"Only the dead have seen the end of war," says our opening title card quoting Plato. A ruthless warlord, Mohamed Farrah Aidid, controls Mogadishu, Somalia, and is terrorizing UN Peacekeepers and Red Cross relief workers who are delivering food to the starving people. General Garrison (Sam Shepard) hatches a plan to capture several of Aidid's top lieutenants hiding out in the Bakara Market in Dountown Mogadishu. The entire mission is scheduled to begin and finish in under an hour; however, the best laid schemes never go according to plan and one of the most vicious firefights in American military history ensues.
Ridley Scott, our director, is a stickler for details. From the facsimile of arial video of the actual event spliced together with second unit photography, to each of the featured soldiers' personal ticks including Ewan McGregor's Grimes' coffee fetish, enhanced by snapshots of the Somalian people caught up in battle. Private Blackburn (Orlando Bloom) falls, foretelling the tragedy to follow as the lid to the powder keg blows off and the first fatality as well as the titular chopper hits the deck and the team loses the initiative.
The sound design, along with the music enhances the tension and desperation allowing the viewer to experience the battle in a sensual way. The massive cast adds to the chaos while providing some quality emotional content through spectacular performances. Chock-full of heavy hitters including Sam Shepard, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, Josh Hartnett, Jason Issacs, Ewan Bremmer, Ewan McGregor, William Fichtner, Glen Morshower, Zeljko Ivanek, Orlando Bloom and Matthew Marsden, this film provides a brilliant ensemble bringing us a list of characters so real, we can't help but admire the courage of the men they channel. Especially notable are performances by Shepard, McGregor, Bana, Issacs and Hartnett bringing every angle and philosophy, as well as the innocence, naivete, and battle savvy brought to the skirmish. Each point of view, from accepting the fight as part of a job or seeing it as a higher calling, is portrayed allowing the viewer to choose which philosophy is best.
The photography represents the gritty nature of urban warfare. The "shaky cam" is definitely borrowed from the D-Day opener in Saving Private Ryan, and works just as effectively, in portraying the desperate nature of the battle, as well as the chaos and the odds the soldiers are up against. The night coverage is brilliantly color-corrected to show which foxholes each group is a part of. The pyrotechnic effects, coupled with the sound, and location adds to the realism of the piece deepening my respect for the Americans who left their blood and lives in Somalia and the ones who are away from home fighting now.
I love a good ensemble piece; I love an emotionally-charged battle movie, especially one historically accurate. This one is both, in spades, and is wrapped into a beautiful package that both honors the dead and inspires the soul.
****
In: William Fichtner
Out: Ewan McGregor
Coming Soon: Emma
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Ultraviolet
"My name is Violet; I was born into a world you may not understand," muses Violet, the titular character of Ultraviolet. And its a completely foreign world, one of zero-space devices and entire medical facilities in shipping container section of a semi truck. Of soldiers who launch into buildings as giant ball bearings, and of clothing that changes colors based on the mood of the wearer. Of zero-gravity car chases and of photography belonging on the television during the Tank Girl days. And this one's dazzling.
The story is dystopian in nature: a virus is created in a government lab to accelerate the abilities of soldiers. It mutates and causes its subjects to develop heightened senses, sensitivity to light and a shortened lifespan; the infected are called hemophages, the disease is vampirism. Shunned by the public and hunted by the government, the hemophages fight a revolution they cannot win. When the resistance intercepts the government's latest weapon against them, their courier, Violet (Milla Jovovich), discovers it's not a piece of machinery, but a boy who calls himself Six (Cameron Bright). Unable to bring herself to kill him, she goes on the run from both the government and her own kind in order to save him and redeem herself before she dies from the disease she carries.
Eye candy describes this film the best. It's visuals are comprehensively spectacular. From the fighting style, a rendition of the gun-kata from Equilibrium, Director Kurt Wimmer's cult classic, which we'll cover at a later date, to the costuming: ever changing, ever dynamic. The richness of the comic-book style photography, combined with the set design and color schemes gives birth to a world complete and real, no discredit can befall the production design.
The story needed more time, at least another half an hour and perhaps another rewrite. The realism of our main character's anger is credible, however, her interpersonal performance lacked smooth edges. Granted, her character is not that smooth, outside of the battlefield; however, it feels as flat as the pages of the comic-book it should have come from. The character that is the better written one, along with a seamless and rock-solid performance, is Garth (WIlliam Fichtner). His love for Violet, compassion for Six's condition and his passion for the work he is doing comes across as the only relatable aspect of the piece. I feel for Garth; therefore, Mr. Fichtner did his job well.
Klaud Badlet's score is stunning, particularly the final dual between Daxus (Nick Chinlund) and Violet. The cross between choral descants and a tango brilliantly enhances the dance between these titans. The emotional level rises to the action and highlights the themes of the piece so beautifully, it's hard not to become emotionally attached or to be enhanced with the adrenaline needed to keep up with the action and the processes needed to consume the eye candy.
Every once an a while, I need to unplug and this is the perfect film to facilitate that; as the package is presented generally well making it genuinely relaxing to take in.
****
In: Milla Jovovich
Out: William Fichtner
Coming Soon: Black Hawk Down
The story is dystopian in nature: a virus is created in a government lab to accelerate the abilities of soldiers. It mutates and causes its subjects to develop heightened senses, sensitivity to light and a shortened lifespan; the infected are called hemophages, the disease is vampirism. Shunned by the public and hunted by the government, the hemophages fight a revolution they cannot win. When the resistance intercepts the government's latest weapon against them, their courier, Violet (Milla Jovovich), discovers it's not a piece of machinery, but a boy who calls himself Six (Cameron Bright). Unable to bring herself to kill him, she goes on the run from both the government and her own kind in order to save him and redeem herself before she dies from the disease she carries.
Eye candy describes this film the best. It's visuals are comprehensively spectacular. From the fighting style, a rendition of the gun-kata from Equilibrium, Director Kurt Wimmer's cult classic, which we'll cover at a later date, to the costuming: ever changing, ever dynamic. The richness of the comic-book style photography, combined with the set design and color schemes gives birth to a world complete and real, no discredit can befall the production design.
The story needed more time, at least another half an hour and perhaps another rewrite. The realism of our main character's anger is credible, however, her interpersonal performance lacked smooth edges. Granted, her character is not that smooth, outside of the battlefield; however, it feels as flat as the pages of the comic-book it should have come from. The character that is the better written one, along with a seamless and rock-solid performance, is Garth (WIlliam Fichtner). His love for Violet, compassion for Six's condition and his passion for the work he is doing comes across as the only relatable aspect of the piece. I feel for Garth; therefore, Mr. Fichtner did his job well.
