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Idaho Transfer (1973)
Kids vs The Man vs Kids
A research facility discovers time travel but can only safely send young people. It is discovered in the future an ecological catastrophe has cast civilization into ruin so a group of teens are sent to start it anew. When it is revealed the transference procedure renders them sterile, Karen, having already suffered the traumatic loss of her sister in an accident, abandons the group and eventually manages to return to the present, inexpertly adjust the machine, and transfer back to an even scarier future.
A story and concept not without it's merits, but the casting of street kids with no acting chops limits the potential here. I admired some of the scenes, however clumsily shot, and the fact that the heroine's cosmetic upkeep degraded as she travelled the wastes. I waited for a shot of bagged corpses that never came, but was described.
Tropes: future humans have devolved; military goons spoil a science project; humans are biofuel; dead child's toy; time travel can also move you through space.
For more like this, feel free to look up Toren's Post-Apocalyptic Movie Guide.
In the Year 2889 (1969)
Not Set in the Year 2889
Nuclear war has broken out and an old survivalist and his daughter are safe in a valley protected by a warm lake and lead mountains. Various visitors show up and are rebuffed by the man and welcomed by the girl. Unsteady relationships break down quickly while a mutant from outside the valley stalks the home.
Not set in the year 2889. This is a bad TV movie remake of the bad black & white Roger Corman movie The Day the World Ended. The actors did okay but weren't helped by the terrible editing and blocking, where the camera is on a character's backside while they give exposition.
Tropes: pretty girls are rivals; water is the monster's vulnerability; victim of radiation becomes monstrous and craves raw flesh; wino has secret stash of hooch; a man dictates that women should have babies to repopulate species
Toren's Rating: 2.33/10.
For more like this, feel free to look up Toren's Post-Apocalyptic Movie Guide.
Rats - Notte di terrore (1984)
You Will Root for the Rats
225 A. B. (after the bomb) a gang of dimwits in leather garb, headbands and spiked gloves roams into a ghost town and investigate a... hotel? Bar? Where they find a greenhouse, a source of clean water and food, as well as an inscrutable computer. Each howling dumdum is killed in turn by hordes of insatiable "mutant" rats despite being able to walk away at any time.
Rats were absolutely harmed in the making of this film, including set on fire. Beyond that, the motivations and statements of the characters are mercurial and conflicting, and the acting is generally gawdawful. Is it so bad it's good? I wouldn't go that far, but one saving grace is the corpse that explodes with rats.
Watch out for the twist ending!
Tropes: opening narration and text crawl; sudden but inevitable betrayal; recording explains everything; woman screams and screams; mystic
Be sure to check out Toren's Post-Apocalyptic Movie Guide.
Rocket Monkeys (2013)
Ren & Stimpy meets Spongebob meets Star Trek!
This show is well written, well directed, and well designed. The voice acting is top notch and it's got a good mix of clever surprises and fart jokes.
for a Flash animated show, I think Rocket Monkeys knocks it out of the park. If you're a fan of Ren & Stimpy, this show will have enough of off-the-wall weirdness and references to classic cartoons. If you're a fan of Spongebob Squarepants, you'll enjoy a cast of characters who are endearing for their stupidity and incompetence.
Older viewers will appreciate the voice work of Canadian icons from Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall, and Sean (Corky & the Juice Pigs) Cullen. Additionally, astute viewers will find lots of 'easter eggs' in the designs, like Cthulhu and other old sci-fi references.
Tons of fun for the young and old alike!
Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)
Hit and Miss
The DVD is an anthology of short films created by various anime studios, quite similar to how the Animatrix DVD was produced. There are 6 short films on the set.
"Have I Got A Story For You" is a tale of four skater kids who witness a fight between Batman and a high-tech robber, albeit at different times and locations. The animation is the same style as Tekkonkinkreet and "Beyond" (from Animatrix). It is the most interesting style on the disc and atypical of what modern anime has to offer, showing that some animators in Japan are ready to move on from the persistent tropes that many of us sat through in the 70's and 80's. The story is a simple one, but the twist is that every kid has a different interpretation of the Batman, and the animation illustrates their perception of him, not the reality. As such we get a wide gamut of powers and character, all of which are interesting and a joy to watch. 9/10 "Crossfire" shows two cops who have different opinions on Batman. The animation itself was generally poor, as much anime is - relying on style and detailed backgrounds rather than range of expression or body language. In this case the style itself was nothing to write home about. The action was, for the most part, melodramatic and trite. 4/10.
At this point I should mention that Kevin Conroy, who voices Batman in the other Bruce Timm productions, is cast once again as the dark knight in all of these shorts. This is a shame because while I think Conroy does fine work on all previous incarnations, I feel that the disparity of styles on this project lends itself to try out some new blood. Gotham Knight seems to want to introduce new and unexpected takes on Batman and I find Conroy's reintroduction works to counter that.
