The Rum Diary: A drunken mess of a film...

 
This is a Johnny Depp film I've been curious about since I saw the trailers a year ago on TV. I never got to the theater for it, and maybe it's good I waited until Netflix had it available. This is really a mixed bag for me. On one hand you have Depp playing this eccentric drunk, named Paul Kemp, who moves to Puerto Rico to work for a newspaper that's on it's last legs. On the other hand, as you witness the character adapt to his environment, you can see he easily loses focus, as does the story. At one point Kemp is motivated by a beautiful woman named Chenault, played by Amber Heard, who just happens to be married to a shady land developer on the island named Sanderson, and played by Aaron Eckart. Then, as time moves on and eventually she does throw herself at Kemp, he quickly shifts his mindset towards fighting a political agenda, and fighting against the suspect land deals conceived by Sanderson. Eventually, Kemp wants to help get money back into the hands of the natives, and go against the government in general. All of these quick changes happen within a span of about 10 minutes it seems within the third act, and that makes it a jumbled mess of a plot in my opinion.

Or, maybe the audience is just supposed to believe that since Kemp is such a drunken, hot mess, that the story should naturally flow with the energy of his character. Either way, it's easy to feel like it's a mixed bag of a film. The good things are obviously the beautiful sights and visuals of the film shooting in Puerto Rico, some funny character moments not just from Johnny Depp, but also the oscar nominated Giovanni Ribisi who plays a completely drugged out, and bitter newspaper worker. Even the editor of the newspaper, Lotterman, played by Richard Jenkins, has some really funny one liners that will make you burst out loud. Overall, if you are easily entertained by Johnny Depp's acting abilities and character driven moments, even if the plot doesn't make sense towards the end, then you'll enjoy this. However, the plot is such a disorganized mess, its made writing this review a major challenge to organize my thoughts on the film.

I say "netflix" it, and tell me what you think! Nuff Said:)

Prometheus review: I'm still asking questions...

OK, this is the second review I've written on this movie as I'm still asking questions as to what I witnessed in this film. I've been waiting for this movie to come out since it was announced over 2 years ago. Needless to say my anticipation has been through the roof. Now it's here, I've seen it twice, and now for my honest review.

If you're not familiar with the mythology of the ALIEN series, that's OK, because even though this is considered a loosely based prequel, set in the same universe as the previous movies, it follows its own original storyline. The film opens with one of the most breathtaking shots of a planet, which one would assume is earth, with a ship hovering overhead, and a humanoid being walking towards a cliff overlooking a waterfall. It drinks a black goo substance in a cup, and proceeds to flinch in pain as its DNA begins to break down. Cue the music, and cut to the opening titles that are equally stunning (even in 2d) Fast forward to earth, in the not too distant future, and two doctors uncover cave paintings that hint at ancient civilizations pointing humanity towards the stars. This is the basis for the films storyline, and the reason the primary characters of Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway, with the help of a rich company owner, are able to travel to this distant planet, in search of our "makers". You follow me so far? I'm not going to break down the plot any further but point out that you MUST have an attention span for this kind of film. If you get lost or confused at different happenings, it's quite possible you will leave the theater feeling short-changed. This is a film full of big ideas, and plenty of mystery regarding how humans were created, as well as the familiar aliens from the previous films. The visuals are incredible, the music suits the mood of the film perfectly, and the acting is for the most part, top notch. The set-design is as lifelike as a film can be. For example, early on in the film, when the Prometheus ship is headed towards the distant planet, you see the ship's android David, played so effortlessly by Micheal Fassbender, wandering around the ship, keeping an eye on members of the crew in hypersleep, watching movies, playing basketball, and overall trying to stay entertained. The set's are so convincing you really believe this is a real ship, on a real mission, with a dude who is really a robot acting as a caretaker, and none of what you see is make-believe. Movie making at its finest if you ask me.

