Gerionas Reviews

The Avengers (2012)

Much Ado About Nothing?

[6/10 · 16 May 2012]

In late 1930's, when people were huddling in queues to see Scarlet O'Hara being declined by charming Rhett Butler, a rather unknown pulp magazine publisher, Martin Goodman, founded the company named Timely Publications. It started to publish Marvel Comics which was an instant success and over the years a small company evolved into a huge corporation worth billions of dollars. Now the work of more than 70 years is crowned with the latest product – movie of colossal proportions, designated to be a box-office hit.

More than 200 million dollars gross on the opening weekend, already over 1 billion dollars gross worldwide, 8.7 rating on IMDb.com and 242 (out of 260) fresh reviews at rottentomatoes.com – those are only some of the astonishing numbers that surround Marvel's The Avengers. It's a dream-come-true movie for the comic book lovers which finally unites most of the greatest super-heroes created by Marvel. It is no surprise that this picture is breaking box-office records, on the other hand, its high IMDb.com rating and universal critical acclaim are unexpected and force to treat The Avengers as a serious film and not as another Michael Bay movie. Those were the standards that I used in order to assess the feature.

First of all, I must point out that the story is very conventional and lacks boldness. It is a bit ironic because the movie shows us a bunch of courageous heroes and one of the main values that The Avengers highlights is bravery however its creators rely on a simple and time-tested plot formula. The movie begins with the presentation of the threat when we meet a dramatized villain. Our superheroes struggle to defeat the villain because of the lack of team work. During the movie their personality disorders are probed and eventually overcome, they learn to work together and finally win the battle thanks to a heroic act of the main superhero. It is funny because there are tons of other movies that would fit to this generalized plot summary and most of them are better examples of making money rather than good movies.

As if that would be not enough, the feature is stuffed with unoriginal ideas and tasteless jokes designed for the American audience. The villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) - god from the Norse mythology, shares the basic ideas (and he does not have much of them) with all of the greatest threats of the USA enemies (real or fictive) starting from the commies and finishing with the latest ones including S. Hussein, M. Gaddafi and the whole North Korea. Those ideas are the enslavement of human beings, cruelty towards them and basic misanthropy. I can only imagine how fellow Americans rage when dreadful Loki declares that humanity craves for subjugation. And his method of achieving the success is even more banal, yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am speaking about the divide et impera principle. Hey, if it worked for Caesar and Napoleon why shouldn't it work for Loki?! That bastard (actually in one scene Loki's brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth) reveals in another tasteless joke that our mighty villain is adopted so this is not just a disproportionate cursing) has stolen everything! Speaking about jokes, as I already mentioned, most of them are not very new. They range from the standard laughing at someone enduring the pain to laughs triggered by villain's failure. For the sake of truth, I should say that there are some amusing characters like Captain America (Chris Evans and his "Ma'am, there's only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that") or agent Phil Coulson (and his laughable passion for the Captain America and his cheesy dying scene) but I am not sure if they were supposed to be amusing in a way that they were.

On the other hand, the movie is not a total failure and has its moments. Firstly, Robert Downey (as Tony Stark/Iron Man) and Mark Ruffalo (as Bruce Banner/The Hulk) do a great job, giving their characters depth. Tony Stark's wit and charm ("JARVIS, you a fan of Jonah?") helps to make a likable character that seems to be really created and not borrowed from some stereotype. Bruce Banner, on the contrary, is a shy guy who is ashamed of his alter ego and there can be seen a certain sadness in his eyes every time we see him (though, I still think, that making him a doctor in an Indian slum was a standard Marvel's overreach). Another plus of the movie is its visualization. CGI really looks great and I can clearly see where the movie budget went. Fighting scenes, although I find them painfully long, are nicely done. It is a pleasant experience – seeing it at the theater. However, the same can be said about The Transformers…

To sum up, The Avengers is clearly not a movie which I would rate highly for its content and lasting legacy. I do not believe that there is much originality in this flick and it certainly does not raise the bar for comic book movies because there simply are better movies in this category (we all know what I am talking about). However, it still is a decent form of entertainment and its visual aspect should not be forgotten. So if you have not seen it I should suggest to approach it with caution and if you did see it, well, I suggest waiting for another Avengers movie and we will try again to look through the debris of gigantism in search of dramatic life.

