Last Updated: 7:28 am, August 27, 2010

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Published:

5/23
2010

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‘Kick-Ass’ fails to impress, satisfy

By Alexander Grayson

When I first heard that there was a movie coming out called “Kick-Ass,” I started to laugh. When I saw the film, I laughed even harder. Surprisingly, “Kick-Ass” was entertaining, action-packed, and heavily flawed.
“Kick-Ass” stars a bunch of no-name actors and Nicolas Cage. Even several days after seeing the movie I can’t figure out what he was doing in it. I guess he needed money. Anyway, the story follows a typical comic-book geek with glasses (because all comic-book geeks wear glasses) named Dave Lizewski, played by Aaron Johnson, who always fantasized being a superhero.
His friends, played by Clark Duke from “Hot Tub Time Machine” and Evan Peters from the audition line, are questioning his beliefs. When Dave buys a superhero costume on eBay, his fantasy comes true and he becomes Kick-Ass. However, since this kid is a geek, he really doesn’t have the full potential of being a superhero. He later joins forces with Hit-Girl, played by the incredibly brave Chloe Moretz, to battle the forces of evil in their town.
The story also involves the Russian mob, the one kid from “Role Models,” and Nicolas Cage dressing as Batman, but the plot pretty much stays consistent throughout. There aren’t any big plot twists or real surprises, just typical teenage humor and incredibly violent and over-the-top action scenes.
Speaking of these scenes, a word of warning for any parents reading this: this movie is really sick. Not just because of all the blood, but mainly because of Hit-Girl. She is about 11 years old, and she is killing, cursing, and dismembering anybody that gets in her way. It’s disturbing, but also mildly amusing and it’s good that this film is taking risks that don’t dampen the experience.
While “Kick-Ass” is funny and shocking, there are many real big problems. The biggest problem is that I’m not sure exactly what the film is trying to be. Is it a comedy? Is it an action film? Is it a love story? Many times throughout the film it changes mood, and goes from a teenage comedy to a teenage bloodfest and finally a high-school love story, and then back again. It’s hard to tell what the film is, but thankfully it’s decent enough to forget about.
Another major issue is the romance side of the story. The film tries WAY too hard to have a thought-provoking, lesson-learning love story that has nothing to do with the plot. The “love” interest, played by the beautiful Lyndsy Fonseca, is simply there for eye-candy and doesn’t add to the drama. I won’t give away what she is doing in the film, but I will warn you again: it’s stupid.
Overall, “Kick-Ass” is, well, not quite what it’s titled. It has its moments, sure, but most of the time I just felt like I was watching “High School Musical,” replacing the music with violence. For every step it takes forward, it takes another big step back, and places itself at just “meh.”

Published:

3/17
2010

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“The Crazies” is Crazy Fun

By Alexander Grayson

Remember the 1974 George A. Romero film “The Crazies”? Me neither. Well, having never seen the original (mainly because it is nowhere to be found), I did not know how I would enjoy the remake. It turns out that “The Crazies” is one of the most exhilarating zombie/horror movies I have ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot.

Directed by Breck Eisner, “The Crazies” follows Sheriff David Dutton, played by the underrated Timothy Olyphant, who watches over the peaceful town of Ogden Marsh, Iowa. Since the population of Ogden Marsh is so small, pretty much everybody knows and respects each other. While the sheriff and his partner (played by Joe Anderson) watch a baseball game, one of the locals walks into the middle of the field with a shotgun, ready to shoot someone. The sheriff manages to kill the person and assumes he was drunk. After the coroner finds out that his BAC was 0.0, things start to go, well, crazy.

It turns out that there is a poison in the water supply, but how the poison got there will only be revealed to those who see the film. I will tell you, though, that the source is a little far-fetched, but nevertheless interesting. The sheriff and his pregnant wife, played by the lovely Radha Mitchell, now have to find a way out of the city, not only because there are zombies on the loose, but because the military quarantined the town, fearing that the virus will spread. This is where the film really kicks into high gear, since there are now two things the protagonists have to worry about.

“The Crazies” is both well acted and well directed, and is definitely scary. Olyphant does a great job as the hero, and it is a shame that he doesn’t get that many good film roles. Radha Mitchell also does well as the pregnant wife, but the chemistry between her and Olyphant was a little weak. Eisner does an excellent job at creating tense and suspenseful moments, but is now a proven master at jump scares. This film is packed full of jump moments, and some of them will bounce you out of your seat. The cinematography is also good for a horror film, and some set pieces are absolutely stunning, especially the terrifying car wash scene.

While “The Crazies” is fun, it is so full of typical horror movie clichés (the classic “wait here” line is present more than twice). False scares where there may be a jump but isn’t? Check. The protagonist is immune to the disease? Check. What about the cocky partner who doesn’t like to follow orders? You bet. However, these are used so regularly in movies today that it does not hurt the experience. But REALLY? Can’t there be anything new anymore? It’s a good thing the movie has strong characterization and a story that makes sense because this horror film would have ended up like all the others: in the $5 bargain bin.

Overall, “The Crazies” simply takes all of the usual horror movie formulas and presents them in a unique way, and it adds up to be a fun ride. It’s scary, sometimes sad, and mostly silly, but that is what makes it worth watching. You’d be crazy to miss it.

Published:

1/27
2010

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Could “Avatar” Change the Future of Cinema?

By Alexander Grayson

avatar--maredith mcmahonTwenty years ago, the world of cinema was introduced to a little film that completely changed the future of special effects. This little film was called “Star Wars.” It was one of the first movies to use digital graphics mixed with live actors, and no one has seen anything like it. Twenty years later, James Cameron has brought the movie event of 2009: “Avatar.” This movie brought 3D and CGI to a whole new dimension, and at this point is the second highest grossing film of all time. With this new take on digital graphics, will it be another “Star Wars”?

“Avatar was an impressive display of Hollywood’s technical innovations, and it really shows the power of today’s technology,” said senior Peter Brody, who saw “Avatar” twice.

And, yes, “Avatar” was an impressive display of Hollywood’s technology. The film used motion capture with the characters, which means the actors wore suits that capture their performance. This allows the actors to still be themselves even though they are nine-foot tall blue monkeys.

The director, James Cameron, has a knack for utilizing impressive visual effects. In his most memorable film, “Terminator 2,” the T-1000 was made of liquid metal, so it is able to change its shape and morph into other people. The film revolutionized modern CGI, and created something that no one has seen before. “Avatar” is a different story. While it does present some dazzling special effects and photo-realistic facial expressions, the 3D effects seemed like a gimmick to some.

“I think it is stupid,” said sophomore Georgina Kluser, who saw it three times. “It’s just an image pasted over another image.”

While this is technically true, 3D is a lot more than that. It is designed so that the audience is able to feel like a part of the movie, not to just have things pop in your face. “Avatar” attempted to make the audience feel like they were on Pandora, feeling the world around them. Now that the film is released, it could be possible that other films will follow suit as well. Or maybe more than films…

“We are looking to bring 3D beyond films,” said director James Cameron in an interview on CNET. “Soon, the news, sports, and video games will all utilize 3D effects. We’re not quite there but we are on the cusp of that and people need to develop a strategy for it.”

Cameron invented a stereoscopic camera for his film that allowed him to shoot in 3D, and the digital effects can be seen through the viewfinder of the camera. He is planning to mass produce this camera, allowing everyone (who has a big enough wallet) to use 3D in their own ways. 3D glasses may still be required, but when the technology improves glasses will no longer be required. Cameron also plans to carry 3D into laptops and cell phones.

“3D isn’t just for theaters,” Cameron said. “The real revolution comes as games and television also appear in three dimensions.”

Hopefully Cameron’s plan will work, and the world of entertainment around us will be in the third dimension. However, the world may have to wait decades for it to be fully developed. For right now, let’s just return to Pandora…

Published:

10/16
2009

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Michael Moore fails to find solution

By Justin Elliot

A pair of blinding white NewBalance shoes, a megaphone, several rolls of yellow crime scene tape, and an armored truck spell one thing; Michael Moore is back again. ENTER MICHAELMOORE 3 ABA

Moore’s newest movie “Capitalism: A Love Story” is a brutal attack on the economic system that sustains our nation.

While the movie’s sporadic plot, poor attempt at humor, and failure to identify the changes needed to make the situation better detract from the movie, it still exposes some of the harsh realities of capitalism to those who live a comfortable middle class life.

