Robocop Review

SPOILERS:

We live in a world where technology is advancing faster than society’s comprehension of all the ethical ramifications that come with it, and with films such as Her and Wally Pfister’s upcoming Transcendence tackling the subject, the time is ripe for a film that blends those prescient moral dilemmas with great CGI and lots of action. Cue Robocop, a movie that may draw comparisons with certain baffling recent 80s remakes such as The A-Team or Red Dawn, but what sets it apart is the fact that it’s a reboot that makes sense. In fact, the most surprising thing about this project is that the powers that be didn’t pump out a new Robocop movie sooner. 

It’s 2028 and we are introduced to a world where robots and cyber technology have replaced the common soldier in America’s international peacekeeping efforts. And the big debate now stirring at the home front then becomes: why not bring that same technology to safeguard the streets of America’s crime-infested cities? Enter Raymond Sellars (Keaton), the egotistical and greedy Omnicorp CEO who is keen to cash in on the potential windfall the American market represents. Facing stiff resistance to his plans to use robotic police officers from certain cautious elements within the government, he needs a gimmick, some kind of marketing ploy to sway public opinion in his favor. This is where undercover cop Alex Murphy (Kinnaman) falls into the equation. After Murphy is brought to the brink of death while investigating corrupt cops and illegal arms dealers, Sellars and Dr. Dennett Norton (Oldman) use him as a guinea pig for a new kind of police officer: one with a soul and free will, a robot that can tell the difference between right and wrong. Caught in the middle of a political battle and struggling to reconcile his humanity with his new stark and unsettling reality, Murphy must also get revenge on those responsible for destroying his life. 

Before we get into the flaws of this movie, of which there are many, the film-makers should be commended for not going the same exact route as the original. This is a revamped version that won’t remind you of its predecessor; this new Robocop stands, and falls flat, on its own two feet. While the original film by Paul Verhoeven gave us a darkly comedic satire about the overabundance of violence in our media and culture, the new Robocop arrives as a flaccid cautionary tale for modern day America. Instead of opting for a chaotic and dystopian future, director José Padhila chooses to ground Robocop’s world within more realistic territory. Aside from the flashy technology on display here and there, it all feels and looks the same as the world we live in. The film also decides to focus more on the human element of Robocop as well as on Murphy’s family, something that the original neglected to do (perhaps intentionally). This works well for the most part; we get into some interesting and compelling territory when Dr. Norton struggles with the realization that he can improve Murphy’s capabilities as a killing machine at the price of stripping away his humanity piece by piece, a trade-off that makes the initial experiment of creating a robot with a soul a redundant failure. As the reluctant and torn Dr. Norton, caught between trying to do the right thing and the immoral realities of what he is actually undertaking, Gary Oldman is great as always and elevates proceedings considerably.

Now on to Robocop’s many problems: Padhila shot to fame with the critically acclaimed Elite Squad and Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, films that are noted for their stark and gritty realistic style. And while some of that style comes through in his latest effort, much of the personality and panache that was evident in his earlier work is nowhere to be seen here. Coming with such a big budget and all the risks entailed in that, Robocop is a great example of a case where the design by committee approach fails miserably. Put simply, Robocop plays things way too safely in the hopes that it won’t provoke too much or offend the audience’s delicate sensibilities. Pushing boundaries are a big no-no and priority number one is to appeal to as many people as possible. Period. Such an approach will never make for a great movie and Robocop is simply one in a long line of Hollywood action films that don’t give its audience enough credit. Case in point: throughout the film, parallels between Robocop’s fictional future and America’s current use of drone warfare are drawn in an obvious and unsubtle way by the loud-mouthed and belligerent TV presenter Pat Novak (played with over-the-top campiness by a wig-donning Samuel L. Jackson).  There’s nothing better than starting a movie, a primarily visual medium, by having a character just directly tell the audience everything, and after Novak spoon-feeds us the basic lay of the land, the debate is polarized nicely and neatly for us simpletons to easily understand. Sellars is a guy who likes robots and random Senator is the guy who doesn’t. Got it? Done.