Klaud Badlet's score is stunning, particularly the final dual between Daxus (Nick Chinlund) and Violet. The cross between choral descants and a tango brilliantly enhances the dance between these titans. The emotional level rises to the action and highlights the themes of the piece so beautifully, it's hard not to become emotionally attached or to be enhanced with the adrenaline needed to keep up with the action and the processes needed to consume the eye candy.
Every once an a while, I need to unplug and this is the perfect film to facilitate that; as the package is presented generally well making it genuinely relaxing to take in.
****
In: Milla Jovovich
Out: William Fichtner
Coming Soon: Black Hawk Down
Friday, August 20, 2010
Resident Evil - Story and Series Analysis
In my study of the cultural artifact medium of cinema, I have discovered that my least favorite "creature feature" is that of the Zombie Flick. I'm about as jaded a film watcher as anyone can be, but something about zombies really turns my stomach. I think it's the part about what zombies eat and who they used to be. I was curious about this sub-genre of horror, so I Netflix'ed the entire "Of The Dead" series, including the British installment starring a slacker named Shaun; we'll cover him sometime in the future. I've also checked out a documentary titled The American Nightmare which featured horror masters Wes Craven, John Carpenter and zombie-master George A. Romero. This film chronicled their rise to cinema greatness during a time history displays an era of national hopelessness and moviegoers flocked to watch other people suffer unspeakable horrors in order to escape their own lives. This film series, while giving homage to the Zombie Patriarchs, is not a product of a culture of hopelessness.
Resident Evil speaks up against oppression by a corporation whose monopoly saturates its customers lives. The film travels from a lab to the entire world, scarring the planet with a pestilence that destroys all life. Along with the pestilence is the negligent Umbrella Corporation who considers anything against their interest expendable assets. The greatest example is when they decide to destroy Raccoon City with a tactical nuclear warhead, leaving hundreds of people, Umbrella employees and security forces behind to die. Commando Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) is one of those left in Raccoon City and he speaks for the masses, saying, "we are assets, Nikolai, expendable assets...and we've just been expended." While the world fends off the hordes of undead, the corporation sits below the surface in their bunkers, safe. For once, an entity is completely human; only living on the wrong side of the moral compass.
I did say their was hope, didn't I? Well it comes in our hero, Alice (Milla Jovovich) and her many friends. Last post, I mentioned that she's a perfect audience proxy, in the fact that she begins the series with amnesia. She possesses an innocence almost childlike which is gradually drained as the series progresses and as she increases in abilities, intensified at the end of each film when captured by Umbrella and released. She fights each film to maintain her humanity regardless of whatever "upgrades" Umbrella's given her. The conclusion of each film ends in resolve more potent than how it begins. Through the bleak hopelessness that serves as a landscape, humanity still reigns: love, loyalty, heroism and sacrifice. And in the end, the evil monster bites the dust.
This film series is brilliantly executed. Despite the undead subject matter, and the fact that it's based on a video game, I find it more than competent film work; the third installment is beautiful. Its sets, costumes, make-up and photography, as well as some solid performances by Fehr, Ali Larter and Jovovich, all made for a classy post-apocolyptic road-trip movie. The first film's score is edgy and intoxicating; Marilyn Manson's hard-edged and ethereal score adds to the action with character, depth and an edge that speaks, in a way, for the machine that is the Umbrella Corporation.
The story, like video games, is meant to be episodic; the action going incrementally more intense as each film goes along. And the stakes grow more dire as each film finishes. And the films are honest about what they are: as a result, I'm able to engage fully every time any of the films enters my player unlike the times when a film tries to be something else.
So, despite the zombies; I'm a fan.
****
In: Colin Salmon
Out: Milla Jovovich
Coming Soon: Ultraviolet
Resident Evil speaks up against oppression by a corporation whose monopoly saturates its customers lives. The film travels from a lab to the entire world, scarring the planet with a pestilence that destroys all life. Along with the pestilence is the negligent Umbrella Corporation who considers anything against their interest expendable assets. The greatest example is when they decide to destroy Raccoon City with a tactical nuclear warhead, leaving hundreds of people, Umbrella employees and security forces behind to die. Commando Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) is one of those left in Raccoon City and he speaks for the masses, saying, "we are assets, Nikolai, expendable assets...and we've just been expended." While the world fends off the hordes of undead, the corporation sits below the surface in their bunkers, safe. For once, an entity is completely human; only living on the wrong side of the moral compass.
I did say their was hope, didn't I? Well it comes in our hero, Alice (Milla Jovovich) and her many friends. Last post, I mentioned that she's a perfect audience proxy, in the fact that she begins the series with amnesia. She possesses an innocence almost childlike which is gradually drained as the series progresses and as she increases in abilities, intensified at the end of each film when captured by Umbrella and released. She fights each film to maintain her humanity regardless of whatever "upgrades" Umbrella's given her. The conclusion of each film ends in resolve more potent than how it begins. Through the bleak hopelessness that serves as a landscape, humanity still reigns: love, loyalty, heroism and sacrifice. And in the end, the evil monster bites the dust.
This film series is brilliantly executed. Despite the undead subject matter, and the fact that it's based on a video game, I find it more than competent film work; the third installment is beautiful. Its sets, costumes, make-up and photography, as well as some solid performances by Fehr, Ali Larter and Jovovich, all made for a classy post-apocolyptic road-trip movie. The first film's score is edgy and intoxicating; Marilyn Manson's hard-edged and ethereal score adds to the action with character, depth and an edge that speaks, in a way, for the machine that is the Umbrella Corporation.
The story, like video games, is meant to be episodic; the action going incrementally more intense as each film goes along. And the stakes grow more dire as each film finishes. And the films are honest about what they are: as a result, I'm able to engage fully every time any of the films enters my player unlike the times when a film tries to be something else.
So, despite the zombies; I'm a fan.
****
In: Colin Salmon
Out: Milla Jovovich
Coming Soon: Ultraviolet
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Resident Evil: Character Analysis
A biological agent is stolen from a top secret facility run by the Umbrella Corporation and, in the process, is released into the facility, triggering the artificially intelligent security system to kill everyone inside. The problem is this: the biological agent regenerates non-living or diseased tissue and the recently dead don't stay that way. So an elite commando unit infiltrates the base to assess the damage and to contain the aftermath following the incident. And the aftermath is much larger than the corporation anticipated....
