Review: Noah

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★½

“Noah” is the first film of the year that carries with it a wave of controversy. Many of the world’s religions hold Noah in high esteem. To tell the story of Noah and his ark would seem so simple. But Hollywood has a habit with overcomplicating things when it comes to adaptation. Why do something so simple for only $60 million when we can spend $160 million and rival the trilogies of Middle Earth? Hollywood reached out to one of the most visionary directors working today, Darren Aronofsky, to craft this film and make it something so much more than the story everyone is so familiar with. The result is stunning cinema, but more of the same-old-same-old when it comes to the story.

Russell Crowe stars as Noah, a descendant of Seth who was the third son of Adam and Eve, born after Cain’s slaying of Abel. Early on, we see Noah’s father Lamech (Marton Csokas) killed by a young Tubal-cain (Finn Wittrock), a descendant of Cain who embodies mankind’s evil. Noah sees this, but is able to flee. Next we see Noah with his wife Naameh (Jennifer Connelly) and their three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth. Noah has a vision of death and destruction at the hands of the Creator causing a great flood. He and his family leave their home to seek out Noah’s grandfather Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins).

On their way, they come across a small village that has been ravaged by Cain’s followers. One survivor is a young girl named Ila who has been severely injured. Noah saves her and takes her in as an adoptive daughter of sorts. They seek refuge from the evil men with the Watchers, who are angels cast down from Heaven by the Creator because of their sympathy toward Adam and Eve. Upon reaching earth, the Watchers took the form of massive stone giants. They eventually reach Methuselah who helps Noah figure out what the Creator wants him to do: build an ark to house all the animals of the world from the great flood. The remainder of mankind will be washed away and killed.

It takes about 10 years for Noah to build the ark with the assistance of the Watchers. Shem (Douglas Booth) has grown into man who has fallen for Ila (Emma Watson), whose injury from her childhood has left her unable to conceive a child. Noah’s middle son Ham (Logan Lerman) is somewhat jealous of his brother because Shem will have a wife for himself after the flood. He and Japheth (Leo McHugh Carroll) will not have anyone.

Once all the animals start showing up at the ark, Noah is visit by Tubal-cain (Ray Winstone) and his army of evil men. He wants on the ark, but Noah knows it’s only for the animals. Noah believes the Creator is tired of mankind, and wishes for only animals to remain in his world. Noah will see to it that mankind will not remain following the great flood. Not even himself or his family.

Darren Aronofsky has made quite a career by producing dark and intense films. “Noah” is no different. Make no mistake, Aronofsky doesn’t hold back on anything. His vision is ambitious and his handling of the film is as much fearless as it is controversial. All of his stories are difficult to watch because they’re all so bleak and paint members of the human race in such unique situations. This film is simply an Aronofsky take on a timeless story everyone knows.

All that said, Aronofsky take many creative liberties with his source material, but that’s no different than any of the other book adaptation Hollywood attempts to make. The only difference here is that this story is sacred text for billions of people worldwide. And that’s where the controversy arrives. Aronofsky has turned this timeless tale into a film with a certain fantasy epic element that feels more like “The Lord of the Rings” than a feel good story from the Bible.

If these changes to the story affect the way you perceive this film, that’s really your own opinion and I cannot fault you on that. But from a film standpoint, Aronofsky has great vision as always, and is able to bring to life some very eye catching moments. He’s also able to bring out some very shocking and frightening imagery too. He’s definitely one filmmaker who can put forth such great juxtaposition between beauty and horror, light and dark, uplifting and heartbreaking. Many of his movies run across many spectrums of emotion. He’s a master of conveying this.

However, he limits his abilities here with several moments of disconnection in his screenplay, one he co-wrote with his longtime collaborator Ari Handel. In their attempt to bring the element of fantasy into the film, Aronofsky and Handel deal a fatal blow by trying to tie in too many subplots that don’t enrich the story. The first act is drawn out unnecessarily long, probably to show off the trademark shots so closely associated with Aronofsky. And the third act is a complete mess. This is nowhere near as polished as the screenplay for “Requiem for a Dream” which is structurally similar to “Noah” in many respects.

