Elmo's Cinematic Reflections

Watching The Town makes me think of something I said to a friend of mine a few years back. Before Gone Baby Gone came out I watched an Affleck movie that wasn't too great. (I believe it was Sum of all Fears or something.) I remember grimacing to my friend after the flick which made us have a discussion about why Ben's movies seem to be....not good. Amongst the discussion I remember spouting off this sentence; "Look, Ben Affleck won the Oscar for Screenwriting right? So why doesn't he just stay behind the scenes? Maybe that's where he really shines."

A few years later and I can't believe how right I was. After an Ultra-impressive directing debut with Gone Baby Gone, Benny boy does it once again with a another crime drama as intense, powerful, and awesome as they come. Most people are saying that this flick is this generations Heat but I can honestly say without flinching that this film surpasses that one in every way. I know some of you will come after me because of that statement but I can't help it. I was completely engrossed in this film from start to finish. Everything from setting, plot, performances, violence, realism and so on was on the money here it wasn't even funny.

Affleck definitely has an eye for directing. I know most will say its the cast, dialogue, and such, yet for me, its the gritty realism. I've seen a lot of films that are very grounded, but this film is one of most grounded I've seen in a while. You wont see too many implausible things in an Affleck directed film, which really says something about the actor/director's vision for capturing something that really sticks with you. From the sounds the guns made, the accents the locals had who were from this town, the extras walking around, the streets of concrete and mortar, it all comes together seamlessly to make this setting all the more perfect for a crime drama, and I believe that in another directors hands we wouldn't have gotten such a complete package of authenticity.

As far as the performances go; they're all pretty solid here. Affleck takes the helm this time instead of his brother as career criminal Doug MacRay. I must admit that Affleck is incredibly believable as a bank robber with a conscience, yet still delivers the toughness that goes along with having that kind of staple. He was excellent here, just like he should be in all his flicks.

Rebecca Hall (The Awakening) also was pretty golden as bank manager, Claire Keesey. She provided the film with a vulnerability, class, and compassion that was welcomed amongst all these tough guys in the room. She was also pretty damn cute too, in the most natural way possible, which made it all the more effective and believable that Ben would fall, let alone, risk everything for her.

Jon Hamm ("Mad Men") takes off the suit to play tenacious FBI Agent Frowley. He brings a quiet calm to the proceedings that really just shows he's a guy whose seen it all and knows the score very well. I liked him, and wanted him to catch up to our bad guys with everything he had. Another Solid showing indeed.

One performance everyone has been talking about is Jeremy Renner as psychotic best-friend James "Jem" Coughlin. And while I may not be on the bandwagon here completely, it doesn't mean i'm not throwing a thumbs up as it rides by. Renner is also pretty perfect here. He's very intimidating and scary, not because of his size and demeanor, but for one small fact...You don't really know what he's capable of, yet you feel whatever it is, he won't hesitate doing. And he conveys this with a sadistic smile or a look that says it all. I remember first seeing Renner on an episode of "Angel" a very long time ago, and thinking he played a psycho exceptionally well, and here is no different. He's perfected this skill over the years which is probably another reason why he was sensational in The Hurt Locker too. I for one, can't wait to see him pick up the purple bow & arrow and don the mantle of Hawkeye once The Avengers is released. I know he'll bring that same intensity to that role as well.

Blake Lively ("Gossip Girl", Green Lantern) plays Krista, a compulsive addict who was MacRay's ex-girlfriend and Jem's sister. I think she did a very fantastic job here playing against her type. I couldn't believe her transformation and she made it work emphatically. I'm sure most people who doubt her talent should pay more attention, at least a little because to me she proved her range very well.

The Supporting Cast here was pretty top-notch. Chris Cooper (Company Men, American Beauty) makes a memorable showing as MacRay's incarcerated father. Cool role, though I wish there would've been more scenes with him. Pete Postlethwaite (Clash of the Titans, Solomon Kane) was also on the money as Handler Fergie. Not enough scenes with him either but what was there worked well with the progression of the story. Slaine and Owen Burke were also pretty good as Gloansy and Dez, Affleck's other two crew members and life-long friends. And Titus Welliver ("Prison Break", "Lost", "Grimm") rounds out the cast as Agent Ciampa, Frowley's gruff partner.