"Field Test" is about a personal, bullet-deflecting force field that Batman tries out. The story is an interesting one, though the ending is weak. The animation is traditional hackneyed manga style complete with pointy chins and bad hair. 4/10 "In Darkness Dwells" is a slightly clumsy story involving Scarecrow and Killer Croc. The animation in this one is something a little different and lends itself well to the character. The action and intensity is pretty solid with only a few minor gaffs - I would say this is the second best of the six shorts. 7/10 With a good premise but a disjointed and somewhat lackluster telling, "Working Through Pain" has some of the most grounded yet dynamic animation. 5.5/10 "Deadshot" introduces the villain of the same name. This short has probably the most engaging of plots especially since we get enough time with the enemy to learn something about him. The animation is stylistic and like "In Darkness Dwells" it works well for a Batman story, though the now time-honored misuse of CG animation over traditional art is appropriately unsettling. The action is way over the top, which I imagine many anime fans embrace as it can often be typical of the medium. 7/10.
Iron Man (2008)
Ironic Man
There were definitely things I liked about Iron Man. I liked the Tony Stark character overall and I was pleasantly surprised by Downey Jr's acting. The building and testing of the second generation suit segment was fun and entertaining. I also really appreciated that they folded the original 1960's Iron Man cartoon theme music into the soundtrack. Nerd gem, that.
The second half of the movie is predicated on the rather silly construct, if you will, of this jury-rigged bullet deflecting suit of armor that our hero made in the caves in Afghanistan*. You can't really get around that with a movie about a suit of power armor, so I'm willing to forgive that convention.
Gwyneth Paltrow seemed completely out of her element. I get the sense that she just didn't get her character or the movie or both. Everything about her and her relationship with Stark was completely awkward and I wanted it to go away. The whole sequence of her being chased by Stane and being a damsel in distress over a cell phone was B.A.D.
With regards to Jeff Bridges as Stane - I appreciated the moxie of this casting. I really wanted it to work but by the end of the film, it didn't. They took a good, smart, interesting character (though I would have liked to have had some more background and character development on this Stane fellow) and stripped him down to a one-dimensional idiot in a giant robot suit by the end of the film. They pitch-shifted his voice down to a suitably evil level and he transitioned from a realistic threat to a cartoony super villain. Now I know what you're thinking: "Toren, how can you fault a movie for being cartoony when it's based on what is essentially a cartoon?" Well, dear reader, the fault lies in trying to treat your subject matter with a serious, realistic tone, and then hamstringing that tone with cartooniness. Mixing the two is a delicate dance that few can pull off.
I don't even know what to say about the final battle. It wasn't anything to write home about and it was surprisingly short. Except for the part where Iron Man was hanging on to the skylight frame and yelling at Pepper
that was not short at all. And did I miss something that explained how Pepper survived the falling glass AND the huge explosion from the reactor right beside her? Obadiah Stane's remark about how in trying to nullify the world's weapons Stark ironically created the world's most dangerous one pretty much sums up the problem with the movie. It seemed on the verge of addressing some compelling issues and then brushed them aside for a CGI melee. Stane et al said that Stark came back a changed man after his experience in Afghanistan. It was alluded to that he was mad. He certainly came across as a nut asking the press to sit on the floor while he chowed down on Burger King. I liked where that was going and I wanted to see more. Here is a guy that obviously has an inner conflict and a lot of baggage and he deals with them in a way that no one could call sane - by building a suit of power armor for himself - but the movie approaches it as if it's the logical route (rather than, say, using his fiscal power to make policy changes - I know, boring subject for a movie but that's the other extreme here, and something in the middle could have been just as entertaining), and that he's a good man with a heart who is doing the right thing. Down with the crazy Afghan warmongers and up with the crazy American warmongers, rah rah rah. The story would flip flop from serious to frivolous - from helpless villagers being separated from their families and executed to cartoony robot battles - so that I simply became confused about what the movie was about. My best guess is "unaddressed post traumatic stress disorder + unlimited cash = flying killing vengeance machine." The bottom line is that making a realistic, faithful Iron Man adaptation set in today's world is an enormous task. Hats off for trying, I say. I can't think of how I would go about making a better script but just because the task is herculean doesn't make the final product any less lackluster.
*Why the weapons demo that preluded the sequence couldn't be done in a safe US military proving ground zone isn't addressed.
