The Fifth Element (1997)

Directed by: Luc Besson

Starring: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm, Gary Oldman

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The Fifth Element is one of those movies I have caught bits and pieces of over the years. Given its two hour and some change runtime, I never caught more than half of it when being aired on broadcast television. I just recently sat down and had a chance to view it all in one setting. Now it makes a whole lot more sense, and was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. 

The plot is a bit convoluted, but easier to follow if you are actually watching the film. A "great evil" appears every 5,000 years to wipe out life on earth. The key to stopping the evil is passed down by priests from generation to generation.  Also needed are the five "elements": earth, fire, water, wind, and a fifth; which can be described as "love" or "heart".

Capitan Planet does not have a cameo

An acient race of beings, who are also tasked with stopping the great evil, are halted by mercenaries hired by hired by the corporatist Zorg (Oldman). Enough DNA is recovered from their wrecked ship to recreate one of the beings. The recreation, Leeloo (Jovovich), is a genetically perfect being, also serving as the fifth element. She soon escapes, running into a ex-special forces taxi cab driver, Dallas (Willis). The two team up with the priests (Ian Holm and Charlie Creed-Miles) that have the necessary knowledge to stop the great evil, while fighting Zorg and his goons along the way. It sounds confusing written down, but is not too hard to follow while actually watching.  

The main appeal of this film is its sheer visual brilliance. The future New York City has an amazing, if not over the top, look to it. It almost is more of a bright fantasy look, rather than the cold steel vision of the future that is so popular. This look alone was almost enough to hold my attention throughout the entirety of the film, there is never a dull looking image on screen. The effects are top notch, and hold themselves even 14 years later. There is a perfect blend of CGI and practical effects, both being done extremely well. 

All of the characters are just as colorful, in costume design and personality. (Fun fact: over 900 different costumes were designed for use in the film) The Fifth Element is filled out by an excellent cast. Oldman steals the show as the evil corporatist Zorg. He blends into his role so well, I was shocked to find out it was him in the credits. Willis plays the typical Willis character: The wise cracking badass who smokes too much, all the while tongue firmly planted in cheek. It isn't anything new for him, but he does it well. Jovovich plays the naive acting Leeloo. She is a source of a few of the film's best laughs, and is plenty easy on the eyes. Ian Holm and Charlie Creed-Miles are a delight as the two sometimes bumbling priests. And finally, where the characters get too colorful, is Chris Tucker as the eccentric Rhuby Rhod. The film looses points for this character, who serves no real role and is utterly obnoxious for every scene he is in. I would call him the "Jar Jar Binks" of this movie, until I remembered The Fifth Element was around two years before the Phantom Menace. That makes Jar Jar the Rhuby Rhod of Star Wars. 

Screenwriter: How can we take Chris Tucker, and make him even more annoying? .....Bingo.

Bottom line: 8/10: The Fifth element is wildly entertaining, well worth a watch. Its held back in only a couple places, such as a complicated plot and Chris Tucker. However, the other characters, and the brilliant design of the future world, make this a good one for any fan of the sci-fi genre.

  

Paul (2011)

Directed by: Greg Mottola

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogan

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I was excited for Paul since I first heard Pegg and Frost were doing another film together.  I had a few mixed feelings once I found out that Edgar Wright, who had worked with the two on Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007), was not involved with this project. My worries were put to bed upon seeing the film. Paul, while its humor is much more simplistic than Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, provides plenty of laughs and a refreshing story. Take the Lewdness of a Seth Rogan film, garnish it with the sly wit of Pegg and Frost, and there you have Paul.  

Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) are two hardcore nerds from the UK visiting the United States for Comic-Con. While they are in country, they decide to rent an RV to tour all of the UFO hot spots across the American midwest. Along the way, they run into Paul (Seth Rogan), a stereotypical looking grey alien with an odd personality. Paul is on the lam from the government, and needs help to return home. He persuades Clive and Graeme to bring him to where he can be picked up by another UFO. Hilarity ensues. 

Two nerds in heaven

There truly wasn't a dull moment in the pacing of the film. Even in the beginning when the characters were being introduced there were plenty of giggles to be had. Once the main story gets rolling, the jokes don't let up until the end credits roll. The humor is pretty juvenile, consisting mainly of fart and sex jokes. It also takes some serious jabs at religion, and doesn't back down. Those who are religious or offended by such humor might want to avoid this film all together.  While this may bother some, I thought the low brow stuff was particularly well done. There are constant references to nerd and sci-fi culture throughout. Some are perfectly subtle and fit into the dialogue well, others feel a bit forced and awkward. 

