Only Lovers Left Alive (9/10): A fresh spin on the vampire genre

“I just feel like all the sand is at the bottom of the hour glass or something.”

Jim Jarmusch brings a fresh spin to the very familiar vampire tale and delivers a solid and unique film that is unlike any other from the genre. Only Lovers Left Alive will stand alone considering it lacks the horror and action elements that the classic vampire films always introduce, and it also avoids the romantic cliches as well. It is an existential vampire film where you have two very distinct characters. On the one hand there is Tom Hiddleston’s character who has been around for centuries and is living in Detroit along with his growing music collection. He has grown weary with the way humans (or as he calls them: zombies) are living and has this nostalgic sense of the past, which explains why he collects several instruments from the early 1900’s. He seems to be depressed and simply disillusioned towards the modern world. On the other hand, his wife played by Tilda Swinton is living in Tangier, and she continues to enjoy the basic things in life. She loves to read and seems to have adapted well to the new world. When she realizes that her husband is getting depressed she decides to travel to Detroit to see if she can cheer him up. Most of the film focuses on Hiddleston’s existential crisis and serves as an excuse for Jarmusch to talk about art and culture. Many people might find this pretentious, but it works because you are reminded that these characters have been living for centuries and have actually met some of these artists and scientists they are referring to. The way in which Jarmusch builds these characters is also fascinating. The idea of the vampires having this sort of rockstar look to them is great and the way they seem to get high when they drink blood was also a very clever touch. There is no action here because these vampires aren’t feeding off people, they simply have their resources for buying blood. 

It’s the small moments that work extremely well in the film and the performances are fantastic. Hiddleston and Swinton are perfectly cast for their roles and both share an incredible chemistry on screen. They’ve been together for centuries so there is no tension in the relationship and they read each other perfectly. However when Swinton’s smaller sister (Played by Mia Wasikowska) shows up things begin to get interesting. Wasikowska is also great in this film and she does a convincing job playing this immature and pain in the neck little sister. There are also some strong supporting performances from John Hurt and Anton Yelchin. The cast is excellent in the film and with the strong script they all shine in this unique indie movie. I went into it knowing almost nothing about the film and I think it is the best way to approach it because the world created by Jarmusch is quite interesting. I had heard a lot about the director, but this was the first time I actually saw a film of his and I’m surprised I enjoyed it so much because I don’t consider myself a fan of the genre and I do tend to find existential films pretentious at times, but here it works. It is very elegant, cool, and stylish.

My Review: Thor: The Dark World (6/10)

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help."

Marvel Universe Season 2 Episode 2

The second phase of the Marvel universe began this summer with Iron Man 3 which was a film I enjoyed very much, but really hasn't seemed to stick with me. I'm afraid the same problem can be said about Thor: The Dark World, which was an entertaining movie but I don't think I'd enjoy it as much on a second viewing. Most of these films are fun and exciting as you experience them for the first time, but the magic seems to vanish for me after a few weeks. Perhaps The Avengers was so great that these sequels don't seem to live up to the standard set by Joss Whedon. I still had a great time in the movies and enjoyed the sequel to Thor considering I wasn't blown away by the first film either. By now Thor knows exactly who he is and doesn't have to prove anything to anyone, so we get to see him in action with his might hammer quite a bit. At times the film has a sort of Star Wars vibe to it mixed with The Lord of the Rings (with Jane reminding me of Frodo), but the final action scene suffers from something we've seen in way too many superhero films recently: buildings getting completely destroyed and blown up. It also mixes some elements near the end that we've seen in Jumper, but all in all the film succeeds thanks to the great chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. The way they played off each other and interacted was the highlight of the film, and Hiddleston was extremely funny here. I wasn't a huge fan of his in the first Thor, but after The Avengers I began to enjoy his performance, and his character in this sequel is better than ever. I wasn't blown away by the action scenes, but I did like the smaller comedic and light moments which the film had to offer. The film is entertaining enough to garner at least one watch.

