A Wasted 'Day'

by Brett Parker

Knight and Day is an uninvolving, laughless trudge through what should have been a firecracker fusion between action and romantic comedy. Through Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, we are given two accomplished movie stars certainly capable of the tasks at hand, yet seem hopelessly lost and uninspired. Here is a film based around sensational action scenes, spy games, and a delicious romantic courtship, and the filmmakers don't have the slightest clue how to make us care about anything in the foreground.

The film opens with a beautiful woman named June (Diaz) yanking her heavy luggage through an airport. She is trying to catch a flight to her younger sister's wedding when she runs into Roy Miller (Tom Cruise), another traveler apparently heading for the same flight. June takes an instant attraction to Roy, for he appears to be handsome, smooth, well-groomed...and a cold-blooded killer! Every passenger on their flight, including the pilots, try one-by-one to kill Roy, yet he dispatches each one with an assassin's efficiency and even finds time to land the plane safely!

Roy explains to June that he is a secret agent who has gone rogue in order to protect a young science whiz named Simon (Paul Dano) who has concocted what could be the most important invention of the 21st Century. Roy claims his government colleagues tried to steal the invention and threaten Simon's life, so he hid him and the invention in a safe place and has gone on the run. Reasonably spooked by all this, June tries to avoid Roy and go about being a bride's maid to her sister. However, a fellow agent of Roy's named Fitzgerald (Peter Sarsgaard) shows up to inform June that Roy is in fact the bad guy and is out to steal the invention for himself. No matter what June believes, Roy eventually sweeps her up in an adventure filled with car crashes, gun fights, and motorcycle chases that spans all the way from Austria to Spain.

Knight and Day wants both to be a high-octane action ride and a fetching romance yet it comes up considerably short on both accounts. The action scenes here come equipped with all the tricked-out CGI effects and slam-bang moments you could expect, but after a while it all feels very redundant and unimaginative. It's been said that this film is meant to parody Cruise's Mission: Impossible stints, yet those films had an absurdest need to push the envelope towards action we'd rarely seen before. Perhaps if the film was more playful about over-the-top chaos, there would be more fun to relish. Say what you will about The A-Team's quick-cutting implausibilities, but at least that film had a cheerful need to mix things up in a insanely grand way.

Having Cruise and Diaz play off each other with smoldering and humorous romantic tension could provide a well of cinematic inspiration. However, the script doesn't provide them with any significant dialogue or touching moments. The script wants to unearth big laughs and deep yearning within their characters, but there are zero laughs to be held or any real romantic moments to hook us. Diaz looks beautiful as always and has a natural girl-next-door-quality perfectly suited to being a romantic lead, but her character is never fleshed out as more than a shrieking girly-girl. If she was given more pluck and intelligence, we could've had a strong feminine figure to care about. Cruise could play a character like this in his sleep (it's pretty remarkable that he could play a depth-defying super-agent in his sleep at this point in his career) and he does, in fact, appear disappointingly subdued. Perhaps the joke is that Roy has been at this gig for so long that he's grown casual about it, but we feel it's Cruise whose being too casual about the apparent humor of the situation. Even with a straight face, his performance lacks the deep yearning and intensity of his more memorable roles.

Director James Mangold (Identity, Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma) is a director known for tackling mythic situations with a great patience in pacing, almost too patient. I wouldn't exactly call his style low energy, but there's a faint subtlety to his work that can be a tad unnerving at times. He has a tendency to slow things down just when you wish the energy would get cranked up. Perhaps he was the wrong director to tackle this material, for he keeps things way too formal and straight. This movie demands frantic energy, whiz-bang pacing, and cockeyed hilarity, three things that have never been his strong suit. I'm thinking a director like J.J. Abrams (Cruise's Mission: Impossible 3 cohort) could've pulled it off, for he can deliver a warp-speed thrill ride without sacrificing an ounce of humor or heart.

The original and obvious model for Knight and Day has to be Charade, the 1960s Stanley Donen caper that found Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn conducting a compelling courtship amidst a shadowy thriller plot. The earlier film was essentially a romantic comedy that was occasionally interrupted by the thriller genre. The film made the wise decision of putting the Grant-Hepburn romance in the forefront and letting the dangerous aspects of the plot take care of itself. If Knight and Day had put more thought into its romantic aspects instead of it's well-calculated spy plot, it probably could've been more heartfelt and involving. Charade was also brilliant in the sly way it spoofed Grant's star image as well as the Hollywood thrillers he made over the years. It's such a shame that Cruise is afraid to let such vulnerabilities show on the big screen. He seems persistent in upholding his youthful, golden boy image just when he should be mischievously dissecting it. He should take a cue from Paul Newman, who showed us that revealing the cracks in your aging could provide a prosperous path to richer roles. Didn't Cruise learn from Tropic Thunder that poking fun at himself is a great way to go?

