Tag Archives: Thriller

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

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Indiana Jones is back! Within a Chinese bar,
A deal involving artifacts is going well so far,
But soon he drinks a poison, and sheer chaos then ensues
As he retrieves the antidote, since he’s too good to lose.
 
By accident, he grabs a girl named Willie, who can sing,
And young Short Round drives them away, with bad guys following.
They think they’ve flown to safety, but events change in a flash
As villains parachute away and leave their plane to crash.
 
Among the Himalayas, our three heroes have one hope:
They use a blown-up raft to then toboggan down a slope.
They soon locate a village with no children and no joy,
And Indy swears to find some stones and every girl and boy.
 
Marching through the jungle, Willie constantly complains,
But something else scares off their guides till not a one remains.
They find an ancient palace of a quite young Indian prince,
And everyone seems civilized, though dinner makes them wince.
 
But when night falls, a man jumps Indiana from behind,
And they discover passageways they were not meant to find.
Once done with bugs and booby traps, they see the head adult
Perform a violent ritual to serve the Thugee cult.
 
They see the stolen sacred stones and plan to take them back,
But all of them are captured in a sudden sneak attack.
While Shorty is imprisoned with the other captured youth,
Our hero’s forced to drink some blood that makes him act uncouth.
 
He helps prepare poor Willie for the coming sacrifice,
Behaving like he is bewitched and just no longer nice,
But Shorty knocks him out of it, and Indy saves the day,
Then freeing Willie and the kids, who quickly run away.
 
The trio’s chased in mining carts as all the tunnels flood,
But Mola Ram, the evil priest, still has a taste for blood.
Emerging on a canyon wall, they cross a rope bridge, where
The three are cornered by the priest, his thugs, and evil glare.
 
When Indiana takes a risk to cut the bridge in two,
He takes out most of Mola’s minions, leaving just a few.
While climbing up the broken bridge, the priest opposes Jones,
Who feeds him to the crocodiles but keeps one of the stones.
 
The British come a little late but save them from the cult,
And long-lost kids return back home, where parents all exult.
The elders thank our hero for their stone with magic strong,
And Jones and Willie share a kiss (but it won’t last for long).
______________________
 

Here we have the second Indiana Jones, both the second one released and the second one on my list. Temple of Doom is one of those films that is a strange mix of ingenious inspiration and unfortunate creative choices. On the one hand, there are sequences of sheer brilliance, such as the opening scene with the gong, the mine cart chase, the spiked-ceiling booby trap, and the rope bridge standoff, all scenes that blow away most action movies and have been frequently imitated.

On the other hand, Lucas and Spielberg threw in many violent and annoying elements that detract from the film’s overall watchability. Did anyone want to see a guy get impaled by a flaming shish kebab or someone’s heart be ripped out? Is that inflatable raft scene really plausible? Kate Capshaw is lovely (Spielberg thought so too), but she’s helpless and irritating with all her whining and I-broke-a-nail prissiness. The bugs Willie must endure are a bit much but nothing compared with that bizarre dinner table. Chilled monkey brains, anyone?

Thus, it has much to criticize, while retaining much of the entertainment value of Raiders. Harrison Ford remains the quintessential action hero, yet he’s even turned into a villain, caging Willie and striking Short Round, although he is being mind-controlled at the time. Young Jonathan Ke Huy Quan is surprisingly likable as Short Round, much more so than other eager young sidekicks, like, ahem, Francis in Swiss Family Robinson. It makes me wonder what happened to his character since he never appears elsewhere, as well as Willie for that matter. Oh, that’s right, she married Spielberg instead.

Overall, Temple of Doom is an unnecessarily violent film (it helped establish the PG-13 rating) that is still quite worthy of the Indiana Jones name. Until Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it was considered the worst of the Jones films, but it has enough merits to still exceed many lesser adventure movies. It may be a bit bumpy, but it’s one heck of a ride.

Best lines (during the booby trap scene): (Willie, after seeing two corpses) “There are two dead people in here!” (Indy, in the shrinking room) “There’s gonna be two dead people in here! Hurry!” (and Indy, a little later) “Willie, we are going to DIE!” (the way he says it is priceless)

 
Artistry: 5
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 9
Visual effects: 9
Originality: 8
Watchability: 8
Other (violence, language): -4
 
TOTAL: 42 out of 60
 

Next: #191 – Joyeux Noel

© 2014 S. G. Liput

146 Followers and Counting

 

Gravity (2013)

28 Saturday Jun 2014

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Three astronauts are conversing in space
As they work on the space telescope,
Till one gets a piece of debris through his face,
And the others are left without hope.
 
A medical engineer named Ryan Stone
Is sent whirling out in the void,
But Matthew Kowalski, with comforting tone,
Gets her to their shuttle (destroyed).
 
That onslaught of wreckage, an old satellite
That the Russians were unwise to blow,
Will orbit around and have them in its sight
In the next ninety minutes or so.
 
Matt calms her and tells her they’ll carefully soar
To the space station off in the distance.
Stone tells of her daughter, who died at just four,
And Matt tries to spur her persistence.
 
They make it, but Matt makes a bold sacrifice
And goes drifting away into space
To let Stone get aboard, though he gives her advice,
While she finds a way into the base.
 
