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Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on August 26, 2008.

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Clone Wars continues downward trend of franchise

Star Wars fans have had a rough ride the past few years.

Considering the cultural impact and quality of the original Star Wars trilogy, most people contend that the latest batch of films was tolerable at best, and the cinematic equivalent of a colonoscopy at worst. The last decade has seen the release of a plethora of Star Wars-themed television shows and video games, many of them poorly received. It's as if George Lucas himself has forgotten what made the classic trilogy so great, and is now merely using its name to line his pockets with even more money.

Enter Clone Wars, an animated feature film set between Episodes II and III. Except, it's not really a feature film. Instead it consists of the first four episodes of the television show with the same name set to premiere on Cartoon Network this fall. Could this be what makes Star Wars relevant again, or is it just another low point in the history of a franchise long diluted?

Review: Baby Mama (2008)

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonApril 23, 2008Amy Poehler, Baby Mama, Dax Shepard, Greg Kinnear, Michael McCullers, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin, Tina FeyComment

Review: Jumper (2008)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on February 21, 2008.

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Jumper mediocre at best

Let me start off by saying this: Jumper is a bad film. There is no denying that fact.

That said, it does have a few positive elements, and you'll be hard-pressed to find more creative action sequences.

The film's plot is fairly straightforward: David (Hayden Christensen) discovers he has the power to teleport. Unfortunately, this makes him an unwilling participant in a war between "Jumpers" (people who can teleport) and "Paladins" (people trying to kill them). He'll have to team up with another Jumper named Griffin (Jamie Bell) to take down Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), a powerful Paladin who wants nothing more than to exterminate all those who can teleport. Not to mention David's also trying to win back his high-school sweetheart, Millie (Rachel Bilson).

The biggest problem with Jumper is that it introduces many really interesting ideas, but never does anything with them.

Apparently, Paladins and Jumpers have been at war since the Middle Ages, but the details of how and why this war is playing out is left unsaid. What is Roland's connection to the government? Where did he get all these high-tech weapons? What separates him from the other Paladins?

Also, if this war is so massive and important, why is it that, over the course of the movie, we're only shown half a dozen Paladins and a grand total of three (that's right, three) Jumpers?

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonFebruary 21, 2008Doug Liman, Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Jumper, Rachel Bilson, Samuel L. JacksonComment

Review: Over Her Dead Body (2008)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on January 31, 2008.

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Watch this over your dead body

Let's face it: Most movies these days are all the same. The vast majority of films are recycled formulas with a few tweaks here and there attempting to look "fresh." Thankfully, every once in a while, a film comes along that is different from the rest. A film that doesn't just entertain, but changes how you look at the world. Such gems are often described as "inspiring" or "thought-provoking" or "masterpieces."

I have witnessed the first film of 2008 that has changed how I view the world: Over Her Dead Body.

However, unlike movies that fall under the label of "masterpiece," I feel this one deserves its own special category: the anti-film. Not only does this romantic comedy fail to be either romantic or funny, it's also a perfect example of how not to make a film in almost every aspect. I did leave the theater with a renewed sense of fulfillment and appreciation for the world around me, but that's only because I couldn't believe I had managed to get through the past two hours without taking my own life.

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonJanuary 31, 2008Eva Longoria Parker, Jason Biggs, Lake Bell, Over Her Dead Body, Paul RuddComment

Feature: Reflections on Heath Ledger's death

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on January 23, 2008.

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Reflect on life, not on death

"I hope they finished filming The Dark Knight."

That was the first thought that entered my head last night when I heard the news that actor Heath Ledger had been found dead his in his New York apartment. I know, I know, I'm a jerk -- a guy dies and the first thing I think of is how it will affect the movie. But I'm not the only one who thought that, it seems. In fact, it seems like people everywhere care more about the circumstances and the effects of his death, rather than the simple fact that he died.

A few recent articles even have headlines like, "Ledger's autopsy inconclusive; details will take 10 days" -- as if to say, "In two weeks, we'll be back with the latest gossip and speculation!"

I guess that's to be expected in a culture where the cult of celebrity is growing larger every day. Americans are obsessed with celebrities, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because they represent success, and wealth -- you know, the American dream. Maybe it's just because we're jealous. Whatever the reason, you've got to wonder why people can tell you the name of Tom and Katie's kid but don't know who won the last political primary.

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonJanuary 23, 2008Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight, death, obituaryComment

Review: There Will Be Blood (2007)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on January 23, 2008.