As far as the action goes this film has plenty of it, with some all too real car chases that rival the Bourne Franchise and shoot-outs that would make many of us action hounds very proud to witness. It was rough, riveting, and hitting on all cylinders once it really hits the fan.

All-in-all, This movie has it all. The Violence, performances, realism, story, and even has a pretty interesting soundtrack too. Gotta mention that as well since it really added emphasis to a lot of choice scenes. I believe Ben Affleck is two for two now. Let's just hope he goes for a third with his upcoming September release Argo.

My grade:

First and foremost I haven't read the books, so my experience on the source material is nonexistent, but I can say that as a standalone film this was a solid achievement.

The entire premise is intriguing enough in the sense that we've already seen gladiator games in our species' history and by the way reality TV is transforming we may even see something like them again. This is a premise that's been used before in fictional media from books to TV shows to movies. Only time can really tell at this point but I'm a firm believer in the idea that our culture and society is a violent one that would endorse this premise in a heartbeat, if they thought that they could make enough money off of the premise.

Among the positives of the film are the casting, the script and the pacing. I felt like each character was introduced with enough time to give us room to accept them and watch them grow. The story is strong enough that it can exist with only the weakest of direction but luckily for us that wasn't the case. The cast was superb really and they were the stars of the show in my opinion. Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones, Captain America: The First Avenger) completely ate up his scenes and was a joy to watch, as was Woody Harrelson (Zombieland, The Messenger) who again delivers a memorably awesome performance. Elizabeth Banks (Man on a Ledge, Role Models) disappeared into her makeup and hammed it up for a few laughs but it was really Harrelson and Tucci that stole the spotlight of the supporting characters. The teenage cast was the weak link, with Liam Hemsworth (Triangle, Knowing) and Josh Hutcherson (Zathura, upcoming Red Dawn remake) doing their best but struggling through their lack of acting chops. The filler characters were exactly that, filler, and were the weakest part of the movie.

But Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone, X-Men: First Class). Jennifer. Freaking. Lawrence. This young woman is an acting phenom who tore through this movie like a tornado of awesome. I completely bought into her character's journey and felt every emotion that she did in every sense of her actions. She made this role her own and could've approached it in the sense that this was a paycheck, a foolproof way of making some money as a popular book adaptation but she didn't. She strived to make it great.. and I really saw that in her performance. I honestly can't say enough good things about her in this movie.

Unfortunately though, there were some noticeable weak links in the movie. The special effects bordered on solid to pretty bad at times, but for the most part were decent. They seemed to be lacking for a tentpole movie this size. The movie also seemed to drag during the middle of the battle, and ironically it was the training sessions and character introductions that were the most intriguing part for me. I wanted to know more about that world.. I wanted to explore that society and see what was lurking in each district.

Overall it was an entertaining movie and a lot more mature than I expected it to be. Of course it suffered from some eye rolling "romantic" moments as well as some cheesy lines but the direction and writing were really strong for the most part. It caught me by surprise and I think I'll be reading the books before the sequel comes out.

My grade:

A long time in development, The Adventures of Tintin finally showcases everyone’s favorite ginger reporter in all his glory. Successfully blending three of the original comic books, ‘The Crab with the Golden Claws’, ‘The Secret of the Unicorn,’ and ‘Red Rackham’s Treasure,’ this wonderous adventure follows Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell of Jumper, Billy Elliot) and his four-legged companion Snowy as they try to uncover the whereabouts of lost treasure.

Three maps are contained within three model replicas of a ship known as The Unicorn, and Tintin unknowingly has his hands on one of them. But he soon learns how prized this possession is when the shady Ivanovich Sakharine (Daniel Craig) arranges Tintin’s kidnapping. The combination of Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg behind this production has clearly brought out the best in this classic series, as it has all the live-action spectacle of some of their greatest films. Mixed in is the stellar motion capture animation pioneered by Robert Zemeckis, who displayed the form in The Polar Express. Smartly written and beautifully rendered (the hand-drawn opening credits are an absolute delight), this adventure was by far hands down worth waiting to see. Now when can we have the sequel?

