My Review: Snowpiercer (8/10)

¨Know your place. Accept your place. Be a shoe.¨

I was pleasantly surprised at how well Korean director, Joon-ho Bong, made the transition to this his first English language film because the style and tone of the film still felt entirely Korean despite starring some well known Hollywood actors. I enjoyed this film so much that I ended up watching it twice and that is something I rarely do. Based on the French graphic novel, Le Transperceneige written by Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer is an ambitious dystopian sci-fi film that despite having a very absurd premise works really well thanks to Bong's direction. It has some great performances with memorable characters, several exciting action scenes mixed with bizarre comedic moments, and a thought provoking metaphor on classicism. It is a bleak film but Bong handled the material so well that it kept me engaged and interested. Unfortunately the film does suffer from a rather unconvincing final act, but for most of its running time I was so entertained that I wasn't too disappointed.

Snowpiercer takes place in 2031 after a failed global-warming experiment has frozen all of Earth and wiped out all life. The only survivors are the passengers of a super train travelling across the globe with a perpetual-motion engine. Designed by Wilford, an engineer who knew the experiment would fail, the train has been running for 17 straight years and a social class system has developed as the passengers of the rear end live in extremely poor conditions. Here we are introduced to a young man named Curtis (Chris Evans) who is trying to come up with a plan to get past all the security guards in order to reach the front section where Wilford is presumed to be. He isn't alone on this quest as most of the passengers are upset for the abuse they've suffered and the extreme poor conditions in which they are forced to live in. A wise old man named Gilliam (John Hurt) who helped Wilford design the engine, has been helping Curtis rally the men together. Curtis's good friend, Edgar (Jamie Bell), is also awaiting the moment to begin their revolution as things begin to get worse once the guards take a few kids away from them. Tanya (Octavia Spencer) and Andrew (Ewen Bremner) are among the victims whose children have been taken away from them so they are also eager to attack. The first step of the plan involves freeing Namgoong (Song Kang-ho), a prisoner who has a special gift for unlocking the doors to each section, but the task won't be easy as the guards will do what it takes to make sure they stay at the rear section of the train.

Bong has directed several successful Korean films like The Host and Memories of a Murder, and in his first English language film his style remains untouched. Despite having some scenes that borderline in the ridiculous he somehow manages to balance those moments really well. For example there is this huge action scene that he has set up between the rebels and the guards who are awaiting them with axes. The bloody and violent confrontation begins, only to be interrupted as the train is approaching a bridge which serves as a landmark for the New Year. The fighting stops for a few seconds as everyone begins the countdown and admires the view of the outside world from inside the train, then the violence and mayhem continue. There are several moments like this where Bong perfectly balances these gorgeously crafted choreographed scenes with moments of quirky comedy and twisted sense of humor. The best example of this type of humor comes from the two characters played by Tilda Swinton (who is unrecognizable in this film) and Alison Pill who are terrific and steal the few scenes they are in. I really loved that classroom scene that felt completely out of place with the dark tail section of the train. I think it was those goofy moments that I enjoyed the most in this film. It was a great sensory experience to get to follow these characters through each section of the train and I have to give Bong credit for his visionary style because as our heroes progress to the front of the train things begin to get more and more bizarre and you never know what to expect. The film is short of being a masterpiece because the final 30 minutes are disappointing, but as a social satire Snowpiercer worked better than other recent sci-fi films like Elysium. It is a very weird and strange film, but it is really good and I enjoyed it even more on my second viewing.

My Review: Trainspotting (8/10)

"Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a starter home. Choose dental insurance, leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose your future. But why would anyone want to do a thing like that?"

I have no idea what Trainspotting actually means, but this 1996 Danny Boyle film is truly an entertaining cinematic experience. It's about a group of friends in a small Scottish town who spend their lives getting stoned and having fun. The film isn't afraid to show how exciting their world is when getting high, but at the same time it shows the devastating effects that drugs have on them. It is this balance that Boyle manages to achieve, between the brutal portrayal of drug addiction and the fun and relaxed life these friends seem to be experiencing, what has made audiences worldwide enjoy this film for decades. The energetic 80's soundtrack, the great performances from McGregor, Miller, Carlyle, Bremner, and McKidd, the clever screenplay adaptation by John Hodge from Welsh's novel, and the visual style that Boyle uses is what have turned Trainspotting into such a classic and memorable film. There isn't much going on plot wise in the sense that the film focuses on these five friends who spend pretty much every day getting high and partying, but at the same time there are so many engaging and funny moments that allow for the viewer to relate to these characters. Some of the best moments are the simple ones where we see these characters interact with each other speaking about what toxoplasmosis is, how important it is for them to mess up their job interviews, what their favorite James Bond films are, and what the unifying theory of life actually means. There are so many entertaining moments in the simple dialogues that an actual plot isn't really needed.