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Anderson strikes it rich

There Will Be Blood is the latest offering from director Paul Thomas Anderson, and marks his first film since Punch-Drunk Love in 2002. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, the film was just released widely this past weekend. The word-of-mouth on the film was that it was a masterpiece; one critic even referred to it alongside The Godfather and Citizen Kane as possibly the best of all time.

I don't know if I'd go that far, but one thing is for sure: There Will Be Blood is certainly filmmaking at its finest.

Anderson, who in films like Boogie Nights and Magnolia focused on an ensemble of characters and their relationships, this time turns his lens on a single oil prospector (Daniel Day-Lewis) in the early 1900s as he attempts to find the land with the most oil that he can buy for the cheapest price. Morality is not an issue, as he has no regard for any other human life except his own -- in his own words, "I see the worst in people." He will lie, cheat and even resort to murder, all in the name of profit.

In his quest for wealth, Plainview encounters a rival in the form of Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), a religious fanatic who opposes anything that might prevent people from coming to God -- specifically, through his church. And it is in this conflict that Anderson shows how he has matured as a filmmaker, for he focuses not only on character development but also on thematic development. Though in past films he frequently focused on the relationship between parents and children (and this is still present here), he broadens his view this time to also examine the American ideology that was born in the rush for oil in the early 1900s.

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonJanuary 23, 2008Daniel Day-Lewis, Daniel Plainview, Eli Sunday, Paul Dano, Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be BloodComment

Review: Grindhouse (2007)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on April 5, 2007.

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Get a blast from the past with 'Grindhouse'

Filmgoers are about to get a blast from the past this weekend with the release of Grindhouse, a double-feature that pays homage to the grindhouse exploitation films of the '60s and '70s.

Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) and Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill) have teamed up to direct a tribute to the edgy, low-budget films of their childhood. The result is a film lover's dream come true, and a damn good time as well.

The film begins with Planet Terror, an over-the-top zombie gore-fest directed by Robert Rodriguez. Rose McGowan stars as Cherry, a go-go dancer who teams up with an old boyfriend, El Wray (played perfectly by Freddy Rodriguez) and a slew of other eccentric characters to take on a horde of flesh-eating zombies and the corrupt military officials behind the infection.

Gore oozes out of every scene, the violence is nonstop, and there are so many explosions you'll think you accidentally walked into the next Michael Bay popcorn flick.

Review: Blades of Glory (2007)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on March 29, 2007.

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Blades of Glory sticks to formula, with good results

It started with dodgeball. Then it was NASCAR. Now it's figure skating. Hollywood seems to be going through a phase of sports-themed comedies, and this weekend will see the release of Blades of Glory, the latest Will Ferrell movie in which he plays the same egotistical-jerk-at-the-top-of-his-game as usual. Really, does he play anything else?

Will Ferrell and Jon Heder play Chazz Michael Michaels and Jimmy MacElroy, respectively - professional figure skaters whose rivalry for each other eventually results in them being permanently prohibited from skating singles in the Olympics. However, the pair discover a loophole that will allow them to skate as a pair. They'll have to put aside their differences if they're going to steal the gold from the favored competitors, Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler).

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonMarch 29, 2007Amy Poehler, Blades of Glory, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Will FerrellComment

Review: Blood and Chocolate (2007)

Note: This review was originally published in Technician on February 1, 2007.

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More Blood, less Chocolate please

Interspecies relationships make for good films.

At least, that's what the studio executive who green-lighted Blood and Chocolate must have thought. And, while the film does has a plot that might sound interesting on paper, the result is a cinematic mess from start to finish that feels like it was written by an angsty teenager caught in the throes of adolescent rebellion fantasies.

The film follows Vivian (Agnes Bruckner), a 19-year-old girl struggling to come to terms with who she is -- namely, a Rugharou, or shape-shifter from French legends. Think werewolf, but with the ability to transform at will, and only into an actual wolf rather than a superhuman hybrid. If you think it's not as scary as a traditional werewolf, you're right.

Vivian is only one from a secret society of Rugharou living in Romania. Desperate to avoid being hunted, the Rugharou kill any human who discovers them and tend to keep to themselves. So, it comes as no surprise that when Vivian falls in love with a human graphic novelist named Aiden (Hugh Dancy), the other Rugharou are less than supportive, opting to kill him before he learns of their secret.

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonFebruary 1, 2007Agnes Bruckner, Blood and Chocolate, Olivier MartinezComment

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