Moore’s thesis is that greed in capitalism has made the economics of America only about money. The human factor in the Untied States has gone by the way side and economic decisions are made by the ultra rich to maximize profits, no matter the cost.

Moore feels that the world has turned into a great divide where the rich bathe in profits, while the rest are left barely getting by.

Moore’s story begins in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, where he recounts the demise of the city through the slow shutdown of its main employer, General Motors.

From there Moore loses his focus and finds random stories of how capitalism has ruined American lives.

His investigation includes the stories of several young teenagers who were wrongfully incarcerated by a for-profit juvenile rehabilitation center, airline pilots on food stamps because of their dwindling pay, and factory workers who were refused pay because of their companies’ poor credit.

The most interesting of these stories involve life insurance policies that numerous large companies take out on their employees called “dead peasant” insurance. When employees die, companies cash in, and families never see any of the money.

Together, these stories make an illogical and biased case against capitalism. However, by themselves, the stories truly put a face on the negative effects of capitalism. With the push of a button, CEOs and other executives can make decisions that truly ruin lives of innocent Americans.

Overall, these depressing stories leave viewers angered at the current system.

Although Moore alludes to the importance of voting he still leaves most questions unanswered.

Who should people vote for? What changes need to be made? What system would work better than capitalism? All are left untouched.

Furthermore, Moore loses his credibility by not only failing to even recognize the opposing view point but also his flawed attempt at humor.

With a five-minute exposé on how Jesus wasn’t a capitalist, Moore attempting to make a citizen arrest of Wall Street executives and Moore standing outside of the major U.S. banks with money bags and a megaphone demanding the tax payer money back, Moore only makes a fool of himself.

It seemed like it was more like a YouTube video than a full-scale movie. Overall, Moore makes some astute points, but his outrageous behavior and illogical arguments don’t add up.

Really this movie is just like all of the other Moore movies. So if you liked Moore in the past, you will like him this time around. And if you didn’t, well, don’t bother.

Published:

9/14
2009

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Tim Burton’s ‘9′ unbalanced, bewildering

By Ijeoma Onyema

Full of action and adventure in a post-apocalyptic age, Tim Burton’s “9” adds a bit of the short film version of “9″ in the movie as well as his own creativity; however, this resulted in a very topsy-turvy film.

Tim Burton's animated movie "9" falls short of its potential despite captivating scenes. (Used with permission of Focus Films)

Tim Burton's animated movie "9" falls short of its potential despite captivating scenes. (Used with permission of Focus Films)

The story begins with the last “stitchpunk,” 9, waking up in his creator laboratory to find that the world has been destroyed by robots. Once he steps out of the lab and into the barren wasteland that was once Earth, the lives of the remaining stitchpunks—and whatever beasts happen to be lurking around— are impacted forever.

While surveying this parallel world, he meets another stitchpunk, who is called “2” and gets kidnapped by the cat beast soon after. Now it is up to 9 and the other stitchpunks—both those who are willing and unwilling—to go save 2 and destroy not only the cat beast, but the reactivated fabrication beast, who has the power to steal souls using the scientist’s talisman. Will they all make it out alive? Who knows?

However, everyone most definitely knows that while the original short film was nominated for an Academy Award, but this film failed to reach the bar of its predecessor. There were some major flaws in the plot and the character portrayals. John C. Reilly did a poor job in voicing 5 and ending up make 5 appear with the traits of a follower whereas 6 was not given enough time to enhance his character.

Moreover, the plot seemed like an unbalanced, detached group of stories instead of a flowing story. At the end, the original film transitioned well and ended with a more logical ending, which is a key factor in whether a film like “9” makes or breaks it. Burton placed a small implication at that the Earth would restore itself again so as to instill hope in the audience. However, it did not correlate with the rest of the film. If it looks like a gloomy film, sounds like a gloomy film, and acts like a gloomy film, then it is a gloomy film ergo it should be kept as such for the sake of balance.

Though the plot was a bit disappointing, the visual affects were exceptional; they aren’t ones that one comes across everyday; the antagonists were superbly frightening. Plus, there were some humorous parts which succeeded in perking up the grave situation the characters were in.

So far, most of its ratings have been C pluses or below, but since the film topped the charts on opening day, the sky is the limit for Tim Burton’s “9.”