Moving Pictures – New Movie Column!
Picture it: it’s a perfect day to go see a matinee. You enter the theater happy to see that your favorite seats are open. So you get yourself good and comfy and start reading the ridiculous Hollywood Quiz questions.
That’s when you see him. He’s about six foot five, and he’s headed your way. Every—and I do mean every—seat in all the rows in front of you are empty. But you already know what’s coming. You watch as this giant lumbers down the row and plops himself smack-dab in the seat in front of you. Something in you snaps. You rise up, raise your fists to the heavens, and beat him to death with your bottle of $5 movie water.
This has been a public service message. Avoid this violent end by learning a little movie etiquette (if you can’t not be tall, at least scrunch way down in your seat).
In Theaters:
“The Constant Gardenerâ€
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Hubert Kounde, Danny Huston
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Screenplay: Jeffrey Caine, based on a novel by John Le Carre
Feel like seeing a film where, as you leave the theater, all you can say is “phew� “The Constant Gardener†may be for you.
Moving Pictures
By Traci Adams
Picture it: it’s a perfect day to go see a matinee. You enter the theater happy to see that your favorite seats are open. So you get yourself good and comfy and start reading the ridiculous Hollywood Quiz questions.
That’s when you see him. He’s about six foot five, and he’s headed your way. Every—and I do mean every—seat in all the rows in front of you are empty. But you already know what’s coming. You watch as this giant lumbers down the row and plops himself smack-dab in the seat in front of you. Something in you snaps. You rise up, raise your fists to the heavens, and beat him to death with your bottle of $5 movie water.
This has been a public service message. Avoid this violent end by learning a little movie etiquette (if you can’t not be tall, at least scrunch way down in your seat).
In Theaters:
“The Constant Gardenerâ€
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Hubert Kounde, Danny Huston
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Screenplay: Jeffrey Caine, based on a novel by John Le Carre
Feel like seeing a film where, as you leave the theater, all you can say is “phew� “The Constant Gardener†may be for you.
Here I will avoid a huge tirade about the injustice of giant corporations and governments, and their treatment of the little man. Especially the dark-skinned little man. Suffice it to say that the stories playing out in this film are real situations happening today in villages across Africa and the world, and something I think we should remember. That said….
This is a magnificent and well-crafted film. With startling ease, the film pulls you into a multifaceted story of social injustice, deep love and political intrigue. A powerful story that is not only about doing the right thing, but what it may cost. This film subtly but repeatedly asks you, “What would you risk? How far would you go?â€
Ralph Fiennes seems to live the role of Justin Qualye, taking you deep into the heart of this painfully thrilling journey. After the murder of his wife Tessa, Qualye searches to find not only the truth of her death, but also the truth of their love. Rachel Weisz plays Tessa, a passionate and determined civil-rights activist who discovers the illegal actions of a major drug company in small African villages. This film does a beautiful job of making you feel a part of the story. You care for the characters and their trials. Brilliant cinematography rounds out this gem, with sweeping views of the African continent and documentary-style camerawork that elicits an emotional response from the viewer.
“A Sound of Thunderâ€
Cast: Edward Burns, Catherine McCormack, Ben Kingsley
Director: Peter Hyams
Screenplay: Thomas Dean Donnelly, based on the short story by Ray Bradbury
Maybe More like a light drizzle.
I was excited when I heard that Ray Bradbury’s 1952 “A Sound of Thunder†was being made into a film; excited and worried all at the same time, I waited. I’d read the short story when I was in fourth grade and loved it. It stuck out in my mind over the years—the idea that one, minute change in history could have a ripple effect and change everything we know in the present.
I worried that Hollywood would ruin the story. Feared they would butcher it as they recently had H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, removing all that made it powerful and memorable. Destroying all the lessons the story sought to teach. So I awaited this release with breath held and fingers crossed.
“There was a sound of thunder.†That is the last line in the short story, and thus, its title. My summation of this movie: Someone seems to have stolen Bradbury’s thunder. Once again Hollywood let me down. They took a fantastic story with great moral and scientific ramifications and dumbed it way down.
The basic Ray Bradbury story is still there, but it’s been buried under mounds of horrible effects, so-so acting and unnecessary plot changes. In Bradbury’s short story the shifts that rippled through time were subtle. Whereas Hollywood has apparently decided we’re all so dimwitted that we need every change to be big, clear and shiny. We need it to jump off the screen and slap us directly in the face so we can ‘get it’. The CGI in this film was, at times, laughable. The rest of the time it was laugh-out-loud-able.
Look, I love a fun, bad sci-fi flick as much as the next 13-year-old boy. So honestly, if you’ve never read the story, and you don’t mind special effects that will only seem cool if you partake of some strong hallucinogens beforehand, then you might really enjoy this movie.
Another great sci-fi story bites the dust.