Beowulf (2007)

               Beowulf              

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Beowulf tells of the great 6th-century Scandinavian warrior called upon to defeat a manlike ogre named Grendel (Crispin Glover), a descendant of the biblical murderer Cain. Based on the longest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem, this film adaptation’s notable cast includes Anthony Hopkins as King Hrothgar, Angelina Jolie as Grendel’s tormented mother, John Malkovich as Unferth and Ray Winstone as Beowulf.

REVIEW:  With a $70 million budget, writing by Neil Gaiman, and actors like Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Ray Winstone, Crispin Glover and Angelina Jolie, we would expect to be entertained, and that at least we are. The special effects are fast and furious, particularly in the digital
3D version. Bodies, furniture, and table ware sail out into the audience, and spear tips appear to touch our noses. Modern 3D is impressive for about five minutes. The images are sharp and very, very three-dimensional. It does get tiring, though, and we were starting to get headaches by the end of the movie. There was a preview for a 3D remake of “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, which I believe I’ll skip.

Back to “Beowulf.”  Sir Anthony Hopkins gives an interesting portrayal of an old and decadent King Hrothgar, who nevertheless gives us some glimpses of the hero he once was. We open with a celebration in Hrothgar’s mead hall, but the raucous atmosphere is soon interrupted by the arrival of Grendel in the digitized form of a giant Crispin Glover with bad teeth, missing fingers, and seemingly lacking skin on parts of his body. He proceeds to lay waste to the mead hall and Hrothgar’s thanes. In general he’s a bad guest. A hero is obviously needed, and Beowulf arrives from Geatland. Battles ensue, and Beowulf defeats Grendel, but then he must battle Grendel’s mother, who is inexplicably young, perfect, and played by Angelina Jolie. It’s here that the story veers a bit from the classic text, but it’s still a tale of classic archetypes, and I think the medieval bards would have been amused. When all is said and done, though, this film is basically a special effects joy-ride. Then again, this story has been solidly in the action/adventure genre ever since the sixth century, so again, I think the bards would be amused. Still, after seeing “Beowulf and Grendel” tell the tale with some depth and sophistication, I can only give this film 3 of 5 stars.

Searching Netflix and IMDB, I found yet more Beowulfs that I haven’t seen. A 1999 “Beowulf” is a sci fi version set in the future. Sounds interesting but the rating is only two stars. There’s also a 2006 “Beowulf” with the poem sung in Old English accompanied by an Anglo-Saxon harp. The “people like me” give this 3 stars. I may add them to my queue for completeness.

Hard-core action-adventure fans will like Zemeckis’s “Beowulf.” You’ll also like it if you enjoy seeing a nearly naked Angelina Jolie or, for that matter, a nearly naked Anthony Hopkins. If you prefer a bit more wit and depth, then check out “Beowulf and Grendel.”

3 stars
Rich

Beowulf & Grendel (2005)

               Beowulf & Grendel              

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  In an adventure imbrued with blood and tragedy, the legendary Norseman Beowulf (Gerard Butler) must command an army across the seas of ancient Northern Europe to conquer the evil troll Grendel. Anticipating his epic crusade against the wrathful monster, the warrior must arbitrate his emanating notoriety and his relationship with the enchanting Selma amid a time of barbaric turmoil and transformation with the emergence of the Christian faith.

REVIEW:  Filmed in Iceland, this movie captures the starkness of the medieval north. It gives us some sympathy for the troll Grendel and has some amusing comic relief in the telling of the story. Some of the interviews on the DVD special features are also interesting, particularly the ones about filming in arctic gales. I easily rate “Beowulf and Grendel” 4 or 5. If you want to watch one film adaptation of Beowulf, this is the one to see.

4.5 stars
Rich

The 13th Warrior (1999)

               The 13th Warrior              

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  It’s feast or famine when Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan (Antonio Banderas), a 10th century Arab ambassador, is sent to make peaceful contact with the barbaric Vikings. Soon, he finds himself in the midst of a battle between the Norsemen and the Wendol, fearsome warriors known as the Eaters of the Dead. Ahmed is faced with a daunting choice: fight alongside the Vikings — or die.

