May
04

The Avengers

One of the most anticipated films of 2012 has hit theaters near you. So many of you have been anxiously waiting for this latest film from Marvel Pictures. A film that has taken the making of several films for the individual avengers themselves to make. Who knows how long ago Marvel came up with this idea, but it was a massive one. When you combine four of Marvel’s most popular heroes to work together, you are dealing with a massive idea. The secret to achieving success on the big screen would be how this massive idea would be created in a film. Considering that you do not have five hours of film to present, there was something that had to give in terms of having the audience become familiar with each of the heroes. The list is a bit long to list here, but some of these characters have had at least two films about them; while others have had just one, such as Thor and Captain America. Which leads to the bigger picture that is this film, The Avengers.

As great as the anticipation and excitement surrounding this film has been, the stakes could not be any higher for the film makers and Marvel Pictures. There should be the expectation that the audience will want more out of this arrangement of heroes than just this film. The idea is too big for it to take place in just one film. It is almost as if the best actors of a particular genre would be put together to be part of a film. Something so rare and special is worthy of at least one blockbuster film. The best example of this is Sylvester Stallone’s directorial work with the film The Expendables. This is a film that already has a sequel ready to be released this summer. While that is to be determined with this film, you have to believe that the expectation for it is there; not only would the audience want it, but Marvel should want it as well. The question then becomes what aspects of this film would be as massive as the idea of putting these super heroes together, compared to others? The truth is that it is a task that is very difficult to accomplish. To have the right blend of action, suspense, a great story, and even humor. After all, the key to the success of this type of film is how much fun the audience should have watching it.

Before you can appreciate and enjoy the action and special effects of the film, there has to be a strong effort to come up with a great story. While putting all of these popular super heroes together in one film creates enough excitement for an audience, it is not enough to simply put them on screen to have a great film. Given that this film deals with several protagonists, there is a familiarity that the audience must have with each of the characters. Each of the heroes has their own unique story. Each one brings a strength that the others do not have, but in the name of saving the world we live in, they share the love for this country. Given that each of their stories are long and extensive, it shows the need for this film to have established a smooth transition from all of the films that have lead up to it, to the film itself. Once again, it is important to recognize the negative influence of time. Given more time, so many movies could simply be great, but unfortunately, that is not how it works. Each of these characters deserves the screen time devoted to them for us to understand where they are coming from. Based on how their individual films ended, there is still a lot to be told. Unfortunately this is something that is often times sacrificed because of the effort to have the audience focus on the action and special effects of the current film. It is also sacrificed to not expose the audience  to moments in films that simply lack life. You can have massive explosions, and incredible action sequences, but sometimes there is something missing that does not allow you to appreciate the film completely. This emptiness is the lack of putting together a story that is well executed.

The challenge that this film would ultimately face is how it would manage to keep the audience entertained. It is obvious that with this type of film, you are going to have a great deal of action scenes. If the action scenes deliver for the audience, then the film has already begun to exceed the expectations of Marvel and the audience. Each film director brings to the table a particular aspect of the film that should be the cherry on top so to speak. For this film, it is humor. The importance of humor cannot be stressed enough. There is an abundance of humor in comedy, but that is to be expected. However, when you have humor that contributes to the great viewing experience of a film, it helps the film to be more enjoyable, and more importantly, to withstand the test of time. This is the biggest aspect of a fim that can often times be overlooked. Regardless of the generations of the audience watching it, if the film can be remembered, and still be entertaining a few years later, then it is a film that will always be appreciated for what it put together.

So the question now is, what is next? This was a massive idea for Marvel Pictures to put together, and now, this adventure needs a follow up. What is certain is that some of these heroes will have other films devoted to them. While this will allow the audience to become even more familiar with these heroes, it was something that was sacrificed in this film for the sake of putting them on the same team together. But for those of you that are dying to hit the theaters any day now to see this movie, it is a film that will entertain you on a variety of levels. This is why these types of films are made. To give the audience the opportunity to be in awe of seeing their favorite childhood heroes fighting together. With good laughs and some impressive action sequences, there is nothing S.H.I.E.L.D. would want you do more than to watch this film this weekend.