Our protagonist, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is initially a perfect example of an audience proxy. Alice loses her memory during the security breach. She is our eyes to the adventures; information is explained to her as the narrative plays out and she also regains her memory part of the way through. Jovovich's Alice has a certain innocent quality about her; and, as she starts to remember, her innocence fades and we're left with her true nature, which is consistently and incrementally released from innocent, amnesiac to hardened, jaded revenge-warrior. The outside world reflects her change. The global environment changes from lush, variable ecosystems to global deserts and urban wastelands.
The main villain is not a person, its a corporation whose play for world domination through business creates the apocalyptic condition their primary customers become. Their operatives are expendable; their lieutenants and leaders are cowards, living miles underground, away from the consequences. Then there's the infected, the consequence, which our heroes must fight, kill, or become part of on their way through the journey. They are the embodiment of what the Umbrella Corporation is, a gluttonous machine. Says a bit about massive corporations, I wonder if that's the point. Each film has a personification of the corporation, a main lieutenant, so to speak, and it's handled fairly well.
Alice is supported by some well fleshed-out characters through her journey. They provide a wide cadre of people to break up the mundanity of a single character going through the adventure. It's all right for video games, from which this series is based because it's a single-player game and the object is to simulate that the player is Alice. For instance, my dad has been Lara Croft, the Prince (of Persia fame,) Batman (in Lego form,) The Fellowship of the Ring, The Master Sergeant, and many others. However, he still looks like my dad, even after all of that. This approach, however, is not good for movie stories. Granted, it has worked before: Cast Away, I Am Legend, for instance. But, not for me. It's in human relationships that a story thrives. And a supporting cast is perfunctory for a story to work for me. This series has this in spades.
Audiences connect with people, so characters are required to act that way, whether they are human or not. In this case, the zombies are not characters, they are weapons and thematic elements. The Red Queen, in the first film, is a character, regardless of the fact she is a computer; she is purely logical and purely evil, something humans can be. The rest of the characters are human, so we definitely relate to them; and they are written well enough in this series for a relationship to form between the audience and the people in the series and for Alice, our hero.
The characters work well, their chemistry is well written and well delivered; a nice transition from a statically written medium.
***
Coming Soon: Resident Evil - Story and Series Analysis.
Our protagonist, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is initially a perfect example of an audience proxy. Alice loses her memory during the security breach. She is our eyes to the adventures; information is explained to her as the narrative plays out and she also regains her memory part of the way through. Jovovich's Alice has a certain innocent quality about her; and, as she starts to remember, her innocence fades and we're left with her true nature, which is consistently and incrementally released from innocent, amnesiac to hardened, jaded revenge-warrior. The outside world reflects her change. The global environment changes from lush, variable ecosystems to global deserts and urban wastelands.
The main villain is not a person, its a corporation whose play for world domination through business creates the apocalyptic condition their primary customers become. Their operatives are expendable; their lieutenants and leaders are cowards, living miles underground, away from the consequences. Then there's the infected, the consequence, which our heroes must fight, kill, or become part of on their way through the journey. They are the embodiment of what the Umbrella Corporation is, a gluttonous machine. Says a bit about massive corporations, I wonder if that's the point. Each film has a personification of the corporation, a main lieutenant, so to speak, and it's handled fairly well.
Alice is supported by some well fleshed-out characters through her journey. They provide a wide cadre of people to break up the mundanity of a single character going through the adventure. It's all right for video games, from which this series is based because it's a single-player game and the object is to simulate that the player is Alice. For instance, my dad has been Lara Croft, the Prince (of Persia fame,) Batman (in Lego form,) The Fellowship of the Ring, The Master Sergeant, and many others. However, he still looks like my dad, even after all of that. This approach, however, is not good for movie stories. Granted, it has worked before: Cast Away, I Am Legend, for instance. But, not for me. It's in human relationships that a story thrives. And a supporting cast is perfunctory for a story to work for me. This series has this in spades.
Audiences connect with people, so characters are required to act that way, whether they are human or not. In this case, the zombies are not characters, they are weapons and thematic elements. The Red Queen, in the first film, is a character, regardless of the fact she is a computer; she is purely logical and purely evil, something humans can be. The rest of the characters are human, so we definitely relate to them; and they are written well enough in this series for a relationship to form between the audience and the people in the series and for Alice, our hero.
The characters work well, their chemistry is well written and well delivered; a nice transition from a statically written medium.
***
Coming Soon: Resident Evil - Story and Series Analysis.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The Punisher vs Punisher: War Zone
"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves," says an ancient Asian proverb. Grief and sorrow fuel the anger and action in these two films. The Punisher and Punisher: War Zone tell the stories of Frank Castle, former government agent-turned-vigilante, and his loss. In both, Frank loses his family in a gangland assassination; in both, he turns to crime-fighting as revenge and in both he regains his soul in the process. Both stories are different, however. The soul stays the same, but the methods of delivery are drastically different.
The Punisher feels like any revenge action flick, mostly due to the rock-solid performances by Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Will Patton and Ben Foster. They bring a vintage, muscle-car, testosterone-fueled swagger that was famous back in the Dirty Harry and Steve McQueen days of the 70's and 80's. Completely masculine, the way that I wish men were portrayed today. Even Foster's Spacker Dave is masculine to the bone, even if Dave starts out weak. It also has an old-school western feel that I grew up watching in my childhood and still love today. The action is is dry and gritty with very few theatrical style points. The sound design makes it so. And it makes it as beautiful as the Carlo Siliotto’s film score, sounding like old-school Ennio Morricone's spaghetti-westerns. And you'd expect this film to feel like it belongs in the Marvel Family, but it doesn't. The "based on a comic book" design is absent, with the exception of one scene. With dynamic photography and its story penned like a classic revenge tragedy, it's the "black sheep" of the Marvel Family. But overall it's got a brilliant mix of sorrow and anger, which cuts down into the soul and makes it worth seeing.
Punisher: War Zone from the start makes amends with the family and restores the comic book tone. From its credits sequence to its main villain, its fighting style and photography, it belongs in the Batman Forever era in the Batman franchise. However, its redeeming feature is the plot line involving the Punisher's accidental slaying of an undercover FBI agent with Ray Stevenson's chilling performance as Frank Castle. Colin Salmon and Wayne Knight also offer solid performances as the FBI agent revenging his partner's murder and Castle's weapons-master, Micro. It's very clear, from the retroactive continuity elements in Castle's backstory, that this installment is not related to the other film whatsoever. In this one, Castle's already lost his soul and the FBI agent's death draws him to nearly lose his resolve. Guilt drives this one, just as sorrow drove the other. Stevenson seethes powerfully, allowing the character's emotions to fill him as he radiates guilt and remorse, both for what he's done and what he's lost. "Who punishes you?" Julie Benz' widow shrieks, for which Castle has no response, because it's clear: he does. The part that feels like a comic book, is Doug Hutchinson's Looney Bin Jim and Dominic West's Jigsaw. The pair of brothers are so incredibly ludicrous, they don't work against Stevenson's Castle; as they fail to be worthy targets for Frank's vengence. The stylistic action and photography, as well as cheese-ball cliche lines makes this installment less elegant that its counterpart. However, Stevenson's worth watching.
