mconrad3 Blog

Under discussion:

Zack & Miri Make a Porno  (2008)

I should probably start by saying that I am a rabid Kevin Smith fan. This is not to say I think he can do no wrong, but one day I would be more than happy to be as successful as he is today. On small budgets and short, indie style shoots, Smith has acquired a fanbase most directors at his level don't possess. He's turned into that aloof musician that releases an album every few years and you hope it'll be just as good, if not better, than the last. Zack and Miri Make a Porno, while not my all time favorite of his films, delivers on most parts and despite its faults remains a genuinely funny movie.

The film stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as high school friends and roomates who are forced to film a porno in order to make payment on their month's behind bills. The cast is much more high profile than any of Smith's other films, and some might even be mislead to believe it is a Judd Apatow production. That being said, the acting is also of a higher calibur than most of his films. Seth Rogen isn't breaking any ground playing the deadpan, chunky lead, but he fills the shoes well.

As a fellow writer I always look forward to hearing what dialogue will be coming out of Smith's characters next. The outrageous one-liners and vulgar ten minute conversations on God knows what always makes me laugh. He appeals to my baser instincts but also my wit; and I am rewarded for catching his inside geek/dork references (ie. Monroeville Zombies) strewn throughout the movie. I expect no less from Smith, and if nothing else he makes me laugh for an hour and a half.

The weakness of this film seems to lie deep in its plot between the second and third acts. Up until this point the pacing of the movie feels comfortable. Instead of taking another twenty or so minutes to keep the pace going, Smith jumps the timeline ahead three months and resolves most of the conflicts too easily. I have no problem with fairly happy endings in Kevin Smith's films, but this just didn't feel natural and felt more like he took a shortcut to get us to the end of the movie. While this hurts the film, it doesn't mean it makes it unwatchable.

Kevin Smith is the everyman's filmmaker. None of his films have won Oscars (these days I'd take that as a point of pride) and they aren't always deep. They do all manage to make me laugh, and you can still put them above all the poorly made remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, adaptations, and [insert genre here] movie parodies. He's vulgar, dark, witty, and laughably funny. And although Zack and Miri has some mechanical flaws in its bones, it still fits the bill for an entertaining Smith flick.

Under discussion:

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three  (1974)

I'm not really sure why they're remaking this film. I like most of Tony Scott's stuff, but I don't know what else can be brought to the table after watching this version of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Filled with dark humor and New York cynicism, it definitely speaks of the urban climate in the seventies, but also of the attitude most New Yorkers have on a daily basis to this day. I'm also a bit of a trainspotter, so anything dealing with trains/subways I always have a vested interest in.

The flick has a brilliant cast from Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw to even Jerry Stiller. More than anything its fun to see these guys as they were more than thirty years ago before Jaws even came out. The choice of giving some of these roles to comedians definitely helped in adding the grim humor to the entire situation. Couple that with the soundtrack and it's a film that screams the seventies. It matches the kind of style everybody was used to during the first half of that decade and paints an interesting picture to future generations (moi) looking back.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a pretty simple heist film with the twist of it being on the subway. The good guys win, the bad guys get killed, and a few hostages get popped along the way. But what is interesting is that "along the way" part. Seeing how people react to this insane situation and how they get from A to B to C. Its what makes the story worth watching, and if you're as deranged as me you'll even get a few laughs out of it.

Under discussion:

Pan's Labyrinth  (2006)

Guillermo del Toro is a very visual director. I was introduced to him through his earlier flick, The Devil's Backbone, and was enticed by his melding gritty realism with the supernatural. In Pan's Labyrinth he return's to Franco's Spain to tell another tale of a child stuck in a bad situation. I think I still enjoy the Devil's Backbone more, but Pan's Labyrinth definitely holds its own and was crucial in establishing del Toro's presence on the American filmmaking scene.

The film begins in 1944 in Spain after the end of the Spanish Civil War. Ofelia is unfortunately thrown into the middle of the woods at a fascist camp because her mother has remarried and is having the child of one Captain Vidal. Shortly after arriving, she discovers a magical prophecy that may prove her to be some form of underworld royalty. With the help of a faun, she goes about the tasks of allowing herself into this fantastical world. Compelling and original stories are hard to come by these days, and I have to give props to del Toro for managing to pull another one off.

Although things start slow, Pan's Labyrinth doesn't hold back on the shocking and disturbing moments once the plot starts moving. A fan of conventional effects over CGI, del Toro's penchan shows well in his rather sparse use of visual effects in a film that would probably warrant twice his budget of $19 million alone. His art direction, as usual, is his biggest strength. He can convince you of the mystical creatures residing in this forest, but also that they can reside right next to a historical conflict. Instead of worrying how fascists and fairies fit in the same film, we actually focus on the story.

I've heard that some of the roles in this flick were cast against their usual genre. Comedians playing sadists, sex kittens playing plain janes, etc. Although I am not fluent in Spanish, their visual performance was spot on and I sensed no awkwardness or clunky line deliveries. It may have been a gamble, but I think it paid off. Ivana Baquero, who plays Ofelia, conveys the curiosity and naivety required for the part and does well with it. Considering the film's success it should be interesting to see where she goes from here.

It was a little too slowly paced in the first act, and certain characterizations like the true motives of the faun aren't explored to the extent I think they could be. Like I've said, I prefer The Devil's Backbone, but Pan's Labyrinth is still a good film. I'll always be willing to sit down for a good yarn from del Toro, and if nothing else they're fun to look at.