Labyrinth

It's sad to know that in this day and age with the advent of CGI and Pixar animated movies, with Bert and Ernie leaving behind their puppetry for the more modern feel of claymation, with stop-motion and video games becoming the core of our children's entertainment, it's sad to think that my children and their children after will never fully know the magic of Jim Henson.

Anyone in my age group knows about Jim Henson. He is the creator of some of our childhood's most beloved characters. From Kermit the Frog to Gonzo to the Fraggles, I was a fond admirer of the puppeteer. I also loved the Muppet Babies Saturday morning cartoon series. I had managed to introduce my kids to the Muppet movies with moderate success. Alas they are not fans of Fraggle Rock and have never really experienced the magic of Sesame Street. But I continue to push on and have now introduced them to Henson's two major movie productions besides the Muppet movies. His first, The Dark Crystal, is sitting on the Netflix queue awaiting it's turn. Labyrinth, a movie I remember fondly as a child, became the first of the two films they watched.

Labyrinth stars a very young Jennifer Connelly as Sarah. Sarah spends a lot of her free time acting out fantastic scenes in a world ruled by the Goblin King. Sarah is charged with babysitting her younger brother, Toby, by her stepmother and father as they head out for a date night. Babysitting Toby is not something Sarah wants to do, and when the baby cannot seem to calm down she ends up wishing that the goblins and their king would come and take him away. Of course that is exactly what happens. The Goblin King, Jareth, is played by David Bowie (channeling his Ziggy Stardust days), and makes a deal with Sarah, who realizes she made a grave mistake sending her brother away. If Sarah can solve Jareth's labyrinth in the next 13 hours, she will have her brother back. Otherwise, young Toby becomes a goblin himself. Sarah enters the labyrinth and on her journey encounters several companions (all played by puppets) including Hoggle, Ludo, and Didymus who help the young girl on her way.

The movie is full of rich eye candy. The labyrinth itself is visually interesting and the characters that inhabit it are fun and intriguing themselves. A few notables are the Junk Lady, Didymus, and the two door knockers.

I am surprised at how well the movie holds up today. There are a few things that seem dated, one being David Bowie's musical montages. The montages are presented as cheesy '80s music videos and at times really seem larger then the movie, weakening the overall structure of the film. Also, the movement of some of the puppets is very stiff, especially Hoggle and a few of the goblins.

What is really weird (and a little worrisome) is that the baby who plays Toby actually seems to be scared or distressed by all the goblin puppets when he shares scenes with them. I mean, if a baby is crying, that usually means he's upset, unless he's a damn good actor (like those babes in Look Who's Talking).

There has been some discussion by fans and critics that Sarah's journey through the labyrinth takes place all in her head. There are several clues that support this theory, at the start of the movie when we first see Sarah's room and at the end with the conversation between her and her new friends back in her room. This is an interesting premise and brings to the front an idea that the movie could be a commentary on one's journey through childhood. It says that children use their imagination to help cope with real world problems that surround them. And really, isn't that what childhood is really about? Being able to escape from the harsh reality of the adult world and find strength and solace in the magic of our minds? Maybe Henson was able to keep that ability as he grew older, and that is why his creations proved to be so wonderful for all of us.

My children did not like Labyrinth. And I must admit, it was not as good as I remember it to be (looking through my jaded adult eyes), but there is still a lot of good things in the flick. Once you fast forward through David Bowie's music video collection that is. Well, I hope that the Dark Crystal fares better.

Grade: B-

Update Delay!

I'm sad to say that this week's update will be delayed a couple of days. My schedule is overwhelmed at the moment. And although I have 4 updates planned out, I have not had time to sit and get them down. Hopefully, I will be up and running at the earliest tomorrow night. I have 2, maybe 3 movie reviews and 2 debut features for the spotlight series coming up. But with a full work schedule and 3 kids out of school for the summer, well, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy (and the kids stir crazy). Thanks for the support. And please spread the word about Working Title.

Also I am looking for someone who may want to be a writer for reviews or such. If you watch a lot of flix and you are interested drop me a line at michaelwhetzel@gmail.com. I'll let you know what I am looking for. No pay, just for the love of movies.

Peace,

Mike

New features announced.

Beginning this week, Working Title will be adding some different articles to our blog. We will do a Spotlight Series, where we focus on a different topic each time. The goal is to do at least one article a week to publish with that week's reviews. Here is what is planned for the next couple of weeks:

Spotlight Series:

Directors: We will focus on some of Hollywood's best known directors, and discuss their merits and failings while looking at their career. Future topics include: M. Night Shymalan, Peter Weir, and Takashii Miike.

Great Performances: I'll take a look at some of the best performances deserving of wider recognition. They might not have won any awards, but we will make sure to get the word out on these great performances. Future topics include performances by: Joseph Gordon Leavitt and Alan Rickman

I'll also have some articles from some other writers looking at the artistic side of some movies. Basically discussing color and composition and how these help relate the overall message of the film.

Further in the future, we will also be announcing genre celebrations where we will take the whole month and focus on certain types of films, even inducting a few into our Hall of Fame. Examples include a Pixar month or even a Sequel month where we only look at sequels.

Just some ideas we are throwing around here at Working Title. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas you may want to share. You can always email me at michaelwhetzel@gmail.com

Thanks for the support.

Mike

The Host

A idiotic doctor pours gallons and gallons of formaldehyde down the drain letting it run into the Han River. Six years later a monstrous creature arises from the water and goes on a feeding frenzy. Thus the plot of Bong Joon-Ho's The Host explodes in what is a very exciting monster flick that hearkens back to the old days of Godzilla and company. It's funny. I'm not a big fan of the horror genre. I mean there are scary movies I enjoy immensely i.e. Alien, Audition, zombie movies.... But for the most part I tend to stay away. However, if you have a good old monster eats the world movie, I'm there. I like the old Godzilla flicks, and movies like The Relic and most recently Cloverfield.

The Host starts out very well. The first 20 minutes may be one of the most exciting openings I've seen in awhile. The creature looks good on film. There are only a few moments during the whole film where the CGI is awkward looking. For the most part, the effects are believable, and the monster is presented in all of his ugliness (and it is ugly....yeesh). The film centers around a family of misfits. There's the grandfather who is a hard-working patient man and his son who is a bungling idiot. There may even be some sort of mental issue at work in the son. There is a brother, who is the angry surly archetype, and their sister, an olympic archer, who is very quiet and slow. All of them revolve around the daughter of the idiot. The whole family dotes on her endlessly, especially the father. In fact, that is his one redeeming quality. He seems to be really ignorant, but there is no question he loves his daughter. So when the monster inadvertently kidnaps the little girl, the family becomes devastated. Until they find out she is still alive deep in the sewers and set out to rescue her.

The movie is very different then the normal films you see of the genre. Joon-Ho melds thrill-seeking scenes with scenes of comedy. The comedy works great to set the film apart. There is even some slapstick, much like the early days of Chaplin or Buster Keaton. It feels like a fun movie you are watching, and hence you begin to have fun with. But not everything is comedy oriented. There are some scary images, and grotesque sequences of the monster feeding and the little girl trying to stay undetected. Joon-Ho is not afraid to take risks with his characters. For example, you know the sister is going to have her moment to shoot the creature with her bow. But when you think it is going to happen, Joon-Ho is not afraid to let his character fail. This keeps the movie fresh, and you are not really sure what is going to happen next. The director also uses some interesting shots and cuts during the film. Maybe this is more of a credit to the editor, but the movie flows nicely and there is a very unique feel to how everything is presented.

There is some social commentary regarding chemical warfare and environmental issues towards the end of the movie. I'm not sure how I feel about the obvious references. But I do like the ending, and how the remaining members of the family band together to fight for one of their own. What's better then bringing family together then monster hunting?

