Quick Takes: "Wrath of the Titans", "Single Man", "Serenity"

"Wrath of the Titans"

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman

We didn't need a "Clash of the Titans" remake. We didn't want a "Clash of the Titans" remake sequel. We got both, but in the latter's case, things aren't so bad as they might have been. Go ahead and beseige it for all its idiotic dialogue and dishevelment of Greek mythology, but "Wrath of the Titans" was a damn bit of fun. Obviously we still don't care about Sam Worthington, or the subsequent son he bequeathed. What do we care about? Crazy creature battles, Edgar Ramirez as the unappreciated Ares, Rosamund Pike giving a great deal of spunk to proceedings, and Ralph Fiennes just being amazing as per usual. It's cool. Nothing special, or worth putting your neck out for. Hell, it's really stupid. But I wasn't out for blood this time.

"A Single Man"

Directed by Tom Ford

I'm taking a sociology class on consumption, and until I revisited this film, I didn't really know what I wanted to write my final paper on. Obviously this isn't the sperm of consumerist culture, but positional consumption and experiential consumption do play an at least dissectable role. But my viewing didn't come out of search for a proper film for class. It came out of deep heartache to be reunited with one of the sweetest, most gorgeous, and subtly heartbreaking films of the past couple years. Colin Firth had much deeper emotional waters to traverse in "A Single Man" than he did with the lackluster and irritating "The King's Speech".

5 Years Ago Today: Serenity

Of all the films in the past decade, I feel like this is the most under-appreciated of them. It doesn't come as much of a surprise, as Firefly is one of the most ignored classic television shows in existence. It was one of the shows I was most saddened to see canceled, right along with Pushing Daisies, which still hasn't been adapted into a feature length film. Serenity was kind of a continuation of Firefly, and in some ways, a conclusion of the series. I was concerned that it might be difficult for audiences to jump into and enjoy, but it really isn't. It's not a film strictly made for fans of the original series. It's a fantastic sci-fi action-adventure with a dark edge that it doesn't care to hide.

In terms of history, I don't think this is going to go down as one of the best films of the past century, but it's certainly one of the most enjoyable. Nathan Fillion's character is pretty much the inspiration for the a-hole hero type of character that Tony Stark turned into in the Iron Man films, and pretty much every character like him. You can even see shades of him in Flynn Rider from Tangled. Fillion adds much to the film, and the script is actually kind of smart and funny and a bit tragic to tell the truth. The visual effects aren't the best, but they're spectacular for the budget they've been afforded. Ultimately, Serenity's the sort of film that I kind of miss and wish they made more of.

A-

Quick Critiques: September 12 - October 2nd

Imitation of Life
1st Viewing
C

Before this film showed up on the syllabus for my Film Analysis class, I had not known it even existed, and I wish that I continued my life with that ignorance. This is a two-hour soap opera that felt nearly three hours long. It was made back in the 1950s, so you could say that it was good for a film made back then. I just couldn't handle it, because the conflicts in this film are so superficial that you want to stab yourself in the neck to relieve the pain of listening to these characters. One is a single mother who will do anything to become a world-class actress, and the other main character is an extremely lightly skinned black girl who shuns her family because she wants to be white. There are subtle spacial tricks that show the director's care in creating this film, but the script offers little to know connection for the audience.

The Messenger
1st Viewing
A-

I've been meaning to see this film for a while, but I just never got around to it until now. It seems like it would make a great double feature when matched with The Hurt Locker, because this takes a similar men-on-missions format in relation to the war in Iraq. It sounds like an easy job at first to break the news of a soldier's death to his/her loved ones, but this film truly shows the emotional gravity of the situation. Woody Harrelson gives his best performance to date, and continues to add something special to every film that he works on. This film never quite measures up to the first time you've seen it, but it's definitely more than worth your time.

Serenity
2nd Viewing
B+

I first saw this film with little to no familiarity with Firefly, and I found it to be pretty good. Having gone back and seen the entire series, I absolutely love Serenity. Two space epics were released in 2005, and Serenity didn't star Hayden Christensen, so it immediately has the advantage. People who were seeing the film fresh may have been confused a bit, and that probably was one of the things that led to the film being a box-office failure. Still, Joss Whedon was able to push forward some charismatic characters, an original story, and one of the most grand-scale action scenes in any film. Of course the visual effects weren't top notch, but they fitted to look and feel of this film, and it just worked.