The Woman in Black Review

Rated PG-13 (Thematic Material and Violence/Disturbing Images)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 35 Minutes

Cast-

Daniel Radcliffe-Arthur Kipps

Ciarán Hinds-Sam Daily

Janet McTeer-Elizabeth Daily

Roger Allam-Mr. Bentley

Liz White-The Woman in Black

Sophie Stuckey-Stella Kipps

Misha Handley-Joseph Kipps

Jessica Raine-Joseph’s Nanny

Directed by James Watkins

Looks like we're not in Hogwarts anymore...

The “Harry Potter” films have earned a gargantuan $7.7 billion at the worldwide box office (more than we normal folk will ever make in a lifetime so keep dreaming) but now that it’s all over, what’s next for the three stars who has spent the last ten years bringing our favorite fantasy characters to life? Rupert Grint has a number of projects lined up but for now he’s content with being the proud owner of an ice cream truck while Emma Watson is currently studying abroad at Oxford University before returning to Brown for her final year. She is set to appear in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” this year, based upon the 1999 novel of the same name by Stephen Chbosky. Mr. Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, is already a Broadway star with Equus and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying but his first film role after “Harry Potter” is “The Woman in Black,” based upon Susan Hill’s 1983 novel of the same name. Hill’s novel was previously adapted into a stage play by Stephen Mallatratt in 1987 (which continues to run to this day) and a television film in 1989. “The Woman in Black” is an old-fashioned ghost story that Hollywood rarely makes anymore and while the film may not do anything wholly original, it manages to provide a spooky enough atmosphere thanks to its impeccable production design. 

Taking place during the early 1900’s in London and the surrounding countryside, young solicitor Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) prepares to set out for the small town of Crythin Gifford to settle the large estate of the recently deceased Alice Drablow, who lived in Eel Marsh House in northeastern England. Kipps has a four-year-old son named Joseph (Misha Handley) but his wife Stella (Sophie Stuckey) passed away during childbirth. During the train ride to Crythin Gifford, Kipps meets a wealthy landowner named Sam Daily (Ciarán Hinds), who easily deduces that he was sent from London to sell Eel Marsh House. As it is raining heavily, Sam offers to drive Kipps to the local village inn and invites him to his home for dinner with his wife Elizabeth (Janet McTeer) the next evening. Kipps is greeted with a chilly reception by the innkeeper, who reveals that all the rooms have been booked and that he should go back where he came from. The innkeeper’s wife convinces her husband to let Kipps stay for one night up in the attic. The townspeople regard Kipps with cold suspicion but he dutifully sets out in the morning to Eel Marsh House to begin his paperwork. However, he is interrupted by strange noises coming from the upstairs bedroom and goes to investigate. Kipps finds only a crow’s nest but when he looks out the window, he sees a veiled woman dressed in black standing alone in the garden. A series of terrifying events begin to occur but despite the objections of the townspeople, Kipps sets out to learn the truth about the mysterious woman in black. 

Although the presence of Daniel Radcliffe makes marketing “The Woman in Black” easier toward general audiences, the plot is rather thin as much of the film is simply a series of extended scare sequences. Contrasting with Hollywood’s more flashy efforts, director James Watkins opts for a traditional approach by utilizing light and shadow in order to maximize the suspense and frightening atmosphere. This is highly effective thanks to Tim Maurice-Jones’ immaculate production design. Eel Marsh House is as much a character as Arthur Kipps with its candle-lit decaying walls and dark corners that suggest something is watching us. Even the most mundane items such as a porcelain doll or a windup toy seem terrifying and add to the creepy ambiance of every scene thanks to Watkins’ creative camera angles and lighting. However, the film relies on jump scares a little too much and is at its most spooky when it builds up toward it while you squirm in your seat waiting for it to be over. The eponymous ‘woman’ herself is also smartly utilized sparingly but her presence is felt in every scene even if only glimpses are afforded to her. Despite the flimsy story from Jane Goldman, the writing is generally solid and the characters are given enough depth to allow you to care about them. The ending is also not as dark as I had expected and is oddly bittersweet for a horror film. “The Woman in Black” may eschew originality for tried-and-true ghost story tropes but what it does, it does very well. 

While the film relies more on its atmosphere and set design, the cast give solid performances. In his first role after Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe remains mournful and stoic but he reacts convincingly to all the supernatural occurrences that happen around him. However, the character of Arthur Kipps was written as older and some of the scenes with his son feel awkward considering that Radcliffe is no older than me. The ever reliable Ciarán Hinds is also on-hand as a father dealing with the loss of his son but for much of its ninety-five minute running time, its Radcliffe’s show with Hinds relegated to sidekick. 

“The Woman in Black” was released on February 3, 2012 to mildly positive reviews with 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found it ‘traditional to a fault, [the film] foregoes gore for chills—although it may not provide enough of them for viewers attuned to more modern, high-stakes horror.’ The production budget was a low $17 million and it has already grossed an impressive $46 million domestic thanks to Radcliffe’s casting. While I did jump out of my seat a few times, I wouldn’t call the film particularly scary but I observed two young women sitting next to me constantly covering their eyes every time Marco Beltrami’s gothic and ominous score plays and Radcliffe starts to slowly creep around the house. Those weaned on blood and gore will find “The Woman in Black” boring but for people who can appreciate an old-fashioned ghost story, there’s much to like in James Watkins’ adaptation even if originality is nowhere to be found.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

“I will never forgive...I will never forgive...”

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Chronicle Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Action and Violence, Thematic Material, some Language, Sexual Content and Teen Drinking)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 24 Minutes

Cast-

Dane DeHaan-Andrew Detmer

Alex Russell-Matt Garetty

Michael B. Jordan-Steve Montgomery

Ashley Hinshaw  -Casey Letter

Michael Kelly-Richard Detmer

Bo Petersen-Karen Detmer

Anna Wood-Monica

Directed by Josh Trank

With great power...

Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben famously said that with great power comes great responsibility but would Peter be the same man he is today if he grew up in an abusive environment? Despite the risk of oversaturation, superhero films continue to be popular among audiences even if the quality can sometimes be hit-or-miss, ranging from excellent (“The Dark Knight”) to outright awful (“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”). Similarly, found-footage films have resurged since the release of 2009’s “Paranormal Activity” as they represent both a potentially bankable and low risk investment for Hollywood studios. The first week of 2012 saw the release of “The Devil Inside” which earned an incredible $34 million during opening weekend against a paltry $1 million production budget despite being universally reviled by both critics and audiences alike. Found-footage films have remained in the realm of horror for the most part but first-time director Josh Trank merges it with the superhero genre in “Chronicle.” I have to admit that my initial impressions from the previews were negative as it appeared to be just another in a long line of forgettable found-footage films looking to make a quick buck but I checked it out at the insistence of a good friend of mine. The found-footage approach proves to be a hindrance at times and the CG effects are uneven but “Chronicle” remains a damn good film that boasts some solid acting from its three leads and an engaging script that effectively blends classic superhero origin tropes with elements of a coming-of-age drama. 

Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan) is a high school student living in Seattle who one day decides to start documenting his life on video camera. His abusive father Richard (Michael Kelly) is a former firefighter who was injured on the job but now spends his days collecting the insurance and getting drunk while his wife Karen (Bo Petersen) slowly succumbs to cancer. Friendless and often the target of bullies, Andrew spends his days alone but his cousin Matt Garetty (Alex Russell) invites him to a party held at an abandoned barn in an attempt to make him more sociable. This fails as Andrew ends up angering one of the partygoers with his filming and he leaves dejected. Popular student and school presidential candidate Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan) approaches Andrew and tells him that Matt has found something in the woods and wants it to be filmed on camera. The two meet up with Matt at a clearing and find him standing by a peculiar hole cut into the earth. They listen to the sounds emanating from the hole, prompting Matt and Steve to impulsively leap in to discover its origin. Andrew hesitantly follows them and the three come upon a strange crystalline structure. The camera’s feed begins to distort and suddenly cuts to black when the crystal begins to glow an eerie red. After recovering from their encounter in the cave weeks later, the three find themselves endowed with telekinetic abilities and excitedly test them on each other. Exerting their powers causes nosebleeds but Matt theorizes that they will get stronger with use over time. They initially use their powers for harmless pranks but when Andrew inadvertently puts someone’s life in danger, Matt chastises him and decides that they must restrict the use of their abilities in public and around other people. Although happy that he has now found a place where he belongs, Andrew’s demeanor soon begins to change as his anger at all those who have hurt him reaches the breaking point. 

With its first-person perspective and unique take on the classic origin story, “Chronicle” explores the psychological consequences that results when one suddenly finds himself wielding the powers of a god and proves John Dalberg-Acton’s famous remark that ‘power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ One of the things that the film excels at is the interplay among the three main characters with Trank and writer Max Landis building up a sort of journey that they go through while their friendship strengthens thanks to their shared abilities. The focus however is always on Andrew as it initially depicts him as a meek loner who eventually transforms into a vengeful Magneto-like being that sets out to destroy a world that has wronged him. While the idea is certainly a familiar one to avid comic book readers, this ‘birth of a villain’ if you will is grounded in teenage melodrama that is often found in more traditional dramatic fare. There are also welcome nods to a number of comic book origin stories such as Spider-Man. At one point a brooding Andrew sees a spider crawling on the floor of his room and kills it by tearing apart its limbs with his mind. In fact Landis seems to have taken inspiration from Peter Parker but instead of a loving Uncle Ben and Aunt May, Andrew has an abusive father who takes out his frustrations on his son and a mother on her deathbed. Despite what he becomes at the end, he remains a tragic and even sympathetic character, which is quite a feat to accomplish given the film’s economical running time. 

Quite a few laughs can also be had in the first hour as the three friends gleefully pull pranks such as moving someone’s parked car to another location or trying to pull gum out of people’s mouths, with hilarious results. The use of found-footage may be a gimmick but it works right up until the final twenty or so minutes as Trank tries hard to work around its limitations. This approach offers a certain raw intimacy to the proceedings and having Andrew levitate the camera rather than holding it ends up being quite ingenious. However, the final battle is shown through the use of cell phone and security footage, which is edited in such a way that it almost ruins the immersion factor but by that time we are already invested in what is happening so it’s not a total deal-breaker. Landis’ script also falters when it shoehorns in a romance that goes nowhere between Matt and an online blogger named Casey (Ashley Hinshaw). The CG effects can also come off as amateurish such as during the levitation scenes where its painfully obvious that wirework was used but the climax is epic enough to make up for it thanks to its “Superman II”-like scope. Ultimately, these are minor issues and “Chronicle” succeeds because it keeps us emotionally invested in the characters and tells a familiar story in a way that is both fresh and exciting. 

The cast is comprised of mostly unknowns whose work has mainly been limited to television but it allows them to easily melt into their respective roles. Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, and Michael B. Jordan all give excellent performances and the natural camaraderie they share helps keep the film grounded in the real world. However it is DeHaan who shines as he slowly turns Andrew from victim to destructive sociopath. There are some truly disturbing scenes where he expresses his contempt on-camera towards people he deems weak and justifies his actions by coldly remarking that ‘you do not feel guilty when you squash a fly.’ The only actor that you may recognize is Michael Kelly, who has held a number of supporting roles spanning both films and television over the years. 

“Chronicle” was released on February 3, 2012 and received largely positive reviews with a surprisingly impressive 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed the film for its ‘smart script, fast-paced direction, and engaging performances from its young, talented cast.’ Shot on a production budget of $12 million, it has already turned a sizable profit with a worldwide box office gross of $81 million so far. While the film leaves the door open for a sequel, I hope that Trank leaves it as is since some things are just better left up to the imagination. “Chronicle” certainly took me by surprise with its strong characterization and script, proving once again that a director does not require massive budgets or excessive CG to create a great film so long as he or she has an original idea and the ambition/drive to see it through. Trank is currently a frontrunner for the “Fantastic Four” reboot and while giving such a huge project to a new director isn’t exactly wise, he has already proven himself capable of handling such a task. This is the kind of new talent that Hollywood should foster.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

“You do not feel guilty when you squash a fly...and I think that means something. I just think that really means something.”

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Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 3D Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Action and Violence, Some Disturbing Images, and Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 35 Minutes

Cast-

Nicolas Cage-Johnny Blaze\Ghost Rider

Idris Elba-Moreau

Violante Placido-Nadya

Johnny Whitworth-Ray Carrigan\Blackout

Ciarán Hinds-Mr. Roarke\The Devil

Fergus Riordan-Danny

Christopher Lambert-Methodius

Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor

If only the rest of the film was as awesome as this shot...

*Sigh*…Nicholas Cage, what happened to you? Let me remind you that Cage won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Actor back in 1995 for “Leaving Las Vegas,” where he portrayed a failed Hollywood screenwriter who drank himself to death. He would receive praise again for his off-kilter performance as Charlie and Donald Kaufman in 2002’s “Adaptation” but since then, Cage has become something of a laughing stock as he’s forced to accept every film offered to him in order to drag himself out of the financial hole he created. The last film he starred in that received positive reviews was 2010’s gleefully violent “Kick-Ass” but his recent body of work has been embarrassingly bad. Last year’s critically-reviled “Trespass” directed by Joel Schumacher (who ruined the “Batman” franchise back in 1997) was pulled from theaters in less than two weeks and released on DVD/Blu-Ray after eighteen days. Cage hasn’t quite reached direct-to-video levels yet but he is coming dangerously close. A self-professed comic book fan, Cage has longed for his own superhero film franchise and he got his wish in 2007 with Mark Steven Johnson’s “Ghost Rider.” Unfortunately, it received negative reviews from both critics and fans alike but managed to become a mild box office success with $229 million worldwide. Sony/Columbia Pictures quickly announced a sequel and five years later, we have “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” which astonishingly manages to make the first film look like a cinematic masterpiece by comparison thanks to its nonsensical story, atrocious dialogue, haphazard camerawork and bargain-basement special effects. This film is nothing but a trashy snooze-fest that will leave you angry with a throbbing headache. 

Picking up eight years after the events of the first film, former motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage) is in self-imposed exile in a remote part of Eastern Europe as he continues to struggle with the curse of the Ghost Rider. A hard-drinking monk named Moreau (Idris Elba) finds him and asks for his help in locating a boy named Danny (Fergus Riordan), who is being hunted by a band of gun-toting mercenaries led by Ray Carrigan (Johnny Whitworth). If Blaze succeeds, Moreau will help lift his curse and give him back his soul. Convinced by the prospect of having a second chance at a normal life, Blaze unleashes the Ghost Rider and manages to track down the boy but the situation becomes complicated when he learns that Danny is to be the new vessel for Mr. Roarke aka the Devil himself (Ciarán Hinds). To stop the Devil from fully regaining his powers, Blaze teams up with Moreau and Danny’s mother Nadya (Violante Placido) but hot on their trail is Carrigan, who has been transformed into the demonic Blackout. 

