Kon Tiki (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

Kon-Tiki

"Kon-Tiki" is a new film by Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg, based on the real life voyage from Peru to Polynesia by Thor Heyerdahl and taken from his 1948 book of the same name. Heyerdahl was an ethnographer and adventurer from Norway who was obsessed by the theory that South Americans had actually discovered the Polynesian Islands in pre-Columbian times. Heyerdahl bases his deduction on an inhabitant of the islands who says his origins came from the sun. Heyerdahl also adamantly believes that ocean passages from South America to the Pacific---some 5,000 miles--- were not formless obstacles but actual water roads as dependable as well travelled highways and while watching the film, it becomes difficult to dispute him.

The film is beautifully shot by Geir Hartley Andreassen. As it is the most expensive Norwegian film yet, it is well worth it. Against the recommendations of many advisors, the filmmakers decided to shoot the film in the open waters of the Maldives , rather than use digital effects.

In many respects, "Kon-Tiki"  is an echo of old fashioned filmmaking. Pål Sverre  Hagen stars as Thor, the explorer who bears an uncanny resemblance to Peter O' Toole with his technicolor blue eyes and sunflower blonde hair. Heyerdahl gets his mates  together consisting of Herman (Anders Baasmo Christiansen) a refrigerator salesman, Erik (Odd-Magnus Williamson) an artist, and three free-wheeling bohemians: Bengt, (Gustaf Skarsgård), Knut (Tobias Santelmann and Torstein (Jakob Oftebro). Heyerdahl is part zoologist and part swashbuckler but his role is never outrageous in tone; he is the voice of reason throughout.

This is a man against nature story with rich color and tense apprehension. Although reminiscent of countless films from "Robinson Crusoe" in several incarnations to "Castaway" and "The Life of Pi", this film's crisp and deceptively simple visuals never stall.

Sharks are the  visceral and concrete antagonists in the film, so much so that the film almost equals "Jaws" in intensity if not in scope. There is one scene where poor Herman takes a spill and the ocean is a dangerous bloody red.  The music swells. Suddenly an open Halloween mash of teeth are revealed only to miss the raft in the nick of time.

Although this is no horror movie, there are instants of maritime Gothicism. Case in point, is the sight of Herman dripping in shark blood, right out of a Hammer vampyre classic. This is one bi-polar sea although the visuals are steadily gorgeous with the great Pacific rolling out in sheets of brilliant blue. Also worth noting, is the story it tells in images of Thor shadowed in a 1940s metropolis and wanting to break free. The skyscrapers here are depicted as alien and faraway stars which could just as well be figments from The Great Gatsby's lost civilization.

"Kon-Tiki" is an unpretentious and simply told story of vivid adventure. As a Lawrence of Polynesia tale, it puts ordinary man in the realm of Tin-Tin's Herge,  laced with a bit of Benchley's  salty suspense.

Write Ian at redtv_2005@yahoo.com

Star Trek Into Darkness (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

Star Trek Into Darkness

The long awaited "Star Trek Into Darkness" has arrived at The Tropic in wondrous  3D. Modern maestro J.J. Abrams again takes directorial control in this sequel to his 2009 adventure featuring the beloved crew of The Enterprise as young men.

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto revisit their iconic roles as Capt. James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, respectively, and in this outing they face a villain as impenetrable as night itself. Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) co-stars as the legendary antagonist Khan, who is seen in previous Star Trek outings in film and Tv by Ricardo Montalban.

Here, Khan's incarnation is profoundly opaque and Luciferic, with malevolent echoes of Loki's "Thor" , Milton's Paradise Lost and the evil historical efforts of eugenics.

Most of the laughs are provided by the comic Simon Pegg as Scotty and Karl Urban as Dr. "Bones" McCoy. McCoy is just as no-nonsense as you remember and Scotty is delightfully nervous and fretful with his usual quips like "I'm doing the best I can Sir! The ship has no power! The radiation will kill us all!"