As she floats through the halls, a fire breaks out,
And she narrowly gets to a pod,
A Soyuz spacecraft, which she’s happy about,
Till its chute won’t allow her abroad.
 
She tries to get loose but is hit by debris,
And she barely escapes that as well.
It shatters the station and sets the ship free,
But she’s out of fuel, she can tell.
 
She attempts giving up, but is spurred to survive
By Kowalski, or rather his ghost,
So she figures a way to (just barely) arrive
At a plummeting Chinese outpost.
 
She gets in the Shenzhou space capsule to land,
Determined to live or die trying,
She says that the ride down will truly be grand
And can’t avoid laughing and crying.
 
She tells Matt to visit in heaven her daughter,
And burns through the earth’s atmosphere.
She finally lands (just by chance?) in some water,
Thus ending her spaceflight career.
 
Her module and suit nearly cause her to drown,
But she swims to the pond’s muddy banks,
And, feeling Earth’s gravity weighing her down,
She walks off, relieved, giving thanks.
____________________
 

Gravity was the most eye-catching film of 2013 and with good reason. It is pure spectacle, full of long, continuous scenes designed to make the audience say, “How did they do that?” From the quietly tense devastation caused by the zooming debris to the seemingly simple weightlessness of the characters and everything else, Gravity is a wonder to behold.

At the heart of the Oscar-winning visual effects are the two leads, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Both are excellent, but I actually preferred Clooney’s performance. Bullock is certainly the star, but other actresses could have done just as well (Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett, or Julia Roberts, for example). Clooney’s smooth, reassuring voice gave his character much more personality, and I thought he was just as worthy of an Oscar nomination as Bullock.

Though it’s less than a year old, Gravity has already begun to earn a reputation as overrated, full of impressive special effects and little else. I agree to some extent, but it does offer more than just visuals. Ryan’s backstory is quite touching and emotional, as is her wish for someone to pray for her since she was never taught how.

In addition, films like Avatar and the Transformers movies were visual feasts for the eyes but were so long as to be overindulgent. Gravity is comparably short at just 91 minutes, and Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón achieved much more artistry in that time than any of those films combined. The scene of Ryan floating as if in the womb and that of her rising from the water in the evolution-inspired finale (with a welcome “Thank you” sent heavenward) are two beautiful sequences that wouldn’t be found in other effects extravaganzas. The immersive, Oscar-winning score does much to build tension and emotion, especially paired with well-timed cuts to spatial silence.

My VC felt there was too much of Bullock just breathing hard, as well as annoying alarms going off, but I prefer these to the vast stretches of nothing in the similarly artistic but nowhere-near-as-entertaining 2001: A Space Odyssey. While there are similarities to other space disaster films like Marooned, WALL-E (hello, fire extinguisher!) and Apollo 13 (especially since Ed Harris played “Houston” here as well), Gravity is a film like no other, presenting seamless visuals sure to blow you away.

Best line: (Ryan Stone, in a massive understatement) “I hate space.”

 
Artistry: 10
Characters/Actors: 8
Entertainment: 7
Visual effects: 10
Originality: 5
Watchability: 6
Other (language and brief violence): -4
 
TOTAL: 42 out of 60
 

Next: #194 – Hoosiers

© 2014 S. G. Liput

144 Followers and Counting

 

The Great Escape (1963)

26 Thursday Jun 2014

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In 1943, the Germans thought they’d gotten wise
When they designed a camp to hold the most troublesome guys,
The prisoners who always tried escaping from their jail
And caused a lot of headaches for the Nazis on their trail.
 
But in their aspirations for a perfect prison dream,
In fact they put together the best liberation team.
The leader “X” was Roger, who was wanted far and wide,
And Danny was the “Tunnel King,” who dug three shafts outside.
 
The “Scrounger” was named Hendley, who finagled all supplies
And helped the “Forger” Colin Blythe, who lost sight in his eyes.
Then Sedgwick built all tools and had a big suitcase to carry,
And Hilts was called the “Cooler King,” who earned much solitary.
 
These men and more worked day and night to build three tunnels out
Named Tom and Dick and Harry, for there was no better route.
They masked their noise and hid the dirt in several clever ways
And tried to hide their plan below the Germans’ watchful gaze.
 
The Nazis still discovered Tom, which caused a suicide,
But all then worked on Harry to soon reach the woods outside.
The night arrived, and their whole plan discreetly took effect
As men began escaping through their passageway unchecked.
 
The hole came short of reaching woods but still they sneaked away,
Until the Germans heard a sound, to everyone’s dismay.
They stopped the flow but seventy-six escaped the camp in all,
Which launched a massive search for every man in this cabal.
 
Although they tried to blend right in, with forged passports and clothes,
Some chances and some poor mistakes and gaffes served to expose,
For all but three were seized again and fifty men were shot,
And Hilts marched calmly to his cooler when he too was caught.
Thus ended this escape attempt and their most brilliant plot.
_______________________
 

As I said in my Memphis Belle review, most war movies have different focuses than just a battlefield. In The Great Escape, POWs get the spotlight, and there’s not a single battle scene. Instead, we get a true story with an incredibly clever and detailed plot to escape from a German war camp. It’s one of those classic manly men ensembles of the 1960s, but here everyone is entirely likable, unlike, say, The Dirty Dozen.While the mostly British officers could just as easily have sat out the war, they instead fulfilled their “duty” to escape, and, though the film drags on rather long, it’s an incredible thing to see their plan put into effect, provided you have enough popcorn to keep you awake.