The characters and the actors who fill their shoes are superb. Pegg and Frost are at their usual best. I was a bit weary about Seth Rogan playing the alien, but he turned out perfect for the role. Jason Bateman, Bill Hader and Joe Lo Trugilo make a funny team as the government agents trailing Paul. Sigourney Weaver has a small part as the boss of whatever government agency Paul escaped from. And Kristen Wiig plays a devout woman "accidentally" kidnapped by our three main characters.

Bottom Line: 8/10: While not as good as previous Pegg/Frost collaborations, theres still plenty of funny here. The humor is a bit low brow and may be offensive to some. Combined with an interesting story, some exciting action scenes, and great acting; this isn't one to miss.

  

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Shaun of the Dead

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield

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Shortly after this was released on DVD, all I heard was friends talking about how funny it was. I tried to sit down and watch it for almost two months. Finally, I got a chance to give it a go. I don't want to say I was disappointed initially. I just didn't get what I had expected. I guess I had been expecting an outrageous Airplane! or Naked Gun style comedy. My friends and fellow film nerds urged me to give it another chance. "Its not an American comedy." I remember someone saying, referring the film's country of origin. I took the advice, and I'm glad I did. Shaun of the Dead is one of the most witty and brilliantly written comedies that has been released in the past ten years. 

Starting out, you wouldn't even know this movie contained zombies. (Well, if you ignored the title)  Shaun (Pegg) is a television salesman who hasn't done much with his life. He lives with his slacker roommate, Ed (Frost). Shaun has a girlfriend, but their relationship has become stagnant.  Its the same old thing every day. After failing at a chance to change his routine, and consequently being dumped,  Shaun sets out on a quest to get his girl back. The only thing is, the UK is now over run by the living dead. The film really lives up to its tagline. Shaun of the Dead isn't a zombie move; its a romantic comedy..with zombies. 

Quite a few zombies

The story can start out a bit slow for some in the beginning. There are plenty of interesting characters and funny situations right off, but it might be a bit of a let down if you went in expecting a modern day Romero film. One it hits the half hour mark, however, it'll really take off. The climax of the film is expertly done. It definitely is a throwback to the Romero zombie movie climax: The humans are not killed off by the living dead directly, but are doomed to die because they can't get over their petty disputes and differences. Plus, one of the best uses of a Queen song that I have ever seen. 

There are plenty of laugh out loud moments to be had here, like every good comedy should. But beyond raw laughs is sheer razor sharp wit. You can be watching this movie for your tenth time, and still pick up on subtle little jokes you've missed before. The film constantly makes nods at itself without breaking the fourth wall, which is an amazing feat in itself. For example, Shaun has a red pen leak in his shirt pocket near the beginning of the film. Almost every character from then on points out that "you've got red on you", even as his shirt is covered in copious abouts of blood and gore as the movie goes on.

You've got red on you.

Bottom line: 9/10: A real treat for any fan of comedies and/or zombie films. Any fans of British humor (or humour) shouldn't pass this one over either. Wonderfully written and scarce of any dull moments, this isn't one to miss.

   

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Cory Hardrict

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Don't go into this one expecting a good plot, stellar dialogue, or standout performances. Luckily, I didn't go in expecting any of that. I got just what I had expected from seeing the trailers: Lots of shouting, bullets and explosions. Lots of explosions. 

Battle: Los Angeles follows a very simple story that we've seen countless times before. Aliens are invading, and its up to a clichéd squad of tough marines to bring down the extraterrestrial baddies. There's not much more to it than that. The explanation for the invasion was almost easy to miss in the quick pace of the film (something to do with water); but that's not what you're here for. Some effort is given to introducing us to the characters and make us care about them. It didn't really work, the characters are pretty bland, and their backstories were just as uninteresting. I couldn't remember any of their names by the film's half way point. It was difficult to feel emotional when marine #3 got shot a bunch of times, or when marines #2, #5, and #7 got blown up in a helecopter. 

Speaking of marines, this movie almost seems like an ad for the US Marine Corps at some points. Except its two hours long and with aliens. It didn't bother me too much, but anyone who has spent 5 minutes in  the actual military would cringe at some of the interactions and portrayal of the marines in general. Its not a bad portrayal, its just.....off.

The acting is surprisingly good at some points. At others, its barley passable. Aaron Eckhart does an amazing job Staff Segregant Nantz, even if there isn't much to his character. The rest of the actors do an OK job, however, none of them give memorable performances. Noel Fisher is good as the squad's inexperienced newbie. Bryce Cass, who plays a youngster that is rescued by the marines, is very impressive given his age. Michelle Rodriguez steps far outside of her comfort zone playing the tougher-than-usual female soldier, this time an air force sergeant.

Michelle Rodriguez in Battle: Los Ang-... wait......

Here we go- Nope, hold on....

Damn it.....

