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Saturday, March 18th, 2006

Nightwatch

I got a call from a friend to go check out this movie. I hadn't heard very much about it, hadn’t checked out it's trailer, didn't really know the plot, and wasn't aware it was completely in Russian until I was buying a ticket. So, needless to say, I didn’t have high expectations for this film.

Actually, I didn't have any expectations for this movie. It wasn't anti-hype, it was the total absence of hype, positive or negative. Nullhype. Hype times zero. It's the way most directors wish everyone went into a theatre... where they can actually show you a film without you already knowing who's acting in it, without knowing the plot in advance, without having seen all the best sequences in the trailer, without reading the rumours and gossips on the internet.

So I saw it. And I liked it. I liked it a lot.

The film, if you are not aware, is a Russian film, with Russian actors, and takes place in Moscow (which, by the way, is a Russian city). This gave the entire film a gritty, high contrast feel, a not-from-your-world urbanity. The editing, the shot angles, and the special effects just rolled into all that.

The standard issue self-sacrificing good versus self-indulgent evil was downplayed; subtle but well done. Our main characters had terrible apartments, standard issue clothes and vehicles, and seemed generally putting up with a lot. But it was something they needed to do. The antagonists, however, were beautiful, drove really nice cars, and enjoyed themselves. It wasn't evil for evil's sake. It was enjoying what you were. It was a different point of view.

Finally, this film wins major, major props from me for the subtitles. Not just slapping the english translation on the screen... the subtitles react to the film! They fade in and out, they slide around when nervous, they jump at you when people are screaming... they are almost a character in themselves. Wow.

I was later informed that this movie was based on a series of novels, and there are plans to make the rest of the books. Excellent. Now, I have expectations. Now, I am hyped. And it is good.

Wednesday, March 15th, 2006

Toronto And Back Again

Just got back from Toronto business trip. I never used to go on business trips. I always imagined them to be a luxury plane trip to a distance vacation spot, two hours of actual work and glad-handing, and then a couple days expense account relaxation.

Wrong wrong wrong.

A late afternoon plane trip from Winnipeg to Toronto, landing tired and hungry. We checked into our hotel, dropped off our baggage in our rooms, and asked a hotel staff member for any good places to eat in the immediate vicinity. He suggested a few, but as we followed his directions, we realized we should have been more specific in our inquiries... it was 11:00pm and all of the places were closed! Luckily, a nearby pub was still open, and had generous food portion. Had a very good philly melt!

Then came work! Up before the sun, and eight to ten hour meetings in a room full of very smart people, organizing, discussing, planning, etc. Taking notes, crossing out notes, writing on white boards, writing on pads of paper... it doesn't sound difficult until you have to do it for a long stretch and with such intensity. By the time we'd break for lunch or for the day, you're hungry, tired, and your head is exploding with new ideas!

We cabbed directly to the hotel from the airport. The pub (which we thought was so nice we ate there twice) was half a block from the hotel. The meetings were held in the same hotel. We broke from the last meeting and jumped immediately into a cab to the airport for a flight back to Winnipeg. Apart from a short stroll down Yonge St, I'd almost believed Toronto was only a movie studio backdrop outside my hotel window.

And, honestly, I prefer it that way. I didn't go out on an expense account to fool around. I went to meet smart people and trade ideas. Even the flights consisted of a laptop and project planning. Work work work. Not what I imagined, and I'm all the better for the experience! :)

Thursday, January 26th, 2006

Underworld: Evolution

I saw Underworld: Evolution yesterday evening in the relatively cheap comfort of the Towne 8. To summarize, if you enjoyed the first one, you’ll like the sequel. It’s more of the same, only even more-so!

The movie picks up right where the last one left off, at the tail end of a secret war between vampires and werewolves. Our protagonist, played by the scrumptious Kate Beckinsale, has betrayed her kind, killed her group's leader and her father figure, and run away to elope with a freaky werewolf-vampire-abomination fellow she just recently met.

From there, comic book action ensues. The story is as popcorn fluff as the original. Don’t expect Shakespeare here. In fact, before hitting the theatre, me and some friends re-watched the original and went all Mystery Science Theatre 3000 on it. By mocking the original and lowering our expectations, we steeled ourselves against disappointment.

One thing I'll say about this movie, however, is that where other flicks would fade to black and leave something to the imagination, this one goes the whole balls-to-the-wall way! It's like the director thought "We never get to see this sort of stuff. I want to see this stuff. This is my movie. I want to see it!

I can't blame him too much. The hyper violence was offically thumbs-up cool, and Beckinsale gets peeled out of that latex and corset outfit. Final tally, it’s a fanboy movie, made by a fanboy, for the fanboy. If you like the cheese, you'll like the movie!