The actors are all skilled thespians, but sadly not all of them stick out, perhaps because they no longer have the star power they held in 1963. I recognized monikers like Ashley-Pitt, MacDonald, Sedgwick, and Cavendish, but I couldn’t tell who they were unless someone directly called them by name. Still, a number of the men make an impression, if only with their code names: Richard Attenborough as “Big X,” Donald Pleasence as the blind “Forger,” James Garner as the “Scrounger,” Charles Bronson as Danny, and of course Steve McQueen as Hilts, one of his most memorable roles. Interestingly, Bronson’s character of Danny is one of the few to reach freedom, just as he was one of the three who survived in The Dirty Dozen. I guess some guys are just lucky.

A number of elements of the film have been parodied to no end. The scenes involving the men wheeling down the narrow tunnel have found their way into several shows and movies like the similarly plotted Chicken Run, and the iconic score has also been imitated by shows ranging from Disney’s Recess to Hogan’s Heroes, which had a similar storyline involving POWs. And of course who can forget McQueen riding that motorcycle?

The actual escape is the tense highlight of the film, and it keeps the audience on their toes. Though it’s satisfying to see so many sneak away, the sad part is that most of them die. Considering the light-hearted tune in the score, it’s a rather dark ending, but one that is true to history. Overall, The Great Escape is an entertaining and clean war film that pays tribute to men who weren’t content to just sit around, men who harassed the enemy to the last and did their countries proud. To the fifty!

Best line: (Ramsey, having been told of the great resources used to guard the camp) “Well, it’s rather nice to know that you’re wanted.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 8
Visual effects: 6
Originality: 8
Watchability: 7
 
TOTAL: 42 out of 60
 

Next: #196 – Swiss Family Robinson

© 2014 S. G. Liput

140 Followers and Counting

 

#210: The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

13 Friday Jun 2014

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The ocean liner named Poseidon cruises from New York to Greece.
Although he’s overruled, the captain says their ballast must increase.
As New Year’s Eve is wrapping up, with partying and ecstasy,
An underwater earthquake strikes, creating a catastrophe.
A towering wave, a great tsunami, makes the giant ship capsize.
Everything’s turned upside down to cries of terror and surprise.
 
At last, the vessel settles down, and partyers are grievers now,
But soon it strikes the Reverend Scott that they must all climb up somehow.
The bow is sinking so they must try climbing toward the skyward hull;
Poseidon’s purser thinks him foolish and exerts a halting pull.
However, Scott succeeds in swaying nine brave souls to join his hope,
But everyone else stays behind to wait or help the others cope.
 
The gruff policeman Rogo comes because of Linda, his loud wife,
And Belle and Manny Rosen want to be part of their grandson’s life.
The careful haberdasher Martin, who is single, tags along
And brings with him the grieving Nonnie, singer of the party’s song.
Then there’s the wounded waiter Acres, who does know the ship a lot,
And smart lad Robin and his sister Susan, who likes Reverend Scott.
 
They scale the party’s Christmas tree and get up higher just in time;
Explosions cause the party room to flood, and it’s too late to climb.
Throughout the topsy-turvy ship, the band of passengers ascends.
Although Scott acts so self-assured, they don’t know where their journey ends.
With water closing on their heels, they climb into a lofty shaft,
And while they rise, poor Acres then falls victim to the deadly craft.
 
Since Rogo hates Scott’s domineering, he insists they join a crowd,
But Scott is sure that they are wrong and tells them so and very loud.
He goes alone to find the wanted engine room that’s toward the stern.
Once he succeeds in finding it, he leads the small group to return.
The path’s already flooded, though, so they must swim to stay on track,
And Mrs. Rosen proves her worth but passes from a heart attack.
 
Though Mr. Rosen mourns his wife, her dying words help urge him on.
They find the target engine room and scaffolding to climb upon.
A sudden blast blocks their escape, and Mrs. Rogo falls as well.
To get them through, Scott turns a searing wheel while giving God a yell.
He clears the way and then lets go, compelling them before his fall;
The final six are rescued through Scott’s sacrifice to save them all.
_____________________
 

The Poseidon Adventure is one of those classic star-studded disaster movies of the 1970s and is easily the best, as far as I’m concerned. Boasting a number of Oscar winners, including Red Buttons (Mr. Martin), Jack Albertson of Willy Wonka fame (Mr. Rosen), Shelley Winters (Mrs. Rosen), and Ernest Borgnine (Mr. Rogo), it’s a film that doesn’t just display them for the sake of bragging but puts each of them to good use, and no one is put to better use than Gene Hackman as Reverend Scott. The first time she saw it, Hackman’s assured and intense performance made my VC admire him as much as Susan in the film. My favorite, though, is the Oscar-nominated Winters as Mrs. Rosen, a likable grandmotherly type whose death was the saddest for me.

Coming years before the likes of Titanic, the disaster scenes of the ship being overturned are fairly impressive for the time and garnered the first Special Achievement Academy Award at a time when there was no category for Special Effects. The film also offers some very unique visuals, showing entire rooms, stairways, and corridors upside down and sometimes underwater.

