Film Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats

It's a premise so hard to believe, it can't be true.  Or is it? Jon Ronson dug into it and discovered that, apparently, the US military invested in programs to develop soldiers with psychic powers, to include the ability to become invisible, walk through walls, disarm opponents, and even stop a goat's heart just by staring at it.  Ronson's findings were published as a book, which started off sounding cooky and silly, but went into some dark, eye-opening territory by its second half, as the book drew some connections with the modern War on Terror (primarily with the use of subliminal messaging, drug experimentation, and unusual torture techniques).

In 2009, this film came along, dramatizing Ronson's book.  With an upbeat tone and a quirky sense of humor, the film induces some decent laughter; some of the biggest highlights include seeing a general trying to walk through a wall, seeing the military embrace New Age hippy culture, and of course, watching guys staring at goats.  The tone is straight-faced, making it all seem the sillier, but without sacrificing too much of its plausibility.  The comedy doesn't always work, and the film's pacing suffers from a few hiccups, but otherwise it's rarely a bore.

The film takes many liberties with the source material, to the point where it distances itself from its non-fiction roots and becomes, simply, a story.  The narrative follows the same path as the book, but uses a few more twists and dramatizations to make it stand out more as an actual story, rather than as any type of journalism.  So, as a comedy, the film is decent; as a presentation of the book's findings, there are a few embellishments, exaggerations, and a lot of facts tweaked around (including name changes galore, more added to the events, more added to the narrator's life story, and some other stuff omitted).  Ultimately, there may be some truth scattered around this film, but it's dramatized to the point where it's best seen for its entertainment value rather than anything enlightening.

This film uses good and steady photography and editing.  Acting is great; George Clooney steals the show throughout with a perfectly nuanced and humorous performance, while Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey all do the best they can.  The writing is decently sardonic and witty.  This production uses good, real-looking sets, props, and costumes.  Music is good, especially with the old-fashioned rock.

Looking at this film from the comedic level, it satisfies on the same level as a Coen Bros movie, although it's not quite at the same level of brilliance.  If you're looking for more actual facts on the movie's subject matter, you'd be better off reading the original book and doing some more research.  Overall, I'm still not even sure whether or not I really believe in the subject matter's validity, but on film, it is pretty amusing.

3.5/5 (Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Pretty Good | Film:  Pretty Good)

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Film Review: Mothra (Mosura)

Among Toho's repertoire of gargantuan and highly-destructive kaiju, who would have ever thought that a giant moth would become one of their most endearing characters? In the years that would come, Mothra would make an appearance in seventeen films, including a bunch of Godzilla films.  In the beginning, though, the lepidopteran made its debut in this old-fashioned monster flick.

1961's Mothra runs pretty evenly, allowing the story to breathe adequately before dishing out some modest mass destruction.  The film's first acts, with scientists exploring Infant Island, remind me greatly of Skull Island from King Kong; the manner in which they use the fairies as a sideshow is not too far off from Kong either, only instead of unleashing a giant monkey's wrath, the fairies sing and summon a giant larva.  It's weird stuff, but the film plays everything out with a straight face.  This film ultimately sets the pattern for future incarnations of Mothra (you seriously can't have Mothra without the singing faries, the larva, or without specific phases of attacks).  As the original feature, however, the only formula this film adheres to is that of the classic monster picture, with a bit of adventure thrown in, and it's neat that way.

The story's pretty much outlined above; it is a well-structured plot with a cast of alright (and sometimes goofy) characters.  With all the fairies and monsters on display, I always felt that Mothra was a grade more unbelievable than most other monster movies, but thanks to the film's earnest tone, it works as a fine and dandy fantasy (and it's pretty neat to see such fantasy being opposed by modern and ultramodern weaponry).  The story touches upon a few themes concerning capitalism and greed, but is never overbearing. 

This film uses solid, quality photography and editing.  Acting is good from the original cast (but might be marred heavily by the English dubbing if you chose to watch it).  Writing gets the job done pretty well.  This production shows its age, but still uses fine-looking sets, props, and costumes.  Special effects are a bit rough, but for its time, they are smashing.  Music is not bad either.

