'05 Flashback: Munich (2005)

 A Film that I last saw in five-minute segments back when I was a Theater Employee.

This is Munich, Steven Spielberg's 2005 Drama based on a Book.  Said Book is based on a true story...sort of...maybe. 
The people involved deny all of the details, but the Author also said that 'Of course they deny it.'

Good defense, champ.

The Plot involves a man leading a team to take out the men behind the 1972 Munich Olympic Kidnapping/Killing of Jewish Athletes.  As time goes on, is justice being served?

There's lots of issues with this one and it clearly was an issue at the time.  The DVD has a long intro from Spielberg himself explaining what the Film is about, what it isn't about and 'why are you so mad?'

Alright then.

To find out how this Film is somehow called one of the best Films of this Century and also never talked about, read on...

In the Opening, a bunch of strangers- the Palestinian Separatist group known as Black September- break into the Munich Olympics.

They kill and then kidnap some Athletes- specifically the Jewish one.

If the Film is so interested in realism, why not bother making the Stadium look remotely similar?

****

The whole Intro plays out in a mix of people watching TV, watching people react to the news and then being told that it went well.

I had a handful of people walk out early and demand refunds for this Film in my Theater.  This was the ONLY Film this happened (to me, at least).

We had Supercross the Movie and A Sound of Thunder.

Eric Bana is recruited by Geoffrey Rush to work for the Mossad, but also not really.  
He signs a contract saying that he doesn't work for them...which is a bit silly.

I didn't sign a contract with WWE to say that I still don't work there.

Bana and his team- which includes 'James Bond' and 'Steppenwolf'- begin to track the people behind the attacks.

They take out a guy in his home, shooting him 11 times- one for each Olympic victim.

Well, in the Book, they do.

In the Film, they just shoot him a bunch of times.

The dead guy rolls over off-camera, I guess, as he's found face up.

They get all of their intel from this French guy, because reasons.

Can you tell that he's French from this shot?

He was the villain in 'Quantum of Solace' too

They take out another bad guy with a small bomb, in the Scene this Film is most known for.

Less well known is how they take out ANOTHER guy with a bomb.

Bana takes the room next door to properly signal the detonation, which proves to be a bad idea.

Before another attack- a large strike on a compound-, the group is joined by a bunch of other Mossad Agents.

Did we forget how they are supposed to not work for Mossad?

Anyhow, it is important that we know that this one guy is a future Israeli PM...I guess.

Tensions grow between the group as a hit or two goes wrong and/or is interrupted.

Can they trust each other?

Things get worse when three members of the team are killed and a final mission to take out the Black September ringleader fails.

Bana goes home and is now struggling with all of the killing he just did.
Can he find peace?
Well, it's not clear if this Story is remotely true, so...who knows?

The End.

The strikes actually stopped after a real incident, not this.

A Film whose greatest strength is arguably its greatest weakness.

Look- I'm not here to tell you whether or not Steven Spielberg is a good Director or not.  If you haven't decided by now, I won't sway you.

The problem I have with this Movie is that everything is so murky and uncertain.  They keep talking about doubt and suspicion.  They keep shooting the Film in ways that are hard to like, the harsh lighting being a key example.

If this makes you look realistic, then it makes you look realistically bad.

Speaking of bad, the Pacing isn't great.  The Intro definitely meanders and they splice in the full events of the Munich Incident (covered here in 1976) throughout the Film.

Our Hero- who wasn't there- has flashbacks to how it all happened- the last of which happens while he's having sex with his wife.

O-kay then.

Munich is a Film that has lots to say...about one single aspect of a tale that involves dozens of alliances, turns and hundreds of years of History.

Watch for how good Eric Bana is, but you won't get any real answers about the (sadly still ongoing) issues.

Here's a screen grab gimmick I never expected to bring back in a Spielberg Film...

Next up, a Film about Vampires, Werewolves and leather.  Is this Sequel from my Theater days still enjoyable?  Stay tuned...

Ghost Tales: White Noise (2005)

 A Film that is apparently to blame for at least one random Horror Film coming out every January.

This is White Noise, a 2005 Film that surprised the Film Industry.
Is it because of the quality?  Well...no, not really.

