The Technopriests comic, currently released as 3 volumes from Humanoids, is written by Alexandro Jodorowsky, illustrated by Zoran Janjetov, and colored by Fred Beltran. It tells the space saga of a disfunctional family and their eventual odyssey to a new universe.
What makes this comic series so enthralling is the intense creativity. Jodorowsky has imagined an universe that is rich with details and rife with strong characters. Janjetov and Beltran have visualized these detailed space adventures in vivid images. It is a gorgeous comic to read as there are a wealth of settings individualized by intricate textures and structures.
The story is quite elaborate and traverses across the universe in all directions. While none of the characters or settings have any specific connection to what we know of as reality, there are still the common emotions that we have all felt: jealousy, love, anger, pride, forgiveness, sadness, cruelty, greed, happiness. Whether one agrees with an individual character's choices or not, one can easily sympathize with the character as his/her motivations are akin to ours.
Although the story takes place in space and upon many different planets, it is perhaps more appropriately described as science-fantasy. There are few if any true scientific elements within the comic. However there is a scientific rationale that is used to solve various problems that arise. This gives the story and characters certain boundaries that are held up throughout.
I recommend this comic to fans of crazy space sagas that span entire universes. Expect the unexpected, you techno-readers!
Monday, April 30, 2012
The Adventures of Tintin (2011) or When Will Spielberg Come Back to Reality
The Adventures of Tintin (2011) promised to make a spectacle out of the old Belgium comics, Tintin. While it was a spectacle, it didn't evoke the same feelings as the comic did.
One of the major flaws is that Spielberg inserted a rather lengthy heavy-handed subplot about the ills of drinking. Captain Haddock, in the comics, is know for his drunkenness. It is oft represents as a character flaw. A character flaw is a personality trait that while sometimes might be helpful, is typically the cause of problems.
Spielberg treats Captain Haddock's drunkenness as a disease; something that needs to be cured to...er...progress the plot, apparently. Like Prohibition, he admonishes Captain Haddock's imbibing of any alcoholic beverages. Not only does this send the wrong message ("alcohol is evil" - because life is that simple?), not only is it rather inappropriate for a light-hearted family movie, not only does it upset the pacing of the movie, but it is also flies in the face of the spirit of the comics. As a drinker myself I found the anti-drinking propagandic attitudes highly offensive.
The CGI animation is wildly inconsistent. There is a constant fluctuation between cartoonish and realistic. You witness absurdly large noses right under highly realistic eyes. Tintin looks like a young man transformed into CGI and Snowy looks like a carpet. Is this a realistic film or a cartoon? Make up your mind!
Would I recommend this movie to anyone? No. Read the comics; they are a thousand times better.
One of the major flaws is that Spielberg inserted a rather lengthy heavy-handed subplot about the ills of drinking. Captain Haddock, in the comics, is know for his drunkenness. It is oft represents as a character flaw. A character flaw is a personality trait that while sometimes might be helpful, is typically the cause of problems.
Spielberg treats Captain Haddock's drunkenness as a disease; something that needs to be cured to...er...progress the plot, apparently. Like Prohibition, he admonishes Captain Haddock's imbibing of any alcoholic beverages. Not only does this send the wrong message ("alcohol is evil" - because life is that simple?), not only is it rather inappropriate for a light-hearted family movie, not only does it upset the pacing of the movie, but it is also flies in the face of the spirit of the comics. As a drinker myself I found the anti-drinking propagandic attitudes highly offensive.
The CGI animation is wildly inconsistent. There is a constant fluctuation between cartoonish and realistic. You witness absurdly large noses right under highly realistic eyes. Tintin looks like a young man transformed into CGI and Snowy looks like a carpet. Is this a realistic film or a cartoon? Make up your mind!
Would I recommend this movie to anyone? No. Read the comics; they are a thousand times better.
Cabin in the Woods (2012) - Meta-Scaaarrryy!!
There is a reviewer who commented that this film is difficult to analyze without revealing spoilers. I thoroughly agree with this reviewer, so this may be very short.
As a fan of horror films, this film greatly appealed to me. Its production value and quality of filmmaking are higher than most horror films. Plus the actors do a fantastic job.
While one might feel the need to know more before plopping down in front of this film, I would recommend limited knowledge, for the first view, to enhance te reveal(s).
Because this film is very clever, I believe fans of horror films will be able to take something more away from this film than your average viewer. But the film is self-contained and well-crafted; if it's a subject matter you're interested in, you will enjoy this film.
As a fan of horror films, this film greatly appealed to me. Its production value and quality of filmmaking are higher than most horror films. Plus the actors do a fantastic job.
While one might feel the need to know more before plopping down in front of this film, I would recommend limited knowledge, for the first view, to enhance te reveal(s).
Because this film is very clever, I believe fans of horror films will be able to take something more away from this film than your average viewer. But the film is self-contained and well-crafted; if it's a subject matter you're interested in, you will enjoy this film.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Southland Tales - bored....still bored
While it's not uncommon nowadays for a movie to be 2 1/2 hours long, it does not mean that such a length is necessary or even good. But the length of Southland Tales isn't the biggest problem; it's simply a symptom of the real problem.
