MARCH, 24


GEARS OF WAR

Sci-Fi / Action
Cast: Will Smith, Vin Diesel, Rachel Weisz, Wentworth Miller, Tommy Lee Jones
Director and Producer: Michael Bay
Screenwriter: Steve Connors

Box Office: 35 mill.
Net Loss: 12 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: ...oh, my God… what else can I say?

BLOOD MERIDIAN

Western
Cast: Daniel Radcliff, Aaron Eckhart, Eric Bana, Gerard Butler, Hayden Christensen, Harvey Keitel, Jeremy Piven
Director: Ang Lee
Screenwriter: Dawson Edwards

Box Office: 44 mill.
Net Gains: 14 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Curse of the westerns seems to be gone. Audiences have appreciated the quality of this movie. Not a blockbuster – no expected to be – but a decent box office’s turnout for this interesting movie.

PSYCHO: BLOODLINE

Horror / Slasher
Cast: James Franco, Keri Russell, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Angarano, Emmy Rosum, Emma Stone
Director: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: Matt Kubrick
Producer: Midnight Movies

Box Office: 43 mill.
Net Gains: 17 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Some slashers work in box office, some others don’t. This one went sunny side up. The most profitable release of a tough week for the Studio.


GEARS OF WAR

'CMP has 'the Metal Gear Solid phenomenon' of this Season with 'Gears Of War'. Again, a top budget adaptation of a console game sinks in box office. And this one can be considered even worse: Will Smith was in it! And the reasons are as hard to find as they were for 'Metal Gear Solid'. 'Gears of War' is an exhausting action flick, almost a shoot'em up movie. Noisy soundtrack, abuse of slow motion, superficial characters... All these reasons are valid for both 'Gears of War' and 'Metal Gear Solid'. And they make both movies to look a bit old fashioned, too ‘80s movies’. Not even Will Smith has been capable of saving this one. Although the movie has some interesting elements - the luxurious production design, the impressive digital creatures, some spectacular action set pieces -, the emptiness behind all that finally becomes so obvious that moviegoers did not bite the hook'
-Vic Carter

'I have been reading in different internet forums the comments of fans of the console game 'Gears of War'. There was a strong reaction against the adaptation written by Steve Connors. And that was a bad premonition for the movie. Finally, the disaster feared by CMP happened. Even the fans of the game hated the movie. 'Gears of War', the movie, is not worse than many CMP's movies that have succeeded lately in box office. But some times a movie is cursed from the very beginning and that happened with this one. CMP expended millions in an exhausting marketing campaign and it generated more rejection than interest. It is funny how less supported movies work better in box office while movies with an extreme hype around them flop. Remembering now how 'Woodland Creatures', a production nobody at CMP believed in, reached easily the 200 millions while this one, planned to be The Hit of the Season, hardly reaches 30 millions may have made some executives from the Studio wonder if they really know something about this business. Audiences are unpredictable and maybe betting for medium budget productions is more intelligent than designing this huge financial operations that end up becoming so embarrassing.'
-Jackie O'Callaghan

'CMP decided a long time ago that Michael Bay was a trustable moviemaker. And yes, he has been behind some CMP's big hits like 'Westworld' or 'HF'. That made some executives forget that he is also the man behind movies as bad as 'Pearl Harbour' or 'The Island'. Sooner or later, Bay had to do wrong in CMP too. And when Bay does wrong, that means a major box office disaster, as his movies are usually very expensive productions. Audiences have turned their backs to this childish production of unbeatable heroes fighting mean creatures. And I don't know why everybody is so surprised about it. Bay is only one degree better than John Woo. Smith and Diesel are the most absurd choice for a starring couple in ages. And the plot of the movie is what it is: the storyline of a console game, not a cinematic creation. For once, moviegoers have been intelligent enough to discover the swindle this movie was.'
-Roy Winslow

BLOOD MERIDIAN

'Every time a western is released many critics love to write about 'the resurrection of the genre'. Well, I don't think westerns will never resurrect as a main movie genre. But from time to time a quality western reminds us the potential of a genre that is far away from its golden era. Personally, I think that in the last 20 or 30 years there have been only a few westerns that really deserved to be put at the same level than the master pieces of the genre: Lawrence Kasdan's 'Silverado', Clint Eastwood's 'Unforgiven' and now Ang Lee's 'Blood Meridian'. The difference in 'Blood Meridian' is that it does not follow the rules of the genre completely. The graphic violence in it would never be seen in a classic western. In that sense, the same way he did in 'Brokeback Mountain', Ang Lee makes a contemporary approach to the genre readapting its cliches to our days. John Ford would have never shot a gay cowboys love story the same way he would have never shown violence in such a graphic way. So 'Blood Meridian' cannot be considered a revisitation of the classic concepts of the genre. It is a movie with its own personality that probably shows us better what those days were like than many classic movies of the genre.'
-Anne Roman

'Ang Lee is probably one of the most interesting directors in CMP. He has proved his capacity for making very different kind of movies like 'An American Stroll', 'Five Thunderbolts', 'The Chinese Bride' and now this one. He can jump from intimate stories to epic violence features and be efficient in all of it. I think 'Five Thunderbolts' is still his best CMP's movie. But 'Blood Meridian' expands his versatility and confirms him as a sure value when betting for quality. In a time when some directors seem to be shooting the same movie all the time, Ang Lee knows how to adapt the directional style to the story he's telling us. 'Five Thunderbolts' and 'Blood Meridian' are too violent stories but they are shot in a completely different way. While 'Five Thunderbolts' was shot with nerve and a tense pace, 'Blood Meridian' mixes the intense violent moments with those calmed takes a western demands to show the wide and open spaces where the story takes place. And both styles fit as a glove with the story. It is also funny how Lee is probably the most 'american' director in the industry as no other director follows the heritage of the best american movie makers the way he does, taking the best of the past to make brilliant contemporary movies with an elegant touch of classicism.'
-Roy Winslow

'Daniel Radcliff keeps growing as an actor in front of CMP's cameras. CMP's productions like 'South East', 'Daisy Lane' and now 'Blood Meridian' insist on proving how unfair would be if Radcliff stays stuck on his Harry Potter character forever. In 'Blood Meridian', Radcliff leaves far behind the rest of the cast members in terms of quality acting. Only Aaron Eckhart gets to capture the essence of his character. On the other side, Eric Bana is probably the worst of the movie, as he is just not believable as the mean judge, the supposed 'huge man' Cormac McArthy created in the original book. The rest of the talents do not really have a chance to shine in their minor roles. Dawson Edwards - much better writer when he faces adult stories than when adapting comics or video games - didn't care to develop some characters as much as Radcliff's and Eckhart's and that, together with some minor confusing moments in the storyline, is the only lack in a solid story that will be remembered as one of the hidden gems in CMP film's vault'.
-Alex Stampton

PSYCHO: BLOODLINE

'This movie has two separate parts. The first part - the relationship between Franco and Russell ending up with him murdering her - is not a sequel or an adaptation of the original 'Psycho': it is almost a recreation of it the same way Gus Van Sant did with the whole movie. Franco and Russell look like Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh and the legendary 'murder in the shower' sequence is repeated here once again turning the movie in a copycat. The second part, right after the killing of Russell, is the classic teenagers / slasher's chase with no innovation in it. We are back here to 'Blood Beach', 'London Underground' or 'Sisters'. It is like two separate stories in just one movie. And none of them works. This is just an unnecessary movie that there was no reason to make'.
-Charlie Kiggs

'It is obvious by now that Kubrick suffers not just double but multiple personalities as movie creator. He can be sensitive ('Goths. A Love Story'), dramatic ('Home'), epic (‘The Dark Tower’), entertaining (‘The Ice Princess’) or simply brilliant ('Sherlock Holmes'). But I am afraid his favourite personality arises when he writes his horror slasher flicks. 'Psycho: Bloodline' has pretended to be an upgraded version of his previous slashers: a reputed director, popular stars and a classic horror masterpiece as reference. But none of that has made any difference. At the end, it all turns out in another blood festival of boyfriends and girlfriends. Kubrick loves to make these movies and we have to admit they have their audience as some of them, like this one, even make profits. Kubrick does not pretend to enter into Movie History with these flicks. They are his caprices, almost his jokes, and you may choose to enjoy them or hate them.'
-Tim Reeve

'Brian, what has become of you? De Palma is member of that generation of genius that appeared on scene in the 70s like Scorsese, Coppola, Lucas or Spielberg. He has made brilliant movies like 'The Untouchables', 'Body Double' or the very Hitchcock-esque 'Dressed To Kill'. But in the last years he seems to have lost his way and his prestige has decreased from one movie to the next. Directing this sequel of 'Psycho' is another proof of his decadence. He has always admitted the strong influence of Hitchcock in him but this time he has taken it too far directing what only is a poor imitation of his master's geniality. The son of Norman Bates has been turned into something closer to Jason Vorhees far away from the complex and disturbing personality of his father. Punching a mirror and shouting 'this is not me' is not enough to build up a psychologically complex character. And De Palma, a great movie maker once, should know that.'
-Chris Burgess


Starting this week I am going to reduce the total number in the scoring system. anything between 3 and 5 is good, anything below 3 isn't good and 3 is obviously average. So this week is full of a diverse range of films, something for everyone. Psycho: Bloodline for the horror folk, Blood Meridian for those who like a good Western and Gears of War for those who like action films based on games. Ok, so it's not something for EVERYONE, shoot me.

GEARS OF WAR

CRITIQUE: Bringing a game to life on the big screen is a huge risky bet usually always falling short of being critically acclaimed. I felt Gears of War had some strong moments in the technical, special effect side. With Will Smith and Michael Bay returning after the megahit 'HF' this film has it all to be the next blockbuster popcorn hit that audiences will either love or hate. Unfortunately the film followed on the heels of Connors' popular flicks last season, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and his award winning "Mary's Dark Side" audiences and critics will certainly be critical towards Connors, expecting something better to follow up on. I asked myself these questions after viewing it: Was it entertaining? Would I want to see more to it? Will it win awards? Yes, Sure, and in the words of the Magic 8 Ball: Outlook not so good.
ACTING/CAST: 3/5
DIRECTION: 3/5
WRITING: 4/5
CONCEPT/PLOT: 3.5/5
RE-WATCH VALUE: 5/5
OVERALL: 3.5/10

BLOOD MERIDIAN

CRITIQUE: Ang Lee continues to impress me with this well made western full of violence. But oh isn't that a main element in most westerns? The cast and writing stood out as being particularly outstanding and it was nice to see Eric Bana step out of all those action hero roles he's been stuck in throughout his CMP employment. This film also proves that Dawson Edwards is definitely finding his niche in the industry with two well made films this season. I knew there was something about him I liked, he just needed to blossom!
ACTING/CAST: 5/5
DIRECTION: 5/5
WRITING: 5/5
CONCEPT/PLOT: 4/5
RE-WATCH VALUE: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5

PSYCHO: BLOODLINE

CRITIQUE: I think it tried so hard to forget the horrendous sequels of the horror classic that it became one of them. I tried keeping a straight face and an open mind but I ended up groaning throughout. Kubrick has done the horror/slasher bit to death and I really think it needs to take a break. He doesn't have to stop because it's a part of his style, but I think we all know he can pull the wool over our eyes and make better films and forget the same tiring formulas of this genre. It's like having to listen to a three year old bang on one piano key for several hours.
ACTING/CAST: 1/5
DIRECTION: 1/5 (De Palma, what happened to you)
WRITING: 2/5
CONCEPT/PLOT: 1/5
RE-WATCH VALUE: 1/5
OVERALL: 1.5/5

MR. THUMBS' CERTIFIED MUST SEE OF THE WEEK:
BLOOD MERIDIAN