I hadn't heard from my estranged son for a couple of years, so I had a cop buddy run a search for him. Turns out he was in a Russian prison, charged with killing a government official. Since this could be it for him, I decided to go see him at his trial.
As I'm waiting at the court house, there's a huge explosion, and who do I see escaping in the confusion? You got it - my son, along with a Russian dissident! I steal a truck, and follow the gang of thugs who are trying to kill him. After crashing into about a thousand other cars and stealing another vehicle, I save him from the bad guys. As I'm giving him hell, I discover he's not really a criminal - he's CIA!
Of course, the bad guys crash our safe house, somehow miraculously missing us with all the machine guns, and we make our escape. After some close calls, we steal another car and catch the bad guys, foiling their nefarious plot. My son and I trade wisecracks throughout, and bond between dodging bullets. The world is once again safe for democracy!
What's that you say? You aren't buying this story? That's OK - I know you're shocked, but this didn't really happen. I've just given you the plot to the latest of the "Die Hard" movies - A Good Day to Die Hard.
I'm not a big fan of violent movies, but this Bruce Willis series is fun - filled with plenty of cartoon-style smashups. You always know John McClane (Willis) will be OK in the end. There are plenty of dead bodies, but they're mostly bad guys, so who cares, right? This one is typical of the series - McClane lives through beatings, car crashes, and gunfire that would kill any normal human. Of course, the trademark wisecracks flow as swiftly as the bullets.
Does this movie sound silly and illogical? Do you have trouble believing the McClanes can arrive at Chernobyl in their stolen car just moments after the Russian crooks in their helicopter? Do you find it unlikely they'd be able to survive massive gunfire, and avoid local police? Of course you do - this movie is not realistic in the slightest! You know what else? It doesn't have to be. This is a fantasy - like any super hero story, you need to disconnect your disbelief and just enjoy the show. John McClane, like Superman, Spiderman, or The Green Lantern, exists in another universe - where men can fly, walk on walls, or get the living hell beat out of them while cracking wise.
As long as you're willing to accept the realities of his world, you'll find this to be an entertaining movie. The plot, if you can call it that, is OK. Willis is fun as the aging McClane. Everybody else is forgettable. There's no deeper meaning, no hidden message to it. Good guys win, bad guys die, I eat popcorn and enjoy the action. Yeah!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Warm Bodies - Movie Review
I like zombies.
Check that - I should say I like zombies in the movies and TV shows. I don't personally know any zombies, so I 'm not sure what I would think of them if I met one in person. I suspect I wouldn't like them much, but a new movie, Warm Bodies, is out that may change my mind. I've watched a couple of entertaining and funny zombie flicks (Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead come to mind), but I had yet to see a zombie love story. This move changes that!
"R" (Nicholas Hoult) is a zombie, and the story is told from his point of view. We hear his inner monologue, which is much more eloquent than the grunts and growls he is able to express out loud. R can't remember his name, and knows something is missing, but he just can't seem to get it out. He and his "best friend" - played by veteran character actor Rob Corddry - can't communicate, but hang out together, making this one of the strangest buddy films of all time.
R knows something is missing, but just can't put his finger on it. That all changes when he and a group of fellow zombies attack a scavenging party of survivors. R kills and eats the brain of Perry (Dave Franco), gaining some of his memories in the process. Perry's girlfriend, Julie (Teresa Palmer) is also there, and some of the residual feelings from Perry's brain cause R to save her from the other zombies.
Nothing that follows will surprise you, as R becomes more and more lifelike as he takes care of Julie. There are some funny bits as R struggles to communicate, a confrontation with Julie's father (John Malkovich), and a climatic struggle between good and evil - just an ordinary day in the life of a zombie.
Warm Bodies isn't a great movie. It's dumb, and the logic of it breaks down if you're paying attention, but this movie isn't about paying attention. It's a unique concept, and has some really funny moments. It's a great send up of movies like the Twilight series, which have humans romantically involved with vampires and werewolves. If that can happen, why can't your daughter hook up with a zombie?
