Tomorrowland Review

Early on in the film, Frank Walker (George Clooney) refers to the future as scary and it's hard to argue this. I love living and experiencing the beauty of this word and I never want this to ride to end, but over the past few years my mental priorities have changed and I worry about myself far less. I look at my daughter and I want to believe in a planet that is thriving rather than falling apart. I want to glimpse into the future and see images of comfort. I want to wrap my arms around a better life for her than I ever could have dreamed of. A better tomorrow.

Tomorrowland is a film made up of huge ideas and grand ambitions and it succeeds more than it fails, but it does get bogged down by its flaws at times. The first half of the picture had me soaking in a warm feeling of nostalgia, as it really felt like a Disney release I would have seen growing up and young me would have been lost in the wonder of it all, and it's not lacking in that department. There is wonder, magic and concepts abound and I was flying high with optimism over the direction this story was taking. I really enjoyed the performances, as Clooney and Britt Robertson as Casey Newton have a solid chemistry together on screen and their characters seem to promise us a memorable and wild adventure, and it mostly delivers. Unfortunately though, the ride gets a bit bumpy during the second half.

I could be completely wrong, but I think I have an idea of what the problem was here and it was essentially the pacing. Perhaps the studio wanted to make sure the entire film fit nicely into a two hours at most package, fearing that the target audience of fun for the whole family would find anything longer daunting and thus stay away. The first hour really brought us into their world and developed the characters well, as it moved at a pace just brisk enough to keep us entertained but it never felt exhausting. The second half, however, seemed to want to rush the entire vision of director Brad Bird and company to a speedy conclusion, which is tough to do when you have so many big ideas to connect together. 

A lesser concept with little to say and this would be more forgivable, as plenty of spectacle first, narrative second films can rush their way through action and a plan to save the world and lose little in the translation from page to screen, but here an important message is being conveyed. The media blasts us with rhetoric and images that mean to fill us with dread and fear of an inevitable demise, and it's challenging to not succumb to an apathy induced by hopelessness. Tomorrowland wants to remind us that it isn't too late. If we refuse to accept that nothing can fix this, that we can push greed and personal selfishness and corporate interests to the side in search of the greater good we can still let our children live in a better tomorrow. We need dreamers, believers, and optimists who will never give up as long as their is a chance to save this world.

We need those who want to live to see Tomorrowland. Had the film let the overall theme breathe a bit more it would have resonated deeper, but overall I will still take an ambitious miss than a safe and lackluster hit.

3/5

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser #2

I have a seven year old daughter and she is excited to see a brand new Star Wars film with me. I can't express how happy this makes me.

The brand new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Enjoy.

Cinderella Review

We all know the story of Cinderella at this point. The evil stepmother, the awful stepsisters, the charming prince, the literally magical night at the ball. The stroke of midnight, the stranded glass slipper and the search for the foot that fits into it. A classic story of true love that has been told multiple times before, and while not a fault by director Kenneth Branagh, this is precisely the one problem I have with the brand new version out in theaters now. Part of the magic I look for in a cinematic experience is directly related to that fresh feeling of discovery that washes over me, and the fact that this was practically entirely missing despite it being a brand new film felt disappointing. 

Okay, so I started off this review with a negative tone. Let's get back on track here, because that is pretty much the only complaint I can come up with here, the fact that I watched the animated classic relatively recently so a nagging feeling of redundancy was seeping out of every scene, but really you could argue that is not a flaw at all, it just comes with the territory of applying a brand new shiny coat to a previously painted masterful work. Looking solely at what was achieved here, it's a pretty wonderful film that can be appreciated by people of all ages.

The casting across the board in Cinderella is spot on, with a timelessly beautiful lead performance from Lily James, a rock solid turn by the recognizable to Game of Thrones fans Richard Madden as the Prince, and probably the greatest of the bunch being Cate Blanchett as a pitch perfect evil stepmother. Branagh directs the hell out of this film and despite knowing what was coming around every turn, the scenes that were striving for emotional resonance were all home runs in my book as I was often times moved by the very natural feeling pain felt by the characters. 

Despite being roughly 11 months away from the next Oscars, I can pretty much guarantee we have a contender here for a couple of specific nominations. The production and costume design on display throughout Cinderella was the result of pure magic, a gorgeous aesthetic that never took a scene off. Even the set pieces that were intended to be dour and depressing, like the attic Cinderella is relegated to by her stepmother, has a certain charm to it and the glow of sunlight breaking through the ceiling reminds us of the warmth and optimism of Cinderella that she learned from her late parents. Even at the worst of times, never forget to have courage and be kind. You could really feel these words reverberate throughout the movie, and I was happy to have my daughter experience this important message again on the big screen.

If you have any interest at all in the classic tale of Cinderella, I strongly suggest you check this one out. Even if you don't have interest, might want to give it a look and keep an open mind. You just might be surprised at how infectious the magic is.

4/5 

WALL-E Review

Over the past few years I have grown to deeply admire the silent era of cinema, a period that lasted from the birth of the medium until the end of the 1920's. When I was younger I made the erroneous assumption that a silent film would equal a boring film, that a lack of verbal dialogue would lead to a disconnect between me and the narrative portrayed, and it simply isn't the case. The genuinely funny slapstick efforts of Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. The devastating power that lies in the eyes of Renee Falconetti, on trial for claiming she could speak directly with God. Fritz Lang crafting science fiction ahead of its time, bringing us the brilliant and bizarre performance from Brigitte Helm in front of a surreal, cityscape backdrop. 

Silent films brought us characters that spoke to the audience without literally speaking, a feat that shouldn't be taken for granted. Movement, mannerisms, and emotional depth portrayed through a look in the eyes, these were what made up a performance rather than the delivery of words, and when it was done right like some of the examples I mentioned above, it resulted in arresting, overwhelming cinema.

Fast forward to 2008 when the world laid eyes on WALL-E, a film that benefits from all the bells and whistles of modern technology yet inside that glossy, gorgeously animated package is a tender, nuanced film with silent era sensibilities. We hear what amounts to dialogue between WALL-E and EVE, but the literally robotic communication is limited and not what resonates with me. I fell in love with these characters and their story because of the clever, touching and beautifully realized ways they connect on a deep and profound level without being able to explain their thoughts and feels with coherent sentences. 

I am not one to bash the recent efforts by Pixar Studios because I have been able to have some fun with even their lesser work. I find the Cars hatred to be rather silly because it's easy to assume creativity and the passion for the art should be first and foremost, but the truth is, Disney loves money and Cars is a massive financial winner for them. It would be a poor decision not to continue to make those films, no matter what critics say or people complain about. 

Still though, I haven't felt the true magic of Pixar in years, which is all the more frustrating because we know it is there. Two robots look into each others eyes during WALL-E and say no words, yet I truly feel as if I can see into their souls. Their happiness and their pain, everything they share together has an emotional core and shocking depth to it all that seems unfathomable given the fact that they literally have no heart. 

If you think you are too old for animation, you're not. If you think you won't believe in a love between two cute little robot characters, you will.

If you haven't yet seen WALL-E, you should.

5/5

Escape from Tomorrow Review

On paper, the film Escape from Tomorrow is too fascinating to ignore. The debut work from writer-director Randy Moore, the story of the film revolves around a family, the father being the focal point, on vacation at Disney World. After learning that he was losing his job, the man begins a descent into madness, encountering disturbing experiences and visions all the while trying to spend the day with his wife and children. The psychosis is not the only thing that serves as a distraction for the man as he catches a glimpse of two teenage French girls and he simply cannot look away. His attraction to these underage girls and his desire to follow them throughout the park is far more unsettling than the imagery portrayed throughout.

However, the controversy surrounding the film, not the content, is what placed it on a must see list for me. Escape from Tomorrow was created using guerrilla filmmaking techniques because while the entire work was created on location in Disney World, the required request for permission to do so was never obtained by Moore, as he instead decided to keep the scripts on the iPhones of those involved in the production and he filmed using a standard handheld camera no different from what a regular guest of the park might bring to capture memories. On this level, and this level only, the film is an achievement, as I expected a far more amateurish feel to the feature and I admire the ability to craft a competent film given the situation presented and the resources available.

As I mentioned at the start of the review, on paper the film demands to be seen. As someone who often finds value in an original concept or the challenge of getting a film made and released on a limited budget, I found myself endlessly excited to experience a film like Escape from Tomorrow. Unfortunately, while my excitement was derived from what was on paper, it all died once I was able to actually see it on screen. In the process of reading up about the film, I encountered a few comments comparing not just the surrealist approach but the actual finished product to the visionary auteur David Lynch. Personally, I find such comparisons to be misguided and even disgraceful, on a similar level to a comparison between myself and LeBron James because I once scored 30 points in a game when I was 11 years old. Nothing that actually took place on screen worked as I found every attempt to disturb the viewer via tone and imagery to be laughable, but even those laughs fueled by derision were short lived. Roughly halfway through the 90 minute slog of a film I found myself checking the clock and wishing it would move faster so I could go to sleep and concoct a dream world far more fascinating than what was realized by Moore.

I recall back when I first learned of this film, everyone was anticipating legal action from Disney for using their name, their iconic images and their locations without permission, and much to my surprise Disney chose to ignore it. The internet was filled with comments regarding how cool it was of Disney to look the other way and allow an independent filmmaker to profit off of their copyrighted property, but I couldn't help but wonder if, in reality, it was simply a brilliant business decision by Disney to scoff at the tiny little film and move along. Ironically, the only way Escape from Tomorrow flourishes as a film and becomes a cult sensation with somewhat broad appeal is if Disney makes headlines through lawsuits and statements and lengthy court battles. If the film is asked to stand on its own merit, it will fall fast and be quickly forgotten.

With about 15 minutes of the film remaining early this morning, my Blu-ray player froze. In retrospect, this was likely the cinematic gods providing me a chance to shut the damn thing off and declare the film a failure, but I took the time to get the machine working again so I could absorb every second of it, maintaining that glimmer of hope that a terrific ending would slightly redeem every terrible moment that I had endured thus far. I should have listened to the gods and got out when I had the opportunity.

Escape from Tomorrow? More like escape from bland filmmaking and phony, uninspired surrealism.



1/5