Review: X-Men: The Last Stand

WARNING: SPOILERS!

I was as worried about how X-Men: The Last Stand would come out as many others were. After the relatively cerebral action that Bryan Singer had given us in the first two films, we had come to expect and hope for a third film, an end to the trilogy, that would match the first two in depth, substance, and emotional weight. Could Brett Ratner do it? The trailers were amazing eye-candy, but when the names of all the mutants appearing in the film started coming out, and it was announced that it would be the shortest of the three films, the consensus was, "No way." Phoenix and a war with the Brotherhood and a cure? In 1 1/2 hours? It would be a disaster!

There is inarguably much more action and visual effects this time around, and subtlety takes a slight backseat, but the emotional strength is still there, maybe even more so than in the first two films. The death of Professor X, in particular, was intense. It helped that the entire action sequence involving his demise is hands-down the best such sequence in the whole trilogy. I personally do not understand why so many people are complaining about the characterization of the mutants in this film. Granted, not much development was made in some characters, like Colossus and Kitty Pride, but in this film, more than in any other, they were truly X-MEN, with extraordinary powers, and working as a team (something they had not done much of in the first two installments). Storm (finally!), Beast (!), and of course Wolverine kicked ass, there was a Colossus-Wolverine "fastball special," Kitty showed off mastery of her powers, Iceman finally turns into ice, Phoenix is amazingly creepy and destructive with the whole "Dark Willow" vibe (missed the firebird shape, though), and Magneto is, as usual, insanely powerful. It should be every fanboy's dream movie! I guess it's the deaths of so many characters that has them nitpicking. That and the pathetic development of Rogue (such a far cry from how she is in the comics!), which I myself have hated since the first film.

I had to see the film a second time to fully appreciate it, but The Last Stand is definitely my favorite of the three. It's how an X-Men film should be. On with the 4th (they can't fool us, of course there's going to be one)! Grade: B+

And my new FYC, only my second: Famke Janssen for Best Supporting Actress. I'm sure I'm going to see better performances toward the end of the year, but she has to at least be given praise for how well she interpreted the dark, schizoid personality of Phoenix.

Helena Bonham Carter in HP5!

Odd but very welcome news. Helen McCrory has been replaced as Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by the actress who should have been given the role in the first place: Helena Bonham Carter. Now I'm even more excited about this film, even though I didn't like the book on which it is based. But we have a full year and a month to wait. Click here for the story.

Review: The Da Vinci Code

I wanted to love The Da Vinci Code, but instead I got a lukewarm feeling all throughout. It was well executed in parts, with very good cinematography, but mostly it plodded along like a heavy, weighted thing that would have benefited from some slimming. And that slimming should have come as Ron Howard taking out unnecessary scenes from the source, rather than giving us what may be the most literal and exact adaptation in recent years. In the hands of a more imaginative, daring director, we probably would have been given a better film. Then again, this made me think that the book probably wasn't meant to be made into a film in the first place. The pace works in the novel, but not in the movie.

Having said all that, thumbs up to Sir Ian McKellen (in fine form, as always), Paul Bettany (chilling), and the serenely beautiful Audrey Tautou. Grade: C+

Updates to Predictions

Updates have been made to my predictions in some of the technical awards. That includes a predicted nomination (his first, if ever!) for Christopher Doyle for M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water. Sure, he wasn't nominated even for fabulous past work such as in Hero, but this poster (taken from IMDb) has me giddy with excitement over the prospect of how beautiful this film is going to be visually. There's a bigger version here; zoom in and look carefully around Bryce Dallas Howard's [wonderful] visage.

Review: Mission: Impossible III

A tightly tense, exhilarating movie from start to finish, J.J. Abrams's Mission: Impossible III is a finely wrought film that proves that action movies don't have to be stupid and without substance. Granted, the plot of M:I-3 isn't necessarily the smartest you'll be seeing for some time, but the slight lapses in logic are to be forgotten amidst the heart-stopping action (with a particular highlight being the whole Vatican sequence) and intense encounters between Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and Philip Seymour Hoffman's Owen Davian, one of the most chilling and deliciously realized villains in recent cinema. Cold does not begin to describe him. The movie could have worked even better with more action from Hunt's IMF groupmates Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and Zhen (the exotically beautiful Maggie Q), but this is still the first real Mission: Impossible movie in that Hunt's team actually works and matters. And in her short appearance, Keri Russell kicks serious ass. She's never been this beautiful or cool. Neither has this franchise. Grade: B+

Image taken from IMDb

Gedo Senki (Legend of Earthsea) trailer

Ain't It Cool News has posted a link to a fantastic trailer of Goro Miyazaki's (yup, Hayao's son) Gedo Senki (Legends of Earthsea). Could we be possibly looking for another Oscar for Studio Ghibli this year (or the next)? It certainly looks promising. The background song is beautiful, too. This is now officially one of my most anticipated films of the year.

