Film Review: Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Movies. They're so fake. So shallow and pointless. All style and no substance. Pretentious. And the people who make them...are they truly artists, or nothing more than a group of rich, snobby, spoiled hacks? In today's world of Michael Bay movies, viral videos, and reality TV, it would seem that the art of film, and the art of acting and performances, is often drowned out in pure pop-culture noise and trash.

These are a few of the main points made by Birdman, the humble story of an aging actor with a dream to become an accomplished actor on Broadway. After a career built entirely on a popular superhero, the man endures the ongoing struggle of his ego, with part of him wanting to fall back on his fame and fortune, and the other half wanting to strive for genuine artistic merit. Surrounded by various other characters at different ends of the spectrum, he's thrust into a downward spiral of madness.

As you can see, it's an interesting story with some meaty themes worth exploring. The experience of watching this story can be pretty rewarding; it maintains a darkly humorous tone throughout, with plenty of sharp dialogue. There are a few moments where the character's mental state induces weird scenes where he's flying like the titular Birdman. For the most part though, this is a straightforward dramedy that hinges entirely on the execution of its plot and characters. On those merits alone, I'd say it's an interesting and thought-provoking story worth seeing.

As far as the style goes, the cinematography is the film's most impressive asset. Much like Rope and Enter the Void, the vast majority of the film transits from scene to scene seamlessly, with hardly any cuts up until the end. It gives the film a very even flow, and it is especially smooth how the camera steadily tracks all the action and characters down narrow hallways and crowded streets, the way Kubrick's films often did. Acting is another great asset in this film. Every character in this film is somewhat unhinged; Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, and every other actor is effectively perfect. The script is really sharp and poignant, although some dialogue can be rather raunchy. This production uses stylish and real-looking sets, props, and costumes. The few special effects used are neat. Music consists mostly of drums, and I loved it.

This is a good-looking film with an interesting story that's told really well. That in itself makes it worth seeing at least once.

4/5 (Experience: Pretty Good | Story: Good | Film: Perfect)

Film Review: Casino Royale (007) (1967)

Don't be fooled. This is not James Bond. Even with a plot that involves several James Bond imposters, the entire film is not Bond; it is a mere shadow of Bond. You might think that a Bond parody is a good idea, since it's been done before with the deadpan sincerity of Our Man Flint and the all-out wackiness of Austin Powers. By those standards, the effectiveness of the comedy in 1967's Casino Royale is...iffy.

The film is as colorful and goofy as they come. The whole thing reeks of 60s kitsch, complete with psychedelic colors and music. As a mockery of the Bond franchise, the film frequently divulges in emphasizing the sex appeal of the Bond character, often pitting him against an onslaught of various female spies. You can expect a few drug references, some innuendos, and some goofy action scenes. There are secret lairs, casinos, stupid technology and more.

As nice as it all sounds, the film is one hot mess. Partly because very little of it is actually funny. A few lines are funny, a few gags work, but most of the film comes off as obnoxious and lame. What really makes this film daft, unfortunately, is the story. There's a faint semblance to the original novel, but most of the film is slapped together with seemingly-random scenes that don't really congeal into any kind of a storyline. It feels like one long montage of random scenes (or possibly sketches). Even with the sheer star power, very few of the characters carry enough of a presence to stand out. The whole thing comes off as a silly, disjointed, irreverent experience.

This film is made with average photography and pretty wacky editing. Writing is pretty stupid and the acting is cheesy...which is not necessarily bad for this type of comedy, but it hardly helps either. This production uses some very colorful and gaudy-looking sets, props, and costumes. Music is very upbeat and jazzy, for better or for worse.

You'd have to be a real serious fan of 1960s camp to love this silly farce. For me, it's just goofiness without much real comedic weight, much like how Police Academy: Mission to Moscow was. If it's a good spy comedy you want, better stick with Austin Powers.

2/5 (Experience: Poor | Story: Awful | Film: Marginal)

Film Review: Casino Royale (007) (1954)

You may know the man and you may know the story, but have you ever seen the first ever James Bond motion picture? Technically, this hour-long made-for-TV feature is the first time Bond was adapted for a medium outside of the original novels.

Despite that notoriety, this really isn't much to scream about. Maybe it was exciting TV back in 1954, but after the onslaught of bigger and more prolific James Bond pictures, this little feature has not aged well at all. Even on its own merits, the film offers a small smattering of struggles and thrills, but it's all really small-scale, bland, and not that exciting.