Hollywood tends to release numerous sequels to films that earn even a modicum of profit but I doubt anyone was clamoring for a follow-up to “Ghost Rider,” widely considered to be one of the worst comic book films ever made. I admit that it is still miles better than Schumacher’s horrid travesty “Batman & Robin,” which is already high praise indeed. Mark Steven Johnson steps aside to serve as executive producer and replacing him are Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who have carved out a niche specializing in violently over-the-top action films such as “Crank” and “Gamer” where they disregard everything that makes up a good film such as story and character development in favor of satisfying their inner-thirteen-year-old. “Spirit of Vengeance” is no different but the violence has been toned down in order to receive a PG-13 rating. For a film that was marketed as having non-stop action, there’s surprisingly very little with the ‘story’ solely used to inflate the already-short ninety-five minute running time. Nothing generates much interest as the script from Scott M. Gimple, Seth Hoffman, and David S. Goyer (who also co-wrote “The Dark Knight” with Christopher Nolan) is a straight rip-off from James Cameron’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” The rushed pacing makes it clear that the film was made solely for Sony/Columbia Pictures to keep the rights to the character when it would’ve been wiser to let them revert back to Marvel. Honestly, I was bored by what was happening on-screen because nothing is taken seriously and you simply do not care about anyone. Even the exposition is conveyed in lazily-animated sequences. 

One of the problems that plagued the first film was the yawn-inducing action but here, it’s liable to give you a pounding headache as the camera erratically shakes around in extremely odd angles and close-ups to the point where you cannot even tell what the heck is going on. Neveldine and Taylor’s interpretation of Ghost Rider as an unstoppable primal force of nature is one of the few bright spots and the CG work to bring him to life is impressive but everything else is just bargain-basement quality with cheap-looking sets that appear to have been hastily assembled with Styrofoam. “Spirit of Vengeance” is another one of those films that was post-converted into 3D and while it does not suffer from the same issues that plagued other post-converted films, the effect adds nothing except a $5 surcharge. There’s no sense of depth at all and the confusing action scenes only add to the disorienting experience. 

Like the story, the acting is god-awful with Nicholas Cage in full-on psycho mode. I admire the fact that he throws himself into the role with such wild abandon but it’s all wrong. Johnny Blaze is supposed to be tormented by his struggle to contain the Ghost Rider but he comes off as a wide-eyed schizophrenic. Idris Elba sports a ridiculous French accent while Violante Placido really tries to give her character some measure of depth but it’s all for naught given that she’s intended to be nothing more than eye-candy. The worst offense is Johnny Whitworth as Ray Carrigan/Blackout with his annoying ‘dirt-bag’ shtick that quickly wears thin. For those of you who don’t know, Blackout is a villain of Ghost Rider who debuted in Ghost Rider #2 in 1990 but his powers are poorly realized as every time he comes into contact with someone, he transports them to this void-like dimension, which I assume was done to save money. Ciarán Hinds is the only cast member to come out relatively unscathed and actually makes for an effective Satan. 

“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” was released on February 17, 2012 to highly negative reviews with an unsurprisingly low 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics wrote off the film ‘as plain trash’ with its ‘weak script, uneven CG work, and a Nicholas Cage performance so predictably loony it’s no longer amusing.’ While it was initially expected to win the President’s Day weekend, this is no longer the case as clichéd romantic drama “The Vow” looks to be holding on to first place. “Spirit of Vengeance” is looking to finish the four-day weekend in fourth place with approximately $24 million, a far cry from its predecessor. It will likely recoup its $57 million production budget once worldwide receipts are factored in but hopefully a third film won’t follow. Audience attendance was middling at best when I saw the film but a majority seemed to enjoy it, especially one obnoxious patron who kept screaming excitedly at every action scene and even during the previews to the point where you’d think that this was his first time seeing a 3D film. As pretentious as this may sound, films should be watched by those who can appreciate it while yokels like the one I mentioned should stay home where they belong. “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” is a horrible film even by B-movie standards and is a waste of everyone’s time and money. You may be broke but I know you can do better than this, Nicholas Cage!

Final Rating: 1 out of 5

“This thing...there's no conscience…just hunger. The Rider's gonna come out. And when he does, he'll destroy whoever's got it coming.”

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Ghost Rider Extended Cut Blu-Ray Review

Not Rated (Horror Violence and Disturbing Images)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 3 Minutes

Cast-

Nicolas Cage-Johnny Blaze\Ghost Rider

Eva Mendes-Roxanne Simpson

Wes Bentley-Blackheart

Sam Elliott-The Caretaker

Peter Fonda-Mephistopheles

Donal Logue-Mack

Brett Cullen-Barton Blaze

Laurence Breuls-Gressil

Daniel Frederiksen-Wallow

Mathew Wilkinson-Abigor

David Roberts-Captain Dolan

Matt Long-Young Johnny Blaze

Raquel Alessi-Young Roxanne Simpson

Directed by Mark Steven Johnson

Ghost Rider, hopelessly in search of a better script.

What was once a pipe dream for many comic book fans has now become reality as Marvel Studios’ highly-anticipated “The Avengers” finally hits the big screen this summer after four years in the making. Although many credit Bryan Singer’s “X-Men” for revitalizing Hollywood’s interest in superheroes and all things comic book, it was actually 1998’s “Blade” that finally spurred Marvel to take an active role in developing film adaptations of their major characters as many were mired in development hell. While Marvel has enjoyed much critical and financial success over the past ten years, their track record is not exactly spotless as a number of their adaptations unfortunately end up as failures and even outright train wrecks. An example would be 2007’s “Ghost Rider,” based upon the character of the same name created by writers Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich with illustrator Mike Ploog. Since his first appearance in 1972’s Marvel Spotlight #5, Ghost Rider has remained a permanent fixture of the Marvel Universe but his popularity waned since the cancellation of his third series in 1998. Various mini-series continued his story but attempts to revitalize the character have proven to be short-lived. I am actually a big fan of Ghost Rider and avidly read the comics while growing up during the early 1990s but the stories certainly paled in comparison to Spider-Man or the X-Men as he was largely a ‘visual’ character. Development of a Ghost Rider film stretched as far back as 2000 but filming did not commence until early 2005 and it was finally released in 2007 after a series of delays from Sony/Columbia Pictures. Unfortunately, director Mark Steven Johnson reduces what is essentially a violent character to a campy Saturday Morning Cartoon as “Ghost Rider” is marred by a cliché-ridden script, hamstrung dialogue, and boring action scenes. The only element deserving of praise are the visual effects but it is ultimately not enough to salvage this unholy mess of a film. 

