Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull


Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 6 months, I'd hope you're fairly aware that there is a new Indiana Jones film. Premiered to great fanfare this past week at Cannes, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull may not be the masterful return to Raiders of the Lost Ark (or even Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) that some fans may have been hoping for but when viewed with an open mind, there is more than enough to enjoy here to warrant a viewing. Packed with superb action sequences, a tight script, the typical Spielberg-ian direction and a handful of good performances, the Indiana Jones franchise has another winner on its hands.

Back in the fedora for the fourth time is Harrison Ford, who, despite his age, absolutely nails his performance, comfortably stepping back into the shoes of the title adventurer. In this installment, set in 1957, his focus shifts from Nazis to Communists as the Cold War rages on and that change is somewhat jarring at the film's start. In the post World War II environment, Indy is a decorated vet rather than vigilante fighter for democracy. When the Russians, led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) arrive at Area 51 (which we have actually seen before in the series, you just didn't know it) in Nevada with a captive Indy in tow, they are looking for a particular artifact with some otherworldly abilities. This may sound like a typical start to an Indy film but the political climate change that inevitably followed the end of WWII permeates the film. All things considered, like the lack of the definitively evil Nazis hurt Temple of Doom, it hurts Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as well. For whatever reason, Indy always seems more at home socking it to some eight foot German.

Anyway you slice it, Indy escapes, without the artifact (C'mon, the bad guys have to start with the upper hand, its Indiana Jones!), but with his life, which is slightly unbelievable given the situation that ensues. Regardless, he winds up back in a classroom until an unexpected visitor, Mutt Williams (Shia LeBouf), arrives with chaos quickly on his heels. He asks Indy to come and help him look for an old friend of Jones', Professor "Ox" Oxley (John Hurt), who had been a father figure to Mutt, but has seemingly lost his mind in pursuit of the legendary city of Akator and the associated crystal skulls said to possess magical powers. Indy being Indy, he's off and ready to go. Without spoiling too much, he is reunited with his old friend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), who carries some interesting news, as he clashes with and races against the dasteredly Commies. In other words, its an Indiana Jones film.

Spielberg hyped the film by claiming that CGI would be kept to a minimum, which makes the mutiple appearances of CGI prarie dogs in the opening twenty minutes so questionable. In what is the most obvious moment of George Lucas meddling, the shots, albeit brief, seem to be out of the traditional spirit of the series, which has always relied more on gross out animal sightings than loveable cuddly ones. At least in Raiders, the monkey was real. It is a disappointing start to the film and in all honesty, the shots immediately took me out of the flow of the sequence. Thankfully, Spielberg retains the reins and locks in, leaving the rest of the film satisfying and exciting. Its obvious that a true master is behind the camera here as the direction is assured, flashy when necessary but never distracting. Spielberg can craft an action sequence with the best of them, knowing exactly when to peak and step back, pacing each moment to near perfection. While Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn't have the same seat of your pants moments that made Raiders so spectacular, it tries its hardest to make it all look effortless and for the most part, it works.

Shot by Janusz Kaminski, Spielbergs DP of choice, this is definitely the most visually extravagant installment of the series. Kaminski is one of the best cinematographers working today and his skills are on display here in spades. Its definitely more artistically shot than the previous three, the changes that comes with nearly 20 years of lag time doesn't feel as jarring as, say, the difference between the first three Star Wars and the subsequent prequels. Unlike Episodes I, II, III of Lucas' epic story, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn't try to rewrite the books on everything previous. It wisely chose a later moment in time to set the narrative and while it eliminates the classic villains of the series best installments, to try and take a nearly 20 years old Ford and install him into another part set in the 1940's would have been a cataclysmic disaster, a bona fide film destroyer.

As I mentioned above, Ford is wonderful as he turns in his best performance in at least 10 years (since 1997's Air Force One). Equally as impressive is Cate Blanchett, who adds another stellar performance to her impeccable canon. If she isn't the most consistently talented actress working today, I'd be hard pressed to find her equal. While there may be some performances in a year that are better than hers, when all things are considered, the woman is a force of nature, undertaking a variety of roles and knocking everything out of the park. She may be the closest thing to Katherine Hepburn that the film world has seen since Hepburn herself. Its ironic that one of Blanchett's absolutely best performances was her portrayal of Hepburn in The Aviator, which she rightfully won an Oscar for. With The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, another Blanchett pic in the pipeline for a late 2008 release and an almost guaranteed run at the Oscars, it looks like 2008 may be another year of Cate Blanchett.

