Alexander and The Polar Express

We've watched these two movies today; Alexander and The Polar Express. Alexander was quite impressive, a movie that makes you think and wonder, cruel at times and also confusing if you don't know much about Greek history, relationship between men and gods which are links between the earthly and the supernatural, the myths, the battles, the relationships between countries etc. All very interesting!

The Polar Express was nice but after seeing Robots on Saturday evening it was a bit disappointing. Jacob told me it was the regular 'Coca Cola commercial xMas movie' and I guess he was right about it. Just another animation. Don't get me wrong the animations were good but the story was 'just another xMas story'. Fun if you do not wish to think deep about the meaning of life *grin* I didn't regret watching it...

Funny how homosexuality or bisexuality can be such a threat to people, especially to some Americans who love to close their eyes for what's going on in reality; I copied some bits of the review below which will show you my point of view, this movie got two stars out of four which is in my opinion a total mistake. Watch the movie and see for yourself...

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Alexander
Cast : Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Plummer, Jared Leto, Rosario Dawson, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Brian Blessed
Director: Oliver Stone
U.S. Release Date: 11/24/04 (wide)
Producers: Moritz Borman, Jon Kilik, Thomas Schuhly, Iain Smith, Oliver Stone
Screenplay: Oliver Stone and Christopher Kyle and Laeta Kalogridis
Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto
Music: Vangelis
MPAA Classification: R (Violence, sexual situations, nudity)
Running Length: 2:55
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Countries: United States/United Kingdom/Germany/Netherlands, 2004
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers

Alexander is ripe with homo-erotic images and incestuous overtones. Although no graphic male-male sex is depicted, there's plenty of innuendo, and those who are uncomfortable with homosexuality will be offended by parts of Alexander. This may be the most expensive motion picture to-date in which the bisexuality of the main character is so openly acknowledged. (Alexander actually represents the king as a gay man who tarries with women primarily for procreative purposes.) The lone male-female sex scene is presented more as a struggle for control than a loving encounter. When it comes to tenderness, Alexander reserves that emotion for his male companion, Hephaestion.

Second billing after Farrell goes to Angelina Jolie, who plays Olympias as a hybrid of Hamlet's Gertrude and I, Claudius' Livia. Jolie keeps her clothes on, but that doesn't prevent her from spending a lot of time cuddling with snakes. It's a weird, enjoyably over-the-top performance. I'm tempted to say that Rosario Dawson is underused, but the sex scene, which offers us a lingering view of all of her assets, argues against that statement (and is almost reason enough to pay for admission). Still, almost anyone with a great body could have played the part. Val Kilmer is fine as Philip the one-eyed king, and Jared Leto is subdued as Alexander's male lover. Icons Anthony Hopkins (as Ptolemy the narrator), Christopher Plummer (as Aristotle), and Brian Blessed (as a nameless wrestling instructor) provide a respectability quotient. (Blessed strengthens the I, Claudius connection, since he was Augustus in the BBC mini-series.)

Although I'm sure this isn't the case, one could fashion a convincing argument that Stone made this movie for himself. It has limited - if any - mass appeal, and is likely to make Warner Brothers executives nervous. Those going to this film expecting glorious battles and epic triumphs along the lines of Braveheart or Gladiator will feel cheated. In fact, one of the least accomplished elements of Alexander are the battles. They are filmed in a plodding, unenergetic manner, and the editing is choppy. The Lord of the Rings recently proved how engaging a well-assembled conflict can be. Alexander shows the opposite. Another source of annoyance is the incessant chattering by Anthony Hopkins, whose voice-over narrative provides Alexander's skeleton. It's too bad there's not enough meat on those bones to make this a worthwhile motion picture experience. Alexander becomes the second big-budget, ancient world epic to fail this year. Unlike Troy, however, which tried unsuccessfully to please crowds, Alexander doesn't bother to make the attempt. Never has Stone's predilection for maverick cinema been more evident and more damaging to the end product.

© 2004 James Berardinelli
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The Polar Express
Cast (voices): Tom Hanks, Leslie Zemeckis, Eddie Deezen, Nona Gaye, Peter Scolari, Michael Jeter
Director: Robert Zemeckis
U.S. Release Date: 11/10/04 (wide)
Producers: Gary Goetzman, Steve Starkey, William Teitler, Robert Zemeckis
Screenplay: Robert Zemeckis & William Broyles Jr., based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg
Cinematography: Don Burgess, Robert Presley
Music: Alan Silvestri
MPAA Classification: G
Running Length: 1:30
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Country: United States, 2004
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers

The Polar Express is cinematic magic - a delightful tale guaranteed to enthrall viewers of all ages. Does that sound like advertising hype, or the words of a publicist? Perhaps, but it's a reflection of how strongly this film pulled me under its spell. For children, this is a glorious adventure, full of excitement, splendor, and plenty of holiday good cheer. For adults, there are deeper meanings to be found, not to mention the bittersweet nostalgia of gazing back through the years to the point where innocence gave way to the curse of maturity.

As I was watching The Polar Express, I was reminded of The Wizard of Oz. The similarities are, at times, remarkable. The characters in this film are on a journey to a mythical place - not Oz, but the North Pole. And they're following train tracks, not the yellow brick road. But the four companions are all searching for something intangible. Our hero, an unnamed boy, is on a quest for faith. His companions are seeking confidence, courage, and humility. The entire story may be the figment of the main character's imagination. But at least there's no Wicked Witch or a surrogate. The Polar Express is a tale with plenty of heart and no traditional villain.

The film is based on the illustrated childrens' book by Chris Van Allsburg. Because the source material is so short, screenwriters Robert Zemeckis (who also directed) and William Broyles Jr. opened things up a little, developing personalities for three of the background characters, and adding some action/adventure sequences. Despite the changes, however, the movie successfully captures the spirit of the book, and it is likely that fans of one will appreciate the other.

From a technical standpoint, The Polar Express is a masterpiece. It is the first movie to use motion capture for its entire length. (This is the technique that allowed Gollum to seem real in The Lord of the Rings. For motion capture, an actor wears a special suit containing dozens of sensors that relay details of his movement to a computer while he performs in front of a blue screen. This permits a computer to develop a virtual, three-dimensional image of the actor that can then be manipulated by the animators.) The result allows the characters to appear much like real human beings while still retaining a slightly 'animated' look. (The humans are intentionally not as real as those in Final Fantasy - a movie that gave some viewers the creeps.) This mixture of live action and computer animation is a powerful tool that has allowed Zemeckis to devise a world unlike anything we have seen on screen before, yet populate it with real-seeming people. In addition, The Polar Express was designed with 3D IMAX theaters in mind (it is the first feature-length movie to feature the IMAX three-dimensional process). However, since most viewers will see it in a conventional theater, Zemeckis made sure that the use of traditional projectors didn't result in a drop-off in quality.

© 2004 James Berardinelli
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