The Sunday Screening Session….. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

19 Sunday May 2013

Tags

1942, Action, Action Thriller, Adrenaline Rush, Adventure, Alpine Region, Chris Evans, Christopher Markus, Derek Luke, director joe johnston, Dominic Cooper, Film, film review, For Love Of Country, Graphic Novel Adaptation, Guy Movie, Hayley Atwell, Hitler, Hugo Boss, Hugo Weaving, iRate:: 4 / 5, Jack Kirby, Joe Johnston, Joe Simon, margaret river western australia, Master Villain Film, Natalie Dormer, Nazi Germany, Neal McDonough, New York City, Samuel L. Jackson, Science Fiction, Sebastian Stan, Stanley Tucci, Stephen McFeely, Sunday Screening Session, Superhero Film, Thriller, Toby Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Tough Guys, World War II, World War II Era

Mood?:: Adrenaline Rush |
For Love Of Country |
Guy Movie | Tough Guys.
iRate:: 4 / 5
Director:: Joe Johnston.
Writers:: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (characters and graphic novel);
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (screenplay).
Cinematography:: Shelly Johnson.
Editors:: Robert Dalva and Jeffrey Ford.
Music Score:: Alan Silvestri.
Cast:: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell,
Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper,
Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Stanley Tucci,
Natalie Dormer, Samuel L. Jackson.

Credits (Click to expand)

Trailer (HD):

iReview:
OK, time to fess up… As a kid, a big chunk of my entertainment came from comics and among my favourites were Superman, Batman, The Phantom, The Flash, Spider-Man and Iron Man. Occasional reading of a friend’s Captain America comic was as close as I came to being a fan. Even as a kid, the over-the-top flag waving American nationalism of the character and his anachronistic shield was a turnoff. However, watching Iron Man 2 last weekend, whet my appetite for a bit more from the Avenger crew. So I settled back to take a fresh look at Captain America: The First Avenger with a large glass of the wonderfully smooth and subtle, Evans & Tate Metricup Cabernet Merlot (2008) from Margaret River, Western Australia (that’s a shameless plug for our excellent local wine).

What Happens:
In this Marvel blockbuster, it is 1942 and as war rages across Europe, a brave but under-strength soldier, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into a Super Soldier. Deemed too valuable to be risked in combat, he is named Captain America and is used as a celebrity to win public support for the war effort, sell war bonds, and build morale among the troops. However, when the diabolical Nazi HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), threatens the defeat of the Allies, Captain America joins forces with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) in a desperate battle to save a war-weary nation and the world.

“It was a pleasure to realize, once “Captain America: The First Avenger” got under way, that hey, here is a real movie, not a noisy assembly of incomprehensible special effects”.
(Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times)

Story (Click to expand)

It seems Director Joe Johnston together with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, were aware of the frailty of Captain America’s hold on his super-hero status with the reservations of viewers like me. The way they handled the Captain’s acquisition of his cornball costume and shield, was inspired. It was as though they’d all been out at a screening of Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers (2006), the night before writing the plot-line and had the same epiphany. There are such obvious parallels between the Iwo Jima ‘flag-raising heroes’ touring the country spruking for war bonds and our freshly muscled up and taller ‘hero’, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), embarrassed at his role in a touring showbiz spectacle. There’s also the added flourish of the Captain America comic arising as part of the marketing campaign which very neatly explains the real world model’s OTT name, eccentric clothes and accessories. These scenes also provide some light comic relief from the otherwise, serious endeavour. With my doubts about Captain America’s super-hero viability, deftly allayed, I was free to relax and enjoy the rest of the show.

From the outset, I was intrigued by the visual trickery involved in shrinking Chris Evans (Steve) to his pre-transformation puny size. It seems there was a fair bit of CGI trimming as well as the use of body doubles with Evans’ head digitally grafted on. Although a mighty fine attempt, the grafting process doesn’t quite convince me as the head seems just a little too big for the body in many shots. I know, I’ve wrecked it for you now because if you haven’t seen the movie, you’re going to fixate on the out-size head instead of chilling and enjoying the action… sorry.