Long ago in the American Old West, the Devil Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) sends his demonic bounty hunter, the Ghost Rider, to retrieve the contract of a thousand damned souls from the abandoned town of San Venganza. However, the Rider refuses to turn it over to his master when he realizes the contract has the power to bring about the End of Days and he instead goes into hiding. Hundreds of years later, Mephistopheles appears before a young motorcycle stuntman named Johnny Blaze and offers to cure his father’s (Brett Cullen) cancer in exchange for his soul. Blaze inadvertently agrees when a drop of his blood lands on the contract’s signature space due to a paper cut. The next day, Blaze finds his father miraculously cured but he is suddenly killed the same day while performing a dangerous stunt. Mephistopheles says that he upheld his part of the bargain and reveals that he will come for Blaze when he has need for him in the future. Feeling responsible for his father’s death, Blaze leaves his girlfriend Roxanne behind and sets off on his own. He (Nicholas Cage) grows up to be a world-famous motorcycle daredevil thanks to his death-defying stunts which often end in disaster. Blaze reunites with Roxanne (Eva Mendes), now a television journalist, and convinces her go on a dinner date with him as he still has feelings for her. However, Mephistopheles’ rebellious son Blackheart (Wes Bentley) arrives on Earth to look for the legendary contract of San Venganza in an attempt to wield unlimited power. Blaze is subsequently transformed into the demonic Ghost Rider in order to stop him and win back his soul. 

Ghost Rider was never a particularly ‘deep’ character to begin with compared to someone like Spider-Man but Mark Steven Johnson (who also directed 2003’s passable “Daredevil”) somehow manages to turn him into a Saturday Morning Cartoon. The origin remains somewhat faithful to the source material but the tone is simply all wrong. Thanks to Johnson’s incompetence as a writer, the script is full of groan-inducing clichés and makes little sense as you’re left scratching your head as to why Mephistopheles is unable to take back the power of the Ghost Rider since he is the one who granted it in the first place! In the comics, Blaze was bound to the demon Zarathos by Mephisto as an act of revenge for not being able to obtain his soul. This internal struggle to maintain his humanity would have made for some solid drama but instead Johnson tacks on this bounty hunter nonsense. He also undermines the integrity of the character by having Blaze duped into making the deal rather than giving away his soul on his own freewill and living with the consequences of that choice. The romance elements end up being too sappy to take seriously and are insufficiently developed but the atrocious dialogue drags the film down to the level of direct-to-video camp with such delightful gems like ‘Back to Hell!’ or ‘You're going down!’ It appears that all the hard work (and money) has gone into the visual effects and they are actually impressive as Ghost Rider does look convincing with his CG skull and fire. The transformation scene is sadly the film’s only highlight since the action fails to drum up any level of excitement. Blackheart is accompanied by three disposable henchmen who put up little resistance against Ghost Rider. One of them even begins to beg for mercy after sustaining one punch to the face! What kind of demons are these?! 

The performances are lackluster and are over the place with Nicholas Cage completely miscast as Johnny Blaze with his weird Elvis-like mannerisms and mumbling line readings. Let me remind you that Cage won an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1995’s “Leaving Las Vegas” but the last film to have garnered similar praise was 2002’s “Adaptation,” which was ten years ago! Since then, he has appeared in one terrible film after another due to being in so much debt that he is forced to accept any project that is offered to him. Eva Mendes spends her time pouting and baring her cleavage. She’s about as convincing as a television journalist as Denise Richards was a nuclear physicist in “007 The World is Not Enough.” Wes Bentley reduces one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel Universe to a walking punch-line while Peter Fonda appears disinterested to the point where he might as well just a wear a sign that reads: ‘Here only for paycheck!’ Finally, Sam Elliott serves little purpose other than to provide needless exposition. 

“Ghost Rider” rode onto Blu-Ray back in June, 2007 in an extended cut that adds nine minutes of worthless filler material. The film may be terrible but the video and audio quality remains demo material despite being one of the earlier releases on Blu-Ray. Colors are vivid and texture detail is strong despite much of the film taking place at night with rich shadows abounding in every scene. The highlights are certainly the CG-heavy sequences as Ghost Rider has never looked better in high definition. Audio is heavy on bass thanks to its aggressive sound effects and music but dialogue and ambiance remain sharp amidst all the noise. If only Johnson had applied the same amounts of effort in the story instead of concentrating on making the film look and sound good. A healthy dose of special features round out the package with a lengthy 82-minute look at the making of the film as well as two audio commentaries with Mark Steven Johnson and visual effects supervisor Kevin Mack on one and producer Gary Foster on the other. Johnson actually goes into something of a rant against his critics but all he does is prove them right and refuses to acknowledge the fact that his film just isn’t very good to put it lightly. 

Released on February 16, 2007, “Ghost Rider” received largely negative reviews with 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics panned it as ‘a sour mix of morose, glum histrionics amidst jokey puns and hammy dialogue.’ The film actually managed to deliver a sizable debut over President’s Day weekend with $52 million and went on to gross a solid $229 million worldwide (the production budget was $110 million), something that Sony/Columbia Pictures is looking to repeat with the sequel “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” with Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor at the helm. Ghost Rider was a character that always relied on visuals than story-telling but there was certainly enough material from the comic books to craft an entertaining film. Unfortunately, all this potential is wasted thanks to Mark Steven Johnson’s complete incompetence as a writer and director. While the film may have big-budget visual effects, everything else would barely qualify as a direct-to-video release. At least it can take solace in the fact that “Batman & Robin” is still the worst comic book film.

Final Rating: 1.5 out of 5

“I'm gonna own this curse...and I'm gonna use it against you. Whenever innocent blood is spilt, it'll be my father's blood...and you'll find me there. A spirit of vengeance…fighting fire with fire.”

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Contagion Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG-13 (Disturbing Content and some Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 46 Minutes

Cast-

Matt Damon-Mitch Emhoff

Gwyneth Paltrow-Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Emhoff

Laurence Fishburne-Dr. Ellis Cheever

Kate Winslet-Dr. Erin Mears

Marion Cotillard-Dr. Leonora Orantes

Jude Law-Alan Krumwiede

Jennifer Ehle-Dr. Ally Hextall

Elliott Gould-Dr. Ian Sussman

Chin Han-Sun Feng

Bryan Cranston- RADM Lyle Haggerty, PHSCC

John Hawkes-Roger

Sanaa Lathan-Aubrey Cheever

Anna Jacoby-Heron-Jory Emhoff

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Matt Damon's Mitch Emhoff finds himself in the midst of a global pandemic in Steven Soderbergh's "Contagion."

Nobody likes getting sick but it happens despite the best of our efforts. I began 2012 on a sour note when I woke up on New Year’s Eve with a sore throat and runny nose but a quick visit to the doctor had me back on my feet in a week’s time. People in their twenties tend to take their health for granted and so I viewed my illness as little more than a pesky nuisance. However, even the most innocent cough can turn deadly with the billions upon billions of germs floating around in the air we breathe, not to mention that our hands are making contact with so many surfaces both consciously and subconsciously. Recent years have brought the SARS outbreak and the H1N1 ‘swine flu’ pandemic, and yet society did not grind to a halt even as health organizations continued to warn the public to be wary and take extra precautions. Hollywood films have often depicted post-apocalyptic futures ravaged by disease but versatile director Steven Soderbergh once again bucks convention with “Contagion,” a thought-provoking film in the same vein of his 2000 Academy Award-winning “Traffic” but instead of the illegal drug trade, it explores how the scientific community and general public would react when faced by a global pandemic. Soderbergh’s stylish editing manages to generate a tense atmosphere of unease thanks to its real world approach and thematic relevance but “Contagion” intentionally keeps its characters at arm’s length, which may limit its appeal among audiences expecting a more straightforward thriller. 

