Weekly Review -- Like fine wine...

Skyfall (2012) -- Happy 50th, Mr. Bond! Looking good, having fun and annihilating eccentric bad guys can never get old, as proven by Sam Mendes's melancholy and exquisite entry into the 007 pantheon.

**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS HUGE SPOILERS**

After an attempt on M's (Judi Dench) life, James Bond (Daniel Craig) comes out of early retirement to track down the supposed perpetrator, mysterious hacker Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem). The rather personal attack comes soon after MI6 loses a top secret list of agents to the same man, so Bond journeys across the globe to figure out what Silva's intentions are...

Boasting tight direction and a terrific, eloquent screenplay, Skyfall radiates a tone different from most of the earlier 007 films. Mentally and physically broken after a botched mission, his aim off and his psyche fractured, Bond is not the agent we are familiar with anymore. It seems that the MI6 explosion also took all of the trademark witticisms with it, a development that only peels a thick layer off the principal character, his relationships and our perceptions of them. When Silva playfully asks him what his hobby is, Bond deadpans "Resurrection". Indeed, the story revolves around revelations and new beginnings, choices and lack thereof, living and surviving. Bond is not only revived; he is reborn. 

It is precisely screenwriters Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan's grasp of existence that adds a dimension we do not expect to find in a Bond film, giving Skyfall its thinking man's actioner quality. For some reason, I found some startling parallels between Skyfall and, of all possible works, Blade Runner. There is a wonderful dynamic between Bond, Silva and M, the woman behind that cryptic initial that could very well stand for Maker. Was it M that made these people the men they are or was it survival instinct in general? Was their life their choice? How much longevity is allotted to people like them? Are they even allowed to hope for more or should they count themselves lucky to live another day? In a moving soliloquy, Silva opens up about his own mortality and emptiness, letting us in on a mere glimpse of the shadows that haunt him. He is a relic that wants revenge before he essentially sacrifices himself, not unlike Roy Batty... tears in rain come to mind. I also thought that the showdown in the Scottish highlands was a dead ringer for Deckard and Batty's last encounter, both in its suspense and justice concepts examined. Finally, as an off-topic notion, please raise your hand everyone who could see Craig as the next Blade Runner while he was slinking and sneaking through the Shanghai dreamscape. Make it happen, PTB, make it happen.
 
The only development I found illogical was Silva's much too easy escape from MI6. The organization likely has trackers of all kinds in all places, so is it that unreasonable that they would implant trackers into people they captured? Sure, MI6 had been under attack, so their usual order might take some time to be restored, but one would think that a prisoner of his clout was a priority. Still, this is a minor gripe in the bigger scheme of things, an issue that can certainly be explained by Silva's background and resourcefulness. 

As far as the film's style goes, there are so many outstanding sequences to admire that it is difficult to narrow the choices down. The aforementioned dreamland is the setting for one of the most suspenseful and beautifully shot scenes from any Bond film, almost poetic in its pacing and imagery. Visually and thematically, Skyfall takes place in a desolate world enveloped in the hallucinatory deception of cyber warfare, and its aesthetics suit the context. From the Istanbul car chase kinetics to the Macau casino glitz to the dystopian decay of Silva's lair, the sets are meticulous and the cinematography sleek, making the movie seem like an encounter between the old and the new, one of its storyline's main subjects. The entire film is a stunner, thanks to the work of production designer Dennis Gassner (Road to Perdition, Big Fish) and cinematographer Roger Deakins (Sid and Nancy, The Reader).

The acting is brilliant. Craig is already a Bond for the ages, but the film continuously reminds us that he is not only this character. On the contrary, it reminds us that he is a character actor, relishing 007's new dimension and exploring the smooth agent's deeply buried pain and regret. Naomie Harris is charming and deadly as a fellow operative, while Ralph Fiennes has a fantastic turn as a bureaucrat with a few tricks up his sleeve.

Apart from Craig and the always magnificent Dench, it is two other actors that make the film truly intriguing. With his ghostly visage, platinum mane and smart aleck sneer, Bardem creates one of the most intelligent and interesting Bond villains in the last decade. His Silva could be Bond in another reality, but could also be the reflection that Bond is running away from. He knows the score and knows the boundaries, but he is not going to let a petty thing such as death stop him from avenging what he sees as betrayal. He is a worthy opponent to Bond in every way, rendering every scene between the two characters a battle of wills and skills. On the opposite end of the benevolence spectrum, Ben Whishaw is an utter delight as Q, a computer genius -- why of course -- in his latest incarnation. He takes the gadget master into the cyberpunk, geek chic era, with Q's calm demeanor the facade for the chaos he is capable of engineering with a few strategic clicks. It is too bad that Whishaw and Craig do not have more scenes together, since they share a vivacious and comfortable chemistry, but hopefully Q will return for more squabbles with 007 in the next installment. For all you trivia buffs, this is not the first film in which the two actors have co-starred -- they have both appeared in The Trench, Enduring Love and Layer Cake as well.