No matter how silly or fantastic it gets, I have a soft spot for Mothra, especially in seeing her future clashes with Godzilla and other monsters.  The first and most original Mothra film presents the basics of Mothra-lore, which in turn echoes parts of the original King Kong, and would stand proudly next to classic monster flicks like Godzilla.  Fans of the genre should give this original film a rent.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Pretty Good | Film:  Good)

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Film Review: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

"You're not just an analyst anymore, you're operational now." - Kevin Costner

Throughout the Cold War era and the aftermath, Jack Ryan has been the heart of Tom Clancy's spy thrillers.  On film, Jack's adventures were at their most thrilling in The Hunt For Red October; they reached some decent emotional heft in Patriot Games; it ultimately ended with a lackluster note in The Sum of All Fears.  After all these years, a reboot with Ryan in the modern age (an age of terrorism, globalization, and increasingly-advanced information technology) was inevitable.  With a stronger focus on the character's origins, this film looked to be a promising new start on a stagnant (and perhaps outdated) saga.

The film has its share of thrills and action.  It moves at a fairly even pace, with a few major chases and shoot-outs.  Ultimately, the action never really stood out; it actually became rather muddled and gaudy, thanks to some ugly camerawork and editing.  I found the infiltration scenes to be the most suspenseful and thrilling, but they never really offered anything new to the table.  That just leaves the characters and their dynamics as the big standouts in this film.

Jack Ryan's character is at his strongest in this film, largely because he was given little depth in the original four films to begin with.  The first half of Shadow Recruit covers his origins pretty decently, and it follows Tom Clancy's original tales to a point.  It is pretty noteworthy to watch the guy overcome physical therapy and rise to the challenge of becoming a CIA analyst, and eventually a spy.  When the film's second half hits, however, everything slumps back into standard spy-movie territory, complete with a cliched, megalomaniac villain orchestrating a cliched, megalomaniac plot.  The idea of economic disaster is interesting and perhaps relevant, but its execution is very much more of the same.  The film ultimately strains believability by its end, as a number of contrivances emerge at the plot's convenience to speed things up to the climax (including the convenient appearance of other spies to help Jack along, and the convenient last-minute analysis of everything to figure out the endgame).  In the end, the story became more of the same; the best that can be said is that the characters are somewhat endearing, and the relationship between Jack and Cathy drives a good part of the story's dynamic.

This film has pretty good photography in some areas, but it becomes very hideous in the action scenes, due to some extreme camera shaking.  Editing is okay most of the time, but was rather poor in the action scenes, as they strung together a lot of the images in a haphazard way (and in some cases, cut up some shots erratically for style points).  In some scenes, it was obvious that the dialogue was over-dubbed, and I found it distracting.  Acting is okay; Chris Pine does his best to be earnest and heartfelt, and I think he's a decent match for Jack's character (miles better than Ben Affleck, maybe arguable when compared with Alec Baldwin or Harrison Ford).  I enjoyed Kiera Knightley's performance, Kevin Costner is pretty much himself, and Kenneth Branagh plays a pretty standard bad guy.  Writing is okay, but it does spell things out pretty blatantly in certain scenes.  This production uses sets, props, and costumes that appear slick, but are simultaneously dark and drab.  Patrick Doyle's music score is pretty cool.

Jack Ryan:  Shadow Recruit is nowhere near as much of a game-changer as Casino Royale was to James Bond; if anything, this film proved to be, simply, more of the same.  Fans of the character and fans of spy fiction might get a kick out of this, but otherwise, it doesn't really offer anything really profound or groundbreaking.

3/5 (Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Average | Film:  Average)

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Film Review: Prisoners (2013)

At first glance, I would have pegged Prisoners as a dull, run-of-the-mill drama.  It may take a few minutes to gain momentum, but once it does, this film becomes a rather bleak and gripping descent into a prison of desperation and despair.

The overall tone, style, and pacing of the film strikes a perfect balance, much akin to films like Zodiac, Silence of the Lambs, or Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  Prisoners is every bit as dark and moody as these films.  It also handles the brutal violence with just the right level of skill and effectiveness; it rarely lingers on graphic details, but it is still hard-hitting.  The experience overall is mesmerizing and emotionally taut.

