Hans' Milieu

Last week I watched ‘Knowing’, ‘Walled In’, ‘Push’ and ‘Ice Age 3’. The following post offers insights into my thoughts about each film as well as box office information (when available) and some ‘juicy’ local movie news.

Knowing

Knowing is Nicolas Cage’s latest foray into the action genre. One that is surprisingly good.

Unlike a majority of action oriented movies *cough, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, cough* Knowing has quite a captivating and intriguing story. The story is about an MIT lecturer who comes into possession of a numbered script, from a  time capsule that has been dug up at his son’s elementary school. The numbered script offers some chilling predictions (some that have already occurred and others that are about to) that lead him to believe that his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold

Initially, the movie plays out like a thriller. Offering several genuinely chilling and remarkably thought provoking cinematic moments. Aspects  that rarely present themselves in action oriented films. Furthermore, although not immediately determinable, Knowing leans heavily into the realm of compelling science fiction, with just a tinge of religion thrown into the mix.

If you would enjoy watching an action movie that dips into the wells of science fiction, enough to offer an eerily plausible doomsday scenario, while offering a few genuinely  creepy goose flesh inducing moments, then Knowing is worth watching.

Knowing ranked at number three on the South African box office during its opening weekend.

Verdict: 08/10.

Walled In

The movie is essentially about a demolition company representative, who is sent to supervise the ‘taking down’ of a mysterious building, a building which harbours a horrifying secret: past inhabitants were entombed within its walls by a vicious murderer.

Two words: Razzie winner! If there is one movie to avoid this season, this may very well be it.

When I noticed that Mischa Barton was playing in Walled In, I figured that, you know, this may not be that bad, what with her starring in The OC and all (a television show I have never watched, but one that I have heard all about). However, after watching Walled In, I am thankful to have never invested the time in watching The OC.

Hands down, this movie has some of the worst acting and dialogue I have ever come across in a film. This movie is a prime example of poor penmanship, with dialogue so flat that it is no surprise the actors came off so talentless. To be fair, Mischa Barton is not the worst aspect of this movie, Cameron Bright is.

From under which rock did they excavate this kid from? I have seen more ironing boards with talent than Cameron Bright. Actually, burning myself with an iron ironing would be a more enjoyable task than watching this talentless hack on screen. I would rather watch Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s son) destroy a scene than this guy. At least Jaden can cry on cue.

It is a pity that the dialogue and acting are so sub par, because the stylistically spooky visuals are this movies only saving grace. Unfortunately, the visuals are simply not enough to warrant anyone watching this movie, unlike Johnny Depp’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Just do yourself a favour and avoid watching this movie. If you really have to see it, rent it!

Verdict: 04/10.

Push

Push is a bit of a mixed bag. It is about two young Americans, each with special abilities, who must race to find a girl in Hong Kong before a shadowy government organization known as Division does.

At a first glance, you may be fooled into believing that Push is just a regular action movie. Granted, at the movie’s core, it is, but, you would not be reprimanded if you considered the movie as a drama, or perhaps even a cinema nouveau art film. Yes, Push is just that. In my opinion, Push is an unorthodox mix of a variety of genres which would explain its poor performance at the box office and mixed reviews.

Given the script, the actors do the best they can. Even Dakota Fanning, with a literal ‘stiff lip’, from her failed attempt to hide the fact that she has braces, still manages to show her prowess as an actress. Although the dialogue may be lacking at times, this hindrance is forgiven thanks to the strong and captivating science fiction and fantasy driven story. The story, coupled with the art style and visual effects, are enough to draw viewers into the world of  Push. However, like other action movies but unlike nouveau films, Push has a rich story, that viewers are only given a taste of, while never completely being explained properly. Odd given the artsy camera work and visual style.

To conclude, I enjoyed Push and would describe the film as a mix of something between X-Men and partial bits of Pan’s Labyrinth.

Verdict: 07/10

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaur (3D)

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was a good movie. It was slightly better, courtesy of Scratay, than the first two iterations of the Ice Age franchise, and, thankfully, no worse.

Consequently, if you enjoyed Ice Age or Ice Age 2: Arctic Meltdown, or any animated movie for that matter, you will enjoy Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

However, if you do watch this movie, do yourself a favour and watch it in a 3D capable cinema. Watching a movie in 3D makes a world of difference, especially for the kids!

Interestingly, Ice Age 3 (none 3D) pushed Transformers 2 out of the top spot for the South African box office, reigning in at number one. The 3D version of Ice Age 3 ranked at a respectable number four, considering the 3D version
has a limited release.

Verdict: 07/10.

In other movie news, The Red Carpet will be screening Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (the sixth movie in the saga) next week Wednesday, 15th July 2009, at the Il Grande in Monte Casino. I am looking forward to the movie and I just hope that the story is preserved, not like the game tie-in that I bought yesterday, which has totally raped the story *sigh*.

I also recently found out that one of our own schlebs South African celebrities *rolls eyes*, television personality Colin Moss, will be appearing in a locally produced horror movie called Surviving Evil. Other cast members include notable actors such as Billy Zane and… well… he really is the only actor worth mentioning.

Apparently Surviving Evil is only releasing at select Sterkinekor cinemas… I wonder why! Needless to say, I am not expecting much from this film…

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

As most of you should know, my latest group, The Red Carpet, had its first screening last week Friday (06 March 2009). The movie in question: Watchmen.

