DVD Pick: Across the Universe

Love, Rock n Roll and Revolution!

BY COLIN ENQUIST

Across the Universe is a rock opera based entirely off songs written by The Beatles. The film is directed by Julia Taymor who also got a writing credit for the film. She is the genius behind the outstanding musical The Lion King which won her a Tony Award (the first woman to do so in the category) for directing the musical. The film stars Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson and T.V. Carpio. Cameo appearances from Bono, Eddie Izzard, Joe Crocker, Salma Hayek and others are sprinkled throughout the film.

The story is very disjointed and is tough to follow but is not impossible. Following several characters, the tale leads us from early in the 1960s to the later turbulent times of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. At heart the film is a love story, from beginning to end, but it strays because of the abundance of characters. As the story shifts to each character it loses some of its perspective, almost being forced in another direction just to use a specific song in the vast library of The Beatles. Jude (Jim Sturgess) the love torn artist, Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) the budding revolutionist, Max (Joe Anderson) the one being drafted for war, not to mention the musicians Sadie (Dana Fuchs) and Jojo (Martin Luther McCoy) (who resemble Janis Joplin and Jimmi Hendrix), each are uniquely interesting. All their sagas are intertwined but if Taymor had trimmed down some of the side plots the story could have flowed more fluently. Making us focus more on the romance budding between Jude and Lucy which is the main story being told in the film. Sturgess even opens the film singing “Girl”, describing a girl (who turns out is Lucy) which he loves, but he has many uncertainties about her.

Love may be the heart of the film but The Beatles songs are essentially the centerpiece of it. Incorporating 33 of The Beatles songs throughout the entire film, Taymor has created a soundtrack that is the film itself. Not only does the film use The Beatles songs to base the story off of, but it uses references throughout the entire film. I probably missed some myself, the ones easily noticeable were that most characters names were somehow related to a song written by The Beatles, Jude doing a drawing of an apple (The Beatles record label), some were not so obvious (Max holding his silver hammer!) and I was happy to catch them. Surely I missed many and if I watch the film again maybe I can detect the ones I missed the first time around. The musical aspect is not just used as a prop though, with commentary in the lyrics supporting the dialogue and path the story is moving in.

Taymor uses stylish choreography for the few dance numbers. The stand out would be when Max is going through his physical before being shipped off to Vietnam.

This film is worth watching if you enjoy musicals or are a fan of The Beatles. The disorganized story makes this film lacking where Grease or West Side Story excelled. I would never consider Across the Universe to be one of the greatest musicals but it is a fun film that you will love to sing to. You may find yourself heading down to your local Best Buy or onto the iTunes store to purchase the soundtrack so you can sing along with the cast anytime you want. I know I did! One song is now my ring tone as well!

3 out of 5

A 500 Day Journey of Life After Love

But how long till you find happiness again?

BY COLIN ENQUIST

(500) Days of summer is an offbeat romantic comedy directed by Marc Webb with a script from Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel play the couple, which really is not a couple, in the film. Presented in a non-linear format, each scene is established by what day of the 500 days it is. As the tagline states: This is not a love story. This is a story about love.

Right from the get go we are told about the break up between our two lovers. Through a voice over, which is at times too much, we find out how the two met. Instantly Tom (Gordon-Levitt) falls in love with Summer (Deschanel) but Tom makes Summer into something she is not. As we view the story (from Tom’s point of view) we realize that Summer is very basic, bland but to Tom very attractive, fun and exciting. The reason Summer requires more depth for her character is not the writers fault, but that is the way Tom perceives her. Limiting his view of Summer to only the good times points his mind in the direction of thinking he can change her into something she does not want to be.

The soundtrack was oddly different, really playing off the characters musical tastes, The Smiths was prominent in several scenes. Brit pop was the music used mainly throughout the film and almost every musician the couple talked about was featured; only Ringo Starr music seemed to be missing from the soundtrack but I could have just missed it.

Clichés hurt the film though. It is hard to get away from them but for the most part the filmmakers did. Almost cliché free until the ending. Introducing a new love interest for Tom, a woman whose name is Autumn (Minka Kelly), who he meets at a job interview, received some groans from the audience but it did get some laughs. The use of a younger sibling (Chloe Moretz) to play physiatrist is nothing new. I would really like to meet these intelligent young people who seem to always know more than the protagonists “adult” friends.

Some great scenes really construct (500) Days of Summer into a distinctive romantic comedy. A work party where karaoke is sung really shows Tom’s love for Summer start to truly blossom. This leads to possibly the best scene in the movie, where Tom, Summer and Tom’s best friend McKenzie (played by Geoffrey Arend) discuss each others different feelings about love and how it is portrayed in our society.

