Lucy: I AM Everywhere - A Review

Luc Besson likes to tell stories.  And we like to hear them.  "Lucy" is Besson's latest action – Sci-Fi drama.  Starring Scarlet Johansson, the film, on its very basic level is about a young woman who is forced to work as a drug mule.  Against her will, she will carry dangerous drugs from Asia, to Europe.  Something happens to the girl along the way that causes her to expand her mind, giving her the ability to wreak havoc on the drug lords that enslaved her.  Min-sik Choi Is Jang the drug lord and the film’s villain.  Morgan Freeman ("Through the Wormhole") plays a neuroscience with a theory concerning a human's ability to access fully their cortical capacity.  As a direct fact, this doesn't work, but as a metaphor for the evolutionary leaps that humankind takes, it does.  "Lucy" is a fun action film that touches on some heavy subjects, but not to be taken too seriously.  Besson is one who doesn't let facts get in the way of drama or entertainment.  Why should you?

The film starts as a scientific version of the story of creation.  Cells divide and synapses fire, Professor Norman (Freeman) continues his lecture, and reaches a point where he declares that life has a choice of immortality or recreation depending on the environment.  If the environment is hazardous then a life form will choose immortality.  Or if the environment is calm and stable then the life form will choose to procreate.  Animals mating and various images depicting evolution appear on screen, as the professor lectures.  Images flash on the lecture screen of the prehistoric savannah, a river with a small hominid creature drinking water.  Norman discusses various aspects of his theory that leads him to proclaim that humans only use 10% of their cortical capacity.  Don't get hung up on this claim, as Prof. Norman mentions later, "It is only a theory."

Lucy (Johansson) and her recent hookup Richard (Pilou Asbæk), casually dressed, straw cowboy hat, sunglasses and a large smile, tries to talk Lucy into going into the Taipei hotel and ask for a Mr. Jang and deliver a metallic suitcase.  Lucy, of course, is wary.  Whimsical music plays in the background, as Besson juxtaposes wildlife footage of a cheetah stalking its prey.  Lucy just met the guy, (images of a nightclub, and extensive party scenes flash in her head) after a few minutes of Richard trying to convince her, she starts to walk away.  Richard handcuffs her arm to the suitcase: the cheetah pounces on its prey.  From now on Lucy is no longer in control of her fate.  Poor judgment led her to this path and now she has no choice but to follow the path.  

A gunfight ensues in the lobby and Lucy is taken to see Jang.  Several thugs lead her to a room where she encounters Jang.  An older man, whose purpose now is deciding which individual, is suitable mule material.  After several bloody rejects, Jang, through an interpreter on the phone goes through an exchange that is both horrifying and hilarious at the same time.  Playing Jang is Min-sik Choi who was absolutely evil in "I Saw the Devil," and tormented and vengeful in "Oldboy.”  In Lucy, he is both ruthless and cruel to the very end.  Inside the case are several bags of a blue crystalline substance called CPH4.  Is it Walter White's Blue Crystal Meth?  The goal is to distribute the drugs via a set of mules to London, Paris, Berlin, and Rome.  Lucy is set for Paris.

After waking up with the drugs sown inside of her, her wound is still healing when she is subjected to abuse by some lowlife tugs, as opposed to the high-class thugs in Choi's employ.  The bag is ruptured and the effects of the overdose are immediate.  Lucy experiences uncontrollable levitation and psychokinesis.  Professor Norman, on the other side of the world, is still lecturing about what happens if a human reaches 20% of capacity, and with Lucy we see the effects, also juxtaposed with corny black and white archive footage of a magician levitating a woman.  Lucy begins unlocking parts of herself that were formally inaccessible.  

As the film progresses, and Lucy's powers increase, Besson shows a large graphic displaying the percentage points of mental capacity that our heroine now possesses and has access to.  Immediately upon escaping, she opts for having the bags surgically removed.  Knowing that "Lucy" is pure entertainment, the events at the hospital can only be described as absurd.  The surgeon (Paul Chan), whose patient Lucy kills, because he couldn't have saved him anyway, explains to her what CPH4 (a fictitious name) does in small amounts to help spur prenatal growth.  However, now that Lucy just ingested several kilos of the blue crystals, no one knows how she will react to the overdose.  Will she live?  Or, will she die?   Her conversation with her mom over the phone is touching, to a point.  Lucy can remember events that took place when she was only a month or two old.  Like drinking and remembering the taste of her mother's milk.  She bids her mom farewell.

"The purpose of life is to pass on what we have learned."

From here on out, Lucy has an encounter with Jang again, this time the outcome is somewhat in her favor, meets with her roommate, is able to medically scan her body for health issues, write a prescription in Chinese, and give her lifestyle advice.  Lucy can manipulate the color of her hair cells so she can change appearance while at the airport.  She has a harrowing flight from Taipei to Paris, where at one moment she is multitasking, on two laptops at once, and then upon entering the lavatory, realizing that she is smoking hot, literally.  

