Good Point - Was the 2008 NBA Draft one of the best?

http://thegoodpoint.com/2013/03/2008-nba-draft/

Movie Review - Dead Calm

  Dead Calm (1989)

Director: Phillip Noyce

Starring: Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman, Billy Zane

Dead Calm is a film driven by performances.  There are only three characters: John Ingram (Neill), his wife Rae (Kidman), and Hughie (Zane).  Because so much of the movie is about those three characters and the interplay between them, if even one of their performances hit a sour note, things simply wouldn't work.  As it turns out, Dead Calm is a bit of a mixed bag, but it is largely a success, and most of the issues have nothing to do with the actors.  For the most part, they are pitch-perfect.

Sam Neill is fine here, and has an easy chemistry with Kidman that works well (the scenes they share over the CB radio are particularly moving and convincing).  But his role is a restrained one, and he spends a great deal of the movie removed from the action.  This show is really about Kidman and Zane. And both are great.  It's a little difficult to reconcile the Kidman from Dead Calm with the mega-famous superstar we know as Nicole Kidman today because the actress has undergone a pretty remarkable physical transformation in the years since 1989.  But it is clear here that she had incredible potential from the beginning.

Kidman is called upon here to display some serious range, and she pulls it off with flying colors.  Throughout the course of Dead Calm, Kidman is alternately grief-stricken, affectionate, meek, sexy, and menacing.  A pretty impressive laundry list of qualities, but she manages to convey each one in a believable manner.  The character of Rae owes no small doubt to Ellen Ripley in Alien.  She begins the movie utterly helpless, and by the end she is wielding a harpoon gun with the same ferocity that Sigourney Weaver once used to threaten Xenomporhs.

Of course, the transformation of Rae would not be so believable were Zane not so threatening as the villain, Hughie.  Zane is another actor who has had quite a journey since the release of Dead Calm.  He had a brief, mostly failed run as a Hollywood leading man in movies like The Phantom, and after his (arguably) most famous role in Titanic, he has settled into a career as the stock villain in direct-to-video masterpieces like The Scorpion King 3.  1989 Billy Zane is another animal altogether though.  He is relentlessly sexy and unsettling as Hughie here.  There is an unhinged and utterly unpredictable quality to his performance that is magnetic.  And the chemistry between he and Kidman is also palpable, although from a story perspective, it's hard to know how much is real, and how much is imagined (one of the themes of Dead Calm).

The performances, coupled with a chilling soundtrack and superb cinematography, give Dead Calm a real sense of tension and dread that makes the movie entertaining.  The scenes on the boat with a panic-stricken Kidman attempting to outwit Zane are particularly enthralling (though viewers who are claustrophobic may want to avoid them, and this movie, altogether).  From a narrative viewpoint, the story works on several levels.  Near the beginning of the film, Neill encourages Kidman to "get strong", and we witness that growth in the film.  In the process, we see the two protagonists  grow together and overcome a terrible tragedy.

Unfortunately, the issue is the ending.  For a film that clocks in a relatively brisk 96 minutes, Dead Calm has more false endings than the last Lord of the Rings movie.  And by the time it does actually wrap up, you'll be wishing it had ended two endings earlier.  The ending is so bad (and so tacked-on) in fact, that you wonder if director (Phillip Noyce) truly intended for the film to end that way, or whether he was forced into it by the studio or some other external force.  For a movie as subtly brilliant as Dead Calm, it's a shame that it ends in a manner you would expect from a bad Friday the 13th sequel.  Fortunately, we have the option of turning off the DVD player ten minutes or so before the movie actually ends.  If you can manage to do that, Dead Calm is pretty close to perfect.

Verdict: 8/10

Walking Dead - Season 3, Episode 9 "The Suicide King"

The Walking Dead is a show that has seemed to really hit its stride lately (a fact that makes the departure of showrunner Glenn Mazzara all the more unfortunate).  And, luckily, that trend continues in "The Suicide King".  This show about zombies will likely never be considered the best acted, or best written, show on television.  But it may settle for the most entertaining, which is certainly not a bad thing.  Certainly, the record-breaking ratings of the show attest to its entertainment value.  And considering that Walking Dead was left for dead (har har) by many fans during the dog days of season two, it's rebound has been an impressive feat.

The formula for getting better was simple:  lots of boring, uninteresting characters were killed off, and replaced by more intriguing ones.  And then the"boring" characters that remained were actually given stuff to do.  And that speaks to a bigger truth about Walking Dead: the show has gotten bigger and dumber.  And I mean that in a good way.  I've read the (excellent) graphic novel that Walking Dead based on, and it's pretty heavy stuff.  There is of course plenty of mayhem and zombie-slaying action, but for the most part it's very introspective.  Walking Dead the TV show excelled at that approach for parts of season one under Frank Darabont, but, perhaps because of the change from Darabont, things became a bit of a slog last year.

Now, the show is at it's best when it embraces it's pulpy side.  Walking Dead should be an action show, and a fun one at that.  And recently it has become just that.  Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the characters are simply doing stuff.  Stuff other than sitting around having moral debates and philosophizing.  They're growing and changing.  All that is what has made the show so great lately.  And continuing that trend, "The Suicide King" is a great start to the second half of the third season.  There's a pretty good action sequence to start things off, and then nearly every character is (seemingly) set off on the path that will carry them throughout the remainder of season three.  

