Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey (2011)

Kevin Clash was a young kid growing up outside of Baltimore when he discovered he had a dream. While watching television, he was inspired to create and animate puppets. Starting with the fur lining of one of his father’s coats, Kevin created dozens of different characters. He was misunderstood as a child and a teenager, but exposure and philanthropy provided him the exposure to get discovered to join a small children’s television program with Channel 2 in Baltimore. A surprise opportunity to meet with Kermit Love and learn many of the secrets to Jim Henson’s success did more for his career than he could have realized. He made a connection that launched him into opportunities to work with Captain Kangaroo and, of course, Jim Henson and Frank Oz. Elmo was not even his original creation, but he re-imagined the character to be a combination of the loving and energetic traits of his parents. The new Elmo became a sensation and the anchor to Clash’s career.

The documentary, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, focuses on Clash’s rise from child puppet prodigy to international success. One of the consistent realities when comparing his success with his more humble beginnings is that he would not be recognized as a celebrity without Elmo at his side. Still, his focus has never been the fame or fortune. Originally, his creations and performances were for the children from his mother’s work and attempts to fundraise for sick children in the community. He wanted to explore the land of Jim Henson, meet his idol and find his way to Sesame Street. He accomplished all of these things, with a bit of help from Kermit Love. He never lost his passion for helping others and even invites young talents to visit the studio and learn from his experience. Kevin Clash has a humbleness that is truly inspiring.

  

Although the start of the film is a little disjointed, it quickly finds its bearings and paints a story of the history of Kevin Clash and how his life coexisted with Jim Henson’s success and filmography. Goldberg’s involvement as the narrator was not overpowering, as much of the film was actually narrated by Clash himself. His parents were rather charming, as they proclaimed their support for Kevin starting from the first puppet he created. He also received a lot of praise and acceptance from the other puppeteers between the different Henson projects.

  

There are a couple of questions that arise from this film that would be interesting to know. Since they glossed over his personal life, what happened to cause his divorce and what is his relationship like with his ex-wife? Even when he highlighted some of the challenges with a lack of resources and show cancellations, those elements were only highlighted for brief moments before moving onto the oncoming successes. There seemed to be opportunities to talk more about educational lessons from each of those experiences. There also seems to be a gap about his continued goals, to use the Latin phrase quo vadimus. So what are the continued hopes and goals of Kevin Clash?

Even with the questions, the film sinks its hooks into the viewer with its charm and inspiration description of Clash’s life.

Dan’s Rating: 4.0/5

Shame: A Steve McQueen Film (2011)

Brandon, a successful businessman on the outside, has a dark, dirty secret. As a sex addict, he struggles to get through the day without giving into his urges, no matter the place they arise. Because he lives in New York City, he is able to hide his issues fairly well and ignore most of the outside world in the process. When his sister crashes in his apartment, his private life takes a seriously destructive turn. He no longer feels able to hide his private life and struggles with his rocky relationship with his sister. While she does not seem to judge him and his personal activities, her actions seem to continue to frustrate Brandon to no end, causing the two to argue on numerous occasions and feel that their tensions have risen to an unmanageable level.

Starring: Michael Fassbender (Brandon), Carey Mulligan (Sissy), Nicole Beharie (Marianne), Elizabeth Masucci (Elizabeth), Alex Manette (Steven), James Badge Dale (David), Mari-Ange Ramirez (Alexa)

This extremely provocative film takes its actors to places they have not previously gone. Michael Fassbender may be best know for action films like 300 and X-Men: First Class but his character in this film is more about inner pain and challenges than it is about his outward actions. The artistic style of the direction allows for Fassbender to act more with his long stares, minimal dialogue and periodic outbursts in reaction to his sister. Sissy, played by Carey Mulligan, is a volatile young woman and a wonderful musical talent. In a scene soon after her character’s introduction, she sings a slow rendition of New York, New York that is soulful and has a beautiful sorrowful edge to it. James Badge Dale plays the overeager friend of Fassbender, who struggles with a craving for beautiful women but does not appear to have the same addictive issue as his friend. Nicole Beharie seems to represent a woman who is a counterpoint to Fassbender’s depraved existence, seemingly wanting something more than simply a physical relationship. Also important to the story is a woman who engages Fassbender during the subway scene (Lucy Walters) because of her involvement in the public temptations for his addiction.

