Brave review

Brave (2012)

A few weeks ago, Prof P and I had a discussion on whether or not Pixar had "jumped-the-shark" creatively.  Between the critical bomb that was last year's Cars 2 and the current focus on cash-grabbing sequels/prequels, the company's days of game-changers like WALL·E (2008) and Up (2009) seem behind them.  For me, the answer to this would rest in this year's Pixar offering Brave, and their first non-sequel since Up.  So what is the answer?  Well... yes and no... and I know that sounds like a lame answer, but hear me out.

In some ways, it does seem like the Pixar bubble has burst, because Brave is merely good, not great, and that's an interesting thing to consider.  In recent memory (but leaving Cars 2 out of the equation), Pixar has dominated both critically and commercially, sweeping the Oscars and topping the box office.  Some of the aforementioned films and other offerings like The Incredibles (2004) are considered modern animated classics.  In addition, Pixar is often credited as sustaining their parent company Disney.  And all of this is certainly true to an extent, but you need to consider that this isn't necessarily the decline of Pixar, but more that it's coming back down to earth.  Pixar reached incredible platitudes over the past decade, and now it's just settling back down.  If anything, Brave is just as good if not better then the solid Pixar films from the turn of the millennium (ie. Monsters, Inc. (2001) or Finding Nemo (2003)), it's just not a masterpiece like its more recent predecessors.

That's all very well in a relative sense of the film, but Brave itself has a lot going for it to counter its flaws.  First of all, the film is (not surprisingly) visually beautiful and technically accomplished.  An entire animation department was responsible for only hair, and it shows with the fiery ginger that is the main character, Merida (a young Scottish princess that wants to live her life her way over an arranged life).  The very fact that this is the first female lead in a Pixar film is also a plus, even if it didn't quite hit the critical notes of Mulan (1998) or The Princess and the Frog (2009).  That being said, something that Brave does do very well is keep romance out of the story completely, which is a huge plus for this movie; otherwise, the film wouldn't have put up much of a punch at all, because the rest of the story is pretty weak.  The eventual mother-daughter relationship theme is certainly important, but there's not much at stake in the end.  And that's the primary problem with Brave: it doesn't go far enough, it isn't brave enough!  The trailers made the film to be an adventure movie following a rogue princess on her quest for independence and self-fulfillment; however, what we get is literally one full day in the woods.  For a film to wear its fantasy genre on its sleeve, it seems rather odd that it keeps itself to such a contained geography.  It's as if the creators were ready to show more and go further, but just decided to only develop the characters.  And this is a problem because the film is neither long enough nor written well enough to do that.  The ultimate conflict is interesting but really too short and safe, and the resolution isn't earth-shattering by any means.  Again, the film is still good and fine and enjoyable to look at, but I've just come to expect so much more from Pixar, and I can't help but feeling a little disappointed.  Simply put, a Pixar masterpiece goes the extra mile; this didn't, but it made it to finish.

In the end, Brave doesn't kill Pixar for me, but it does make me wonder if they'll ever truly return to brilliance.  Of course, time can only answer that.  As for now, Pixar is still in fine shape, but maybe our expectations for Pixar should be a little bit more grounded for the next while.

McS

Snow Whiteapolooza review

2012 may be the year the world ends, but it is also the year of Snow White (some people might not see a difference).  Since the recent lapse in Snow White's copyright (retained forevermore it seemed by Disney),  two, count 'em two, major motion pictures were produced and released this year barely a few months apart of each other!  Overkill?  Well it only takes one poison apple to kill Ms. White, but with two it better get the job done... right?  Well, sort of.  I'm of course talking about March's Mirror Mirror and June's Snow White and the Huntsman.  I figured that before reviewing one, I should watch the other, and then I figured I should review them both together and compare and contrast; so that is exactly what I'm doing.  In addition, I would like to point out that I did watch both in theaters, so Mirror Mirror isn't as fresh, but that really shouldn't matter as both films are, surprisingly and thankfully, extremely different (despite following the same story arc).  But we all know the story:  Evil Queen takes control of the kingdom and imprisons Snow White, SW escapes to the forest, meets dwarfs, meets handsome prince, yadda yadda yadda, happily ever after.  I'll briefly tackle each one on its own first (starting with the earlier of the two), and then I will compare at the end, and then I will pour a stiff drink and stop.

