Three-way!
Oh, the movies. Ya know, I’m pretty lucky to (1) have a new movie theater four blocks from my apartment in Hoboken and (2) have the strange connections that allow me to see indie movies other people are shamefully unable to catch because grosses are more important than providing quality features to the viewers. And while I could go on and on about how indie films just don’t get the proper respect (don’t worry, they do) and that local yokel towns are suffering because of minimal distribution (I assure you, they are), I’d rather just talk about these movies I saw. Save the politics for…well…not me. There’s always home video, bitches.
I’ve combined Avatar, Up in the Air, and The Hurt Locker for one basic reason: they were hyped up the ying yang before I managed to see the first frame which, in turn, instilled me with the need to have EXTREMELY low expectations otherwise I’d be dealt utter disappointment. So, let’s do this as would make the most sense, on a scale from 1-10, determined by (1) Level of Hype, (2) Safety Hype/Number to Which I Chose to Lower the Hype Level, and (3) Final Rating. All numbers are related in that the number is a movie score essentially. For example, Phantom Menace easily had a Hype Level of 10, I would have reduced my hype level to 7 (I had unusual faith in Master Lucas, but nowadays a movie like that would need a safety level of like 2), and the final rating, which for me, at 13, was an 8, but for everyone else it was a solid 4. Does this scoring make any sense? No, not really, but it gives you a solid impression of how hype can affect one’s opinion. Yeah, it’s a waste of time. :)
Alright, let’s start with the biggie:
AVATAR
Hype Level: A solid 10. People were about ready to piss blue for this movie, months, even years, before its premiere. And with good reason: James Cameron’s first movie since the uber-Mecca-ultimate cha-ching that is Titanic from 19-freakin-97? Count the world in (and in they came…that’s what she said?).
Safety Hype: 3. I was an utter skeptic about this movie. I mean, the guy hadn’t done anything in 12 years, and when you’ve pretty much hit the pinnacle critically and commercially, do you really expect him to come back with another masterpiece (granted, Titanic was more a spectacle than anything else). Plus, let’s recall the last time a masterful filmmaker went bye-bye for over a decade and spewed out something new (i.e. my aforementioned ratings example?). Shit could hit the proverbial fan; plus, even if it’s “pretty good” by average standards, his die hards were about to riot either way. Wait, how does one become a Cameron die hard again? I mean, he did Aliens, T2, and Titanic. Do you wear a mech-suit, sunglasses, and sing Celine Dion? Yeah, believe it or not, I don’t do that. Much.
Final Rating: 8! Yes, it was a really good movie! No, it wasn’t the same sort of “my back is sweaty from sinking into my chair” feel that Titanic induced in its theatrical run, but it was so much fun. This may have skewed my review, but just before watching, I had a long discussion with a fellow critic about how movies aren’t made to be movies anymore, made to be enjoyable on a simple level of entertainment, neither popcorn crap or melodramatic allegory, but pure movie. And Avatar does that in spades. It’s also the first movie I can safely admit utilized both its excessive amount of special effects and the 3D technology to the highest degree. Dust particles and leaves, flowing through this imaginary world. Not only did it feel real, it looked really, really real. And yes, it was a cheesefest. The acting was hammy (I’m looking at you Sigourney), the dialogue at times pure drivel, and the story nothing new, but it’s a joy to watch, and I really feel like Zoe Saldana, technically a computer-generated character, holds the entire film together with her wonderfully rhythmic and fearless performance. The Na’Vi are convincingly genuine. And now it makes sense why Cameron waited; his claim of stewing with his story while waiting for technology to catch up with his concepts was an honest statement. If you didn’t believe Pandora was real, his movie would have failed. And it’s real, my friends.
UP IN THE AIR
Hype Level: 8. Jason Reitman, the man, the myth, the legend. Two home runs so far, if you ask me. Are Thank You For Smoking and Juno perfect movies? Hardly, but they were great uses of talent and writing. Considering the hub bub that Juno created for him, it’s hard not to expect mountains. Plus, while he was rolling with incredible (though not supposedly A-listed) casts before, now he’s got George “Danny Ocean” Clooney. I mean, the guy can make infanticide sexy.
Safety Hype: 7. Honestly, the trailers were good, the story seemed incredibly intriguing, and again, Clooney. I mean, I’ve rarely seen a movie of his that I haven’t liked, whether it’s a phoned-in performance in an Ocean’s flick or something wonderfully different like Good Night, and Good Luck. Plus, Reitman brought his heavies, Jason Bateman and J.K. Simmons, into the mix, so my attitude was pretty positive. That and everyone and their mother put it on the Top Ten list. I take away a point for newcomer Anna Kendrick, who I was told was in Twilight, so that made me wary, if only by association.
