Today's Review: Alias Maria

The number of reviews written for FilmTotaal still grows:

Alias Maria - recensie

Director José Luis Rugeles has nothing but the best intentions with Alias Maria, but he tries a little too hard to show the full horror of being a young girl growing up in the FARC guerrilla movement. Of course there's little joy to be had and mostly despair to feel, but ninety minutes of watching nothing but misery without offering the tiniest shred of hope makes the audience equally miserable. We can do nothing but sit back and cry injustice about the horrors inflicted upon both women and children in the Colombian jungle, so we end up numb to the entire issue by the time the credits start rolling.

Part of our inability to feel for the plight of Maria, the young female protagonist who ends up pregnant in a society where babies are forbidden save for those of the man in charge, is first time actress' Karen Torres own inability to properly emote. It's laudable Rugeles opted for realism by using people who have lived through some of the same ordeals as their characters, but in terms of acting, it simply backfires. Torres' continuing stoic gaze and the few lines bestowed on her character throughout the piece, don't aid us in rooting for her or her unborn child. Like ourselves when watching this film, she simply undergoes everything that happens with little hope of changing her situation for the better. She and the other FARC guerrillas are like the ants Rugeles highlights throughout the piece: little soldiers with no discernible will of their own who fight and die for the only thing they know. In what few moments of reflecting upon their life Rugeles offers Maria and her fellow drones, contemplating a life outside the terrorist movement never seems to be considered a realistic option.

And their lives doesn't count for much as it is. Children are not allowed to be children here. If they can carry a gun, they are soldiers and so they fight. Same rules apply to them as to their older brothers/sisters in arms. Whoever refuses is shot on the spot, no matter their age. Needless to say, we witness quite a lot of death in Alias Maria. Rugeles doesn't go for excessive gore and violence, but there's still a few moments that show or at least suggest enough to make our stomachs turn. Children are obviously not spared. You'd think an organization that sees its losses mount on a daily basis would be happy with whatever new recruits babies eventually offer. But that's not the case, as baby noise proves to great a risk, even in the dense jungle. Rugeles' point that the FARC has no future, and nor do those who grow up in it, is hammered home quite adequately for his purposes, but at the end, we have simply grown as tired of all the suffering as Maria must be. But lucky us, we can simply leave all her misery behind us and go home...

Today's Review: The Green Inferno

Second review for FilmTotaal is up:

The Green Inferno - recensie

Another dud. Granted, a cannibal movie isn't for most audiences to begin with. The number of people with a morbid interest in seeing one human being graphically killed and devoured by another isn't particularly big. Of course, horror afficionados are the target audience here, but they too won't like what they see. For a movie that claims to want a return to the gore and social commentary of the Italian cannibal movies of the Seventies and Eighties, there simply isn't a lot of cannibalism in The Green Inferno. Number of people brutally murdered, cut to pieces and ingested, spoilers!: just one. A good fifty minutes into the film, which only lasts just over ninety to begin with.

But at least it's a particularly gory death that feels indeed strongly reminiscent to those old movies this movie is inspired by, like the infamous Cannibal Holocaust. Unlike most other deaths in the film, which are generally caused by arrows shot through the neck. But what of the social commentary on the appetite of the mass media, which also formed a strong ingredient back in the old days of cannibal gonzo? Problem is, the movies of the present day simply aren't as bloodthirsty as those in the early Eighties (unlike television, but that's another matter entirely). Sure, there's still plenty of gore in horror movies, but as graphic as the original cannibal movies? Not to mention acts of genuine animal cruelty are (fortunately!) outlawed today. So in The Green Inferno it's social media that is critiqued, rather than the violence in fellow contemporary movies and the audience's desire for ever more murderous thrills. The use of mobile phones and live streaming employed by naive activists that think their actions can actually change anything in the Third World where corrupt government officials and big corporations break their own laws for profit every day, backed by private militias. Activism via social media is no good in such scenarios, says director Eli Roth. Such comments on the use and abuse of the media are as far as The Green Inferno goes, before Roth finds it necessary to take a stand against female genital mutilation. A noble endeavour, but considering such acts are hardly practized in the Amazon rainforest, it feels awkwardly out of place, just an added sensational bodily horror show detracting from the actual cannibalism. As if eating people isn't horrific enough.