Mirror Mirror

Being the first of the two very different 2012 Snow White films, Mirror Mirror has the advantage  of first dibs on a Snow White audience when snow might actually still be on the ground in most places!  If that is not reason enough to see it then there might not be anything else really worth seeing at the theaters, but I digress.  Mirror, first and foremost, takes a lighter path with the original Grimm story, choosing a mostly comic, slightly offbeat, and even postmodern (at times) tone.  Much of the screen time actually belongs to the Evil Queen (played to the nth degree by Julia Roberts); indeed, the screen story actually plays out mostly from her perspective, which is a refreshing notion.  But Snow White (played by Lily Collins) retains much of the focus, and the film provides an enjoyably innocent treatment of the Grimm allegory for loss of virginity.  While it's true that the script doesn't have much meat too it, it's clear that Mirror doesn't take itself to seriously in the first place, and the damage is not as severe if say the film had a different tone (hint hint).  Anything else the film lacks it makes up in gorgeous cinematography.  Director Tarsem Seign (the visionary mastermind behind the magnificent The Fall (2006)) packs each frame to the brim with color, shape, and tone, resulting in a visual style pitch perfect for the film's comic tendencies.    All in all, Mirror Mirror is certainly an enjoyable experience even if it is a bit hokey.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Being the second of the two very different 2012 Snow White films, Snow White and the Huntsman has the advantage of summer draw, and of course Ms. Twilight herself.  If you couldn't tell by the trailers, Huntsman takes a much darker path, trading a young innocent girl on the edge of being a woman for a warrior princess born to lead an army into battle.  This is a very serious Snow White film: the Evil Queen (played by an icy Charlize Theron) is actually evil, and the kingdom is actually in peril.  Visually the film is quite impressive, utilizing more of an action-based rhythm and CG aesthetic for the more supernatural elements, whiles ultimately works quite well with darker and more frantic treatment.  However, despite Huntsman's visual successes, the script is pretty flat, and the film is far too serious to get away with that, and it doesn't help that Bella Swan errrrrrr Snow White (Kristen Stewart)  doesn't really quite work (but more on that later).  In addition, there are a few gaping plot holes that undermine the pacing, mostly to do with the geography of the film and how the characters inconsistently move through it.  First time director Rupert Sanders does an impressive job at yoking the darkness inherent in the Grimm subtext, but the film's ends don't quite justify the means.  Yes Snow White and the Huntsman is dark and exciting, but the wooden acting and mismanaged storyline makes it all a bit lifeless.


And now for the match up!

It's actually sort of difficult to pit these films against each other because they are so different and have their own pros and cons.  Furthermore, it really depends on what mood you're in or what version of Snow White you identify with.  Both films succeed visually, but one is mise-en-scene based and the other montage.  Both films stumble in the script department, but one is a fluffy comedy and the other is  a cold drama.  So you can see that these two films are apples and oranges; THAT BEING SAID, if we are to judge these two films solely on the character of Snow White (which we probably should), Collins is hands down the better of the two.  I mean, I know that Stewart is meant to bring out the "bad-ass-women-in-charge" deal, but once again she sleepwalks through her role, and I just can't get behind Stewart being the fairest of them all.  And in that sense, Mirror Mirror probably makes for the better movie, as well as adheres more to the actual Grimm story subtext.  In a perfect world, however, a combination of the two films would probably produce a superior product (I would personally say keep most of Mirror Mirror, but make it a little darker and longer), but I guess it's nice to have this kind of diversity.  In the end, it's worth seeing them both, but the comedy is the easier one to return to.  Of course, you could just pop in the 1937 Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and have the same image of Snow White that you've always had!      