Considering that the violence was not graphic, it’s a shame that the filmmakers included several profanities. Also, I know he’s proud to be considered unorthodox, but Scott’s view of God seems rather contradictory. On the one hand, he talks about how God doesn’t concern himself with the individual (a clearly collectivist view) but mentions “that part of God within you” that will help you if you help yourself. Assuming he’s talking about the Holy Spirit, that’s God, indicating He does assist individuals. While Scott is certainly noble in his quest and sacrifice, I think his understanding of God and His role in the world and people’s lives is rather two-dimensional. Still, I do agree with part of the sermon he gives, as reflected in my Best Line.

The Poseidon Adventure was Irwin Allen’s crowning achievement and one of the best disaster films ever, putting focus on the characters as well as the terrible things happening to them. I’ll admit that I have not seen the 2006 remake Poseidon, but when the film is already this good, why redo it just for the sake of better effects?

Best line: (Reverend Scott, in his sermon) “God wants brave souls. He wants winners, not quitters. If you can’t win, at least try to win. God loves tryers…. So what resolution should we make for the New Year? Resolve to let God know that you have the guts and the will to do it alone. Resolve to fight for yourselves, and for others, for those you love. And that part of God within you will be fighting with you all the way.”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 8
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 9
Watchability: 8
Other (language): -6
 
TOTAL: 41 out of 60
 

Next: #209 – Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (please don’t laugh)

© 2014 S. G. Liput

128 Followers and Counting

 

The Terminator (1984)

06 Friday Jun 2014

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The future is dismal and vast:
Machines conquered Earth very fast.
The humans impede
On the bots and succeed,
But one cyborg goes to the past.
 
This buff, human-like Terminator
Is out for the blood of a waiter.
He wants Sarah Connor,
Is almost upon her,
But fails when he tries to negate her.
 
A human came too, Kyle Reese,
To not let this woman decease.
He gets her away,
But they both cause a fray,
And are captured by L.A. police.
 
The cyborg of termination
Just massacres all at the station.
Both Sarah and Reese
Seize this chance for release
And flee from the sheer devastation.
 
They go to a hotel and kiss,
Conceiving the cause of all this.
For Sarah’s son John
Will lead rebellion,
Which all the machines want to miss.
 
The cyborg finds them and gives chase,
And they run all over the place.
They blow up the bot;
It’s dead now…or not.
It now has a scarier face.
 
They take a dark factory tour
And then blow it up like before.
Reese dies from the blast,
But it’s over at last.
No, wait, half its body wants more!
 
When Sarah is done panicking,
She finally crushes the thing.
No more Terminator,
She then drives south later
And fears what the future will bring.
___________________
 

James Cameron has directed a number of great feature films and some less than great, but it all started with this one (if you ignore Piranha II). The plot combines traditional horror hunts with a surprisingly well-thought-out dystopian future and time travel to create something at once scary, thrilling, and unique, especially for 1984.

I think the main reason for its success was not Linda Hamilton as Sarah or Michael Biehn as Reese (though both do an excellent job) but Arnold Schwarzenegger, who will forever be the Terminator. If great acting involves simply being steely enough to intimidate both the characters and the audience, then the former governor of California is a master. Many critics said the role was perfect for him because he didn’t have to speak much. He’s so integral to the franchise that he’ll even be in the reboot next year.

The film itself is a thrill ride with great focus put on the car chases. My VC, who likes the film too, actually thought the chase scenes ran on rather long. The part involving Reese and Sarah’s romance in the hotel room slowed it down a bit too much, in addition to throwing in unnecessary nudity.

Overall, it is certainly an R-rated movie. There’s profanity, tons of shooting and deaths (though Cameron could have made it worse), the nudity, and that icky scene with the Terminator’s eye, which is mitigated by the fact that it’s obviously an animatronic. Yet The Terminator is also a gold standard for sci-fi fans with cool effects and some truly awesome explosions and is a definite part of popular culture. I’ve already reviewed the third one and this is the first, so all I can say for the Terminator is that he’ll “be back.”

Best line: (you guessed it; the Terminator) “I’ll be back.”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 8
Entertainment: 8
Visual effects: 6
Originality: 10
Watchability: 7
Other (violence, language, nudity, etc.) -6
 
TOTAL: 40 out of 60
 

Next: #216 – Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

© 2014 S. G. Liput

122 Followers and Counting

 

Surrogates (2009)

23 Friday May 2014

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How’d you like to be attractive,
Slick and bold but safe as well?
There are robots interactive
Which can help your life excel.
 
Since Dr. Lionel Canter first
Invented them some years ago,
These surrogates have been dispersed
And now make up the status quo.
 
Lying in your comfy bed,
You’ll see the world through different eyes,
But there are some who frankly “dread”
These rampant robots’ sudden rise.
 
When Canter’s son is having fun
In Canter’s surry late one night,
He’s murdered by an unknown gun
That gives police a wary fright.
 
There has never been a case
Where operators have been harmed.
The FBI is quick to trace
The murderer so gravely armed.
 
The savvy agent Thomas Greer
And partner Peters search as well.
They question too the pioneer
Of surrogates, who’s mad as hell.
 