The Film was a surprise hit- grossing its Budget multiple times over- in a dead zone (not that one) for Film releases.  January was for castoff Films and the required release of Oscar bait Films to be eligible.

Is there more to this one other than the reason that Films like The Boy, Cloverfield and The Bye-Bye Man came out in January?

The Plot involves a man who handles grief by looking into the mystery of ghosts.  Are they hiding in the static we see on a daily basis?  Can they communicate with us?

This was the big American Film for a British Director- who has mostly done Period Pieces and Procedurals since- and it hit big.

To find out if it is good, read on...

An Architect- Michael Keaton- gets some great news from his Wife- she's pregnant!

He has a kid with his ex-Wife, but now she will too.

That day, he sees her off to work and then waits for her at home that night.

...and waits...and waits...

She's gone long enough to be reported missing and Keaton understandably panics.

While in that state, he sees a guy parked near his House and then sees him the next day outside of his work.

The man tells him that his Wife has passed, but is trying to communicate with him from the other side.

He doesn't believe him, of course, and keeps looking.

Finally, the bad news comes in- she's dead, her body found floating in a river by a Factory.

In the ensuing Months, he shifts his focus from work to the study of White Noise, which is the idea that ghosts and spirits can be seen/recorded in static.

He works with the man from earlier- until his mysterious and sudden death- and another woman who studies this.

He sees a vision of a woman in the White Noise and goes to help her.

She's in a car wreck with a power line about to fall.

He manages to save the baby- at her request- but can't save her.

At the Funeral, he wants to work with the Husband, who very directly denies him.
'My wife believed in this,' he says (paraphrased), 'But I don't!'

Confusion arises as he learns that other recent deaths match names in the massive data log of White Noise recordings...and they also studied it.

The lady working with him is understandably confused when she sees a message from herself!

She's compelled to jump from a third floor balcony, but survives.

It soon becomes clear the Keaton keeps seeing a trio of shadowy figures, especially as he gets deeper.

He sees a message from his Wife too- she tells him to go!

He gets a vision in the White Noise of the same building where his Wife was found dead by.

As it turns out, a worker at the site (who he met earlier) was killing people- including his Wife- at the beckoning of the shadowy figures.

Keaton dies when he tries to stop them, but the SWAT Team saves the last would-be victim.

Days later, he can be heard in Radio Static by his Son.

The End.

A Film that tries to be two things and I'm not sure if it quite works.

The first half of the Film is a straight Drama with people talking about White Noise.  You can see it being about grief and how it is processed.

At a certain point, all of the stuff turns out to be true...so it isn't a metaphor.

It gets pretty by-the-numbers at this point and the Plot hinges upon a guy we met exactly once in a random Scene.

The idea of 'Guy studies thing to feel better, but then it gets dangerous' isn't a bad one.  It has worked many times.

I think the problem is that this works *too well* as one idea (with its bleak look and pace) that when it becomes a Horror Film it is almost disappointing.

So, when it changes from one to the other, you can't really enjoy/appreciate the first part anymore.  The new stuff isn't that great either, so...nobody wins here.

If you're asking me to recommend this one then, I'm...not exactly going to...

Next time, I want to make up for a past sin.  Back in the day, I only reviewed one part of a Horror Anthology...so let me do the rest now.  Stay tuned...

Remake This?: Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

 A John Carpenter Film was always a sight to see.

A John Carpenter Film Remake though?  Hmm...

This is 2005's Remake of Assault on Precinct 13.  It was Directed by a French Director who hasn't done a whole lot in America (save for the recent Plane).

Amusingly (at least to me) there's a weird parallel between this one and The Purge, the Film that put Ethan Hawke back on the map.

Is there a reason to watch a new version of a Film that's already a Remake (of Rio Bravo)?  To find out, read on...

In the Film's Cold Open, Hawke works Undercover making a deal to catch a Russian Drug Dealer (Titus Welliver).

It goes poorly, ending in his two partners being shot and killed.

At least he took out Bosch.

Nearly a year later, he's running Precinct 13 in Detroit.

The place is being shut down in a few days as the Year ends.

Oh shit- this is a Holiday Film!!

A big time Criminal was caught and he was being transported.

However, the roads are bad, so the truck diverged to their Precinct.