In Paris, she contacts the police, informing them about the drug trafficking mules, which in turn contact the other countries and arrange for the arrest and export of the other mules to France.  Lucy knows information about people and things that she shouldn't know.  She is becoming quieter as her mind evolves.  By this time, Choi and his henchmen are in place in Paris and ready to attack.  Meeting with police Sgt. Pierre Del Rio (Amr Waked) they battle to keep pretty boy Jii (Nicolas Phongpheth), leader of Choi's thugs from getting the CPH4.  After a bloody battle that leaves all of the other three carriers dead and kills half of Jii's men.  Lucy and Del Rio embark on the requisite car chase, with all the obligatory collateral damage, Lucy and Del Rio enter the university where Norman, whose running commentary has been informing us where Lucy is on the evolutionary scale, and the two finally meet.  

Lucy's path now transcends humanity and the audience sees the loss on Johansson's face.  The actor, who started the film as a happy carefree blonde with little care on her mind, is now on a journey that takes her outside of time.  From the galaxy's very beginning to its end, Lucy, by the end of the film, transcends all.  Science Fiction is not a new genre for Scarlett Johansson.  Last year she supplied the voice of Samantha, in the romantic, Sci-Fi film "Her."  The same year she played an alien in "Under the Skin."  Johansson has played Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, in the Marvel franchise since 2010.  Although, not billed as a Sci-Fi film, Christopher Nolen's "The Prestige" certainly has some Sci-Fi elements to it.  In 2005, she starred in Michael Bay's "The Island" alongside Ewan McGregor.  In "Lucy,” she captures the spirit of what Besson is trying to achieve.  Her action scenes are as formidable of any of Besson's male heroes.  She allows her character to transform naturally during the scenes. For example, in a scene in the third act, when she says goodbye to Del Rio, she gives him a slight kiss as a symbol of the loss of her humanity and something to remember it by.  

"What makes us human is blocking us from understanding."

Besson's films have transformed somewhat since the days of "Leon the Professional," and the 1997 Sci-Fi adventure “The Fifth Element," we watched as he featured his wife Milla Jovovich in "The Messenger" and we laughed at last year's "The Family.”  Besson writes more than he has directed, and he's produced more films than he has written.  He wrote and produced “The Transporter” films, which star Jason Statham, and he co-wrote "Colombiana" starring Zoe Saldana of "Star Trek: Into Darkness" fame.  In 2008, he wrote the Liam Neeson film "Taken" and in 2012, he scripted the sequel "Taken 2" and "Lockout" starring Guy Pearce.  Maggie Grace co-starred in all three of those films.  Earlier this year he wrote and produced the Kevin Costner film "Three Days to Kill," a double entendre on Costner's character having only three days to watch his daughter and get an assassination job done.  

Some say that music is sound through time, and the music for “Lucy” is by French composer Eric Serra.  Serra provides compositions for many of Besson’s film and does a marvelous job here as well.  The soundtrack includes music from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to the trip-hop of The Crystal Method, the folk grunge of Beck and others, such as Damon Albarn's “Sister Rust” and “God's Whisper” by Raury.  Thierry Arbogast’s does an excellent job of bringing Besson’s cinematic vision to life.

Although Besson professes some profound thoughts, I don't think he is really attempting to say much in that regard.  He doesn't seem to be that kind of a filmmaker.  Although there is no monolith that excites development of hominids on this planet, there is scene between modern but pre-transcendent Lucy and the prehistoric Lucy that is reminiscent of Michelangelo’s "Creation of Adam" fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Besson doesn't spend too much time like Kubrick did driving the point across with his visuals.  Instead, Besson allows the actors and the dialog to carry the story to its logical conclusion, ambiguous as it is.
  

"Time gives proof to the existence of matter. Time is unifying."

Overall, "Lucy" is a delightful action packed, easy on the eyes, science fiction film that, although is light on the philosophy, presents either a clear case for, or a cautionary tale against transhumanism.  More importantly, "Lucy" expresses our hopes for something more.  The human race is something more in the sense that, this is not all that we are, but a stepping-stone on the road to apotheosis.  “Lucy” makes a great date night film, with plenty of discussion points afterwards.  If you don’t get the chance to capture “Lucy” at the theater, then make sure you catch it on Blu-ray or DVD.

"Lucy" is in theaters July 25, 2014 


Movie Data

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi 

Year:  2014

Staring:  Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Min-sik Choi, Amr Waked 

Director: Luc Besson

Producer(s): Virginie Silla

Writer: Luc Besson

Rating: R

Running Time: 90 minutes

Release Date: 7/25/2014

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47 Ronin ~ Almost Capturing Your Imagination

I am Ōishi Yoshi; you betrayed and murdered my lord.  Prepare to die.

