Weekly Review -- Easter sweetness

Children painting eggs, bunnies going on egg hunts, colorful chocolates all around... with imagery this cheery and sweet, I had to dedicate this weekend to some candy coated, happy, fabulous movies. I recommend them if you would like to experience pure, wide-eyed cinematic enjoyment. Happy Easter everyone! I hope you enjoy the holiday.


Enchanted (2007) -- This charming movie seemingly came out of nowhere last November and went on to conquer audiences and viewers alike. And with good reason. It is sweet without being cheesy, clever without being pretentious and puts a new spin altogether on the traditional fairy tale. Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) is catapulted from 'Once upon a time' into the real world by the evil stepmother (Susan Sarandon) of her husband-to-be, Prince Edward (James Marsden). She lands in New York City, in the middle of Times Square, and soon happens to meet a jaded divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey). Who will she choose in the end? The movie is peppered with references to fairy tales, which it successfully and playfully lampoons. The true magic of the film is in the details -- beloved clichés being skewered, inside jokes referring to various characters we know and love and, of course, that talking chipmunk -- as well as the sparkly dialogue and the actors' inspired performances. Adams is radiant as Giselle and there is genuine chemistry between her and Dempsey. After Hairspray, Marsden gets another chance to show off his singing, and he does a fantastic job as the vain Edward, while Sarandon seems to relish the role of evil Queen Narissa. The musical numbers are practically smiling -- you will be humming "That's How You Know" for at least a week afterwards -- and the entire film is happiness personified. See it if you want to escape to another, happier world.

9/10


August Rush (2007) -- A whimsical fantasy if ever there was one, this Kirsten Sheridan movie looks and feels as though it came from another dimension. Cellist Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) and rock musician Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Myers) have a one night stand, which produces a son. Eleven years later, Evan (Freddy Highmore), who was put up for adoption, embarks on a journey to find his parents using the gift of music he has inherited. While Evan is exploring the world through his music and his otherworldly connection to his parents, we meet a host of people influencing his quest, including a caring social worker (Terrence Howard) and an amateur musician (Robin Williams). The film finds its centre in the infinite realm of cosmic happenstance and possibilities. It is set up as a modern fairy tale; attempts to see any aspect of it realistically are sure to fail. The story may be too convenient for some viewers' liking; however, one has to remember the context of the narrative and fully commit to the film's alternate universe for two hours. The screenplay is fanciful and sentimental, but it fits the world of August Rush to a T, being that any matter-of-fact dialogue would only break the fourth wall to the phantasm, rendering it effectively sappy and pointless. The acting is adequate. Highmore and Williams stand out, but Russell and Myers -- who, incidentally, were co-stars in the very different Mission: Impossible 3
-- do have a good, albeit underdeveloped, rapport. See August Rush if you want to see an unusual movie, one that depicts innocence in its purest cinematic form.

7/10

Weekly Review -- A bloody new release

30 Days of Night (2007) -- Combine an ingenious story, well thought-out character relations and super scary creatures, and what do you get? You get 30 Days of Night, a thrilling and innovative addition to the vampire sub-genre. The Alaskan town of Barrow gets 30 days of darkness every year and Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) is one of the people instrumental in the preparations for the longest night. As some residents get ready to leave for the period and some brace themselves to ride it out, there is word of unusual accidents and killings taking place, while a strange man (Ben Foster) gets arrested for disturbing the peace at a local bar. Through unbelievable crime scene sightings and the stranger's cryptic warnings, a group of locals, including Eben and his ex-wife Stella (Melissa George), realize that they have become prey of a group of vampires who have decided to make Barrow their feeding ground for the next month. The group need to figure out whether it will be the vamps or the merciful sunlight that get to Barrow first... Very rarely do we have profound character relations in a horror film, especially in a creature feature, where much of the emphasis is often on plotlines, make-up and effects. However, the interactions in this movie -- especially the ones between Eben and his brother, as well as the trust the residents place in Eben -- really make the viewer sympathize with the characters' plight. As far as the vampires go... wow. Just wow. These vampires are not your garden variety bloodsuckers. They are feral and unpredictable; they do not drink blood, they pillage arteries. Their intensity is what makes them more than worthy opponents to the group of resourceful humans. Hartnett is sympathetic and tough as the sheriff, and Danny Huston is charismatic and threatening as Marlow, the sadistic vampire leader. George adopts a great accent and appropriate ruggedness for the role of Stella, while Foster steals every scene he is in. Director David Slade pays close attention to the paradoxically rich and desolate locales, and there are also some amazing shots that you will remember for a long time. The only tiny shortcoming I could find was the resemblance between one scene and a scene in another horror movie, but that is about all. See 30 Days of Night if you would like to enjoy a new spin on the vampire lore.

8/10

Weekly Review -- A mixed bag of tricks

Awake (2007) -- The "medical thriller" sub-genre has not been a very popular kind of thriller during this decade. Some possible reasons for this occurrence might be the pressing international issues, the audience's general desensitization and blurring the line between cinema and commerce; either way, this type of film got a little lost among sequels, prequels and indie darlings as of late. Unfortunately, Awake is not about to aid it in finding its way back. Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) is a New York executive who has inherited a financial empire from his father. However, he suffers from a dangerous heart condition, which requires a transplant, and fast. Clay chooses his friend, Dr. Jack Harper (Terrence Howard), to perform the procedure, much to his mother's (Lena Olin) chagrin, who keeps recommending the country's top surgeon instead. Still, her son has made his decision and, with his worried mother and new wife (Jessica Alba) in tow, the surgery can begin. Something goes very wrong, though, and Clay remains awake and aware. Trapped in a nightmare, he tries to figure out a way to get help... The story is very intriguing and the film itself takes a fantastic approach to anesthesia awareness, creating an analogy with a paranormal experience. Having said that, there are some aspects of the screenplay that defy all semblance of logic. I can understand Clay trusting Jack with all kinds of problems but, in case of a life-or-death surgery, the country's top doctor would be the right choice, no questions asked. In this kind of life-altering situation, friendship goes out the window.

**HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD (please highlight to read)**

Another extremely implausible turn of events was Clay's desire to just give up, after everything he had been through and after his own mother had decided to sacrifice her life for him. Even though it was a momentary lapse of reason, it felt like a gimmick and completely out of character. If someone has survived everything Clay has, I imagine their survival instinct would be going through the roof and not be practically non-existent.

**END OF SPOILERS**

The acting is mostly good. Christensen shows, as he did with Life as a House and Shattered Glass, that he can pull off depth of emotion when given an interesting character to work with. Clay's disbelief at his situation and descent into psychic isolation feels palpable and frightening. Olin demonstrates the most nuances in the role of the mother, while Alba shows a lot of potential with an underdeveloped character. Overall, the film is a strange mishmash of dark suspense, good casting and unbelievable twists. Awake is all right for one viewing, but do not expect too much in terms of logic and cohesiveness.

6/10