A movie like Knight and Day is usually a harvest for big-time Hollywood thrills, naughty sexual tension, and brutal genre self-reflection, yet this time everything comes up surprisingly bland. It's plays things to straight-laced and by-the-numbers when the subtext could've been endlessly fascinating. I admire it's old school yearnings for Hollywood charms and movie star wattage, but Cinema has grown too sophisticated to take such things at such a shallow face value anymore.

'Toy Story 3': Breathless and Heartbreaking

by Brett Parker

The very idea of toys is an invite to the vivid imagination and childlike playfulness deeply rooted within all human beings. That explains the universal appeal of the Toy Story movies, a series that devised clever and hilarious ways to depict the logical universe of Toys if they actually existed. As you would imagine in the nature of a toy, they worried about being played with enough, getting lost, being broken beyond repair, or worst of all, being neglected by their owner. These Pixar hits not only highlighted the ingenious plights of being a toy but even revealed startling human depths along the way.

The first Toy Story is one of the best and most inventive of all animated films, computer-animated or hand-drawn. It captured the childlike glow of playing with toys while dissecting their very nature in humorously philosophical ways. It was also an exceptional buddy comedy, a thrilling adventure, and a sly meditation on adolescent anxieties over feelings of change. Toy Story 2 didn't exactly live up to the excitement and humor of the first film, but it was surprising how it deepened the series' themes of neglect and heartbreak.

Despite the exceptional quality of the first two films, there was an appropriate air of cynicism when it was announced that Pixar would be making a third Toy Story film, in 3-D no less. Despite Pixar's streak of magic, there was reasonable suspicion that this would be an assembly-line sequel that aimed for wallets instead of hearts. I'm achingly happy to report that this is certainly not the case and Toy Story 3 could not have found a better way to bring the adventures of Andy's Toys full circle and towards a satisfying conclusion. The filmmakers have discovered the most logical and fulfilling way to end this series with a cinematic experience that is almost exactly on par with the original film. The result is a surprisingly heartfelt and devastating experience to behold. Make no mistake about it, this one will punch you straight through the heart.

The film continues the story of the toys that live in Andy's bedroom, toys that come to life and discuss their existence whenever their beloved owner is not around. These toys include wise Cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks), action-ready spaceman Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), wise-cracking Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles) and his faithful wife Mrs. Potato Head (Estelle Harris), nerve-wracking dinosaur Rex (Wallace Shawn), and a trio of three-eyed Aliens ready to help out wherever they can. As the film opens, the gang faces a crisis: Andy (John Morris) is all grown-up and heading off to college. His mother is forcing him to get rid of all his childhood toys. For the gang, this means either living in the attic or, worst-case nightmare, getting put out in the trash!

Through a mishap involving cardboard boxes, Andy's Toys are accidentally donated to a day-care center to be played with by toddlers. All of the toys at the center are overseen by the seemingly warm teddy bear, Lotso (Ned Beatty) who is aided by the hilariously ambiguous Ken Doll (Michael Keaton). The center has the relaxing come on of a joyful retirement community and Andy's gang decides to settle in and give things a try, all except for Woody, who decides to set out and track down Andy. On his journey, Woody runs into another gang of toys who reveal deep, dark secrets about the day-care center and warn him that his friends may be in imminent danger. This leads Woody to set off an adventure to rescue his friends and return to Andy's house once and for all!

What is so appealing about the characters in the Toy Story series is that they aren't just a celebration of the plastic nature of toys but reflect sympathetic feelings and anxieties within human nature. Like the toys, we too have an intense need to fulfill our roles in life and feel loved and accepted. Whenever we feel like we're not living up to our potential, we also feel inadequate and worrisome. When our loved ones neglect us the way Andy often neglects his toys, the level of sadness and heartbreak is surprisingly equal to that of the toys. Like most humans, the toys are constantly analyzing their place in the world and the meaning of their existence only to discover that strong bonds through friendship and family are the best way to go.

