REVIEW: The Search For Freedom

4/10 - What's love got to do, got to do with it?

Why do people like extreme sports? What is it that drives people to them? That's the premise of this documentary, finding out from athletes what draws them to these sports that put them at risk.

Needless to say, viewing this at the  Maui Film Festival where surf culture reigns king, the movie did quite well.

I would like to know how this documentary came to be. It mashes together footage of athletes from all parts of the globe without ever giving time to introduce them, introduce the sport, or explain why we are watching it.

From the top of snowy mountains with skiers racing against avalanches, to the hot beaches in Hawaii where surfers tame the tides, this film tries to be inclusive of everything that would be considered an extreme sport, including skateboarding, mountain biking, sky diving, snow boarding, BMX, and wind surfing. Perhaps the biggest flaw was not focusing on a few in depth examples of extreme sports. Instead it touches briefly on all of them. No, really. All of them.

It hops from sport to sport, athlete to athlete, with only generic comments about the rush they feel to connect the scenes. This movie is dense with sports interviews, and thin on context. This movie is desperate for a narrator.

Despite it's sloppy execution, there are some great moments that illustrate the way sport culture has evolved and the level of accomplishments that have been achieved. Legends like Tony Hawk discuss his career in skateboarding, in direct comparison to the children who are making those same achievements today.

Really, it's the jaw-dropping cinematic shots that tells the story. These athletes are driven, passionate people who are often viewed as social outcasts for their discipline and dedication to the sport. The slow motion, high def scenes of those athletes rocketing through the air on skis or skates is enough to explain that thematic question. The footage captures a palpable adrenaline rush that fuels these athletes more than anything else. That's something that resonates with thrill seekers.

Seeing those scenes of the highest heights that can be reached through extreme sports, one thing is clear. There doesn't need to be an explanation to get it. It would have been nice if there was one, though.

Rotten Tomatoes - The Search for Freedom
Film Website - The Search for Freedom

REVIEW: Live from New York

5/10 - I got a fever... And the only prescription... Is another movie. 

The premise of a documentary looking at the history, highlights, low-lights, and impact of the long running sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live is something the world was definitely looking for. Thankfully SNL celebrated it's 40th anniversary and mostly did that with a 3 hour television special. No need to go to the movies!

It was a big of a challenge to separate this documentary from the 40th anniversary television special, that aired in February. If you enjoyed one, you'll enjoy the other but there's only so much SNL to reminisce on.

Part of what separated the documentary Live from New York was putting SNL is a larger context. Political impersonations were compared directly to footage of the figure in question, a nice way to show the impact of the show. They showed your favorite sketches, and featured interviews from a variety of cast members. It was a nice way to look back at the evolution of television over the years.

However, this movie is all nostalgia and good feelings, without a lot of critical thinking, and definitely no big revelations. It's a perspective on SNL with rose-colored glasses that undermines some of the issues that have plagued the shows history, like drug abuse, sexism, racism, and dismisses them as being unimportant. Instead of acknowledging those unpleasant truths, it relies on the content of SNL sketches being enough to entertain the audience with little else to say.

Live From New York is an enjoyable watch, because it's a "best of" featuring great moments that cause belly laughs. As a movie, it's quite hollow.

IMDb - Live From New York (6.8)
Rotten Tomatoes - Live From New York (48%)
Film Website - Live From New York

Thanks Blogger, you jerk.

After being in Maui for the Maui Film Festival I had a bunch of movies primed and ready for reviews. We saw some AAA+ studio films, some documentaries, and some indie's. It was a great mix and a great experience.

I wrote up those reviews. I swear I did.

It seems Blogger ate them. Because those posts are now empty.

I'll try to get them up as soon as I remember what movies I saw. I also might revolt and switch to WordPress. Stay tuned.

REVIEW: The Imitation Game

Best Picture Nominee
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominee

8/10 - Like a paint-by-numbers Oscar flick

In 2014 Graham Moore won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game. This was the first movie he had produced into a feature film. His short but moving speech revealed his own struggles as a kid, not having a place in the world.

"When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now I’m standing here and, so, I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn't fit in anywhere. Yes, you do. I promise you do. You do. Stay weird. Stay different."

A beautiful speech that gives insight into how he was able to create such a fantastic script. The Imitation Game is a film about the life of pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing. His brilliant mind ostracized him socially, compounded by the fact that he was openly gay during a time when homosexuality was illegal. Turing gets recruited to help crack the Nazi enigma code and help save his country. The same country that cruelly punishes him for being gay. Moore may not have experience working as a military code-breaker, but his own life experience helped create a remarkable tragic figure on screen.

The Imitation Game really is a remarkable film, if almost too polished. It creates a lovely balance of intriguing character with high stakes intensity. This simply is a display of Cumberbatch's talents to create a nuanced character. If you ever heard the advice, "don't show the work" this is exactly what makes Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal wonderful. Every moment embraces this character effortlessly. I was also surprised by Keira Knightly as well, who has never been a memorable actress to me. The film also has a good share of twists and unexpected surprises that makes it more than just a character study.

If there is a flaw in The Imitation Game it's the film's total lack of flaws. Turing says the right things at the right time, and it lost some appeal to me for that reason. Here's the scene where he says something funny. Here's the scene where he does something heroic. Here's the scene where he says a wise proverb. It's a difficult thing to criticize because if I was writing a movie I would want to create a script as tight as this was. However, some charm lost as the overall effect is very much the Hollywood standard without a unique flare.

Like Interstellar, this is a movie that seems to be plagued by a public need to identify inaccuracies. I stand by my belief that this is a movie. It's not a history lesson, nor a biography. Movies have no obligation to be accurate. They only have an obligation to entertain people, largely through fictional stories. If The Imitation Game was a launching point for you to research the life of Alan Turing or his achievements, or the enigma code, or the history of gay rights then the movie did a fantastic job.

I'm not sure if I think this was the year's best picture. As much as I enjoyed the historical fiction of Alan Turing and the Enigma code from The Imitation Game, I don't think it pushed the boundaries of storytelling the way some other films did this year. It certainly is a fantastic film, worthy of being seen and talked about, but a bit too much of a replication of The King's Speech and other historical films to be a stand out for me. Everything about The Imitation Game screams that it was made to win awards. Perhaps it should win them, but I don't value that very much as a movie-goer.


IMDb - The Imitation Game (8.1)
Wikipedia - The Imitation Game
Rotten Tomatoes - The Imitation Game (89%)
Amazon.ca - The Imitation Game