The film opens with a black screen and the sound of a hacking cough. Returning from a business trip in Hong Kong, Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) makes a stop at Chicago to meet up with an old boyfriend named John Neal before returning home to her family and husband Mitch (Matt Damon) in suburban Minneapolis. A montage ensues showing random individuals living in Hong Kong, London, and Tokyo experiencing flu-like symptoms and convulsions before suddenly dying. Back in Minnesota, Beth’s son Clark contracts the same mysterious illness while her condition continues to worsen. Mitch wakes up one morning to find his wife collapsed on the floor and suffering from a severe seizure. He rushes her to the hospital but the doctors are unable to save her and she dies from the unknown virus. Returning home in shock, Mitch discovers that the virus has now taken the life of his son as well. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) sends an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer named Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) to investigate the virus in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) of the World Health Organization is sent to Hong Kong to investigate the origins of the virus. Dubbed MEV-1 (Meningoencephalitis Virus One), the virus begins to infect thousands of people around the world as the CDC races to find a vaccine. Internet blogger/journalist Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) fans the flames of conspiracy by accusing the CDC of withholding the cure at the behest of pharmaceutical companies. He begins to preach that a drug called Forsythia is able to stop MEV-1. Mass rioting and looting ensues as people succumb to panic while MEV-1 continues to infect and kill without discrimination. 

Judging from the initial previews, it wouldn’t be surprising if you mistook “Contagion” as another in a long line of post-apocalyptic films but Soderbergh and writer Scott Z. Burns instead approaches the subject matter as a procedural by focusing on how the world would react when suddenly faced with a global pandemic. The various characters are largely ancillary as the virus is what drives the film’s interconnected subplots forward. What makes the film get under our skin is in how it realistically depicts the loss of social order with desperate people succumbing to mass hysteria and forced to take matters into their own hands in what appears to be a hopeless situation. The camera often lingers on seemingly innocuous objects that we touch everyday to show how easy and quick a disease can spread. A series of disquieting scenes show the world grinding to a halt as garbage and bodies pile up on the streets while buildings either sit abandoned or in a state of disarray due to rampant looting. What’s really shocking is how inefficient the bureaucracy is when it comes to handling a crisis, although given what happened with Hurricane Katrina back in 2005, this should not come as any real surprise. When Mears is setting up an emergency room at a local school in Minnesota, state officials barge in and blatantly ask ‘Is this coming out of your budget or ours?’ Apparently saving money takes precedence over saving lives. These people are even reluctant to shut down public schools in fear of working parents taking off from shopping during Black Friday. Soderbergh and Burns also explore how meaningless protocols prevents people from doing their job such as when Cheever wants to bring Mears back home but is unable to because an infected congressman has become the priority. Those in power keep from revealing information as a way to prevent panic but such tactics are shown to have the complete opposite effect as regular citizens become outraged and look for a scapegoat to blame. Our modern world allows instantaneous communication but it also shows how fast it can all crumble and fall apart at a moment’s notice. Like the virus itself, all this is presented in a clinical and detached manner as characters are killed off without a hint of emotion. When burying the infected bodies, bored workers muse not on the loss of life but the lack of body bags to store them. Even the colors in each frame invoke a sterile tone to reflect the matter-of-fact manner of how bad the situation is. 

However, the worldwide scope does lead to some stumbles as the subplots are presented in an uneven manner with Krumwiede lacking consistency as a character and Orantes disappearing for a large stretch until the final minutes of the film. Initially, Krumwiede is shown to be a hard-line conspiracy theorist but is later revealed to a selfish opportunist who is spreading lies about a miracle core yet his demeanor never seems to reflect that as he appears to genuinely believe in his convictions. In addition, the Orantes subplot is resolved in a rather xenophobic manner, even if it is unintentional. Nonetheless, it does not completely derail “Contagion” from being an effective cautionary tale of how easily our carefully constructed lives can fall apart at something so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye. 

Soderbergh has gathered an impressive ensemble cast but all of them play unglamorous roles and are used to illustrate the themes of the film. There is no true ‘main’ character but Matt Damon makes for an effective audience stand-in as everyman Mitch Emhoff, providing a human touch to the proceedings even as the world falls apart around him. However, Bryan Cranston and John Hawkes end up being wasted due to the limited screen-time they have. Jude Law tends to lean toward scenery chewing but for the most part, the cast manages to give fairly nuanced performances despite their deliberately underwritten roles. 

“Contagion” was one of the first Blu-Ray releases of 2012 and while it won’t exactly blow anyone away, the video and audio qualities remain impressive. The film has a sharp look since it was shot with the RED MX digital camera with various yellow and blue filters used. Many of the environments come off as sterile in appearance but detail is strong and flesh-tones retain a natural color despite the various filters used. The only vibrant scenes that stand out are the flashbacks taking place in a casino in Hong Kong. On the audio front, the dialogue is handled well with Cliff Martinez’s jazz-techno score slowly ratcheting up the tension with its subtle thumping beats. Special features are slim with only three featurettes lasting from a paltry two to eleven minutes. Not even an audio commentary was included! 

Released on September 9, 2011, “Contagion” received largely positive reviews with 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it as a ‘tense, tightly plotted…exceptionally smart and scary disaster movie’ but audiences weren’t quite as enamored and graded the film a B- according to CinemaScore polling. Despite this supposedly ‘mediocre’ score, the film still managed to earn a solid $175 million worldwide ($76 million domestic) against an estimated $60 million production budget, although I suspect much of this money went toward the A-list cast’s paychecks and various travel expenses. Once again, Soderbergh has taken an unconventional approach to a familiar genre and the result is a stylish film that does not pander to the audience by resorting to meaningless CG spectacle or exposition. “Contagion” has its flaws but it does not diminish its most compelling aspect—the fragility of our modern world.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

“Someone doesn't have to weaponize the bird flu. The birds are doing that.”

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Haywire Review

Rated R (Some Violence)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 33 Minutes

Cast-

Gina Carano-Mallory Kane

Michael Fassbender-Paul

Ewan McGregor-Kenneth

Channing Tatum-Aaron

Michael Douglas-Oliver Coblenz

Antonio Banderas-Rodrigo

Bill Paxton-John Kane

Michael Angarano-Scott

Mathieu Kassovitz-Studer

Anthony Brandon Wong-Jiang

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

You don't wanna piss Gina Carano off.

Better watch out because it looks like there’s a new action heroine in town and her name’s Gina Carano! For those of you unfamiliar with her, Carano is a retired mixed martial arts fighter who is making her film debut in Steven Soderbergh’s action spy thriller “Haywire.” Soderbergh made a splash at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival in France with his debut film “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” which not only won the prestigious Palme d'Or award but also revolutionized the independent film industry. His varied filmography clearly shows his versatility as a director, easily alternating between mainstream works such as 2001’s “Ocean’s Eleven” to more arthouse fare such as 2009’s “The Girlfriend Experience.” Even when working with familiar genres, Soderbergh often injects his own stylistic flair in a way that makes his films feel fresh and exciting. This is the case with “Haywire,” an action film that manages to rise above its pedestrian story-telling thanks to its impeccable ensemble cast, tight pacing, and brutally realistic fight choreography. 

