Saturday, November 26, 2016

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Dr. Strange is a tough act to follow, and here I am following it with another major studio's massive spectacle about sorcery. But as a fan of both the Harry Potter books and the accompanying booklet of the same title, I eagerly accepted my parents' invitation to see it with them on Thanksgiving.

Given the booklet's existence as a mere fictional bestiary, this could not really be an adaptation in the same sense as the HP movies. Instead, it's about a brief adventure of wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in 1926, the year before his bestiary is said to be published. Since Harry's main set of adventures takes place in the '90s, we get none of the same actors and very few familiar names -- apart from Newt, just occasional mentions of headmaster Albus Dumbledore and his fugitive former friend Gellert Grindelwald. Author J.K. Rowling did write the story, so we can still count on it for fidelity -- and indeed, it still feels like the same realm.

At this point, Newt's not doing any biology research exactly. He comes to New York City in order to look for a rare beast to acquire. Unfortunately, he brings several other magical beasts in a magical suitcase that is not as secure as needed. This garners the undesired attention of random non-wizard Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) and disgraced policewitch Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), the latter of whom would have Newt punished and Jacob's memory wiped immediately if not for compromising circumstances. The bigger problem comes when something publicly kills in a way that no normal animal could. Newt insists it's none of his pets, but he takes it upon himself to determine what it is and how they can stop it before the whole city knows that magic exists.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Doctor Strange (2016)

Due to participation in NaNoWriMo, my viewing has dropped sharply, hence the scarcity of my reviews this month. But as some of you know, I'm a sucker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There seemed no better way to take a break from writing a novel.

I was not previously familiar with the character of Dr. Stephen Strange (yes, that's his "real" last name -- not to be confused with Dr. Hugo Strange of DC Comics). He starts out as an arrogant surgeon, not far off from Dr. House. Leave it to Benedict Cumberbatch, actor of Sherlock Holmes and Alan Turing, to play yet another insufferable genius, even with an American accent for a change. You thought Tony Stark obnoxious at the start of Iron Man? You'd seen nothing yet. It's kind of painful to watch his interactions with co-worker and ex-girlfriend Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams, who incidentally played a love interest for a different Sherlock Holmes).

Then an accident damages the nerves in his fingers, killing his career. His search for a cure leads him to a secret location in Nepal, where the self-described Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) teaches people to unlock the powers of their own bodies -- and the multiverse. She is reluctant to teach him because of his similar character to a former student who went dangerously rogue, Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), but student Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) talks her into it. Strange learns that the true purpose of the sorcerer training is to combat enemies, including, yes, Kaecilius, on a plane the Avengers don't frequent.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Solaris (1972)

After Andrei Rublev and Stalker, I thought I might never take another chance on director Andrei Tarkovsky, especially with one of his long works (167 minutes). But since this piece was remade in the U.S. in 2002, it seemed to have more potential to appeal to my tastes. Besides, I was running low on Halloween-type options, and a sci-fi with someone appearing to come back from the dead, however unscarily, could fill the void.

Based on a Polish book, the film takes place mostly on a space station orbiting the titular planet. When some scientists go missing and another reports seeing a person whom their instruments do not detect, psychologist Kris Kelvin accepts an invitation to investigate. He finds the remaining researchers negligent, unhelpful, and bleak if not self-destructive. More importantly, he too sees people who shouldn't be there -- including his departed wife, Hari, who doesn't just appear but behaves lovingly toward him. Clearly, something external is causing the insanity, if that's the right word.