A half-drunk, fully depressed Hawke reluctantly accepts it.

As the people party with the prisoners down in the Basement Cells, masked shooters show up.

They take the power out and lay siege.

They want one man- Lawrence Fishburne!

It turns out that the people behind the siege/assault is the lead Cop in the City- Gabriel Byrne.

No joke- when he first appeared on screen, I said 'Well, he's the bad guy.'

They want Fishburne, since they were corrupt Cops and he can testify against them.

Sadly, the united front of the Cops and the Criminals doesn't work out too well.

The criminals- including Ja Rule and John Leguizamo- get killed off as things get worse.

The latter didn't test well in Screenings.

Fishburne doesn't play well with them either, at one point trying to get away by using a Cop as a human shield.

The corrupt cops keep at them as one of the old Cop- Brian Dennehy- betrays them as well.

Fishburne and Hawke end up in the nearby Woods, pursued by the corrupt Cops.

Can they stop the villains?

Yes, but both men are wounded.

Hawke allows Fishburne to get away as the Credits roll.

We get KSI rapping the Plot of the Film and we're done.

A good Film, even if it feels a bit drawn out.  I guess a siege should feel that way, eh?

The Film is alright.  I haven't seen the Original in close to a Decade, but I have good memories of it.  This one doesn't do too much badly.

That said, having Maria Bello to be around just to act scared, nervous and die is a damn waste.  I'm supposed to feel sad when she dies.
I'm just annoyed at how pointless this is.

Outside of that, the Film has good action, drama and was shot well.

I didn't hate this one.  I just ultimately lost interest before it was all over.

While this one didn't have John Carpenter there, it did have a 'Carpenter' on Set...

Next up, a pretty famous Crime Film that is appropriate for this Month.  It has great critical acclaim, but will I like it?  Stay tuned...

Should You Bother?: Elektra- Director's Cut (2005)

 In the wake of 41 different Synder Cuts, it's easy to overlook many other Director/Director's Cuts.

In a previous edition of this Segment, I looked at the previous Film (Daredevil) and how his Director's Cut restored, well, the Plot.

So, when I ran across a Director's Cut at a Goodwill for Elektra, I was curious.

FYI, I do have the normal version as well, which is still factory sealed.  Someone really didn't want that present in 2006, apparently.

Can a Director's Cut make a Film like Elektra into something great?

Should You Bother?

The Film features lots of little Cuts throughout.

Sadly, that equates to only THREE more minutes of Runtime.
On the positive side, I never actually reviewed this, so let's do both!

Elektra is back from the dead- thanks to Terrance Stamp's Stick- and is killing bad guys for the Yakuza.
This Cut lets us see the blade pierce her target's chest.

She initially refuses another job, but soon takes it to escape her nightmares.

All of the backstory she was lacking in Daredevil is here.

She's told to hang around before getting the assignment, which means meeting two people.

You know that they are clearly the targets, right?  Great.

The backstory is told through tinted flashbacks to her past.
These are extended in small ways throughout the Director's Cut.

She decides not to kill the duo and fends off some Ninjas.
They disappear in clouds of green smoke in both Cuts, so that wasn't a PG-13 thing.

This leads Carey Hiroyuki-Tagawa (barely in this) to hire a bunch of powered Hand Assassins.

Curiously, the Director's Cut removes a line where they are all named...but does include Elektra's friend taunting the lead Hand guy before being killed.

Priorities!

She's saved via Ex Machina courtesy of Stick (oddly similar to Madame Web) and told the truth...

The girl is a MacGuffin known as The Treasure.
She can be trained for good...or evil.

They flee to Elektra's home- making those Flashbacks cost effective by reusing the sets- and we see here set a trap.

In the Director's Cut, we get an extra shot of her with a candle before she ignites the stoves.

She manages to kill the remaining bad guys in a Hedge Maze, thanks to her sometimes ability to see the near future.

After a big fight with the Leader, she throws her remaining Sai about 200 feet through the Maze to strike Typhoid (not Mary) in the face.

The impact was restored for this Cut.  That was a PG-13 thing.

We get a nice good-bye as Elektra can't stay with the Father and Daughter...because reasons.

She walks off to...well, you know where she ended up by now.  The End.

