The X-Files: I Want to Believe

broderic on July 28, 2008

The X-Files: I Want to Believe was my most anticipated movie of the summer. I’m an unabashed fan of The X-Files and an even more bigger fan of the Scully character, so you know I was waiting for it: I wanted to believe.

If this was an episode of the series, and not a summer flick, it would’ve felt right at home in the seventh season of the show. The first three seasons were brilliant. The fourth and fifth seasons occurred at the show’s height of popularity with the fifth season anticipating the first theatrical film. After the first movie, the underrated Fight the Future, the show began its slide to mediocrity. The sixth season was a let down. The seventh season had the cast wanting out. The eighth and ninth seasons were the show in decline both as a pop culture leader and a good story. In the age of George W Bush, the fucktard president, the government spying on you isn’t a bug it’s a feature, so being paranoid is actually recognizing the truth.

So, I Want to Believe is a seventh season episode on the big screen. We have the dynamics of Scully and Mulder already outed as a couple (the noromo in me hates it). Their relationship colored by their love for each other. We have the story with hints at religion and faith which signifies a very Scully-centric film. She always has to explore the meaning of her faith in both the natural world of science and the supernatural world of paranormal activities, and she comes back to believing in herself as Mulder does, too. We have the point of view of the series shifting to Scully. In season seven, David Duchovny wanted out and slowly drifted away from Fox Mulder, and the series began to focus on Gillian Anderson and Scully.

This film was all Scully’s. She’s the first of the couple to be shown. And she was doing what we all knew she would be doing after the show ended: a doctor saving lives. When you watch it and feel the emotion of the ending to both the show and the characters, you end up knowing now that The X-Files was as much about Scully as it was about Mulder. She was, in the Pilot, the person that introduces you to the show. She is the heart of the relationship of Mulder and Scully swinging from non-believer/sceptic to a believer in Mulder. She’s just plain awesome. And to find that a summer flick devoting time to the female lead is jarring especially one so intellectual.

And that’s what was wrong with the film. It was not a summer movie. Like The Dark Knight its story is suited for darker evenings than the sunny skies of July. The exploration of faith and relationships, the lack of action, and wordiness of the film add up to a December prestige film rather than a summer blockbuster. And I was ready for a summer blockbuster. I wanted aliens, time travelers or ESP’ers. What I got was religion again, which as the series waned bored me. I needed them to chase something and that something to be more mysterious and harder to explain than a real serial killer.

But I got Scully. And I got Mulder. Both of them on the big screen made me happy. This was their swan song. Pairing this film with the first, you’ll find the wide range of stories inherent in the show. Only thing was it was a summer film not an episode on the television.

2 of 5 stars.

Adventures From My Netflix Queue: Densha Otoko

broderic on July 21, 2008

Since cutting back on my Netflix watching, I haven’t been too concerned when holding onto a film. It takes me a few days to get to my latest red envelope and a few days to send it right back.

My latest was the Japanese romantic comedy, Densha Otoko (Train Man). I’ve watched it twice and feel that I like it.

It’s the story of a Japanese otaku who saves a woman on a train from a drunken salary man. The savior gets a nice thank you gift from her, and they end up going out for dinner. You can imagine where it goes from here: straight to love.

What’s interesting about the film is that it was inspired by a seemingly true tale on 2channel, a Japanese message board. The eponymous Train Man wrote the tale onto this message board and received the help of its denizens to woo this girl.

Could this have been real? Or was it another internet hoax?

I don’t know but I liked the simple tale of geek falling for the girl. Or the girl falling for the geek. Simply adorable. And so heartwarming. It’s for all the inhabitants of the internet who get no love and want to aspire to that transcendent state.

The film follows the Train Man as he gets up the nerve to ask her out. His internet buddies cheering him on. He cleans himself up to not be too geeky and to be more human. His internet buddies guide and coach him. He falls for the girl and his internet buddies help him move their relationship forward. His internet buddies also gain from him as they take on assess their lives, loves and relationships they have in the meatspace.

While this is not for everyone, it’s really enjoyable for those lovelorn geeks in all of us. And also Miki Nakatani is cute.

4 of 5 stars.

