Maleficent [Dir. by Robert Stromberg]

Angelina Jolie Struts Her Stuff in Robert Stromberg’s Directorial Debut Maleficent, a Visually Enticing but Overly Simplistic and All-Around Unoriginal Reconstruction of the Disney Classic Sleeping Beauty

There is one word that can be used to sufficiently describe Robert Stromberg’s directorial efforts in his debut Maleficent, and that word is amateurish. He starts off with a spin on a classic childhood movie that places the focus on the original supposed antagonist – a concept that is both clever and somewhat uninspired (refer to Wicked and more recently, Oz the Great and Powerful). He then employs a plot so painfully simple and straightforward, it even manages to make 97 minutes feel like a stretch. He tosses in some straight-from-the-source dialogue and a few awkwardly fitting characters – Maleficent’s crow, who also doubles as her eternally indebted shape-shifting cohort; an irrelevant generic Prince Charming who occupies roughly five minutes of screen time; and the three pixies who more closely resemble the klutzy comical witches of Hocus Pocus than their original counterparts. Finally, he blends everything together, applies a fantastical, Alice In Wonderland-esque visual aesthetic filter, and slaps the Disney logo on top to create an expensive blockbuster that never feels even remotely unique. The only aspect of this movie that stands out ­­(and makes you wonder whose movie this truly is) is the riveting, spot on performance from Angelina Jolie.

Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and her partner in crime Diaval (Sam Riley)

There is no doubt that Jolie’s performance – heck, even her presence – enhances Maleficent. However, I would take it one step further and argue that, without Jolie, Maleficent would be nothing (sorry, Stromberg). Maleficent works for Jolie in two ways. Firstly, it serves as a safe and reliable investment for an executive producer who also happens to be the lead actress. I concede that Maleficent isn’t a flat-out bomb; it would really take a lot to screw up such a straightforward and tasty (if not fresh) film. Jolie hopped onto this venture with the assurance that it would not scar her reputation in the financial world of film. Secondly, Maleficent works as a steadfast vehicle for a prominent actress who hasn’t flaunted her fabulous lips and cheekbones on the big screen for almost four years. This title role allows her to slip back into theaters without having to devote herself to a heavy and overly involving dramatic role, while at the same time not scarring her reputation in the acting world of film. Simply put, Jolie is a beautiful genius, and while Maleficent surely isn’t her “best” work, it does what it needs to without shedding any blood.

King Henry’s army approaching The Moors to wage war against Maleficent’s fairy kingdom

While Maleficent fails to succeed on many fronts, it is necessary to discuss one of the largest aspects the film miraculously manages to get just right. Maleficent looks just as glorious as it should – and I am referring to both the film and its powerful protagonist. It is actually not too much of a surprise to find that Stromberg gets the visual effects right. Before Maleficent, Stromberg worked in the visual effects departments of such films as Pan’s Labyrinth, The Golden Compass, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, as well as a production designer for Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, and Oz the Great and Powerful. In Maleficent, Stromberg achieves clean equilibriums in his visual aesthetic between dark and light, somber and wonderful, and dynamic and static. He expresses emotion best not through dialogue and acting, but through color and atmosphere, a laudable feat for a man who worked so long in the visual department. Maleficent the fairy also represents the epitome of bringing fiction to life through exceptional production design and costume and makeup. In the film, Jolie is never masked or dressed up to be someone else. Instead, her accessories enhance her being and elevate her persona into the most intimidating fairy I’ve seen on the big screen in quite some time. In fantasy film, little is more important that ensuring that the larger-than-life characters still resemble reality and humanity, and Maleficent pulls this off flawlessly.

Aurora (Elle Fanning) just moments away from pricking her finger on the needle of a spinning wheel

In the end, Maleficent will undoubtedly appeal to its target audience, as well as garner Jolie some new (probably younger) fans. It will also make Jolie a mountain of money. So while Maleficent may not be a cinematic success (on almost all levels), it does effectively serve its two main purposes; it allows Stromberg to take more control of his artistic vision via his own film, and it acts as a sufficient vehicle for Angelina Jolie to show her gorgeous face on the big screen after almost four years.

