The Daily Campus, Page 8
FOCUS ON:
Movie Of The Week
MOVIES Box Office Top 10
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Focus
Interested in writing movie reviews? Come write for Focus! Meetings at 8 p.m. on Mondays.
Adaptation
» REVIEWS
English foul but not funny
By Sam Marshall Campus Correspondent
1. Paranormal Activity 3: $52.6 M 2. Real Steel: $10.8 M 3. Foot Loose: $10.4 M 4. The Three Musketeers: $8.7 M 5. The Ides of March: $4.9 M 6. Dolphin Tale: $4.2 M 7. Moneyball: $4.0 M 8. Johnny English Reborn: $3.8 M 9. The Thing: $3.1 M 10. 50/50: $2.8 M From Rottentomatoes.com
Upcoming Releases October 27 The Hammer October 28 The Rum Diary In Time Puss in Boots And They’re Off... October 31 Tape 47
There was a fond part of my early adolescence during which I enjoyed watching risqué movies with British characters farcing James Bond. Unfortunately for Rowan Atkinson, those times are long gone and those movies were all “Austin Powers” films. “Johnny English Reborn” is not the resurrection of this type of film as the name might suggest. The original “Johnny English” didn’t necessarily call for a sequel. The film came out eight years ago to relative success but mixed critical reception, and hasn’t been discussed much since. This shows how truly desperate Hollywood is for ideas. “Reborn” follows the same basic premise as the original. Atkinson (most recognized for his portrayal of “Mr. Bean”) reprises his role as the clumsy and mishap-prone Johnny English. He has to foil an international plot to kill a Chinese diplomat, with his own mishaps causing him more trouble along the way than his enemies. Many nonsensical and outlandish plots transpire, but nothing brings more than a weak chuckle out of cheap slapstick humor. It’s a poor performance for Atkinson, who before now was well known for his light-hearted and humorous approach to acting. In his previous appearances, including “Bean,” “Rat Race” and “Love Actually,” Atkinson had been praised for his ability to steal a film with little dialogue, making people laugh with solely his peculiar smile and odd-shaped head. Perhaps this was on purpose; most of the lines in this film are either highly predictable or just not funny, with Atkinson’s delivery falling flat on its back. The biggest flaw of the film, however, is just how boring it is. It feels tedious to sit and watch the plot develop. Everyone in the
Featuring thrillers by Mr. King By Timmy Semenza Campus Correspondent
Johnny English Reborn Rowan Atkinson 10/21/11
2
/10
theater with me, all three of them, knew that the film was going to end in some ultimate shootout and over-the-top chase scene, just like every spy parody does. When the moment arrives, it’s full of groinkicking and superfluous CGI,
which by the third act is completely played out and lackluster. It’s not clear if this film ever had hope, and Atkinson certainly did not care to put any effort into being funny. The same is true of the writers and
Courtesy of Rottentomatoes.com
-- Purbita Saha
While ‘Three Musketeers’ is full of seasoned actors and actresses, the film falls short when compared to previouslt made versions. It is tiring to watch as it consolidates too many themes into a less-than two-hour time span.
Three heroes fail to recreate Dumas’s classic on screen
By Elmira Fifo Staff Writer
If anyone is considering a trip to the cinema this week, do your best to avoid “The Three Musketeers.” A profound interest in Alexandre Dumas’s original story may be just enough to get you to the theater, but it is not worth spending $10. The “one for all, all for one” camaraderie of the main characters Athos, Porthos and Aramis is one that is easily relatable and perhaps the reason why so many enjoyed Dumas’ novel in the first place. The movie made a decent attempt at bringing this story to life, but fell flat in recreating the depth of the characters.
Timothy.Semenza@UConn.edu
Rowan Atkinson, who is beloved for his role as Mr. Bean in the popular British comedy, makes a shoddy comeback in ‘Johnny English Reborn.’ The movie uses jokes that are elementary and lacks an intriguing script.
Focus Favorites
Reading the “Three Musketeers” movie review made me think of another cinematic adaptation of a classic adventure novel. This one of course, is much less serious and much more frivolous. Princess Buttercup is in love with Westley. But after Westley goes missing Buttercup finds herself in depair. Her love for him is only rekindled when she is kidnapped by a sword master, a giant and a trickster. Westley takes on the guise of the Dread Pirate Roberts and tracks the princess to the castle of Prince Humperdinck. There he encounters a machine that destroys happiness and a man who refuses to ever give up in battle. Sounds like a corny fairy tale right? Wrong. “The Princess Bride” is fresh and witty. Here we have fantasy at its finest.
