Godzilla

Godzilla - Dir. Gareth Edwards (2014)

“The arrogance of men is thinking nature is in their control and not the other way around.”

He was an entire nation’s anxiety about Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the atomic age distilled into one giant monster. His name was Gojira or Godzilla, as he is more commonly known. His debut film in 1954, released by Toho, spawned dozens of sequels, comic books, action figures, video games, and a host of knockoffs though only Gamera, created by Daiei, would come close to rivaling the big guy’s popularity. Though there’s a general awareness of Godzilla in the States, he doesn’t have the prolific presence he does in Japan. The original movie was released in the U.S. with American actors (such as Raymond Burr) edited in. There was an awful animated series from Hanna-Barbera, which featured the annoying presence of the ultra-cutesy Godzuki. Of course, nobody could forget the disastrous 1998 remake by Roland Emmerich, as much as we want to. So, the bar wasn’t set too high for the new 2014 attempt from Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures.

Warner surprised Comic-Con attendees in 2012 with a specially made Godzilla teaser utilizing ominous voice-over by Robert Oppenheimer (“Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds”). To direct, WB chose Gareth Edwards whose previous film, Monsters, was made on a budget of $500,000 with Edwards personally editing and creating visual effects on a laptop. Just how does he fare with a budget over 300 times bigger?

Godzilla starts promisingly enough with newsreel footage of bomb testing and redacted documents. From there, we’re taken to the Philippines in 1999 where scientists Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) are called to investigate a mining collapse. There, they discover a massive skeleton and two egg-shaped pods, one of which has just hatched. The creature, eventually dubbed a MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism), makes its way to the Janjira nuclear power plant in Japan. The MUTO causes a violent earthquake as it feeds on the power. Plant supervisor Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) orders an immediate evacuation, but is forced to watch his wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche) die while attempting to shut down the reactor.

In the present, Joe has become obsessed with the tragic accident that the government has written up as a natural disaster. His son, Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), has tried to move on with his life. He’s a bomb disposal expert in the Navy with a beautiful wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) and a son named Sam (Carson Bolde). Ford is forced to fly to Japan when his dad is arrested for trespassing. Together, they break into the plant to retrieve research from their old home only to discover a research facility has been built around a cocoon.  A fully formed MUTO springs forth and Joe is killed in the resulting chaos. The other MUTO, a female kept at a repository outside Las Vegas, has also hatched with the two creatures looking to mate and breed. Their presence has awakened an alpha predator in Godzilla, who has slumbered deep beneath the ocean.

Edwards proves he is up for the daunting task of revamping Godzilla. Godzilla still remains relevant as a metaphor for the destructive power of Mother Nature thanks to the Fukushima meltdown, Hurricane Katrina, and the Indian Ocean tsunami, among other recent disasters. Spielberg is a clear influence on Edwards’ directorial choices (Ford Brody? C’mon!) as he teases and teases the ultimate reveal of the King of the Monsters almost to the point of frustration.  The first glimpses we see of Godzilla in the film are back spikes cutting through the Pacific Ocean and passing underneath naval ships. Just as Godzilla tussles with a MUTO, Edwards boldly cuts to news footage of the wrestling match of the century. When Edwards finally lets go of the reins, the action is everything you want from a monster movie. Godzilla whips a MUTO against a skyscraper with his tail and breathes atomic fire. And Godzilla’s eardrum shattering roar must be heard through an IMAX sound system. There are great beats throughout Godzilla, such as a chain reaction of explosions at a Honolulu airport or the sight of red smoke trailing a squad of paratroopers.

Godzilla stumbles when it comes to character development. The screenplay is credited to newcomer Max Borenstein, but featured rewrites from David S. Goyer, Drew Pearce, and Frank Darabont. This is a surprising fact given just how thin the characterizations are. Everyone is a standard archetype from the scientists and soldiers to Elizabeth Olsen as the wife worried for her husband’s safety. Olsen’s beautiful and expressive eyes are perfect to look up in fear at the mere sight of Godzilla. Yet, she’s wasted in the movie along with her fellow female cast members: Juliette Binoche, who’s barely in the thing, and Sally Hawkins, who’s only there to spout exposition. While the trailers make it appear that Bryan Cranston is the main protagonist, he’s merely a supporting character, which is a shame because his loony conspiracy theorist is one of the highlights. The lead goes to Aaron Taylor-Johnson, a fine actor playing one of the blandest heroes to date.