The eye-catching Zoe Saldana appears once more as Lieutenant Uhura and she is all the more smoldering, efficient and forever transfixing.

The fun in these two films is the narrative, the process of watching these characters grow and change and the action never stops.

Chris Pine is caring yet rakish, a ladies man with moral streak. We can see the shadow of Shatner within him and he once again makes Tiberius proud. Zachary Quinto also gives an entertaining interpretation as the lovable young Vulcan who is oddly unemotional as his species dictates. There are some semi-sweet Vulcan sparks here and if that appears an illogical fantasy, keep in mind that Spock is half human.

"Into Darkness" is a rolling adventure with the intensity of a graphic novel and the crisp 3D effects, although potent, never overcome the story with soaring fires or falling space-junk. There  are leaps of action, zippy one liners (which playfully pay homage to Trekkie camp) romantic tension and philosophic dilemmas. There is something for everyone here---including Leonard Nimoy as a reverent Spock and a classic tribble---and you need not be a Star Trek aficionado to enjoy this latest foray into The Starfleet Command and let us hope there is another chapter at Warp Factor 5, exploring more limits.

Write Ian at redtv_2005@yahoo.com

Week of June 14 to June 20 (Rhoades)

Spanning Time With Four Tropic Movies

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

From the Jazz Age to the Future, this week’s films at the Tropic Cinema cover an amazing span of time.

Baz Luhrmann’s over-the-top telling of “The Great Gatsby” captures the opulence of the Roarin’ Twenties while at the same time unfolding F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tragic love story. Jay Gatsby (brilliantly played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is a self-made man who throws lavish parties at his Long Island mansion in hopes of luring his lost love (Daisy Buchanan as embodied by British actress Carey Mulligan) back into his arms. Witness to these love-gone-awry events is Daisy’s cousin (Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway). Infidelity, unbridled wealth, fast cars, and an effort to recapture the past mesh together to make this a must-see film. Some literary authorities find it spot-on, while others think it misses the mark. You decide after accepting this invitation to Gatsby’s party. ABC News says, “When you throw in the extravagant sets, costumes and visual effects, it’s as if you’re watching a moving painting. New York in the 1920s could not look any more beautiful.” And Detroit News opines that it’s “a cool movie, in both the positive and negative sense.”

At the other page of the calendar is “Star Trek Into Darkness,” the latest voyage of the starship Enterprise -- boldly going where no one has gone before. Here, Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) and his first officer Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) take on the wrath of Kahn as they chase down a renegade Starfleet officer who killed Kirk’s old mentor. You’ll find this second J.J. Abrams trek worth the journey, with all the familiarity of Gene Roddenberry’s original, plus an uncredited guest appearance by Spock Prime (Leonard Nimoy) and new CGI effects that move at warp speed. The Quad City Times notes, “Even old-school Trekkers will enjoy this voyage.” And the Wall Street Journal says, “While the action is often electric, it’s the relationships that matter.”

Closer to our time frame is “Tiger Eyes,” the bittersweet movie based on a favorite Judy Blume young adult novel. As directed by her son Lawrence, you will be touched by the story of a teenage girl dislocated from New Jersey to New Mexico after the death of her father. Willa Holland is engaging as the eponymous Tiger Eyes and Tatanka Means shows star quality as Wolf. Especially moving is the last screen appearance of Tatanka’s real-life father, Native American actor and activist Russell Means. The Chicago Tribune describes it as “a gentle, honest and shrewdly realized film ... worth seeking out.” The Dallas Morning News concludes, “The story, adapted by Blume with her son, director Lawrence Blume, seems as fresh, painful and poignant as when she wrote it.”

And new to Tropic screens is “Kon-Tiki,” the dramatization of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 expedition on which he sailed from Peru to the Tuamotu Islands on a flimsy raft to prove that primitive people could have crossed the Pacific. A Ryan Gosling lookalike, Pål Sverre Hagen is convincing as Heyerdahl in this beautifully filmed sea adventure. The Philadelphia Inquirer described it as “a widescreen man-against-nature epic, beautifully shot and boasting seamless, stunning visual effects.” And the Austin Chronicle called it “absorbing and often lyrical.”

