Movie Review - Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Eva Green, Powers Boothe, Dennis Haysberth, Ray Liotta, Christopher Meloni, Jeremy Piven, Christopher Lloyd, Jamie King, Juno Temple, and more.

Directed by: Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez Written by: Frank Miller Based on the Graphic Novels by: Frank Miller Cinematography by: Robert Rodriguez Music by: Robert Rodriguez and Carl Thiel

Premise: Sin City means different things to different people, but they all have a story to tell - the dancer trying to shore her courage to get revenge on the man who killed the only one who ever tried to protect her; the young buck trying to make a name for himself and ends up getting in too deep; the old lover drawn back by the femme fatale who broke his heart when she comes asking for his help. And all the stories tied together by the one man who knows the city best, except when his mind forgets - he has a condition. (Rated R)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Many familiar faces grace the screen -- several reprising roles from the original "Sin City" film, while other make their mark in the city for the first time. Mickey Rourke is still a total hoot as "Marv". Bruce Willis reprises his role as Hartigan, back from the grave. Jessica Alba definitely proves the nine years between films have not slowed her down, and she gives a great performance on multiple levels as Nancy. Josh Brolin is "noir" to his core. Eva Green, though, steals the show, proving once more her tremendous and hypnotic range.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: As in the original "Sin City" there's a lot of play with black and white and flashes of vivid colors or flip flopping contrasts -- they all looked great. Some subtle storytelling also went on with the colors, which added some nice flavor to the tales. The women were being their true selves when their hair, eyes, lips, or face had color, otherwise...

The characters with the larger than life faces or bodies were expertly done. The power player Ava talks to during her party looked so realistic I couldn't believe she wanted to be that close to him. And the few shots of Dwight's face after some of his troubles, and of Johnny's hand, had me twitching in sympathy in my seat.

The visuals and sweeps during Nancy's nightmare scene were very nice.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: It's been nine years between films, but "Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" picks up not far from the end of the original, so those who've not seen the first movie either recently or ever, will have a hard time connecting with the characters. While they do give information on what has gone before it's not enough to deepen the experience. (So be sure to watch/rewatch the first one before seeing this one!)

There's three stories, all of which connect through Marv or the bar. You see a piece of each one in turn, the middle one running on through to its end, then back to the others in reverse order. Because they don't have much to do with each other, and the Dwight storyline was so involving and long, by the time they got to the other two, I'd totally forgotten about them - so it was almost a jolt to realize there was more.

There were also a couple of bits they threw in at the beginning with Marv that were never actually resolved - you knew to whom Marv's jacket and gloves belonged to, but not how he got them. So that made things seem a little disjointed, especially after so specifically drawing the audience's attention to them.

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Gun battles, car chases, knives, jumping and being thrown through windows, and lots of fists totally fit the films "noir" feel. Add in some crossbows, samurai swords, and tough girls, and there's plenty of stunt fun to be had by all.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Real or imagined, the locations for the different scenes worked beautifully. Merging reality and CGI as well as playing with shadows and moonlight made for some lovely cinematography.

Conclusion: I'd definitely recommend making sure to see the original "Sin City" before venturing to see "Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" - this should definitely fill in some of the gaps to make the film have more impact and get you as the audience more vested in what's going on. There's lots of lovely visuals and plenty of fist action. The R Rating should be taken seriously for younger viewers - this is not for kids. But the adults should have an entertaining time.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)  

Movie Review - 300: Rise of an Empire

300: Rise of an Empire

Starring: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Heady, Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro, Jack O'Connell, Andrew Tiernan, Igar Naor, and more.

Directed by: Noam Murro Screenplay by: Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad Based on the Graphic Novel by: Frank Miller Cinematography by: Simon Duggan Music by: Junkie XL

Premise: Starting before the events of the "300", Queen Gorgo tells the story of Themistocles and his inadvertent triggering ten years before of events which drove Xerxes to wonder the dessert and absorb pure evil to become a God King with only one goal, the complete destruction of Athens and all Greece and everything they represent. (Rated PG-13)


Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Sullivan Stapleton did well as the tactician and guilt burdened Athenian Themistocles. Being made to follow the more intense King Leonidas (as portrayed by Gerard Butler in the original "300"), placed a major handicap on Stapleton's performance, as viewers can't help but compare the two, especially as Leonidas is mentioned several times. Lena Heady reprises her role as Queen Gorgo, and she makes it incredibly easy to believe she is a true Spartan Queen. Eva Green was great as the violated and vengeful Artemisia. She exuded both competence as a tactician and general and a poisonous sexuality that was enthralling.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: While the original "300" stuck to battles on land, "300: The Rise of an Empire" is filled with sea battles and close hand to hand combat. The recreations of the ships and execution of attacks looked amazing. Creative blood splatter and appendage removal populate the film throughout. In the beginning, the audience is given an unusual treat, by seeing first hand why helmets and other armor are quite important during battles, despite not seeming so in most movie combat. Helmets and armor/shields can definitely make the difference, even if later on helmets grew out of favor. (Hollywood has always appeared to believe that if you can't see an actor's face, the audience will think less of the film. Anyone who's watched "Dredd" with Karl Urban, can testify that not seeing the actors full face can actually work very well.)