It certainly isn't in The Green Inferno. This is not a cannibal movie like its predecessors, it's a mixed bag that just happens to have a few acts of cannibalism in it. And it's a boring bag at that, with annoying cardboard characters you want to see chopped to bits but which you are denied to see die those expected brutal deaths (except for that one guy). Horror fans will be bored, while the rest of the audience won't bother anyway. If Roth thinks cannibal movies will return thanks to this flick, he's mistaken, his less than subtle hint at a sequel notwithstanding. Considering the movie had a hard time finding distributors and was shelved for the better part of two years before its release, tells you cannibal films are likely a thing of the past, and probably for the better.

Jurassic Park III CamoXtreme: Jungle Spinosaurus

Year of release: 2002

Description: this Spinosaurus features an overall reddish brown paint job with black stripes and shapes all over its body (most notably on the legs), while its underside (belly, base of the tail and throat) is painted beige. On the legs, especially around the feet, a darker shade of brown is mixed in, giving those parts of the animal a muddy feel. Most of the upper jaw and facial area, as well as the neck, tip of the tail and sail are coloured black. On the head, around the eyes and mouth, as well as on the sail, blue lines are found in a symmetrical pattern. The creature has small yellow eyes, white teeth and the inside of the mouth is painted pink. Its claws on both hands and feet are black, while a white JP III logo can be found on its left upper leg. A dino damage wound is located on the left flank, showing white bones and red muscle tissue. A small button is found in this wound: when pressed, the figure emits a high pitched shrieking snarl. Another button is located in the throat: pushing this button makes the mouth of the creature open and produces a vicious attack roar.

The Spinosaurus stands in a bent pose, as if stalking prey, or waiting to jump on its victim. The tail, which is rather short, is bent to the left, as is the head. The animal has large arms with very nasty big claws. The snout is quite elongated and resembles a crocodile’s head. The figure is very thin and has little body mass. It’s also out of proportion: the head and especially the arms are too big compared to the body.

Analysis: another medium sized electronic dinosaur figure that benefited from Hasbro's creative juices and wild paint schemes in the CamoXtreme line is the Spinosaurus, which, like the Rex and Raptor figures of the line, makes for a vast improvement over its predecessor, which featured a rather bland paint job by comparison. Though the original disappointing features of the sculpt remain (i.e. the dino damage wound, its awkward tiny body and silly short tail compared to its huge arms, and its impractical button to activate the attack roar), at least the figure looks great this time around.

It has a much more 'natural' paint scheme; the muddy feeling the legs give and the successful interplay between brown and black makes for 'butch' predator. Details like claws have not been omitted. The blue lines, which do add some colour and diversity within this paint scheme, do seem out of place on a jungle figure where blue isn't that common a colour: green would have seem more logical, but it's a nice touch regardless. The one thing that feels awfully out of place is the white JP III logo, but considering the more usual black version would have been hard to spot this is an understandable though unfortunate addition to the overall fantastic paint job. Incidentally, this figure could also have worked as a Lava Spinosaurus: the black and reddish brown paint job does also have a bit of a 'lava flow' feeling to them.

Repaint: yes. This figure was originally featured in the JP III toy line. Surprisingly, it would not be repainted again, despite Spinosaurus' rising popularity.

Overall rating: 7/10. This figure proves that a great paint job can make an otherwise lousy figure much more appealing. Despite its many shortcomings, this Spinosaurus got a nice makeover making it seemingly more impressive than its rather dull coloured predecessor. The CamoXtreme Jungle Spinosaurus is not always an easy find. You can still find them at times on eBay for various prices. This figure was also imported in the Benelux in decent quantities, making it easier to find there.

Today's News: Serkis goes ape again with all sorts of animals

Some older news I posted some days back:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154599/andy_serkis_regisseert_jungle_book

