About Me
- Jethrotcat
- This is the blog where I talk about the latest movies I've seen. These are my two Schnauzers, Rufus (left) and Marley (right, RIP). As of now, the Double Hollywood Strikes are officially over. May the next strikes not last as long as these ones did.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Oblivion
The world didn't end last year. So now, we face Oblivion.
Actually, it's only a movie.
It's directed by Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy), who pitched the story as a graphic novel. The end result looks great, sounds great, but its story is only OK.
Jack (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) live on Earth in 2077. Sixty years earlier, alien Scavengers invaded the planet. They got driven off, but Earth got wasted. So now, humanity is on Saturn's moon Titan.
Our heroes have to extract Earth's resources for the new home world. They also have to repair the drones who battle the remaining Scavengers.
A space ship crashes to Earth one day. In the wreckage is Julia (Olga Kurylenko), the literal woman of Jack's dreams. For some reason, the drones tried to kill her. Jack tries to find out why, which results in some big secrets.
(Excuse me while I catch my breath.)
(So anyway...)
Its scenery, filmed mainly in Iceland, looks great. It's supposed to be New York in the future, but you wouldn't know that from first glance. Its CGI additions make it look like a real wasteland. The futuristic vehicles, a mix of CGI and on-set props, are creative as well.
As Jack, Tom Cruise is a confident, likable action hero. He helps the film even as the story gets murky overtime. In particular, there's a final plot twist that's more perplexing than shocking. Meanwhile, the film treats some supposedly important supporting characters as background.
It's not in 3D, so the choice is whether to see Oblivion at all. It's an adequate pre-summer blockbuster, but it could've been quite better.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
42
Now that it's April, it's time for Baseball. In time for the season comes a Baseball movie. It's 42, a decent sports film about one of Baseball's greatest players.
In 1945, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) decides to find an African-American ballplayer for his team. Despite all objections, he finds his candidate in Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman).
Once he's signed, Jackie faces the racism of fans and ballplayers. Every insult tests his character. But to beat them, he has to have "the guts not to fight back." That philosophy helps not just the Dodgers, but the soon-to-be Civil Rights Movement.
Writer/Director Brian Helgeland has made an involving biopic. As Robinson, Boseman isn't afraid to stand up for his rights. Yet, he struggles to not let racist insults hurt him. That's what earns him the audience's sympathy, a point actually discussed in the film.
Also adding to the film are Editors Kevin Stitt and Peter McNulty. They make each ballgame exciting and every round of insults towards Robinson more tense. Composer Mark Isham also contributes strongly with a memorable score.
Still, bits of the story were too obvious. A minor one involves a young fan of Robinson's named Ed Charles, later of the Boston Braves. Even without knowing who he was, I knew he had to be someone important.
But those obvious parts didn't detract from the experience. 42 does what it wanted to do and that's what matters. That's a good enough reason to see it soon.
In 1945, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) decides to find an African-American ballplayer for his team. Despite all objections, he finds his candidate in Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman).
Once he's signed, Jackie faces the racism of fans and ballplayers. Every insult tests his character. But to beat them, he has to have "the guts not to fight back." That philosophy helps not just the Dodgers, but the soon-to-be Civil Rights Movement.
Writer/Director Brian Helgeland has made an involving biopic. As Robinson, Boseman isn't afraid to stand up for his rights. Yet, he struggles to not let racist insults hurt him. That's what earns him the audience's sympathy, a point actually discussed in the film.
Also adding to the film are Editors Kevin Stitt and Peter McNulty. They make each ballgame exciting and every round of insults towards Robinson more tense. Composer Mark Isham also contributes strongly with a memorable score.
Still, bits of the story were too obvious. A minor one involves a young fan of Robinson's named Ed Charles, later of the Boston Braves. Even without knowing who he was, I knew he had to be someone important.
But those obvious parts didn't detract from the experience. 42 does what it wanted to do and that's what matters. That's a good enough reason to see it soon.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
A Place at the Table
A Place at the Table brings up an issue brought up again and again: people are hungry. The reason it brings it up now is that no one seems to be listening.
Directors/Producers Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush bring up the economic and social powers that control our food supply. First, they show that many people can't afford good food. Second, they show that many people live too far from the nearest grocery stores.
As a result, people are "food insecure." They don't know if and when they'll get food. And it's a crisis that needs to be addressed now.
It shows multiple personal stories surrounding the food insecurity crisis. They're the kids living in poverty and the single mothers trying to work their way out of poverty. They're the reasons why we should take this social inequality seriously.
One part that got my attention was its economic analysis. Junk food is cheap and healthier foods are pricey. That's part of the cause of increasing obesity rates. According to the film, it's due to economic mishandling by corporate farms. It's a thorough analysis that really got me thinking on that topic.
Before you have your next meal, think about those who can't. And think about how you can help. That's what A Place at the Table's message is. If you can find it, do try to see it. You will be educated.
Directors/Producers Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush bring up the economic and social powers that control our food supply. First, they show that many people can't afford good food. Second, they show that many people live too far from the nearest grocery stores.
As a result, people are "food insecure." They don't know if and when they'll get food. And it's a crisis that needs to be addressed now.
It shows multiple personal stories surrounding the food insecurity crisis. They're the kids living in poverty and the single mothers trying to work their way out of poverty. They're the reasons why we should take this social inequality seriously.
One part that got my attention was its economic analysis. Junk food is cheap and healthier foods are pricey. That's part of the cause of increasing obesity rates. According to the film, it's due to economic mishandling by corporate farms. It's a thorough analysis that really got me thinking on that topic.
Before you have your next meal, think about those who can't. And think about how you can help. That's what A Place at the Table's message is. If you can find it, do try to see it. You will be educated.
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