Review: Silent Hill

A lot of people are saying that Silent Hill is the best videogame adaptation that has ever been produced. Well, umm...I hope this isn't as good as the adaptations can get. Granted, the images are extremely creepy, and the film as a whole is visually beautiful, but the latter half had me cringing with inane dialogue, wooden acting (mainly courtesy of Laurie Holden), and, save for the nurses (graduates of the Spasm Like Sadako class), a disappearance of the demoniac creatures that made the first half very interesting. I admit that I was expecting so much more, with all the buzz, the mesmerizing trailers, and the attachment of Christophe Gans as director (I really liked his 2001 film, Le Pacte des Loups). Radha Mitchell was adequate as the mother desperate to find her daughter, despite being given terrible lines to say. As for said daughter... I read somewhere Jodelle Ferland being referred to as Canada's Dakota Fanning. Please. While Dakota is a true, fine, mature actress regardless of her age, Jodelle has the acting maturity of a puppy. I found her character more annoying than frightening or worth any sympathy for. Sorry, but I just didn't like her. Grade: C+

American Idol: Rod Stewart Week

Last night was without a doubt the best night of American Idol this year (with the 50s episode being a close second), with performances ranging from okay (Kellie) to amazing (Paris and Kat). In fact, it's hard to name the bottom 3, so I won't even try, although Kellie is definitely at the bottom. Was her humble acceptance of her failure just an act to get the audience's sympathy? Well, regardless, it was a decent gesture, and I'm sure it's going to save her. So I think it's going to be either Ace or Elliott out tonight, despite their good performances (in fact, among their best), unless by some odd, nightmarish glitch in the wheel of fate, one of the great four (Kat, Paris, Chris, Taylor) gets the boot. God forbid. Who'll go: Ace. Who should go: Kellie (well, just based on last night. If I'm to consider consistency throughout the competition, then Ace should go).

Back from the Break...

I'm back after the long Holy Week break. So what have I been doing? Aside from, of course, watching films (see sidebar), I also read the first 30 issues of Image's Invincible, a great new comic book series. Can't wait for the Heroclix line to come out. And I have been playing Square-Enix's Kingdom Hearts II, a brilliant game that's much better than the first. I haven't enjoyed a game this much in a long time; among many other good things about it, the battle system is perhaps the best that I've encountered. Try out both Invincible and Kingdom Hearts II if you have the time!

That's it for now. No Oscar prediction updates as of this moment.

Review: The Hills Have Eyes

Do all American horror films have to have characters doing stupid things that get them killed (with the possible exception of George A. Romero zombie flicks)? It's hard to sympathize with characters who bring their grisly, bloody deaths upon themselves for their lack of common sense. Before you argue simple loss of wits due to the circumstances, watch the film first and then try to justify their actions. This isn't a problem with most Asian horror films; the characters don't have to be dumb to raise the tension of a scene. In the remake of The Hills Have Eyes, it's a rule to waste bullets and shelter for senseless action. You know there's something wrong when the dog seems to be the smartest character in the film.

And please, enough of the cheap jolts of surprise. "Oh look, you thought it was a hungry mutant but it was just your brother!" Any film that has to depend on a surprise every five or so sequences has strayed into overkill territory, and completely lacks subtlety. The occasional jolter would be fine.

A note about the score: it's creepy when it has to be, but when it tries to highlight the triumphs of the film's protagonists, it's painful and cringe-worthy. It has got to be the cheesiest, most annoying piece of scoring that I've heard since Vangelis's work on Alexander.

I have yet to see the original by Wes Craven, which is widely considered to be a classic in the genre. If it's anything like this remake, I'm not interested in seeing it. The only saving grace of this film is that when it needs to be scary, it can deliver. For that, and all right, for Kathleen Quinlan's effective performance, I give this film: Grade: D.

The Simpsons Movie

27 July 2007 is the date set for the release of The Simpsons movie. It has been talked about for at least two years now, with voice actors recently stating that they're in very early pre-production stages, but the "announcement" still came as a surprise: there was a teaser accompanying some reels of Ice Age: The Meltdown (this weekend's top-grossing film at more than $70 million). Folks, we now have the [very early] frontrunner for the Animated Feature Film award in the 80th Oscars.

Image taken from IMDb

Review: Just Friends

"Forgiveness is more than saying sorry..."

Okay, having gotten that out of the way (darn that catchy song), Just Friends offers some good laughs but ultimately turns out to be just another romantic comedy. Ryan Reynolds is inconsistent and isn't as funny as he usually is; maybe if he had spent more time in the fatsuit, as I had thought he would, he would have been more consistently amusing. Despite being the object of the affections of Reynolds's character Chris Brander, Amy Smart barely registers in the film. Sure, she's pretty, but she can't hold a scene with her presence.