You could make a case that the zombies lovers represent same sex or mixed race couples, but really, if you're looking for deeper meaning here, you're missing the point. This is a funny movie, more in the tradition of The Naked Gun than Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. Don't expect to learn anything - just relax and enjoy the fun.
Check that - I should say I like zombies in the movies and TV shows. I don't personally know any zombies, so I 'm not sure what I would think of them if I met one in person. I suspect I wouldn't like them much, but a new movie, Warm Bodies, is out that may change my mind. I've watched a couple of entertaining and funny zombie flicks (Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead come to mind), but I had yet to see a zombie love story. This move changes that!
"R" (Nicholas Hoult) is a zombie, and the story is told from his point of view. We hear his inner monologue, which is much more eloquent than the grunts and growls he is able to express out loud. R can't remember his name, and knows something is missing, but he just can't seem to get it out. He and his "best friend" - played by veteran character actor Rob Corddry - can't communicate, but hang out together, making this one of the strangest buddy films of all time.
R knows something is missing, but just can't put his finger on it. That all changes when he and a group of fellow zombies attack a scavenging party of survivors. R kills and eats the brain of Perry (Dave Franco), gaining some of his memories in the process. Perry's girlfriend, Julie (Teresa Palmer) is also there, and some of the residual feelings from Perry's brain cause R to save her from the other zombies.
Nothing that follows will surprise you, as R becomes more and more lifelike as he takes care of Julie. There are some funny bits as R struggles to communicate, a confrontation with Julie's father (John Malkovich), and a climatic struggle between good and evil - just an ordinary day in the life of a zombie.
Warm Bodies isn't a great movie. It's dumb, and the logic of it breaks down if you're paying attention, but this movie isn't about paying attention. It's a unique concept, and has some really funny moments. It's a great send up of movies like the Twilight series, which have humans romantically involved with vampires and werewolves. If that can happen, why can't your daughter hook up with a zombie?
You could make a case that the zombies lovers represent same sex or mixed race couples, but really, if you're looking for deeper meaning here, you're missing the point. This is a funny movie, more in the tradition of The Naked Gun than Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. Don't expect to learn anything - just relax and enjoy the fun.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Russian Amerika - Book Review
Russian Amerika is an alternate history novel written by Stoney Compton. This is the first book I've read by Compton, who apparently uses Alaska as the setting for most of his tales. Sometimes, authors feel the need to set the stage for their alternate history stories by showing the exact divergence from our timeline. Compton takes a different - and, I think, correct - tack by just presenting it as it is and not trying to fill in all details. We know this world is different from our own, we just don't know exactly what happened. That's OK with me - the world is described well enough to follow the action, so that's all I need.
In Russian Amerika, the Czar still rules in Russia, the United States lost the Civil War, and North America is split into 9 or 10 smaller entities. The political situation isn't well defined by the book, but the United States and the Republic of California appear to be allies, and support the revolution that is trying to form the new republic in Alaska.
The action centers around Gregori (Grisha) Grogorievich, a former officer in the Russian equivalent to the French Foreign Legion, who is thrust into the middle of the conflict by circumstances. What follows is a good adventure yarn, taking us through the revolution.
Technology in this universe is somewhat behind that of our world - late 1980's in the book feels more like 1940 - no jets, limited communications, less sophisticated military equipment. Because of this, the rebels, led by Native Americans (the Dena) have some success against the Russian forces.
Grisha is a good protagonist - tough and smart. Circumstances throw him together with the Dena, eventually leading to his important role in the revolution. The Dena are superb woodsmen, fierce warriors, and loyal friends, so it's easy to root for the revolutionaries.
I like Russian Amerika, but it's not perfect. The characters are interesting, but quite black and white. Every rebel is altruistic and heroic, while the Cossacks are universally evil, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Other Russians are mostly incompetent, except those who convert to the rebel's cause. Speaking of turncoats, everyone - with one exception I can think of - who goes over to the rebel side is completely converted, and instantly becomes a trusted, valuable member of the revolt. The Dena Indians are almost superhuman, possessing incredible fighting and tracking skills, and able to withstand torture without cracking.