The only thing that could have been done better with regards to the special effects and CGI would have been the introduction of certain details which were eventually revealed in later battles, but would have made the experience so much better if they'd shown them straight from the beginning. For example, the manner by which the Greeks kept their place on deck during ramming maneuvers, or the fact they too were using rowers to power their ships.

3) Story - Thumbs Up: Like the "300", "300: Rise of an Empire" clings to the general history of the period, then spices it up with a little mysticism for added flavor. The timeline pulls back to before the "300" then works up to it and beyond. The most fun was the fact they kept the tactics of several of the sea battles of the time, which were a lot of fun to watch being carried out.

Artemisia was indeed a female naval general in the navy of Xerxes, and she was deemed quite capable and intelligent, but the rest of the information imparted about her in the film is not accurate, although it did make for some great motivation for wanting to destroy Greece. From what I read, it was Xerxes who ordered the naval attacks against the Greeks in open water, while Artemisia had counselled against them, already aware of the Greeks prowess on the water.

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: The film has a beach side battle and many sea battles with close hand to hand combat. Several of these get the slow motion treatment, making their savagery beautiful. The shield and helmet use showed clearly why they were such necessary articles in warfare of this type. Outstanding choreography on all the battle sequences.

5) Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The visuals close up were great, and so were the far off shots showing a burning Athens, the fields of ships poised for battle, and other locations. When the Greeks first go against the Persian's in the sea, just seeing the view of the hundreds of masts, then the giant waves bringing the ships down right on top of them was an awesome visual.

Conclusion: "300: Rise of an Empire" does not reach the heights of the original "300" but offers a lot to enjoy regardless. Seeing the sea battles and cool tactics employed was a definite treat. Getting to watch the Athenians battle with their shields offensively and defensively? Priceless.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Movie Review - Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bohnam Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gulliver McGrath, Ray Shirley, Christopher Lee, Alice Cooper, Jonathan Frid, and more.

Directed by: Tim Burton Based on the Original TV Series by: Dan Curtis Story by: John August and Seth Graham-Smith Screenplay by: Seth Graham-Smith Original Music by: Danny Elfman

Premise: After being cursed by a witch and then trapped in a metal coffin for almost two hundred years, Barnabas Collins returns to Collinwood. He wants to bring the family back to its old prosperity while also acclimating himself to life in 1972. Unfortunately, the witch that cursed him is still around and has other plans for him. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: As actor Johnny Depp does in all things, he puts his own spin into his version of Barnabas Collins. Eva Green was a delicious Angelique. The love/hate/lust relationship between the two main characters was a lot of fun to watch. Michelle Pfeiffer was both the strong head of the Collins family and a little crazy with her huge macramé collection. All the supporting cast did a great job as well. The little touches from Ray Shirley as Mrs. Johnson were hilarious.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The special effects in this film were superb! Those used for the interior of Collinwood Manor towards the end of the film were utterly fantastic. Between the animated wood carvings and Angelique's skin cracking and her interior void, that whole set of scenes was mesmerizing.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: Though the script is slanted towards comedy, John August and Seth Graham-Smith are obviously fans of the original TV series. Not only are just about all the characters from the first season of Dark Shadows represented in the film, but most also closely resemble their original counterparts. Several lines used in the film even came straight from the TV show. There are plenty of 'in-jokes' for the fans of the series to enjoy.

The largest changes in the story are to the character of Barnabas himself. Unlike the original, the film's Barnabas doesn't assimilate information on the 20th century over a days' time from his thrall Loomis. Instead, the film's Barnabas must contend and realize the differences between his way of life in the 1800's and the technologically and socially advanced lifestyle of the 1970's. The majority of the humor sprinkled through the film ties to this change.

Barnabas was also made to look like a vampire regardless of whether it was day or night. His claws and the dark circles around his eyes were a giveaway that he wasn't exactly normal. The Barnabas of the TV series had a less difficult time hiding his true nature and could easily pass as a normal human.

And while some of the small details were changed (for example the film's Barnabas didn't get cursed until after his parents' death, while in the TV series his father had been aware of his vampirism and hated him for it), the overall arcs from the original remain the same. Several plot arcs used in the TV series are thrown into this much shorter venue, so there are ghosts, witches, vampires, and werewolves in the mix.

4) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Though the actual filming location were all in the UK, the creation of a Maine like locale was excellent. Collinsport not only looked like a Maine fishing town, but looked like a 1970's Maine fishing town. 

Collinwood Manor itself was amazing. The secret rooms and compartments were fun and ingenious. The manor entrance and main rooms were fabulous with gorgeous wood decorations. And the little touches of real life touching these rooms and the contrast to the bedrooms which were styled to the tastes of those using them were genius. 

5) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: The clothes and makeup for the 1970's were excellently done. The back story segments also looked correct for the period. 

Conclusion: This was a fun film with a lot for new and old fans to enjoy. For older viewers it will be an awesome trip down memory lane, whether they ever saw the original series or not. Also, listen for the original theme, it's there - and so are shots of waves crashing into the rocks, a Dark Shadows' trademark.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)