3 posts tagged “crime”
Set in Paris about 50 years in the future, this detective story is visually stunning, moderately exciting, but otherwise by the book.
Animated in a stark, deconstructionist black and white setting, this futuristic Paris backdrop aligns itself somewhere between the clean future of Minority Report and the gritty, futuristic relapse of Bladerunner. Captain Karas (voiced here by Daniel Craig) is assigned the task of finding a kidnapping victim named name Iliona (iliona), a young woman who works for the mega health corporation Avalon. Karas' leads are Bislane, the sister and Muller, Iliona's mentor.
As Karas digs deeper, he finds out some disturbing truths about the case, making more than just the average kidnapping case.
I will say this now - this really is a visually stunning feature. The animation is original and evocative, and the film's view of the future is its own. I must admit, when I watch movies or TV shows set in the future, I pay attention to the setting. Idiocracy, Bladerunner, "Futurama," "Firefly," and so on. These are all different ways of looking at the future. Renaissance's future Paris is advanced, but still rooted in practical everyday functions.
However, the plot fails to live up to its setting and visuals. Beyond all of that, this is a story of a cop who goes out on a run-of-the-mill case, digs too deep, and gets himself into trouble along the way. We've been over this story hundreds of times in the past, and the animation doesn't hide it.
It's definitely a feature to be viewed, especially if you're an animation fan. But be warned that the story is well-worn territory
Animated in a stark, deconstructionist black and white setting, this futuristic Paris backdrop aligns itself somewhere between the clean future of Minority Report and the gritty, futuristic relapse of Bladerunner. Captain Karas (voiced here by Daniel Craig) is assigned the task of finding a kidnapping victim named name Iliona (iliona), a young woman who works for the mega health corporation Avalon. Karas' leads are Bislane, the sister and Muller, Iliona's mentor.
As Karas digs deeper, he finds out some disturbing truths about the case, making more than just the average kidnapping case.
I will say this now - this really is a visually stunning feature. The animation is original and evocative, and the film's view of the future is its own. I must admit, when I watch movies or TV shows set in the future, I pay attention to the setting. Idiocracy, Bladerunner, "Futurama," "Firefly," and so on. These are all different ways of looking at the future. Renaissance's future Paris is advanced, but still rooted in practical everyday functions.
However, the plot fails to live up to its setting and visuals. Beyond all of that, this is a story of a cop who goes out on a run-of-the-mill case, digs too deep, and gets himself into trouble along the way. We've been over this story hundreds of times in the past, and the animation doesn't hide it.
It's definitely a feature to be viewed, especially if you're an animation fan. But be warned that the story is well-worn territory
This afternoon I was watching Scary Movie 4. I don't care what you say. It's hilarious (Dr. Phil: "I was doing a show on teens with abandonment issues, and then I woke up here. Man, those kids are gonna be pissed.") And then I decided to watch The Proposition, which comes highly recommended from various reputable sources.
Here's the thing: they don't really make westerns anymore. And when they do, they star James Van Der Beek or Colin Farrell. So I am always happy to see a well thought-out, properly executed entry.
This one stars Guy Pearce, whom you may remember from Memento, one of the coolest movies of all time, and one I still don't think I have completely figured out.
It goes like this: it's late 1800s Australian Outback. A captain is put in charge of bringing to justice the Burns gang, three brothers guilty of the heinous crime of murdering an entire family. He catches two of them and offers Charlie, the middle brother, a proposition. In order to keep the captain from hanging Mikey, the youngest of the three, he must kill his older brother Arthur, the crazy one from whom Charlie and Mikey separated.
Meanwhile, the captain and his wife become obsessed with the three Burns brothers, for different reasons. The captain is depending on this in order to civilize the land, and his wife is a friend of the woman who was murdered.
One of the elements that made this flick work so well for me was the soundtrack. It was a dark, moody and ethereal. It would make sense that Nick Cave (who also wrote this screenplay) composed the soundtrack. It brought out all of the moods and themes in the action.
Finally, one of the themes that jumped out at me was this question: who is to blame for peoples' actions? The captain is willing to release Mikey and Charlie upon Arthur's death, because he places the blame of the family's death solely on Arthur's shoulders. Mikey looked up to Arthur and revered him blindly, so how could he be to blame for his own actions? But Charlie decided to take Mikey away from Arthur, so should Charlie be to blame for Mikey's fate?
Check this one out if miss fantastic westerns. Or fantastic original films.
Here's the thing: they don't really make westerns anymore. And when they do, they star James Van Der Beek or Colin Farrell. So I am always happy to see a well thought-out, properly executed entry.
