four movie-related things that delight me
Dec. 22nd, 2011 05:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
inmyriadbits(ugh, LJ just did an obnoxious thing and stripped out all my coding, and I'm too tired to go back and fix all the italics tags, so just imagine they're there making my prose even more flaily, okay?)
(also whoops, I posted this last night and then private-locked it because LJ fucked up my cuts and I didn't want to spoil anyone, and then of course I forgot to make it public again. SIGH.)
1. The Hobbit trailer! I'm sure you have all seen it by now. I've seen it many times, including in 3D, because my place of employment is awesome. The song gives me the shivers every time, and MARTIN FREEMAN'S EVERYTHING makes me happy, and god it looks gorgeous. I AM EXCITE.
2. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol. PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ABOUT IT, OKAY. This is sort of like when Live Free Or Die Hard came out, and it was a huge shock when it was actively good. I want to go back and see it again! Brad Bird's direction is excellent; the action sequences were tight as anything (like, he doesn't just planting Chekhov's gun and then fire it, he shows you the gun and fires it, and then uses it as a hammer, and then five minutes later as a doorstop, and then... and it's all unexpected and realistic and creative), and marvelously innovative. But I love that he's kept the Pixar tendency to keep everything character-based, and character-driven; even when the characters are fighting people in Big Fight Scenes, it's still about them. And I really loved the team! Jane was awesome: kick-ass, vulnerable when she should be and competent when she needed to be, smart and funny and good at being a spy. I want her to come back! Which is entirely possible, since they also brought back Simon Pegg's Benji from #3, and his face is worth the price of admission alone. God, I love Simon Pegg, and the man is a genius comedian. And then there's Brandt, who was awesome (more on him later). It just had such a sense of fun to it, which is what I want in my action movies. I mean, I want be thrilled, too -- and let me tell you, I was clutching Katie's hand until it lost circulation during the sequence when Ethan is climbing 130 stories in the air, OH MY GOD -- but I want it to be in a fun way; I want breathless joy from people throwing themselves through the air in unbelievable ways, and adrenaline-inducing explosions, and fighting people who need to be fought with a team of decent people, and winning. And I think Brad Bird is in agreement with me, and J.J. Abrams as well, so this was just really good for me. I'm glad they didn't decide to do what every other movie in the series has done and kill off most of the team members and have someone (or several someones) betray everyone else, because I really loved all the characters, and it honestly would've been predictable at this point. They pulled off some other really great bait-and-switches, which satisfied whatever urges in that direction I could want: first, with the whole Julia thing, and second with Brandt. I was expecting that Brandt would turn out to be more than he appeared at first, because I've seen the trailer. But it was still fun watching Jeremy Renner play that: you know Brandt's probably got more going on, but at the same time, he's so good at playing up the smart-analyst-not-a-field-agent role while keeping an ace in his sleeve that it was very easy to believe that he fooled the others for a while. This is normally a thing that drives me crazy, because usually it just makes the other characters look like fools, or comes so completely out of nowhere that you want to punch the writer until they play fair. Basically, you can see it coming if you pay attention, but it's still fun to watch it be revealed to the rest of the characters, so it's fun any way you go.
Anyway! I wasn't expecting the tie-in to Ethan's backstory, though nor the twist with Jules. They played that well, too -- there are certain hand-wavy things you expect when a character is written out like that, and they clearly knew it. First, they went the "oh, she couldn't handle the spy thing, got a divorce, poor Ethan" route. So when you find out that she was killed and Ethan went to prison for killing her murderers, it's a fun twist! But that's still a typical choice: if you can't write them away, 'fridging the girlfriend is a good easy option. (see: The Bourne Identity, for example.) And the genius of it is, it's so expected that all of us fell for it. Which is the entire point of a cover story, and they pulled it off on the entire audience. How great is that? Anyway...I love that they shifted the usual "oh my god the GRIEF of losing my WIFE it is all MY FAULT" man-pain cliche over to Brandt's character as surrogate, in a weird way. It worked because first, Ethan's grief was...in character, I guess? Dude gets really invested, but he's also kinda repressed. (We later learn, of course, that he's not that busted up because she's not dead, but still. I didn't have to watch Tom Cruise over-emote as a widower, I'm grateful.) And second, it was...fresh, and weirdly real -- I bet Brandt would've been upset if he's failed to protect any asset, but I bet that's also something he's learned to deal with, and I also bet that he'd have done everything humanly possible to stop it, and would know that, and cope. But instead, he was upset because he didn't do everything possible, and in that situation, it would've made a difference. That was his choice, and a woman died because of it, and he broke down over it. I love that. IDK, maybe it was Jeremy Renner, and maybe it was just that subtle sidestep, plus the fact that it wasn't really fridging because she's not dead and instead is in on a clever ruse, but it really worked for me. Anyway, I really liked Brandt. It didn't hurt that he hit my competence kink really hard -- when Ethan pulls that awesomely crazy move with sketching the suspect's face on the palm of his hand and Brandt fucking identifies him from that...uh, yeah. :D And then the little scene where they trade off stealing the gun from each other? HOT. (Uh...who else slashes them a bit? Or a lot? Ethan needs someone who can kick the asses of any death squads sent after them and will snark at him mockingly when he's doing something crazy, but will also catch him before he falls out a 130-story-high window. And Brandt needs someone crazy to pull him out of his head, and he's kind of googly-eyed at Ethan over his insane competence, I love it. Ahem.)
