"Cloud Atlas"

Written and directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Jim Sturgess, and Hugo Weaving - Rated R

"Yesterday, I believe I would never have done what I did today."

 

 

 

Cloud Atlas needs to be seen just for the sheer ambition behind it.  Andy and Lana Wachowski (The Matrix) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) have adapted one of those “unfilmable” novels that always inevitably leads to a movie that some call brilliant and some label the “worst film ever made.”  Just so we’re clear from the onset, I thought it was one of, if not the best film of the year.  Cloud Atlas is one of those rare, magical films that stays with you and begs to be watched again and again.

Trying to describe what Cloud Atlas is “about” is an exercise in futility, but I won’t let that stop me.  It is an interwoven tale that spans from a seafaring adventure in 1849 to a struggling musician in the 1930s to a nuclear reactor conspiracy thriller in the 1970s to a nursing home escape in present day to a clone revolution in the future to a search for new beginnings after the downfall of civilization.  That is the simplest way to describe what the story of Cloud Atlas consists of.  If that sounds a bit busy, imagine how complicated it gets when you realize that most of the actors play a different role in each storyline, sometimes switching gender and race.  So a film like this isn’t necessarily about a certain plotline or anything, but more a story about humanity, love, freedom…life.  Cloud Atlas attempts to grab the viewer and give them a profound experience, and because of that many will label this film as “pretentious” or just “too ambitious.”  Maybe it is those things, but the film succeeded with me. 

Perhaps what will grab most people’s attention is the whole multiple role aspect of the film.  It is fascinating to see some actors take on vastly different roles than usual (Hugo Weaving as a woman and a Korean come to mind), but if that was all Cloud Atlas had to offer it would simply be a gimmick of Eddie Murphy proportions.  The point of the different roles is not to showcase acting or get nominations.  If you pay attention, you will see that each actor portrays basically the same character throughout, sometimes evolving over the different lifetimes.  Some of the character journeys are easier to track than others, but it is still a very interesting way to look at the film. 

Tracking character development and trying to spot the actors underneath all the makeup and prosthetics is not the only enjoyment to come from Cloud Atlas.  One of the marvels of the film is how it is all edited together in a surprisingly coherent fashion.  The novel was split up in a way that works if you are reading, but would be disastrous for a film.  The Wachowskis and Tykwer somehow found a way to tell these stories one scene at a time rather splitting each story in half.  This, of course, led to plenty of transitional elements that are fun to spot. 

The transitions and editing can nearly make you forget about the performances of the film (which is why I’m just now getting to them).  Or perhaps it’s because so many of the actors seamlessly move from one character to the next.  Tom Hanks is the most recognizable face.  He is one of the most likable actors in movie history, and every scene he is in works, most notably his role in the film’s final story.  His characters’ journey was not the most interesting, however, and his role really required the least amount of range.  (His scene as a gangster/writer was certainly a departure for him, though a short one.  Definitely one of my favorite moments from the film.)  It’s still Tom Hanks, and he provided an emotional core to the film.  Hugo Weaving was fun to watch in all of his evil incarnations.  It was good to see Hugh Grant and Halle Berry working in a quality film and delving into some very different parts, as a post-apocalyptic savage warrior and a male Korean doctor, respectively.  Jim Broadbent provided some welcome comedic moments in his main story and he worked as a great foil to Ben Whishaw’s struggling musician. Whishaw holds his own and is a name more people should now.  Doona Bae stands out as a clone with a soul in her futuristic storyline.  Her story arc with Jim Sturgess was the most compelling of the film.  I could go on and on.  The cast is great and they get to do some very interesting work.  Just look at all the names mentioned above, and also add Keith David and Susan Sarandon to the list.  An immense amount of talent was involved in the making of the film.

The most important talent, however, lies behind the camera.  The Wachowskis and Tykwer have made a stunningly beautiful film on every level.  There are images that stay with you, music that perfectly matches emotional scenes, superb action sequences, and worlds designed in such a way that you are left wanting more from each story (some more than others).  They have managed to take a lengthy story (it is nearly three hours long) and make it feel too short. 

It’s hard to truly think about Cloud Atlas without comparing it to the source material.  I was impressed with the novel in its structure and author David Mitchell’s ability to write from such vastly different settings and perspectives, but was left underwhelmed with the overall message about humanity.  I was missing the big picture moment that the film was able to provide.  So, in a rare instance, I recommend the film over the novel.  I cannot comment on how well the film works without prior knowledge, though.  I think the best experience would involve reading the book first, but I think it is a coherent and effective film on its own. 

As with all movies that I make sound perfect, Cloud Atlas does have slight issues.  I had trouble understanding the dialogue at times, especially the post-apocalyptic stuff (though that part was even difficult to read in the novel).  I also felt that some of the sections didn’t connect in as meaningful a way as others.  The musician segment and the nuclear reactor thriller were compelling and enjoyable, but I found the connecting thread to be a bit thin.  Perhaps “thin” is not the right word as the connection is certainly there, but it seemed as if the deeper themes that are evident in the other segments are not very clear.  Specifically, I felt that Cloud Atlas was a film very much about freedom and humans persevering, and I think you have to stretch the stories a bit to make those segments fit with the rest. 