Now, if you're a die-hard fan of the Alien films from the 80s, don't expect the link to those films spelled out in cookie cutter fashion. If you blink, you'll miss the subtle nods that lead to bigger ideas as to how everything strings together. Trust me, the hints are there, but you actually have to use your brain to figure it out. Not only that, but trying to figure out how this race of engineers you'll see halfway through the film, and what their motivations were for creating or destroying humans, is a challenge as well. However, that fits the theme of this movie to a tee. Asking the question "why?" and not necessarily getting a clear answer is the focal point for the characters. As far as traumatic death scenes, they're aren't as many as found in previous Alien films, but the graphic ones you do see in this film are extremely well done. And in the end, the story is left open for a sequel. However, I think the questions raised in this film leave enough up to the imagination to decide for yourself what happens after the events in this film, and how it all ties to the first Alien film. That's what makes this film work. Even after you leave the theater, you may find yourself debating about not just the events within the story, but what comes next? That is the mark of a great film.

Lastly, it should also be noted, it was obvious in some parts that the films director, Ridley Scott, had to make some tough decisions in the editing bay. Some scenes standout as being awkwardly chopped, or dialogue that seems like it came after something we didn't get to see. I suspect this will be resolved in the now rumored "extended cut" that is in the works for home-video releases. I also suspect it will only make a great film, that much better. I don't think I've ever read such a split of opinions on any highly anticipated film before. Some love it, some hate it, and there doesn't seem to be much middle ground. Imagine how this film will be remembered 20 years from now? Bladerunner shared the same controversy during its initial release, and it's considered a masterpiece in some circles now. Either way, this film has great acting, great visuals, moments of the highest tension imaginable, and a plot that continually keeps your brain wanting more answers, in the best way possible. Go see it! Nuff said.

Forgotten review: What Planet Are You From?

I vaguely remember back in 2000, seeing TV trailers for this film that starred Garry Shandling, and also remember hearing about how badly it bombed at the box office. Well, let's face it, most comedies do horribly during their theatrical release, and then eventually find some sort of an audience years later. Every once in awhile you have a film like The Hangover, that breaks box office records across the board. In the case of What Planet are you from? it was a mega bust. Its budget was listed somewhere around $60 million dollars, and it didn't even earn half of that back.

I'm hear to tell you it wasn't for it being an unfunny film. I randomly found this on Netflix the other night, and being the Garry Shandling fan that I am, from his days on the Larry Sanders Show on HBO, I had to at least watch it for a little bit and see if the film's lack of success was warranted. It was not. I found myself laughing hysterically throughout the first hour of the film, and then enough through the last half to keep it afloat. The story was co-written by Garry Shandling, and he doesn't just insert goofy material into the script, there are some subtle, serious moments where he's trying to make a point about how humanity acts on this planet.

The plot in a nutshell involves Shandling's character, an alien from a distant planet who is sent to earth on a mission to impregnate one human female, in order to start a takeover from his alien homeworld. He's pre-trained with cliche pick-up lines and the result are some hilarious scenes where you see earth females responding accordingly. The rest of the cast is top notch, with Annette Bening, who plays the prototypical crazy woman so well, Greg Kinnear who plays an adequate prick, John Goodman as a somewhat paranoid agent who has a belief that Shandling's character, Harold Anderson, is indeed from another world. Ben Kingsley even has a supporting role, playing the leader of Anderson's homeworld! Garry Shandling's facial expressions alone will have you cracking up throughout the better part of the film, and the rest of this great cast fills their roles perfectly.

As the plot rolls along, you see Anderson evolve from more of a robotic alien, with no emotions, to one who embraces the tendencies of the humans around him. This film could even be played as a how-to guide for men on what to not say to a woman, and have men and women alike laughing out loud at how absurd some of the awkward situations are.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this comedy. I have a feeling because it has some sci-fi themes embedded within the story, that this is one of the main reasons it bombed at the box-office. Comedies are tough enough to find a big, universal audience. Mix in science fiction themes, and you've just cut your audience into a thousand pieces. However, I'm here to tell you to give it a viewing. If nothing else, the fact that the main character's penis hums anytime a woman turns him on, will have you gasping for air. Nuff said!