FINAL SCORE: 2½ out of 5 stars  (raw score: 52.5, between “OK” and “a decent watch”)

Maleficent was released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on May 30, 2014

Strangers [RAC]

There are many truths to Strangers, RAC’s first official record. It has a brilliant variety of voices and beats. It values production value and instrumentation over structure and lyrics. It goes by surprisingly faster than its daunting track list would suggest. However, the most important truth is the one that unfortunately bogs down the album too much to make it a memorable experience. Simply put, André Allen Anjos plays it way too safe in his debut. Track after track whizzes by without any emotional dynamic or noticeable disturbance. The repetitive and off-puttingly buoyant nature of Anjos’ sound comes across as too pure to make even a ripple, let alone a splash, in the music world. This is the kind of album that can be played in an airplane during takeoff and landing and will go entirely unnoticed. Even such standout tracks as “Hard To Hold” and “Ready For It” stick their landings too smoothly to be appreciated. For an album that puts the spotlight on its instrumentals and orchestration, Anjos regrettably doesn’t do enough to call attention to his potential as a musician. Strangers is still definitely worth a listen, even if it comes with many yawns.

FINAL SCORE: 3 out of 5 stars  (raw score: 70, “pretty good”)

Strangers was released April 1, 2014

Godzilla [Dir. by Gareth Edwards]

Despite Its Overly Straightforward Plot, Predictable Dialogue, and Questionable Performances, Its Approach towards the Primary Goal of Sensory Stimulation Places Gareth Edwards’ Summer Action Flick Godzilla in a League of Its Own

In a decade where every summer, theaters are overstuffed with bland, gratuitously dynamic, virtually indistinguishable blockbusters with “groundbreaking” visual effects (are they really?), you might think that Godzilla is an entirely unnecessary reboot. And in some ways, it is. However, as the clichéd proverb goes, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Conceptually, Godzilla is just another big-budget, disaster-porn summer action flick. But practically, Godzilla proves that, with the right directorial vision and computer techniques, purely visceral large screen entertainment may almost be a poetic language of its own genre. Almost.

Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) losing his wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche)

It is safe to say that the first half of Gareth Edwards’ reboot is too brutal for redemption. A disappointingly contrived performance from Bryan Cranston and an ambiguous, unsatisfying subplot introduction from Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins start the film off with a peculiarly sour taste. Furthermore, cheap and predictable dialogue not only devaluates the main characters, but leaves us impatiently awaiting the on-screen arrival of our gargantuan reptilian hero. Clearly, human interaction and character development is not Edwards’ strong suit. This awkward approach towards the more character-driven aspects of the film is unsurprising, since it is expected from most contemporary action flicks. What hurts more, though, is that during its first half, Godzilla shows glimpses of potentially smart writing that just never fully pan out. To some, this almost outside-the-box writing will be enough to trudge through the first half. To others (i.e. me), it’ll simply make that hour more difficult to watch.

Aircrafts exploding in a domino effect outside an airport

The real joy, however, comes from the second hour. Edwards puts his animating crew to the test, producing ridiculously engaging action scenes that hit the fine border between organic and inorganic catastrophe and monster head butting. The sets are populated with disposable bystanders, precarious structures, and obstructive buildings that are ripe for decimation. And sure, although someone makes the occasional successful effort to save an innocent child (or school bus of children) from total annihilation, Edwards recognizes that humans are just pawns in the stimulating chess match that is taking place on screen. Those scenes are exciting, but what we really want to watch (and what Edwards sets us up to anticipate) is the kings and queens duke it out – Godzilla vs. prehistoric thirty-story flying Alien-esque radioactive parasites. The film’s action scenes are somewhat elegant in their nature. Tension wires snap and whip around as a parasite awakens and escapes its stronghold in a dynamic and organic manner that surpasses the clunky, robotic Rock’em Sock’em scenes in the Transformers series. Godzilla knocks over a stationed plane and passengers ogle in terror from an airport as aircrafts slowly fall into each other and explode in a mesmerizing domino sequence. It all comes across like a crudely destructive CGI ballet. And if you can’t enjoy Edwards’ eye for visual entropy, then you don’t know how to appreciate the magic of contemporary digital filmmaking.

Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his team diving out of a plane

Sound also plays a major factor in creating the exhilarating rush that makes this movie so distinctive from similar blockbusters. In an interesting but successful move, Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The King’s Speech, The Tree of Life) was hired to compose the original soundtrack. His pieces add a traditional but vivacious atmosphere to the primarily visual action scenes, grounding them more to classic action cinema. The Kubrick-esque inclusion of György Ligeti’s micropolyphonic music in the aerial drop scene also proves to be a curious but more than satisfying decision. The sound mixing is very high quality, coupling with the over-the-top visuals to achieve an ultimate over-the-top feel. In the end, Godzilla equally overwhelms and underwhelms its audience but still proves to be a more than capable summer action flick that you won’t feel 100% guilty for watching. Let’s hope the rest of the season’s action movies follow suit.

FINAL SCORE: 3½ out of 5 stars (raw score: 67.5, between “a decent watch” and “pretty good”)

Godzilla was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on May 16, 2014

Turn Blue [The Black Keys]

With their new album The Black Keys indeed “turn blue,” and after listening to it, you probably will too. But it won’t be because the music is subpar; it’ll be because you simply weren’t expecting such singularity and downsizing in their sound. The Black Keys are currently in a position where, with the ubiquitous success of their last two albums and the imminent plateauing of the quality of mainstream garage rock revival music, more eyes will be on their newest release than many may have anticipated. So to discover that Turn Blue doesn’t have the infectious energy of Brothers or El Camino and instead takes a more bleak and melancholy stance may make a lot of listeners initially uneasy. The album, beginning with the lengthy and melodramatically nostalgic “Weight of Love,” establishes a tonally and stylistically familiar vibe that harkens to (but doesn’t quite latch on to) the highlights of 70s blues rock. The vocals are fuzzy and heavily reverberated to match the bluesy mood of the album. Thankfully, if this sound doesn’t fit the bill for you, the latter half of the album shows off more catchy and energetic hooks and instrumentals that remind us why we loved the two man band in the first place. In its entirely, Turn Blue still reflects irrefutable musical skill and finesse, regardless of whether the band’s talents are being used to meet our predictions. All expectations aside, this is an objectively remarkable album from a truly remarkable duo.

FINAL SCORE: 4 out of 5 stars  (raw score: 85, between “great” and “almost perfect”)

Turn Blue was released May 12, 2014

Under the Skin [Dir. by Jonathan Glazer]

Director Jonathan Glazer and Lead Actress Scarlett Johansson Bemuse, Enrapture, and Sweep Viewers off Their Feet with the Groundbreaking Minimalist Sci-Fi Suspense Art Film Under the Skin

Viewers should enter the theaters knowing this one thing about Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin – there is simply nothing else out there that can compare. Much like a Guillermo del Toro film, it mystifies with its dark beauty. And much like a Stanley Kubrick film, it captivates with its quiet tension. However, Under the Skin feels like neither a work of del Toro or Kubrick. Glazer has created a masterpiece of its own style, one that eludes classification, comparison, and standard practice of observation. It is the most innovative and ingenious film since, possibly, Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, and the stunning performance by lead actress Scarlett Johansson is a breath of fresh air, both in the mainstream film world and in her career, which has been overrun by fast-paced action and superhero blockbusters.