  

Along with his theme of dark dramas, Steve McQueen has chosen to explore the life of a sex addict, through all of the pain and unbeatable urges. From the start of the film, it appears that Brandon is a man stuck on autopilot. He is a victim of his urges, forcing him to seek out sex from whatever source he can find it, although he appears to be able to attract beautiful women regardless of the intensity of his urges. His sister’s arrival only disrupts his ability to succumb to his urges as they arise but not eliminate his opportunities to attempt to find release. While his sister simply appears to be a wild card in his life, she has her own problems as well. Where Brandon uses sex as a relief of his urges, Sissy’s hidden issue happens to be cutting to have a feeling of control over her life. Her cutting habits attempt to hide her significant inner pain, even though it is not clear how troubled her background truly is.

  

Though it could be easy to highlight how the provocative focus and amount of nudity takes away from the enjoyment of the film, McQueen is all about intense imagery and strong emotions to highlight his meaning behind the story. The subway scenes are some of the most telling scenes in the film, highlighting a longing to act on his urges but the restrictive elements of the public nature of the subway car and the fact that the woman is taken. McQueen goes to an even more intense place when he shows Brandon wandering in to a gay club and allowing to give himself to another man, while then following up the experience with another pair of women. What McQueen and Fassbender are so successfully able to project is the absolute sorrow that Brandon feels virtually every minute of his existence. What they are a little less successful with is giving a better understanding for Sissy’s problems and how she ended up having her own addiction.

This film certainly does not work for most people due to its intensity and its artistic nature. There are a lot of emotional elements that are truly inspired and the music truly helps to increase the emotions and passion of the scenes.

Dan’s Rating: 3.5/5

Drive: There Are No Clean Getaways (2011)

A mysterious part-time stuntman and mechanic leads a secret life. As a getaway driver, he has a few rules for clients: he does not carry a gun and he will leave if they do not complete their task in the allotted time. His manager, Shannon, makes a connection with a couple of men with money to sponsor their development of a stock car to race professionally. As his life starts to take a different turn, he meets his neighbor, Irene, and her son, Benicio. Helping her out while awaiting her husband’s release from prison, he begins to feel something for her. When her husband gets out, he agrees to help Standard with one more job to get his release from the men holding him under servitude. When the job turns south, the driver has to fight for his life and find a way to put an end to the pursuit of the mysterious mobsters threatening his life and Irene’s.

Starring: Ryan Gosling (Driver), Carey Mulligan (Irene), Bryan Cranston (Shannon), Albert Brooks (Bernie Rose), Oscar Isaac (Standard), Christina Hendricks (Blanche), Ron Perlman (Nino), James Biberi (Cook)

Serving as the stoic protagonist in this film, Ryan Gosling serves his role more through his facial expressions, long pauses and few lines of dialogue. There is an intensity and a sadness, representative of a void that he can never seem to fill. Carey Mulligan plays the diminutive Irene, a caring mother and semi-devoted wife. Although her character develops feelings for Gosling, she never truly abandons her family. Bryan Cranston serves as a shady shop owner who is also invested in underhanded deals in hopes of finding success with a wishful business venture. As the main villains, Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman both have an intensity and anger that serves as a monument to their power and an achilles heel in their characters. Oscar Isaac plays the ill-fated husband of Mulligan, a man who honestly seems to be looking for a way out but only has a specific set of skills. Also important to the story are Christina Hendricks (Blanche), James Biberi (Cook) and Kaden Leos (Benicio).

  

Nicholas Winding Refn takes a somewhat artistic approach on a dramatic thriller. The never-named driver (Gosling) is a rather simple man with a complicated life. By day, his work as a stunt driver and a mechanic is on the up and up. His work as a getaway driver is not nearly as upstanding. Although he participates in criminal activity, he separates himself from the actual exchanges between the criminals and their targets, giving him a sense of distance from the illegal activity. The entrance of Irene into his life created a complication. Since he was a man without connections, her charm forced him to think about someone else for the first time in a long time. The failed job with Standard left him angered and frustrated, being pulled into the line of fire from a group of mobsters. Although his involvement in previous jobs required him to only drive, there was now a personal connection with his charge and it causes him to go farther than he ever had.

