William ArnottTerminator and more
June 14th 2009 03:28
I enjoyed what I saw in "Terminator Salvation", the fourth installment of the Terminator series of films begun by writer-director James Cameron back in 1984. "Salvation" is the first one without Arnie Schwartzeneger as a Terminator, but it's probably time that we did without him now.
We are now in the future that was discussed in the previous films and Christian Bale stars as the messianic John Connor who is leading the human resistance against the Terminator machines. Rising Australian movie star Sam Worthington plays the film's mysterious, yet intriguing new element as Marcus Wright, once on death row and then an important aid to Connor in the future. Wright is the real hero in this Terminator film.
"...Salvation" has been maligned by certain critics for being an empty, vacuous and ugly action-oriented film. It does rely on "Transformer"-like special-effects action and sound sequences which might deter. "Charlies Angels" McG directs as Cameron has gone on to bigger things, however, I rate this as a pretty good spectacle and what we get here is the best of the blockbusters so far this year.
4 out of 5.
Coming highly endeared to me is the quick to come for him fourth feature from Brooklyn writer-director James Gray. "Two Lovers" is his third collaboration with star Joaquin Pheonix and it's also the best for me. Basically Pheonix's Leonard is a bi-polar sufferer who lives with his folks in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn and is caught between the doting family friend (Vinessa Shaw) and the unhinged new neighbour (Gwyneth Paltrow). All the performances a really great here, and it's also shot and scripted quite beautifully. If distracted by two beauties as Leonard is, well, I can feel for his plight.
I give it 4 and a half out of 5.
Also seen some time back has been "Observe and Report", starring the talented Seth Rogen as a mall cop (again, psychologically unhinged, although Taxi Driver-like). Unfortunately this effort from writer-director Jody Hill is pretty puerile, disgustingly so rather rather than amusing, and a bad taste as a result.
1 out of 5.
"Synechdoche, New York", the writing-directing debut of Charlie Kaufman (the writing genius behind "Being John Malkovich", "Adaptation", and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind")
gives us his most mind-bending work yet. The first half of the film goes well, but is then likely to lose one into the second half. The brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the hypochondriac theatre director and a name female cast round out the women in his life, but the film becomes a victim of its ambition and it's hard to get into.
It does get 3 out of 5 though.
We are now in the future that was discussed in the previous films and Christian Bale stars as the messianic John Connor who is leading the human resistance against the Terminator machines. Rising Australian movie star Sam Worthington plays the film's mysterious, yet intriguing new element as Marcus Wright, once on death row and then an important aid to Connor in the future. Wright is the real hero in this Terminator film.
4 out of 5.
Coming highly endeared to me is the quick to come for him fourth feature from Brooklyn writer-director James Gray. "Two Lovers" is his third collaboration with star Joaquin Pheonix and it's also the best for me. Basically Pheonix's Leonard is a bi-polar sufferer who lives with his folks in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn and is caught between the doting family friend (Vinessa Shaw) and the unhinged new neighbour (Gwyneth Paltrow). All the performances a really great here, and it's also shot and scripted quite beautifully. If distracted by two beauties as Leonard is, well, I can feel for his plight.
I give it 4 and a half out of 5.
Also seen some time back has been "Observe and Report", starring the talented Seth Rogen as a mall cop (again, psychologically unhinged, although Taxi Driver-like). Unfortunately this effort from writer-director Jody Hill is pretty puerile, disgustingly so rather rather than amusing, and a bad taste as a result.
1 out of 5.
"Synechdoche, New York", the writing-directing debut of Charlie Kaufman (the writing genius behind "Being John Malkovich", "Adaptation", and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind")
gives us his most mind-bending work yet. The first half of the film goes well, but is then likely to lose one into the second half. The brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the hypochondriac theatre director and a name female cast round out the women in his life, but the film becomes a victim of its ambition and it's hard to get into.
It does get 3 out of 5 though.
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