Of the two, Jane's Punisher is an opera. Everything from the music to the stunts to the performances shines above Stevenson's installment. Stevenson and Jane both portray Frank Castle with deep, compelling emotion making it difficult to choose whose face I'd rather see him wearing. However, it's the package that matters and I've got to choose Jane's. Director Jonathan Hensleigh's labor pays off high above Lexi Alexander's. The emotional release is better, the characters are more credible and I found I connected better with them, even Travolta's Howard Saint and Patton's Quentin Glass. The package is better and that's enough.
****
In: Thomas Jane
Out: Colin Salmon
Coming Soon: Resident Evil
The Punisher feels like any revenge action flick, mostly due to the rock-solid performances by Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Will Patton and Ben Foster. They bring a vintage, muscle-car, testosterone-fueled swagger that was famous back in the Dirty Harry and Steve McQueen days of the 70's and 80's. Completely masculine, the way that I wish men were portrayed today. Even Foster's Spacker Dave is masculine to the bone, even if Dave starts out weak. It also has an old-school western feel that I grew up watching in my childhood and still love today. The action is is dry and gritty with very few theatrical style points. The sound design makes it so. And it makes it as beautiful as the Carlo Siliotto’s film score, sounding like old-school Ennio Morricone's spaghetti-westerns. And you'd expect this film to feel like it belongs in the Marvel Family, but it doesn't. The "based on a comic book" design is absent, with the exception of one scene. With dynamic photography and its story penned like a classic revenge tragedy, it's the "black sheep" of the Marvel Family. But overall it's got a brilliant mix of sorrow and anger, which cuts down into the soul and makes it worth seeing.
Punisher: War Zone from the start makes amends with the family and restores the comic book tone. From its credits sequence to its main villain, its fighting style and photography, it belongs in the Batman Forever era in the Batman franchise. However, its redeeming feature is the plot line involving the Punisher's accidental slaying of an undercover FBI agent with Ray Stevenson's chilling performance as Frank Castle. Colin Salmon and Wayne Knight also offer solid performances as the FBI agent revenging his partner's murder and Castle's weapons-master, Micro. It's very clear, from the retroactive continuity elements in Castle's backstory, that this installment is not related to the other film whatsoever. In this one, Castle's already lost his soul and the FBI agent's death draws him to nearly lose his resolve. Guilt drives this one, just as sorrow drove the other. Stevenson seethes powerfully, allowing the character's emotions to fill him as he radiates guilt and remorse, both for what he's done and what he's lost. "Who punishes you?" Julie Benz' widow shrieks, for which Castle has no response, because it's clear: he does. The part that feels like a comic book, is Doug Hutchinson's Looney Bin Jim and Dominic West's Jigsaw. The pair of brothers are so incredibly ludicrous, they don't work against Stevenson's Castle; as they fail to be worthy targets for Frank's vengence. The stylistic action and photography, as well as cheese-ball cliche lines makes this installment less elegant that its counterpart. However, Stevenson's worth watching.
Of the two, Jane's Punisher is an opera. Everything from the music to the stunts to the performances shines above Stevenson's installment. Stevenson and Jane both portray Frank Castle with deep, compelling emotion making it difficult to choose whose face I'd rather see him wearing. However, it's the package that matters and I've got to choose Jane's. Director Jonathan Hensleigh's labor pays off high above Lexi Alexander's. The emotional release is better, the characters are more credible and I found I connected better with them, even Travolta's Howard Saint and Patton's Quentin Glass. The package is better and that's enough.
****
In: Thomas Jane
Out: Colin Salmon
Coming Soon: Resident Evil
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Dreamcatcher
Four friends, Henry (Thomas Jane,) Pete (Timothy Olyphant,) Jonesy (Damian Lewis) and Beaver (Jason Lee,) who are gifted with special abilities when they help a seemingly autistic boy, Duddits (Donnie Wahlberg,) escape the school bully, get together for their annual hunting trip in the woods. Their timing, however, couldn't be more unsuitable. Their weekend is gravely disturbed by an extraterrestrial invasion, with a corresponding military quarantine overseen by a psychotic commander (Morgan Freeman) and his war-horse lieutenant (Tom Sizemore.) When one of the alien life forms possesses one of the quartet and kills two others, they discover their friend Duddits is not all he seems and their lives are all in peril, regardless in whose hands they find themselves.
It's a regular "frat boy" sleepover in this supernatural thriller by Stephen King in a story you shouldn't take without some kind of wacky external influence, like lack of sleep or too much coffee. The overall strangeness is an acquired taste, much like the rest of King's work. However, it is a study on human behavior during a crisis, also like some of his work, brilliantly contrasted with the reactions of the military and the quartet. With high-concept supernatural thrillers, in this vein, I enjoy watching the human relationships and this one is abundant.
The Duddits story-line is particularly potent. The quartet's devotion and affection for this person is as life and love is to be, sacrificial and loyal. Their love for each other, as well, is so well written and performed, it's easy to taste their sorrow and celebrate their triumphs. The quartet Jane, Olyphant, Lewis and Lee mesh together so well, it's entirely believable that they grew up together and fought injustice together with a bond that is unbreakable. So when two of them fall, it's genuinely heartbreaking.
Two performances make this film something to see. Damian Lewis' dual performance as New Englander Jonesy and Mr. Gray, Duddits' Bristish-accented (Lewis' own) nemesis. It's both horrifying and hilarious. The other is Donnie Wahlberg's Duddits. He's an emaciated, cancer-ridden man who's on his last mile. Wahlberg's dedication to the role is astounding, including his appearance, and he nails the autism tick with precision. In his other roles, it's hard to see the same man featured here.
Every movie collection needs the obligatory Stephen King adapted flick and this one's mine...and not a bad choice, just one that goes down funny when consumed, which is why I choose well when doing so.
***
In: Timothy Olyphant
Out: Thomas Jane
Coming Soon: The Punisher/Punisher: War Zone
It's a regular "frat boy" sleepover in this supernatural thriller by Stephen King in a story you shouldn't take without some kind of wacky external influence, like lack of sleep or too much coffee. The overall strangeness is an acquired taste, much like the rest of King's work. However, it is a study on human behavior during a crisis, also like some of his work, brilliantly contrasted with the reactions of the military and the quartet. With high-concept supernatural thrillers, in this vein, I enjoy watching the human relationships and this one is abundant.
