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Looking for more about “Snakes on a Plane?” Here are some links to get you started:
Official site: http://www.snakesonaplane.com |
Mention the upcoming film “Snakes on a Plane” to someone and chances are you will get one of two reactions: either they've never heard of it, or they have and are thrilled. The film is a sensation on the internet and pop TV shows like “The Daily Show,” and fans are generating everything from t-shirts to videos in celebration. The studio has embraced the tidal wave of fandom and even changed some of their own plans in response to it.
The surge of internet popularity apparently began when one of the screenwriters mentioned in his blog that he was going to be working on it. Really, however, it has gained momentum simply because of the movie's name. “Snakes on a Plane” was meant to be the working title, but star Samuel L. Jackson insisted they keep it (rather than changing it to the more tepid “Pacific Air Flight 121”). Like most high-concept action/horror films, it's not meant to be great art. But with a title like “Snakes on a Plane,” it's obvious that this is not going to be a great film. It's almost as though the studio was aware of the schlock they were making -- and if there's one thing Generation Y loves, it's self-aware mockery, whether it's the neo-surrealistic programming of Adult Swim or the comedy-news of “The Daily Show.”
Generation Y embraced “Snakes on a Plane,” as did much of the geek demographic here in Silicon Valley. A quick look in the internet search engine of your choice will reveal countless mentions of the film. A major hub of information is Snakesonablog.com, where one fan has set out to get invited to the premier, and is gathering “Snakes on a Plane”-related links and information in one place while he's at it. You can find fan-made tshirts, videos and songs inspired by the show, graphics, interviews, and everything else related to the film there. Now there's even a book coming out about the phenomenon: “Snakes on a Plane, The Guide to the Internet Ssssssensation” by David Waldon.
Once the filmmakers realized what was going on, they jumped to capitalize on it. The film's official website features a fansite of the week and offers several different myspace.com profile looks related to the film. New Line Cinema announced a contest on the website TagWorld where musicians could submit songs inspired by the film. The group Cobra Starship won with their song “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)”, which is the first track on the official soundtrack. The music video for the song features Jackson, who appears to be wearing an unofficial fan shirt. Word has it that some dialog inspired by fan videos and writings has even been added to the film.
It seems unlikely that New Line will be able to duplicate the “Snakes on a Plane” phenomenon. Internet users in general and Generation Y in particular are extremely sensitive to advertising and generally can tell when they're being manipulated; “Snakes on a Plane” took of precisely because it didn't have any manipulation. It's as if “Speed” had been entitled “Bomb on a Bus”: there's no marketing twist there, it's a title that tells you just what you need to know about the film. Now, however, if a studio puts out a film with that sort of title, people will likely recognize the style and realize that the producers are trying to pull a second rabbit out of the hat.
As a movie reviewer, I can't help hoping that “Snakes on a Plane” will start a new trend in Hollywood. My favorite cheesy movies are ones that are perfectly aware that they're not very good. Nothing is more sure to make a film unpleasant to watch than pretentiousness, and “Snakes on a Plane” is the antithesis of pretension. What the studios need to do is realize that it's that lack of pretension that makes “Snakes on a Plane” awesome, and put out more films like that.
Directed by: David Frankel
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci
Rated: PG-13 for some sensuality.
Parental Notes: This is a good movie for teens, especially those who have jobs. Preteens may enjoy it as well. There is very little in the way of language or sex, and then sensuality mentioned in the rating is very minor. The only questionable content is the incredibly thin actresses splattered all over the screen.
Workers who loathe their bosses will adore “The Devil Wears Prada.” The devil of the title, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep, “A Prairie Home Companion”), is so astonishingly awful that she puts other bosses to shame. Sadly, the film leaves out some of the best examples of her horribleness from the book (of the same title) -- but I suppose that leaves a small treat in store for those folks who haven't read the book yet. As Lauren Weisberger's debut novel, “The Devil Wears Prada” was a bestseller for very good reason. The film doesn't live up to its original material, but at least it's entertaining in its Hollywoodish way.
Anne Hathaway (“Brokeback Mountain”) plays Andrea Sachs, a fresh-faced college graduate who dreams of being a journalist. When sheer luck lands her a job as Priestly's second assistant at the incredibly influential “Runway” magazine, she is pleased to have a job, but not thrilled by the fact that she's working at a fashion magazine. The first assistant Emily (Emily Blunt, “Irresistible”) is snide and cruel, Priestly is utterly horrid, and the closest thing Andrea has to a friend at work is the snide art director Nigel (Stanley Tucci, “Lucky Number Slevin”).