Godzilla starts off strong and packs a powerful third act, but everything in between is shaky. However, the film remains the type of pure spectacle you have come to expect from a summer blockbuster.

Rating: *** (*****)

Submarine

Submarine - Dir. Richard Ayoade (2011)

As long as there have been teenagers, there have been stories about mopey, love struck adolescents. Submarine follows suit with a young protagonist who seemed to have been raised on a steady diet of J.D. Salinger and French New Wave cinema.

Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is an iconoclastic boy growing up in Wales or more specifically, the suburbs of Swansea, birthplace of Dylan Thomas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. He's the type of kid who brings a briefcase to school with him. Oliver also wears a suit and tie as part of the dress uniform, but you get the feeling he'd probably still wear them if it weren't required. Oliver thinks of himself as a well-heeled and erudite individual. He listens to Serge Gainsbourg and enjoys the films of Jean-Pierre Melville, after all. Most importantly, Oliver believes he is much beloved by his peers. In the opening scene of Submarine, he stares off into the horizon and imagines what would happen to the school if he committed suicide. All the teachers and students would surely mourn his loss. The reality of the situation is that Oliver isn't particularly popular nor is he at the bottom of the food chain. Just like so many high schoolers before and after him, Oliver is simply filling a seat.

Oliver has become smitten with an equally unique classmate named Jordana Bevan (Yasmine Paige), who possesses a pageboy hairdo, a slight case of eczema, and a penchant for burning things. Oliver goes against his principals to bully an overweight girl in order to grab Jordana's attention. Though he feels remorse, the ploy works. However, the supposedly mature Oliver learns that love carries a heavy emotional weight that he is not equipped to handle. At the same time, he must try to save his parents' marriage. Oliver's father, Lloyd (Noah Taylor) is sleepwalking through life due to a crushing bout of depression. This has caused his wife, Jill (Sally Hawkins), to drift towards her ex-boyfriend, Graham Purvis (Paddie Considione), a ridiculous new age guru with a spiky mullet.

Based on a 2008 novel by Joe Dunthorne, Submarine marks the feature directorial debut of Richard Ayoade, a jack of all trades who fans of British comedy might recognize from series like The IT Crowd and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. He also helmed the "Critical Film Studies" episode of NBC's Community, which featured a fusion of Pulp Fiction and Louis Malle's My Dinner with Andre. With the sure hand of a seasoned director, Ayoade has created a visually striking picture that might have come out of a time capsule. Submarine has a vintage look and a timeless feel to an era where kids passed around notes in class rather than texting on their smartphones. Ayoade also borrows liberally from the Wes Anderson playbook with his straight-on compositions, dry sense of humor, and blocky chapter titles.

Craig Roberts' most notable role to date was a brief appearance in Jane Eyre as the title character's abusive cousin. Here, Roberts shines in his first starring role in a performance that draws upon Jean-Pierre Leaud's Antoine Doinel, Jason Schwartzman's Max Fischer, and Bud Cort's Harold from Harold and Maude. Roberts' wide eyes and cherubic visage certainly bare a strong resemblance to the latter character. Neither Roberts nor Ayoade shy away from the highs and lows of teenage love. Kids can be cruel and selfish at times and Oliver Tate is no different. He tries to remake Jordana in his image by making her read Nietzsche and watch Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc. Oliver eventually learns the hard way that he lacks the emotional maturity he naively thought he had. Kids can also be big balls of contradictions. As Oliver maintains an image of wisdom beyond his years, he clings to childish ways when it comes to reconciling his parents crumbling marriage.

Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor give understated, yet remarkably rich performances as Oliver's parents. The one character that sticks out like a sore thumb is Paddy Considine's psychic ninja, Graham Purvis. He's a cartoon character who would be fit in more at a Kajagoogoo reunion concert. His silliness could be written off as exaggeration by Oliver, whose narration can be heard throughout the film.

Submarine tends to be the overly precious and needlessly quirky cinema that arthouse hipsters eat up with a spoon. If you cannot stand the genre, then Submarine is one to avoid. However, if you are able to get past the showy flourishes, you might find a touching coming-of-age story highlighted by beautiful imagery and a dry sense of humor.

Rating: ** ½ (*****)

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre - Dir. Cary Fukunaga (2011)

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is an indelible work of literature. As such, it has seen dozens of cinematic adaptations including a silent film version in 1915 and a 1996 version directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and William Hurt. Perhaps, the most famous take is the 1944 version starring Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles and based on a script adapted by John Houseman and Aldous Huxley. Director Cary Fukunaga and screenwriter Moira Buffini (Tamara Drewe) have the unenviable task of breathing new life into a story that has been oft-told in film, television, and on stage.

