Movie Review: Gamer

First there was Rollerball (the original) then came The Running Man. Add in a bit of Resident Evil (at least how it plays off of it's video game origins) and when you mix it all up you get Gamer. Well a handfull of hallucinogens helps too.

Perhaps its the fact that I'm a bit older than the target audience of Gamer. Or maybe I'm just not ADHD enough to flow with the kalidescope of scenes that dominate this film. But whatever the reason, this film sucked.

Let's start with the opening of the movie. It's frentic. Filled with explosions and and guns and lots of running around. Kind of like what you got in Saving Private Ryan, except not as focused or motivating. If you are prone to epileptic fits, good luck to you.

The film doesn't get much better from there. It's constantly trying to have things moving at hyperspeed at every step. Even just moving from one place to another without any gunfire is a series of jumpaction, shaky, flashes. It gives me the impression that the editor was on cocaine, and the director wanted the audience to feel that same kind of rush. Sadly though, it doesn't work in a positive way.

Aside from that, there of course is what passes for a plot these days. To say that it is full of holes and bad would be an upgrade of my opinion. The remake of Deathrace 2000 (called simply Death Race with Jason Statham) is almost logical and intellectual comparatively.

What are the problems?

**Spoiler**

Well let's go with the girl in the prison/holding area. How did she get there? Why doesn't anyone notice her interaction with Kable (Gerard Butler - our protagonist)? Why isn't she spotted since she stands out massively?

Another issue is the world domination theme. Was it really necessary? And why would the rest of the corporate lackeys go along with it, without being controled?

Or how about killing Kable in the most simple way possible. Just hold him in place as anyone shoots him. It's not like the film doesn't mention that there are internet drags and glitches just like now.

Or how does the kid, who had all his computers hacked, suddenly have the power to get back in control of Kable? Why is Kable a hero to the masses that have no clue what is going on? How does all of that get broadcast live?

Spoiler over

Seriously there are a dozen different issues in the film. But as bad as they are, the contrived end of the movie is just the worst part of it. Like they couldn't figure out what to do next so they stole the ending from Blade Runner, essentially.

Ok, skip what little plot there was. How was the acting?

Well I must say that Ludacris was not out of place. Which considering that I find his acting about as good as gangsta rap, is not a compliment. Yes, it was really that bad. He was about as emotive and compelling as watching static.

The shame is that he was on par with all the other actors in the film. Everyone was just here for the paycheck and it shows (Kyra Sedgwick, John Leguizamo, Amber Valleta, Keith David all included). Perhaps Michael C. Hall (of Dexter fame) was the best actor in the film. And he seemed asleep virtually every time he has a scene. Except when he was singing and dancing. That showed a bit of the talent that he has.

The soundtrack was good though. Several interesting revisions of older songs that really work well with the more stable scenes. And a few that hit the right tone for the more addict-looking-for-a-fix scenes.

I love videogames. I'm an avid fan of MMO's (I've played almost all the major ones to date). Explosions and gunfire are always a bonus to most any film. But none of these things can combine to make Gamer a good film.

If you haven't seen the film in theaters yet, congratulations. Don't buy the DVD. I wouldn't even recommend watching this when it hits cable.

If you want to spend 90 minutes watching something to entertain and distract your mind, try any of the films I've already mentioned. This film steals ideas from all of them, and they all do it much better.

Movie Preview: Gamer

There is no question that video games are the wave of the future. The industry has steadily moved to become one of the leading forms of entertainment, and massively multiplayer online games have a firm grip in forging that path. But what will the future bring?

That is the question posed in the upcoming film Gamer. This is basically a revised mix of the Running Man and Death Race (or Death Race 2000 if you are younger and did not see the original).



From the trailer we are sure of a couple of things. First is the fact that there will be enough explosions for any action movie or video game fan. Based on the reaction to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that should be enough to garner $100 million in the box office.

Of course there is a lose plot to the movie. The lead is Kable (Gerard Butler) who is most likely a wrongly convicted criminal (aren’t they always) who is brought into the game – called Slayer – to draw attention. It is highly likely that Kable has a wife and child, is a former military hero of some distinction, and is never supposed to see freedom again.

Somehow the convicts are implanted with devices that allows a gameplayer to takeover the body of the convict and control how they act, with some input from the convict direct to the player. This is all televised as well. Does this sound familiar?

