Film Guide

Action film parody Tropic Thunder held onto the top spot at the North American box office for a third straight week as the summer moviegoing season drew to a close, Hollywood studios reported on Sunday.

Paramount Pictures’ farcical combat movie within a comedy, starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black, sold an estimated $11.5 million in U.S. and Canadian tickets Friday through Sunday to bring its three-week tally to $83.8 million.

Its biggest competition came from a real action flick, the sci-fi thriller “Babylon A.D.” from 20th Century Fox starring Vin Diesel, which grossed an estimated $9.7 million in its first weekend to land at No. 2.

Blockbuster Batman sequel “The Dark Knight” climbed a notch up the box office chart to No. 3 with weekend receipts of nearly $8.8 million, pushing its cumulative domestic haul past the $500 million mark in its seventh week of release.

“Dark Knight,” a Warner Bros, release, stands as the second-highest-grossing domestic film of all time, behind “Titanic.”

The U.S. Labor Day holiday on Monday marks the official conclusion to Hollywood’s 18-week summer film season, which is expected to end with roughly $4 billion in domestic box office receipts overall. [thr]

Reality television programmes which focus on extreme weight loss and drastic changes to a person’s appearance may be behind a dramatic increase in cosmetic and weight reduction surgery, according to University of Auckland researchers.

Professor Keith Petrie and two graduate students from the Department of Psychological Medicine said the portrayal of cosmetic and weight loss procedures on television typically distorted the speed and difficulty of these physical changes, creating unrealistic expectations for viewers, and had been shown to lower viewers’ self-esteem.

“Most programmes focus on the few individuals who have the most dramatic changes in appearance, thus exaggerating the likelihood of positive outcomes,” they wrote in an editorial in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The rate of weight loss and other appearance changes seemed extremely fast due to time being condensed into a television programme format. “Complications, infections and failed procedures are barely mentioned, giving the impression that negative outcomes are rare.”

Moreover, Professor Petrie said, the environments in which “appearance medicine” programmes were filmed were often highly artificial, as most people lack access to the same level of resources, equipment, personal trainers and chefs.

“Given the dissatisfaction that participants typically express about themselves and their lives at the programmes’ commencement, the extreme psychological pressure that is created during filming, and the difficulty of maintaining rapid weight loss, it would be surprising if all participants and their families walked away unscathed.”

Recent data showed that four out of five patients seeking first-time cosmetic surgery were influenced by plastic surgery reality television. Dentists also reported that “extreme makeover” programmes had recently increased the demand for cosmetic dental procedures.

More people than ever before were having cosmetic and weight reduction surgery in the UK – with the demand not limited to women. The greatest increase was in anti-ageing procedures such as facelifts and eyelid surgery.

Increases in cosmetic surgery procedures had also been reported in the US (almost 12 million in 2007, up 59 percent on 2000), and Australian figures seemed to be rising.

Professor Petrie said ethical safeguards were needed for participants in these appearance medicine programmes, as well as more research into the effects on both viewers and participants.

This would “help improve participant selection procedures and ensure that vulnerable individuals are not placed in potentially damaging situations”.

In 2007, The biggest loser Australia programme averaged more than one million viewers per episode, with the finale drawing nearly two million watchers. The series winner lost 70 kg or 47 percent of his starting weight. [press release]

SON OF RAMBOW is the name of the home movie made by two little boys with a big video camera and even bigger ambitions. Set on a long English summer in the early 80′s, SON OF RAMBOW is a comedy about friendship, faith and the tough business of growing up. We see the story through the eyes of Will, the eldest son of a fatherless Plymouth Brethren family. The Brethren regard themselves as God’s ‘chosen ones’ and their strict moral code means that Will has never been allowed to mix with the other ‘worldlies,’ listen to music or watch TV, until he finds himself caught up in the extraordinary world of Lee Carter, the school terror and maker of bizarre home movies. Carter exposes Will to a pirate copy of Rambo: First Blood and from that moment Will’s mind is blown wide open and he’s easily convinced to be the stuntman in Lee Carters’ diabolical home movie. Will’s imaginative little brain is not only given chance to flourish in the world of film making, but is also very handy when it comes to dreaming up elaborate schemes to keep his partnership with Lee Carter a secret from the Brethren community. Will and Carter’s complete disregard for consequences and innocent ambition means that the process of making their film is a glorious rollercoaster that eventually leads to true friendship. They start to make a name for themselves at school as movie makers but when popularity descends on them in the form of the Pied Piper-esque French exchange student, Didier Revol, their unique friendship and their precious film are pushed, quite literally, to breaking point. [imdb]