****

I'll be honest- it's still mostly the same.  If that doesn't sway you, you're most people.

In spite of how I may sometimes come off, I want Films to be good and I can be generous in grading them.  For me, this is that kind of Film.

It's not great.  It's not shit.  It's alright.

This Cut didn't add lots of Plot or tons of characterization.  It added a tiny bit of both, but it is mostly just a case of using Take B instead of Take A.

According to Rob Bowman, he recut the Music quite a bit too.
I didn't notice that much.

Sorry, Rob.

On the plus side, I can now add another Film to the list of Christmas Films!

Verdict: A tentative, yes.  It's not much in the way of changes, but it still looks and feels nice.

Again- if you didn't love the Theatrical Version, there's not enough here to sway you though.

Fun Fact: Bob Sapp- who played Stone- was on The Tonight Show with Daredevil in 2003.

Now which one do I keep?

Remake This: The Fog (2005)

 We think about these Remakes as being a really recent thing, but yet this one came out nearly 20 years ago.  

Sorry for making you feel old just now.

In 2005, the 1980 Film by John Carpenter was remade.  Why?
Best guess- Pirates of the Caribbean made lots of money and this Film is *sort of* about them.

Interestingly, the Film really leans into the fact that it is 'From the Makers of Halloween.'  To be clear, that's a lie for a couple of reasons.
1) John Carpenter said he only visited the Set once and 'wished them luck.'
2) Debra Hill died from Cancer before the Film actually began production.

It is the return of Tom Welling to Mondo Bizarro too.  Is this the Film that made him a big, breakout Movie Star?

To find out, read on...

The Film begins in the Past with someone rowing away from a burning boat.

I'm sure they're fine.  I mean, the water will put out the fire...right?

In the Present, the nearby Town is celebrating the Anniversary of its founding.

I hope that they have a bonfire.
To be fair, their Mayor is Windom Earle, so that's on brand.

Local Boat Captain- Welling- is out with some customers and his anchor disrupts one of the items dropped in the boat fire incident.

That apparently sets the Plot in motion.

Damn you, Anchor!!!!

His former girlfriend is back after 6 months (they shot this in Canada, so his absent girlfriend can't be there).

He wants to be serious with her in their relationship.
She continues to have weird dreams.

I'm watching the 'Unrated Version.'  That means that it is a whopping THREE MINUTES LONGER.

I'm sure they spent this on all of the Scenes of her having visions, acting confused and using Google.

Yes, they use actual Google and not 'WordSearch' or 'Spoogle.'

In the B-Plot, the local DJ- Selma Blair- is trying to raise her kid as a Single Mom.
This seems necessary.

She's also got the guy at the Lighthouse always making moves on her via Skype.
I'm sure his 2005 Internet Connection in a small, Oregon Town is great.

After far too much build-up, the titular Fog finally encompasses the Town.

After killing a few folks the day before, it gets to work.

It kills the Lighthouse Guy with fire...as Ghosts do.

They cause mild, mostly PG-13 mayhem in Town during the Third Act.

It's all about killing the descendants of the Founders who burned down a ship in the Intro Scene.

Ghosts always do this and it never seems fair.
If my Great Grandfather punched a baby, does that mean that a Ghost should kill me?

There's no stopping the Ghosts...until there is.

The Lead one thinks that our Female Lead is the spitting image of his love.
She somehow agrees to kiss him and... turns into a Ghost to go back to the Ocean with him.

Um...huh?  The End.

Look- I know it has been a while.  That said, I was working in Theaters when this come out in October 2005.
I have ZERO memory of this Film.

I remember Films like Hostel, King Kong and even Supercross (mostly the empty Theaters TBF)...but not this.

I watched this Film last week and I'm struggling to remember key details already.  I remember lots of build-up, lots of searching for information about old Ships and Ghosts occasionally doing vague, evil stuff.

To mix things up, I watched this first and not the Original. 
If this is different, I don't know yet. 
If this is better, well, I doubt it.
We'll find out after the next Anniversary post.

As for me, well, let me celebrate this rarity- a Film that features a pointless beefcake shot and not female nudity.

Next up, the original Film by Carpenter and company.  How I've gone this whole time without seeing it is anyone's guess.  See you then...