Thursday, May 18, 2017

Cameron's Women



Filmmaker James Cameron has created some of the most empowering roles for women.  His devotion to the art of film and his creativity has been expressed in the form of aliens, robots and underwater adventures.  It is worth dissecting and delving deeper into the roles that his actresses have championed and accomplished in the 1980s. 
For his first full feature film “The Terminator”, James Cameron casted the role of Sarah Connor with Linda Hamilton, whose towering performance is not to be forgotten.  The film is set in 1980s Los Angeles with Sarah Connor, a local waitress, being hunted and protected by two figures from the future.  Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the role of the killer robot out to kill Connor, while Michael Biehn plays the soldier from the future out to protect her and her unborn son.  In this film we see Linda Hamilton transform from an everyday woman who does her part to survive modern life into the hero that the future needs.  This is one of the most empowering roles for women in modern film history because it shows an actress who is at once vulnerable, scared and yet willing to risk it all for a soldier she doesn’t know.  As an audience we can feel every nervous emotion she displays on screen yet we are not surprised when she overcomes her own fears to save herself and the future that she is being warned of.  In fact we cheer for her bravery as it is not only necessary for the film’s plot but also because it is believable, exciting and inspiring all at once.  Few films had shown this type of character arc in an actress and both James Cameron and Linda Hamilton deserve top credit for starting a trend in having women be taken seriously as action movie stars.  This film is not only one of the best of the 1980s but also of the 20th century for its tale of hidden strength and towering determination to save the world from the monsters that lurk in the dark.  And what better actress to save the world from such monsters than the loving and motherly personality of Sarah Connor, whom Linda Hamilton embodied perfectly in the first of The Terminator series. 
James Cameron’s next film “Aliens” was another landmark in the progression of strong female lead characters for action movies.  Though Sigourney Weaver picked up this role from the previous “Alien” film, her performance in the sequel was expanded on, giving her more screen time and action scenes.  This gave audiences one of the most surprising and empowering roles for women that had rarely been seen up to this point in time.  Weaver plays Ellen Ripley, a space crew member who has been lost in sleep for 57 years and is called back in to help the US Marines rescue colonists on a distant planet.  The film is packed with suspenseful action scenes and gore between the muscular Marines and the terrifying aliens; brought to life by the original mind of Swiss artist H.R. Giger.  Weaver’s portrayal of Ellen Ripley never lets down.  Throughout the movie she is bold, fierce and yet vigorously protective over the young girl Newt.  This is made especially evident in the film’s finale when Ripley risks her life to save Newt from the clutches of the Queen Alien, who towers over the others in size and resilience.  The sheer size of the Queen makes Ripley’s triumph over her all the more rewarding because it is in that moment that this female character defeats another one of James Cameron’s monsters.  Ripley’s triumph over the Queen and resilience throughout the film makes Sigourney Weaver stand out as one of the most respected action heroes of the 1980s.  Her performance and Cameron’s imagination make this another landmark film for action movie fans and strong women alike.    
         

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Star Trek Beyond

    Great action scenes, a little lacking in plot.  Worth seeing if interested in sci-fi action movies and avid Star Trek fans. 

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Best Films of 2013

Top Ten Movies of 2013



                   These are my favorite movies of last year, based on the quality of the acting, cinematography and storyline of each film.  "12 Years A Slave", and "Captain Phillips" were great because of their moving cinematography, great performances by actors such as Tom Hanks and Chiwetel Ejiofor.  "Dallas Buyers Club" and "The Wolf of Wall Street" both are regarded highly for their strong lead actors and riveting story lines.  Another great year for movies all in all.



                    1. 12 Years a Slave
                    2. Captain Phillips
                    3. The Wolf of Wall Street
                    4. Dallas Buyers Club
                    5. Saving Mr. Banks
                    6. American Hustle
                    7. Blue Jasmine
                    8. August: Osage County
                    9. Gravity
                   10. Nebraska

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Promised Land

Movie Review for "Promised Land"

