Movie Commentaries of the Week (July, 2013)

WHITE HOUSE DOWN

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, James Woods, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Released: July 2013

Roland Emmerich likes blowing up the White House. That’s his fetish. He is the same guy who blew up the White House in Independence Day. And to anyone who grew up in the 90’s, that image of a giant saucer-like craft beaming a streak of light straight down to the White House thereby blowing it to Kingdom Come is one of the most iconic images of that era. There is no such memorable scene in this movie. Other than a Malcolm X-looking, Jordan sneakers-strutting Jamie Foxx as US President, a really old-looking James Woods and scattered punchlines, absolutely nothing in this movie will be talked about next week. If you’re a fan of John McClane in Die Hard, then you may either like this movie or cringe at the sight of a grossly unoriginal knockoff. Channing Tatum’s John Cale is John McClane 2013 (Look they even have almost similar names!). Cut and paste Bruce Willis for Channing Tatum’s character, and Willis’ wife for Tatum’s daughter and you basically have the same characters in basically the same movie.  And don’t even get me started on how a movie like this comes out just a few months after “Olympus Has Fallen”—a similar terrorists-taking-over-the-White-House  movie. That’s a $150-Million reason why they should not have made this movie. But they did. You know, Hollywood. So look at the box-office numbers this weekend, you’d doubt this movie would break-even with that $150 Million budget. Moviegoers get it right sometimes.

SPRING BREAKERS

Directed by Harmony Korine

Starring: James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens

Released: 2012

I love looking at Selena Gomez. She has that cute jawline and cuddly baby-like cheeks that I find even sexier than her curves. But this movie is not just about Selena Gomez, nor the extensive display of skin by the four lovely lead lady characters, nor the inordinate showcasing of boobs that would make the testosterone levels of every male go crazy like a dog with rabies. The movie feels hallucinogenic, shots are over-exposed, dialogues go on repeat and offbeat-ly super-imposed in almost over-extended scenes. In short, this is envelope-pushing, genre-bending stuff, surely not your run-of-the-mill popcorn movie you’d be expecting shown at SM anytime soon. The film is a mélange of neon shots of booze, drugs, sex and violence, all within the context of a movie about deviant youth behaviour. James Franco churns out a masterful performance as a gangster and he goes head-on with Gucci Mane—that alone is enough reason to make this movie interesting. But that should not take away the screaming-in-your-face social commentary that this film has beautifully injected through its LSD-induced cinematography and Britney Spears soundtrack. And Selena Gomez’s jawline.