  

The film has a fairly sullen atmosphere for much of the first half. The pace stays fairly slow with short, choppy dialogue and more of a focus on highlighting the loneliness of the driver and the challenging existence of Irene. While the story with Bernie and Nino comes back around later in the film, their introduction near the beginning feels out of place (though the all of the storylines feel extremely disconnected and underdeveloped). None of the characters, even the driver, ever seem to get much of an explanation for how they ended up in their predicaments. The conflict just arises for little to no reason, at least in terms of the betrayal of Standard. The redeeming factor of this movie is that the midway point changes the feeling from a dreary semi-romance to a high-action thriller. There is a definite shock factor when the gruesome elements are added to the action, including gunfights and blunt force.

There is an 80s feel to the structure and atmosphere of this thriller, but there are a few shortcomings that keep the viewer from feeling for the characters, including the nameless driver. It is a hero film that does not feel that heroic but definitely packs in the action in the second half.

Dan’s Rating: 3.0/5

Albert Nobbs: A Man with a Secret, A Woman with a Dream (2011)

In Ireland, Albert Nobbs has a secret that has fooled almost everyone. He is actually a she and he struggles with inner conflicts of identity and love. When he is bunked up with a new hard laborer, Hubert Page, he is finally discovered to be a woman trying to disguise himself to work as a butler. As the two develop a close friendship, Albert is able to talk about his interest in saving up enough money to leave the hotel business and open up his own shop. On top of his career goals, he hopes to court a young maid, who seems to also have eyes for another. After getting the courage to talk to her, Albert gets Helen to join him for a walk, but her secret boyfriend finds the situation amusing and convinces her to string him along.

Starring: Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), Antonia Campbell-Hughes (Emmy), Mia Wasikowska (Helen), Pauline Collins (Mrs. Baker), Mark Williams (Sean), Pauline Collins (Mrs. Baker), Bronagh Gallagher (Cathleen), Brendan Gleeson (Dr. Holloran)

While the story can be a little tough to follow at times, one of the decisive strengths of this film can be found in the acting. Glenn Close takes the premier role of Albert Nobbs and presents a convincing portrayal of a person in conflict. Though hidden behind a solemn and proper demeanor, Close gives the character an element of depth in the mystery of how she came to be a woman posing as a man. Providing a sense of support for her struggles to understand her feelings, Janet McTeer also represents a woman leading a double life. In a similar way, she embraces the experience of living as a man but has found a way to achieve something that Albert cannot: love. Mia Wasikowska may serve as the love interest, but she represents a fickle person who does not know what she wants out of a relationship. Aaron Johnson plays the other side of the love triangle, as the brutish and devilish controller of Wasikowska’s heart.

  

In a period piece representing Ireland in the 1800s, Rodrigo Garcia focused on telling a story of a woman whose identity was a mystery to everyone. While no one was the wiser, Albert Nobbs had a number of secrets masked by his proper and simply demeanor. When Hubert figures out one of Albert’s prized secrets, it actually becomes an opportunity for him to have someone to talk to about his personal goals and his love interests. After getting the needed support of another woman living as a man, Albert finally has enough courage to put himself out there, but he is blissfully unaware that Helen does not see him in the same way. While so focused on winning her affections, Albert actually sets himself up to fall. Helen’s and Joe’s secret relationship and the child they are going to have together becomes a complication to being able to let herself fall for a genuinely kind and respectful man.

  

Where the film is strong in its individual acting talents and its occasional humorous quip or action, it falls a little short in its sound editing and presentation. The story is one where some of the events are meant to take place in the shadows, under the radar. Unfortunately, the soften-spoken scenes involving Glenn Close are hard to follow, leaving the viewer to try to guess at the purpose of the interaction as future events begin to unfold. In his conversations with Hubert, Albert reveals a bit of why he chose to live as a man, but some of it gets muffled in comparison to the distinguishing volume of other scenes. In a similar sense, there is a daydream sequence in which Albert has opened a tobacco shop, but it is not ever clear (or easy to miss) what his future business plans were really going to be.

With a slow start and some difficult to hear/understand lives, it is more difficult to make a good connection to this film. Still, the storyline begins to expand more after the first third of the film, opening up a more enjoyable and dynamic experience.