My grade:

The Fellowship of The Ring works on two levels for a trilogy, it’s a great start to a roundabout 9 hour epic but it’s also great in its own rights and that’s rare to find. The film takes things slow to start with, having a 7 minute prologue to explain the history of the ring then the first half hour introduces Frodo, Gandalf, Sam and the Shire, however none of it feels slow, the whole film is nearly three hours and fell like only two as you’re swept up in this world.

Fellowship takes its first hour and a half introducing the main characters and the mission that must be taking, it’s halfway through the film before the fellowship even appears together. From there on out it just gets better with intense action and great battles, the final battle between the fellowship and the Uruk-Hai is brilliant as it shows the breaking of the fellowship and the odds this small band of brothers has to fight against and everything in the Mines Of Moria is simply amazing, from the cave troll battle and the escape on the staircase to the demon-flamed Balrog and Gandalf’s last stand, the whole time spent there features some of the best scenes in the entire trilogy and some of the best action scenes in any movie hands down.

The characters are all great as well and played fantastically. Elijah Wood’s boyish looks brings an innocence to Frodo which makes his growing maturity all the more obvious, Sean Astin is brilliant as the loyal Sam, never once leaving Frodo’s side, even in the darkest of times. Viggo Mortenson brings mystery to Strider and nobility to Aragorn, both of which compliment a strange and amazing character and Ian Mckellen gives Gandalf both a light-hearted friendship with Bilbo and Frodo but he can take the authority stand when it is needed, he’s a grandfather and a leader. Even Sean Bean as Boromir has great characterization in his short time on screen, he’s noble but perhaps too much and becomes weak to the ring, however, he manages to redeem himself by protecting the Halflings.

Two things that really stood out were the score and the cinematography, both were excellent, the score brought peace and contentment in the Shire scenes, dread and evil during Saruman’s building of his army and sheer epic scope when the fellowship was on the move. As for the cinematography, every location was unique and gave the impression of a huge epic world, from the green fields of Hobbiton, to the fiery pits of Isengard, no two places looked the same.

Overall, Fellowship of The Ring is an utterly brilliant movie both on its own and as the start of the trilogy, with great acting, fantastic scenes of action and an epic scope and score to back it up, this is the start of something special.

My grade:

Two Towers is easily the weakest of the trilogy but by no means does that make it bad. It suffers from what a lot of middle films do in that there’s no real beginning and no real end so unlike Fellowship the film can’t really stand on its own ground.

With the Fellowship broken we now have several storylines and this leads to a problem in focus, the whole Trilogy is supposed to follow Frodo’s quest to destroy the Ring but in truth this film seems to focus more on Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli and their Battle For Rohan, that’s not necessarily a bad thing but since the actual Battle doesn’t take place until the last hour the rest of the film tends to drag a bit, Two Towers is around the same length of Fellowship (gave or take a minute or two) but it feels much longer. However Two Towers does introduce us to some of the Trilogy’s best character and features a lot of its best moments.

First and foremost we have the true introduction of Gollum, previously only glimpse in Fellowship. Andy Serkis puts in a great performance here showing both the madness of Gollum in his voice and the weakness in his actions and mannerisms. It’s a shame that Motion Capture roles aren’t as respected as they should be because Serkis puts in one of the best performances of all three films into the role, the scene where Gollum argues with himself is brilliantly acted and brilliantly edited, easily one of the Trilogy’s best moments. We’re also introduced to Théoden, King Of Rohan; he starts of old and weak from Saruman’s possession and the poison tongue of his advisor Grima – played brilliantly weasel-like by Brad Dourif – but once he’s free he transforms into a leader and a fighter. However he’s more the latter and this leads to problems when the battle arises, he underestimates the enemy and it costs him dearly. And finally we get the first look at Eowyn, she has little to do in this film but we get a short look at who she will become in the next film.

In terms of the original Fellowship things are changing, Frodo is getting weaker and weaker from the ring and it’s harming his relationship with Sam. Gandalf has returned and is more powerful than before, then he leaves again, then returns once more, much like the focus of the film we don’t see much of Gandalf. The main trio of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli fare much better, their friendships are building and their becoming a stronger fighting force because of it.

