Flick Notes: I actually watched two complete movies this month, which is rare. First was Rocky Balboa, the sixth installment of the saga of the Stallion. I was careful not to say "sixth and final" because I'm holding out hope for a Rocky VII wherein he fights the cold-hearted retirement home head nurse to a heroic and inspirational draw. In truth I must say that I thought Rocky Balboa was a decent film. Here's the thing about Stallone: in the right situation, he can act extremely well. Go back and watch the original Rocky. Stallone did a helluva job with that character. No, playing Rocky Balboa doesn't involve the same level of challenges as playing King Lear, but Stallone got three dimensions and lot of humanity out of a brain dead palooka. Then, regrettably, came the sequels.
In Rocky Balboa you get flashes of that affecting, original-Rocky Stallone. The plot involves Rocky feeling the need to fight one more time in the face of loss and loneliness over the death of Adrian and also some frustration over the distance his now adult son is keeping from him. There is a terrific scene where these feelings come to the surface during a conversation with Paulie, moving Rocky to the point of tears, and Stallone pulls it off just like in the old days.
The fight itself is somewhat an anti-climax. The circumstances are contrived and the outcome exactly as expected. Luckily, it's only a small part of the film. Rocky Balboa is worth a look and might give you a good idea why Stallone is still around, both in the artistic and commercial sense. Even old and worn out in a ludicrous situation you still gotta root for Rocky. In the same vein, I'm really hoping that even at this late stage, Stallone finds a role that will let him show what he can do again.
Cloverfield is intense. So much so that I was riveted even though I was watching it on the el cheapo four-inch LCD screen wedged in the back of the seat in front of me on an Air Canada jet from St. John's, Newfoundland to Toronto. In terms of tension, Cloverfield is awesome. The problem is that tension is really all there is. It's an exercise in "can't-look-away-ness".
I feel silly describing the plots of movies since by the time I see them they have pretty much slid into the backlist on Netflix and everyone else is reciting dialogue, but for the sake of good form Cloverfield is a about a big scary monster devouring Manhattan. Armed with nothing but a handheld video camera, a frightened band of painfully arch hipsters journey from somewhere near the financial district all the way to midtown to rescue a friend who has been trapped in a collapsing building while scary monster attacks loom around every corner.
Cloverfield is effectively The Blair Witch Project scaled up. That's not a slam. It's really the first non-gimmicky enhancement to the successful first person webcam paradigm that Blair Witch started. And it's an effective technique in this setting. But that's all it is. I really had no interest in the characters involved in the search. And the plot is, presumably intentionally, empty and unresolved. There is nothing more than the search and rescue and then that's it. I don't think I'm spoiling too much by saying that in the end, there is no resolution of any sort.
You could draw any number of thematic connections to any number of current events here. Seriously, name your socio-political hobby horse and you can make Cloverfield a metaphor for it. I'll pass on the exercise in self-validation, and if you choose to also, what you are left with is a cleverly conceived and exquisitely produced mega-chase without much of a human story. Fun to watch -- more so than most other thrillers -- but ultimately hollow and unsatisfying.
