A Space Opera Finale

I’m back from watching Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and was totally blown away.

Unlike Episodes I and II, this one had a cohesive story from start to end. Well, we all know what the end is, but the movie actually progresses the plot nicely – focussing on Anakin Skywalker’s seduction by the Dark Side. This episode abandons the eye candy and cute aliens that detracted so much from the earlier episodes. It narrates a sombre story of ambition and pride that led to the fall of a promising young Jedi. But yet, not everything ends in despair because the groundwork provides a renewed hope for good in Episode IV.

Part of the positive experience stemmed from how George Lucas melded elements of the first Star Wars movie into this one. The spaceship models were clearly designed to be plausible “early” versions of the ones we see in Star Wars; he introduced characters that had a future role; we see how Darth Vader ends up in his suit and how his lightsabre is kept by Obi-wan for his son. There are lots of little links everywhere that prod our memory and remind us of how we had enjoyed so much the original Star Wars story.

Now, the Star Was saga can rest with its reputation intact.

The Incredibles

Another animated cartoon? Featuring super-heroes and evil villians? There’s not much that hasn’t been depicted on the silver screen before.

Yet, The Incredibles stands out from the crowd for many reasons. It is produced by the talented team at Pixar, who had in collaboration with Disney previously made the successful Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. It is also important because its the last movie that Pixar and Disney will release under their current partnership – they have both chosen not to continue working with each other and the question is: who’s the bigger loser?

The Incredibles was thoroughly enjoyable – the characters were well developed with an interesting plot and humour aplenty. Mr Incredible is a retired superhero who reminisces about his past and longs to save the world again. His wife and family of superkids hide their talents while living in suburban America. The strain of hiding their special gifts threatens to break the family apart, until, yes you probably guessed it, they are called to save the world once again.

The story doesn’t pander to kids and engages the audience at different levels. The marital friction between the super-parents simmer while their teenage kids struggle with growing pains at school. The plot is woven cleverly into the story and there’s enough action to keep everyone’s attention. A great movie for the holiday season. Five stars.

Rediscovering a Masterpiece – The Godfather

Yes, I admit it: I have not seen The Godfather until today. Not in my 34 years of existence. Of course I have heard about it many times – its immortal quotes are part of our collective culture (i.e., those of us who live on a diet of American movies) – but yet I had not bothered to view for myself this legendary story.

Today I sat down to a 3-hour viewing. Wow – it was a long movie. And I didn’t know that it dated from 1972 (at least I have an excuse for not watching it!). It was long because some scenes dragged on much longer than I had expected.

Nevertheless, the movie aged really well. It was hard for me to place the movie in the 70’s – the production was simply first rate. Al Pacino and Marlon Brando provided sterling performances . Now, I finally understand all the spoofs about the raspy voice and the little-fingered-moustache-scratch. And the horse-head scene was unforgettable.

It brought me back to the age when movies did not drag the audience by the sheer force of special effects and gratuitious violence. This movie had to rely on a carefully produced scenes and the subtle events to hold the viewer’s attention. Its like reading a classic book and rediscovering a masterpiece.

Why did I stay away from this movie for so long?

Five stars.

Shark Tale

Shark Tale is a cleverly animated movie by the skilled artists at Dreamworks Animation. This one raises the ante on the increasing quality of computer-generated animation that has revolutionized the way cartoons are now made.

The screenplay relies overly much on how human society is projected on sea-dwelling creatures. Its mildly amusing to see how whales get cleaned in a “Whale Wash” (ala car wash), and how undersea society has TV news and skyscrapers that look very much like New York’s Times Square. The initial scenes were held my interest because of the parallels it draws to modern American society, but that didn’t last too long. Perhaps the formula has been overused in recent movies (remember any other box-office hits with singing fishes?)

One observation – the actors and actresses no longer just lend their voices to the roles. Indeed, some of the animated characters are even imbued with features similar to the real person – I noted Don Leno’s mole on the cheek (voiced by Robert de Niro) and Oscar’s thick African-American lips (voiced by Will Smith). I wonder if those details actually helped the audience identify with the characters by evoking the image of the actor?

Nevertheless, the movie was well produced and thoroughly enjoyable. The story is developed quickly and the audience is not left wanting for laughs.

I would have given it a higher rating, but I did leave the cinema feeling like I’ve seen this somewhere before.

Three stars.

The Terminal

The Terminal is an unlikely story of a traveller who is stranded in New York’s JFK airport because his country’s (a fictitious Eastern European nation) government has just been overthrown, and the immigration officials refuse to admit or deport him. He is stuck in the transit lounge, and must survive as best he can.

The story has a familiar ring to it: the protagonist is stranded by unfortunate circumstances, but by his ingenuity, he survives and even prospers in the face of opposition. What’s new is the setting – Spielberg turns the modern international transit lounge (a comfortable place nowadays – shops, restaurants, amenities) into a cold forbidding place populated with strangers. Add the security measures to keep unwanted visitors in (or out), and it becomes a virtual prison.

Tom Hanks plays the role of a foreign visitor who has to rely on his wits at first, but in the end he prospers because his honest nature has won the trust and friendship of the airport workers. He even catches the eye of an air stewardess (Catherine Zeta-Jones, who is simply luminous!) while struggling with the bureaucrats running the airport who conspire to deny him his chance to get out.

The film does require that the viewer suspends his sense of reality for a while – in one scene, Hank’s character gets a job as a building worker in the airport after a painting a wall in a single night with such skill that he impresses the foreman. And he learns a new language by comparing the foreign language version of Fodor’s travel guide to the English version. Just a little too neat.

Happily, I must say that these imperfections do not detract from the spirit of the movie, and can heartily commend it to those who are looking for a well-scripted story with an excellent cast.

Four stars.

Lord of the Rings Redux

I visited the Singapore Science Centre to see the Lord of the Rings Exhibition today. After the excitement over the last three years, the props are now touring the world. It ends its stay here on 4 Jun, so a few friends decided that we’d better visit before its gone.

The exhibition had lots of costumes and props, accompanied by video and notes describing the role in which these artifacts played in the movie. Elvish armour, magic swords, dwarvish axes, the entire lot. Videos were screened that explained how the movie was made and the various aspects and challenges that the producers faced. Interesting, but perhaps I had expected a little more for $20.

Sandra’s cousin Andy came along, and he was a real avid fan. He was conversant with all the trivia of the movie and knew about each replica in detail. He spoke about his vast collection of swords, armour and other collectibles. He’s as totally immersed as one can get in Middle Earth.

As I talked to him, I suppose I recognised some of the fascination and how one can be caught up in a make-believe world. In a way I felt a little sorry for him, for I could regret some of my past behaviour with hindsight. But he’s still young – I pray that he’ll be able to understand the consequences of choices and break the bonds of addiction before it consumes him.

Monsoon Wedding

Watched Monsoon Wedding yesterday. What a splash of colour, music and joy!

The plot centres around a modern and affluent Punjabi family who is preparing for their daughter’s wedding. It highlights the elaborate rituals that precede the ceremony, and the family tensions that surround the festivities. All this seen through the saffron coloured veil of the marigold flowers that permeate the wedding location. Next to the complex relationships of the families of the affluent couple, another simpler romance develops between Dubey and Alice that is tender and touching.

What I really liked was the excellent character development. Each persona was real, and the story revolves around each of them in turn, without losing its balance. The unfaithful fiance, the abused cousin, the angry father – all acted out in perfection.

To keep the pace going were the colourful ceremonies and beautiful singing. Each had its roots in Indian tradition, and for a non-Indian, it had an air of mystery around it.

Excellent movie.