Total Recall: A Debatable Remake.

9th January, 2013

Hmmm …

You know, the magic of Hollywood is a wonderful thing.

Or, at least, the magic of the film industry.

Seriously.

Let’s be honest, anything that get’s people passionately arguing about a film — without actually thumping each other — is a sort of magic.

No, really.

And I think I’ve got a very good example for you, actually.

The film I managed to catch, last night: the 2012 remake that is Total Recall.

There’s possibly a bit of explaining to do, there … !

~~~~~

The 2012 version of Total Recall follows Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell): a factory worker whose job building synthetic — robot — policemen and marriage to Lori (Kate Beckinsale) has left him deeply unsatisfied.  Until one day he decides he visit Rekal to have some memories implanted of life as a super spy.

The memory implantation gets interrupted.

By a squad of heavily armed policemen.

Which is where the fun only starts … !

~~~~~

Now … 

I mentioned passionately arguing.

Yes, I did, didn’t I?

You say, I did manage to have a natter, by text, with Kevin D: and had to admit that — while I don’t think the remake is perfect —I’d thoroughly enjoyed it.

Whilst it’s not a completely original take on the material — in the same sense that Prometheus is — Total Recall bounces along at a nice rate of knots, the cast do their job well, and the design work, although obviously copying Bladerunner in the look and feel of the background universe, is beautifully designed.

Kevin on the other hand … ?

Kevin didn’t exactly take to it: and said so rather eloquently.

Personally … ?

Personally I’m giving Total Recall a 2.   I’ll let you make your mind up about it being a stinker or not.

Total Recall

★★☆☆

*        Itself based on the Phillip K. Dick short story, We Can Remember It for You Wholesale.

Whiteout: Blood, Ice Axes and SNOW … !!

You know, I’ve got to admit, it is getting rather late: I’ve actually started posting this at just gone 23:55 and my eyes feel vaguely like they’re going to drop out of my skull.

Hardly a pleasant image, I know, but as soon as I find a nicer one, I’ll let you know … !

Suffice to say — all things considered— I might just finish this post in the morning.

But wanted to get something up, just to let you know that Movie Night Adrian and I managed to catch the 2009, Kate Beckinsale film, Whiteout, tonight.

Which isn’t maybe the most intellectually stimulating movie going.

But is rather entertaining, none the less.

»»»•«««

6/10/2010

OK, OK, I know I said I meant to pick up this post where I’d left it, in the morning …

But there you go …

At any rate, last night saw me and Movie Night Adrian happily settling down to watch the 2009 film, Whiteout.

And believe it or not, not because we wanted to watch Kate Beckinsale getting her kit off, bonus though it was.

No, because we fancied some entertainment.

Yes, ok, I know … !!

But there you go … !

›››•‹‹‹

Let me get moving on …

Whiteout sees Kate Beckinsale as US Marshal, Carrie Stetko: a marshall assigned a US base in Antartica who — along pilot, Delfiº and Dr John “Doc” Furyª — investigating the apparent accidental death of a scientist who’d been investigating meteor landings in the area.

One who’d seemingly been injured by an ice-axe, had fallen from a great height — miles from any cliffs — and not been wearing cold weather gear at the time.

And on top of that … ?

On top of that, the crashed Cold War era, Russian plane they discover — shown to us in the films early scenes — seems to have — or have had — something on it that had been stolen by the dead scientist …

|»•«|

Now I was talking about entertainment, earlier … ?

Now Whiteout isn’t exactly brain food.

Not with Joel Silver as a producer!

But it is value for money entertainment.

And not a bad way of spending an hour and a half.

»»»•«««

º Columbus Short.

ª Tom Skerritt: best remembered as Captain Dallas, in the original Alien.

Underworld: About Last Night …

Well, there was a nights work; trying to get myself back on-line.

Don’t even GO there.

But I will thank me two kid sisters for helping me out.

Anyway, I managed to catch “Underworld”, last night, with Adrian. And thoroughly enjoyed it.

But with reservations.

It’s a great little film; visually, at least.

And certainly worth seeing, just to see Kate Beckinsale in latex.

I think Adrian’s right, pert is definitely the word to use …

But Underworld does suffer from being a fantastic looking film, with a wonderfully worked-out setting and background that really could’ve done with a bit more work on the dialogue.

Good characters, which were wonderfully acted. Bill Nighy and Michæl Sheen stood out, for me, as Viktor and Lucien. Michæl Sheen, as the sympathetic werewolf leader, Lucien, in particular; I can see why his name gets a mention, at Oscar time, based on this. Both did very well, with what they got …

It’s nicely plotted, as well.

But the dialogue could really have done with work. It felt a bit stiff and artificial in places; it could’ve done with a bit more polish to finish it off, and make it feel more naturalistic; something the sequel improved on, thankfully.

The script for Underworld definitely comes as over as though it’s someone’s first, I think.   Someone who’s keen to show off his thesaurus, as well.

As to the setting … well; the producers legal wrangles with White Wolf, the games company behind “Vampire: The Masquerade” over various copyright violations, came as no surprise to me.   When I originally saw Underworld, its background caught my eye, and had me assuming the people who’d written it had played, or read, Vampire: The Masquerade. The idea of a war between werewolves — or lycans, as the film calls them — and vampires, that both had a much more organised society than outsiders realise, and that both have very complicated politics and history, is central to the game.

It’s a shame “Underworld” couldn’t acknowledge its sources a little more openly.   I always think there’s creativity in games that should be acknowledged.

But it doesn’t necessarily make for a good film, but it IS there.

As a counter balance to that bit of controversy, though, the back story is meticulous …

Underworld is a great film, visually, and worth seeing for that. But I always watch it with the awareness that, for once, the direct sequel is one heck of an improvement. And that somebody wanted to show off their thesaurus …

Cast
Kate Beckinsale	Selene
Scott Speedman	Michael Corvin
Michael Sheen	Lucian
Shane Brolly	Kraven
Bill Nighy	Viktor