APRIL, 13


ASSASSIN’S CREED

Action / Adventure
Cast: Colin Farrell, Anne Hathaway, Javier Bardem, Morgan Freeman, Sean Bean. Cameo by Daniel Craig
Director and Producer: Peter Jackson
Screenwriter: Steve Connors

Box Office: 89 mill.
Net Gains: 60 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Nice but not spectacular box office. Games adaptations seem to have a loyal crowed of followers but never become big events. Honestly, I expected more from this one.

TO CATCH A THIEF

Adventure
Cast: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jean Reno, George Clooney, Camilla Belle, Helen Mirren
Director and Screenwriter: Jack Hammer
Producer: Scoundrels Productions

Box Office: 150 mill.
Net Gains: 131 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Yeah! Second best release of the Season! I can admit now that I wasn’t absolutely sure about how this one would work so a nice surprise for once!

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

Stop-Motion Animation / Comedy / Children
Cast: Voices of Gerard Butler, Daniel Craig, Paul Bettany, Peter O’Toole, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Director: Henry Selick
Screenwriter: Josh Collins

Box Office: 13 mill.
Net Losses: 20 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Innovations are always appealing... and risky. My conclusion: More Stop-Motion Animation? No, thank you.


ASSASSIN’S CREED

‘Peter Jackson has chosen a dark and violent story for his return to CMP. Although based on a console game, don’t be misled. ‘Assassin’s Creed’, the movie, is entertainment oriented to adult audiences. The montage of the succession of murders – probably the best of the film in terms of editing and visual impact – is a highly violent segment brilliantly set up by Jackson. It is a shame that some moviegoers may have stayed away of this movie considering it just another cheap action flick. I think it is in fact one of the best works from Jackson, at least in CMP’s world. Entertaining, dark, violent, appealing cinematography, solid villains, perfect historical atmosphere, intriguing… Elements enough to consider this movie a talented action movie much better than what we usually get from the genre.’
-Roy Winslow

‘I hate movies ending up with a cliffhanger. ‘Earth 3K’ comes to my mind. I hate movies that end up leaving all open for the inevitable sequel. ‘Assassin’s Creed’ is a correct movie, a luxurious action flick perfect for a popcorn evening at the movies. All the historical adventure is very much absorbing – the contemporary beginning and ending are less interesting – but, after putting up an absorbing plot, it all takes to an end that could have perfectly added the words ‘To be continued…’. And I hate that.’
-Vic Carter

‘Peter Jackson has made a visually spectacular movie and has taken the best of a weak screenplay by Steve Connors. The atmosphere of the Crusades has been wonderfully recreated and Jackson’s cinematography takes so much advantage of the beautiful scenarios giving the historical adventure its needed sense of epic. His work upgrades a screenplay full of holes: the inconsistent character played by Anne Hathaway, the unexplained background of the villains and how they find Farrell’s character, the poor anti-climatic ending… Luckily, a talented moviemaker like Jackson has taken control of a poor story to take a good action movie out of it.’
-Jake Cobb

TO CATCH A THIEF

‘I must admit I went to watch this movie full of prejudices. A remake of a Hitchcock’s movie? Oh, please… The reference of Gus Van Sant’s ‘Psycho’ was a dangerous precedent… But I have to say that I was happily surprised. Hammer has not just updated the classic. He has built up a new movie based on the same material and that’s what remakes should be. This new ‘To catch A Thief’ is a very entertaining adventure movie, with a nice vintage atmosphere, the right dose of humor and irony and a classy presentation. The best thing that can be said about this movie is that, once you start watching it, you forget it is a Hitchcock’s remake, as it has its own personality.’
-Charlie Kiggs

‘Forget ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’. Jolie and Pitt can work well on screen. This is one of those movies that depend almost 99% on the charm, chemistry and screen presence of the cast. And choosing Brad and Angelina as starring couples was riskier than it might seem. But, this time, both have perfectly adapted to their very different characters and the magic of chemistry has worked between them. The rest of the cast? Well, Jean Reno plays Jean Reno once more. George Clooney is just there assuming he’s not the star of the show for once. And the great surprise is Camille Bell. The beautiful and talented French actress gets to steal Jolie at some moments men’s attention with her seductive presence.’
-Tim Burgess

‘We all know by now that Hammer is a direct heir of the most classic moviemakers. His way of understanding the art of moviemaking connect directly with a classicism not very often followed in nowadays moviemakers. So he was the perfect man to take care of a Hitchcock’s remake. He has faced the material he was dealing with without any complex but also without concessions. Again - as it has happened before with many others of his movies like the Uncommon Valour saga, ‘The Little Sister’ or the Great War Series trilogy – Hammer has made a kind of contemporary classic, far away from the empty effectism of many of today’s moviemakers, putting the accent more in the acting works and the solidity and soundness of the story than on unnecessary or excessive visual effects or digital displays. A great movie.’
-Jackie O’Callaghan