At home, Greer’s always forced to shun
Cold Maggie, his now distant wife,
Who mourns the loss of their young son,
For surries are her only life.
 
The murderer is quickly found,
And Greer goes out to bring him in,
But his own surrogate is downed
By “dreads,” who think bots are a sin.
 
Tom then is left in his own skin
To find the weapon he had seen.
He doesn’t know how long it’s been
Since he went out with no machine.
 
Although he’s told to stay away,
He learns his boss helped plan to kill
Both Canter and those he can play
In roles his surrogates could fill.
 
Though Canter made these useful bots,
He now regrets this bad mistake.
They’ve changed both people’s lives and thoughts
And made it normal to be fake.
 
Pretending to be flesh and blood,
A bot of his began to lead
The “dreads” against the robot flood,
From which he claims man must be freed.
 
He was found out and targeted
By those who build his own creation.
Now he has the tool instead
To wipe out his abomination.
 
Canter hijacks Peters’ surry,
Using her and his device,
To reach his purpose in a hurry,
Wiping out man’s newest vice.
 
Greer attempts to stop his plan,
But Canter kills himself before.
Tom saves the users (since he can)
But lets the surries hit the floor.
 
The surrogates are useless now,
But Greer can hold his wife once more.
Through changes, life goes on somehow,
And things are as they were before.
____________________
 

It took me a while to finally see Surrogates, but I could tell from the trailers that I would probably like it, being an avid fan of science fiction. Turns out I was right. I think Surrogates is one of the best sci-fi films of recent years, and I am shocked at how many poor reviews it received. It has only a 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, and many critics called it “mindless” action with few deep thoughts. They must have seen a different film because I saw an amazingly multi-faceted commentary on the practical dangers scientific advancement can impart to mankind.

To be honest, the very idea of surrogacy, that of living an unconfined and painless life through an android controlled by one’s thoughts, is downright cool and is owed to a 2005-2006 comic book series on which the film is based. There are so many implications that are both futuristic and very timely in the present day. Some large, ugly man could walk around masquerading as a hot blond, just as many misrepresent themselves online, whether on forums or dating sites. The fact that people live their lives as machines protects them from disease and injury, but it cuts them off from human contact and the true experience of life. Most say this is better, but something is just wrong, much like Facebook somehow brings people closer and inundates them with “friends” while also keeping those “friends” at a distance. What’s more, the surrogates serve as cameras too, so that people’s lives are constantly under surveillance, mirroring the age-old security-versus-safety debate. As neat as it is that authorities can just shut down people’s bodies when they’re about to commit a crime, such power can also be used for harm, as it is at the end.

Much of the movie is spent on the characters and trying to make sense of the convoluted plot, so the action is far from pervasive. Still, it illustrates well the advantages of a surrogate in a fight and boasts one of the few car chases that can get away with ramming into pedestrians. (Don’t try this at home.)

Bruce Willis is a great lead as usual, handling both the action and the dramatic scenes with his wife with equal skill. I think it’s amazing how they made his surrogate self look so much younger, almost as he did in The Sixth Sense. The rest of the cast is good but unremarkable, except for the always masterful James Cromwell as Lionel Canter, creator of the surrogates. Since he played the inventor of the androids in I, Robot, perhaps he should do one more such film, and they can market all three as the James Cromwell robot trilogy.

Surrogates may not delve too deeply into the myriad social implications that it brings up, but their mere presence is enough to raise it above any “mindless” action film. Considering how quickly Facebook and Twitter have become a fixture in so many people’s lives, the opening scenes describing the rise of the surrogates is certainly plausible. It serves as a warning to embrace technological improvements with caution and discretion.

Best line (for all its astuteness, there aren’t that many good lines): “Look at yourselves. Unplug from your chairs, get up and look in the mirror. What you see is how God made you. We’re not meant to experience the world through a machine.”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 8
Watchability: 6
Other (some language and violence): -3
 
TOTAL: 38 out of 60
 

Next: #230 – X2: X-Men United

© 2014 S. G. Liput

113 Followers and Counting

 

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

22 Thursday May 2014

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In 1957, we see Indiana Jones
Surrounded by a band of Russian guards.
Their head Irina Spalko’s fascinated by unknowns
And sure that she is holding all the cards.
 
Within a desert warehouse, Jones is told to find a box
With strange magnetic properties he’d spied.
He does so but escapes aboard a rocket he unlocks
After Mac, his partner, joins the other side.
 
He hides inside a fridge from an atomic bombing test
And then is questioned by the FBI.
A motorcycle boy named Mutt then gives Jones a request
And a letter with a riddle he can try.
 
Mutt’s mother and one Oxley, a professor and a friend,
Were kidnapped and are being held somewhere.
When Jones finds out Peru is where their trail appears to end,
The greaser and the teacher travel there.
 
They follow Oxley’s notes, which lead them to a crystal skull,
And both are caught, and Spalko is to blame.
The Russians captured Oxley, who is now insane and dull,
And Mutt’s mom Marion (of Raiders fame).
 
When Spalko gives to Jones a glimpse of what the skull can do,
She has him show her forces where it leads.
When stuck in quicksand, Marion says Mutt is his son too,
The product of his debonair past deeds.
 