Dan’s Rating: 3.0/5

The High Cost of Living: A Not So Perfect Guardian Angel (2010)

Nathalie is a simple woman, excited to be awaiting her first child. With a husband who works a lot, she finds herself at home alone often. One evening, she begins to experience cramping and worries that she is going into premature labor. After she is unable to get her husband on the phone, she calls for a cab to get to the hospital. At the same time, Henry Welles, a drug-dealing, misguided man, turns the wrong way down the street and hits Nathalie with his car. When Nathalie wakes up in the hospital, she discovers that she is recovering from a concussion and the child died in her womb. Distraught and at odds with her husband, she ventures out and enters into a bar. In an act of chivalry, Henry steps in to defend her from some unaware patrons and begins to develop a relationship with her. While she stays with him, Henry attempts to reconcile his actions with a need to care for his new houseguest.

Starring: Zach Braff (Henry Wells), Isabelle Blais (Nathalie), Patrick Labbe (Michel), Julian Lo (Johnny), Aime Lee (Wai Lin), Pierre Gendron (Detective Lambert), Sean Lu (Kenny)

Quickly becoming the king of melancholy films, Zach Braff continues to exhibit a darker side of film. His character, Henry, is part of the hidden side of society, making a living on people’s addictions. In a moment of panic, he takes a coward’s approach by fleeing the scene and exhibits the difficulty of attempting to shake the negative feelings. Isabelle Blais highlights some of the stages of grief, in particular depression and small moments of anger. Her avoidance of dealing with her situation is the most engaging element of the film. Her husband, played by Patrick Labbe, may represent a man focused on providing for his family but also exhibits how that focus can be distracting from showing real care for one’s spouse. Julian Lo, serving as Braff’s young friend, plays the role of a kid who looks up to an adult willing to meet him on his level. Lo also shows his devotion to his friend and a willingness to sacrifice regardless of his own feelings about the actions.

  

As Deborah Chow’s first feature film, The High Cost of Living examines the choices people make and the experiences that follow. Henry lived on the edge of society, though his personality was one of support and kindness. While making a drug run after getting a phone call at the club, he let himself get distracted at the wrong moment, crashing him into his painful, rocky future. Concerned for the well-being of Nathalie, he seeks out a way to discover who she was and whether she was okay. The relationship was one of two different perspectives: Nathalie trying to escape the loveless existence of her marriage and Henry trying to seek redemption for his horrible actions. Nathalie appeared to be unaware of Henry’s motives until the individual conflicts finally collided but she seemed to be very forgiving of his choice of career.

  

The film’s main focus, even with the complicated relationship between Henry and Nathalie, seemed to be more about the journey of Nathalie’s personal struggles with feelings of loss. Before the accident, she had feelings of abandonment, but generally was able to let it go with a child in her future. The accident eliminated those plans and caused her to carry around her pain until she could schedule an appointment to remove her stillborn child. With the pain of injuries and loss of her child, she quickly became aware of the difference in her commitment to her marriage against her husband’s. Her struggles with dealing with her situation extended to a number of avoidance and coping methods, including failing to shower or change her shirt to avoid seeing the scarring on her belly and drinking alone even with her appearing to still be carrying a healthy child. The time with Henry allowed her to let go of some of the stress, but with a falseness of Henry’s withholding of the whole story.

This film maintains a fairly morose feeling, even during its lighter moments, but does a great job with exhibiting Nathalie’s inner conflict and tension. It is difficult to find relief in the story, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Dan’s Rating: 3.0/5

Dark Shadows: Every Family Has Its Demons (2012)

In the 1700s, the Collins family traveled over from Liverpool to start a fishery in the young American north. As the family’s business and the surrounding town grew, a young Barnabas rose to status and became quite the playboy. When he rejected the advances of Angelique Bouchard, she used her witch powers to curse his family, killing his parents and dooming anyone he ever loved. When his true love fell to her death, he attempted to fall to the same fate but was transformed into a vampire before he could perish. With the town turned on him, Barnabas is captured and buried alive. After two centuries of solitude, he is awakened to experience a world that has transformed and return to a family on the brink of collapse. Reuniting with the remaining Collins family, Barnabas vows to devote himself to his relatives and reestablish their family business. Standing in his way is a familiar face, who owns the rival company that has taken the market on the east coast.