This is also a rather lame adaptation of Ian Flemming's book. At its core, the film uses a very simple structure: Bond enters casino, plays off against Le Chiffre, gets tortured, fights his way out, and that's it. In both the novel and 2006 film, there is a lot more to it; both represented a more pronounced introduction (or re-introduction for the '06 film) for the iconic character, it marked the first encounter between Bond and SMERSH, and he has a significant relationship that would give the story more weight and mold him for future stories. None of that carries through in this version. There are many small changes and a lot of huge cuts to the story, which trims this whole affair down to something barebones, shallow, and flimsy. Among the various changes, James Bond is made into an American dude named Jimmy, Felix is renamed to Clarence for some reason, Vesper Lynd is nowhere to be seen, and is replaced by a female Mathis. Worst of all, none of these people have any ounce of presence or charisma. Yeah, at its best is just simple-minded throwaway entertainment; at its worst, it's a mess.

The film naturally doesn't have much of a style to it, given its limitations as a TV production. Filming and editing are straightforward, if not rather bland. Acting is a hit and a miss; Barry Nelson is easily the worst actor to play Bond in the history of Bond, but he does have a few unintentionally funny lines. Peter Lorre, on the other hand, is effective as Le Chiffre. Nobody else really stands out much. This production uses simple sets, props, and costumes. Music adds little to the experience.

If you're a diehard James Bond fan, this feature is worth a look just so you can say you've seen it. Other than that, you're better off sticking with the Eon productions.

2/5 (Entertainment: Poor | Story: Poor | Film: Poor)

Film Review: Natural Born Killers

"It's just murder. All God's creatures do it. You look in the forests and you see species killing other species, our species killing all species including the forests, and we just call it industry, not murder." - Woody Harrelson
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This might be the most psycho movie ever made. Not just because it's a movie about a couple who gleefully mass-murders people, but because of the relentless style. The movie is such a zany and noisy audiovisual presentation that it can be exhausting and nerve-wracking.

Presentation is a large part of what makes this film memorable; from start to finish, it is a rapid-fire onslaught of images upon images that collectively tells the story of murder and mayhem. The editing is often brilliant in the way it juxtaposes related images in an expressionistic manner. It can also be very weird, especially when animation, black-and-white photography, stock footage, overlays, and bizarre background effects are used in such short proximity. If you can stomach the craziness, the film does have plenty of memorable scenes, including a kick-butt opening sequence, and a finale filled with all-out rioting and bloodshed.

The story is pretty simple, but the characters take the front stage. You might think it's hard to relate to these brutal, twisted people, but their romance, rebellion, and carefree attitudes make them the most charismatic pair of criminals since Bonnie and Clyde. Thanks to the way the film is shown, and the way it dispenses pop-culture images all over the place, the film delivers an underlying theme of violence, and the way it's constantly exploited in the mass media to be delivered to the whole world as a product. It might be seen as pretentious and hypocritical that it's a violent movie preaching against violent movies. However, I don't see this as glorifying violence, since there's nothing glorious about it. It's a trashy and ugly affair, full of ugly characters and ugly acts. In the end, the film serves as a bold and shocking descent into the pathology of the minds of mass murderers, and perhaps also an exploration of the people who idolize them.

This film has some incredibly crazy photography; the camera tends to float around each scene, with a lot of skewed angles. Editing is very fast and relentless, with each scene intercut with a myriad of different images. Acting is intense; Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis inhabit their characters perfectly, while Robert Downey Jr and Tommy Lee Jones are extremely batty in their roles. Writing is good. Half of the sets, props, and costumes used are rather cheesy and fake-looking, but then the other half tends to look gritty and more real. Music is often pretty loud and obnoxious, but it matches up with the film well.

The style and violence of this film is incredibly dense and zany, but it is a heck of an experience that provides a stark expression of unbridled psychosis. If you can handle this kind of poignancy, then it's worth seeing at least once.

4/5 (Experience: Mixed | Content: Good | Film: Extreme)

Film Review: Dancer in the Dark

"In a musical, nothing dreadful ever happens." - Björk Guðmundsdóttir
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The joy of musicals is that they're so jovial and exaggerated that they counterbalance cold hard reality and offer audiences a happy form of escapism. Dancer int he Dark somehow does the opposite; it immerses the audience in the tragedy of the characters, until it finally punches you in the gut and leaves you crying on the ground.

This is a long film, but it is pretty briskly-cut so that no scene outstays its welcome. There are just a few musical numbers, but they aren't necessarily the same kind of flamboyancy you see in The Sound of Music or anything. If anything, the sequences in this film are downbeat and perhaps a little awkward. I don't think this film stands out as a great musical, but it does stand out as a great drama, because the film's sole focus is on story and character.