The above issues are not really complaints about Cloud Atlas.  When a film has six separate stories, you can’t help but have a couple that are your favorite and a few that are your least favorite.  Still, I found the entire film extremely interesting and each story could have held its own as a standalone film. 

Cloud Atlas is a treasure trove of cinema.  It can be enjoyed on so many levels.  Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer have taken something many thought could not translate to the big screen and have made something better than the source material.  Cloud Atlas is a fulfilling movie experience that everyone should see.  

"Captain America: The First Avenger"

Captain America: The First Avenger - Directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, starring Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, and Tommy Lee Jones - Rated PG-13

Okay, we've seen 'em all now, so bring on The Avengers.

The summer of superheroes is nearly over, but Captain America: The First Avenger has been one of the most anticipated films of the season. If you’re not suffering from comic book burnout at this point, Captain America makes for a fun, entertaining summer film that is a bit different than other movies of the genre because of the time period it takes place in. The film may not feature any largely memorable moments and doesn’t really have much in the way of style, but it is definitely worth a watch.

Captain America is an origin story that takes place during World War II. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a scrawny, sickly man who just wants to fight for his country but can’t get a doctor to let him in. Enter Stanley Tucci as a German doctor with a special serum that can create a super soldier and Steve Rogers becomes Captain America.

That’s enough for synopsis because as an origin story the whole movie is about Rogers’ transformation so to explain it further would ruin a bit of the movie. As for acting, Evans makes a likable and believable hero and Tucci has a few good scenes as a mentor-type. There are many more characters in the film that deserve a mention, especially because the cast of this film is so strong. Hugo Weaving stands out as Red Skull, the Nazi villain of the film. Weaving tweaks his voice to the point that it sounds eerily similar to Willem Dafoe and it fits the character quite well. Toby Jones was a nice addition as Red Skull’s scientist. Hayley Atwell works fine as Rogers’ handler/love interest. But it’s Tommy Lee Jones who steals the show as the cranky colonel. Every scene he was in was entertaining because of his presence.

There are a few other actors and characters that could be mentioned but that would just be exhausting to read and that is part of the problem with Captain America. Some characters take a backseat because of the bloated cast. Take, for instance, Captain America’s team of soldiers. Some of them are portrayed by very good actors like Derek Luke and Neal McDonough but they get almost nothing to do. If this were a sequel rather than an origin story there could have been much more time devoted to that crew, who instead only get small moments usually played for laughs.

Captain America provides quite a few laughs, actually. The best gags involve the reference to Captain America as a character in the movie itself. This gives the filmmakers the opportunity to play with the original uniform and the iconic image from the first comic book of Captain America punching out Adolf Hitler. The film actually works best in these moments because they serve to build the character of Captain America, though they take up a bit too much of the runtime.

Another problem with Captain America is that it takes so long for him to actually become a superhero, and even then he’s kind of a vague hero. This is just the problem of an origin story since you have to spend so much time building up to the character that you, the audience member, already know he will become. It can get a little boring. As for the vagueness, it’s never really explained what makes Captain America all that special. He’s a bit stronger and a bit faster than a normal human, but when compared to other superheroes he comes off as a bit plain and even weak. But we’ll see how he really compares to them when he shows up in next year’s The Avengers.

Captain America can be kind of a plain, straightforward hero so it’s fitting that the action of this film is straightforward as well. There isn’t much in the way of style in Captain America but it does feature plenty of action and it’s the kind of action that is easy to follow. The film is also in 3-D and while it makes a few scenes look decent because of explosions and debris it is largely useless, just as 3-D has been in nearly all of its live-action incarnations.

The film actually looked great overall, largely due to the time period it takes place in. The World War II setting sets this film apart, in a good way. The visual effects were impressive as well, mainly the scrawny version of star Chris Evans. He looks realistic as a 90-pound weakling, but they kept his voice the same, which made it unintentionally funny every time he spoke. But that’s not a deal breaker or anything for this movie.

Overall Captain America is fine summer film that should appeal to many people. It may be a bit anti-climactic and it might be a little plain, but it’s still entertaining and funny enough to watch. You can skip the 3-D, though.

Random Thoughts (SPOILERS)

I suppose some might argue my comment about the ending being anti-climactic since there are chases and explosions and plenty of death and whatnot. But I still argue that it was kind of weak. Red Skull is defeated simply by picking up the cube? And it wasn't like Captain America realized that is what he had to do. He only exposed the cube by accident, really. Plus, was there any wonder where this one was going? First off, you get that needless intro showing the shield in the crashed plane. Then, there's the news out there about The Avengers and I had even read a story about how the sequel was going to take place in the present day. With all of that knowledge, more than usual, we know that it is all going to work out.

Back to Red Skull grabbing the cube, though. Is he still kicking, then? It looked like he was just transported to Asgard or something. Definitely interested in seeing where that goes in the future movies.

Next year can't get here soon enough, by the way. I really need The Avengers to tie it all together.

On a more superfluous note, how awesome was Neal McDonough's 'stache?