And the problems don’t end there. There are a number of visually impressive action set pieces throughout the film but they fail to be compelling or engaging whatsoever. We know that Robocop will survive through all these scenes, because he’s Robocop. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing in action movies and it’s usually part of the fun, but when there’s very little innovation or creativity going on besides sidekicks duly and predictably sacrificing themselves (but he only gets a shoulder wound because he’s a good guy), or Robot 1 pile-driving into Machine 2, it becomes very hard to be invested in anything that’s going on. The same can be said for most of the movie. Things move at a good pace and time passes by quickly but none of it engages the audience. When every scene begins, we already know what’s going to happen next and we already know what’s coming up. We have arbitrary emotional connection scene with the child, and then we proceed to arbitrary sex scene with the wife. Ironically, much of the character development in this movie is done in such a soulless robotic way. Social commentary on subjects such as free will or the intangible and unquantifiable nature of the human spirit emerge every now and then, but it all feels undeveloped and incredibly simplistic. Eventually, the film ends by showing us how the human spirit can triumph over any obstacle. It would be inspiring if it wasn’t so lazily and shoddily done.

Verdict:  Half-hearted in its message and approach, Robocop is a serviceable reboot that does the bare minimum with its story and characters. Fans of the original will definitely be left less than satisfied. Let’s just say that I wouldn’t buy that for a dollar!

C

Trailer:

Movie info:

Runtime: 108 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Abbie Cornish, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton

Director: José Padilha 

Screenplay: Joshua Zetumer

Cinematography: Lula Carvalho

The Great Beauty Review

SPOILERS:

Movies about the meaning of life always carry with them an implicit sizable risk. In a cinematic world full of unstimulating and quickly forgettable movies, The Great Beauty ambitiously takes on those risks and succeeds admirably for the most part. Tackling a difficult subject that has been the downfall of many an art house film, The Great Beauty doesn't have anything especially new to say and it doesn't particularly tell us something most of us don’t already know. Be that as it may, with this latest effort, writer-director Paolo Sorrentino delivers a mature film that does what cinema does best: tantalize and engage on a visceral and emotional level. 

Set in the Eternal City of Rome, The Great Beauty thrusts us right in the middle of a decadent world of vapid socialites, over-the-top parties, and self-aggrandizing elites that indulge in every whim and in every carnal desire. And Jep Gambardella (Servillo) is the man who is always at the center of every party. An aging writer for a prestigious cultural column, Jep is our gateway into this fantastical scene that borders on a farcical satire of all things Italian. Once a celebrated and award-winning author of a novel in his early 20s, Jep has rested on his laurels and avoided writing a novel ever since; you quickly get a sense that Jep is a world-weary man who has seen and experienced everything there is to experience and has come to the conclusion that it all hasn’t amounted to very much.

A cynical and caustic observer, Jep regards all his surroundings with a disinterested gaze as the film unfurls rapidly and unevenly around him. He is acquainted with the cultural literati and artists of Rome and can have any beautiful woman he desires but is bored with them all. But after his 65th birthday party and a query about a long awaited second novel, a lifelong search for the meaning of it all begins to torment him more than it ever did in the past. And it is in Rome's superficial high society that Jep seeks to find the answers that he has long been aching for. Throwing in jabs at virtually every aspect of Italian life, this film and its protagonist seem to have something to say on pretty much everything under the sun. We are introduced to the self-involved eccentric denizens of Jep’s world but we don’t always see them through Jep’s judgmental and condemning eyes. Much of that judgment is left for us to make as we sit back and observe the pretensions and follies of Jep and the colorful cast that inhabit his city; all these people are searching for the same thing as Jep but what we soon discover is that their superficial attempts are all in vain. In the midst of his own search, Jep, more often than not, exposes the hollowness of their attempts. From abstract conceptual artists who don’t comprehend their own abstractions, to middle-aged men pursuing narcissistic younger women in an attempt to recapture a long lost youth, to authors with illusory and fragile pretensions that collapse at the merest introspection, to religious leaders more interested in talking about food recipes than the metaphysical mysteries of faith, no one and nothing escapes Jep’s (or the director’s) wrath.  