The Duddits story-line is particularly potent. The quartet's devotion and affection for this person is as life and love is to be, sacrificial and loyal. Their love for each other, as well, is so well written and performed, it's easy to taste their sorrow and celebrate their triumphs. The quartet Jane, Olyphant, Lewis and Lee mesh together so well, it's entirely believable that they grew up together and fought injustice together with a bond that is unbreakable. So when two of them fall, it's genuinely heartbreaking.
Two performances make this film something to see. Damian Lewis' dual performance as New Englander Jonesy and Mr. Gray, Duddits' Bristish-accented (Lewis' own) nemesis. It's both horrifying and hilarious. The other is Donnie Wahlberg's Duddits. He's an emaciated, cancer-ridden man who's on his last mile. Wahlberg's dedication to the role is astounding, including his appearance, and he nails the autism tick with precision. In his other roles, it's hard to see the same man featured here.
Every movie collection needs the obligatory Stephen King adapted flick and this one's mine...and not a bad choice, just one that goes down funny when consumed, which is why I choose well when doing so.
***
In: Timothy Olyphant
Out: Thomas Jane
Coming Soon: The Punisher/Punisher: War Zone
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Hitman
At an early age, Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) has known little more than the art of war and the sculpture of death. Raised by a covert organization whose sole purpose is the training and conditioning of professional killers and chosen from the world's destitute children, Agent 47 is the best. The Organization has ties to all governments, but prefers none. When he is hired to execute the Russian President, the job runs smoothly until he is told of a witness, and goes to intercept her, walking straight into an ambush. Having seemingly failed, his employer cuts all ties and orders a free-for-all for all its agents on his head. Pursued by his relentless, longtime nemesis, Interpol Agent Mike Wittier (Dougray Scott,) as well the head of Russian Intelligence, Yuri Markov (Robert Knepper.) Things are not as they seem, and Agent 47 is prepared to kill his way through the conspiracy and get his life back...but will he get the answers before his pursuers catch up to him?
Video games have a certain epic quality to them. I've spent hours beginning to watch (and usually falling asleep at certain time intervals) my dad play anything from Tetris Worlds to Lego Star Wars. I've played a few, myself, as well. It's not really my thing, but my dad likes it, so I watch...and he's way better than me, too!! However, the epic quality does tend to cross over into the movies that they're based upon. However, it doesn't feel epic here...it feels personal, emotional.
"You don't want to have me and you don't want to kill me; I've never felt so much indifference in my entire life." Olga Kurylenko's Nika describes in beautiful clarity Olyphant's performance. She also quips, "you know you really are charming when you're not killing people." This is also true. He has a disarming quality about him, that does melt the heart and weaken the knees. But he also has the ability to return that melted heart to ice with his soulless and icy performance. His humor also blends in quite nicely with his quiet serious nature. Absolutely stunning and completely flawless.
Our two agency pursuants are portrayed perfectly by Scott and Knepper. Scott perfectly has the balance of awe and chess-play for his target. He also is a man of cause and purpose and justice. And Scott fills his heart with it and it becomes him nicely. Knepper's Yuri is perfect as the pawn who wants so badly to succeed, but who is still a tough, suspicious, driven cold-war relic. He's not weak, just powerless and fearful.
The action is routine, the story a bit cliche, playing a bit like the typical heist film. However, in the end, the film doesn't feel like it's based on a video game. It feels like an assassin film, an action movie with some quality acting to compliment. Olyphant's Agent 47 is perfectly executed, as are his antagonists. His sidekick and allies are also solidly written and performed. All around, this film is brilliant and stands well on its feet.
***
In: Robert Knepper
Out: Timothy Olyphant
Coming Soon: Dreamcatcher
Video games have a certain epic quality to them. I've spent hours beginning to watch (and usually falling asleep at certain time intervals) my dad play anything from Tetris Worlds to Lego Star Wars. I've played a few, myself, as well. It's not really my thing, but my dad likes it, so I watch...and he's way better than me, too!! However, the epic quality does tend to cross over into the movies that they're based upon. However, it doesn't feel epic here...it feels personal, emotional.
"You don't want to have me and you don't want to kill me; I've never felt so much indifference in my entire life." Olga Kurylenko's Nika describes in beautiful clarity Olyphant's performance. She also quips, "you know you really are charming when you're not killing people." This is also true. He has a disarming quality about him, that does melt the heart and weaken the knees. But he also has the ability to return that melted heart to ice with his soulless and icy performance. His humor also blends in quite nicely with his quiet serious nature. Absolutely stunning and completely flawless.
Our two agency pursuants are portrayed perfectly by Scott and Knepper. Scott perfectly has the balance of awe and chess-play for his target. He also is a man of cause and purpose and justice. And Scott fills his heart with it and it becomes him nicely. Knepper's Yuri is perfect as the pawn who wants so badly to succeed, but who is still a tough, suspicious, driven cold-war relic. He's not weak, just powerless and fearful.
The action is routine, the story a bit cliche, playing a bit like the typical heist film. However, in the end, the film doesn't feel like it's based on a video game. It feels like an assassin film, an action movie with some quality acting to compliment. Olyphant's Agent 47 is perfectly executed, as are his antagonists. His sidekick and allies are also solidly written and performed. All around, this film is brilliant and stands well on its feet.
***
In: Robert Knepper
Out: Timothy Olyphant
Coming Soon: Dreamcatcher
Friday, August 06, 2010
Good Night and Good Luck
A smoky room; a stock reel pulling celluloid through a projector overlooking a conference room; smooth jazz supporting the smooth voices of Edward R Murrow (David Strathairn) and his crew led by Fred Friendly (George Clooney.) It is the reign of Joe Mccarthy and the war against communism, and CBS News are resistance fighters; and they are both afraid and brazen. After coming across a news story, the sparks fly as the line between investigating and persecuting grows thinner and the CBS crew defends the country through investigative reporting.
Tension describes the tenor of this film from the dry sound design, black and white photography and to the editing between the stock footage of the proceedings by the real Joe McCarthy to the smooth jazz performed beautifully by Dianne Reeves to the foxhole moments in the bullpens, the elevators and the pubs late in the night, illustrate how paranoid people were at that time and how engaged the conflict between the news and the senator became.
Strathairn's Murrow is brilliantly constructed, both as a soldier in the cause of excellence in media and as a combatant for justice for the persecuted. He is single minded, and has his eye on the prize, with little sympathy for the others in his foxhole, especially the newscaster that follows his show. Clooney's Friendly is savvy and warm, despite the lack of color on the screen. I am particularly awed by the juxtaposition between the actual stock footage and the main action in the story, as if I've been a fly on the wall for 93 minutes.