2012-05-17

Platoon (1986)

"We did not fight the enemy; we fought ourselves. The enemy was in us."

[8/10 · 22 June 2011]

Those are the words from the last lines of the movie. The movie that today is seen as one of the most accurate Vietnam War movies. Directed by Vietnam vet O. Stone, Platoon is a very emotional story about war and about ordinary people who try to survive during it. Stone tried to make a war movie that would not be a fantasy, legend or metaphor but simply a memory of what he had seen in Vietnam. As far as I am concerned, he succeeded in every way. Main stars of the film are Ch. Sheen (echo to his father's role in Apoclapyse Now), W. Dafoe and T. Berenger.

Platoon's storyline is very simple. A young recruit Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) comes to Vietnam in order to serve his country. He is full of hopes and patriotism. However, soon Taylor realizes that war is not a fairy tale. He confronts horrors of war and faces the moral crisis. Chris searches for someone to lean on and finds himself in crossfire between two commanding officers Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe) and Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger). Before long, Taylor has to decide which ones views he finds more reasonable.

While it is obvious that the storyline is not a very strong one, movie's strength lies in other places. One of them is the collision of two very strong personalities – Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes. Firstly, neither of them is a typical war hero that we are used to see in movies. Sgt. Elias is a compassionate and charismatic leader who is experienced enough not to lose his mind and to defend his beliefs, however he is not perfect either and we see him doing drugs to escape from this war. Barnes is a veteran sergeant with many scars on his face (one of the characters says that he was hit seven times). His bravery and combat skills are undeniable and his men even believe that he cannot be killed. Barnes does not do drugs, he is a kind of man that bravely stands up to reality and does not hide from it. However, he has his dark side either – he saw so much in his life that killing is nothing more but a necessity for him. When we see both of these characters on the screen, we can sense the tension between them and it takes movie on a higher level.

When there is no fighting and no Sgt. Elias or Sgt. Barnes on the screen, the story revolves around a bunch of young freshmen. Their metamorphosis from frightful rookies to solders is one of the most interesting things in Platoon. It amazes and scares how war changes and splits people. Even though all rookies seem to be different personalities, they all go through the same path during the war and only at the end of this path, they become real soldiers. In this movie, we are shown that there only are three kinds of real solders – hardy and cruel (like Barnes), fearful and weak (like Sgt. O'Neill (John C. McGinley)) and there are some who manages to keep their sane mind and become brave and calm solders like Elias.

To sum up, Platoon is an overwhelming war drama that helps us to feel what war really feels like and shows what war does to people. It is not a movie full of special effects or a philosophical journey to human heart and sometimes the simplicity of the story annoys a bit. However, it is a human drama than can and should be seen by every grown up because of its anti-war message.

2011-06-22

Solaris (1972)

"When film is not a document, it is dream. That is why Tarkovsky is the greatest of them all."

[9/10 · 31 May 2011]

There are only two film directors in the world whose every movie haunts me and causes insomnia every time I watch it. One of them is A. Tarkovsky – a true auteur and genius who made 7 films that are considered to be masterpieces (another is the author of the reviews title). Among these films brightly shines a science fiction mystery Solaris. It is a breathtaking story about a man's journey to cosmos to seek knowledge about an alien intelligence and more importantly to understand himself and the nature of the humankind. The main stars of the movie are Lithuanian D. Banionis, Estonian J. Järvet and Russians A. Solonitsyn and N. Bondarchuk.

Solaris is known for its slow and gradual prelude. Prelude lasts for 40 minutes and takes place on Earth. During it, we are introduced to the main character – psychologist Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) who is shown as a profound person tormented by his own thoughts. He agrees to go on a mission to a base established near a planet that appears to have some kind of intelligence on it. At first Kelvin seems to be skeptical about it but his approach radically changes when he comes on the base and meets members of the crew Dr. Snaut (Juri Jarvet), Dr. Sartorius (Anatoli Solonitsyn) and Dr. Gibarian (Sos Sargsyan). They are acting very bizarre and soon Kelvin finds out the reason of this strange behavior. He realizes that the planet is able to materialize people's thoughts. Kelvin tries to understand what does the planet wants from them, what makes human a human and many others scientific, moral and philosophical problems.