Tying together the histories of the various Avenger super-heroes leads to the revelation that Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), father of Tony (Iron Man), was instrumental in providing the technical support required to create Captain America. Anyone who has seen the Scorsese biopic (The Aviator) or is familiar with the story of Howard Hughes, the eccentric industrialist, innovator, filmmaker and celebrated Hollywood player, would have been forgiven for imagining that Hughes had led a secret double life as Howard Stark. Here, Cooper has produced a playful, while not slavish caricature of the enigmatic legend.

There’s something reminiscent of the old matinee films in this which works very well in establishing the atmosphere of the period. As a consequence, there’s not a lot of subtlety on display, but then not much was needed as the story is a pretty straightforward old fashioned battle between good and evil with nary a smidge of nuance required. This treatment combined with the wonderful period production design, does a great job of drawing the viewer into the realistically portrayed parallel universe that this story inhabits.

A standout in this movie is that attention to detail in the period design. What was the mix of physical sets and CGI, I don’t know but the resulting shots of wartime London and Brooklyn were stunning in their resolution.

As well, the top shelf costuming of the Nazi characters, including their glistening black boots, provides a striking clue as to why the original Hugo Boss designed uniforms, particularly for the SS, had such an alluring impact in Hitler’s Germany (Yes folks, Hugo was indeed a Nazi and a founding sponsor of the despised SS. Indeed, without the patronage of the Nazis, Hugo Boss would have been just a forgotten footnote in history).

I haven’t seen any of Chris Evans’ (Steve Rogers / Captain America) earlier work so his performance here was a welcome introduction. While he doesn’t appear to have the range of a Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), he has the look of a sensitive, rather than brutish Captain America and he dealt convincingly with the script.

Hugo Weaving (Johann Schmidt / Red Skull) gives us a suitably sinister (but fun to watch) villain. Weaving seems to revel in playing stony cold bad guys named Smith (or Schmidt in German); this time, channeling the voice of Klaus Maria Brandauer quite convincingly. His over-the-top badness also plays well to the movie’s gritty but wholly comic-book roots.

Stanley Tucci (Dr. Erskine) has a short but pivotal and memorable role as the refugee German scientist running the super soldier experimental program that transforms Steve into a super-human. Tommy Lee Jones (Col. Phillips) is also good as the craggy, no nonsense officer in charge of that program.

Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), as Steve’s go to gal, no… not like that, there’s nothing even PG about the romance in this, as befits a movie of this ‘period’. Hell, even sex is enigmatically described as fondue. As Steve’s confidante and walking thought bubble, Peggy Carter, Atwell does a fine job and has just enough matinee heat and red lipstick to qualify as a ’40s calendar pin-up.

Director, Joe Johnston, does a good job of keeping the narrative humming along. I was kept attentive throughout without any flat spots; sometimes tense, sometimes amused and sometimes with a wry grin. He also gives the audience just enough meat on the characterization bone to keep us engaged with the wide array of characters while still providing a nice balance between action and drama. With this material, Johnston displays a sure grasp of what’s needed to satisfy fanboys and newbies alike; in fact, I’d go so far as to say… he’s nailed it.

The effects are handled well with futuristic weaponry and general wizzbangery neatly encumbered with the technical limitations of the time such as the mechanical analog count-down timer in the self-destruct sequence. It was also clear the design department had done their research in coming up with Hydra’s strange aircraft which were not beyond the scope of German technology at the time. Hydra’s aircraft were based on radical German WWII concepts such as the Horten H.XVIII flying wing bomber, a long range stealth bomber originally intended to bomb New York, and the Triebflügel fighter plane which had been designed as a vertical take-off intercepter.

Another feature of the movie only became apparent to me right at the end, during the contemporary New York sequence; the desaturated colour palette employed throughout the earlier 1940s scenes, evoked just the right drab ambiance for that time. When the time-line reaches the present, the contrast with the supersaturated vibrancy of the surroundings, very succinctly conveys the culture shock that would have ensued from the sudden transition from the 1940s to Times Square (2011)… Nice job.

And, as has become de rigueur with these films, there’s a short bonus scene after the credits.

The Picture:
Once the deliberate desaturation of the 1940s sequences became apparent, I had no fault with the 1080p transfer, particularly when the contrast with the spectacular contemporary Times Square sequence comes into play.