McS

Dark Shadows Review

Dark Shadows (2012)

For anyone semi-thinking that the whole Burton-Depp-Carter thing might be coming to a head, look no further than Dark Shadows (2012), the latest release from that troupe.  Based on the title melodrama from the 70s, the film chronicles the 20th Century reawakening of 19th Century vampire Barnabas Collins (obviously played by Johnny Depp).  I could explain more about the plot, but this is a negative review and doesn't require much in my opinion.

Regardless of the differences between the plot of the original series and this movie, most of the audience won't care as director Tim Burton's audience will likely not have much experience with the original; we are a bit too young.  And regardless of whether Burton and Depp are huge fans of the source material, the final product is so problematic that the audience probably won't be converted.  In Burton films past, the gimmicks and recurring cast could be forgiven through tasty stories well executed with top notch performances, but Dark Shadows seems to miss every mark.  The story is too convoluted to be tasty, the direction is surprisingly poor, and the performances are a little strained (save for an excellent and ageless Michelle Pfeiffer).  All in all, the film is unfortunately lifeless.  But worst of all is the film's inability to make up its mind on whether it's a campy fish-out-of-water comedy or a Gothic macabre drama.  The film shifts between these two opposing worlds throughout its course, and it makes for a befuddling experience.  Had the film chosen one path, and either or, it could have been successful, but instead it collapses under its own weight.  

This is all really a shame considering the talent behind it.  And while it's true that these cracks were somewhat apparent in the 2010 Burton-Depp-Carter offering Alice in Wonderland (2010), here the fissures are gaping.  As unlikely as it might sound, it's probably time for this this team to split, unless they can muster another Sweeney Todd (2007).  In the end, Dark Shadow's is as bleak a viewing experience as its name implies.

McS    

Album Review: Manic Street Preachers - Postcards from a Young Man (2010)

Manic Street Preachers - Postcards from a Young Man (2010)

For a band that once claimed that it would make one incredible album and then disband, ten albums and almost two decades later seems like they sort of failed on that promise. But that's a good thing, because the Manic Street Preachers have not only survived, but they continue to get better with age, as is evident on Postcards from a Young Man (2010), their most joyous musical statement yet.

While there's no denying that Postcards is a far cry from their punkish beginnings as heard on their incendiary debut Generation Terrorists (1992), it truly feels like the band is now where it should be. They've been on a bit of a roller coaster throughout their career, what with their chief lyricist Richey Edwards disappearing off the face of the Earth three albums in and all (only for the band to score big the following year with a mellower sound). This alone was enough of an identity crisis, but when the band hit a ten year bump with the surprisingly mediocre Know Your Enemy (2001), an album that tried and failed at capturing the band's early fire, it seemed that the Manics were on the way out. Fortunately, after a break, the band had a fifteen year renaissance that continues with this latest offering.

Postcards represents the pinnacle of the band latter day rejuvenation, something that began with 2007's excellent Send Away the Tigers. Tigers was both equal parts energy and elegance, something that the band had been in a bipolar conflict with since the 1996 breakthrough Everything Must Go. Yet, from Tigers onward, this was not a problem, and the band finally found and embraced their signature sound. This even applies to the dark but excellent Journal for Plague Lovers (2009), where edginess was reinforced by stark elegance. And just a year later, however, Postcards fully embraces the power of the elegance in a way that both reinforces and progresses the band's recent surge.