Selected Reviews:
What could have been an insightful look at how film and television mold our personalities is instead just another film about childhood friendship — sweet, huggable and toothless. – Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star

Giddy, goofy and heartfelt. – James Rocchi, Cinematical

After making his feature debut with the rather inspiration-challenged big-screen Hitchhiker’s Guide, director Garth Jennings wisely shifts to a more intimate and personal canvas. – Steven D. Greydanus, Christianity Today

I’ve heard a lot of film critics use Hellboy as a measuring stick for how good The Hobbit is going to be. It’s not a bad assumption; del Toro has gone form strength to strength and Hellboy II is a visual feast of magnificent proportions. But it’s more than just a special effects driven movie; Hellboy II is a wealth of fairytale styled creatures, a fantastic array of imagined creatures.

As a pure, adrenaline fuelled action movie, Hellboy falls way behind Wanted and The Dark Knight. But it does so on purpose. Hellyboy does not try and be an action movie. Sure when Hellboy cuts loose del Toro proves that he knows how to choreograph action, and he’ll have you on the edge of your seats. But Hellboy is a story, driven by it’s characters.

The movies kicks off with Hellboy and Liz having one hell of a fight. The reason they are fighting? It’s a lover’s quarrel. That’s right, they are in a relationship, but they both have different things on their minds.

“Man had been created with a hole in his heart.” – Professor Trevor ‘Broom’ Bruttenholm. (John Hurt)

Hellby is at odds with just about everyone else in the story. He’s a feisty solo character who wants to do everything his way. He also wants a bit of fame from the work they do, so ensures he gets public exposure big time, turning himself into an instant hero.

Of course public opinion is a fickle lover and soon turns against Hellboy when they realise he’s a freak and Hellboy has to search deep inside to find out what he really wants in life.

“Misfits give texture to life. They also tend, on a routine basis, to challenge the preconceptions that masquerade among us every day as normative behaviors.” – Phyllis Tickle

As Hellboy searches for something to live for, Prince Nuada, the evil nemeses does his best ‘devil in the desert’ impersonation when he tries to lure Hellboy into his fight against humanity. Nuada is holding tight to past grievances, believing that we have not upheld our end of an ancient treaty and wants nothing more that to bring the full force of the legendary Golden Army against the human race, to wipe our existence off the face of the earth.

To do so however, Nuada knows that he needs to do more than just remind humanity why it once feared the dark, he needs to either turn Hellboy, or dispose of him.

But this garbage truck riding group of misfit freaks know what they have to do, and for various reasons they decide to side with humanity and team up for the biggest battle for their secret lives.

In the end, Hellboy II lives up to, and exceeds expectations as del Toro firmly cements his place as one of Hollywood’s visionary directors.

Also: Josh reviews Hellboy II

Reviewed by: Jonathan Read.
Rating: M – Contains Fantasy Violence.
Duration: 120 mins.
Genre: Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction.
Director: Guillermo del Toro.
Actors: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt, Seth MacFarlane.
Distributor: Paramount.
Release Date: Now Showing.

Jumper, based on a series of teenage sci-fi novels, follows the life of a young man, Davey, from the point he discovers that he can teleport, to the point he discovers that certain people are out to kill him, and that he’s not the only one who can teleport.

What starts off as a coming of age tale with the clichéd broken home and high school crush turns quickly into a special effects superhero action blockbuster with a difference!

The difference? The superheros in question, the Jumpers, aren’t really superheroes. Sure, they have the super cool ability to teleport anywhere, instantly. But being all young guys, they use this ability to rob banks and live the high life, globally.

It’s starting to sound boring I hear you say, and it does slow down in the middle, but only so it can change gear and accelerate into an action packed second act, where we see the good superheros battling the bad superheroes, except there are no good people in this movie, really.

And what a battle it is, with special effects straight out of X-Men 2 (remember the blue dude?) and the macho talent of Samuel L Jackson, the action is pretty much non-stop.

The plot, whilst containing its fair share of holes, has enough twists to keep any action fan happy, without having to stretch the grey matter too much.

But what really sets it apart, is it attempt at being realistic. As I said there are no real good guys. Hayden Christensen (Davey) is the closest we get to a good guy in this movie, but the first thing he does when he discovers his powers is rob a bank.

But that’s the first thing anyone would probably do, given the options available to Davey.

