Weekly Review -- Life/File

Total Recall (2012) -- A good remake is one of the rarest cinematic gems. This elusive entity usually takes one of two routes -- it can be a modernized interpretation of the original tale or a new perspective on the same. Len Wiseman's Total Recall takes the latter approach, building a new world out of Philip K. Dick's dystopian fable.

The film moves the action from interplanetary locations to Earth, rendered nearly uninhabitable following a period of chemical warfare. Haunted by strange nightmares and desperate for a break from his monotonous routine, factory worker Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) visits Rekall, an agency specializing in implanting desired memories. After the procedure goes wrong, Quaid finds out that his existence is not what it seems...

Right off the bat, I will say that I am not certain why so many people carry a torch for the Paul Verhoeven original while criticizing the 2012 version. Sure, the first film is an action classic, set in a future that had previously not been imagined in cinema. Its rebellion aspect is more complex, the screenplay is chock-full of trademark Arnold Schwarzenegger one-liners and its satire is awash in delectable camp. At the same time, the Mars storyline drags on toward the end and the camp factor does not aid the story, which I feel would have benefited from somber tones. I think that Wiseman's film accomplishes this task and am convinced that, had it not been a remake, it would have been better received.

The 2012 incarnation has shortcomings -- namely a screenplay that merely scratches the surface -- but successfully transports the narrative to a vicious urban jungle, with updated effects to boot. As much as I like the original, its ambiance has never felt very ominous to me. Maybe it was the cinematography, maybe it was Schwarzenegger's acting; either way, I feel that its tortured landscapes should have appeared more desolate. The remake presents a cold, concrete-infested digital wasteland; a sewage system for the soul, if you will, and a change that is intriguing within the identity search context. The action scenes are stunning and the set design is dazzling in a sleek, clinical manner. The remake complements the story visually, even if the crisp, to-the-point writing needs a dose of reflection. I really liked the parts that delved into the nature of truth and personality and wish that the script had been more focused on these elements, since the blend of philosophy and high-tech graphics could have elevated the film to new heights.

The performances are good, but suffer from a lack of character development. A versatile actor, Farrell has not yet had many opportunities to show off his range. He taps into Quaid's fragmented present to solve the puzzle of his eradicated past and his reactions to his discoveries are pure, appropriate shell-shock; the shootout and the piano sequence are the best examples. I wish we had got to witness Quaid's menacing side, since it would have made for a nice juxtaposition. Jessica Biel's role is vague and I get the sense that we do not care half as much about Melina as we should. Anyone could have played the role as it was written, but Biel is still convincing as the freedom fighter. Kate Beckinsale left me beyond impressed with her physicality and action prowess. I was aware of her skills from the Underworld series, but here she outdoes herself with the kind of stunts performed. Seriously, I get dizzy just thinking about her sequences. On another note, I am very happy that the role of Lori Quaid was expanded. I have always thought that she was killed off too soon in the original, when so much could have been done with her delicious villainy, a job that Beckinsale does with relish. Lastly, I love seeing Bill Nighy in any film or TV piece and it is too bad that neither he nor Bryan Cranston are given a lot to do as the rebel leader Matthias and the nefarious Cohaagen, respectively.

The new Total Recall is a fun, action-filled ride through realms of memory, identity and reality. Drenched in steely, subterranean visuals and peppered with homages to the first film, it presents a new -- if at times one-dimensional -- take on the tale. Do not trust the naysayers. Instead, in the words of a certain traveler, get ready for a surprise. 

8/10

Weekly Review -- Ghastly ghosties

The Apparition (2012) -- There are two kinds of bad horror films -- those that do not even try and those that do, but fail to follow through on their initial promise. Todd Lincoln's The Apparition belongs in the latter category, setting up an interesting story, but not letting it develop beyond the confines of stilted writing.

A college parapsychology experiment goes very wrong, seemingly releasing a supernatural being into the world. Soon afterward, a young couple -- Kelly (Ashley Greene) and Ben (Sebastian Stan) -- start noticing strange occurrences around their house. Mold gathers in unlikely places, furniture gets rearranged, pets start dying... think Paranormal Activity without the charm. When they start investigating, Kelly and Ben get help, but will they be too late to save themselves?

The film starts out as an intriguing tale, playing out as the love child of The Entity and Chronicle. The naturalistic style of direction creates an atmosphere of collision between tranquility and dread, making the characters relatable. Soon, though, the narrative falls to pieces, mostly due to the lack of scares and a screenplay that never goes deeper into the demon/ghost/whatever's origin. The film does not build up its chills; it merely lists them, going through the motions and dragging out its sequences. I already mentioned Paranormal Activity, which had a pervading sense of nihilistic terror that crept into every nook of the cursed couple's house and every realm of their life. Its ambiance served the purpose of making that story's entity seem malevolent from the start. We knew it was not to be trusted and not to be toyed with; we knew that, in the words of one of the characters, it was in control. Contrary to the Oren Peli film, The Apparition does not realize its potential. Its own specter seems to be playing hide-and-seek with Kelly and Ben, popping up here and there and acknowledging its presence, rather than launching a full-on offensive. Furthermore, the sudden and murky ending feels like a cheap version of another recent horror film's conclusion.

