Home Alone Review

     Home Alone is directed by Chris Columbus. It tells the story of Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), a little boy who accidentally gets left home alone on Christmas when his family goes on vacation in France.

     On its release Home Alone got tepid reception from critics, who dismissed it as a shallow slapstick comedy. Audiences, however, loved it and it's gone on to become a modern Christmas classic. Personally, though I really love this film, I can see where critics were coming from. I think it comes down to the fact that the Home Alone is trying to be two things at once.

     The scenes involving Kevin defending his home from the wet bandits are really funny. This is due mainly to Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern who are both skilled at slapstick comedy. Seeing them fall down stairs and step on nails is funny, rather then painful, because their reactions are so hilariously over-the-top. In many ways this part of the movie always came off to me as a kind of Die Hard for kids (there's even a scene where a character steps on glass). This movie always brings out the little boy in me, especially during the scenes where Kevin get scared when going down the basement (I would never go down the basement myself as a child) or when the police come and knock on his door. It reminds me of the first time me and my brother stayed home without my parents.

      What really makes this movie stand the test of time is it's heart. Not only does watching Kevin deal with his family's absence remind me of similar experiences from my childhood, it also very emotionally resonant to watch him deal with his guilt over his family "disappearing". The parallel that's drawn between him and his neighbor, Old Man Marley reinforces this. Both Kevin and Marley have had arguments with there family members which have lead, seemingly, to there separation from them, and both of them now feel guilty. When we get to the end of the movie and both people are reunited with their families I always feel a little teary eyed. This would not be possible without John Williams masterful score, which, I think, really elevates the film. His Somewhere in My Memory is worthy of being a classic Christmas song in its own right.

     For all of its hilarious comedy and heartfelt emotion Home Alone suffers from tonal consistency. The slapstick comedy, and really everything involving the wet bandits, clashes with the more grounded emotional scenes with Kevin's family and Old Man Marley. As much as I love Marv and Harry, they can't help but feel like they've walked in from a different film. A great example of this is the Church scene, which is actually one of my favorite scenes in the film. Here we see Kevin have a heart to heart talk with Old Man Marley who, he finally realizes, is a kindly old man, not a monster. Both characters come to a realization about themselves here and resolve to bridge the gap they've created with their family members. But as soon as the scene ends the tone shifts from heartfelt and emotional to one of tension and anticipation as Kevin prepares for the bandits in a montage. Personally, I can't take too much issue with the movie for this. After all combining a heartfelt Christmas tale with a comedic bit of fantasy/wish fulfillment can't be easy.

     A big part of what makes the film work despite this problem is John Hughes writing and Chris Columbus' direction. In addition to bringing the same kind feeling of holiday fatigue that he brought to Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Hughes also inserts a lot of clever set ups and pay offs. Some of these are purely functional, like Buzz's Tarantula which is shown stalking the house through much of the film until Kevin uses it to escape Marv. Others inform character and story like the cut on Marley's hand, which at first gives him an ominous air when Kevin gets scared of him at the drugstore but then takes on a more flawed human quality as he and Kevin shake hands in church, the primitive makeshift bandage now replace by a band aid. By doing this Hughes and Columbus give the film a sense of interconnectedness. If the film feels tonally inconsistent at least it's visually and thematically connected.

     In the end I think that Home Alone succeeds brilliantly despite some of its tonal inconsistency. Beneath it's veneer as a crowd pleasing, slapstick comedy about holiday hustle and bustle is a really heartwarming story about family and forgiveness.

Score: 9/10

Western Wednesdays: The Lone Ranger

That's right, I'm tackling one of the most hated westerns of the last decade...

     The Lone Ranger was released in 2013. It is directed by Gore Verbinski and stars Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp. It tells the story of John Reid (Hammer) who, along with  his new friend Tonto (Depp), sets out to get justice for his brothers murder.

