Movie Review: ‘Oslo, August 31st’

Originally published in United Academics on 22/06/2012.

Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), a former writer, is 34 years and lives in a rehabilitation home in the countryside. He himself is “clean”, but seems to no longer enjoy life. Now, he’s allowed to go to Oslo to attend a job interview and spend the day in the city. It will be an opportunity to meet former friends and family, maybe for the last time in his life.

‘Oslo, August 31st’ is based on the novel ‘The Fire Within’, by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, which had already been adapted by Louis Malle in 1963. Director Joachim Trier moves the action from Paris to the Norwegian capital, and turns the alcoholism of the character in Louis Malle’s film into hard drugs addiction.

There is a modernization of themes and circumstances. Trier’s “hero” represents a generation of spoiled kids now in their mid 30s, who struggle through life without ever having really grown up. Anders doesn’t fit into society, but his friends and family seem to lead an equally frustrated life. In a sense, Anders is the smart one.

The second film by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier has many valuable qualities; most remarkably, a beautiful, sunny Oslo that contrasts the gloomy mood of the main character, and the magnetic presence of the actor Danielsen Lie, who shows real pain and abandon in a subtle way. On the other hand, many of the dialogues and performances seem unlikely and unconvincing, as if most of the actors were unsuccessfully improvising.

There are powerful moments in between dull situations and erratic moves. Actually, the movie makes a wonderful trailer but an irregular, yet still interesting, long feature.

Movie Review: ‘Marley’

Originally published in United Academics on 15/06/2012.

It has taken some time and a few directors (Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme were appointed before Kevin Macdonald) to make an ambitious documentary about Bob Marley, but the end result is worth it. ‘Marley’ tells the story of the legendary musician from his birth in Nine Mile, a small village in Jamaica, to his death in Miami, when he was just 36. It takes about two hours and a half to tell the story, but the documentary never becomes boring or confusing; on the contrary, director Macdonald offers precise information about Marley’s life, beliefs and music in an amusing way.

The film features interviews with people who got to know him well, like his colleagues at The Wailers or his family, mainly Rita Marley and his daughter Cedella; along with archive footage and images of places that were important in his life, like his home village, Nine Mile, or the Kingston neighborhood where he grew up, Trench Town.

And of course, there is music. The documentary has the official approval of the Marley family and his British producer, Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records. In fact, Blackwell himself and Ziggy Marley, son of Bob Marley, co-produce the movie. This ensures that most of the well-known songs are played throughout the documentary, and also a few rare ones. This is done in a tasteful way, though, perfectly intertwining the music with the narration.

In the end, however, it is not exactly a film about the music but about the man and his circumstances. If provides a positive image of Marley but not without shades (his political naivety or the way he behaved with his kids and with women). It comprises lot of information without losing the focus on what is telling, with masterful editing and a well-balance mixture of politics, religion, social issues and music. There might be other means of approaching the figure of Bob Marley, but I doubt they would make a better movie than this one.

Movie Review: ‘The Thing From Another World’ (1951)

Originally published in United Academics on 08/06/2012

Unlike ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’, of the same year, ‘The Thing from Another World’ doesn’t stand the test of time. It’s not thrilling any more, and its scientific background looks naïve, to say the least. Why, then, is still considered a classic, and rightly so?

The movie, based on the story ‘Who Goes There’ by John W. Campbell, follows a team of scientists and military men (along with one journalist) who find an UFO at a distant arctic research station. They accidentally destroy the starship, but are able to bring a frozen alien back to the base. As expected, bad things start to happen, while a major storm keeps them isolated.

Produced by Howard Hawks (and believed to be directed by him as well, though credited to Christian Nyby), the movie stands out from the rest thanks to a masterful introduction of the events, without the alien showing up until well into the film; and quick, sparkling dialogues, the hallmark of screenwriter Charles Lederer (‘His Girl Friday’, ‘Ocean’s 11′). He adds a sense of humor and humanity to the characters uncommon in the genre.

When the alien comes into scene, though, the movie is quite disappointing. The creature is no longer frightening (as it used to be in the 50s) and the explanations about its nature are unintentionally hilarious. All in all, it’s easy to see how it influenced subsequent movies, most remarkably Alien (1979).

Its 1982 remake, by John Carpenter, is a much more complex film, better than the original in many aspects, but it lacks its novelty and sense of humor.

Movie Review: ‘Prometheus’

Originally published in United Academics on 01/06/2012.

Until now, British filmmaker Ridley Scott had just made two sci-fi films, ‘Alien’ (1979) and ‘Blade Runner’ (1982), but both stand as genre-defining movies. This will not be the case of ‘Prometheus’, which is set some decades before the events seen in ‘Alien’.

In this case, the story centers on a space expedition that arrives on a distant planet searching for the origins of humanity. The crew includes two archeologists, Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green); a captain, Janek (Idris Elba); a humanoid robot named David (Michael Fassbender); and an employee of the company sponsoring the mission, Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), among others. They expect to find intelligent life on the planet, but not sure of what kind.

Ridley Scott and his crew have put a lot of effort on the look of the movie, which is stunning. The visual effects and settings are wonderful, and they keep the interest of the spectator despite the weakness of the plot. Some elements of the original ‘Alien’ are there, like the conflicts within the crew or a strong feminine character (in this case Noomi Rapace), but on the whole ‘Prometheus’ is a completely different movie.

While ‘Alien’ had a strong premise and very few elements (the ship, charismatic characters, imaginative effects and clever directing and acting), ‘Prometheus’ tries to combine too many things at once. The story is quite predictable and full of clichés, while the characters, not well defined, fail to engage the spectator. Only David, the humanoid robot interpreted by Michael Fassbender, has some interest.

Despite its wonderful visual effects and superb setting design, ‘Prometheus’ is an overblown, inconsistent entertainment.