What's up with Keanu Reeves' new action film?  Not a whole lot really.  "47 Ronin" is a mildly entertaining film with a little bit of history, a dash of "The Princess Bride,"a pinch of the "Last Samurai"and a healthy dose of "The Lord of the Rings" type of visual effects.

"4 7 Ronin" tells the story of a group of men left without a leader after a witch tricks their daimyo, Lord Asano into attacking rival Lord Kira’s while a guest in his house.  As this is an act of dishonor, the Shogun (their military leader) orders their lord to commit seppuku.  The Shogun orders Ōishi and the remaining Ronin to not seek revenge but to disperse and go their separate ways. Without direction, the Ronin spend the next year waiting to seek revenge, as they felt honor bound to do.  The film stars Keanu Reeves ("The Matrix" trilogy, "The Day the Earth Stood Still") as Kai, as a half British, half-Japanese outcast.  Hiroyuki Sanada ("Sunshine," "Ringu," "The Last Samurai") leads the group of 47 loyal and dutiful former samurai in their quest for vengeance and honor.  Lord Kira, the focus of vengeance is played by Tadanobu Asano ("Battleship").Adding additional layers to this traditionally male warrior story are Rinko Kikuchi from Guillermo del Toro's "Pacific Rim," and Kō Sandasaki from 2000's "Battle Royale" making her Hollywood film debut as Kai's (Reeves) love interest.  "47 Ronin" runs just under 2 hours and the MPAA rates it PG - 13.

Ithink it is wonderful idea to bring historical events from other cultures, particularly Asian stories to Western audiences.  However, I am not sure of the point of interjecting a white guy into an already perfectly good story.  Keanu Reeves whose Sci-Fi apex was "The Matrix," gives a lackluster performance to this film. As the character who is the "outsider," Kai is not only a half-breed, but may also be a demon.  Although the story follows Kai's journey toward acceptance by the Samurai, his character never grows.  Actually, there is very little growth for any of the characters during the story arc.  In fact, Kai's storyline and Asano's daughter Mika, played by Ko Shibasaki will remind one of the Dread Pirate Roberts and Princess Buttercup's as Kai hurries to stop Mika's wedding to Lord Kira.  The usually very good Hiroyuki Sanada plays Ōishi, the leader of the Ronin and who ignored Kai's warning that witchcraft was afoot.  Although the film doesn’t flesh out Ōishi’s character, it turns out he is the Inigo Montoya type.  After spending about a year in a dark pit after his fall from grace, he plots his revenge, gathers the former samurai, and sets off for revenge.  Tadanobu Asano's plays his character, Lord Kira, with a chip on his shoulder and an annoying grin on his face.  Rinko Kikuchi plays the shape-shifting witch who tends to be a bit on the slutty side.  Whereas Mika sits like a proper lady, Kikuchi's witch plays her character as if she was channeling Sharon Stone. Not only is she a seductress, the addition of Japanese mythology, and magic is not only interesting, but the most compelling parts of the film. For me, the real actor who gave the film any sense of dignity was Min Tanaka as Lord Asano, Mika's father, Ōishi's lord and Kai's patron. Tanaka plays Lord Asano as if he truly was a Samurai Warrior.  Tanaka also starred with Hiroyuki Sanada in the critically acclaimed "Twilight Samurai."  Most of the other Samurai/Ronin are pretty much nondescript, however a few of them stand out, like Takato Yonemoto as Basho, the large but friendly warrior. Another warrior that stands out is that of Chikara  played by Japanese pop star Jin Akanishi. He is Ōishi’s son and Kai’s friend.

Disappointment comes quickly when you begin to realize that the best of the story and the best of the special effects are in the trailer.  I had hopes that this, the seventh attempt at bringing this classic Japanese story to the Western audienc, would be not only enjoyable but also interesting.  I am not sure where the fault lays for a lack of drive in "47 Ronin."  I am not sure whether the lack of focus belongs at the feet of director Carl Rinsch, or at the door of screen writers Chris Morgan, who was responsible for writing the "Fast & Furious"franchise films, and the Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy action-thriller, "Wanted."  Or, does the lack of drive and focus belong with screen writer Hossein Amini whose past credits include "Snow White and the Huntsman," "Drive," and "Killshot,” who came in for the rewrites to Reeve’s character.  Is it possible that the executives at Universal, in trying to please both foreign and domestic markets wanted a watered down formula story that they felt would appease the lowest common denominator.

The problem as I see it is that in its attempt to appeal to a Western audience, the focus was neither on story, nor the building of characters, but on some almost impressive special effects that are sparsely scattered throughout the film.  The action was predictable, and Kai's journey was not that of a hero, but that of a man of few words, who knows more than he is given credit for.  The visual effects, along with the action scenes, seem more like smoke and mirrors rather than having some solid purpose in the film other than just dazzle the audience.