This one stars Guy Pearce, whom you may remember from Memento, one of the coolest movies of all time, and one I still don't think I have completely figured out.
It goes like this: it's late 1800s Australian Outback. A captain is put in charge of bringing to justice the Burns gang, three brothers guilty of the heinous crime of murdering an entire family. He catches two of them and offers Charlie, the middle brother, a proposition. In order to keep the captain from hanging Mikey, the youngest of the three, he must kill his older brother Arthur, the crazy one from whom Charlie and Mikey separated.
Meanwhile, the captain and his wife become obsessed with the three Burns brothers, for different reasons. The captain is depending on this in order to civilize the land, and his wife is a friend of the woman who was murdered.
One of the elements that made this flick work so well for me was the soundtrack. It was a dark, moody and ethereal. It would make sense that Nick Cave (who also wrote this screenplay) composed the soundtrack. It brought out all of the moods and themes in the action.
Finally, one of the themes that jumped out at me was this question: who is to blame for peoples' actions? The captain is willing to release Mikey and Charlie upon Arthur's death, because he places the blame of the family's death solely on Arthur's shoulders. Mikey looked up to Arthur and revered him blindly, so how could he be to blame for his own actions? But Charlie decided to take Mikey away from Arthur, so should Charlie be to blame for Mikey's fate?
Check this one out if miss fantastic westerns. Or fantastic original films.
I know I may get some flack for this one. When this movie was released into theaters a while back, I remember reading more than a handful of reviews giving it a terrible appraisal. So, disappointed, I dismissed it and never caught it.
However, based upon a positive personal review (my brother and his girlfriend Hannah) and the fact that Best Buy had it on sale for 7 bucks, I decided I should just go ahead and see it. And, well, it wasn't all that bad. It was actually pretty funny.
The script was written by Ben Garant, Tom Lennon and Michael Patrick Jann, three names I trust ("Reno 911," "MTV's The State" and "Wet Hot American Summer," between them), directed by Bob Odenkirk ("Mr. Show," "Tim and Eric's something something show") and starred by Will Arnett, who portrayed my favorite character on "Arrested Development," GOB (my fish's namesake).
The story is about Dax Shepard's revenge against the judge who put him in jail three times. However, upon his third release, he finds out that the judge has just died. So, he redirects his rage as the judge's spoiled son, Will Arnett. Will ends up in prison after a trip to the pharmacy goes awry, and Dax purposefully lands himself back in jail to personally torment Will. After giving Will some bad advice, Dax's plan backfire and Will unwittingly rises to the top of the prisoner hierarchy ("I did what I had to do.").
Will's performance bears a lot of resemblance to GOB, but let me tell you, it's a hell of a performance. Will proves himself fantastic slapstick actor and at certain angles bears the resemblance of a young Bob Odenkirk (who appears and Will's selfish lawyer). Dax proves to be an adequate performer himself. Not incredible, but he gets the job done.
Overall, I'd rent this one if you're not a fan of "Mr. Show" or "Reno 911!," or any of the other hundred things Ben Garant and Tom Lennon have done lately.
However, based upon a positive personal review (my brother and his girlfriend Hannah) and the fact that Best Buy had it on sale for 7 bucks, I decided I should just go ahead and see it. And, well, it wasn't all that bad. It was actually pretty funny.
The script was written by Ben Garant, Tom Lennon and Michael Patrick Jann, three names I trust ("Reno 911," "MTV's The State" and "Wet Hot American Summer," between them), directed by Bob Odenkirk ("Mr. Show," "Tim and Eric's something something show") and starred by Will Arnett, who portrayed my favorite character on "Arrested Development," GOB (my fish's namesake).
The story is about Dax Shepard's revenge against the judge who put him in jail three times. However, upon his third release, he finds out that the judge has just died. So, he redirects his rage as the judge's spoiled son, Will Arnett. Will ends up in prison after a trip to the pharmacy goes awry, and Dax purposefully lands himself back in jail to personally torment Will. After giving Will some bad advice, Dax's plan backfire and Will unwittingly rises to the top of the prisoner hierarchy ("I did what I had to do.").
Will's performance bears a lot of resemblance to GOB, but let me tell you, it's a hell of a performance. Will proves himself fantastic slapstick actor and at certain angles bears the resemblance of a young Bob Odenkirk (who appears and Will's selfish lawyer). Dax proves to be an adequate performer himself. Not incredible, but he gets the job done.
Overall, I'd rent this one if you're not a fan of "Mr. Show" or "Reno 911!," or any of the other hundred things Ben Garant and Tom Lennon have done lately.
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