Touche, Twilight. I get on here and run my mouth off about how you’re going down in flames, and then you edge out “The Blind Side” and take the weekend by $2 million dollars. Fine, whatever. We’ll see how you do next weekend. Not that it matters, because unlike the bloated star vehicles I normally rail against, you’re going to be insanely profitable for Summit, aren’t you? That’s the advantage of making a blockbuster for nickels and dimes (comparatively). I’m not going to sit here and deny that your business model is cunning, but it’s more akin to Richard III than Robin Hood.
Anyway, moving on.
“2012″
An interesting movie. I’m going to give it about a 75% approval rating, and advise you that if a disaster movie is what you’re in the mood for, this should be the only one you’ll need for awhile. The special effects are fantastic, the story is often predictable but adequately carried out, and the third act contains some really original, interesting material that pushes the flick past anything else in director Roland Emmerich’s catalog. Possibly emboldened by his proclamation that he’ll never touch this genre again, Emmerich actually follows the concept of his mega-flick to its natural conclusion, creating a climax that is nowhere near the usual stomping grounds of these movies. I won’t spoil it here, since the movie builds a semi-surprise out of it, but it definitely gave the picture a boost in my mind.
“2012″ is an interesting case study in the value of good acting. Anyone who thinks actors don’t deserve their salaries should consider this. The script itself contains little in the way of innovation: Jackson Curtis, struggling divorced father, trying to get along with his kids, blah blah blah. Adrien Helmsley, the guy who told you so, can’t we save some more people, yaddah yaddah yaddah. Carl Anheuser, crass bureaucrat and possible coward, I think you’re getting my drift here. And yet, none of this really bothered me when I was watching the movie. Why? Because Jackson Curtis was played by John Cusack, and Adrien Helmsley was Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Anheuser was Oliver Platt. Each of these guys put down serious, involved performances that elevated the material a notch or two. Cusack is surprisingly good in an action sequence, he conveys desperation and physical exhaustion quite well. He’s also a surprisingly natural alpha male leader, the kind of guy you’d follow in a crisis. Who knew?
Chiwetel Ejiofor is a personal favorite of mine, a deeply sensitive actor with a limitless range. There’s a scene where he calls his father to try and save him, even though they both know he can’t. It’s not especially well written, every line is a cliche, but damned if I didn’t feel it when Ejiofor took his ear away from his cell phone to fight back tears. Phew. For similarly stunning performances, visit his work in “Amadeus,” “Serenity,” and “Children of Men.” In each he plays a completely different kind of character with absolute mastery. There’s nothing he can’t do, I would cast the dude in anything.
There are lots of interesting personal anecdotes for me to tell you about from this past weekend. But I’m tired. They’re going to have to wait, Dear Reader.
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