Vantage Point and Charlie Wilson's War

First off I would like to say that "Vantage Point's" theatrical trailer was one of my favorite trailers in a long time. Really it was like a mini movie, providing plenty of entertainment in a short amount of time. But alas, the 90 minute movie fell far short of the mark, and if you have the choice I would recommend watching the theatrical trailer over the film itself. So many opportunities were squandered, and really the multiple perspective theme of the movie turned out to be merely a gimmick. I wanted a clever techno-thriller that took advantage of different points of view to build a compelling story. Instead I had to watch basically the same thing happen six or seven times from different camera angles. Maybe I should have known better, I guess it's just the optimist in me hoping beyond hope to see something new and fresh, well not in "Vantage Point" I'm afraid.

"Charlie Wilson's War" is over at the Dollarr Theater here in Colorado Springs, so I thought no matter what it would probably be worth the price of admission. Considering that some of the actors (including Phillip Seymour Hoffman) are nominated for Academy Awards tonight, I was hoping to nullify the effects of the shallowness of "Vantage Point". Sure the film has a left-leaning political bite to it, but then maybe it makes some good points too. The perfomances from Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and mostly Hoffman were very enjoyable, and it was well worth the price ($1.50 at our Dollar Theater). It didn't ever acheive any level of greatness and probably won't leave any lasting impressions with me, but it was fun to watch. Movies like this don't really bring anytthing new to the table. We all know that our government built-up the Osama Bin Ladens of the world in an effort to fight Communism. "Charlie Wilson's War" is an inside look at the motivations and personalities behind one of those 'the road to Hell is paved with good intentions' pieces of history that we just can't seem to learn from.

Juno

I got to go see "Juno" with Jess last night, and we both really enjoyed it. You may remember that we saw "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" together back in October, and that's the last time we got to see a movie in the theater together. Our tastes in film can be very different, but when there is an overlap it makes the expereience so enjoyable. We laughed at many of the same scenes, felt compassion for certain caracters, and of course since we are married we disagreed here and there too. I would like to explain what made this film so good, perhaps even great, but it's not a simple thing to do. "Juno" had depth. Not just layers of writing, or allusion to something that may or may not be there, but true depth. What first tipped me off was early on in the film when Juno (the main character of course) enters an abortion clinic fully intending to have an abortion. Outside she was met by a classmate who is picketing the clinic. There is a short exchange in which the classmate informs her that her baby probably already has hair, a heartbeat and fingernails. Juno has seen the bumper-stickers and picket signs before and continues into the clinic. Once inside she seems to have a tendency to notice all the little details that make us uncomfortable in any clinical enviornment, and she soon leaves, with he baby intact. What's great about the shot is that we get to see her noticing women tapping their fingernails, painting their fingernails, etc. Did her baby's fingernails save it's life? I don't think the movie is so simple as to suggest that, merely it points out that it can be those seemingly insignificant statements, or little details that add up in making us who we are, and help determine the choices we make and the way we approach life.
There a have been quite a few movies made, especially since this low-budget independent film craze began, that attempt to make comedies centered on realistic situations. What seperates "Juno" from what is mostly crap, is that it has real people, dealing realistically with realistic situations, and it's really funny.

Jumper

If I could teleport, I wouldn't have to write about this movie, I could just come discuss it with each of you, and then be back home in time for dinner. Of course I probably would have been tempted to teleport to watch "No Country For Old Men" again for a while, then over to Carl's Jr. for some waffle fries, then to Hawaii for a little attempt at surfing, then back to the movie theater to quietly and respctfully sit through the closing credits before teleporting back home to get a good night's rest. The filmmakers here bite off a little more than they can chew. So far we've seen teleporters in "X-Men" 2 and "The Matrix Reloaded", which used the technique to enhance the action of their respective movies. Here we follow the life of a teleporter and what seems to be an idea full of possibilities turns out to be rather boring. Now I'm not saying it wasn't fun to watch, it's just that there is so much more that could be done with this idea, and here they only scratched the surface. I want ot see a movie where the teleporter truly struggles with the slow pace of life around him. Perhaps a cultural comparison could be made between teleporters and modern technology like cell phones and the interent. Are we really saving time or making life easier with these inventions?
Even with the fact that my imagination surpasses what "Jumper" delivered, I should say that Anikan did a good job with the material, and the chemistry and visual style were entertaining, making this a fun movie, maybe its best quality is that it can spark ideas and conversations.