Planet of the Apes (Tim Burton, 2001)

"I think it's fair to call this hostile territory"

Introduction

It is strange how, in a week whereby I watch Batman (I was not happy about that film) and Batman Returns for the first time, I then write about another previously-owned property, Tim-Burton-ised for a new audience. He claimed it was a 're-imagining' of the original Planet of the Apes film. Since the end of the original saga, the film was in development in different stages from 1988. Over many years with a wide range of directors (Peter Jackson, Chris Columbus, James Cameron, Sam Raimi, Oliver Stone) and a diverse possibility of actors (Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charlie Sheen), it seems the reboot of Planet of the Apes could've been anything. Arnie, the 'scientist' travelling back in time? A half-humn, half-ape creature within the Ape version of the Renaissance? A "sword and sandal spectacular" set within an Ape version of the Roman civilisation? These were all considered ... but it eventually fell to Gothic Tim Burton signing on to direct and Richard D. Zanuck producing.

The Scale Roddy McDowell Dreamed Of...

The problem with the earlier saga was how small in scale it was. The idea of Apes taking over the world simply didn't have the same effect when you only see the apes fighting within car parks and in spaces which are clearly stage-sets. From the opening scene we see what we had never seen before - lots of space. Bar Taylor's (Charlton Heston) brief introduction at the start of Planet of the Apes, we never truly see the wide, expansive galaxy that earth hovers within. Even in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, whereby Zira and Cornelius crash-land on earth and tell us how earth was destroyed, we don't see their journey.

Tim Burton, and his $100m budget ensures that we see all of space. Our hero is Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg), an astronaut on board a mothership which trains apes to explore areas which are unsafe. Davidson's favourite chimpanzee is sent into an electro-magnetic storm and, without question, Davidson decides to save him when it is clear that he has been 'lost. A time-warp takes Davidson onto a different planet whereby Apes are the dominant species and, in the same manner as Schaffner's original, Davidsons - amongst primative humans - is chased by apes, and caught.

Already a change in the characterisation of our lead role - he is now not neccessarily a morally-ambiguous lead, he is very-much a hero. In the opening sequence, Davidson is a hero - he saves apes. To make matters worse, not only does a stunning female-slave Daena (Estella Warren) fall for him, but it seems that Ari (Helena Bonham-Carter), a liberal ape who doesn't agree with slave humans, also falls for him. The apes and humans all speak, and the subtext about communication is lost. The film knows what it is - a heroic journey whereby our hero has to 'win' by defeating the enemy.

Enemies

General Thade (Tim Roth) and General Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan) provide our hero with his enemies. Chalton Heston even cameo's as the aging Father of Thade, upping the ante, by showing Thade that 'guns' exist. This is all alongside the religious subtext regarding a holy site named CA-LI-MA and a Messianic figure in Semos - who the apes are descendants of.

Interestingly, pre-9/11, the story is very much about extremists as General Thade is overtly 'religious', even uttering the lines:

"Extremism in defense of apes is no vice"

The film is highliy critical of faith, but equally undermines it by implying that Wahlberg himself is a Messianic figure. Ari tells him how he is "sent from the stars" and his actions inspire the humans, leading the way to their salvation - and to war.

An Epic War

As previously noted, this is epic in scale. At the time, films including The Mummy, Gladiator and Armageddon were the buzz around Hollywood. The ancient civilisations in the former-two seen as a major draw at the box-office. Egyptian and Roman Empire's celebrated on the silver-screen - could the Ape Empire be celebrated on such a scale too? Throw into the mix a space-station, science-fiction element that - in the third act - is found again, having crashed to planet earth and it seems that you have a combination of all three. The latter is a bit of a stretch, but it is fair to say that both Armageddon and Deep Impact were huge-draws in 1998, and both of which spent a considerable amount of time on-board a spaceship.

But the war-finale pre-dates The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and combined with the religious overtones and historic civilisation, it caught the imagination of an audience keen to watch action sequences on such a large scale. We see explosions and a battlefield pitting humans against apes - a far cry from Battle for the Planet of the Apes. Mid-fight, a spaceship lands, and the ape Davidson originally seeked, arrives on the planet.

Lets Do The Time Warp Again

The time-warp element is important to the apes film and Burton doesn't leave it out. IT is integral to the plot. Davidson managed to survive blasting through a time-storm, the chimpanzee seems to do the same - whilst the spaceship Davidson was on fails to jump the time-warp and instead crashes down on the planet, beginning new life and new conflicts. But that is not all. God-like Mark Wahlberg sets off, leaving the planet (this time, in-keeping with Pierre Boulles novel) and returning to Earth before finding that time has been altered and General Thade has replaced Abraham Lincoln. It makes no sense. Don't even start to think it through - it is ridiculous.