Opening in media res, a young woman named Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) is sitting in an upstate New York diner when a man suddenly sits down in front of her. She recognizes him as Aaron (Channing Tatum), who orders her to get in his car but Mallory refuses. The two engage in a brutal fistfight with Aaron gaining the upper-hand until a customer named Scott (Michael Angarano) intervenes. Mallory immediately takes Aaron’s gun and knocks him unconscious. Taking Scott hostage, she orders him to give up his keys to his car in order to escape from Aaron. As Scott bandages her wound, Mallory reveals that she was a freelance agent hired by the United States Government for jobs where plausible deniability is required. The film rewinds back to a week earlier in Washington DC where government agent Oliver Coblenz (Michael Douglas) and his Spanish contact Rodrigo (Antonio Banderas) are hashing out the details for a covert rescue operation in Barcelona with Mallory’s superior Kenneth (Ewan McGregor). Coblenz insists on having Mallory take on the job as she is the best operative but Kenneth is initially hesitant. He finally relents and agrees to free up her crowded schedule. In Barcelona, Mallory meets up with her team which includes Aaron. Their goal is to rescue a Chinese political dissident named Jiang (Anthony Brandon Wong), who is currently being held hostage in an apartment building. They recon the area and learn that they have a four minute window where Jiang’s kidnapper leaves the building. The rescue does not go as planned as the kidnapper comes back sooner than expected and sees them leaving. He opens fire and tries to escape but Mallory corners him in an alleyway where she easily beats him into submission. Jiang is handed over to Rodrigo safe and sound. With another job done, Mallory heads home to San Diego with the intention of quitting Kenneth’s company but he offers her one last assignment where she will be paired with a British agent named Paul (Michael Fassbender) and pose as a married couple in Dublin. However, the mission is all a ruse as Mallory eventually discovers that she is being set up, forcing her to go rogue in order to discover the truth. 

As an action spy thriller “Haywire” is straightforward and pedestrian even by Soderbergh’s standards but he maintains a tight pace by stripping the story down to its bare essentials. By presenting the first half as an extended flashback narrated by Mallory, the film is freed from needless exposition or any other extraneous material that can throw off its momentum. Like the main character, the audience is kept in the dark until the very end and this is an effective way of keeping viewers actively engaged without resorting to traditional means of story-telling. The film does struggle when it comes to balancing the plot with the action but writer Lem Dobbs manages to cover up any short-comings by providing enough context rather than letting the fights simply exist as an excuse to showcase Carano’s talents for ass-kicking. While the script is ultimately somewhat derivative and offers few surprises, Soderbergh utilizes an unconventional style that lends “Haywire” an experimental vibe. The cinematography and editing can best be described as erratic but this is intentional and reflects the changing circumstances that Mallory often faces without warning. A shaky handheld camera is used for one scene while certain shots appear as either black-and-white or with the lighting overexposed and the colors de-saturated. Sometimes a seemingly random assortment of shots are edited together in order to emphasize the tension and paranoia that Mallory feels. David Holmes’ addictive score recalls 1970’s action cinema with its jazzy ambience and noir-like overtones. 

Of course, the highlight of the film is the brutal fight scenes and even these are unique because Soderbergh does not try to amp them up with loud music or quick editing. The only sounds heard are the grunts of exertion from the combatants and the camera never becomes an obstacle like in so many glossy Hollywood productions. Even better is the fact there were no digital enhancements, wire-work, or even stunt doubles used. What you see is what you get and this is the way all fight scenes should be: intense but also grounded in reality. However, if you’ve seen your fair share of Hong Kong martial arts films such as the ones staring Donnie Yen or Sammo Hung, than this is nothing new. Seeing Carano trade blows with Michael Fassbender or Ewan McGregor is immensely satisfying and there’s even a bit of a sexual component to how it’s presented, especially when she uses her thighs in a chokehold. Chase scenes are cleanly staged with long-tracking shots of people running from one end to another before cutting to the next frame. Holmes’ jazzy beats accompany the Barcelona chase as Mallory runs in pursuit of Jiang’s kidnapper. Some viewers may find it lacking in excitement but Soderbergh is nothing if not unorthodox even when he is working on what is a mainstream film. 

The large ensemble cast does not allow every actor to really flesh out their characters but their performances are nuanced enough to offset that flaw. Soderbergh relates in an anecdote that he first took notice of Gina Carano while watching mixed martial arts on television after being fired from a film, ‘which happens’ as he dryly noted. For a first timer, Carano is adequate but can come off flat in her line deliveries and you can tell that Soderbergh tries hard to compensate by often pairing her with more experienced actors. She can obviously handle herself in a fight scene and despite being built like an ox, she is still very attractive. As for whether or not her voice was dubbed, Carano admitted that it was ‘tweaked’ in post-production and I did notice something off about the way she sounded but honestly, it is not that big of a deal. Soderbergh remarked in an interview that he wanted her voice ‘to sound different—not like Gina, but like her character, Mallory Kane.’ 

Released on January 20, 2012, “Haywire” has received largely positive reviews with 83% on Rotten Tomatoes as critics hailed it as ‘a fast and spare thriller, with cleanly staged set pieces that immerse you in the action.’ This is unusual given the fact that films released during the first two months of the year rarely garner such a reception. Unfortunately, audiences weren’t as enamored with the film like critics as it has a dismal D+ CinemaScore and flopped during opening weekend with a mere domestic gross of $8.4 million. I am confident that it will earn back its estimated $25 million production budget but just barely. Why did this happen? Audiences are a fickle bunch and do not like to be ‘misled’ as the initial previews seemed to indicate that it had non-stop action. Interestingly, Soderbergh experienced a similar predicament with the 2002 science fiction film “Solaris” based upon Stanisław Lem’s 1961 Polish novel of the same name. Even in his more mainstream efforts, he can’t even seem to catch a break but Soderbergh has never paid much heed to box office earnings as makes films because he’s passionate about them, which says a lot in today’s increasingly commercialized climate in Hollywood. This is one instance where the word-of-mouth is just plain wrong and while it may not reinvent the wheel when it comes to its story, “Haywire” offers up enough style and fisticuffs for those who truly appreciate the way Soderbergh has taken a familiar genre and made it his own.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

“You can tell me right now why you sold me out, or you can tell me when I have my hands around your throat.”

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Underworld: Awakening 3D Review

Rated R (Strong Violence and Gore, and for some Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 28 Minutes

Cast-

Kate Beckinsale-Selene

India Eisley-Eve

Theo James-David

Michael Ealy-Detective Sebastian

Stephen Rea-Dr. Jacob Lane

Charles Dance-Thomas

Kris Holden-Ried-Quint

Sandrine Holt-Lida

Directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein

Kate Beckinsale is back as vampire warrioress Selene in "Underworld: Awakening."