The battle sequences are entertaining, but a bit hard to believe. Small, ragtag bands of heroic guerrillas succeed by sabotage and subterfuge, not by fighting pitched battles with enemy infantry when they're badly outnumbered and outgunned. To be fair, the rebels get some valuable help, which makes this a little easier to believe, but it still seems as though their success comes a little too easily. To me, it would be a bit more believable if the technology level was lower - say about equal to that availble during our Civil War. That would even up the playing field a little, and make the rebel's victory more plausible.
I'd also like to see more character development. Grisha is a three-dimensional character, but many others are less fleshed out. I'd like to see a sympathetic Cossack - not agreeing with his superior's methods, but powerless to do anything about it. In any revolution, there are good and bad guys on both sides - I'd like to see a little more of that.
All that being said, this is still an entertaining yarn. There are a lot of interesting characters, and the action certainly keeps your attention. In many ways, it reminds me of Eric Flint's 1632 series (although that is a better book, IMHO), in that it presents an extremely optimistic view of the events. That's OK - we know this isn't a history book, and who's to say it COULDN'T go like that? If there's no great message behind this story, it's still fun to read. There's at least one sequel, which has the potential to further develop characters and plot lines. This is a simple book that tells an entertaining story - worth the time if you like an adventure story.
In Russian Amerika, the Czar still rules in Russia, the United States lost the Civil War, and North America is split into 9 or 10 smaller entities. The political situation isn't well defined by the book, but the United States and the Republic of California appear to be allies, and support the revolution that is trying to form the new republic in Alaska.
The action centers around Gregori (Grisha) Grogorievich, a former officer in the Russian equivalent to the French Foreign Legion, who is thrust into the middle of the conflict by circumstances. What follows is a good adventure yarn, taking us through the revolution.
Technology in this universe is somewhat behind that of our world - late 1980's in the book feels more like 1940 - no jets, limited communications, less sophisticated military equipment. Because of this, the rebels, led by Native Americans (the Dena) have some success against the Russian forces.
Grisha is a good protagonist - tough and smart. Circumstances throw him together with the Dena, eventually leading to his important role in the revolution. The Dena are superb woodsmen, fierce warriors, and loyal friends, so it's easy to root for the revolutionaries.
I like Russian Amerika, but it's not perfect. The characters are interesting, but quite black and white. Every rebel is altruistic and heroic, while the Cossacks are universally evil, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Other Russians are mostly incompetent, except those who convert to the rebel's cause. Speaking of turncoats, everyone - with one exception I can think of - who goes over to the rebel side is completely converted, and instantly becomes a trusted, valuable member of the revolt. The Dena Indians are almost superhuman, possessing incredible fighting and tracking skills, and able to withstand torture without cracking.
The battle sequences are entertaining, but a bit hard to believe. Small, ragtag bands of heroic guerrillas succeed by sabotage and subterfuge, not by fighting pitched battles with enemy infantry when they're badly outnumbered and outgunned. To be fair, the rebels get some valuable help, which makes this a little easier to believe, but it still seems as though their success comes a little too easily. To me, it would be a bit more believable if the technology level was lower - say about equal to that availble during our Civil War. That would even up the playing field a little, and make the rebel's victory more plausible.
I'd also like to see more character development. Grisha is a three-dimensional character, but many others are less fleshed out. I'd like to see a sympathetic Cossack - not agreeing with his superior's methods, but powerless to do anything about it. In any revolution, there are good and bad guys on both sides - I'd like to see a little more of that.
All that being said, this is still an entertaining yarn. There are a lot of interesting characters, and the action certainly keeps your attention. In many ways, it reminds me of Eric Flint's 1632 series (although that is a better book, IMHO), in that it presents an extremely optimistic view of the events. That's OK - we know this isn't a history book, and who's to say it COULDN'T go like that? If there's no great message behind this story, it's still fun to read. There's at least one sequel, which has the potential to further develop characters and plot lines. This is a simple book that tells an entertaining story - worth the time if you like an adventure story.
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