A bright spot is John Mathieson’s beautiful cinematography.  Impressively beautiful shots of the landscape, dark and muted warm tones contrasted with cold blues.  The mood is set for an adventure that is bogged down immediately with unnecessary exposition.  Another area of kudos goes to Ilan Eshkeri's musical score.  Known for films such as "Centurion," "Kick-Ass,"and “Stardust," Eshkeri brings a sense of soaring grandeur to an essentially mediocre action film.  

As I am not typically a fan of 3D, I cannot comment on the quality of the film in that format. However, I doubt that the introduction of 3D would do anything to improve the story. “47 Ronin” is not a bad film, it had potential for much more, but fails to deliver a compelling story.  Many will find it entertaining, but not epic.  Perhaps, like myself, they will feel that “47 Ronin” took itself too seriously in areas and with a loose sense of story and a cinematic direction that spreads itself too thin to keep an audience in that fantasy world where we all want to find ourselves while sitting in a dark theater on a Saturday afternoon.  Perhaps it would have been better to just leave out Keanu Reeves, tell a more literal tale of a historic event, leaving in the magic and witchcraft if you must, and dump the damsel in distress trope, but more importantly, let the Japanese tell us a classic tale of honor in their language with English subtitles.  By doing this, I think this film would’ve been more authentic with a sense of dignity that stories about the legendary Samurai deserve.

Related

47 Ronin ~ The Story and the Trailer
47 Ronin ~ International Trailer
47 Ronin ~ Not Afraid Trailer

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy

Year:  2013

Staring: Keanu Reeves, Rinko Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tadanobu Asano, Kō Shibasaki

Director: Carl Rinsch

Producer(s):  Pamela Abdy,Eric McLeod, Scott Stuber

Writer: Chris Morgan, Hossein Amini, Walter Hamada

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 118 minutes

Release Date:  12/25/2013

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The Counselor: Cinematically Correct -- Ridley Scott's Fatefully Flawed Filmed

Director Ridley Scott, novelist, and now screenwriter Cormac McCarthy have joined to bring to the screen one shocking tale of sex and drugs that I have seen in a long time.  The Counselor treads into areas of humanity that most people would rather not tread.  Cormac McCarthy's original screenplay looks at the dark and twisted side of human nature.  "The Counselor" has an all-star cast of the likes of Michael Fassbender ("Prometheus," "Shame"), Penélope Cruz ("Vanilla Sky," "Blow"), Javier Bardem ("No Country for Old Men," "Skyfall"), Brad Pitt ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), and Cameron Diaz ("Vanilla Sky," "The Box").  While the cast turns in strong performances, Ridley Scott works hard to make McCarthy's bumpy script work in delivering a story about the consequences of the decisions that we make.  There are no do-overs in this one.  Some strange scenes and hilarious dialog go on in "The Counselor" that makes this film worth watching.  "The Counselor" is rated R for the violence, the language, the sexual content and runs just under two hours.

“A diamond announces a woman's frailty while enhancing her beauty.”

Living in El Paso, the man who only goes by his title of Counselor (Fassbender) finds himself in debt, and decides to invest in a drug trafficking venture with Reiner (Bardem), his flamboyant and shady business partner.  Needless to say, the deal goes bad pretty quickly and things get pretty bad for most of the cast.  I must say, that the opening scene came off as unexpectedly crude in-spite of the excellent cinematography invoking a dreamy, sensual atmosphere.  The Counselor and his girlfriend, Laura (Cruz), are literally under the white, flowing sheets having a bit of raunchy pillow talk, which turns quickly to the Counselor having oral sex with Laura.  Since Fassbender's role as Brandon in 2011's "Shame," I found him in this role expected.  Cruz on the other hand was unnerving.  Opening the film with this scene lets the audience know that the boundaries in this film are about to stretch, perhaps a bit too far.  The Counselor enjoys a very stylish life and dresses to show it.  He also likes expensive things.  In fact, the Counselor takes a trip to Europe to purchase an expensive 3.5 caret diamond from Bruno Ganz ("Unknown," "The Reader") with a color rating around a "g" or an "h.”  The closer to the letter "a" in the alphabet, the letter is the more clear it is.  Ganz's performance as the diamond dealer serves as our first warning that life is precarious, and decisions matter.  Although he is just selling diamonds, his tone is cautionary and foreboding, and with a certain matter of fact attitude.  Upon returning to Texas, he proposes to Laura over dinner at an upscale local restaurant.

"Smart women are an expensive hobby."

