xXx: The Return of Xander Cage

After leaving this movie, my seventeen year old cousin told me that he had lost all respect for Vin Diesel. That got me thinking. The Iron Giant came out before he was born, Pitch Black came out the year he was born and The Fast and the Furious didn't come out much later after that (side note: that first F&F movie is the only one I like because my school camp didn't have any other movies to show us). So why did my cousin have any respect for him in the first place? Maybe Groot, I guess. Hopefully you can tell from this opening paragraph that I don't have much to say about this movie, so it's going to be a fun review for all of us.

Former government operative and extreme sport enthusiast Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) is coaxed out of retirement in order to hunt down a terrorist named Xiang (Donnie Yen) who has stolen a device that can bring satellites crashing down to the Earth. But shock horror, Xiang is actually part of the same xXx program and Xander's boss Jane Marke (Toni Collette) is the bad guy. There you go, you've just been informed of the world's most basic and predictable action movie ever. Helping Xander is the most standard group of buddies ever. Standard except for one DJ who he keeps around for the good times.

The action in this movie is the most logical thing happening. That's weird to say considering the movie starts with Diesel skiing down a gravelly hill in move that makes me question whether they understand how skis or gravel works. But then again this is the movie that has dirt bikes that whip down rivers and under waves (all in the same chase mind you). Because this is a movie that is appealing only to teenage boys, there are a lot of gratuitous girls in bikini shots, as well as a scene in which Diesel is the 'victim' of a female gangbang (I actually feel disgusted that I wrote that sentence, let alone watched it in a movie). The movie tries to even out this disgrace by adding two female action heroes, which doesn't work. Before you all go "Ruby Rose is my kween, she slays in OITNB, what are you talking about?", I have to remind you that I grew up with her being presenter on the Australian version of MTV and nothing will ever get that out of my head. In addition to all this weird portrayal of women where they're not sure if they should degrade them or make them strong, Nina Dobrev plays the cringiest character ever, someone who is geeky and shy, but unafraid of telling Xander Cage she likes rough sex and flirting with Ruby Rose. Again, this is obviously the very warped fantasy of what a woman should be like.

The moment well-respected martial artist Donnie Yen realised he needs a new agent

This movie does give me a chance to educate you a little about the industry though; namely the relationship between Hollywood and China. This year it is expected that Chinese ticket sales will surpass those of America for the first time in history. Because of this, Hollywood studios want to capitalise on that untapped market by getting their movies shown in China. Now the Chinese government only lets in a limited number of decadent Western films a year (and boy is this one decadent) and to make those chances higher, a studio can co-produce with a Chinese company. In order to do that, the filmmakers have to agree to fill a certain number of lead roles with Chinese actors. (I know that this is a deeply complex issue and I'd suggest checking out this video by Vox). What does all this have to do with our horrible movie. Well, it explains the inclusion of Chinese actors Tony Jaa, Donnie Yen and Kris Wu and also why this movie will probably do so well in that market.

xXx is an extremely subpar action movie. I know that sometimes I come of as someone who doesn't respect the genre, but I do enjoy it and know when something is trying. There was no effort whatsoever here. Gone are the extreme sports that I'm guessing the x's stand for and are replaced by a lot of standing around with arms spread wide open. And remember those character title cards that everyone thought were pointless in Suicide Squad, get ready for a lot of those.

Furious 7

                                               "I can't believe we pulled that off"

The Fast and Furious is a wholly unique example of blockbuster film-making. In no other series could the sixth sequel of a franchise be both the highest grossing and the most critically-acclaimed in spite of a director-change and the death of one of the major stars. A franchise that's as lauded for the diversity of its main cast as for its outright lunacy and stupidity. As often as it is compared to the auteuristic style of "Bayhem", it is entirely separate, as the Furious 7 may be the only film of the decade to have an action set-piece that involves one Hispanic woman fist-fighting four hijab-clad bodyguards and an MMA champion all dressed in evening dresses and while a car flies between three separate sky-scrapers.

                                          "Time to release the Beast from its cage."

