Category: 2005

The New World (2005, Terrence Malick), the extended cut

Historical fact, or even the attempt at paying lip service to it, is so inconvenient. If there’s a better example than The New World, I’m not familiar with it.

Malick struggles to make it all fit together and he can’t quite make it sync. He has to move from Colin Farrell being the protagonist to Christine Bale. Q’orianka Kilcher gets some focus too, but barely any once Bale arrives.

After Farrell and Kilcher’s romance, it’d be difficult for anyone to properly follow it up. While Malick does get Bale’s best performance from him, the casting is a misstep. Much like James Horner’s score, there’s something off with the casting. Lots of the “name” casting works—obviously, Farrell is excellent, but so are David Thewlis and Wes Studi. Third billed Christopher Plummer is barely in it enough to make an impression.

Much of The New World does not “wow.” It feels like a disjointed period piece from early on—and Horner’s music is an immediate liability—and it actually becomes more interesting in the last act, as Kilcher and Bale head back to 17th century England. Here, Malick starts using Caspar David Friedrich’s Woman before the Rising Sun as a direct influence for how he portrays Kilcher.

A lot of what he does is interesting—none of the Native Americans (including Kilcher’s Pocahontas) are ever referred to by name in dialogue—and the pacing is exquisite.

Malick nearly recovers at the end, but again, tragically, kowtows to the “non-fiction” imperative.

2/4★★

CREDITS

Written and directed by Terrence Malick; director of photography, Emmanuel Lubezki; edited by Richard Chew, Hank Corwin, Saar Klein and Mark Yoshikawa; music by James Horner; production designer, Jack Fisk; produced by Sarah Green; released by New Line Cinema.

Starring Colin Farrell (Captain John Smith), Q’orianka Kilcher (Pocahontas), Christian Bale (John Rolfe), Christopher Plummer (Captain Christopher Newport), August Schellenberg (Chief Powhatan), Wes Studi (Opechancanough), David Thewlis (Edward Wingfield), Yorick van Wageningen (Captain Samuel Argall), Raoul Trujillo (Tomocomo), Janine Duvitski (Mary), Michael Greyeyes (Rupwew), Irene Bedard (Pocahontas’s Mother), Kalani Queypo (Parahunt), Ben Mendelsohn (Ben), Noah Taylor (Selway), Ben Chaplin (Robinson), Eddie Marsan (Eddie), John Savage (Savage), Billy Merasty (Kiskiak) and Jonathan Pryce (King James I).

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Beaten (2005, Jon East)

Does the BBC have to dedicate a certain amount of time to socially conscious programming because it’s partially government funded?

I’m not asking that question as a swipe at Beaten, which is an hour-long special about spousal abuse… but it sort of feels like it was made to fulfill a requirement. The plot’s creative, but just because the route from A to B to C is different, if C is the whole point, the route doesn’t matter.

Robson Green and Saira Toddin—both in hard roles, given the twists, do well.

The direction’s too flashy and impressed with digital editing, but it’s generally all right.

The format is what ends up failing Beaten. The story deserves more. Writer Alison Hume does a good job and instead of being an interesting, slightly suspiciously motivated short film, I’m sure she could have written a solid feature. One with texture and layers.

Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her (2005) #2

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The art problems continue. It appears even when he’s just doing finishes, Sienkiewicz didn’t really want to take the time on the series.

This issue improves the series overall, even if Morgan is sort of racing around. There doesn’t seem to be a story so much as clean-up from the last series. Natasha is trying to find her friend (who I really hope doesn’t turn out to be brainwashed to be an assassin against her) while her enemies are trying to track her down.

Then there’s Daredevil and Nick Fury, who are just standing around so they can guest star. The first series felt like Morgan wasn’t on a leash. This one… it feels like Marvel is giving very specific instructions as to how many pages Daredevil shows up on….

It’s hard to dislike because it’s so competent; it just doesn’t have much energy to it yet.

Soon, hopefully.

Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her (2005) #1

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It’s Sienkiewicz over Phillips so you’d think the art would be good… You’d think. Instead, it’s a bad combination. Sienkiewicz is too contained in the layouts, Phillips is too broad because he knows there are going to be finishes. There’s no magic here.

Morgan starts this issue a week after the last series ends. It’s a direct sequel, lots of returning characters. Unfortunately, it’s been more than a week for the reader, so one might need a cast refresher and none is offered.

As for the series itself, it’s too soon to tell. Morgan just barely introduces the overall story, instead focusing on Natasha becoming an outlaw. Only that part of the story belongs to Nick Fury. Natasha seems like she’s guest starring in her own book. There’s even a pointless Daredevil cameo just for the solicit.

Morgan manages to be subversive, he just doesn’t get a compelling story going.

Danny the Dog (2005, Louis Leterrier)

Danny the Dog is better than it should be–it’s not as good as it could have been, but it’s definitely better than it should be.

The film finally gives Jet Li an appropriate English language role. Here, he can turn in a decent performance while doing his physical stuff. Li’s very likable (maybe because he’s so diminutive).

Villain Bob Hoskins is a bit of a problem though. While dynamic, the character’s too one dimensional (it’s one of those wholly evil villains) and Hoskins doesn’t bring anything to it.

The big surprise of the film (besides it being good and Morgan Freeman starring in it) is Kerry Conden, playing Freeman’s stepdaughter. Conden binds the film. She and Li’s chemistry (it comes mostly from her; he’s good here, no miraculous) is very nice. It’s not quite a romance and not quite not.

