Sept. 2, 2011 I The Clarion
Arts & Life
Page 5
Alex McCracken's Top Three Summer Movies
Deathly Hallows
Pt.2
This summer I found myself extremely
strapped for cash, as I’m sure most can relate.
So I had to go all “Consumer Reports” on any
movie I planned on seeing least I find myself
out of eight bucks and two hours I’d never get
back.
For what it’s worth, you should track these
down at a dollar theater
Super 8
I was actually really looking forward to this,
secretly hoping that J. J. Abrams would direct a
better coming of age caper than Spielberg ever
did. It’s not like I don’t appreciate Spielberg,
but I’d like to think that Abrams could take
his older material and reinvent it in a more
interesting way.
Well, that didn’t happen. Abrams probably
spent more time worrying what the old guard
thought of the project than take any narrative
risks with its overly familiar story tropes.
But that gripe aside, it was a blast. The
younger actors were expertly cast, and Elle
Fanning just might lap her older sister a few
years down the road when they finally duel
over best actress.
The special effects are effective and restrained.
Aside from the train crash all other worldly
events take place just off screen, giving the alien
presence a mystique more akin to “Jaws” than
to “Cloverfield” (Thank Christ).
I’d really like to see what people think of this
movie a decade down the line. I think kids that
grow up with it will connect with it more than I
ever could and in that regard I wonder who will
be remembered as the better producer/ director,
Spielberg or Abrams? Before you answer that,
check the top billing of all the Transformers
flicks. . .
“Super 8” is a rock solid Goonies-esque
thriller that entertains as well as it manipulates.
That is to say, its pathos is in the right place.
Science fiction with a heart is rare enough as
it is, which puts the film in very exclusive and
illustrious company.
There was no way my sister was going to
let me miss this one, whether I had wanted to
see it or not. I was mildly disappointed with
the first part of the finale last December I still
enjoyed the movie, but steeled myself for a
minor letdown. So to my surprise, the critical
community lit up a week or two before release
with glowing praise. As of right now it has the
highest tomato-meter of any Potter flick to date.
I was willing to be impressed.
The special effects department went nuts
realizing this would most likely be the last time
to pull out this particular bag of tricks, so those
of you who are fans of neon lava-lightning and
plumes of ink-smoke could not possibly be
disappointed with what was on display. They are
an absolute lock for a technical Oscar
As for the acting, I thought Radcliffe in
the lead role really brought it this time. He
seemed to be doing more with expressions and
carried a humongous mantle of guilt like a pro.
Everyone else did their part. Maggie Smith in
particular used her limited spotlight to maximum
effect. I was disappointed that Broadbent and
Thompson only showed up for what were
literally 10-second cameos, though it speaks
volumes to their respect for the franchise and the
Potter fans themselves, so good for them.
But everyone knows this movie belongs to one
man: Alan Rickman. His last scene is a show
stopper and if I ever choose to see it again his
performance will be the reason.
It was a fitting conclusion to an admirably
consistent film series. Fans may have their
favorites and their least favorites but there
isn’t a single film that is, for lack of a better
word, “bad.” There were eight of these movies
and each is not only worthwhile by itself, but
collectively are greater than the sum of their
parts. This franchise wasn’t just lightning in a
bottle—it was magic.
Rise of the Planet
of the Apes
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When I heard this was in the pipeline a couple
of years ago, I thought it sounded interesting.
When I saw the cast list a year after that I was
impressed. When I saw the trailer four months
ago, I practically choked on a Milk Dud, I was
laughing so hard.
It looked ridiculous, apes singlehandedly
eviscerating humanity with brain gas and
spears... there would be no middle ground with
material like this. Either those involved with the
project knew exactly what they were doing, or
they didn’t. Fortunately, they did.
Let’s get this out of the way, Andy Serkis will
not get a Oscar nomination for his role as Caesar,
and that breaks my tiny black heart. I cared
more for his motion captured chimpanzee than
any protagonist in any film I’ve seen in the last
three years. It’s nuanced, realistic, and has just
the right pinch of unpredictable menace.
John Lithgow also has a decent part as James
Franco’s father and live-in Alzheimer’s patient.
Unfortunately, all the other humans play second
banana to the thirty some-odd CGI apes—a
disturbing number of which are better developed
characters than they have any right to be.
And that’s where this film puts itself apart
from other high budget sci-fi fare. It uses its
special effects to make identifiable characters
that weren’t remotely possible 12 years ago. It’s
maddening how rare that kind of direction is.
I never expected to walk out of this movie
thinking “that made sense.” Hell, I never
expected to walk out of that movie at all. It’s
a major turning point for special effects. Ten
years from now we will all probably be jaded off
seeing the eyes of a human being staring back at
us from the body of a chimp. And I’m ok with
that. I was both entertained and enthralled.