Into the Wild

Rarely do I get excited about movie trailers, usually I just get irritated that there's something postponing my movie-going experience. But, a couple of months ago i saw a trailer for Sean Penn's new film, 'Into The Wild'. The trailer struck me as amazing and I began to wait until the movie hit theatres. Tomorrow, September 28, is that day.

Into the Wild tells the story of Christopher McCandless, who leaves college and his nice lifestyle to live off the land in Alaska. I'm not sure exactly what it was about the film, but the moment i saw the trailer, the only two thoughts in my head were "I must see that film" and "I want to be that kid" (only later did i learn that Christopher McCandless starved to death upon reaching Alaska). In my mind it seems that nature's beauty is far too often overlooked, and in the worst cases it gets destroyed. In my mind, humanity's treatment of the planet is nothing short of rape.

So... I find it refreshing to see a film coming out that emphasizes the world's natural beauty. I have high hopes for the film, especially with a man such as Sean Penn at its helm, and I can't wait to see what the film's cinematographer comes up with to flaunt the beautiful setting.

Shoot 'em Up Review Commentary

I usually don't care much for reviews of movies and stuff. Typically if I'm excited for a movie to come out, no review is going to keep me from wanting to see it. With the horrid reviews that come out of the Star Tribune every Friday, I really couldn't care less about what these critics think. That being said, I do religiously read the Onion's A.V. Club every week. It might be because I love the Onion as a 'newspaper', but something about the reviews really works for me.

Moving on to the actual substance of this post... Last weekend I went to go see Michael Davis film, Shoot 'em Up, starring Clive Owen. I went to the movie after having already read Tasha Robinson's review of it from the A.V. Club. I went into the theatre with fairly high hopes, though keeping in mind Robinson's final grade for the film: B-. Robinson cites the film's lack of a coherent plot as one of the reasons she gave it such a sub par score. She states that:

Shoot 'Em Up has a plot, but it's an illogical mess of coincidence and conspiracy, and it takes a distinct back seat to hilariously cartoony sequences.

What she doesn't seem to realize is that the majority of the film's audience (Men aged 17-25) really couldn't care less about the film's plot, which involves an ailing senator, armies of hitmen, and fittingly carries a strong gun-control message. They, on the most part, are just looking for violence, gore, and sex (not necessarily in that order). Let me just say that if you're looking for those three things, this movie is definitely the place to look. From the opening scenes, in which Mr. Smith (Clive Owen) memorably dispatches and enemy with the carrot that had just been his dinner, Shoot 'em Up takes a frantic pace and never slows down. To Robinson's credit, she was able to somewhat accurately describe the action scenes that make up the film. Here she describes the film's tone:

The "Can't stop! Will die!" franticness closely recalls Crank, but the glossy special effects and polished aesthetic bring the action closer to Kung Fu Hustle or Tarantino's Kill Bill. Certainly Shoot 'Em Up has those films' flailing humor and desire to pander simultaneously to action-film fans and to people who mock action-film excess.

Being well-versed in the films of Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill 1&2), this reference gave me high hopes for the film. And I was not disappointed, to say the least. Sure, it couldn't hold a candle to Tarantino's gory masterpieces, but something about the film seemed to fit right in with his movies.

Robinson also comments on Clive Owen's performance in this film. Though I don't want to discount the importance of a good acting performance, this film is not meant to win Oscars for any of the actors involved. The focus of the film is the violence, not the dramatic performances. Robinson notes that Owen seems to be recycling his performance from his last film, Children of Men. Having seen his last film, I really think it does both films a disservice in trying to compare them. Children of Men might possibly be one of the greatest Science Fiction movies I've ever seen, and Shoot 'em Up is, well, a mindless bloodbath.

All that being said, please don't think that I believe Shoot 'em Up to be a gem of modern film making. I just believe that for films like this, conventions such as plot and acting should be discounted in favor of their ability to let the audience turn off their brains and enjoy.

Hello

Hey-
This is my movie blog for my High School Art of Film Class. I'll be commenting on films that i've seen and other fun stuff. So there...

Eric