REVIEW:  Not everyone likes Beowulf. Michael Crichton wrote the book “Eaters of the Dead” on a dare from a literature professor friend who considered Beowulf one of the greatest bores of the English language. Crichton thought he could make something of it, and since somewhere it is written that all Michael Crichton novels must have movie adaptations, we have “The 13th Warrior.” The book and film tell the story from the perspective of an Arab intellectual, playd by Antonio Banderas, exiled from Baghdad due to some romantic indiscretion. He takes up with some Vikings on the Volga River, and before long he’s heading north with “Buliwyf” and his warriors to fight the “Wendol.” The names are changed, but it’s the same story. The book was a somewhat interesting interpretation, the movie less so, but it held my interest so I rated it 3 of 5. Were I to rate it again today, it might drop to 2.

3 stars
Rich

World Trade Center: In Memoriam (2002)

     World Trade Center:  In Memoriam    

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  The World Trade Center — those two rectangular marvels of architecture and engineering that were an icon of New York City — was a site of international commerce and truly represented the power and importance of America in the global landscape. This film tracks the history of the two buildings (the tallest in the world when they were completed in 1976), from conception to funding to use as a space through which millions passed every year.

REVIEW:  The History Channel began this documentary as a celebration of the World Trade Center’s 25th anniversary of completion.  The terrorist attacks of 9/11 occurred before this special was completed, and it was later aired as “an obituary.”  There is no footage of the 9/11 attacks (there is a brief segment near the end that covers the 1993 bombing), although they are mentioned by the show’s host, who warns viewers that interviews were conducted prior to the attacks. Each interview also carries an onscreen tag indicating the date of the interview, and it is noted if the interviewee is among the 9/11 victims.  The majority of the footage is dedicated to describing the function and usage of the WTC, and the history of its creation.  As a historical look at the WTC, the short documentary is thorough and interesting, but the narration should have been changed to describe the WTC in the past tense, and an acknowledgement of the Center’s terrible demise would have been appropriate.

3.5 stars
HAWK

11:59 (2005)

                  11:59                

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  Too much celebrating after scoring the year’s biggest story leads to 24 missing hours in the life of photojournalist Aaron Doherty (Raymond Andrew Bailey) in this engrossing indie suspenser. Awakening in a wheat field with no memory of the previous day, Aaron struggles to account for the gap. Sent back in time when the phenomenon recurs, the progressively disoriented Aaron is left to untangle the vast political conspiracy that’s behind it all.

REVIEW:  I just watched this one (“11:59”) and really enjoyed it.  It’s pretty much a low-budget version of “Premonition.”  Although I’d be the first to agree that the acting was sub-par, even that the pacing was slow at times, the story more than made up for it.  To some extent, it was like watching a car crash.  I just couldn’t turn away.  I had to keep watching to see what would happen next.  I gave it 4/5 stars, despite its faults.

If you do rent this DVD, be SURE to watch the short film in the special features section — “Spin” — it was great!

4.5 stars
Randy the Ogre

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

    Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead    

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  The perfect crime goes horribly wrong when Andy and Hank (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) botch a robbery of their parents’ jewelry store in this wrenching drama from legendary filmmaker Sidney Lumet, who was 82 when he directed the film. Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris co-star as the unsuspecting parents, while Marisa Tomei plays Gina, who cheats on her husband, Andy, with Hank.

REVIEW:  This film is dark, very dark, the darkest of dark, and there is no Fargo-type comic relief.  Those who don’t mind the extremely tragic and enjoy films that try to do something different will probably like it as much as I did.  The performances were absolutely amazing by all. This is a love-it-or-hate-it type film, but I don’t think anyone could complain about the performances.  Hoffman, Finney and Hawke all deserve best actor Oscar nominations and Marisa Tomei deserves a supporting actress one.  There isn’t a whole lot to say about this film without giving things away except that it’s a nonlinear story that really lets you know how each of the characters are feeling and how they come to do what they do.

4.5 stars
4 stars on Netflix
Sue K H