Sunday, April 22, 2012

The Shawshank Redemption: Hope Can Set You Free


The Shawshank Redemption
One movie which is always presented in 'greatest movies of all time or top 100 movies' lists stands out as The Shawshank Redemption. Whilst the varying ideas of their creators can imply large variations in lists of this sort, this specific movie is regularly presented the #1 spot, and / or at the very least the spot inside the top ten. This appears just like a reasonably fine indication that in any other case the best movie of all time it happens to be undoubtedly one of the better and something just about every movie fan should certainly make an hard work to check out at least on one occasion within their life time.

The Shawshank Redemption is known as a movie based on a brief story by well-known publisher Stephen King that has observed many of his stories and little tales brought to living around the major display. The story centers around Andy Dufresne, a well proficient and delicate polite young man that's mistakenly found guilty of killing his spouse. Throughout his incarceration Andy befriends 1 his other inmates , 'Red' who, in contrast to him, are true crooks. The story accepts the tests that Andy faces imprisonment which include crazy sex-related assault and actual assault. He utilizes his skill sets being a businessman to garner favour along with the prison warden and resulted on associated in cash laundering. Nevertheless, Andy soon sees a strategy to outsmart the warden and transform equally his and Red's existence for a lifetime.

The peculiar thing in regards to the Shawshank Redemption is that it failed to gain an enormous level of success when unveiled in movie cinemas. Regardless of essential praise and considerably business hype regarding the storyline the box office saw quite unsavoury stats. Even though the movie had the additional stature which originated from having Stephen King's name attached to it, people came across as put off simply by the simple fact that it was initially a 'prison movie'. There are a variety of studies behind why the movie failed to meet expectations with regards to box workplace figures which range from rivalry from any other movies sharing the unleash date to people beginning to feel peculiar around a Stephen King movie that has not been a dread. What ever the cause, it were unable to carry out in addition as ended up being expected.

Whenever lists of the best movies are developed, they vary dramatically depending around the considerations employed to judge what tends to make a movie great. But, The Shawshank Redemption looks on nearly all of these list often close to the very best. It may properly be one of the ideal movies ever produced. It secures a universal attractiveness and uses a superb storyline while some world class acting to completely bury the viewers within the life of your roles. You could possibly not consult with for almost any more from a movie.

Over time, Andy and Red develop a close friendship, and Red procures a small rock hammer for Andy. As the years go by, he procures other items as well, the most interesting being Rita Hayworth. Red acquires a poster of the screen siren for Andy, and business continues as usual in Shawshank. Along the way, Andy ingratiates himself with the notorious prison guard Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown) and Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton). Putting his outside skills to good use, Andy provides tax advice and tax preparation services to guards not just at Shawshank, but other prisons as well.

Directed by Frank Darabont, producer of such hit films as The Geen Mile (1999) and The Majestic (2001), The Shawshank Redemption is a film of absolute breathtaking perfection that ranks near the top of most lists of the best films ever produced. Thomas Newman's musical score, reused in countless films in the years since its release, blends together with brilliant casting, memorable screen performance, and masterful set design to create an unmatched and timeless epic. If you haven't seen The Shawshank Redemption, you aren't just missing out on a great film, but a great life experience as well. Do yourself a favor and see this movie.

Monday, April 16, 2012

"Lockout" Succeeds At Offering An Exciting Experience

Despite a solid headliner in Guy Pearce, the underwhelming marketing for Lockout, which makes the project look like a direct-to-DVD experience, has been enough to cause a lot of moviegoers to forget that the film was actually developed by well-known thriller writer/director/producer Luc Besson (The Fifth Element and Taken). While Besson outsourced directorial duties to untested feature co-helmers, James Mather and Stephen St. Leger, the fan-favorite producer was still instrumental in crafting the Lockout story – as well as overseeing production.

As a result, it’s no surprise that Lockout features plenty of Besson’s staple calling cards: most notably a snarky and rough-around-the-edges (but charming) leading man, as well as some hard-hitting action set-pieces, among other things. However, do Mather and St. Leger successfully carry Besson’s concept across the finish line – delivering an entertaining sci-fi thriller that’s more than just the sum of its tried-and-true parts?