He knows animals - apes mostly, but he's also adept at understanding emaciated Hobbit junkies - and he knows directing. Of course Serkis makes perfect sense to direct The Jungle Book. Granted, he is still a bit green (get it?) for a director, but the fabulous river barrel chase in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, largely from his hand, showed he has some necessary skills at least. I doubt he will be any less of a capable director than Jon Favreau, who's currently adapting the same story for a different studio. That's Serkis' biggest problem right there: the redundancy of doing a different Jungle Book film shortly after Disney produces one. Considering the classic 1967 animated version already makes people think of Disney first when they hear the term 'Jungle Book', that's tough competition to begin with. Serkis will have to work hard to make his own attempt stand out, but if he uses his animal knowledge to good avail, there's a chance for a different approach for starters. I doubt Favreau understands the animal kingdom as much as Andy does; as his resumé shows, he's more into technology based material, like Iron Man, Cowboys & Aliens and the new TV-show Revolution. Favreau's version will more likely focus on the struggle of (a) man to stay alive in an all-natural environment without the aid of his own species. Idris Elba is doing the voice of the tiger in that one, so Serkis had better bring in the big guns to outdo that. How about having some great actor of our time not only providing a voice, but having him mo-cap the bejesus out of that villainous feline too? After all, thanks to Peter Jackson, Serkis knows his high-class fancy movie making technology too.

Today's Triple News: Scar-Jo transcends Tarzan

Three news flashes today, I've been busy!:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/153735/harry_potter_regisseur_neemt_herverfilming_tarzan_op_zich

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/153733/nieuwe_trailer_en_poster_transcendence

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/153709/eerste_trailer_en_poster_voor_under_the_skin

Not much 'news' among all this news. Tarzan is one of those literary characters that has been made all the more iconic because of the movies, and has been remade, revamped, and reimagined over and over again, giving us a new take on the character every five years or so. In fact, the last version, a German produced animated 3D movie, only debuted this Christmas. But it's been a while since Hollywood did a live-action remake of the Lord of the Apes, and now is as good a time as any. Then again, the last Edgar Rice Burroughs character that got himself a major blockbuster film didn't do so well: remember John Carter? I loved it, but unfortunately most other people couldn't care less (bastards!). That said, this was JC's first movie (and sadly, quite probably his last...), while Tarzan has proved himself an enduring screen legend many times over, putting him into the same category as those other big instantly recognizable big name movie franchises that keep coming back, the likes of Godzilla, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula and King Kong. David Yates seems like the right man for the job, having directed four huge box office hits for Warner already (all Potter, so kind of a one-note big budget career, but still). The hunky Swedish vampire Alexander Skarsgard is set to star, no doubt the tallest and blondest actor to have played the character thus far. I hope Jane won't mistake him for a tree as she seeks a vine to swing with. And no doubt Tarzan's gorilla posse will be digital. In the wake of the success of the rebooted Planet of the Apes saga, more on-screen apes should have been expected.

Not exactly remakes, but still suspiciously familiar to movie buffs, is the subject material of both Under the Skin and Transcendence. The former introduces a hot woman looking for men to have sex with, actually being a succubus alien abusing mankind for her own sinister schemes. That screams Species, a lot. And the "plot twist" that she starts to understand and love humanity hearkens back to Species 2, where the former antagonist underwent a 180 degree objective shift and become loveable. Nevertheless, this looks much more esoteric and dreamy than those films, arguably executed to be the arthouse version of that story. Or something else entirely, as a lot of plot material for this film is still left vague. Maybe the trailer only reminds us of Species, while the actual film turns out a whole different animal entirely. No matter. Any film that gets Scarlett Johansson stark naked doing the nasty throughout sounds like it's worth a film nerd's while. And before you accuse me of being a pervert, let me remind you I'm only watching the stuff she chose to act in. I didn't make it.

The latter trailer - of Transcendence, for those readers with short term memory imperfections - features a human intelligence downloading himself into a supercomputer, after which his newfound power gets the best of him and mankind's fate soon hangs in the balance. Also a case of 'been there, done that, keeps being an interesting topic'. Avid Sci-Fi geeks will recognize most of the plot from various episodes of Star Trek, The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, but first and foremost to my mind came the seminal computer thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970). That film involved a Cold War supercomputer based on the brain patterns of its creator, that linked with its Soviet counterpart and subsequently decided to end all human conflict by imposing its rule upon mankind. As is typical of the gloomy atmosphere of the late Sixties and the early Seventies (gotta love those dark downer endings!), it did not leave room for a happy end as ultimately, the computer triumphed and man basically became his bitch. I don't think Transcendence will have the balls to go that far. Though not devoid of addressing interesting notions on the increasingly fine line between man and machine, its otherwise looks like a standard Hollywood Sci-Fi action flick, complete with love interest (triangle, even?) and no doubt an ending that won't prove so depressing for the general audience that merely seeks diversive entertainment. That said, it looks like a very enjoyable standard Hollywood Sci-Fi action flick, one which I fully intend to see. After all, when movies fail to develop new ideas and resort to recycling those that came before, what else is a movie lover to do?