Webb, who got his start on music videos, brings a unique vision to the film. The out of nowhere dance number works and shows the fun Tom was having. Quickly he segues over to another day where Tom is feeling the opposite because of the same reason, Summer. Webb uses a uncommon practice in film, showing the same sequence happen from different perspectives. In this case though, not from two different characters but only Tom’s perspective, we just his expectations and reality of what is actually happening.

Love is fun, except when it hurts. This is a breath of fresh air with the film’s honest approach to a love story. The movie reminds me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and if you enjoyed that film this may be up your alley. It would advise putting this on your Netflix queue if it is not playing in your local theatre.

4 out of 5

If You Don't Like This Movie Then You're An @$$hole!: 002

From Dusk Till Dawn

BY GEORGE CAVALENES

Starring George Clooney, Havey keitel, and Juliette Lewis, this crime thriller/ B-horror movie never lets me down no matter how many times I see it. It's written by Quentin Tarentino and directed by Robert Rodriguez, two of my favorite people making movies today(if you don't include spy kids).

Nine Reasons Why This Movie is Great:

1. Quentin Tarentino plays one the creepiest guys in the history of film. He nailed it. He played creepy-rapist-sociopath-murder so well it makes me wonder just how much experiance he has at all those things.

2. The "Cloon". The guy is just badass. He does Tarentino dialogue so well! Why haven't they worked together again? Tell me!

3. What kind of testosterone driven male would I be if i failed to mention Salma Hayek? She does a sexy striptease, without the stripping, whilst holding a snake around her neck. Hot.

4. Sex machine. A biker played by Tom Savini with a pistol for a penis.

5. The opening scene to the movie. With Tarention and Rodriguez showing off their ability to create tenion and the "cloon" doing his thing, this is one of my favorite scenes in all of movies.

6. The face melting is very reminicant of Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you need to rewatch that movie. Jesus was a carpenter.

7. Super Soakers and condoms full of holy water. A jack hammer with a stake at the end of it. All the weapons in the movie are very satirical and yet very appropriate. They fit the mood of the movie and make it humorous all at the same time.

8. Cheech Marin playing 3 very different characters. Everytime he shows up you should be laughing. He is the border cop, the door/hype man at the Tittie Twister, and the guy that the Gecko brothers are there to meet.

9. Ernest Liu. Some of the worst acting I've ever seen and yet...I love it so much.

If you can't get down with this movie, than I can't get down with you. It's not a slice of life, thought provoking gorgeous peice of film, but it's fun and entertaining and if you don't like it then you're an asshole.

From Dusk Till Dawn trailer
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Short Film of the Month: 9 (September 2009)

Acker's short film 9 lost the Oscar, but gained a fan in Hollywood heavyweight Tim Burton

Director: Shane Acker
Writer: Shane Acker
Distributor: UCLA's Animation Workshop
Year of Release: 2005
Running Time: 10:39

Synopsis: Shane Acker's Oscar-nominated computer animated short film tells the story of a sentient rag doll called '9', who is the last of his breed in a parallel world that is absent of humankind. In fact, the only other visible entity is a relentless mechanical monster known as "the Cat Beast," which had already killed the first eight of the rag doll species, and is set on taking down '9' and its soul. This voiceless (music by Eric Olsen) short caught the attention of Tim Burton and Focus Features, who extended the story into a $33 million feature film that hits theatres today.

Tarantino tackles Hitler in 'Inglourious Basterds'

Dirty deeds are done dirt cheap, but notoriety comes at a hefty price

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

"It was a ridiculous movie," blasted Brad Pitt when German magazine Stern recently asked his opinion of Tom Cruise's Hitler-era feature Valkyrie. "The Second World War could still deliver more stories and films, but I believe that Quentin put a cover on that pot," Pitt continued, this time referencing Tarantino's latest cinematic asskick Inglourious Basterds. Such blatent animosity for last year's Valkyrie may put a damper on the friendship of the Hollywood kings, but I can only assume Pitt would prefer Quentin "Aestheticizator of Violence" Tarantino in his corner than Tom "Couch Jumper" Cruise.

Enough with that Hollywood gossip shit now, let's chat about an insanely entertaining--at times--war epic as told (made-up) from the warped mindset of one of the most adventurous filmmakers of the last 20 years, Quentin Jerome Tarantino. He's the same man who resurrected tintsletown dropouts like John Travolta (Pulp Fiction) and David Carradine (Kill Bill); the same guy who dismembered Sydney Poitier et al as "Hold Tight!" by Dave Dee et al played on (Death Proof); and the same genius who transformed Michael Madsen into an ear-cutting, flesh-roasting madman (Reservoir Dogs). And now, the man tackles one of the most infamous eras of mankind, and comes out on the other side with Nazi blood on his hands.

