Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Lust, Liberation, and "Come On, Really?" - TITANTIC

TITANIC

1997 - 194 minutes - Drama/Romance
Director: James Cameron
Country: United States
IMDB: 7.6
Metacritic: 74
RT: 88%

EpicEnthusiast's Rating: 8/10

Watch this movie if you enjoy: 
  • romance films
  • engrossing atmospheres 
  • history 
  • Leonardo DiCaprio 

Avoid this movie if you dislike:
  • James Cameron films
  • love/relationships
  • unrealistic moments

James Cameron's epic Titanic is certainly a landmark in recent film history. It was nominated for a record 14 oscars, and won a record 11 of them, including best picture, best director, and best cinematography. It was budgeted at an astounding $200,000,000 that was only surpassed by Cameron's 2009 Avatar ($270,000,000) as the most expensive film ever made. That proved to be a reasonable price to pay though, as it spent a record fifteen straight weeks at #1 at the box office, and has grossed over $658,000,000 as of June 8, 2012. It's ranked #6 on the American Film Institute's list of top ten "epic" films of all time, and was the first film ever to win best picture at both the Oscars, and the MTV Movie Awards. 

Much of this praise is deserved, but not all. 

The film opens with a present day dive down to Titanic remains. Although its mostly fictitious (as i'll touch on below), Cameron was fascinated by the real ship, and ended up spending more time with it underwater than the original passengers did. In fact, he used the site of the Titanic to persuade the studio to budget the film. He told them it would add appeal, strengthen the story, and sell more tickets. He was certainly right. That perspective and background really adds to the plot, and makes for a much more compelling narrative from the older version of Rose Dewitt Bukater (Gloria Stuart), even if it isn't real. 

After that initial setup, we plunge on to the ill-fated ship with the Rose of 1912 (Kate Winslett), and one of the film's strengths is immediately introduced: the setting. Presumably, much of the $200,000,000 budget was used on the set, and attempting to re-create the Titanic, and for me, it was money well spent. As Rose and her family board the ship, we seem to be doing it with them. Cameron gives us a spectator's view of the gigantic vessel first, and then we head inside to be absorbed by interior. The camera mimics another person on board, and it travels through hallways, spirals up and down staircases, and soars above the ship outside. We get a bevy of perspectives, and by the end of the film, we feel familiar with the ship. All other attributes aside, Cameron created a gorgeous replication that significantly added to the story. Titanic isn't a masterpiece as a whole, but visually, it's nothing short. 


The life like set of Titanic

Along with a personal tour of the luxurious accommodations of the ship, we also get an inside look on Rose's life. She's part of the Dewitt Bukater family that has ironically lost all their money, but is shielded by the family name. At just seventeen (which isn't believable at all due to her acting and appearance), she dresses in extravagant gowns, collects fine art, and dines with other wealthy adults. Her fiance Cal Hockley (Billy Zane) can buy her anything she wants. She seemingly has it all, and yet something is missing. Winslett does a great job of depicting disconnection and bleakness on screen, and the escape from her family becomes a major theme in the film. 

One night while seeking some alone time on the deck, she meets the young American Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and sparks fly. The acting from the pair is sound, and Winslett was deserving of her Oscar nomination. Take out a few weak lines from Cameron's script, and she may have won it. Billy Zane also does a nice job of creating a character in Cal that we're supposed to hate. However, the real power in Titanic comes from the connection between Rose and Jack. 

Billy Zane as Cal Hockley


Kate Winslett as Rose Dewitt Bukater
















Jack is precisely what Rose needs in her life. He's an affectionate artist that doesn't have a dollar to his name. He won his Titanic tickets in a poker game and doesn't even have a real home. They're opposites that are quite alike. He instantly recognizes that Rose is trapped by her family, and that she's living a life she's being told to live. While hesitant at first, Rose ultimately follows her heart and breaks down the walls holding her back. In one particular scene,  she tells Jack she's leaving after he asked if she loved Cal. She walks away, but doesn't get far. Jack is legitimately invested in her. He's fascinated by her appearance (and I will say she was quite stunning at times), her charisma and her situation. Rose needed someone to confide in, and after this point, they became truly inseparable. 


Cameron develops the two wonderfully, and they both dominate the screen. Their backgrounds are just a preface to a beautiful connection formed as the film goes on. He shows us what they make each other feel physically and emotionally. He shows us how they laugh and dance together. He shows that every second they have with each other is precious. He even creates an authentic and powerful sex scene, which is quite rare in film today. The beauty of Titanic comes from two people experiencing true love in the midst of a tragedy. They're connection touches you deeply, and certainly outweighs any negatives I may point out below. Cameron succeeds in creating the experience of a lifetime for two characters, and their moments together carry his film. 





My qualms with Titanic may be minor, but are impossible to ignore. If you've yet to see the film, you may want to skip this next paragraph. 

Up to the point of the ship beginning to sink, I was thoroughly enjoying the film. I shrugged off some questionable dialogue, and ignored some outlandish moments, but was impressed overall. However when the sip began to sink and panic from the passengers surfaced, dumb moment after dumb moment transpired. It started with the immediate breaking of Jack's handcuffs in the flooding room. Rose finding the axe was reasonable enough, but as she made clear by her practice swings on the cabinet, she could hardly use the thing. But then add the risk of chopping Jack's hand off, and suddenly she's a lumberjack. Quite dumb. Next was the ever so lucky escape from a flooding staircase. What are the chances that a crew member walks by as they're trying to unlock the gate? Why would he still be down there? Then he drops the keys and leaves them behind. Oh but don't worry, they were dropped within reach of Jack who dove underwater and reached through the gate to snag them. Phew, that was a close one. And then how about Cal suddenly going on a shooting spree? I'm all for sudden bursts of anger, but that was just laughable. Everything turns into slow motion and he misses all six shots. Who saw that one coming right? Again, not technical flaws, but I was definitely disappointed in Cameron. He wasn't creating a documentary, but if he cared enough to thoroughly explore the original ship, and cared enough to include real people and their actions (many of the first class passengers on the ship were actual passengers, and to use one example, one of the crew members did in fact shoot themselves on the deck of the ship), then he should have at least tried to keep everything as realistic as possible. These are just a few of the infamous scenes in the film that bring negative attention, and that could have easily been avoided. 

All that being said, Titanic still possesses a lot of quality, and again, the primary relationship of the film is what will stick with you, not the futile flaws. It's a breathtaking visual experience that features strong, developed characters and very good acting. The soundtrack is memorable, and the Oscar winning cinematography is impossible to ignore. You'll become a passenger of the ship yourself, and get attached to your fellow travelers. As James Berardinelli of ReelViews says, "You don't just watch Titanic, you experience it," and I'd encourage you to experience it as well. 



An iconic scene in Titanic
-EE


One last note. In 2010, the film was released in 3D, and I'd recommend steering clear of that version. While I haven't seen it, I recently saw Gravity in 3D, and could easily pinpoint where 3D effects would be added in Titanic. Unlike Gravity, they would be used primarily for entertainment. They'd add flying debris and rushing water during the sinking of the ship, and while it may add a different perspective, it would ultimately take away from the tone. Again, the film focuses on a relationship, and not the physical sinking of the ship. Just my two cents.

The trailer for Titanic can be seen here:



Monday, October 14, 2013

LET'S TALK ABOUT GRAVITY

GRAVITY 

2013 - 91 minutes - Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Country: United States
IMDB: 8.7
Metacritic: 96
RT: 98%

CinemaChagrin's Rating: 10/10
EpicEnthusiast's Rating: 10/10

(a few minor spoilers below...)

Hey guys, EE here. Today CC and I are going to talk about Alfonso Cuarón's new beauty, Gravity. I'm sure you noticed the extremely high scores above, and as we'll discuss below, we believe them to be entirely accurate. I'd like to preface by saying that this film is one that really needs to be seen in a 3D theater. Personally, I'm not a fan of 3D films, but this was like nothing I've ever seen before. It put a whole new meaning to what a 3D movie can be. As of October 14th, 2013 it's still in theaters, and should be for some time longer. Do yourself a favor and go check it out. So with that, let's talk about Gravity

CC: I'd like to begin by just reiterating how highly I'd recommend seeing this film in theaters in 3D (and IMAX if you get the chance). Like EE, I tend to be skeptical of 3D pictures - I've found that in many movies 3D effects are used for gimmicky or flashy purposes. The 3D effects in Gravity are breathtaking yet subtle. The film does contain a few instances of the classic 3D cliche "object floats towards the audience," but they were very well done (for example, George Clooney reaches towards the audience at one point to retrieve a drifting bolt that has come loose from the Hubble Space Telescope). However, the use of 3D in Gravity goes far beyond these simple moments. The 3D layering effects help to immerse the viewer into the film - coupled with Cuarón's fluid and constantly-moving camerawork, one could even imagine that they are in space with the two protagonists. All of the objects in space - from the ISS to the Soyuz spacecraft to the spacesuits - looked incredibly full and realized, thanks in large part to the refined and convincing 3D effects.

EE: Totally agree with you CC. I never felt overwhelmed or jarred by the 3D effects, and in this case, they really added to the film. One shot that stood out to me was an action scene in which debris from a destroyed satellite was flying around. Some was coming towards the audience and made me flinch. It wasn't annoying or overdone though, and actually made me feel like I was in the middle of the chaos. Cuarón did an excellent job 0f choosing when and when not to use the 3D effects. 


Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) in Gravity 
CC: I can’t emphasize enough the sheer visual magnificence of Gravity. From a technical standpoint, it's a wonder how the film was made at all. The technology used in the film had not been developed in 2009 when the project began. Director Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki have created a camera that glides and flies through space, following the protagonists in a smooth and steady motion while capturing all of the action. Cuarón, known for his extensive use of long shots in his previous works (most notably in the 2006 post-apocalyptic film Children of Men), has outdone himself here once again. The opening shot, an incredibly beautiful and thrilling combination of exposition and action, lasts an astounding 13.5 minutes! It’s difficult to wrap one’s head around how that is even possible, but the fluid motion of the camera always ensures that the viewer witnesses everything important happening on screen. The rest of the film features several more long shots, excellent editing, and some incredibly engrossing first-person sequences which (coupled with the 3D effects) immerse the viewer even further in the experience. Beautiful shots abound throughout the entire film, from gorgeous vistas of the curvature of the Earth with the sun breaching the horizon to detailed reflections on visors and even teardrops. At several points in the film, recognizable geography passes under the astronauts (oh hey – there’s the Nile River and the Sinai Peninsula!) while the Northern Lights dance across the Arctic Circle.

EE: It was definitely awesome to see landmark features of the globe from such a unique perspective.  I'd also like to point out another one of Cuarón's films, Y Tu Mamá También . Although a totally different genre, (and certainly more risque) it's another gorgeous film. He certainly has a way with a camera, and Gravity is undoubtably his masterpiece. I'd seen photos of earth from space, but could never grasp the actual beauty of it. In Gravity, the planet came to life. Polished and silent aerial shots of oceans, clouds and mountains. Absorbing shots of the atmosphere swallowing debris whole. The physical appearance was one of many beautiful aspects of the film, and I could have floated above the earth with Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) for hours. I was awe inspired from the opening seconds to the final shot. 

CC: I wholeheartedly agree with you on that point. Gravity is definitely a visual powerhouse. It looks so real that I wouldn't have been too surprised if they had actually filmed the whole thing in space! But aside from the visual strengths of the film, Gravity also featured wonderful storytelling and a truly gripping tale of personal perseverance and survival.


A brief moment of respite in Gravity
EE: That's another aspect of Gravity that really stood out to me: the story structure and natural dialogue between Stone and Kowalski. I’ve read a few things claiming the script was immature and out of place, but I think those comments are missing the point. In the midst of a detrimental space accident, I don’t want clichéd reactions or space engineer/astronaut jargon. I want raw human emotions, and natural conversation. I think Cuarón and his son Jonas did a phenomenal job of this with their screenplay. I never had thoughts of “no one would say that” or “well that’s a bit much” and in fact, I thought nearly all the dialogue was incredibly plausible. It was a constant portrayal of real and understandable thoughts that really connected you to the characters.


CC: Once more, it seems like we agree (such a rarity at times)! I found the dialogue to be quite realistic (barring a few minor technical discrepancies, like the mixture of the metric and customary measurement systems). Aside from the great dialogue, Gravity also featured excellent acting from both its leads. One critic noted that George Clooney plays "George Clooney in a space suit," an apt observation. Clooney brought his trademark wit and warmth to the film, but the screen definitely belonged to Bullock. Her austere and understated performance hit just the right combination of vulnerability, strength, and perseverance. Bullock's character is not a confidant, experienced veteran of spaceflight, but instead an inexperienced newcomer to zero-gravity. This makes her journey and personal growth that much more gripping and powerful. Given all of the trials and difficulties that her character overcomes over the course of the movie, it's impossible not to root for her.

EE: Absolutely. Bullock gave the performance of her career, and totally dominated the screen. The acting was top notch from a minuscule cast, and I also think the characterization in the film was masterfully done. Many movies fall victim to over emphasizing certain character traits that may or may not pertain to the story. Or some films don't give us enough background, and we're left wanting to know more. Gravity gave us just enough. Small, yet powerful details give us insight to the characters, and we gradually feel more and more for them. In some instances, the amount of development may be considered small, but in a lot of ways this story isn't even about the characters themselves. It's a about a journey of fear, hope and, survival. We follow the characters through space and get attached to the thought of them making it out alive. We can relate to their thinking and their actions, and because we're so immersed in the film, we feel the fear ourselves. We feel the lonely and empty silence. Cuarón did something special in that he attaches us to the characters and their surroundings. Couple the two and you have one incredible thriller. 


Stone (Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) in Gravity
CC: Agreed - Gravity is one heck of a thrill ride of a movie, visually stunning with compelling characters. Many observers have pointed out certain scientific inaccuracies in the film (and Cuarón has acknowledged that he took some liberties with physics for dramatic effect), but that is beside the point. Gravity is not meant to be a perfect representation of space, but instead is meant to instill a certain sense of wonder about what lies beyond our frail little planet in the wide expanse of the universe. Gravity is not just a film, it's an experience. From the astounding visual effects to the wonderfully-realized characters, Alfonso Cuarón's work is a masterpiece in this regard. I'd like to close my comments with a brief quotation from former US Astronaut Mark Kelly, weighing in on Gravity:

"But the truth is, most of this [scientific inaccuracy] doesn't matter. Cuarón has given us a glimpse of the awe that is the universe beyond our atmosphere. And physics aside, he does it remarkably well."

EE: Great stuff as usual CC. I really hope this discussion made you guys want to go check the film out. Rarely do I even go to the theater to see a movie anymore, (let alone in 3D) but Gravity is one I'll probably go see again. I'd say it's just about as perfect as a Sci-Fi thriller can be. An absolute gem of a film that will be remembered as one of the best ever produced. I can guarantee two things: You won't be disappointed, and you'll have never seen anything like it before.

- EE & CC

If you haven't already seen a trailer for the film, check out this visually astounding clip below: