Review: "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For"

Director(s): Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller
Runtime: 102 minutes

The over-stylized, faux-noir alleys of Frank Miller's Sin City stories may be treacherous, but few of them compare with the journey that it took to get a sequel to 2005's Sin City to the big screen. On and off for years, a second adaptation of Miller's work was in a constant state of almost being off of the ground. Alas, nothing quite took, even with names like Johnny Depp and Rachel Weisz attached at different times (remember when those names actually piqued your interest?). Yet somehow, even after nearly a decade of waiting, the world of Sin City still holds a tiny bit of cinematic appeal. Co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Miller himself, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For may be running on fumes, but those fumes still hold a mindless, pulpy allure.

Functioning as both a prequel and sequel (kind of), A Dame to Kill For is as visually outlandish as its predecessor, even though the technique (monochrome with selective use of color) isn't even remotely fresh by this point. When Marv (an especially rough-looking Mickey Rourke) kicks off the movie with overwrought voiceover work, it's clear that no one here is aiming for the realm of high art. For all of its visual flourishes (some of them quite dazzling), Sin City is as crude and campy as its characters. At its best and worst, A Dame to Kill For embodies the spirit of its source material.

Yet even though nothing about the film feels fresh, the mix of old and new cast members are often able to make their mark amid all of the visual chaos. Josh Brolin, taking over Clive Owen's character from the original, makes a stoic hardboiled anti-hero, albeit without the sort of grimy, rakish charm that Owen brought to the role. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also quite solid as a cocksure young gambler, even though his best scenes find him facing off against meatier performances. Returning members Roarke and Powers Boothe (as a villainous senator), especially the latter, are still having fun in their over-the-top roles. And, of course, it's still fun to see Rosario Dawson smirk and fire off a few rounds, even as she's given basically nothing else to do.

But when it comes to having fun, no one is having a better time than new addition Eva Green as the film's titular dame. In her second long-delayed comic book sequel of the year (after 300: Rise of an Empire), the actress puts even the visual effects to shame when it comes to theatricality. Her casting as an extreme version of a femme fatale is already spot on, and watching Green shift her voice (breathy damsel, husky temptress) and her always camera-ready face while playing men off of each other captures all that a Sin City movie should be: outrageous, sleazy, twisted, seductive, and darkly funny. 

And, if Dame was all about Brolin and Green's story, it would make for a fun, disposable piece of entertainment. Where the film loses its way is in its awkward structure. Like the first film, Dame involves several interlocking stories. However, this time around everything is compartmentalized. We get intros to two major plot threads before Brolin and Green's kicks in and runs through to its conclusion, which then leaves two more stories that have a middle and end. 

Not helping matters is that the first complete story is also the best on all fronts. By the time narrative thread #3 arrives (involving Jessica Alba's stripper Nancy and her struggles with alcoholism and revenge), the film's initial fumes have started to wear off. With smarter structure, A Dame to Kill For could have escalated to a spectacular finale with plenty of room to play around with chronology. The film already has one location - the dive bar where Nancy dances - designed as a narrative hub, yet it only makes minimal usage of this set up. The film doesn't exactly wear out its welcome, but it does feel like it's in need of some rearranging so as to make sure none of the main stories are left feeling like filler.

Even at its lowest level, at least A Dame to Kill For offers something different compared to the usual comic book/graphic novel fare. The noir influence is backed up more by the style than the substance, but it lends the film the chance to dive into decades-old narrative tropes with an anarchic energy that, at the very least, acts as a fresh coat of paint. Underneath all of that gloss may be something old and rusted, but it's still eye-catching when the light hits it just right.

Grade: C+

Review: "Perfect Sense"

Mixing hints of the apocalypse and romance seems like a guaranteed recipe for disaster. The romance and disaster genres have enough trouble working on their own, and combining them often seems like a big headache. Of course, as movies like to prove time and time again, there are exceptions to the rule, as is the case with David MacKenzie's Perfect Sense. Like a less expansive, more emotional version of Steven Soderbergh's Contagion, MacKenzie's tale of love amid a mysterious epidemic has its share of rough patches, but ultimately winds up a success that should have been given more of a chance (the film played for a few weeks in one theater in New York, and that's it as far as stateside showings go). 


Set in Scotland, the film follows the relationship between Susan (Eva Green), an epidemiologist, and Michael (Ewan McGregor) a chef at a restaurant near Susan's apartment.  As their on-and-off relationship is just starting to get off of the ground, though, a mysterious infection begins spreading, robbing people of their senses in moments punctuated by things like extreme, irrational hunger. It's not the easiest story to use to try and blend romance and disease-drama, yet MacKenzie's choices ultimately lead the film in the right direction.


Not to say that there aren't weak moments. The first two thirds feature awkward peaks and valleys in storytelling. As a result, a solid or good scene is often followed by one with strange execution. This is most often true in the scenes where we see people having episodes before losing a particular sense. On paper it makes sense to show people in ravenous hunger right before they lose their ability to taste, yet the execution is sometimes a tad daft. While seeing people chow down on the ingredients in Michael's kitchen is absolutely reasonable, scenes meant to illustrate the extent of the cravings inevitably reduces the film to showing Susan chomping down on a bouquet of flowers while the woman next to her bites into a tube of lipstick. Again, thematically speaking, nothing wrong, but moments like these undermine what MacKenzie is able to pull off in the good scenes. 


The big problem that Perfect Sense has to overcome is that it wants to mix elements of the intimate and epic, using one location to communicate the epidemic at large. Strangely, the broader strokes in the film, which often involves the use of archival footage to show the disease impacting other parts of the globe, are more successful than the ones scripted directly for the film. Scribe Kim Aakeson is headed in the right direction with the basic elements she inserts into the story - such as Susan's relationship with her married sister - but the way in which they're dealt with can be inconsistent, and at times (even with MacKenzie's guidance) a little tone deaf. It's as if MacKenzie (or someone near the top of the production) was so taken with the basic outline of the story that he didn't bother to smooth out the first two acts. 


