Cross of Iron

Continuing my rediscovery of forgotten Sam Peckinpah movies, I rented Cross of Iron, his 1977 film set on the Russian Front during World War II, featuring a dynamite international cast headed by James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, David Warner, James Mason, and Senta Berger, but teaming with excellent supporting players.

In Cross of Iron, Peckinpah takes the viewer to the hell of war, and there is no escape. Even the hero, German soldier Rolf Steiner (wonderfully played by under-rated actor Coburn), beloved by his men and decorated for bravery, is unable to escape the unrelenting savagery, even though he has a chance when he is injured in a ferocious battle with the Russians and sent to hospital where he meets the gorgeous nurse Eva (played by lovely Senta Berger). Unable to abandon his men who are still waging war with the overwhelming Russian army, Steiner leaves her and returns to the front line where more horror awaits.

Though a box office dud at home in the U.S., Cross of Iron was a huge success in Europe.

While watching this forgotten masterpiece from American original Peckinpah, I found myself thinking of Quentin Tarantino's excellent WWII film Inglorious Basterds. Knowing that QT is a total film geek, I wonder if he had Cross of Iron in mind as he crafted his fantasy film about the war?

Tarantino's entertaining film feeds our wish fulfillment by depicting an alternate ending to the war, while Peckinpah, the grim realist, gives us mud, blood, agony, and death.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 10, 2010

Review of Splice

Imagine your most dysfunctional family. Got it? Now go see Splice, the new horror/sci-fi flick from director Vincenzo Natali. This mother, father, and daughter will send you to bed with shivers and nightmares.

When I heard about this film back when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, I knew I had to see it. And wow wee, it's good! If you like your sci fi and horror to go over the top and then some, you will like this.

I had heard from some other reviews that there are "eewww" scenes of gross-out horror (yes, there are), as well as "whoa hey now" scenes of highly inappropriate sex (yes, there are). So be prepared. This is NOT, I repeat NOT, a film for children. So get a baby-sitter, people.

The opening night audience that I saw Splice with, at the Loews in Edison NJ, was very appreciative, hooting and yowling at all the right spots as Natali pushed our buttons good.

Usually in films of this sort, the actors are beside the point. But not here. Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody as the husband-and-wife scientists who "birth" a cute little chimera named Dren, deliver terrific performances that veer from Dr. Frankensteinish glee to Biblically resonant insanity.

The film I was most reminded of while watching Splice was David Cronenberg's masterpiece of horror/sci fi The Fly. And it seems that Natali was nodding to The Master in several scenes.

So, I'm giving it a B+ because I kept thinking, "Gee. This is really good, but . . . What if David Cronenberg had made this?"

Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 5, 2010

Jack Bauer on the Silver Screen

So 24 is no more. Or, to be precise, the TV series called 24 is no more. After eight seasons of fighting foreign terrorists, weasley bureaucrats, and evil politicians, CTU agent Jack Bauer's run has ended.

When we last saw Jack, he had avenged the brutal killing of his girlfriend and, in so doing, brought down the presidency. In the final scene, he was given a head-start to flee the country.

Yes, the show is over, but, the word from 24's producers (including Kiefer Sutherland) is that the franchise will make the leap to the movie screen. Jack will be somewhere in Europe, fighting terrorists and saving the day.

Sounds good...but will it work?

There have been many attempts to translate a beloved TV show to the Big Screen, almost always a failure. Look at the miserable turd they made from the excellent landmark 1960's TV series I Spy starring Bill Cosby and the late great Robert Culp.

So here's the question: Can it be done? Can a great TV series like 24 be successfully translated to the Big Screen?

In the case of 24, I think they have a chance to succeed, especially with the success of the movie Taken, and the vacuum left by the Bourne series. Audiences clearly want to see a lone man with skills take on the bad guys.

Can a show as unique as 24 survive the move from the TV set to the theatrical film level? Due to its "real-time" concept of a day-in-the-life of Jack Bauer, 24 pulsed with an energy that made its rabid fans return week after week. I wonder how that is going to work in a two-hour format?

Whatever they hatch, one thing Keifer and Company can count on is that its loyal fans, which includes me, will be lining up to buy a ticket.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, May 28, 2010

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Part 2

OK I saw the film last night. And I am torn about it. While I really enjoyed much of it --and I thought that Noomi Rapace is a breakout star in the part of Lisbeth Salander-- I thought that the screenplay left out way too much of the book.

So, on balance, I'll give the film a B+ and add the suggestion that a book as rich as this one needs a longer running time (or more than one movie) to do it justice.

Who Needs It?

I guess I'm getting cranky as I get old. But the other day, when I read that there are two remakes of The Three Musketeers in the works, I found myself barking, "Who needs this?" I feel the same way about the new Robin Hood film. Who needs another Robin Hood movie?

Maybe the risk-averse bean counters need endless remakes of tried-and-true formulas. But not me. Give me originality any day. For example, Splice. I can't wait to see it.

At the risk of muddying my own waters, I'm not against classics like the Musketeers or Robin Hood. What I want, however, is an original spin.

For example, put the Three Musketeers into a contemporary urban setting. The makers of the HBO series The Wire did an interesting update on Robin Hood with the character of Omar Little (played so memorably by Michael K. Williams).

Come on, Hollywood. let's get creative and take some chances.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I just finished reading the book The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by the late Steig Larsson. It's a cliche to say that I could not put the book down, but guess what? I could hardly put it down, and when I had to, I could not get it out of my mind. That, to me, is the hallmark of a great book. One that creates believable and palpable characters and relationships, and a world so fully realized that you enter it and enjoy the stay.

"The Girl" is Lisbeth Salander, a fascinating character, an angry anti-social hacker somewhat similar to Chloe O'Brien from TV's 24, but way more socially estranged than Chloe ever was. But like Chloe who is loyally attached to Jack Bauer, Salander gradually becomes attached to her investigative counterpart Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist. Together they find themselves researching a decades-old disappearance that might be a murder, uncovering some old sins (such as Nazism) and some hidden ones (such as abuse of women) along the way.

I've read that the next two books in the trilogy continue to develop the story. And I look forward to reading both books.

No, I have not yet seen the movie version that came out last year from Sweden. (That is actress Noomi Rapace as Salander, in the photo.) But I hope to catch it soon.

I've read that an English-language remake is being planned and a search is on for the actress to play Lisbeth Salander. Names such as Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Kristen Stewart, and Scarlett Johansson are being mentioned. Who would I cast?

I think I would go with an unknown. An actress like Sarah Clarke, the one from the first season of 24 who played Jack Bauer's nemesis Nina Myers. Someone with that lean and scary look.

How about Noomi Rapace?

Posted by Terrence Seamon, May 12, 2010

Iron Man 2

Can a movie give you a headache?

I walked out of Iron Man 2 with a splitting headache.

There's an interesting story buried in the noise of Iron Man 2, about three men, one good, one ugly, and one bad: a rapidly deteriorating Tony Stark (an excellent Robert Downey Jr) haunted by his dead father; brilliant badguy Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke in tattoos and wild hair) out to avenge his dead father; and slimey competitor Justin Hammer (well played by Sam Rockwell).

But the story gets lost in the noise. There is a lot of action in this sequel. Probably too much action. It drowns out the characters and the relationships.

Did the movie give me the headache? Maybe it was the Diet Coke and Raisinets?

Posted by Terrence Seamon, May 11, 2010