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movie reviews

Iron Man

by Albert Desantis

Despite being a relatively unknown superhero, Iron Man manages
to succeed admirably. It may not go down as the best superhero
movie of all time, but Iron Man is very entertaining, the visual
effects are absolutely fantastic, and it has some engaging
performances that make it soar. You could easily say Iron Man is
in the top 10 superhero movies of all time, which is actually quite
an achievement considering the number of movies in that genre. [ more ]

mini movie reviews

THE KINGDOM

With films such as Syriana and United 93 providing a valid
cinematic counterpoint to the current miasma of global terrorism
and social anxiety towards Arab/American tension, one really has
to ask whether it is appropriate to splice these themes onto a
more exploitative genre? Sadly, there is no definitive answer. It is
such a complex and ongoing theatre of operations that regardless
of approach, there will be much grumbling as to whether such
ventures are disrespectful, misinformed or just plain wrong.
Jarhead and Three Kings took a slightly satirical and surreal
stance that was creatively rewarding but are we ready for the
action movie to step up to the issue driven plate? In the case of
The Kingdom, a lot can be forgiven due to a strong cast and brisk
direction, but there is also a sense of split personality with the
story. It tries for political respectability, procedural intelligence
and realistically pulse-pounding violence; only it struggles to do
them all at once.
At an American worker’s compound in Saudi Arabia many lives
are lost due to a terrorist bombing. An elite team of FBI forensic
experts chomps at the bit to investigate the tragedy after it is
learned that a colleague was among the deceased. Agent Fleury
(Jamie Foxx) leads the group (Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and
Jason Bateman) into the Kingdom against the wishes of certain
government officials, but results start to accumulate when their
liaison officer, Col. Faris Al Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom), realizes that
they all want the same thing. Unfortunately, Westerners aren’t too
popular among the extremist factions in the Middle East and plots
ensue to remove the FBI agents from the area… permanently.
If you subtract the culture clash dynamics of Americans
operating in politically sensitive locations, what we have story-
wise is basically a beefed up episode of CSI. Layering on the ‘fight
against terror’ trappings almost seems like a bid for relevance.
That isn’t to say that some of the overt messages that the film
delivers aren’t effective, because there are several scenes that are
hard hitting indeed. It is imperative to understand, though, that at
the end of the day, this is all about Americans avenging their own
and leaving a high body count. Despite this somewhat jingoistic
approach, director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) tones down the
nationalistic bombast about half way through to focus in a bit
more on the characters and how they deal with the mess that
surrounds them. It is also around this time that the mayhem
quotient explodes into a truly memorable final sequence.
Although technically an ensemble film, Foxx pours on his
leading man charisma to some effect. How anyone can be that
suave amidst constant threat of death is a mystery, but he is
watchable in a somewhat one–dimensional role. Fleury is a
cowboy, and chances are that if he really existed, he would have
been killed many times over. What helps proceedings is the
official stamp of producer Michael Mann. After setting the gold
standard for street shootouts in his magnum opus Heat, Mann
has clearly been a valuable resource in creating an almost equally
rattling gun battle along the byways and alleys of a truly
threatening neighbourhood. On its own, this set piece is a classic,
but amidst the machinations and investigations of terror cells and
the FBI, the disjointed mood is jarring.
What also is jarring is the camera work of cinematographer
Mauro Fiore. Gratuitously hand held, the wobbly frame
communicates the confusion and immediacy of being under fire,
but a steady-cam might have helped the quieter scenes when
subtlety should prevail. The ensuing motion sickness provides an
appropriate visceral response to the violence, but the reflection
suffers with the jitters.
Political and moralistic themes of violence begetting violence
replace the obviousness of revenge and retaliation to buoy the
film above a typical us vs. them mentality. Also, the strong
parental influence that informs a child’s behaviour becomes a
metaphor for the cyclical nature of both hatred and
understanding. These are pensive ingredients for a film that
spends a great deal of time blowing things up, but it is a welcome
sight for that same film to acknowledge that there really is no
easy solution and in all likelihood no solution… period. Cynical?
Perhaps. Downbeat? Definitely! Let us be thankful that an action
movie has at least tried to address the important issues,
regardless of the scattershot results.

DEATH SENTENCE

is a Death Wish clone that begins as a surprisingly effective drama about tragedy and loss that quickly shoots itself in the foot, becoming yet another turgid revenge thriller. Kevin Bacon stars as the father of a murdered son who sets out to exact his pound of flesh from the thugs responsible. Soon, this quiet, unassuming family man is summoning forth his inner Travis Bickle (he even adopts a similarly shaved head) and locking and loading in a full-on gang war, at which point director James Wan (Saw) can't help but let loose with severed limbs and exploding chest wounds. What a bloody mess.B.Hooper. Directed by James Wan, runs 110 min.

THE BROTHERS SOLOMAN

s a lame, pedestrian comedy that wants you to root for two socially inept men - and makes you loathe the losers instead. Will Arnett and Will Forte star as hyperactive (and virtually interchangeable) brothers whose father (Lee Majors) home-schooled them in the Arctic. Their dad's dying wish is a grandson, so they pay Janine (Kristen Wiig) to let them inseminate her with Solomon sperm. Why she stays in the scheme so long is a mystery; she's astonishingly patient with their antics, which include honing their parenting skills by playing catch with a baby doll. The Wills play the Solomons so one-dimensionally (with creepy smiling galore) that you squirm rather than laugh. Even gags that should be funny go on too long or repeat themselves. Makes the Farrellys look like the Coens. Directed by Bob Odenkirk, runs 91 min.

See All Mini Movie Reviews

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