These ideals and emotions have always been strongly present throughout the series but in Toy Story 3 they are brought to their absolute breaking point, demanding a catharsis. The fears and pain these toys feel come across as startlingly real. Take for example the character of Lotso, at first he is set up to be the typical animated baddie, yet the film slows down to reveal the wounded past that made him so vile and spiteful. This makes all of his actions come not from a standard place of evil, but from a broken one filled with heartache. He is not so much a villian as he is a tragic figure, one filled with such strong feelings of abandonment and existential loneliness that it's jarring how much we can relate to it. When was the last time an animated villian could be analyzed so deeply?

Even with its sly, dramatic subtext, the Toy Story series is always a reliable source for break-neck cinematic adventure. To me, the climactic race to the Moving Truck from the first film is the most thrilling moment in the entire series, an adventure sequence that could rank with any from the Indiana Jones films. Yet Toy Story 3 keeps its action just as fresh and exciting as the first time around. As Andy's Toys race to bust out of the shady day-care center that threatens to destroy them, the film settles into the mold of a prison-break film, one that can stand with any of the real ones. As the gang executes a calculated and thrilling plan to hurtle themselves out of their elaborate prison, we are witnessing an escape just as brilliant and exhilarating as the one Steve McQueen planned. This all leads to the most horrifying and powerful visual moment of the whole series, as Andy's Gang find themselves in a garbage incinerator, heading towards a giant flame that resembles the fires of hell. The toys feel this will be their last moment together and decide to hold hands and face hell with the entire strength of their friendship. In the moment of their ultimate nightmare, they fight it with the ultimate heart. The terrifying beauty of this scene truly levels you.

By now, much has been written about Toy Story 3 being a film that can make anyone cry. Not just women and children, but grown men as well. I admit I cried as the film's final moments allowed me to say farewell to each one of Andy's toys and realize just how special each and every one really is. For me, the film's end made me confront the fleeting passage of time that effects all our lives. I was 11-years-old when my Aunt Patty took me to see the original Toy Story and I was still young enough to let my sense of imagination and wonder completely take over as the film washed over my young mind. Of course, I've grown up and like most adults, I may have lost some of that childlike wonder. We often find ourselves living in a dark and cynical world and Toy Story 3 brings us face-to-face with a sense of innocence we once had and now lost. What is so heartbreaking about the film's ending is the realization that our childlike innocence just might be forever out of our reach. How could it not be? I kid you not, if you're a member of my generation who saw the first film in theaters, then watching Toy Story 3 will be one of the stronger Benjamin Button moments you'll ever have in your life.

Since the first Toy Story hit theaters back in 1995, Pixar has been on a creative roll that have made them one of the most influential forces on animated movies in cinematic history. The key to their success is that instead of shrouding their plots with junky sitcom hijinks, they root it in aspects of human nature that can touch about anyone's heart. While Toy Story 3 could've been a disposable, money-making sequel, it's an emotional powerhouse that ranks with the first Toy Story and Wall-E as Pixar's very best. It's almost a jaw-dropping surprise how hard this one tugs on the heartstrings. Even if animated flicks aren't really your thing, this is one not to be missed.

You Should Hire 'The A-Team'

by Brett Parker

Most males from my generation have an affectionate nostalgia for the 80's Tv Show The A-Team, for it embodied a sense of reckless adventure and gung-ho machismo most adolescent men favor in their entertainment. It followed the exploits of rogue mercenaries who carried out a dangerous mission each week, and each episode promised car crashes, wisecracks, and Mr. T in all his gold-chain and fool-pitying glory. With it's heavy-duty action scenes and playful, pulpy feel, it was a TV Show that, let's face it, was meant to show up on the big screen sooner or later.

Hollywood producers are hoping to cash in big time on The A-Team's nostalgia and the most successful thing about the big screen update is how it honors the action-packed excitement and cheerful testosterone of the original show. Director Joe Carnahan directs with the same sense of frantic chaos and looney humor he displayed with Smokin' Aces and his big screen take on the classic series comes crashing into theatres with the same sense of thrill-a-minute bravado and smirking swagger the show embodied so well. It is said of the main characters that they "specialize in the ridiculous" and the same can certainly be said of this film. Thankfully, I mean that as a compliment.

