Paradise Reel

My sincere apologies to everyone who has tried to access my site for the past few days as blogsome.com was shifting their databases to another server. Everything seems to be fine and dandy for the time being (lets hope it lasts!) and now all the links work, comments can be submitted and I can finally post articles again! Managed to catch a number of films while blogsome.com was doing their weekly ‘migration’ and their reviews will be up shortly if nothing goes terribly wrong.

Its kinda hard to maintain a regular posting schedule when blogsome is plagued with rampant shut downs. Perhaps its time to find some proper server space… Anyone has some cheap server space to spare? *hint*hint*

The plot for the film “UltraViolet” could easily have been fished out of Hollywood’s script graveyard but in the hands of Kurt Wimmer (”Equilibrium“) it transforms itself into a stylish slugfest of sword fights and gun ballets. The plot from what I gather is that a bunch of genetically enchanced humans are targetted for termination by the government. The few who managed to survive the witchhunt form a group who fights against said government. Does not sound terribly new, does it?

Wimmer’s previous film took the “1984″ concept of Big Brother (which the Wachowski brothers milked for all its worth) and layered it with slick style. It set itself apart from the aftermath of the other “matrix’ clones by cranking up the coolness level. And from the looks of the trailer to “UltraViolet”, it is no different there. What I find reassuring is that here is a film that does not try to break the mould or reinvent the genre but presents itself for what it really is, a pretty darn cool film to watch…

Click here to view the trailer! It takes a while to load and it looks as if there is nothing happening but be patient because the trailer is bloody worth it…

Some enchanted evening…

Adam Rogers moderating a Q&A session with Neil Gaiman.

As all of you would know from the previous post, I made a quick trip to NYC to attend a Q&A session by my all time favourite (living) author in the world, the master of Dreams, Neil ‘the Sandman’ Gaiman. The talk was sponsored by WIRED magazine in a series of conversations with the leaders in business, science, entertainment, design and technology and the event is hosted by WIRED senior editor Adam Rogers.

Neil Gaiman appeared on stage with hoots and whistles and he stepped up to the podium to read a short excerpt of his latest novel, “Anansi Boys”. I shall not bore you with the finer details of the session lest you think of me as a blubbering fanboy but he did, however, touch on a few of his upcoming projects which I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on, watch and read!

“StarDust” (Audio Book)

Neil commented that he is currently working on an audio book recording of his second novel, “StarDust” (which is my favourite book to date). One of his many talents, and he has quite a few mind you, is that he has a terribly enchanting voice. I can imagine him be perfect voicing the “Lord of Dreams” if ever an animated feature on his beloved Sandman series came about. I definitely would pay good money to see that happen but there are things that are just best left alone in their element.

StarDust tells of a boy from a remote english village who ventures out into the magical forest to retrieve a fallen star for his beloved. Along the way he meets a host of zany characters who aids or hinders him in his quest. The best part about the novel is that it is a very quick read which you could start and finish it in less than a day.

“Beowulf” (3D animated feature)

This is going to be a computer animated film based on an old English poem that chronicled the exploits of a certain bloke by the name of Beowulf who manages to save a bunch of Danes from some fearsome creature back in the 8th century. A terrible movie version of this poem starring Christopher “Highlander” Lambert came out in 1999 and it should be noted that Neil’s version has no relation what so ever.

Mr. Gaiman co-wrote the script with Roger Avery who also supplied the literature for the Christopher Gans’s “Crying Freeman” and the upcoming “Silent Hill” adaptation (coincidentally also directed by Monsieur Gans). It will be produced by the same people behind “The Polar Express”. I know, I know, that was one of the least well received 3D animated features of 2004 with their weird character designs and funky animation but Mr. Gaiman assures that they have learnt from their mistakes and have taken steps to rectify said problems. Neil asked for a show of hands that had seen the film “The Polar Express” and a flurry of hands (including mine) shot up. Then he asked to leave our hands up if we were freaked out by the character’s eye movements and only a handful stayed up this time (including mine).

He described a moment when he visited the motion capture (Mo-Cap for short) set and saw Angelina Jolie and Crispin Glover all dressed up in limey green jumpsuits with close to a million red dots all over their bodies. But what he found really interesting was this smallish device that was positioned right above their eyes. When asked what it was, the technician told him that he was to record the brainwaves that are sent to the cornea so that they can duplicate the proper eye movements during animation. Well bugger me…

“The Graveyard Book” (Children’s novel)

Neil’s next children’s book offering is oddly titled “The Graveyard Book”. He actually got his inspiration from when he was living in a house next to a graveyard and since the house had no yard of its own, the graveyard doubled for their front lawn. His boy would ride out with his tricycle around the graveyard everyday and he figured that the image itself was quirky enough to spawn a children’s book.

He described his book as like “The Jungle Book” just with dead people in it where a young boy is raised not by jungle creatures but by the undead. He went on to say that the theme for the book is that the undead are harmless; it is the living ones are the ones who can do us the most harm.