And oh my god, how great was it that everything went wrong with the tech? I mean, I didn't even realize until Ethan points it out at the end of the movie (bravo, writers), but everything goes wrong. And the Mission: Impossible movies are all about the shiny gadgets, usually, so making it so that the shiny gadgets worked just long enough for the team to push through the last falling-short on sheer guts and brilliance was a genius choice. And really rather heart-warming, honestly. God, and it was so funny, too! Like when the message failed to self-destruct! Or when they're trying to get into the boxcar and keep running into poles and trying to scan their retinas while moving! Or everything to do with those gloves and the exasperated looks Ethan's giving them over that 130-story drop OH MY GOD.
3. Jamie Bell. There was a trailer for Man on a Ledge before MI4, and basically Jamie Bell + heist = key to my heart (with bonus Sam Worthington and apparently them being brothers). But then it also appears that he's going to be in a movie with James McAvoy in which they will both be Scottish and cops (and, in James McAvoy's case, batshit crazy) in a story written by the same guy who did Trainspotting. All this in addition to Tintin, which I am super duper excited about. WIN ALL OVER.
Speaking of, Tintin was excellent! It's very much a Stephen Spielberg movie, if you know what I mean -- in the 'teenage boy (and his dog) fight evil-doers and have wacky adventures while uncovering a sekrit treasure!' sense, complete with Rube-Goldberg-like chase scenes and plenty of swashbuckling slapstick. I personally really enjoy that, in moderation, so I had a great time. The animation/motion-capture stuff turned out very nicely, IMO, and it let them do some really cool stuff with the camera (or, "camera") during action sequences; there's one long chase that is entirely one shot, which would've been completely impossible in live-action, and makes for a really awesome effect. Jamie Bell is marvelous as Tintin; I love the "intrepid reporter" character type almost as much as con men and thieves/rogues with a heart of gold, AND the Tintin books were childhood favorites of mine, so it was just really delightful to see. And they curse like The Middleman ("Great snakes!" LOL) and Tintin nerdily talks tohimself Snowy while investigating things and being a giant geek, and Haddock is a big, drunk-ass teddy bear of hilarity. Basically, I had a lot of fun. :)
4. Also Michael Fassbender. Is the man in every movie that's coming out? It's like I turn around, and he's in yet another trailer. Or article. Or something. AND he's getting to play with all the cool kids, it's awesome.
For the record, I am totally okay with this state of affairs. :D
THINGS STILL TO SEE (when I am not working and/or staring in despair at my Yuletide story and/or not working opposite schedule to Katie):
- Sherlock Holmes (I KNOW OMG)
- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (once I read the book...)
- Hugo (I hear it's adorbs, plus Martin Scorcese does 3D, I am intrigued)
- Shame (HI MICHAEL FASSBENDER)
- Arthur Christmas (MAYBE. This has nothing to do with me realizing James McAvoy voices the main character, nope...)
- Young Adult (because Charlize Theron. Don't judge me.)
5. ...Okay, and also some fanfic things! Nine Eleven Ten updated yesterday, so I feel a great need to press it upon everyone again. But if you like The Dresden Files (or even if you don't; it's a pretty accessible AU, now that I think about it), and have somehow missed the Stars & Scones Bakery AU, hie thee over there now, because she just finished! AND IT IS DELIGHTFUL. The whole wacky ensemble is there, and Harry is faily and damaged and utterly endearing, and Marcone is delightful, and basically it will make you want to curl up with a cup of tea and some spice cookies and sigh happily. It's perfect for cold weather and the holidays, is what I'm saying. GO. READ. *shoos*
(also whoops, I posted this last night and then private-locked it because LJ fucked up my cuts and I didn't want to spoil anyone, and then of course I forgot to make it public again. SIGH.)
1. The Hobbit trailer! I'm sure you have all seen it by now. I've seen it many times, including in 3D, because my place of employment is awesome. The song gives me the shivers every time, and MARTIN FREEMAN'S EVERYTHING makes me happy, and god it looks gorgeous. I AM EXCITE.
2. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol. PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ABOUT IT, OKAY. This is sort of like when Live Free Or Die Hard came out, and it was a huge shock when it was actively good. I want to go back and see it again! Brad Bird's direction is excellent; the action sequences were tight as anything (like, he doesn't just planting Chekhov's gun and then fire it, he shows you the gun and fires it, and then uses it as a hammer, and then five minutes later as a doorstop, and then... and it's all unexpected and realistic and creative), and marvelously innovative. But I love that he's kept the Pixar tendency to keep everything character-based, and character-driven; even when the characters are fighting people in Big Fight Scenes, it's still about them. And I really loved the team! Jane was awesome: kick-ass, vulnerable when she should be and competent when she needed to be, smart and funny and good at being a spy. I want her to come back! Which is entirely possible, since they also brought back Simon Pegg's Benji from #3, and his face is worth the price of admission alone. God, I love Simon Pegg, and the man is a genius comedian. And then there's Brandt, who was awesome (more on him later). It just had such a sense of fun to it, which is what I want in my action movies. I mean, I want be thrilled, too -- and let me tell you, I was clutching Katie's hand until it lost circulation during the sequence when Ethan is climbing 130 stories in the air, OH MY GOD -- but I want it to be in a fun way; I want breathless joy from people throwing themselves through the air in unbelievable ways, and adrenaline-inducing explosions, and fighting people who need to be fought with a team of decent people, and winning. And I think Brad Bird is in agreement with me, and J.J. Abrams as well, so this was just really good for me. I'm glad they didn't decide to do what every other movie in the series has done and kill off most of the team members and have someone (or several someones) betray everyone else, because I really loved all the characters, and it honestly would've been predictable at this point. They pulled off some other really great bait-and-switches, which satisfied whatever urges in that direction I could want: first, with the whole Julia thing, and second with Brandt. I was expecting that Brandt would turn out to be more than he appeared at first, because I've seen the trailer. But it was still fun watching Jeremy Renner play that: you know Brandt's probably got more going on, but at the same time, he's so good at playing up the smart-analyst-not-a-field-agent role while keeping an ace in his sleeve that it was very easy to believe that he fooled the others for a while. This is normally a thing that drives me crazy, because usually it just makes the other characters look like fools, or comes so completely out of nowhere that you want to punch the writer until they play fair. Basically, you can see it coming if you pay attention, but it's still fun to watch it be revealed to the rest of the characters, so it's fun any way you go.
Anyway! I wasn't expecting the tie-in to Ethan's backstory, though nor the twist with Jules. They played that well, too -- there are certain hand-wavy things you expect when a character is written out like that, and they clearly knew it. First, they went the "oh, she couldn't handle the spy thing, got a divorce, poor Ethan" route. So when you find out that she was killed and Ethan went to prison for killing her murderers, it's a fun twist! But that's still a typical choice: if you can't write them away, 'fridging the girlfriend is a good easy option. (see: The Bourne Identity, for example.) And the genius of it is, it's so expected that all of us fell for it. Which is the entire point of a cover story, and they pulled it off on the entire audience. How great is that? Anyway...I love that they shifted the usual "oh my god the GRIEF of losing my WIFE it is all MY FAULT" man-pain cliche over to Brandt's character as surrogate, in a weird way. It worked because first, Ethan's grief was...in character, I guess? Dude gets really invested, but he's also kinda repressed. (We later learn, of course, that he's not that busted up because she's not dead, but still. I didn't have to watch Tom Cruise over-emote as a widower, I'm grateful.) And second, it was...fresh, and weirdly real -- I bet Brandt would've been upset if he's failed to protect any asset, but I bet that's also something he's learned to deal with, and I also bet that he'd have done everything humanly possible to stop it, and would know that, and cope. But instead, he was upset because he didn't do everything possible, and in that situation, it would've made a difference. That was his choice, and a woman died because of it, and he broke down over it. I love that. IDK, maybe it was Jeremy Renner, and maybe it was just that subtle sidestep, plus the fact that it wasn't really fridging because she's not dead and instead is in on a clever ruse, but it really worked for me. Anyway, I really liked Brandt. It didn't hurt that he hit my competence kink really hard -- when Ethan pulls that awesomely crazy move with sketching the suspect's face on the palm of his hand and Brandt fucking identifies him from that...uh, yeah. :D And then the little scene where they trade off stealing the gun from each other? HOT. (Uh...who else slashes them a bit? Or a lot? Ethan needs someone who can kick the asses of any death squads sent after them and will snark at him mockingly when he's doing something crazy, but will also catch him before he falls out a 130-story-high window. And Brandt needs someone crazy to pull him out of his head, and he's kind of googly-eyed at Ethan over his insane competence, I love it. Ahem.)
And oh my god, how great was it that everything went wrong with the tech? I mean, I didn't even realize until Ethan points it out at the end of the movie (bravo, writers), but everything goes wrong. And the Mission: Impossible movies are all about the shiny gadgets, usually, so making it so that the shiny gadgets worked just long enough for the team to push through the last falling-short on sheer guts and brilliance was a genius choice. And really rather heart-warming, honestly. God, and it was so funny, too! Like when the message failed to self-destruct! Or when they're trying to get into the boxcar and keep running into poles and trying to scan their retinas while moving! Or everything to do with those gloves and the exasperated looks Ethan's giving them over that 130-story drop OH MY GOD.
3. Jamie Bell. There was a trailer for Man on a Ledge before MI4, and basically Jamie Bell + heist = key to my heart (with bonus Sam Worthington and apparently them being brothers). But then it also appears that he's going to be in a movie with James McAvoy in which they will both be Scottish and cops (and, in James McAvoy's case, batshit crazy) in a story written by the same guy who did Trainspotting. All this in addition to Tintin, which I am super duper excited about. WIN ALL OVER.
Speaking of, Tintin was excellent! It's very much a Stephen Spielberg movie, if you know what I mean -- in the 'teenage boy (and his dog) fight evil-doers and have wacky adventures while uncovering a sekrit treasure!' sense, complete with Rube-Goldberg-like chase scenes and plenty of swashbuckling slapstick. I personally really enjoy that, in moderation, so I had a great time. The animation/motion-capture stuff turned out very nicely, IMO, and it let them do some really cool stuff with the camera (or, "camera") during action sequences; there's one long chase that is entirely one shot, which would've been completely impossible in live-action, and makes for a really awesome effect. Jamie Bell is marvelous as Tintin; I love the "intrepid reporter" character type almost as much as con men and thieves/rogues with a heart of gold, AND the Tintin books were childhood favorites of mine, so it was just really delightful to see. And they curse like The Middleman ("Great snakes!" LOL) and Tintin nerdily talks to
4. Also Michael Fassbender. Is the man in every movie that's coming out? It's like I turn around, and he's in yet another trailer. Or article. Or something. AND he's getting to play with all the cool kids, it's awesome.
For the record, I am totally okay with this state of affairs. :D
THINGS STILL TO SEE (when I am not working and/or staring in despair at my Yuletide story and/or not working opposite schedule to Katie):
- Sherlock Holmes (I KNOW OMG)
- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (once I read the book...)
- Hugo (I hear it's adorbs, plus Martin Scorcese does 3D, I am intrigued)
- Shame (HI MICHAEL FASSBENDER)
- Arthur Christmas (MAYBE. This has nothing to do with me realizing James McAvoy voices the main character, nope...)
- Young Adult (because Charlize Theron. Don't judge me.)
5. ...Okay, and also some fanfic things! Nine Eleven Ten updated yesterday, so I feel a great need to press it upon everyone again. But if you like The Dresden Files (or even if you don't; it's a pretty accessible AU, now that I think about it), and have somehow missed the Stars & Scones Bakery AU, hie thee over there now, because she just finished! AND IT IS DELIGHTFUL. The whole wacky ensemble is there, and Harry is faily and damaged and utterly endearing, and Marcone is delightful, and basically it will make you want to curl up with a cup of tea and some spice cookies and sigh happily. It's perfect for cold weather and the holidays, is what I'm saying. GO. READ. *shoos*