As a lawyer, he has many sketchy clients that he can call upon to help with his money problems.  He turns to Bardem's character, Reiner who lives an extravagant lifestyle with his girlfriend Malkina (Diaz).  As the first part of her name "Mal" implies, there is something wrong with her.  Laura represents the idea of today's perfect woman, beautiful, but modest, she is cautious about her sexuality, but willing to go let with the one she loves.  While Malkina is the seductress whose purpose in life is to corrupt men's souls, destroy their lives, and eat them for breakfast.  Her moral values cause even Reiner to question his involvement with her.  In the scene where, after contemplating his money problems, the Counselor meets with Reiner, he asks if Reiner's office is safe to talk.  Reiner replies that he doesn't know, that it might be bugged, and then finally that it probably wasn't.  Giving the audience the impression, that something is going to go wrong.  Reiner, with his spiked hair, flamboyant clothes, and general odd demeanor makes his "Skyfall" character a little saner.  He warns the Counselor that once he is in with this deal, there is no turning back and that there will be consequences if it fails.

"Men are drawn to flawed women.  Men think they can fix them.  Women don't want to fix anything; they just want to be entertained."

Reiner is a conflicted character.  He isn't conflicted about his lifestyle, his business with drugs, or the vibe he gives off.  He is very comfortable with those aspects of his life.  No, Reined is conflicted about the woman he loves; and that would be Malkina.  When we see the two together in an early scene, Malkina is in the desert, on a horse, racing a cheetah (Reiner and Malkina are eccentrics).  Like the cat, Malkina, too is like an animal, feline, she likes the chase, she likes the hunt, there is no good or evil in it, it is what the elegant, and graceful cheetahs do.  Thus, the dilemma, Reiner is so deeply infatuated with Malkina -- it hurts.  However, more significantly, his love for this woman will take him (willfully?) to his end.  When relating the incident of Malkina having sex with his Ferrari, he is not only shocked and disturbed he is violated by it.  Yes, that is what I said; she had sex with the windshield of Reiner's car, while Reiner sits in the car, aghast watches disturbed as he views the spectacle from the passenger's side. The role of Malkina is one of a psychopath, a very beautiful one.  She is clever, smart, and disturbing.  She reeks of sex, and her charms work on both men and women.  However, like a demonic succubus, Diaz does this role justice.

Brad Pitt plays a Texan whose name is Westray.  His role in the drug deal is a little less clear.  His dialog with the Counselor tends to wax philosophical amidst of his on screen time.  Not that much of what he says makes much sense.  Although Westray is able to get across to the Counselor a warning about getting involved with the Mexican cartels; does the Counselor heed any of the warnings?  No, he doesn't.  Each of the warnings given to him by his partners is both grisly and unique.  Chekhov's gun rule applies here, as all of these aforementioned warnings of gruesome deaths will eventually come to pass.

Having an all-star cast is a definite draw for this film.  But, having all of these great actors in a film that follows none of the typical storytelling traditions, where the editing fails to serve the story, set the pace, but instead only confuses the audience with no apparent pay off in the end.  The drug deal is poorly explained and leaves the audience disorients them even more.  Fassbender's character of the Counselor would be considered tragic in most stories, whereas here, he is just a plain fool.  In spite of strong performances, the under developed characters Ridley Scott does his best to piece this thing together cinematically.  For example, one moment we are in a hotel in Boise Idaho, and the next, I am assuming we are in Mexico walking into an embassy.  It took me a moment to figure that out, if that is where he was.  Near the end of "The Counselor," the Jefe (Rubén Blades) of a drug cartel gives a long and convoluted dissertation on the philosophy of fate and the acceptance of ones consequences.  Quoting the Spanish poet Antonio Machado, Blades rambles on about accepting the death of a loved one, leading the audience deeper into bewilderment.

Cinematically and musically, the film is excellent.  The performances are charismatic and solid, but the writing is weak which leads to choppy editing and scenes of confusion.  As much as I admire and respect Scott, I didn't care much for "The Counselor.”  I was left confused downer of a film and although the message was ultimately clear and simple: Sometimes you must face the consequences of your decisions and although you are willing to accept your fate, the ones you love the most are too affected in ways that may be too horrible to imagine

Movie Data

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Year:  2013

Staring: Michael Fassbender, Penélope Cruz, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt

Director: Ridley Scott
Producer(s): Paula Mae Schwartz, Steve Schwartz, Ridley Scott,Nick Wechsler, Cormac McCarthy

Writer: Cormac McCarthy

Rating: R
Release Date: 10/25/2013
Running Time: 117 minutes

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The East: Brings Us A Study In Consumerism and Authenticity | A Review

"But if we hurt people, aren't we just as bad as they are?"

