certainlengths

June 14, 2012

The brilliant mysteries of Alien are easy to forget about after what’s to follow. But the wonder of stumbling upon that massive exoskeleton is unforgettable and leaves so much to question. Prometheus is smart enough not to run up and into Alien but instead follows it tangentially. There are similar threads and themes, and certainly there are major connecting points, but overall Prometheus focuses on Dr. Elizabeth Shaw’s journey to discover where it is that humans came from. It’s a theme unexplored in Alien, and while other Ridley Scott constants recur, Shaw’s journey is our focal point.

Let’s get the most important note here out of the way: Michael Fassbender is one of the finest working actors right now. He steals the show just peddling around on a bicycle. The other performances are a bit mixed. Noomi Rapace does a fine job as Scott’s typical strong female lead, at least during the parts where she’s given strong material to work with. Her love interest, on the other hand, seems a bit too pretty and cocky to be a scientist. Scott’s future has trucker-types running spaceships, but our scientists can’t be skateboarding up to their excavation site (or so one could imagine him doing). It’s an odd type to give him, and it hurts the verisimilitude. Charlize Theron plays the corporate suit keeping the mission on track - her role is a bit stiff, and for the most part, she is too.

This is not to say it comes off poorly. Once they’re in their places, Scott creates fantastic atmosphere. The scientists walking down cave corridors isn’t quite as eerie as the crew walking the ship’s corridors in Alien, but it echoes the same sentiments to strong effect. When we see some of these sights we’re in wonder. A massive human statue. A mural of familiar figures. A room filled with suspect canisters. It’s clear from the beginning that there are multiple agendas at play. Theron is the boss, Fassbender is the boss, Rapace is the boss. Someone has to give.

Thematically there’s a lot at work here. Theron is the personification of the greedy and nefarious corporation. It’s the same idea visited in Alien, but here it’s far less graceful. Where in Alien we slowly discover these things only as facts and are later left to consider them, here, Theron’s suit is nothing but a villain. Most interesting is the indefinitely recursive question of who made us and why. Rapace’s Dr. Shaw is determined to know. She has a strong religious belief as well which creates a great dynamic between faith and her findings (this theme should be no surprise - Lost’s Damon Lindelof had a strong hand in Prometheus’s script). It’s not necessarily explored as thoroughly or clearly as it could have been (which again, should be no surprise for Lost viewers) - more than anything it simply came up and characters sometimes made statements. Regardless, it’s this question that drives much of the plot and mystery, and largely it’s this that pushes Prometheus away from it’s relation to Alien.

There’s a wonderful comparison of the act of creation, that is gods or some forerunners to man, against the human reproduction. It’s unfortunate then that it’s so bluntly dropped in. That said, the direction this idea takes us is thrilling. Rapace’s journey from a certain point on perhaps demonstrates an impossible stamina, but it makes for a seriously tense sequence. Overall though, the sequences in this film are focused more toward action than suspense or horror, but the finer sequences are the ones where no one is being attacked.

The visuals are fine here, but there’s nothing worth lingering on. We’re given some fantastic and massive sets, but it’s unfortunate to see them often tainted with additional CG elements. While some can’t be avoided, others could only have been more effective performed practically. The 3D here is subtle and demonstrates that when used without gimmick, it might just be the future of cinema. Scott does nothing out of the ordinary, it’s simply an added dimension, and largely, it looks nice enough for it (although a bit darker). Of course, 3D is still at a place where it looks like there are simply several different layers on the screen like a pop up book. Still, though I’ve seen few 3D films, this may be the most tasteful yet, and between this and Rian Johnson’s discussion, the idea of 3D seems more plausible.

Prometheus isn’t as good as Scott’s early (and only) sci-fis (that is, Alien and Blade Runner), but it’s an interesting and atmospheric sci-fi film. Prometheus has a lot of good ideas and a taught mythology. Even if those ideas aren’t fully or gracefully explored, it’s enough to make Prometheus a fine piece of science fiction cinema. There are some muddy motivations, but few science fiction films take cracks at big ideas the way this does. At the very least, it’s the best film with the Alien in it since Alien.

9:54am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZlHBNyNNUzvc

May 31, 2012

Film: Thelma & Louise (1991)

Two women drive off in a Thunderbird for a short vacation. Perhaps the most they have in common is a displeasure with their work lives and their men. Thelma is the housewife to her controlling and argumentative husband. Louise has been a waitress for too long, and her boyfriend doesn’t want to settle down. Thelma, in a moment of daring perversity, packs a handgun into her bag. From here, we know what has to happen.

A man attempts to rape Thelma, and Louise deals with him. They flee the scene and panic about what they must do. The film hinges on this decision. Thelma suggests going to the police. Louise says that no one will believe them. They begin their drive to Mexico. There’s fantastic character building in the way these two women slowly grow through this awful situation. They’re both terrified. They takes turns wavering between fear and confidently bossing the other around.

On the other hand, this is a film of two women making poor decisions. It’s difficult to be sympathetic when dealing with the issue directly (that is, going to the police) would likely have solved their problem, albeit with irritating court time, though that must be better than becoming an outlaw. Of course, this isn’t the film, but making the choice on which the film’s events truly begin seem logical would help. Louise thinks that because Thelma was seen flirting with the man that no one will believe them. Maybe it’s true. It’s a sharp piece of commentary on women’s rights. Later in the film, the couple decide to call Thelma’s husband. Louise says to hang up if she suspects the police are there because they could be listening. She’s seen the same movies as us, but doesn’t realize the line is also being traced.

It’s a Ridley Scott film, so it’s no surprise to be seeing strong female leads. It’s odd however, how they’re treated by their primary antagonist. An FBI agent is after them, initially for questioning, but as their journey continues, for murder and robbery. Even after this all, he somehow knows that these aren’t the type of people to commit these crimes. He continually expresses genuine sympathy over the phone to Louise. He tries to stop his partner from sending men after them. In the final shot, he runs after their car, in the way of over a dozen agents with guns. It’s odd that a film with such strong female leads still feels the need to baby them. If these were men, is there any way that the agent would be trying to help them? He hardly knows a thing about them. They’re fugitives. They’re women.

The film is filled with matte colors. In a parking lot, red and blue police lights blink across a witness’s face. As the women drive, there are long stretches of nothing but the bright car against the brown prairie. The camera is always moving, never wildly, but it isn’t content to stare at its characters. It moves around them and follows their interests. It’s not the kind of supersaturated visuals Scott gives us in Blade Runner, but there’s still a lot to look at within these images. Space isn’t often wasted.

The pacing of this film is great. Thelma and Louise slowly grow into themselves. By the end they are entirely different, but it’s clear how they’ve come to be there. As fun as watching their exploits is, it’s still a little difficult to accept that they would come to all of this. Beyond that, their bizarre treatment by the FBI seems to make things a bit easier on them for a time. We’ve seen these individual pieces done better, but that’s not to say that this doesn’t make a compelling whole. They’re in the situation and they’re sticking to it, if not entirely because they simply don’t want to go back to their lives. From there, they do an alright job. As iconic as the film’s ending is, it’s hard to say it’s the right ending. Their choice is perfect. But the film has built to this, and it freezes the frame in a cheesy snapshot a few seconds too early for the moment to truly sink in.

9:52am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZlHBNyMUA5Qj

(Notes: 1)

Filed under: thelma and louise ridley scott film