Yes, movies are the ultimate time machine.

srhoades@aol.com

Kon-Tiki (Rhoades)

“Kon-Tiki” Sets

Sail at the Tropic

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl believed that it was possible that ancient cultures populated the world by making long sea voyages. To prove his theory, he built a primitive raft and set sail in 1947 on a 4,948-mile journey from Peru to the Tuamotu Islands in the Pacific.

Christened the Kon-Tiki (after the Inca god of sun and storms), this pae-pae raft was constructed of balsa wood and other native materials. Its design was based on old drawings of Inca boats.

Heyerdahl and his five crewmen (plus a macaw named Lorita) made the journey in 101 days. The expedition demonstrated that pre-Columbian contact between South America and Polynesia was indeed possible.

Afraid of water since childhood, Heyerdahl faced many near-death experiences -- including smashing up his raft on the reef that surrounds the Tuamotu Islands and nearly drowning.

This is the stuff that spawns great adventure stories.

And write about it Thor Heyerdahl did, in “The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas.” A documentary film of the expedition, titled “Kon-Tiki,” won an Academy Award in 1951.

Now we have a new film, a dramatization of Heyerdahl’s great sea voyage -- also called “Kon-Tiki.” It was nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards.

“Kon-Tiki” is currently sailing across the screens at the Tropic Cinema.

Norwegian actor Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen (“Max Manus: Man of War”) stars as Heyerdahl. A Ryan Gosling lookalike, he says he was impressed with Heyerdahl’s complex personality. “He was a believer,” says Hagen. “He believed so strongly that he would actually go out into the world and do the thing he believed in.”

Like sailing nearly halfway across the Pacific in a flimsy raft.

Directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg decided to shoot the ocean scenes on the open sea rather than on a set. The Hollywood Reporter noted the irony when it wrote, “This retelling of a bare-bones enterprise by six men took a crew of hundreds…” But it admitted, “the results are nothing if not polished, with handsome period detail and visual effects that are convincing, if sometimes ostentatious.”

Some film critics have complained “Kon-Tiki” could have used “a bit more (shark-attracting) blood in the water” and groused about its “by-the-book plotting.” Varity, on the other hand, observed that “some may take issue with the artistic license the filmmakers took in dramatizing some of the characters and events of the voyage.”

Can’t have it both ways.

We think Rønning and Sandberg struck a good balance, delivering a visually beautiful retelling of this epic adventure. Others agree. It won the audience award at the 45th Norwegian International Film Festival.

Having proved their mettle on the high seas, Rønning and Sandberg are scheduled to direct the fifth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” the blockbuster franchise starring Johnny Depp as the rapscallion Captain Jack Sparrow.

As for Thor Heyerdahl’s scientific experiment, he felt his expedition helped prove that Polynesia was settled from South America. But even today most archeologists still insist that the migration went from west to east.

srhoades@aol.com

Star Trek Into Darkness (Rhoades)

“Star Trek” Beams

Down Once Again

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

Back in my day at Marvel Comics, we had a license with Paramount to publish “Star Trek” comic books. But they were a pain to produce because the actors had likeness approval. Patrick Steward was particularly difficult, first saying the drawings made his head too round, then too pointy.

I’d been a fan of Gene Roddenberry’s creation since the days of William Shatner and Leonard Nemoy. I’d dealt with Stewart’s capriciousness. And I’d had coffee with Avery Brooks to discuss a movie project.

However, I admit I faced the 2009 reboot by J.J. Abrams with trepidation. How could he hope to replace Captain James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock with a couple of then-newcomers (Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto)?

But he pulled it off.

That’s why I was looking forward to the new Abrams sequel, “Star Trek Into Darkness.” And not disappointed.

You can catch a warp-speed ride at the Tropic Cinema.