Bronte incorporated many elements from her own life and beliefs in the original novel (published in 1847) with the title character serving as a sort-of analogue for the author. By all accounts, Bronte was a forward thinking woman, which informed Jane Eyre's views on the ultra-religious and patriarchal society she inhabited. Much like Jane Eyre, Bronte was also sent to a boarding school along with her sisters, including Emily, author of Wuthering Heights. The poor conditions of the school led to the deaths of her eldest sisters Maria and Elizabeth due to tuberculosis.

At a young age Jane Eyre (played as a child by Amelia Clarkson) lost both her parents and was sent to live with her Uncle Reed and his family. When he dies, she is left in the care of her cruel Aunt Sarah (Sally Hawkins), who ships Jane off to the Lowood Institution, a Dickensian nightmare of fear and abuse. The headmaster, Mr. Brocklehurst (Simon McBurney), has already branded Jane as deceitful and encourages all others to shun her. The one friend Jane does make dies due to the negligence of the staff.

Jane leaves Lowood as an adult (Mia Wasikowska) to accept a position as governess at the reclusive Thornfield Hall. She is taken in by the kindly housekeeper, Mrs. Fairfax (Judi Dench), but finds the lord of the house, Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender), is less than welcoming. Rochester spends little time at the estate and his first encounter with Jane could hardly be considered a meet cute after he is thrown from his horse. He even accuses Jane of bewitching his steed. This is exemplary of the brusque manner in which Rochester treats everyone around him. Yet, he is the first real man Jane has ever met and there is an undeniable attraction. Girls love the bad boys.

As their relationship grows, Rochester discovers Jane is an intelligent, young woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind or stand up to him. He finds her a refreshing change of pace from the cowering servants and the sycophantic bluebloods he usually converses with on a daily basis. But, Thornfield is a sinister place and she and her master hold their own dark secrets.

Fukunaga may seem like an odd choice to direct a 19th century romantic drama having made his feature film debut with Sin Nombre, a thriller about gangbangers and South American immigrants making their way to America. Yet, he and Buffini have found a fresh approach to the source material by focusing on the love story between Jane and Rochester instead of attempting an all-encompassing adaptation. The film begins in media res with the rain-soaked heroine collapsing on the doorstep of the pious St. John Rivers (Jamie Bell). From there, Jane's tale of woe unfolds through a series of flashbacks. Still, it feels as if more screen time could have been devoted to their relationship and that the resolution came too quickly. At just under two hours, Jane Eyre (not counting end credits) is one of those rare instances where an extra fifteen or twenty minutes could have been an improvement to the overall narrative.

Despite a rushed conclusion, Jane Eyre is buoyed by a pair of powerhouse performances by its lead. Mia Wasikowska had already played a similar, eponymous role in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. While Jane Eyre provided a less colorful and fantastical world, Wasikowska displayed the same aura of strength and determination. On the page, Eyre was described as a plain looking girl and Fukunaga can't hide Wasikowska's natural beauty despite tying her hair back in a severe bun and hiding her face inside a bonnet. On film, Wasikowska's expressive eyes and pale, white skin make her look like a porcelain doll come to life, which adds to the fragility of her character. Her leading man is no slouch either. Michael Fassbender has risen in stature after strong performances in indie films like Hunger and Fish Tank. He's come to the attention of Hollywood for his roles in Inglourious Basterds and most recently as Magneto, another tortured soul in X-Men: First Class. Fassbender definitely gets his chance to play tortured again as the conflicted Rochester, running hot and cold at a moment's notice. The supporting cast is also good, including Simon McBurney, who seems to be giving Timothy Spall a run for his money as the go-to British character actor for malevolent antagonists. There's also the always dependable Judi Dench and Sally Hawkins, who does a complete 180 from the cheerful Poppy in Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky.

The actors' work is accentuated by the atmospheric direction of Fukunaga and the cinematography of Adriano Goldman. Using only natural lighting, Goldman crafts a picturesque view of the English countryside, but the movie truly shines at night with only moonlight wafting through the curtains and the flickering of a candle to light the scene. The moody lighting does wonders to highlight the eeriness of Thornfield. You can almost feel the chilling winds hitting your body. It's no wonder so many died of a young age by tuberculosis, typhus, or pneumonia.