Skyfall attempts to take a new approach to cinema's most famous secret agent and succeeds in opening the door to his soul. Exciting and entertaining, it is a new type of 007 film, one that does away with the luster, the bedded beauties and the martinis and lets us see the man underneath, battle scars in full glory. Dig deeper, Mr. Bond. Whatever you find, you are sure to thrill us all over again.

9/10

Weekly Review -- Food for thought

Red Lights (2012) -- The world of cinema has frequently underestimated the concept of paranormal phenomena, almost always reveling in its sensationalist aspects and not in its mystery potential. Taking the conventional thriller out for a spin and getting rid of clichés, this Rodrigo Cortés film is a unique and refreshing take on the topic.

Psychologist Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and physicist Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) have dedicated their careers to debunking supernatural marvels. Once they hear that renowned psychic Simon Silver (Robert De Niro) is making a comeback, Tom sees a chance to make history by discrediting him, while Margaret is more cautious, considering the effect that the charismatic medium has on his audiences. When Tom presses on, Silver fights back in a cunning, sinister way...

One of the most appealing aspects of the film are its moody, often tenebrous hues. Cinematographer Xavi Giménez bathes the scenes in rainy monochromes that play with the narrative's solemn unpredictability. This is no cheery fairytale; rather, it is a story of what could possibly be found beyond our surroundings, beyond our beliefs and certainly beyond our reach. Writer and director Cortés toys with the numerous riddles he presents, giving an ominous purpose to occasionally incandescent visuals and utilizing the characters' dilemmas to a philosophical effect. Is there a right and wrong, truth and lie, or simply the known and the unknown? Can we challenge or negate the existence of an entire universe if we cannot or, even worse, refuse to understand it? These are the questions posed by the eloquent screenplay, one that always keeps the viewers on their toes and one that never takes the easy way out. It slightly veers off course during the second half, what with Buckley's prolonged quest, but manages to return to its roots with a bang.

The acting is terrific. Weaver's Dr. Matheson is an earnest, sympathetic skeptic who has been dragged into various dimensions of grief and absurdity by too many charlatans. Having seen it all, she is too far gone to allow herself to believe anything beyond the human realm of understanding, a realm that seems to be a cocoon for her more than anything else. Murphy is fantastic as Buckley, who digs deeper and deeper into Silver's career without any concern as to what he may eventually find. He is a picture of dogged tenacity, while De Niro's Silver is a picture of dogged conviction. He complements Buckley's character in his manic persuasion, rendering every encounter between Buckley and Silver into a duel between two forces on opposing sides of the cosmos.   

Red Lights is unlike other similarly themed thrillers, mainly due to its sharp characterizations and true sense of wonder. Turning the game of life as we know it upside down, it dares to question awareness and perception in a creative and erudite manner. Impressive and underrated, Red Lights is a gem that smashes audiences' expectations, making the film a debate-worthy piece long after the glow has dimmed.   

8/10

Weekly Review -- Spaced out

Apollo 18 (2011) -- Another day, another found footage entry. This Gonzalo López-Gallego film takes a new approach to the sub-genre with its exploration of a secret space mission, but loses steam more than once, even if managing to provide some innovative shocks.

While NASA has always led the public to believe that the Apollo 18 mission was one of the canceled Moon excursions, the story states that the modules did in fact land on the lunar surface. Soon afterward, the crew encountered hostile extraterrestrial activity. With problems plaguing the spacecrafts and strange occurrences quickly becoming the norm, the three astronauts had to be especially resourceful in order to return home... but what happened to them?

The big problem with Apollo 18 is its abruptness. The action begins before we have a chance to invest in the characters and the film is over before we have a chance to digest what had taken place. It seems as though a chunk of the narrative was cut out. Maybe it was NASA? Maybe it was aliens? Maybe we will never know, or perhaps it is simply shoddy storytelling. I am betting on the latter. Instead of having the beginning, middle and end to develop the characters and their circumstances, the film boasts a deficient introduction, an occasionally underwhelming middle section and a curt ending. The plot appears to be going through the motions, but the tension certainly picks up whenever there is a new lunar cave to explore or a new clue to humans not being alone. In this sense, the otherworldly location is utilized very well, its appeal revolving around its mystery and its malevolence shrouded in sterile darkness. I have to praise José David Montero's gorgeous, grainy cinematography, a true achievement in the context and service of this tale.  

The scares themselves are the best aspect of the film. While the alien design is not that  original, bringing to mind potential Cloverfield extras, it is the timing of the imagery that gives it a chilling effect. In particular, I am thinking of the moment when the camera freezes on something not quite... well, you will know the one. Sometimes it is not just about the idea, but what you do with it, and López-Gallego has a definite flair for creating horror scenarios. Most of the terror here comes from the unexpected, with all of the actors taking full advantage of the unique sequences.

I do not think that Apollo 18 can be considered one of the best found footage examples out there, but it does have merits. Too short to properly see the storyline through and too sparse to reach cult status, it nevertheless shows promise in its sensibility and I hope to see more genre entries from López-Gallego in the future. This is a film that one should watch if they wanted something a little bit left of centre on a dark, rainy day. 

5/10