Inevitably Kable is helped along in the game by Freek (John Leguizamo – been a while since he was in a major movie), and in trying to escape the corrupt system by Ludacris (don’t know his character’s name – though he seems to be trying to evade his rap image by going under his real name in the credits). Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall of Dexter fame) is of course the corrupt mastermind of the game and intent on ensuring that no one ever reaches the 30 wins that will free them of the game and prison. [I know we have heard this all before]

Keith David and Kyra Sedgwick both have small roles in the film as well. Don’t expect to see much of them though.

I think you can figure out the whole movie, because we have seen it before. It may well be too much to ask for a surprise ending, or a reasonable plot twist. But that does not mean the film cannot be worth the money.

The director of the film is Mark Neveldine. The name may not be familiar to everyone, but if you liked Crank and/or Crank: High Voltage then you have seen his work. Thus in this film you can expect lots of explosions, plenty of fast moving cut scenes, more than a few fist fights, and 5 minutes of slow moving plot to tie up the big questions. Neveldine is also the writer of this film as well as the Crank movies, so the plot will be basically flowing.

This looks like a decent big budget popcorn film. No Oscars of course, but still engaging enough for the likely 90 minutes it will run. The big question to this film is can it do the story we all know, with enough new scenes and explosions to draw the 18 – 35 video gamers they are targeting? Another question I wonder about is will the use of a rapper drag down the film, as they normally do, or has Chris Bridges (Ludacris) taken enough acting lessons to have his bit role justify the time he will be on screen?

Ultimately the answers will come in September when this film is slated to open.

Hints on the movies of 2009

So since I was recently talking about the start of the summer movie season I thought I might also mention a few movies that will be out in a year or so. Luckily there are 2 that should be interesting, though I’m not sure if that means a good movie or not.

The first is news that the sequel to The Lord of the Rings (in fact it’s actually a prequel and the first book about Middle Earth), The Hobbit will be directed by Guillermo Del Toro. He’s a great director and has a very unique vision. His movies are usually quite entertaining, and he gets a lot out of his actors.

As good as he is, and the bonus that he is one of the very few Hispanic/Latino directors in Hollywood, I have reservations. The bar was set extremely high by Peter Jackson’s version of Lord of the Rings. His ability to translate the words of J.R.R. Tolkien into the visual experience was remarkable and believable. I severely doubt anyone’s ability to duplicate that, even if Jackson were still at the helm.

Yet one positive for the film is that Sir Ian McKellan will be returning in his role as Gandalf the Grey. Well at least they are talking about the pay, so excluding the studio getting cheap, he’s in. Another bit of good news is that Peter Jackson will be producing the film.

Now what other people will be involved is unknown. There are many dwarves and men in this film. And of course there is who will be Bilbo – the original Hobbit on the go. And then there is a huge amount of work for the CGI team in trying to bring to life the central character of Smaug. And a return of Gollum.

The challenges will be daunting. But we will see once the trailers start appearing in about a year and a half or so.

In other movie news there is this other item.

The Terminator is back. But it won’t be the Guvernator on the screen. This time out the story will be advancing to new territory. Or more accurately traveling further into the post-nuclear Skynet controlled future.

In this new movie expect to see Christian Bale and Moon Bloodgood (that has to be a stage name – who would name their kid that?). I have no idea who Bloodgood is, but some may recognize the name from the television series Journeyman. I never saw that so it doesn’t help me. As for Bale, well he has done exceptionally well as the Dark Knight and several other movies so that gives me hope.

And of course there is the other side of the news. It’s a big negative too. The director at this moment is McG, the same person responsible for Charlie’s Angels. That was a horrible television show to movie creation. While it may have made money because of Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore (Carmen Diaz is just not cute and way too skinny) it was a miserable film. Be honest, you know it was.

Considering the news for the upcoming films in 2009 it’s anyone’s bet on what will be worth the time. Until that time there are a few good things to keep you entertained. As I’ve already mentioned, Iron Man is definitely the movie to see. The new Hulk film with Ed Norton looks appealing and should erase any memory of Ang Lee’s version. WANTED looks to be a major hit with Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman.

The Take with John Leguizamo, Tyrese Gibson, and Rosie Perez sounds like it will make it straight to DVD – a shame since I like Leguizamo and think his ability as an entertainer is severely underestimated.

