Stars Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Jon Daly, Kathryn Hahn, Adam Scott, Adrian Martinez with Patton Oswalt, Shirley MacLaine and Sean Penn Directed by Ben Stiller The first thing that really got my attention is, really, how much Ben Stiller has evolved as a director. Reality Bites was a decent intro (he had done TV shows before, primarily his self-titled show), but I really did not like The Cable Guy, didn’t care for Zoolander despite some interesting ideas, and felt that he didn’t quite have that strong a grasp on Tropic Thunder. But with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Stiller has evolved to become a solid director of note. Tropic Thunder showed that he can handle some extravagant action moments, and he does have some deftness where comedy is concerned. In Walter Mitty, he shows off a more sensitive side where drama is concerned. It’s not just in the direction, but his portrayal of Walter is sensitive, caring and full of heart, hope and desire without overdoing it and layering in the schmaltz. Granted, he does slip into some comfort zones (the Benjamin Button bit being the most obvious) and he has toned down the quippy, arrogant, easy-to-snap quick-to-anger bits from way back, and did settle for the underdog leader role of late (see the Madagascar movies, The Watch, Tower Heist). While there may be moments that makes The Secret Life of Walter Mitty appear to be self-serving, I suppose in a way, it is. One of his daydream characters seem to be a callback to his Tugg Speedman persona. Still, he does carry the movie in more ways than one, and at times, he is the only character on screen. But it does showcase his growth as actor and director. The character of Walter Mitty is a delicate one. He is a dreamer who is prone to occasionally ‘zoning out’ and relishing an imaginative fantasy that would over-whelm his reality, often to the point of distraction that he’s unaware of what goes on around him. Maybe several years ago, Stiller might not have been a good choice. But then, there is a thought that comedians sometimes make the best dramatic actors, while some dramatic actors make the best comedies (just look at the main cast of Airplane or The Naked Gun series, how many of those stars were actually known for comedy roles?) Aside from Stiller, the rest of the cast work just as well, even with limited screen time they may have. Shirley MacLaine plays Walter’s mother and probably has no more than ten to fifteen minutes of screen time. Sean Penn may have even less despite his character being a major presence throughout the movie. And this is a very relaxed and game Sean Penn that we probably haven’t seen on screen in a very very long time (since Friends, perhaps?). The same goes for Patton Oswalt whose character also has quite a presence throughout the movie and doesn’t appear until well into the movie. Kristen Wiig, who plays the object of affection for Walter, and also the occasional boost of inspiration - in an amazingly conceived scene with the best use of a Bowie song ever - also seems to have limited screen time. All of them, despite the meagre appearances they put in, all make their mark in the movie as well as Walter’s life. However, it’s Stiller’s direction that truly elevates the movie. The cinematography is truly exquisite, providing very simple and subtle shifts to distinguish reality from fantasy, even when reality becomes fantastic. The landscape shots are absolutely gorgeous, as well as showing the drab and simple life Walter has right at the beginning. The pacing works well to drive the movie even as we journey with Walter through his adventure, not so much one of self-discovery, but one of self-realisation. The use of text on screen is such a rare thing to behold, such as the way the opening credits are done or emphasising the Life motto, or even simply letting us know a text message Walter receives while on his journey. And then there’s the score as well as the use of music throughout. For me, this is an amazing movie to close the year with. While it does hit close to my heart, maybe giving me that extra reason for a slightly higher rating, it is a movie that does celebrate life. It might be a fantasy or day-dream in the end. For some, it might very well be nothing more than a fantasy, but it does have heart, hope and joy. It’s not perfect, as in it’s not likely to be considered a threat to the typical Oscar contender that dominates the screens at this time of the year, but it does come pretty close. There are a lot of smart things that are going on in the movie, and despite the occasional slip, it all works for the most part.
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Stars Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kô Shibasaki, Tabanobu Asano, Min Tanaka, Jin Akanishi, RInko Kikuchi, Togo igawa with Gedde Watanabe and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Directed by Carl Rinsch Just based on the trailer, my expectations weren’t that high. I knew something of the legend of the 47 Ronin, and with the trailer showing off the mystical bits and beasties - the witch turning into a dragon in particular - made me a little apprehensive about watching an adaptation of the legend. That’s not to say you can’t take a few liberties in translating the story into a Hollywood feature, which is not unlike Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which also had a witch added to the mythology. That’s the least of the similarities between that 1991 Kevin Costner feature and this new adaptation of the Japanese legend. After all, you’ve got to cater to having one American star dropped into the mythology. To my surprise, the writers did hew quite close to the legend while mixing in elements of Japanese mythology and mysticism, hence the witch occasionally taking on the form of a fox and the beasties, which include the Tengu (bird-like mystical creatures that can take human form). Despite that, the legend is mostly intact and fairly respectful. The inclusion of Keanu Reeves’ Kai also gives rise to an extra element to the legend, as a way to provide an external view (or at least, a Hollywood perspective) into the world of the story. If you need an idea of the legend, there was a scene in Ronin (1998) where Michael Lonsdale’s character tells Robert DeNiro’s character the legend, in brief. And just because you know the outcome doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the journey. The Japanese cast are game enough to carry the English dialogue throughout (although reports have it that the movie was also made in Japanese, which I am very curious to check out). Their performances reflect their respect for the material even with the liberties taken. Reeves has given respect to adapted materials he’s worked with before and does so again her, delivering a decent performance that you might expect of him.
The cinematography is gorgeous and the design work is amazing. The costumes are full of colour and detail, and there are some amazing set designs as well. The vistas captured are beautiful to look at, courtesy of landscapes from Budapest and Japan itself. The action is gripping at times and the drama works well enough in the hands of first time movie director, Carl Rinsch. It just doesn’t fly as high as it could, with the emotional level falling a little flat. In all, it plays well. Slightly above average and it was a pleasant surprise that they did stick close enough to the original story despite hyping all the mystical stuff. Stars Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage with Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Orlando Bloom and Benedict Cumberbatch Directed by Peter Jackson Second part of the planed trilogy in the adaptation of the rather slim novel. Sadly, it has all the problems of being a middle part of a trilogy. And while there was the sense of stretching the narrative in the first instalment, the impact of that exercise really hit me while watching this follow up. There was a complain before about The Lord Of Rings trilogy being three long movies of people walking about. For a pretty good stretch for the first half of the movie, it sure felt like it. Granted, we do get a prologue set a year earlier before we catch up with our company of weary travellers. Then, it's running across plains and running across forests and then it's wandering around Mirkwood and riding barrels down a river, then after a brief respite, more plains and up a mountain and so on. It does feel very stretched. At one point, it's just "The Legolas Show" Still, the vistas are gorgeous backed with some stunning cinematography. The performances are uniform, carrying on from the previous instalment. The action... Well... It is a very technically accomplished film from the design to the visuals and the music. There are a few character moments and we do get elves, primarily Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace and Evangeline Lilly, as well as the humans of Lake Town, led primarily by Luke Evans as Bard. Of course, the highlight of the second half (or last hour actually) being the titular dragon, Smaug, performed by Benedict Cumberbatch. Well, that's what the production notes say. Aside from the voice, perhaps some facial motion capture, how does one perform as a dragon? Still, Smaug is a fascinating cinematic creation, a digital creature courtesy of Weta Digital. There is a remarkable performance on screen, a creature with mass and weight and power. It is a fearsome creature. Still... The movie pushes close to the three hour mark and, as a middle part to a trilogy, the story doesn't end, capping this chapter with a cliff-hanger that may have been a bit too much too far on. I felt weary and worn, and the knowledge that there's still a concluding chapter just amplified the feeling. Even with the cliff-hanger that promises more action to come. It's just hard to reconcile the obviously stupendous and gorgeous product of epic story-telling with the also obvious and almost unnecessary expansion of plot that creates a somewhat very bloated middle chapter. Technical achievement and decent performance can only carry the movie so far. There's obviously a decent story in there too. Maybe something should be said about being overly faithful to the original text. |
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December 2017
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