 

Feb
08

The Prestige

Whether you admit it or not, there is some level of competition in you. If there was no existence of competition, winners and losers would not exist. There is nothing worse than losing, but there is always something that you learn or take from losing. Before you can really celebrate victory on a big scale, you have to experience loss and defeat. There are times when people simply do things better than you. Does that mean that you should stop or give up? Who judges those abilities? It may depend on the situation you are in, but you always strive for the best because you should not settle for anything less. What you do after losing matters more than what you do when you win. Winning is just the beginning. You never really stop trying to win because everyone wants to win. The battle continues, and it becomes even harder to win the next time, and every time after that. Once you experience a loss, you can continue the awful streak by believing that you cannot win, or you can take the approach of doing better next time. Sometimes it feels as though next time is highly unlikely, but if you put in your best effort and lose, that is much better than not trying at all. Competition could not be risen to higher scale than between two rival magicians. In The Prestige, Christopher Nolan works his directorial magic once again.

There isn’t a better metafor for movies than magic. It is an act of magic to put a great story, amazing cast, stunning visual and sound effects, and incredible music all together for you to enjoy. There is so much work that goes into it that perhaps you feel like you have seen it all. Perhaps you feel as though you have seen every trick in the book, and there is nothing on Earth that can make you applaud its trick or performance. Then again, it is not the fact that you have seen the work of magic many times before; it is the fact that you have not seen who does that work of magic the best. You are the judge of that; but there is always someone who can perform magic better than their competition. That is why you have established what you like or love when it comes to movies. It is not that the stars, directors, or film genres are not good; you simply get blown away by the movie magicians that know how to fool you every time. So you stick to them and never look back. Every once in awhile, you venture off and try to see some new movies that are beyond your normal preferences. Whether you eventually like them or not is not the question; it is the fact that you watched something new that expanded your viewing experience.When you think that you know the secret, you are amused and surprised when you see that your expectations have been met.

When it comes to making movie magic, Christopher Nolan is simply one of the best magicians out there. For every magical act that he has done, including Inception, The Dark Knight, Memento, and Following, he never ceases to work your mind. Do not interpret this as having a headache at the end of his movies because you did not understand them.The misunderstanding that you may have at the end of movies is really is a good thing. When you really love a movie, you do not hesitate, nor does it bother you to see the movie again. The idea of wanting to see a movie again to understand its magic is because you have enjoyed it enough to experience it once more. Nolan’s films have that characteristic, and they leave you on the edge of your seat because you are always thinking about the future while enjoy the moment right now. It is quite an enchantment to appreciate what you see now in his films, yet be so curious about what will happen later. Few directors have that ability to lure you into their films and keep you interested in them from start to finish and beyond. Your mind is left thinking about what fooled you in this magical act that you thought you have seen so many times, yet are flattered by the fact that you want to see it again.

Magicians have the amazing ability to make the ordinary look extraordinary. On paper, the story of this film may seem ordinary, but if you have seen Nolan’s films, then its story and cinematography are far from ordinary. If you have a film that involves magic or magicians, then it is to be expected to see that magic. However, the truly great film magicians add a lot more to those magic tricks. You will look at competition with different eyes after you see this film. Perhaps you will become more competitive, or perhaps you will take competition to a new level. When you have a great story, and present competition in a way that leaves you wanting more, it is truly remarkable to achieve. This all goes back to the metafor of magic for movies. You may think that you have seen all the magic tricks, and there is nothing that can truly surprise you, but it is all about which movie magician fools you the easiest. It may be the same old trick, but if you are fooled, you cannot help but want to see it again, and try to understand how you were fooled.

Like many of the great films that he has done, Christopher Nolan delivers another brilliant film with a cast that leaves you wanting more magic. If you thought you knew Christian Bale’s acting range, you have to his stunning performance in this film as a rival magician to the work of Hugh Jackman. Perhaps you only see Jackman as Wolverine in the X-Men films, but he also delivers a solid performance to add to his repertoire as an actor. Joining them are Michael Caine, who once again, is charming and compelling, and Scarlett Johansson, who is graceful and strong in her performance as well. The music in this film will help prepare you witness magic like you’ve never seen before because quite honestly, you haven’t seen magic in film like this!