Emperor - Review

EMPEROR
(2013 - March 8)
Drama | History | War
1 hr. 38 min.
Rated: PG-13
Violent content, brief strong language and smoking (historical)
Grade: B-

Director: Peter Webber
Writers: Vera Blasi (screenplay), David Klass (screenplay), Shiro Okamoto (book)
Stars: Matthew Fox, Colin Moy, Tommy Lee Jones | See full cast and crew

A gripping tale of love and honor forged between fierce enemies of war, "Emperor" tells the story, inspired by true events, of the bold and secret moves that won the peace in the shadows of post-war Japan. Starring Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones, Matthew Fox, and newcomer Eriko Hatsune, "Emperor" brings to life the American occupation of Japan in the perilous and unpredictable days just after Emperor Hirohito's World War II surrender. As General Douglas MacArthur (Jones) suddenly finds himself the de facto ruler of a foreign nation, he assigns an expert in Japanese culture - General Bonner Fellers (Fox), to covertly investigate the looming question hanging over the country: should the Japanese Emperor, worshiped by his people but accused of war crimes, be punished or saved?

Emperor is a fairly interesting film, based on real events of events that most people know very little about, including myself. I can't tell you how much is accurate and how much is artistic speculation. Emperor is directed by Peter Webber (Girl with a Pearl Earring) primarily known for TV and TV movies, and that is what this film feels like, a very good TV movie. Aside from some brief but very strong language it seems almost like a film made in the era that it represents. It's not an awful film but neither is it a classic. It's serviceable. The scenes with the Emperor (Takatarô Kataoka) are poignant and effective, however, as General Douglas MacArthur, Tommy Lee Jones' talent is mostly wasted. The majority of the film is General Bonner Fuller (Matthew Fox) having pre-war flash backs or driving around in a Jeep asking lots of questions and getting no answers.

All of that said, I do recommend it for the history lesson alone. Emperor is enlightening about the Japanese nation's psyche both pre and post war, a delicate subject at the time and one that receives very little attention in American History courses.

General Douglas MacArthur meets with Emperor Hirohito

Behind the scenes with director Peter Webber and Eriko Hatsune.  

 Cast

      Matthew Fox       Tommy Lee Jones  

  General                          General

     Bonner Fellers           Douglas MacArthur

   Masayoshi Haneda                 Eriko Hatsune                Takatarô Kataoka 

Takahashi                         Aya Shimada                       Emperor

Lincoln - Review

Lincoln
(2012)
Biography | Drama | History
2 hr. 29 min.
 

Rated: PG-13 Intense Scene of War Violence, Brief Strong Language and Some Images of Carnage: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Read More Grade: C

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Tony Kushner (screenplay), Doris Kearns Goodwin (book) (in part)
Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and David Strathairn | See full cast and crew

Steven Spielberg directs Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come. -- (C) Walt Disney

I expected something remarkable judging from the previews over the past months. I really wanted to like it BUT, it was BORING! BORING!! BORING!!! Had I been watching it at home on TV I would have changed the channel. Of course, Hollywood and the critics are falling all over themselves in praising this film, and we have come to expect something special, of high quality from Steven Spielberg but not so much this time. It was an overproduced, melodramatic, pretentious, pompous, pontificating, costume drama, riddled with awful writing and boorish over acting. The period costumes, makeup and wigs became a distracting entity of their own. Spielberg has been working on this film for about 15 years (originally to star Liam Neeson who along the way became too old for the part) and the film feels like he didn't know when to stop, too much tinkering and tweaking.

Lincoln is not about the president's life in general, from rail splitter to the White House. It is about the last few months of his life, his battle to pass the 13th Amendment and his personal family struggles. Tony Kushner's screenplay, carries a lot of the blame, based on the Doris Kearns Goodwin award-winning book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Rather than a bi-pic it is about political machinations of his administration. Woopie! There is a good deal of profanity including several G** D***s and one F*** and Lincoln tells a lot of 'folksy wisdom' stories including one revolving around a privie and S**t, all of which apparently, misters Kushner and Spielberg felt were absolutely essential in portraying Lincoln's story, it just can't legitimately be done without vulgarity, blasphemy and profanity.