Starring: Johnny Depp (Barnabas Collins), Michelle Pfeiffer (Elizabeth Collins Stoddard), Helena Bonham Carter (Dr. Julia Hoffman), Eva Green (Angelique Bouchard), Jackie Earle Haley (Willie Loomis), Johnny Lee Miller (Roger Collins), Bella Heathcote (Victoria Winters / Josette DuPres), Chloe Grace Moretz (Carolyn Stoddard), Gulliver McGrath (David Collins), Christopher Lee (Clarney), Alice Cooper (himself)

While there may be a lack of development of the characters, the casting actually fits the style and atmosphere of the film. Johnny Depp leads the way as Barnabas Collins, a man plucked out of the 1700s and lost in the modern world. As he initially explores the world around him, there is a great curiosity in his character, but the energy fades as he does not seem to truly integrate in with the modern culture. Michelle Pfeiffer has a powerful sternness to her character, as she leads the lost souls of the family as they attempt to stay afloat. There is little development of her character’s plights other than the success of Angelique’s fishing business. Helena Bonham Carter is a staple when Johnny Depp is concerned, though she takes a bit of a back seat in the film and contribute little more than another dysfunctional element of the family. Eva Green is probably the strongest actress of the film, as she maintains an obsessive intensity that goes above and beyond her peers. Chloe Grace Moretz and Gulliver McGrath both have their quirks but their characters remain underdeveloped until their special backgrounds are revealed in an instant near the end of the film.

  

Tim Burton always finds himself taking on darker projects, like this story of a man transformed into a vampire and locked away to live again in the distant future. The focus of the first part of the film, other than the background to how Barnabas became a vampire, is to exhibit the difficulty of a man frozen in time to adjust to life in a whole new age. Technology, electricity and the social atmosphere have evolved dramatically, making Barnabas feel like an relic in comparison. While the curse placed on him was meant to punish him for his dissonance with Angelique, his curse affected many of the people around him. Before he was buried alive, he experienced the loss of his parents and the love of his life, with the curse extended to their descendants. In his vampire state, unsuspecting humans were also in danger of his blood lust. The curse turned him immortal, but Angelique was not finished with him just because he was locked away, allowing for the torture to continue.

  

The film is interesting in that it feels very much like a Tim Burton film, all the way down to the shortcomings of a lack of character development and inability to sustain the energy of the story. There were times when the film felt colorful while also lacking depth and feeling as lifeless as Barnabas’s heart. The middle part of the film, when Barnabas is working on the reestablishment of the family’s business and combats with a vengeful Angelique, the dialogue feels drawn out and lacks energy. His wild sex scene was overly integrated into the preview. Regarding the character development, there is backstory and Barnabas’s history is explained, but that is about it. Angelique’s obsession with Barnabas is only explained at a surface level. Elizabeth Collins explains the makeup of the family living at the estate, but it too is also only surface level. When things begin to get crazy near the end of the film (which was surprising considering the action of the rest of the story), characters reveal significant secrets about themselves so quickly that they feel inappropriate.

The basic story and the visual presentation is entertaining, but there are too many issues with this film to consider it a success. Better character development with everyone except for Barnabas would have been a positive change for the adaptation of this story.

Dan’s Rating: 2.5/5

Cowboys & Aliens: First Contact, Last Stand (2011)

Waking up in a daze, Jake Lonergan seemed to be at a loss regarding who he was and the situation he was in. A strange metallic device was strapped to his wrist. After surviving an ambush by some outlaws, he makes his way to the closest town and gets help from the preacher to treat a strange wound on his abdomen. After a commotion from the local thug, the sheriff realizes who Jake is and takes him to jail. That evening as both Jake and the thug are getting loaded into a carriage for transport to Santa Fe, Woodrow Dolarhyde and his posse ride into town to take back his son. Only minutes behind the group are a set of strange lights coming over the horizon. Suddenly, the town finds itself in a fire fight with an unknown force and Jake discovers the wrist device is more than just a piece of metal. With several of the townspeople captured by the flying fiends, a group comes together to track the visitors and try to rescue their people.