A narrator, in movies, typically adds redudnacies or elements the creator failed to include; it should be avoided if at all possible. Still the narrative in Southland Tales isn't the problem, but another symptom.
In order to have well-rounded characters, a movie needs to have multiple scenes in which the characters are confronted with a dilema(s) and find solutions. Ideally the principle characters try different solutions (in various scenes) before they arrive at a "satisfactory" solution. Since the characters only have stereo-typical personalities and no character development, one might think that this is the problem with Southland Tales: symptom.
When handling a future or near-future movie, it is ideal to fill the viewer in as quickly as possible with little exposition; the viewer should be able to lose him/herself in the story. While Southland Tales avoids exposition for the most part, the movie is confusing enough to draw the viewer out of the movie, to ask "what is going on?".
True science fiction stories have a foundation in science before "jumping the shark" into fiction. Done well, a non-scientist will suspend disbelief and accept the events that play out before him/her. Although a science fiction story, like Southland Tales, that is not founded in science will quickly become a farce, a joke. When even the non-scientist says to him/herself, "Wait. That doesn't make any sense...at all.", then the mood/the emotions/the interest is lost.
All these symptoms are not the real problem; the real problem is......um........huh, I guess they are, actually.
There's not really anything good to complement this movie on....er, the production value is good? there's music by Moby? (yea, yea, I know, that doesn't count as good) there's a lot of good actors (with terrible to no roles to perform)?
OH! I know.
Seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar as a (typical) porn star was very arousing (even with no nudity).
Pass on this movie, unless you are literally trying to kill two and a half hours.
A narrator, in movies, typically adds redudnacies or elements the creator failed to include; it should be avoided if at all possible. Still the narrative in Southland Tales isn't the problem, but another symptom.
In order to have well-rounded characters, a movie needs to have multiple scenes in which the characters are confronted with a dilema(s) and find solutions. Ideally the principle characters try different solutions (in various scenes) before they arrive at a "satisfactory" solution. Since the characters only have stereo-typical personalities and no character development, one might think that this is the problem with Southland Tales: symptom.
When handling a future or near-future movie, it is ideal to fill the viewer in as quickly as possible with little exposition; the viewer should be able to lose him/herself in the story. While Southland Tales avoids exposition for the most part, the movie is confusing enough to draw the viewer out of the movie, to ask "what is going on?".
True science fiction stories have a foundation in science before "jumping the shark" into fiction. Done well, a non-scientist will suspend disbelief and accept the events that play out before him/her. Although a science fiction story, like Southland Tales, that is not founded in science will quickly become a farce, a joke. When even the non-scientist says to him/herself, "Wait. That doesn't make any sense...at all.", then the mood/the emotions/the interest is lost.
All these symptoms are not the real problem; the real problem is......um........huh, I guess they are, actually.
There's not really anything good to complement this movie on....er, the production value is good? there's music by Moby? (yea, yea, I know, that doesn't count as good) there's a lot of good actors (with terrible to no roles to perform)?
OH! I know.
Seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar as a (typical) porn star was very arousing (even with no nudity).
Pass on this movie, unless you are literally trying to kill two and a half hours.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
The Hangover Part 2 deja vu
What can I say? The Hangover Part 2 is much like the first one. The lead characters piece together the insanity of the previous night, while searching for one of their friends. The jokes are new, but the story is only slightly different.
This movie doesn't bring a new dynamic to the story or the structure...in some ways it is an example of Hollywood's "obsession" with re-creating previous media (books, comics, video games, cartoons, tv shows...now 2 year-old films?).
Although this movie may just follow in the Hollywood tradition of not-breaking-a-formula-that-is-successful. Similarly Die Hard 2 is the same story as Die Hard, with new actions scenes and catch-phrases. However Die Hard 3 broke this mold, so it is certianly possible for the Hangover mythos to create a new original film.
In summary if you enjoyed the first one, you'll enjoy this one too.
This movie doesn't bring a new dynamic to the story or the structure...in some ways it is an example of Hollywood's "obsession" with re-creating previous media (books, comics, video games, cartoons, tv shows...now 2 year-old films?).
Although this movie may just follow in the Hollywood tradition of not-breaking-a-formula-that-is-successful. Similarly Die Hard 2 is the same story as Die Hard, with new actions scenes and catch-phrases. However Die Hard 3 broke this mold, so it is certianly possible for the Hangover mythos to create a new original film.
In summary if you enjoyed the first one, you'll enjoy this one too.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
The Thing 2011 - Eh, its a thing.
The Thing (2011) tells the tale of the Swedes ("I think they're Norwegians, Jack.") and the events that lead up to John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). While the film has many of the same tropes as the 1982 film, it goes out of its way to never do the exact same thing.
So is the film entertaining? Not so much. It's not irritating or poorly made. Unfortunately the characters are not very interesting. First there's too many, and second too many are similar. There's really no one to get behind, to empathize with. They attempt to make the female scientist the focus of the film, but most of her actions are doing her job....that's not really a personality.
