Screen Time

“Day Watch,“ the sequel to the thrilling 2004 Russian supernatural action flick “Night Watch,” will probably confuse fans of the original movie and alienate everyone else. That being said — er typed — director Timur Bekmambetov’s follow-up to his critically acclaimed hit is a fun, fast-paced and often inspired piece of pop moviemaking. The flick is far from perfect though, and it somehow feels a lot more hollow that its groundbreaking predecessor.

“Day Watch” had a limited theatrical run in the U.S., but fans can now catch it on a single-disc unrated DVD with an awkward commentary by Bekmambetov and a “making of” featurette.

Let’s talk visuals … It’s an understatement to call “Day Watch” a marvelous creative technical achievement. Bekmambetov and crew almost outdo themselves with some stunning visuals, CG and camera work here. “Day Watch” impresses not only with its incredibly implausible but mind-blowing action scenes but also with its gritty visual take on urban Moscow. Like “Night Watch,” the filmmakers again successfully sell the idea that a supernatural world full of super-powered beings exists alongside our own. Still, some things are off here. Unlike “Night Watch,” the subtitles on this unrated DVD, unfortunately, aren’t artfully weaved into the movie. They just sit there at the bottom of the screen and do their job instead of floating around and becoming part of the action. It’s a minor complaint, but I was really disappointed as I’m sure most American fans will be.

Let’s talk story … We drop in on Anton, the hero of “Night Watch,” presumably years after the events of the first movie. He’s still our focus point in this odd world where Light (good) and Dark (bad) “Others,” or supernatural beings, live on Earth and police each other with bureaucratic rules based on an ages-old treaty. Things go wonky when Anton’s bratty preteen son, who became a Dark Other in the first movie, fires the first salvo of a supernatural war.

From then, the plot takes some fun and unexpected comic turns and moves along at light speed. Still, this second story in a proposed trilogy feels too much like a middle movie. “Night Watch” did a great job of introducing us into this strange world. “Day Watch” just shows us more of it, and it’s hard to grasp some important plot details and character motivations in one sitting. The story doesn’t really pull you in like it should, and that undercuts what could have been a astonishing surprise ending.

American audiences will most likely miss a lot of what makes this movie special, like a creative title sequence that parodies well-known Russian corporate logos and cameos by famous Russian sci-fi writers and genre actors. “Day Watch” is strictly for fans only. For maximum viewing pleasure, I recommend screening it as part of a double feature with “Night Watch.”

———-
Photos courtesy Fox Searchlight

Vampires, detectives, drama and fart jokes. There’s something for almost everyone opening in local theaters this week (except for you, Wes Anderson fan. “The Darjeeling Limited” still aint showing here). Read on to find out what the critics are saying about this week’s new releases. Yep, it’s Critical Mass.

- ‘30 Days of Night’
Tomatometer 44%, Metascore 51
Based on the horror graphic novel, a pack of bloodthirsty, and kinda blue-colored, vampires feeds on the residents of a small Alaskan town during winter’s prolonged darkness. Ben Foster stars as a nutcase, Josh Hartnett is the hero and Sam “Spider-Man” Raimi is the producer. Sounds like fun, no? Maybe. The critics are pretty split, but most say this horror flick packs some cool thrills.

“Excels at bloodthirsty action. … Result is a mixed bag but has a catchy premise and quite enough splatter to satisfy gorehounds.” -Variety

“Makes you feel the cold and feel the fangs, but it also makes you feel like 30 days is a pretty long time.” -Chicago Tribune

“This is a full-on, non-stop horror film. You’re either on the bus or off the bus. But if you are on, you’re hanging on with both hands.” - Arizona Republic

- ‘Gone Baby Gone’
Tomatometer 91%, Metascore 72
Ben Affleck’s directorial debut about the mystery involving the abduction of a young girl is easily the best reviewed film this week. Ben’s brother Casey stars with Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and many Boston locals who, the critics say, give the flick an authentic and gritty feel.

“The brothers Affleck both emerge triumphant in this mesmerizing thriller.” -Rolling Stone

“Affleck shows excellent instincts, not least of which is letting his brother, Casey, hold the center…” -Entertainment Weekly

“Mordant, melancholic but impressive debut for director Affleck.” - Hollywood Reporter

Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Bay’s fun but bloated epic “Transformers” hits stores today in a single-disc DVD, a two-disc DVD set and a high-definition HD-DVD version. Did they include bonus features? You betcha. There’s tons of ‘em on the two-discer, including featurettes about the Autobots and Decepticons backstory and the movie’s special effects.

