All my life I've been passionate about movies. I find them to be such an all-involving art form, showing not only sights otherwise foreign to me but worlds, and encompassing so many different skills working together in cohesion - writing, music, lyricism, art form, acting, and performance. The best movies are capable of teaching and enlightening; of making us better people. It is a sublime human creation, which for me is so much more than mere entertainment or hobby.
About Ferguson On Films
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Screening Log - December 2005
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03. (Dec. 3) THX 1138 (1971, George Lucas) 5 / 10
Sci-Fi, Drama / USA / 88 minutes / Rated R
Synopsis: Watching THX 1138 is like looking at a blank canvas in an art gallery and having a clever 8-year-old tell you it's a picture of a cow in a snowstorm. This is a film that says little and means less, whose nearly every scene requires a concentrated effort on the part of the viewer to imbue it with substance. You would scarcely know it to watch the film, but it is set in the 25th century in a strictly enclosed underground compound where a solitary man decides to rebel against his oppressors and liberate himself. Now, while one may rightfully wonder how the blank canvas found itself in the art gallery, it is readily apparent how venerable sci-fi pioneer George Lucas's directorial debut earned its regard over the years. THX 1138, in spite of its pallid story and stock sci-fi totalitarian hooey, boasts arresting visual techniques and avant-garde special effects. Lucas achieves a polished and convincing sci-fi look and feel in a very austere and minimalist manner which was remarkable for its time and remains impressive by virtue of its sheer movie-making innovation. So sad, then, that the flashy visuals function as little more than a decorative frame for the blank canvas. Only adventurous Lucas hobbyists and those interested in seeing what it would look like to have Daft Punk beat up Moby will want to check this one out.
THX 1138 is available on DVD and may be rented from Spit It Video located at 15 Lewis St., Moncton.
Sci-Fi, Drama / USA / 88 minutes / Rated R
Synopsis: Watching THX 1138 is like looking at a blank canvas in an art gallery and having a clever 8-year-old tell you it's a picture of a cow in a snowstorm. This is a film that says little and means less, whose nearly every scene requires a concentrated effort on the part of the viewer to imbue it with substance. You would scarcely know it to watch the film, but it is set in the 25th century in a strictly enclosed underground compound where a solitary man decides to rebel against his oppressors and liberate himself. Now, while one may rightfully wonder how the blank canvas found itself in the art gallery, it is readily apparent how venerable sci-fi pioneer George Lucas's directorial debut earned its regard over the years. THX 1138, in spite of its pallid story and stock sci-fi totalitarian hooey, boasts arresting visual techniques and avant-garde special effects. Lucas achieves a polished and convincing sci-fi look and feel in a very austere and minimalist manner which was remarkable for its time and remains impressive by virtue of its sheer movie-making innovation. So sad, then, that the flashy visuals function as little more than a decorative frame for the blank canvas. Only adventurous Lucas hobbyists and those interested in seeing what it would look like to have Daft Punk beat up Moby will want to check this one out.
THX 1138 is available on DVD and may be rented from Spit It Video located at 15 Lewis St., Moncton.
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02. (Dec. 3) The Game (1997, David Fincher) 8 / 10
Mystery, Thriller, Adventure / USA / 128 minutes / Rated R
Synopsis: Like a nihilistic Frank Capra film, The Game is about a cold-hearted and soulless financier named Nicholas Van Orton who is treated to a "profound life experience" on his 48th birthday, a milestone which he finds particularly disturbing as it was at the same age that his father unexpectedly killed himself. His experience comes in the form of a gift from his estranged younger brother. This gift is an invitation to an unheard-of game - one of those expensive "rich people only" curios reserved for those who have nothing more charitable to do with their time or money. It's the perfect present for Van Orton, who is skeptical at first but admits he's intrigued and signs up, unprepared for the wild ride ahead. What happens next is a vicious comeuppance of almost cosmic proportions; indeed, it is as if the hand of an all-powerful being is forcing him to confront his present misanthropy and pay for it. Director David Fincher's version of this typical morality fable is distinctly edgier and more terrifying than similar stories, allowing Van Orton to earn his soul through an enlightening process that's more punitive than corrective. Filmgoers are participants in the process too; like Van Orton, we are never quite sure what the mechanics and the ultimate purpose of the game are, which makes for a thrilling cinematic experience. Where it suffers is in the enormous implausibilities that become apparent only after watching the final few moments, which themselves conclude the story rather too quickly and unconvincingly. Like other last-act shockers, this one loses some of its appeal after the first viewing, but it's still a deftly engaging film the first time around.