With only 16% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, I think it’s this realism, this fallibility, that Doug Liman has given his superheroes that is confusing the critics. People with superpowers are supposed to do good. With great power comes great responsibility we were told in SpiderMan. But in Jumper we are confronted with selfish, arrogant superheroes looking after number 1.

Personally I think it’s sheer brilliance, and is a fresh take on the genre. It has everything I could ask for in the action and special effects department, and the twists got me thinking about possibilities not explored in the movie.

It’s a popcorn movie for sure, but a great night out.

Food for thought
“Did you think you could go on living like this without consequences? There are always consequences.” –Roland (Samuel L. Jackson)

Trivia:
The roles of Davey and Millie were originally cast with Tom Sturridge and Teresa Palmer. After 2 months of filming and inflating production costs, Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson were recast as the leads.

Eminem reportedly turned down an offer to star in the lead role. But an MTV report quoted director Doug Liman saying that his plan to have Eminem in the movie was dropped right after he met Hayden Christensen.

The crew was allowed to film inside the Colosseum for three days under the condition that no equipment could be placed on the ground. Shooting was allowed only between 6.30 and 8.30 am and again at 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm to avoid disturbing tourists. The only lighting allowed was natural sunlight.

The movie “Jumper” takes place in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The high school depicted in the movie is called Huron High School and area teenagers were allowed an open call to appear as extras in the movies scenes in and around the school.

Roland Cox’s name in the original novel was Brian Cox. Most likely it was changed to avoid referring to the actor Brian Cox.

David mentions King Kong while on the Empire State Building. Jamie Bell who plays Griffin in this movie, played Jimmy in the movie King Kong (2005).

Reviewed by: Jonathan Read.
Rating: M – Violence & Offensive Language.
Duration: 88 mins.
Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction,Thriller.
Actors: Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Samuel L. Jackson, Diane Lane, Rachel Bilson.
Director: Doug Liman.
Distributor: Roadshow.
Release Date: Out Now.

Ben 10 Season 3 revolves around Ben Tennyson, his cousin Gwen, and their grandfather Max as they continue on their summer road trip aboard their campervan. Ben is the main hero, due mainly to the Omnitrix, a a watch-like alien device found by Ben in the first episode of the first season. This device bonds Ben’s DNA with Alien DNA to enable him to transform into one of ten alien superheroes who help Ben defeat that bad guys that pop up like clock work in every episode.

Things don’t always go to plan however, and Gwen and Max have to help out from time to time.

Rendered in traditional 2D animation, much like the saturation of Japanese animations found on TV after school, Ben 10 Proves that you don’t need flashy 3D graphic to capture a child’s imagination.

Ben 10 manages to succeed with a basic, traditional storyline of good vs evil, wrapped up in the excitement of alien life forms and a summer long adventure with granddad.

Positive Elements:
Ben 10 is all about good vs evil, and good winning every time. It’s also about remaining grounded as Ben tends to get into trouble when he gets to big for his boots.

Negative Elements:
Cartoon violence is still violence, and if children act out fight scenes from Ben 10, you’ll have to make sure they don’t take it past fun rumble and tumbling..

FilmGuide recommends that the first viewing of any DVD be a family affair so that parents know exactly what their children are watching, and can talk about any issues raised by the storyline.

Reviewed by: Jonathan Read.
Rating: PG – Contains Medium Level Violence.
Distributor: Madman.
Release Date: Available now.

What if someone you love… just disappeared?  That’s the premise of this lightweight thriller that sees an Egyptian terrorism suspect “disappear” on his flight home from Africa.  His American wife however is like a dog with a bone and won’t give up until the truth is uncovered.

Playing mostly on believable conspiracy theories about America governmental procedures that allow the detention and brutal interrogation of suspects, with out due corse, as long as the incident doesn’t happen on American soil, Rendition is a mildly paced ride that allows Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon to coast through the movie with out much effort.

However the smaller roles, like that played by Omar Metwally save the move from mediocre, and a brilliant twist at the end make the 103 minutes invested worthwhile.

Reviewed by: Jonathan Read.
Rating: R16 – Contains Violence & Offensive Language
Duration: 103 mins.
Genre: Suspense & Thriller, Thriller.
Director: Gavin Hood.
Actors: Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon, Bob Gunton, Jake Gyllenhaal, J.K. Simmons, Zineb Oukach, Aramis Knight, Rosie Malek-Yonan, Omar Metwally.
Distributor: Roadshow.
Release Date: Available now.