Ardent fans of the original novel may find that this latest adaptation is missing too much of the source material. However, Fukunaga's film is hardly a Cliff Notes version of Charlotte Bronte's classic. While it would have benefited from a longer runtime, Jane Eyre is a compelling take on the Gothic love story anchored by two amazing performances from Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.

Rating: *** (*****)

Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go - Dir. Mark Romanek (2010)

Many film critics have been cavalier about spilling the secrets of Never Let Me Go in their reviews. If you prefer to know as little as possible about a film before going in, then I will issue a minor spoiler alert.

Never Let Me Go is based on the critically acclaimed novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, the author of Remains of the Day, which was adapted for the screen by Merchant-Ivory. For all intents and purposes, Never Let Me Go appears to be your typical British melodrama, but there are little things throughout the picture that just aren't right.

The film begins in the late-70's at a boarding school called Hailsham. The lead characters are best friends Kathy H. (Izzy Meikle-Small) and Ruth (Ella Purnell) and the temperamental Tommy (Charlie Rowe). Tommy is alternately painfully shy and a ball of rage. He screams to the heavens when he isn't picked for a soccer game. It's clear that Kathy is in love with Tommy, but it is Ruth who nets the boy.

The school itself emphasizes art above all other courses of study. Students are encouraged to submit their works (paintings, poetry, etc.) for the chance to be displayed in a gallery in the city. The headmistress, Miss Emily (Charlotte Rampling), encourages the children to stay as healthy as possible. Check-ups with the medical staff are regular occurrences. The children all wear electronic wristbands that are swiped whenever they enter or exit the school. They are told gruesome horror stories about what happened to children who leave the school grounds. Excitement grows when a delivery of goods arrives at Hailsham. The children fawn over an assortment of knick knacks that is clearly a collection of discarded junk, like broken toys and worn down pens. A sympathetic teacher (Sally Hawkins) tearfully confesses that they're lives are predetermined and they will never be astronauts or actors in America. The students learn soon after that she has been dismissed.

The movie jumps to the 80's where Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy have grown up to become Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield. The trio has graduated Hailsham and now resides in the Cottages, a countryside farm for former students. They make awkward attempts to acclimate themselves to their surroundings as the love triangle drives a wedge in their friendship.

Director Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) has fashioned a picture that is the epitome of awards fodder. His direction is skillful and the film is peppered with gorgeous shots that speak simultaneously to the beauty and loneliness of life. Colors have been muted into a drab world of gray tones. Screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later) never draws attention to what makes this world different from ours. There is no sudden M. Night Shyamalan-esque twist at the end. Instead, he weaves the elements into fabric of the narrative. This strange way of life that the characters lead has become a crucial component of their society. It speaks volumes that Kathy or Tommy never try to escape their fates. For them, this is what life is supposed to be.

Despite the weighty subject matter, Never Let Me Go fails to achieve a deeper resonance. This is partly due to the almost mechanical way in which the source material was adapted. As Kathy, Mulligan provides the occasional voiceover to explain events and share her thoughts. In a novel, the author can get away with it. In a film, the director and screenwriter cannot. It becomes a superfluous storytelling device that ruins the subtle moments seen on screen.

Never Let Me Go is essentially the Merchant-Ivory version of Logan's Run. It is a beautiful looking film with superb performances, especially from Mulligan and Garfield, who has been on a roll following Red Riding Trilogy and The Social Network. However, it just feels like Romanek is going through all the motions to fish for an Oscar.

Rating: **

An Education

An Education - Dir. Lone Scherfig (2009)


The bourgeois, coming-of-age tale of a British schoolgirl isn’t exactly the type of film I rush out to the theaters to see. However, An Education was almost universally praised by critics and so I gave it a shot. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed An Education, but I shouldn’t have been. The cast is a collection of A-list British thespians and director Lone Scherfig helmed the Danish rom-com Italian For Beginners which I was equally surprised by, especially since it stuck out of the Dogme 95 movement like a sore thumb. I mean that as a compliment. The film was based on the memoirs of journalist Lynn Barber and the script was adapted by Nick Hornby, the author of High Fidelity and About a Boy, both of which were turned into films.

Carey Mulligan (22 at the time of filming) plays the 16 year-old, Jenny, who considers herself far too sophisticated for the boys at her school. She excels in her classes and is well on her way to Oxford. Jenny enjoys art, existentialism, French pop music and French film, none of which hold much interest for her friends or her decidedly middle-class parents (Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour). Her life forever changes on one fateful, rainy day when she and her cello are given a lift by the handsome David (Peter Sarsgaard). This dashing older man welcomes Jenny into his Bohemian existence. He introduces her to his best friend, the equally urbane Danny (Dominic Cooper), and his girlfriend, the dim Helen (the underrated Rosamund Pike). Jenny’s life becomes a whirlwind of art auctions, jazz clubs, concerts, and fancy restaurants. David even takes her to Paris.