The Dark Knight

broderic on July 21, 2008

The Dark Knight

On the Marvel-DC comics divide, I fall squarely in the Marvel camp. I know the rudimentary aspects of the DC universe. I know the major characters, their origins and even some of their story lines. I know some of the tangibles of the DC universe, but honestly, I really don’t care too much with any of the DC heroes. They were too “SuperFriend-ly” for me and seem to have that wholesomeness still grafted onto them. For what they are they can not be too dark.

Enter the new revisionist take on DC. Starting with Infinity Crisis, DC begins to remake themselves into a more grittier universe. Batman always being so dark takes on the mantle of chief dark character in the DC universe. Frank Miller writes the ultimate Batman tale of urban grit and grime in the immortal, The Dark Knight Returns, and ever since then it’s been a brooding, sinister, hard boiled Gotham for the Batman to prowl.

Tim Burton makes a splash with Batman and adds some color to Bruce Wayne’s Gotham. It was a joyous romp taking inspiration from Miller’s The Dark Knight, but adding some sense of whimsy and playfulness to Gotham. Burton knew that he’s doing a comic book movie. His main character is a man in a tight fitting suit. While embracing Miller’s Darkness, Burton weaved into the Batman movie a feel of enjoyment in the comic book.

Almost twenty years on and the DC universe goes through another revision to make it more darker. Superman has a kid. And Batman, well, he’s dark and all.

The first Batman movie of this century, Batman Begins, takes place in the more modern Gotham. It’s like a version of New York in an alternate time. Yet, it still had some fun as a comic book movie: Ra’s Al Ghul, the Scarecrow.

The Dark Knight lacks any sense of comic book-ness and instead goes for reality. You know it when the Joker’s sense of playfulness arises from being completely psychotic. The film is not a summer comic book movie to enjoy, but one to sit in the dark and meditate on what darkness lies in men’s souls. Is the Batman dark? Is the Joker dark? Their souls are joyless in this movie and the seriousness hurts it as a fun time.

And it was forty minutes too long with several endings. I thought the Joker was the main baddy. He’s joined by TwoFace. And then the Penguin, Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy would show up next. Yet, if they did, it would ruin the seriousness of the movie, because we must be shown that in all of us there is a darkness and a happiness battling it out all the time. Except for the Joker who is a loon.

So The Dark Knight bored me. Every turn in the plot made me cringe. “What more is there,” I thought exasperated! And can’t they capture one guy shooting at the mayor while surrounded by the entire police force? I mean this was at a police funeral with everyone on high alert. I mean everyone. Right down to the mayor’s wife! Everyone should’ve been ready and when the shots occurred not twenty feet from the mayor and twenty feet from several hundred officers the best the police could do was duck and cover?! How convenient. Let’s just add another forty minutes to the movie. It’ll just suck all fun from what should’ve been a comic book romp of ass kicking goodness.

And that’s my problem with The Dark Knight. Its soul as a comic book movie probably died with Heath Ledger. They wanted to make it more serious in tribute to the fallen actor so that the audience can remember him as a serious actor not as a man dressed up as a clown. Yet, the clown show is what we wanted to see. His jokes were not funny, just ask the guy the guy about the pencil.

Most likely, my reaction to the film comes from my Marvel fandom. Not one to associate myself to much with the DC universe, I could care less about their major characters. They bore me. So too with this film.

2 of 5 stars.

Quickie movie post

broderic on July 9, 2008

Wall E: Amazing first hour. Silent film. Second hour a little bit shaky as a story. Liked the deranged robot room like the robot torture chamber in Jedi.

4 of 5 stars.

Hancock: Unexpected. Surprised. Somewhat delighted. Amazed that some Hollywood producer would have the nerve to create a comic book character without the comic book. First movie in a while that tried to establish its own universe. You knew from the first minute you realized that Charlize Theron was in the movie that something was going to happen.

3 of 5 stars.

The Zen of Fish

broderic on July 9, 2008

Reading all this manga and watching all this anime makes you hungry for some Japanese food, especially sushi. I’ve had my fill lately. And it’s great, but I wanted more. So I decided to read Trevor Corson’s book on the sushi, The Zen of Fish.