The good guys get out from their bonds and from a truck bed’s walls
And start a long and thrilling jungle chase
Involving fencing, monkeys, ants, and three big waterfalls,
And Jones and friends are first to reach the place.
 
They run into some natives, but the skull has them adjourn,
And soon they’ve found an ancient room of thrones.
A ring of crystal skeletons awaits the skull’s return,
But Spalko does the deed instead of Jones.
 
The creatures then reward her with much more than she can take,
And Jones and friends escape while they still can.
A spinning portal opens, and the earth begins to quake,
And Mac regrets his greed when this began.
 
The aliens retreat into the space between all spaces,
And Jones, Mutt, Ox, and Marion remain.
Both Jones and Marion marry, and the wedded pair embraces.
Now maybe life can finally be mundane?
___________________
 

The first Indiana Jones movie on my list turns out to be the last one released and the one with the most mixed reviews. Many have mocked Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to no end for its absurd contrivances, Shia LaBeouf’s casting as potentially the next Indiana Jones, and that silly scene in which they “nuked the fridge,” which has joined “jumped the shark” as a way to describe the moment when a series or franchise goes too far. Yes, it’s not perfect and not quite on par with its predecessors, but Crystal Skull remains an entertaining return for everyone’s favorite archaeologist.

Let’s not lie: Harrison Ford is old, and his scenes of direct physical combat are a bit unconvincing, but he’s still Indiana Jones and is a good foil for the youthful Mutt Williams, just as Sean Connery was for Ford in The Last Crusade. I thought it noteworthy that, for all his sleeping around, Indiana Jones actually had a son. Just imagine how many kids James Bond may have out there. It was certainly enjoyable to welcome back Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, and most of the other actors fill their roles well, from John Hurt as Harold Oxley to Ray Winstone as Mac and especially Cate Blanchett as Spalko, whom I always think of when I see a similar hairstyle. (Lost alert!) I should also mention that Alan Dale, who played Charles Widmore on my favorite show, has a brief role as a general defending Indy against accusations of treason.

Like the reviews, the plot itself is mixed. It has moments that strain any form of credulity (the fridge scene, Mutt’s Tarzan-style monkey attack) alongside moments of near brilliance (that whole jungle fight/chase is the best part of the movie). I can go from cringing at a creepy graveyard scene to laughing at how the characters somehow stay in the truck going over two waterfalls (they fall out by the third). It hits all the familiar beats that we would expect from an Indiana Jones film, from dangerous booby traps to the requisite creepy crawlies, giant ants in this case. Whatever some may think of it, it’s entertaining without a doubt.

Do I want to see another Indiana Jones film? Maybe. As with most things, it depends what they might do with it. The end of this one seemed like a letdown to my VC, but I suppose it’s a fitting “retirement” for the famous adventurer. Crystal Skull may be the lowest of the Indiana Jones films on my list, but it’s certainly an exciting ride for anyone not in the mood to nitpick.

Best line (mirroring a better one from Raiders of the Lost Ark): (Mutt) “What’s he gonna do now?” (Marion) “I don’t think he plans that far ahead.”

 
Artistry: 4
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 9
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 6
Watchability: 9
Other (silly plot points and some minor language and violence): -3
 
TOTAL: 38 out of 60
 

Next: #231 – Surrogates

© 2014 S. G. Liput

113 Followers and Counting

 

The River Wild (1994)

19 Monday May 2014

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Though Gail, a Boston mom and wife,
Is having doubts on married life,
Her husband Tom is fixed on work
And seems to Roarke, their son, a jerk.
A birthday trip for Roarke out west
For river rafting has a guest
When Tom then brings work with him there
To show his family he does care.
 
They meet two men named Wade and Terry,
Who seem friendly, nice, and merry.
As work distracts, Tom still offends,
While Wade and Roarke become good friends.
But, as they paddle down the river,
Wade starts giving Gail a shiver.
 
When Gail and Tom have had enough,
They try to flee with all their stuff,
But Roarke is clueless as to why
And lets Wade catch them ere they fly.
They see Gail’s plan so Wade and Terry
Turn into villains, mean and scary.
 
They robbed an auction, and their scheme
Involves escaping far downstream.
They lost their guide so Gail, they knew,
Would have to get them safely through.
Wade shoots at their dog, who’s quick to run,
And ties them down, armed with a gun.
 
As hostages aboard the raft,
The trio can’t escape the craft,
But one night, Tom is forced to flee
And gets away quite narrowly.
He runs ahead past rabid falls
And sets a trap ‘twixt canyon walls.
 
Though Gail attempts to gain release,
The duo need her expertise.
The deadly Gauntlet lies ahead
And causes her continued dread.
Through swirling rapids kept taboo,
Gale guides them as they paddle through.
 
The other side sees Tom’s trap sprung,
And in the water, all are flung.
Gail gets the gun, and, once he’s pled,
Wade gives her cause to shoot him dead.
The cops are called to fetch the men,
And Gail and Tom are close again.
__________________
 

I first saw The River Wild more recently than most of the films on my list, and it’s one of those movies that surprised me as being much better than I expected. Meryl Streep gives a less acclaimed but no less brilliant performance as distressed mother Gail, who matches wits, if not muscle, with two violent thieves. (Plus, she had to learn sign language and rafting skills and did most of her own stunts.) Kevin Bacon is equally well-cast in a villainous role, and both earned Golden Globe nominations for their roles. Though he doesn’t actually carry out a violent act until near the end, he gives every indication that he would not hesitate in the slightest. He may not be the most memorable of villains, but he is bad. Just imagine if he had superpowers or something (see X-Men: First Class). John C. Reilly as Terry and Joseph Mazzello (Jurassic Park) as Roarke also fill their roles well, and this is now the fourth David Strathairn (Tom) film on my list; you’ll see him again.

The Montana/Oregon scenery is really spectacular, and, aside from the tension Wade brings to the party, the rafting scenes are true highlights, particularly the final running of the Gauntlet. Having gone rafting with my dad down the Nantahala River in North Carolina, I know how thrilling it can be, and this film gives a taste of it for those who perhaps haven’t experienced it themselves.

Many criticized the film for its predictability and lack of credibility, such as when Tom outruns the raft down the rushing river, and, while these complaints have some credence, it doesn’t detract from the movie as a whole. It’s an entertaining ride that rushes along nicely and even manages a laudable endorsement of sticking with a difficult marriage early on.

Best line: (Gail, to Roarke at the beginning of the trip) “You’re gonna scream your guts out, you’ll be so happy.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 8
Originality: 5
Watchability: 7
Other (some language): -3
 
TOTAL: 38 out of 60
 

Next: #234 – The Artist

© 2014 S. G. Liput

108 Followers and Counting

 

Unbreakable (2000)

17 Saturday May 2014

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When David Dunn is on a train,
Which crashes, all aboard are slain,
But David walks away unharmed,
Which leaves him puzzled and alarmed
How he alone survived the wreck.
 
He finds a simple note, concise,
From comic fan Elijah Price,
That questions David to explore
If he’s been ever sick before.
This irks and pushes him to check.
 
He meets with Price, whose bones, alas,
Are broken easily, like glass.
Price then suggests that Dunn may be
A superhuman possibly.
 
Price watched the news: a crashing plane,
A hotel fire, and then the train.
And Dunn alone has cheated death,
But David says to save his breath.
 
Through tests of instinct and his might,
He starts to think Price may be right.
His past confirms what Price has known;
Dunn’s never had a broken bone.
 
His failing marriage lacks romance,
But Dunn’s wife grants a second chance.
His son insists that Price is right
And tries to prove it with a fright.
 
At last when David thinks it’s true,
He tries to see what he can do.
He stops an evil home invader
As a hooded night crusader.
 
He feels at last he’s found it all,
His purpose, thanks to Price’s call,
But David senses through his skill
That “Mr. Glass” has secrets still.
__________________
 

Before M. Night Shyamalan’s reputation went down the tubes, he created Unbreakable, an amazingly nuanced take on the superhero film, which had high expectations coming right on the heels of his smash hit The Sixth Sense. Bringing back Bruce Willis as the star and James Newton Howard as composer, Shyamalan’s artistry is out of this world. The film is replete with framed shots meant to look like comic book panels, a much more effective and subtle technique than Ang Lee’s attempt at the same thing in Hulk. Repeated use of upside-down shots, mirrored shots, and Shyamalan’s distinctive application of bright colors in a drab world make repeated watchings worthwhile, if only to notice them all like Easter eggs, and, of course, there’s the surprise ending, which may not be as mind-blowing as in The Sixth Sense but definitely comes as a game-changing surprise on the first viewing.

Bruce Willis is at his subdued best as David Dunn, and Robin Wright Penn as his wife Audrey and Spencer Treat Clark as son Joseph are likewise exemplary. Samuel L. Jackson steals every scene he’s in, and it’s not just because of his hairdo. His role may be very different from his more recent comic book films (Nick Fury), but he manages great vulnerability as well as potential psychosis.

Although Unbreakable is considered a superhero film, it doesn’t even attempt the unfettered entertainment of movies like Spider-Man, Iron Man, or The Avengers. David’s one stab at heroism is too horrific to be really enjoyable, though it remains timely in light of the Ariel Castro kidnappings that recently came to light in Cleveland. Plus, while The Sixth Sense ended on a bittersweet but hopeful note, Unbreakable’s twist ending is more dismal and depressing.

There are no explosions, no jaw-dropping stunts, just exceptional acting, skillful cinematography, and some genuinely tense scenes. I love the attention to little details, such as the brief scene of The Powerpuff Girls episode “Mommy Fearest,” which features both breaking glass and a plot analogous to the film’s. Unbreakable isn’t the kind of film I like to watch often, but it’s certainly worth watching and perhaps even studying.

Best line: (Elijah Price) “Do you know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world, to not know why you’re here.”

 
Artistry: 10
Characters/Actors: 9
Entertainment: 5
Visual Effects: 6
Originality: 8
Watchability: 5
Other (language and a bloodless but brutal death scene): -5
 
TOTAL: 38 out of 60
 

Next: #236 – Wuthering Heights (1970)

© 2014 S. G. Liput

106 Followers and Counting

 

The Abyss (1989)

09 Friday May 2014

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When a nuclear submarine sinks to a perilous depth,
The U. S. decides to send down a SEAL team for rescue.
A hurricane is coming, so time is just not on their side;
Therefore, they commission an undersea oil rig crew.
 