And what do Jenny’s parents think? You’d figure they would blow the roof off their suburban home at the idea of a man dating their underage daughter. But, David pours on the charm and wins them over easily. He even convinces them he’s pals with C.S. Lewis. David’s proclivity for bending the truth should have been the first clue that something was up with him. Other clues stare Jenny right in the face when she witnesses David and Danny “liberate” an antique map from an old lady. However, David’s biggest secret isn’t discovered until the film’s heartbreaking climax.

Taking place in 1961, An Education is set at a time when Beatlemania and the swinging sixties London culture were still a long ways away. The duality between conservative post-war culture and forward feminist thinking is firmly in play here. Jenny’s father, in particular, wants nothing more than for his daughter to go to Oxford and make something of herself. Yet when David arrives, he sees a new opportunity. Why bother to spend thousands of dollars on university when he can marry her off right away?

Scherfig directs with an even hand with Jenny’s home and school portrayed in cold colors as closed places. This is in comparison to the warm and wide open spaces of Paris. Hornby has an excellent ear for dialogue, but it’s the cast who really pull the film together. Carey Mulligan deserves all the praise she has received for her star-making turn as Jenny. She’s witty, intelligent, yet vulnerable. With her hair done up, you can see a little of Audrey Hepburn in her, especially in the Roman Holiday-style sequence in Paris. Alfred Molina, known more for his villainous roles in films like Spider-Man 2, shows off his comedic chops as Jenny’s stuffed shirt father. Emma Thompson and Sally Hawkins, who shot their scenes in one day, add a level of gravitas despite their brief screen time. As David, Peter Sarsgaard is shockingly effective. His posh accent is so well-done, I had to double check his IMDB page because I didn't remember him being British.

An Education is a bittersweet story, one that is still full of life and romance.

Rating: ***

Happy-Go-Lucky

Happy-Go-Lucky - Dir. Mike Leigh (2008)

British auteur Mike Leigh has made a habit of finding the extraordinary in the lives of the ordinary. Leigh gives screen time to the working class Joes that Hollywood only hands out bit parts to (or passes over completely). Sally Hawkins’ Poppy is the type of character that would be relegated to the wacky BFF in any standard rom-com. But, in Happy-Go-Lucky, she takes the spotlight.

There’s no driving plot to be found, just an episodic peek into the life of an unfalteringly optimistic primary school teacher. Poppy dresses in rainbow pastel colors almost as bright as the unwavering smile on her face. She’d almost be annoying if her charming giddiness weren’t so infectious. Even when Poppy is getting her back cracked at the chiropractor, she’s still giggling. Poppy’s cheerfulness is counteracted by her tightly wound driving instructor, Scott, played to a tee by Eddie Marsan ("En-ra-ha! En-ra-ha!"). Where Poppy finds delight in even the most trivial of things, Scott finds fault in them. He’s a burning ball of pent-up rage, the kind of guy the neighbors remember as the quiet type until he shot up a shopping mall.

Something obviously happened to Scott to turn him into such a bitter human being. On the other hand, there was no traumatic event in Poppy’s life that caused her to mask her pain with an empty smile. Nor is she a nattering twit. She’s just a happy, peppy person and there should be a lot more like her.

Happy-Go-Lucky is far more jovial film than what we’re used to from Leigh. Take for example, Secrets and Lies and Vera Drake. That’s not to say Happy-Go-Lucky exists in a Disney wonderland. Dour moments seep in just like they do in real life. There’s an abused child, the obviously disturbed Scott, and a touching scene with a homeless man. Yet, nothing is able to defeat Poppy’s toothy grin.

Hawkins, who was one of the few bright spots in the otherwise dreary Cassandra’s Dream, puts on a star making performance. Hawkins’ free-spirited turn is emboldened by Leigh’s improvisational approach. She’s able to cut loose and truly allow the character to dictate where the film goes.

Rating: *** 1/2

Cassandra's Dream

Cassandra's Dream - Dir. Woody Allen (2008)

Desperate for money, 2 brothers commit murder-for-hire.

Strong performances not enough to elevate this maudlin & mediocre morality play.

Poor man's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.