The film picks up after the events of The Avengers with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) back in Asgard serving his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) trying to restore peace to the nine realms that his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has altered. Loki is sentenced to prison after his mother Frigga (Rene Russo) insists he shouldn't be killed. It turns out to be a good decision because Thor will need his service after the city is attacked by a race of beings known as the Dark Elves. Their leader, Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), is searching for a weapon known as the Aether which had been taken away from him thousands of years ago by Odin's father. Since the aether couldn't be destroyed, the Asgardians had to hide it. In the meantime Jane (Natalie Portman), who hasn't seen or heard from Thor since he left two years ago, along with her assistant Darcy (Kat Dennings) discover an anomaly very similar to the one that had brought Thor to Earth in the past. When she goes to investigate she is sucked by some sort of wormhole and ends up right next to the place where the aether had been hidden. After Heimdall (Idris Elba) warns Thor that Jane has disappeared, he goes after her, but somehow Jane has awaken Malekith which is what provoked his attack in Asgard in the first place.

Thor: The Dark World is pretty generic and follows a similar formula of most superhero films. That is the reason why so many scenes remind us of other scenes we've seen in other action films. I was never at the edge of my seat during any of the action scenes, but I did have a great time with the light and funny moments. Some people actually enjoyed the action sequences in this film, but it really didn't do anything new for me. The highlight of the film for me was Tom Hiddleston and the scenes he was in were probably the most memorable of the movie. Jamie Alexander, Zachary Levi, and Ray Stevenson all return for their supporting roles here as Thor's soldier/warriors but their characters aren't really developed too much. It is strange to see a summer blockbuster film in November but I guess that the timing was right considering all the superhero films that came out this year. Thor doesn't stand out (and I guess none really did this year), but it is still an entertaining movie. This Marvel universe is growing so fast with all these films that at times it feels like a TV series. So I guess it was a good idea that they brought in the Game of Thrones director, Alan Taylor. He has made an enjoyable film.

My Review: The Avengers (9/10)

¨Maybe your army will come, maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you! Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn sure we'll avenge it!¨

Along with many others, The Avengers was one of my most anticipated films of 2012, and I can honestly say that it didn’t disappoint me one bit. It was even better than what I had anticipated and every single person in the theater seemed to have had the time of their lives. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments where everyone just cheered and the movie never ceased to entertain. The Avengers is one of the best superhero movies ever made, and I would say only The Dark Knight surpasses it, although comparing these two movies isn’t fair because this film is much lighter and self aware of its premise. The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon (who also wrote the screenplay) is masterfully put together, meshing the incredible special effects and action scenes with the beloved characters and perfect cast. Everyone is really great in this film and it entertains from the very beginning. This is what a popcorn summer movie should be. I was worried so much hype for this film could`ve ruined the film for me, but I was wrong. All the hype only built the momentum for this great action comedy superhero flick. Ever since the first Iron Man came out these films (Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and The Incredible Hulk) have been a sort of teaser trailer for this big movie. Those films helped build the characters and build the momentum for what we truly wanted to see: The Avengers. I assume this is how kids actually felt during the early 50`s when they were expecting for the next Marvel comic book issue to come out. This film definitely captured that essence and magic thanks to such a magnificent team of cast and crew.

The movie opens with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) attacking the SHIELD agency directed by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in order to retrieve the cube which would enable him to open a portal to another universe and send an army to destroy earth. Loki is successful and manages to steal the cube and force Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) to join him by taking away their free will. In order to stop Loki, Nick Fury decides it`s time to assemble the team of superheroes which he has kept a close eye on for several years. He sends Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to get Dr. Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) to call on Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Fury decides it`s time to get Captain America (Chris Evans) back into the action, and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) comes all the way from Asgard to try to stop his villainous brother from destroying Earth. These superheroes are assembled together, but aren`t ready to work as a team. They have some issues at first and have to learn to work together if they want to stop the evil Loki.