The hard-nosed designer named Lindsey goes down with the SEALS
To keep tabs on them and Bud Brigman, her soon-to-be ex.
While Bud and his oil rig team don’t appreciate this,
They’ll all be paid well for this most dangerous of projects.
 
They move the rig close to a seemingly bottomless trench
With orders from Coffey, the SEALs’ leading pain in the neck.
They find the huge vessel with everyone in it deceased
When divers and subs journey out to examine the wreck.
 
One big guy named Jammer freaks out from the sub full of corpses
And falls in a coma as storm winds above start to blow.
Then Coffey gets orders to reclaim a nuke from the sub,
Which causes some unforeseen problems for all down below.
 
The hurricane destroys a large crane from a ship up above,
Which nearly drags down the whole oil rig into the pit.
They suffer some losses, but Lindsey believes that she saw
A strange glowing thing, yet everyone’s doubtful of it.
 
First Lindsey, then everyone gets a good look at these beings,
Which somehow control ocean water from deep in that void.
But Coffey, who’s suffering from pressure sickness, believes
They’re Russians or some hostile species that must be destroyed.
 
He arms the small nuke to send down to the yawning abyss
And locks down the rig, putting everyone into harm’s way.
When Jammer wakes up, he helps free all his friends from their jail,
And Bud and a pal try to stop Coffey’s mad power play.
 
They battle in subs, but the bomb swims away to the trench,
And Coffey soon follows, imploding while plummeting down.
When Lindsey and Bud are then stranded in their sinking sub,
Bud swims to the rig in a suit while poor Lindsey must drown.
 
Bud next resurrects her, and “drowns” in a way of his own.
To disarm the bomb, he must enter the endless abyss.
He has to breathe liquid with oxygen as he descends,
Which helps him adjust to the pressure, the worst part of this.
 
He sinks ever deeper and locates the bomb to disarm.
He does so, but knows he cannot make it back to the rig.
He types his goodbyes till an alien creature swims by
And carries him off to the mother ship, looming quite big.
 
They give him some air and then show him a TV of sorts,
Depicting the rumors of war on the surface above.
They have the control to destroy man with giant tsunamis,
But let us survive based on Bud’s show of unselfish love.
 
Bud contacts the rig, letting everyone know he’s alive,
And warns them to brace for their newest acquaintance from space.
The mother ship rises and lifts the whole rig to the surface,
Where Lindsey and Bud share a thrilled reuniting embrace.
_______________________
 

Coming on the heels of The Terminator and Aliens, James Cameron’s The Abyss was a much more ambitious project, with over half of the nearly three-hour film being shot underwater. For those who don’t know, my poem and review are for the extended version of The Abyss, which includes a half hour of additional scenes and a better-explained ending than the original 1989 version. These scenes give greater detail to various relationships and a more full understanding of the finale, which explains why the alternate version has largely replaced the original.

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio stars in what I consider her best role as the hardheaded rig designer Lindsey, and Ed Harris is similarly fantastic as her irritated husband Bud. Their relationship is the most intimate and personable, and little touches such as Bud’s wedding ring saving his life add a lot to their characters. Michael Biehn is increasingly wild-eyed as the impaired SEAL Coffey, but these three are the only fleshed-out characters in the film. While the extended version helps, the rest of the crew are pretty much just a collection of eccentricities. Their names don’t really stick like their actions or appearance, making them just “the tall coma guy,” “the black sub lady,” “the conspiracy guy with the rat,” and “the guy who looks like a truck driver.”

Regardless of the lack of secondary character development, the Oscar-winning special effects are often extraordinary, especially considering when it was released. The set pieces involving the crane and the submarine fight are truly impressive and kept me on the edge of my seat. The NTIs (Non-Terrestrial Intelligence) are also well-realized creatures that are kept out of sight for most of the film, and the grand score by the great Alan Silvestri creates tension and mystery, though less scarily than in Aliens.

Weak points include the language and the ending. Even with the extended climax, with an anti-war message foreshadowing that of Cameron’s Avatar, the end is overlong and rather convenient. The NTIs’ benevolence in light of Bud’s sacrifice carries an important and touching message, but it’s a tad hokey as well. Without the anti-war elements, the end made even less sense and drew the bulk of critics’ ire. Also, while the F-words are minimal, The Abyss has quite a bit of profanity and other bad language, plus some non-sexual nudity, so a cut version is definitely preferred in my house.

I’ve heard that, with all the safety issues and long shoots required, Cameron and the actors did not enjoy making The Abyss at all. It may have been hard on them, but it gave Cameron some experience shooting with water, preparing him for Titanic, and it gave us an excellent sci-fi thriller.

Best line: (Bud) “Hippy, you think everything is a conspiracy.” (Hippy) “Everything is.”

VC’s best line (one she has reused many times since): (Bud) “I’m comin’, I’m comin’. Geez, keep your pantyhose on.”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 9
Originality: 8
Watchability: 7
Other (language, nudity, and overlong ending): -8
 
TOTAL: 38 out of 60
 

Next: #241 – Sister Act

© 2014 S. G. Liput

100 Followers and Counting!