The film takes place sometime during the late 80's in a small Scottish town named Edinburgh where five friends spend most of their time getting stoned and having no other cares in the world. Renton (Ewan McGregor) seems content with his life the way it's going despite his parents concern for him to get clean and give up his heroin habit. He realizes it's about time for him to try getting himself together and so he decides to quit his addiction. This decision won't have a lasting effect because he still surrounds himself with his friends: the naive and sincere Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Miller) who's obsessed with James Bond, the jock Tommy (Kevin McKidd), and the psychotic Begbie (Robert Carlyle). Tommy and Begbie aren't junkies, but Renton's closest friends (Spud and Sick Boy) share his addiction. Despite wanting to clean up, Renton doesn't want to abandon his friends which ultimately lead him back to his addiction. Renton also happens to fall in love with a girl he meets at a club. After spending a night with Diane (Kelly Macdonald) he realizes the next morning she's only fourteen. Trainspotting is about the struggle Renton faces to quit his addiction while trying to maintain his relationship with his friends and not letting them affect him.

For some people Trainspotting has a little too much fun with drug addiction, but I would have to disagree. There are some very brutal and terrifying scenes about the effects of heroin and Boyle manages to balance both these elements. It may not be as dark as Requiem for a Dream, but it does feel more authentic and real in its treatment of drug abuse. It shows the pleasure that the drug gives at first, but the devastating consequences it has after the effect is over. These guys have to get involved in criminal activities in order to fund their addictions and neglect pretty much everyone around them. Their only ambition in life is to get stoned and they could care less about anything else. The film is also pretty sincere in its portrayal of how difficult it is to give up the habit. Through some stylized visuals and a great performance from McGregor we see how devastating and depressing it can be to get cleaned up. Ultimately drugs destroy their lives and the pleasure lasted for only a moment. Trainspotting is authentic and realistic in its portrayal while at the same time never ceasing to entertain the audience. A lot of credit has to be given to a relatively unknown then, Danny Boyle, and to the breakout performance from Ewan McGregor. Trainspotting boosted their careers and deservingly so. 

My Review: Jack the Giant Slayer (3/10)

"Why is it that people always scream before they die? Do they think it's gonna help them?"

Jack the Giant Slayer is yet another forgettable Hollywood film that should have remained in our memory as the fairy tale we always imagined. This film makes the Snow White one look like a masterpiece, but the truth of the matter is that these films don't really work on the big screen, and much less when you try making a darker version of the known tale. The effects might be interesting, but they don't do anything for a fairy tale which has much more power in the imagination of a child. I really hated every minute of this movie despite it having some great actors and cool visual effects. The story is just terrible and I was never drawn into it. Kids might have a great time, but adults will certainly have a hard time enjoying this action tale. It is a shame because Bryan Singer is a great director who probably is responsible for the super hero boom in Hollywood for his work in X-Men and X2. He also directed one of my favorite films, The Usual Suspects, but lately I've been having a hard time enjoying his movies. I hope he returns to his roots soon and gets back on course because he is a talented director. This film just felt lazy and I was really bored with its action pieces. I wasn't impressed at all.

Centuries ago humans were in war with a race of giants, but that was a long time ago and now it is only a legend. A farm boy named Jack (Nicholas Hoult) grew up listening to these stories of how the Great King Erik defeated the giants and sent them back to their home in the skies. One day he is sent to the market by his uncle to sell his horse since they are going through financial difficulties, but Jack decides to help a monk and gives him the horse in exchange for some magic beans. Furious about the exchange, Jack's uncle throws the beans out, but that night Jack has an unexpected visitor. The princess, Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson), shows up at his door after having escaped the castle in search for adventure. While the two are talking it begins to rain and one of the fallen magic beans begins to take roots and transforms itself into a giant stalk carrying Jack's house to the skies. The King (Ian McShane) sends his men to climb the stalk and search for the princess. Along these men are his guards: Elmont (Ewan McGregor), Crawe (Eddie Marsan), Wicke (Ewen Bremner), and Roderick (Stanley Tucci) who clearly has a hidden agenda and wants to become King himself. These men are about to discover that what they thought was a legend is a reality they are about to face if they want to save the princess.

Stanley Tucci and Ewan McGregor are great actors, but I honestly don't understand why they accepted to make this project because the screenplay was really terrible. We even got to see Ian McShane and Eddie Marsan in yet another fairy tale after seeing them last year as the dwarves in Snow White. In all honesty I have to say that I hated this film and perhaps it may be due to the fact that this genre is really not working for me. I know several critics liked this film, but I felt it had a really weak script and depended entirely on the action sequences which I found boring and exhausting. I couldn't care less for Jack or the princess and really found the lead performances rather weak. Hoult does a much better job in Warm Bodies where he doesn't need too much charisma since he's playing a zombie. I will never be watching this film again.