The acting is relatively convincing. At the same time, the performers are not given much to work with, being saddled with cliché lines such as "what does it want from us" and "it knows you're afraid". Greene would make for a good horror heroine in a better film; here, for the most part, she is relegated to looking scared and prancing around in her underwear. Stan, who was terrific in last summer's shrewd "Political Animals", has almost nothing to do here, although he does manage to infuse Ben with nuanced emotion on occasion. Finally, Tom Felton gives it his all, but is unable to escape the script's monotonous lack of ingenuity.    

With an edgier screenplay and bolder twists, The Apparition could have been a fresh, if not inspired, horror entry. Instead, it misses its mark. One can clearly see that Lincoln is a genre fan, but he needs meatier writing to work with and more daring situations to immerse himself in as a filmmaker. I am looking forward to his future films, but I am sorry to report that this one is far from a masterpiece.      

3/10

Weekly Review -- The nature of the beast

Savages (2012) -- Tricky as cinematic adaptations of literary works can be, sometimes a filmmaker hits a bullseye with their sense for a particular narrative and its flavor. With a gorgeous love story in the midst of darkly humorous and ironic observations of politics and the drug trade, Don Winslow's "Savages" quickly became one of my favorite novels. I could not wait to see the Oliver Stone film, and the adaptation succeeds in capturing the mood of the written word, complementing it with terrific casting.

**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS NOVEL/FILM SPOILERS**

Former Navy SEAL Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and his best friend, botanist Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), are living the good life in sunny California. They have a lucrative business -- growing selective marijuana for a selective clientele -- and a loving girlfriend, O (Blake Lively). The trio share a deep, meaningful bond, one that gets tested when the Mexican Baja cartel comes knocking and requests that Ben and Chon join their operation. After the friends refuse, the cartel kidnaps O and their leader, Elena Sanchez (Salma Hayek), sets an ultimatum. What are Ben and Chon willing to do for their woman?

Well... anything. This is a story about love and devotion, about beauty and idealism getting corrupted by the insanity of brutes, about erasing the line between the good guys and the bad guys for the sake of what is sacred. Each of the three protagonists is flawed in their own way -- Chon is damaged by the war evils he had witnessed, Ben is too quixotic for his own good and O does not possess a clear sense of self without her men. Still, the three have a stable, fulfilling relationship based on profound trust and passion, revolving around virtues as well as flaws. The scenes involving the three characters are tender and sincere, with even the brightness in cinematography contrasting the bleak, dry hues in the scenes involving the cartel dealings.

On the other hand, all of the above traits are missing from the life of the growers' enemy, Elena Sanchez. Alone in a male-dominated environment and surrounded by henchmen who cannot match her in intelligence, she is starving for an emotional connection, for a way to escape death, her constant companion. One occasionally gets the sense that she is jealous of the family that her three opponents have created, and why would she not be? Her own family was murdered by the "business" she was forced to inherit and her criminal activities alienate her from the rest of society. In fact, it is her unlikely kinship with O that provides some of the film's brighter moments. We know that, naturally, these chat sessions are not meant to last and we know where O belongs, but it is these sequences that etch the heart out of Elena's heartless existence.

The screenplay by Winslow, Stone and Shane Salerno is taut and clever, effectively bringing the novel's essence to a new medium. I am not sure what to think about the ending, though. However blissful and beautiful it is, I believe that the novel's final act is more appropriate, especially in the context of three lovers losing themselves in a world of eternal strife. The film's denouement feels like a cop-out in many ways; we are already aware that Hollywood is not crazy about endings that it perceives as downers. 

The performances make the film. Kitsch is perfectly cast as Chon, showing once again how edgy writing brings out his best work. He plays the former SEAL as a resilient warrior, jaded to the point of detachment and simmering to the point of eruption. The character is unpredictable and violent, recognizing the malevolent side of the world long before Ben does and taking drastic measures to restore equilibrium in their corner. He has great chemistry with Johnson, whose Ben is a man of peaceful rationale, a quality that slowly dissolves in the face of atrocities seeping into the trio's orderly realm. Playing O, the unwitting pawn in the drug game, Lively depicts a person who can only be seen as a collage of shared experiences and not as an independent entity. She exists through her relationship with Ben and Chon; without them, she is a lost soul threading uncharted territory. Hayek is fantastic as the often conflicted Elena, while Benicio Del Toro drips with ruthlessness as Lado, her main enforcer. John Travolta creates one of his most memorable portrayals as Dennis, a corrupt DEA agent capable of acknowledging his weaknesses, relaying his doubts and dilemmas in one of the best cinematic monologues of the past few years. Finally, Demián Bichir and Antonio Jaramillo are pure sleaze as the cartel lawyers, while Emile Hirsch provides a bit of a comic touch as Spin, Ben and Chon's money launderer. 

Savages is a suspenseful thriller, a drama about relationships within chaos and, above all, an ode to love beyond the ruins. Its hyperkinetic tone may be perfect for painting a battle between good and evil, but at its core is a tale about human beings salvaging their bliss in the aftermath of its collision with reality. Who are the real savages? In a perfect storm of circumstances, when it comes to the people we love, we all are.

9/10