A. Tarkovsky's masterpiece has to be watched more than just one time because of its complex themes and problems. Solaris complexity is the reason why this movie stands out of all science fiction movies and is timeless. It tries to make viewers think about the human kind and invites to an open debate about the deepest feelings and fears of humans. Film also deals with the theme of remorse and the problem of not being capable to escape from your own thoughts. Quotes of L. Tolstoy are citied on more than one occasion and there are some references to Don Quixote written by M. Cervantes. Moreover, the whole story can be seen as an attempt of humankind to understand and to be understood by the higher intelligence (or even God if you want to name it).

Another thing that makes this movie so special is its visual beauty and eerie mood. No matter where the action is taking place or if it is filmed in color of B/W it is still stunning. A. Tarkovsky manages to show the beauty of countryside (prelude), city (ride on streets of the future Moscow) and science fiction features (from the design of the base to the magnificent ocean of the planet) in the same movie. Even though the film is visually beautiful, the viewer is not always able to relax and admire it. This is because A. Tarkovsky attains so paranoid and eerie mood that it makes some parts of the movie look like scenes from a horror movie. He achieves it with the help of haunting composition of J. S. Bach ("Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ") which becomes the movie score.

To sum up, Solaris is a thought provoking masterpiece that has an overwhelming visuals and a haunting score. It is not designed for a regular viewer and Tarkovsky expects a lot of wisdom from his viewer. However, I consider Solaris to be one of the best science fiction movies ever made and I believe that it should be viewed by every self-respected movie buff at least twice.

2011-05-31

High Noon (1952)

"They Don't Care. They Just Don't Care"

[8/10 · 29 May 2011]

Lonesome cowboy is sitting on the rock and smoking (film debut of Lee Van Cleef). It looks like the beginning of a regular western movie. However, soon we realize that this cowboy is no hero and that the whole story is an allegory for blacklisting during the McCarthyism era. Directed by F. Zinnemann, High Noon is a drama that has many elements of a western movie (the whole Wild West setting) and its story tells us about a lonesome marshal (Gary Cooper) whose friends turned their backs on him when troubles arose. The main stars of the movie are G. Cooper, G. Kelly and T. Mitchell.

After iconic first shots that were mentioned above, camera jumps to the wedding of the town marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) and his fiancée Amy Fowler (the magnificent Grace Kelly). Kane reluctantly hands back his badge and prepares to set off but before leaving, the telegram comes and we learn that vicious criminal Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) is coming back to town on the noon train. Town residents urge Kane to leave without any further delay. He and his wife set off but soon he changes his mind and decides to come back ("I've never run from anybody before"). Kane believes that Miller will be easily handled with the help of town residents. However, his hopes are too high and from his comeback, the story goes darker and darker. Firstly, his bride leaves him, then his old friend judge (Otto Kruger) and soon the whole town turns back on him and leaves him alone.

While the whole story of the film is quite simple, the success of it lies in the character of Will Kane. He is a kind of man that Tony Soprano (the main character of The Sopranos) would call "strong, silent type". During the whole movie, Kane has to face a lot of mockery, humiliation and indifference from the town residents. Even so, he does not say a one negative word to any of them, he does not whine either. His closest friends betray him and all he does is keep going on to searching for people who could help. However, his face says more than thousands of words and that is a remarkable Cooper's merit. He manages to act so well that we can feel the whole pain and misery of marshal who has been betrayed by his own friends (the scene with Sam's wife (Eve McVeagh) deserves special mention). Moreover, it is neither Frank Miller nor his accomplices who stand as a contrast to a brave and careful Kane. It is his own town. Town residents are shown as a bunch of regrettable cowards. They are ready to bow to a new authority if there only will be a need.

Another thing that makes this movie so unforgettable is its haunting mood and F. Zinnemann should get a lot of credit for it. The tension increases throughout the whole movie and it is achieved by many close-ups to clocks (there even is a rumor that the movie can be viewed in real time). Also, the film's most famous, memorable shot – a dramatic high-crane shot shows how lonely and abandoned Cooper's character is. Last but not least, High Noon theme song "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh, My Darling" should not be forgotten either. Performed by Tex Ritter, it sums up the whole movie and sticks in the memory of every viewer. By the way, this song was the first Oscar-winning song from a non-musical film.

To sum up, High Noon is a simple but strong and very moving drama that makes viewers think about the cowardice and indifference of people and in the end, we understand that the words of former marshal ("People gotta talk themselves into law and order before they do anything about it. Maybe because down deep they don't care. They just don't care.") perfectly sums up the whole movie. However, there is hope but it lies in individuals like Will Kane.

2011-05-29

Fargo (1996)

"There's more to life than a little money."

[9/10 · 19 May 2011]

A typical car shows up in a world of snow. That is how one of the best-written movies of the last 20 years opens. The movie that earned the first Oscar to Coen brothers and made F. McDormand into an international star. Besides, S. Buscemi and P. Stormare performances should not be forgotten either. Fargo is a story about pathetic man's pathetic plan to gain some money. It is set in Minnesota in the middle of the winter. Coen brothers are not afraid to play with genres so it is hard to tell if Fargo is a dark comedy, crime drama or something else.

The movie begins in a typical bar where from the dialog between pitiful Jerry Lundergaard (W. H. Macy) and two criminals (S. Buscemi and P. Stormare) we are given the context of the story. Jerry tells that he wants to get his wife kidnapped so that he could get some ransom money from his father-in-law (H. Presnell). The deal is set and the story sets off. As usual, in Coens movies, nothing goes according to the plan of characters and the story falls into absurdity. Firstly, kidnapping ends with a three cold-blooded murders and the start of murders investigation. This is there Marge Gunderson (F. McDormand) gets into a picture. She guesses everything right from the start and shines among other foolish characters ("I'm not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Lou"). From this moment, the story splits into three parts – investigation by Marge, pathetic Jerry's attempts to fix everything and hilarious relations between criminals. These parts come to one only at the very end of the movie that is both funny and thoughtful at the same time.

One of the most significant things that made Fargo successful is the character of Jerry Lundergaard. Jerry probably is the most pathetic man in the whole movie. He is wrong in every possible way and it seems that he cares about nothing but himself (he even forgets how this kidnapping scheme will effect his son). Firstly, he works in his father-in-law's car dealership and is a lousy salesperson who sells cars by telling lies to customers and family life is no better – it seems that the true head of the family is his father-in-law. When he gets himself in some financial problems Jerry is so afraid of telling it to his father-in-law that he is prepared to steel money rather than ask for it. In addition, he even practices his speech before telling his father-in-law about the kidnapping. As the story goes further, criminals, Marge and father-in-law press Jerry more and more until he brakes down. However, there is one scene in the movie when we can see some humanity from Jerry. It is the scene there Carl Showalter (S. Buscemi) threatens to kill not only his wife but his son as well. Jerry impulsively tells to leave his son away from this and he seems to be very serious about it.

Another thing to mention is a hilarious screen couple of S. Buscemi and P. Stormare. They are total opposites of one another. Carl is an annoying "talky" type hothead who does nothing right while Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare) is a cold-blooded professional who prefers to act rather than speak. Carl seems to irritate Gaear in every possible way from blabbering about the silence of Gaear ("Two can play at that game, smart guy") to an inability to deal with unexpected difficulties ("I'll take care of this"). It is hard to imagine how these two characters became associates.

To sum up, Fargo is a well-written and well-acted story about very interesting and complex humans that makes you laugh and cry at the same time and in the end, we are left with a conclusion said by Marge – "There's more to life than a little money." These words perfectly sum up the entire movie themes and help to characterize characters by dividing them in to those who do and those who do not agree with Marge's words.

2011-05-19