     I grew up watching episodes of The Lone Ranger TV series on VHS tape so I have a certain amount of affinity for this character. Unfortunately, this movie fails to do him justice. It's much too subversive. It draws inspiration from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Once Upon a Time in the West and The Searchers and while I love those movies, it's wrong place to draw from for this more lighthearted material. The Lone Ranger is supposed to believe in the law and in the system but in this film both are portrayed as being corrupt. Reid himself, quite like Superman in the recent DC films, is very conflicted, starting out as a lawyer rather than a lawman. Another problem is that Johnny Depp's portrayal of Tonto is, quite frankly, bizarre. Never mind the fact that a white man is playing a Native American character in 2013 (I mean they got an actual Native American to play him way back in 1949) watching him feeding the dead bird on his head and pretend (I think) to commune with spirits isn't endearing, it's off-putting. Finally the movie has an inconsistent tone. It goes from fun and lighthearted to dark and violent. It shares this with the later Pirates of the Caribbean films which were also directed by Gore Verbinski.

     The Lone Ranger isn't all bad. The action, as usual with Verbinski, is really good. The climax in particular is just a blast to watch. The score, by Hans Zimmer, utilizes Rossini's William Tell Overture a lot more then I though it would, which was nice though it honestly doesn't feel like it belongs in this movie. The actors, outside of Depp, all do a decent enough job with the material they're given. William Fichtner, in particular, is clearly having a lot of fun playing the main villain, Butch Cavendish.

     The Lone Ranger, ultimately, doesn't have enough respect for its source material or tonal consistency to really work. Fans of the Pirates movies may enjoy the action scenes but, other than that, I would probably avoid this film.

Score: 6/10

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Review

To celebrate Star Trek's 50th anniversary I've decided to try and review all six films featuring the original crew. Here goes nothing...

     Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released in December of 1979. It is directed by Robert Wise (The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Sound of Music) and stars William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Persis Khambatta, and Stephen Collins. In it an enormous alien spacecraft called V'Ger is spotted approaching Earth and Admiral Kirk (Shatner) must take command of the Enterprise, currently under the command of Captain Willard Decker, in order to intercept, examine and stop the intruder.

     "There are some moments in Star Trek: The Motion Picture that are so beautiful – serene, cosmic, passionately alive with the possibility of The Infinite. You want to cry, you don’t know why."

     This quote, from Darren Franich's review of the film, sums up the movie about as well as I ever could. It try's to be 2001: A Space Odyssey but it's storytelling is, ultimately, too neat and straightforward to make that work. While Kubrick was content to leave the monoliths vague and ambiguous the secret behind V'Ger is explicitly given to us. While the former leaves you with a sense of awe and wonder the latter simply leaves thinking, hmm interesting. It's a story that could have worked for a pilot episode of a new series, as it was originally intended to be, but at two and a half hours it just feels stretched too thin.

     At the same time 2001 is a work of emotion and feeling not a character piece. Trek may be at it's best when it's dealing with interesting ideas, but it only really works when its character driven. Kirk and Bones are given very little to do here, reportedly Shatner and Kelley lobbied for greater characterization, and it really shows. It's not that there's no character drama in the film, Spock goes through an interesting transformation and Ilia and Decker have relationship drama. The real problem is that, while the film comes alive whenever we're watching the Enterprise travel through space, ironically the scenes involving the crew feel sterile and lifeless. The scenes focusing on Decker and Ilia in particular, feel about as passionate as the Padme/Anakin romance from the Star Wars prequels!

   
     With all that said The Motion Picture does have a few things going for it. The special effects are truly spectacular, which is all the more impressive given that the film's production was plagued with all kinds of technical problems. These effects help to make all the outer space sequences in the film truly breathtaking. Of course this would be for not without the sound design by Frank Serefine and the great soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith. As a Trekkie (or Trekker?) I also appreciate that this is the only Star Trek film to feature Nurse Chapel  (Majel Barrett), who is now a doctor, though the film doesn't do much with her.