Adam’s Apples follows the strange rehabilitation process within which the title character finds himself upon being paroled from prison. Initially unimpressed with Ivan – the minister and care-taker of this half-way house – and his co-inhabitors, Adam slowly scowls his way into a position of interested observer. The events that unfold around him, the truths that emerge, shake Adam from his apathy and he begins to take action in a world that he cannot make sense of. Ivan’s unwillingness to see the dark truth of his circumstances and his self-professed battle with Satan, provides a point of both confusion and frustration to Adam. In line with his neo-Nazi persona, Adam turns malicious and shatters Ivan’s illusions. Realisation dawns for Adam as Ivan’s response to his onslaught is to lose faith in himself, in God, and in those around him. In the absence of the fragile harmony of the little community in the church, the cracks begin to widen and Adam’s only possible course of action is to follow through with the goal Ivan initially set for him: to make an apple pie.

Adam’s Apples brings to the fore the continuing debate concerning the reason for events in our lives, touching on the age-old question of ‘why bad things happen to good people’ and to whom do we attribute the power for the events that take place in our lives…and at which point are we being overly naive and avoiding the issue. Coming full circle, the film’s issues are, if not fully addressed, at least seemingly resolved and the film ends on a somewhat up-beat note.

The absence of a clear narrative direction and a typical protagonist, as well as the presence of countless symbols and motifs, make for a viewing session that involves hard work. However, the intellectual input is not in vain as the film seems to draw the viewer in, desiring a receptive audience, an audience that must question their own beliefs and make sense of the value systems being portrayed.

With a few violent scenes, a good deal of swearing and content that may disturb, Adam’s Apples is not for everyone. However, the film does not indulge in the gritty realism that one would expect and manages to make up for these shortfalls, resulting in a film that is both pleasant and enjoyable as well as thought-provoking.

Reviewed by: Kate van Niekerk
Rating: R – Contains Violence, and Strong language
Duration: 94 mins.
Genre: Comedy/Drama.
Director: Anders Thomas Jensen
Actors: Ulrich Thomsen, Mads Mikkelsen, Nicolas Bro, Paprika Steen, and Ali Kazim.
Distributor: Vendetta
Release Date: Available now.

Set in Colombia, Love in the Time of Cholera follows the journey of a pair of lovers, from the time of their initial meeting, along life’s sad journey across the wastelands of sorrow, to the natural outcome of their love, albeit fifty years on.

Beginning in the early years of the twentieth century, the body of the film comprises a flashback to fifty years prior to its opening and then works its way forward in chronological order. Not only confusing, the opening of the film with the death of Fermina’s husband and the subsequent arrival of her long-time suitor (or rather, stalker), seems rather contrived and slightly irrelevant. Thus first impressions leave something to be desired, so much so that the remainder of the film cannot salvage what has come before.

The film’s handling of some of its key issues definitely leaves something to be desired. The word “love” is attributed so many definitions and meanings, being bandied about in the story-line, so much so that it is difficult to asses whether the love that finally triumphs is indeed something to be applauded and admired. When Fermina finally rejects Florentino’s advances, he chooses to dull the pain of loss through intimate relations with other women and a painstaking record-keeping of all of these liasons. Hardly endearing, this “passtime” turns a sad little man into a sad, twisted little man, who ultimately wins the girl – hardly the noble hero one would expect.

Expectations are certainly undermined by the plot line as well as the execution of the narrative. The dream of a beautiful, heartwrenching period piece, fraught with passion, and danger amidst death and disease, gives way to a nightmare of pretense. The depth of passion and love are not present. The random and underplayed instances of cholera belie both its importance in the film’s title and the seriousness of the infection. Finally, both Florentino and Fernandez are prodded and powdered into roles that far outreach their acting capabilities and the miracle of makeup: unbelievable, as school-girl, young debutate, or frail lover, Fermina’s role falls flat. That of Florentino is not far behind.

Anyone expecting a portrayal of the triumph of love set against a backdrop of old-world intrigue and romance will surely not be disappointed with Love in the Time of Cholera. Anyone expecting a decent and worthwhile version of the above, will find the film sadly lacking.

Reviewed by: Kate van Niekerk
Rating: R – For sexual content/nudity and brief language
Duration: 139 mins.
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Mike Newell
Actors: Benjamin Bratt, Gina Bernard Forbes, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, and Javier Bardem.
Distributor: Vendetta
Release Date: Available now.