Elmira.FIfo@UConn.edu
Courtesy of Rottentomatoes.com
November 4 A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas Tower Heist
The Princess Bride (1987)
many waffling directions. The fight scenes and action sequences were its only redeeming qualities and even these were littered with immensely distracting slow motion that served absolutely no purpose. In this adaptation, the three musketeers join forces with the seductive Milady played by Milla Jovovich. With her help, they capture the secret plans for a war weapon that would be perilous for France. Not unexpectedly, Milady deceives the three musketeers and they set out to retaliate against her several years later with the support of D’Artagnan. The plot line isn’t very different except in providing the audience a heavy helping of Jovovich’s wily and seductive beauty to distract from the bland dialogue. Furthermore, the attempts at witty humor are lost in the fight sequences and ever changing camera angles. Paul W.S. Anderson, who directed the film, did make great use of the mainly superb cast which included Christoph Waltz in the role of Cardinal Richelieu. Waltz, who won a best supporting actor Academy Award for Inglorious Bastards, played the villain perfectly. Besides Waltz’s performance, the movie was hardly epic. There were off beat one liners and there was a seemingly lack of energy despite it being an action comedy film. If you are looking for a great sophisticated action movie, this was not it. It left me waiting in anticipation for the story to get better and it never quite lived up to the original French story by Dumas. The lavish costumes and historical setting made for a movie rich in color and vibrant sets that seemed to only be there for visual enjoyment. You are better off waiting for another ‘Pirates’ film
What’s the first thing you think of when you read the name “Stephen King”? Probably “horror” (you may also think “verbose” or even “hit by a car” but that’s besides the point). His novels and short stories have provided the bases for countless film adaptations, both good and bad. Here’s a list of seven that you should make sure to watch this Halloween. 1. “Carrie” (1976). We already knew that high school could be horrible, but not in this way. This film version of King’s first novel succeeds on a combination of Brian de Palma’s aggressive direction and Sissy Spacek’s gofor-broke performance in the lead role. And you also get to see John Travolta die. 2. “The Shining” (1980). Stanley Kubrick transformed King’s spooky novel into a truly terrifying film. The director kept the original premise–the caretaker of a haunted hotel goes bananas–and changed nearly everything else, for the better. The film is eerily memorable in a variety of ways, like the bloodfilled hallways and spooky twin girls, but perhaps the most indelible impression is made by Jack Nicholson (“Here’s Johnny!”). 3. “The Dead Zone” (1983). King’s story of a man who goes into a coma only to wake up with psychic powers is brought vividly to life by director David Cronenberg. Whereas the supernatural aspects of King’s stories tend to be over the top, Christopher Walken’s performance is so sympathetic that the film feels uncomfortably real. 4. “It” (1990). If you weren’t already terrified of clowns before you saw this miniseries, you will be afterwards. While it is confusing and even hokey at times, what makes this adaptation of King’s gigantic opus so effective is Tim Curry as Pennywise the Clown. In spite of the series’ unevenness, patient viewers will be rewarded. 5. “Stand by Me” (1986). One thing the 80s got right was the coming-of-age story, possibly best exemplified by this film. While it may not be the most thematically subtle movie ever made (Nostalgia! Friendship!), it has a dynamite cast and is emotionally resonant in a way that many stories by King are not. Rob Reiner’s gentle direction makes you long for the days of your childhood, and Kiefer Sutherland reminds you of how bad bullies could be. 6. “Misery” (1990). Two words: Kathy Bates. She plays Annie Wilkes, the obsessive fan of a series of romance novels starring the title character, Misery Chastain. After rescuing the author, Paul Sheldon, from a car accident, she is horrified to realize that he plans to kill Misery off in the latest novel, therefore cutting the series short. What follows is a maelstrom of violence, tension and dread, directed by–oddly enough–Rob Reiner. Bates won an Oscar for her frightening performance. 7. “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994). While it is certainly not a horror film, Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the King short story is quite simply one of the best movies ever made. While the plot may be rather cliched, its nofrills presentation and compelling work by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman that make it so great.
While the actor who portrayed d’Artagnan did a decent job of capturing the character’s naiveté and determination to become part of the Musketeers, it was hardly enough to maintain interest for the duration of the film. His act-
ing was that of a pretty boy action hero not quite as refined in pulling it off, and as Orlando Bloom is in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. A combination of history, science fiction, action and comedy shoved the movie in too
The Three Musketeers
Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich 10/21/11
5
/10
directors. From start to finish, the film is mailed in. You’d think that you could go into a mindless comedy expecting to laugh out loud more than once. But, from what I recall, I laughed exactly once. English falsely thinks that someone is impersonating the Queen of England and proceeds to beat her in the head with a serving tray. For what it’s worth, I’m not sure if I was laughing at the scene or the fact that I just sat through what had to be one of the least funny comedies I’ve ever seen. Skip this one if you can.
Samuel.Marshall@UConn.edu