2012: The Year in Film: "Savages" Review.

So it's been so long since Oliver Stone has made a film (I never saw the sequel to Wall St...) that I've never really had a chance to discuss my appreciation of him as a filmmaker on this blog before. He is a true, blue filmmaker.  A true artist.  He hasn't hit on every one of his films, not by a long shot, but he's ambitious, even audacious, and has a vision as a filmmaker that's not afraid to challenge the establishment that is shared by very, very few in the mainstream.   As a writer/director, he's experienced success and created a filmography that's nearly unparalleled in Hollywood today.  It's easy to forget, but we're talking about a guy who wrote and directed Platoon, easily one of the top 2 or 3 war movies and a top 25ish movie of all time, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Wall Street, Nixon, Any Given Sunday and The Doors.  NO BIG DEAL.  Oh, and he wrote a little movie called "Scarface", which for all its flaws is undoubtedly an important film.  Long story short, Oliver Stone is a legitimately important filmmaker, who despite a faded star as of late (the extremely flawed theatrical release of "Alexander", "W" and "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps", which is a mediocre shadow of the first entrant in the series at best constitute his output over the last decade) is still someone worth paying attention to.

"Savages" is an adaptation of a 2010 novel by Don Winslow.  The plot follows best friends Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch), who have created a marijuana empire in Southern California.  Ben, who has a botany degree from Cal, and Chon, who is an ex-Navy SEAL fresh from the Middle East, have combined their talents and know-how to create a thriving business that's run much like a legitimate enterprise, and has eliminated much of the dirty work from the drug trade by operating like a wholesaler.  They're rich kids from Southern California, and enjoy the lifestyle that comes along with their status, including a common girlfriend, "O" (Blake Lively).  Their dream life faces a serious challenge when the cartel from Baja Mexico comes north to challenge them.  The conflict that results forms the rest of the film... as the awful violence that characterizes the drug trade south of the border forces the California kids to respond in kind... living up to the title in the process.

First, the good: Kitsch and Johnson are great. I'm glad that Taylor Kitsch has finally delivered a top-notch performance in a film after a 2012 that's been iffy at best from a career standpoint (John Carter, Battleship) and this is how he should be used in the future.. not asked to do too much heavy lifting himself, but rather allowed to brood and chew scenery along with other actors. He simmers as the angry and violent Chon, a man eager to resort to violence and who revels in its many applications. Johnson, most memorable as the title character in "Kick-Ass" is unrecognizable as the idealistic and naive Ben. At age 22, he's definitely an actor to watch, as from the look of things he should be around for quite some time. Benecio Del Toro is great as cartel enforcer Lado, a man without a soul, remorse, mercy, etc., etc. and Del Toro invests him with a savagery that's reminiscent of Anton Chigur of "No Country For Old Men". Travolta is good, as he tends to be in these sort of roles, relishing the wise-ass crooked DEA agent. Salma Hayek is strong as well as Elena, head of the Cartel and quite savage in her own right, but also conflicted and layered. In addition, I love the plot to this movie. The story is damn worth telling and if told a little differently, could have easily wound up as a modern day classic. And let's not forget that Oliver Stone is an artist. Even amongst scenes of horrific violence there is a certain beauty, and when he lets his flair for the visual rise to the surface there are some beautiful scenes.

The bad: Blake Lively is a waste of space in this flick. Now some of it is certainly her character.. she's supposed to be a directionless trust fund baby just sort of drifting through life spending money and seeking pleasure.. but she felt flat and empty. Oh, and the line "I had orgasms, Chon had wargasms" exists in this movie. ... which is unbelievably awful. I had problems with the delivery of the flick as well, I know what they were trying to do - juxtaposing the beauty of southern California with the savagery of the international drug trade, but the whole endeavor felt shiny and glossed over and packaged rather than gritty and real. I feel that given the subject matter, a turn towards the dark and hard-boiled would have made this flick potentially a classic. In addition, the actual depiction of some of the violence is a little unnecessary, distracting, and over the top.

