colin firth – Tripping Through Gateways

Honestly, the trailers for 1917 did not really grab me. War movies are not something I tend to get excited for. But then, I saw all the talk from people whose opinions I trust that it is a must see film, and more importantly worth seeing in the theater.

So, this weekend, I finally got the opportunity to sit down and watch the film in my local cineplex. I tried to avoid getting my hopes set too high.

And I tell you this much…the film was amazing to watch. By now, it is pretty well known that it is set up to look like one long and continuous shot, following two young soldiers in World War One given the mission to cross the German front line to warn a general that their planned attack needs to be halted, as it is a trap.

This is how you use a gimmick to tell a story. We stay with soldiers Blake and Schofield as they make their way through the treacherous landscape, which means we never see the dangers or threats until they come upon them.

Blake is more idealistic than Schofield, but both clearly struggle with the weight on their shoulders, the burden of the war.

While the whole film is impressive, the sequence that really blew may away is the night time sequence. Often we only see from the light cast by fires and explosions and flares. This creates a moment of great uncertainty and beauty as the scene brightens and then shadows rush over the landscape.

If you have not seen 1917 yet and it is still at your local theater? Check it out. It is worth seeing in the theater.

Truth be told, I was not anticipating much with this film. It was motion capture and seemed like a vanity project for Carrey to show off.

And yet, the motion capture was not as distracting as I expected. The character designs had an old storybook look.

And yes, it is an opportunity for Carrey to show off, but this film works in his favor. Carrey provides the voice of Scrooge and all three Ghosts. The film has some of the most imaginative takes on the ghosts, as only animation allows.

The Ghost of Christmas Present has a flame for a head, symbolic of the birth of hope (at least to me) to be mined from the past. While the Ghost of Christmas Present appears very much like other incarnations in his wreath crown and red robe, Carrey plays him with a wicked glee. This is a powerful component of the Ghost that can often be missed. He enjoys sticking it to Scrooge by using his own words against him. The best adaptions of the story remember this.

Marley is spot on. He is downright horrifying, as is fitting to the story. If your Marley is not fear inducing, you are getting it all wrong. And here, Marley’s arrival is intense.

The performances are all effective. Oldman’s Marley is grim, angry and desperate. His Bob Cratchit kindly and gentle. Colin Firth brings warmth and joy to Fred. But Carrey? He shines as Scrooge. He brings the right amount of fear and bitterness to Scrooge. His ghosts echo his voice ever so slightly, as if each ghost has a direct link to Scrooge.

Post conversion Scrooge hits all the right notes. He is giddy, joyful and full of hope. There is a glint of childish mischievousness in him as he plays off the expectations of those around him and then surprises them.

The one sore spot for me is that there two absurd and over the top effects sequences. The first has Scrooge rocketing through the sky after extinguishing the ghost of Christmas Past. The second is where Scrooge shrinks and grows while trying to outrun the horses of the Ghost of Christmas Future.

But overall, writer/director Robert Zemeckis and his cast seem to understand the story, and put together a pretty effective version of the tale. They get the horror element, the scary aspect of the story, but also the hope and redemption. I was pleasantly surprised with this one.

Like Matthew Vaughn’s previous Mark Millar adaption (Kick Ass), Kingsman: The Secret Service promises to be a bold and irreverent take on it’s genre. Kick Ass poked fun at super-heroes through excessive violence and profanity. Kingsman follows through. It is irreverent, extremely violent at times and full of profanity.

And yet, it seems to be a bit more loving of it’s target. It is as much homage to the classic spy films of the past. Colin Firth’s Galahad is older, handsome and stylish. He seems proper and speaks of manners even in a fist fight. Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is a rough hooligan lacking a sense of manners.

But when we first meet Eggsy, his father has died, and the promising future is dashed. His father was a secret agent, a member of the Kingsman organization. Heartbroken, his mother appeared to have never recovered from that loss. Eggsy gets in trouble with the police, only to meet Galahad who invites him to join the Kingsman Organization.

Unsurprisingly the other recruits are high society kids. The film focuses heavily on Eggsy going through each test, and building his friendship with Galahad. The central villain is a flamboyant tech genius named Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). His goal is to wipe out a massive number of the human population to save the world from global warning. One of his more interesting quirks is that he does not take pleasure or joy in the actual death, but he is certain that it is a worthy end.

The film is comically violent (there are at least two scenes of massive carnage) far more than any Bond film ever managed. But the film manages to be entertaining. There is good humor, and the cast has great chemistry together. I especially liked how the three women are characters, not love interests. One of his competitors, Roxy (Sophie Cookson) is his equal, and he supports her not because he wants to date her, but because they are friends.

Eggsy is a troubled guy, but he is decent, a supportive friend, cares deeply for his mother and baby sister…he has solid qualities that Galahad seeks to steer towards a greater good.

The film is, all in all, quite a bit of fun. The characters are likable, the cast is solid through and through. It is an effective action movie, even if some of the beats are somewhat predictable. The film embraces it’s super-spy inspirations and follows the conventions. It does it with fun style (Valentine’s henchwoman is pure old school Bond).

While there are moments that seem to relish the crass violence, overall this film is an effective adventure that left me smiling.

Tag: colin firth

The Continuous Horror of War (1917, 2019)

What a Scrooge Part 5 (A Christmas Carol, 2009)

A Bond By Any Other Name… (Kingsman: The Secret Service, 2015)