Letters, Labyrinth: Two Reviews

I wasn't going to blog about movies today, but given the bad taste in my mouth still lingering from that crap-tacular comic adaptation, Ghost Rider, I just felt that I had to.

First up is the Japanese-language, Clint Eastwood-directed World War II film, Letters from Iwo Jima. Earlier, I implied how good Eastwood's other World War II film was, and now, I must say, Letters from Iwo Jima blows that one out of the water in every conceivable aspect. The acting is better, the pacing is better, and despite the fact that both are about the same battle, the plot and story are better. It's definitely the cleaner of the two films, feeling much less sloppy than the hash editing that hurt Flags of Our Fathers.

The film follows the Battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese point-of-view, which turns a story about the so-called villains into a story about a valiant last stand, one full of honor and loyalty. Admittedly, it was a little strange seeing Americans so clearly depicted as the "bad guys," but it was a little refreshing, and more than a tad relevant. As with its sister film, Letters from Iwo Jima follows a select number of characters, revealing their pasts, hopes, and dreams, leading up to the ultimate revelation that our enemies were not so different from us. A great work of art, this film... Eastwood's real World War II masterpiece.

Next is the Mexican film, Pan's Labyrinth. Also set during the era of World War II, but solely focusing on the Spanish Civil War (or rather, its aftermath), the story follows the adventures of a young girl who joins her mother to live with a cruel Spanish officer. While there, the girl discovers a faun living in the middle of what's basically a glorified hedge maze. The faun reveals that the girl is a soul from another world, and that she has to prove her worth to return to that world as a princess. The girl sets off on her adventures, and the audience is given one Hell of a cinematic experience.

Pan's Labyrinth is a gorgeous film, with style, color, light, and music all working together to create a realistic, yet ethereal tone. Part war movie, part horror film, and part fairy tale, it's a breath of fresh air, and a must-see. To give anything else away would be an injustice, so just take my word for it: go see it.

Also go see Zodiac, but I'll rant about that another time...

Ghost Rider: Half-Cocked Superhero

If you can avoid Ghost Rider, do so. Unfortunately, I saw it last night, and am wondering if I can make a deal with the Devil to get my time back.

Ghost Rider is Nicholas Cage's long-awaited foray into a comic book film. Everyone knows that he once had the rights to the Superman franchise, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he gave them up. Anyway, Cage appears here as Johnny Blaze, "The Ghost Rider," and the results are less than fantastic.

Written and directed by Daredevil's writer/director, Mark Steven Johnson, the only thing that Johnson managed to accomplish was to finally convince the public of what Ben Affleck has been saying for years: Daredevil being a bad movie was not Ben Affleck's fault.

Seriously, the plot sucks. It's typical fare, of course, with the Devil offering a young Johnny Blaze a deal: sign here and I'll cure your father's cancer (but I'll kill him anyway). So, Johnny signs, watches his father die, leaves an uber-hot girlfriend who winds up a reporter that happens to interview an older Johnny Blaze. It's revealed that an old Ghost Rider screwed over the Devil and hid some contract, which the Devil's son and miscreant friends want to find to take over the world, so Johnny Blaze turns into the new Ghost Rider and whoops some ass. No, really, that's all there is to it.

Ghost Rider has no weaknesses. At no time did he seem to be in any sort of mortal danger. He whoops one demon in a few seconds by wrapping him in a flaming chain-whip. He whoops an air demon in a few seconds by spinning his flaming chain-whip really fast, thereby making a tornado and sucking in said air demon. He whoops a water demon in a few seconds by "flaming on" and boiling said water demon. And he whoops the main demon in a minute or two by shooting him with a shotgun, and burning the souls from the contract. No, really, that's all there is to it.

The characters, dialogue, and plot were all half-ass. The love story? Half-ass. The acting? Oh, man, don't get me started. Everything was half-ass. There was even this admittedly cool scene in which the new Ghost Rider, on his kick-ass chopper, and the old Ghost Rider, on his kick-ass horse, ride off to fight the bad guys. Only, the old Ghost Rider disappears after they get there. No fight, no nothing. Just disappears. No, really, that's all there is to it.

No wonder Eva Mendes had a "that's it?" expression on her face the entire movie.