The Game is available on DVD and may be rented from Spit It Video located at 15 Lewis St., Moncton.
Mystery, Thriller, Adventure / USA / 128 minutes / Rated R
Synopsis: Like a nihilistic Frank Capra film, The Game is about a cold-hearted and soulless financier named Nicholas Van Orton who is treated to a "profound life experience" on his 48th birthday, a milestone which he finds particularly disturbing as it was at the same age that his father unexpectedly killed himself. His experience comes in the form of a gift from his estranged younger brother. This gift is an invitation to an unheard-of game - one of those expensive "rich people only" curios reserved for those who have nothing more charitable to do with their time or money. It's the perfect present for Van Orton, who is skeptical at first but admits he's intrigued and signs up, unprepared for the wild ride ahead. What happens next is a vicious comeuppance of almost cosmic proportions; indeed, it is as if the hand of an all-powerful being is forcing him to confront his present misanthropy and pay for it. Director David Fincher's version of this typical morality fable is distinctly edgier and more terrifying than similar stories, allowing Van Orton to earn his soul through an enlightening process that's more punitive than corrective. Filmgoers are participants in the process too; like Van Orton, we are never quite sure what the mechanics and the ultimate purpose of the game are, which makes for a thrilling cinematic experience. Where it suffers is in the enormous implausibilities that become apparent only after watching the final few moments, which themselves conclude the story rather too quickly and unconvincingly. Like other last-act shockers, this one loses some of its appeal after the first viewing, but it's still a deftly engaging film the first time around.
The Game is available on DVD and may be rented from Spit It Video located at 15 Lewis St., Moncton.
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01. (Dec. 2) Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005, Mike Newell) 8.5 / 10
Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller / UK, USA / 157 minutes / Rated PG-13
Synopsis: Up until now I've enjoyed the Harry Potter film series for its nifty special effects and its quirky cast of characters, and have appreciated how engrossing they are for its target audience of pre-adolescent children. But all along, though, I've not felt any compelling attachment to the storyline, which I find to be not only highly derivative but lacking in depth and meaning (an oversight perhaps unattributable to the books, which I am unfamiliar with). So it was with great delight that I at last discovered in The Goblet Of Fire a pulse - shades and tones of urgency and poignancy which, when added to the usual quality of presentation, make for the best Harry Potter film yet. In this one, Harry's been mysteriously entered into the academy's exclusive Tri-Wizard Tournament, just as he is beginning to suffer very vivid dreams of the series' arch-enemy Lord Voldemort. And as if that isn't tumultuous enough for the poor lad, he and his best mates Ron and Hermione are also at that precious age when they care a little more than usual about who their dates are for the annual Yule Ball. Unfortunately, with its long running time, some of the story drags on at times and it becomes difficult to sustain interest (especially, I would assume, if one were a newcomer to the franchise), but adapting such a large book as The Goblet Of Fire for a film is a delicate feat which is nevertheless well done. And though little is resolved in the end, as we know what's just happened is a stopgap until the events of the fifth movie and its sequels, we are indeed aware that "difficult times lie ahead." And so, with confidence and enthusiasm, I say bring it on - I can't wait!
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire is currently playing at Empire 8, Trinity Drive cinema, located at 125 Trinity Drive in Moncton, as well as at Crystal Palace 8 Cinemas, located at 499 Paul St. in Dieppe.
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