Kate Beckinsale will be hitting forty in two years’ time but she has nothing to worry about if “Underworld Awakening” is anything to go by. Despite earning $10.17 billion in revenue in 2011, the domestic box office was actually down 3.8% from 2010 with tickets sales falling to the lowest level since 1995. There are a number of reasons as to why this is the case but the biggest ones are Hollywood’s continued reliance on franchises and over-saturating the market with lazy 3D releases. Audience attendance continues to shrink as many are just not compelled enough to leave their homes to see films with ridiculous surcharges and sit with people who honestly cannot shut up. Even I sometimes feel that going to the theater isn’t worth it anymore but my duty as an amateur film critic keeps me motivated. A new year always brings a sense of optimism and it did as 2012’s first new release, “The Devil Inside,” earned a whopping $34 million against a measly $1 million production budget but unfortunately, the film was met with universal scorn from both critics and audiences. Still, it’s already a success and when Paramount releases a sequel, audiences will have no one to blame but themselves. January (and February) has been traditionally known to be a ‘dead month’ for film releases but I was looking forward to “Underworld Awakening,” the fourth installment in the “Underworld” franchise and the first to be shot in native 3D. With the exception of a voiceover and the use of archive footage from the first film, Beckinsale did not appear in “Rise of the Lycans” and I was surprised she would return to the role of Selene given that there wasn’t much left to explore after the mediocre “Evolution.” As sexy as Kate Beckinsale is, “Underworld Awakening” amounts to a vapid and soulless entry that ultimately adds nothing new to the mythology. The 3D ends up being wasted but I must admit that I was never bored by the film even if all the action is perfunctory. Granted, the series was never meant to be more than above-average genre fare but I was honestly expecting more. 

Taking place six months after the events of “Underworld Evolution,” former Death Dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and her hybrid lover Michael Corvin (formerly Scott Speedman but now replaced with a body double) find themselves on the run from humans, who has discovered the existence of the Vampires and Lycans. The humans have begun to systematically wipe out both species using weapons designed to exploit their weaknesses to ultraviolet rays and silver. Selene and Michael find their escape plans dashed when they are overwhelmed and captured for experimentation by a biotech pharmaceutical company called Antigen, led by a scientist named Jacob Lane (Stephen Rea). His goal is to develop a vaccine to effectively ‘cure’ both species. Twelve years pass and Selene suddenly finds herself freed from cryogenic suspension by an unknown benefactor. Dazed and confused at the loss of time, she searches for Michael but instead finds a strange young girl named Eve (India Eisley), who turns out to her daughter and the first-born hybrid of her kind. Selene discovers that the remaining vampire covens have retreated into the sewers with the remnants of the Lycan race reduced to little more than feral emaciated beasts. Aided in her search by fellow vampire David (Theo James) and a sympathetic human detective named Sebastian (Michael Ealy), Selene discovers that Antigen has created a monstrosity in their mad quest to eradicate both species. 

No one will mistake the “Underworld” series as film masterpieces but they remain entertaining thanks to its well-developed mythology. However, much of it was presented in a convoluted manner and the first two entries were often overstuffed with expositional dialogue. “Underworld Awakening” has the opposite problem with too little story to even sustain its short eighty-eight minute running time. If one were to take out all the action scenes, what little is left would barely fill three pages as the whole tale could be summed up in one sentence: Selene is searching for Michael and fights many people along the way. Even more surprising is that the script is credited to four people and includes acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski. I’m shocked that this is all they could come up with! Not content with being a lost opportunity, “Awakening” only tells half a story and ends on a cliffhanger. The premise of having humans discovering the existence of Vampires and Lycans is intriguing but how this happened is left unexplained despite the fact that both species has lived in secrecy for countless millennia. Character development is virtually nil with only one scene where Selene and Eve actually sit down and talk but it all comes off as contrived. Would it kill you to stop shooting and smile or even hug your daughter after being frozen for the past twelve years? Story-telling was never the “Underworld” series’ strongest suit but the writing here certainly hits a new low. 

The action scenes manage to keep the film from fully sinking with its copious amounts of CG blood and Beckinsale doing all sorts of acrobatics in slow motion. Not a minute goes by when there isn’t something fighting so thankfully, you are never bored by what’s happening but that’s not exactly high praise. “Awakening” maintains the same black-and-blue monochromatic color palette as the previous films but the visual effects aren’t all that impressive considering the bigger production budget the crew was utilizing. The appearance of an ‘Uber-Lycan’ added a nice wrinkle to some of the fights but the creature fails to illicit more than a shrug as he’s just another in a long line of gimmicky CG effects. Following in the footsteps of 2010’s “Resident Evil Afterlife,” another Screen Gems release, the film was shot in native 3D with RED EPIC digital cameras but the end result is underwhelming. The 3D is only apparent when objects are being thrown at the viewer and is barely noticeable for much of its running time. However, it does not suffer from the lowered brightness when wearing the glasses despite the film’s heavy use of shadows and minimal lighting. 

The performances leave much to be desired as the whole supporting cast ends up being wasted in their respective roles. Kate Beckinsale still has an amazing body at age 38 and it’s great to see her back as Selene kicking all kinds of ass in a tight leather costume but sadly, that’s all her character ever amounts to even when the film attempts to shoehorn in some weak ‘drama.’ This film is definitely more physically demanding compared to the previous installments given the non-stop fighting taking place and Beckinsale proves that she is up to the task. As for everyone else, Stephen Rea, Charles Dance, and Michael Ealy sleepwalk their way to another paycheck while Theo James and India Eisley run around hissing through their fangs. Then again, what were you expecting from such a short film? 

Released on January 20, 2012 in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D, “Underworld Awakening” was not screened for critics in advance (never a good sign) so reviews have only begun to trickle out today. The film currently has a low 24% on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus that the ‘whole affair [feels] inconsequential.’ Still, it’ll likely top the weekend box office with $20 to $25 million, which is in line with the previous entries but the production budget is estimated at $70 million so it’ll have to earn back twice that amount to turn a profit, something I do not see happening even with 3D surcharges and foreign grosses factored in. I am also very surprised that it has an A- CinemaScore from audiences but then again, this is the masses we’re talking about and they are not exactly known for having good taste in film. “Underworld Awakening” is not a boring film but that’s the only praise I can give as the whole experience feels rushed and sloppy. Fans should seek out the 2D version and pay matinee price but if you have some patience, I would advise just waiting three to four months for the DVD or Blu-Ray. An even better idea is to just watch Steven Soderbergh's superior “Haywire,” which also stars a female action heroine.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

“For twelve years I was held captive by the humans. The world I once knew has changed. Vampires and Lycans are now the hunted.”

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In the Land of Blood and Honey Review

Rated R (War Violence and Atrocities including Rape, Sexuality, Nudity and Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 7 Minutes

Cast-

Zana Marjanović-Ajla

Goran Kostić-Danijel Vukojević

Rade Šerbedžija-General Nebojša Vukojević

Vanessa Glodjo-Lejla

Nikola Đuričko-Darko

Branko Đurić-Aleksandar

Feđa Štukan-Petar

Dzana Pinjo-Nadja

Boris Ler-Tarik

Directed by Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie makes her directorial debut with "In the Land of Blood and Honey," a drama set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War.

Note: In Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian with English subtitles.

A mere seven months after the official end of World War I which resulted in an unprecedented 35 million military and civilian casualties, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau made the following remark during his July 1919 Discours de Paix (translated: Speech on Peace) in Verdun, France: ‘It is easier to make war than [to] make peace.’ Despite the destruction that World War I had wrought on the nations of Europe, it was not ‘the war to end all wars’ as President Woodrow Wilson had predicted but merely the beginning. Since then there has been World War II and countless other armed conflicts around the world that has claimed the lives of many, all for some vague ideology or concept of freedom. Niko Bellic, the main character from Rockstar’s open-world video game Grand Theft Auto IV bitterly remarked that ‘war is when the young and stupid are tricked by the old and bitter into killing each other,’ an apt way of describing Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut film, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” which depicts a love story set during the Bosnian War that lasted from 1992 to 1995. The Bosnian War is one of the most devastating armed conflicts since the end of World War II and was characterized by bitter fighting, systematic mass rape, and genocide. The aftermath left not just cities reduced to rubble and an environment infested with crime but also a painful scar seared into the memories of the survivors and their descendants that continues to be felt even today. A UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador since 2001, Jolie is well-known for her humanitarian work but while “In the Land of Blood and Honey” was made with obvious sincerity, the film never quite comes together as well as it should with its problematic script and underdeveloped characters. There are a number of other issues as well but the film remains an admirable effort as Jolie proves that she has what it takes to be a director. 