This finale sharply pulls everything sharply into focus- the film is merely a light-hearted joke. This is an Apes film without depth, without personality and without meaning. Prior to Burton's Planet of the Apes, every film raised a social-issue that you could discuss afterwards. The film brings nothing new to the argument. It hints at ideas about equality, faith and 'truth', but it doesn't resolve the issues. In 1968, Planet of the Apes conclusively stated how earth will destroy itself if it continues in the same manner. Beneath The Planet of the Apes tackled nuclear power - and our obsession with weapons and power. Escape from the Planet of the Apes tackles the fear of exploration, and fear of acceptance. This film doesn't directly conclude any of the issues raised and, within all the fighting and fire, you know that it simplifies everything. Taylor wasn't neccessarily 'good', Ceasar was complex - frustrated by the injustice and angry about human greed. Leo Davidson is 'Good'. Ari and all the humans are 'Good'. Thade, Attar and Limbo are 'bad'. They need to all get along ... and by the end of the film, they do get along. Praise be to Semos. 

Contraband (Baltasar Kormákur, 2012)

"I've got to try and fix this. Trust me, I know what I'm doing"

Introduction

Mark Wahlberg, following The Departed and The Fighter had began to establish a much-more respectable and credible career as a lead actor - especially how these roles were alongside his successful comedy straight-guy roles in The Other Guys and Date Night. A far cry from Max Payne and The Happening. Unfortunately, Contraband seems to fall into the 'generic-action-film' category. It is convuluted and seems to try too hard in gaining your interest and attention. Everything seems to be at stake and he can't trust anyone - and yet, he does trust others and those stakes are easily surpassed. Through luck and coincidence, we can rest assured that our lead-man will 'save the day'. But I don't think anyone by the end of the film really believes it matters.

The 'Smuggling' Story

Contraband is an action-thriller starring - alongside Mark Wahlberg - Kate Beckinsale, Giovanni Ribisi and Ben Foster. Wahlberg is Chris Farraday, an expert in the field of smuggling, who left the profession for the sake of his family. But he was pulled back in by his brother-in-law Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), when Andy screws-up a job for drug-dealer and smuggler Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi).

In 2008, director-of-Contraband Baltasar Kormákur starred in Reykjavik-Rotterdam. Successful in Iceland, Kormákur realised the film would work exceptionally well by transferring the story from Iceland to America. I have not seen the original, but I would like to think that the plot had a little bit more tension. By moving the film to 'the ports' in Louisiana, it seems like the film has been modelled on the look and feel of the second season of The Wire. Huge crates and sly-bribes ensure that you can control what is coming in and out if you have the authority and power.

As the film rests solely on the success or failure of the 'job', it is important to be very clear on the reasons why Chris Farraday believes it is neccessary to get back into the smuggling trade int he first place. Is he close to his brother-in-law? Does he owe his brother-in-law any type of debt? To both questions, the answer is 'no'. Brother-in-law Andy, played by young-actor Caleb Landry Jones (who portrayed Banshee in X-Men: First Class), has been told - by Farraday - to get out of the illegal business many times but Andy ignored him. Halfway into the job, Andy risks everyones life for the sake of a drug-score. Personally, I think Chris Farraday should've taken Andy to the police and left him there. Tim Briggs, though dangerous and violent, didn't appear to be the type of character who was paying off the cops - not to mention how if Andy testified against Briggs in court, he would surely get a shorter jail-term. But no, Chris 'needs' to risk everything for this little brat. This is the story we're dealt and this is what we run with - no realism, nothing to relate to and no clear purpose. Just a series of action sequences that we hope will cover the gaping holes in the plot. You know this is true by the final act, as suddenly everything goes a little crazy - twists that were obvious from the outset apparently 'raise' the stakes, tongue-in-cheek jokes conclude storylines which we were invested in and it seems that people remain 'dead' until the perfect moment whereby Wahlberg can take responsibility for 'saving them'.

Stylish without Substance

In fairness, new-director Baltasar Kormákur is not the problem here. The way he shoots the scenes is often handheld and, in something I have not seen as often in a mainstream Hollywood film, he will comfortably zoom-in at poignant moments, whilst remaining handheld. On the one hand, he adds a unique flair and stylish edge - on the other hand, it can take a while to get used to and can take you out of the moment, focussing your attention on the way the scene is shot rather than what is important to the story.

But we know already how weak the story is. I checked my twitter-feed for #Contraband shortly after viewing the film and someone noted how the film is very similar to Dominic Sena's Gone in Sixty Seconds. Personally, I loved Gone in Sixty Seconds so the comparison seemed unfair. Contraband has the same "pulled-back-in due to a foolish-brother/brother-in-law" narrative which, coincidentally the brother is played by Giovanni Ribisi in Gone in Sixty Seconds. Ribisi was youthful and foolish, but as a viewer, you liked him and it was great to see the dynamic between Ribisi and Nicholas Cage. There is no such chemistry in Contraband between Wahlberg and Caleb Landry Jones. The 'team' who were stealing the cars in Gone in Sixty Seconds were likable and interesting to watch - Vinnie Jones cast as the mute professional (good choice on the 'mute'-ness) and Donny (Chi McBride) specifically stood out. Then you have the comparative 'villain' - Christopher Eccleston's wood-obsessed villain against Ribisi's murderous druggie. Again, there is no contest - crazy-wood-guy wins everytime. Bottom line is - stylish cars in LA trump counterfeit-money-on-boats in New Orleans any day. The list could go on - and I haven't even mentioned the underused Kate Beckinsale in Contraband.