The musical aspect of the film provides a stark contrast between the main character's daydreaming and the harsh reality she has to face. Ultimately, it is the drama of Selma Ježková that takes the spotlight and makes the film so invoking; the film builds her up in a way that we don't want to see anything bad happen to her. Inevitably, the story gradually unfolds until desperation and hard times forces neighbors to betray one another, and the last half of the film leads to a hard-hitting finale. The last scene is among one of the most depressing endings I've seen. One could complain about the story - it does have some contrivances and manipulation - and chances are that some folks won't care for how things play out. I believe that it is an interesting plot that's laden with strong themes concerning dreams (both personal and the American dream), and the film's play on real-looking drama and musical fantasy makes it feel even more punchy.

Inspired by the Dogme 95' style, this film is crafted with a lot of hand-held camera work, blunt editing, and dull color schemes, giving it a pseudo-documentary look and feel. Musical sequences contrast greatly, using still camera work and a music-video style of editing, and more color. Acting isn't bad; the singer Björk is surprisingly a perfect fit for Selma's character, giving her a life and personality we can't help but to sympathize with. Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, and Peter Stormare are earnest in their roles. Writing isn't too subtle or sophisticated, but it matches up well with the performances and the film's style. Björk's music ranges from snazzy to hauntingly ambient, and the same extends to the music she made for this film; it is especially interesting how the background beats are made to match up with the sound effects of a given scene. The final song used in the overture, end credits, and last scene might be the most beautiful one I've heard her sing.

Dancer in the Dark is a bit like Breaking The Waves; both are gut-wrenching stories of women with golden hearts who become victims of unfortunate circumstances. I give Dancer in the Dark the edge for using entwining the genre of musicals with the drama to give it contrast and weight. I believe it is a storytelling experience that everybody should try out at least once.

4.5/5 (Experience: Good | Story: Very Good | Film: Very Good)

TV Show Review: Stargate: Atlantis

Stargate, the film and the show that followed, explored the possibility of ancient alien structures serving as gateways to other worlds across the universe.  I honestly haven't seen much of SG-1, but it's a familiar structure, where a group of armed explorers go from world to world and confront a new problem every week.  In this spin-off series, however, the saga is elevated to the next level as the lost city of Atlantis is discovered, and then utilized as a forward base of operations for the Pegasus galaxy.  In this tangent of the Stargate universe, a new group of characters face a new group of otherworldly challenges.

The neat thing about SG:  Atlantis is that it requires little foreknowledge of SG-1; the connection between the two shows is pretty faint, and it is entirely possible to watch Atlantis on its own merits.  The bulk of the show focuses on a war between a race of vampiric aliens, known as the Wraith, but there are numerous other subplots and stand-alone episodes.  Many episodes have some pretty tense militaristic and political situations.  Some are loaded with action and thrills.  Some are just plain silly and humorous (there's even an episode that parodies a CSI episode).  There are a few that have some spectacular battle scenes.  Most of the episodes do offer something entertaining, and there are very few I'd consider dull.

The stories are generally fine and dandy; the overarching plot involving the Wraith is full of ups and downs, and it can get interesting as all the side-factions get involved.  Most of the stand-alone episodes have good stories.  But what makes them all work is the cast of characters, and they are a pretty fun bunch.  They fulfill the typical archetypes in science fiction, much like watching a typical Star Trek crew, but each team member has a personality that makes them lovable; it gets to the point where you can care for them, and you want to keep watching to make sure they get out of everything okay.  The show does pull off a few bold twists and developments with the characters, and it helps keep things from getting too stale.

This show is pretty well-filmed and edited.  Acting can be a little over-the-top, but it helps add to the personality of the characters and the show overall, and keeps it all fun.  Writing is okay.  This production has good-looking sets, props, and costumes.  Prosthetic effects aren't always convincing, but they are pretty cool.  Special effects are often pretty cool, but some have not aged well.  Music is not bad.

For its entire five seasons, Stargate:  Atlantis is consistently entertaining, not only because of its intriguing stories and thrilling action, but also because of its enjoyable group of characters.  It's worth watching for sci-fi fans.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Stories:  Pretty Good | Show:  Good)

Favorite episodes:  Rising Parts 1 and 2, Thirty-Eight Minutes, Letters From Pegasus, The Siege Parts 1, 2, and 3, Runner, Instinct, Conversion, Epiphany, Critical Mass, The Long Goodbye, No Man's Land, Irresistible, The Real World, Echoes, Irresponsible, Sunday, Tabula Rasa, Trio, The Daedalus Variations, Inquisition, Brain Storm, Vegas, Enemy at the Gate, and probably more.