The vast cast of talented people is also lost in the confusion of the story. No one really wows in his or her performance. Sure, they all have their moments, but nothing really stands out. I will have forgotten every one of these performances by next week. Not to take anything away from them; they’re all talented (especially Crowe, Connelly and Watson), but they seem to have lacked the proper guidance from their director who was more concerned with the visual elements that the things that actually make a film good.

I don’t ride the fence on movies too often, but I’m right in the middle here with “Noah”. While I will still say Aronofsky is an exceptionally talented filmmaker with a sharp and original vision, he skimps on his story too much when he’s handed a large budget. “Noah”, much like his last big budget effort “The Fountain”, is a stunningly beautiful mess of an epic tale. It’s gorgeous to look at and provides many moments of extreme and genuine intensity, but it lacks the depth and substance that we’ve come to expect from him thanks to films like “The Wrestler” and “Black Swan”. Both of those films were so well written (not by Aronofsky) and executed to near-perfection with his trademark style (I named “Black Swan” the Best Picture of 2010). A film is only as good as its story, and I think Aronofsky might have gotten a little too carried away with turning a classic and well known story into a epic fantasy film.

Review: The Bling Ring

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★

“The Bling Ring” mostly centers on Marc (Israel Broussard). He’s new to a school that’s there to take in kids who’ve been in trouble with the system before, be it cheating, drugs or other run-ins with the law. His first day is a little rough; the spoiled Los Angeles teens that attend this school look down on him and his bad taste in fashion. He does catch the eye of Rebecca (Katie Cheng), a rich teen who is obsessed with pop culture, celebrities and fashion. Marc, Rebecca and another one of her friends, Chloe (Claire Julien), begin to hang out regularly and shop at high priced stores.

Despite being underage, they are allowed entrance to nightclubs along with two other friends Nicki (Emma Watson) and Sam (Tassia Farmiga), who are best friends that live together. They are both home schooled by Nicki’s mom (Leslie Mann). Together, this group makes up a team that’s representative of a stereotypical spoiled southern California rich teen.

One night, Rebecca gets the bright idea that they should find Paris Hilton’s house and go hang out there. They know she’s not home because of all the gossip websites that track celebrities every move. They easily gain access and enjoy their time hanging out pretending that they’re living this luxurious lifestyle just like Paris. They even steal some of her things. Breaking into Paris’s house turns into an addition and they’re soon breaking into many other homes owned by celebrities, such as Audrina Patridge, Orlando Bloom and Lindsay Lohan.

Sofia Coppola has put together a successful career for herself without living off her family’s name too much. She also seems to have divided audiences with her films. Some, like myself, love her work while others accuse her of making slowly paced films with dull and uninteresting characters. To each his own, I suppose. I can see how her films could come across as such but I do think “The Bling Rings” finds a nice balance. Those who love her work should still find all those elements that make her films great, while those who find her work tedious should find this more interesting and faster paced.

Coppola’s stories tend to center around the common person, moreso than people with some kind of a special talent or ability. After all, she grew up around one of the greatest minds cinema has ever known at a time when he was cranking out some of the greatest films ever made. She saw critics and fans alike fawn over her father in the 70s, and maybe would have seen someone take their admiration a little too far.

Media coverage of celebrities today is 24/7. TMZ and Twitter have caused people’s admiration of celebrities to reach obsessive levels. It doesn’t surprise me that Coppola was drawn to this story. With the “The Bling Ring”, Coppola has taken a snapshot of five spoiled kids raised in a world without consequence, shows them committing crime after crime with no remorse and then gets us to feel sorry for them. That’s no easy feat.