In this one, the youthful Captain Kirk (Pine) gets demoted to First Officer for breaking the Prime Directive, which puts him in London to ward off an attack on Starfleet headquarters by a rogue agent known as Harrison (played by Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch, who starred as the great detective in BBC’s “Sherlock”). Question is, who is this villainous guy Harrison and what does he want?

All the crew is there: Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho), Bones (Karl Urban), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and Uhura (Zoe Saldana). Along with Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood), Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve), and Spock Prime (Leonard Nimoy).

“We wanted to approach this movie not as a sequel, but as a stand-alone so you never had to see the first film that we did or the original series,” says Abrams.

A new series of comic books foreshadowing "Into Darkness" were released (now published by IDW). But spoilers have been minimal. You’ll have to see the movie to figure out the agenda of the enigmatic Harrison.

“We wanted to make this movie, without question, a bigger movie,” says Abrams. “A more emotional movie, more action and more intensity.”

Spoiler alert: Yes, Captain Kirk dies of radiation poisoning. Because “Star Trek Into Darkness” is really about the Wrath of Khan.

srhoades@aol.com

Week of June 7 to June 14 (Rhoades)

From Judy Blume to Gatsby, The Iceman to Simon Killer, Renoir to Mud --

You’ll find heartbreak and triumph at the Tropic Cinema

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

Key West’s Judy Blume is debuting her new movie “Tiger Eyes” at the Tropic Cinema this week. It’s one of 20 to 50 select theaters across America getting the film based on her bestselling book.

Directed by her son Lawrence Blume, “Tiger Eyes” tells the story of a teenage girl who loses her father and moves with her mother to New Mexico, starting over under the watchful eyes of the relatives who take them in.”

The film stars former teen model Willa Holland, with key roles filled by Native American activist Russell Means and his son Tatanka.

“Being a part of the making of ‘Tiger Eyes’ was one of the most exciting times of my life,” Judy says. “directors don’t usually invite their screenwriters or writers … to be on the set all day every day, let alone their mothers. I thank Larry for this beautiful gift -- not only for the movie, which was his vision from the start, but for the chance to work together.”

The result is memorable, a moving tale of loss, a family dislocated, and finding oneself. Village Voice says it “stands as a respectable first cinematic adaptation of a Judy Blume novel.” And film blogger Cole Smithey promises “there won't be a dry-eyed audience member.”

Also new to the Tropic is “Room 237,” a documentary that examines nine theories about the hidden meanings behind Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” that tale of madness in a snowbound hotel based on the Stephen King bestseller. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune calls it “a wry examination of the crackpot mind at work.”

And even more unsettling is “Simon Killer,” a dark portrait of a young man (Brady Corbet) who flies to Paris to get over a bad breakup, only to be sucked into a dangerous new relationship with a needy hooker (Mati Diop). The Los Angeles Times pronounces it “brutally raw and difficult watching.” Total Film says it has “a quiet, creeping sense of menace.”

For those looking for even more chills, you can still catch “The Iceman,” Michael Shannon’s portrait of a hired killer who puts his victims on ice to confuse the police as to time of death. Chris Evans plays his accomplice, Mr. Freezy. Philadelphia Inquirer calls it “a true-crime thriller directed with grit, gristle and punchy energy.” And the Tri-City Herald terms it “riveting.”

Still playing at the Tropic is “Renoir,” a look at the French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (played by Michel Bouquet) near the end of his days. And you’ll meet his filmmaker son Jean (Vincent Rottiers). The two are linked here by their muse, a model named Andree Heuschling (Christa Theret). The Arizona Republic says “One would expect a film about French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir to look beautiful, to be shot in warm, sumptuous colors. And one would not be disappointed.”

You still have a chance to see “Mud,” that modern-day Huck Finn homage, with Matthew McConaughey as the titular Mud, a fugitive on the run. Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland breathe life into the story as the two boys who stumble upon him hiding out on a small Mississippi island. UTV calls it “Huckleberry Finn meets Stand By Me.” And Aisle Seat says it’s “beautifully acted, intellectually engaging, and dramatically satisfying.”