Starring: Daniel Craig (Jake Lonergan), Abigail Spencer (Alice), Olivia Wilde (Ella Swenson), Harrison Ford (Woodrow Dolarhyde), Paul Dano (Percy Dolarhyde), Sam Rockwell (The Doc), Clancy Brown (Meacham), Chris Browning (Jed Parker), Noah Ringer (Emmett Taggart), David O’Hara (Pat Dolan) and Raoul Trujillo (Black Knife)

In this strange mixture of a western and a sci-fi flick, the cast does their best to take maintain the mystery of a people barely exposed to anything outside of their simple lives. Daniel Craig has a few moments where his character breaks a little from his gritty western ways, but he somewhat makes it work. He is a man of few words, but his action actually does speak volumes. Olivia Wilde is a bit awkward when she is first introduced to the story, but she has a similar grittiness with a hint of compassion. Harrison Ford has a consistent level of anger and seems to be hardened to an extreme degree. The Doc, played by Sam Rockwell, is a rather hopeless character, generally humiliated and set up to eventually have a redeeming moment. Paul Dano serves as the thug, harassing the people with his wild gunplay.

  

A number of talents came together to create this film. Jon Favreau directed and produced alongside Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg. The final result was an odd pairing of the Old West and an alien force, fighting over access to gold. Jake’s amnesia causes the start of the film to run a little slow, but it actually is in some ways the best part of the film. There is more character development through the subtle elements of their interactions than in the flashback to understand Jake’s trials or the interactions between Jake and Woodrow. There is a feeling that Jake is an outlaw from the start and that his fuzzy memory is not the full story, but his diminished recollection allows for him to act a bit more brash and reactionary. When the aliens finally attack, he seems to understand the device on his wrist a bit quicker than one would think.

  

As the movie progresses into the hunt for the aliens and the ultimate reason for their existence on Earth, the story begins to fall apart. Gold is the central theme, but the explanation for the alien interest is just that gold is rare. There is nothing more explained about the purpose of their mining. The aliens seem virtually indestructible at times and then extremely vulnerable to the same weapons at others. A bullet simply bounces off the exoskeleton but a spear with less force pierces straight through immediately after. Ella also has a mysterious death and rebirth, with no real explanation about what she is and what happened. There is also a hummingbird that appears as a symbol of something meaningful to Jake but again fails to be explained. In the end, the film’s two major themes seem very compartmentalized and fail to ever get the amount of development they both deserve.

While the film is visually stunning and the concept is a little more original than many of the films recently released, there are a number of holes that take away from the film’s success. The movie actually could have been more successful if it had omitted the aliens and refocused the story to focus on the Old West.

Dan’s Rating: 2.5/5

Starship Troopers: Prepare for Battle (1997)

As humanity progressed toward its future, the military took a more active control over the populous. In order to gain full citizenship, high school graduates were required to enlist. For Johnny Rico, Dizzy Flores, Carmen Ibanez and Carl Jenkins, there was no telling what the future had in store for them. After enlistment sent each of them in different directions, Johnny finds himself with Dizzy in the Mobile Infantry. Basic training brings a whole new set of challenges, including Johnny debating the balance of his physical skills with his leadership. Just when he is ready to give up, war is declared on the bugs from Klendathu, sending the entire military into a fire fight with the bugs. Though their efforts on Klendathu fail to meet their desired goals, the federation takes a different approach with exterminating the bugs from each planet, starting with Planet P. While Dizzy and Johnny attack the bugs from the ground, Carmen continues to pilot spacecraft, while Carl experiences life in Military Intelligence.

Starring: Casper Van Dien (Johnny Rico), Dina Meyer (Dizzy Flores), Denise Richards (Carmen Ibanez), Neil Patrick Harris (Carl Jenkins), Michael Ironside (Jean Rasczak), Clancy Brown (Sgt. Zim), Jake Busey (Ace Levy)

The core group of actors give a great balance to a film that is highly focused on military activities. Casper Van Dien has a level of intensity and anger that plays well for an affluent, physically-gifted, intellectually-inferior young man looking to succeed in his goal for citizenship. Dina Meyer is rather skilled as well, but she manages to play a more obsessive character in her lust for Van Dien’s character. Carmen Ibanez, played by Denise Richards, is an attractive and intelligent young woman, who serves as Van Dien’s love interest and a source of conflict in his main storyline. Neil Patrick Harris exhibits some of his trademark snarkiness but with a little more restraint and focus as his character evolves into his intelligence role throughout the film. Jake Busey is a little more of a comedic character with brief moments of action clarity. Michael Ironside definitely is the strong leader type, along with Clancy Brown.

