Treasure Planet (2002)

File this latest Disney misfire under the all-too-familiar category of a well-intentioned and potentially neat idea that just doesn’t execute. In many ways, the end result of this film is something of a companion piece to Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The two exceptions to this comparison are that Treasure Planet adapts its story from a literary classic and it is easier to follow.

This film is a sci-fi version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, where the architecture and clothing resembles that of the 18th century and spaceships look like old-time sailing vessels with rockets. It focuses on a teenager named Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who comes into possession of a map to the hidden Treasure Planet. A friend of the family commissions a spaceship to go in search of Treasure Planet and the crew is a hodge-podge to say the least. Along the way the explorers face many dangers, including a mutiny at the hands of their cyborg cook, John Silver, who wants the treasure for himself.

I read Treasure Island when I was a kid and I recall enjoying it very much. I do not know if it was the full version or the children’s edition but it was exciting nonetheless. The heart of Treasure Island is still very much alive in Treasure Planet and the film could have worked if it had not been adapted so literally. In my mind, there is no reason for the spaceships too look like the sailing vessels of yore. At times that gimmick just doesn’t work. Maybe the science nerd in me is being too picky, but I cannot swallow travelling through deep space without an enclosed spaceship. Give it a Star Wars-esque worn-future look and it just might work.

Some of the animation in this film is pretty spectacular, with 2-D characters worked into 3-D environments. Unfortunately, for every scene where things look spectacular there is a scene where the animation is either unremarkable or the blending doesn’t quite work. That falls far short from the lofty standards set by Disney’s finest films. To top it off, only one song is even memorable from the film and it is not sung by any of the characters. It’s a fine tune by the Goo Goo Dolls but its status as the only noteworthy tune is an indictment upon Disney’s music department.

It’s clear that the Disney Renaissance is a thing of the past. I don’t know if they are just running out of ideas or if their ability to express their ideas is stuck in a lower gear. I appreciate that they try to push the envelope but either Disney is trying to push the wrong envelope or they need to push harder. Too many more films like Treasure Planet and Disney will find itself smack in the middle of a new Dark Age. At least their relationship with Pixar helps even things out.

RATING: 3 out of 5

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Oh, the finality! The themes of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy began with origins (Batman Begins), and ratcheted up with escalation (The Dark Knight). The way the second installment ended, you would have thought that the final chapter would be about redemption and honor. Nah- Nolan cranks things up to 11 with a film rooted firmly in annihilation.

Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne is still plagued by the physical after-effects of moonlighting as Batman. Despite his ailing body, a new evil draws the Caped Crusader from his self-imposed exile. Physically and intellectually gifted, the revolutionary and terrorist known as Bane pushes Batman and Gotham City to their limits. With the city held hostage (literally cut off from the rest of the world), Batman must find a way to defeat his opponent and save Gotham from nuclear holocaust.

As far as final chapters go, this one is a doozy. Just as I appreciated seeing Batman with bruises in Batman Begins, I liked that the filmmakers acknowledged that being Batman comes with irreversible wear and tear. Bruce Wayne is frailer this time around, forcing him to find strength in his mind and in his beliefs in what he fights for. Batman is no longer fighting for justice; now he truly fights for good against Bane’s evil.

Our antagonist, Bane, is a tough egg to crack. He comes across as equal parts bad guy caricature and plausible threat. His eloquent rants about liberation from class structure and the greed of Gotham’s elite smack of Occupy Wall Street and extremist liberal revolutionaries. He seems well-versed in the likes of Marx and Hitler, attracting the disenfranchised from the shadows like the pied piper. With Bane in charge, the have-nots and the mentally unstable take over.

Bane’s followers don’t seem to mind his almost Orwellian police state, nor do they seem bothered by his countdown to oblivion. Perhaps they don’t believe their hero would liberate them for a few months only to destroy them. Or perhaps they are too caught up with their revenge against the haves via kangaroo court to notice that the light at the end of their tunnel is actually an oncoming train. Either way, it all feels possible and that should scare the heck out of all of us.

The realism of post-revolution Gotham never fully sinks in because director Christopher Nolan knows he has to deliver some spectacle. With the stakes as high as they are, the action is grander, the gadgets are fiercer, and the drama strives to be epic in scope. Unfortunately, converging all of the plot lines for the grand finale requires too many doses of convenient timing and lucky coincidence for me to swallow. I can appreciate red herrings and slight-of-hand, but The Dark Knight Rises goes too far at times for me to suspend my disbelief.

