Volume 39, Number 08
Movies
Movie News
By Bill Hersey
Our friends over at Paramount have been super busy the last few months. One of their biggest promotions was the multi-event promotion of the science-fiction film Cloverfield, (Japanese title Hakaisha). For the press conference premier and other related happenings they brought in producer J.J. Abrams, Director Matt Reeves, Screenwriter Drew Goddard, young actor Michael Stahl-David, and actress Lizzy Caplan.
It was also nice having Paramount Pictures International President Andrew Cripps back in town. He and his wife Louise flew in from London. Andrew, a longtime Tokyoite resident, knows our city well and has many friends here.
The premiere with all its special effects took place at a new venue—J.C.B Hall. After the premiere the group had dinner at Nobu’s and from there went over to the New Lex for an after premiere party.
It was a fun evening with Japanese celebrities from the film, music, sports, fashion and even magic worlds, meeting and mixing with the staff and cast of the film, and the hard working Paramount people. The New Lex manager Takahide Masude and I really enjoyed working with and getting to know the many people at Paramount who set the party up. There was a very special guest that evening, J.J.’s favorite Japanese character, Godzilla. Luckily he was in a good mood, posed for photos, hugged just about everybody, and even kissed a few.
The press conference the next day was held at The Peninsula Hotel. It was interesting, laid-back and lasted over an hour, giving the media the chance to really get into it.
J.J, who loves Japan; “Tokyo’s my favorite city”, felt the using a camcorder for the special effect of the film was a love letter thanking this part of Japanese culture.
Director Matt Reeves said he got what he wanted—naturalism—from his cast, who for the most part were young newcomers. “We just kept going, it was like one shot with no breaks and the cast had to be good at all times.’
Happy to see the recent revival of the production of musicals in Hollywood. This of course is for the most part, due to the success of Dreamgirls, Hairspray, and Sweeny Todd. Just read that Penelope Cruz is taking voice lessons for her role in the film version of the Broadway show Nine.
Everyone’s favorite actresses Judi Dench and Sophia Loren will also be in the film. I saw Antonio Banderas do a great job as the male lead in the Broadway show in NYC. Oscar winner Javier Bardem is sure to be good in that part in the film.
Movie Reviews - Atonement / 10,000 BC
by William Casper
Atonement
Atonement is faithfully based on Ian McEwan’s award winning novel and has clearly been put together with a great deal of care and attention. The novel’s themes, which are broadly: the responsibility and power of the novelist/storyteller, the British class system and, well, atonement, do not transfer well to the screen but there is still much to admire and the story packs a powerful, heartbreaking punch.
The first half of the film takes place on a hot summer’s day in 1935 at the rather grand house of the Tallis family, somewhere in the south of England. Various friends and relatives are staying at the house. The youngest member of the family, Briony (Saoirse Ronan), a precocious 13-year-old girl on the brink of puberty, is a would-be writer with an active imagination. From her bedroom window, she witnesses an incident involving her sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and the son of the housekeeper Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). Later in the day, after a series of unfortunate coincidences, Briony accuses Robbie of a crime of which he is innocent. With the exception of Cecilia, the upper class family side with their own, and working class Robbie is thrown to the wolves. The story moves ahead five years to the British retreat from Dunkirk and Robbie is trying to get back to England. At the same time, Briony (now played by Romola Garai) and Cecilia are working as nurses (at separate hospitals) in London. How the story plays out may, or may not, be to your taste but there is absolutely no denying it’s haunting nature.
As directed by Joe Wright, the film is technically excellent with very high production values. There is a five-minute tracking shot along the beach of Dunkirk that is a truly memorable piece of filmmaking—despite the fact it seems out of step with the film’s overall intimate tone. Another sequence worthy of mention, set in a hospital, brings home the hideous nature of war and the sheer horror of what wartime nurses must have experienced.
Overall, the performances are very good. James McAvoy is probably the pick as the over-ºconfident young man brought down by the family he can never really join. Saoirse Ronan and Romola Garai as Briony are both very good. There are fine cameos from three classic Brit actresses; Brenda Blethyn (who should have had more screen time) as Robbie’s mother, Vanessa Redgrave as the older Briony (rather irritatingly with the same hairstyle as the younger ones) and Mike Leigh stalwart Gina McKee very believable as the tough but fair Sister Drummond.
Although I can understand why the filmmakers would want to cast Keira Knightly she seems too much the awkward sixth former for Cecilia and never quite captures the yearning and passion the character is supposed to imbue and arouse. In a pivotal scene when she emerges, dripping wet in her silk underwear, from a fountain, and stands before Robbie in what is supposedly a moment charged with sexual tension, ones thoughts turn not to eroticism and sensuality but a more prosaic; “You poor thing, eat something”.
10,000 BC
This is a classic story of prehistoric man; by classic, I mean a story that has been told an infinite number of times over the ages. This is the one about the outsider who has to prove himself to the tribe to atone for something his father did—think Top Gun in bearskins. Having happy childhood memories of films with similar titles I wanted to like 10,000 BC.
Unfortunately, it just isn’t very good. The script is without any shred of originality, the acting dismal, the computer graphic images are passable at best, and while some of the action sequences are exciting, overall the film is unforgivably, boring. It’s also about as scientifically and historically accurate as those people who believe the world was created 6000 years ago.
On DVD
Flyboys—James Franco in James Dean mode stars as a First World War pilot. Some excellent flying sequences are let down by a disappointing script. True story.
Scoop—A great cast (Ian McShane, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson) and decent premise undermined by a feeble script and a misguided performance by writer-director Woody Allen. Woody’s worst?
Georgia Rules—Attempts to create a new genre—the child abuse rom-com—are unsurprisingly unsuccessful despite the great Jane Fonda, wild-child Lindsay Lohan, and the wonderful Felicity Huffman.