The Minority Report - "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" (2009)

This is Heath Ledgers final film. Well, his final half of a film as he died in the middle of production. “Then how was this movie completed,” you may ask. Well, simple you see! When Tony (Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell) enters the imaginarium, he becomes a different actor, same person though. Tony, outside of the imaginarium (a mirror essentially that transports the visitor to a magical land of their imagination), is Heath Ledger, but as soon as he enters the mirror, he becomes another actor. This was a way of avoiding reshooting the entire movie and works for the most part. But I am not going to knock the film for its lack of continuity. I will knock it for other things, though. I will also give it praise.

This is the type of film that I hate to review. At moments it is a fantastic film that I must applaud for its pure creativity and all out madness. Yet, at other moments, I had to hang my head in sheer disappointment either from disappointing acting, an unraveling story that began so intriguing, or some spotty special effects. The premise for the film is an interesting one that spans out from the absurd, and pivots upon the ideals of making a deal with the devil. Doctor Parnassus makes multiple deals with the devil, and now it is time to pay. For this, he uses his powers (which he obtained ages ago) to transform a simple mirror into a gateway into one’s imagination. From there, they must conquer their vices and, if not, their soul becomes damned and claimed by Satan himself. What Doctor Parnassus does is try to present choices so that the world can “rule itself.” He tries to achieve this goal by making a traveling theater company which grabs members of the audience and makes them pass into the mirror. Once somebody enters the imaginarium, the pallet of the real world goes from dark and bleak into a burst of color and transforms the screen into a psychedelic adventure. At times in the imaginarium it is a fantastic whimsical land, but it can be spotty and sometimes easily dismissed. The story is also a very slow burning candle that has very little effort to help entertain the audience and get them to where they need to go and yet still manages to lose them at times.

This movie was an interesting thrill presented by the man who brought us Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It is a slight disappointment for it to be Heath Ledgers last moment on film. Overall, the movie is a very interesting story and presentation that may lose some audience on how it is approached. This movie is like paint drying on an M. C. Escher painting on acid.

By V-Dawg

The Minority Report - "(500) Days of Summer" (2009)

“This is not a love story. This is a story about love.”
(500) Days of Summer is the chick-flick for guys. It is a story about a boy who falls in love and instead of like in a chick flick, where the perspective would be from the woman, it is heavily sympathetic in the male’s direction. The movie is a daring and interesting mix of comedy and drama presented in an essential way of filming. This movie has been out for a while, earned enough praise from more esteemed sources, and been picked and overlooked for its entirety. So, to take a new fresh spin on this review and put a little of a Watching Paint Dry spice, I will talk about the movie from the average man’s perspective.

The first time I saw this tale of one man’s persistent pursuit for what he thought was the girl of his dreams, it hit home for me. It touched parts of me and went deep into my life. And as I talked about the movie with more and more of my guy friends, it seems that it connected to them too. Yet, the females I talked to about this movie seemed to deem it as a slow-paced bore fest. I can see this effect, as this movie truly puts the evil of female indecision and the dire effect of male bluntness and assumptions forward. Maybe it was this that easily swept us into this great indie feeling movie, or maybe it was the absolute, pure hotness of Zooey Deschanel that dug into the male audience. All aside, though, Zooey plays the part of a slightly strange, anti social, girl next door type perfectly. Then, Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a great job playing the loser-like boy who just wants more in life, and also has great chemistry with Deschanel (did I mention she is hot?).

This movie is one of my favorites, and for me to review it may be biased. I may have a slight crush on Zooey Deschanel, and I also am a major sucker for movies with an indie feel, but please take my word when I say this tale of boy love girl, girl doesn’t love boy is fantastic. It is a must see, and great experience. Some complaints people may find in the movie is that it moves a little slow, primarily shows the perspective of the male, and may be a little too strange for the average movie watcher, but if you are looking for an artful, mature comedy, this is your best option. This movie is nothing close to watching paint dry (and is more like watching Zooey Deschanel for two hours!).

By V-Dawg

The Minority Report - "Defendor" (2009)

There will always be those movies lost to stingy and reluctant movie companies. “Defendor,” is one of those movies. It was only released in Canadian theaters at first and was premiered at the Toronto International Movie Festival in September of 2009. It then was pulled from being released to American theaters. It was only briefly self-released in theaters in February of 2010, and then finally released on DVD April of 2010. This movie is a masterpiece of sorts. Written and directed by Peter Stebbings (a small time actor) and it truly is his masterpiece. This movie is a swan song of sorts and truly is a brilliant film; you just have to give it a chance.

Woody Harrelson is the driving force behind this emotional driven movie. He plays a mentally unsound individual named Arthur Poppington, who takes up the persona of a super hero named Defendor (spelling error is purposeful). The acting is powerful, yet with an innocent spin, and truly one of Harrelson’s finest works. The supporting actress is Kat Dennings (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist), who shines and truly outdoes herself as a drugged up teenager who befriends Defendor. The two end up in a psychosis fueling relationship, which sends Defendor on a quest to stop “Captain Industry.” The script is artfully spun and heavily set in a dark, gritty reality that does not allow it to fit into one genre. I will say that this movie is not perfect; it is a slow burn and, at times, makes you wonder on a few of the choices the makers did.