     I was very impressed with Gus van Sant's latest film "Promised Land", starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski.  It was a very entertaining and thoughtful film about the industry takeover of a small farming community. 
     My two favorite performances in this movie were by Matt Damon and Rosemarie DeWitt.  Damon plays a corporate salesperson who is trying to buy drilling rights from the local residents.  There are very few actors in Hollywood who can play their roles with as much honesty and charm as Damon does in this film.  DeWitt plays his potential love interest and a local high school teacher who is unsure of Damon's motives.  Her smile and warm-hearted  presence gives a special shine to the movie in every scene that she is in. 
     The film's major plot points are in the conflict that Damon's character, Steve Butler, has with gaining the trust of the town residents to start drilling in their land.  Butler begins his mission successfully by promising the residents much wealth and job creation in exchange for the drilling rights.  Then a local schoolteacher and an environmentalist threaten to expose Butler's company for its reckless practices.  Steve then persists at gaining the trust of the town residents despite the harsh accusations of Dustin Noble.  Butler also begins to question his own values and to understand why the local residents are so willing to pass up on an opportunity.
      "Promised Land" is a good film for people who are interested in uplifting stories about standing up for your own values and doing the right thing.

Grade: B

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Magic Mike

    The new Steven Soderbergh film "Magic Mike" is excellent.  Its a funny, fast-paced and yet serious film about the male stripper scene in Tampa, Florida.  Channing Tatum is incredibly fun to watch as the film's main character Magic Mike, who takes another young man under his wing and introduces him to the fun and profitable life of male-stripping.  The club owner is played by Matthew McConaughey who delivers the best performance in the film because of his energy, charisma and dominating character traits.  This is definitely Steven Soderbergh's most entertaining film since "Traffic".
     Many of the filmmaking techniques used in this film are reminiscent of Soderbergh's earlier films.  "Magic Mike" definitely displays his fast-paced, jump-cut-style editing that was used quite a bit in 2009's "The Girlfriend Experience" as well as natural lighting that is similar to certain scenes in "Traffic".  Much of the music used in the movie has a catchy, techno-like rhythm to it which adds to the movies overall entertainment value.  Music like this was also used very well in Soderbergh's last film "Contagion" except in a much more dramatic fashion.
       Channing Tatum's performance in the film was incredibly fun to watch and yet intriguingly complex.  His character Michael "Magic Mike" Lane is the lead star of the stripping crew yet he also shows a mature interest in furniture design and his best friend's ambitious sister, Brooke--played by Cody Horn.  Mike does his best to enjoy the lifestyle he leads while also looking out for his new young friend Adam(Alex Pettyfer) and convincing Brooke that his life means more than that.  Tatum displays a very impressive balance between smooth charm and caring sensitivity that makes him one of this generation's most entertaining lead actors.  By the end of the movie we are glad to see that Mike wants to grow up without losing his sense of humor and boyish charm.
 
Grade: B+

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Brave

Movie Review on "Brave"

                 I saw "Brave" a few days ago and I thought it was pretty good. 
                The film is a Disney/Pixar movie set in the ancient and mythical times of Scotland.  The story is about a girl named Merida who is born into the royal family of the area and raised to succeed her mother in the throne.  Then three of the town clans compete for the hand of Merida which she does not care for but eventually agrees to be part of.  The three town clans then unsuccessfully compete in an archery contest for Merida's hand in marriage which leads Merida to openly proclaim that she will not marry and can take care of herself just fine.  This infuriates her mother Elinor.
               Merida and Elinor then get into a heated argument which leads to the point of no return in the story.  After the argument Merida goes to a which and asks her to change her mother but the wish backfires on her when the witch turns her mother into a bear.  Bears are feared and killed in the area so Merida then spends the rest of the movie attempting to reconcile with her mother in order to break the spell and change her mother back.
                 This movie was well done in several ways.  It was funny and entertaining while also presenting a good story with a moral lesson that never seemed too corny.  Most of Pixar's films like "Toy Story", "Finding Nemo" and "A Bug's Life" do well in making movies with good storytelling and entertainment value.  This film was definitely no exception.

Grade: B     

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

                        The new Mission Impossible movie is the best action movie that I have seen in a while.  The fight scenes are incredibly fun to watch and the characters are perfect for the story and outcome of the movie.  Not since "The Dark Knight" have I seen a movie that was nonstop fun from beginning to end.  The dialogue of the movie carries the story from one operation to the next while adding jokes that are funny and yet not over-the-top.

                          Another aspect of the movie that I really enjoyed was the variety of international locations that were used.  Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) and his team travel to exotic areas like Moscow, Dubai, and Mumbai to stop the villain from setting off a nuclear war.  Each of the settings of the movie are fantastically shot and used well as a background for the chase scenes.

Grade: A-