Fanboys currently have The Dark Knight Rises at #50 on IMDB’s Top 250 movies list. I am not a fanboy. I enjoy this film on its own and as the final chapter in the recent Batman trilogy. I like the way the filmmakers incorporated Selina Kyle into the mix (though she is never actually called Catwoman). I even appreciate the character of Bane, difficult as he is to understand at times. But this is weakest of the three Nolan Batman films. The pace is uneven and its big ideas get crowded out in favor of action/comic book movie staples.

The Dark Knight Rises works, but we want to triumph with our heroes (especially comic book heroes). With this film, audiences achieve catharsis. Maybe we should just be glad that this film wasn’t a major letdown, as many sequels are. Maybe this is what the filmmakers wanted our mindsets to be heading into this movie. If you keep expectations low enough, you are never disappointed. I expected a quality product and that is more or less what I got. It probably wasn’t possible to top The Dark Knight but I was hoping for an equal to Batman Begins.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

Every year there are a handful of independent films that take critics (and occasionally audiences too) by storm. Sometimes these ‘indie darlings’ are overhyped by the pro-indie crowd. In the case of (500) Days of Summer, the hype isn’t hollow. Young stars and a clever story combine for one of the freshest and zaniest romantic comedies in recent memory.

Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has a degree in architecture but works in the writing department of a greeting card company. He takes a liking to Summer Fin (Zooey Deschanel), his boss’s intern. She’s cute and they share similar tastes in music, but Summer is an odd duck. As they grow closer together, Tom discovers how difficult it can be to fall in love with a girl who doesn’t believe in true love. Despite her semi-detached stance on their relationship, the couple gives it a shot, progressing through many peaks and valleys.

This film starts out like only a handful of films dare- by telling you exactly how the story is going to end. It then proceeds to use another film technique that is risky and prone to poor execution- the nonlinear narrative. We jump around through various high and low points in the 500 days that Summer Finn is a major part of Tom’s life. Tom is a hopeless romantic to the core and wears his emotions on his sleeve, which leads to a number of humorous but honest glimpses into the whirlwind life of a guy who mistakenly thinks he’s found true love.

If this film had been made in the major Hollywood system, it would have been a bomb. Yes, it has known actors as leads but this film is indie to the core. The writing is too fresh and quirky for Hollywood, whose rom-com writers seem capable of only cutting and pasting clichés and obvious lines into their scripts. The blend of drama and comedy on display here is only something that could have come from a writer and director who are completely devoted to their little creation.

Director Marc Webb had worked exclusively in music videos before helming this film, which explains its perfect sense of rhythm and musicality. A celebratory dance number is even included, allowing Webb to work his gift for pairing action with music. For cynics, this will come ridiculously out of nowhere and seem woefully out of place. For those who actually get and follow the film, it is a harmless and delightful romp that fits the spirit of the picture.

Both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are perfectly cast here. Gordon-Levitt’s star has been on the rise the past few years and his performance here shot him into the stratosphere of buzz-worthy Hollywood talent. Here is a young actor that has not been jaded by past success (3rd Rock from the Sun) and, through careful role selection, has broken through the barriers often built up through the label “former child star” to emerge as a legitimate adult actor. He brings Tom Hansen to life. He’s not just playing a character for a paycheck, JGL believes in Tom Hansen and that pays handsome dividends.

For a refreshing change of pace, Deschanel’s typically vacant, oddball acting style is exactly what the role calls for. Summer is a bit out there and rather than have a more ‘normal’ actress pretend to be enigmatic, Deschanel is able to be herself. There’s no disconnect between her and Summer. This is a character that other actresses would struggle to understand and make right. For Deschanel, it’s as if there is a sublime connection between star and subject.

(500) Days of Summer is not your typical rom-com. It’s doesn’t fit the standard pattern and even makes you think a little in order to keep the narrative straight in your head. This alone makes it interesting to me. I can’t help but wonder if I am also subconsciously more interested in the film because it focuses on a man instead of a woman. It’s hard to say, because the male and female characters are all but emotionally reversed in this film, which only adds to the freshness.

A warning to all you formula-addicted chick-flick chuckleheads: this movie is going to make laugh you and think. Can you handle both at once? If not, you best stick with the predictable rubbish that I typically make fun of. If you’re ready for a cinematic treat that’s part reality and part fantasy, pick this gem up. Dysfunctional relationships have never been this whimsical.

