Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Underworld: Awakening and Chronicle - Three Reviews

Or - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Vampires, Werewolves, Superhero Guys.


Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

I must admit, I didn't know what was going on in this movie until about halfway through.  Then it all sort of came together for me.

Based on the novel by John le Carre and set in the London espionage scene during the 1970's, the story follows retired spy "Smiley" (Gary Oldman) as he's tasked with uncovering a possible Russian mole within the government.  This is a more realistic kind of spy thriller, where the shady glances, back alley conversations and messy assassinations are light years away from the sexiness of a James Bond flick.  This is a job that destroys the personal lives of its employees with reckless abandon.  The movie presents an interesting glimpse into the real world of espionage, and setting it in England of the 70's is like exploring a whole new world.  And you need to be a spy to keep track of what's going on for the first 45 minutes to an hour, too.  Once it begins making sense, though, it's a fine thriller.  The cast is chock full great English actors, with Oldman's deceptively subtle performance paving the way.  Tomas Alfredson, director of one of my favorite recent horror movies, "Let the Right One In", unspools the tricky narrative at such a languorous pace that it feels like you're being led slowly through a tight maze filled with razor sharp booby traps.  That's a good thing.  The movie even feels like a film from the 1970's.  While I still prefer my English spies shaken, not stirred, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" is (literally) a nice change of pace and I recommend it.  Keep in mind, though, that this movie will make you "work".

Underworld: Awakening

I've always wanted to see an awesomely epic, action-packed "Romeo & Juliet"-style love story set in the midst of a modern underground war between vampire and werewolf clans.  And while I'm waiting for that story to be told, I might as well watch the "Underworld" films.  Just kidding.  This series is fine for what it is - "Matrix"-style action, scary monsters, dense world-building backstories, and lots of blue lighting.  And, sadly, they tell a more believable love story than anything in those dopey "Twilight" movies.  The first movie ("Underworld" - 2003) was overburdened with way too much story-halting jibber jabber, but it introduced a (debatably) new, somewhat cool horror/fantasy world concept, as well as Kate Beckinsale as the fetching vampire warrior Selene.  The sequel ("Underworld: Evolution" - 2006) struck the balance between action and exposition just right, and remains my favorite entry in the series to date.  The next movie was a prequel set in the age of swords and loincloths ("Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" - 2009), and while it really doesn't illuminate anything new about the "Underworld", um, world, it is still a rather entertaining flick.  No Kate Beckinsale, though (she was replaced by a new character portrayed by Rhona Mitra).

Beckinsale returns in "Underworld: Awakening".  Meant to be the start of a new phase in the "Underworld" series, humans have discovered the existence of vampires and werewolves and have instigated The Purge, wiping out most of them.  Selene is freed after being held (frozen) in a corporate lab for 12 years and must stop a group of evil werewolves from gaining a powerful genetic advantage.  This is my least favorite "Underworld" so far.  It's still enjoyable on a purely "action movie" level, but what I've mainly liked about the series is the way the ancient world blends with the modern, high-tech world.  Here, it's almost all "high-tech".  It's great to see Kate back, but her vampire/werewolf hybrid lover Michael is barely seen (no, they don't kill him off), losing the whole "Romeo & Juliet" thread altogether.  There's also an imbalance between the action scenes (too many) and the character-building scenes (not enough).  While there are still some cool action and 3-D moments, my biggest gripe with the movie is this - all the werewolves in this sequel are evil bastards.  Previously, I'd always rooted for the wolves over the vamps (they're more fun, less "hipster"), but I didn't have a choice here.  Oh well.  At least "Underworld: Awakening" features a 20-foot tall super werewolf!  I'd never seen that before.

In conclusion, it's a mixed bag.  It ends with the promise of more movies to come and, judging from the box office results, there will be more.  I'm not against that, as long as they learn from their past mistakes.  Fingers crossed.

Chronicle

This one came out of nowhere.  I had heard some good things about this movie from the Internet pipeline, but I had managed to avoid seeing any ads or reading any behind-the-scenes articles.  I went in blind, and it kicked my ass.

Andrew is a troubled kid.  His mother is slowly dying from cancer, his father is an abusive alcoholic, and he's constantly bullied by the kids at school.  One day he decides to start filming himself, chronicling his daily life in an attempt to deal with it all.  While at a party one night, Andrew and two others (his cousin and the school's most "popular" kid) find a mysterious hole in the ground.  They (wisely) decide to explore it and encounter. . . something.  Soon after, they develop telekinetic abilities and are able to manipulate matter with their minds.  At first they use their growing powers to play pranks, win the school talent show and, in the film's most exhilarating sequence, learn to fly.  Then real life intrudes, pushing Andrew down a dangerous path, and his friends must try to save him.  Imagine a world where, instead of using a gun, the most troubled kid in school can crush your internal organs with a thought.

Just when I thought the "found footage" genre had no more life left in it, here comes the best one of all.  While the story has its roots in the classic superhero/supervillain myths that we've all come to know, it never quite dips fully into that genre, instead presenting, as realistic as possible, the age-old story of ultimate power and its consequences to the soul.  The performances of the three mains kids are pitch-perfect, with Dane DeHaan deserving special mention as the main kid, Andrew.  He reminds me of Leonardo DiCaprio in his younger days.  Director Josh Trank integrates the computer generated special effects effortlessly, delivering visceral action and emotional punches better than most "actual" superhero movies of the past decade.  And, best of all, no "shakey-cam" effect.  Andrew learns to control the camera with his powers (like an extension of himself), so there is some smooth camera work and many inventive angles on display here.  Plus, it doesn't have the cliched "found footage" movie ending where everyone dies and the camera goes black.  It's a very satisfying movie and I guarantee that it will end up as one of my favorites of 2012.