Green Hornet **
A comic book story shot in moving images in 3D. The problem with comic book transferred to moving images are many. As in this case, for one, when we read comic books, we fill in the frames between the drawings ourselves in our head whereas in a film, all those inbetween frames are jammed up with more unimaginative images. Thats why it really doesnt have the same charm as the paper comic book. If we see Kato on paper making coffee at one point and building cars at another point; we have filled in our mind that Kato must do a lot of other things. In the movie, both characters Kato and the Green Hornet are paper figures. Cameron Diaz as the pretty secretary does well, just as a side figure could be quickly sketched out without any other details. Her role is not the central focus.
Rather worst, this Kato in the movie is not quite Bruce Lee, he is not at all convincing as a lithe martial arts expert - his body movements and shapes are heavy and slow - we could almost see the erased wires. His finesse in coffee making is no more than a serveur at a McDo café - the making of a milk foam leaf as a sign of expertise in a superb cup of coffee! Give me a break. And these cars w super power everything somehow didnt work. However, I find the rows of bales of papers in the printing room kind of interesting as scenario.
In fact, Kato was played by a youthful mega pop star from HK - but somehow it is stilted, the role is not suitable for him. The film also didnt use his strength which is mainly musical. No song by super pop song artist! Thats like having Marilyn Monroe and not have her do sexy moves - but playing a straight faced maid to a bumbling lady. A lot of 3D effect opportunities wasted. As a result the 3D glasses are a bother to wear.
This movie is a follow up from Iron Man, Spiderman, Batman, but the story line is very weak.
Dont waste your movie viewing time on this, there are much better things to do.
Au-délà by Clint Eastwood ***
A melo film by a master. London scenes are v London and French scenes v French. Not the iconic French nor iconic London but with more attention to the little guys. A tiny bit of nudity - we see Cecile de France in hotel in black undies putting on her outfit to go to the book fair simultaneously a dialogue (voice over) relating the book being presented at a bookfair (understood as accepted and published) - v quick paced time saving device.
What i like most about this film is the melow multilinear realism - each setting seem sober, correct and treated w much care; and that alast that this life is this life, the dead is dead, and the dead has other things to do even if they did bother to come back to chat to you, and that love could only happen if you have common experiences to share; thats quite a few parallel themes all running at the same time - unlike for example The Green Hornet which is a comic book stretched out lazily into a movie without filling in anything in between the action frames, so we get key frames from one scene to the next with nothing much in between, with pauverty in the story line so fatal that no amount of shallow 3D could save it.
No comments:
Post a Comment