All in all, this is a flick that looks great, features a couple of stand out performances and memorable scenes, has a great plot and is well worth a watch. Unfortunately, it is TOO bombastic and over the top to really hit home. Oliver Stone aimed for "Traffic" and hit something more action-ey and traditional. Plus, the ending? Oooof. This flick is an 8 with a better ending. Ultimately, well worth a watch, but too heavily flawed to approach greatness.

7/10

2012: The Year in Film: "John Carter" Review

So "John Carter" may well have fallen victim to the worst marketing campaign in the modern history of big-budget movies. From watching the trailer.. it's basically impossible to tell what the movie is about, what makes it special, and why it's anything other than just a flashy and utterly forgettable sci fi action-er rather than a legendary sci-fi franchise perhaps most deserving of a translation to the big screen. After seeing the bombardment of advertisements for this one and feeling like I was missing something, I did a little wikipedia research and discovered that "John Carter" is based on a series of novels dating from the 1910's and 1920's that are basically the grandfather of all epic sci fi. That's right, without John Carter, there's no Luke Skywalker, no Jake Sully, no Han Solo.. and that alone makes the movie worth checking out. At it's root, the John Carter books are about a Confederate War veteran who stumbles across a way to transport himself in between worlds, to Mars.. where he finds himself in the midst of a Martian Civil War. Let's throw in Timmy Riggins himself, one of the stars of "Friday Night Lights" and a cast that includes Bryan Cranston, Mark Strong, Dominic West and Wilhem Dafoe, intriguing source material and a massive budget.. and it becomes well worth seeing. So onto the movie, shall we?

It's the late 1800's, and Civil War veteran John Carter stumbles across a way to Mars, or "Barsoom" as the natives call it. On Mars, he encounters the Tharks, a noble and warlike species, as well as several warring human-like cities that threaten Barsoom itself. John Carter discovers that the martian environment has basically made him a superhero.. and he earns the respect and fear of the locals through his heroic and selfless actions. It's your classic hero's journey, so we'll leave the plot at that.



First, this movie is significantly better than I thought it would be.. and that's a good thing. The director (and writer) of Wall-E and Finding Nemo makes his transition to live-action (well, a soft transition, given all the CGI), and does an effective job.. the effects are great, there are some pretty stunning shots, and he gets a lot out of a cast that is often put into some ridiculous situations. Taylor "Tim Riggins" Kitsch is an effective leading man, and certainly has a future in the movies. Mark Strong and Dominic West aren't given a lot to do, but they (Strong, especially) are effective villains. Lynn Collins is simply great as Dejah, Princess of Mars.. she really is a revelation in what's basically her first big role. The Tharks are extremely likable, and there is a martian "dog" of sorts that is as charming as any CGI creature I've come across.

We're basically to the point where CGI looks "real" and can interact pretty seamlessly with live-action actors. The technology, cities, settings, vistas and creatures of Barsoom are incredible. There are some great action sequences as well.. Stanton clearly has a lot to offer in that regard.

I have two complaints. First, Kitsch simply isn't old enough to have played the part of John Carter. He does a good job, don't get me wrong, but the film opens in 1881, 16 years after the end of the Civil War, where John Carter was a married Captain and father. Kitsch is 30 years old and looks 28-32. Someone in their late 30's or early 40's would have been more appropriate for the role. But really, that's a minor complaint, as once the film moves to Mars it no longer matters. Second, the film sags in the middle, in an effort to explore some of the Martian mythology it sort of neglects the overarching plot. Now I understand that the studio intends to make this into a franchise.. but the actual plot of a single flick, ESPECIALLY the first flick should be paramount to the needs of the franchise or the film suffers as a result.

But all in all, those are minor complaints. There is some great source material here, well deserving of a film franchise, and it is executed well. Not perfectly, but very well. You can certainly see how much "Star Wars", "Avatar" and the Epic sci fi genre as a whole owes to the John Carter series. I was impressed, and absolutely will be watching this one again.

7.5/10. An imperfect, but well worthwhile time at the movies.