MOVIE REVIEW: Dark Shadows (2012)

Surprisingly, the opportunity for me to see films this summer is unusually optimistic, I missed practically everything in the 2011-2012 academic year, but I’m hoping to make up for that with what’s turning out to be a strong summer movie season. Last week’s offering for me was Dark Shadows, a Tim Burton-directed adaptation of a cult, gothic soap opera from the 60s. Up until the release of the film, this show was unbeknownst to me. It’s popularity amongst baby boomers apparent from how my mother (who I consider to be very “hip”) spoke very enthusiastically of it. Sure enough, Burton, and stars Johnny Depp (who is also a producer) and Michelle Pfeiffer (who’s always a pleasure to watch) were also huge fans of the show and the chemistry of the three is quite wonderful. While it’s not one of Burton’s strongest creative offerings, the love put into the project is apparent, and is overall, an enjoyable film to watch.

In the 1760s, young Englishman, Barnabas Collins immigrates to Maine with his wealthy family, and they begin a successful fishing business. The business helps develop the town, eventually adopting the Collins’s namesake and respect. However, a spurned witch, jealous over Barnabas’ newfound love, curses the family, kills the girlfriend, and turns Barnabas into a vampire; condemning him to a coffin until 1972, when he is finally unearthed by an unsuspecting construction crew. Barnabas relocates his former estate, now in the decrepit care of his ancestors. His newfound cousin, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, informs him that the family assets dried up, and the family business is all but gone. Barnabas reveals to her a hidden treasure vault, which helps fund restoration of the estate and the fishing business (now re-established as a cannery). However, Barnabas’s old flame is also alive and well, and still out to get the unsuspecting vampire.

There’s a lot going on in Dark Shadows, which makes for a bit more of a complex narrative than expected for a comedy. I didn’t really mind the meandering script, because I felt like the creative and aesthetic aspects of the show made up for it. The costumes and art design are excellent, and acting is terrific. Depp brings another fun characterization as Barnabas, bringing great highbrow humor to the “fish-out-of-water” aspect to the story. Pfeiffer is fantastic as always; her grace and restraint evokes that of classic film stars of the golden age of Hollywood. Chloe Moretz plays her rebellious daughter, and while it’s obvious she’s being typecast as an edgy teenager, she services the role just fine. Helena Bonham Carter plays the family psychiatrist, and is amusingly aloof. There are a couple interesting twists that occur, and the ending leaves less closure for some of the characters than I’d hoped for (as well as an obvious sequel-setup), but I still left feeling pleased.

Prior to watching Dark Shadows, I had heard mixed things like “uneven”, “sloppy”, and not scary enough. All these criticisms are valid, depending on your perspective on Burton. Sure, the man’s made a lot of dark films, but there’s no denying he has a lighter side, too (Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Ed Wood). The tone of Dark Shadows is akin to that of his earlier efforts, in fact, it comfortingly reminded me of something he would have made in the early 90s. The silliness and dark fantasy vibe are comparable to say, The Addams Family. I can easily recommend it for anyone that enjoyed the former film, and fans of the show should get a nice nostalgia kick.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Hello everyone! Sorry for my prolonged absence from blogging, but a lot has been going on lately between work, finalizing my law school admission, getting a lease on an apartment, and getting abused by my allergies. Since life in general has been taking such a toll on my spare time, I've decided to reduce my postings to more current events. I'll still write about something if I feel like it, or if I have the time, but since my leisure-writing time has become scant nowadays, I regret that so will my blogging frequency. No matter, though. I'm going to keep writing until compelling circumstances state otherwise. In the meantime though...

What came seemingly out of nowhere, and with less hyped fanfare than what I remember is Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth entry in the Disney/Bruckheimer cash cow, helmed by the great Johnny Depp. This is a much different, more tightly focused entry in the series. From what I understand, the purpose was to open a new chapter in the adventures of wily protagonist Jack Sparrow a la "Indiana Jones" and other serials. Gone now is the tired, overblown love story between Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan. Instead, the audience gets what they may have secretly wanted in the first place: a story owned and encompassed by Jack Sparrow, as opposed to the Will/Elizabeth/Jack trifecta that dominated the original trilogy. While it's a fun film, it lacks the epic scope that made the original three more far-out and entertaining.