An alien seductress (Scarlett Johansson) driving around in Scotland

Safe to say, Under the Skin won’t go down in the books for its screenplay. Despite being well written, this film gathers most of its strength from its aura. Glazer has a keen eye for a unique visual aesthetic, and he develops his vision through elegant shots of mechanical symmetry, inauspicious environments, and fabricated organic movement. He employs people, places, and actions that feel wrong for no particular reason to create an imbalanced atmosphere that, though apparently static, is always emotionally dynamic, heightening the perpetual suspense the viewer experiences throughout the film. Glazer puts a limited effort into how he organizes every scene, allowing for Johansson’s natural persona to bleed through her structured actions and conversations. Thus, the two work together and in sync to create one of the most iconic extraterrestrial characters and female antiheroes in recent film history. If there’s one thing to take away from this film, it’s that Glazer is one of the most promising filmmakers of our age, and he’s just beginning to tap his potential.

An alien motorcyclist monitoring the protagonist

Soundtrack also plays an invaluable role in creating the unforgettable memory that Under the Skin casts. Composed by Mica Levi, the music in this film will become, like with such films as Harry Potter, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Psycho, non-dissociable with its memory. Like many of the best films, Under the Skin is not purely a visual experience, and its music proves to be a perfectly matched and irreplaceable component. Consisting primarily of long dissonant violin chords and lonesome, resonant percussion, the soundtrack comes across like a faux-horror film bred with a melancholy new age track. When coupled with the slow, eerie visuals, the ultimate result is akin to a romantic suspenseful tragedy. Simply put, the soundtrack is in a league of its own.

The protagonist seducing a man with facial neurofibromatosis disfigurement

Films with mostly singular casts are always an incredible feat to pull off and a rewarding treat to experience – when the right actor is in place (recall most recently, All Is Lost, Gravity, Locke). Scarlett Johansson proves to be a perfect fit for Under the Skin for plenty of reasons. Over the years, Johansson has become an icon of sexuality in American film (if Don Jon doesn’t confirm that, I don’t know what does). Thus, it is culturally fitting that she plays an alien predator who uses her sexuality as bait. If anything, it also reflects the heavily visuo-sexual culture that American film has helped foster in Western society, and the threats that it poses on both its victims and its perpetrators. Johansson also manages to balance her expressions between eerie, flirtatious, and curious without ever compromising her character or coming across as contrived. She effortlessly transitions from confident predator to innocent human in a heartbeat. Her performance is nothing short of impeccable and seamlessly natural.

One of the protagonist’s victims, submerged in an unknown digestive fluid

There are very few minor flaws in Glazer’s film, and they come from the storyline and the pacing. The story in retrospect is very sound. However, in the moment some scenes may seem redundant or strangely arbitrary. Similarly, the pacing may seem offbeat and awkwardly slow at times, and although the slower scenes are intended for reflection, some viewers may find them unnecessary. However, these flaws never come close to spoiling the film, because in retrospect, the pacing and the subjectively superfluous scenes never obstruct one’s memory of the distinctive experience of watching it. Glazer has created an undeniably sensational piece of art. And Under the Skin is this year’s Upstream Color; many will overlook it, but those who have the great fortune of experiencing it will never forget it.

FINAL SCORE: 4½ out of 5 stars (raw score: 87.5, between “great” and “almost perfect”)

Under the Skin was released by A24 Films on April 4, 2014

Tremors [SOHN]

 

English electronic musician SOHN may not be instantly making a large name for himself with Tremors. Nonetheless, this impressive debut is delightfully refreshing, comfortably accessible, and irrefutably unique at a time in the year where music isn’t really knocking us off our feet. Tremors is brimming with fresh and innovative sounds and compositions, tied together with a consistent aesthetic theme that allows the album to always flow coherently. However, despite possessing many complex and clever arrangements and layers, Tremors doesn’t always come across as dynamic as one would hope. SOHN, in his meticulousness regarding energy and atmosphere, casually ignores melody and structure at times, resulting in a very pleasant but easily forgettable experience. So while you may enjoy listening to the album in the car ride home, don’t expect to find yourself still moving to the album’s rhythm and lip-syncing the lyrics an hour later (save for a couple of standout tracks). In the long run, Tremors never surpasses amazing, but it gets pretty darn close most of the time. I hope to see SOHN producing some exciting hits in the coming years.