Bridge on the River Kwai, The

Rating: ****/*****, or 9/10

Phenomenally gripping epic and classic war movie like only old-school master director David Lean could deliver. In a Japanese concentration camp, a group of British POWs under the command of stiff upperlip colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) is ordered to construct a bridge over a jungle river. Meanwhile, Allied Command has also learned of the bridge and has dispatched a team of men, led by Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) and Shears (William Holden), an escapee from the prison camp everyone considered dead, to destroy it. After a gruesome trek through the dense Indochinese jungle, the saboteurs arrive, but will Nicholson allow them to blow up the result of all his hard work? Solid plot and superb acting, particularly Guinness in his role as a colonel completely devoid of emotion, who sees the bridge as a symbol for English spirit during adversity, a triumph of British leadership over Japanese barbarity, but at his heart is simply suffering from obsessive compulsion over his command and racist attitude towards his Asian captors. The movie boasts impressive production design and most of it is real: if you ever want to see a train crashing down an exploding bridge for real, go and see this magnificent film, which was good for seven Academy Awards. Lean would later outdo himself with the brilliant Lawrence of Arabia (1962).

Starring: Alec Guinness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins

Directed by David Lean

USA: Columbia Pictures, 1957

Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend

Rating: ***/*****, or 6/10

Charming but cheesy family adventure film about a scientist couple (William Katt and Sean Young) setting out in search for the legendary 'Mokele Mbembe' in the African jungle, and stumbling upon a overly cute family of Brontosaurus (or Apatosaurus, depending on how much you actually know about dinosaurs), including an extremely cuddly infant. Unfortunately a rival scientist in league with the Congolese army also finds the animals and roughly disturbs the harmony by killing the father and taking the baby, after which the couple aims to free the hatchling and return it to its mother. Old school flick, with heroic protagonists, stereotypically sinister bad guys, and a surprising amount of nudity (tribal, but still) and violence for a PG rated film. The dinosaurs look kinda goofy, but are convincing enough for a younger audience.

Starring: Sean Young, William Katt, Patrick McGoohan

Directed by Bill L. Norton

USA: Touchstone Pictures, 1985

Apocalypto

Rating: ****/*****, or 8/10

Controversial as always, director Mel Gibson once again mixes history with dynamic action and moments of intense gore, creating a thrilling hellride of a movie which isn't as historically accurate as some people would like it to be. In Apocalypto, a group of peaceful rain forest natives is viciously attacked by Maya warriors, who sell the survivors into slavery after a gruelling trek through the jungle. Upon arriving, we learn about the many ways available in ancient Central-America to dispatch people to the afterlife. Jaguar Paw, a lone hunter, fights to escape the clutches of his captors to return home and rescue his pregnant wife and young son he hid in a sinkhole, for their safety from the raiders, from starvation, only to be chased by a band of ruthless pursuers out for his blood. Viewers who can stand the abundance of gore will be treated to a spectacular action-adventure flick (as was the case with Braveheart) set in an age still hardly explored by motion pictures, but undoubtedly worthy of less bloody cinematic representation. In the meantime, this film at least gets us interested in the subject.

Starring: Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Gerardo Taracena

Directed by Mel Gibson

USA: Icon Entertainment International, 2006

Rescue Dawn

Rating: ****/*****, or 8/10

Cursus hoopvol overleven met Christian Bale

Christian Bale is een man van extremen. Nadat hij zichzelf volledig uitgehongerd en uitgemergeld had voor The Machinist moest hij zichzelf qua spieren fors oppompen om Batman te spelen in Batman Begins. Nu mag hij hetzelfde kunstje een tweede keer uithalen om de gemaskerde wreker opnieuw te vertolken in The Dark Knight, nadat hij zich eens temeer tot levend skelet heeft gereduceerd voor Rescue Dawn. Of een dergelijk ritme gezond genoemd kan worden is nog maar zeer de vraag, maar het geeft wel aan dat Bale zijn vak als acteur serieuzer neemt dan het merendeel van zijn collega-steracteurs.