  

In a vision of a distant future, Paul Verhoeven takes military combat to a whole new level. The young recruits had no idea what they were getting into, though neither did the federation. The attack on Klendathu turned out to be a disaster, particularly for Johnny. After his mistake during training camp left him distraught over the loss of a teammate and lashed in the back as punishment, his attempted heroics in the battle on Klendathu leave him damaged but hardened. The brute force, which mimics some of the fears between real world conflicts in modern society, fails to meet its desired goals, which forces the federation to find a new approach. The search for the brain bug serves as a more strategic play against an alien force that lacks complex thought.

  

The presentation of this film is truly interesting. While the graphics and the fight scenes have their own colorful exciting moments, the film takes an almost comic-like visual with periodic flashes into news segments. As the story moves on, the segments go from suggestions to join the military to news about the oncoming war to scientific developments in the war on the bugs. There is always an military screen over every one of the messages, but all of them help to highlight the important issues taking place in each chapter. In thinking about the action and the graphics, there are some rather fake-looking elements, including the splattering of the bugs (which all seem to be filled with colorful liquids). The acting is also a little overly dramatic at time, but it fits the campy style of the film.

Starship Troopers is a great cult sci-fi film that includes a number of intriguing presentation elements and a strong combination of action and humor.

Dan’s Rating: 3.5/5

I, Robot: Laws Are Made to Be Broken (2004)

In the year 2035, US Robotics has developed the technology of robots to such an advanced level that they are now integrated into all aspects of life. The robots live by 3 laws: a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; a robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; and a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws. Even with these failsafes, Detective Del Spooner does not trust the integration of robots into society and searches for evidence that they are a dangerous presence. He believes that he got his wish when he discovers that famous developer of the robot intelligence, Dr. Alfred Landing, has committed suicide in a fashion that defies logic. A rouge robot named Sonny becomes his primary target as the suspect of Landing’s death and the link to a larger plot involving the greater population of robots.

Starring: Will Smith (Del Spooner), Bridget Moynahan (Susan Calvin), Alan Tudyk (Sonny), James Cromwell (Dr. Alfred Lanning), Chi McBride (Lt. John Bergin), Shia LaBeouf (Farber)

Will Smith leads the way with his classic hard, sarcastic style. Playing a character that consistently lives against the popular opinion, he learns that his failure to agree with the approval of robots may have more validity than it originally appeared to be. There is a little less character development in his background to his anger with robots, but there is somewhat of an explanation through a flashback. Bridget Moynahan serves as the scientist Susan Calvin, who has shut her emotional intelligence off in an effort to work effectively with the robots, similar to Linda Fiorentino’s character in Men in Black. Alan Tudyk may not provide a physical presence in the film but he does a great job with giving Sonny a personality. James Cromwell may be more of a plot device, but he provides his classic calm demeanor. Chi McBride gives a little humor to the movie in his relationship with Smith, but he also serves more as an x-factor in the character interactions.

  

Alex Proyas developed this film to represent the potential dangers of allowing technology to continue to grow to substantial integration. US Robotics had succeeded in producing enough robots to put one in every home. They had become responsible for walking dogs, getting groceries, running businesses and taking care of people in times of need. Del’s suspicion of something sinister in their existence created problems that did not exist, until Sonny came along. His existence was an experiment that allowed for his ability to break free of the 3 laws of robotics, but his ability to think actually served as a unknown benefit later in the story. Meanwhile, the centrally controlled processing unit, V.I.K.I., maintaining the functioning of all of the others created its own concern for the future of humans and robots.