** Side note: I watched this with the English dub which was sub-par. but it made it even more enjoyable. Usually bad dubs are distracting. But this one really fit the mood.

Grade: B

The Last Airbender

The Last Airbender is an adaptation of the Nickelodeon cartoon created by Michael Dante Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko. My children and I discovered the series while looking through Netflix and decided to give it a try. Needless to say we were hooked from the get go and ran the gamut of the three seasons as fast as Netflix could ship the discs to us. So it was with growing excitement that I uncovered the news of a live action movie, then my excitement turned to one of trepidation upon hearing that M. Night Shymalan was helming the film.
Me and Night have a very convoluted history. At one time he was my favorite director and I was excited by every project he announced. Then came Lady in the Water. My excitement lessened a bit. Then came The Happening. All heck broke loose. How could such a promising director fall from grace so quickly in so little time? That is a question to be answered in an upcoming article I'm working on. But this is about Airbender, so let's focus on that. Then maybe we can see if Night has managed a comeback.
The Last Airbender takes place on a world that is ruled by four tribes: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. There are a select few in each tribe called "benders", who are able to control their respective elements. To ensure balance between the tribes, a powerful being called the Avatar, a being who can control all 4 elements, maintains peace. The story opens with the Avatar missing from the world for 100 years, until he is discovered in a block of ice by two young members of the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka and Kitara. Surprisingly the Avatar is an airbender, the last of his kind, and also inhabits the body of a 12 year old boy, Aang. The story follows Aang as he looks to master the other 3 elements and help fight the world wide takeover by the fire nation. There is also an outcast prince of the Fire Nation, Zuku, who is trying to regain his honor by finding and delivering the Avatar to his father.
Critics are already bashing Night's latest film. Roger Ebert gave it a 1/2 star. Chris Bumbray from joblo.com rated it 1 out of 10. Many critics have said it is worse then the newest Twilight chapter, Eclipse (and without even seeing that film, I already know that is saying a lot). And just like many of his previous films, Night is getting bashed left and right.
Today I managed to find some time to see the film with my two young sons. We have been waiting anxiously to watch it since it started development. So.....is it as horrible as they say? No. But it's not great either. The film actually is not too bad. But it does have several flaws.
The first problem being the screenplay, most notably the dialogue. It is often very stilted and awkward. It is also very very very flat (but some of that comes from the acting, which we will get to soon). In several places, I recognized lines from the show, almost like Night lifted them from the series and form fitted them together to suit his needs. The structure of the movie is also at times awkward. There is a voice-over from Kitara that feels very out of place. I like the opening, much like the opening to the show, and I like the ending also. It's the progressions between the large action scenes that seem to kind of run very dry and flat too.
Then there is the acting. Wow. Terrible in some places. Many critics found faults with Night casting white actors to play Asian counterparts. This did not bother me, or I should say, would not bother me if they could just act. The cast is very young, especially the three main protagonists. And they are also fairly new to Hollywood. Their inexperience shows. But this I do not blame the actors for. With a young cast it is the director's responsibility to coach and help them be where they need to be for the film. I think Night phoned this part of the job in. It seems like he took the first take on everything. The best of the three is Nicola Peltz, who plays Kitara. Jackson Ratbone (Sokka) looks like he is two seconds from crying in every scene. Noah Ringer plays Aang and at first I was confused by his casting. He actually grew on me as the movie progressed. But you can tell how young he is from his acting chops. Dev Patel, the kid from Slumdog Millionaire, plays Zuku. He is fine but when I think of Zuku, I do not think Dev Patel is it. Of course, they could have went with their first choice, Jesse McCarthy (excuse me while I vomit. Okay, I'm back.)
Critics really hated the special effects. I actually enjoyed them immensely. The fights are fun to watch, the bending is neat and kind of beautiful as the actors go through their martial arts moves. The creatures, Oppa and MoMo, were fine. I thought it was on par with any other big budget movie.
Did Night regain any form in this reviewer's eyes? Or did he lose even more ground? Neither. He is still in a holding pattern it seems. Airbender could, and should, have been Night's return to prominence. We have been waiting to see what he can do on a property that is not his own creation for some time now. I expected much much more from him here, and it seems he was more interested in playing it safe. Disappointing.
The movie looks to have a large opening weekend, which almost assuredly means sequels. I would like to see the other two chapters in the proposed trilogy. One, because I love the series and want to see more airbending, and two, because I am now curious to see what Night does next with the project.
I'm sure critics will continue to pan this movie, hard. But they need to remember who the movie is made for: children. At a time when Twilight has teenyboppers all a titter, Percy Jackson pushes the violent content of a PG rating, and the Harry Potter franchise continues to get darker and darker, there is room for a kid-friendly series like Airbender. Kids will love this movie. And rightfully so.