Like I said earlier the film does drag a bit to start with but in the last hour things pick up, the Battle For Helm’s Deep is a truly brilliant one, the odds are hopeless and get worse every minute but still the free people battle the Uruk-Hai. Hope is restored in an utterly spell-binding piece when Gandalf returns with The Charge Of Helm’s Deep. We also see The Last March Of The Ents, a set piece that has one of the Trilogy’s best scores and best visual moments as Isengard is destroyed.

As with Fellowship the score and the cinematography are kept at high levels, there’s a lot of familiar tunes within the score but they are welcome along with the new. The epic world that we see in Fellowship increases with the hillside Rohan, the mountain-cut Helm’s Deep, a dank and grimy fortress and the ruins of Osgiliath. All these new locations keep with the differing looks that Fellowship first provided giving the sense that this world is bigger than ever and the threat of Mordor is hurting more people.

Overall, a good film that suffers from lack of focus and being the middle child, definitely recommended but it’s not as good as the other two.

My grade:

Return of The King is my favorite out of the Trilogy because it’s the climax of this roundabout 9 hour epic, therefore everything big happens here and now, the pieces have been set and **** goes down. Essentially this film is a two hour battle with the other hour going to Frodo and Sam’s quest.

And what a battle, the fight for Minus Tirith needs to go down as one of the great battles of our age, the vast amount of orcs and trolls and vicious dog things against the large but not that large army of Gondor, the battlefield consisting of the huge, shining city and the large, desolate Pelennor fields, the flaming wolf ram, the Rohan charge, the oliphaunts, the army of the dead. I could go on and on about how amazingly epic this battle is, it goes from hopeless to hopeless before finally the tide is turned at the last minute.

As for Frodo and Sam, with Gollum’s vicious words in his ear and the weight of the Ring on his neck Frodo pushes Sam away, their friendship breaks in its weakest moment. But Samwise stays ever loyal and they pull through to become better friends than ever.

Everyone’s arc reaches its apex here, Sam’s loyalty is stronger than before, Frodo’s weakness to the Ring, Gollum’s madness, even Gandalf shows us what a true fighter he is in a few parts as well as a great leader when Gondor’s ruler falls into insanity. The main arc finished here is Aragorn, the juxtaposition of being the shadowy man in the corner of The Prancing Pony to front and centre King Of Gondor is a great one to witness, his noble nature shines through and he comes out victorious at the end.

There are so many fantastic moments in this conclusion it’ll be impossible to name them all, Pippen’s song played against the suicidal charge of Faramir, the aforementioned Rohan charge of the Pelennor fields, Eowyn showing us all what a badass she is when she kills The Witch King and his Nazgul, Sam fighting Shelob and the final charge at The Black Gate are all but a few epic moments that set the film and this Trilogy head and shoulders above anything else.

The film also gives rise to three of the Trilogy’s greatest villains, the mad Denethor, the terrifying Witch King and the sneaking Shelob, her surprise attack on Frodo is another of the film’s highlights. It’s a shame Saruman doesn’t appear in this film because he’s proven himself to be one of the Trilogy’s main antagonists and he just seems to drop off. (Although he does appear in the extended edition which is major plus).

As ever the scope, score and cinematography are top notch, from the rousing battle music for Rohan’s warriors making them all the more powerful to the dark noise of Mordor giving it the true evil it holds. Visually as well it’s stunning, Minus Tirith does seem like a kingly city, Mordor’s fire and brimstone shows it be a hellish place and the resting place of the Dead Army has a true ethereal sense to the place.

Now I know some people complain that the film has too many endings and yes it could’ve been trimmed, but I’ve just spent hours with these people, and it's nice to find out what happens to them. The ending leads to one of my favorite shots in all three films, once the hobbits have returned home they sit in the bar, just the four of them, no songs are sung, no people listing to their tales. Life goes on as normal for Hobbiton.

Overall, a grand conclusion to a grand Trilogy with everything coming to a head and the Battle for Middle-Earth reaching its most violent and dangerous point. Highly recommended!

My grade: