Continuation from the last post!
| The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010). Surprisingly, a new modern day fantasy film that isn’t an adaption from an existing novel. Nicholas Cage plays Balthazar a still sprightly 1000 year old sorcerer from Merlin’s days, in a war against his arch-rival and nemesis Horvath (Alfred Molina), the latter who’s intent on resurrecting evil sorceress Morgana (Alice Krige). Along the way, he recruits the socially awkward Dave (Jay Baruchel) as his apprentice, and trains him up for the inevitable showdown with Horvath and Morgana.
Mixed feelings about this film. It has its occasionally fun moments, especially how magic fits in modern day Manhattan, but the much purported Fantasia-inspired scene of cleaning brooms and mops gone amok was flat. Story was not especially interesting. Talent from great actresses like Krige, well-known among Trekkies as the Borg Queen, and Monica Bellucci as Balthazar’s love interest were mostly wasted in bit and almost cameo roles. Worse of all, Baruchel was just plain annoying. Watch only if you’d like to see what Alice Krige has been up to since Star Trek. |
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| Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010): The fourth and latest installment in a series of films about mutant virus-altered zombies invading and overrunning human cities, and heroine Alice’s attempts to find and lead the remnants of humanity to safety. The stalwarts are back; Milla Jovovich still plays Alice, and Ali Larter as the Claire, another female heroic type helping Alice.
I thought the first film from 2002 was pretty good. Properly scary with several standout scenes, including a terrifying one involving small chambers and cross-crossing lasers that cut right through flesh. But this fourth film feels tired, not very scary, and visuals that look too CGed. Disappointing. |
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| Kick-Ass (2010). This was a real find with an ingenious premise. What happens when ordinary folk take up the mantle to be heroes with super powers? The film was helmed by Brit director Matthew Vaughn, who also made another one of Ling’s favorite films, Stardust. The very off-beat Kick-Ass stars two recognizable faces: Nicholas Cage and Mark Strong, but both play largely supporting roles only. The film is driven instead by two young actors; Aaron Johnson – who is Dave, an ordinary and mild-mannered teenager who takes up crime fighting initially as a hobby – and 13 year old Chloë Moretz – who plays Hit Girl, a vigilante inspired by Dave but has no qualms of using violent and deadly force to fight crime.
Between the two, Moretz is the standout. She exhibits real innocence despite a life that’s been singularly focused on preparing her from young for a life of fighting crime, and watching her dispatch bad guys violently without remorse is in equal parts guiltily thrilling, but also almost disturbing too. She’s been deservedly nominated for Best Young Artist awards for her performance in this film. The film is also squarely adult fare, given the amount of profanity and gore in it (bad guys get crushed by vehicle compactors, blown into smithereens in microwave ovens, perforated with bullets etc.), but the story with its numerous twists and actor performances are brilliant. Kick-Ass won’t appeal to everyone, but it’s easily one of the best films I’ve seen in 2011. |
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