Just when you thought we had seen every angle of WWII, Tarantino flings us back into Nazi-occupied France, though he insists that his fictionalized film is a "spaghetti western but with World War II iconography" more than anything else. Whatever category Basterds may fit squarely into, the 153-minute feature is a slick, turbulent and classy--and I use that term loosely--step back into a time when Adolph Hitler decided that he was appointed the ruler of the world and the extinguisher of all Jews.

In this alternate history of a movie Brad Pitt tries on a soldier's uniform and a Tennessee accent as the ringleader of the "arse-kicking," Nazi-killing Jewish-American squadron known as the "Basterds." They take it upon themselves to seek and destroy the swastika-branded troops of Germany's National Socialism party, using methods of mayhem that requires each warrior to bring commanding officer Aldo Raine (Pitt) 100 Nazi scalps, borrowing from the carnal procedures of the Apache Indians.

Intrigued yet?!

Meanwhile, Mèlanie Laurent is Shosanna, a Holocaust survivor who escapes Colonel Hans "Jew Hunter" Landa (Christoph Waltz) (pictured below) during a lethal interrogation of a French dairy farm. A few years have passed since she witnessed the bloodshed of her family at the hands of the strong-armed "Jew Hunter," and she's taken up refuge in the bustle of metro France, where she changed her name and now runs the very cinema that will host the upcoming Nazi propaganda film Stolz der Nation (A Nation's Pride).

Therein lies the backbone of this sometimes-savage, sometimes-elongated, most times-encompassing peek into a theatrical substitute for the truth of the demise of Hitler. Shosanna's small, but refined movie house is the one opportunity in which Hitler and his gang of senior officers will all be together under the same roof ("all our rotten eggs in one basket"), a chance for the Basterds to end the war for good, and a chance for Shosanna to retrieve the ultimate revenge for the butchery of her loved ones. But if you must know what goes down from here on in, you're gonna have to shell out the $13 and head out to your local theatre for yourself.

If you don't go check it out, your loss I guess, but don't say I didn't warn ya. Now don't get me wrong, Basterds was far from perfect. It may have stretched out longer than I had anticipated, as a couple of scenes easily couldn't been levelled, but I'm not complaining! Pitt's '40s-hick accentè took some getting used to at first, but was like music to my ears by the second hour. And being a big fan of TV's The Office, B.J. Novak (as "The Little Man") seemed far out of place, but I couldn't blame such a thing on anything but my obsession for Michael Scott & co. Other than those minor indiscrepancies, Basterds flowed like warm Nazi blood down the cold blade of a vigilante sunuvabitch, unless of course you're "The Bear Jew" (Eli Roth) (pictured above right), who prefers his trusty Louisville slugger to anything made of metal. Good stuff indeed.

"Basterds flowed like warm Nazi blood down the cold blade of a vigilante sunuvabitch"

The art of war prevails in moments of Inglourious Basterds, whether they be moments of uber intimidation (Waltz is flawless as the pipe-smoking, milk-drinking linguistics Nazi), momentous retribution (the white man samples the scalping rituals of Native-American warfare), or insidious betrayal (Diane Kruger (pictured below) is ravishing as a German movie starlet who answers to the French instead). All such moments are aspersed throughout the Samuel L. Jackson-narrated feature, which borrowed inspiration from Enzo Castellari's Italian war film The Inglorious Bastards (1978), though this current spin is no remake.

Then there's the music. Tarantino has become famous for his throwback to "classics" and obscure ditties that never made the rounds of the radio airwaves, and he doesn't refrain here either, as the two and a half hours of Fascist slaughtery are delivered as so to the sounds of David Bowie, Billy Preston and Oscar-winning Italian composer Ennio Morricone, none of whom were active during the Second World War. In fact, Bowie and Preston weren't even born yet. This allowed for that progressive feel that Basterds was drenched in, not to mention extended cameos by the likes of Novak and Mike Myers (as General Ed Fenech).

So there you have it, my thoughts on Tarantino and his motley crew of Nazi assassins...a bold tale of what never was, but what a glorious afterthought, eh?! Tarantino has a way of making moviegoers crave what they would never wish upon their worst enemies, and he gives it a spin that tests aged and current formulas of filmmaking until they interweave into an audacious cloak of cult-status bliss. "With Basterds, everything that can be said to this genre has been said," Pitt revealed in that aforementioned interview with Stern. "The film destroys every symbol. The work is done, end of story." Yeah, what he said.

4/ 5 stars

Inglourious Basterds Trailer

An Alien Palm Pilot?

Brings us thoughts that I agree with!

BY COLIN ENQUIST

I was walking home from getting a slurpee the other day and found this funny looking gadget which seemed to be a sleeker version of a palm pilot. To my confusion it was covered in weird symbols that I did not quite understand. With no buttons on the device I could not figure out how to turn it on. All of a sudden the screen flickered on displaying a message.

My name is Kklahta and I am from the planet Maazal. If you found this I am either dead or have picked up on your species’ talent you call clumsiness and lost my communicator. I am unrecognizable to your species because we Maazalians can shape shift to any object, living or inanimate, so you may have walked right by me one day. My mission is to observe and report back to my world about your planet Earth.

After I finally finished freaking out that I had just found an alien palm pilot, I started reading what he thought was worthwhile to report. I found this to be one of the most interesting write-ups that Kklahta did. Agreeing with his opinions and critiques of the way our movie theatres our run, I thought I would share Kklahta’s thoughts with you. Sadly minutes after I copied the file to this very website several dozen government agents broke through my door and questioned me for hours, and topped the night off by 'confiscating' the device.

Today’s Earth Date is July 13th, 2009
Maazal Date is 3791095.

I find myself getting more annoyed with the little nuisances this puny planet seems to ignore. Items like driving slower than the posted speed limit (I can not imagine what would happen if someone tried this on the Intergalactic Arc-Speed-Highway), cutting in the many queues at earthly venues and the infinitesimal IQ levels, and those who display a disconcerting lack of common sense. Any of these things would get you vaporized or eaten on many planets part of the Unity Galactica Union.

After I had a horrible experience watching a so called “movie”, my fellow compatriots at work said I went to the wrong place. Apparently I went to the wrong theatre; they tell me there is a better one only blocks in the other direction from my current dwelling. I complained about the dreaded line of humans and they told me something I was not aware of, you could purchase your tickets on the interweb to avoid the dreadful line up. So this is me giving them one more chance to find out if I like this favourite human past time.

The first film I saw was called Monsters vs. Aliens. I could not believe how the humans thought other world’s creatures looked. So many forms of racism towards over a dozen worlds are littered throughout the movie. Not to mention that if those monsters were supposed to be scary then I hope they never run into a Lipideeas monster from the Hunkiuk planets. So I decided to see a film more along the lines of what humans experienced early in their lifetime. The title of the film I decided upon was Year One.

Like I was told, I purchased my ticket online and printed out a little bar code onto a giant sheet of paper. Why they must use so much paper for a tiny bar code is very confusing. As I arrive at the big building with massive car parkade (they really need to invest in shrinking technology that is used out in the Svetlor sectors) I pass by some young Earth beings that seem to be inhaling something from a tiny white paper pencil. The aroma is intoxicating. I refrain from going over and taking the item from their feeble fingers. Walking through one of the twelve doorways I laugh, stupid humans, waiting in line to purchase a ticket. I playfully mock a few as I walk towards the entrance way to theatre 7. To my dismay I am turned away. I have been lied to. The online tickets are not actually tickets at all, they just reserve your ticket, now I must backtrack to the enormous parade of people waiting and patiently linger. The good news, the human spawn that was puffing the white paper pencil is in front of me. The bad news, they leave once I take a sniff of the back of their head. Whatever they were inhaling is an aroma I should investigate for back home. Finally I get to the front of the line. The lady has trouble getting her primitive scanner to read my bar code on the printed ticket.

Now that I have finished one line I must move on to the next. This next procession is for my purchase of beverage and food. I purchase combo number 4 as it reads “best value”; sadly I am perplexed when all I get is a small drink, bag of popcorn and a little piece of candy. Honestly, I just depleted 2 hours worth of Earth money on an item that could be prepared for 1/10th of the value I just paid.

I step into the dark and desolate theatre which has the eerie stench of a sugary butter. Throwing my jacket, drink and popcorn into a seat, I find myself unable to read my magazine which I had obtained for free before entering, and I trudge back to the hallway outside the theatre. I am trying to comprehend the advertisement laced magazine they supply me with (free of charge) and I am not sure if my brain hurts because I tried to examine the publication in the dimness or it is the material itself. Maybe if I broke through the door titled “staff only”, I could force them to illuminate the theatre in which I am going to be watching the movie. Why I must sit in the dim lit room and try to read in an almost unreadable light is beyond my comprehension.

Well, I must sign off, the picture has started to move and I am being told to shut off all mobile devices. Even though I do not think it would matter, as last movie there were many devices being used during the film. Hopefully this time I will not have an Earth offspring screaming into my ears for the entire occasion.

I am currently in lawsuit with the government agents over the stolen property. Hopefully if I win the legal battle, I can share other items that Kklahta had to say. Don’t hold your breathe though, the lawyers are warning me that it is going to be a long drawn out battle.