For once the band acts its age, and they do so by holding nothing back. The first three tracks, and singles ("(It's Not War) Just the End of Love", the title track, and "Some Kind of Nothingness") make up the most jubilant opening to any Manics album. Each song soars on big guitars, bigger strings, and monumental choral arrangements, yet never does it feel overblown or self-indulgent. Songs like the cascading "Golden Platitudes" or the relentless "A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun" feel more statements of celebratory hope rather than rants of hyperbolic political prose (like on Enemy). Grandiosity doesn't even begin to explain what occurs on Postcards, but it all feels like this is the final communique, so all must be said in big bold stanzas. If this is their last offering, they are going out with a hero's bang! The Manics are preaching to masses one more time, and it's well worth the listen.

McS

Album Review: Kamelot - Poetry for the Poisoned (2010)

Kamelot - Poetry for the Poisoned (2010)

Having climbed the mast of the symphonic metal scene to finally fly their flag with 2005's The Black Halo, Kamelot have spent the past five years capitalizing on their recent ascendancy for better or for worse. Whereas 2007's Ghost Opera was more or less a holding pattern for the band, Poetry for the Poisoned (2010) is a welcome progression, even if the results are, at times, inconsistent and awkward.

First and foremost, Poetry is heavier and darker than anything prior, and that alone makes it far more interesting than Ghost Opera (which felt almost lazy by the album's second half). In addition, Poetry boast some of band's best songs to date, especially the sinister opener "The Great Pandemonium." Other standouts include the moving "Hunter's Season" and "House on a Hill," the latter being arguably the band's best duet power ballad (featuring a excellent performance by returning siren Simone Simons). Unfortunately, much of Poetry's middle suffers from overly ambitious production with lackluster songwriting; it's not that the songs aren't interesting, they just don't achieve the musical impact that the best of Kamelot songs achieve (but at least it's not due to laziness). Despite this drawback, you have to hand it to the band for trying new things, and fortunately, things pick up toward the end. The title suite is absolutely fantastic and the closer "Once upon a Time" is the most rousing moment on Poetry (even if this track feels more vintage Kamelot than anything else on the album).

In the end, Kamelot make good on their promise to change things up a bit. And while Poetry is certainly not their best work, it's their most engaging work. The darker direction is something they can work toward perfecting on their next album; however, with vocalist Roy Kahn's recent departure, it will be interesting to see whatever comes next.

- McS

Album Review: Pete Yorn - Pete Yorn (2010)

Pete Yorn - Pete Yorn (2010)

Say what you will about Pete Yorn, but he's been putting out dependable folk-rock for the last decade. And even if some albums were better than others, at least he's amassed a handsome discography to go along with his rugged good Jesus-like looks. In 2009 alone he had twin releases (Back and Fourth and Break Up, the latter of which was with Scarlett Johansson), and barely a year later he has another! It would be easy to assume that this prolific period means a diluted pallet for Petey, but this is far from the case, as his eponymous self-titled fifth release is as vibrant a record as when he debuted ten years ago.

Like most acts that still mine the folk-rock scene, Yorn's musical style hasn't varied too much throughout his career; however, each release does bring its own twist to the table. With Pete Yorn (2010), the twist is a raw edge to the music previously unheard on any previous albums, and that makes for a relatively surprising listen considering his last two albums were more along the lines of acoustic pop. It's not to say that Yorn is now embracing punk, far from it, but he does rock a little harder this time. The guitars fuzz, the drums rollick, and the vocals don't always stay in tune, but that's fine because the music as a whole embraces a pleasurable amount of grit (thanks in part to the raw production of the Pixies' Frank Black/Black Francis). Such is the case with the excellent rockers "Precious Stone" and "Paradise Cove 1." But that doesn't mean that Yorn has lost his sensitive side, "Stronger Than" is one of his better tender moments, with it's earnestness only amplified by the raw production.

All in all, Pete Yorn just sort of works and is a rocking addition to Yorn's fairly sizable catalog. And while it's difficult to beat his seminal musicforthemorningafter (2001), Yorn has certainly left his first decade on a high note.

McS

Album Reviews

Warning: there were a few key albums from last year that I just didn't get to in time, but I'm going to get to them now, so sorry if they're a year late...

McS