     In the end Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a rather dull affair. The impressive visuals and awesome score are at the service of a pretty standard sci fi story that is rather devoid of emotional weight. It's worth checking out for Trekkies (though most have probably already seen it) or for fans of cerebral science fiction but I would not recommended it for casual viewers or for those trying to get into Star Trek for the first time.

Score: 6/10

Hell or High Water Review (Western Wednesdays)

     Hell or High Water is directed by David Mackenzie and stars Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, and Gil Birmingham. It tells the story of two brothers, Toby (Pine) and Tanner (Foster) Howard, who set out on a series of bank robberies in order to raise the money they need to save their family ranch. Meanwhile, two Texas Rangers, Marcus Hamilton (Bridges) and Alberto Parker (Birmingham), are tasked with tracking them down.

     Hell or High Water is not really a western as it takes place in modern times but it does have a western setting (Texas) and contains themes common to the western genre. There is much talk in the film about the corruption of civilization and the eroding presence of salt-of-the earth farmers and the like. Tanner fancies himself a spiritual descendant of the American Indians, the lords of the plains as he calls them. Hamilton, on the other hand, is a classic washed up lawman, a soon-to-retire Texas Ranger who knows that he'll miss the thrill of the chase. But the film never romanticizes these characters or their ideas. Rather it shows how rugged individualism and the love of danger can lead to violence and death.

     Mackenzie's direction is very restrained, using long takes and tracking shots more often than not. The film is deliberately paced though, at the same time, economical in it's run time. All the main players put in solid performances, especially Bridges and Foster. The chemistry between Pine and Foster, and between Bridges and Birmingham, is excellent. The score, by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, perfectly captures the uneasy and melancholy tone of the film. It's a well made film in pretty much every respect.

     Given it's fairly laid back, slow-burn approach, some might find Hell or High Water to be underwhelming. But in a world filled with mega-blockbusters and quirky, look-how-artsy-I-am indie films, there's something to be said for a movie that relies on good old-fashioned, minimalist direction, straightforward, economical storytelling and great acting.

Score: 9/10

My Favorite Films: Rocky

     The thing that always strikes me about Rocky is its honest simplicity. Balboa's journey never feels forced or saccharine. The world he inhibits feels like a real place and the characters all feel like real people. Of course this is partly because it is a real place, as the movie was shot on location in Philidelphia. The director, John G. Avilsden, really brings the city to life. We see many recognizable locations most notably the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where Rocky runs up the steps to the tune of Gonna Fly Now. Earlier in the same montage sequence a man selling fruit throws Rocky a apple, a scene that was improvised on the spot. The film is filled with little moments like that and they lend the film an down-to-earth feel.

     As much as I appreciate Avilsden's direction this is ultimately Sylvester Stallone's film. Stallone got the idea for Rocky after watching the championship match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. He auctioned it off to various Hollywood producers but insisted that he play Rocky himself. As they were reluctant to cast an unknown in the lead, Stallone had a lot of trouble selling the script. Eventually he sold it to Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, who agreed to produce for a very small budget. In many ways Rocky's journey in the film is symbolic of Stallone's own journey to get it made. Because of this his writing adds an extra layer of authenticity to the film.

     Another, tangential reason that Rocky is great is that the protagonist doesn't ultimately win the fight. In Rocky's own words "All I wanna do is go the distance." While this also helps to make the story more believable, in the main, it puts Rocky's personal integrity, and his relationship with Adrian, at the forefront of the drama. When the fight ends and the judges are going over their verdict, Rocky isn't really interested in who won, he has already done what he set out to do and just wants to be with Adrian.

     Of course it helps that the film is perfectly cast. Talia Shire is great as the outwardly vulnerable but inwardly strong Adrian. She's something of a vicarious character as both she and the audience fall in love with Rocky simultaneously. Burt Young really excels in the role of her alcoholic and abusive, though ultimately loyal and supportive brother Paulie who's also Rocky's best friend. Burgess Meredith practically inhabits the role of Mickey, Rocky's broken down old manager who verbal abuse of Rocky is a mask for his obvious affection for the man. Carl Weather's Appollo Creed is arrogant but also charismatic, he is never played as a straight up villain but is a believable real life opponent. Finally, Sylvester Stallone is Rocky Balboa. It's the role that made his career for good reason. He is brutish and dull but, as we get to know him as an audience, we find that he also has a great sense of humor, a practical outlook on life, and a heart of gold.