Wake Island (1942)
A Product of its Time
I'm a big fan of classic movies, but Wake Island is one of those buddy-buddy wartime films that doesn't quite fall into place for me. At the onset we're treated to a cast of M.A.S.H.-like characters with their pranks and foibles and stereotyped personalities, and the rest of the movie is basically combat. True to its age, Wake Island doesn't show any of the realism in warfare - typically we see the dirt get shot several feet in front of the actor and then the actor falls over - and we are treated to the overdone jingoism of the time. They've chosen the most uncharismatic actors to portray the Japanese and dress them up rather ridiculously. The actual history of the event is grossly misportrayed.
Make no mistake, this is an entertaining hour and a half to be sure. But while the story is interesting and the acting is more than capable, this film could have benefited from twenty minutes more of character development and twenty minutes less of explosions. Though nominated for Best Picture, that award rightly went to The Magnificent Ambersons.
300 (2006)
The Day Style Became A Genre
When was it that style became a genre? Was it The Matrix? Was it Kill Bill or Sky Captain? Or was it 300? From the trailers, I wasn't expecting much from 300. It looked like a CGI testosterone-heavy bloodfest. And it was, but even so I expected more than what I got. 300 comes across like it was made by 17-year-old boys for 17-year-old boys. I'd say that there was a romantic angle thrown in for the women, but actually it was just a sex scene. This is one of those films where I hear people say "it's good for what it is supposed to be." And they're right - if you like pretty crap, this is some of the best. But I'm tired of qualifiers. If it's a movie about zombies, I want a good movie about zombies If it's a movie about dancing CG penguins, give me a good movie about dancing CG penguins. And if it's a movie about 300 Spartans vs a million Persians
well, you know. Give me some good acting. Give me a character I can identify with (any character! PLEASE! Don't make me root for the hunchback because he evokes the most pathos). Give me some character development (don't show me a boy fighting a CGI wolf and then have a voice-over telling me "this boy is fighting a wolf"). A bit of clever or meaningful dialogue and a story with more than one layer would be an added bonus.
Here's my problem with 300 in a nutshell: those elephants are way too big. Don't give me Lord of the Rings and tell me it's Greek history. I've seen enough elves surfing down castle stairs on shields while firing volleys of arrows. In 300, everything is a cartoonish parody of itself. And if you're going to make everything a cartoon, why not just animate the whole movie? The Samurai Jack episode that tackles this same subject is much better, and has just as much style.
Sometimes less is more. And sometimes more is less. A lot less. At least The Matrix for all it's flair had a human element to it.
I will give it one thing: they didn't use the often-used and never-should-be-used shaky, blurry, quick-cut action scene style. They showed me everything and everywhere that the swords were going, and I applaud that.
They could have done so much better by making it more human. More REAL. 300 is more a very long music video than a movie.
Deep Sea (2006)
Excellent, but not perfect.
If cavemen were thawed out from a block of ice and saw a program on a TV, they would look at each other and say (in their cavemen tongue) "that's magic!" If the same cavemen were at a screening of Deep Sea 3D at the IMAX theater they would rip out their own eyes and try to beat each other to death with them because it is dark dark magic that will grab you by your very soul. I had been waiting a long time to see the sights in this film and I was not disappointed. But the keyword here is "sights." Although this film definitely merits a 9 out of 10, there were a few small things that kept it from hitting that "10/10" mark.
I have no problem with Johnny Depp or Kate Winslet, or their voices. However, the back and forth narration with them basically finishing one another's sentences was distracting.
I can understand why they added their own sound effects to "enhance" the movie, but it got a little over-the-top at times, and I think if one wasn't particularly perceptive they might not realize that what they were hearing was essentially special effects added to a nature documentary. Now don't tell me "well 3D is a special effect too but you're not complaining about that!" The difference is, they are up front about the 3D effect. Simply adding a disclaimer at the beginning of the film to the effect of "some audio effects have been added" would have been a nice gesture.
I know IMAX films are expensive to produce, and I guess it could be interpreted as a compliment when one comes out of a movie saying "I wish there were more," but it really was too short. As long as you know when you're shelling out your $11.50 that you're only getting 45 minutes, you'll be okay. (Really, for me, the bits with the Humboldt squid and the Pacific octopus made it money well spent) So apart from these minor annoyances, Deep Sea 3D is definitely something you should treat yourself to in the theaters while you can! Hopefully in a couple of years they'll have the expertise to give us a 3D IMAX film about the weird and grotesque sea creatures in the abyss!
Before Night Falls (2000)
Is it over yet?