Andrea is determined to survive for at least a year, though, because word has it that if you last a year with Priestly, she will write you a recommendation anywhere you want to go. Andrea's clips and applications have landed her zero response from the newspapers and journals she dreams of writing for, and it seems that Priestly is her only hope. Unfortunately for Andrea, the fourteen-hour days and free haute couture clothing begin to change her. Before long, her friends are complaining that they never see her and her boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier, “Across the Hall”) says they have nothing in common any more.
The storyline and many of the details of the film have been lifted straight from the book, which is a benefit. It's a great story with solid, enjoyable characters, and the actors fill them out perfectly. Hathaway is fantastic as Andrea, and does an excellent job portraying the poor gal's attempts to hide her disdain for the world of fashion toward the beginning, and her inevitable slide into the world of couture as the film goes on.
The real scene-stealer, as is to be expected, is Streep. Miranda Priestly is a fantastic character, and Streep pours everything into her. There is no grimacing here, no scenery-chewing. Priestly never, ever raises her voice or has an expression more intense than pursing her lips (except for one rather limp scene near the end where she smiles), and she is utterly cutting with the most calm phrases imaginable. When she tells you she is disappointed in you, she might as well have slit your face open with a razor. Streep brings her to horrifying life, and the power and intensity that radiates off her is incredibly intimidating. It's a joy watching this fine actress work.
Sadly, as the film draws to its end, predictable Hollywood mediocrity rears its ugly head. There's all too much glitz and melodrama, with a tacked-on saccharine ending that softens Priestly's magnificent character and gives a fantasy happy ending to our heroine. It does not help that I greatly enjoyed the book (I read it at a time when I loathed my job and it was a great antidote for that) and the film falls short of that brilliance. Overall, the movie is enjoyable but not great; it's really only worth seeing for Meryl Streep's fantastic performance.
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Jonathan Pryce, Bill Nighy,
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images.
Parental Notes: As with the first film, this is not a movie for youngsters. The bad guys are scary monsters, and there's plenty of icky stuff on screen -- crows going after corpses, people falling to their deaths as a ship is pulled in half by a giant monster, and so on. Preteens and teens will likely be fine, but the pre-school crowd is best left at home and you should probably think twice before taking elementary students.
Sequels are a tricky business. Audiences want more of the same but bigger and better, and it's all too easy for a fantastic film to have a sequel that's absolutely awful. Gore Verbinski and his team struck gold with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” and thankfully they have managed to turn out a sequel that doesn't put its predecessor to shame. “Dead Man's Chest” is different from “Curse of the Black Pearl” in a number of ways, which makes comparing the two difficult. However, it's safe to say that if you want more adventures of Captain Jack, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann, “Dead Man's Chest” is your cup of tea.
The film opens with the wedding of Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) being halted by a representative of the East India Trading Company, who arrives bearing warrants for their arrest. He offers them a way out: bring him a compass Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) owns, and in exchange, he'll offer them pardons. Will heads out to find Jack, leaving Elizabeth behind. Not willing to be a damsel in distress, she disguises herself and sets out after him.
Jack, meanwhile, has other problems. He owes Davy Jones (Bill Nighy, unrecognizable in stunning prosthetics and CGI) his soul. Jack's goal is to find the Dead Man's Chest, which will give him leverage against Jones. When Will turns up, Jack offers to hand over the compass if Will helps him find the chest. Of course, Jack is very much a pirate, and only interested in saving his own hide -- as becomes eminently clear when Davy Jones shows up to collect his debt.
The film is jam-packed with sword fighting, battles between ships, monstrous creatures, witty banter, and everything you'd expect from a title including “Pirates of the Caribbean.” As in the first movie, the special effects are mind-blowing. Davy Jones' crew is made up of men who are in various stages of transformation. Jones has an octopus for a head, complete with a beard of tentacles. His crew range from looking largely human (one has barnacles and a starfish growing on him but is otherwise normal) to almost completely transformed (one has actually become part of the ship and looks like a growth of coral). It's astonishing. There are a few moments when things look fake -- water is very difficult to do in CGI, after all -- but for the most part the visual effects are superb.
The same old cast has returned, including a few who might surprise you. Bloom, Knightley, and Depp are as good as ever in their roles, with Depp stealing every scene he's in. Elizabeth is a bit more fleshed out (and heroic!) as a character, giving Knightley more to work with, and she steps up to the plate quite well. There's a lot less joking about how Elizabeth is a tomboy and a lot more of her just using her skills the way the men do. Bloom is decorative as ever, but his role doesn't call for much more. It's a pity Will isn't as fleshed out as his fiance. However, there's still one movie to go.