Great, but I think the good people at Paramount missed an opportunity to include the ultimate special feature on the two-discer, 1986’s animated “Transformers: The Movie.”

Was Paramount afraid to include the two films in the same package? Did they figure that Bay’s flick would pale in comparison to the 1986 Sony Wonder Video classic? Well, of course not. They just didn’t care to do it. But what do you think, die-hard Transformers fan? Is the 1986 version better, or at least more fun, than Bay’s CG crunch fest? In the interest of serious scientific debate, cultural progress and killing time, let’s compare ‘em.

Action:
2007: That 30-minute blast of mindless urban destruction that ends the movie is almost worth the ticket and DVD price alone, but the flick takes way too long to get there. Plus, all the short bursts of action before it are cut in between long stretches of characters just standing around or, worse, trying to be funny. The special effects are amazing though.

1986: This one is all action all the time. The thing opens with the brutal killing of a bunch of beloved characters and the fighting never seems to stop. If the Autobots aren’t battling the Decepticons, they’re racing each other, blasting other alien robots or flying through outer space. Of course, it’s all animated in that flat, ’80s, you-gotta-be-pushing-30-to-love-it style.

Winner: Tie

Read the rest of this entry »

Two big critic-proof movies opened today in local theaters. “The Seeker: The Dark is Rising” and “The Heartbreak Kid” are the kinds of movies - a kid-friendly fantasy and a star-studded romcom - that will probably find a large audience no matter what the critics say. And boy, do some critics hate these movies.

Read on to find out what some major critics are saying about this weekend’s new movies. It’s Critical Mass …

Read the rest of this entry »

It was looking like “Resident Evil: Extinction“ was gonna be the flick to catch this weekend, which doesn’t say a lot for the quality of the other movies opening today in local theaters. Then I noticed that David Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises,“ which won the top prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, is screening at the Carmike in Edinburg. Looks like I’ll be driving to Edinburg this weekend.

Now, here’s a quick look at all of the movies opening in the Rio Grande Valley today. It’s Critical Mass:

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s no surprise that Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof,“ his addition to the B-movie throwback experiment “Grindhouse,” feels like a faster and funnier ride when separated from its double-feature partner, Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror.” It’s easier to sit through this chatty thriller when it doesn’t come after a humdrum 80-minute zombie flick.

“Death Proof,” just released on DVD, almost unfolds like a double feature on its own. Tarantino splits the movie into two distinct halves, both featuring Kurt Russel’s sleazy Stuntman Mike stalking and tormenting a group of comely young chatterboxes with his scary stunt car. The two halves are not equal though, and the disparities aren’t limited to plot points.

Read the rest of this entry »

The initial TV ads for “3:10 to Yuma” didn’t appeal to me at all. Sure, I saw Christian Bale’s sharp mug and the reliable Russell Crowe staring back at me, yet I still wasn’t interested in the thing. Bale is one of my favorite actors and Crowe rarely turns in a drab performance, but I surely wasn’t going to be first in line to catch a lightly-hyped remake of a ’50s Western. The movie looked like something my granddad would enjoy but would leave me shifting in my seat. Then a few critics I respect starting tossing out words like “glorious,” “riveting” and “Oscar” when describing it. Then it hit number one at the box office on its first week out. Then I finally caught it on Saturday.

“3:10 to Yuma” is much, much more than the slow-burn exercise in genre those TV ads made it out to be. It’s an extremely compelling and well crafted tale loaded with powerful (not showy) performances, great action and soul to spare.

Read the rest of this entry »

It looks like a pretty bleak weekend for new movies, according to most major critics.

None of the big new flicks this week are impressing anybody, and one of them (“Dragon Wars”) wasn’t even screened for critics - which means it probably stinks, but who couldn’t tell that from the previews? “The Brave One” has most critics split, but they’re pretty unanimous in their disdain for “Mr. Woodcock.“

So, want some quick help deciding what to spend that $8 bucks on this weekend? Behold, Critical Mass …

Read the rest of this entry »