Pacific Rim

Guillermo del Toro, 2013


2/5

As giant alien creatures (known as the Kaiju) ascend from the middle of the earth to destroy humanity, humans join together to mobilize a defense. They decide to fight fire with fire as they create massive robots called Jaeger's that rival the Kaiju in size. These robotic machines are human operated involving two people bound by the mind. They are able to gain a bit of a foothold in the war with their machines but are intent on destroying the crevice in which they emerge from.

A film likely to be adored by thirteen year old boys across America. And only them. Guillermo del Toro proves that he should stick to the Fantasy genre, and not enter the world of big Hollywood Blockbusters. Toro goes from treating viewers to such haunting, imaginative creations in Pan's Labyrinth to removing all layered storytelling and just shoving big budget effects down our throats. Like the monstrous Jaegers in Pacific Rim, the film is bloated, too big for its own good, uninspired, and derivative. The premise itself feels imitative. The look of Iron Man. The interface of Avatar. The utter destructionism of Godzilla. The Transformers-like battles. Yeah, we've seen all of that. It's been done before. 

What is the point of the soldiers proving that they are capable of proving their martial arts abilities? The robots don't even utilize those moves. They slowly punch through the air like soaking wet Rock-em Sock-em toys. Oh, and they can break out a sword in a clutch moment to abruptly end the battle so the film can make one of many erratic cuts in the story? How convenient. The $190M budget was clearly spent on CGI and not on the writing. The dialogue is so elementary and just feels empty and downright lacking. Cliche sayings like "step into my office" or "let me check for a pulse, okay, no pulse". Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) does step out of his Jax Teller comfort zone (albeit handcuffed to Ron Perlman), and does come off as a more wholesome figure than his well-known Samcro President role. And poor Idris Elba. The man who will always live in infamy for his role as Stringer Bell deserves more than this. But he probably made the mistake we all did. We all saw Guillermo del Toro's name on it, and thought: "how could this be a bad move?!". He had nothing to work with. The soldiers jump into the Jaeger head and they look like Daft Punk members who couldn't play an instrument. The interpersonal relationships between father and son, or almost-lovers feels rigid. It will be interesting to see how history treats this film. Maybe Guillermo is saying bye bye to his darker days. Clearly at this point he is more inclined to channel Ishiro Honda instead of The Brothers Grimm. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Henry Selick, 1993

2/5

From the mind of Tim Burton comes a story about Halloween Land and its inhabitants. After another successful holiday, Jack Skellington expresses his boredom with the repetition and looks for something different to reinvigorate his interest in Halloween. He ventures to a crossroads that has a doorway to Christmas Land. There, he finds a completely different world... one that he becomes quite enamored with.

This film was made in a time when Burton used to make good films. Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Batman. Back in a time when Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter weren't fixtures in every piece of work. And despite the fact he didn't direct this one, his personality is all over it. The film is basically a Tim Burton PCP trip laid out before your eyes. A glance into his younger, more creative brain. Bizarre, odd-shaped claymation with an impressive amount of detail. Headless creatures, windy roads etched with curvature, circular tree branches. Everywhere you turn, there's a ghost, ghoul or vampire lurking ready to pop out and go into song. And there's plenty of song. A bit much, actually. In front of Elfman's catchy score are lyrics that end up feeling repetitive and tiresome. It's an eerie musical with Jack Skellington at the forefront. He plays the curious one, the seeker, the explorer. The inhabitants of Halloween Land are satisfied with their existence but he grows hungry. The film plays on the dichotomy of Halloween and Christmas, and reinforces a sort of alternate dimension approach to them where one world isn't aware of the other. When Jack's cross-pollination occurs it's quite artfully done, with the Christmas set pieces almost coming off as a satisfying Candyland game board. But the simple message takes a long time to get delivered as it heads down its predictable path. It's certainly not rich in story as it's a feast for the eyes. While Burton's characters are uniquely constructed, the film could be watched with the volume down. Probably at least worth a single watch to see Burton's art at work, at the peak of his career. 

