Weekly Review -- Off the track

Unstoppable (2010) -- Take an engaging true story, frenetically glorious visuals, meticulous direction and creative editing. Mix and shake the ingredients well. What do you get? Why, Unstoppable, Tony Scott's new action bonanza, which is huge on thrills but, unfortunately, short on characterization and screenplay nuances.

After an unmanned train carrying a cargo of hazardous chemicals is accidentally sent zipping through Pennsylvania, it is up to a veteran engineer (Denzel Washington) and rookie conductor (Chris Pine) to stop it, before it derails and destroys a town. Along the way, they encounter reluctant support from a frazzled station master (Rosario Dawson) and resistance from corporate headquarters, all the while devising techniques to prevent the derailment...

Unstoppable is a curio of a movie, its good and bad aspects sharply divided. The good part is the representation of not only the relatable protagonists, but also of the steel beast creating the chaos. With its sense of impending catastrophe, the movie brings to mind The Cassandra Crossing and its atmosphere of doom and gloom. The train on the loose is quite the monstrosity, playing with our expectations and posing an almost ghostly threat, not unlike the ominous truck from Duel. The moments involving the heroic protagonists and ordinary townsfolk being affected by the possibility of a horrific accident feel authentic and surprisingly warm, as though we were watching a documentary that is taking an organically sympathetic turn, without auto-tuning and cheapening emotions for the audience.

The bad part is an aspect that should be a crucial factor for a film which bases its premise on unpredictability, and that is the screenplay. While it presents a believable context -- this narrative, after all, deals with a real-life incident -- the script is missing a richness that could have deepened its initial perspective of the characters and circumstances. To name an example, I would have liked to know more about Frank's relationship to his job and about Will's background, both of which were hinted at in a couple of places, but never fully explored. I would also love to have seen more situations linked to the train set loose, which would have elevated the level of human drama that already exists in the piece. The script follows a straight line at all times, opting not to take a chance on its story and not to -- pun intended -- veer off course. In a film where the stakes are this high, a bit of risk might have served the purpose of raising them to a degree of an intimate chronicle, which would have been more riveting than holding back and staying with generic action.

The cast is well chosen and mostly better than the film. The exchanges between legendary Washington and up-and-comer Pine reflect the proceedings in a whimsical way. The two actors share great chemistry, making me wish yet again that more attention had been paid to the writing. The only weak link in the cast is Dawson, whose performance gets stronger as the film moves forward, but still leaves me thinking that someone older would have fared better in the role.

Unstoppable presents an actual tale of heroism that works well as an action film, but is missing some ingredients to make it truly absorbing as a dramatic saga. It is a fun movie to watch as far as the style and cast go, but it barely scratches the surface of its own potential. Watch it to appease your thrill-seeking self.

6/10

Weekly Review -- Cocktails turn sour

Sex and the City 2 (2010) -- After having enjoyed the summer melange of girl talk and fashion that was the first Sex and the City, I was looking forward to seeing what the sequel might hold in store. I decided to ignore the negative reviews, since I was going for the outrageous, sugary fun of it all, and nothing more. I was not wishing for, nor was I anticipating, a labyrinthine brain teaser. I was expecting and hoping for a light-hearted tale that harked back to the show and the first film, populated by some witty repartees and poignant moments between the four protagonists.

Let us put it this way: they were right.

The story examines our four protagonists' misadventures two years after the first film's events. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) have settled into their version of domestic bliss, one that leaves much to be desired. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is dealing with, rather than enjoying, her family with husband Harry (Evan Handler), while Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) decides to quit her job, after her boss' misogyny becomes too much to handle. Finally, Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is trying to battle age and ageism by juggling an assortment of medications and lovers. When the friends decide to accept an offer from Samantha's new client for an all-expense paid trip to Abu Dhabi, old flames appear and new friendships are made, every connection a side note to the friendship that started it all.

Where to begin with this unfortunate sequel? The best scene is the opening ceremony, simply because it is the only scene that offers genuine emotion without pretense. As the film progresses, though, the jokes get more and more revolting and the situations become more and more obnoxious, making the audience feel bad for the usually good actors, who try, try and try even harder as each minute passes. The screenplay makes caricatures out of all the characters, placing them in the midst of quasi-farce sex jokes that are better suited for juvenile fare. Even Nixon and Cattrall, undoubtedly the best actresses of the bunch, are unable to do much with the lame writing. Yes, it is fun and refreshing seeing Miranda cut loose for once, but why does the portrayal have to veer into over-the-top Zen territory? Why turn self-confident, sassy Samantha into a pathetic shadow of her former self, having her use her sexual power as a mere way to get men instead of dominating them, as was always the case? To be perfectly blunt, the filmmakers should have invested effort into crafting an honest continuation of the characters' lives, rather than attempt to figure out how to cash in on the second movie as soon as possible. The script makes for a very distasteful and hackneyed experience, and the acting never has a chance to reach a higher level, being that it is the writing that can make or break this franchise.

Sex and the City 2 presents a sad state of affairs in comparison to the effervescence of the first film, but especially in comparison to the groundbreaking feminism of the series. Its entire purpose is seemingly to drag its characters into a very particular sort of mud, that nethermost region of cinema where great stories go to die after they have been milked out of the last cent that they can bring to greedy studios. I shudder to think what awaits me with the second sequel. Ladies, tempting though it may be, giving those Manolos another go might not be such a good idea.

3/10