     Finally, Bill Conti's score for the film is truly amazing. At times sad and melancholy at others soaring and triumphant the music perfectly encapsulates Rocky's journey and adds an extra layer which makes us feel that much more empathetic for the character. It's hard to imagine what the film would be like without it.

  While Rocky may have been content to merely go the distance but the film itself went on to greater success, becoming a hit at the box office and eventually gaining nine Oscar nominations, winning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Song (for Gonna Fly Now). A slew of sequels and imitators have followed but the original remains the ultimate underdog story.

Hacksaw Ridge Review

     Hacksaw Ridge is directed by Mel Gibson and stars Andrew Garfield. It tells the true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service in WWII.

     Early on the film establishes Doss' aversion to violence, a theme further expounded on later on. The main conflict involves his reluctance to use (or even pick up) a weapon despite the fact that he has joined the army. His senior officers and fellow soldiers all give him a hard time, considering him to be a liability in battle. Finally he is court marshaled after refusing a direct order to fire a weapon. The film also deals with the romance between him and Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer), his conflict with his father (Hugo Weaving) a world weary WWI vet, and his actions during the Battle of Okinawa, for which he was awarded the Medal Of Honor.

     Hacksaw Ridge is fairly historically accurate for a Hollywood film (particularly one helmed by Gibson). Doss did have an experience with his father that served as an impetus for his aversion to violence though the details of the incident are quite different than what the movie portrays. He was indeed picked on by his fellow soldiers for his refusal to carry a weapon, as well as his refusal to work on the Sabbath. It's also true that his commanding officer tried to have him discharged, though it is more dramatized in the film and the part where his father intervenes is taken from another, more minor incident. The actions for which Doss was awarded the Medal of Honor, staying behind on Hacksaw Ridge after his regiment retreated to eventually save 75 wounded men, are accurately portrayed. The movie also depicts his being wounded by a hand grenade, which he kicks out of the way to save some of his comrades. On the other hand, the scene where Desmond misses his wedding with Dorothy because of the Court Marshal never happened, as they where married before he was drafted. He was often denied furloughs and couldn't see her much during his training. The movie also leaves out Doss' earlier service in Guam and the Philippines, for which he was awarded two silver stars, along with his being wounded by a Japanese sniper on Hacksaw.

     Hacksaw Ridge is well directed by Gibson. Like most of his films it's very emotionally charged. One scene in particular choked me up a little. The early scenes are appropriately sentimental and the war scenes harrowingly violent. The score, by Harry Gregson Williams, is very effective. It may not be as memorable as James Horner's Braveheart score but in a more realistic film like this I think the score should produce more of general mood or feeling or it might become a distraction. Andrew Garfield does a good job in the lead role and most of the supporting actors put in fine performances as well. Hugo Weaving is easily the stand out as Desmond's drunken, somewhat abusive father, Tom. He really adds a lot of humanity to the role.

     Vince Vaughn, on the other hand, feels miscast as Doss' platoon sergeant. He works alright for the training sequences but as soon as the bullets starts flying he feels out of place. The film's other major flaw is Gibson's tendency to Hollywood-ize the action. In one scene a soldier picks a a dead body and uses it as a shield while he assaults an enemy position. In another Doss pulls Sgt. Howell to safety on his shelter half while the Sergeant uses his sub machine gun to hold off pursuing Japs.

     Hacksaw Ridge, like most of Gibson's films, has its flaws. But despite the liberties it takes with history it still manages to capture the essence of Doss' story. If this is Gibson's bid at redemption (public image wise) he could certainly do worse.

Score: 8.5/10