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

‘Did anyone in CMP really expect that nowadays kids would be interested in this classic fable full of morals? Oh, please… Today’s kids – what I call the ‘Disney Channel Generation’ – are growing up watching the egotistic Hannah Montana and demand visual shows not lower in sophistication than ‘Avatar’. The nice story of a toad interested in automobiles is so old fashioned that probably most of the kids laughed when their parents proposed them to go and watch this movie. CMP has been so naïve expecting to attract the interest of children with this movie. It’s sad, but that’s how the world is now’.
-Anne Roman

‘CMP has presented this movie as an innovative experience. But the truth is that it is not innovative at all. In the era of CGI and 3D, you cannot consider ‘Stop Motion’ as an innovative technique anymore. And telling again a story already told a thousand times cannot be exactly considered as a surprising event. Movies like ‘Shrek’ work precisely because they redefine old concepts and offer a new approach to them. This ‘Wind In The Willows’ does not offer anything new, it just recreates once again the same old concepts without no minor variation. An absolutely dispensable movie’.
-Andrew Stampton

‘This movie is technically impeccable. Selick has taken Stop Motion Animation to another level of perfection and visual appeal. My problem is… I can’t stand Stop Motion Animation. I have always thought that ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ is an overvalued picture. And I just could not stand ‘Coraline’. So maybe I am not neutral judging this movie. But the truth is that, besides the technical perfection of it, I could not find anything interesting in this one.’
-Amy Ratched


ASSASSIN'S CREED

BEST OF IT: See, this is why so many real video game film adaptations fail. They pick the game that really doesn't have much in the way for story or character development, get produced by a studio, cast and crew who just phone everything in. It doesn't matter if the plot is contrived, Resident Evil is just a zombie apocalypse movie yet it gets 100 movies. But here is Assassin's Creed: If you didn't know it was a game before, would that affect how you saw the movie? It's got a really cool not-frequently seen story, and a good chunk of action and adventure. A film that you, no matter if you're a gamer or not, should definitely appreciate.

WORST OF IT: I think the film should have been set a little bit more into the future. I don't see advanced studies such as the Animus being used in two years. Though I suppose with how the film ends, I can understand why it's so near into the future.

SHINING STAR/DEAD WEIGHT: Everyone seemed to perform well in their roles. If there was any dead weight it'd be Anne Hathaway in a role that pretty much any woman could fill.

THE BRAINS BEHIND: Connors and Jackson created a very good film that you can forget is based on a game. Sadly, I'm sure Hollywood will try to steal the idea from them and make a cheap watered down less intelligent movie in a couple of years. The rest of the production's sets and cinematography were outstanding.

IN CONCLUSION: A- entertaining action for the smart moviegoer(seeing as how the plot is as complex as the Matrix)

TO CATCH A THIEF

BEST OF IT: The nostalgia of not getting to see this sort of film much these days with a jewel thief.

WORST OF IT: It's a film that falls on the 'okay' line. Nobody is ever going to say it tops the original, but it doesn't try to destroy its original source like another Hitchcock failure(Van Sant's Psycho). Also I'm sure many filmgoers are overwhelmed with seeing the pairing of Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Angelina Jolie.

SHINING STAR/DEAD WEIGHT: Seems like the case of less experienced actors such as Camilla Belle outshined the veteran actors in this film.

THE BRAINS BEHIND: Jack Hammer did an alright job with this one. I didn't leave the theater wanting to string him up by his toes, and I wouldn't mind seeing these nostalgic movies again. It's always going to be hard to take a Hitchcock film and pay it justice, but there are reasons filmmakers consider his work untouchable.

IN CONCLUSION: C+/B- Not bad, not memorable either.

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

BEST OF IT Speaking of nostalgia trips, here's a retelling of the story many of us know. Mr. Toad and his wacky adventures, but done with a really neat style: stop-motion animation. Not just any stop motion, but with Henry Selick's stop-motion animation. If you've seen Nightmare, Giant Peach or Coraline, you'll know they all fall into a 'Tim Burton of animation' style. Which is apparent here, especially when the Stoats and Weasels take over Toad Hall. Sure it's the same story we've read for a hundred years, but every generation has their film version of a classic tale. It also made fantastic strides to follow the original source.

WORST OF IT By following the original source, there were a few things that didn't need to be in the film that were put in it. Like helping to find Otter's child and Otter is really a central character. The messages in the film follow the messages of the book, which may come off as a bit preachy for a Henry Selick animated film. But kudos to making Toad as rotten(stealing cars, escaping prison) as in the book.

SHINING STAR/DEAD WEIGHT The all-male English cast(with a few unmentioned female voices to play the minor roles), each did good performances. I wasn't quite thrilled of Gerard as Toad's voice, but he was alright. Peter O'Toole's wise voice was perfect for Badger.

THE BRAINS BEHIND Josh Collins stepped aside and let Henry Selick do the voodoo he does so well with his darker-stop-motion animation that's made him known for his previous work. He created a magnificent world in the River Bank and box-office draw or not, it was a great attempt to give the kids of this generation their version of Mr. Toad.

IN CONCLUSION: A-/B+ it's not as creepily dark as Nightmare or Coraline, but still entertaining for the family and is good for parents who want their kids to learn something from the film without realizing it.

MR. THUMBS' CERTIFIED MUST SEE OF THE WEEK:

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS