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Total Recall (2012) Yes, Oscar-winning. Dances with Wolves swept the Academy Awards that year, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score and Best Sound, but the original Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger won a Special Achievement Award Oscar for Best Visual Effects. However, that was then. This is a new Total Recall. More sober. Grittier. Far less ham and cheese. Top marks this time out definitely go to art director Patrick Banister and all those involved in creating such an amazing-looking futuristic world where chemical warfare has made Earth an uninhabitable "No Zone" except for the heavily over-populated and perpetually rainy Australia - renamed (yikes) The Colony - and equally cramped yet comparably shiny United Federation of Britain. Sure, deep shades of Blade Runner (1982) and Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) are clearly visible throughout, but Banister's interpretation of Kurt Wimmer and Mark Bomback's screenplay is truly fresh and spectacular at times. You see a building-sized elevator linking one city to the other through the planet's core. Flying cars and multi-level city districts. Trigger-happy robocops. All exceptional eye candy for Sci-Fi fans. Even better is that principal shooting was at Pinewood Studios in Toronto, home to North America's largest soundstage. Beyond the big screen, you'll find two fairly straightforward games called Elevator Escape, and Recall Rush Driving, on this movie's official website possibly worth your gameplay at http://www.welcometorecall.com/ There's also a fairly clever anti-Rekall webpage set up at http://norekall.org/ as part of this flick's marketing campaign that I got a kick out of. Back on the big screen, what moviegoers don't see here are compelling primary characters. I was actually looking forward to seeing what Farrell would do with his role in this physically demanding actioner, having witnessed his acting range and depth personified onscreen in a few of his previous pictures over the years. Yes, he's been hit-and-miss, but I was still hopeful. Here, his performance is hollow and robotic, frozen in a single facial expression resembling a constipated goldfish for the majority of this screening. Neither Kate Beckinsale nor Jessica Biel do better at bringing anything particularly human or worthwhile to their scenes, vaguely investing more than an eyebrow each in playing opposite Farrell as Lori Quaid and rebel lieutenant Melina respectively. It's really a shame, because you've seen notably better performances from all three actors working under other directors. Here, it's as though Wiseman opted to abandon helming this feature during shooting, taking a Hogtown vacation on the studio's dime instead. What's even more disappointing is that Wimmer and Bomback's screenplay doesn't really bother to offer up a story that's worth the price of admission. Total Recall essentially follows a simple template from beginning to closing credits: You get approximately fourteen words of bland dialogue followed by about a dozen minutes of drawn out and often boring action focussing on Farrell running or fighting or running through this or that awesome CGI-enhanced Sci-Fi element that you've already seen in the trailer, then the cycle repeats. And then repeats. Then repeats. Repeats. Yawn. The only other highlight becomes deciding whether or not to start nitpicking at wildly flimsy plot details, or let the explosions and other pretty special effects wash over you, or to start imagining what this remake would've been like if hammy animatronics and cheesy one-liners were still in vogue. Steer clear of this visually extraordinary yet empty snoozefest that'll likely have you wanting desperately to download and watch the far more entertaining Schwarzenegger version on your smart phone while this plays out, just to say you've had a great time seeing Total Recall at the movie theatre. Reviewed 08/12, © Stephen Bourne Total Recall is rated 14A by
the Ontario Film Review Board for scenes of occasional gory/grotesque
images, excessive use of expletives, partial or full nudity in
a brief sexual situation, and violent acts shown in clear, unequivocal
and realistic detail with blood and tissue damage, and is rated
13+ by la Régie du Cinéma in Québec. REFERENCE:
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Stephen Bourne's Movie Quips © Stephen Bourne. Moviequips.ca and moviequips.com are the property of Stephen Bourne. All content of this website is owned by Stephen Bourne, unless obviously not (such as possible reference links, movie synopsis and/or posters featured under the terms of fair use) or attributed otherwise. This website is based in Ottawa, Canada. |
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Temptation (2013) Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor - its full title - is an immediately compelling, over-all believable modern human story of faith and infidelity that Perry's previous dramatic films have briefly touched on with far less bluntness. Given full attention here, it works. What's more impressive is that this 111-minute feature isn't a direct stage-to-screen transplant. On stage, marriage counselor Judith's Hurricane Katrina-affected mother and father-in-law live with her and husband Roger until Judith's wandering eye is enticed by a former love with a deadly secret. On screen, Judith is visibly torn between preserving her stable, loving life with Brice and pursuing the impetuous delights presented by devilish high-rolling Harley. If you've seen the play, you haven't seen the movie. The reason why Temptation works is due in large part to Perry's consistently truthful screenplay delivering such powerfully measured dialogue for this picture's phenomenal primary cast to work with. Jurnee Smollett-Bell is absolutely gorgeous and astounding here, as her otherwise sensible Christian character stumbles through the self-made physical and material seductions that spell her certain destruction. Despite the head-tilting fact that Judith foolishly betrays her beefcake hubby for this comparably scrawny media magnate, you believe their stories. Gross is perfectly cast as Brice, effortlessly nailing excellence throughout. Jones is simply brilliant as that player every mature guy hates. Also notable is Kim Kardashian's shoe-in role as Judith's girlish fashion-conscious co-worker Ava, pricelessly denouncing such things as having ivy-league degrees on your wall without designer labels on your back. As well, Brandy Norwood pulls in an outstanding peripheral performance as Brice's hard-knocked co-worker Melinda, and Vanessa Williams is absolutely delightful as Judith's over-the-top boss Janice. This truly is a great cast. Sure, there are flaws. Most are minor, with the most glaring one being