I expected at least a good performance from Daniel Day-Lewis and he certainly looks the part, most of the time, other times the makeup is too obvious. Acting wise he did a good job too...if you think Walter Brennan from the 1957 TV series The Real McCoys would make a good President Lincoln. Sally Fields has become a screeching caricature of herself, over acting like Bette Davis at the end of her career (or should I say most of her career). David Strathairn was as unconvincing as he normally is and you have your standard Hal Holbrook. The only standout in the cast was Tommy Lee Jones and it was only noteworthy in contrast to the lackluster performances surrounding him.

At least they got it right that it was Republican Conservatives that fought for the 13th Amendment, that Democrats including Northeastern Liberal Democrats that opposed the amendment, as well as opposing black suffrage. They also got it right that President Lincoln abused his executive authority and skirted the constitution in order to achieve his goals (something we see over and over again today).

I suppose there is some value to the film but I would have a difficult time recommending it. It is long, slow, tedious and dull.

Plot

Lincoln wants to pass the 13th Amendment against seemingly impossible odds. His republican party is not united and the democrats are united in their opposition. How can he make political deals and strong arm opponents into supporting him, blah blah blah. You know the outcome.

Cast

 

           Daniel Day-Lewis       Sally Field       Joseph Gordon-Levitt     

Abraham Lincoln        Mary Todd Lincoln          Robert Lincoln

 Tommy Lee Jones      David Strathairn          Hal Holbrook  

Thaddeus Stevens            William Seward                Preston Blair

    James Spader       Tim Blake Nelson         John Hawkes   

        W.N.Bilbo                 Richard Schell                Robert Latham  

Men In Black 3 - Review

Agent J travels back in time to MIB's early years, 1969 to be exact, to save his friend and partner, Agent K, from an alien assassin which will change the course of history.

MEN IN BLACK 3

PG-13 for sci-fi violence and brief suggestive content. 

Runtime: 1 hr. 43 min.

Rating: C

Director: 

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers: 

Lowell Cunningham (comic), David Koepp (screenplay)

Starring: 

Will Smith......................Agent J

Tommy Lee Jones...........Agent K

Josh Brolin.....................Young Agent K

Jemaine Clement............Boris the Animal

The sum of 'Men in Black 3' is not equal to it's parts.Aliens again. "MIB 3" revives a long-dormant franchise for a non-inessential new chapter in Hollywood's never-ending sequel machine.

MIB alien is modeled after the actual deep-sea Blobfish

This third incarnation throws lots of talent at the screen, from a capable supporting cast featuring Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement and Emma Thompson to the effects-cluttered scenes, maybe 40 percent of what they've thrown at the screen actually sticks. It's a sequel few asked for and even fewer wanted. A couple of weeks ago I saw Avengers at it's midnight debut, the IMAX theater was sold out with an eager and excited audience, at this midnight debut I sat alone in the huge auditorium except for a party of 3 way up high in the back of the house. Arriving 10 years after the last installment, the sublimely pathetic Men in Black 2, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back together and blah, blah, blah who cares. The film runs 103 minuets but feels more like 203.

Like the recently underwhelming 'Battleship' it takes a long time to get into the story. Will Smith looks as young as he did 15 years ago in the first MIB, but he’s no longer the comedic sassy loudmouth that made his Agent J so memorable the first go around. Tommy Lee Jones continues to be, well, old. What little we see of him in MIB 3 suggests that he’s as tired as he looks. Josh Brolin is the new face, well sort of, he truly delivers an absolutely perfect, one-note imitation of Jones’ monotone, one-dimensional Agent K. As a whole MIB 3 feels tired it even looks tired. It has a bright spot here and there, particularly Brolin’s  spot on imitation of Tommy Lee. His voice, mannerisms, delivery, it's truly uncanny how how easily he slips into the persona of the older actor.
Jemaine Clement as Boris the Animal, 'It's just Boris', is another bit of brightness in an otherwise highlight-free film, however, watching his performance I couldn't help thinking that I was seeing a restrained imitation of Tim Curry, minus the wit, finesse and artistry. Curry would have been better casting, someone who could really serve up the evilness of Boris and have some fun with it. Given the blandness of rest of the performances, Clement does stand out, but that's not really praise, is it?

So let's see, we have a patched-together script, a common pitfall anytime you insert time travel into your plot, haphazard direction and an ending that, given the level of expectations for the series, just isn't exciting enough. It's OK. It's not so much that MIB 3 is a bad movie, it's just not a good one.

If you're a fan...buy the DVDs here.