Bale speelt in Rescue Dawn de rol van Dieter Dengler, een Amerikaans piloot van Duitse komaf die in 1965 boven Laos wordt neergehaald tijdens een geheime missie tegen de Vietcong. Hij overleeft het neerstorten maar wordt vervolgens tot krijgsgevangene gemaakt, gruwelijk gemarteld en maandenlang in een gevangenenkamp vastgehouden, waar hij lotgenoten aantreft die daar al jaren vastzitten en zowel psychisch als lichamelijk afgestompt zijn. Uiteindelijk weet hij zijn kameraden over te halen een gewaagde ontsnapping uit te voeren, maar daarop blijkt het overleven in de jungle minstens zo zwaar en afmattend als het kampleven te zijn.

Onder regie van Werner Herzog vertolkt Bale Dengler met zijn gebruikelijke kwaliteit. Hoewel zijn fysieke gestalte ongetwijfeld de meeste aandacht trekt levert hij ook in de overige facetten van zijn optreden een geslaagde prestatie af. Bale speelt Dengler als een wat naïeve, dromerige knul die het hele conflict rond Vietnam maar weinig kan schelen, laat staan dat hij weet wat er überhaupt aan de hand is: vliegen, dat is waar het hem om te doen is. Zijn jongensdroom om piloot te worden is eindelijk uitgekomen, slechts om tijdens zijn eerste missie al tot een vroeg einde te komen. Vervolgens moet hij de vele folteringen van zijn bewakers het hoofd bieden. Ondanks de hoeveelheid narigheid die Herzog ons hierbij toont blijft Bale de rol van charmante optimist spelen, in plaats van te vervallen in zijn gebruikelijke rol van mompelende zwartkijker die in zijn werk doorgaans de boventoon voert. Dengler blijft erbij dat hij zal ontsnappen, overleven en terugkeren, ook al hebben zijn medegevangenen die hoop allang opgegeven. Toch weet hij hen ervan te overtuigen een poging te wagen.

Naast Bale spelen ook Steve Zahn en Jeremy Davies een overtuigend spel als Denglers gebroken kampgenoten. Vooral voor Zahn mag dit opmerkelijk genoemd worden, aangezien hij zich doorgaans getypecast ziet als komische sidekick (Sahara, Employee of the Month). Desondanks weet hij zich tegen de verwachtingen in te handhaven als de volledig afgematte Duane, die uiteindelijk met Dengler de jungle (waarvoor het oerwoud van Thailand een prachtig decor vormt) in vlucht. Hij weet de verslagenheid en desillusie van hoop door twee jaar gevangenschap, evenals het sprankje vertrouwen op een goede afloop dat Dengler in hem inspireert, voortreffelijk neer te zetten. Davies (Solaris, Dogville) echter speelt de rol van Duane's tegenpool, de instabiele Gene die blijft volhouden dat het beter is af te wachten tot het gezelschap vrijgelaten wordt en sabotage van Denglers vluchtpogingen niet schuwt. Ook hij levert een tour-de-force af en zet een personage neer dat door zijn lafheid al snel onze sympathie verliest, hoewel we zijn standpunt volledig begrijpen: een mislukte vluchtpoging van een enkeling kan immers de dood van alle gevangenen betekenen.

Voor regisseur Herzog is het onderwerp van Rescue Dawn niets nieuws. Al in 1997 produceerde hij de documentaire Little Dieter Needs to Fly, waarin hij Denglers martelgang uit de doeken deed. Als zodanig lijkt Rescue Dawn voor hem een herhaling van zetten, maar we vergeven het hem, want met deze tweede variatie op het thema levert hij een spannende en aangrijpende film af die zich moeiteloos kan meten met diens voorganger, alsmede met andere geslaagde Vietnam-films. Desondanks is het waarschijnlijk dat niet iedereen de inhoud van Rescue Dawn volledig kan appreciëren: de film bevat schokkende scènes van marteling en ontberingen. 'Waterboarding', mieren, stront, mitrailleurs en wormen eten: Bale krijgt het allemaal over zich heen (en lang niet alles is in scène gezet) maar weet het te doorstaan zonder de hoop te verliezen. In die zin is Rescue Dawn een lofbetoon aan de overlevingsdrang van de optimist: Dengler vliegt, verliest zijn vleugels en krijgt te maken met onvoorstelbare wreedheden, maar niets zal hem ervan weerhouden opnieuw te vliegen en zijn droom te leven. Met een dergelijke hoopvolle boodschap is niets mis. En die prachtige beelden van het Thaise natuurschoon krijg je er gratis bij.