Director Leterrier’s the film’s greatest asset. His fight scenes utilizes Li’s martial arts abilities in the narrative, but he also brings the human element.

The story’s incredibly simple. It might be entirely free of subplots–for example, Freeman’s great apartment–he tunes pianos–is never explained–so it shouldn’t have much room to go wrong. Except it’s Besson; he eventually decides to dramatically shift the narrative’s course, trashing some great plot threads.

While the film doesn’t live up to its potential, it’s a shame it isn’t more acknowledged. Between Conden’s performance, Leterrier’s direction and even Besson’s script (which starts smart, then goes easy), Danny the Dog is good stuff.

2.5/4★★½

CREDITS

Directed by Louis Leterrier; written by Luc Besson; director of photography, Pierre Morel; edited by Nicolas Trembasiewicz; music by Massive Attack; production designer, Jacques Bufnoir; produced by Besson, Jet Li and Steven Chasman; released by Europa Corp.

Starring Jet Li (Danny), Morgan Freeman (Sam), Bob Hoskins (Bart), Kerry Condon (Victoria), Vincent Regan (Raffles), Dylan Brown (Lefty), Tamer Hassan (Georgie) and Michael Jenn (Wyeth).

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Black Widow (2004) #6

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Well, there’s the finish.

Morgan leaves it unsatisfactory—some of it—on purpose, but I wonder if he also needed a little more space. The issue ends with a tag announcing the sequel series, almost as though they knew they needed to promise more story….

There’s a somewhat lengthy fight scene this issue. It’s got some good moments (the fight scene), but it doesn’t have very much dramatic weight. It’s like Morgan thought of it in an outline and didn’t realize Sienkiewicz doing a blow-by-blow on the deck of a yacht would get boring.

Maybe it was Parlov’s fault.

Otherwise, it’s a really good issue. Morgan gets a lot in with the cast he’s established; his characterization of Natasha is exceptional. Usually male writers do something awful when writing female protagonists, but Morgan knows when to stop and knows how to sell it.

This one’s a great series.

Black Widow (2004) #5

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Wow, what a downer.

Morgan gives the issue, for its soft cliffhanger, an extremely depressing turn of events. Not the one I was worried about, but one I dislike maybe even worse.

It comes after the big revelation issue. I mean, there’s some bridging stuff at the beginning, but most of the issue is spent with Natasha learning all about the Black Widow program and what it’s done to her. Morgan does it in story, which really helps keep it fresh.

There’s a lot of talking heads this issue; it’s strange to see Sienkiewicz do the conversation scenes is a little strange, but he does a good job keeping it interesting. Morgan centers the issue around that conversation and it’s a fine scene, albeit expository.

It does nothing to prepare the reader for the finish.

I’m mildly concerned Morgan won’t be able to pull off a finish in one issue.

Black Widow (2004) #4

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So, for the first issue of the second half, Morgan’s changing it up again. He’s got Natasha in Russia, where she uncovers her past. It’s not the past she thought—I’m not even sure if it’s in continuity anymore—and the way Morgan does it makes the entire series feel like the first Black Widow comic ever. Even though she mentions the second Black Widow from the last series… everything old is new again.

Meanwhile, Morgan gets in the comic relief with Natasha’s friends back in the States (he’s joking about it going bad) and develops the villains. He implies a whole new reveal (which I may remember from the first time I read it).

Sienkiewicz, with his emotive lines, is a perfect fit for the comic, which now feels very Russian.

It’s an excellent issue; I remember why I was so upset Marvel didn’t let Morgan keep doing these.

Black Widow (2004) #3

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Morgan quickly makes up for any deficiencies in the last issue. It’s almost like he realized it, because this issue establishes Black Widow as being about gender issues. It turns out the bad guys are this freaky pharmaceutical company (probably using mutant gene in their face cream) and Natasha finding out about it.

Along the way, there’s more with her sidekick and their youthful charge (they rescued a teenage girl from some rednecks first issue). Unfortunately, there’s the implication the sidekick might be a problem later on. But for now, it’s an awesome dynamic. It brings humor to the comic, something it desperately needs.

It also needs Nick Fury to beat up the slimy NSA agent. Morgan’s pretty quiet on the political angles, but it’d be shocking to see Disney’s comic company release a series today about how corrupt the U.S. government has become.

Some especially lovely Sienkiewicz panels too.

Robin’s Big Date (2005, James Duffy)

All the Warner Bros. Batman films have, for the most part anyway, avoided the Adam West TV series.

So thank goodness for Robin’s Big Date, which doesn’t just embrace the show, but forces it into “reality.”

The big draw of Big Date is Sam Rockwell playing Batman. Sorry, The Bat-Man. He and Justin Long–as Robin–are in these homemade costumes (watching Rockwell tilt his head to see out the eyeholes is hilarious) and the whole thing feels absurd. Except it’s Rockwell and Long giving these earnest performances of these moronic characters.

Callie Thorne rounds out the principal cast. She does great–even managing to contain her laughter, though one can see it’s a struggle. Oddly, the film’s reality is so “real,” she’s in an abusive relationship and the superheroes can’t do anything to help.

Duffy’s direction is mediocre, but it’s all about the acting and Will Carlough’s writing.

2/3Recommended

CREDITS

Edited and directed by James Duffy; written by Will Carlough; director of photography, Trish Govoni; released by The Red-headed League.

Starring Sam Rockwell (The Bat-man), Justin Long (Robin), Callie Thorne (Kate), Josh Hamilton (Tony) and Will Carlough (Man).

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