Wow, I've been Missing in Action from my blog for a while. That's what happens when you have a day job; you don't write as much thus skewing your identity as a writer. Yet, I must buy my Romen Noodles somehow. So without further ado, here are my brief reviews on theatrically released movies thus far. I'm currently also reading Anne Rice's outstanding new novel, The Wolf Gift. It's one of her best so far, and I'll go more into that later. Without further ado, what have I seen at the box office recently?
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
American remake of the Swedish film of the same name, based on a Swedish novel of the same name. It's overly graphic at times, but it's an engaging dark mystery surrounding a wealthy and powerful family, and the deranged desires of some members of it. I want to see the other film versions and read the novel eventually, but I have to take time away from this material as I enjoy it. Dragon Tattoo is challenging and disturbing stuff with a lot to say about the abuse of power and manipulation of the weak and marginalized in society. The film suggests a very dismal view of human nature that may seriously offend some, but Dragon Tattoo challenges audiences as great art does.
Underworld: Awakening
Okay, I saw this on the same day as Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I went from challenging but entertaining material with dark reflections on human nature to cheese-puff eye candy cinema. I liked Awakening and would like to give it another chance when I was in a less thoughtful mood, preferably with a beer or two in me. This enjoyable fourth installment of the Underworld franchise has a lot to love, and a lot to criticize. Awakening is painfully short, and nowhere near the usual two hour running time of movies. It glosses over the major plot development in the series such as the discovery of lycans and vampires by humans, and most of all Michael Corvinus is absent through out the whole film. I felt he should have been there for the film's finale. It's fun to see Selene's daughter in this one, there is plenty of werewolf and vampire brawling and sexy shots of Kate Beckensale. We even get a giant werewolf in this one, so that's fun. The overall disappointment of The Underworld series for me remains they did not approach the material as something that could have a more meaty story, like The Godfather with monsters. Oh well, maybe Hollywood knows how to make money.
Chronicle
My favorite film in a while. A group of teenage boys enters an underground cave, and come out afterwords with amazing telekinetic powers. The boys struggle on how to use their powers responsibly, and soon one young man with a dark home life becomes the victim of his own abilities. Chronicle can be dark at times, but not to much to enjoy. The cinematography is fresh and inventive, as it's also told well through footage of a home video camera or surveillance video. I know this has been done before, but it really worked well in this case. See this one first next time you go to the movies.
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