10 Training Day
After a dozen amazing movies, this was the one that Denzel Washington finally won an Oscar for. Really? Aside from the fact that this rehashed plot is nothing close to original, it feels like this movie received the attention it did because Denzel played a bad guy and that was out of character. This had the same effect that Wayne Brady as a psycho did for the Chapelle’s Show: it might be wildly popular because it’s out of character, but that doesn’t mean the movie was that good. In fact, it was very average, at best.

9 Reservoir Dogs
This isn’t a bad movie. In fact, it’s pretty good and definitely entertaining, but for all the hype that this film received it definitely qualifies as overrated. This movie is on the IMDB Top 250 list, but the dialogue isn’t overly impressive (and only a precursor to “Pulp Fiction,” which is much better), and a lot of this film is based on “tricks” like the non-chronological order and flashbacks, which are used as style choices to hide plot deficiencies. This is a good movie, but it’s hardly a best 200 ever.

8 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Whales. Whales can connect with unknown aliens who are absolutely unstoppable, and are the only species who can save Earth, forcing time travel to 1980’s America. A very campy movie with a plot that questionable doesn’t even begin to describe. Let this one die quietly, bring back KHAN!

7 The Others
It seems like everyone loves this film, but once again this movie is overrated. It’s slow, and takes a long time to play out with intermittent scares. A fairly smart movie (but not overwhelmingly brilliant as many claim) with a legitimately decent twist, but the balance just isn’t right. A little too long and boring, with a twist ending that while decent, was actually not hard to figure out very early on in the film. The ending sequence is impressive, but like many other overrated films this is a decent movie that took too long and lost track of its balance.

6 Scarface
A lot of Al Pacino movies are overrated, and it’s not hard to argue that Pacino is consistently one of the most overrated actors in Hollywood. Look he’s screaming and cussing. I’d say again, but when did Pacino stop long enough to start up “again?” While this was a breakthrough film in the sense of violence, one has to wonder how this movie got its status. The F-word is used endlessly (so much for intelligent dialogue), the violence is way over the top, and there really are much better written drug, Mafia, or violent movies. This film might be legendary, but it’s hard to argue that this movie would still hold up if it was a brand new release.

5 Shakespeare In Love
Not even going into the incredible stretching and disregard for historical truth this film reveled in, keep in mind that this was the movie that kicked the butt of “Saving Private Ryan,” “Dark City,” “American History X,” and “The Big Lebowski,” all around the awards shows, but admit it – 9 out of 10 of you had completely forgotten that this movie had ever even existed until it just appeared on this list. Ten years later and this film’s competitors will be remembered for years or even decades to come, while this movie made it’s chick flick splash and then promptly disappeared once the next one came out.

4 Chicargo
Okay, even with admitting that 2002 was a down year for films; is that really an excuse for “Chicago” to win best picture? This was an entertaining picture, but “Best Picture?” Really? “The Pianist,” “Igby Goes Down,” “Gangs of New York,” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” were all excellent movies, and it’s hard to accept that “Chicago” was the best of the crop here. This film was fun if you like a musical, but it’s hardly a best picture.

3 Titanic
Another very long, absolute clichéd romantic chick flick, except girlfriends went so nuts over this one that it shattered records for money brought in over an insane 9 month theatre running. This movie is the biggest moneymaker of all time? Really? “Titanic” was a long and boring soap opera without good acting, flat cardboard characters, and the all time cliché of a tragic love story between two star-crossed lovers. This is one of the most overrated films of all time, and you could even make a case for this one as number one, except that there are enough people who agree with this assessment to bring it down the overrated list.

2 Clerks
There were sections of this film that were hilarious, but there were twice as many that weren’t funny at all. Even worse, as any late night store clerk can attest, these types of jobs provide tons of funny and ridiculous stories that could have been used in this movie, but were barely even touched, instead opting for a lot of cussing and explicit sex jokes. Other parts, like Jay cussing everyone up, just aren’t that funny. This was an impressive independent film, but nothing that should have achieved the near epic status it enjoys.

1 Apocalypse Now
Anyone who isn’t blown away by star power will see this for what it is: a sad boring film that doesn’t do “Heart of Darkness” any justice. This was terribly acted, stilted, and somehow managed to be ludicrously over dramatic without any drama. Yet this movie is widely considered one of the 100 best of all time and is lauded for its star power. “Apocalypse Now” is terribly overrated, and is on the top of this list as an example of a terrible movie that is lauded for its status over the film itself.