Computer animation and 3-D technology have bestowed upon the public a bevy of blockbusters and dozers of disasters. Some soared atop the box office charts while others faded quickly out of sight. 3-D is capable of more than merely blowing up every landmark in the world; it can also transport the views to locations they would have otherwise been unable to visit. Cave of Forgotten Dreams is one of those films which endeavours to transport the audience where no man has gone before. Filmed in Chauvet Cave, in southern France, a series of Lascaux-like caverns which had been concealed for …
Star Trek Leadership, Part III: Starfleet Academy in the Delta Quadrant
Star Trek remains extremely popular because of how the stories are analogous to many modern situations. It is a science fiction genre that does not overwhelm the viewer with technology; the characters – and humanity – remain the focal point. During a syndicated episode of Voyager entitled “Learning Curve”, Lieutenant Tuvok encountered Maquis crew members who were unwilling to follow Starfleet routines. The renegades were incorporated into Voyager’s crew after both were stranded in the Delta Quadrant although the partnership was not working entirely smoothly. Starfleet demanded strict adherence to procedures which was a stark contrast to the Maquis philosophy …
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
In literature, Holly Golightly is a contradictory: she wants everything but doesn’t treasure anything; she doesn’t know what she has until it is gone. In film, she is more of a dilettante, playing the female lead in the first romantic comedy. The book by Truman Capote and the film starring Audrey Hepburn are certainly opposites although I kind of liked both works. Breakfast at Tiffany’s – chosen as a title because of Holly’s proclivity towards daft comments echoed some of Capote’s friends and illustrated in the film when Hepburn ends an evening by having coffee and a pastry in a …
Mindnight in Paris
It seems odd that the poster of Midnight in Paris, a seemingly postmodernist film which glorifies cubist and surrealist art movements, features a photograph of Owen Wilson walking along the Seine River which dissolves into an impressionist painting. Perhaps it is meant as a nod towards the inner conflict experienced by protagonist Gil Pender, a victim of a contradiction in that he is engaged to a woman that he increasingly cannot tolerate. Initially Pender alleviates his anxiety by falling in love with the City of Lights and allowing his mind to escape to a time period which suits him better …
Mystic River
Mystic River is a study in contrasts: the divergence of adulthood from childhood, the distrust between society’s instruments and its constituents, the clash between those who are law abiding and those willing to take it into their own hands. Over the course of two hours, director Clint Eastwood delicately establishes parallels between conflicting groups and how they conspire to cheat people of a positive outcome, or even a fair one. Fate is cruel and does not explain its reasoning but everyone must abide by its consequnces. Jimmy, Sean and Dave are best friends until one day when they are eleven-years …
Super 8
J.J. Abrams (the writer) – like Gene Roddenberry and Stanley Kubrick – uses the science fiction genre as a medium to showcase how humans can better understand each other and their emotions. The trailer for Super 8 features a spectacular train wreck and although that scene is the most violent of the entire film, it is more harmless and generic than it is spectacular. The extra-terrestrial on the loose in the small Ohio town is a textbook example of a MacGuffin and although its true nature is slowly revealed throughout the film, it still receives far too much camera time. Like …
The Tree of Life
Existentialism on film is a risky proposition: while the theme can be incorporated throughout different types of scenes, it is challenging to construct a conclusion that does not ring hollow. Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life debates the meaning of life well, combining a unique method of storytelling with stunning visuals, but wanders slightly into the realm of cliché as it reaches its climax. Juxtaposing concrete scenes of life with abstract visions of creation, real-life moments and natural metaphors, Malick captures the attention of the audience without overwhelming them. On one hand, life is precious and fleeting but on the …
Capote
Capote chronicles the life of author Truman Capote as he chronicles the murders in Holcomb, Kansas which would become the basis for his book In Cold Blood. The quadruple-homicide may have permanently damaged the innocence of the country as the task of researching and writing the book harmed the conscience of the author. The Kansas scenery comes to life, albeit in the drab colours of winter. Instead of a stark conflict between good and bad, black and white, there are many varied interests at play. The contrast between the values of the upstanding citizens of Holcomb and those of Perry …