Film Review: Akira

As with anybody else exploring Japanese animation for the first time, Akira was one of the first titles that I ran across, for it represents one of the most popular, most innovative, and most explosive experiences committed to the medium.  For at least one generation, the film served as a major gateway drug to the larger world of anime, with promises of pulpy and unbridled violence that normal American animation would never dare divulge in (and the cult of Akira thrived well on video tape bootlegs, before the advent of optical media).  If you are looking for animation with such elements as killer biker gangs, military takeovers, out-of-control psychic warfare, and mass destruction galore, then there's no better place to start than with Akira.

The film begins and ends with a bang...literally.  Set in the scuzzy streets of NeoTokyo, some 30 years after a cataclysmic explosion that heralded the coming of World War III, the film immediately kicks off with a thrilling biker gang chase.  When one of the gang members is captured by the military and experimented on, unlocking latent psychic powers. all hell continues to break loose.  Tetsuo's psychic rampage leaves nothing but awe in its wake, as he stops tanks shells and laser beams in the air, destroys entire city blocks, and sends vehicles careening out of control.  It all builds up to a huge showdown in the stadium, where evolution suddenly goes into overdrive, and the fate of the world is suddenly at stake.

The film is fast and densely-packed with loads of well-staged action setpieces.  Even when things aren't blowing up, the visuals are superbly-drawn, and often serve to express more to the story.  However, even I'll admit that the experience hasn't always been that endearing.  The film felt convoluted and stiff at first glance, but through repeat viewings (and after reading the original manga), I grew to connect much deeper to the story and characters.

When comparing the story to its source material, there is some missed potential; the Akira manga is a huge saga with numerous subplots and characters that would require more movies (or maybe an anime series) to fully cover.  Katsuhiro Otomo, however, takes his own story and completely remixes it for the film, paring down the whole story and cutting out whole characters to make it all fit in a two-hour time frame.  Even though the full story of Akira would be grand to see on the big screen, this film proves that less is more.  The movie is entirely set in NeoTokyo, and it methodically reveals all the characters and ideas it needs to to make sense.  I believe it actually handles all of this much better than the manga did, where characters seemed to bump into each other at random and then go on the run; in the movie, the characters receive a more pronounced introduction and are gradually tied into the various plots involving military coups, secret experiments, and all-out destruction.  The film squeezes in as much characterization as it can; more screen time for everybody would be welcome, but there's just enough to them to make them easy to understand.  The plot seems dense with all the different characters and concepts it has to juggle, but the film strings it all together aptly to make all the twists and themes feel natural.  Themes of power - the best and worst of it - resonates throughout the entire picture.

Made with a larger-than-average budget, the film boasts spectacular animation quality.  Every scene is laden with rich, highly-detailed, and brilliantly-colored artwork.  Action moves very smoothly.  Even character movements and lip flapping is very well-done (unlike other anime films, Akira is pre-scored, with dialogue recorded before the animation, allowing them to animate mouth movements to match the voices).  A few computer effects are used in the film, and generally match up with the film well.  Designs for all the settings, characters, costumes, vehicles, and things are really cool.  Voice acting can be a hit or a miss, depending on what version you see.  The Japanese dubbing is decent.  There are two different American dubs available, and they're both cheesy and over-the-top in their own right.  Writing is pretty well-balanced; exposition is used to condense some parts of the plot and make it more accessible to audiences, but it doesn't sacrifice much, and most lines are punchy and good.  Sound design is pretty cool.  The music score contains some of the weirdest music I've ever heard, but it's strangely fitting, and perhaps a little catchy.

Even though it seemed odd at first, I've grown to love Akira and its dystopian world of warring bikers and psychics.  Its style and levels of superpowered action inspired more films and shows in the medium, and it would inspire me (and others like me) to explore more of the exciting world of anime.  Even on its own merits, it has always been a thrilling, edgy, and inspiring experience unlike any other.  If you're open to watching this type of animation, it's recommended watching at least once for mature audiences.

5/5 (Entertainment:  Perfect | Story:  Good | Film:  Perfect)

Manga Review: Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo)

Even if you've seen the film adaptation, Otomo's original creation is a sprawling monster of a story unlike any other.  Available in six huge volumes, the manga tells the epic and incredible story about unbridled psychic warfare in the midst of civil strife.  It's a pulpy, punkish world of biker gangs, secret military projects, mutants, and more.  Something is bound to blow up every ten pages or so...