While it’s certainly not a flawless movie, or a deep exploration of character (as depicted in Taken), Lockout succeeds at being an over-the-top thriller with surprisingly high production values for a $20 million film that has to make room for a Guy Pearce paycheck. It’s not the most visually-stunning movie in the genre and definitely has a “budget” look at times; however, the project ultimately succeeds as a result of Pearce – who delivers an enjoyable, albeit snide, performance as government agent-turned-one-man-army, Snow.

As with some Besson-produced projects, the Lockout story is pretty basic. After a government operation goes awry, agent Snow (Guy Pearce) is taken into federal custody on suspicion that he double-crossed one of his closest friends (and, subsequently, compromised the security of the United States). After refusing to cave during a brutal interrogation at the hands of secret service agent Langral (Peter Stormare) and one of Snow’s handlers, Shaw (Lennie James), the agent is about to disappear into the federal prison system forever – until the President’s daughter, Emilie Warnock (Maggie Grace), is taken hostage by inmates while visiting an enormous prison facility orbiting the Earth. Snow is given the option of rescuing the President’s daughter in exchange for his freedom, an offer Snow initially rejects, until he discovers that the key to clearing his name is also aboard the prison installation (which is rapidly plunging into inmate versus inmate pandemonium).

While the Lockout storyline gets the job done – presenting an intriguing sandbox for Pearce’s character to kick butt and fire off snarky one-liners – none of the characters in the film are anything but single-note caricatures. Some moviegoers will, no doubt, be unaffected by the lack of development, but compared to similar entries in the action-thriller genre, it’s not unfair to expect a more rewarding balance. That said, Snow is a likable leading man (thanks in part to Pearce’s approach to the role); however, the audience is only going to sympathize with him because of the way he’s presented in contrast to the rest of the story: he’s innocent, anti-establishment, and honorable (in spite of his rough exterior). The same can be said for the rest of the supporting cast – which is either going to be a sticking point for moviegoers hoping for something character-driven or a relief for viewers who would rather jump right into the action.

This dichotomy can be applied to how audiences will view other aspects of Lockout - as the story, despite a pretty robust sci-fi future, doesn’t bother with a lot of world-building and instead simply presents information (there’s a prison in space) without really exploring the film’s potentially intriguing universe.

Every moment of the movie (both good and bad) relies heavily on familiarity with pre-existing action-thriller genre archetypes, sci-fi concepts, and staple good versus evil caricatures – without developing anything or anyone, once established. As a result, the characters (and story) aren’t likely to offer many surprises along the way – as the film merely follows the presented elements out to the most logical (albeit somewhat cliched) conclusions. Even the action, which is clearly the priority here, doesn’t showcase anything new and isn’t going to outright drop jaws. However, the combination of Pearce’s reaction to a lot of these moments of tension still makes for a pretty enjoyable one-two punch – even if the moments aren’t mind-blowing on their own.

Surprisingly, the film actually succeeds because of its heavy reliance on things audiences have seen before – since a lot of them are tried-and-true onscreen ideas. As an example, there’s nothing unique about Joseph Gilgun’s Hydell, an inmate responsible for most of the mayhem occurring in the prison, but he’s still one of the more enjoyable characters to watch. Similarly, even though the film fails to capture the scale of the facility and the sheer number of prisoners that are running around, the prison break in space set-up is intriguing enough – and presents an adequate foundation for some tense moments and modest-but-cool action sequences.

Lockout is not going to rival the explosive set-pieces audiences expect in Michael Bay summer blockbusters, but it succeeds at offering an exciting, if somewhat thin, adventure. While plot holes and one-note characters keep the film from being a clearcut must-see, for thriller fans looking for an enjoyable-but-brainless popcorn flick, Mather and St. Leger have delivered a (mostly) competent Luc Besson actioner – thanks, in large part, to an enjoyable performance from Guy Pearce.

Friday, April 6, 2012

"Machine Gun Preacher" Will Definitely Help Raise Awareness For Childers’ Continuing Work

At first glance, for many moviegoers, Machine Gun Preacher might have sounded like some obscure graphic novel adaptation – especially considering the film stars kick-butt action man Gerard Butler. That said, for anyone unfamiliar with the real-life name Sam Childers, or the numerous non-profit organizations he’s founded, the story of Machine Gun Preacher is wrought with just as much danger and human drama as the pages of a superhero comic book.