We can easily empathize with them and their celebrity obsession. How often do we tune in when we hear the latest celebrity gossip and try to learn more about their latest disaster? Most of us are constantly trying to find out more and more about famous people. Jealous of their bank accounts, but not the lifestyles they lead. The five young people in this film have taken their obsession to a criminal level which in turn becomes an addiction. This is a problem many people in our society have with different vices. This topic could have been shown in many different ways; Coppola chose to use celebrity obsession.

But there’s no stance being taken here. There’s no point or moral lessons that’s being imposed on the audience. Once again, Coppola is showing her brilliance by stepping back and just showing us a snapshot of their lives. She’s just observing, and we’re along for the ride.

Emma Watson is the only big name performer of the five teens. She’s sensational in her performance. Her role is that of a snotty girl who, like the rest of her friends, is obsessed with partying and fashion. You don’t want to like her, but she plays the part with just the right amount likeability that we do pity her. But not too much.

This is the first big time role for both Israel Broussard and Katie Cheng and they sell their performances just as well as their seasoned co-star Watson. Broussard plays the part timidly and he’s by far the most likeable person in the group. He wants to fit in and he really wants to be liked by Cheng’s character. Cheng is manipulative and emotionally abusive. The range of emotion and characterization between all roles here is vast and wide. The young cast sells this very well.

“The Bling Ring” doesn’t ever really find the right buttons to push to really kick that empathy level up that all filmmakers are looking to do. Given the characters she’s written, however, Coppola does come very close. Her screenplay and her observant film style have come together nicely with this film. That’s something that people who find her work boring will surely be able to latch onto this time. 

Review: This is the End

By Joe Moss

★★½

All that kept flowing through my head while watching “This is the End” (penned by the comedic duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg) movie was….no, not the Backstreet Boys that kept reoccurring through the movie…”It’s the End of the World (As We Know It)” by R.E.M.  All expectations about the END of the world are definitely addressed throughout this film. The movie is set in Hollywood and basically has a cameo by almost…well…EVERYONE of the younger comedy generation—with the cast lead by Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson. The script was so BAD that the movie [strangely enough] worked. I found myself laughingly at every sarcastic, pot-based, penis-induced remark made.

I guess if the rapture is upon us, who better to spend the end of days with than your friends at a party over-flowing with booze, sex and drugs galore. Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel initially met up as a means to rekindle their friendship that has been drifting apart as Seth Rogen continues to ‘sell-out’ to the Hollywood crowd.  After hours of pre-gaming at Seth’s house, he decides that they need to attend a house-warming party at James Franco’s new house at the base of the Hollywood Hills. Thus ensues the shenanigans and almost effortless delivery of lines (most of which I guaranty are ad-libbed) that make to movie what it is, a glimpse into how younger Hollywood addresses the common stereotypes associated with actors.

This movie is truly in a class by itself. While it has moments similar to “Pineapple Express” and “Superbad,” the stripped down version of everyone in “This is the End” makes it so mass appealing that you have to enjoy it for what it offer—basic plot development with no twists or turns. I loved the way that all of the actors poked fun at EVERYONE shamelessly—Channing Tatum as a gimp, love slave to Danny McBride anyone? “He’s got GI JOE on a leash.” That was perhaps one of the funniest moments of the movie. Just to see everyone relaxed and completely ‘out of character’ to the point of truly showing their raw acting ability. Emma Watson even has a few cameos in the film that show she has great ability to deal with the cowardice and poor behavior of these guys. “Emma Watson just stole our food” as delivered by Danny McBride after a Jay Baruchel induced awkward conversation concerning 5 guys and 1 girl alone in a house. Hmmmm? Don’t mess with Hermione and an axe!!

Place aside any of your prejudice and expectations and just go see the film for yourself—and be prepared to laugh continuously!

Review: This Is the End

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★

If you’re going to try and survive the apocalypse, who would you want to be with when it all came to an end? In Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s case, you’ll probably want to be spending it with some really close friends. That’s the question “This Is the End” attempts to answer, Rogen and Goldberg’s latest laugh-fest that will probably leave you shaking your head from the stupidity, but will leave you gasping for air in between your laughs.