The climactic death of Han in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift was a grim eventuality during his tenure in Fast Five and Furious 6, but at the end of the latter it was teased that his death was deliberately perpetrated by British ex-Black Operations psychopath Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). The motive being that by killing Han Shaw can bait Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his adopted "family" as revenge for them defeating his brother Owen (Luke Evans) in Furious 6. From this point onwards the plot modifies this over-arching revenge story with a Macguffin side-plot involving the enigmatic and enthusiastic "Mr. Nobody" (Kurt Russell) and the sexy & intelligent hacker (literally her only characteristics) Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel of Game of Thrones). Russell adds an extra dose of enthusiastic wit into the mix, Rhonda Rousey and Tony Jaa appear to (successfully) beef up the fight scenes, and Djimon Honsou continues his recent trend of intimidating villainous roles. This all builds upon Furious 6's James Bond-like jet-setting trend and growing reputation for choice casting, allowing for ridiculous action set-pieces to take place in vastly different locations, and truly allowing the individuality of this series to shine.



Australian director James Wan (most known for his horror films The Conjuring and Saw) gives some new depth to the madness but stays mostly true to the style Justin Lin built in his tenure from Tokyo Drift onwards.  Sky-diving cars? Sure. Iggy Azalea cameo? Why not. The Rock flexing his way out of a cast? Oh baby, yes please. But the over-editing of the fights, cringe-inducing dialogue, the too-strong foreshadowing of Brian's departure, the objectification of Nathalie Emmanuel's attractive, but otherwise very capable Ramsey, and certainly the abundance of product placement thin the growing divide between Furious 7 and its contemporaries. Wan also retains the near pornographic scene transitions, the lunatic action set-pieces, and thematic obsession with family, but builds on them in many small ways (most often through just effective mis-en-scene and camera-work) throughout the whole film. The fights incorporate interesting camera and editing techniques. the film concentrates on the dynamics and psychology of the "family" over the Statham's entertaining but one-dimensional villain, and the music unashamedly switches entirely from an obnoxious hip-hop soundtrack to an overcharged orchestral score between scenes. The introduction to Deckard Shaw is excellent in the way it establishes James Wan's role. The scene begins with a relatively touching moment of Statham visiting an unconscious Luke Evans in hospital and then in a single shot pulls out to reveal the destruction he wrought to get there, the destroyed ward, the dozens of dead and dying police and Statham's own deadly swagger. The scene contains the familial spirit, the excess of action and even ends with Statham speeding off in a sports car to hit all the hallmarks of the franchise, but the style of the reveal and structure of this scene is more than just pure spectacle.


                                   
                                                   "Woman, I AM the cavalry."

While it's tough to shoot around Paul Walker's death at that stage of the production, it's dealt with adequately with the asides of Dom and Mia (Jordana Brewster) contemplating whether Brian will accept domestication. These moments, alongside the similar aside that delves into the psychological aftermath of Letty's (Michelle Rodriguez) return to the "Family", allows for a welcome change in pace and an easy introduction to the eulogy for Walker. It's important for films to know what they are, not just who their audience is but what the film is, what it says and the way it says it. The Fast and Furious films were never meant to get this outrageously big, and it is clear on every level that the film-makers, producers, and most of all the actors know exactly what they're there to do: entertain. And in Furious 7 there is no shortage of ways to evoke that message, it comes through loud and clear.




Go and watch this movie now.

War Movie Month: Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Saving Private Ryan, one of several Spielberg war films that we'll examine this month, has been heralded for its incredibly realistic portrayal of combat, and for its harrowing performances from cast members, including of course, Tom Hanks. However it has also come under the scrutiny of veterans and filmmakers alike. It's a film that can be quite unnerving to watch, but ultimately can stand up against some of the greatest war movies made thus far.

After a present-day prelude, we are taken back to June 6th 1944, the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach. Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) leads the 2nd Ranger Battalion up the beach and toward German defences as severe carnage ensues around them. Several days later, after the situation is more controlled, Miller learns that his company is to find Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), a missing-in-action soldier and the last remaining of four brothers fighting in the war. 

Saving Private Ryan is well known for its realistic representation of combat conditions, especially in the opening scene of the landing on Omaha Beach. Just as Oliver Stone aimed to represent his experiences in Vietnam in Platoon, so did Spielberg strive for accuracy in his representation of the landings. The 27 minute sequence cost millions to make and wasn't even storyboarded, with Spielberg preferring to move the camera freely to capture the action. The horrific details of seasickness, machine-gunfire, bloody water and limbs being torn off make for some difficult viewing, with some WWII veterans regarding it as the most realistic representation of the events that they have ever seen. The power of the film rests in this realism, and the relatable characters  that are placed within this insane situation, on a controversial mission that will cost several lives just to save one. If I have one criticism, it's that at times, it becomes overly patriotic to the point that it can come across as less about the men using their allegiance to grapple with the situation, and more as a justification for their actions.