This movie was not the best movie I have ever seen, yet it was better than a lot of slop that has been released into theaters lately. This movie deserved a fighting chance or a chance at all—movie movie goers need to experience a unique and touching movie. It was good, bottom line. And if this movie was released into theaters, I believe it would have fared fine and perhaps would have gained a mass of respect, besides such little words the few lucky people who have had the pleasure of observing this theatrical treasure. This movie is nothing like watching paint dry, sure it may have its imperfections and won’t be a lot of people’s favorites, but it is damn good.

By V-Dawg

The Minority Report - "How to Train Your Dragon" (2009)

“Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile.”
Honestly, I was expecting this movie to be one of those I like, but could have been better if the characters were expanded upon and the storyline was improved. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The story centers around a young Viking-in-training named Hiccup (because it is thought that ugly names scare away bad spirits). He is undoubtedly the scrawniest of his kind; he can’t even wield a sword without it being too heavy for him. One problem that his village (which is conveniently located on the side of a cliff by the ocean) has is that it has a very severe pest problem—dragons. This society prides itself on its dragon killing and the individual’s strength to be able to repel the beasts. Considering Hiccup is rather tiny, he is often ridiculed for not being all that a Viking should. Enter Toothless. He is what is referred to in the movie as a “night fury.” The pair bond over some time, and then the movie proceeds like a rolling stone down a steep mountain.

One aspect of the movie that I rather enjoyed was the animation. It is almost as if each individual hair is moving on the character’s heads. The dragons themselves have a beautiful design and come in many shapes and sizes (Dreamworks created many different species of dragons for this movie). It is difficult to come across a computer animated movie that has such a mix of pleasant characterizations, breathtaking cinematography, and convincing storyline. At first, they introduce Hiccup. Then, they make a connection between him and the dragon. This serves as a bridge between the audience and the characters. I did not expect to feel such a strong connection to Toothless, but it was welcomed. This made the rest of the movie an amazing ride that brought both thrills and laughs. Whether it was through the camera angles and shots of impressively realistic fire and water animations, or the beautifully crafted flying sequences, the movie seemed to hit home for me and the people that I was with.

Considering Dreamworks last couple of movies, this is a pleasant break from the usual storyline and should appeal to young and old and everything in between. Witty and clever scripts, fantastic characters, and a memorable bond between the audience and the movie are just some of the things you have to look forward to when going to see this movie. While it is full of funny moments and great action, it still leaves room for the good old lesson in the end of each of these types of movies: hatred, terror, and death are all caused and promoted by simple misunderstandings. This movie is like watching the last bit of paint dry on an ancient Norse depiction of their myths and legends.

By Kulguy

Notes:
*When you watch the movie, look out for some foreshadowing that you will only understand in the end…
*I also did not watch the movie in 3D...3D is stupid and a waste of time. Don't waste your money.

The Minority Report - "Repo Men" (2009)

What can be said about Repo Men? One could say that it is the movie adaptation of the novel The Repossession Mambo, which was penned by Eric Garcia who also wrote “Matchstick Men.” One could also write this movie off as a simple rip off of the fairly unknown, yet inventive, “Repo! The Genetic Opera” One could also take the movie at face value as an action movie staring Jude Law in an interesting, futuristic world that will surprise you with its gritty feel. One thing for sure is that this movie did hold my attention either through its atmosphere, intense gore, or white knuckle action for the full hour and fifty minute running time.

Repo Men is set in a futuristic world where organ failure is a spreading epidemic. Thank goodness that “The Union” exists. This company will loan out artificial organs at ludicrous prices that people must pay, or else hired “Repo Men,” will go out and reclaim the loaned out organ. The story focuses on one “Repo Man,” named Remy (Jude Law) who is the best of the best, until a fateful accident leaves him with a loaned out Union heart. As the story continues Remy cannot afford the payments and is left to run from the company he once worked for, which includes his best friend, Jake (Forest Whitaker). The story begins to take a turn after this point, and it takes some time getting to it, though I find it nice to explore this interesting world and delve into these would be, two dimensional characters.

Even though this movie is definitely not the best ever made I still found it entertaining in a “one-night thrill” sort of way. It will make for a good evening on the couch when you are craving some gritty, no holds, action. This is not for the weak of stomach as some of the scenes are very gory and the amount of blood is copious. I actually enjoyed the use of blood in this movie as it was realistic, not excessive, or too little (well until the end, but that is purposeful).

As far as the story goes I really did enjoy the first half of the movie. It does not happen very often, but this truly is a movie of halves. There is the first half, where the story, action, and dialogue are very tight and realistic; and, the final half, where aforementioned things begin to lose much of what made them good (which may be the intention, or not…I don’t know). The first half was the set up for the story and characters which was actually very entertaining, while the second was more about the action which was not that great, especially after the reveal of the ending, which will leave some with a sour taste in their mouth.

All in all, this entire movie was a strange mixture of cool atmosphere and Jude Law just kicking some ass. Take it for what it is worth. If you are looking for a good movie to quench your thirst for action and need a fresh story and environment this is your fix. For the others, avoid this film. This movie is like watching paint dry, but the paint is from a unique pallet and there are some drops of blood splattered across the canvas.

By V-Dawg