The story covers familiar ground, for there are plenty of films, books, and TV shows that focus on missing persons and kidnapped children.  Prisoners excels at telling this simple story, however, because it emphasizes the emotional despair of the case, and it feels all the more real because of it.  In spite of that, it maintains a perfect level of pathos, allowing the audience to connect to the characters and really feel for them (including both the parents of the victims, who go to any length to find their children, and the cops, who want to do their jobs but inevitably clash with the parents).  The conflict shifts in some surprising directions, and it becomes apparent that the real prisoners of this story are not necessarily the kidnapped victims.  After a number of twists and turns, it all leads to a starkly bittersweet ending.

This film uses some simple, but highly effective, photography and editing.  Lighting can be very dark and drab, lending the film a perfect look and style to accentuate the tone.  Acting is what really propels this film above-and-beyond though, thanks to a surprisingly emotional and nuanced performance by Hugh Jackman, and an earnest portrayal from Jake Gyllenhaal.  Everybody else pulls their weight really well.  Writing is good.  This production uses good-looking sets, props, and costumes.  Music is appropriate as well.

Prisoners is a dark and bleak mystery thriller that mesmerizes and hits hard, on a level not too far off from Zodiac or Silence of the Lambs.  If you enjoy these types of thrillers, then this film is a must-see.

4.5/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Very Good | Film:  Perfect)

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Book Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats (Jon Ronson)

"Remember that the crazy people are not always to be found on the outside.  Sometimes the crazy people are deeply embedded on the inside.  Not even the most imaginative conspiracy theorist has ever thought to invent a scenario in which a crack team of Special Forces soldiers and major generals secretly try to walk through walls and stare goats to death." - Jon Ronson

Being more familiar with the 2009 film adaptation, I keep forgetting that this is not a work of comedy.  I can't help but to approach this subject with the thought, "not sure if serious." The truth is, this book is a piece of non-fiction.  Everything in it is based on actual research.

That's right:  at some point, the military supposedly tried to invest in soldiers with psychic powers.  They wanted men who could walk through solid matter.  They wanted men who could become invisible in a crowd.  They wanted to use sound and subliminal messaging to influence enemies.  They wanted to use New Age techniques to quell wars.  And at the apex of this program, they wanted men who could stare at goats until they keeled over and died.

That is the premise of this book, and it's so far-out that it's hard to believe.  The book's narrative style makes it sound even more like a story than an actual piece of journalism (maybe that's the intention).  If nothing else, it is an interesting subject worth exploring.  At its best, it presents concepts that are wildly imaginative and unique, and to some it may reveal just how crazy the government can be.  The ideas start off sounding ridiculous and laughable, but as the book goes on and starts exploring the modern War on Terror, it unearths a darker side to the issue, in which the techniques of the First Earth Battalion are mutated into torture techniques.  It gets pretty serious and grim in the last half, and really, it's not all that funny anymore.

The book builds its narrative from a winding series of investigation and interviews, which unravels the concepts little-by-little, from the 70s to today, to show how things have evolved.  It is well-structured and coherent, and the book does a fine job of connecting the dots. 

This book is a pretty easy read, using a good style and pacing.  It's not too wordy, but still has enough depth and detail to make it seem creditable and real.  The book features a few illustrations and transcripts to help lend some authenticity.

I'm still not entirely sure if anything in this book is "real," but it's mere existence may be enough proof that truth is stranger than fiction.  If you have any interest in conspiracy theories or the paranormal, then this book might interest you.

4/5 (Experience:  Good | Content:  Good | Book:  Pretty Good)

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Film Review: Brick

"So now we've shaken the tree. Let's wait and see what falls on our heads." -  Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Of all the crime movies in all the world, Brick is a pretty unique oddity, because it adheres really well to the conventions of classic film noir, but it breaks every other convention. And as a film noir movie, it's quite intriguing and stylish.