Jay Baruchel has just arrived in Los Angeles to spend a weekend of getting high with his best friend Seth Rogen. Seth suggests that they attend a housewarming party at James Franco’s new house. Jay is reluctant because he doesn’t really know James Franco. Plus, Jonah Hill will be there and he really doesn’t like him. But he agrees, since he’s here to see Seth.

The party is filled with celebrities you’ve pretty much come to expect to see in movies produced by Seth Rogen: Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Mindy Kaling, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Martin Starr and Paul Rudd among others. Rihanna’s even there. So is Emma Watson.

But at one point in the night, all hell breaks loose. A massive earthquake strikes which brings on the beginnings of the apocalypse. Jay even swears he sees people getting sucked up into the sky in bright blue lights, despite no one else believing it. Before long, only Jay, Seth, James, Craig and Jonah are left in the house alone. And, of course, Danny McBride, who they didn’t even know was there.

The rest of the film is spent with them trying to ride out the apocalypse and figure out what’s going on. Food rationing is an issue, along with the shortage of alcohol and drugs. Also, there might be some kind of a monster or demon lurking around James’ house.

Rogen co-wrote the film with his longtime writing and producing partner Evan Goldberg, and both make their directing debuts here as well. “This Is the End” is quite similar in tone to another film they wrote together, 2007’s “Superbad.” Both films are vulgar, raunchy, perverse and at times pretty vial. And it’s really just plain stupid at times, even by their standards. But just like “Superbad,” it’s also a side splitting riot that makes you laugh so long and so often that you might miss the next joke.

One of the most humorous elements is how everyone is portrayed in the screenplay. Everyone is playing a fictionalized version of themselves. Michael Cera, for example, is portrayed as cocaine-using womanizer. Quite the far cry from what we’re used to seeing with him.

Danny McBride steals the show, as he typically does whenever he’s in a movie. The star of HBO’s “Eastbound & Down” plays his part very close to that of his famous Kenny Powers character. He’s loud and abrasive, imposing his will on just about everyone in his path. He serves to antagonize the group more than anyone else. But just like Kenny Powers, he’s fun to watch.

The film is stacked with so many meta moments that it would make the writers of “Arrested Development” jealous. Everyone talks about the work they’ve done in the past, whether it was good or bad. They know they’ve been in the movies for awhile and that they have recognizable faces, yet its who they are, and they’re not afraid to talk about it. Without citing any specific moments, I can’t really go into it anymore than that. Rest assured, all reference are designed to be interjected at the most appropriate – and hilarious – times possible.

At times, the film feels like a thematic continuation of “Superbad.” In “Superbad,” Seth and Even (Hill and Cera) were ready to go off to separate colleges at the end of the summer. They were lifelong best friends who had never been away from each other. The film ends before they head out on the separate ways. In “This Is the End,” we have Jay and Seth who are also lifelong best friends. They’ve been away from each other for a long time. Now they’re back together again. The film explores how their time apart has changed them and whether or not they’re as close to one another as they once were.

Friendships seem to be an underlining theme in Rogen and Goldberg’s screenplays, which also includes “The Pineapple Express.” Both Rogen and Goldberg are lifelong friends and it shows in their writing and in their characters. If Rogen is really as loyal in real life as he portrays himself here (and to some extent in the character Hill portrays in “Superbad”) then he must be a genuinely good guy and not the typical pompous Hollywood elitist that most in that city tend to be.

Despite the fact that the film is littered with stoner and bodily function jokes, “This Is the End” is a genuinely humorous film. It doesn’t have nearly the same sized heart as “Superbad,” but that probably would have been a little out of place here. This is yet another one of those films were you have to ask yourself, “what what were you expecting?” If you can’t stand Seth Rogen, well then why would you pay for it? Otherwise, “This Is the End” probably won’t disappoint.