As a reflection, this kind of excellence in the news is hardly seen today. Sensationalism, as well as instant reporting through YouTube, Twitter and Facebook has limited our expectations; as well, our taste. We're also unwilling to expect excellence on both the big screen and our televisions. This film does not fit in with expectations today, it outstrips them. Perhaps we should expect more than an instrument that merely entertains, amuses and insulates...perhaps we should expect illumination, education and inspiration.
****
In: Robert Downey Jr
Out: Robert Knepper
Coming Soon: Hitman
Tension describes the tenor of this film from the dry sound design, black and white photography and to the editing between the stock footage of the proceedings by the real Joe McCarthy to the smooth jazz performed beautifully by Dianne Reeves to the foxhole moments in the bullpens, the elevators and the pubs late in the night, illustrate how paranoid people were at that time and how engaged the conflict between the news and the senator became.
Strathairn's Murrow is brilliantly constructed, both as a soldier in the cause of excellence in media and as a combatant for justice for the persecuted. He is single minded, and has his eye on the prize, with little sympathy for the others in his foxhole, especially the newscaster that follows his show. Clooney's Friendly is savvy and warm, despite the lack of color on the screen. I am particularly awed by the juxtaposition between the actual stock footage and the main action in the story, as if I've been a fly on the wall for 93 minutes.
As a reflection, this kind of excellence in the news is hardly seen today. Sensationalism, as well as instant reporting through YouTube, Twitter and Facebook has limited our expectations; as well, our taste. We're also unwilling to expect excellence on both the big screen and our televisions. This film does not fit in with expectations today, it outstrips them. Perhaps we should expect more than an instrument that merely entertains, amuses and insulates...perhaps we should expect illumination, education and inspiration.
****
In: Robert Downey Jr
Out: Robert Knepper
Coming Soon: Hitman
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Charlie Bartlett
"There's more to High School than being well liked," quips Charlie Bartlett's mother. To which the titular character retorts, "Like what, specifically?" To which there's no reply. And I agree. It was the height of importance to be popular, especially at Nevada Union High. And I must say, popular was not my middle name. On the flip-side, I wasn't "uncool" either: I didn't spend the majority of my four-year tenure as a Mighty Miner with black eyes and toilet-bowl hair.
However, Charlie Bartlett's (Anton Yelchin) first day had him wearing both. After being expelled from every ivy-league prep school for near-criminal behavior, he enrolls in West Summit High School, the local public school. Needing to feel comprehensively liked, he becomes an expert on teenage psychological and behavioral issues and sets himself up as the school shrink. Complete with office, in the main hall boys bathroom, and pharmacy, run by school bully, Murphy Bivens. He takes his patients' sessions in the stalls and dishes out the proper medication. However, after one of his patients' suicide attempts, he must use his influence and popularity for more positive uses.
This film harkens back to great school flicks like Dead Poets Society, Ferris Beuler's Day Off, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High and other movies Robert Downey Jr (Charlie Bartlett's Principal Gardener) started his career exploring. It clearly is written by people from my generation, people who weren't sure who they were in high school. Who agree that high school can be a bit like Western Summit High's spring play "Hell Comes with Your Own Locker." Life is chaos and there's no sense to it.
I enjoyed the wit, wisdom and intelligent gimmicks. This film has the feel of an indie and punch-packed with the force of a blockbuster with rock-solid performances from Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis and Robert Downey Jr. Robert Downey Jr's Principal Gardener is brilliant as a man torn between giving up and fighting for his soul. His performance is brilliant in Gardener's obligatory confrontations, as most school flick principals perform; however, Downey Jr makes it very clear that Gardener does not want to be stereotyped as such. Yelchin's Charlie Bartlett is one step into adulthood and the other wanting to stay in high school a bit longer. And he is the typical school flick protagonist, played to perfection.
Complete with a student demonstration, a dance-party complete with indie rocker, romantic hook-ups between unlikely characters, a denouement that makes you feel fuzzy: yep, totally the quintessential school flick, this time with an education. And that totally rocks!!
****
In: Anton Yelchin
Out: Robert Downey JR
Coming Soon: Good Night and Good Luck
However, Charlie Bartlett's (Anton Yelchin) first day had him wearing both. After being expelled from every ivy-league prep school for near-criminal behavior, he enrolls in West Summit High School, the local public school. Needing to feel comprehensively liked, he becomes an expert on teenage psychological and behavioral issues and sets himself up as the school shrink. Complete with office, in the main hall boys bathroom, and pharmacy, run by school bully, Murphy Bivens. He takes his patients' sessions in the stalls and dishes out the proper medication. However, after one of his patients' suicide attempts, he must use his influence and popularity for more positive uses.
This film harkens back to great school flicks like Dead Poets Society, Ferris Beuler's Day Off, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High and other movies Robert Downey Jr (Charlie Bartlett's Principal Gardener) started his career exploring. It clearly is written by people from my generation, people who weren't sure who they were in high school. Who agree that high school can be a bit like Western Summit High's spring play "Hell Comes with Your Own Locker." Life is chaos and there's no sense to it.
I enjoyed the wit, wisdom and intelligent gimmicks. This film has the feel of an indie and punch-packed with the force of a blockbuster with rock-solid performances from Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis and Robert Downey Jr. Robert Downey Jr's Principal Gardener is brilliant as a man torn between giving up and fighting for his soul. His performance is brilliant in Gardener's obligatory confrontations, as most school flick principals perform; however, Downey Jr makes it very clear that Gardener does not want to be stereotyped as such. Yelchin's Charlie Bartlett is one step into adulthood and the other wanting to stay in high school a bit longer. And he is the typical school flick protagonist, played to perfection.
Complete with a student demonstration, a dance-party complete with indie rocker, romantic hook-ups between unlikely characters, a denouement that makes you feel fuzzy: yep, totally the quintessential school flick, this time with an education. And that totally rocks!!
****
In: Anton Yelchin
Out: Robert Downey JR
Coming Soon: Good Night and Good Luck
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Terminator: Final Thoughts
The Terminator series is one of my favorites. I believe I first encountered it during my short tenure at Hollywood Video after I graduated college. I also remember my dad renting the first one for a movie night (with the fellas) before I was a teenager. I am fond of the story with its tale of ordinary people rising above apocalyptic circumstances to save the world. And so, my final thoughts on the series.