The movie leaves off much like other famous second films -- preparing the way for a third. The next installment in the series, “At World's End”, was filmed together with “Dead Man's Chest,” and if the ending of the latter is anything to go by, it will pick up right where “Dead Man's Chest” leaves off. It's not a terribly satisfying ending in a number of ways, because the entire film is building toward the climax which will no doubt take place in the next movie. That's a bit irksome, especially considering that we have to wait a whole year for “At World's End.”
My initial reaction was that “Dead Man's Chest” wasn't as good as “Curse of the Black Pearl,” but after some reflection I think that it's just different. There's less time spent introducing the characters and watching them be themselves, and more time spent setting up the third film. Regardless, it's a fun way for adventure-lovers to spend two and a half hours -- that sounds long, but it sure didn't feel like 150 minutes.
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Kevin Spacey
Rated: PG-13 for some intense action violence.
Parental Notes: For the most part, this is a very comic-book film, with cartoonish violence that should be fine for most kids. However, there is a sequence near the end in which Luthor gets the best of Superman and nearly kills him, which is quite unpleasant and which may be too intense for some youngsters.
The newest film about the Man of Steel, “Superman Returns”, is yet another top-notch superhero movie from director Bryan Singer (“X-Men,” “X-2”). With Singer at the helm and veteran actor Kevin Spacey as the villainous Lex Luthor, it's hard to go wrong, and newcomer Brandon Routh fills the blue tights and red undies of his predecessors with confidence. This is a great flick for the summer.
The story picks up after Superman (Brandon Routh, “Karla”) has been absent from Earth for several years. When astronomers discovered the remains of his home planet, Krypton, he set out to visit the ruins himself. Upon returning to Earth, he finds that a lot of things have changed. Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth, “Bee Season”) is a single mother and is in a serious relationship with Richard White (James Marsden, “X-Men”), Perry White's nephew. She's also been awarded a Pulitzer for an editorial explaining “Why the World Doesn't Need Superman,” and she seems to have very determinedly moved on from her romance with the superhero.
Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent, gets his job at the Daily Planet back . Nobody notices that he's reappearing at the same time as Superman, of course. Nobody notices that one of Superman's powers appears to be having totally perfect hair regardless of what he's just been doing, either. It's just one of those things you have to accept with superhero movies, like the way nobody notices that Clark Kent and Superman are obviously the same person.
Back to the story: editor-in-chief Perry White (Frank Langella, “Good Night, and Good Luck”) assigns Clark to check out an odd power outage -- which we in the audience know was caused by Lex Luthor. The bald villain is out of jail courtesy of a technicality: Superman was supposed to show up to testify at a court hearing but was unable to be located. Luthor found his way to Superman's Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic and stole the crystals hidden there. His plan is to use those crystals to create a whole new continent, drowning half the world and setting a premium price on his new real estate.
“Superman Returns” is a delightful blend of old and new. The sets and costumes are a wonderful mix of the 50s-era look from the older Superman material and modern fashion and technology. The cars people drive look old, but Jimmy Olsen (Sam Huntington, “River's End”) shoots photos with a digital camera. It gives the film a feel at once familiar and alien; this is our world, and yet it isn't.
Even better, the actors in the film are a blend of famous and little-known. Routh has a little acting experience under his belt, but nothing of this magnitude. The same is true of Bosworth. Their lack of blockbuster screen time is a definite advantage, allowing them to blend into the iconic roles without their own fame competing with the fame of their characters.
Lex Luthor, on the other hand, is a role best put in the hands of an experienced actor. It would be all too easy for the role to disintegrate into scenery-chewing and idiocy, but Spacey manages to make him just this side of cartoonish. In Spacey's hands, Luthor is as he should be: vastly entertaining, but utterly frightening at the same time.
The special effects are generally quite good, although there are a few computer-generated sequences which don't quite work. Computer effects haven't quite reached the point where they can create the image of a moving human being from scratch, and there are a couple of sequences where that is painfully evident to an effects aficionado. The rest of the effects, however, from the growing land mass of Luthor's to Superman's powers, are mind-blowing.
“Superman Returns” is a fantastic summer film, sure to delight both long-time fans of the character and relative newcomers. It's packed with references to the old Superman comic books and films, but not to the point of alienating those of us who aren't in the know.