MOVIE REVIEWS - Atonement, Vantage Point

ATONEMENT
“A mighty push for the Oscars, though not quite there”

Directed by Joe Wright
Starring Keira Knightley, John McAvoy and Saosire Ronan

What perplexes me is the sheer mixed bag that this movie brings. I’m not saying that in a bad way as if it is a movie that has a jumble of good and bad qualities, it isn’t. As a matter of fact, it’s actually quite brilliant and in my opinion a superior piece to Joe Wright's previous outing in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, which I thought was a solid piece.
No, what puts me in a fickle is that I’m not quite sure how to root for it in the Oscars as being a piece that basically follows every quality needed in an Oscar nominee, it is however lacking when compared to the others.
The movie follows two sisters, a young aspiring playwright Briony Tallis(Saosire Ronan)and her cavalier and feisty older sister, Cecillia Tallis (Keira Knightley). They both have taken a liking to the groundskeeper’s son Robbie Tunrer (John McAvoy) but when Briony witnesses a tragic turn of coincidences and unlucky mistakes, she quickly turns against them. Just when Robbie and Cecillia have ignited a passionate affair, Briony turns on them by blaming him of a heinous crime committed on the grounds.
The movie features some amazing art direction and cinematography, from the lush landscapes to the nostalgic cities, every corner screams Oscar praise. One particular scene where Robbie and his friends arrive on the beachhead is by far one of the most ingenious, captivating and tragically beautiful scenes I’ve ever seen on film.
The score itself is magnificent, particularly the hear-pumping typewriter biting away at each scene, the music is beautiful and horrifying at the same time, a certified nod to the period.
The actors make a tremendous turn of performances. Keira Knightley and John McAvoy both execute their roles considerably well and they both fit into their characters snugly. But the biggest praise has to be handed out to Saosire Ronan. Who knew such powerful emotions could be brought out from a blank, lifeless stare.
Yet the film still suffers, the biggest fall being the pacing. The first part was engrossing, the characters filled each scene with nerve-racking tension. Yet the second half suffered considerably at what seemed to me a change of direction that floundered a bit. And while scenes like the beachhead and one in the hospital beds dominated at times, the main cumulative seemed to be stretched far too thin and several scenes I knew could have been much more direct, keeping to the pace.
This small stumble however is more than made up for with a great ending. While nothing compared to the climatic confrontation in THERE WILL BE BLOOD, it is still a heart-breaking scene which finally drove in a message that seemed to rise only in the latter half. It does this however exceptionally well, with each word resounding with the heart of this tragic piece and, dare I say it, atonement.
Bravo. Bravo.

9 out of 10


VANTAGE POINT
“A dizzying montage of increasingly boring rewinds- Rashamon this is not.”

Directed by Pete Travis
Starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt

I shall try to steer clear of comparing this film to its inspiration, Akira Kurosawa’s Rashamon. Rather, I’ll try to take it seriously as a film on its own….. naah didn’t work. Perhaps it’ll fair better if I look at it expecting a no-brainer thriller…. Nope. Didn’t work either.
What is perhaps the most frustrating part of this movie is that it actually shows promise, deriving Kurosawa’s idea of multiple takes on the same scene and putting it into an action movie. Had the plot only been paid with more attention and had the director not put the rewind button in his head this would have most certainly been a much better movie. For the moment, it’s just plain bad.
For any moviegoer out there with little patience in the theater house, stay far away from this film. I had come in expecting they at least they execute this “VANTAGE POINT” idea into a thrilling clash of scenes that doesn’t let the viewer breathe for a second. Rather, it rewinds the exact same scene with a different perspective seven times, and each time when that particular scene’s plot was just about to get interesting.
They may think that putting cliffhangers pump up the adrenaline, which they naturally do. But they do it SIX times, and each cliffhanger’s followed by a complete rewind and change of pace, back to before the assassination. This would have been fine had there not been a complete change of pace. Bt the fourth rewind, I no longer cared about the plot, I was getting sick and no amount of plot twists was going to change that.
Another problem comes at the rewinds’ nearly complete lack of relevance and use. A few were necessary change of perspectives, yes, but many were just needless swaps that could have been much easier blended into a more direct path. Also because of the needless swaps, each character is quickly thrown some shallow characterization and then left to deal with it. There is no build-up, no care in the characters’ handling. Even the villain, though menacing, is also quite shallow and forgettable.
And let’s not even go near the sheer amount of plot holes. With twists present for the sake of thrills, many of the later scenes just don’t make sense. We are given the impression that every perspective happens at the same time, but somehow the timeline is very obscured. Quite a lot happens in the time it takes a man to run down a few blocks.
There are some big names on the cast, but not a single one is given the space to shine, and even the action comes in bland and at particularly bland moments. The final chance comes in the end, where the film attempts to rapidly wrap up the story in a thrilling climax. But what we got instead was a bunch of mind-boggling and incredible coincidences to make every single person happen to be at the same place at the exact same time. We get a jumble of scenes, a couple of screams from some characters and suddenly it’s over. And you are forced to leave the cinema with a bad taste in your mouth and the idea that your pockets are a few bills less full.
Damn.

5 out of 10


THE KITE RUNNER
'A disappointing turn for an amazing novel'

D