There’s plenty to sink your teeth into here but much of it is just a flashy show that hints at a deeper significance that passes by too quickly for it to resonate or to be fully fleshed out. Much like the day to day (or to be more accurate, night to night)  whirlwind of Jep’s existence, this film whizzes by all of the social engagements and events of Jep’s life and never lingers anywhere for too long. But perhaps, that’s the point. Behind all the gaudy artifices and benign pleasures on display, The Great Beauty seeks to shed light on the transcending quality of life that lies beneath the crude and deceivingly appealing veneer on the surface. It’s easy to forget that in the middle of the insanity of the endless anecdotes and side stories that director Paolo Sorrentino chooses to show us but the film does have a grounding logic and purpose, as scattered and unfocused as it frequently tends to be. Part dark comedy and part existentialist drama, everything that The Great Beauty embodies is encapsulated in the opening scene. In the blistering heat of the Roman summer and with a choral accompaniment in the background, a Japanese tourist is busy snapping pictures of the ancient city. At that very moment, in the midst of all this history, all this wonder and all this beauty, he collapses from a heart attack and promptly dies on the spot. And it is that cruel and jarring contradiction that is what this movie is all about. We are mere tourists in a life that comes and passes us by in an instant and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by it all. In his old age, Jep realizes this more than most, especially after he receives word that a (supposedly long forgotten) old flame of his has recently passed away. And after a new yet tragically fleeting romance taunts him with what could have been possible, Jep’s journey allows us to get immersed ever further into his world until, just as he undoubtedly also has become, we end up truly and completely repulsed by the shallowness it represents. 

As diluted as the narrative of The Great Beauty eventually becomes, this film is always just simply attempting to answer the following questions: What is important in life? What truly matters? And unlike most films on the subject that tend to end things on an ambiguous note, Jep finds the answer he is looking for, as unremarkable and predictable as that answer is. It is in famed nun Sister Maria, who at first seems like just another humorous jab at meaningless religious conventions, that Jep finds his answer. A Mother Teresa type, the impossibly old-looking nun lives a simple yet happy life that is stripped down to the basic essentials, and it is her words of wisdom that help Jep, a man who has indulged in life’s excesses far too much, to find that elusive beauty and finally find the motivation to write that second novel. And as Jep informs us at the very end, the rest is all a trick. 

Verdict: Ambitious to a fault, Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty is a passionately made and exhilarating film that hits the mark more often than it misses and leaves plenty of food for thought for those willing to partake in its journey. 

B

Trailer:

Movie info:

Runtime: 142 minutes

MPAA Rating: NR

Cast: Toni Servillo, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Verdone, Carlo Buccirosso

Director: Paolo Sorrentino

Screenplay: Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello

Cinematography: Luca Bigazzi

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Review

We live in a cynical time and age and nowhere is that more reflected than through the medium of cinema. Just a quick glance at the movies that have broken box office records in the past few years and many of them (The Dark Knight, The Hunger Games, and Man of Steel to mention a few) are incredibly dark and typically involve impending destruction and the end of world. In the midst of all this doom and gloom, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty hit theaters in late December with an unapologetically sappy and uncynical tone and promptly flopped on arrival. One of the casualties of the crowded 2013 Holiday season, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a lukewarm effort that definitely left audiences and critics with mixed reactions and it’s easy to see why. 