FINAL SCORE: 4 out of 5 stars (raw score: 85, between “great” and “almost perfect”)

Tremors was released April 8, 2014

Nymphomaniac: Vol. I [Dir. by Lars von Trier]

The First Installment of Lars von Trier’s Two-Part Mature Drama, despite Paling in Comparison to His Previous Works, Cogently Approaches Its Controversial Subject with Deft Directing, Visual Poetry, Engaging Performances, and Occasionally Flawed but Thoughtful Writing.

DISCLAIMER: This article discusses a mature, NC-17 film and contains pictures of nudity and sexual content that may be NSFW. Reader discretion is advised. 

Present Tense [Wild Beasts]

No matter what your taste may be, you simply can’t dislike this album. Wild Beasts have craftily manipulated sound, time, and rhythm to create the musical equivalent of a Picasso. Present Tense retains the band’s signature pensive, occasionally brooding atmosphere, but distinguishes itself from predecessor Smother by overtly emphasizing the emotional drama the record’s operatic vocals and longing chords consistently generate. Wild Beasts profess their creative and musical maturity not only through the album’s superlative rhythms and lyrics and heightened sense of spatial and self awareness, but also by successfully replicating the organic textures and impressions that made their previous albums such a revelation to listen to. Such inclusions as the trembling and wobbly synthetic instrumentals in “Wanderlust,” the dynamic yet humble drumbeats in “A Dog’s Life,” and the inspiringly emotive vocals in “Sweet Spot,” make Present Tense arguably the band’s most accessibly organic and expressive album yet.

FINAL SCORE: 4½ out of 5 stars  (raw score: 92.5, between “almost perfect” and “perfect”)

Present Tense was released February 24, 2014

Fargo (FX) – Season 1

Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) trying to get out of a tight spot

There is something quietly magical about watching FX’s Fargo. Despite sharing so many qualities with the 1996 film – the frivolous, ubiquitous small talk; the washed-out sets and arctic blue exteriors; the ironically cinematic score (which works even better on television); the facetious, heavily accented overuses of “oh yeah,” “well heck,” and “aw jeez” – this FX original is not Fargo. The characters have been tweaked, reimagined, and shifted to match a more dynamic, open-ended storyline. The infuriatingly clueless and eternally weak Lundegaard is replaced with a more willful and self-aware Nygaard. Comfortable, stable Marge Gunderson becomes aspiring, youthful Molly Solverson. But most significantly, the dysfunctional kidnapper duo is trashed in favor of a drifting assassin, the instigating and innately cynical Lorne Malvo. The inclusion of these different characters provides for a unique dynamic not found in the original.

Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) teaching Lester life lessons

And yet, this new series manages to emulate the witty and unmistakably signature charm that made the original such a cult hit. 1996 Fargo’s appeal was rooted in its unprecedented mix of dark comedy, tragedy, and heroism. Although the FX series doesn’t line up perfectly with its muse (nor does it try to), it still succeeds in capturing its situational hilarity, absurd gravity, and profound melancholy through its impressive writing, mindful directing, and laudable acting. Alison Tolman plays her part stunningly, but the best performances come equally from Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman, who could not have been cast any more perfectly. So although FX’s Fargo is not entirely Fargo, it’s heart and skin is Fargo through and through, and that’s what matters the most. FX has struck gold with one of the most marvelously original and endlessly watchable shows of the year so far.

