Wanted is an adrenaline rush that tries to redefine the action genre. It feels fresh more because it's a mash-up of other groundbreaking films rather than because its fresh on its own terms.
Those unfamiliar with the excellent Night Watch will likely find the work of directorTimur Bekmambetov to be thrilling. Bekmambetov uses a graphic, stylistic approach to his films that engages the audience in different ways.
Bekmambetov has woven his unique style into the fabric of predecessors like Fight Club and Matrix. James McAvoy is Wesley Gibson, a disaffected young man, whose boss treats him like dirt, whose best friend is cheating with his girlfriend, whose dead-end life sucks. He is the chosen one, however, and it takes Fox (Angelina Jolie) to bring it out of him.
While Wanted draws heavily from these films, it also charts its own complex, dark story about a fraternity of assassins (known as The Fraternity) who take down one to save a thousand. But the world has changed in the thousand years of The Fraternity's existence, and Wesley has to navigate these new complexities as he follows his destiny as a member of the group. He also embarks on a quest to kill the man who killed his father.
McAvoy and Jolie bring the required amount of bad-ass to their roles. McAvoy makes the transformation from tool to super action figure believable and interesting. Jolie adds a dark edge to her action persona. Morgan Freeman is pretty unidimensional. Think Jon Voight in Mission Impossible, rather than Laurence Fishburn in Matrix.
Ultimately, Wanted is not a great movie, but it is, fortunately, a film that has greatness in it. Even when it falters it intrigues and excites.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sex and the City
I was a big fan of Sex and the City during all of its HBO years, but I must admit I was okay that it signed off after six years. I felt the tale of these four women had run its course. I was also kind of excited that, four years later, we could catch up with them again...like old acquaintances that you want to catch up with from time to time.
That being said, it was nice catching up with them, but nothing truly special. A colleague told me it was about as perfect as a Sex and the City film could be. I can't say I agree. If the television show is going to morph to film, it needs to be bigger--bigger issues, bigger consequences and bigger fashions. That is there, but the annoyance factor is also amplified.
While Sex and the City is all about the women, the men provided a moderating factor that grounded the show and kept it interesting. The men are largely missing from the film. Even Big--among the least interesting of the characters, though he's more 3-dimensional than in the series. But the film is about Carrie and Miranda and Charlotte and Samantha. Wait, once more... But the film is about Carrie and Samantha and some Charlotte.
The women have grown. The film treats them largely with dignity (Samantha and her nastiness not so much).
So, it was a pleasant afternoon with people I used to hang with, but not an intimate moment with a dear friend I hadn't seen in awhile. It will be nice to see them again in a few years.
That being said, it was nice catching up with them, but nothing truly special. A colleague told me it was about as perfect as a Sex and the City film could be. I can't say I agree. If the television show is going to morph to film, it needs to be bigger--bigger issues, bigger consequences and bigger fashions. That is there, but the annoyance factor is also amplified.
While Sex and the City is all about the women, the men provided a moderating factor that grounded the show and kept it interesting. The men are largely missing from the film. Even Big--among the least interesting of the characters, though he's more 3-dimensional than in the series. But the film is about Carrie and Miranda and Charlotte and Samantha. Wait, once more... But the film is about Carrie and Samantha and some Charlotte.
The women have grown. The film treats them largely with dignity (Samantha and her nastiness not so much).
So, it was a pleasant afternoon with people I used to hang with, but not an intimate moment with a dear friend I hadn't seen in awhile. It will be nice to see them again in a few years.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Indiana Jones and the...
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a great 30-minute film. Unfortunately, it lasts about two hours longer than that. The action sequences largely fall flat, though Karen Allen's appearance gives the film a tremendous burst of energy just as you're likely to considering heading to the lobby or remembering that you need to renew your driver's license.
Harrison Ford is same-ole same-ole as Indy. The George Lucas's and Steven Spielberg's credit, they've aged Indy by the 20 years since the last film. Ford handles the role with the same smirk and hat as episodes one to three. Just in case a whole generation might not know Ford, Shia Lebeouf comes on board as Mutt, the guy who needs Indy's help.
The first action sequences are only moderately entertaining. As Indy and company enter the jungle for the big escape, things heat up and the film achieves the level of entertainment reached in the previous films. Cate Blanchett makes a compelling villain from which to run.
The rest of the film is rather ho-hum. Without ruining the ending, let's just say that Spielberg revisits themes from earlier films, such as E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Even those don't amount to engaging filmmaking.
Is 30 minutes of great filmmaking enough to warrant a 2.5-hour film. In the summer, probably so, It's never boring, but it's only rarely engaging.
13
Goodspeed is producing a pre-Broadway engagement of Jason Robert Brown's new musical, 13, and I was privileged enough to take it in at its final scheduled performance. The show has some problems, but there is so much to recommend.
13 is an intimate musical about turning 13. Evan Goldman is about to turn 13 when his parents divorce and his mother moves him from Manhattan to Appleton, Indiana. Evan is faced with the dilemmas that always confront the new kid: Which clique will he join? Who will attend his bar mitzvah? Will he be a cool kid? When is tongue appropriate? The show takes place over the six weeks between his arrival and his bar mitzvah, with an ending that could have been a sell-out, but isn't.
I'm a fan of Brown's scores, big (Parade) and small (Last Five Years). 13 uses a 4-piece band of teens, and they do a great job with a score that is terrific. Only the second act opener, "Anything You Want," seems out of place, and most of the score ranks among his best. I do wonder, though, whether broadway can handle two shows with songs about kissing with tongue running simultaneously.
The book also has great humor. It's certainly going to be the most of-the-moment show, with constant references to texting, MySpace, Facebook, iChat and the like. But there's not much gravitas to the story. Will a show in which the dramatic tension hinges on whether the cool kids will come to Evan's bar mitzvah (and the corollary: are the cool kids really that cool) draw an adult audience?