Taking place in Sarajevo on the eve of the Bosnian War in 1992, aspiring Muslim painter Ajla (Zana Marjanović) is preparing to go a date with a Serbian police officer named Danijel (Goran Kostić), much to the excitement of her older sister Lejla (Vanessa Glodjo). At the nightclub, Ajla and Danijel are clearly new acquaintances but they hit it off immediately and dance the night away. However, their bliss is short-lived when a bomb blast rips through the club and leaves many either dead or heavily wounded. Ajla comforts a young woman while Danijel helps to evacuate and clear out the rubble. Four months later, Bosnia-Herzegovina is engulfed by war as Serbian soldiers lay siege to Sarajevo while the international community apathetically watches. Families are dragged from their apartments where the men are summarily executed while the women are taken captive to be subjected to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Ajla is among those taken but through a stroke of fate, she is reunited with Danijel, now a soldier serving in the Serbian army with his father, General Nebojša Vukojević (Rade Šerbedžija). Danijel quietly protects her from the other men with the two meeting often in a private room where they can talk and make love. However, Ajla finds that she cannot excuse Danijel for his complacency in the murder of her people and seeks to escape. Their conflicting feelings on the war soon cause a rift to form between them that may very well put Ajla’s life in danger. 

For a first time director, Angelina Jolie does an excellent job depicting the conflict that engulfed Yugoslavia during the early to mid-1990s in an authentic manner. This is clearly not a vanity project for her and it is obvious in every frame that she cares deeply about the issues that have resulted from the war and wants to raise awareness by shaking people out of their apathy. “In the Land of Blood and Honey” never shies away from showing the brutal acts that were committed but neither does it become exploitative. During the bus ride to the Serbian encampment, Ajla notices a man fleeing on the street suddenly shot dead. This is depicted in a matter-of-fact manner. Once the bus arrives at its destination, the women are brought before a burly Serbian soldier who loudly asks which ones can cook. Some raise their hands and a woman even answers that she can sew or do anything that is asked of her. The soldier steps close to her and asks if she ‘can f*ck’ before dragging her to a table to be raped in front of the others. Later, a group of soldiers take a number of women to a forest in which we assume they are to be killed but this is not the case as they use them as human shields while fighting a skirmish with Muslim guerilla fighters. Benjamin Franklin once said that ‘there is no such thing as a good war’ even when either side believes that they are fighting for an ideal. The minute you take up arms against your fellow man, any ideal has already been corrupted. Despite the estimated $10 million production budget and being shot in Hungary, the film looks like it was made for twice that amount with its scenes of a war-torn land full of rubble, garbage, and bodies. Detractors are free to call Jolie anything but ignorance is certainly not one of them. 

Where “In the Land of Blood and Honey” stumbles is in its script and Jolie should have brought in someone to give it a polish look-over. Some issues are minor as certain characters often inject a bit of a history lesson in their dialogue. It’s meant to show the built-up extreme nationalism ingrained in the Serbians but also to allow audiences to be brought up to speed for those who have forgotten or are not familiar with the conflict. Radio broadcasts (in English) are also heard whenever the film jumps forward in time which comes off as awkward. Why would anyone be listening to English radio broadcasts? The major issues are in the uneven pacing and the underdeveloped characters, specifically Ajla. The middle sections with Ajla falling in with a Bosnian resistance group are glossed over and her return to Danijel as his official painter tend to drag as if Jolie was unsure where to take the story. The film may spend a lot of time with Ajla but I came away learning little about her intentions. It is obvious she feels conflicted about her feelings with Danijel and wants to seek justice for her people but there’s little beyond that. Danijel is the more interesting character as his relationship with Ajla brings up several questions. Does his protection of Ajla mean he really loves her or is it just a pretense to use her sexually under a false façade? The relationship reminds me somewhat of the one depicted in Ang Lee’s 2007 erotic thriller “Lust, Caution” about a young woman in a sexual relationship with a Japanese collaborator in 1940s Japan-occupied Shanghai but in reality, she is part of a plot to assassinate him. However, Lee focused on the inner turmoil of the female character while Jolie has a broader focus. She wants to present the conflicting feelings that both main characters feel and point out the fact that the international community largely turned a blind eye until much of the fighting was already over. The film does not entirely succeed in accomplishing both goals but I admire the effort that Jolie put in and it really says something about her character. Finally, she also plays favorites and depicts the Serbs as largely sadistic and racist brutes while the Muslims come off as a likable ragtag band of guerilla fighters. While it is generally accepted that the Serbs were the aggressors and committed a majority of the war crimes, I do not believe that anyone was innocent in the war and I feel an objective approach would have made the film much more effective. 

The cast is made up of local Bosnian actors and actresses, a wise choice in maintaining a sense of authenticity. Although both English and foreign language versions were made, the former was scrapped leading up to the film’s release in favor of the latter, as it should be but of course, a small minority will still grumble about reading subtitles. The performances from Zana Marjanović and Goran Kostić are uniformly strong across the board, managing to make you feel the conflicting emotions that rage inside them even if the script does not do them as much justice as you would hope. Rade Šerbedžija is largely a one-note character as Danijel’s father, functioning as more of a mouthpiece on the Serbs history and how it has led to the people’s feelings of extreme nationalism. Some may recognize him from the television series “24” as he was one of the antagonists during Season Six. The only other person to have significant screen-time is Vanessa Glodjo as Ajla’s older sister Lejla but again she is underdeveloped and the only memorable scene is when she discovers the fate of her baby. It’s a shocking and powerful moment that will leave you speechless. 

In limited release since December 23, 2011, “In the Land of Blood and Honey” has received mixed reviews from critics with 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. The overall consensus is that the film is definitely well-made but the script has too many problems to ignore, which I agree, but I do not believe that it diminishes the overall message that Jolie wanted to leave for the audience. Initially, I had a hard time finding a theater that was showing the film but luckily, it expanded on the weekend of January 13th, 2012. There was a nice turn-out at the AMC Empire 25 but not enough to fill up all the seats. Box office wise, it has earned an estimated $262,300 which is on the low side but the per-theater average remains high. Still, a film like this will have limited appeal because first, it’s about a topic that many Americans are either ignorant of or only vaguely familiar with, second, it is in a foreign language with subtitles, and third, it is in limited release. For her first outing as a director, Angelina Jolie proves that she has the chops by bravely taking on a controversial topic and films like “In the Land of Blood and Honey” should be made to remind us of the horrible acts that men commit in war but it ultimately succumbs from a wayward script with underdeveloped characters. However, I still recommend this film if only for informative purposes about a conflict that continues to receive little attention in the United States. In an effort to raise awareness, Jolie does succeed.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (I debated a long time between a 3.5 and a 4 but ultimately went with the former as I could not justify giving that high of a score for what is an admirable but flawed film)

“It is murder…for political gain. But still murder.”

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