In case you haven't read one of my movie review posts before, or in case you contracted that terrible Memento disease (you know the one where you wind up spending all of your time hanging out with Joe Pantoliano and tattooing your to-do list on your thighs), I will remind you of how I do things. Working under the presumption that blogs should be the source of new writing styles or at least original opinions, I avoid running down plot points or providing more traditional reviews. Instead you get a few bullet points that give you the kind of insights, observations, or snarky comments that only the Cap'n can provide. These reviews aren't intended to help you decide what to see at the cineplex (or more often what to pirate online), but instead to give you something to think about during and after your viewing of the film. Now that I've said that let's discuss the current releases I saw in the last few weeks.
The Forbidden Kingdom-
- As interesting an idea as it is to have Jackie Chan and Jet Li co-starring in a film (this would be the martial arts equivalent of Eddie Murphy and Denzel Washington trying to share a movie), I couldn't help but think of the two actors' age. As of the time of this writing Jet Li is 45 and Jackie Chan is 54! Let me put it another way both of these guys could be the grandfathers of 90% of MySpace users. Granted they are still masters of their craft, but during some of the wire-fu fight sequences I kept worrying that one of them would break a hip.
- On a personal note: I have long claimed to be a Jackie Chan fan, but this was the first film starring Mr. Chan I actually watched in a movie theater. I'm not sure what to make of that fact.
- For a movie set in a mythical version of medieval China, an American audience needs a gateway character, in this case a teen from Boston played by Michael Angarano. As far as I can tell Mr. Angarano was essentially paid to 1) be white and 2) vaguely remind people of Shia LeBeouf. To me, it is absolutely stunning that Shia LeBeouf is some how famous enough that people can get jobs by simulating a Shia LeBeouf performance. I realize there is some honor in this for the actors doing the simulating. After all Skeet Ulrich pretty much owes his career to vaguely reminding audiences of Johnny Depp. However I refuse to believe that the kid from Transformers and Even Stevens merits his own cottage industry of professional impersonators.
- The best thing in this movie may be the performance of Liu Yifei. This talented Chinese actress brings the only real human touches to this movie, in a role that is quiet yet strong. She's already a minor pop sensation in China (having found success as a model, actress and pop singer), but I sincerely hope she returns to American cinema to refine her acting talents.
- Did you know that this film has Steve Martin, Greg Kinnear, and Dax Shepard in it, all in prominent roles? You may find it odd that I would consider mentioning major members of the cast a unique enough item to include in my review. I bring it up mostly because the advertising department at Universal seems to go out of their way not to mention these actors. The promotional poster gives them relatively minimal attention, and the trailer spends more time with the guy who plays PC on those annoying Macintosh commercials than the three male leads combined. I can't understand what is happening here. I understand they probably targeted this to a largely female audience (though anyone could enjoy it, and I imagine many dudes will give it a try), but that doesn't mean they'll only attract tickets by featuring the female cast. Can you imagine a guy movie starring Will Ferrell and Andy Samberg not mentioning the fact that it also starred Goldie Hawn, Meg Ryan, and Brittany Murphy? I will never understand why Hollywood takes deliberate steps in "promoting" a movie that probably reduce their total potential ticket sales because they can only imagine selling a movie to one narrowly defined demographic niche.
- Many reviews for this movie I've read mention it is predictable, but don't seem to mind. I also found it pretty predictable, but was still entertained. This struck me as a demonstration of an important difference between comedy and drama. In drama the story itself is important and an exciting well executed plot can often overcome for many other shortcomings a film might suffer (see The Usual Suspects or The Sixth Sense). In comedy the story is but an excuse for the filmmakers to stage scenes with clever dialogue, quirky characters, and zany antics. Allowing films that tell almost no story at all to still be regarded as the pinnacle of the artform (see Airplane! and Monty Python and the Holy Grail). Just consider whether your enjoyment of a comedy had ever been damaged by knowing how the story will end.
- This movie is set in Philadelphia (though of course it was filmed in New York), which made me think about how few great movies take place in Philadelphia. If you think about movies set in Philly you obviously start with Philadelphia and The Philadelphia Story (which each brought Oscars to actors who were probably the most popular and likable movie stars of their respective generations). Then you have to think of the Rocky series (earning an average of 0.5 Oscars per film so far, though as long as Sylvester Stallone is alive there's some chance that number may change). And then what? Witness? Twelve Monkeys? The M. Knight Shyamalan movies? You see my point.
- A few people have told me that this was the best super-hero movie they've seen. I personally felt more of a thrill watching X-Men movies and had a more satisfying experience watching the Spider-Man films. Still I concede that this has the most adult feel of any of the super-hero movies. In fact this movie could almost be a standard drama if the technology the hero used to try to right his wrongs and protect the innocent was a little less far-fetched -say he were flying a next generation combat helicopter instead of wearing a CGI suit of armor. I think many people are willing to praise it openly because the film seems serious enough on its own merits that they feel confident their adoration won't be treated as fanboy-ism or an immature interest in childish power fantasies. Jon Favreau may not have made the best super-hero movie, but he certainly provided the best cover for critics (who tend to be geeks at heart anyway).
- One of the things this film absolutely got right in my comic geek opinion, was how it included references to the comic series in a realistic and relevant way. Naming the terrorist organization the Ten Rings as an allusion to Iron Man's long-standing nemesis the Mandarin (Warning: link leads to an abundance of Cold War era racism). Incorporating an updated take on Tony Stark's constant servant Jarvis -a butler in the comics, an Artificial Intelligence smart-home system in the film. Even dropping little hints to well-established elements in the comics, like the name of another Iron Man villain or Jim Rhodes' stint in the armor. This is the way you reward the longtime comic fans without distancing a general audience. (Are you paying attention X-Men franchise?)
- You have to admire the filmmakers for having the guts to cut to credits on a very daring closing line. It left my wife sputtering and me grinning like Tony Stark after a batch of whiskey sours. It might have been diminished by the fact that there is a post-credits epilogue, but even that ends on a great note, so no harm no foul. It does make me wonder if I have to include it in my list of all time greatest closing lines. Right now my top five would look like this: 5) The Princess Bride 4) Casablanca 3) Sunset Blvd. 2) Chinatown and 1) Some Like It Hot. (Now if you don't know any of those lines by heart, DO NOT look them up. Go watch the movies. After that I bet you will remember the last line like it was your own name.) I may just have to find room in there for this one. It will be tough though, not even Fight Club's last line managed to jump any of the ones I listed. I would also be interested to hear what your picks for the best closing lines in a movie have been.
