Beneath The Outer Shell

these are some movies i saw a ways back.  i'll make this simple since none of these films are "great".

Total Recall is a bad remake.  Colin Farrell is the new Schwarzenegger in this science fiction disaster.  the orignal wasn't all that bad, but i do remember thinking there was major plot hole.  something didn't fit right, but i don't have the energy to try and understand it anymore.  now, the remake tries to be the same movie and attempts to outdo the original with incomprehensible action scenes.  this is a pet peeve of mine.  if you have action and fight scenes, you must allow to audience to understand what is exactly going on.  these days, too many movies show the hero with some advanced karate-kung fu-street fighting-Jason Bourne abilities...and you can't tell who is winning until the overly predictable fight is over.  the good guy wins, or the enemy gets away.  such a waste of time for the director and the audience.  now back to the film.  the film is too dark.  not as in bleak, but as in literally too dark to see all of the detail.  i imagine this is done to cover up shoddy CGI.  in comparison, the original is fantastic.  the Total Recall remake stinks.  don't ever watch it, even if you're bored.  stay away at all costs.

The Campaign is a really funny movie with Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as opposing candidates vying to be elected to North Carolina's 14th District.  i saw this one on a movie hop, as usual, and i didn't think it would be very good.  it was a long shot.  i only liked Will Ferrell in Elf and have developed a strong dislike of his films and characters.  however, The Campaign is a brutal R-rated comedy without shame.  i found myself laughing out loud in the theatre for the first time in a LONG time.  i do realize what is funny and am amused by intelligent humor, but to actually laugh aloud in public is a rarity for me.  the only drawback in the entire movie are the intermittent scenes of serious dialogue.  one minute your laughing at raunchy humor, then the very next minute you are jilted back into serious mode.  it's a strange combination and i never got used to it.  my recommendation is to watch it if it's on TV, maybe go with Netflix...or if you really like the actors, see it.

The Bourne Legacy, in my world, is a two part film.  the first part works...the second part comes at you so quickly that you almost forget that the first part was actually really good.  i was stoked to see this one and the first 45 minutes were really cool and quite interesting.  there was no clear plot in the first half, but for me it didn't matter.  i knew the plot was coming.  i knew it involved some kind of drug...pills which are kept in what appears to be a used breath mint tin container.  the big problem with the movie is the character played by Rachel Weisz.  she's a doctor that gets mixed up with Aaron Cross (played by Jeremy Renner) and his march forward to understand how the government is using him.  Rachel Weisz is at her worst.  for what seems to be an eternity, she freaks out and screams her lines.  granted, she has been through a lot, but it's as if she is talking to herself.  there is no real connection or repor with Renner.  Rachel Weisz completely destroys the film and it's even embarrassing to watch.  i recommend the first 45 minutes, then just push fast forward and watch the final 15 minutes to clear things up.  just cover your ears whenever Weisz speaks.

Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master is a different type of film.  in fact, it's his most ambitious work to date.  as the director of Magnolia, There will be Blood, Boogie Nights, and Punch Drunk Love, Anderson attempts something more personal for the audience to enjoy.  it's about an alcoholic and torn WWII veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who meets "The Master" (Philip Seymour Hoffman). The Master is said to be preaching the origin of Scientology (yes, L. Ron Hubbard).  "The Master" wants this war veteran to be a member of his group, called "The Cause", which is just another way looking at life and it's obstacles.  it's a spiritual coming of age story that mixes amateur existentialism with basic Scientology.  sounds like a good movie?  well, i kept getting distracted watching this one.  both the editing and the way the story was told just didn't work for me.  the pacing was way off.   i'll be honest...i didn't understand exactly what i had seen when the credits began to roll.  a second viewing would do wonders, but the problem is i have no urge or desire to see it again.  maybe one day.  some may hate me for this, but i say skip it and watch one of Andersons other films.

edit:  the main reason i was excited to see The Master was because Jonny Greenwood (lead guitarist of Radiohead) wrote the entire musical score.  on Anderson's last movie, There will be Blood, Greenwood also did the score.  both films excel tremendously in this category...however only There will be Blood is the one not to be missed.