Police officer Molly Solverson (Alison Tolman) working on a case at a diner

FINAL SCORE: 5 out of 5 stars  (raw score: 95, between “almost perfect” and “perfect”)

Fargo premiered April 15, 2014. It airs every Tuesday at 10:00 EST

UPDATE: Because of the consistently impressive writing, acting and directing the show displayed up until its finale, I feel compelled to make the rare move of editing my original raw score on the show from 92.5 to 95, thus making Fargo a 5 out of 5 star show.

Noah [Dir. by Darren Aronofsky]

Darren Aronofsky’s Biblical Epic Mesmerizes Audiences with a Visionary and Unexpected Screenplay, Spectacular Cinematography and Editing, and Superb Acting by a Watertight Cast

As far as biblical epics go, they don’t get much better than Noah. And to a great extent, Noah isn’t even a biblical epic. It’s more of a vividly realized action period piece – only the period is an apocalyptic deluge centuries after the birth of mankind. The biblical elements pertain solely to the inner mechanisms of the characters; the audience is only supposed to come in knowing the basics of Abrahamic religion (Adam and Eve, original sin, God is ruler, Noah built an ark). Basically, Noah isn’t The Passion of the Christ, and Russell Crowe isn’t Mel Gibson. Director Darren Aronofsky uses the biblical story as an inspiration, a rough sketch to redraw with creative license and paint over with poetic dialogue, breathtaking imagery and near-flawless acting. With Noah, Aronofsky reaffirms he is an artist, and not simply a storyteller (as if Black Swan didn’t already do that).

Noah (Russell Crowe)

The film starts off a little clumsily, taking time before finding its footing. The introduction is slow, unexciting and heavily narrative-driven. However, at the twenty-something minute mark, Aronofsky introduces his variation of a “fallen angel” – ramshackle Transformer-esque gargantuan rock beings that live in quarantined wastelands. This moment is where your head will perk up, because Aronofsky isn’t afraid to remodel the biblical story to accommodate to modern trends in visual culture. He isn’t creating a documentary, after all. He is directing his idea of a contemporary creative visualization of Noah’s journey. The movie then progresses with more force in each consecutive scene, employing Aronofsky’s fine eye for set pieces and choreographed movements. Each plot point is charged with incontrovertible energy and metaphorically significant poetry (as one would imagine the biblical story was to readers in 400 B.C.), induced by raw acting, transcendent writing and CGI used correctly. All this continues until the halfway point of the film, where all the animals and Noah’s family have boarded the ark (and defeated the invading makeshift peasantry army, but I don’t recall that being in the Bible).

Aronofsky’s depiction of the story of Cain and Abel

The second half of the film experiences a dramatic shift in tone from action-based to character-centered. Aronofsky takes this chance to explore the darker, antihero aspects of the biblically impeccable Noah, questioning the intrinsic nature of sin and free will and what it truly means to be “free of sin.” Manipulating terrifying familial conflicts, Aronofsky constructs a surprisingly clever story. I can’t help but notice, though, that too often, he will follow up ambiguous dialogue and plot points with inspirational imagery, such as rapid-fire montages of time progression outside the ark and glistening horizons atop endless oceans. However, stronger scenes with powerful acting and head-on conflict adequately wipe away the more ambiguous scenes from memory.

Naameh (Jennifer Connelly) with her child

The casting for Noah is perfect, with the entire cast delivering commanding roles. Although Russell Crowe cements a new image of the biblical Noah for our generation and sweetheart Emma Watson effectively jerks a few tears from the audience, the true majesty comes from Jennifer Connelly, who provides the most raw and grounded performance in the entire film. She smiles while suffering and uses subtle expressions and longing movements to establish a painfully real character. If you have just over two hours to spare this weekend, make a point to catch this year’s first true blockbuster. Aronofsky makes the most of his time, never letting his guard down and rarely slipping in momentum. Unless you are a staunchly conservative theist, you will surely enjoy Noah.

FINAL SCORE: 4 out of 5 stars  (raw score: 80, “great”)

Noah was released by Paramount Pictures on March 28, 2014