For The Red Carpet’s first screening, I decided to go big. How big? IMAX big! If you have not already watched a ‘Hollywood’ blockbuster in an IMAX theatre, then please do yourself a favour, and do so. The sound and picture clarity, not to mention size of the screen, are spectacular in IMAX theatres. The experience is usually breathtaking. Presuming of course you are sitting toward the back of the cinema and not in the second row from the gigantic screen. Which, as Murphy’s Law would have it, is exactly where we were seated.

Courtesy of the ongoing Johannesburg road works and the incapable drivers that are South Africans, we arrived 30 minutes too late for the six o’clock (pm) screening. This was after over three and a half hours, and 150 kilometres, of traffic induced congestion. Note to self: never make plans before seven o’clock (pm) on a Friday if the venue is more than 10 kilometres away. Needless to say, our handsomely reserved tickets had been forfeited. As a result we had no other choice than to accept what was available for the nine o’clock (pm) screening of the movie. Best available tickets for a group of seven? Second row from the front.

Have you ever been seated in the very first few rows of a normal cinema? Unless you are inherently blind, it is, in my honest opinion, a less than pleasurable experience. Now imagine that scenario, but for a screen that is over eight stories high. Seriously… we all came away from the experience with, and I kid you not, sore necks, blood shot eyes and pounding headaches. I would equate watching an IMAX film like this to having a mild brain aneurysm or stroke. Despite the less than adequate seating arrangements, the movie itself was very good.

One of the best aspects of the movie would have had to have been the visuals and special effects. I have commented, time and time again since watching this film, that if someone had to take stills of particular scenes in the movie, that you could use those stills as panels within a graphic novel. Thus, in a pure literal sense, the movie perfectly captures the graphic novel from which it is based. Although I have never read the infamous Watchmen graphic novel, I can clearly and vividly imagine what the novel must be like. Furthermore, never have I been more impressed with a pure digitally created and computer generated character, than I have been with Dr. Manhattan. The only tell tale sign that Dr. Manhattan is in fact a digital illusion is apparent when the character speaks. Although his eyes, skin and genitals have all been recreated flawlessly, it is Dr. Manhattan’s mouth, and its flawed motion, which betray this characters true origin.

One of the strongest aspect of this movie would have to pertain to its story. Unlike conventional ‘super hero’ related movies, the characters within Watchmen are multilayered and somewhat believable. Furthermore, the heroes of the story are flawed, and as a result, all is not what it appears to be. My cousin Freddy summed it up perfectly with the following excerpt from his blog: “Watchmen at its core is a look into superhero ethics and morality. It is refreshing to see superheroes from this perspective as this theme is hardly played on in most comic books. You get a taste of it sometimes but never to the extent of realising how a superhero could view right from wrong and how best to serve mankind. Another point that was refreshing was the concept that the superheroes in watchmen aren’t all ’super powered’, they are mostly humans with the agenda to do good. This has been a staple of the ‘dc-universe’ and I suppose the most appealing part of the human ’superhero’ is that it is accessible to anyone. I must say that the ‘origins’ of the characters played an important part in seeing the humanity of the superhero in question”. I do not wish to elaborate further, for fear of spoiling the plot. Simply put, the movie has a rich politically driven and drama oriented feel that is complimented by a love triangle (with obligatory sex scene) and copious amounts of action related blood and gore.

The Red Carpet rates Watchmen: 08/10

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After having an immensely good time at the Slumdog Millioniare Premiere, further fuelling my penchant for good cinema; and because of the success of The Upper Palatte, not to mention my new outlook on life, I have created a group for like minded movie goers called:

The Red Carpet.

In essence The Red Carpet is a group for individuals who enjoy, like yours truly, the cinema going experience – large screens (See More), deafening sound (Hear More) and riveting stories (Feel More).  At present, the group is scheduled to meet once or twice a month to ‘screen’ a newly released mainstream or art house film. After each screening, members will have the opportunity to get together after the movie and socialise – most likely over dinner or at a coffee shop. Furthermore, members of The Red Carpet will be notified of any South African premiere’s which may take place and which they may, subsequently, be a part of.

For Hans’ Milieu, I may increase the scope of The Red Carpet to include reviews of movies I have ‘screened’ whether they be new or past releases. For instance, this week alone I have seen the following films: Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Role Models, Seven Pounds, The Visitor, The Secret Life of Bees, He’s Just Not That Into You, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, Pulse, Drillbit Taylor and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Then again… with the amount of movies I appear to watch… will I even have time to write about anything else? Perhaps, for now, I will just keep the reviews centred on movies screened by The Red Carpet.

For the opening of The Red Carpet, we will be screening the new Warner Brothers movie Watchmen, on the day of release (06/03/09), at the Imax cinema in the Menlyn Park shopping centre. I first saw the trailer for Watchmen this past Sunday when my family and myself went to see He’s Just Not That Into You. Upon first viewing the trailer, I was awestruck by the unique art style and use of clever cinematography. However, what really hooked me into wanting to see this film was the use of the song ‘Take A Bow’ by Muse, which I immediately recognised as it began midway through the trailer (it actually gave me goose bumps). For those who do not know, I have recently become a huge fan of Muse, having been introduced to their music through their influence on Stephenie Meyer and her enigmatic Twilight Saga. I have even gone so far as to purchase all of their available albums and have subsequently labelled their music as hauntingly beautiful.

For your perusal I have included the Watchmen trailer below. If you would like to see a video of Muse performing ‘Take a Bow’ live, please click here. Make sure to tune in again soon for The Red Carpet’s review of Watchmen!

Watchmen Trailer (SA Release: 06/03/09)