Sunday, November 23, 2014

"Interstellar": 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'



From The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.Ca, Sneak Peek the 'good, the bad and the ugly' in director Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar", starring 
Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain:


Michael Stevens for 'The Good':


Taking his cue from Kubrick, director Christopher Nolan's jump into deep space has some great new VFX, including an ominous tidal wave sequence...


...new planetary adventures, a breakneck drive through a country cornfield and several plot twists to make this space thriller worth exploring.


Matthew McConaughey gives a laid-back performance as 'Cooper' an interplanetary pilot, grounded by his responsibilities as a single father.


The camera loves Jessica Chastain as Cooper's adult daughter 'Murph', refreshing and luminous in every scene...


...while Anne Hathaway pours her heart into a teary-eyed performance. 


The boxy robot 'TARS' also makes his film debut here in some great and unexpected action sequences. 


Being the sentimentalist I am, I admit to being choked up towards the end of this film, thanks to Hans Zimmer's cathedral-sounding score. 


Graf Orlok for 'The Bad': 


Anne Hathaway managed to effect a luscious red-lipped pout through her soggy tears, but I agree with Michael that Jessica Chastain is the reigning celestial body in this film. 


There are some good fight sequences and some interesting screen deaths, but nothing too horrific, with Nolan restraining himself from the usual sadistic touches that permeate most of his films.


Jane Doberman for "The Ugly":


Right from the get-go, the first big action sequence in this film (racing through a cornfield), felt like a rip-off of the first "Star Trek" movie (when 'Kirk' drives a car at breakneck speed, only to come to a halt in front of a plunging cliff). 


On that note, we are introduced to 'Cooper', played by McConaughey who is so-o-o laid back you would swear the actor twisted up a few Rizzlas before every scene.


I was nodding off just listening to the guy and his strong character being eclipsed by his own monosyllabic replies to every major crisis.


When I finally woke up in the middle of the solar system, the story finally seemed to engage...


...beyond Anne Hathway's crying, astronauts getting picked off one by one, a new world planet that looks like a dangling disco ball on a string...


...and Matt Damon's third act entry as a jug-headed colonist, who throws yet another money wrench into Professor Nolan's class in physics, ushering the audience into the 5th Dimension.


To be fair, this is not a great space movie by any means of the imagination...


...but as buzzed out Matthew McConaughey would say, its "..alright,alright..."


Click the images to enlarge...