The Terminator has one thing the others don't, the basis of the mythos. However, it has the awkwardness of being first base. I, personally, have a particular fondness for this installment and for one character in particular: Kyle Reese. It's not due to the overall good looks on his portrayer: My fondness for this one is due to the fact that the protector (Kyle) is human, therefore he has something to lose. The fight is seemingly a suicide mission, and he knows it...but he does his duty anyways. Honor, dedication, love, loyalty, sacrifice; the stuff of which heroes are made.
T2: Judgement Day has the popular distinction of being one of the few "sequels" that outshines its parent film. The effects are definitely better, and the camerawork shines more. But the gimmicks are similar, the formula is the same, and there are more of the same characters from the previous installment than any of the others. The technicality of the piece outstrips it predecessor, but the story's not better, nor are the performances. I also have a problem with the "hero" being a machine who's humanity is never shown.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is as sleek and sexy as its villain machine. Fate is an interesting antagonist, as the hero of the series isn't interested in fulfilling his destiny to lead the human race. Nick Stahl has the perfect balance between what Furlong began in T2 to what Connor will eventually become. His brooding nature along with hidden compassion, coupled with a credible street-savvy, gives us a window into what Connor's destiny will require. However, the biggest downside is that there is no brain or heart to this installment, merely filler.
Terminator Salvation returns to the bleak future in the aftermath of Judgement Day. The production design paints the devastation and hopelessness brilliantly, complete with low-tech guerilla tactics and high-tech enemies. The gimmicks are similar, but not mirror images of the previous installments. Pristinely cast, especially in Anton Yelchin's Kyle Reese, Christian Bale's John Connor and Sam Worthington's Marcus Wright. Each bring a level of heart and soul to their characters that makes them worth our concern. Marcus' character works as a written character, however, in the grand scheme of the mythos...he's a bit far fetched.
The series is well mapped, well cast, and well delivered. The mythos is clearly laid out and executed. I look forward to seeing the events surrounding the deploying of each protector in the future.
****
In: Lance Heinricksen
Out: Anton Yelchin
Coming Soon: Charlie Bartlett
The Terminator has one thing the others don't, the basis of the mythos. However, it has the awkwardness of being first base. I, personally, have a particular fondness for this installment and for one character in particular: Kyle Reese. It's not due to the overall good looks on his portrayer: My fondness for this one is due to the fact that the protector (Kyle) is human, therefore he has something to lose. The fight is seemingly a suicide mission, and he knows it...but he does his duty anyways. Honor, dedication, love, loyalty, sacrifice; the stuff of which heroes are made.
T2: Judgement Day has the popular distinction of being one of the few "sequels" that outshines its parent film. The effects are definitely better, and the camerawork shines more. But the gimmicks are similar, the formula is the same, and there are more of the same characters from the previous installment than any of the others. The technicality of the piece outstrips it predecessor, but the story's not better, nor are the performances. I also have a problem with the "hero" being a machine who's humanity is never shown.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is as sleek and sexy as its villain machine. Fate is an interesting antagonist, as the hero of the series isn't interested in fulfilling his destiny to lead the human race. Nick Stahl has the perfect balance between what Furlong began in T2 to what Connor will eventually become. His brooding nature along with hidden compassion, coupled with a credible street-savvy, gives us a window into what Connor's destiny will require. However, the biggest downside is that there is no brain or heart to this installment, merely filler.
Terminator Salvation returns to the bleak future in the aftermath of Judgement Day. The production design paints the devastation and hopelessness brilliantly, complete with low-tech guerilla tactics and high-tech enemies. The gimmicks are similar, but not mirror images of the previous installments. Pristinely cast, especially in Anton Yelchin's Kyle Reese, Christian Bale's John Connor and Sam Worthington's Marcus Wright. Each bring a level of heart and soul to their characters that makes them worth our concern. Marcus' character works as a written character, however, in the grand scheme of the mythos...he's a bit far fetched.
The series is well mapped, well cast, and well delivered. The mythos is clearly laid out and executed. I look forward to seeing the events surrounding the deploying of each protector in the future.
****
In: Lance Heinricksen
Out: Anton Yelchin
Coming Soon: Charlie Bartlett
Monday, August 02, 2010
Terminator: The Formula
Form, as defined in the glossary in one of my film textbooks, is the general system of relationships among the parts of a film. Therefore, story form is the relationships among the parts of a story. The American Oxford Dictionary defines formulas as a fixed form of words especially one used in particular contexts or as a conventional usage; a stock epithet, phrase or line repeated for various effects in literary composition. Genre films usually follow formulas as a rule. Genre films refer to film stories that have been repeated again and again with only slight variations. Formulas can also bleed over from genre to films in a series.
Terminator is one of those film series. As far as what genre it is: science fiction, simply put. The science fiction genre is fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets. However, the distinction here is that each of the series' four installments follows a separate formula independent of the science fiction genre. The plot, characters and thematic elements are virtually identical. Archetypes exist in each installment. Archetypes are typical examples of a certain person or thing. Here, we have four in characters with a fifth in the form of a thematic element. The plot is similar in each because of these five.
The first character is the machine. In this series, this is in the form of two things: three in the form of Terminators and the final in the form of Skynet itself. The T-101 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the first to arrive in the first installment, relentless, but sloppy, unable to integrate into the flow of humanity. Played, unfortunately, to perfection by the actor, but to no less success. Skynet, when it fails, sends another. The T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is sent later and infiltrates much easier and smoother as its liquid metal abilities allow. The third, the T-X, or Terminatrix (Kristanna Loken), is able to infiltrate a bit better than it's predecessor, however, still contains the awkwardness of the T-101. However, it's been built as a response to the past two T-101 protection models, so its sleek and sexy human persona is matched by equally fatal weapons beneath. The last machine is Skynet itself (Helena Bonham Carter.) Because we've joined the past with the present, Skynet cannot be compared with its predecessors as it is, in fact, part of its predecessors. The fact that all fail to do what their objective is, to infiltrate and eliminate or die in the process, clearly reiterates the theme.
Next we have the protector. Their job is to protect the machine's target. They have the same mission as the machine, find a target and eliminate a threat. Only the threat is the machine. They have the same mindset, complete the mission or die in the process. They have, consequently, little humanity or sympathy for their protectant. Half of the protectors cannot help this, while half can. The two T-101 Terminators are the two who cannot. Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is one of them who can, John Connor (Christian Bale) is the other.