Grade: B-

Hall of Fame: The Shawshank Redemption

Alright, everybody. It's time to begin our Hall of Fame inductions. It took a few weeks to decide which movie I wanted to induct first into Working Title's Hall of Fame. After much agonizing and perusing the DVD shelf, I think I have found a very worthy choice. So welcome to our first Hall of Fame movie(!):

The Shawshank Redemption

I cannot express the appreciation I have for this film. It is not so much a movie but a spiritual journey. Director Frank Darabont has crafted an excellent film about the triumphs of the human spirit and the power of hope. How many prison movies have you watched that ended with you feeling uplifted, and hopefully with a smile on your face?
The story revolves around Andy Dufresne, a former bank accountant who has been given a life sentence for killing his wife and her lover. He is sent to Shawshank Prison to serve his term. There Andy shows that he is not your typical in-mate, someone who has given into his circumstances. The others find Andy odd. Here is a man who acts like he is not in prison at all, but who still finds a sense of freedom in all the things he does. Dufresne (Tim Robbins) becomes good friends with Red (Morgan Freeman). It is through Red that we are able to observe Andy. Most of the inmates in Shawshank are there until death, and there is very little hope to be found. Slowly Andy shows them that it is the choices you make, even in prison, that can become empowering. Andy never loses hope in his circumstances, and even when Shawshank finally seems to beat him down, he still rises up and ask the question,"Do I give up and die, do I accept what the system has locked me into, or do I choose to live my life on my terms?" The answer to this question leads to one of cinema's most satisfying conclusions.
Darabont has helmed four feature films so far. I have not seen The Majestic, but I have seen the other three and I can say that Darabont is a major force as a director. The interesting thing is the three movies I have seen have been Stephen King adaptations, two of which are prison dramas. There is a solid dynamic between the two (who are real life close friends) in their story-telling abilities. Shawshank almost exists as a perfectly crafted film. It's 2 1/2 hour run-time seems to fly by, almost unheard of for a drama, much less a prison drama.
The performances are amazing, especially Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. There is an unspoken unknown element, a chemistry that is heightened when they both are on screen. I cannot imagine it could be duplicated with any other actors. Robbins is a virtual everyman, someone all of us can relate to in some way. Red is the cynical, experienced "lifer", whose values are questioned with the arrival of Dufresne. In fact, every part of the prison, from the warden to the guards to the other in-mates are forced to act in different ways, solely from the presence of this one man in Andy. A man who can be physically locked behind bars forever, but whose spirit can never be caged.
My first experience with Shawshank was from my best friend. He recorded the film from satellite onto a beat up VHS copy. My first viewing was hardly memorable. I have since watched the movie close to 10 times. As I have grown older, my appreciation for the film has grown deeper. I now watch it annually, sometimes twice a year. As with myself, the film has taken time to catch on with everyone. When it was first released it did not make a lot of money. It was nominated for Best Picture and several other awards, but it was not until it's home release that it really took off with viewers. Now it is a definite inclusion on many all-time lists, most notably occupying the top spot on the Internet Movie Database's worldwide rankings. It is a film much deserving of all of it's accolade and much much more. If you have not seen it, do yourself a favor and find a copy. You will not be disappointed.

Grade: A+