Independent filmmakers Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling make philosophical films that make you want to ask questions, and examine your own life.  In "Another Earth,” they made us think about our actions and the consequences, and the hope of redemption.  In "The Sound of My Voice,"Batmanglij and Marling wanted us to consider the possibility of time travel.  Their stories are thought provoking and they sometimes don't care too much for the rules of storytelling.  In "The East," they have honed their narration skills to much finer point.  The story that "The East" gives us is a look at anarchy, anti-consumerism, and a modern day look at extreme corporate activism.  The film stars co-writer Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård ("Battleship," "Straw Dogs"), Ellen Page ("Juno," "Inception"), Toby Kebbell ("Wrath of the Titans," "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"), and Shiloh Fernandez ("Evil Dead," "Red Riding Hood").  "The East" runs about 2 hours long, is rated PG - 13, and has some interesting characters who we want to care about.

Starting a movie with a threat, sets the mood immediately and strikingly. What it doesn't tell you is that "The East" builds up the espionage quickly, but evenly.  The film opens up with a scene of an oil-drenched beach and a seagull covered in the goo.  Ellen Page voices over a threat to the corporate eco-terrorist of the world.  The scene changes to hooded terrorist breaking into a nice home in a house in the Hamptons and pouring oil into the vents of the house as a message to the owner, a CEO of a big oil company.  Sarah (Marling) works for an exclusive private spy firm, Hiller-Brood, whose clients are the big corporations.  Sarah (her undercover name) gets a prime assignment from her boss Sharon (Patricia Clarkson), the head of the firm.  The assignment is to infiltrate an anarchist group called The East.  After Sarah has studied the anarchist cell, she prepares to leave for her undercover assignment.  She tells her husband that her assignment is in Dubai.  After her husband (Jason Ritter) drops her off at the airport, she ditches her clothes and luggage, hits the road, and takes off for parts unknown as a homeless drifter.  Her goal is to find those who will help her find the anarchist cell. After some bullying by some rail yard detectives (bullies), she is picked up by Luca (Fernandez) and is given a quick lesson on freeganism.  Yes, that is where you go dumpster diving for food that restaurants must legally dispose of, but is still good to eat.  Sarah is brought to the group seeking medical attention (she cut her arm as a ploy).  Once in the group, she continues her spying and gaining intel on the cell. 

"Why is it self-righteousness goes hand in hand with resistance movements?"

The different characters that we meet have some interesting backstories.  There is Doc (Kebbell); he’s the group’s medic and a victim of a pharmaceutical company that makes the antibiotic drug Denoxin.  The drug causes the victim to not recognize their own faces, have tendons snap, seizures, and brain damage.  Then there is Izzy (Page).  She is one of the most radical of the group, and the most cynical.  Her crusade against an industrial plant that dumps arsenic into the local water is both heartfelt yet cruel.  She wants to stand up for those who can't.  The leader of the group is Benji (Alexander Skarsgård).  He claims that the people with him are not his followers.  He is both a charismatic figure and a tortured one.  He first appears in the film after about the first 20 minutes looking like a Christ figure, as he is thin with long brown hair.  Despite of what Benji says, he is the cult's leader.  There are others in the group that adds to the dynamic of the film.  Also in the group are Thumbs (Aldis Hodge) as the moral compass of the group, and Tess (Danielle Macdonald) who is the group’s computer hacker.  The activist’s goal is to commit three "jams" or acts of eco-terrorism on three major companies.  Their methods are simple, an eye for an eye.  After each jam, the group loads a video to YouTube announcing what they have done.  Tess encrypts the video so that the FBI can’t track it back to the originating IP address.  Izzy makes the announcements.

"It's easy when it's not your home easy when it's not your life.  The place where you sleep. Your kids, your wife. But when it's your fault it shouldn't be so easy to sleep at night. Especially when we know where you live.  Barry Redmond, CEO of Lorex Oil, 2641 River Road, East Hampton. You dumped fifteen million barrels of crude into the Atlantic. We don't care how rich you are. We want all those who are guilty to experience the terror of their crimes. Because it shouldn't be so easy to get away with murder. Lie to us we'll lie to you. Spy on us we'll spy on you. Poison our habitat we'll poison yours. We are The East and this is just the beginning. We will counterattack three corporations...in the next six months for their worldwide terrorism.”  ~ Izzy

Marling's character, Sarah, is complex.  She prays and listens to Christian music.  She lies to her husband about her work.  She has her own sense of morality and a certain sense of naivety wrapped within a hard shell of a ambition and confidence.  She is deft at spy craft, she keeps her wits, yet she later succumbs to her feelings about the group and their cause.  She doesn't necessarily agree with their methods and finds herself in the middle of this conflict between the hard right of the corporations and the far left of the anarchist cell.  Sarah sees the utilitarianism of Sharon and her spy firm, and the radical excess of The East.  About a little more than half way through the film, we find her deep in conflict.  She starts to see the inauthenticity of her own life, while she works for the morally corrupt corporations that destroy our world.  Most importantly, she sees how we as individuals support the inequality that consumerism, and therefore capitalism, which allows the rich to benefit at the expense of the labor and suffering of others.  She sees the humanity in the group, and the possibility that she can make a difference.  The group is portrayed as a bunch of fun loving hippy types who feel self-righteous in their cause.  Batmanglij and Marling spent some time in 2009 with an anarchist cell learning their mentality about corporations, consumerism, freeganism, and bathing in a river with a group, thus giving them insight that became the ideas behind this script.  Ellen Page's role is smaller, yet one of the most potent.  As in "Juno,"she is a fireball.  She is forceful, smart, and determined.  She later becomes a driving force for Sarah.  There is a scene in the film that is symbolic and foreshadows a later event.  The scene is where Thumbs finds a dead deer in the woods.  A "thrill kill" (kill for sport) that the group doesn't want to go to waste.  The group elects Sarah to cut open the deer so that they can take the meat.  However, Sarah cuts too far and cuts the intestine, crap spills out.