The Audio:
This is a well mixed DTS 5.1 audio track. The buzz and whir of vaporizer weapons together with engine noises, were nicely distributed through the 5.1 channels. The explosions and gunshots also thumped and thudded from the appropriate speakers and contributed to a great overall sound.

Verdict:
The filmmaker’s have done such an excellent job of turning this mildly skeptical viewer into a fan of Captain America, that I’ll even give Marvel Studios’ treatment of Thor, my least favourite super-hero, a go with an open mind.

iRate:: 4 out of 5.

4Movie Tragics

Extras:
Disc One:
• Feature Commentary by Director Joe Johnston, Cinematographer Shelly Johnson, and Editor Jeffrey Ford (This is an informative, if a little dry track which seems a bit screen specific. It nevertheless bolsters my impression that this film was made by a group of comic-book literates).
• Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer
(a curious short film featuring SHIELD’s agent Coulson, a mild-mannered but explosive crime fighter) – 4min.
• Featurettes Menu:
• • Outfitting a Hero
(an an enjoyable look at the evolution of Captain America’s suit) – 11min.
• • Howling Commandos
(looks at the supporting characters, including comments from some of the actors) – 6min.
• • Heightened Technology
(looks at the advanced weaponry and vehicles) – 6min.
• • The Transformation
(looks at ‘skinny Steve’, the shrinking of Chris Evans) – 9min.
• • Behind the Skull (looks at the casting and creation of Red Skull) – 10min.
• • Captain America’s Origin
(looks at the comic-book history of the character) – 4min.
• • The Assembly Begins (a puff piece preview of the Avengers) – 2min.
• Deleted Scenes (4 scenes with optional commentary) – 6min.
• Trailers (4 theatrical and game trailers) – 9min.

Disc Two:
• DVD (standard definition movie only)

You want More!
Captain America: The First Avenger – IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
Captain America: The First Avenger – Rotten Tomatoes
Captain America: The First Avenger – allmovie.com
Captain America: The First Avenger – Wikipedia

The more I see of this fine, current Marvel Avenger series, the more I’m reminded of how mind-numbingly mundane Spiderman 3 was. Do you agree?
:: Please leave a comment ::

The Sunday Screening Session….. How the West Was Won (1962)

17 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by Zak de Courcy in Film

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1839-1889, Adventure, American Civil War Era, Classic, Debbie Reynolds, Drama, Epic, Epic Western, Film, film review, Frontier Region, George Marshall, George Peppard, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Henry Hathaway, History, History Fiction, How the West Was Won, iRate:: 4 / 5, James Stewart, John Ford, John Wayne, Karl Malden, Romance, Rural Setting, Slice Of History, Spencer Tracy, Sunday Screening Session, Tough Guys, USA, Western, Wild West Era

Mood?:: Slice Of History | Tough Guys.
iRate:: 4 / 5
Directors:: John Ford
(segment “The Civil War”);
Henry Hathaway
(segments “The Rivers”, “The Plains”
and “The Outlaws”);
George Marshall
(segment “The Railroad”).
Writer:: James R. Webb (screenplay).
Cast:: Henry Fonda, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, James Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, John Wayne (General William T. Sherman), Eli Wallach, Lee J. Cobb, Richard Widmark, George Peppard, Spencer Tracy (narrator), Harry Morgan (General Ulysses S. Grant), Carroll Baker, Carolyn Jones, Robert Preston, Walter Brennan, Andy Devine, Raymond Massey (President Abraham Lincoln), Agnes Moorehead, Thelma Ritter, Russ Tamblyn.

Credits (Click to expand)

Trailer:

(Note: The vertical bands that appear in this theatrical release trailer, have been digitally removed in the Blu-ray release of the film)

iReview:
In this week’s Sunday Screening, I’ve gone back 51 years to 1962 to seek out films in my library worthy of another look. 1962 was awash with more than 2,000 films released but after a quick scan, I was humbled by my few representatives from that year. But, my small sample does include some notable films: Dr. No, the first Bond film; To Kill a Mockingbird, with Gregory Peck’s outstanding portrayal as Atticus Finch, the lawyer who defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge; Lawrence of Arabia, the story of T.E. Lawrence’s desert war (my favourite film); Lolita, a story of forbidden infatuation by my favourite director, Stanley Kubrick; The Longest Day, the story of D-Day (6th June 1944); The Manchurian Candidate, with a brilliant Frank Sinatra as a brainwashed former captive of North Korea; Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Marlon Brando in an overwrought remake of the 1935 classic; and How the West Was Won. It’s the Blu-ray version of the last of these that I’ve selected for this week’s screening. I’ll be having another look at the rest of this eclectic bunch of 1962 films soon.

How the West Was Won is a curiosity in that it was one of only two narrative films produced using the Cinerama three lens camera system; the other being The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962). And, given the complexity of filming in this format and the cost of building theatres capable of screening them, it’s not surprising. Cinerama required three projectors for the three screens used in the curved ultra widescreen presentation. Where the three projected images overlapped, there were thin blurred join-lines, but given the impact of the overall experience as projected onto the unique and enormous screen construction, this was a small infraction. As well as the stunning surround visuals, the system was also one of the first to employ 5.1 audio, giving an unparalleled audio-visual experience.

Story (Click to expand)

For this epic western, three legendary directors, Henry Hathaway, John Ford, and George Marshall, were employed to shoot different segments of the stories of three generations of the Prescott family and their travels from east to west across America between 1839 and 1889. The film chronicles the family’s triumphs and tragedies as they encounter river pirates, suffer drownings and make and lose a fortune in California after travelling the plains together in a wagon train.

This all-star ensemble includes Karl Malden as pioneer Zebulon Prescott who sets out west with his wife (Agnes Moorehead) and their children, Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) and Eve (Carroll Baker). They travel down river and along the way, encounter mountain man and fur trader, Linus Rawlings (James Stewart), who marries Eve.

Lilith continues west after joining a wagon train led by Roger Morgan (Robert Preston), and is accompanied by roguish gambler Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck), who saves her during an Indian attack.

These first two vivid segments, dubbed ‘The Rivers (1840)’ and ‘The Plains (1850s)’, were directed by Henry Hathaway.

Moving into the 1860s, the Civil War erupts and Linus and Eve’s son, Zeb (George Peppard), enthusiastically follows his father into the Union army. However, after the Battle of Shiloh, he becomes disillusioned and contemplates a different path. This ‘Civil War (1861-1865)’ segment was directed by John Ford

Richard Widmark also stars as railroad boss Mike King, building the transcontinental railroad, who wants to cut a line straight through Indian territory but is resisted by mountain man, Jethro (Henry Fonda). Zeb, who has rejoined the army as a lieutenant in the U.S. cavalry, is tasked to secure a peace treaty with the Arapaho to allow the railroad construction to proceed peacefully. This segment, titled ‘The Railroad (1868)’, was directed by George Marshall and includes his famous buffalo stampede sequence.

In the final segment, The Outlaws (1880s), directed by Henry Hathaway, Lilith who made it as far west as California, has done well for herself in San Francisco but, after a change in circumstances, auctions most of her possessions and relocates to her ranch in Arizona, inviting Zeb to join her. However, Zeb, now a marshal, has a run-in with an old foe, Charlie Gant (Eli Wallach).

Many more characters and stories are woven throughout this epic film which also features appearances from Raymond Massey as President Abraham Lincoln, John Wayne as General William T. Sherman, and Harry Morgan as General Ulysses S. Grant.

In my earlier description of the plot, I’ve tried to limit the spoilers, so I don’t give everything away. I hope I haven’t just made the story completely obtuse in the process.

As a dramatic narrative, How the West Was Won works more like a travelogue, with emblematic scenic locations providing a visual feast, interrupted by action and dramatic set pieces. The characters are not on screen long enough to develop their identities but that is often a drawback of films that seek to cover an epic story over such a daunting time-span. And with so much visual splendour on offer, it’s only a minor criticism.