Neil was extremely gracious in the thereafter when the signing of his books began, making sure that every single one of his fans got the chance to meet and shake his hand. I managed to get my StarDust novel signed (amongst other things) and went home happy as a pup.

I shall conclude this little piece with some quips from the Master of Mirth himself that showcases his acerbic wit and sardonic tongue…

“When asked what was his creative hours were like, he responded that in the beginning he usually worked through the course of the night but when he gave up coffee and cigarettes, his sleeping habits reverted back to normal.

Neil: So at about 1 in the morning I would be dozing off at the computer and 4 hours later I would lift my head off the keyboard and find 350 pages of the letter “M”…”

Adam Rogers and Neil were fielding questions and Adam commented on the different kinds of people that made up the audience, that there was middle aged, seniors and young children in the crowd.

Neil: Ah yes, Adam mentioned backstage before we came out that there was a surprising lack of pretty Goths in the crowd today.

Adam (trying for composure): Hey, I didn’t say it exactly like that…

Neil (deadpan): Yes, I improved it…

Alright, I know it has been a while since this trailer debuted but it is one of those rare films that beckon to be drummed into the minds of movie goers lest they pass on this film in the cinemas. For those unbeknownst of director Guillermo Del Toro, he is the mastermind behind the creepy supernatural thriller “The Devil’s Backbone” and the Dark Horse comic adaptation of “Hellboy”. This film has been on the work slate for a while now and only recently did a teaser trailer appear online which means that it should be close to completion or I’ll just wallow in misery of the mediocre films at the box office for another year.

“Pan’s Labyrinth” is a twisted retelling of the classic “girl-in-magical-land-coming-of-age” tale. There are some extreme creepiness in the teaser which you can see for yourself. I have loved all the films that Del Toro has come up with thus far (yes, Blade 2 included); even his lesser know fare like “Chronos”. Anyway, click here to check out the teaser trailer! There is an advertisement page but just let it load and it’ll take you to the trailer after that.

Hostel

I have concluded that Hollywood is incapable of producing solid horror films of any kind. It is either that scenario or some bloke in the publicity department was dead asleep while watching this film and tried to market it as a horror flick. Either way, both reflect ambiguous intelligence in the industry. The first film for director Eli Roth was his sleeper horror hit “Cabin Fever” where he took updated the “stupid American teens looking for sex in secluded woods and then dying one by one” concept and gave it a refreshing spin. He now chimes in with his second offering, “Hostel” which comes across as a weak satire but even at that level it fails miserably.

‘Horror’ to the Americans, I have deduced, is primarily how much gore one can inject into a scene. The bigger the gross out factor, the better which translates to you squirming in your chair (or churn in your stomach) rather than send a chill down your spine like the horror films of old. And what better way to crank up the puke factor than snipping off a couple of digits? There is the token severing of a couple of fingers in this film like any other typical horror film of late (RE: “House of Wax” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”). There is also a gargantuan amount of gore (girls too, more on that later), explicitly depicted to all its bloody detail which Eli Roth blatantly capitalizes on. This leads me to wonder how much resources did this bugger actually devote to coming up with a proper storyline of any sort.

The concept is interesting enough to warrant me a second look but the storyline is so thin, its’ transparent. There are even points in the film where one wonders how the hell they are going keep the story going. Eli had an intriguing premise to work on but the buildup to the ‘meat’ of the film seems genuinely forced out of his arse. There are some throw backs to some horror classics and there is even a scene that seems lifted straight from some Japanese/Korean horror flick. He may have meant this film to be a parody of the horror genre but even parodies have a semblance of a plot to progress the story. What we are treated to is just another serving of “ignorant American teenagers” who are so dumb that they could strangle themselves with a cordless phone.

And what is the deal with “Quentin Taratino Presents” any way? What did that bloke do to warrant his name being plastered above the film’s marquee? When we see a “James Cameron Presents” or “A John Woo film” it is because ‘that name’ is responsible for directing the damn movie and not some swanky producer whose primary job is just to say “cool” and “I think you should go with THIS angle…”. Granted that Taratino produced some cult classics back in his “Reservoir Dogs” days but he seem to have hit a recent creative slump with “Kill Bill Vol.2” (Vol. 1 was awesome though) and his extended monologues. The point of the matter is that I definitely do not need Quentin’s John Hancock on a movie poster to motivate me to a movie, heck it might even have a reverse effect and drive audiences off to the hills.

While there is an abundance of gratuitous violence, Mr. Roth balances that with an equal amount of gratuitous nudity. The ladies who ‘seduce’ the willing American teens are more than willing to shed most of their clothing for whatever whim and fancy. One should be well sanitized to presence of breast and tits after the end of this film if not already. With the lack of plot and storyline, Eli Roth should have just axed the last two thirds of his film and kept the first thirty minutes of nudity and he would probably still have made the same amount of money.

