Antwone Fisher

Starring Derek Luke, Denzel Washington, and Joy Bryant
Directed by Denzel Washington
Year: 2003
IMDB / Wikipedia

Normally, I’m in the mood for a movie like this–a heartwarming story of overcoming adversity and stifling personal demons to move on with your life–but I couldn’t get full invested in this film. The story centers on Antwone Fisher (Luke), a hot-headed navy seaman who, after a fight with another crew member, is told to see the base psychologist (Washington) for an evaluation. The two of them forge a bond of trust and of understanding as they both dive deep into the issues that has brought Antwone to this stage in his life.

On the surface, this is a good movie. The story itself is well-structured (by the real-life Antwone Fisher himself) and well-directed (by Washington in his debut) and the acting is just fine. However, there’s something a bit off about the story. The characters, though based on real people, are not very well-developed and that’s sad considering there’s only a handful worth giving a damn about. The tales of abuse are horrifying and all-too real but the use of the flashback constantly was a bit disconcerting though it was the only way to efficiently tell the story.

Thinking about it, my issue is with the dialogue. I have noted before how sometimes dialogue doesn’t seem realistic because no one speaks in soliloquies and everything is too well-thought out to be natural. The same can be said for this screenplay. For a person and a character that was brutally honest about himself and his situation, the end result is something that is too artificial and too over-filled with emotion to make a widespread emotional connection to the viewing audience.

If you do watch this film, do so at face value as it will give you the best return for your time.

Most Valuable Actor: Derek Luke’s portrayal of Antwone Fisher was superb, giving a lot of pain and conflict to the role that seemed about as genuine as anything ever captured on celluloid. If only he had better dialogue with which to work.

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Antitrust

Starring Ryan Phillippe, Claire Forlani, and Tim Robbins
Directed by Peter Howitt
Year: 2001
IMDB / Wikipedia

This was supposed to be the movie that opened everyone’s eyes to how inherently evil major companies, especially tech companies, really can be in the cutthroat and ever-changing world of business. In the tech sector, advances and achievements keep getting faster and faster while the market share of customers seems to get smaller and smaller. To keep up companies are willing to do almost anything to keep on the cutting edge and, in some cases, a virtual stranglehold on the market.

Those of you old enough to remember when Microsoft had major issues with the US department of Justice and the Antitrust laws that forced Microsoft to divide itself into two virtual companies can see the parallels that this film makes. In here, eccentric and ambitious tech CEO Gary Johnson (Robbins who sports a Bill Gates-esque coif) is planning on launching a stupendous global communications system that will catapult his buisness into something more than it already is but needs the help of tech whiz kid Milo (Phillippe in a role someone better was born to play) to help him cross the finish line.

Along the way, Milo notices strange things about his new employer and discovers that he and his team of goons have been murdering small-time programmers and stealing their code to cobble together their own project. The tale devolves into a web of conspiracy that stretches the bounds of rational thought and leaves so many plot holes open that it’s hard to stave off disbelief to the end.

The problem with this kind of movie is that it horribly dates itself by relying on the viewer to draw the parallels between the fictional screenplay and the real-life Microsoft scandal. Without it, everything here seems too far-fetched to take seriously even though methods similar to these (the espionage, not the murders) are probably closer to real-life than anyone is willing to admit. There’s just too much that needed to fall into place to make the plot work and all of those things are improbable at best. There’s just too much crap to shovel.

Most Valuable Actor: Tim Robbins as the antagonist is one of the only redeeming parts of the film. He plays the role of a scary nerd on a power-trip so well that he becomes the most believable thing on screen. He has a way to make himself so approachable one moment and so frightening the second that it’s astonishing that someone with his range got wrangled itno making this piece of crap movie. You’re better than this, Tim!

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Full Movie:

Prometheus

Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Idris Elba
Directed by Ridley Scott
Year: 2012
IMDB / Wikipedia

Every now and then, I will find it necessary to break protocol to tend to my extremely large Netflix queue. This is one of those times. 