Okay, the acting was good and I know it's based on a true story, but...I couldn't watch this in one sitting because it was so dull. From the other user comments and the fact that it came highly recommended from a close friend to whom I normally attribute good taste - I was expecting a heck of a lot more from this film. I am also a fan of Carter Burwell (he did the musical score) but it didn't warm me up to this sluggish, often confusing bore-fest. I didn't care at all what happened to Reinaldo - sure he's dealing with a bad situation (being in Cuba in the 60's) but apart from his poetry he's portrayed as somewhat of an idiot. If you're going to take an inner tube to Florida on a 3 day "float" you might want to take some food and fresh water, and maybe an oar and compass. But hey that's just me. I saw this movie on video, and quite a few of the monologues/narration are in Spanish with no subtitles, which didn't help since I don't speak Spanish. Even some of the English parts had me asking "what's going on? who is this person and why is he doing this?" None of the characters seemed to have much depth to them - I couldn't tell most of Reinaldo's friends/lovers apart for example. The most memorable characters for me were Reinaldo's mother and the two characters played by Jonny Depp (I assume they were two different characters - it's hard to tell what's going on there). Yes, the story is tragic, but the -movie- did not make me shed a tear, except perhaps those tears you get when you yawn a lot.
The Ripping Friends (2001)
Truly Innovative
This is a genuinely funny, out of this world take on the world of superheroes. Likeable yet decidedly odd characters and absolutely over the top! Created by John Kricfalusi the cartoon genius that brought us Ren and Stimpy, Ripping Friends continues the dream and it does it well. Give it a shot. Each episode gets funnier the more times you watch it.
The Cruise (1998)
A provocative and satisfying night on the town.
Timothy "Speed" Levitch is an interesting person in an interesting town. We follow this eloquent, thoughtful, and passionate guide for Gray Line tours in New York, catching him at his best and worst moments. This is the kind of movie you can sit down and lose yourself in, despite any conventional elements of plot, action or romance. The plot is Levitch's meanderings through the city. The action is his refusal to wear Gray Line's red blazers and his struggle with an alarmed emergency exit. The romance is his love of NY, exhibitionism with tourists, and eroticism he finds in terra cotta building facades.
The Cruise is a glimpse into the life and mind of a rather extraordinary citizen of the times, as he fights what he calls "anti-cruise". Anti-cruise can be described, in a very limited sense, as convention, conformity, and oppression of different levels, and Levitch's fight is at once provocative, amusing, and always insightful. His fight is neither rancorous nor glorious--it is not the Braveheart fight-to-the-death crusade, but rather it is the day-to-day struggle against his career, aspirations and memories, and this makes it all the more identifiable and inspiring. Levitch has the uncanny ability to crystallize ideas which remain unspoken or indeed semi-formed in the conscience-at-large, and furthermore to plant the seeds of still greater ideas.
This movie may not be at the top of your "to see" list, but it should be.
The Iron Giant (1999)
My review to use for your magazine.
Set in a small town in Maine during the height of the cold war, this film is based on Ted Hughes' children's book "The Iron Man" and brought to you by The Simpsons' Brad Bird. It tells the story of a giant, amnesiac robot who falls to Earth, and is eventually befriended by a local boy, Hogarth Hughes. Hogarth must hide the robot from a paranoid government agent who suspects it a Soviet weapon of war. The truth is that the robot is indeed essentially a giant gun, but hails from a distant planet and bears unbelievable firepower! Ultimately, it is the friendship with the boy that brings out the robot's compassion and humanity, and saves the town from annihilation.
I liked this film so much that after I saw it, I emailed everyone on my many contact lists and practically begged them to put on their shoes and hit the theatre to support this amazing film. Why should I care? Because I am an ardent believer in supporting cinematic--or any other--efforts that one feels strongly about. And I do feel strongly about this film. The Iron Giant is one of the finest, well-written, non-formulaic, intelligent pieces of animated film I have seen in a long long time, and I watch a lot of cartoons. At the time, just a few weeks after the film opened, it came to my attention that it was not doing so well at the box office. My bulk email was a modest campaign to boost awareness of the film, because in Hollywood there is just one truth: the success of a movie is based on its gross. If a piece of s**t movie does well, more piece of s**t movies like it will get made. Conversely, if an intelligent, well-written movie does not make its financial mark, that kind of movie will fall out of favour with the fatcats who make the decisions back at the studio. I personally would hate to see the entire genre suffer because The Iron Giant is recognized by a wanting dollar return and lack of ubiquitous Happy Meal tie-in claptrap. The Iron Giant is an inspiring movie that can be appreciated by adults for its genuine characters and solid story (not to mention its welcome lack of ill-placed Disneyesque singalongs) and by children for its well-executed animation and springboard for the imagination. If you can still find The Iron Giant in theatres, go see it (again). If not, it's coming out on video shortly.
And if you don't want to take my word for it, I can send you the barrage of reply emails I received, with subject lines like "Thanks for the great recommendation...I loved Iron Giant."