Ghostbusters II

Ivan Reitman, 1989

(REWATCHED)


4/5

The population of ghosts seem to be increasing in the Big Apple, which puts the Ghostbusters back in business. They realize that the bad vibes of the city are actually causing a pink slime to materialize below the city that in turn is energizing the reanimation of an ancient genocidal ruler from his painting in the Manhattan Museum of Art.

The sequel to the 80's cult classic holds up. It could easily make a list of "Most consistent sequels ever", because it really feels like an accurate continuation of the first film. "Movies that if they are on television, you can't turn the channel and must sit down and watch". The screenplay is superb, the script is impeccable, and the acting is great because you are really seeing Dan Akroyd, Harold Remis, Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver at the peak of their careers. Also at his peak is Rick Moranis, who has been noticeably absent from cinema since his self-imposed retirement in 1997 after becoming a single dad when his wife died of cancer. It's a masterful blend of the supernatural and comedy genres. Michael Chapman is really great behind the camera in this film as well, such as the Statue of Liberty scene. The film also gives you another serving of an 80's soundtrack that if you don't like, you are empty inside. How dare anyone criticize the effects. The proton-packs are on equally par with light-sabers, no argument. That would be one of the disappointing elements of a future remake of this franchise, which you know will come twenty years from now. They will have some cutting-edge visuals that will take away all of the grit and everything that made these films so good. The younger generation will then criticize the Ghostbusters purists as being old-timers. Ugh. Both films are an ode to the older New York City. Pre-9/11 (as you are reminded seeing the sky-scape shots of the Twin Towers), Pre-Giuliani, Post-Taxi Driver, Pre-Disneyfication of Times Square, Mid Central Park Ghost jogger. The city where the film's fictional Mayor reminds the boys that "Being miserable and treating other people like dirt is every New Yorker's God-given right". This is an American Classic. One of those films you can't wait to force your kids to watch when they get older, and they damn well better appreciate it for what it is.

Our Idiot Brother

Jesse Peretz, 2011


3/5

Ned (Paul Rudd) has run into some tough luck with some legal troubles and a breakup with his girlfriend Janet (Kathryn Hahn). He turns to his three sisters, who all seem to be preoccupied with their own lives to provide support.

An ensemble cast fuels the film with a lot of the usual suspects of the modern comedy world. Paul Rudd brings his very Paul Rudd persona to the film, and that's never really a bad thing. His character in this film would be the equivalent to his character in Wanderlust if he lived in the commune for years and were suddenly evicted. He possesses a certain naivete that doesn't really help him elevate him in any kind of professional capacity but he certainly should sleep better at night than his sisters do. He means well. Tries to do the right thing. A happy failure. Failure is a subjective term though. Is he a failure because he doesn't have the house, or the children, or the job? His sisters play hot potato with his couch surfing, and don't really feel any kind of familial gravitational pull. Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) is completely obsessed with making her mark in her journalism career. Liz (Emily Mortimer) is wrapped up in with her children and seemingly disinterested husband. Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) is just wrapped up in herself. Maybe they all are. All of these different lifestyles, but with one common theme. They all push Ned away despite the fact that he is really the one force that can help them. How does he help? That's sort of complicated. Hard to say really. You could say things have to get bad before they get better? Sometimes you need a good shakeup in your life? Testing the foundation? Maybe all of those. Ned comes in like a hippie tornado, and completely disrupts their lives, and the whole time has this whole "Whoa, was just trying to help... didn't mean for all of this to happen!" approach to it all. And that feels genuine, and quite charming.

And it's a modern comedy so of course it has its flaws. The attempt to ugly up Rashida Jones is quite obvious, and quite honestly... still fails. You need more than a giant pair of dorky glasses on her face to do that. Why did she need to be "uglied up" in the first place? Let her be her. Is it Peretz' attempt to make her more of the tomboy lesbian type? In the end, not really important and not so pertinent to the overall plot. Emily Mortimer's English accent leaks throughout the film. The attempted backdrop of New York City feels completely absent. The fact that those are the flaws actually speaks well for the film. Everything is actually put together quite nicely. The funny hits the target when it needs to (often having an effective Improv-ish tone), and the dramatic moments hit close enough.