This movie had been rumored to be “in development” for about the past decade. But, much like James Cameron’s Avatar, Ridley Scott was waiting for movie technology to catch up and a script to be penned before he put this grand-scale science-fiction epic to celluloid. I was interested to see how this would pan out, a film that was a pseudo-prequel of the classic movie Alien, that was to explore much more.

In less than 100 years, scientists find pictographs all over Earth with similar symbols they determine is a star map pointing toward an extra-terrestrial visitor thousands of years ago. This theory evolves into the search for mankind’s beginnings as a journey is undertaken to visit the alien world to find some answers. What they find is much more than the scientists or the ship’s crew were expecting.

I hate to cut it short but I don’t want to spoil anything because the film is too interesting as it unfolds. There are elements that crossover to the Alien series, including the Weyland Corporation’s involvement and an android crew-person (Fassbender) that isn’t all that he seems.

But the central theme of the movie is asking the question, “If you could know the meaning or secret of life, would you want to know?” and the myriad of answers that follow. There are some who want to believe, some that are secure in their faith, and others that don’t care either way because that question is not a driving force in their lives. So, as much as this film wants to be a true horror prequel to one of the greatest films of all time, at its core is a very fascinating science-fiction angle that takes over and make the movie so much more than it would have been in another director’s hands.

Sure, this film has some scary parts and it does lead itself into the next films, but there are some incongruousness in the plot that leaves more questions than answers. I’m sure Ridley Scott did that on purpose to make the viewer try and answer those questions, but it’s very distracting. A huge question I had at the end is so big that to ask it here would be a very deep spoiler. This is a film that should be discussed, studied, and watched repeatedly to find the subtle meanings beneath the surface to find out if it is just a good movie or something much more.

Most Valuable Actor: Michael Fassbender as the android David plays a very peculiar part in that he sets the stage for Ian Holm’s and Lance Hendriksen’s characters in the next two films in the series. Treated as the outcast, it is shown that David may have his own agenda or simply an insatiable curiosity with his mortal counterparts that precipitate many of the conflicts in the film. Fassbender’s ability to play the role very small and simple gives it such depth and a subtle creepiness that it would be hard for anyone to match; only imitate. If he doesn’t get an Oscar nod for his performance this year I will be very surprised and saddened.

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Annie Hall

Annie Hall

Starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, and Tony Roberts
Directed by Woody Allen
Year: 1977
IMDB / Wikipedia

There is a fine line between genius and self-absorbed narcissism and Woody Allen has built his career with camping on both sides of the line and calling it art. His Oscar-winning comedy, Annie Hall is an example of how a film with a great premise, wonderful lines, and some of the best wit a movie can offer can also feel like a trip through the mind of a self-indulgent person you probably would never want to hang out with.

Despite the opening graf, I actually enjoy this film. There’s many redeeming qualities to it such as the supporting cast (Diane Keaton is adorable and Tony Roberts is a subtle comic genius), it’s use of non-sequitors (avid Family Guy fans will see some bits from the show were straight from this film), and the structure of the story. In fact, the only thing holding this film back was Woody Allen.

When you watch a movie or read a book or look at a painting you are forced to look at it from the perspective of the author who usually places him or herself into the shoes of the main focal point. This allows the author to do or say whatever they want and present the world as they want to. The problem is that Woody Allen does it in a way that makes you hate him as much as you hate yourself by the end. He’s a negative person who goes out of his way to be miserable and people believe he’s charming for his kind of sardonic outlook on life. However, as someone who tries to see something good even in bad situations, it’s hard for me to sit and watch a film where everything that happens and everything anyone says is stupid, phony, and pedantic. There’s no way out. This film is a labyrinth without an exit and Allen drags you into a world where there is no excape from the gloomy web he has spun and called home.

While I enjoy the film and much of Allen’s points, the Alvy Singer character is just a bit much for me. I may be alone in my final assertion that this movie would have been much more palpable if Allen had removed himself from the lead role and cast someone else. But that’s probably just me.

Most Valuable Actor: Diane Keaton is an actress that has never stood out to me but her turn as the eponymous character in this film was delightful. She reminded me of why I am (happily) not with any of my exes and why I was glad to move on. It’s really something to make a cute character into someone you end up loathing for being nothing except themselves.

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