And topping everything off with great spectacle is “The Great Gatsby,” Baz Luhrmann’s razzle-dazzle 3-D nod to the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel about a man who has everything and nothing. Leonardo DiCaprio stands out as the self-made Jay Gatsby, trying to capture the past with tragic results. Carey Mulligan shines as his lost love Daisy and Tobey Maguire serves as the narrator. The Globe and Mail says it’s “a terrific adaptation that succeeds not only as a work of cinema but also, wonderfully, as proof of the novel's greatness.” But The Standard counters, “Like Gatsby himself, it comes so close to achieving its dream, only to fall agonizingly and frustratingly short.” Richard Roper reassures us that it’s “the best attempt yet to capture the essence of the novel.”

Judy Blume to Gatsby, The Iceman to Simon Killer, Renoir to Mud -- there lot to discover this week at the Tropic.

srhoades@aol.com

Room 237 (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

Room 237

On the patterned surface of things, "Room 237," a documentary  about the supposed symbolism found in "The Shining" (1980) might seem much ado about some  postmodern poppycock, or at the very least needless nitpicking from  a group of far out and freaky Kubrick-heads who find symbolism in the brand and color of Jack Torrance's typewriter.

That it is.

Even so, the documentary provokes and makes for some interesting viewing, despite the theories being a bit far fetched and unsubstantiated.

Rodney Ascher directs ABC news correspondent Bill Blakemore, Jay Weidner and others in a monologue that covers a wide range of The Shining's "hidden" meanings from Native American genocide, and The Holocaust to the "moon landing hoax." More interesting from my subjective view, is the hypothesis that Kubrick was bored by his virtuosic legacy from "Clockwork Orange" to "Barry Lyndon" and that he yearned to find new ideas. "Room 237" ultimately offers that Kubrick used the work of Stephen King as a cover to assert his personal agenda regarding government control, subliminal imagery and the failure of human communication to unite the world.

Bill Blakemore proposes that "The Shining" is a thinly veiled social commentary on the massacre and domination of the Native Americans. He points out the wardrobe of the Torrance Family as well as the frequent use of Calumet Baking Powder in the film with an iconic Indian Chief logo. Geoffrey Cocks asserts that the film is full of Holocaust imagery and the universal guilt we all share. As exhibit A, he presents Torrance's typewriter, an Adler, a German brand. He also points out Mr. Torrance's shirt which has an eagle on it. If that is not enough, there is also the repeated use of the number 42, as in 1942, the year that the nazis made their extermination plan to fruition.  Juli Kearns,  in one of the more intriguing parts of the film, believes that The Overlook Hotel used in the film is essentially an unending trap which is impossible to spatially define or fix on a floor plan. Jay Weidner cites the ubiquity of moon icons throughout the film as evidence that Kubrick was hired by the government to shoot a fake moon landing, but I have to say that of all the theories presented, this one appears the most outrageous. John Fell Ryan, poetically suggests, finally, that Kubrick intended for the film to be seen projected backwards. I will admit that this makes for some very striking imagery with Jack Nicholson seen as a murdering clown ala John Wayne Gacy as well as Nicholson transforming into Hitler at Shining's end.

The most entertaining segment for me though, is the assumption that Kubrick had a personal vendetta against Stephen King who is represented in this documentary as a red Volkswagen. In one shot, the car is smashed under a semi. This concept is easy to entertain, given the much reported story that the author hated the adaptation from the start, nixing Nicholson as being too crazy and typecast and also saying that Kubrick was too intellectual in his treatment.

My one bite about this film is that it is quite hard to follow. The theorists are never shown on camera and they all speak at once without pause (or so it appears). This makes the voiceover very confusing and try as I might, I couldn't easily tell just who said what about a certain aspect. All ideas seemed to mash  and mix into a somewhat soapy soup.

But like it or hate it, "Room 237" has some arresting proposals and offers plenty of blood for thought.

Write Ian at redtv_2005@yahoo.com