In Cold Blood
Unlike the film Gangs of New York, which adapted a spell-binding text and rendered it into conventional Hollywood tripe, In Cold Blood enhances the true crime novel by Truman Capote and brings it to life on the silver screen. The events which permanently altered life in tiny Holcomb, Kansas – and perhaps throughout all small towns in the United States – have been the subject of a true crime novel by Truman Capote, a documentary, television movie and the first widely-distributed American film to use profanity. Capote devoted six years to the project, compiling records and minutiae in order to …
Hot Docs ’11
Attendance at any film festival needs to be supported by a philosophy of zero expectations. The tenets of such a philosophy are a hope for the best possible outcome (a memorable screening of a film that would have otherwise been missed) tempered by little emotional involvement ahead of time and no entitlement to anything beyond ninety minutes of entertainment. Grinders seems to be inspired by Sportnet’s incessant coverage of poker events. The tales of anonymous Toronto poker players are balanced with an interview with superstar Daniel Negreanu about the life he lives in Las Vegas. Negreanu has long since outgrown …
Mindset
As they pass through adolescence, most players develop physical performance factors and improve their sport-specific skills. Far few elect to enhance their mental abilities, placing a ceiling on their performance — at school and on the basketball court. Arriving at a practice, training session, or class with the appropriate mindset removes this cap. Players must want to come to the gym. Forcing anyone to do something will not achieve the desired results. An athlete who doesn’t want to train is like a student who is constantly late, they are not motivated to improve. Throughout the year, it is not incumbent …
Scorsese Retrospective
I decided to catch up with some films by Martin Scorsese that I had not recently viewed in their entirety. Casino: Very similar in structure to GoodFellas, Casino remains an excellent work. The similarities are evident: Robert DeNiro playing a leading role supported by Joe Pesci, a true organized crime story written by Nicholas Pileggi, and a detailed soundtrack which brings the film to life. Brutal violence illustrates how seriously casino boss Sam “Ace” Rothstein and his backers from the Chicago Outfit take the business of running the Tangiers Hotel and Casino in the 1970s. Although Rothstein seemed to have …
A Handful of 2010 Films
Biutiful: To me, this was a disappointing work. The idea of a contemptible criminal with little regard for the health and well-being of others developing loyalty towards those closest to him as he confronts cancer was appealing but the execution is lacking. Javier Bardem is once again on the other side of the law but he shows far more empathy than he did as Anton Chigurh but he is unable to engender the sympathy of the audience. So fate strikes those on both sides of the law but what is the lesson? Perhaps Biutiful meant to show how anyone can …
Somewhere
Somewhere merits its own film genre. Not really a drama, not quite a comedy; more a character study than an actual moving plot. Consequently, it’s limited to being charming and not much more. Post-modern Minimalist? Not that there’s anything wrong with that but it’s closer to half of a film than the whole thing. In many ways, it is a sequel to Lost in Translation. Stephen Dorff plays an irrelevant actor who lives in a hotel. Oddly, he is much more popular abroad than in the United States. The actor, Johnny Marco alternates between relishing the absurdity of his situation …
Best Films of 2010
I wasn’t able to see all the 2010 films that I wanted to because of late Canadian release dates and there were some films that I didn’t catch until this year (although they were released earlier in other countries). Here is my best effort to rank the best films of 2010. Oddly, I seemed to have seen the same amount of new films as I did last year. 2010 List: The Big Picture **** Irony and film. The King’s Speech **** Everything you would want in a film. Easy Money **** It’s not so easy as it seems. Black Swan …
Mesrine: Public Enemy #1
After a long delay, I was finally able to view the conclusion of the two-part series about French gangster Jacques Mesrine, thanks to Bay Street Video. Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 follows the criminal as he moves in and out of custody and the police move ever closer. The true crime drama captures the last two years of Mesrine’s career, culminating in a violent shootout in the Parisian suburbs. Unlike the prequel, the tone of this work more like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or Public Enemies. Like Mesrine: Public Enemy, the film is excellent and shares many of the …