Weekly Review -- Soul adhesives

Surrogates (2009) -- There were quite a few films released last year that dealt with the issue of virtual alter egos, the most successful one being the visually and thematically transcending Avatar. Another one was the barely seen and underrated Gamer, which took a satirical glance at a possible bloated version of our already indulgent society. However, Surrogates is on a different end of the spectrum... in fact, try another spectrum altogether. It does not succeed as an action movie or food for thought, both of which are undoubtedly what Jonathan Mostow's latest work was meant to represent. A few years into the future, humanity has found a way to experience life with all of its pleasures and none of its pains. The entire population has commenced living through engineered robots, a turn of events that gradually eliminated crime and left the world squeaky clean, in terms of sterile interactions and artificial exteriors. The deceptiveness of this utopia rears its honest head when a surrogate and its operator are murdered, and top FBI agent Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) has to leave his polished synthetic shell to search for the killer. Amid clashes with technology inventor Dr. Lionel Canter (James Cromwell) and the pro-human Dread movement, led by sermon-oriented Prophet (Ving Rhames), Greer and his partner (Radha Mitchell) are starting to have problems separating their virtual existence from the literal truth... The entire story feels vacuously pointless to begin with. Why would you waste your life being plugged into a living doll? If the premise itself does not make sense, then the rest of the movie is pretty hard to swallow; the problem is, the story could have gone in a number of different directions, when one takes into account its value in the Internet age. I have not read the graphic novel but, from what I have heard, it is ripe with political and social commentary, something that the movie only hints at and never fully explores, opting instead for an incohesive frenzy of action and CGI mash-ups. The characters never go beyond a single dimension, making it impossible for the viewer to empathize in any way. Willis is competent as Greer, while Cromwell and Rosamund Pike, as Greer's bereaved wife, show the most nuance with the thankless screenplay. The one film that Surrogates reminds me of, in terms of exchanging provocative ideas for a whole lot of slam and bang, is the 2000 Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner The Sixth Day, which started off as a topical millennium tale about cloning and dissipated into a ludicrous Gordian Knot soon after the beginning. Some adapted narratives are better if they stick to the basics of their foundation and expand the statements of the original through the visual medium. Unfortunately, Surrogates does not adhere to this rule and the potential of its themes suffers for it. See it if you are a Willis fan; otherwise, forget about it and treat yourself to the marvelous Avatar once again.

4/10

Weekly Review -- Theatre of the absurd

Inglourious Basterds (2009) -- Talk about revisionist history in the best sense of the phrase. In his latest film, Quentin Tarantino takes one of humanity's darkest eras and turns it upside down with every sequence, every character and every line. The filmmaker draws a uniquely entertaining piece of cinema out of the World War II backdrop, using his trademark quirky humor, incomparable storytelling skills and vast imagination.

The film starts off in 1941 France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) escapes the massacre of her entire family, orchestrated by SS Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Three years later, we are introduced to a group of ragtag Jewish-American soldiers, led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), with a sole mission of killing as many Nazis as they can find. Through a bloody set of circumstances, the so-called Basterds become acquainted with German starlet and Allies' spy, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), and begin planning an attack that will take place at the Paris premiere of a Nazi propaganda film. At the same time, the cinema proprietor -- Shosanna herself, now living under the assumed identity of Emmanuelle Mimieux -- is planning her own revenge against the unwanted guests...

The screenplay is one of the boldest and most original scripts Tarantino has ever written; I would venture to say that it might be his best since Pulp Fiction, in terms of spirited, absurdist characterizations and satire-tinged banter. The value of the writing lies not only in its clever World War II re-imagining, but also in its successful determination to occasionally blur the fine line between the theatrically farcical and the solemnly shocking. A cerebral piece of work that always manages to exhibit its dark playfulness, it is the best screenplay of 2009.

The cast is excellent. Pitt has an eternal twinkle in his eye as Raine, a veritable good ol' boy that has become a kind of wartime Robin Hood; Laurent is capable of speaking volumes through her gazes as the steely, survivalist soul that is Shosanna Dreyfus; and Kruger's von Hammersmark is a rather exploitable beauty on a mission. The supporting cast that includes Til Schweiger, Eli Roth and Michael Fassbender also shines. However, it is Christoph Waltz that steals the show as multilingual, multilayered, charming-yet-sadistic Hans Landa. Simply put, one cannot take their eyes off Waltz during Landa's interactions with other characters; his first scene alone is one of the most ingeniously effective scenes in any film. The actor is able to shift from manic to witty to cruel in mere seconds, infusing the brutally efficient officer with charismatic intelligence. Waltz brings an unparalleled depth to one of the most memorable screen villains of the last few decades, making his performance outstanding.

Inglourious Basterds is different from any film you have seen in 2009. Neither funny nor sad, neither serious nor facetious, it just so happens to be all of the above, and magnificently so. It enjoys warping expectations, smashing them to bits and taking us on a ride through the remains. It inhabits a different cinematic world, one that lies beyond the opposing realms of fantasy and facts, and one that is found on the corner of illusion and creativity.

10/10

Weekly Review -- Civilization semantics

District 9 (2009) -- The science fiction genre has always been ripe with depictions of our own humanity, ranging from symbolic contexts to doomsday scenarios to downright farcical predicaments. Not many of these depictions are positive and, based on the violent history of our race, not many can ever be. Filmmaker Neill Blomkamp considers this notion in his wildly innovative District 9, a film that is both a sensitive contemplation of prejudice and an energetic action thriller. In 1982, an alien aircraft lands in Johannesburg, initially greeted with curiosity and awe, its passengers malnourished and unable to return home due to a ship malfunction. More than two decades later, the aliens are still in the city, surviving in the slums of so-called District 9 and weathering the human population's growing hatred. It is obvious that the humans never made an effort to learn anything from the other group; it is also obvious that the aliens are the superior beings, both in terms of knowledge and empathy. The main government contractor, paradoxically named Multinational United or MNU, is currently in charge of relocating the alien populace to a new camp, with crime enterprises expanding in District 9 and people demanding a swift resolution to the situation. Lowly MNU clerk Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) leads the eviction operation, along with a military unit under the command of ruthless Koobus Venter (David James), the two teams working against the clock. However, when Wikus comes into contact with a piece of alien technology, the results alter the seemingly preordained course of events... Blomkamp's first feature is a daringly imaginative and visionary work. Combining bleak set pieces, raw language and blistering cinematography, the film is a gritty allegory and one of the best cinematic social commentaries in recent years. The scenes of urban and biological horrors at once contrast and complement the themes running through this complex story, the concept of which was inspired by the apartheid era and, more precisely, the District 6 resettlement that took place in 1970s Cape Town. Bigotry issues are thoroughly examined through ingenious metaphors of alien relocation, capture and brutal experimentation. Newcomer Copley is wonderful as the bureaucratically inclined Wikus, who gradually comes to realize the errors of his society's ways. His character's journey is a unique exploration of the Other within the framework of attempts to degrade, defeat and, finally, stamp it out. I loved the film's sharp transition from a mockumentary to the classic third-person narrative; the change serves as a frank illustration of Wikus' personal odyssey and the obstacles he encounters during his quest for answers. The action sequences are crafted with war epic sensibility, the rare special effects only heightening the sterility of this merciless world and the rough edits increasing our sense of isolation amid the ruins of the alien culture. District 9 is one of those rare, unflinching masterpieces that remind us of who we are, who we are supposed to be and how far we have come -- or not -- in steering our history in a new direction.

10/10