 The premise is pretty simple, but what really makes the film work is the interaction between all these great characters. This film could have relied so heavily on the special effects that it would`ve lost the magic of the great characters created by Stan Lee, but fortunately it decides to focus more on them. The tension they face working together is what really makes the movie work. There are plenty of funny moments as we have these superheroes fighting and mouthing each other. Robert Downey Jr. has showed us he can play the part to perfection, but every actor in this film really had great scenes. One of my greatest fears was that so many actors would not have enough screen time, but somehow everyone manages to be in this film for quite a while. Even minor characters such as Black Widow and Hawkeye get great exposure. Another thing I feared before The Avengers was that I thought Loki was one of the weakest villains of all the Marvel movies, but he is really great and dark in this film. He proved to be a great rival. But without a doubt, the best thing and most surprising for me was Mark Ruffalo`s performance as The Hulk, he really owned the movie and he had the best and funniest scenes in the entire film. Pairing him with Downey Jr. was really the best thing the producers could have done. Hulk is perhaps the best character in this film and the one I was least expecting to enjoy. Everyone in the theater was truly satisfied with the film and especially with the Incredible Hulk. He was amazing and so was the movie for that matter.  

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My Review: War Horse (6/10)

¨Separated by war. Tested by battle. Bound by friendship. ¨

War Horse might be about a miraculous and beautiful horse, but the movie has nothing miraculous about it. It`s a well filmed movie, but the story and the performances are very melodramatic at times. The scenery is gorgeous, but the pacing is slow for a two and a half hour long movie. The Academy seemed to like this Steven Spielberg film more than I did since it received six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, but despite the excellent performance from the horse (or should I say horses?) this won`t be among my favorite films of the year. Of course it has the typical Spielberg narrative that has made him such a loveable director, but I felt it was way too melodramatic at times. War Horse is based on the novel written by Michael Morpurgo, while the screenplay was adapted by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) and Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Bridget Jones`s Diary, and Love Actually). The main protagonist of the story is this beautiful horse (played in the most part by the same horse from Seabiscuit), but the rest of the cast in this film are far from memorable. The War scenes really didn’t impact me at all in the way that Spielberg did in Saving Private Ryan, but I guess he couldn’t go that far if he wanted to make a family film. It does have some strong scenes however that might be difficult to watch (like when the horse gets caught up in the barb wires). War Horse is a good movie, but far from memorable and one I wouldn’t enjoy watching again.

The story takes place during 1914 in a small English town named Devon where a young teen named Albert (Jeremy Irvine) is seen watching the birth of a foal. That foal grows up to be a beautiful strong horse and is taken to an auction to be sold. Devon`s father, a farmer named Ted (Peter Mullan) is mesmerized by the animal and decides to buy it despite it not being a plough horse, but a thoroughbred. Devon is happy about his father’s decision, although his mother, Rose (Emily Watson) is upset because Ted has spent more money than they can afford on an animal that won`t help them in the far. To make matters worse, their landlord (David Thewlis) wants his rent money and demands after the harvest season or else he will take the land away from them. Devon tells his parents not to worry, that he will train the horse and teach it how to plough. Together Devon and the horse, which he names Joey, accomplish the impossible and plough the land in time for the harvest. However, a heavy rain ruins the harvest and everything is lost for Ted and his family. In order to pay the rent he is forced to sell the horse to a soldier, Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) since the country is at the brisk of war against Germany. That is how Joey begins his transition from one owner to the next, and from one band to another, after the English are defeated in a battle and the horse is taken by the Germans. Whoever his owner may be they will soon find out that he is no ordinary horse.

The cast is perhaps one of the weakest links about this movie. I didn’t find the performances very memorable and the drama seemed really forced at times. The best actor by far was the horse. Since the horse switches from one owner to another, there are several characters and different stories and some work better than others. The movie begins very slow, but once the war begins the story picks up at times. The final thirty minutes are really intense and do lift the movie, but it`s too bad it takes so long to pick up. The beginning is really slow and melodramatic and I feared the worst for this film, but thankfully it does get much better and the ending saves the movie. Even the performance from Jeremy Irvine seems to pick up in the second half (I really hated it in the first part). Tom Hiddleston`s role wasn’t very attractive either, I didn’t enjoy his performance, it seemed too forced. My favorite character in this movie was Emilie, a young girl that lived alone with her grandfather who finds the horse in a windmill. She was played by Celine Buckens and her role was hilarious. She has some funny lines, but as most characters she isn’t in this movie for too long. The barbwire scene was also pretty memorable and I loved the way the scene was resolved in such a comedic matter. If only War could be avoided in the same way. In conclusion we learn a lot from this miraculous horse and how animals too suffer in middle of men`s wars and differences. Too bad the pacing and the narrative was a little off, but the film is still worth a watch.

