Review – V for Vendetta

I assume I’m not the first reviewer to make a joke like this, but … W for Whatever. The look and feel suggest that this probably worked really well as a comic book. But as a movie it’s not quite as good. The dialogue is stiff, as are the characters. The story and the art direction are both okay, but they both also have the faint whiff of being recycled from other productions. For the most part it manages not to offend, but likewise it does little to inspire. Mildly amusing

Review – Left Behind 2: Tribulation Force

Apparently the passing of the Rapture has left our intrepid filmmakers a bit short in the plot department. That surprised me at least a little; my recollection of Revelation was that the story didn’t really get underway until after God removed the faithful from the picture. On the other hand, I guess they’re going to make a lot of these Left Behind movies, so it won’t do for everything to happen at once.  This production featured most of the same annoyances from the first one, ranging from big things like the often-strained interpretation of scripture down to the small details such as the bad guy whose accent left me wondering when moose and squirrel were going to show up. Overall I’m sure this one will float the boats of its intended audience, but there just isn’t that much happening this time around. Maybe in future episodes … See if desperate

Review – Poseidon

And once again over goes the boat. This time it happens even faster than in the original, which for my taste was a big disappointment. I could have used more build-up, a longer chance for the characters to develop and the plot to start to weave itself before the production flips into action movie mode. We don’t even get a solid explanation for the giant wave. Still, I suppose the post-Sept.-11 world is all too ready to accept the sudden occurrence of disaster without reasonable forethought or explanation. And of course once the roller coaster starts sliding downhill it just keeps going constantly until the end of the show. The budget’s big enough to make up for some of the shortcomings here, but even expensive effects can’t completely substitute for basics like script and acting. Mildly amusing

Review – Silent Hill

This production left me wondering what the future might hold for movies that turn video games into cheap vehicles for B-list celebrities and special effects. Personally, I’m looking forward to “Space Invaders: The Motion Picture” (I imagine Jack Black spending an hour and a half marching back and forth on the screen waving his arms up and down and making “meep meep meep” noises). For the picture at hand, however, the show is about as much fun as watching someone play the video game. Plot, character, even dialogue are fairly minimal in this game-to-movie horror flick given over almost entirely to art direction. Even a production that’s all about the visuals can turn out okay if the visuals are good. This one has one or two moments, but for the most part even the shocks are dull and derivative. See if desperate

Review – The Parallax View

How can a movie about assassinations, conspiracies, brainwashing and all kinds of other creepy-cool stuff possibly be so boring? Director Alan J. Pakula proves himself the master of shots that go on and on well beyond necessity or even interest. Much of the dialogue is mumbled. The story never really seems to go much of anywhere. There’s a moment or two here. The assassination at the beginning is startling, even though we all know it’s going to happen. The weird brainwashing sequence in the middle is sort of interesting (though even here it goes on too long). But overall the whole thing has a strong whiff of an Altman-esque rip of The Manchurian Candidate. I’ve said it before about movies like this: I’d rather just watch the original again. If you can’t top the classic, don’t take it on. Mildly amusing

Review – Spellbound (2002)

How sad the lives of spelling bee geeks. This is yet another entry in the recent trend of documentaries about the somewhat odd personalities who attach themselves to competitive brain games (Scrabble, crosswords, spelling and the like). It’s interesting. There just isn’t all that much to it. Find a nest of dysfunctional folks and point a video camera at them. Throw in some annoying harmonica music, add titles and call it done. Mildly amusing

Review – The Golem (1914)

Here’s an odd horror movie from the silent era in Germany. To be sure, in many ways this picture is inaccessible to modern audiences. Along with all the usual problems of silent movies, in this effort the cards are few and far between. As a result, some of the action is hard to follow. The situation isn’t helped any by the use of unfamiliar dramatic conventions. For example, when the character of Knight Florian is first introduced, 21st century viewers are likely to swiftly conclude that the guy doesn’t exactly fancy the ladies. Yet he almost immediately falls in love with the rabbi’s daughter. And speaking of the rabbi: like The Merchant of Venice, this show has an uneasy relationship with its Jewish characters. On the one hand, the Jewish people of the ghetto are portrayed as the innocent victims of the whims of the local monarch. But on the other hand, the wisest of the rabbis is also a wizard who conjures an evil spirit in order to gain the power to bring the Golem to life. But if one can manage not to be too put off by the off-putting elements, there are some good bits here as well. Movie buffs will recognize the seeds of several better-known projects – “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and Frankenstein, to name just two – planted on screen for the first time. And above all, the story, sets and acting work well in a silent movie sort of way. Mildly amusing

Review – The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till

The power of the subject matter alone makes this a worthwhile experience. And the film-makers do a reasonably good job of telling Till’s story in an hour and ten minutes. If the only goal here is to relay the basic facts of the murder, funeral and trial of the murderers, then mission accomplished. However, with just a few more minutes of screen time, the crime might have been put in perspective. A great deal is made at the end of the movie about the possibility of trying some of the co-conspirators who are still alive after all these years. No doubt such justice should be done, but even convictions would be only a small measure of the importance of the murder and its aftermath. White racists ended Emmett Till’s life, but in return he helped hasten the end of their way of life (may we reach that point someday soon). This is mentioned in passing, but much more could have and should have been made of the context of the crime. Mildly amusing