LeBouf is charming here as well. He continues to solidify his position as one of the better up and coming stars of his generation. He may not always have the best technical acting performances but his charisma and screen presence is pretty undeniable. If he wasn't a massive star from last summer's Transformers, he will almost certainly be one by the time it's sequel finds the multiplexes in the near future. Ray Winstone, who was absolutely stunning in 2005's The Proposition and 2006's The Departed, contributes another good performance here as Mac, Jones' wartime buddy and adventurer. John Hurt is excellent as well as a mentally lost archaeologist. His performance is over the top and provides some moments of inspired facial work. What is perhaps most surprising and welcoming is that no sidekick grates upon the audience like some of Indy's prior acquaintances did (Willie Scott, I'm looking at you). Each contributes worthwhile moments that help enrich the overall experience.

In the grand scheme of things, look at Kingdom as somewhere between Last Crusade and Temple of Doom, in the 3 out of 4 spot in the series and you won't be disappointed. It is by no means a bad film, not at all, and more often than not, features inspired filmmaking, the type summer blockbusters too often miss. Spielberg is obvious having fun here and while it certainly doesn't provide the intellectual depth of some of his other blockbusters (read: Minority Report), it is a stellar recreation of the serials of yore. For those who complain about the ludicrous stunts or sequences, one must remember that nothing in this film would be out of place in the previously mentioned serials, Flash Gordon or The Phantom, for example. These are not films that rely on reality, the supernatural and the absurd have always factored into the Jones' films. Is a thousand year old knight sitting in a cave, drinking water from a magical, sacred cup all that much more believable? Or does the fact that if you drink from the wrong cup, you age years in seconds, your skin shrivels and your skeleton explodes, strike one as plausible? I'd like to think not. Those who will be upset with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are viewers, guided by nostalgia and selective memory, who have their minds made up about what an Indy film should be. This newest installment may not fit into that mold, but then again, it doesn't have to. See it with an open mind and bring a seatbelt. Its a wonderful ride.

Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Shine a Light, Son of Rambow, OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies


Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Another film from the Judd Apatow factory (he produces here) features the same formula, hefty doses of raunch and heart played by the same guys. What separates the Apatow written and directed from his produced is a sense of down home realism.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall, while touching and funny at turns, never reaches the heights of Apatow's and Knocked Up and falls considerably short of the inspired antics of last summer's The 40 Year VirginSuperbad. Written and starring Jason Segal, some of the jokes here feel too staged, something that never afflicts the Apatow helmed entries. The biggest surprise of Marshall comes from Mila Kunis, who sheds off her That 70's Show garb and does a comedic 180, bravely moving from the safe and restrictive confines of network sitcoms into the more risqué R-rated comedy. A bust by no means, it is somewhat of a disappointment given the previous output from this crew but this is undoubtedly better than 90% of the comedies that will be released this year.


Shine a Light

Martin Scorsese is one of the few directors around the world that can do almost no wrong with critics and audiences alike and with Shine a Light, his collaborative concert film with The Rolling Stones, he succeeds again. The Stones are on top of their game here, a stunning revelation that a nearly 50-year-old band can still bring the heat and at times, could easily outplay any band in the world. The performance is loose and fun but never messy. In fact, on the contrary, as the band is tight and propulsive, moving from hit to fan favorite with ease and precision. Seen on IMAX, the film is a visual and aural rocker, expertly edited and shot. Prior to the concert, Scorsese enlisted some of the industry's finest DPs to act as cameraman and the results are entirely evident on the screen. Featuring the work of such luminaries as Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood, Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana), Ellen Kuras (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, He Got Game, Bamboozled), Andrew Lesnie (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, King Kong), Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men, The New World, Y Tu Mama Tambien) and John Toll (The Thin Red Line, Braveheart, The Last Samurai), Shine a Light spins, swirls and soars around. It may be the best shot concert film of all time. Combined with a searing performance from the band, Shine a Light is another Scorsese hit, if not another a classic.


Son of Rambow

At its best moments, Garth Jenning's second film seems to match the best of Gondry. Where it differentiates itself is in its inability to retain the sense of wonder and whimsy that Gondry so effortlessly presents. Son of Rambow, which tells the story of two boys, who after viewing a bootleg copy of First Blood, set off to make their own Rambo film, is an enjoyable yet ultimately slight film. It never quite reaches the heights of The Science of Sleep or even this year's Be Kind Rewind, two films that immediately come to mind while watching Rambow but still manages to keep its audiences entertained for its hour and forty minute run time. Bill Millner, in his debut performance, plays Will Proudfoot, one half of the filmmaking duo, and Millner is nothing short of spectacular. Without his heartfelt, humorous and intelligent performance, Rambow would greatly suffer. With it, the film is never dull or an outright disappointment. The film's finale is as uplifting and warm as one would imagine and hope for, leaving the audience with a pleasant taste in their mouths. While it may never inspire someone like First Blood does to the young boys, it certainly helps to bring back its audiences to the point where they recognized their own love of film, which for many of us, is a memory well worth reliving.


OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies

France's answer to James Bond is Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath a.k.a OSS 117, a bumbling mix of Inspector Closseau and Jason Bourne. In OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, OSS 117 is used to mixed results and while there are some moments of inspired satire and comedy, too often the film's jokes fall well short of their goal to fully succeed. OSS 117 is sent to Cairo to investigate the death of another OSS agent and from the get go, its obvious that while he may try, 007 is a world away. Wonderfully played by Jean Dujardin in a performance that single handedly saves the film, OSS 117 spends the next hour and forty minutes racing around the streets trying to determine the culprit behind the death of his friend. The comedic moments that work are tremendous, displaying a sharp understanding of the East/West dynamic as well as a keen sense of the genre in which it works. For fans of spy films, there is enough here to entertain. However, for the unconverted/newcomers to the genre, much of the film's sly comedy will be lost, leaving only a few sparkling moments of physical insanity to do the heavy lifting. Thankfully the film moves quickly and is never boring so there is certainly worse ways to spend the two hours but one can't help but be disappointed by the promise of certain scenes that never fully materializes, leaving an empty feeling at film's end.

Leatherheads: Review


When one looks back on the classic screwball comedies of Hollywood's past, all share the highest quality of screenplays. My Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby and the such, all feature whip smart writing first and any sort of visual prowess second. Unfortunately, Leatherheads, George Clooney's latest directorial effort, seems to have missed that lesson resulting in a beautifully shot comedy that lacks much in the life or laughs category. In fact, even the normally reliable Clooney, who usually seems to effortlessly effuse the type of natural charisma that few others have possessed, never quite hits his stride, leaving a performance that can't help but feel lackluster. As a result, Leatherheads is nothing less than a complete disappointment, a novel idea that falls on its face.


The story should be simple enough yet Leatherheads seems to complicate even the smallest moments. Instead of having the classic boy meets girl narrative at its core, Leatherhead attempts to blend commentary on the necessity of heroes with slapstick laughs and a dull romance into a script that never finds its voice. It tells of Dodge Connelly (Clooney) who plays football, in the post WWI 1920's, for the Duluth Bulldogs, a professional football team at a time where professional football was nothing more than a complete laughingstock to the American public. On the other side of the equation is Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford (John Krasinski), a war hero and Princeton football star. Throw into the mix bombshell newspaper reporter Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger), whose assignment is to reveal Rutherford's wartime exaggerations and you seem to have the makings of a throwback to the classic screwball comedies of the past. However, after a promising opening act, the film spirals quickly downward until the audience is left looking at their watches, hoping it all ends soon.


The heart of the blame lies in the film's dialogue, a stilted attempt at recapturing the sound and feel of the 1930's classics. Written by Rick Reilly and Duncan Brantley, two sportswriters, Leatherheads feels much less like a modern reinvention of the film's obvious influences than a botched attempt at a direct replication. The dialogue never comes close to the quick-witted repartee that folks like Sturges and Capra fed off of. Its much heavier than its influences and where classic screwball comedies floated along on a feather light dialogue of quick barbs, Leatherheads' conversations feel dull and tired, leaving the cliché storyline bare. As a result, the entire film moves slowly towards an unsatisfying finish. If one feels anything at the end of the Sturges film, the viewer knows that the romantic relationship at the film's core was earned through blood, sweat and tears, yet Leatherheads' finale never feels like anything other than a welcome relief from the film.


Clooney's direction here is capable and assured. He certainly has the cinematic eye of an industry veteran and much of the film's pleasure comes from the work of Clooney and Newton Thomas Sigel, the film's cinematographer. It really nails the look of the 20's and the visual feel of an old Hollywood film, right down to the opening Universal logo. There are some inspired visual gags, many of which are the best have the film to offer and those are well set up by Clooney's direction. While it may be the worst of his three directorial efforts, much of the film's faults are not due to his direction so Leatherheads continues to show that Clooney has continued to develop into a powerful director with an eye for brave, interesting projects.

As mentioned earlier, Clooney is surprisingly bland in his role. However, Zellweger seems to jump into the character and run with it, taking Lexie's sass and adding some edge to it. The real star here is Krasinski who, up to this point, is most well known from his work in NBC's The Office. Leatherheads may signal a start of a solid film career for him as he has a great deal of charisma and creates the most memorable character in the film. His performance is vital and is a major highlight of a film desperately looking for more. With the pedigree behind this project, it can't help but feel like a massive disappointment that the end results are so lackluster. Its too fixed on the its influences yet it lacks almost everything that made those films such classics. It serves as an example of a film doomed from its script, something no amount of star power or directorial prowess can recover from.