War, Inc. looks to be the first anti-war movie that will do well and be entertaining. Unlike every film so far that has been a poster-child for the ultra-liberal left wing loons (all 10 of them that collectively went to those films), this film uses humor and a well rounded cast. John Cusack leads the film in a role similar to his hitman in Grosse Point Blank (a really fun film). His sister Joan is also in a similar character. There is a bunch to say about this, but I will wait til I get the trailer. Oh, Ben Kingsley has a small role, and the scary part is so does Hillary Duff.

Of course Indiana Jones is going to be a hit. So far trailers look great and I have to imagine that Harrison Ford doesn’t need the money, and his reputation doesn’t need a flop, so it should be good if not very good.

I’d avoid Speed Racer, and Hellboy might be worth the cost. And the Love Guru seems like it will redeem Mike Meyers for doing The Cat in the Hat.

More on those movies and the rest soon.

Discussing the Spike TV show Kill Point - 7.29.2007.1

I’m not sure how many people were able to see the new cable television show on Spike TV. I like the programs that Spike has made so far, they have good plots, quality production and a diversity that most any other show on television today seems to ignore. Actually the same can be said of FX as well. But this new show really caught my attention.

The show is called The Kill Point. A drama with a lot of tension. Essentially we get to see both sides of a hostage situation. One point of view is held by Mr. John Leguizamo, leader of the would-be bank robbers and hostage takers. The key negotiator for the police is Mr. Donnie Wahlberg. Much of the tension is the manner in which both of these men are making plans to outwit the other and confront each other. Luckily for the hostages, neither man wants harm them. Yet they are the currency that both are using to get the goals before them.

In the introduction to the program things happen quickly. The bank robbery that starts everything is near perfect in execution. Were it not for the efforts of a zealous FBI agent, there would be no story. But her interruption as the robbers leave the bank quickly brings about a gun battle the equal to that of many war movies or scenes from Baghdad. With little delay we find that the robbers include a medic, are accustomed to working scenarios on the fly, and are determined.

We meet our police officers shortly afterwards and the game of chess begins. The robbers need to keep hostages, especially a computer savvy boy and a daughter of a wealthy businessman, while devising a unique plan that will allow them to escape. The police are battling poor decisions from higher ups, little information and the preservation of as many lives as possible.

In between we get to have a bit of current day politics thrown in. You cannot miss the point, and in one scene it thrown down our throats. Of course this is done by Mr. Wolf to gain sympathy from the public, and not an altruistic end. Not that if he were to have that portion of his demands met, along with freedom for him and his men, he wouldn’t be happy.

While this is not a unique storyline, there are elements that separate this program from the others. The would-be bank robbers are all Marines, from the same unit that saw serious fighting in Iraq. Most have seen multiple tours. All are completely loyal to Mr. Wolf, the man responsible for saving their lives, scarred from multiple battles and dishonorably discharged for not taking his men into a battle that would have killed them all. The men are all played as efficient, capable soldiers, who are morally against hurting the hostages, or the police. Yet each has sworn to die rather than go to jail.

For the police we have a lead negotiator that is obsessed with proper grammar in speech and writing. The man is sharp and his obsession (which borders on OCD) plays well for a job title where the nuances of language are critical. It also adds a nice counter point to the tension while not breaking from the storyline.

There are a few wildcards in the program as well. Several members that were in Iraq as well are banding together to help out their besieged comrades. This is something neither the police nor the trapped robbers are aware of. The introduction of the FBI, and politics in the form of the Mayor’s office are other flags in the wind. Not to mention a possible deal with the business tycoon.

As I mentioned earlier, the show is diversified. Unlike the usual solitary non-white character found in broadcast programming, this show has a wide range of ethnicities. It reflects the variations in the military and our cities. It’s a nice touch and adds to the realism of the program. From the hostages, to the police, to the bank robbers there is a mix that makes sense and goes beyond the typical Latino gangmember, poor Black drug addict, and other such demeaning stereotypes.

The acting is better than average and I think this is one of Mr. Leguizamo’s better performances. I feel he has been underrated for some time. Perhaps this show will be the thing he needs to get the upper tier of opportunities. Equally on point is Mr. Wahlberg.

I’m not sure how many episodes there will be, I can’t see this going on to a second season due to the nature of the premise. Given that, I suggest watching this and taking it all in while you can. Good intelligent and entertaining television is hard to find these days.