In essence, this is the tale of The Maltese Falcon, only with high school kids instead of grown-ups. Sam Spade is replaced by a loner of sorts, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt exudes all the same sharp intuition, wit, and a certain sense of cool. The bad guys are comprised of a loose assembly of bullies, jocks, burnouts, and one older guy. With this set-up, the movie moves pretty swiftly through the mystery plot, full of intriguing encounters and revelations. It's a pretty weird world where teenagers inhabit the same dark and violent underworld that you see in other crime movies, and all the parents and teachers are purposefully distanced. Even when fists aren't flying, the film remains consistently interesting and well-paced.

As indicated, this film follows the same basic plot structure and character archetypes as The Maltese Falcon, and it goes on to prove that the classic detective story is something timeless and fundamental that can fit into any genre, era, or setting. In the high school setting, the story unfolds pretty interestingly, and the characters prove to be quite distinctive. In a way, I believe the characters in Brick bear a little more weight than the original cast of the Maltese Falcon; a lot of it is because the conflict is much less focused on the story's Macguffin (in this case, a "brick," rather than a bejeweled falcon) and more on the actual murder mystery behind it. In the original story, the initial murder was just a starting point; in this film, it's the key motivator behind all the characters and the plot, and it makes the story a little tighter and more relevant.

This film uses some very spartan-looking settings and techniques, but it does so with a very distinctive style. The camera work is very solid and focused, and the editing is used effectively. Most scenes are staged in interesting and profound ways. Even though most scenes are shot in daytime, this film uses a very drab and muted color scheme to maintain the proper film-noir mood. Acting and writing are what makes this film stand out though: the entire cast inhabit their archetypes very maturely, and the script is loaded with some very unique and inventive dialogue. It can be a challenge to fully understand the slang being used, which seems halfway made-up and halfway taken from older crime movies, but it sounds cool coming from these kids, and it creates the perfect effect for this film. Sets, props, and costumes are probably a bit cheap, but are used pretty well. Music features a lot of jazz, further enhancing the experience.

Brick is a one-of-a-kind thriller that plays out like a classic detective story, but with teenagers speaking really sharp and smooth. It might not work for all viewers, but I think it's a very interesting combination that's worth investigating.

4/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good | Story: Good | Film: Very Good)

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Film Review: Godzilla's Revenge (All Monsters Attack) (Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Oru Kaijû Daishingeki)

Godzilla's Revenge - also going by the title of All Monsters Attack - it just sounds so cool, doesn't it? Godzilla has always been a symbol of pure mass destruction, and combined with a myriad of other monsters, it's always expected that Godzilla will clash with bigger and badder enemies and lay waste to entire cities in their wake.

What I didn't realize about Godzilla's Revenge, however, is that all monsters attack only in the mind of a little kid. And it's all confined to an imaginary island of monsters, where Godzilla hangs out with his son and teaches him to fight. Meanwhile, in the real world, this kid with the big imagination gets into trouble with some bad guys, and gives them the run-around. That's all there is to this movie. It is not an epic kaiju clash: it's a kid's movie. Godzilla and his kin have been reduced to a pile of radioactive cheese; it may work fine and dandy for a young audience, especially when compared to the Gamera films of the 70s, but for adults it's just lame.

The story's pretty much outlined above. There is a neat interplay going on between reality and fantasy, as the kid learns to outwit his captors in the same way Minilla learns to spit radiation in the fantasy scenes. Aside from that, however, the plot is very thin and fluffy, with a cast of annoying characters. Useless pratfalls and an excess of camp hampers the presentation overall.

This film has some fine and dandy photography and editing, although some of it is pieced together from stock footage and scenes from previous Godzilla movies. Acting from the kids tends to be pretty nerve-wracking, but the few adult actors don't fare any better. Really, the guys in the rubber suits provide the best performances here. Writing is terrible. This production uses some cheap sets, props, and costumes. There are some interestingly grungy locales in the real-life scenes, which contrast with Monster Island pretty well. Music is pretty upbeat and campy, and it features one of the cheesiest theme songs I've heard in a while (and I can't get it out of my head!!).

Of the Godzilla movies I've seen, this is one of the dumbest and corniest ones. Even if you are looking for a kaiju movie for kids, why insult their intelligence with this one? There are definitely better ones in the series.

2/5 (Entertainment: Poor | Story: Marginal | Film: Very Poor)

 

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Book Review: The Professor Was a Thief (L Ron Hubbard)

"'It's gone.'

'Well!' said Sergeant Kelly. 'Don't just stand there like a jackanapes! Speak up! What's gone?'

'The Empire State Building,' said Patrolman O'Rourke." - L Ron Hubbard

First of all, don't panic:  there is no Scientology involved with this set of short stories.  At least, I didn't pick up on any blatant pushing of Scientology; this is simply a small handful of good old fashioned sci-fi fun (and I think L Ron Hubbard gets too much of a bad rap for the whole Scientology thing; the man makes fun stories, and that all I care about).

First in this line up is the Professor Was a Thief, which is a pretty weird little noir-style mystery, featuring a reporter going out and finding a number of New York buildings being shrunk down to toy-sized trinkets.  It's pretty amusing at times, pretty intriguing overall, and it is a pretty fun read.

Afterward, the Battle of Wizards is presented.  This is a pretty clever story about humans wanting to take control of some alien planet, and needed to drive away some natives (not too dissimilar from the movie Avatar).  So, they demonstrate the power of science, in direct opposition to the natives' shaman magic.  It's a pretty fascinating look at the clash between the power of human progress, and primitive instinct (mmmmm...maybe there's a bit of Scientology in that...).

Lastly, this collection features The Dangerous Dimension.  In this tale, a professor is able to will himself to any place in the universe he wants, and winds up jumping around all over the place without being able to stop.  Hilarity ensues.

Each of these stories are very light-weight, very fast and easy to read, and quite fun overall.  They don't spend much time on character depth or building great plotlines, but they offer a quick burst of amusing sci-fi adventure.

The author use a very spartan style, presenting these stories with as little fluff as possible.  He uses just enough description to set the scene, leaving the dialogue and action to drive the stories.  The style tends to be very simple, perhaps even unsophisticated, but it is one of the things that makes this a very fast and easy read.

These stories were pretty fun, and may satisfy sci-fi fans wanting something fast and easy.  If you're looking for something with more meat to it, there are better tales to be found.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Perfect | Stories:  Pretty Good | Book:  Average)

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Book Review: The World Jones Made (Philip K Dick)

"'He was everything.  He understood history - he knew when to get off the stage...and how.  He knew when to make his entrance and his exit.  We thought we were going to be stuck with Jones for another six months...instead, we're stuck with Jones, the legend of Jones, forever.'" - Philip K Dick

The World Jones Made is a world that seems to be entirely populated by everything that makes a PKD novel so great:  it's got mutants, weird alien life forms, psychics, totalitarian governments with oppressive police forces, and the overall decline of the human race.  And yet, it all fits together really well in a mere 200 pages.

The book is a pretty short read, but not always an easy one.  The beginning is really interesting, but that interest eventually fades as it goes along.  Largely because, much like Dr. Bloodmoney, the book skims over the overall disasters that befall the world, and not much is written about the actual villain that instigates worldly disaster (although, Jones in this book is much more interesting than Dr. Bloodmoney).  In between the more interesting scenes in The World Jones Made, the story tends to drag a bit, as it primarily follows some cop dude and his girlfriend; they seem like rather inconsequential characters at first, but they do contribute to a rather impressive climax.  Prior to that, however, I found myself a little bored by reading about these people (and it's a bit disappointing, considering that there's massive social change and alien spores falling from the sky, all happening at once...).

Regardless, it is a well-built story with a ton of awesome ideas.  A lot of the concepts this book uses are pretty similar to what PKD has used in his other stories:  the notions of a man being able to see the future, strange life forms, mutations, and oppressive governments are all familiar trademarks for this guy's work.  This story has a lot of fascinating implications, especially by its end.  As far as characters go, I found them to be a bit dull, lacking in substantial depth or personality.  Jones is probably the most interesting person of the lot, but I would have loved the book more if more attention was given to the mutant characters and the main characters.

This is a pretty well-written book; it finds a pretty good balance between being wordy and allowing the story to move along swiftly.  PKD uses a solid style with decent dialogue and good descriptions.

I generally liked this book, despite having a few uninteresting moments, and I thought it was a pretty neat story overall.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Good | Book:  Good)

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