Ok, I think I got it

Lets get down to what Battle: Los Angeles is all about. Action. The only thing it does very well, almost making up for other shortcomings. Once it starts about a half hour into the film, it literally doesn't end until the credits roll. Its fast paced, loud, and brutal. Mixed in with all of the carnage is copious amounts of CGI. It didn't bug me much, the effects held up very well. It did give the film almost a video game type feel, which fits considering the probable target audience.

Michael Bay would be proud. 

 My only gripe is that the camera was extremely jumpy and shaky. I can forgive this in the action scenes, but the cameraman appears to be trembling in quite a few of the slower scenes. Its incredibly distracting to have the camera jumping about when you're trying to watch two guys talking in an office. 

Bottom Line: 6/10: Its nothing substantial, with sub par story and characters. Everything else Battle: Los Angeles does awesomely, earning it back a few points. The perfect mindless all American popcorn action flick. 

Toy Story 3

Directed by: Lee Unkrich

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty

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When I was younger, I always loved the first two Toy Story films. I owned both of them on VHS when I was eight years old or so. Now, I have a different type of respect for them, and they remain among my favorites. Toy Story 3 gives a very satisfying and heartwarming end to the series. 

The plot of Toy Story 3 is certainly hits much heavier than the previous two films. If you felt yourself getting teary eyed during the first 10 minutes of Up (2009), then thats bound to happen for you at some point in this film. There are some scenes, in particular one involving a trash incinerator at a dump, that may even be a bit too intense for very young viewers. Andy is all grown up, and doesn't play with toys anymore. He is in the process of moving out for college. Woody, Buzz, and the gang find themselves mistakenly being donated to a day care center. The toys think they have finally have a home again, but things at the daycare are not as they seem. 

Its really amazing how much Pixar has advanced technically in the past 10 years since Toy Story 2. The visuals in TS3 are simply stunning. All of the textures look almost photo real. The level of detail in the characters is amazing. There is an amazing sense of scale in the opening scene, as well as some great looking action. It's eye pleasing on an HD screen, but I wish I had seen it in theaters for the 3D version. I expect a 3D Blu-Ray release at some point, and might consider picking it up just to see how Pixar handles 3D.

A still picture doesn't do it justice, the amount of detail put into this guy is amazing. 

For the cast, all of the regulars return to reprise their roles. Tom Hanks and Woody Allen are at their usual best. Micheal Keaton lends his voice to a Ken doll who insists that he's "Not a girl's toy", providing a few of the film's best laughs. Ned Beatty voices Lotso, the stuffed bear in charge of running the day care center our main characters find themselves trapped in.

Final Score: 9/10: Pixar again nails the concept of a true "family film". It has a little for everyone, providing plenty of G rated entertainment for the little ones, while at the same time giving the adults plenty of laughs and an emotionally deep story line to follow. As a 19 year old male who enjoys movies full of shooting, explosions, fast cars and scantily clad women; I have no shame in saying that I love Toy Story.

    

The Expendables (2010)

Director: Sylvester Stallone

Writer: Sylvester Stallone

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

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I was excited about this one. It looked awesome on every level. Lots of action, and tons of famous action stars. I was never a huge fan of Stallone, but Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger  were supposed to be in it, right? I was expecting pure awesome out of this movie, but instead I got.....

Gross

The Expendables, the action movie that was supposed to be a throw back to the action movie glory days of the 1980's. It failed to deliver. Miserably. On almost every front. The film follows a team of over the top badass mercenaries that do mercenary stuff. You know, shoot some stuff, work out, beat up folks on a basketball court, and play darts. That is pretty much how deep how deep the story goes. There's something about a moral change of heart and righting wrongs in there too.

But mostly this

So, on to the characters. Stallone and Jason Stratham are the two lead characters in the film. They head up a group of mercenaries known as the "Expendables". Other cast members include Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. All of the acting is incredibly hollow, and a lot of lines just don't sound right. Its hard to understand the motivations of some characters, and others are incredibly simple. Jet Li is the best actor in this film. Not because he out acted the others, its because he only spoke about 3 words in the entire film. There is a hot chick in here somewhere, but then you realize halfway through the movie she kind of looks like a frog and stops being hot. And rumor has it that Jean Claude Van Damme turned down a role in this film, simply because he didn't like the script.

Litmus test: When this man says "no" to your screenplay, consider a re-write

 It seems like a lot of the characters were written in simply to add names to the credits, to trick people into seeing this piece of trash. You know how Willis and Schwarzenegger were supposed to be major stars in this movie?  They appear in one 90 second scene. Willis says "fuck" a couple of times and Schwarzenegger doesn't do much other than chomp on a cigar and smirk awkwardly. That's it. The biggest ripoff in film history. Hey, who's the asshole who wrote this script anyways? 

Oh, right

Everything about the Expendables is way too over the top. I'm a huge fan of action films, and this was just too much for me. Michael Bay could have made a tuned down version of The Expendables. The action is so over the top its almost plain silly. The effects don't help out much either, most of them look like they were taken straight out of a last generation video game. There are some pretty impressive explosions, but that is far from enough to save this movie. 

I don't know of any extras on the DVD, because I refuse to spend another cent on this film. I imagine they are as pointless and stupid as the rest of the movie. And maybe some more of a 65 year old Stallone deciding to take his shirt off. 

Bottom Line: 2/10: One point is because I didn't fall asleep in the theater, the other is because I had enough points on my Regal Cinemas card for a free popcorn. 

    

District 9 (2009)

Directed by: Neil Blomkamp

Starring: Sharlto Copley

Produced by: Peter Jackson

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When this film first appeared in theaters, I ignored it. Not being familiar with any of the lead actors or director, and the fact it was made in South Africa, (Ever heard of a mainstream South African film before?) I didn't think much of it. The first trailer I saw seemed like it was made on a very low, straight to DVD budget. (This was because most of the effects weren't done yet. The second trailer is much better, but I didn't see that one until after I had seen the film.) I few months later, I got a chance to see it in a delayed theater run. And boy, was I wrong.

In its simplest form, the plot of District 9 is very familiar. Aliens come to earth in a giant disc shaped craft, and park right over a major city. Similarities between this film and others end here. The biggest being its location. This time, the aliens aren't visiting New York, LA, or Washington DC. The ship has come to a stop right over Johannesburg South Africa. This provides a very different feel from most alien invasion films right of the bat. And its not an invasion either: The aliens (dubbed "Prawns" by the local inhabitants) are refugees, starving and dying. Their ship was broken down, and merely drifted to its final location.

When we join the film, it has been 20 years since the ship first arrived. The prawns have been moved to a ghetto outside of the city. The alien leadership has died, and all that is left is the lower working caste. Unrest has been brewing between the aliens and the humans, and it is almost at the breaking point. As a result, the South African government contracts with a weapons company, Multi National United, to move the aliens to a tent camp further outside of the city. Our main character, Wikus Van De Merwe, is a recently promoted bureaucrat in charge of the operation. While out in the alien ghetto, Wikus is sprayed in the face by a strange alien chemical. Things begin to change for him, and he ends up on the run from MNU, and has to seek help from the aliens that he was just recently oppressing. On top of being a great action film, it carries some very heavy themes (such as racism and obedience to authority), and does very well with them. The apartheid parallel is so apparent, it almost smacks you in the face. The story is so good, I don't want to ruin any more for you.

The main character, Wikus (played by Sharlto Copley, in his first feature film), is one of the best characters I have seen in recent years. At first, you absolutely hate him. He is cold, callous, and a bit nerdy.  As his struggle becomes apparent throughout the film, he starts to grow on you, and by the end you can almost feel his pain. Add on top of this that almost all of Sharlto's dialogue was completely improvised. He defiantly deserved an Oscar for best actor, but unfortunately was ignored in this category at the Academy Awards. The aliens, while completely CGI and not voiced by any actors,  bring a lot of heart to this picture. They are faintly humanoid, resembling giant bugs. Nonetheless, the emote extremely well. There are a couple of scenes of an prawn and his "son" that are particularly moving. 

District 9 is presented in a very different way. The first half of the film is like a documentary, complete with interviews and news footage. The camera is a bit shaky in these scenes, but not as over the top in some action films. Its what you would expect from a shoulder mounted camera.  Wikus and other characters interact with the "film crew", giving a very realistic feel to some of the scenes. About halfway through, the film transforms to more of a traditional cinematic experience, with an omniscient camera. The transition between these two formats is perfect, even with some cuts between the "real" camera crew and the omniscient one in the same scene. The action is fast paced and brutal. Blood spatters and body parts fly. Its not a film for those with a weak stomach. 

The CGI and effects are simply amazing, even without considering this movie had the third of the budget of a usual si-fi/action film. The CGI prawns and alien technology fit so well with the environment, you sometimes forget they're fake. 

No CGI here......

The environment feels gritty and dirty, and that feeling stays through the whole film. Much of D9 was filmed in an actual South African ghetto, which again helps with the real feeling this movie has.

The Blu-Ray version, besides from being visually stunning, comes with a fair amount of extras to keep a fan entertained. The director's commentary was especially interesting, as it was recorded a day before the films premiere. 

Bottom Line: 10/10: I can't say enough good things about this film. Gripping and dramatic story line, great action, stellar acting, and amazing visual effects. For a first time actor and first time director, they sure made one hell of a film.