John Carter, Are You Coming Back?

Overall a very entertaining ride. I was not disappointed.

I was moved to see this movie from the television advertisements endlessly run through the week. The scenery seemed creative and other-worldly which started a sci-fi itch that I sometimes get.

I had gotten to the theater that opening night but arrived only fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled time. I figured that the long lines had already gone in and  I'd have to find whatever seat that I could (I love the center middle area). When I walked in, I found that the theater was only half filled and by the time that the feature began, there were not that many more that arrived. I suddenly felt that a lot of people might have known something that I did not. Fortunately, the $11.00 that I had spent was not wasted.

John Carter is the story of an earth-man (Taylor Kitsch) from the old West who finds himself transported to the planet Mars. He becomes embroiled in the civil disputes of the local inhabitants and because of his new-found abilities (which seem like super-powers) and his need to help others, John moves from being a lost soul to a man with a purpose.

The plot development seemed strange at first but soon impressed me as being imaginatively written. What I really liked was the writer's ability to draw parallels from the surroundings as John jumped back and forth from the old West and to Mars. The rawness between the two locations was similar enough that it worked to helped one to believe in the film's theme. On the down side, even though a great deal of time was spent detailing the conflict between hostile tribes and warriors grabbing for power, the filmmaker could still not make me believe that what I was seeing was little more than a small band of testosterone-driven maniacs trying to gain a few more acres of land.

The romance, which of course became John's focal point of motivation (I doubt this spoils it for anyone) was well done but the sucker-for-a-good- love-story that I am, needed a lot more depth. I felt I was looking at a teenager who had found love for the first instead of a mature man who had learned a bit of wisdom. Regardless, there was a chemistry between Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) and John which made me hope that their relationship would endure their interplanetary differences.

The alien tribes were only believable and entertaining to a point. I will not bring up the trauma that I felt when I witnessed how Jar Jar Binks tried to bring down Stars Wars I. Fortunately, these creatures were not that bad.

In terms of movie facts, Taylor Kitsch did most of his own stunt work. The safety harnesses used to simulate his 80 mile per hour and 80 foot superhuman jumps were far from comfortable. Hitsch stated that he had the groin scars to prove it.
 

John Carter is a 2 hr and 10 min. feature whose story could have been told in about an hour and a half.Overall, this movie is worth seeing. With any really good movie, I yearn for a sequel and/or more detail but by the ending of John Carter, I felt that I had happily seen enough. I give a rating of 8/10.

"Crash" is True To It's Name

I've just seen the movie "Crash" (1998) with James Spader. I'd heard about the premise of the movie years ago (people get turned on through car crashes) but was not that interested to see it until recently (came across it on Netflix). I have not seen a more perverted movie in a while. Being male, most of the sex scenes were pretty hot (NC-17, DVD version) but after a while, this theme got repetitious. The attempt to glamorize car crashing got to be lame and I've never heard this "underground rush" related to any group before I saw the movie or since. With as much nudity and as many sex scenes in this movie, you wonder what the auditions were like. I liked "The Secretary" (Spade & Gyllenhaal) with it's sado-masochistic theme. The characters were quirky but overall the sex scenes and the movie made sense (find this in another review). Too often Crash was sexual for the sake of being sexual and whatever underlining theme there was got lost. I felt like I should have rented a porno.    

             
The nude scenes just could not carry the theme of the movie. Good concept, disappointing movie.

Creepy Carrie Lives

My favorite horror movie of all time is “Carrie”. This was the original 1976 version, based on the book by Stephen King, directed by Brian De Palmer and played in the film by Sissy Spacek.

The basic plot is about lonely Carrie who has always felt different and left out. Carrie’s over-to-top religious mother (played by Piper Laurie) has brought Carrie up to fear everything and trust no one but only her mother (and God). During the beginning of Carrie’s first menses, telekinetic abilities seemed to have also blossomed. Because Sue Snell (played by Amy Irving) and her friends have been mean to Carrie, Sue tries to make it up to Carrie. Sue sends her boyfriend to the prom with Carrie and she feels like she is now part of the in-crowd. This ends in disaster because another girl hates Carrie and follows through with her own plan.

There are some marked differences from the book but De Palmer captured the flavor of the total confusion one feels during adolescence. Add the tastefully done nude scenes, Carrie’s growing telekinetic powers and of course, the horror sequences and you have a well conceived plan to lure you in and then scare your pants off.

It was noticeable that some of the “teenagers” were a bit on the older side but to me, this is the only down side of the movie. The characters that John Travolta, William Katt and Nancy Allen play are worth mentioning but because of Sissy Spacek’s excellent rendition of the Carrie character (she is such a good actress) and the serene and haunting soundtrack, you find yourself pulled into this film’s innocence and then tragedy.

Spoiler Alert. Don’t read below if don’t want to know the ending of the movie.

As ridiculous as it might seem to run a spoiler alert on a movie that’s been out since 1976, there are those who have not seen the movie. I don’t want to spoil it for them.
Personal Note- This writer is has always been an avid horror and science fiction watcher. I enjoy the rush of a good scare. I like to laugh and joke with my friends but I handle myself conservatively while in public. I was not prepared for what I was about to witness.

At the end of the movie there is a dream sequence which is calming for the character (Sue Snell) and the audience. The set up is, Carrie has killed her mother and herself and you figure this puts closure on the movie because the main character has died. Sue Snell, being the only survivor of the high school fire is, of course, traumatized. She has dreams of placing flowers at the empty lot where her “friend” Carrie has died. The photography is hazy and the music is serene and calming. To me, the movie was obviously winding down, as Sue gives this tribute to Carrie. As Sue is walking, I am putting my arm in my jacket, with my eyes still on the screen and I waited for the credits to scroll down. As Sue is about to place the bouquet on the ground, Carrie’s bloody hand reaches out of the ground and grabs Sue’s wrist. I half stood up and screamed “Nooooo.” Sue woke and the dream (and the movie) ended.

Now I know that others in the audience screamed in horror but no one screamed as loudly as I did. If someone had told me that I was going to react that way in a crowded movie theater, I would have said they were crazy. I was genuinely scared! Eerie movie fact – Sissy Spacek was actually buried under the ground in order to do this scene.

End of Spoiler Alert

Horror movies after Carrie have used the “unexpected added ending” while others rely heavily on gore and special effects. Regardless of when this movie was made or how often you see it, Carrie can still bring you to the edge of your seat and then knock you off it. Carrie will always be a masterpiece of horror film making at it’s best.

This movie deserves my highest rating. It delivers what is promised and does not look back.