Review - No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men
dir(s). Joel and Ethan Coen
2007

Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy No Country for Old Men is a beautifully shot and directed thriller from the Coen brothers. The film calls back to the great landscapes and quiet moments of the Western genre and also adds a touch of noir to the proceedings. What becomes obvious early into the film and is driven home in the third act is that this is not a film that can be trusted to act as it is expected. These are not the heroes and villains of yore and they do not conform easily to the preconceptions of the audience. Some may be turned off from the world displayed by the film, but those who endure are treated to a film with great performances, beautiful camera work, and a multitude of themes.

The narrative is driven by a case of 2 million dollars found by Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) after a drug deal gone bad in the emptiness of west Texas. Moss decides to keep the money, but is hunted by hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and the Mexican drug dealers who want their payment. While it may seem at first that Moss is our viewpoint for the film it becomes apparent that Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is truly our key to the film. Jones' sheriff stands on the periphery of the action in the film, but his struggle with the violence that takes place and his final decision are truly the thrust of the film. Bardem's performance as the hitman Chigurh is powerful and iconic. Chigurh is at times simply a psychopathic hitman and at other times more of a supernatural force of nature. Brolin also turns in a great performance as do Woody Harrelson and Kelly Macdonald in smaller but important roles.

Comparisons to Fargo (1996) are inevitable, and while the films can be seen as opposites in many ways they both are expertly crafted by the Coens. The ending of No Country for Old Men, faithfully adapted though the chronology of the scenes has been changed, has become controversial and it is one that will leave many annoyed, but that does not make the ending any less powerful for those that escape their expectations.

Verdict: 5 stars out of 5.

Review - JLA Classified #50

JLA Classified #50
Writer: Roger Stern
Pencils: John Byrne

JLA Classified along with its brother JSA Classified have always been problematic in the grand scheme of the DCU. Both "classified" series take place at some point in the past of the DCU and regularly feature the more famous lineups of these teams and can be considered to reflect the "classic" approach to these teams. Because of this though these two books are often not read by many who are largely concerned with continuity and who care most about what is happening "now" in the DCU. These titles also do not always attract the highest talent and often have quick turnover among talent after the conclusion of a story arc. It's too bad that these issues will keep many people from reading this arc as this issue starts with a classic Justice League of America feeling and if they the arc maintains the flow of the first issue it should be a very interesting and entertaining story.

On to the issue itself; although some may dislike the explanation of the Martian Manhunter's origin and abilities I find that it is both a welcome reminder, which could well have greater impact on the larger story, and it is important to have such explanations because JLA Classified is a great place for someone to new to the DCU to get some good Justice League stories. While opinions vary greatly concerning John Byrne the man, I find it difficult to argue that his art is both iconic and well done. A good touch of humor occurs early in the book via a Flash vs. John Stewart pickup basketball game. Stern has a great handle on the personalities of each of these Leaguers. The introduction of the villain and the mystery concerning his origin and backstory is well put together and his battle with Superman and Wonder Woman is well done. This is a strong first issue to the story arc and I hope more people will give this series a chance.

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5.

Review - Justice League of America #17

Justice League of America #17
Writers: Alan Burnett and Dwayne McDuffie
Pencils: Ed Benes and Jon Boy Meyers

This issue exemplifies some of the current problems in the DC Universe, hereafter called the DCU. Because of wide ranging storylines and crossovers such as Countdown and Salvation Run the timing of the litany of DC books has become problematic. The first story in this two story issue of JLA written by Burnett with art by Benes concerns itself with the abduction of various small time villains by the Suicide Squad. Our heroes are attempting to figure out what is happening to these villains and they have an interesting conversation with Amanda Waller, but the problem for the reader is that they already know these things and our quite a bit ahead of this story in other DCU titles. DC had this same issue with Countdown revealing spoilers concerning the Sinestro Corps War and the Death of the New Gods story arcs. Marvel is not immune to this issue as currently the Mighty Avengers title is about three months behind the other titles in the Marvel stable.

Sadly, if you disregard the timing problems this issue has some strengths to it. The story by Burnett is well constructed with good dialog. Without our other knowledge this issue would increase our interest the mystery of what is happening to the villains. The look into the the fears of the low level villains is well written and their battle with the Suicide Squad is done well. Also, the visual of the Superfriends-esque Hall of Justice is a welcome tidbit for longtime fans.

The second story by McDuffie tackles the continuing issues that Vixen is having with her powers, and while it does continue to expand on the problems she is having one wonders after this long what they have planned for the character. Jon Boy Meyers pencils are perhaps a bit cartoonish for some, but his panel breakdowns are strong and I felt his art worked in this short backup story. I just hope that the Vixen story thread pays off soon and in a smart way.

Verdict: 3 out of 5 Stars.

Review - Cloverfield

Cloverfield
dir. Matt Reeves
2008

The hype has arrived and it is named Cloverfield. The film uses the "discovered footage" angle that the Blair Witch Project had made use of so effectively back in 1999. The story shouldn't surprise anyone who has seen the trailers and television spots. Giant monster-thing attacks New York City and these characters are our eyes in the destruction. The fact that the film plays completely from the point of view of the small party of survivors we follow is what makes this film different than so many Godzilla-esque movies in the past. Oftentimes we see the President fret over attacking the monster, we see the generals discuss it, we see a wily scientist discover the origin and often weakness of the monster. Cloverfield is not those things. It does have a monster destroying the city, but it is definitely not the type of film Hollywood usually makes in terms of monster movies.

The acting is competent enough although some will find fault with the endless casting of young good looking hipsters in the film, as if we don't see enough of them on television, but overall the cast does give you mostly believable performances. The special effects are sufficient for the film and undoubtedly benefit from the low quality of the camera work. Also the CG effects are kept to a minimum although the monster is given a few moments to shine in its full glory.

The film is short, but that helps keep the tension at the maximum and avoids too many obvious lulls in the action. Perhaps the biggest downfall of the film is that there isn't as much to it as many were lead to believe with its mysterious trailer, dozens of viral websites, and the secrecy that surrounded the project. When taken on its own though the film does an admirable job of keeping the tension going and creating the sense of awe and fear that such a situation would create. Some will find the lack of knowledge about the origins of the monster and other view points to be problematic, but this film makes not attempt to cater to that view point. A word of warning though; if you are prone to motion sickness in other shaky-cam laden films or have trouble playing similar video games you may want to avoid the film or come prepared as someone did become sick at our preview showing.

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5.

It Lives!!!

This site will be home to my reviews on a variety of subjects including: movies, comic books, video games, trading cards, TV shows, books, and so much more. Currently a scale will be used from 1 - 5 stars including half stars to indicate my thoughts. This may change if I find a better system. Reviews on this site in the appropriate genres will have SPOILERS but I will attempt to be reasonable and warn if I plan on revealing anything outside the scope of usual conversation (eg. Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father).

And so on with the critical critiques.