Andrea begins to assume a leadership position in Woodbury while The Governor seems shaken on a personal level by the events of the last episode before the hiatus.  The Dixon brothers are off to have an adventure together (which has a noticeable effect on Carol).  The Governor's attack on Maggie has driven a wedge between her and Glenn (who seems desperate for revenge).  And the numerous tragedies Rick has endured continue to damage his psyche.  Along the way, Hershel (as played by the current acting heavyweight of the show, Scott Wilson), has a few excellent, emotional scenes. We get a little bit of exposition involving the group led by Tyreese.  And even Beth has a few lines (and the first hint of a relationship between her and Rick?).

Overall, "The Suicide King" is not a monumental episode in the grand scheme things, but it manages to be pretty eventful despite that.  It is obviously a transitional episode, concerned primarily with getting characters into place for the second half of season three.  But it does so in a graceful, skilled manner.  Those expecting things to kick off with a full-scale war between Woodbury and Rick's crew may be a little disappointed.  But for, the show is more interested in the effect that the raid on Woodbury had on the characters from an emotional standpoint.  That isn't a bad thing.  And Walking Dead has been good enough recently to earn my trust in that regard.  We should only have to wait an episode or two for things to get really cooking.  And when they do, I know it will be pretty exciting.

Good Point - Brandon Roy, Idol

http://thegoodpoint.com/2013/03/brandon-roy-career/

Movie Review - Zero Dark Thirty

http://cinemanerdz.com/reviews/movie-review-zero-dark-thirty/11271

Movie Review - Moon

  Moon (2009)

Director: Duncan Jones

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott

Maybe my hopes were a little too high for Moon.  You see, I'm an enormous fan of sci-fi as a genre, and 2001: A Space Oydssey is absolutely one of my most favorite movies.  So going into the movie with the understanding that Moon has been (along with Inception, Looper, and a handful of others) one of the most acclaimed sci-fi films of the past decade or so, and also well aware of the frequent comparisons between Moon and 2001, I couldn't help but be excited.  It doesn't hurt that the star of the movie, Sam Rockwell, has long been one of my favorite, underrated character actors.

I've long been hearing that Moon director (and David Bowie progeny) Duncan Jones represents the great hope of the sci-fi genre as an exciting, young director.  I saw Jones' second movie, Source Code, and while it was entertaining for what it was, I was left unimpressed with that sentiment.  I certainly hoped that Moon would do more to inspire me as a fan of Jones' work, but the film unfortunately failed for the most part in that regard.  I don't want to sound too critical of Moon.  It's an impressive work (particularly for a first-time director) and does many things very well.  But I was hoping for something revelatory along the lines of the previously mentioned Inception and Looper, and Moon simply failed to deliver in that regard.

But first, what Moon does right.  Not surprising given Jones' effects background, the movie is visually stunning.  This is a low-budget movie, and that much is very clear given the limited cast and locales, but the budget never feels restricting.  The scenes within the base are beautiful, but the scenes on the surface of the moon itself are often breathtaking.  That, coupled with the awesome soundtrack (created by none other than the incomparable Clint Mansell, the man responsible for the music in Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan, two of my favorite films), makes Moon an audio and visual treat throughout.  The makeup work is also fantastic.

Additionally, I mentioned before that I was previously a fan of Rockwell for his excellent work in films like The Green Mile and Galaxy Quest, and Moon only confirmed my opinion of his great talent.  Rockwell received a nomination for his performance in Moon at the 2009 British Independent Film Awards, but the fact that he did not receive more acclaim for his role as Sam Bell (and Sam Bell clones) is a travesty.  In the tradition of Tom Hanks in Cast Away or Will Smith in I Am Legend, Rockwell has the considerable task of carrying an entire film with his performance in Moon, and he does as fine a job as either of those megastars did.

Rockwell plays dual roles, but in actuality, each of the Bell clones he portrays has a distinct personality, and he conveys that wonderfully with his acting (along with a little help from the aforementioned makeup effects).  Elsewhere, Kevin Spacey drops by for a voice-only role that demonstrates again why he is one of the greatest actors on Earth.  Spacey manages to convey more with only his voice and intonation than most actors can with full use of facial expressions and body language.

Obviously, Moon has a lot going for it.  But in the end, it succeeds only in being a very good, not great, science-fiction film.  Maybe I am at fault for my unrealistic expectations, but those expecting a game-changer here should look elsewhere.  There's just something missing from Moon that could have taken it to the next level.  Basically, the movie lacks the heart, and thematic grace, of an Inception, a Looper, or even a slightly older film like The Matrix.

The plot is mostly predictable.  The concept is an interesting one, but Jones fails to take it in new or interesting directions.  There seems to be no larger "message" or theme for the audience to pick up on.  Much like the environments it takes place in, Moon just feels alarmingly sterile.  For it's incredible accomplishments visually and aurally and for the landmark performance by Rockwell, Moon deserves to be appreciated.  But I left the movie thoroughly convinced that Mr. Jones' best work is ahead of him.  Perhaps with a little more time and seasoning he can produce that masterpiece of the sci-fi genre which he seems so destined to create.

Verdict: 7/10