars is unknown. All we know about him is a single photo of a young girl, a stack of returned envelopes, and the first envelope that he ever received, with a message that forces him to one conclusion: he must escape. In between this, he has a new roommate who has the interest of a crack-addicted maniac who happens to be the brother of the alpha male of this prison.
Rupert Wyatt shows us a prison life that may perhaps be cliche after so many times, but executes the story with such precision in detail that you can't help but find it readily watchable. Done in a way that shadows the way they escape and what they prepare to do it, the film never seems to dull out. Not a single moment in the film seems to have empty space intended, as the characters are all fairly defined, albeit while understanding what it means to "show, not tell". For a movie that does not eagerly throw the audience details about the main character's past, it only seems that much more appropriate.
I griped a bit about the camerawork in the prison itself. Although I know there are limitations on what you can do within that sort of structure, I felt sometimes that they could have tried harder. The scenes inside the cells or away from the main open areas, and within the areas they escape, however, are gorgeous and very moody, and the character interactions are superb.
All this, and a really cool ending. I highly recommend this film! I can't say if it's better than "Sugar", but I can say that it's one of the reasons to love 2009's movie list.
and with that said...
WHY THE HELL DID MY FRIENDS TAKE ME TO SEE DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION?!
Okay, I could get into how much of Toriyama's original script was torn asunder. I could get into how awful the idea is to make a live movie off an animated series. I could even break into a vile rant about how much they completely revised the original premise of a multimillion dollar franchise that made Toriyama the Jim Davis of the anime world in terms of financial success.
Buuuuuut, that would be fanboyish of me, and I don't even like the original Dragonball that much. DragonballZ even less, so here's an attempt to get into what this movie's about.
A young teen named Goku becomes 18 years old and is offered a gift from his only guardian, his grandfather: a dragonball. With seven of these mystical items, a wish can be granted through the power of the great dragon itself. Unfortunately, 2000 years ago, a great evil came before the land in the form of a green beast named Piccolo and his guardian monster but were sealed away for all that time. Now he has returned, and with a... random asian chick (I really wish I didn't have to say that, but they never reveal her name).
Goku is the shy and awkward teen who goes to school holding back his martial arts powers. He has a thing for a teen named Chichi whom all the cool guys want a piece of but has no chance for. At the same time, a lady named Bulma is hunting for someone who stole her own dragonball which she is seeking to find a source of unlimited energy.
Can you see how many cliches this film is fulfilling just from the plot alone? The trailer itself hints a Transformers (2008 movie) feel, the storyline is a Karate Kid knockoff, and every single "boy becomes superhero" movie is fulfilled here. Add a wacky group of teammates and the only martial arts "veteran" to play senior (Chow Yun Fat is actually more of an actor than a martial artist), and you pretty much have this movie in a nutshell.
I'm trying to think of redeeming things to say about this film, and yet nothing is coming to mind. I wasn't awed by the cinematography, the dialogue was cliche, the character designs weren't original, and the premise is unrealistically lame. I question if this film even had someone in charge of continuity, let alone a good script editor, and it only saddens me that much more that this film probably will made some money just because of its name.
Could I recommend this movie to anyone? Maybe little kids unfamiliar with the original series. A DVD of the first 13 episodes would be more gratifying and probably cheaper than seeing this. I don't know what they were thinking, but I really hope they don't try this idea again.