Some time after the events of At World's End, Jack Sparrow finds himself in front of the King of England and Barbossa, his old nemesis, now Captain of the British Navy. They are comissioned to venture back to the Caribbean to beat the Spanish in search of the Fountain of Youth. But Sparrow is also in search of an imposter of his, who turns out to be Angelica, the feisty daughter of the rogue pirate Blackbeard, and Sparrow's jilted lover. The three reluctantly join forces in the quest to find the Fountain, and must endure a series of trials in order to unlock the Fountain's secrets. As is expected in these films, the typical cartoonish madness also ensues.

As I said before, the lack of featherweight subplots that I felt bogged down the last two films is refreshingly absent for Tides. In return, we get a few old faces, but mostly some new, interesting characters. What I felt was sorely missed from this entry though, was the lack of spectacle and over-the-top action sequences that made the series unique. Apparently, the budget for this series was slashed in half, from the $300 million special-effects-behemoth of At World's End. $150 mil isn't chump-change for a film, but it shows in the lack of epic action money-shots and more emphasis on (admittedly) some very good swordplay and stuntwork. Actually, some may appreciate the return to practicality, but I just felt the series set such a high bar for fantasy and spectacle that Tides didn't really meet it in that department. In fact, I'd argue it's even less epic than the first film, but don't consider that a deal-killer when deciding to see the film.

What Tides does have to offer is Johnny Depp returning in full form, anyone who missed his antics as Jack Sparrow will be very pleased to see him gobble scenery like a kid in a candy store. Also fun to watch is newcomer Penelope Cruz, who brings identically caustic chemistry between her and Depp that they both shared in Blow, ten years earlier. Angelica is pretty much the "Princess Leia" of the new series, and I found her very engaging as a female lead. Also, at a few minutes shy of two hours and forty minutes, it's the shortest, and most tightly-paced of all the Pirates films in my opinion.

Fans should generally enjoy Tides, and everyone else may find themselves in for a fun, harmless ride. It's a different Pirates, but a very solid standalone adventure tale. I didn't see the film in 3D, but by all accounts, I was told by many it was terrible and inconsistent. The effects only surfaced in several sequences, and the process made the film dark and grainy. 3D is becoming sadly overrated in mainstream films nowadays, anyway. But I'm sure hardcore Pirates fans won't care, either way.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: Rango (2011)

My first reaction to seeing the poster and trailer for Rango was "Kermit the Frog's cracked-out chameleon cousin" (there's even a joke in the film about the relationship between amphibians and reptiles, go figure). The characters in Rango are so odd-looking, I'd expect the most overprotective of parents to be repulsed by their appearances in fear of how their kids might react. Nevertheless, Rango is a case of "never judge a book by it's cover", the story, spirit, and voice acting are what make this otherwise unorthodox, strikingly Tarantino-esque children's film very memorable.

A thespian chameleon with an identity crisis, Rango comes to adopt his name after his knack at improvisation lands him a new job as the sherrif of the town "Dirt". As he brings the town to believe that he's a tough, gun-slinger, he investigates a town water-shortage that's been brought on by a recent drought. Rango rounds up a posse, made up of the local town critters, and they go on an adventure that features some of the funniest action and adventure sequences I've seen in an animated film in years. Packed with homages from Apocalypse Now, to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, even the humor is enough to entertain adults as much as the kids.

Is there anything really that bad I can say about Rango? Well, I guess it can be a little cliche and abstract at times. It's also incredibly irreverant, so be prepared for some moments of weird humor that otherwise falls flat in comparison to most of the other wittier gags. If you're an adult seeing Rango thought, you're probably seeing it for the performances, and Johnny Depp, as usual, is fantastic. It was refreshing to see him play a socially awkward, occasionally wimpy-type since Sleepy Hollow, and the cartoon medium serves his performance wonderfully with Rango's un-humanly, wacky body language. Perhaps this may very well be my pick for Best Animated Film of The Year; not nearly as much of the emotional depth of last year's winner, Toy Story 3, but a lot of fun, for sure.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon