Monday, May 28, 2012
Sorry it's late! Eurovision weekend was pretty hectic!
Men In Black III 3D
Long waits between sequels are generally difficult to pull
off well; unless it’s some sort of reboot, the audience often disenchants
itself with a series as time passes. That’s unless it’s something that sparked
a phenomenon of course, but the Men In Black films never garnered that sort of
attention. As a result, the decision to bring a third film (in as many decades)
to the screen comes as a bit of a surprise.
Sharing 2012’s alien bill with soon-to-be-released Prometheus, Agent J (Will Smith) and
Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) have another extra-terrestrial invasion on their
hands, but different to their previous adventures. They are at the hands of
Boris the Animal (Flight of the Conchords’
Jemaine Clement) after he escapes from Lunar Max prison, who wants to bring his
species back and take over Earth.
J is forced to time-travel back to 1969 because Boris has
altered history by killing K. But a quick exit doesn’t go to plan and J crosses
paths with Young Agent K (Josh Brolin). He takes the chance to team up with the
younger version of his steely partner and find out more about his past.
This instalment, with much less fanfare than its
predecessors, goes about its way with more character growth and less alien
shootings. Slime and guts are never forgotten, but this invasion comes as a
direct threat on the partnership. A villain seeking redemption is this series’
way of re-establishing itself, showing that there is a (slightly) serious side
to these guys. They’re a bit older and a bit wiser - but they do still throw
wisecracks around as they always have. Even when K is forty years younger.
There’s not as much played on the throwback to 1969 as the
idea would suggest, although their use of pop art king Andy Warhol is amusing.
The film moves into the present just as much as returning to the past; the new
decade brings subtle digs at Lady Gaga and presents former Pussycat Doll Nicole
Scherzinger as a prostitute, but the most effective is J’s oh-so-casual
response to ill treatment by police for his skin colour that borderlines
irritating.
After an underwhelming start, the film picks up once J
realises history has been altered. Smith remains an entertaining watch around
the stern faces of Jones and Emma Thompson as new leader Agent O. Even Young
Agent K seems amused by him. A lot of the charm with the film’s stronger
character focus is that Brolin does so well as a younger Jones; it’s uncanny
how effortless he appears in capturing that privateness but with more warmth.
This one comes out as a bit of a surprise overall, and not
just because of the decision to return in the first place. The franchise has
grown up a bit and is smarter for it - Smith even hands over the theme song
reins to rapper Pitbull. Steven Spielberg returned as executive producer for
this one, as did Barry Sonnenfield as director and it’s a fun outing where
nothing is taken too seriously. When Clement’s the bad guy, there’s not a lot
else that can be done.
Rating: 3/5
*Published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 26/5/2012
***
Marnie (1964)
Alfred Hitchcock is still the master of suspense fifty years on from the bulk of his films, even managing to keep those best at guessing the plot surprised. Every time what’s exactly going on in his head appears clear, Hitchcock pulls out the real secret from under the carpet and gives you something better.
Marnie is no exception. Although not as widely known as the Psychos and Vertigos of his catalogue, the life of Marnie (Tippi Hedren) is no less a problematic character than any other of Hitchcock’s protagonists. While she steals from her employer, gets found out, and does it again with her new employer some time later, the discovery there’s something not quite right with her makes sense. It’s what messed her up that’s a bit more difficult to decipher.
Mark Rutland (Sean Connery) is just as curious as anyone watching, becoming involved with Marnie as a form of pleasurable study as much as love; he wants to work through her issues but does so through extensive means. It’s a twisted game where tension rises above enjoyment amongst the clues leading towards the ultimate truth.
Hedren and Connery work well under Hitchcock, respectively successful after The Birds and James Bond. Uncomfortable scenes still shock and remain questionable regarding actual occurrences, while the final blow off the lid puts everything to rest. That the movie ends with relative closure is perhaps the biggest surprise from this venture of his.
*Published in the Mailbox Shopper (Dubbo) from Wednesday 23/5/2012
MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEWS? See what I thought of The Dictator and Aguirre, The Wrath of God.
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