It's the supporting characters who make the film at least slightly worthwhile. Chris Marquette acts like a complete goofball as Chris Brander's brother Mike, and it actually works. Anna Faris, who I normally hate, has so perfected the art of imitating (if she IS imitating) the vapid, dumb blonde that she should be made to teach a special acting course, say, "How to Act Like a Bimbo." She is HILARIOUS in this film. Watch it just for her.

As I started with a line from Samantha James's (Faris) song, I'll end with the last line in that same piece: "Where are you?" I know, it's senseless, but it's funny as heck when you imagine Faris's vacant face saying it. Grade: C

Category Confusions for the 79th

As early as now, predictions for the 79th Academy Awards are already being showcased in several websites and blogs, including this one. But what's making it hard for us is the confusion regarding the categories under which actors will fall come nomination night. Not many people absolutely know, I'm certain, since most of these films have been finished yet. But just in case you do, I'd appreciate the information.

Is it me or are there more confusing possibilities than there were in previous years? Anyway, here are just a few that I could think of right now:

Javier Bardem (Goya's Ghosts): Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor? He plays a monk, not Goya himself.

Annette Bening (Running With Scissors): Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress? It's a very baity role and could very well land Bening her first Oscar win, but is her mother role really a lead performance?

Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal): Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress? Isn't Cate Blanchett the lead in this film? Will Dame Judi's role be large enough for co-lead status?

Brad Pitt (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford): Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor? Pitt plays James, not Ford. Co-lead with Casey Affleck?

Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland): Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor? Sure, the title refers to his character (a Ugandan dictator, not a Scottish monarch), but will he be sharing lead status with James McAvoy?

The actors of Flags of Our Fathers: Which one of them will be going for the lead category? My bet is still Ryan Philippe. Wouldn't it be nice to have Reese Witherspoon reading out the name of her husband as a nominee?

Review: Fearless

Jet Li obviously wanted this film to convince people that he could do more than just great martial arts and acrobatics, with his key dramatic scenes and the consistent claim that this is his last martial arts epic. And the thing is, he actually pulls it off in those key scenes, being restrained and subtle in his moments of despair. But of course, I didn't watch Fearless for that. It's no Zhang Yimou or Wong Kar Wai epic. I watched it for the fight sequences, and it delivered. The film is one that must be seen, if only for that. Also for Jay Chou's very entertaining song that accompanies the end credits. Oh, and also because it's Jet Li's last martial arts epic. Supposedly. Grade: C+

Review: MirrorMask

Let me begin by saying that I love Dave McKean's art. I read the works of Neil Gaiman, a frequent collaborator of McKean (as he is in this film), and McKean's illustrations have always been, to me, otherworldly and mesmerizingly beautiful, images snatched from a dreamscape. But how to translate all that visual mastery into a working, live-action film? I was worried, and the trailers didn't help; what I saw there had large helpings of the art that I loved, yes, but somehow it felt empty.

Oh, but it turns out that that's how it was supposed to be. From her stay in her family's circus to the bleak world of light and dark and the MirrorMask, there was supposed to be emptiness, the sort that consumes. The circus is a good starting point, as the limited cast of major players feels like a sort of wandering acting troupe, wondrous in their costumes and makeup and splendid foregrounds to McKean's uncanny visuals. Gullible sphinxes, giants that would bore the Ents, moving darkness...it's The Wizard of Oz gone wrong, askew, empty. It reminds me of the game Alice, which is being made into a film for release this year. If it has half the alien beauty of MirrorMask, it's going to be fantastic. Having said that, the film is nothing short of fantastic. And I'm hoping to see more of Stephanie Leonidas soon. Grade: B+

Image from IMDb

Review: Nanny McPhee

Emma Thompson is easily one of those actresses who works brilliantly in any film that she's in, regardless of the quality of the film as a whole. She doesn't get much of a chance in Nanny McPhee to show how astounding an actress she is, but she never once slacks or loses the strength of her onscreen presence (despite all that hideous makeup, or perhaps because of it). The film itself is a whimsical, fanciful color-fest, with the occasional dancing donkey lending it the feel of a straight-to-video children's movie. Despite similarities with Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (nowhere more obvious than during the end credits), Nanny McPhee does not soar the way that surprise 2004 gem did. Perhaps it needed a deliciously humorous cameo from Meryl Streep. The short appearance by Angela Lansbury is amusing, Colin Firth is at his charming, bumbling best, and Thomas Sangster still shows signs of great promise as he did in Love Actually. Kelly Macdonald, who did very well in Gosford Park is, in my opinion, unfortunately underutilized. The way the film ends is awkward and somewhat artificial, though I find it difficult to point out exactly why. Still, the film works on an emotional level, if only for a while. Grade: B

Image from IMDb

Keisha Castle-Hughes for Best Actress?