The protector is joined by the believer. This is the person who is completely convinced Skynet is real, the threat to the target is real and that the future depends on the success of the protector's mission. They, like the protector are prepared to die for that success. Unlike the protector, their humanity is usually intact. I say usually; half of the believers start hardened and then at a sudden point, their humanity bursts through with a tender moment with the target. The other half have humanity with abundance, their heart is so exposed that they cannot be anything else. Only after confession of his feelings combined with an intimate night with Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) does Kyle Reese lose his hardened shell...but this night is so important, because it's the night that John Connor is conceived. Sarah Conner, after her experiences with the T-101, losing Kyle, and after a time being her son's drill-sergeant is committed to a psychiatric hospital, turns from loving mother and innocent to a hard, driven soldier. The two who keep their humanity during their term as "believer" are John Connor (Nick Stahl) and Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) who remind the protector and the innocent of the score and the importance humanity plays in the series.
Our final character is the virgin, an innocent to the war with the machines. Usually this person is the target and is the case with three of four of the installments. They're unaware of John Connor and his importance to the human race. They get tied into the war by coming across the believer and/or protector and join in the fight, usually to help protect themselves against the machine's mission. Our first innocent was a target, Sarah Connor. Being the mother of the future messiah of humanity, she takes it upon herself to be prepared for the future and loses her innocence along the way. John Connor (Edward Furlong), in the second installment, really might not count as an innocent. He's been told, by his mother, for his whole life, that he's the future leader of humanity, but it's too much for him and he denies what he's been taught. When he's told by his protector that it's all true, he genuinely reacts with surprise. Kate Brewster Connor (Claire Danes) is the perfect example of the virgin for the series as is Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) although he accepts much faster than she does. Kate denies up until the protector T-101 allows her to shoot him. Marcus, on the other hand is shown by believer Kyle Reese (who's also the target) the moment they meet and he agrees to help the "heroes" side. However, the bigger denial comes from his encounter with Skynet later. Plus, this virgin is not a target, so his survival must come at the hands of John Connor, the protector.
Our final archetype is one of our themes: the danger to John Connor and his family. Each installment of the series has a target. And that target is a member of John Connor's family. Skynet targets his mother, himself, his wife and chief lieutenant, and finally, his father.
The formula for the plot is simple: Skynet sends an assassin to kill a member of John Connor's family in order to reset future events to have an alternate timeline free of the presence of John Connor and his lieutenants, so that Judgement Day is successful and the human race is annihilated.
Formulas are tricky to spot in a series, our minds disengage for formula films, because we're already fans. And because we're already fans, we don't care if the same thing passes from film to film. It works, and that's all.
****
Coming Soon -- Terminator: Final Thoughts
Terminator is one of those film series. As far as what genre it is: science fiction, simply put. The science fiction genre is fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets. However, the distinction here is that each of the series' four installments follows a separate formula independent of the science fiction genre. The plot, characters and thematic elements are virtually identical. Archetypes exist in each installment. Archetypes are typical examples of a certain person or thing. Here, we have four in characters with a fifth in the form of a thematic element. The plot is similar in each because of these five.
The first character is the machine. In this series, this is in the form of two things: three in the form of Terminators and the final in the form of Skynet itself. The T-101 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the first to arrive in the first installment, relentless, but sloppy, unable to integrate into the flow of humanity. Played, unfortunately, to perfection by the actor, but to no less success. Skynet, when it fails, sends another. The T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is sent later and infiltrates much easier and smoother as its liquid metal abilities allow. The third, the T-X, or Terminatrix (Kristanna Loken), is able to infiltrate a bit better than it's predecessor, however, still contains the awkwardness of the T-101. However, it's been built as a response to the past two T-101 protection models, so its sleek and sexy human persona is matched by equally fatal weapons beneath. The last machine is Skynet itself (Helena Bonham Carter.) Because we've joined the past with the present, Skynet cannot be compared with its predecessors as it is, in fact, part of its predecessors. The fact that all fail to do what their objective is, to infiltrate and eliminate or die in the process, clearly reiterates the theme.
Next we have the protector. Their job is to protect the machine's target. They have the same mission as the machine, find a target and eliminate a threat. Only the threat is the machine. They have the same mindset, complete the mission or die in the process. They have, consequently, little humanity or sympathy for their protectant. Half of the protectors cannot help this, while half can. The two T-101 Terminators are the two who cannot. Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is one of them who can, John Connor (Christian Bale) is the other.
The protector is joined by the believer. This is the person who is completely convinced Skynet is real, the threat to the target is real and that the future depends on the success of the protector's mission. They, like the protector are prepared to die for that success. Unlike the protector, their humanity is usually intact. I say usually; half of the believers start hardened and then at a sudden point, their humanity bursts through with a tender moment with the target. The other half have humanity with abundance, their heart is so exposed that they cannot be anything else. Only after confession of his feelings combined with an intimate night with Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) does Kyle Reese lose his hardened shell...but this night is so important, because it's the night that John Connor is conceived. Sarah Conner, after her experiences with the T-101, losing Kyle, and after a time being her son's drill-sergeant is committed to a psychiatric hospital, turns from loving mother and innocent to a hard, driven soldier. The two who keep their humanity during their term as "believer" are John Connor (Nick Stahl) and Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) who remind the protector and the innocent of the score and the importance humanity plays in the series.
Our final character is the virgin, an innocent to the war with the machines. Usually this person is the target and is the case with three of four of the installments. They're unaware of John Connor and his importance to the human race. They get tied into the war by coming across the believer and/or protector and join in the fight, usually to help protect themselves against the machine's mission. Our first innocent was a target, Sarah Connor. Being the mother of the future messiah of humanity, she takes it upon herself to be prepared for the future and loses her innocence along the way. John Connor (Edward Furlong), in the second installment, really might not count as an innocent. He's been told, by his mother, for his whole life, that he's the future leader of humanity, but it's too much for him and he denies what he's been taught. When he's told by his protector that it's all true, he genuinely reacts with surprise. Kate Brewster Connor (Claire Danes) is the perfect example of the virgin for the series as is Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) although he accepts much faster than she does. Kate denies up until the protector T-101 allows her to shoot him. Marcus, on the other hand is shown by believer Kyle Reese (who's also the target) the moment they meet and he agrees to help the "heroes" side. However, the bigger denial comes from his encounter with Skynet later. Plus, this virgin is not a target, so his survival must come at the hands of John Connor, the protector.
Our final archetype is one of our themes: the danger to John Connor and his family. Each installment of the series has a target. And that target is a member of John Connor's family. Skynet targets his mother, himself, his wife and chief lieutenant, and finally, his father.
The formula for the plot is simple: Skynet sends an assassin to kill a member of John Connor's family in order to reset future events to have an alternate timeline free of the presence of John Connor and his lieutenants, so that Judgement Day is successful and the human race is annihilated.
Formulas are tricky to spot in a series, our minds disengage for formula films, because we're already fans. And because we're already fans, we don't care if the same thing passes from film to film. It works, and that's all.
****
Coming Soon -- Terminator: Final Thoughts
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