Film and Theatre Reviews
*I watched "Empire of the Sun" last week, which is Steven Spielberg's 1987 film starring Christian Bale (at age twelve!), John Malkovich and Joe Pantoliano. It's set in China during World War II, at the time when the Japanese forces invaded the nation. The entire film is seen through the eyes of young Jamie (Bale), a boy who loves anything that has to do with planes, who is seperated from his parents during the invasion and befriends Malkovich and Pantoliano, both of whom try to use him to earn money, either by attempting to sell him off or to steal for them.
The film itself is a little uneven. The middle section, where the British were put into labour camps by the Japanese, is a little slow, however the film as a whole is really livened up by Bale's performance. Towards the end there is a beautiful scene where Jamie is jumping up and down ecstatically as he watches the American and Japanese fighter jets duke it out, destoying the camp where he is being held. He constantly yells, "P-51! Cadillac of the Sky!" Here's this little boy, so desensitized to the violence that surrounds him after having been interred in the camp for four years, that he is cheering on the violence. It's unsettling, which makes it such a fantastic scene. Overall, the movie has many affecting moments, such as the one that I mentioned, but it is an uneven film with incredibly unlikable characters (such as Malkovich). However, if there is one reason to see this film it is for Christian Bale. Even as a child he was incredibly intense and focused as a child. It is, hands down, the greatest performance by a child that I've ever seen!
EMPIRE OF THE SUN: Three stars (our of five)
CHRISTIAN BALE'S PERFORMANCE: Five stars out of five!
*I also watched the Director's Cut of "Donnie Darko" last week. This film I absolutly loved for its originality and its cleverness. It's a film that requires you to think and concentrate on the plot, and needs multiple viewings to completely comprehend. It involves such "out there" plot points as a Tangent Universe, Frank the Bunny, The Philosophy of Time Travel and an old woman nicknamed Grandma Death. At the film's centre is Donnie Darko (played by Jake Gyllenhaal, one of the best actors working today. He's excellent in this film). He's an emotionally reclusive young man with very few friends and an uneven family life. That is, until he meets Frank the Bunny, his imaginary (or is it?) friend who tells him that the world will end on October 28th. Donnie must then save the world for being destroyed, perhaps at the expense of his own life and sanity.
I don't know what it is about this film, but I loved every minute of it. I watched some of the DVD extras and was amazed by how much thought and research director Richard Kelly put into the film. He wasn't just making up absurdities as he went along, he was actually connecting everything that occured in the film through an intricate web that all connected to Donnie Darko, in the end. Other than the excellent performance of Jake Gyllenhaal, the supporting cast of Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary McCormick and Patrick Swayze are all enjoyably wacky. If you are in the mood for a mind trip, definately watch this film. But you definately have to be in the right mind frame, it's not one of those films you can casually view. Overall, it's original, darkly humorous and intriguing.
DONNIE DARKO: DIRECTOR'S CUT: Four stars (out of five)
*Last night I went to the Canon Theatre and saw the evening performance of the Queen musical, "We Will Rock You." I love Queen, but a part of me wishes I'd just avoided this show at all costs. While it was wonderful to hear Queen's music live (and the voices of all the cast members were equally incredible) the story and dialogue was ridiculous to the point of making the whole experience almost unbearable. The plot is lame, being set in the future where rock no longer exists. There are silly characterizations, such as the Killer Queen and her loyal sidekick, Khogoshi, however I felt like I watching a cross between Star Trek and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. The dialogue was full of cringe-worthy one-liners, that kept getting repeated throughout the play, even though the lines weren't even funny the first time around, let alone after twelve more times. The acting was pretty horrid and ridiculously overdramatic. It's clear the cast was chosen for their singing talent, instead of their acting abilities (or lack thereof). In the end, I left incredibly disappointed, wishing I'd just stayed home and listened to my Queen CD at home. I love a musical to have both incredible songs and a solid story with great performances. I'm not the type who is just satisfied with one aspect. It's very possible to combine great rock music and a great story, because it's been done with Tommy. However, We Will Rock You failed in that miserably.
The film itself is a little uneven. The middle section, where the British were put into labour camps by the Japanese, is a little slow, however the film as a whole is really livened up by Bale's performance. Towards the end there is a beautiful scene where Jamie is jumping up and down ecstatically as he watches the American and Japanese fighter jets duke it out, destoying the camp where he is being held. He constantly yells, "P-51! Cadillac of the Sky!" Here's this little boy, so desensitized to the violence that surrounds him after having been interred in the camp for four years, that he is cheering on the violence. It's unsettling, which makes it such a fantastic scene. Overall, the movie has many affecting moments, such as the one that I mentioned, but it is an uneven film with incredibly unlikable characters (such as Malkovich). However, if there is one reason to see this film it is for Christian Bale. Even as a child he was incredibly intense and focused as a child. It is, hands down, the greatest performance by a child that I've ever seen!
EMPIRE OF THE SUN: Three stars (our of five)
CHRISTIAN BALE'S PERFORMANCE: Five stars out of five!
*I also watched the Director's Cut of "Donnie Darko" last week. This film I absolutly loved for its originality and its cleverness. It's a film that requires you to think and concentrate on the plot, and needs multiple viewings to completely comprehend. It involves such "out there" plot points as a Tangent Universe, Frank the Bunny, The Philosophy of Time Travel and an old woman nicknamed Grandma Death. At the film's centre is Donnie Darko (played by Jake Gyllenhaal, one of the best actors working today. He's excellent in this film). He's an emotionally reclusive young man with very few friends and an uneven family life. That is, until he meets Frank the Bunny, his imaginary (or is it?) friend who tells him that the world will end on October 28th. Donnie must then save the world for being destroyed, perhaps at the expense of his own life and sanity.
I don't know what it is about this film, but I loved every minute of it. I watched some of the DVD extras and was amazed by how much thought and research director Richard Kelly put into the film. He wasn't just making up absurdities as he went along, he was actually connecting everything that occured in the film through an intricate web that all connected to Donnie Darko, in the end. Other than the excellent performance of Jake Gyllenhaal, the supporting cast of Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary McCormick and Patrick Swayze are all enjoyably wacky. If you are in the mood for a mind trip, definately watch this film. But you definately have to be in the right mind frame, it's not one of those films you can casually view. Overall, it's original, darkly humorous and intriguing.
DONNIE DARKO: DIRECTOR'S CUT: Four stars (out of five)
*Last night I went to the Canon Theatre and saw the evening performance of the Queen musical, "We Will Rock You." I love Queen, but a part of me wishes I'd just avoided this show at all costs. While it was wonderful to hear Queen's music live (and the voices of all the cast members were equally incredible) the story and dialogue was ridiculous to the point of making the whole experience almost unbearable. The plot is lame, being set in the future where rock no longer exists. There are silly characterizations, such as the Killer Queen and her loyal sidekick, Khogoshi, however I felt like I watching a cross between Star Trek and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. The dialogue was full of cringe-worthy one-liners, that kept getting repeated throughout the play, even though the lines weren't even funny the first time around, let alone after twelve more times. The acting was pretty horrid and ridiculously overdramatic. It's clear the cast was chosen for their singing talent, instead of their acting abilities (or lack thereof). In the end, I left incredibly disappointed, wishing I'd just stayed home and listened to my Queen CD at home. I love a musical to have both incredible songs and a solid story with great performances. I'm not the type who is just satisfied with one aspect. It's very possible to combine great rock music and a great story, because it's been done with Tommy. However, We Will Rock You failed in that miserably.