the story's slight predictability. It's not so much that you know what's going to happen before the first scene that makes Temptation predictable. As with any movie, watch the trailer and you more or less know what's going to happen. It's a given. What I'm referring to are the apparent plot twists meant to be game changers that feel rather unsurprising here. However, one twist that is surprising is Perry's decision to give Temptation an entirely uncharacteristic ending arguably unseen in his films before. It's a bold move worth applause. The official website at temptationthemovie.com basically looks like a tightly laid out infographics page, dominated by this feature's posters. You'll also find the usual links to a simple synopsis, select cast and crew bios, a couple of trailers and a handful of movie stills, plus tickets and social media access. Integration of noted cast member's individual web presence definitely adds a welcome touch of design finesse, and the features section's Temptation Tracker quiz and confessional are mildly fun mature interactives. Nice! As for the choice of Temptation posters, two stand out: the rather biblically-inspired, stylized snake is a strong graphic reminiscent of Perry's previous non-Madea film posters, but the more sultry poster sporting a close-up photo of a woman biting her lower lip accompanied by clean red and white typography absolutely nails this movie's edgier, contemporary storytelling. Clever. Authentic, bold, and uncharacteristically edgier for a Tyler Perry film, Temptation will definitely be a demanding screening for some fans but it's absolutely well worth checking out as a memorably refreshing "passion play" for contemporary moviegoers. Awesome. Reviewed 03/13, © Stephen Bourne. Tyler Perry's Temptation is rated
14A by the Ontario Film Review Board for use of expletives, limited
use of slurs, sexual references, illustrated or verbal references
to drugs, alcohol or tobacco, embracing and kissing, sexual innuendo,
and restrained portrayals of non-graphic violence, and is rated
G by la Régie du Cinéma in Québec. REFERENCE:
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Stephen Bourne's Movie Quips © Stephen Bourne. Moviequips.ca and moviequips.com are the property of Stephen Bourne. All content of this website is owned by Stephen Bourne, unless obviously not (such as possible reference links, movie synopsis and/or posters featured under the terms of fair use) or attributed otherwise. This website is based in Ottawa, Canada. |
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Trance (2013) Holy cripes, Trance is an incredibly compelling, trippy Art House thriller from beginning to closing credits. Sure, it feels slightly inspired by the likes of Memento (2000) and Inception (2010), but this one definitely stands on its own as a memorably exceptional effort. Joe Ahearne and John Hodge's screenplay is packed with punchy dialogue and white knuckled twists, and Boyle makes astounding use of cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle's wonderfully rich camerawork perfectly matched by Jon Harris' stylish editing throughout. This movie mind game mines pure gold. A grim sense of menace permeates every scene, as you watch McAvoy squeeze every ounce of physical and emotional grime and sweat from his role here. His transformation in this film truly is incredible. Too bad Hollywood bigwigs can't figure out what to do with this powerhouse talent. Cassel also pulls in a great performance as noble thug Franck, criminal mastermind behind the robbery of Spanish artist Francisco Goya's 1798 oil painting Witches in the Air with the aid of Simon's inside insight until the plan goes pear-shaped. Is Franck the player, or is he being played? What's real and what's imagined? You're never sure until the final scene. Maybe. As for the missing painting, it's valued in the film at 27 million pounds sterling, and in reality resides in Madrid's Museo del Prado. The painting depicts a hovering figure laid backwards, being devoured by three witches as a cloaked man walks under them and past a corpse. Horrifying, yet wonderfully telling within the context of this movie. Goya is arguably best known for his 1800 work, The Nude Maja, a life-size reclining nude considered scandalous and obscene in its time for being the first European painting to depict female pubic hair. Conversely, Boyle's sparse use of close full frontal nudity in Trance is neither scandalous nor obscene. Visually, clothed or not, Rosario Dawson is a goddess here. In her depiction of clinically therapeutic hypnotherapist Elizabeth, Dawson deftly articulates an inner strength, measured fragility and a complexity of motive unseen on the big screen in ages. Phenomenal. Turning to the marketing side of things, I hate the official trailer for this feature simply because it gives away far too many of its secrets. The same goes for the movie's otherwise impressive online presence at trancethemovie.com, where you're presented with an interactive video of Boyle essentially giving away key elements that potentially spoil the film. Also, unfortunately, expect your browser to crash at that site. The international poster featuring a screaming McAvoy chopped up in various filtered segments is graphic, striking and perfect. While it's a given that Danny Boyle films are a treat for moviegoers who love their characters perpetually scraped up and crammed through an emotional meat grinder, Trance is a particularly enjoyable feast for the senses: Captivating story. Remarkably intense characters. Visually stunning at times. Truly a work of art, and a thousand times better than its closest cinematic cousin, Inception (2010). Check it out as one of the best films screened off the mainstream radar so far this year. Awesome. Reviewed 04/13, © Stephen Bourne. Trance is rated 18A by the Ontario
Film Review Board citing detailed gory/grotesque images, coarse
language, sexual references, nudity in a non-sexual context,
limited instances of nudity in a sexual situation, illustrated
or verbal references to drugs, alcohol or tobacco, occasional
upsetting or disturbing scenes, embracing and kissing, fondling,
sexual innuendo, implied sexual activity, limited instances of
brief, visually explicit portrayals of violence, and graphic
portrayals of torture/brutality, and is rated 13+ by la Régie
du Cinéma in Québec. REFERENCE:
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Stephen Bourne's Movie Quips © Stephen Bourne. Moviequips.ca and moviequips.com are the property of Stephen Bourne. All content of this website is owned by Stephen Bourne, unless obviously not (such as possible reference links, movie synopsis and/or posters featured under the terms of fair use) or attributed otherwise. This website is based in Ottawa, Canada. |
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