RATING: 3.75 out of 5

Inception (2010)

Ladies and gentlemen, class is in session! For the next two and a half hours, Christopher Nolan will be your teacher. Turn on your thinking caps and watch closely. For those of you in Hollywood, please take notes- creative and original thoughts are not dead in the industry after all! Inception is not just a triumph in modern filmmaking but also a masterpiece for storytelling and pushing the envelope.

Dominick Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are ‘extractors.’ They use special technology to enter the minds of others through dreams in order to steal secrets. This corporate espionage is profitable but dangerous work. After failing an assignment, one of their targets (Ken Watanabe) turns the tables on them with a job offer. Not only does he offer a hefty sum of money, he also tells Cobb he can use his connections to clear his name of all charges in relation to his wife’s death, allowing the extractor to finally return to the US and be with his children.

There’s just one catch- instead of stealing a secret, Cobb must plant an idea in the mind of corporate rival Robert Fisher, Jr. (Cillian Murphy). This is an infinitely more delicate and dangerous assignment but Cobb will do anything to return to his children. Assembling a specialized team (including the acting talents of Ellen Page, Tom Hardy and Dileep Rao), Cobb constructs an intricate plot three dream layers deep. Time is limited and the team is being hunted by agents of Fisher’s subconscious defenses, leaving no room for error whatsoever.

To call this film intricate is an understatement. Wrapping your mind around the rules of dream-sharing and extraction comes easy enough but director Christopher Nolan invites you to go even deeper. The multi-layer plan is harrowing and you have to stay sharp in order to keep track of which level you’re watching, as action on all dream levels is intercut. If you’re not prepared to think as much as you observe while taking this gem in, it’s very easy to get lost. Perhaps this is why I am especially fond of this film.

Trying to make a popular thinking man’s film is a tall task. Most of what Hollywood produces anymore is sophomoric at best in an attempt to hit as wide an audience as possible. It’s almost a case of the chicken and the egg. Which came first: Hollywood’s shameless cranking out of easy-to-digest films for broad audience appeal or a broad demand from audiences for easy-to-digest cinema? Either way, Hollywood has been coasting for far too long and the few visionaries willing to make films with deep thought attached are slowly waking people up to this truth.

Christopher Nolan has been nudging his viewers towards more than just simply watching movies. Most of his films to date involve some interesting philosophical or intellectual discussion within the film, causing you to think with the characters and for yourself. But does Nolan stop there? No. The questions he poses in his films and the issues and scenarios he raises will keep you thinking long after the movie is over. Here is a director capable of getting his audience to enter into discussion after the credits roll and then segue that discussion from the film to the concepts within the film. How many other directors are able to get you talking about heady issues like dreams, perspective and the subconscious?

The technology behind dream sharing is utter science-fiction but it’s presented in such a matter-of-fact way that it’s never an issue. It’s usually hard to sell a lone element of sci-fi in a film but it is handled brilliantly here. Unlike The Matrix, where a whole world of technology needed constructing and explanation to sell the idea, Inception slips this vital technology right under our noses. We just breathe it in and immediately believe it. Perhaps it’s because we know it’s all about dreams. Perhaps not. Whatever the reason, Nolan’s ability to sell us on his world is critical and the fact that virtually no one complained about it makes him a master magician.

This film rolled around for years in Nolan’s mind and his passion for the story really comes through. He wisely adds an element of subconscious mystery and emotional torment to Cobb that prevents the film from being little more than a heist film with a twist. Leonardo DiCaprio rises to the occasion and delivers one of the best performances of his career. The rest of the cast performs just as admirably and they really exceed expectations. DiCaprio is the biggest star in the film but he never overpowers the rest of the players. Ellen Page shows that she can play more than just quirky youthful roles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves that his best acting days are not in his past.

Another display of great filmmaking is how few special effects are used during the film. Despite the bizarre nature of dreams, Nolan keeps everything very realistic within the dream world. This keeps you immersed in the action and fully invested in the characters. They’re not jumping between buildings or traveling at superhuman speeds. Nolan’s rules for dream behavior require a realistic approach. Watch the fight scene in the rotating hallway knowing that there was no CGI involved and you will be awestruck.

Action, suspense, emotion, intelligence- it’s all here. I did initially dock the film a bit for what seemed like a few poor effects shots in the subconscious limbo world but a second viewing may see those points given back. Inception is a film worthy of a second viewing. Heck, it’s worth an unlimited number of viewings. This is an instant classic and already the leading candidate for best film of this new decade. Christopher Nolan singlehandedly gives moviegoers hope that Hollywood can still make movies that move us. Let’s just hope that Hollywood is sharing the same dream.

RATING: 4.25 out of 5