This might be one of the most breakneck mangas I've read; from start to finish, the story is loaded with chases, fights, battles, and all-out destruction.  Bullets and rockets fly pretty frequently, as all the different characters and factions clash in a complex and twisting series of struggles.  When the psychic powers become unleashed, an awe-inspiring amount of vehicles, buildings, and city blocks are decimated and left in ruin.  Even after everything gets nuked, the battle continues relentlessly.  There is practically no drag in this series, and each new page presents a big and bold visual story that inspires awe and excitement.  It is also a violent story with a huge body count, which gives the story a lot of edge and weight behind all the different conflicts that erupt.

The story feels a little wonky at first; it seems like characters ran into each other very randomly and in the most unlikely ways.  Around the halfway point, when the whole story diverges into the more post-apocalyptic setting, I felt the story became more balanced and focused.  There are numerous characters in this saga - some get more attention than others - but many of them are likable, or at least easy to understand.  However, these characters sure do scream at each other a lot, and there are times when they seem unreasonably mean and nasty.  Through it all, the story illustrates strong themes concerning the abuse of power, war, corruption, and social isolation.  Above all, the story is post-modern punk at its finest, given that the core of the story is about the youth of NeoTokyo rebelling, and even evolving, against the older generation.

This manga is illustrated with superb artwork.  Nearly every page is ordained in highly-detailed settings and striking action scenes.  Characters tend to look a little odd, with their huge wide cheeks and faces, but they are actually pretty well-drawn.  There is a lot of ingenious design behind all the different settings, vehicles, creatures, and effects throughout the story.  Writing is not bad either.

Even though I found the first half of the saga a bit convoluted, the last three or four volumes are phenomenal, and the whole series is a thrilling read.  The movie hardly even compares to the sheer scope and detail of the manga.  It is easily recommended to any manga or sci-fi fan.

5/5 (Entertainment:  Perfect | Story:  Good | Manga:  Perfect)

Happy New Year 2015!

2014 is over! It has been quite the eventful year; the combination of travel abroad (including trips to England, Scotland, Washington State, and the Far East) and a consistently-busy day job has made the year feel long and dense.  Parts of it still flew by pretty swiftly, but when I look back at last January, it feels like a long time has passed.

As usual, I passed the time with my hobbies.  I've seen many movies over the year, including many of the latest releases, like Snowpiercer, Guardians of the Galaxy, Interstellar, and more.  I've played quite a few video games; having acquired a PlayStation 4 at the beginning of the year, I became thoroughly engrossed in great new titles like inFamous:  Second Son, Shadow of Mordor, Far Cry 4, and Dragon Age: Inquisition.  My music collection has grown, with awesome new albums by Lacuna Coil, Alestorm, Linkin Park, PM5K, oodles of film and game soundtracks, and of course, Weird Al Yankovic.  I've read about 15 books this year, which is a little more than average, and included some really challenging titles (Naked Lunch and Melancholy of Mechagirl shall stand as two books I'll be happy to never read again).

My hobby of writing, unfortunately, has stalled yet again.  I made great progress for a while on a new draft of The Dark Fairy Chronicles, but after 50-something pages I stopped and never regained momentum.  I do think I can get back into the groove on that, but the story has a long ways to go.  For November, I also started a book called Out of the Blue, and the last couple of chapters need to be finished.  I also finished my draft of Gods Among Men (after two years of sitting around), and Exodus is nearly complete (after three years of sitting around).  Unfortunately, many other projects remain unfinished, including other novels and short stories, and there are many more that are in need of editing or critiquing.

Despite all I've seen and done, the year is not without its troubles.  It seems like the local area has had quite a few tragic deaths.  Even elsewhere, with at least three Malaysia Airline plane crashes, the Ebola outbreak, the Crimean crisis, more war in the Middle East, and the riots at Ferguson, it feels like the whole year has been a challenge and struggle for much of the world.  On the plus side, we did land a probe on a moving comet.

After a while, I couldn't help but to feel that I've become a slacker yet again.  Looking at last year's goals, I'm dismayed to see that I failed to accomplish them.  Thus, all those same goals will carry over to this year:  I will still endeavor to write more, read more, lose 25 pounds, and clean out my computer files.  If there's anything to add, it would be being more social.  The good news is that I've already started on most of these goals, and the last few weeks have already felt productive.

Happy New Year to all:  there is much to look forward to, and with effort, I think there can be much to accomplish.