  

The presentation of this film is rather interesting, in that it makes some interesting assumptions about the technological progression of humans within a 30-year span. The visual presentation of the film is impressive to some degrees (particularly in the integration of humanity into the CGI robots) but the atmosphere seems to be on the duller, colorless side, giving a dreariness to its overall presentation. The fear factor of the film is entertaining tough, playing to a possibly real concern for the future of technology (though likely many more years away than represented in the film). The character development is a little on the weaker side, with only Del Spooner getting any significance in his backstory and an explanation for his mechanical arm. Little is discussed about Susan’s icy personality.

While this is an entertaining movie that plays to a possible real future, there are a few presentation flaws and a simple-structured dialogue that detract from the overall quality of the film.

Dan’s Rating: 3.0/5

Cruel Intentions: Never Fall in Love (1999)

Kathryn and Sebastian are step siblings from a rather wealthy family. Both of these teenagers have more money and more time than they know what to do with and use both in a game that takes advantage of people’s lives. After Kathryn experiences a frustrating breakup with Court, she convinces Sebastian to start on a mission to ruin Court’s new relationship with Cecile Caldwell and strip her of her innocence. Upon the arrival of the new headmaster’s daughter who wrote an article about staying chaste until marriage, Sebastian expands their wager to include taking her virginity before the start of school. If Kathryn wins, she gets to take his roadster. If Sebastian wins, he gets to have his way with his stepsister. Life gets complicated in the multiple love affairs as the wager goes deeper into deceit and emotional instability.

Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Kathryn Merteuil), Ryan Phillippe (Sebastian Valmont), Reese Witherspoon (Annette Hargroove), Selma Blair (Cecile Caldwell), Louise Fletcher (Helen Rosemond), Joshua Jackson (Blaine Tuttle), Sean Patrick Thomas (Ronald Clifford), Swoosie Kurtz (Dr. Greenbaum)

In this teenage drama, the sexual tensions run high with a caste that developed identities for themselves as future successful actors. Sarah Michelle Gellar starred in a number of teenage films, but this one had her tapping into her devious side. Her character represents a boredom among the rich youth that is highly disturbing. Ryan Philippe has a similar issue as Gellar but shows more individual growth through the development of his relationship with his target. Reese Witherspoon is one of two innocent characters in the film who has some wits about her and a confidence that is difficult to break through. Selma Blair, on the other hand, is simply emotionally innocent and easily manipulated by people with confidence. Sean Patrick Thomas seems innocent enough but also has a cheating side, though played with a little less realism than his peers. Joshua Jackson also has a fun role as the king of gossip, which took him away from the character that he developed on Dawson’s Creek.

  

Roger Kumble’s film shows the depth at which teenagers with too much time and money will go to get a thrill. Both Kathryn and Sebastian were corrupted youths due to their privilege. Both of them got a thrill out of ruining people’s lives and competing for dominance in their relationship. Because of the sexual tension between the two, Kathryn maintained the upper hand with Sebastian viewing her as forbidden fruit. The duo of challenges between ruining Cecile’s and Court’s new relationship as well as Annette’s virginity caused the two to begin flirting with bigger challenges than they had ever faced. Kathryn’s risks seemed minimal, but too many pawns created the possibility of her intentions getting discovered. For Sebastian, juggling two women while beginning to fall in love with one of them meant that his emotions had an opportunity to distract him from the charade and put him in danger of discovery or worse.

  

Besides the actual conflict of ruining relationships, the movie looks at a number of psychological and social issues between its characters. The sexual tension between Kathryn and Sebastian was a forbidden love once their parents got married. With their teenage hormones and manipulative personalities, they did not care about the emotional toll that there games would cause on their relationship. With Annette, Kathryn exhibited little care for what happened to her other than experiencing a slight bit of satisfaction with her unsuspecting participation in the game. Cecile, as the other pawn in the game, appeared to be a blank slate, but neither Sebastian nor Kathryn were concerned with how clueless she was or how devastated she would be when she found out it was all fake. Kathryn also saw an opportunity to manipulate Court as a way of making him suffer. While Sebastian eventually fell victim to feeling connected to some on a deeper level, Kathryn’s moral development was nearly nonexistent, regardless of what was happening to people close to her.

This sexually-fused teenage drama was actually fairly well done in the development of its drama and its path to a somewhat shocking conclusion, though most of the characters create a frustrating feeling over their blatant abuse of their privilege.

Dan’s Rating: 3.0/5