That said, while Sam Childers and the story captured in his book, Another Man’s War are no doubt larger-than-life, that doesn’t automatically mean that Machine Gun Preacher is going to be a worthwhile film adaptation. Is director Marc Forster’s (Monster’s Ball, The Kite Runner) ”based on a true story” movie a compelling and inspiring representation of Childers’ experiences – or an over-stuffed biopic that gets lost in the twist and turns of real life?

Unfortunately, while Machine Gun Preacher definitely has a lot going for it – the film also routinely falls short of finding a good balance between the development of Childers’ worldview and on-the-nose dramatic beats that attempt to “explain” key moments in his evolution. The real life Childers’ story takes some sharp turns, and subsequently, the movie has to cover a myriad of events in a short period of time. As a result, Machine Gun Preacher is a pretty jumbled and drawn-out film that focuses on a series of important snapshots in Childers’ life, instead of telling a concise, focused, and thoroughly developed throughline of the overarching story.

The Hollywood version of Childers depicts a reckless and hate-filled ex-con and drug addict who, upon his release, continues his destructive downward spiral – until a rock bottom moment causes Childers to reject his prior life and embrace the values of the Christian church. While on a construction trip in North Africa (to build a mission church), Childers is exposed to the horrors of the Second Sudanese Civil War – specifically the large-scale murders and abductions of children. Upon returning home, Childers embarks on what becomes a life-long project: to rescue and protect children in warring nations. It’s a journey that rocks the foundation of his faith and threatens the stability of his home life – as well as bringing Childers face to face with the terrors of war-torn Sudan: assassination attempts, ruthless mercenaries, and child soldiers (among others).

The movie covers a lot of ground (about ten years in fictional time) that actually accounts for about thirty years of Childers’ actual life. As a result, Machine Gun Preacher takes a lot of liberties in an attempt to streamline the narrative – omitting Childers’ son entirely from the story as well as combining a number of people into single composites such as Childers’ “best friend” Donnie (played by Michael Shannon). However, despite attempts at tightening the story, the film is still a bloated and bumpy experience – with nearly every scene forcing a not-so-subtle story beat onto moviegoers.

As a result, each step in Childers’ evolution from drug-dealing biker to an impassioned “freedom fighter” appears to happen in a flash: his conversion to Christianity (which actually took years) practically occurs overnight and his growing frustration with American consumer culture (juxtaposed with the needs of the Sudanese children) comes to a head at a posh dinner party. It’s not that the scenes themselves aren’t interesting – it’s just that throughout the film many of these moments lack much buildup, as if each one is supposed to communicate a larger moral or act as a galvanizing experience to propel Childers forward. There are very few scenes that simply allow the audience to absorb what is happening – without throttling the story forward to the next “defining” set piece.

That said, a lot these moments are still powerful – even if they don’t come together to form a competent overarching story. Butler delivers a number of especially engrossing moments as Childers – and successfully transitions the man from a despicable and disappointing human being to someone the audience will want to root for, even when his actions challenge preconceived ideas of a “hero.” The supporting cast, which includes Michelle Monaghan as Lynn Childers, also rises to the occasion – even if the narrative sometimes bungles their contributions.

Machine Gun Preacher offers an interesting set of juxtapositions, i.e. a God-loving guy kills mercenaries to free children and becomes so overwhelmed by the horror around him that he loses faith in humanity and God; however, only some of the scenes are successfully able to make sense of the underlying thematic material. Surprisingly, for a movie about the power of human will in combination with faith, some of the more religious elements come across as caricature, not individuated examples of Christian communities. This cliched portrayal of Christianity is most noticeable when Butler has to deliver a lot of “preachy” dialogue.

Side note: The film is pretty violent (earning the biopic an R-rating) and featuring a number of graphic moments that will not no doubt be challenging for some moviegoers. The Machine Gun Preacher tone is actually pretty fitting, considering the have-gun-will-travel attitude of Childers, but audience members who are expecting a more straightforward story about faith-in-action might be overwhelmed – and will be confronted several times by especially disturbing scenes.

There’s no doubt Sam Childers is an intriguing lens through which to view the horrors of Joseph Kony and the LRA’s campaign in Sudan but some audiences are no doubt going to find that despite a competent leading man, Machine Gun Preacher tackles way too much material to present a cohesive onscreen experience. Anyone who is especially interested in the source story will probably find Machine Gun Preacher to be worth the price of admission, but not a standout experience.