The central conflict will draw and hold the attention of young kids and teens. That was clear at the performance, where a good forty percent of the audience was under 16. But adults without kids are more likely to find it a pleasant experience rather than a stirring, challenging, or engaging one.
The production at the Norma Terris Theatre is solid, but not stirring. The cast is largely inconsistent and several key performances are inconsistent within. Graham Phillips, who shares the role of Evan, had some nice moments, particularly when dueting with Aaron Simon Gross or Allie Trimm. But he never quite nails the character, and he moves awkwardly (and not in a way that necessarily fits with the character). The rest of the cast is largely no better and no worse, though Gross and Trimm have some fine moments, and Eric Nelson has great technique and presence.
There is much to recommend about 13. The score alone warranted the nearly 3-hour drive to Chester, and the book is often laugh-out-loud funny. It was also wonderful to see the show at this sage of its development. But mostly 13 is a divertissement. It's talented kids singing and very talented kids playing a score by a great composer that is quite entertaining but ultimately about as deep as the problems faced by its 13 13 year olds.
13 is an intimate musical about turning 13. Evan Goldman is about to turn 13 when his parents divorce and his mother moves him from Manhattan to Appleton, Indiana. Evan is faced with the dilemmas that always confront the new kid: Which clique will he join? Who will attend his bar mitzvah? Will he be a cool kid? When is tongue appropriate? The show takes place over the six weeks between his arrival and his bar mitzvah, with an ending that could have been a sell-out, but isn't.I'm a fan of Brown's scores, big (Parade) and small (Last Five Years). 13 uses a 4-piece band of teens, and they do a great job with a score that is terrific. Only the second act opener, "Anything You Want," seems out of place, and most of the score ranks among his best. I do wonder, though, whether broadway can handle two shows with songs about kissing with tongue running simultaneously.
The book also has great humor. It's certainly going to be the most of-the-moment show, with constant references to texting, MySpace, Facebook, iChat and the like. But there's not much gravitas to the story. Will a show in which the dramatic tension hinges on whether the cool kids will come to Evan's bar mitzvah (and the corollary: are the cool kids really that cool) draw an adult audience?
The central conflict will draw and hold the attention of young kids and teens. That was clear at the performance, where a good forty percent of the audience was under 16. But adults without kids are more likely to find it a pleasant experience rather than a stirring, challenging, or engaging one.
The production at the Norma Terris Theatre is solid, but not stirring. The cast is largely inconsistent and several key performances are inconsistent within. Graham Phillips, who shares the role of Evan, had some nice moments, particularly when dueting with Aaron Simon Gross or Allie Trimm. But he never quite nails the character, and he moves awkwardly (and not in a way that necessarily fits with the character). The rest of the cast is largely no better and no worse, though Gross and Trimm have some fine moments, and Eric Nelson has great technique and presence.There is much to recommend about 13. The score alone warranted the nearly 3-hour drive to Chester, and the book is often laugh-out-loud funny. It was also wonderful to see the show at this sage of its development. But mostly 13 is a divertissement. It's talented kids singing and very talented kids playing a score by a great composer that is quite entertaining but ultimately about as deep as the problems faced by its 13 13 year olds.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Quick Take: Iron Man
I'm finally getting around to reviewing Iron Man as it's leaving the theaters. Of the potential summer blockbusters, Iron Man has been the best so far. Robert Downey is great in the role, supported by a great Gwyneth Paltrow. The battle scene at the end of the film is anti-climactic rather than a climax to the film. But the path to get there is always engaging.
Passing Strange: The Original Cast Recording
How do you sell a Broadway show that is so infinitely greater than the sum of its parts? I watched Passing Strange, one of my top-five theater experiences, on The View and thought it came off horribly. I've seen the commercial. Doesn't make me want to see the show. The web site? Well it's a little better, but nothing that makes the show a must-see. So, I had some hope that the original cast recording would capture at least some of the extraordinariness of Passing Strange.
Passing Strange is now available on iTunes and will be available on CD next month. In all honesty, the show doesn't translate all that well to cast album either. It brings back great memories of the experience of seeing the show live, but hasn't been all that impressive to the uninitiated.
The album is a live recording, a great idea given the way the audience's energy informs the show. On the recording, however, the audience seems distant and appreciative rather than enthusiastic. The recording never approaches the level of energy the show itself reaches.
The songs also seem truncated. The endings often seem abrupt. One- or two-minute songs that work seamlessly at the Belasco come across as excerpts on the cast album. So, ultimately don't think the album will sell anyone on the show.
There are some great things about the show and the recording. The performances are excellent. Stew comes off great, as do most of the supporting cast. Daniel Breaker is very good, though he seems less of a presence than on stage. The music is also excellent and the great songs from the show give me memory chills every time I give it a listen.
Passing Strange is now available on iTunes and will be available on CD next month. In all honesty, the show doesn't translate all that well to cast album either. It brings back great memories of the experience of seeing the show live, but hasn't been all that impressive to the uninitiated.
The album is a live recording, a great idea given the way the audience's energy informs the show. On the recording, however, the audience seems distant and appreciative rather than enthusiastic. The recording never approaches the level of energy the show itself reaches.
The songs also seem truncated. The endings often seem abrupt. One- or two-minute songs that work seamlessly at the Belasco come across as excerpts on the cast album. So, ultimately don't think the album will sell anyone on the show.
There are some great things about the show and the recording. The performances are excellent. Stew comes off great, as do most of the supporting cast. Daniel Breaker is very good, though he seems less of a presence than on stage. The music is also excellent and the great songs from the show give me memory chills every time I give it a listen.
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