Chronicle

The French poster captures the sentiment of the movie
unlike English one. 

imdb   Photos

Plot: High School Senior Andrew (Dane DeHaan) is chronicling his life on video like a "lifeblogger," and after he explores an artifact in a cave with friends Matt (Alex Russell) and Steve (Michael B. Jordan) they all develop telekinesis -- the ability to move things with their minds. This starts small, and they have fun exploring what they can do in a realistic way. Andrew's anti-social tendencies come out, and he begins to act out in a big way. The film is supposed to be video from Andrew's video Chronicle.

Review: Wow, Chronicle was a fun movie. Much more fun that expected, and way better than the preview led me to believe. The movie revolves around believable characters and is buttressed by good writing and a clever story idea. The film builds the supernatural powers slowly, and that makes the movie more fun.

I liked the acting of Michael B. Jordan the most. He was dynamic and interesting. Dane DeHaan and Alex Russell were good, but not great. Beginning director Josh Trank does a great job with the hand-held video premise. Unlike other hand-held video this did not cause motion-sickness related nausea.

Chronicle but it is not in the same league as Oscar favorite The Descendants, which I saw last week. More people will see Chronicle than The Descendants, and twenty years from now people will still be watching Chronicle since it has a timelessness.

Chronicle is a not four star picture because the final scenes are not well connected to the well developed characters in the middle of the movie. This is because Trank is really making a superhero origin story, not a character based drama. One place we see that is that essentially shy Andrew suddenly doesn't care that he has become the greatest spectacle in Seattle at the end of the move. We know his Dad is a jerk, but Andrew was a Master at keeping the anger under control at home. It is out of character that he'd break out like he does.  A few phrases about being a "Climax Predator," is not enough.  In a top movie, there would have been more dialog at the end, as in Spiderman 2.

Cast: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan. 

Directed by: Josh Trank

Rating:   3.25 stars: By Popular Demand! Quarter Stars have arrived at DOP: Movies for 2012. 

  

More: This movie should have been made in 3D!

Even More: I saw this at a theater full of kids, and when someone gets impaled on a statue -- the 3rd grader next to me goes "that's so cool." Movies are more fun with an audience. 

The Descendants

imdb   Photos

Plot: Elizabeth King gets in a boating accident, and the doctors are ready to pull the plug. Husband Matt (George Clooney) has to tell daughters Alex (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara) that Mom is going to die. Scottie and Alex are both acting out, and give Dad a hard time. Alex drags friend Sid (Nick Krause) along on visits to the hospitals and relatives as they let people know of Elizabeth's impending death. In the meantime, the King family is working with their cousins to sell multi-million dollar beach front property they inherited; creating yet another layer of family dynamics.

Review: The Descendants is a well-written movie with substantive characters having one serious conversation after another. All the action is in the minds of the characters, but the family dynamics is realistic and the characters are engaging. The plot twist in the middle turns up the volume on the tension.

I liked George Clooney throughout. Even though he is so familiar, he inhabits the character and does not seem too famous for the role. He takes in all the tumult and depicts in naturally -- if a little understated. He never seems to get mad, but frustrated.

Actress Woodley most fun scenes are when she is hostile at the beginning, but she changes to being helpful later, and becomes more likable. She has some good reaction shots. Her scenes are also a little more understated that realistic, and I think that is the hand of director Payne.

The soundtrack was unremarkable. Although there are beautiful vistas of Hawaii, the photography is not awe-inspiring.

The real star of The Descendants is the writing. I liked the movie a lot. It was substantive and it was a real movie with feelings, emotions, and a moral direction. I am not sure if its quality makes up for its basic lack of fun-ness. It is a lot of dialog with only a little levity.

The pacing of the movie is fine, but it is dominated our knowledge that the whole enterprise ends with a death, crying and a funeral. I suppose life is like that too.

Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley

Directed by: Alexander Payne, who shares credit for the writing.

Rating:   4.0 - stars.  It is not as good as Moneyball or Young Adult, but it is better than Marilyn. Better than Hugo, Bridesmaids, Super 8 or Harry Potter. 

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More: The character of Sid was pretty clever; he provides some comic relief, and makes the movie 100 times less stuffy. 

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