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My Review: Thor (8/10)

¨Whoever wields this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.¨

With Thor, summer movies have officially started in Hollywood. It`s not one of my favorite seasons of the year for films, but if the rest of the movies can live up to what Kenneth Branagh has accomplished with Thor it will be an exciting and entertaining season at the movies. I wasn`t a huge fan of Thor before this movie came out, I wasn`t even expecting too much out of it, but I decided to go see it because he`s still one of The Avengers and I couldn`t miss out on all the propaganda that began with Iron Man. With each one of these films my expectations for The Avengers is rapidly building, and even Thor managed to win me over to his side. The first thing I can say about the movie is that it was entertaining enough for me to want to go see it twice in two days. The story, the visuals, the strong performance from two relatively unknown actors like Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are all factors that contribute to making this movie successful. Include Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins into the mix and you have an even better film. The directing had a lot to do with it as well because Kenneth Branagh is a serious and dedicated director; he has proven it time after time with his adaptations of Shakespearean plays. He was dedicated with this project as well; adapted this Marvel comic superhero and prepared him for the big screen. Like most every Marvel character, they are very well developed and the film is no exception remaining true to the comic.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is the son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins) the god of Asgard. He is a great warrior and his father has been preparing him to be the future King of Asgard. It is no easy task because Asgardians are the keepers of the peace in all nine realms (Earth being one of those realms). They can travel from one realm to another through the bifrost which is guarded by Heimdall (Idris Elba). Odin saved Earth from extinction many centuries ago when the Frost Giants tried to destroy the planet. Odin defeated them and took away their power so they could no longer leave their planet, Jotunheimr. Odin has kept the peace during all these years but now it`s time to proclaim Thor as his heir to the throne. On the day of his proclamation something unexpected occurs and three Frost Giants manage to enter Asgard and almost steal the cube which holds their power. However The Destroyer does his job and kills the invaders before they can do any harm. Thor is furious and wants to give the Giants a lesson, but Odin wants to maintain peace and orders Thor to remain in Asgard. Against his father`s command Thor travels to Jotunheimr with his younger brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the 3 warriors: Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral, and Sif (Jaime Alexander). Together they face the Giants who tell them there is a traitor in Asgard. Odin discovers that Thor disobeyed his command, rescues the warriors from the Frost Giants but vanishes Thor to Earth without his supernatural powers. In Earth Thor meets a group of scientists: Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and Darcy (Kat Dennings) who help him rediscover his path.

I can imagine how difficult it was to try to make a serious movie out of all this Norse mythology about the nine realms and so on, but Branagh pulls it off by combining humor with the story. For instance when the three warriors come to Earth to find Thor, the unbelievable situation is toned down with a lot of humor. The same can be said with the Destroyer when he arrives at Earth to try to destroy Thor. When the SHIELD agents first see this metal giant they believe it could be one of Stark`s creations. So whenever the plot seems to be getting ridiculous, the tone of the film is cooled down with a lot of humor. The funniest character is Darcy who with clever one-liners manages to steal most laughs. I liked Kat Dennings in Nick and Norah`s Infinite Playlist, but here once more she proves she is a talented actress. The true stars of the film however are Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Hemsworth plays Thor to perfection, and Hiddleston is excellent as Loki. The scene where he realizes his true identity is perhaps one of the most dramatic and best acted sequences in the movie. I know we are being bombarded with a lot of superhero movies, but as long as they keep on making them this entertaining I have no problem with that. Thor is no Dark Knight, or even Iron Man for that matter, but it still is a very good film. I will end my review by quoting my six year old brother`s words after the movie ended: ¨I don’t want to have an Iron Man party for my birthday anymore. I want it to be Thor!¨  

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