The film follows an elite unit of Alpha Army Rangers who are bound together by dangerous military missions no ordinary soldier could touch. There's Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson), the all-knowing leader, "Faceman" Peck (Bradley Cooper), the suave point man, "Howling Mad" Murdock (Sharlto Copley), the shell-shocked pilot, and B.A. Baracus (Quinton "Rampage" Jackson), the brooding bruiser. They meet on a deadly mission in Mexico and end up forming a bond that holds them together through the Iraq War. In the final days of that war, Hannibal learns of a secret assignment to intercept the engraving plates of a money counterfeiting scheme in Baghdad. It's a super-secret mission no soldier should be allowed to touch, but Hannibal knows his team can pull off just about anything, so he decides to take it.
As the mission is carried out, the A-Team is set-up and framed for the murder of their superior and for trying to keep the engraving plates for themselves. They are tried and found guilty in a Military Court and are sentenced to ten years in separate prisons. Of course, being the super-soldiers they are, each member of the team busts out of their individual prisons and re-groups to carry out a mission of revenge and name-clearing. This mission comes packed with twists, double-crosses, and mind-blowingly excessive action!

At one point, Hannibal states how "overkill is underrated." That might as well be the filmmaker's mantra for the film's action sequences. The A-Team is one of those action flicks where the filmmakers put realism, plausibility, and logical thought straight into a fire and laugh while it burns. It's the kind of movie where jeeps go driving through buildings, war planes can be evoked at the drop of a hat, giant ship crates get shuffled around like legos, and four men can fall 20,000 feet from the sky in a tank, crash safely in a lake, and drive off towards their next mission. All of this is presented in a dazed, quick-cutting style meant to cloak the ridiculousness of the action's logic. Either you're one of those moviegoers who finds this kind of action to be hopelessly exciting or a terrible bore. This time, I consider it the former.

Insanely over-the-top action can be sold to us if we have a genuine investment in the characters and their situation, and it's ultra-hard to resist the charms and attitude of the A-Team. If there's one thing the film does to perfection, it's to find actors that fully embody the personas of the original cast. It's the best TV-to-big screen casting since Miami Vice. Neeson is an effortless display of militant wisdom as he builds on the wonderful action momentum he started with Taken. With his devilish grin and big cigars, the seasoned veteran has great fun with the role. Cooper cranks up his movie star charisma to make Faceman's charms and smoothness wickedly compelling. Copley brings Murdock's madness such a lived-in sunniness that he transcends goofy caricature acting and brings a cockeyed conviction to the role. Baracus was perhaps the most memorable character from the original series and Jackson embodies everything we cherished about the hulking brute in a seamless manner, although Jackson is allowed to bring more thought and depth to the role than Mr. T was ever allowed to.

Other supporting characters make crucially memorable impressions. Brian Bloom, with his sinister eyes and grizzled voice, was born to play a villain and does so wonderfully as Pine, a Black Ranger nemesis to our heroes. Jessica Biel both embodies sexiness and smarts as Sosa, the government agent hot on the trail of the A-Team who also happens to be Faceman's ex (they have a tense and alluring scene in a photo booth). A surprising performance comes from Patrick Wilson as Lynch, a snarky C.I.A. agent with ambiguous motives. Wilson typically specializes in straight-forward, white bred lunks and to see him inject a knowing nastiness into this persona is rather jarring. He still presents a clean-cut Americana image while playing with a self-kidding sliminess that's great fun to relish.

A small joke is made with the Lynch character and his C.I.A. cohorts: they are presented as incompetent and misguided duds who don't live up to the high standards you'd expect from government figures. They're trigger-happy but don't exactly know how to work a gun. They can't see all the angles, they can't out-think their enemies, they're pushovers. It's as if Carnahan is commenting on the current crop of action heroes, who obviously lack the he-man bravado and war-hungry mindset of yesteryear's warriors. The A-Team are obviously a throwback to the Reagan-Era tough-guy mindset and there's almost a vintage feel to their sense of blow-stuff-up-and ask-questions-later. There's a point to be made with these Frat Boy-turned-C.I.A. buffoons: they're wussies compared to with the audacity and fortitude displayed by these old-school hulks.

So if you have an action sweet tooth and your in the mood for mindless thrills and super-cool characters, then maybe you should hire the A-Team! It's not one of the more intelligent, polished, or plausible action movies you'll ever see, but there's great fun to be had with it's crude, crash-everything style. For all it's melodramatic and dangerous developments, you'll often catch the main characters cracking delightfully mischievous smiles. You'll find yourself doing the same thing in the theatre.