[LEFT]Not a whole lot this week. Just two releases, and one of them is really, really good!
Chronicle- I don’t know what anyone’s opinion of “found footage” movies here is. I’m kind of ambivalent about them. But when they do work, they work really well. And Chronicle to me right now is the best example.
The movie follows three teenagers who gain superpowers after an encounter with a strange object in a cave. At first, they use their powers the way you’d expect teenagers in that situation to (i.e. being d**ks). But soon they come to recognize how they need to use it responsibly.
However, one of them doesn’t quite see it that way. Having been picked-on most of his life, and coming from a home where his mother is terminally ill and his father an abusive drunk, he instead ultimately chooses to use his power to lash out at the world around him. And seeing his arc unfold in front of you, it’s not hard to understand why.
The movie culminates in a face-off between two of the characters that rivals any battle in a superhero film, from either Superman II or - dare I say it - even The Avengers! It might even remind you in some ways of Akira. In fact, I’ve half-joked that Warner Brothers doesn’t even need to do that live action Akira movie they’ve been threatening to make, as this movie has essentially done it already.
The movie was directed by Josh Trank, who in the wake of this has been tapped to direct a proposed Fantastic Four reboot for Fox (though I doubt that’ll happen, as beyond that bit of news, nothing else has been said about it). And it was written by Max Landis, son of director John Landis. It’s the debut of both. And from the looks of this movie, I’d say they have bright futures ahead of them.
The Grey- To quote Bill Maher, “New Rule: From now on, all Liam Neeson movies should simply be titled, I’m Going to Hunt You Down and Kill You!” This is no exception, as it’s yet another exercise for Liam Neeson show off his cinematic badassery. This time he’s a mercenary guarding oil rigs in Alaska. On his way back to the lower 48, the plane he’s on crashes, stranding him and the other surviving passengers in the middle of the wilderness, hunted by a pack of wolves. It’s got that man against nature vibe that the best of the Jack London stories had, but with the added bonus of Neeson in tough-as-nails badass mode. Worth a look.
[/LEFT]