The blood is plentiful and it flows thick like the river of chocolate in Willy Wonka’s candy factory. Watch this only if you are hard starved for dismemberment and the days of old “Friday the 13th” and “Nightmare” films where victims run around like headless chickens. And not to mention glorious plotholes. This might be worth a rental once it hits the video/DVD shelves but even then, you would probably have to have either a blood fetish or be seriously deprived of a happy childhood.

Friends have come to know that I am a HUGE Neil Gaiman fan. Ever since a dear friend of mine (thank you Cheryl Ann for first clonking my head with Emily Brontë and then insist that i read it…) gave me Neil’s “Neverwhere” for a belated birthday gift, I have been devouring everything he has written or produced. Just two days ago I got wind that Prince of Prose, Wizard of Words himself will be making a seminar/talk of sorts in New York City today, Jan 9th! He’ll be stationing himself at the 92nd ST Y in New York. So as I am frantically throwing some sundries into my backpack and punching out this little post, I am reminded that I have to wake up another friend to give me a lift to the train station. Frantic Frenzied Flustered!

Anyhoo, I’ll be back in a day and I apologise for the lack of updates over the Christmas and New Year festivities (watching “the Ball” drop is a bloody waste of time!). More on Neil when I get back to wintry Buffalo but for now, its off to see the Wizard!

Munich

I had been mulling over this review for a few days as somehow I feel whatever I write just does not do the film much justice. On one level it focuses its scopes on what it means to be a Jew and on another it tackles the tumultuous conflict between the Arabs and the Jews. It was by pure chance that I saw the listing for “Munich” at my local theater. The film is one of Spielberg’s fastest productions to date (mirrored by “War of the Worlds”) and it was only about a month before the actually release date that composer John Williams completed the orchestral score to the film. “Munich” has been touted as controversial, disturbing and unsympathetic in their depiction of the fallout from the slaughter of the 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. For the obvious lack of publicity (the trailer for the film only debuted a month ago), it has gained a lot of buzz over the past few months solely the subject matter and Steven’s intention to submit this as his Oscar bid.

Steven Spielberg has to be the most prolific director inside of Hollywood to constantly tackle the question of what does it takes to be a Jew. His first foray into the realm of ‘serious’ cinema garnered him a best Oscar for film and another one for direction with his piece on the Jewish Holocaust, “Schindler’s List” and his latest contribution holds the promise of at least another Oscar nomination for Hollywood’s Judaism champion. It is hard to develop a film on a topic of this severity without dividing the audience into different camps of contention but he has gone to great lengths to explore both sides of the coin as clearly as possible. It is easy to dismiss this as another film that depicts the ongoing struggle of the Jews to exist in the Middle East but upon completing the film, one realizes that “Munich” does not really take any sides.

The one thing I felt that was rather well done was that the film was pretty much self- contained. There is a lot of history to the Israeli/Palestine conflict that dates back before the dawn of Christ which would probably result in a different perspective of the film if one was familiar with the back story. And even if one is completely unaware of this age old conflict, Spielberg manages to provide us with enough information about it to understand the situation and severity without having to bog the story down. Some still see Steven as a Hollywood summer blockbuster goldmine but he has proven that he can navigate the trenches of controversy while still being able to craft a filmic experience for the movie going audience.

Another forte for Steven’s dramatic films is the level of acting which could be the result of clever casting and deft direction on his part. Nevertheless, the film benefits from it. Eric Bana (“Black Hawk Down” and “The Incredible Hulk”) is the Israeli secret agent tasked with the job of hunting down the conspirators responsible for 1972 Olympics murder of the Israeli athletes. Bana’s natural pensive looks allows us to empathize with the moral issues that accompany his mission. Daniel Craig (“Layer Cake” and “Sylvia”), Ciarán Hinds (“Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” and “Phantom of the Opera”), Mathieu Kassovitz (“The Fifth Element” and “Jakob the Liar”), and Hanns Zischler round out this ensemble cast of Israeli vengeance. Geoffrey Rush always manages to embody every single role he chooses to play and it is none different here as he takes on the part of Eric Bana’s superior of ambiguous agendas. Each of the cast members seem to have been born to play these roles. Yes, one can accuse Steven for typecasting his actors but at the end of the day, I still prefer an actor who can shine in his element rather than have one who is clearly out of his/her league.

It is rather timely that Mr. Spielberg decided to rush this film just before this year’s end given that there had been a lot of media focus over in the Middle East for the past five years. Even though this is a very realistic film with very realistic themes and is terribly unapologetic in its treatment of the topic, I still enjoyed it tremendously. And I was stuck in the neck breaking, spine paralyzing front row, furthest left seat to boot. Do away with all the political implications, the moral issues, at the end of the day; “Munich” is still an intelligent filmic experience. But it is not for the faint of heart as one will have their emotions poked, prodded and pummeled on this journey. This is probably one of the most important movies of the year and should warrant at least an attempt to catch it in the cinema.