Whilst receiving critical acclaim both on release, and since, Saving Private Ryan has also had it's critics, one of which being the aforementioned filmmaker and veteran, Oliver Stone, who believed the film's patriotic and violent representation of WWII may have inadvertently fuelled America's love of war. Although Brian De Palma (Scarface) suggests otherwise, stating that the level of violence is Spielberg "trying to show something about the brutality of what happened". Be that as it may, it's an interesting point about the influence of a film on society. Personally, I have always found the battle scenes so intense that they put the horror and significance of such a conflict into perspective.

Saving Private Ryan has a unique, slightly-soft and desaturated look, with a heavy amount of film grain, reminiscent of WWII-era newsreels. Many of the battle scenes use a slight 'shaky-cam' effect which is never particularly disorientating but helps to place the audience in the action. Janusz Kamiński again collaborated with Spielberg as DP on the film, after he utilised some quite stunning cinematography in Schindler's List (which we'll look at later in the month).  Kamiński won Best Cinematography for Saving Private Ryan. Working together with the images is a screaming sound stage which adds to the intensity of the battles. Bullets flying left, right and centre, shells whistling over-head, it can be horrifically unnerving and rightfully earned the film the Academy Award for Best Sound Design.

The fury of the battle scenes is put into perspective by the poignant performances from the cast. Hanks is magnificent at portraying characters that are inherently human, and as Miller, he conveys the challenging and conflicting nature of leadership. The battalion is full of intriguing characters but some standouts include the loyal Technical Sergeant Horvath (Tom Sizemore) and the sharpshooter Private Jackson (Barry Pepper), who frequently reads verses from the bible whilst pointing his sights at the enemy, a perfect representation of the conflicting nature of warfare.

Saving Private Ryan is a strong war film that uses realism to confront the horrific nature of warfare. Its tale of sacrifice and heroism may be overshadowed by an overly-patriotic message but the chilling scenes and heartbreaking performances elevate it to another level. 

Guardians of the Galaxy

Before I get into the film itself, I have to just say that I'm absolutely sick to death of Marvel's releases. I used to really like their characters but with film after film, franchise after franchise, I feel that they've really diluted in quality and have over-saturated the market to the extent that I now don't want to see any more superhero movies, even from DC or any of their other competitors. Not to mention all the good that their hyper-budgets could do with smaller productions and better script treatments. Anyway, rant over. It's time to see how their latest release Guardians of the Galaxy stacks up!

In 1988, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is abducted from Earth, with only a Walkman and a present from his mother as possessions. 26 years later he steals a sought-after orb that lands him in prison, before he teams up with a tree-like humanoid (Vin Diesel), a genetically engineered raccoon (Bradley Cooper), an orphaned alien (Zoe Saldana) and a pissed off guy with tattoos (Dave Bautista) to escape, sell the orb and hunt down Ronan the Accuser.

The plot wasn't quite as convoluted as I was expecting, but was still as ridiculous as in most Marvel films. Having said that, it's really nice to have some fresh characters in the mix, instead of the constant rinse and repeat that we've become accustomed to. It's also great to have more of a pure sci-fi film from Marvel.

There's plenty of decent humour to keep it rolling along, although some of it is a bit cringe-worthy and there were also several jokes (such as the fact that Groot can only say "'I am Groot") that were repeated to death, which got tiring very quickly. But other than a few cliches here and there, and an ending that seemed to go on and on, the plot's really not that bad and is enough to keep you entertained throughout.

There's also nothing particularly wrong with the casts' performances but at the same time, they're nothing special. The only two characters which I actually enjoyed were Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Peter Serafinowicz's character, Denarian Saal (mainly because it's Peter Serafinowicz), and they were basically the two biggest arseholes in the whole film.

Of course, with a budget of $170 million, it's going to have plenty of eye-candy, and trust me, you won't be disappointed. It's absolutely jam packed with explosions, lasers, spaceships and a CGI racoon, whether that makes up for all it's issues depends on what sort of sci-fi films you enjoy. If you're a fan of Michael Bay, this film will blow your mind with it's strong presence of plot!

At the end of the day, it's a big-budget blockbuster with tonnes of special effects that look fantastic and jokes that will keep you watching. I quite enjoyed this but it still doesn't change my stance on Marvel.

New 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Stills

After the release of new trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy over the weekend, Marvel has provided Empire Magazine with exclusive stills from the set of the film. Guardians of the Galaxy is slated for release in the next couple of months, depending where you live. What do you think of the new stills? Do they tantalize your interest in the film? Head to the Empire article link below to see all of them.

Source: Empire Online