What is poignant about the film is that it brings to the foreground events that we know are going on in the world today.  The government is spying on us; major corporations protect themselves by printing the side effects in small print, and deny that they pollute our water.  In light of Wikileaks and the Edward Snowden incident, "The East" makes a statement.  Marling and Batmanglij's films tend to build the suspense and the drama, but they leave a lot to the imagination when they conclude their films.  I think they do a better job at bringing the "The East" to a conclusion.  As I said before, they tend to leave much to the imagination.  In "The Sound of My Voice," they give you the punch line in the last few moments of the film, and then before you can process what you just saw -- fade to black.  In "Another Earth," the ending is more of a quiet moment of reflection and for some, may have been a letdown.  "The East" is worth watching if you care about global warming, privacy issues, or just about any of humanity's problems.  For me, it was a revelation, which leads me down another level of awareness.

Just remember,

"Those side effects are listed on the side of the bottle.  That is how they rape you in broad daylight."

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Movie Data

Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Year:  2013

Staring: Alexander Skarsgård,Brit Marling,Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell, Shiloh Fernandez

Director: Zal Batmanglij

Producer(s): Michael Costigan, Jocelyn Hayes, Brit Marling, Ridley Scott,Tony Scott

Writer: Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling

Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 6/23/2013
Running Time: 116 minutes

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Carrie: Accountability, the Force, Consequences, and the Devil Be Damned

"You know the devil never dies, keeps coming back. But you gotta keep killing him."

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ere you one of the popular kids in High School?  Or, were you one of the awkward, shy, or even one of the not so well liked students?  Being the social outsider is the basis of this remake of the Brian De Palma's classic adaptation of the Stephen King's masterpiece, "Carrie. “  I'm not a fan of remakes, reboots, and re-imaginings, although there are some exceptions.  The film stars Chloë Grace Moretz ("Kick Ass," "Let Me In") in the title role of Carrie White.  Jullianne Moore ("Hannibal," "Children of Men") plays her mentally unbalanced, over the top ultra-religious, fundamentalist, and abusive mother.  From the strangely sickening squishy sounds of Carrie's birth at the beginning of the film, to the maelstrom of chaos that climaxes the final act, "Carrie"is a modern day version of King's novel tailored for a more modern and technological savvy generation.

"Is this a test?"

S

ome films don't need remakes, and this one didn't.  That being said, director Kimberly Pierce ("Boys Don't Cry," "Stop Loss") does a great job of updating an already timeless story, yet giving it a modern day look and feel.  Taking the bulk of Lawrence D. Cohen's original screenplay and having screenwriter Roberto Aguirre - Sacasa do an update on it, Pierce does her due diligence in recreating De Palma's cinematic blood fest, but with more blood and gore.

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oretz turns in a strong performance while in extreme wallflower mode.  She plays a young, awkward teen who tries to fit into a world that her religiously fanatical mom hasn't prepared her for.  Kids are mean.  In the case of Carrie White, who, in this internet age of cellphones and YouTube, apparently didn't take health or biology class, thinks she is dying after finding herself having her first period while showering after gym class.  To be fair she was homeschooled for the first few years.  The perfectly fit, clear-skimmed, and self-centered girls in her class "help her out" by throwing tampons and feminine pads at her.  We live in the age of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and what Aguirre - Sacasa's script does is incorporates these elements into Cohen's already solid script.

"What did Carrie White ever do to you?"

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ierce's take on the interpretation of the script, and perhaps King's as well -- in that the mentality of the girls is meaner, and the image of a blood soaked Carrie is gorier, but not any scarier.  Peirce takes her cue from recent remakes where the gore factor is cranked up several notches, like this year’s "Evil Dead," 2010’s "Nightmare on Elm Street," and Rob Zombie's "Halloween.”  Carrie is more sympathetic, prettier, a tad bit smarter, and more sympathetic.  Our antagonist, Chris Hargenson (Portia Doubleday) is an entitled evil bitch of a character whose inability to take responsibility for her deeds.  After posting the cruel video of the tormented Carrie, she is unable to accept the consequences of her actions.  Facing suspension from school and prom, Chris calls upon her daddy to bail her out of trouble.  Her delinquent boyfriend, Billy Nolan (Alexander Russell) is more menacing than "Welcome Back Kotter's" John Travolta.  The somewhat sympathetic character Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde) finds she is pregnant in this version.  Her boyfriend, Tommy Ross (Ansel Elgort) does a nice job of trying to sooth Carrie’s fears and truly is a gentleman.  Judy Greer (Love & Other Drugs) plays gym coach Ms. Desjardin, and plays her just as caring and sympathetic as Betty Buckley did in the original.