With direction by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen), a cast including Keisha Castle-Hughes as the young Virgin Mary and Shoreh Aghdashloo as her sister, and a December release, Nativity seems to be poised to at least get some Oscar attention. I'm looking forward to this film a lot, if only because of my personal devotion to Mary. I don't expect this to sneak into the Best Picture race (unless it's phenomenal), but if there's someone from the film who can get a nod, it's previous nominee Castle-Hughes. I've updated my Best Actress predictions accordingly, dropping Meryl Streep (A Prairie Home Companion) for now. I know it's La Streep that we're talking about here (how dare I drop her, hehe), but her film's 9 June release just isn't too Oscar-friendly.

I've Got the McPheever!

I was not able to watch the first two seasons (Kelly and Ruben) of American Idol, only the season starting from the one won by Fantasia. But after a few weeks of seeing her, particularly after last night's 50s performances, I am convinced that Katherine McPhee has the purest, sultriest, highest-quality singing voice that I've heard from any female singer in the competition. I've got the McPheever! As Randy would say, "We've got a hot one here!" I'll so hate and stop watching A.I. if Kate gets voted out before the final 2 contestants are chosen. Right now, her only tough competition from the girls seem to be Paris and Mandisa (both great last night), with Kelly (back to her adorable self) threatening with her "It" factor. Among the guys, Chris is consistently very good, Elliott still has the best singing voice, and Taylor, though he stumbled last night in my opinion (why did he choose that song?!), has a strong fanbase that won't let him go early (thankfully). Ace and Lisa were OK last night, as was Kevin. Did you notice how much humbler he seemed to be last night? Someone probably had a talk with Chicken Little and told him to stop ruffling the feathers of birds bigger than he. Who should get voted off: Bucky for that terrible performance (it didn't help that he came after powerhouse Mandisa).

Review: V for Vendetta

Visually spectacular, vibrant, volatile, violent, V for Vendetta (sorry, can't resist adding all the v's) is an unexpected masterpiece from the genre of graphic novel adaptations. I had expected it to be good, but not THIS good. The action sequences are top notch, and though the film was written by the Wachowski brothers, you won't end up thinking that the fighting style is just a rehash of what you've seen in The Matrix. In his directorial debut, James McTeigue creates an artful film whose pace never slows, and whose power (in terms of both the messages and the visuals) grips you and never lets go. It's one of the more emotionally involving adaptations of a graphic novel to have been released recently, given how timely the themes (i.e. terrorism, repressive governments, etc.) are. And even if you don't end up thinking, "Hey, that situation seems familiar," you can't help but be drawn into the world that Alan Moore has so brilliantly created and that McTeigue has adapted with respectful creativity. While Stephen Rea, John Hurt, and of course Hugo Weaving turn in highly commendable performances (you won't get to see Weaving's face, but with that voice, who needs to be seen to be felt?), it is Natalie Portman who shines in the film. Her performance is nothing short of brilliant, allowing her to show a range that many older actresses would envy. The film works on all levels. "Remember, remember the 5th of November." Watch this film and it's something you won't soon forget. Grade: A

To the Academy: Remember, remember V for Vendetta come nomination time. I loved this film and Natalie in it so much that I'm adding a new section to the sidebar of my blog: my own FYCs. While I'd love to see the film itself up for a Best Picture award and think it worthy of such a recognition, my first FYC will be Natalie Portman for Best Actress. Remember, remember...

American Idol Final 12

Getting over the painful loss of Ayla Brown from the competition, I went home early from work to catch the Final 12 perform the theme shows for the first time. I think Simon Cowell was able to encapsulate the night in a few words. To paraphrase: the first half was just all right, while the second was brilliant. Well, to be more precise, the last four (Katharine, Taylor, Paris, Chris) were brilliant. Everyone else ranged from good (Elliott) to boring (Kelly--what happened?!) to just plain off (Melissa--yup, residual bitterness at her having survived instead of Ayla, but she did forget her lyrics and was pitchy all over). Wrong, potentially fatal song choice for Kelly. Good thing she's so adorable or else she'd be a sure goner. I actually kinda liked Kevin's performance for the first time, but he's still a terrible dancer, and that attitude is a definite turn off. It's everyone's (with the exception of Simon) fault for building up his ego. How many times has Kevin said that he was the show's sex symbol? Whatever. Reality check.

It's now a competition between Katharine McPhee and Paris Bennett for the girls, and between Taylor Hicks and Chris Daughtry for the boys. All of them were magnificent last night.

Who I hope would get eliminated tonight: Melissa McGee or Kevin Covais. Who I think will: Melissa for messing up her lyrics.