Unknown to most is the fact that The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is actually a remake of a 1947 movie and both are based on a short story written by James Thurber all the way back in 1939. As dated as the origin material is though, the core of the story remains current and more than fitting for a modern day retelling. Walter Mitty (Stiller) is a meek and introverted long-time employee of Life Magazine who happens to have a crush on the new girl (Wiig) in the office. Leading a simple and unassuming life, the dissatisfied Walter has a tendency to daydream and fantasize about heroic exploits and romantic adventures throughout any given day. But Walter`s life gets turned upside down by the announcement that Life Magazine is shutting down its print edition (something that actually happened in 2007) and laying off the majority of their staff. Things get even worse for Walter when a valuable negative sent by famed photographer Sean O'Connell (Penn) gets misplaced on his watch. Spurred on by the threats of an insufferable boss and a desire to impress the woman of his dreams, Walter buys a plane ticket and soon embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will ultimately turn him into a man reborn.

With such a premise, it`s hard to believe that The Secret Life of Walter Mitty failed to click with a large mainstream audience but the fault may lie in the execution. A tale of pure escapism that seeks to inspire and ignite the imagination, cheesiness and hokiness reign supreme here and an extensive suspension of disbelief is required to properly enjoy this movie. Toss in some cliched indie movie tropes as well as frequent and obtrusive product placement and you’ve got yourself a less than palatable updated version of a forgotten classic. At its core, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a slightly naive feel-good movie with a simple message of breaking the shackles of normal dreary life and venturing beyond its suffocating confines. On a basic level, this film does accomplish that but the journey doesn't feel as well-rounded and satisfactory as it should. With the lifelong failure suggested by a blank dating profile section staring him right in the face, Walter Mitty represents all of us who do the bare minimum and fantasize about their dreams instead of actually going out there and seizing them. A worthy message indeed, but the film then goes ahead and sells you a superficial and conveniently packaged story that betrays that very message.

It`s at this interval that we arrive at the main problem of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. As deep and insightful as it thinks it is, this movie is an easily disposable product that plays things far too safe and conventional. While much of what we see is all nice and warm and fuzzy, very little of it is memorable and even less resonates. Corny reiterations of the Life Magazine motto recur throughout but the film only scratches the surface of the potential of truly exploring the meaning behind that motto. Although Walter does go to some remote and beautiful places, risk his life on numerous occasions and experience some astonishing things, most of it feels like we're watching someone crossing off an arbitrary checklist of cool things to do. After some unsubtle plot-integral product placements (involving eHarmony and Papa John`s amongst others) and a couple of death-defying feats and exotic trips later, we are expected to have experienced a complete change in the character but very little of it feels genuine. When Walter`s voyage comes full circle, he has the expected moments of resolution with the various important people in his life but they seem routine rather than deep or insightful.  And the funny thing is that while Walter`s adventure scenes are amazingly shot and stunningly beautiful, they are the weakest element in this film. Working as standalone scenes, they’re astonishing. In the context of the movie however, they seem rudderless and perfunctory. Much like pretty postcards from faraway places, these adventures end up seeming like token things to be collected rather than actual, vivid, tangible experiences.

After the success of his 2008 film Tropic Thunder, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty represents an impressive and worthy different direction for Ben Stiller. Known mainly for romantic comedies that range from the passable (There’s Something About Mary, Meet the Parents) to the atrocious (Along Came Polly, Meet the Fockers), this new movie is an interesting choice for Stiller and his low-key performance as the good-natured but timid Walter is spot on. Although Walter is undeniably an oddball, he possesses an earnestness and everyday quality that helps ground this movie and lends it some of its best moments. Sean Penn also pops up in what is effectively a cameo role and his scene involving a snow leopard is simple yet powerfully effective. There are some great laughs to be found here and Walter`s increasingly farfetched and extravagant daydreams are perhaps the best parts of this movie. What was lacking unfortunately was a better developed and more nuanced storyline for Walter, a storyline that ultimately fails to deliver the promise of what could have been. Pretty awesome trailer though.

Verdict: As beautifully shot and visually stunning as this movie is, a simplistic barebones storyline and love story both fail to engage at the same level. In the end, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a refreshing change that occasionally delivers but fails to elevate itself beyond its many flaws. 

C+

Trailer:

Movie info:

Runtime: 114 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG

Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Adam Scott

Director: Ben Stiller

Screenplay: Steve Conrad

Cinematography: Stuart Dryburgh