The technical restrictions of shooting with three fixed 27mm lenses meant that depth of field variations and close-ups, employed on traditional single lens films were not possible. One of the inadvertent benefits of this constriction is a vivid screen image with the incredible clarity of waving blades of prairie grass in the foreground against crisply defined mountain peaks in the distance. The fact that everything in shot is always in focus, also means that the entire image, including background action is invariably in motion, adding to the window-on-the-world quality of this film. As breath-taking as the magnificent vistas are, the shortcomings of the format are evident. The 400kg Cinerama camera was entirely mechanically rooted and most of the action is front-on because shots needed to be framed in such a way as to avoid foreground actors moving quickly across the boundary between one lens-view and another. These limitations, though, forced directors to become creative in the way shots were constructed and so, there are many wonderful and inventive tracking shots as the camera gracefully glided along its tracks.

When How the West Was Won was first released on VHS and DVD, the presentation was marred by the butchery required to crop the frame for display on the old 4:3 TVs. This compromise also negated one of the film’s main viewing attraction, its wonderful cinematography, rendering the movie barely watchable. Thankfully, for the three disc Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray releases, the film has been painstakingly restored with almost all evidence of the vertical three-panel join lines, digitally eliminated. The stunning result is an image that is brilliantly saturated and a joy to watch. The restoration has also left just enough occasional evidence of the vertical panel lines to demonstrate the ingenuity of the directors in utilising aspects of sets, like doorways, poles and building uprights as well as natural features like trees, to obscure the boundary lines.

For me, the work of John Ford, who filmed the short ‘Civil War (1861-1865)’ segment, is the most evocative and beautifully constructed. In its three scenes, there is the battlefield at Shiloh which ebbs into night with wonderfully lit horizon shots that stretch over and brilliantly amplify the ultra widescreen image. The shots beautifully juxtapose a war scene with the liberal ornamentation of Cherry blossoms, giving the night the look of Christmas decoration. The battle’s aftermath also reveals the short but effective scene with two disheveled Generals, Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. The quiet rhythm of the scene moves into the next, when Zeb returns home. The pacing and atmosphere of these scenes is exquisite.

Dave Kehr of the New York Times, in his 2008 review, wrote: “The best reason for buying a Blu-ray player right now is Warner Home Video’s high-definition version of “How the West Was Won,” a film made 46 years ago in the highest-definition moving picture medium the world had seen: Cinerama”. He continued, “Not even the finest home theater installation will be able to reproduce the scale and resolution of the Cinerama experience, or anything close to it. But moving from standard-definition DVD to Blu-ray generates a shock analogous to what the audiences of 1962 must have felt when the curtains parted to reveal the panoramic screen.”

Films like How the West Was Won and Ford’s other western masterpiece, The Searchers (1956), have languished in VHS hell for too long, waiting for the advent of Blu-ray and a big wide home screen on which to showcase their brilliance. This result is a riveting revelation and richly recommended.

iRate:: 4 out of 5.

4Movie Tragics

Extras:
• Feature Commentary by: Filmmaker David Strohmaier; Director of Cinerama, Inc. John Sittig; Film Historian Rudy Behlmer; Music Historian Jon Burlingame; and Stuntman Loren James (This informative and interesting track appears on both the Blu-ray and Special Edition 3-disc DVD versions).
• Cinerama Adventure (This fascinating 93 minute documentary tells you everything you didn’t know you needed to know about the revolutionary Cinerama format and appears on both the Blu-ray and Special Edition 3-disc DVD versions).
• The 2-disc Blu-ray version also offers a Smilebox version of the film, which attempts to mimic the curved screen of the original Cinerama process. The effect is hard to describe so you’ll need to get it to see it.

You want More!
How the West Was Won – IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
How the West Was Won – Rotten Tomatoes
How the West Was Won – allmovie.com
How the West Was Won – Wikipedia

I’d love to hear your impressions of this film. Am I wrong to rate it so highly despite its shallow plot and dialogue? I’d also welcome your impressions and anecdotes, if you’ve been one of the lucky few to have seen this at a Cinerama cinema.

:: Please leave a comment ::

Zak From Downunder

~ Zak de Courcy's sometimes incendiary thoughts about politics, life and religion.

Tag Archives: iRate:: 4 / 5

The Sunday Screening Session….. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

The Sunday Screening Session….. How the West Was Won (1962)