P

erhaps it's just me, but I don't feel the same reaction to this film as I did to the original.  Part of that may come from the fact that I was only 13 when Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie starred in De Palma's vision of the horror that can manifest itself in mommy – daughter issues on steroids.  I wasn't able to watch it until the early 80's when I saw it on HBO or I rented it on VHS.  At the time, I was truly shocked.  Spacek wasn't quite a household name yet, and at the time of Carrie, she was only really known for playing Holly in "Badlands" starting opposite Martin Sheen as the young lovers based on the Starkweather – Fugate serial murders of the late 1950's.

C

hloë Moretz has made a name for herself in films like "Kick Ass," and "Hugo.”  Her horror film resume includes the 2005 remake of "The Amityville Horror," the paranormal revenge film "Wicked Little Things," the under par comedic horror Depp fest "Dark Shadows," and "Let Me In," the remake of the Swedish vampire horror film, and now "Carrie.”  Although Chloë's timid, mousy Carrie is believable, I had a hard time not thinking that Hit-Girl would make a less psychic, but more dramatically intense appearance. Or perhaps Abby the vampire would start feeding on her tormentors.

“Go to your closet!”

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ulianne Moore's performance is convincing as she goes about mumbling prayers, whispering Bible verses, and reinterprets the Bible to fit her purposes.  With small wooden crosses on every wall of the White's household, Moore's fervent stares, her flagrant self-abuse, and her refusal to live in the 21st century, builds a believable character study of the extreme religious fundamentalist fanatic.  Who can blame her, with the youth of today pairing up and sexually cavorting while sucking each other's face in the school parking lot? 

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arco Beltrami’s ("World War Z," "Warm Bodies," "The Woman in Black," "My Soul to Take") score is both emotional and effective.  Gone are the “Psycho” like violin scrapes that accompanied Carrie’s telekinetic outbursts in the original.  Most effectively is during the destruction at the prom.  The score heightens and enhances the emotional turmoil as Carrie flings people and objects around the gym like a Sith Lord in the throes of dark ecstasy as she wields her power as she turns to the dark side as she releases her rage and frustrations at the prom goers.  I think for remakes, or re-imaginings to work, there must be something new meshed harmoniously with the original to make it worthwhile and different, but enough of the original to keep the original fan base around.  A couple examples of this would be, the 2004 TV series “Battlestar Galactica,” and J.J. Abrams alternative time lined “Star Trek.”  Carrie, I think could be better served with a change in casting Moretz in the title role.  She is a good actress, but she is too pretty for the part.  Instead of the girls in the gym class picking on the ugly duckling that is also socially awkward, and introverted, we have the haves picking on the have-nots.  That is a product of Kimberly Peirce’s subtle shifting of the emphasis in mentality and the emotion in the script.

B

ullying is still an important issue for families everywhere.  Just about every week, I see an article on my Facebook feed about someone’s children who has killed themselves over being bullied at school.  While cinematically we revel at Carrie’s revenge upon her classmates, we know of the true tragedy of bullying and the victim’s desire for revenge can have first hand – in real life.  That is because we live in a post Columbine age.  Carrie is interesting in that the film shows us a divide in the United States of social class, religious thought, and even an underlying split in politics. The Whites lives in a modest house, and Margaret works at a dry-cleaners doing tailoring and repairs.  They are modest, they are religious, and they are different.  Peirce uses extremes to show these differences.  At school, there is a social divide, Carrie is cute, but the other girls are pretty and privileged, they go to hair salons and have cell phones.

O

ne of the best things that Peirce does is update the hairstyles and the clothing of the characters.  Besides Beltrami’s score, songs from Passion Pit, Cults, and A Place to Bury Strangers play in the background throughout the prom, and during the film.  Carrie is an okay movie that will keep you entertained and at least part of the movie, will give you a sense of horror.  I would wait for the Blu-ray or DVD on this one. 

Movie Data

Genre: Drama, Horror

Year:  2013

Staring: Julianne Moore, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gabriella Wilde, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russell, Ansel Elgort, Judy Greer

Director: Kimberly Peirce

Producer(s): Kevin Misher

Writer: Lawrence D. Cohen, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Stephen King

Rating: R

Running Time: 100 minutes

Release Date:  10/18/2013

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