It is an accounting of the history of this delicious cuisine. It starts in medieval Japan and winds its way up to the present United States where we are crazy for it. The book describes the origins as a simple meal to preserve fish and ends with crazy American rolls.

It also tells the tale of apprentice sushi chefs being trained in the California Sushi Academy. They learn to fine art of sushi making. And in true American style, they become sushi masters in a week whereas in Japan it would’ve taken them a lifetime. The students are all interesting to meet, but I was in it for the fish.

For the most part, Corson weaves the history of sushi with episodes of the students learning, but he also adds in chapters devoted to the fish of sushi. There’s chapters on squid (ika) and octopus (tako), fresh water (unagi) and salt water eel (anego, mmmm), and of course tuna. The chicken of the sea if it’s white, but the most delectable if its otoro. These are the chapters that I found most fascinating. And I had to try each of these at least. So far in my sushi eating I’ve played it safe, but I need to eat more. This book does well for a guide on what is what.

Overall, it was a fined read, a good summertime, lazy sunday page turner. I took longer than expected to read, but all that manga gets in the way. I recommend it as it teaches lots about sushi culture in Japan and in America.

B-

Movie Criticism

broderic on June 27, 2008

Geez. I just read some really good writing in the form of movie reviews for this weekend’s releases. I mean I was startled by how moved I was from just reading them. Did it make me want to go watch the movies? Hell, yeah, even though one of them was a pan and dismissed the film as another in a long line of bad action flicks.

First up is Manahlo Dargis’s demolition of Wanted, the action flick opening up today. It’s a beautiful takedown. I wish I can write my reviews like that for when I need to pan a film.

Next is Devid Edelstein’s review of Wall-E. Simply amazing. And the movie sounds awesome as well.

Hmm. What to watch this weekend?

Get Smart

broderic on June 23, 2008

Get Smart is dumb summer fun. What can you say about a movie that was meant to be forgotten as soon as you exit the theatre? That’s why I’m writing this review like this: I forgot what happened. Good for the popcorn, bad for the film fanatic. It was a nice two hours in the shade.

Agent 13 is disguised as a tree.

Jaime shows up.

Agent 99 almost had us believing in Barabara Feldon. I wish she was there. I loved her as a kid. I wonder if she did do a cameo?

They had Zigfried.

Would you believe…? Missed it by that much. Cone of silence.

2 of 5 stars.

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan

broderic on June 10, 2008

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan has got to be the only Adam Sandler movie I wanted to see in the theatre. (Click! was a Kate Beckinsale movie. That’s what I keep saying to myself.) It looked stupid funny, and I find it incredible that they can make jokes about the Palestine/Israel conflict.

And that’s what it was. Lots of politics surrounded featuring the bone-headed-ness of the entire Middle East problem. And it made you laugh if it weren’t so funny. Good for Adam Sandler to make fun of that issue, because it is pretty stupid when you think about it.

This movie was a good popcorn flick. It’s what summer is all about. Stupid fun. And it had some morals to share with the world — deep down we’re all the same. Our ambition, your ambition, they are all the same dream. Let’s stop this fighting and do something we all agree on is great…

… DISCO!!!!!

I got to admit the middle east inflected pop music used in the soundtrack is great. I was wondering if Ofra Haza would show up? Good beats. Good eats. Fun summertime pastime to while away in AC away from the heat.

It’s not for everyone, but turn off your brain and it’ll be fine.

3 of 5 stars.

Psycho

broderic on May 31, 2008

Psycho was playing at The Charles. I’ve never seen it straight through, so what better way to watch it but on celluloid in a revival theatre.

And it was great. I got chills when “mother” comes out and kills the detective. It was enough to make me jump a bit.

Afterwards, I got to arguing with the seed about if it was a modern movie or not. He says it was because of the editing. I said no because of the staging and framing. I’ll give him the editing as it is more modern than the studio films of 40s and 50s, but I feel that it had some of the mise-en-scene you get from a film noir of the earlier era. The closeups and the tight shots highlighting the tension of the story. It’s a toss up. I won’t give ground and he won’t either.

It’s a good movie for this fact.

4 of 5 stars.