Rating: 5. WAH WAH. What an utter disappointment. Like I said, hype levels hurt movies, and this one certainly got hurt by it. Don’t get me wrong, the performance are quite good (particularly Kendrick who had me in stitches during her hotel sob-fit, and Bateman once again taking his dryness to atmospheric heights), but Clooney felt bland, phoned in, and dare I say it, Ocean-esque. Yes, he plays an emotionally stilted character, but he blabs so incessantly, so harmonically (if only to himself), that you grow to dislike him, even when he’s going through self-realizations. And let me bring that up: the story was unbelievably laden with cliché. Man lives self-absorbed life. Man reconnects via romance and youthful foil. Man returns home and reconnects. Man chooses life change. Sorry, did I spoil it for you? Well, how could I when you know where it’s going in the first twenty minutes? Plus, I hate to say it, but Reitman’s quick-cut editing has become almost too formulaic, the way Wes Anderson’s long take pans have become part of his shooting repertoire (except Anderson’s never seem to get tired), and it makes for a very visually boring movie. There was also a level of over-circuitousness, in that every pin the story set up was eventually knocked down by film’s end; almost too convenient. Plus, the movie manages to make you feel elated in one instant (mostly during Kendrick’s scenes) and utterly depressed (during every firing sequence and especially when you watch Clooney’s lifestyle unravel — and that’s supposed to be a good thing!) for so long, you’re left with utter dissonance by the time the credits roll. And for those who have seen this, when Clooney’s older sister says “Welcome home” in a pivotal scene, I screamed out “WHAT A BUNCH OF %&%$#* CHEESE!”
THE HURT LOCKER
Hype Level: 3. I hadn’t even heard of this movie until about two months ago. Well, the title anyway. Months ago, someone mentioned a movie about bomb-defusing soldiers in Iraq, and I thought, “Oh, cool. Except the whole watching war thing.” Plus, while I adore Point Break, Kathryn Bigelow was never on my must-watch list. No offense to her work, I just never latched onto anything of hers in particular (again, besides the blessed Point Break). Let’s also not forget this is an $11 million film, which compared to Avatar’s $300-500 million supposed budget, was not getting much press.
Safety Hype: 5. Like I said, I knew nothing about this film going in, and even when I started coming across reviews, with major critics calling it one of the best of the year, I merely assumed it was another indie flick getting a hummer from Peter Travers a la Juno (and Up in the Air, for that matter).
Rating: 9. Now let’s consider my low hype for this; it certainly affects my rating. With such low expectations, wasn’t it inevitable I’d find it excellent? Well, all I really have to do is point to to my Avatar review above and you’ll see that a movie can still be good to me despite high levels of hype, so the other way works as well, no? It almost works in my favor that two highly hyped movies created such distinct ratings; NOW YOU MUST TRUST ME! Anyway, Hurt Locker can be summed up in one very simple word: tense. As you follow this small unit of soldiers (three to be exact) as they go around Iraq defusing bombs and “misplaced” missiles, and getting into occasional firefights with insurgents along the way, you feel no sense of didacticism, just a feeling of being there, terrified. Bigelow isn’t preaching pro or anti-war; she just wants you to feel the pressure of these young men, some who hate it, others (namely Jeremy Renner’s Will) who have been molded into poster boys for it. Further, when you’re introduced to characters who only take the spotlight for five minutes (expect some random cameos), you’re not dealing with cliché generals or moments of diatribe. On the contrary, you’re just living in the shit, as they say. Probably the most intense action (yes, action) movie I’ve seen in years. Finally, I must say the way Bigelow shot Hurt Locker fascinates me. In almost every moment, whether in a small barrack or in the middle of a vast desert, you get an intense sense of claustrophobia, as though every instant of this war is going to consume you and kill you. And as you get that disconcerting sensation, you know damn well that the director, without slapping a message in your face, meant for you to feel that way, the way the soldiers feel.
So I will safely say that you should see all of these flicks, if only to get your opinion on three heavily award-centric beasts. Don’t get me wrong, tons of you are going to love Up in the Air the way I wished I had, and others will think Avatar was nothing but pomp, and that’s fine. But The Hurt Locker was fucking harsh, as Jay would say, and if you don’t like it, well, I DON’T LIKE YOU!
Kidding.
But not really. See it. It’s awesome and my current front runner for best picture. Now someone get me a copy of Fantastic Mr. Fox!
-M
