Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: Chronicle
Chronicle (2012)
Since I reviewed the two latest installments of the Spiderman and Batman franchises in this issue (combined budgets: $490 million), it only seems fitting that my DVD pick of the month was a movie that I enjoyed more than both of them and it cost a whopping $12 million to make and runs for an astounding 83 minutes.
Here is a small, independent film which emulates the B movies of yore in its presentation while delivering thrills and chills and a degree of creativity that The Amazing Spiderman could have used and The Dark Knight Rises rarely achieves.
While I have nothing against epics and big budget extravaganzas, I have found that it’s the little films from the silent era to the present that make a greater impact and stay with me longer. Chronicle is one of those films. It takes the “found footage” genre and takes it to a different level.
Three high school friends discover a large hole in the ground with something mysterious inside (we’re never told what) that enables them to develop super powers just like comic book heroes. One of the teens (Dean DeHaan) comes from an abusive home and is bullied at school. Benign and helpful at first, he ultimately loses control of his emotions a la Carrie and proceeds to wreck most of the city of Seattle.
The well mined storyline is given several new twists, the effects are simple but awesome, and the performances by a group of unknowns could not be bettered. The direction by Josh Trank is as tight as a mainspring, and he brings the whole project in at less than 90 minutes.
If you’re looking for something familiar yet different and something that won’t take up a lot of your time, give Chronicle a try. The story should keep you engrossed and the ending will astound you. What more could you ask of a summer movie or any movie for that matter.
Michelle Keenan’s Pick: The Great Escape
The Great Escape (1963)
On a recent Sunday night, my fiancé and I happened to catch The Great Escape on Turner Classic Movies. It had been a while since either of us had seen it, and I knew that (like many men) this was one of my sweetie’s favorites, so we didn’t even look to see what else was on the TV that night. We settled in and had one of the best movie nights we’ve had in a while.
In 1943, the Germans opened Stalag Luft North, a maximum security prisoner-of-war camp, designed to hold even the craftiest escape artists. In doing so, however, the Nazis unwittingly assembled the finest escape team in military history. The Great Escape is based on the true story of ragtag band of allied forces joining forces to plot quest for freedom. Led by Steve McQueen in of his definitive roles, the film boasts a stellar ensemble including James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasance, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and a slew of other notable and lesser known actors.
Since it debuted almost fifty years ago, The Great Escape has ranked as one of the best “guy movies” of all time and with good reason. Based on a memoir by one of the Luft III escapees and directed by The Magnificent Seven director, John Sturges, the film is smart, yet unpretentious, suspenseful and heroic, and it (of course) is outfitted with an unmistakable score by Elmer Bernstein.
The Great Escape is at once humorous, tragic, and at all times entertaining. Watching the intricacies of the plan unfold is half the fun. Although many of the characters are mish mash of the actual men who were at Stalag Luft, the story stays true to history and the outcome of their daring escape. Its three hour running time is excessive and could easily have been trimmed, but when there’s this much fun to be had, I can’t really complain.
What really sets The Great Escape apart from the pack for me is how it handles a serious story without taking itself too seriously. At the time it was made, acting methods and filmmaking were shifting away from the melodrama of previous decades, but we hadn’t quite gotten to the brooding, altogether too realistic epics of the post-Vietnam era. This balance of humor, bravado and truth is the secret to its charm and lasting power.
There are several different editions of The Great Escape available on DVD. I would recommend the one shown above, The Great Escape – Special Edition. This two disc set shows the film in its original anamorphic ratio, and it’s chockablock full of worthwhile goodies, including a documentary of the production as well as a docudrama about the real escape.
Ladies, the next time your fella endures one of your chick flick estrogen fests, reward them with a proper screening of The Great Escape.