Contraband has one saving grace with an almost-cameo appearance from Diego Luna, but when that is over, it really is back to the convuluted plot. A good effort on Kormákur's part, but a bad move on Wahlberg's - lets hope that this isn't the start of a generic-action-movie trend for Marky Mark.

A-Z #60: The Departed

You can pick up hundreds of DVD's for a round-pound each - it doesn't matter. Its never about quantity, its about quality. A-Z is my way of going through my collection, from A-Z, and understanding why I own the films ... or you can tell me why I should sell 'em

#60 - The Departed 

*Just realised I've missed #59 ... too late ... #59 will arrive in due course ...

Why did I buy it?

I remember when I watched this at the cinema - at the time I was training to be a teacher and I wasn't up-to-date with the films. Sarah and I were tryig to choose which film and we noticed at the last minute The Departed. It rang a few bells, primarily that Scorsese was directing. I took a chance and it remained one of my favourite films of the year. I pre-order the DVD and ensured I had the sweet HMV exclusive sleeve ...

Why do I still own it?

This is so incredibly rewatchable. The whole Boston setting, the duality of all the characters - Damon and DiCaprio, Nicholson and Sheen. I think I may sell it ... only to purchase the film on Blu-Ray. As it is an ensemble, it can be difficult to catch your breath - constantly shifting from one character to another alongside an incredible soundtrack and a finale that, for a first watch, is simply unbelievable. Scorsese can indeed remake films, through this adaptation of Infernal Affairs and, to top it off, even win Best Picture with the same film.

I think my personal love of this film is the 'facts' that inspired this interpretation. Namely James 'Whitey' Bulger - the gangster Jack Nicholson bases his character on. James J. Bulger, like Nicholson's Frank Costello is an Irish, American who is alleged to have led the Winter Hill gang in Boston during the 70's and 80's ... only to leave Boston in 1995. Never to be seen again. He is still on the FBI Most Wanted List and, the last official sighting was in 2002... in London.

TSAJFS: 06/02/2011 The Fighter/Exit Through The Gift Shop/I Am Love

Starting from the Clapham Picturehouse - with a noisy truck - this week, Jo and Simon have both watched David O. Russells Oscar-Nominated The Fighter starring Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. this is followed by the usual news and film discussion.

The final two films discussed are the Oscar-Nominated documentary Exit Through The Giftshop and the critically-successful I Am Love starring Tilda Swinton.

Links

Facebook-er of the week is Dan Gudgeon, Jo's Bruv, who is currently fighting the wars in Korea.

Twitter-er of the week is the Barbican Centre, whereby they discuss the cinema's that are opening in 2012.

Blog of the week is Reviews By Tom, by Tom Clift, a recent fan on facebook and a writer for Row Three. Not to mention his podcasting fun that he has been a part of with Nick Jobe and others.

Music

All music is from The Fighter soundtrack - well, all the songs feature in The Fighter but not all of them are on the soundtrack. The song at the start is, whilst the song at the end is Ben Harper's

Remember - you can always email The Simon and Jo Film Show directly using this email: simonandjoshow@gmail.com

We are also on Twitter  and Facebook.

TSAJS: 02/10/2010 'Buried' and 'The Other Guys' and much more!

This week, back to the beginning, as we record from the Ritzy in Brixton. Jo has travelled into London, via Durrington, to reflect on the week with some film news, the London Box-Office and his choices for The London Film Festival.

The main reviews are two-fold. Simon managed to watch Roderigo Cortes claustrophobic film Buried with the inevitable opinion of Sarah. There are no spoilers whatsoever for this film so feel free to listen knowing that your film experience won't be tainted. Jo finally watched Adam McKay's The Other Guys with an all-star cast in Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Steve Coogan and the stunnign Eva Mendes amongst others. Michael Keaton for one.

Trailers





Music

A varied selection due to the lack of soundtracks for Buried and Devil. The Other Guys does not seem to have a soundtrack available to the UK, but no matter, Simon hunted down the tracks by TLC - Waterfalls, Creep and No Scrubs - used, the Rage Against The Machine cover of Maggies Farm, The White Stripes Icky Thump and, what appears to be the only song officially linked to The Other Guys in Eva Mendes featured appearance on a track by Cee-Lo Green called Pimps Don't Cry. All tracks available in a bunch of places.

Links

Obviously, you can find us on Twitter and Facebook (links on the left-hand side) and our email is simonandjofilmshow@gmail.com

We discuss the one-star review from Fandango Groovers and, I finished the podcast mentioning Mark Kermodes reviews of Buried and Devil...