If you want more Thing mythos than you will probably enjoy this film....otherwise, it's not really worth the watch.
So is the film entertaining? Not so much. It's not irritating or poorly made. Unfortunately the characters are not very interesting. First there's too many, and second too many are similar. There's really no one to get behind, to empathize with. They attempt to make the female scientist the focus of the film, but most of her actions are doing her job....that's not really a personality.
If you want more Thing mythos than you will probably enjoy this film....otherwise, it's not really worth the watch.
The Muppets (2011) = the muppets
The 2011 Muppets movie is an enjoyable film. If the Muppets hold a special place in your heart then you will enjoy this film...but it's not brilliant.
Fortunately for a "rebirth" of a story, which Hollywood loves now-a-days whether book or tv show or fart-in-the-wind, this film holds true. The feeling and the emptions are very tru to the original tv show (even more so than the movies).
But it doesn't attempt to improve on them. I believe creativity is a constantly evolving exploration of beauty...could these creators create an awesome Muppet film? Hell Yeah! But they haven't yet.
Not a bad Muppet story, only a mediocre Muppet story...
potential exists....
Fortunately for a "rebirth" of a story, which Hollywood loves now-a-days whether book or tv show or fart-in-the-wind, this film holds true. The feeling and the emptions are very tru to the original tv show (even more so than the movies).
But it doesn't attempt to improve on them. I believe creativity is a constantly evolving exploration of beauty...could these creators create an awesome Muppet film? Hell Yeah! But they haven't yet.
Not a bad Muppet story, only a mediocre Muppet story...
potential exists....
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Vampires Suck SUCKS
As you might suspect from the title Vampires Suck, this 2010 movie is a parody of this new-found teenage vampire genre. Or it ought to have been.
Instead it is Twilight with "jokes" in the various scenes. Having only watched the first two Twilight films and never read any of the books, my knowledge of the specific details in the series is spotty. However I did recognize that the first 5-10 scenes (at the beginning of the "flashback") are exactly the same as the first Twilight film...except with supposed jokes and goofiness. The rest of the film pretty much follows the same format.
This is a massive tragedy as this teenage(-girl) vampire genre has exploded in the last few years. While most of these stories lack any semblance of characterizations or rationality, they often have the exact same set-up (Twilight: teenage schoolgirl "falls in love" with a few-hundred-year-old vampire; True Blood: teenage waitress, with a korean prostitute's name, "falls in love" with a few-hundred-year-old vampire; Vampire Diaries: teenage schoolgirl "falls in love" with a few-hundred-year-old vampire [hell even the original, Buffy TVS was about a teenage schoolgirl who falls in love with a few-hundred-year-old vampire]). Vampires Suck chose to parody ONLY Twilight, by re-hashing the same plot as Twilight. This lacks imagination, creativity, and hell, humor too. This idea, teenage(-girl) vampire genre parody, has so much potential, and they just blew it.
Ultimately it was a waste of time. I do not recommend this to anyone.
Instead it is Twilight with "jokes" in the various scenes. Having only watched the first two Twilight films and never read any of the books, my knowledge of the specific details in the series is spotty. However I did recognize that the first 5-10 scenes (at the beginning of the "flashback") are exactly the same as the first Twilight film...except with supposed jokes and goofiness. The rest of the film pretty much follows the same format.
This is a massive tragedy as this teenage(-girl) vampire genre has exploded in the last few years. While most of these stories lack any semblance of characterizations or rationality, they often have the exact same set-up (Twilight: teenage schoolgirl "falls in love" with a few-hundred-year-old vampire; True Blood: teenage waitress, with a korean prostitute's name, "falls in love" with a few-hundred-year-old vampire; Vampire Diaries: teenage schoolgirl "falls in love" with a few-hundred-year-old vampire [hell even the original, Buffy TVS was about a teenage schoolgirl who falls in love with a few-hundred-year-old vampire]). Vampires Suck chose to parody ONLY Twilight, by re-hashing the same plot as Twilight. This lacks imagination, creativity, and hell, humor too. This idea, teenage(-girl) vampire genre parody, has so much potential, and they just blew it.
Ultimately it was a waste of time. I do not recommend this to anyone.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Hellevator: "The Bottled Fools"
Hellevator deals with a small group of people trapped in an elevator in dystopic reality. There is a "bureau" who controls everything and ensures peace/order.
Given its production values, the story is excellent. Otherwise the story is interesting with a few twists.
Fortunately the characters are strong and well developed. While some of the elements are left un-resolved in an attempt to create ambiguity (like Bladerunner), there is enough meat that the story remains interesting and surprising.
3 1/2 Stars, which would mean 3 stars Netflix-rating. Neat film with cool sci-fi aspects, but you don't need to run out and grab it immediately.
Given its production values, the story is excellent. Otherwise the story is interesting with a few twists.
Fortunately the characters are strong and well developed. While some of the elements are left un-resolved in an attempt to create ambiguity (like Bladerunner), there is enough meat that the story remains interesting and surprising.
3 1/2 Stars, which would mean 3 stars Netflix-rating. Neat film with cool sci-fi aspects, but you don't need to run out and grab it immediately.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)