Monsters (2010)

Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion, a photo journalist agrees to escort his boss' daughter through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border. 

     I have made it one of my (less important) life goals to watch as many alien movies as possible. I saw this advertised a while ago, discovered it would not be in theaters near me, and so watched it on Netflix. It's a strange movie, very low-budget, with incredibly natural dialogue (the actors were not given scripts, but general outlines and character design) and almost no actual aliens. However, their presence is undeniable, as every crackle of a twig or explosions in the night sky signal a possible attack. 

      It reminded me of a less big "District 9," in that it's about aliens, but it's really about something else. It has a lot about relationships and Mexican-American politics woven into it, which makes it a better alien movie than just all creatures and no humanity. If aliens really did come to earth, it would indeed be a highly-political situation, with lots of people involved.

    Most people would find this boring, but it is very well-done for its genre.

Red (2010)

When his peaceful life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive and uncover his assailants. 

   This was a very entertaining movie. It had a great ensemble cast, cool comic-book visuals, and an interesting enough story to keep you invested. One of the downsides to a comic book-turned-movie that is not about vampires or superheroes is that sometimes seems real, but then all of a sudden isn't, and you are tempted to say, "That's so unrealistic." It can be confusing at times. But that hardly makes it a bad movie. John Malkovich steals every scene, everything he says is hilarious. Helen Mirren is also one my favorites. She proves that you can have a career that consists of playing almost solely assassins and Shakespearean heroines. Not super memorable, but fun for a Friday night at home with pizza and ice cream.

The Eagle (2011)

In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem. 

    I begin by saying how biased I am. "The Eagle of the Ninth" was one of the books of my childhood. When I saw this was coming out as a movie and starred G.I. Joe Tatum as Marcus, I nearly wept. I knew it would be bad. The depth of the character of Marcus would require a good actor, and Tatum, though strong of face and ripped of abs, is not good. So I went to see it in hopes of getting a laugh or two. I got about one laugh.

     It started out somewhat promising, there were Roman soldiers with American accents, yes, but the costumes were accurate. There were fighting scenes. After that, it was so dang boring. The fight scenes were spread way too far out and most of the shots consisted of Tatum and Bell riding across the British countryside scowling at one another. The weirdest thing was the fact that the book had a love interest, but this movie had literally three young women in it, who Tatum smiles at from a distance. That's it. Usually, it's reversed, and the movie adds unnecessary sex and nudity, but nooo. I couldn't even amuse myself by seeing Tatum take a wild British girl back to Rome with him. 

     What drove me nuts was the identity crisis the movie had. Is it pro-Rome and pro-empire, or pro-freedom and pro-native cultures? The idea of changing the movie title to "The Eagle" immediently put the image of America as Rome in my head, which is not an ideal comparison. No one really wants to be compared to Rome unless they want to end up like Rome did, imploding from the outside out. That comparison seemed to stretch on as almost all of the soldiers had American accents and spoke in a very military tone, and at the end (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER), Tatum's "epic line" of: "Defend the eagle," was seeped in the idea of defending the flag/defending the nation. At the same time, the movie attempted to be sympathetic to native cultures. Oh, look, not all of them are bad, they help this guy, their enemy, and they're just defending themselves against rape and torture and death from the invading forces, poor them. To add another layer of confusion, oh look, this tribe is pure evil, the destruction of their culture is justified, even though Rome invaded them first and provoked all of this, hmm mmm. WHAT! MAKE UP YOUR MIND, MOVIE! I think the "message" was that there aren't good and bad, it isn't black and white, but the message I recieved was: hate everyone. Romans, Britains, they're all horrible. But the Romans are a little better. 

    Horrible. I feel strongly.

    

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009)

The story of the lives of the Sherman brothers, the team behind some of Disney's mot recognizable songs like "It's A Small World" and the soundtracks of "Mary Poppins" and "The Jungle Book." 