It's a shame, because these inconsistencies in execution do a disservice to the film's performers. Green and McGregor are clearly invested in the material, as daffy as some of it must have seemed on the page, but you can feel a slight dip in energy in the weaker scenes. When everything is running smoothly, however, the pair deliver some lovely work, and when it comes time for the big moments in act three, they knock it out of the park. Green is particularly good, even when the script gives her slightly stiff dialogue to work with, and McGregor, despite being saddled with a character who doesn't go through as much of an arc as he should, has marvelous moments as well, including a painfully beautiful scene where he talks into a phone, unable to hear his own voice. 


Yet for all of these ups and downs, everything in Perfect Sense comes together in the last act, with increasingly haunting results.  As the stakes get higher, and more senses disappear, the impact of the disease feels more palpable and more meaningful. While the first two acts disrupt the momentum of the good scenes, act three allows them to finish just about free of interruption. Encounters are better handled, tone is consistent, and the awkward scenes fade away, leaving only a succession of stronger scenes that culminate in a heart-wrenchingly beautiful finale that will likely be one of 2012's best moments come year's end. For the most part the technical elements are adequate (kudos, though, on the limited use of trash to convey a sense of social dysfunction and chaos), but Max Richter's astoundingly beautiful score takes the film up to some pretty incredible highs, namely in the aforementioned finale. For everything that goes wrong in Perfect Sense, the ending is a reminder of the importance of ending a film with its best foot forward. And that's exactly what MacKenzie and company do, creating an ultimately satisfying and beautifully moving romantic drama tinged with hints of science fiction. The film as a whole may have its significant flaws, but its best moments work so well that every once and a while you're tempted to forgive them, which is more than a little impressive.


Grade: B

Trailer: "Dark Shadows"

Despite being in a state of completion for quite some time, Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, an adaptation of the famous cult TV series has been kept, well, in the shadows. Until recently, only a handful of production still have emerged, with nary a poster or trailer in sight until last night. It might seem like a bad sign, considering that the film opens just under two months from now (May 11th), but to an extent it makes sense. May marks the high-gear kickoff to summer blockbuster season, and May 2012 looks pretty stacked with big, more widely appealing films, namely Marvel's The Avengers. So, in a sense, Warner Bros. is playing it smart by aiming for a short, powerful burst of marketing right before the film's release, so they don't end up spending a bunch of money on a film that, on paper, shouldn't provide much financial competition against the likes of Marvel's super-hero orgy.

Thankfully, the trailer actually seems pretty promising, though I do have a handful of reservations. I've never seen any of the show, so I can't judge whether or not Burton's darkly farcical tone clashes with the show or not. Still, said darkly farcical tone is right up Burton's alley, and Dark Shadows looks like an opportunity for the director to make something in the vein of Beetlejuice, which certainly wouldn't be a bad thing. I'm not sure most of the jokes are supposed to be gutbustingly funny, but I thoroughly enjoyed the laughs that the trailer showcased, particularly the bits with Eva Green, who looks like she's having an absolute blast as the film's villain. And, as per any Burton film, the production values look marvelous, and the generally higher amount of on-location and/or studio set-photography is a welcome change of pace after the nauseating CGI mess that was Alice in Wonderland.

All the same, there are a few shots in here that feature a sort of cheap, weightless-looking VFX look that contrasts with how nicely filled out and tangible the other sets come off. I'm hoping that these scenes are only a brief portion of the film's runtime, and that they're merely vestiges of Burton's work on Alice, because the man really does know how to work with his creative departments to create wonderfully textured worlds.

As for the cast, apart from Green and Helena Bonham Carter, I am a little worried about some of the other players, including, unfortunately, Johnny Depp. Burton and Depp have a great history together, but lately they've been slipping, to the point where I think it might be time for Burton to find another male muse (Bonham Carter is more than welcome to stay as his female muse, however). I'm also a little nervous about Michelle Pfeiffer, because her role seems a little too straightforward and stiff. The above-mentioned actors are all gifted at stylized performances, and it's unsettling that some might be getting past their prime and doing the same old thing (Depp), or not being properly utilized (Pfeiffer).

Finally, there's the plot. Frankly, I'm not expecting anything revolutionary, though I'm sure there will be fun in seeing Depp's Barnabas try to figure out the world of the 70s. What worries me more is whether the genre trappings and tone will elevate the "save the family business!" story line, or whether said story line will drag down the genre elements. I'm crossing my fingers for the former. Either way, though, I'll still be there first in line on May 11th, since it's been too long since Burton's last film, Sweeney Todd (now that this trailer is out, I'm going to start pretending that Alice never happened). And if this doesn't work, I suppose there's always Frankenweenie later this year.

Trailer Grade: B

A Green Mann (Collaboration)?

After checking Marion Cotillard off of his international-actresses-to-work-with list, Michael Mann might be working with another French Beauty: Eva Green (according to The Playlist). This is the first news I've heard about Mann's potential film about Spanish Civil War photographer Robert Capa, and it's nice to know that the project is moving forward. Green is quite the alluring actress, though I don't think she's had a chance to really shine in a movie since Casino Royale almost four years ago. Mann's movies tend to be pretty male-oriented, but hey, Cotillard was the shining light of Public Enemies. But of course the real question is who will play Capa. I'm not familiar with the man or his work, and this is the first time I've ever seen a picture of him, so I haven't given a lot of thought as to who could play him. As far as looks go...maybe Joaquin Phoenix? I definitely see it in the brow, although obviously make-up would be required.