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delga*sigh* I could probably be more original with this but I wrote this out earlier and so I'm pretty much just going to copy it out. Yes, I guess that means I drafted an eljay post. So sue me. :p
War of the Worlds
War of the Worlds had this cold atmosphere to it which was nicely borne out by Spielberg's crew and actors. The story itself was effective, tantalising and appropriately unnerving. There were flashes of humour, both overt and ironic and these, coupled with the tense atmosphere of the plot made for interesting viewing.
The plot itself is this: on a weekend when Tom Cruise is ladled with his two children, aliens decide it's time to wreak havoc. they have been planning an attack for millenia and in freak lightning storms, they come down to Earth, activate large robotic tripods and set to work killing everyone. Cruise makes a run for it, trying to save his children (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin).
The plot, combined with the creative camera-work and special effects make for a stunning visual experience. Add in the acting, the story and the dialogue and what you have is a film that pulls at you emotionally. It's frightening, disconcerting, heart-breaking and on occasion, funny. Spielberg's direction is phenomenal; often there are these wide shots that swing from 180`-270`; at other times, the camera starts at a very precise focal point and slowly pans out to the sphere of action, lending to a brilliant use of split-second dramatic irony. There is a sequence in the film when Cruise and Fanning are hiding in a man's basement and a scope descends, searching for them. The sequence is brilliantly paced and choreographed, quiet and aching as the three try to evade capture. Ten minutes later, Fanning's character wakes to the quiet and the camera pulls out to reveal capture. At this point, Fanning screams. Scratch that; she shrieks. Damn, does that girl have a set of lungs! Fanning herself is such a subtle child actress that at times her vocal expression seems mindless. However, it's is totally appropriate if you consider the characterisation of Rachel: a frightned little girl who just wants her mother. The interactions between her, Cruise and Chatwin are clever and quirky; Chatwin, especially, intrigued me, playing as he does the teen boy. It wasn't just his anger but his fear and frustration; his character wanted to do good and the sacrifices the boy makes are phenomenal. He reappears at the end of the movie which I found to be a shameful cop-out but I can also see the need to have some sort of resolution.
The emotion of the film builds and falls in maddening intervals but as soon as the action starts, you cannot keep your breath. There isn't a chance to. Yes, there are moments of quiet but there are also sequences of action. It's a very visual film: from the lightning storms to the killing of the people to Fanning's discovery of the dead to the sheer panic of the masses, everything about the screenplay denotes urgency. The horror is mostly unspoken and unseen. It is the potential for such horror which makes the film run; it relies on your mind to make up the details. Of course, there are explicit scenes: the 'dusting' of the humans running from the initial attacks, with the empty clothes flying down from the sky like flaked remnants; the crop spraying of blood across the biotic plants frown by the aliens; the explosions, the collapsing buildings. All of these express something tangible and terrible. But the most striking scenes are the ones that infer destruction: Fanning seeing the dead floating in the water; Chatwin leaving and Fanning being taken by anxious adults, with Cruise torn between the two; a train passing by, windows and carriages aflame. These are the details that attach to the mind's eye.
The only quibble I have with the movie is its actual resolution. I would have loved it if Spielberg (or, I suppose, H.G. Wells) had had the guts to make it so that the ending wasn't a resolution. The way it played out, I think what happened was that the life forms in the water on Earth killed the creatures. Another theory is that all the robotic creatures were interlinked and Cruise's detonation of a grenade in one tore down the defences systems in the others. But what if there had been no hope for survival? What if the characters had died on the run? I think that could have been built in to make a satisfying ending. The actual ending leaves the characters safe and with one another, lovingly. The characters have learned the need to love one another and, as such, have been given a second chance, but I think these same issues could have been resolved in a much more subtle manner. That being said, this one detail isn't enough to ruin an appetite for the rest of the movie.
If you're geek enough (and yes, yes, I am) you might wonder what the red crops are or why the robots needed the humans. You might wonder why they didn't colonise Earth before there were humans. You may wonder what their symbiotic nature with technology was such that meant they needed to be immersed in orange goo or why the biotics in the water suddenly decided enough was enough and it was time for them to die. All this aside, this is one to watch.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
This film is fantastic for a whole other sphere of reasons, most of them shallow. Please, don't approach this movie with the mind frame of someone who wants to see a show that means something. You won't get it. You have to approach this movie with the will to be entertained. This film is humour, guns and pretty people all the way. (And what pretty people indeed).
For one thing, the chemistry between Pitt and Jolie is infinitely tangible and physical. Not just the sense of two beautiful people together on screen but the knowledge that these are two beautiful people who know their craft. The plot is a sideline to their perfomances but basically, Jolie and Pitt are married, bored with their marital life and both hiding the fact that they work for secret organisations (no clue who these organisations are, btw). They find out that they're working for opposing teams and have to cancel one another out. Except they love one another and can't do it so they team up to save themselves - which is a good thing because the people they're working from actually want them dead. It's funny, it's fast-paced, it's guns and bravado and sex. The action scenes are action-packed, the pretty scenes are beautiful. On an appropriate side-note, Jolie has the most perfect female figure in the world and the costume department brought out her sexuality without resorting to bra-and-knicker combos; they tailored her clothes to match her curves and seriously? I WANT HER HAIR. /shallow
Also, the group that works with/for Jolie? A complete fangirl group. We have Stephanie March (SVU), Jennifer Morris (House) and Perrey Reeves (Lyon's Den). It was amusing to see them but gratifying to not have the females objectified as simply sex. That was an interesting aspect; they were clean cut, organised and ruthless, at times. On the other hand, Pitt's crew (Vince Vaughn) is a mess mostly but that fits more with John Smith's style.
Anyway, a good laugh. Lots of explosions and shooting. Pretty people (did I mention that?). Not as ditzy as13 going on 30; not as ridiculous and sexist as Charlie's Angels. It borders on the softer humour of Snatch and is so, so, so, so, so much better than dren like The Italian Job or The Jacket or (dear god) Daredevil. Worth the time on DVD if not the actual big screen.
Wow. Two films that I actually liked. That's new, I think. And I managed to put in new, un-drafted comments so I guess that means my brain isn't completely shot.