    I saw this right after "Waking Sleeping Beauty." I now know more about the inside world of Disney than I ever thought I would. It's a fascinating story about genius and grief, art and conflict. The Sherman brothers' sons are responsible for this film, and they treat the material with both the respect and affection it deserves. It's painful to watch as the brothers' relationship is fractured perhaps beyond repair and their faces betray the deep, unresolved emotions that lie beneath the surface. The conflict that drove them apart is what created the music we love. It makes me question if the creation of art is truly worth the pain and heartbreak that people have to go through. I don't know what the answer is.

Séraphine (2008)

A film based on the life of painter Seraphine de Senlis who was discovered by a famous German art collector in 1912. 

    A very French film, complete with long, uncut shots, complete silence, and gorgeous scenery. It is a haunting film about a haunting woman, whose genius was both interrupted and ignited by mental illness. It's a film for those used to how foreign films move (very slowly), but ideal for anyone who appreciates art and its painful mystery. My favorite scene is the very last one. I won't spoil it, you'll just have to see the whole movie to truly appreciate it in all its simple, heartbreaking beauty. 

Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)

The story of how the Disney animation company went from outcast and forgotten to producing hugely successful animated movies in a period of ten years with moves like "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid."

   The Disney company fascinates me. It has influenced entire generations through their movies and changed the movie business forever. It was astounding to hear how the artists at the animation company went through a period of time where they were sure they were all going to lose their jobs and the animation division would be shut down. It was innovation that saved them. With people like Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, the old saying "What would Walt do" changed and things were done differently. My dad, who is an innovation educator and consultant was practically jumping up and down and scribbling notes. It was a very direct, focused movie, but not boring. Drawings by Disney artists were strewn through out to illustrate people and events and there were lots of videos. For anyone who loves Disney, this is the movie to watch. 

The Tempest (2010)

Shakespeare's final masterpiece about revenge and sorcery is adapted by Julie Taymor to feature Helen Mirren as "Prospera," the exiled wife of a duke who practices magic to lure those responsible for her exile to an exotic island thriving with spirits. 

     I've been waiting for this movie for so long. I adore Shakespeare, on stage or on film, and Julie Taymor is one of the few directors I would trust with it. Her decision to change the main character from male to female was terrifying to me at first, but when I read the cast bill that said "Helen Mirren," my dread turned to euphoria. I was not disappointed. She was magnificent. Her voice is feminine and powerful all at once, her eyes are like burning coals, and her experience with the language of Shakespeare ensures that she will perform it perfectly. Ben Wishaw as Ariel was also very good. He was bone-white, naked, without any sex organs. Sometimes it looked like he had a woman's body, but then not. He appeared in water, trees, fire, and air. His movements were not classical, they weren't him simply flying around, he was definitely part of whatever medium he was moving in. 

    What I was disappointed in was Caliban. He is the one of the most confusing and mysterious characters in Shakespeare. They call him "a monster," and he is the son of Sycorax, a witch who imprisoned the spirit Ariel in a tree. However, most modern editions of "The Tempest" cast Caliban as a black man, a native of the island who is mainly "monstrous" because of his skin color and lack of Western behaviors. This makes the relationship between Proserpo/Prospera and Caliban very interesting and blurs the line between villain and hero. In the movie though, Caliban was very straightforward in my mind. He was animal-like, not very smart, naive, and difficult to understand. His looks complicated his character, his skin is patched with whiteness, as if he's supposed to be both black and white, but it wasn't really explained in any way. I did like the tribute the text with giving him one blue eye, since Sycorax is described as "the blue-eyed hag." The other moment of confusion was when there is a moment where Prospera and Caliban face off, just staring at each other. The whole movie they have been enemies, there is no doubt. But in that moment, there's a feeling of loss, almost as if they somehow harbor affection for one another in some strange, unexplained way. I wish that would have been studied more in the film.

     The filming location was excellent, Hawaii, and the music was exceptional. It was weird and wide and deep and alive with different kinds of instruments. When there was a song written in the text, it was performed in the movie. Supporting actors were great, I didn't like Ferdinand very much, but I didn't like him in the play either, so he served his purpose. In a nutshell, it helps the experience to be very familiar with the play or at least a lover of great language and Helen Mirren, or else the movie would drag on and be hard to follow. I hope it gets recognition at this year's Academy Awards.